Just who is this Helen, anyway? (Come a Hellin' Reviews)

[Bjam]

Someone once said I sounded like a more masculine Tom Waits.

Think about that. Think about the fact that I'm a girl.

I still have no idea what they were talking about.

[Geoff WreckdoM]

Yes, it's the MORE MASCULIN Tom Waites. He pours sizzling bacon fat over his beef jerky. He buys discount whiskey by the 50 gallon barrell. Shirts simply fall apart if he tries to put one on, and when he sings, kittens die.

[Egg]

Think about the fact that I'm a girl.

You're a girl?!!!!?

Yes, it's the MORE MASCULIN Tom Waites. He pours sizzling bacon fat over his beef jerky. He buys discount whiskey by the 50 gallon barrell. Shirts simply fall apart if he tries to put one on, and when he sings, kittens die.

hahahaha

[Thornberry]

Ok one more review

Wreckdom -
Lots of cool sounds goin on here. Kinda reminds me of a better Revolution number 9 of The Beatles. The beatboxing is pretty solid. Pretty good overall, just not my thing

[Gemini6Ice]

Rik - No, I actually don't agree at all. Weasel is welcome to critique my song however he/she wishes, but to suggest that I've plagarized/borrow/lifted/recycled/ripped off someone's style or song is offensive to me. Obviously truth is a defense, so I'd love to hear from Weasel where I've gotten my song from.

Uh, e explicitly said e <i>wasn't</i> saying you plagiarized. Pay attention before you have a tantrum.

[Gemini6Ice]

Think about that. Think about the fact that I'm a girl.

Hm, sorry, not doing it for me. Maybe if I pretend that you're a boy we can get something going here? I'm at a loss. *shrug*

[Wally Harbinger]

no you misunderstood me, i said you sounded like you'd done more mescaline than tom waits

[Egg]

flippin' double posts...

Oh wow, this double post put me at 100 posts. Well, I've wasted another benchmark.

[Egg]

no you misunderstood me, i said you sounded like you'd done more mescaline than tom waits

Let's not get ridiculous.

[nyjm]

Time for your weekly review responses whether you like it or not!

I love the change from the drums to the guitar. Coffee, cigarettes, beer. Tick all the boxes! This is quite rock and roll my friend, kudos! Simple yet affective.

thanks. that's particularly nice since i've been having some timing issues recently. i think i have those under control now. i was going for simiplicity, really. it was a straight-ahead rock 'n roll tune and it's best (and sometimes hard) to keep it that way.

Pretty good. Definitely has that “Come A Hellinâ€

[Thornberry]

nyjm wrote:

well, never said i was an original riff-master. it's a pretty standard rock tune. thanks of the, hum... equivocal review. i'm actually quite proud of this one and i'd be interested to hear what you prefer to this.

Its pretty hard to come up with a original guitar riff ( i know i never could), but have a familiar riff is, i think, a good thing as long as it isnt a direct rip off, it just means it is musically sound:)

I liked your funeral director better,but you should be quite proud of that song, there is nothing wrong with it at all, just doesn't grab me forsome unknowen reason.

[stueym]

Late...sorry

Buxtahoota – I can see what you were after and actually your kinda’ voice works on this…just wonder if might benefit from a better singer and a tighter band. The hiss adds the authentic captured live at a night club feeling. Rhythm guitar is a little too jangly for my tastes for this style song. I would have preferred a thicker tone. Not bad…at least I didn’t FFWD this.

David Over – Initially the vocal seems to clip…then that distorted vocal effect doesn’t add anything but a noise level to me. The overall instrumentals and rhythm with the bongo’s is nice except when overwhelmed by that bloomin’ distorted vocal again. Hmm Organy ï

[nyjm]

[quote="stueym"]Nice job Noah. The acc sounds a little too boxy for me and the acoustic lead riffs sound too thin and distant panned hard right. Yet again I hate that distorted guitar effect you use (Take it large if you want to add heavy e-guitar, what you use so far sounds too stringyï

[deshead]

Thanks for the reviews and kind words.

how do you record/mix your vox? they always sound great.

Thanks man. I don't think I do anything special. I sing into a MXL V77 (tube mic), put a Waves Rvox on the track and crank the compression, and make sure I do enough takes to get something usable for each part of the song.

is that you playing all the instruments, or do you have some others playin for you?

It's all me in this song.

B - Yeah... It... whatsit, it sounds like not like Creed but...
L - Blue Oyster Cult?

No, God no. Sweet Jesus NO!


Buxtahoota:
You sure fit a lot of words into 2 minutes! Is there a bass guitar in the song? If so, it needs to be way louder. (And if not, that explains why the song lacks bottom.) The drums are monotonous to the point of distraction. Did you try a mix without drums? I'm not sure if they add anything. I'm not a huge fan of the vocal delivery (it sounds like you're almost swallowing the mic,) but I liked the extra punch on "tonight". Yay.

David 'Over:
I'm not sure I can add much to what everyone else said. The arrangement is great, the auto-wah'd guitar is perfect, and I'd love to hear you really mean it with your vocals.

fwc:
I get hints of Vince Clarke and Beloved. Like a "2 a.m. at an 80's-basement-party" vibe. You know, when all the good Smiths and Depeche Mode tunes have been played, and everyone's either drunk on the floor or making out on the bean bag and sofa bed, except Chris The Goth who isn't really goth and doesn't need a girlfriend anyway 'cause he's got his black trenchcoat and his hair and his music, and he flips on this song to prove it. Uh ... You could mix the vox a few dB louder, at least for the deeper parts, as your voice doesn't contrast enough with the low synth notes. Actually overall, the song would benefit from more high end. Either a brighter synth, or some kind of percussion. (I think an EQ boost by itself would just add a harsh sound.)

Here, Let Me Phunt You::
Um, I've been phunted. Is there an ointment or a cream I should be applying?... The only lyrics I could make out were "hooker pumps". That can't be right. Tell ya what, though: I really like the disonant piano. It fits, if that's possible. I want this song playing next time I murder someone.

King Arthur:
This is A Good Song, great lyrics, kickass bass line, good performances all around .. but I wish it went somewhere. Have you ever tried mixing your snare (and maybe even kick drum) WAY louder? I think it would make your music more dynamic. (A trick I use is to drop the fader way down, almost to zero, and make sure the last sounds to disappear from the mix are the vocal, snare, and kick drum. Even with programmed drums, you should be able to get some more punch)

Noah McLaughlin:
I like everything about this except the drum roll ... The rest of the song has a great roots-rock vibe. You got good tones on your guitar, and your vocal inflections fit the style to a T. You could splice the drum roll sections out completely, and the song wouldn't miss them.

what do you mean by "boxy" for the acoustic guitar

(Not trying to speak for stueym, but) The most important elements in an acoustic guitar tone are body and brightness. Body determines the fullness of the sound (or, over-simplified, the bottom-end) and brightness determines the clarity (or the top-end.) A "boxy" tone lacks both of these. (In the extreme case, imagine 6 rubber bands stretched over a cookie tin.)

not having an electric guitar it's hard to come up with a great heavy-sounding e-guitar part. i guesss i have to experiment with some plug-ins, b/c i think i've wrung everything i can out of Kristal. any suggestions or production tips?

On this song specifically, start by dropping the direct-in guitar tone from the mix. That'll get rid of the "stringy" sound. More generally, you can emulate an electric guitar tone by compressing the heck out of the acoustic signal, then running it through some kind of amp simulator. (Check out the slide guitar in my song for Feet.) Here's a free one I haven't tried. A lot of people swear by Amblitube.

Outbax:
We both came up with the line "get my shit together" .. What gives with that? If this was a one-pass single take, then good job. If not, then ... uh ...

Ross Durand:
I criticize because I love: Your vocals are muted. You'd really benefit from a decent vocal mic, something in a large-diaphragm condensor. The acoustic guitar has no body (did you capo really high?), which works in the mix, but not when it's by itself. If you EQ'd it thin, rather than mic'd it that way, maybe you could automate a transition from the bare parts to the full arrangement. One other thing: I think the song as a whole needs more high end .. Maybe louder cymbals? Or maybe just a harmonic exciter to add some sizzle.

All that said: This is easily the best song of the week. It's put together perfectly. I hope it wins.

Ryan Rickenbach:
Yeah, the Elliott Smith comparisons are deserved and well-earned. After the first time through the fight, this was the only song that stuck with me (as in I could recall the melody after only hearing it once.) "But I never could tell you the truth" is such a great hook. I like this song a lot ... just not as much as Ross's, I guess.

Steve Durand:
"When your demons come a-hellin in the night" is the best title reference of the fight. Nice. Like Ross, your vox sound muddy. (Sorry if it's presumptive, but do you guys use the same equipment?) And as others have noted, the guitar synth is a bit of an assult .. But those are minor things. You definitely know how to write a good song!

Thornberry:
The transition into the chorus is pretty fantastic, the way everything hits nice and clean. I get a Coldplay vibe from the guitar riff in the chorus. That's such a great tone. I would have moved things out in the stereo spread more, and brought the drums up a little. But it's a matter of inches and personal taste, 'cause it sounds really good the way it is too. I enjoyed it. (Though the extro is a bit much for Songfight. Save that for the album )

Wally Harbinger:
This feels like something I'll have to listen to a bunch of times before it grabs me. I expected it to tighten up more than it did, especially at 1:47 when the snare comes in. It's like, the song never quite finds the beat .. I mean it's really close at the end, but something's still off a hair. The banjo maybe? Meh, I'm nitpicking. The song as a whole is interesting, compelling even, and you deserve props on a great vocal delivery.

Wendigo:
I don't know how to review stuff like this. It's so far removed from anything I'd ever listen to. About all I can tell ya is I listened right to end. It's interesting, even if I don't get it.

WreckdoM:

Sounds Like: WreckdoM’s out of fresh ideas.

Even though I disagree, I sprayed tea on my keyboard when I read this. Your candor amuses me. And your song is oddly coherent, Rutti Tooti and all. Like most great WreckdoM tracks, I feel oily at the end. 'k, I have to go shower now.

[Ross]

So I owe three reviews - sorry this has taken me so long.

Wally Harbinger - The opening banjo reminds me of that guy on the porch at the beginning of Pirates of the Caribbean ride. That's neither here nor there, it just does. I like the theme of the song and I think the overall aesthetic fits it will , although I think slightly rougher vocals might have been slightly more appropriate. I love the way the parts start gelling together at the second chorus, really neat texture you create here. I'm waiting for it to kick up one more notch rhythmically. I like this one.

Wendigo - I'm not really getting this. I guess one particular thing that's not working for me is that the tempo/rhythm of the vocal parts and the instrumental parts often seem quite detached from one another, but they seem interested in being attached.

Wreckdom - I don't know what to say, exactly. I like the way you used the two split vocals. I hate to give a "not my thing" review, but I don't really know how to assess this except that it seems very consistent with the rest of your work, I think I'd even put it on the strong end of the things I have heard you do here.

Ok, That completes my reviews!!!

[Ross]

Ross Durand:
You'd really benefit from a decent vocal mic, something in a large-diaphragm condensor. ....The acoustic guitar has no body (did you capo really high?),

First of all, thanks for your kind comments.

I'll have to look into a vocal mic - I'm using an SM57, but always feel like the vocals on my songs come out a little shallow sounding even after compressing and eq-ing.
As for the guitar, I think it sounds that way because it's an appalachian dulcimer. (BTW - Kudos to stueym for ID- ing that!). I'm actually pretty happy with the way it sounds, but it doesn't sound like a guitar.

[sberryreal]

The scalar line under the chorus is an interesting idea. But when you double your solo it takes away from the feeling of spontaneity that I think a solo should have.

that scalar line started as "i need to do something with the lead guitar here" and became a huge boon to singing the chorus in tune, actually. the guitar is doubled throughout this song, panned and effected differently to give everything more heft, but the doubled solo gives is particular crispness i thought important for the solo to stand out. otherwise, it would have just been too muddy.

Noah - your tune is the one that has grown on me the most over the week. I agree with Wally H that the scale bit that you play is a cool accent; it adds almost a percussive element to me. I'd tighten the solo and you have a knockout song. I was all over deshead's piece initially but your song is a really strong contender.

[nyjm]

Noah - your tune is the one that has grown on me the most over the week. I agree with Wally H that the scale bit that you play is a cool accent; it adds almost a percussive element to me. I'd tighten the solo and you have a knockout song. I was all over deshead's piece initially but your song is a really strong contender.

wow. thanks a lot!

[over]

Good fight, good result.
Thanx for the votes!

david

[Geoff WreckdoM]

Thornberry- Thanks for listening and reviewing, I appreciate it. I wasn’t trying to be a jerk or guilt you into it, just being lazy really, as I often find reviewing to be difficult. I updated my review thread to include your song.

I had never played a banjo before I started recording this tune. After discovering that I couldn't even sustain a passable strumming pattern with an open tuning, I decided to play the progression on one string at a time and then layer the tracks together.

Awesome, that worked out like gangbusters, good idea!

is the fake sound in the percussion the arrangement or the tones? i use leaf drums and got a download of new, very nice-sounding drum samples. maybe it's my production/mixing.... what would you suggest?

It’s both, really. The drums often sound tinny and unnatural and I’d say that’s a part of what is causing the awkward contrast, but also the performance is obviously programmed and it doesn’t cooperate with the organic of the rest of the song. These drums do sound good and would work with like an electro pop piece or something, but for your song I’d go with more subtle and sparse and look for some non trap kit sounds maybe like coke bottle tapping or metallic banging or clanging.

Like most great WreckdoM tracks, I feel oily at the end.

I just love this sentence, Thanks man! And Congrats!