Oak Grove, East Bethel, New Brighton.. (OPIHL Reviews)

[Meatwad]

Klownhizzle: Isn't ebonics magic? You could be a house, or a hole. NAR BRAGGLE THBT TBHTB THBTBT!!! I sing along with song a lot. WE GOT A BAD BACK FROM PULLIN ON BULL RACKS. WE GOT SO MUCH LOVE TO GIVE. MUMBLE BLARGHLE OTHER PLACES / BEERS!

You of all people should know that enunciation and coherency are for pussies and have no place in rock. Hail!

[furrypedro]

here's some opinions after a couple o' listens

AB: alright i suppose, didn't grab me but there's not much I can say constructively.

Anit-m: I really like this, when i listen to it closely I thought it sounded for a split second like Oasis' Half the world away' but don't take that seriously. It would've worked with just voice and guitar, but the xylophone is a genius touch, really adds the charm this needs.

Bjam: not bad, nice recording; the melody is really unexpected which I would say is good but I'm not sure it's grabbing me. The rhyming couplets start to grate after a while. I like the percussion

CIA: solid beats, big sounds, this works pretty well but you need to sort out yer guitar, the sound fits but it's real sloppy which doesn't work in beat based stuff. I think the scratching gels well too, I wasn't sure if it was live or sampled so thats a good sign. I don't think the lack of dynamics matters too much in this style, but it'd be cool to see if it went down any weird tangents.

des: recording-wise, it's a cut above. This is kind of catchy but it sounds a bit des-by-numbers and it's not as good as 'I meant to remember' and i think the style should be developed more; personally I'd like to hear some more interesting rhythms and textures. good job tho

FlxFlrvvm: hahaha...gimme some moneeeeeyyyyyyyyy! shit sandwich. but better than last week.....harmonica solo!!! a crapload better than last week! at this rate I'll be liking your stuff for the right reason in no time.

4th Dr: This works ok in it's own little minimalist way i think. not bad, but something intanglible is missing. that's not very helpful, sorry.

hANK: Definitley extra points for the organ. There's a nice laid back feel to this. the backing vocals and guitar solo are great.

HostessMostess: wait......and there's the song, and it's quite good, that bridge is cool, the way it starts quiet and sweeps into the chorus. that's good. nice

KatBoy: I heard this and thought "Kristin Hersh!" which is a boost, but in it's own right this flows nicely. this has a melody that I think Bjams track was in need of. I'd recommend more textures or even get piano accompaniment instead of guitar, that way your songs will stand out more above ALL the other acoustic songs, as it would be a shame if they got dismissed for the lack of interesting arrangement. thats what i reckon

KSDBAS: This could be the best I've heard so far from the super duper band of Ken (and stuff), and I was listening to "you're living all over me" the other day so I'm in the mood for this kind of stuff. cool. doesn't hang around too long too

up theKlownhole: Hmmm, not quite metal, but rockier than yer average rock. This sits pretty much in the middle of this weeks fight for me. All the bass is missing tho, kick and all, and that takes a lot of the balls out of it. nice try, but next time more bass, cos bass means gerth. oh yeah

Sr. Henley: I'm definitely prejudiced towards Luke after last weeks fight; this has a different vibe, but you do the old nervous paranoia thing excellently. I dunno, it's like the worlds going to swallow you up if you stop playing guitar and it really doesn't matter if nobody ever hears this song. everyone's jesus and everyone's moses sounds really cool

Phunt them all while we're philosophising, different styles of music are designed to be listened to in different situations and so I try to get the angle of whoever made the track and appreciate it from that point of view. so for this I went all new age and listened to it while doing some breathing exercises and found this to be excellent, firstly, the music is so Mum i'm surprised you lot aren't from Iceland, and I can always use more stuff that sounds like mum. secondly, I can see how most would find the spiel boring but I enjoyed getting in the mindset, it's like being in a cosmic conversation, which if you go with it rather than thinking "this is sad" it makes you laugh for some silly reason and makes you enjoy life more in a fundamental way. like, you could be from Iceland. This is NOT the same old Phunt, i think they've hit the nail on the head here.

sexy misogynists: creepy and punky at the same time. mercifully short there. definitley something there, good and bad. it freaked me out so good job.

SOS blue's reviews kinda put me in a bad mood, so I was going to get all arsey here, but then if I'd done a track like this I'd lord it over everyone too. It's like stevie wonder joined the Pixies and started a Flips tribute band (my god, That line was crap enough to be in NME). just cool, I get the feeling if you'd done some singing and it wasn't great it would dragged this down so it was a smart move with the vocals. I think this fight is turning out to be superb and this track will be one of the main contenders. get in!

Stevsie: okay, I'm going to skip reviewing the recording quality of this. It's a very interesting song, style-wise. mainly cos I don't know who it sounds like. which band did that song that went "in the year 2525....", never mind. I didn't like this immediatley but I find it quite evocative, some good imagery, and I like the dynamics especially when you get to the bouncey bit. you should redo this with better equipment, do it justice.

Thanalogue: a track that is over 5mins is always going to go down like a sack of turd on SF. valid comment earlier about bringing the drums in later, the fatal flaw here is if you listen to the first two minutes and the skip to the end to see if it changes it sounds exactly the same and the middle breakdown is missed, and that to me is the best bit. textures, and notes used here are great I think, the drums and vox fit well around the organ and the flute is superb, almost sounds real. the conversation noises are good, nothing like some nice shakers too, this sounds really amazonian. 6.07 when the synth and shakers change rhythm is coool. so not for SF but this deserves another listen, preferably with a J.

Thornberry: Elton John-tastic, and the intro promised so much jauntiness and cheeky shenanigans.

TMK: I just thought, that synth in the background sounds like some kind of space banjo. shit

TFC: I can't help but feel sorry for the last tune, consigned by alphabetical fate to a half-arsed courtesy listen, so the boys have done an excellent job in grabbing my attention here especially after such a melancholy intro, which in retrospect adds to the gravitas. great drums, some classic J$ guitar adds some needed grit. charming, like some kind of frontier northern anthem. and johnnys voice (is that right?) continues to confound me, this time sounding more David Gedge-ish than anything. I admit I'm not going to vote for this but it is very compelling so the transatlantic trickery comes good.

...and exhale

[DELETED]

DELETED

[blue]

SOS blue's reviews kinda put me in a bad mood

are you from TMK? i didn't think my reviews were mean this week. your drum programming really is derivative. that's not an insult, is it? do you think of it as original and virginal and special like a new-born rose? because that is Hoblit's drum programming, or Abominominious' drum programming, not yours. i mean come on, we've all heard Portishead. no one is impressed by the Vinyl plugin any more. it's still a cool effect, but it's not a new idea.

your song really did have a solid core, but it was shellacked over with "production."

please don't misunderstand that i couldn't give less of a shit how much your pussy hurts. i'm just saying, i wasn't being intentionally mean anywhere. except maybe to Deshead, but he's a masochist anyways. it's the loving neck punches of looooooooooove.

thanks for the compliments on the sos song, but i think it is kind of a pile of poo, too. no one gets a free pass!

<- see? smilies. don't take it so hard.

[furrypedro]

do you think of it as original and virginal and special like a new-born rose?

not at all, it's just a style, like any other. and the thing about drums is there's not been much original stuff for years; I did wonder why you singled out my drums out of all the entries tho (isn't the whole acoustic guitar thing DONE? yes, but it still works). a glitch kit isn't any more "produced" than a live kit is it?

and I don't understand why sometimes people (and you're not the only one) are bothered by the whole id3 business to the extent that it would take up most of a review; I mean, you still figured out who did the tracks didn't you? (that was what my mood was about) but its trivial so no worries, my pussy doesn't hurt so bad. just itches like a mofo, damn.

[HANK.]

Oh yeah, was gonna say - my track definitely had an id3 tag. Keep whining.

[deshead]

you know i wish that i was des's girl.......

Hey, if you don't mind ironing shirts, the gig's yours!


Andy Balham: The timing is off, pretty severely in a few spots. It might help if the drums were (way) louder. I find your voice is stuck between singing softly and really committing to the performance. I dunno, like you wanted to belt it out but couldn't risk waking the neighbours. Just give 'er, dude! Hmm, and the guitar wankery goes on a bit long maybe. My, that was a critical review ... eff.

Anti-M: I like the harmonies, and that I can make out all the lyrics. Really, there's nothing specifically wrong with this. It just never grabs me.

Bjam: This'll all probably come across way more critcal than I intend it:

Your melody is good, but it gets repetitive. The song could be a minute shorter and not suffer. I find the lyrics are all over the place. Half of them are great (like "stick to drummers" .. heh, pun,) and half of them are painfully forced, like the "summer .. in a band .. you played the guitar" passage. The awkward phrasing snaps me right out of the song. It might work better as "you played guitar .. in a band". Also, the "stepped out of the nest and flew" metaphor comes out of nowhere. It doesn't fit with yer dude not thinking straight. And "through" in "see it clearly through" sounds like you were stuck for a rhyme, 'cause the line doesn't really mean anything. Maybe "I see it clear, I do" ???

Oh, and drop every instance of the word "just." None of them are needed.

For the mix, I think you EQ'd out the bottom of the guitar to give the bass some room. That's ok, but it could sound better if you automated the EQ so the bottom drops out only when the bass is there. The guitar otherwise sounds pretty thin. (You might also try stereo mic'ing or double-tracking. That can really fill out the sound.)

OK, I'm done. Peace.

Clever Intarweb Audios: Skinny Puppy indeed! I can't make out a word you're saying, though. This track is really cluttered, both in the middle of the stereo field and the middle frequencies. Pan some stuff out. And everything's competing for the 300Hz - 700Hz range. So thin a few of the instruments out.

Flvxxvm Florvm: Do you like the song?

Fourth Doctor: I dunno what to say .. It sounds good. I wouldn't change anything .. But I'm afraid it doesn't do much for me.

HanK.: Are you a j mascis fan? This is sweet. Seriously, the only thing I'd change is the bottom end in the lead vox, but you've already pegged that. Probably just a roll off below 250Hz. I love the irritated dude singing backup. You'd get my second vote if I voted twice.

Hostess Mostess: You got my vote.

A deshead cover of this would sound a lot more like what was in my head.

Intriguing idea!

Are you sure you're not Canadian? I always get a Moxy Fruvous vibe from your stuff. I don't hear much of them anymore, though. Do you maybe have them chained up in your cellar?

Katarina Boyer: Those harmonies are pretty sweet. You've got a good balance between the vocals and guitar (the vocals really need to predominate in a track like this.) The guitar playing's a little tentative, though. You've gotta get a good rage on for your guitar strings. Little skinny buggers always slicing into your fingers ... Hate them. Mean it. Make them pay.

Ken's Super Duper Band n' Stuff: Great performance, mix still needs work ... Monday morning?

Klownhole: Good energy, but the mix is complete ass. There's some wicked phasing going on with the guitars, and I can't hear the bass or kick drum at all. Did you record the vocal through the overhead drum mics?

Luke Henley: You could win this fight if enough Connor Oberst fans check it out. (I like this a LOT. Best I've heard from you.)

Phunt Your Friends: There's no point me repeating what everyone else said, right?

sonofsupercar: I like the performance and the energy in this, but as with Ken's track, the mix needs work. The two most glaring issues are the hi hat level (way high) and the bottom end (there ain't one.) I dunno if this helps: It's the Winamp EQ setting I used to fully enjoy the track.

i wasn't being intentionally mean anywhere. except maybe to Deshead, but he's a masochist anyways. it's the loving neck punches of looooooooooove.

Crap, I thought you meant the Rick Springfield line. What am I gonna do with these t-shirts I made?

Steve Durand: You have a great sense of melody, and I like the lyric idea here a lot. The mix just needs some love. Here's what I'd try: the hard-panned guitars are too loud, and the drums are way too quiet. The bass should probably come up a bit too. The balance between the lead and backing vocals is good, but the vocal mix needs more high end. The guitars also have a very harsh sound. I'd try to soften the high frequencies, and eq a little more warmth into them. Again, good song, just needs massaging.

Thanalogue: I dig the Art Of Noise vibe, but as everyone else noted, the track's too long for Songfight. Well, too long to win, anyway. I'm not sure if the drum loop needs more variation 'cause that might detract from the groove. But whatever you have serving as a snare is a little too snappy and harsh for the mix. Everything else is organic, and the snare jumps out from that.

The Sexy Misogynists: Not my thing, but good job. It's probably perfect for what it is.

Thornberry: It's nice. I'm not sure what else I can say. It's just a couple of singers and a piano, ya know?

Those Meddling Kids: I have to agree with HANK. on this one: your songs's well put together, but it never really grabs my attention. I mean, I don't know that I'd change anything about it. The mix is great, and everything works the way I'm sure you intended. I'm just not likely to listen to it again.

Transatlantic Fight Club: I'm not sure the Cashpoint Vocal Delivery System works for this song. The instruments sound good, but the vocals are distracting at times. Specifically "... I .. used .. to .. live, now it's" ... That phrasing pulls me right out of the tune.

[blue]

yes, my mix did kind of suck this week, too. sorry. furry: id3 tags are really important for managing large collections of music like the archive.

i woke up this morning singing deshead's song. does that make me gay?

[erik]

yes, my mix did kind of suck this week, too. sorry. furry: id3 tags are really important for managing large collections of music like the archive.

i woke up this morning singing deshead's song. does that make me gay?

No dude, having sex with all those men makes you gay.

[j$]

It doesn't matter what makes you gay, just that you are ...

[stueym]

Bjam: This'll all probably come across way more critcal than I intend it:

Your melody is good, but it gets repetitive. The song could be a minute shorter and not suffer. I find the lyrics are all over the place. Half of them are great (like "stick to drummers" .. heh, pun,) and half of them are painfully forced, like the "summer .. in a band .. you played the guitar" passage. The awkward phrasing snaps me right out of the song. It might work better as "you played guitar .. in a band". Also, the "stepped out of the nest and flew" metaphor comes out of nowhere. It doesn't fit with yer dude not thinking straight. And "through" in "see it clearly through" sounds like you were stuck for a rhyme, 'cause the line doesn't really mean anything. Maybe "I see it clear, I do" ???

Oh, and drop every instance of the word "just." None of them are needed.

For the mix, I think you EQ'd out the bottom of the guitar to give the bass some room. That's ok, but it could sound better if you automated the EQ so the bottom drops out only when the bass is there. The guitar otherwise sounds pretty thin. (You might also try stereo mic'ing or double-tracking. That can really fill out the sound.)

OK, I'm done. Peace.

Thanks Des. As Bjam's engineer this time around, I appreciate the comments. I am trying different things and you are quite right about squeezing the bottom end on the guitar to make room for the bass. Before that it was muddy as heck.....but yep you got it that leaves gapsies...living and learning.

Also trying new stuff technicaly with the recording of the guitar tracks that I will start a new topic on it when I have a chance to do some comparatives for folks to listen to....more interesting stuff.

Despite your intro this is actually one of the better reviews I have seen for ages actually aimed at helping get better....much appreciated by me anyway. I will let Bjam pass her own comments on the writing critique. She has been away sans computer for 3 days so has a lot of catching up to do.

[melvin]

Andy Balham: I don’t find anything particularly good or bad about this, there’s just not a lot here for me to hold on to.

Anti-M: Wow, that’s quite a voice! This is nice, but I’m sure I’d like it more if my achy-breaky heart hadn’t turned to cold, hard stone a few years ago.

Bjam: I always like your voice, and this time is no different. Further, my research indicates that you are/were a Cutie Pie. Nice! However, this song seems wanting a more distinct chorus. Vary the chord progression and kick that voice up a few notches every 60 seconds or so, and you’ll be well on your way to greatness.

CIA: I like how FlvxxvmFlorvm put it. Not really my area of expertise, although I can usually appreciate sonic elements even if I don’t get the music. However, in this case, I can’t find anything to get into.

Deshead: I checked out some of your back catalogue recently, and you are quite a master of production. How do you get your kick drum to sound so deep and massive? It’s impressive. This tune is, like, first class Can-Rock dude! Great chorus, well done.

FlvxxvmFlorvm: Off the top, I’m ready to like this, then ouch! The vocals! I really want to get past the vocal sound and performance, but I just can’t. They hurt! But the harmonica – that’s cool.

Fourth Doctor: I have to file this with CIA. It’s electro-something, and the lyrics seem amusing, but it is not sonically impressive or melodically memorable which, for me, leaves little to like.

HanK: Dig the warm, laid-back vibe, and everything is well-played here. Dig the solo. Nice tune.

Hostess Mostess: You are a great singer. I really like your voice, and the melodies and harmonies in this are excellent. Very good work.

Katarina Boyer: Hmmm… this kind of snuck up on me. I didn’t think I liked it, until the harmonies kicked in, and I realized that it kicks ass. You have a degree of soul that most of us can only fake. Very good.

Ken’s S-D Band n’ Stuff: This is aces, dude! I’d change the mix a bit (less Ken, more super-duper band n’ stuff), but I love the song. Are you the Location, Location, Location guy? If so, that’s two in a row that I will listen to again. You rock.

Klownhole: You should really get your own website, and stop hanging around with all us wimps. I’d still go there and review your songs on a weekly basis.

Luke Henley: I’m impressed with the way you make it sound like a song is about to completely fall apart, but it somehow holds together. It’s like sonic duct tape. Although something nicer than that. Do you spend a lot of time alone? Really good song, dude.

Phunt Your Friends: Is it just me, or do you have THREE songs up right now? I mean, I know the others are collaborations, but still, I’m jealous. You’re larger than life. The dialogue thing is definitely cool, but I like the other two songs better. Perhaps pure Phunt is still too strong for my sensitive taste buds.

Sexy Misogynists: One time, as a pre-teen, I got really drunk and let some guy give me a bunch of poppers. Then I got lost alone in the city’s gay district. This reminds me of that time.

Son of Supercar: Would have preferred to hear singing in this, but this has some awesome guitar stuff, especially after 1:43. I bet I'd enjoy seeing this band live.

Steve Durand: I like your style. The vocal could be brighter and more up front, but the lyrics and melody are sweet. Like the solo, even if not every note sounded like it was in the right key.

The Analogue: Pleasant vocals. Hmmm, some very deep, nice, synth sounds in this. It’s totally cool when the beat returns approaching the 7-minute mark, but this is just too long for the amount of ideas actually presented. Good 3-minute song, mediocre 8-minute song, in my opinion.

Thornberry: Intro makes me think of the Peanuts theme song. That’s cool – it’s one of my favourite songs. Wow, great singing. This whole track is pretty solid. Definitely the best thing I can remember hearing from you. Sounds like a smash hit from a bygone era.

Those Meddling Kids: You sure know how to splice things up, and make them sound cool. You should get paid a lot of money to produce the next The Streets album. That would be a great album. Sorry, I know you’ve got your own thing going. That awkward-sounding line about “…you didn’t cross my mindâ€

[anti-m]

Goddamn, I love this site! Songfight is such a freakin’ cool idea!

I debated the netiquette of posting reviews for my first post…given that I am such a songfight virgin noooooooob and all…. But, you know, the reviews are my favorite part of the boards, so I’m gonna dive right in and give my 2 cents, for what it’s worth… (about 2 cents…)

Without further ado, alphabetically:

Andy Balham: I like this, but it didn’t quite do it for me. I think the thing I’m having trouble with is the vocals. It sounds to me like you just need a confidence boost? Once you get to the oomph behind the “I - Yi Yiâ€

[HANK.]

Anti-M - thanks for your reviews, there's no ettiquette to unsolicited reviews!

ROK!

[ruin8r]

Klownhole: You should really get your own website, and stop hanging around with all us wimps. I’d still go there and review your songs on a weekly basis.

http://klownhole.net/. Knock yourself out.

[deshead]

I debated the netiquette of posting reviews for my first post…given that I am such a songfight virgin noooooooob and all

To the contrary, most folks'll tell you the review post is the most important. Especially for a fight you're in.

Thanks for the reviews, and welcome to Songfight!

How do you get your kick drum to sound so deep and massive

It's half http://www.drumagog.com, and half EQ and reverb. I boost 1-2dB somewhere around 120Hz (depending how I have it tuned,) and really push the click (somewhere around 3000Hz .. by about 6dB, narrow Q). Then run it through a large room reverb with a short decay. Just enough to give the kick drum a little tail.

[Mostess]

It's half http://www.drumagog.com,

Very interesting. I think I'll try the demo next time around. I'm no drummer, so I'll try running pseudo drums (claps, pots and pans, vocal grunts) through it. Unless deshead says that's a silly idea; then of course I won't bother.

Are you sure you're not Canadian? I always get a Moxy Fruvous vibe from your stuff. I don't hear much of them anymore, though. Do you maybe have them chained up in your cellar?

I do have Moxy Fruvous' "The Drinking Song" tattooed on my brain somewhere. And we recently moved closer: 40 minutes to the border. And I appreciate the catchier national anthem. So to answer your question: I'm not, but not sure I'm not.

[deshead]

so I'll try running pseudo drums (claps, pots and pans, vocal grunts) through it. Unless deshead says that's a silly idea

It totally works! I tried it with a pair of bongos. Hit the left bongo, and hear a kick drum, hit the right and hear a snare.

The newer versions of Drumagog can also generate midi events, which is great for driving Battery or BFD.

[Smalltown Mike]

http://klownhole.net/. Knock yourself out.

Now that's a lot of songs. This is going to take a while.

[boltoph]

...a little tail.

...a little tail....

[Bjam]

I was away this past weekend in the center of Pennsylvania at a conference ffull of "thespians", and then this week I've got school. But on Wednesday I'm getting all my wisdom teeth and four other teeth out(that's 8 teeth, like a quarter of my mouth. Feel my pain ), I'll have tons of free time Wednesday onwards so I can do my reviews then. The only problem is that I'm gonna be on percocet(a kind of narcotic) and veeeery strong pain meds, which will make me just a little bit kooky.

I apologise in advance if I give you a strange review.

[ken]

on Wednesday I'm getting all my wisdom teeth and four other teeth out(that's 8 teeth, like a quarter of my mouth. Feel my pain ),

I had that done when I was like 8. I didn't have any back teeth for two weeks and therefore couldn't chew. I was soo hungry for solid food at the end I was gumming McNuggets.

Ken