Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2006 6:15 am
Haha, I just remembered who <3 is and why the vocals are processed as they are. 
I retract my earlier critique.
I retract my earlier critique.Melvin: S'alright, I'm not sure if I'm into the more rockin edge, there are bits in there which sound more like the Melvin we know, and I think your production style suits that better than the harder rocking stuff cause it's not really gritty enough for that. The harmonic bit of lead didn't sound like you were really trying, like you thought "that'll do, as long as I layer it up a bit" when I'd have preferred you'd stripped it down but put more effort into the indivdual guitar line. Overall this is more than passable, but at the very end I'm put right off by the "yeah yeah yeah"'s which sound like a direct steal from Vertigo by U2 which is a fucking crap song (imo). This leaves a slightly unpleasant taste in my mouth which can be purged by a bit of The Shape of Punk to Come by Refused. I suggest checking it out before you venture away from your more melodic tendencies again. A Melvin tune without a killer chorus is gonna need some serious balls and unfortunately this time I don't think they're quite big enough. You still show some good lyrical prowess here, verses are good.
Ray: This is crazily good. It's not my style but it's on the money all the way, I don't think there's single crack in the whole mix (oops, maybe that drum breakdown could be beefed a bit!) and the whole effect is great. I hope it's what you were going for 'cause I think you acheived it spectacularly. You don't waste any time getting into the groove, beats are cool, didge is cool, the vocal is perfectly placed and Iove that bit where you hold the note and it sounds like one of those Tuvan throat singers. It would be easy to let this get boring after a few minutes too, but you've done a good job of making the song wind and weave when it needs to and not outstaying it's welcome.
Forestry Fires: It's about time you lot did a song together. This was never going to be anything other than a really sweet tune. It feels minimal but closer listens reveal all the elements winding through the song which is cool when you notice more stuff after every listen. I also like the shared vocals and the way the vocal tone (your voices are pretty similar in tone but just noticably different) seems to change gradually over the course of the song, like a really mellow phase. Keeper, possible vote.
Tinski Robotnik: Yeah, nice. Vibraslaps are always good, this tune was begging for it really. This is pretty seamless and it's got lots of nice elements. It doesn't stay in my head much after it's over though. All this needs really is a suitable film to soundtrack.
Paco Del Stinko: Ha, nice. I've noticed a few people comparing your songs to my own efforts recently but I have to admit that your songs have a whole lyrical dimension to them that is completely absent from my stream-of-consciousness ramblings. Being someone who concentrates on the music on first listen it's easy for me to miss the class in your songs but it's when I really listen to what you're singing that the songs click with me and this track is no exception. I felt kind of stupid upon hearing this song, having thought "well, you can't be a very good secret agent if you're gonna tell me your secret password", and here you've managed to make the song both engaging, funny AND relevant to the title (not that anyone cares about that much round here) in a way that nobodyn else would have thought of. I'm just glad you didn't have a 3rd verse that used the line "rhymes with chimney" 'cause I probably would have wet myself. Musically this does the job too, it sounds like P.U.S.A. crossed with Pixies which is phantastic.
The Darkest Daves: I'm loving some of the band names around here at the moment, you guys and Chin Music are my current favourites. Of all the Daves I know you are definitely the darkest and this track is a testament to that, but it's not JUST dark; I'm hearing some doom, a touch of sludge, possibly some grind and multiplied by core to make the new genre, Davecore. Also, the length of this indicates a slightly improvised, possibly experimental edge, so just to be safe lets call it Post-Davecore. But seriously, I much prefer a less fuzzy, grittier guitar sound for the chugs; not sure how it would've worked but I think the guitar tone suffers from being made too fuzzy. For the lead guitar it's fine so you can get that cool squeal. Drums sound nice and big so that's fine although I hope you used a drum machine cos if somebody had to play that live they'd be in danger of falling asleep, and the vocals do a pretty good job of swelling form that haunting croak to the gothic roar later on. I'm sure you could've done more than repeat the title for the lyrics but hey. After listening to this a few times I get a song stuck in my head, not this, but Jute Gyte's 'We'. Mayeb you should try sounding more like either Jute or yourselves.
Less3 (not to be confused with Less Than Three who I've never reviewed here): The fact that you could sing Such Great Heights over the opening bassline to this is a bit dodgy. This sounds good, and the Postal Service are good, but songwriting and imitation are two different things. I particularly like the snare sound here anyway, the way it kind of shuffles over the beat, I'd like the drums to build to a bit of a crescendo in the same way the music swells as the track progresses. Good, but not yours. Maybe I'd have felt differently if I could understand the vocals.
Chin Music: I'm feeling a Neil Young influence here. I really like the finger picking action, it lends a rustic charm especially when you can hear all the slides and rattles of the guitar; you've really achieved a great sombre feel to this song, I can't imagine you were going for anything else. My only gripe about this song, and it is a small one, is that occasionally the lyrics don't seem to scan that naturally. It works fine as it is but i feel the need to shift the odd syllable forward or back a beat or two. I like the fact that there's a hiss on this too, adds authenticity. Have you heard Pajo?
Booty Chesterfield Trio: Oops, need to turn this down a bit after Chin Music. Yes! More cowbell! I always have to listen to that intro twice to get my fix. This is a pretty good slice of soulful punk blues a-la the Buffs/Stripes. Not bad, but I'd like a bit more confidence from the vocals during the quiet bits, not volume necessarily, but maintain the swagger and nonchalance of the loud bits. Makes me think of My Morning Jacket too, that's probably cos the vox are quiet.
Jon Eric: This is quite good. It's the song that I was expecting from this title lyrically. Still, you got some good lines in there and in a catchy way, plus there are lots of charms tucked away in here like the backing vocals and whistling. I like the way it cuts off at the end.
x-tokyo-river-god: I never know what to expect from this bunch. I am of the opinion that anything with Anti-M will be a keeper, I can't get enough of that haunting wail. The track here is actually really sweet too, it's so minimal but in a way that actually presents you with the all the space as well as just the instruments. This is the kind of stuff that I'd really like to hear Kristin Hersh making. Not sure what to say here, but I'm leaning towards this for the vote now. ooh it's getting exciting.
Why does ? not just call himself Apples&Vodka: That beat is damn cool, reminds me of Homogenic-era Bjork but it doesn't develop in the same way, as soon as the rest of the track kicks in it's pure Mezzanine which is also a small good thing. Vocals don't really add much, but they fill a gap I suppose. I like the fact that the track intensifies in the 2nd half but I think you go a bit to far with all the crazy electro-mashup out of key stuff. The rhodes is a good solid foundation for the track, and I like all the little sound effects that pop up throughout the track. I could listen to an album of this.
Elastic Waste Band: By the halfway mark in this it becomes apparent that the track isn't really going to go anywhere, there are some alright bits in there but there are too many weak elements for this to warrant repeated listens. When it starts it's fine, but the percussion is too weak to run for the duration and as soon as the vocal comes in it sends what is already a fairly delicate track down the route of electro cheese; I'm a fan of vocoders and all but that doesn't even sound in key which is unforgivable with vocoders, maybe you just came in on a badly chosen note. There are bits when it resonates too much as well which needs to be sorted out.
Tam Lin Music: Here is a jolly nice song indeed. In some respects it could be the best here in terms of Beatles-esque song craft. It seems you've spent some time over the chord progressions and the lyrical flow, to the extent that it all sounds natural and spontaneous. It's a shame that the percussion and augmentations (strings, horns etc) are so obviously midi as these shortcomings ultimately mean that the recording doesn't live up to its influences. In terms of my personal taste it's too apparent from the first few lines that the song will never develop beyond the safety of the verse-chorus formula, so while the song is a good one it doesn't hold any hidden treasures for me.
Thanks for the Frisbee: Good to have you back after a brief haitus. The first crack in this track appears when the 'Oooohs' come in, it's fine, just a touch off key. I do love the lyrics to this, no idea what they mean but that line that goes "every night i see an arrow fly(?) right into the eyes of an unsuspecting sky" I love the way that sounds so much. The vocals sound really well recorded which makes this sound good overall even though the guitar is a bit lo-fi (as opposed to great sounding guitar and dodgy vocals, which ends up sounding dodgy overall). I'm definitely keeping this; it could easily fit on a Shins album, and I'm not a huge Shins fan but I do often underestimate quite how catchy their songs are and this track is that good. You should post the lyrics.
Daddybop: I kind of like what you've tried to do here but there are just too many things working against this tune. On first listen the intro sounds really messy but it gets more manageable after a few listens. I like that you've made some intricate little lines but when played on midi instruments and sounding like it's been mixed in mono everything just gets way to jumbled up for any solid themes to come through. I'm not sure about the drums either; again, there's lots of intricacies which on paper are a good thing but I don't think you pull it off although it would undoubtedly sound better on a real kit (and you can't be blamed for not having one). The lead guitar is well played and does provide some respite from the midi onslaught, I guess nothing here really clicks with me though. sorry dude.
Carpetburn: I got lazy, tried some more f-c-e-g-c-e and played lots of open strings GBV style. I think I was listening to 'never meant' before I wrote that lead line too. I think this would be fun to play live. I did a mix with different drum samples to see how it sounded (when i clicked on the link it was broken
does it work for anybody else?)Good fight this one, it's a toss-up between Forestry, x-tokyo, Paco and Ray....and TFTF for this one. I'll decide later
I also liked spOOns, Chin Music and Ó or whatever his name is
