MLA or APA? (elements of style reviews)

[DJ TJ Maxxx]

dude, we didnt google it, MC Kohlz is a librarian and a writer, and he just knew the book. we reference the authors and even have a direct quote from the book in our song. we're nerds.

[Niveous]

I vote for the APA.

What happens when you give large amounts of alcohol to an ornery texan with a vast amount of stock knowledge and a college football star with an attitude? You get bar fights. Lots of bar fights. Thanks for bringing me back, Denyer. I miss the APA bar fights and the best office ever.

[blue]

Dear Octothorpe:

The elements WITH WHICH HE IS CONCERNED.

Thank you.

[mico saudad]

Gorgeous cover art MM (if you're listening)

[mkilly]

2) Why doesn't EB White get primary credit for the book? That's unfair.

What's... unfair?... Strunk wrote it, E.B. White came on later as a coeditor and then editor-in-chief after Strunk's death.

[obscurity]

Gorgeous cover art MM (if you're listening)

Seconded. Best cover art I've seen in years.

[Morbid Morgan]

Gorgeous cover art MM (if you're listening)

Seconded. Best cover art I've seen in years.

Yay! You liked my cover! I love this image, it was an experiment I was working on for retouching photos.

Thanks for the kudos, it is much appreciated!

[Albatross]

Yay! You liked my cover! I love this image, it was an experiment I was working on for retouching photos.

Gee, what were the odds that you and I would both have cover art posted in the same week?

[Rabid Garfunkel]

Guess I blew it this time around for the hot hot triptych action, huh? And oh yeah, dug the over-saturated hot lighting, Sparky.

[MC Minimum]

dude, we didnt google it, MC Kohlz is a librarian and a writer, and he just knew the book. we reference the authors and even have a direct quote from the book in our song. we're nerds.

That is perhaps the most awesome thing ever.

[Kamakura]

I would like to thank DJ TJ Maxxx for outing himself and MC Kohlz. Such bravery brings a tear to the eye.

I'm enjoying this fight muchly.

[DJ TJ Maxxx]

man, everybody's songs are totally good. I didnt have time to listen to them all last night, and now I wish my computer at work had speakers, although that would probably get me in trouble, so I guess its for the best that I have to wait till tonight. kudos to all!

[Morbid Morgan]

Gee, what were the odds that you and I would both have cover art posted in the same week?

Guess I blew it this time around for the hot hot triptych action, huh? And oh yeah, dug the over-saturated hot lighting, Sparky.

RG: Less like a tripthych and more like a threesome.
Alb: Yay Max! You put a rug on a rock. Did you start smoking pat's brand or are you in town?

Love the PS logo action! Very nice!

[Kamakura]

Kamakura: 'Reviews from Le Royaume Uni'
Though I've not entered in a while I have written stuff for a lot of the titles. Some not as bad as others. Some worse.
I download, listen on headphones, then burn to disk and listen in the car.

In the order they played:

Jonas Murdock and the child inside
I hate the 'toy' synth keyboard sound which kinda wants to force me to skip the track. However after a couple of listens this begins to remind me of early Cashpoint... which is not a bad thing.

Johnny Cashpoint
Another peach from the towers. The first half of the chorus is really, really good. Good lyrics, though I wish you'd gone the clothing route.
(keeper)

Kamakura
I had fun on sunday night.

Posyden
Sorry. I'm playing my genre bias card. However, without knowing or caring what basketofhands did might I suggest breeze blocks at dawn rather than a... song.

The Durrands
For me the tempo is fractionally slow, and it sounds like you're not having as much fun as you should be. Nearly as good as always.
(keeper)

Octothorpe
You are such an aquired taste, and I'm glad I've finally got it. Reminds me of Vivian Stanshall, and to some extent The Grateful Dead. Excellent. I have trouble with headbands too.
(keeper)

MC Kohlz & DJ TC Maxxx
I disliked this first time around, and I'd also heard it was 'comedic' which put me off... However, it's grown on me. Good backing singer, and the ending was just pure 'Trains, Planes and Automobiles' The only caveat is the somewhat distorted production left a lot to be desired.
(keeper)

Motor Monkeys
Weird. This sounds as if it's a lost recording from the seventies, found in the bottom of a vault. A good track, but... I dunno. Odd. Perhaps its's the MP3 encoding... Or my ears... Or both.

Noah Mclaughlin
It took me a while, including several minutes of insanity trying to find a reference to the title. Then I got it. Clever. Good song too.
(keeper)

Obscurity
Hmm. Great lyrics. Especially the chorus. If you'd played this a semi tone/tone higher It would have helped the vocal. I really like this. It reminds me of Kapitano.
(keeper)

The artwork was good too.
Difficult choice for the vote.
Who is Emily Rose?

[nyjm]

jonas murdock et al.
--- where's damien verret? what did he do in this song? please label your mp3 consistently ---
--- the singing is poor; there's rhythm, but there's no sense of melody or even sureness in your vox; watch your plosives ---
/// the breakdown starts with a really lame keyboard doodle, but that full-band-sounding bit for the second part is pretty cool ///
+++ i like the "ambercombie and fitch" line +++

johnny cashpoint - download
+++ i've said it before, and i'll say it again: i love it when you growl. that said, you could put some more angst in the verse vox +++
+++ the outro lyrics are awesome; i totally agree +++
/// this is a tense arrangement; perhaps it needs to break out somehwere, a big crashing solo or something ///

kamakura
/// your gravely vox are grating at first, but they grow on me ///
--- the dual lead guitars are more distracting than cool ---
+++ i really like the ovation-like guitar tone +++
+++ i like how subtly britaino-centric (sic) your lyrics are. i wonder how many folks here on the other side of the pond get that +++

MC Kohlz & DJ TJ Maxx
--- an interesting nerd-core premise poorly executed ---
--- vox are way to high in the mix, clipping and popping all over the place ---
+++ the second rap is the best part: good rhythm +++
--- the ending sing-along is gratuitous and even painful ---

motor monkeys
+++ i like the intro build from a simple thrumming drums to a very disco vibe +++
/// you're pushing your voice a little too far sometimes, like "styyyyyy-yigh-yle" ///
/// needs a breakdown ///

noah mclaughlin
/// why is it that everytime i do a decent GnG song ross durand has to show up and stomp my butt into the ground? ;-) ///
+++ i had fun making this serious tune; i think the recent doscientos songs have been rubbing off +++
--- the drums are pretty mediocre; they need more variety and punch ---

obscurity
+++ cool guitar and bass riff +++
/// like kamakura's song, your vox are off-putting at first, but they grow on me, especially "go fuck yourself" ///
/// pan the refrain vox further apart ///

octothorpe
+++ cool idea for the lyrics; i like the contrasting triptych +++
+++ your recitation is very beatnik; très cool, my man +++
/// all that said, i'm not really impressed. perhaps i'm just a victim of the "octothorpe myth." surely out of the ordinary, but nothing that makes me go "wow, cool." ///

posyden
--- didactic infighting is boring because: ---
--- 1. there's no passion in your vox ---
--- 2. your use of loops is uninspired ---
--- 3. your lyrics are topical and do nothing to engage the listener ---

ross durand feat. steve durand
+++ i've been waiting for durand durand; it's fun to say, and the collab is great +++
+++ great vibe, fun lope, excellent use of musical accents +++
--- backing vox are a tad off-key ---
+++ great trumpet solo, steve +++

[WeaselSlayer]

I'm gonna try and review all these fights, so I'll start with the short ones.

Octothorpe: Goof rock keyboardy. It sounds fun I reckon, but I don't really feel it you know? It doesn't move me, start the commotion like the ocean motion. A little coffee shop parody-like. I dunno man, it starts to bug me by the middle.

Kamakura: This would have been like ten hundred times prettier with no effects on the guitar. And if the vocals didn't sound so put-on, if they were more honest-sounding. Oh, I get it, this is supposed to be funny. I guess goth chicks and Brokeback Mountain are pretty funny.

Durand Durand: This is just so so so conventional. And that's not like a bad thing to be I guess, I'm not trying to be all like "ooh originality police!" But this could just use like... a shred of variation from the formula it's following.

Noah McLaughlin: Without the computer production this would have been better, a nice howl-along. You put way too much husk into your voice, and it sometimes pushes your melody out of key. And that is a piercing and unnecessary guitar solo.

Damien Verrett: There's a lot of this indie synth shit going around these days. You do it as well as the other people I've heard do it, you could probably rock a small youth venue pretty well. But I'm not a huge fan of the style, it was everywhere in Tucson. It's kinda fun though.

Posyden: This song put me through a lot of personal pain and embarassment. You sound like Andy Milonakis. Also, my girlfriend wants your number. Thanks for ruining my life, Posyden.

obscurity: Fuck yeah, this opening is brooding. Aw, it gets a little goofy KMFDM when I want it to have some more CHUNK than FUNK. And the vocals are just kind of silly. I am disappointed. Until the rock-ass chorus.

Johnny Cashpoint: Wow. This starts out so much fucking ballsier than I'm used to from you. And there's some real good interplay between all the different stylistic elements. Nice sorta growl. I think you would have changed music in the 70s. Your chorus is so awesome here, it's such a march sound, flying the freak flag high and proud.

MC Kohlz and DJTjMaxxx: Parody rap pisses me off. But this is sort of funny. But your voices are so piercing. It makes my spine all steely.

Motor Monkeys: I expected you to sound grittier. This is kind of like tamer Flaming Lips. Like Flaming Lips backing up someone a lot lamer, like John Mayer. Which sort of evens out to a "catchy and kind of good, but ultimately unremarkable." Nice fucking bass though. And you've got a nice voice on ya.

[Damien Verrett (Jonas)]

Woah, is my song tagged as jonas murdock again?

I could have sworn I didn't even put any artist name on it this time.

[stateshirt]

Motor Monkeys--- sounds like Trent Reznor replaced the singer for Jamiroquai. Really your voice sounds a lot like Mr. Reznor... Nice song.

I think Octothorpe may win this fight though...

[posyden]

Posyden: This song put me through a lot of personal pain and embarassment. You sound like Andy Milonakis. Also, my girlfriend wants your number. Thanks for ruining my life, Posyden.

she can talk to me on aim

posyden

tell her it was all true

[Ross]

Reviews

posyden – somewhat interesting oldschool sound here. But there is nothing here for me content-wise. This seems too personal. I guess it’s interesting when Jay-Z or whoever in the public eye do this kind of trash talking. But not this. Moving on…. – Thanks for Playing

J$ – Yeah, there’s that J$ sensibility I like – nice choice on the left acoustic. Nice rhymes in the first verse. Nice word work, but rhyming “Styleâ€

[obscurity]

Why are your vocals popping back and forth left and right – this is distracting because I expected it to have some artistic relation to the song content, which it apparently doesn’t.

You're right, it doesn't; it's merely an element of style.

I like the break, but the “go fuck yourselfâ€

[j$]

[quote="rdurand"]J$ – rhyming “Styleâ€