The Song Fight Bulletin Board

here's my thoughts on everyone's


Berkeley social scene- fantastic- love the music, lyrics and production. Powerful! One of my favorites, and the whole thing works really well. In some ways, a companion piece to mine, I think, with that disappointment palpable?

Bob Lazo- very Bowie-esque. A lot I like about it, although would have liked to see the lyrics. Interesting bridge. Well done production.

Brown word and the big whine- all that electronica is distracting to me and doesn’t really serve the song. A lot of interesting or strange sounds, too many, really, and doesn’t really have much of a focus for me.

Codywalker- - trying to do the heavy metal hair-band meets Ramones thing? Nice energy, fun but kind of silly. Not crazy about the lyric at all- doesn’t’ seem to earn its bitterness, if you know what I mean. Didn’t love it, but sounds like you had fun

Gregers/ Gregory Hosak- really would have liked the lyrics for this one, can’t make out a whole bunch of the words. Interesting kind of jam-band dreamy vibe… tho in the end it didn’t seem to coalesce for me.

GUNS/ WSA- can’t hear the words too clearly. Nice having a bit of a real kid in there somewhere- and some impressive Steely Dan-style guitar playing. Production needs to be smoothed out and vocals boosted, etc. Doesn’t really work for me the way it is, tho.

Hoblit- impressive production, but the phrasing & melody sounds somewhat unnatural and awkward. Might be a function of the influences you have – I don’t know, but I’m guessing a lot of metal? Not my favorite genre. That being said, theres a lot to like about this- and as I’m listening it’s growing on me.

Kenzie Chickens- great story, great groove! Got that Keith Richards-meets-chuck berry meets creedence thing. Like the way you play with the dynamics a bit in that last verse- could have used more of that- fun stuff !

Mickey skylark- hey, that’s me! (me and hoops, that is) Again, like last week, I wrote the music and lyrics, sang and played rhythm guitar. Also came up with that ‘hook’ you hear between verses. Hoops ran with it and put on a whole bunch of interesting stuff on there. His drumming is particularly amazing on this one, I think- really serves the song well (as does everything else he does on it)

Milton- Nice piano-and-vocal approach here. Like it, but a few things prevent me from really loving this one, and I really wanted to. That vocal panned hard on one side and the other is distracting- if its supposed to be two different ‘parts’ it doesn’t totally work that way. The lyric is interesting, but not quite as emotionally resonant as it could be- some of the lines I have no idea what you mean. But overall, I like this a lot.

Mr beany bellows - interesting effort- not quite there (the harmonies sound really off) and the story’s told a little awkwardly, but interesting ideas! It doesn’t totally work, but original.

Nobody- liking it already after ten seconds in. By the way, that first line, were you thinking of the Band’s ‘up on cripple creek’ (If I get off of this mountain…)? I love just about everything about this- great performance, nice harp playing too, btw, simple but totally effective production. Nice! Another one of my favorites this week.

Paco de stinko- wow- impressive and whiplash produdtion- when that la-la bridge came in, I laughed out loud (in a good way) . I have no idea what the lyrics are about , or whether there is any father-and-child reference in there. Sounds like a lot of heavy metal meets sci-fi influences- not my particular thing, but you do it so well here, its really impressive, - and love the way the vocal is up front. Lots of little flourishes make this one really worth hearing. Well done!

Sausage- this is really interesting. I’m guessing some sort of religious/Christian thing in there? The production is good, tho the mix sounds just a bit.. off? (I’ve never said this before, maybe the vocal is too up-front by a tiny bit?) Liked it

Sep- theres some intriguing things here, but I think the production works against the song a bit- having trouble understanding the words, and I didn’t see the lyrics posted. The backing was sometimes distracting. I’d keep this way simpler, I think. A few really off-notes in the singing, too.

Steve Durand- wonderfully open hearted and direct. Really had to smile when the brass-band sounds started coming in. great work! Great playing, too! Wonderfully McCartneyesque- some great brass harmony lines there- another one of my favorites this week.

Wreckdom- wow, I thought mine was dark! This is harrowing! And funny, in its own way. Wanted to dislike this at first, (with that long effects intro) but ended up loving it! Wild! Great job!

Billymojo wrote:

hoops wrote:

Mickey Skylark: Maybe bring up the back vox a bit, but that’s a mere trifle.

Thank you for the kind review. I would have brought up the backing vocals but there aren't any
There probably should have been.

Well, that's awkward.

Bad news: The voices are back
Good news: They're in stunning four part harmony,

[quote="mickey skylark"]Codywalker- -
trying to do the heavy metal hair-band meets Ramones thing?

[quote]

No , I was going for an AC/DC feel. Close though.........

Been gigging all weekend. Just wanted to drop a line . After getting mixed reviews last 2 weeks, I decided that I dont really give a shit what people think about my tunes, and I'm sure you dont give a shit what I think about yours, so here it goes !


Berkeley Social Scene
Beautiful arrangement and vocals. mix is excellent. never seems to get dull, electric piano keeps the song interesting. this is definately a song I would enjoy listening to more. I have noticed that Your songs seem to 'Grow" on me. I didnt like your 'fatman' until a week after the fight was over and then the melody was stuck in my head. Well Done


boblazo Really well done, but after listening a few times, it still didnt have anything that made me want more. Vocals maybe not interesting enough? Instrments well played. Mix is great. arrangement is intersting as well


Brown Word and the Big Whine I hate saying this, and like i said above, i'm sure my opinion doesnt matter to you, but this is kind of on the weird side. I wouldnt consider this a song. Just some weird electronic jam session


Greggers Inc. OK, I'll say this, I play around town a few nights a week and one thing that I cant stand is a lead guitar player that noodles over the vocals/whole song...You can only have ONE focal point in a song, (meaning either lead guitar OR vocals at a time, but not both) if not, you are just cluttering up your song. Your voice is good. The guitar riff is repetetive


G.U.N.S. i noticed you use that same drum fill in on most of your tunes, you know which one i'm talking about. i like kids, i have 2 of my own so I am gonna say that this song is awesome, I think its awesome that you include your child on your music! as far as 'catchyness' I think its lacking there but well played/mixed, fun song. nice harmonies


Hoblit
right off the bat, I can tell the drummer is not good. Yeah he/she is really bad. Ruins the song. anyway, with a better drummer this could be awesome, it has attitude .


The Kenzie Chickens
My Man, your voice is freakin awesome! nice tasty licks, good story. keepin my attention. I mean, C'mon, thats what songwriting is all about people, Telling a story, if I cant get a visual from your lyrics, then the song is a failure (In my opinion)
anyway, i like the grove, i like the voice and the woodblock. Keep em comin'

Mickey Skylark
So, my lyrics dont have any bitterness? After listening to your song, I can see what your idea of bitterness is. I was raised by my Father. he was a dickhead, but isnt that what fathers are for. My lyrics were about my ex who wont let me see my daughter. Anyway, Even though you didnt like my tune , i'll give you an honest review.
Well done arrangement, your drummer is way too heavy handed on that hi-hat and doing some untasty fills. Guitar sounds thin. bass is well played and well placed. vocal melody is excellent, lyrics are pretty damn good. Loving the chorus. Congrats on your win, and Go Fuck yourself, It didnt give me any pleasure to say it, but i gotta say it as I see it.


Milton OK again, Dont mean to be a dick here but..Sounds like a cheapo piano, not played very well. i mean its pretty good, but not excellent. Voice is good, Nice timbre. I hate the way you panned this. I would EQ your vocal better and maybe add some verb?


Mr. Beany Bellows Balefully cool you doubled your vocal this week. I'm not going to review this because I dont really know youre perspective on music, if this is a joke and you are a musical genius, or you just like singing acapella poems,


Nobody, et al. the returning champion. Good Vox Good guitar as usual, i will say you have captured a sound and your recordings/sound remains consistent each week. you could put out a nice album that would flow nicely. Like the harmonies. It shows in your song that you love your father and somethimes it can be hard for us all to admit that, Nice job.


Paco del Stinko Intersting drums. Interesting arrangement, as usual, nice backup vocals! great mix. I love the Theremin? solo. and rippin Guitar soo. How the hell do you write these songs in 2 weeks ? lol . great job


sausage Quiet mix this week, Reminds me of your Fatman, from a few weeks back. I like it alot, sounds small though. i dont know what could help that, maybe a stereo verb?


Sep OK are those fart noises in the background? interesting sounds going on here, but i put this in the same catagory as Brown word, sounds like an electronic jam session, not a song to me (Just my shitty opinion)


Steve DurandFun arrangement. I love the horn lines, takes this mellow arrangement to the next level. Without the horns, I might not like this tune, but they really add so much. Just my opinion, I would have brought the vocal back and mixed this very lo-fi. i could picture this on an old AM radio, most of the drum fills serve no purpose, and take away from the song.


WreckdoM i've said this before, you have to have a really good reason to say' Fuck' in a song. this is pretty damn weird. what do you got against Football players anyway? I mean I dont like em either, but i wouldnt put em in my songs.

codywalkerjr wrote: Mickey Skylark
So, my lyrics dont have any bitterness? After listening to your song, I can see what your idea of bitterness is. I was raised by my Father. he was a dickhead, but isnt that what fathers are for. My lyrics were about my ex who wont let me see my daughter. Anyway, Even though you didnt like my tune , i'll give you an honest review.
Well done arrangement, your drummer is way too heavy handed on that hi-hat and doing some untasty fills. Guitar sounds thin. bass is well played and well placed. vocal melody is excellent, lyrics are pretty damn good. Loving the chorus. Congrats on your win, and Go Fuck yourself, It didnt give me any pleasure to say it, but i gotta say it as I see it.

Cody- didn't say I didnt like your tune, just that I didnt love it. Didn't say your lyrics didnt have any bitterness, either. I said it didn't feel 'earned' - in other words, without any hint of any kind of backstory in there, its not as effective as it could be. Disagree with you on the drumming, tho yeah, my rhythm guitar wasn't recorded as well as it could have been, i think. Just thought i'd clear some of that up!

codywalkerjr wrote:After getting mixed reviews last 2 weeks, I decided that I dont really give a shit what people think about my tunes, and I'm sure you dont give a shit what I think about yours, so here it goes !

Isn't it fun how the internet allows us to congregate in small groups of people we completely disagree with? Yay technology!

Heh heh. Not true though. I'd say most of us care. And if anyone doesn't, I think they should:
After all the crap is done flying, there stands a pretty darned elite group of songwriters who can create something worth sharing in 10 days or so, and then have the guts to post it on the internet for strangers to rip apart.
To me, this is a group of people whose opinions matter because they're bringing it to the table.

Everybody reading this post kicks ass.
Even if every single one of you is completely wrong every fight.

Nicelt said. I love all of u songfighters!

Mickey,
I mean when he has the hi-hat opn, It seemed a bit loud like after the chorus, i'm sure I'm the only one who would think that. Great song though.

Hoblit- impressive production, but the phrasing & melody sounds somewhat unnatural and awkward. Might be a function of the influences you have – I don’t know, but I’m guessing a lot of metal? Not my favorite genre. That being said, theres a lot to like about this- and as I’m listening it’s growing on me.

You'd be surprised at the lack of metal I listen to. And the type of metal that I do like sounds nothing like my music. My influences are more punk styled. This particular song was supposed to be giant cheesy garage rock. Which I do believe I accomplished. But there is a little punk in there that I can't escape sometimes. Thanks for the listen and review.

Hoblit
right off the bat, I can tell the drummer is not good. Yeah he/she is really bad. Ruins the song. anyway, with a better drummer this could be awesome, it has attitude .

OUCH! YES, I know...I'm a terrible drummer. I only started even trying to play them about 4 years ago and have only owned a drumset for about 3 of the last. Because of time restraints, I had to just play each part and loop them. Which is never good for a song's fluency. I agree, there are awkward drums in there at times and that I'm not very good. I'll keep working on that though and one day I may get better. Or at least good enough to get completely slammed because of it!

Now, on to MY reviews:


Berkley SS: While I'm not crazy about all of the vocal stylings, overall they do grab me. This song to me is the epitome of indie rock at this time. This sounds like something my girl might try to get me into and my initial reaction might be to turn my nose up, but in the end I can't deny it, this is good stuff. I like the mix and instrument choices. I like the guitar tone and dynamics of it playing through the strings into the strumming. If I completely understand the lyrics, I do I believe I like them too although I don't understand them all from the song itself. I think my song has some of the same problem though. It's hard to get all this done in a week. Good work, and it will get a vote from me.

Bob Lazo: I'm not crazy about this style but it is well executed. I like the vocal style in this one as well. Great delivery and good yet, simple instrument fills when needed. Good guitar rhythm and everything comes together very nice. The breakdown seems unnecessry or too short. I think it should go into something more serious or it shouldn't be there at all. But that is a minor thing that is a personal thing of my own. This is definitely one of the best executed songs of the week.

BW&tBW:I'm not sure what you produced this with but I can admire the beginner sound being listenable. I'm not really digging this but I suppose I can get behind your message to a degree. The instrumental choices and level of reverb do give it a pretty sound. I hear the doubled vocals and recording vocals on a song you've written and produced in a week sometimes call for that. Keep it up and your voice will get stronger and stronger. I hear the potential in this and would encourage you to keep at it. Listenable tune, just not into it.

CodyWalkerJr: Immediately got the AC/DC tongue & cheek feel of this song. I couldn't help feeling that stereotypical listener of this type of music having this exact problem that you sing about. This is a good song. I feel like it has a Weird Al 'in the style of' feel (as opposed to his direct paradies of songs). Everything is executed well and I dig how dead on 'B side AC/DC single' this really is. Good work, this is one of my favorites this week and I'll stick a vote in for it. (if we can still vote for more than one, it's been a while for me)

GregoryH: Whoah man, straight out of the late 60s, early 70s. Far out. I think you capture that pretty accurately. I like it even. But the improvised licks get a little tiresome to me, just as the original artsits songs did back in the day. HOWEVER, you beat them because you keep this short and sweet. Very good execution of acoutstic struming with those slight accentuating fills and the electric guitar weaving in and out. In this setting, the lyrics seem a bit dramatic, but it's ok. I feel that way about some Crosby Stills & Nash (and sometimes Y) and I still like them. Good entry and among the more solid tunes of this fight.

WSAGUNS: While I don't think this is down right bad or anything, I just don't like it. I am not one to pick on anything and I certainly love kids, I just don't 'get it' really. Everything seems a little out of place. I'm having trouble understanding some of the lyrics and the guitar is good, but a little generic. (MINE WAS TOO, I KNOW) I do hear potential though. I don't hear this and think 'suck', it just doesn't bark up my tree. The vocals harmonies are nice, but both vocal parts just need to be a hair more accurate if not just a little stronger. I think the lead guitar is way out of place and therefore too high in the mix. I think you that if you keep at this, you'll grow. This site is great for helping musicians improve if you can handle the critism. Thank you for entering a song that sounds like you tried pretty hard to make a good song. This isn't an assault on the ears as some Songfight! songs can be. It is listenable and I can appreciate your effort for sure.

Hoblit: OMG, this is some big rock cheese. How can you even stand yourself for writing this lousy garage band performance. You need to learn how to play drums and if you're going to piece parts together, you need to learn how to do it more fluently. The cymbals are way too high in the mix as well. Those guitars are nice though. It's nice to have a sound in which it sounds like two members of your band are playing two different parts and singing together. However, it's pretty obvious you both suck, even if it's just YOU. I do appreciate the punk influences though. Your roots I imagine. The lyrics are definitely sounding defensive about a real-life situation. I can appreciate that too, no matter how generic and cheesy you really are. Try and keep up and submit better work in the future, jerk.

TKC: Well executed song. It sounds like a cross of a general blues rock band and the grateful dead. Both aren't my thing but I do appreciate the song for what it is. Cute lyrics, good guitar work, nice bass line dancing all around in there too. This kind of rides along on it's own and contains itself nicely even though it's a little cliche' for what it is. OH, maybe a little ZZTop in there as well. Good influences and well produced song by '10 days to write, record, mix, and produce' kind of way. Good work and thanks for another good song this week.

MickeySkylark: The first thing I couldn't help but notice is that this chord progression sounds a bit like the Stone Temple Pilot's song, Plush. Then there is the guitar licks that emulate that as well, but only a little bit. I don't know if that is on purpose. I think the drums are a bit active for an acoustic guitar piece like this during those break downs. But on to the song itself. I think the song on it's own is ok but the vocal delivery almost distracts it. The vocals aren't bad all around but a bit shaky at times and it takes away from it a little in my opinion. The frank lyrics are refreshing but seem out of place for the instrumentation. I still think that it's a very listenable piece and ranks high for that. I don't feel the need to cringe or FF it through the list. I can understand angst like this although not completely relate to it. (I have a good relationship with my dad) The VERY end has sort of a 70's TV show theme song going on with the change up in progression. That makes me chuckle a little but it still works it's own way. Keep up the good work and it is likely I'll like something you do better down the road. I mean, I had a lot to say about a song I didn't like that much, so maybe I really actually liked it more than I even realized.

Milton: This cold be a really good song. You just needed more time to execute it. The performance is very Ben Folds and I'm not just saying that because of the boy & piano feel it has. I'm not a Ben Folds fan exactly but I like his projects whenever I do hear them. To me this song has decent (although cliche' at times) lyrics. I think this song is very cute and would be one of the top songs of this fight if you just had a bit more time to practice it before you laid it down to be turned in. Good feeling, nice potential. Keep it up and I look forward to hearing more from you.

Mr.BBB: No sir, I don't like it.

nobodyetal: Very good song. I'm definitely voting for it. Well executed guitar that is pretty well recorded. Great vocal delivery and the lyrics are just right on for this piece. Very sweet, but not wussy. (This is something I love and respect in songs.) It's very simple and extremely easy on the ears. I love your voice and acoustic waltz. The harmonica floating in and out is naturally well within it's place. Everything about this is good right down to the the chord progression. Excellent entry, quite possibly the(e) best. Thank you and I look forward to hearing more from you down the road.

PacoDelStinko: Holy crap, the rock aliens have come down to eat us. I appreciate the rock weirdness for this. Reminds me of King Crimson & Frank Zappa. It's out there but a lot of fun to listen to. I wish you had more than a week to do this. I feel like the vocals could have been CAARRAAAZZZY (crazy). All the pieces come together and I love how the dark crazy guitar solo takes over when the vocals stop. I think the songs goes into a Metallica piece with a different vocalist near the end. I don't know what the inspiration is, but I definitely hear the influences. Good solid tune and I might put a vote in for it too. Well executed and recorded entry this week. Thanks again for a great tune and making this one fight full of quality recordings.

Sausage: This is a low-fi good tune. I think the mix suffers, everything seems faded even though it is even. I don't hear the detail of any of the instruments but I can tell you know what you are doing as far as musicians go. I think maybe you need a line level amp emulator to make that guitar burst out in it's full glory. I think those solo licks suffer from running the guitar straight through the sound card with fuzz or distortion added later. Otherwise, I like the flowy sound you get. Although it borderlines that Kings of Leon sound that I don't quite like. The lyrics aren't grabbing me even though I respect them much as I do BW&tBW's. Keep up the good work and thanks for a pretty good entry.

sep: I like the dark ominous sound you are going for but I don't feel like the instrument choices are conveying that as they should. Might just be a limitation of resources. It doesn't exactly ruin the song, just makes it less strong. I feel like it should be more intimidating. It sort of has a passionate cut through vocal line against a bed of electronic imagery. I can get behind the idea of this song I just have a hard time really getting into it. I imagine it just suffers from resource limitations and that one limitation we all are limited too, time. Very listenable though, it's a cross between not being my kind of thing and a little lo-fi mixing. Good work and I while I didn't really get into it, it was definitely not a bad song. Looking forward to hearing from you again.

StevieD: I'm not sure how you got a horn section or if those are samples, or a really good keyboard. They sound REAL to my ears and therefore I'm impressed with them. Very good work and one of the best orchestrated pieces of the fight. The vocals take it down a notch and I wish you had more time to strengthen that part. But overall you did a great job and the vocals are a minor thing for me. It is short and sweet and very well done. I dig it and I may also put a vote on it just for the effort alone. It sounds like a lot of effort was put into it and I can get behind anything that puts thought into the listener's ears. Thank you sir.

WreckdoM: Holy crap, the rock aliens have come down to eat us. Are you in it with the Paco Del Stinko? I remember listening to WreckdoM pieces in the past. I wasn't crazy about those but this one is way better than I remember those older pieces. This sounds like you were able to rope in the rhythm but yet keep that crazy & messy sound floating around it. This reminds me of Captain Beefheart (sp?) with some of that Frank Zappa in there. It makes me feel uneasy and when a song can actually affect me, then it must be good on some level. It draws up imagery of a dirty nasty house with a dirty nasty father who flaunts his creepiness. Like, maybe a deleted scene from Natural Born Killers featuring Mallory's dad. Again, if a song can draw imagery like that for me, I must like it. I don't know if I could take a full album of this, but like King Missile, I dig on individual songs like this. Good work!

Overall, this fight is one of the better ones I have ever been a part of. I have to admit that I've been out of the loop for a while maybe the general quality has gone up, but for now I'm going to say thank you for all of the fair and listenable titles this week. I look forward to fighting with ya'll again sometime soon.

EDIT: I just now noticed the 'review this week's fights' link that sets all of the entries nicely with a playable link. I will use that in the future. NICE.

Hoblit- I've never heard that song by the Stone Temple Pilots. In fact, I've never heard any song by that band- i've heard the name of the band vaguely, but that's it. (I havent listened to 'rock radio' since probably the late 70's, so....) I was probably thinking more of George Harrison when I was writing those intro chords. (maybe we both stole it from the same place?) Aas for the vocals, my voice is my voice, some days I wish I could sing like, say, Van Morrison, or Ray Charles, but it ain't gonna happen! thanks for listening, tho!

mickey skylark wrote:Hoblit- I've never heard that song by the Stone Temple Pilots. In fact, I've never heard any song by that band- i've heard the name of the band vaguely, but that's it. (I havent listened to 'rock radio' since probably the late 70's, so....) I was probably thinking more of George Harrison when I was writing those intro chords. (maybe we both stole it from the same place?) Aas for the vocals, my voice is my voice, some days I wish I could sing like, say, Van Morrison, or Ray Charles, but it ain't gonna happen! thanks for listening, tho!

Yeah, I'm not being accusatory, just what it sort of reminded me of. Plush - Stone Temple Pilots

I don't blame you @ rock radio since the 70s.

I totally understand our abilities and what can simply be a matter of tastes. I listen to an old band every once and a while called Joy Division, and I would never argue that he could sing very well. Hell, I like some Lou Reed songs. It can just be a matter of what we like. So, I'm not poking at your ability as much as I might be saying that it isn't necessarily what grabs me.

Pavarotti is a great singer, I don't have any of his mp3s.

@Hoblit- thanks for the link, and reply.
and, lol, I dont have any Pavarotti recordings either! would rather hear louis armstrong, billie holiday, tom waits, bob dylan or leonard cohen sing then any of those operatic 'big voices' (like Pavarotti or Celene Dion) when they try to sing pop.
(Nothing against opera per se, tho it's a whole 'nother thing of course)

mickey skylark wrote:@Hoblit- thanks for the link, and reply.
and, lol, I dont have any Pavarotti recordings either! would rather hear louis armstrong, billie holiday, tom waits, bob dylan or leonard cohen sing then any of those operatic 'big voices' (like Pavarotti or Celene Dion) when they try to sing pop.
(Nothing against opera per se, tho it's a whole 'nother thing of course)

In my MP3 collection I have Bob Dylan & Tom Wait's discographies. Two other perfect examples of just enjoying good music despite what OTHER PEOPLE think about their voices.

Thanks for the reviews all, and I agree with Nobodyetal that the opinions do matter… even if they are wrong. Heh heh! Seriously though, I appreciate people giving it a listen anyway and those who took the time to offer actual feedback are awesome.

Obviously not everyone is going to like what Brown Word is doing, but then Brown Word isn’t about nice conventional stuff. Actually it would please me more if they were to find the music transgressive, but I haven’t quite gotten there yet, give it some time Actually, I think WreckdoM is pretty good at toeing that line.

Naturally the music of Brown Word and the Big Whine, and yes, even the uproariously grotesque music of WreckdoM is intended to be beautiful to those who appreciate a certain aesthetic. Cody says weird like that’s a bad thing! Tsk tsk, the landscape of sound is various and wonderful and I intend to take it as far to left field as my newbie abilities allow. Bwa-haaa-haaaa! I am more than certain Geoff and King Colon have similar aims as myself with this most recent incarnation of WreckdoM as well.

I invite other purveyors of unpopular genres to bring it! We will always have the safe and pretty, the radio-friendly and yes, the acts that people would actually come out to see live, depend on it. They lend legitimacy to this forum, raise the bar, frame a showcase for talent on a competitive scale, and bring some damn good tunes to the ears.

Weirdness on the other hand, real weirdness, for me is the total freedom to grab beauty from unlikely places, assemble it in an unrecognizable form, do anything I want and be only inhibited by my lack of vision or lack of ability, to be really outside and not beholden to anyone’s demand or preconceived notion of genre.

And work toward world domination.

Keep up the good fight, I can’t wait to see how people are going to Bite Down!

@ WreckdoMelle: I don't mean to get all gushy on ya, but that is the best explanation of how vital and important it is to create art that I have read in a while. Thanks.

WreckdoMelle wrote:I invite other purveyors of unpopular genres to bring it!

This is a very tempting challenge.

PS- I don't think I have said thanks to everyone for all the G.U.N.S. reviews. It has been an interesting project. It's been nice to see Glennny let his hair down. (See, y'all may think he's bald but it's a cap and when he pulls that cap off, it falls in long blond tresses, Finn style).

codywalkerjr wrote: Mr. Beany Bellows Balefully cool you doubled your vocal this week. I'm not going to review this because I dont really know youre perspective on music, if this is a joke and you are a musical genius, or you just like singing acapella poems,

Not a joke. I had something else planned, but it didn't work out. This was my backup in case I didn't get the backing track to-my-liking, but I was foiled by technology (USB ports appear to have crapped out) and I couldn't re-record the vocals to the backing track. Left with working on an instrumental track that should have had voice, or just submitting my backup I just submitted my backup. I suspect that musically, I'm just like I am in the rest of my life: an opinionated ass. I'm also working my way slowly up to the not-the-bottom.

To the positive reviews this week: Thanks! The voice doubling was an experiment I wasn't quite happy with. It was a quick, "hey, how will this work" thing before I went back to working on the backing track. (If only there actually were harmonies in it!) When the backing track didn't work out, all forward movement on any front sort of dried up.

Hoblit wrote: Mr.BBB: No sir, I don't like it.

I don't blame you. I was really hoping to bring an entirely different level of awful this week.

Like a genuine 8-bit, waltz-timed, orchestrated-in-a-Tracker chiptune backing track. (I even had a hand-drawn waveform!)

What's more, the research caused me to revise the song in to a key. It was when I went to re-record the vocals so they would be in time with (and in tune with) the backing track that my USB port crapped out. I wasn't at all done with the backing track, what with my near zero real musical experience and all.

Ah, well. I'm certainly not the first Song Fighter that has had equipment malfunctions, and I certainly won't be the last.

I'm going to see about making the second song idea I had (the one I posted in the Lyric Mart) because I'm pretty sure I can phone-in my vocals for that one. (That and the lyrics are personally meaningful.)

Who knows, perhaps the lack of a traditional mic will inspire work in a direction that will allow me to achieve my goal of beating someone... We shall see.

[quote="Hoblitright off the bat, I can tell the drummer is not good. Yeah he/she is really bad. Ruins the song. anyway, with a better drummer this could be awesome, it has attitude .[/i]

OUCH! YES, I know...I'm a terrible drummer. I only started even trying to play them about 4 years ago and have only owned a drumset for about 3 of the last. Because of time restraints, I had to just play each part and loop them. Which is never good for a song's fluency. I agree, there are awkward drums in there at times and that I'm not very good. I'll keep working on that though and one day I may get better. Or at least good enough to get completely slammed because of it!

[[/quote]
Didnt mean to be so blunt, the song has attitude. The drums just stuck out at me. I enjoyed the rest though

WreckdoMelle wrote:. Cody says weird like that’s a bad thing! Tsk tsk, the landscape of sound is various and wonderful and I intend to take it as far to left field as my newbie abilities allow. :

I truly apologize, I am a lover of music, and I appreciate your perspective. Maybe im not ready for it yet. Keep up the good work and dont let people like me or anyone else stand in your way of your vision

mrbeany wrote:

codywalkerjr wrote: Mr. Beany Bellows Balefully cool you doubled your vocal this week. I'm not going to review this because I dont really know youre perspective on music, if this is a joke and you are a musical genius, or you just like singing acapella poems,

Not a joke. I had something else planned, but it didn't work out. This was my backup in case I didn't get the backing track to-my-liking, but I was foiled by technology (USB ports appear to have crapped out) and I couldn't re-record the vocals to the backing track. Left with working on an instrumental track that should have had voice, or just submitting my backup I just submitted my backup. I suspect that musically, I'm just like I am in the rest of my life: an opinionated ass. I'm also working my way slowly up to the not-the-bottom.

To the positive reviews this week: Thanks! The voice doubling was an experiment I wasn't quite happy with. It was a quick, "hey, how will this work" thing before I went back to working on the backing track. (If only there actually were harmonies in it!) When the backing track didn't work out, all forward movement on any front sort of dried up.

didnt mean to be negative, but I do wonder ometimes if you submit these for fun as a joke. i'm looking forward to hearing instrumental tracks from you. keep doing your thing!!

codywalkerjr wrote: didnt mean to be negative, but I do wonder ometimes if you submit these for fun as a joke. i'm looking forward to hearing instrumental tracks from you. keep doing your thing!!

No, that wasn't negative. I'm just disappointed with how it all turned out.

I didn't actually say I'd be doing instrumental tracks. I said I'd be experimenting with phoning in the vocals -- entirely different. Less singing off-key due to less singing. But this doesn't mean I'll be going instrumental.

I try to stretch myself musically every fight. Since I'm not joking when I say I have no real musical background it's all a stretch. I don't actually play any instruments.

Still... I did more research for the last fight than I've done for any previously. I'll disappear for a bit, focus on some of my other projects, and exercise some of my new skills... With any luck the next fight I throw my hat in to I'll be slightly ahead of last place.