Glennny: I haven't been listening to much Rob Crow related stuff (am now though), this track was me stealing a song called "I sing just for you" by Pens and listening to too much Times New Viking which is why it ended up being uber-fuzzy. I knew I'd get "muddy production" comments, me and my lo-fi obsession
. The girl is Becci, a girlfriend of a friend. I'm on a guest vocalist spree at the moment, if I win (or even if I don't) I may get her back in. The trick with this song is to put it in to your wave editor and loop it so the end runs seamlessly into the intro and then it runs forever!
Banging Betty: That's just "whole lotta love" innit. Lo-fi, but not bad. Needs something. I like the "we all know" bit, the chords sort of remind me of some Unwound.
Beefwestern: My main problem with this is the editting. You could've (should've) cut it down to about 2 minutes, just used the really essential bits, less wanking, less freestyling and got a much more direct song with more impact. It's basically the same riff over and over for nearly 4 minutes jammed a bit, mostly it works but I think a more solid structure would benefit. Nice falsetto.
Boxer B: If I'd made this myself I'd be pretty pleased with it, but from an outside perspective it's a bit sloppy, ploddy and although it kind of goes somewhere it doesn't have a very interesting dynamic. Ultimately the tune and lyrics don't grab me. sorry but good effort.
Chopped Liver Meat: I like the fucking horrible dirge in this song. I'm not so much into industrial stuff but the guitars remind me of "Captain" by Idlewild. Part of me is disappointed cos I was hoping for some dirty old skool style rapping from Denyer but this will do I suppose, it's worth it for the opening couplet alone. So retarded it's genius. Could've been longer.
Crack m'Jaw: Hey this is pretty cool, I like the loud but lo-fi production. Vox are cool, nice half-vocoding. It loses it's way at the end, I could've happily listened to another minute if you'd moved up a gear. I think you should go back to this track and finish it off with some kind of danceable chorus.
Doscientos: Welcome Back! This ain't a bad kind of bubblegum garage rock but there are a few issues, timing is a bit sloppy here and there, and the vocals are lost in the mix, you should compress the shit out of them and put some distortion on it. Singing with a bit more balls couldn't hurt too. Good but you need to tighten up. The plane taking off sound at the end is awesome.
Ford's Theatre Disaster: I hate your rock voice. Is this Noah singing? When he did that french thing it sounded good but the Eddie Vedder style of vocal delivery has always sounded forced and hammy as fuck to me. The song's not too bad I suppose but the guitars aren't loud enough to give it any punch, it's not super tight and the mix is kinda muffled on all the lead instruments.
Future Boy: man, that beat is the hotness. Like the dude said earlier it doesn't change much, I kind of hoped it would explode but i suppose it develops subtley over the course. This a pretty slick production. I dig. Solid vocals and the lyrics fit together well, but this is all about the track for me, that snippet of bass guitar sliding is cool. I'll think about voting for this one.
Gooey Caramel Centaur: Ukelele is a surefire way to a man's heart. this is a good song and deserving of the praise I've read so far. Catchy, good meter and arrangement, nice claps. Keeper and vote.
Looking for alaska: nice chords. personally little bluesy flourishes always put me off cos anybody can do them, it's the sign of an amateur guitarist trying to show off. Wandery Jack Johnson-style vocals don't do much for me, though you hold your melody well and hit all the right notes. I'd prefer a more distinctive vocal motif. Bit of a nitpicky review there, not a bad song.
Lord of Oats: I remember when you first came a long to songfight and thinking you weren't up to much, but I'd totally pay money for the stuff you're coming up with these days. Vocals still need work, the tone of your voice is constantly whiny which is annoying. There are moments when the whine subsides which proves that you can sing normally, and personally I think you should sing lower, maybe not Stephin Merritt low, but anything to stop the whiny-ness. I love the humour and stream of conciousness style of the lyrics though. Song drags a bit, the rant brings my interest back for the outro. Improve now! Then I will start playing your songs to my friends. Not many SF-ers have that priviledge.
Marrs + Denny: Stoopid and fun. Did you play this yourself or is that melody a sample? Sounds a bit Carol Cleveland Sings. It's brilliant though. Samples are unnecessary, I know - title fulfillment, I'd like a copy of this without them. Really nice, made me smile.
Moster Shit: What's with all the fade-in's? nought wrong with 'em but it's weird, you don't hear one for ages then they all come along in one fight. Yeah, vocals should be higher in the mix. Solid though, I'll send a copy of this to my friend Mike so he can dub it onto his Ragga Heat Reggae Beat tape.
Plato's Pubes: This is pretty cool. Not really compelling but it's got a massive Pixies vibe and if that's what you're going for then I think we can say you pulled it off with a good degree of accomplishment. The more I listen the more I like it.
Pacinder Del Stinkhury: This had better be about flaming genitals or something......haha burning bodies, you do not disappoint Paco! Sorry, that's not funny is it. I'm really into my big boomy floor tom action and I love the brooding middle section you've got there. Man, you should write to Alex Cox and ask if you can A) Do the soundtrack and B) act in one of his films, it would be fucking brilliant. Good stuff, fun, creepy. I was never bored.
Pathetabees: 2 minutes and 46 seconds too long.
Rone: Holy fuck! these notes are in a key and not chosen arbitrarily! This beat has...something resembling rhythm. It would be awkward as hell dancing to it, but still. Are you still doing the EQ thing? Don't slack on that now, it makes a lot of difference to mix nerds like me (and most people). Y'know that bit about 12 seconds in to the song when you sing "pain", and later where you sing "proof" and it distorts on your vocal, to fix that you need to get a pop shield which is basically a bit of stretchy nylon taught around a frame (like tights on a coathanger) and if you sing through that into your mic it stops those distortions. They cost about $8 on ebay. Keep working. Can't say I like it but you're getting more listenable with every entry.
Ross: Good stuff, no vote.
Semolina Pilchards: Real nice song, very shiny. Time sigs are cool as hell, and more impressive, there's a memorable chorus in there (not that you don't do memorable choruses, but the weirder the sig the harder it is to make it catchy). 2nd best song this week
defo a keeper
Smile Case: The tone on your guitar when you're playing the opening chords is cool, the notes are good too but I think you overuse them. the sparse bits of acoustic guitar and that superfuzzy guitar in the background are really strange additions to the song, it's like you've got a radio on in the background. I can see why you tried to pad out the arrangement a bit but I think some percussion would be a better idea. Get a tambourine or an egg shaker.
Swilington: It's crazy how many people have used talking samples in this fight. I like how you've used the vocoder mixed with your normal vox, I don't dislike you're voice but I this track sounds better with Soundwave on vocals and when you sing "wrong" in the chorus the way you sing it sounds a bit forced. Cool beat and synths and stuff, I'll consider voting for this, after another cursory listen to the songs again.
Walrus Gumble: Woody Guthrie with delay. Not a good idea, the delay that is, just does not fit with the aesthetic of the song. I like the song though, good sound on the banjo and you use your voice well. The vocal solo is awesome! bwa-bwa -bwaaaaa...
Weakest Suit: I'm seriously considering skipping through this. I read the lyrics, I can tell it's not going anywhere musically. Not bad, but I very much doubt it's gonna change my life. It's all about the lyrics, and I read 'em...........ssssssskip. Sorry.
Some good stuff here. I'm a vote for Semolina Pilchards, Naked Philosophy, Lord of Oats, GCC, Marrs+Denny, and mayyyyybe Paco and Future Boy. hmmmm.....
