The Song Fight Bulletin Board

Pre show live now! Nur Ein XI finals!
Tonight at 9 pm - Grumpy Mike and bmg go for the championship!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgSyLW4 ... Sg&index=8

Things I like about BGMs entry - that great guitar tone and especially those BVs / Harmonies. Sometimes when you've done genre styles in the past, I have suggested they're pastiche (i.e. it feels like you're doing it because it's a default you can so well) - however this is every piece a great country pastiche. The lyric is good, nothing ground-shaking (not sure I really go for 'a leviathan is just a great big fish' but it's cute I guess). Unfortunately for you, as I have said many times before, I hate most C&W with a passion so it's unfortunate, especially when Grumpy MIke is bringing such riffy riffy fun. I love all the catchy little hooks bobbing around this song. The various keyboards are lovely and really add a bit of depth to the song whenever they appear. Though the lyric could be about anyone / lacks focus, it's fine (except for the turtle metaphor section - that's a bit clumsy). Song doesn't outstay its welcome. Sure there could be the accusation of recycling 90s grunge (who would say such an awful thing? ) but for me I just engage with it more than Bgm's this time round. So that's where my vote is going.

j$

I'm collecting last minute votes. Get them in RIGHT NOW. Judges and competitors, this is your last chance to have your say on who wins this year's Nur Ein.

I have to hand it to Grumpy Mike, his entry seriously rocks. I dig the opening simple bass riff and sparse drums which set a great starting tone. Although when we get to the chorus it starts to sound disappointingly familiar, although still effective. This song is as far as I can tell, about a bad dude, a monster, a human leviathan. I'm glad Mike paints a nuanced picture of him though, because maybe he just doesn't process emotions like the rest of us, and hey I like turtles too. The line where he rhymes equanimity and acerbity with acquaintances or enemies is most excellent, and probably my favorite. I feel like the ending is pretty weak though, he built it up so strong "nothing he could say or do will ever EVER EVER ... ..." and I'm all like .. "yes? yes!? YES?!!" and then you he sings "shake the reputation" and I'm like .. "Oh." That's one of the reasons I felt that BGM did a better job lyrically -- not just because he didn't have any lines I thought were clunkers, but because I thought his leviathan metaphor was more sophisticated, and with a wider appeal to your average listener. I don't listen to a lot of this kind of music, but enough to I know that BGM really nailed that Owen Bradley Nashville sound. I also love that his entry was a duet which is really appropriate for a relationship song. I found both songs appealing, and MIke's slightly more because I like Rock & Roll a lot more than I like Country, but this isn't about validating my personal tastes. I feel like BGM's entry was slightly stronger technically, although both songs were very well performed and produced.

Grats Brian!!

Wow.
Thanks!
Honoured to have played with you Mike. And with all of you. It was a fantastic Nur Ein this year.

That picture though. Ouch.

Send me a better picture of yourself and I can make a new victory shot.

Congrats to bgm!

Congrats to Mike too though, great job this year.

Chumpy wrote:I like Rock & Roll a lot more than I like Country, but this isn't about validating my personal tastes. I feel like BGM's entry was slightly stronger technically,...

And this is why music and music criticism is as dead as Lester Bangs Congrats, Bgm - over the course of the compo, you earned it. I may think your last round entry wasn't the best but your 'This Is Not A Test' remains one of my favourite SF-related songs - so it's a fair result!

j$

Brian really did an excellent job, and the title spoke to him more than it did to me. I am lucky to have lost to such an adept songwriter and engineer.

Congrats, BGM! Deserved win in an appropriate finale. Great work.

Thanks to all the judge's this year, a fine and far from easy task. Good work, gentlemen!

Also thanks to all the other competitors for puttin' up their dukes, great to fight you all.

Special thanks to the Academy, er, Niveous, for playing ringleader. Hats off, man!

Until next year, when I win...NUR EIN!

Both of your songs were very impressive. Great job!

BGM, did you play all instruments in this song? I had assumed you were a one man band in your submissions (except for the female vocalist of course... loved her voice). All the parts were spot on with the genre. Felt like I was listening to Music Row session musicians.

Va of DuToVa

bgm wrote: That picture though. Ouch.

Hopefully the new version that I quickly whipped up is less ouch inducing. (Probably still a bit ouch inducing, Nur Ein is nothing if not a little messy)

Thanks again guys. Really appreciate all the nice comments.
Here's more info than you wanted to know:
My brain was telling me to do something really big and poppy and guitar heavy and high energy but my heart just wan’t in that. I had this idea to do a really torchy country song, sort of a Gram and Emmylou/Flying Burrito Brothers kind of thing and I just couldn’t shake it. I don’t know if that came across, but that was my starting point.
I knew there’d be some country hate but I just sort of didn’t care, I liked how the song was turning out. I thought of the “just a great big fish” line first and it made me laugh because it was so dumb but so perfect for the whole metaphor.
So yeah it’s me on everything except the main harmony, which is sung by Amelia, a musical internet acquaintance from the UK. I’d wanted her to sing on something for a long time and finally had the guts to ask her. Thanks, Amelia. (A-Game! Song is also in A. Both are coincidental.) I had to learn how to do that sort of rim click on the snare that so many country songs have. And I did a kind of faux pedal steel by slowing the track down and doing some slide guitar.
Aside from the mixing, which I’d like to redo, I’m really happy with how it turned out. I think it’s my favourite song I’ve done from the whole shebang.

Niveous wrote:(Probably still a bit ouch inducing, Nur Ein is nothing if not a little messy)

There does not exist a good picture of me so thanks for the effort.

Congratulations to both Grumpy and bgm for being the final rounders, and of course especially bgm for pulling off the win! Both of the final songs were outstanding and I admire your talent and tenacity!

Good Game All. Congrats BGM!

Good Job BGM! Congratulations! Well deserved win!

A deserved win! A great Nur Ein, everyone!