The Song Fight Bulletin Board

Lonbobby: I woke up with your tune in my head! Always a good sign.

This was a good fight! And stuff! Here are my horribly inadequate reviews, but I promised some.

The Weakest Suit
Not my favourite of your songs, probably because I don't care too much for the lyrics, and because it's possibly not a guytar sort of song. I like the melody though.

Thornberry
This is very pretty! The timing of the vocals at times feels a little off. It also feels like this is deliberate, but I'm wondering why -- it throws me off a bit much. You keep shifting the stress over, right? That's cool and stuff! I'm impressed. Vote!

Pathetic Wannabees
I must admit that I have trouble distinguishing any song with Mad Dog singing from any other. That said, this is enjoyable.

Paco del Stinko
I didn't pick this as Paco from the intro -- maybe I just haven't heard enough. This is decent stuff, although nothing really stands out.

noah mclaughlin
Your voice has a great timbre but is rather pitchy -- it's a shame.

MENBAH!
The cymbal hits sound out of time. It's really throwing off my groove. (Not to mention the soup of kick hits coming into the second chorus.) I like what you're doing here.

Lonbobby
This is fantastic! No vote though: for one, this has nothing to do with the title, and for two, you use the phrase "the ocean blue" extensively. Also I don't mind a long song, but it draaags ooon a looot for what it is.

Kasper
They should use Kasper songs for chord recognition exams in fifth form music class. I like this. The synthed up solo is a great touch.

J$
Nothing to say, sorry.

James Owens
Haha, I thought you were trying to rhyme "dress" with "Paris". Your voice is beautiful. If you have done a cover of "World of Pure Imagination" from Willie Wonka, please send me a link . This song acoustics my socks off. Vote!

Heuristics Inc.
Doesn't interest me, I'm afraid.

Gooey Caramel Centaur
This turned out a lot better than I thought it would. Hamish came over and I said I "wanted something rocky" and he took us down this strange strange path (it's strange to me). It was good to do something different, and a nice test of my new overheads. Certainly not enough for a vote though.

godversussatan
So... if you reverse godversussatan you get "Nut Ass Us, Rev. Dog". This sounded like crap the first listen, but It's not actually that bad. Reminds me a bit of Goodshirt's "Everyday". Not at all my cuppa though. Which instrument is playing the role of the dress?

Flvxxm Florvm
One thing this song doesn't lack is drive. You don't mess around. I like that. Love the third verse lyrics, although I admit it was only in Oats's burgle that I managed to make them out. Vote!

A Far Off Land
Beautiful atmosphere. I love what the bass is doing. It's over too soon, but at least it's not over too late.

efemjay
You're all good and stuff! The chorus is a tad weak, although the sax thing works great.

Don't Tell Betsy
The hook is one of the ones that stands out most from this fight. The rest of the song not so much.

Dan Hewins
This one felt like it went on a bit, which is strange, because it's only three minutes.

Chopped Liver Meat God
I have a bandmate who is quite fond of his army of synths, but I think if it were his army against yours, you would certainly win. Your silly madness is a joy to listen to. I love the feeling in the vocals when it slows down. It goes on a bit, but that's what you get for burgling two songs worth of lyrics.

Cain
Cool voice. This gets a Vote!

Berkeley Social Scene
Great video! For some reason I find it hilarious whenever it cuts to Lunkhead. Love the bass in the chorus. It's glennny singing this, right? Whoever it is, I find his inconsistent vocal talents tend to drag down what are otherwise pretty tight BSS numbers, but this one turned out pretty well.

Bars and Tone
"Your new dress is the dress that you just bought" -- great line. The ridiculous lyrics in the verse don't grab me, but this is still undoubtedly fun!

Lord of Oats wrote:jackfrost - proud dickbag since 2007

ell oh ell



oh..and I noticed talk of lyric burglary here. I know a bloke that does that - but he say it only works if you take the lyrics of an artist with a particular sound and make it something different - AND have a pretty good idea that the writer will be cool with it. Like taking a Flvxxm Flvvm song and making it Eurodisco, making an Eclectic Sp@@ns with Cynthia Size song 60s garage punk, or turning MC Eric B into Alt-Country-Rock.

I haven't heard the examples here

Reviews for Your New Dress


The Weakest Suit- You have great ideas. They just seem incomplete. This sounds like a good solid verse and a good solid pre-chorus. It sounds like our initial sketches we send round in the BSS. I want to hear a chorus, intro, bridge, solo, band etc. Anyway, good rock lyrics, enjoyable listen. You sure have a lot of these stripped down songs. Do you ever get them flushed out? Where do I hear those?

Thornberry- VOTE- The piano sounds wonderful. I always like your voice. It’s bold to play harmonica . Hard to sound good I mean. It sounds appropriate and good. When the frenetic piano abruptly stops or slows down rather for “I long to….” is AWESOME. Before that I thought perhaps the piano was too chaotic, but the pay-off of that hook is well worth the set up. This is a keeper, and my prediction for the winner. Excellent! I guess if I were to nitpick, I think the bridge should be musically more different, the vocal melody changes enough, but the piano just sounds like more verse. I think perhaps ending at 3:25 would have been strongest. The ending is still damn good!

Pathetic Wannabees- Lots of hiss. It’s a pretty fun song to listen to. I enjoy these a lot more now that I’ve seen you guys live. The scattered marimba is fun. Mad Dog is always fun. The guitar is one long blur of fuzz. Short and sweet.

Paco del Stinko- Tight as Hell! Tasty solo. Is this the straightest song you’ve ever done? This is a sweet little ditty, but I have to admit I spent the 1st listen bracing myself for a wild turn or to get punched in the face. Good lyrics, whimsical and fun. Your stuff is so good even when you scale it back, it deserves a vote. VOTE.

Noah McLaughlin- Your big strong voice needs to widen its range. It sounds huge and cool for those few notes, but it restricts the melody so much that it’s hard to get into. I like the sparse and dynamic drums on this track. I highly recommend listening to the Constantines: “Young Lions” or “On to You”. The singer has a similar voice and range, but those few little vocal hooks go such a long way! Cool stuff, not a vote I’m afraid.

MENBAH- The drums are terrible. If I listen to the intention, this is a rockin 1983 hard rock/metal tune. That solo is silly. The best part of this is the vocals, I like the metal passion. The band is a mess. Tighten this thing up! The whole deal with metal is that it is moronically simple, but so tight that one must bang their head.

Lonbobby- You have high standards to live up to. I’m always excited to hear you new entry. This hits me square in the face of expectation. Vocoder splendor! Great melodies. The music is interesting and techno. I particularly like the bass line. Less is more and the pulses are tasty! This is great! VOTE! Hey if you ever want some acoustic juxtaposition, I’d love to lay down some mandolin, banjo, or 12-string for you. This is a download and a keeper!

Kasper- Mike Lamb on vocals? For some reason I have a hard time imagining either of you with this voice. It sounds good, it’s just not how I remember your voices. That synth line that comes in for the solo was a brilliant idea! When you have the main riff going “ jud jud jud chicka jud jud jud chicka jud jud jud chicka jud jud jud” I can’t help but think of Green Day – “When I Come Around” with its “jud jud jud chicka jud jud jud chicka jud jud jowwwwwwww”/ I think the vocal phrasing can be buffed up. Some of the syllables you draw out sound awkward to me. Like “puuuuuut me through”, it would seem more natural to stretch out “through”.

Johnny Cashpoint- This is great! I love the chorus melody. The rhythm Uke is great. The random subdued electric guitar doesn’t help things much. Your voice is good as always. I love the way you enunciate. The ominous synth is cool. I almost wish it was more prominent. The juxtaposition with the Uke is nice. Vote.

James Owens- Sweet bear claw! Your voice is great! The melody is beautiful and interesting. The guitar chord pattern is pretty normal, so you’re living and dying by the vocal melody. Living well I must say. Beautiful! I don’t think you used a click track, but I think this is once of those exceptions when it is a good thing. The dynamics of the guitar and vocals match as if they are played at the same time. If you tracked them, you fooled me. It sounds like they were played together, it just sounds great! Vote!

Heuristics Inc.- Your vocal phrasing is really strange. Perhaps the beat of the echoes is clashing with the drums. I like how weird this song is. I think the vocal melody and delivery is so thin that you would’ve been better off removing all melody and then just speaking the lines. Make the Doo Doots the melody. The synth background is very pleasant. The drums are kind of boring. I enjoy this, especially the squirrelly robot out of key arpeggio noises. Cool stuff, short of a vote.

Gooey Caramel Centaur- Just like the white winged dove……….. Oh wait. This recording is very quiet. The drums are pretty good despite some really sloppy fills. Vocals are sooooo up front. Your vocals are good as always. The bass is almost inaudible. This isn’t that bad, but one of the weaker songs you’ve submitted. The mix is the biggest issue. I don’t think the electric guitar suits you. Not that you sound like Dave Mathews, but whenever you see Dave Mathews with distortion or an electric guitar don’t you say “what are you doing?” . The electric guitars and bass need to be much louder for this to work as the rock composition I think you’re intending. Something weird is happening, your mixes on Who Needs Sleep and Keep Yourself Moving are great, what happened? OK enough mix ranting, some of this riffs and turn a rounds are very cool. I like the half time slow down near the end.

God Vs. Satan- Satan wins: I’m in Hell.

Flvxxm Florvm- Kick Ass! Love the performance. The vocals and background are great! Nice and short. Almost forgives the 12-bar. This is very fun to listen to. Cool stuff , short of a vote I fear.

Far off Land where Adam resides with cool cellos and Glockenspiels- This is very pretty. Reminds me of Ween the Mollusk. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5K_w9Tbhoc I guess it’s the synth echo that does it. Your vocals sound wonderful. Nice reverbs etc. Great into , great verse, and then………. No payoff for the chorus. Damn this is a shame, it’s so good, with a catchy chorus this would launch into the stratosphere. Regretfully no vote, but I’m very excited to hear more from you!

Efemjay- I like this. I like the chorus especially with the slutty sax sample as the guide vocal for rapper B. Not my genre, but I like this. Good listen.

Darrell Vickers and the Don’t tell Betsy’s- Summer lovin, havin a blast! Fun 1-4-5 stuff. The Blap! Guitar is cool. The vocal performance is great! I do think it’s a bit long for what it is. I think the build ups could be more powerful if the rest of the band joined in with the guitar on “…you walked in to the room…”. If the whole band started soft and got loud with those tight eighth notes in that part it would serve to break the song up better. Anyway, cool song!

Dan Hewins- Pretty guitar part. Pretty singing. What is the point of the lyrics if any? How many verses are there? 7? You could make your point in 2 verses. With such little musical variation, this is way too long. What’s there is good, just needs more editing or more instruments and musical ideas.

Chopped Liver Meat God- 1st minute is angular and abrasive. Then we go into a strange but compelling fast bit. Nice Lou Reed 3 note solo. The mix is crazy. OK 2:45 we mix it up for the Death Metal section. 4:11 we of course go to minimal R& B section. The whiney muppet vocal is funny. Singing pitchy is part of your aesthetic I realize, but it gets grating sometimes. Fun ride, I like part B the best. I can’t help but quote Jon Anderson “disjointed but with purpose?”.

Cain- I am going to love one of your songs one of these days. There’s a lot going right for this song. I like the beat I like the synth patches and guitar tones. The vocalist gives a very strong performance. I dig his voice. The composition just never grabs me. There’s no hook that gets me. I’d like to hear you guys force yourself to do some sickly sweet pop, I bet the result would be poppy enough for mass appeal. You guys are way to the Cool side of the Cool vs. Pop scale. Cool stuff, just not very memorable I’m afraid. I look forward to more entries!

Bars & Tone- I can not be fully objective about this one. One of these guys is a close personal friend of mine. OK, so I find this song to be HILARIOUS! The false etto in the chorus kills me. I love you kept in the “I don’t know when it comes back in…” . Perhaps part of the reason I find this so fun and good, is I know how well you can shred and play when you want. Fun mix. I hope we hear a lot more from you guys. BIG VOTE!

Berkeley Social Scene- So we had a writing session with Ken, Lunkhead, and me. I decided to bring a camera along for this vague notion of making a video for whatever we came up with. I was lucky to capture the drum take we used. It also happened to be the shot where I walk around with the camera and do zooms and stuff. Ken wrote the lyrics on this guy. Jokingly when we were batting around lyrical ideas I said “We should do a response song to Avril Lavine’s ‘Complicated’.” He did it. Our original recording from that night had Lunk on synth bass, me on electric guitar, and Ken on drums. Ken soon whipped up a midi version of the drums for us to track some ideas on. I proceeded to track, mandolin, 12-string, then vocals. I was saving the bass for Lunk, be he got too busy, so I did the bass also. I was getting really entrenched in this song with a serious studio tan. I had a very bizarre bass line and vocal harmonies without root notes with 7ths and 9ths. Our next session was just Ken and Myself. He reeled me in with his pop sensibilities. We re did the bass line, which fit better with his real drums. I threw down all these vocals hoping we could get more of the BSS in on the vocal action. I’m at the bottom of my list for vocalists in our band. I do have a lot of ideas though, and singing is damn fun. So Ken, actually sang the root note on those harmony chords. We made them a simple root 3rd 5th. Everything sounded much better with those few tweaks. Ken is an amazing composer and editor and producer! Between the tracking and the video editing I have listened to this song literally hundreds of times. I am no where near objective about it. I love it. It gets a vote.

Thanks for all the kind comments about the video. It was a blast to do. It was nice to actually not travel over Thanksgiving and have time to do something like that. That’s my daughter Annabella in the video and her purple monster named “Shally”. I learned a lot about video making in that experience. I hope to have more in the future.

Anyway great fight! Nothing sucked!
Votes go to:

Bars & Tone
Berkeley Social Scene
James Owens
Johnny Cashpoint
Lonbobby
Paco del Stinko
Thornberry

glennny wrote: Gooey Caramel Centaur- Just like the white winged dove……….. Oh wait. This recording is very quiet. The drums are pretty good despite some really sloppy fills. Vocals are sooooo up front. Your vocals are good as always. The bass is almost inaudible. This isn’t that bad, but one of the weaker songs you’ve submitted. The mix is the biggest issue. I don’t think the electric guitar suits you. Not that you sound like Dave Mathews, but whenever you see Dave Mathews with distortion or an electric guitar don’t you say “what are you doing?” . The electric guitars and bass need to be much louder for this to work as the rock composition I think you’re intending. Something weird is happening, your mixes on Who Needs Sleep and Keep Yourself Moving are great, what happened? OK enough mix ranting, some of this riffs and turn a rounds are very cool. I like the half time slow down near the end.

Thank you, glennny, for your ever helpful reviews. I always look forward to reading what you have to say.

As for the mixing, I am a true beginner, and indeed it is a large part of what I am here to learn. I am sadly mixing through headphones at the moment, as there are no decent speakers anywhere in the house, let alone monitors. This is no doubt part of why the bass is far too low (in Cain's entry this week the bass dominates the song in my headphones -- I'm not sure what it sounds like to you). But mostly it's 'cause I don't know what I'm doing. Thanks to the reviews I feel I'm getting better each week, or at least becoming more aware of things.

I mix through headphones, too. To make up for it, I would definitely recommend to listen to songs that are mixed very well occasionally while you're doing the mixing. Pick songs that have some level of similarity in arrangement (and intended mix) with what you're doing. Works well for me.

flvx - i dig the "heys". the takeaway message is a good one. especially that last verse, i like that. except nobody will be around to care about the dress, much less actually care i think this would be fun if it was surfed up a bit more, it's almost there already.

gvs - interesting, although it gets pretty rambly. the lead instrument gets grating after a little while. this should change more. also, this song does not say to me "i am called 'your new dress'". how should we know?

gooey - wow, quiet. vox sound like they're recorded in a different place than the rest. not sure if i get where you're going with "you're made of light". the verses remind me of something niveous might sing. seems like the "chorus" parts are less catchy than the verses, which is odd. if there are any chorus parts. i like the verses.

hinc - that's me! i need to rerecord some of this.

james owens - very much reminds me of early leonard cohen. i'd like to hear more orchestration. soft background vox, some strings, that sort of thing. not that fond of the repetition of the verse... nice though.

j$ - now that i have met you i imagine seeing you playing this in great detail. i like that synth. i might change up how you sing the last line if i was collabing on this with you. but i like your theme.

kasper - think the vocal needs to be more ballsy to match the instrumentation. maybe just tweak the effects around, because they're a little thin when they shouldn't be. i love the synth that comes in around 1:15, awesome. more good theme, i like the righteous indignation.

lonbobby - hey, welcome back! often i would not like the vocal effect but in this style of music it fits well. music is pretty catchy. but around 2:45 i wonder if the main twang loop should be changing somewhat. maybe just a key change, or something.

menbah - here is a ballsier vocal. quiet though. this matches well. that solo sounds a bit sick. haha.

noah - the chorus pick-me-up fills a void that needed filling. i, uh, don't get "6 of 12" - is that some reference? i've heard of 7 of 9, maybe this is similar. oh i see a link, must be like that.

paco - love these vox, sounds unlike others of yours. "Isis" is a bit tortured, emphasis-wise. does anybody really have pine green eyes? this is a lot of fun.

pathetic - heh, love the lyrical theme. fun! love the percussions after the chorus. great stuff.

thornberry - nice piano/harmonica. i like it. i would have liked to see the lyrics. they sound interesting. "satisfied or dead"? not sure if that is good enough to repeat 3 times...

weakest - anti-gravity is good, but in general the lyrics are a bit too crass... newton's good too.

bars - this is pretty goofy. weird that "crumpled on the floor" is so common. i'd like to hear more of the organ.

berkeley - video was a lot of fun. esp. the puppets. i love the synth and those background vocals really kick the song into the upper echelon.

cain - odd rhythmically, especially the drums. the sitar-ish thing is cool. this is pretty good, but it's not grabbing me. the ending is good.

chopped - hmm, the vox are getting lost under the lead guitar. this part is better but the cadence start-stop is not to my taste. this is a burglar, right? that's fine, but this version is not doing it for me, sorry. too much emphasis on the same line, too long.

deck - this one sort of pleasantly rolls by, doesn't grab me. maybe this sort of g&g isn't the best for when i'm getting sleepy... it is pretty good.

donttell - hmm, this one reminds me of some other song, especially the end of the chorus. it's pretty catchy there. pretty well played... yes, i am getting sleepy... must finish reviews

fmj - vocals are well done. the music, is that just loops from some other source or did you do some of it? i think this has a good flow and good sound, so congrats. lyrically, there are a bunch of themes, kind of all over the place, dunno if that's good or bad.

faroff - hmm, that intro is nice. oh, this is nicely melodic, good vox too. i like the airiness of this sound. kinda ended abruptly, i'd like more of that.

favorites: flvx, hinc, james, j$, kasper, lonbobby, menbah, noah, paco, pathetic, thorn, berkeley, fmj, faroff
-bill

Hastily written, yell for any clarification. Yell, dammit!

Bars and Tone - Some of the lines are funny, some lame. This'd be better at half the length. Nice spacious mix, though, and I dig the percolating percussion.

Berkeley Social Scene - Nice to hear Glennny singing, Ken up next? I hear what others have said about the beat but it works fine, I'd say. I like the shift in the chorus and enjoy its sweetness. Great tune, and fun viddy as well.

cain - So brooding, I like it though. Be interesting to hear you get all sugary. Neat guitar patterns if bordering on wandery at times. Smartly constructed and mood capturing.

Chopped Liver Meat God - I like all the sections here, each one could have been made into its own tune. I probably like the second section best. I'll add this to the mile-long list of songs I'd like to cover. Call me in 12 years.

The Deck - I like this, mostly. The chorus is simple and effective, the verses almost awkward. The delicate singing sells this well. Might benefit from a better bridge but the simple arrangement fits.

Don't Tell Betsy - Reign in the vocals a bit, they might be a bit too rubbery. Catchy and pleasant, if it weren't winter I'd borrow a convertable and put the top down while driving and singing along to this. Good chord changes.

efemjay - Funny, and fun, if not ground breaking. One day I'll put up the tune "Fat Girl" that me and buddies did many moon ago. Cousin to this, I suppose. Some gal sounds and booty slap/smacks would've made me wet my pants.

A Far Off Land - Pretty off the bat, the soft vocals fit nicely. This puts off a nice romantic vibe that the girls must like, no? Easy and gentle, this doesn't need any help. Ended just as I thought the loops were getting busy.

Flvxxvm Florvm - Nice. The standard change works well with the blastomatic leads and I dig the background caveman chorus. Getting a hold of that bass, I hear, as well. Pleasant chunk. (Can't recall saying that before)

godversussatan - This'd almost work in the background of a student film or something, but not quite. I get a sense of the fun attitude behind this, but don't share the joy. Whittle it down and tighten it up.

Gooey Caramel Centaur - The intro is well intended, but kinda lame. I like the draggy beat that it turns into, though. This makes a great scratchpad for a tune to re-do later: cool ideas and rockitude, missing focus. Still, as ideas go, this is good.

Heuristics Inc. - The music strokes a nice place in my brain. The vocal is stiff, but I love the doo-do-dos. Corporate dress code policy while on a tranquilized power-nap.

James Owens - Great tune. Intimate and organic. I think the progression is nice, wish I could do something that good. The lyrics are nice and balanced well, if this isn't inspired by real life, your imagination deserves a big hand as well. Winner?

Johnny Cashpoint - Nice smarmy fun. Lyrics are, of course, super, and I like the shift from plinky Marc Ribot sounds to the thick synth. Good one for your live sets as well as your recording legacy.

Kasper - I like where this wants to go, but find it a bit pondering. I like the keys when they come in, they offer a subtley electric and shiny charge through the grunge. A drastic bridge type change would be cool too.

Lonbobby - Contender for the win, but maybe too long. The grey melody is nice and pleasant, fitting the ocean themes. I like the autotune here, a rare thing for me. Simple builds and pleasant atmosphere show us how to do it right.

MENBAH! - I like the opening riff, sloppy and sizzling at the same time. This doesn't quite make me want to drive my car into a retaining wall at 120MPH, but it does get the itch started. Right idea, not enough octane. Still, fun idea and attempt.

noah mclaughlin - Lurches a bit to get going, but I like it when it does. Nice to hear dynamics, although the drums might be to much at their biggest. There's a nice even flow underneath this that keeps it from feeling too stiff or chunky.

Paco del Stinko - This is based on several dreams I had about one person. Voice and leads done whilst drinking. Didn't help much!

Pathetic Wannabees - Beautiful. The lyrics are so casually descriptive and hysterical. I love the clinky-clukny percussion and adore the boozy rhythm, who cares if the car drives off a cliff if everyone's blasted together. Fun, fun, and fun.

Thornberry - Grand and airy, this is like time-lapse clouds zooming overhead. As 'right' as the chorus is, I don't know that I like the dark change there as much. I mean, it fits and is well done, but I guess I miss the airy part when it leaves. And I love darkness. Bridge and vocals are great as well.

The Weakest Suit - Nice slinky change for you. I'm bummed when it ends, it feels like it could easily go another round. Yeah, full band would kick ass, I have to get that in there, I suppose. But this is a good, fun, set-up, feels like a prelude to something on the way.

efemjay wrote:
James Owens: You have a very interesting and unique voice. You sort of remind me of Jim Croce crossed with Cat Stevens. Your lyrics are very poetic, the best of the bunch. This song is very moving and well done. I like the "close your eyes, you're there again" (Paris) line a lot. Very much different from the approach almost everyone else chose to take with this title.

Oddly enough, I was never a big fan of Jim Croce or Cat Stevens. I think have a faintly sad voice, like a male Anne Murray. (I was never a big fan of hers either.) "There again" kind of refers to Paris, but also to the lost feeling that she's someone special -- apparently new dresses can do that. Thanks for the review.

supremeedible wrote,
James Owens
Haha, I thought you were trying to rhyme "dress" with "Paris". Your voice is beautiful. If you have done a cover of "World of Pure Imagination" from Willie Wonka, please send me a link . This song acoustics my socks off. Vote!

.
I probably should have rhymed "dress" with "Paris" --- never thought of it! The French pronunciation is a little precious, but I couldn't think of anywhere else that worked. Capri, maybe? Anyway, glad you liked the song.

glenny wote,
James Owens- Sweet bear claw! Your voice is great! The melody is beautiful and interesting. The guitar chord pattern is pretty normal, so you’re living and dying by the vocal melody. Living well I must say. Beautiful! I don’t think you used a click track, but I think this is once of those exceptions when it is a good thing. The dynamics of the guitar and vocals match as if they are played at the same time. If you tracked them, you fooled me. It sounds like they were played together, it just sounds great! Vote!

They are tracked. I wanted to do it live, but I couldn't find my other mic cable. I didn't use a click track though -- just monitored the guitar on headphones while adding the vocals. Thanks for the kind words.

HeuristicsInc wrote,
james owens - very much reminds me of early leonard cohen. i'd like to hear more orchestration. soft background vox, some strings, that sort of thing. not that fond of the repetition of the verse... nice though.

Gee, I was never crazy about Leonard Cohen either. Guess I don't know my own strengths, as Bullwinkle might have said. If by repetition of the verse you mean the inside part (the "B" in the A-B-B-A form (nothing at all to do with ABBA -- but I do admire their work!)), I was not sure about that either. But when I realized I could go from an F directly to a B7 without causing overt tritone pain, I couldn't pass it up. The song was meant to be G&G, but I could see how strings would fit.

Paco del Stinko wrote,
James Owens - Great tune. Intimate and organic. I think the progression is nice, wish I could do something that good. The lyrics are nice and balanced well, if this isn't inspired by real life, your imagination deserves a big hand as well. Winner?

Well, not quite winner, but it's not whether you win or lose that counts. I think. I wrote the lyrics in a garage waiting room while my car was getting a winter tune-up. I had decided it was about a girl who was trying vainly or pathetically to recapture some self-respect by putting on nice clothes. For the record, I do not personally own a new dress from Paris.

AJOwens wrote:For the record, I do not personally own a new dress from Paris.

Oh. Where do you get your dresses then?

Paco asked,
Where do you get your dresses then?

They are tailored by birds and mice singing cheerful songs and working with amazing choreographic precision.

Nice! Mine are off the rack.