My Dogs are Barking (Ottoman reviews)

[adamadamant]

Spoon and the Tangents: I really like the track, the music is lovely, my cup of tea exactly. The vocals let it down, the lyrics are very boring and the singing is just quite flat. Personally I think I might have enjoyed it more as an instrumental, but that's not really SongFight.

ShotPounder: All that distortion seems to drain away the notes and it all sounds a bit dull. Some of the 'singing' is quite interesting though, I like the vocoder/wailing bit.

State Shirt: Quite nice, reminds me of Placebo, which is a compliment. Lots of tension is trying to build at about 1.30 but it doesn't quite, maybe some strings or something. I like the end, it all comes together nicely. Overall, very well done. Ooh, except the beat boxing.

Durand Family: This is nice and fun. I'm not sure I enjoy the backing vocals too much, a bit too barbershop. Very well done but I guess not really to my tastes.

Tone Butter: Slightly dull I'm afraid, not much really happens. The looped drums really stand out and they seem to be bothering my right ear too much, it's too obvious that their not in the same room as you and your guitar. It's not especially bad, just doesn't grab me.

The Weakest Suit: It sound's like you're singing in a cave, which is a bit strange. I was waiting for it to pick up but when it does I don't like it. Quite limp, but well done limpness.

Akward! At the Porn Store: I like the start, quite floaty and pleasant. The singing sounds nice but the sex talk is a bit vulgar, I guess if you like all that... The end is all a bit too screechy, but nicely put together.

Beau McDermott: I like the guitaring, it's a nice riff, quite catchy and the soloing at the end is good too. It sounds like you struggled with the lyrics (which is fair enough), very repetitive. The whole song needs more variety I think, the parts are good but it's too repetitive.

B Ellison: Very pleasant. I'm struggling to say anything because I like it all, I can't really think of any criticism. Carry on.

Boiler Room: Hmmm. Very strange, not very songy. Not much to say really.

Boltoph: I like it generally, I don't think my brain is in the mood for slower songs tonight. It's good, kind of Weezery, but not quite there.

Caravan Ray: I like the rhythm of the lyrics. It's nice and simple and works well. I'm not sure what it's all about, but it sounds heartfelt which is good.

Future Polka: I think the lyrics are too loud, and I don't think the song flows too well from one section to the other. Nice funky keyboard is tasty.

Grapefruit Orgasm: I think you and Boiler Room should do a collab, although I don't think I'd like it I'm sure you'd have a good time. It's not really a song, just a collection of noises.

Gurdonark: Oww the vocals keep on clipping, turn them down a bit. I like the keyboard it's a nice little tune and I like the way the vocals follow it, though I can't really make them out. I'm not sure the birds really achieve anything, in fact too much samples and ambient noise, not enough song.

Horse's Mouth: Inspired lyrics, not! The guitar is alright, a bit dull, more instruments please. If you can record the singing twice for those ooh-la-las then try and record another guitar or something. Too boring.

Barenaked Ladies: Suck my balls, I'm not reviewing you!

JR: Nice, something with some energy. Very well produced, it sounds very professional. The lyrics are well sung but completely rubbish. I'm not really into metal (or whatever, sorry genres are hard) but this really well done.

Latex Heart Attack: I want louder synths! The intro is too long. The singing is really muddy compared to the nice sharp guitar and drums. The lyrics are also frankly rubbish. I do like it though.

Melvin: Very good. Good structure, good lyrics well sung, well played instruments. I like the solo too. Needs to be longer, I want more.

The Montserratian Secret Police: Quite spooky, but I like it. The lyrics and singing is quite interesting (furniture holocaust!), I like the chords on the guitar, simple but they progress well. The glitchy noise is quite cool as well. Good.

Puadxe: The recording could be better, but I understand not everyone has hundreds of pennies to spend on microphones. I like the tune, I can't really hear the words properly, but they sound well sung. It's a bit samey, which is ok because it's short, but would have been nice to have a longer song that went more places.

Renwick: The singing is quite flat and kind of disappears into the guitar. I'd like to hear the keyboard louder as all I really hear is the guitar, which is ok but not very interesting.

Rum Dreams: Ohh nice harmonies, I like the guitar and organ together. It flows along very nicely but it doesn't have any wow moments and kind of ends without really starting.

The White Hat: Well done for actually writing some lyrics about the Ottoman empire, kudos, although it makes them hard to get excited about and makes the song drag on a bit where more 'fun' lyrics might have carried it. It's very well put together, nice and folky, though I'm not really a folk man I do enjoy this.

Saucalito: The simplicity here works well, the song has a nice atmosphere to it. I'm not too sure about the falsetto stuff, but it's not terrible. The song is very much in two halves and it might have been nice to shorten the second half and have a reprieve of the first.

The Worldly Self-Assurance: Nice singing, both of them, though it's a bit strange to have two lead singers it does kind of work. I think the guitar in my right ear is too busy and there's not enough going on on the left to even it out. It would be nice to have it stop occasionally, it kind of smothers the whole song a bit, and the vocals are very good and deserve a chance to be heard. The backwardsy guitar is nice, atmospheric.

Favourites this week are Melivin, The WSA, B Elison and The MSP.

Also thanks everyone for the reviews, I agree with everyone who complained about the falsetto (yodelling) it is pretty terrible. The drums were a trying a bit hard to impress I realise now. The song worked well I thought in places but not everywhere. Lesson learned: find a singer for next week.

A.A.

[NatchDan]

Latex Heart Attack: The lyrics are also frankly rubbish.

Intentional, I assure you. xD

[Caravan Ray]

Caravan Ray - Good story, though perhaps the last verse could be implied rather than spoken- you know, like most people will be able to draw the parallels themselves and it's a bigger event when the audience reaches the conclusion than when you give it to them..

Thanks for the comments. I agree. In hindsight, I think I handled the lyrics a bit clumsily - though I think the problem lies not so much in the last chorus, but the second verse where I tried to 'explain' too much. I recall thinking that I needed to offer some explanation of what Gallipoli was all about, because the predominately American audience here whould probably have no idea what I am talking about. This song actually started off as an attempt to re-write Eric Bogle's Band Played Waltzing Matilda from a Turkish point-of-view - but I abandoned that because I realised I really knew very little about Turkey. In the end - I was very pleased with the device of using 3 imaginary protagonists. This really needs another verse each about those 3 men.

Funnily enough though - it seems it wasn't Americans who didn't know what I was talking about - but acually one of my Former British Empire home-boys:

I'm not sure what it's all about...

Let me explain:
See, once there was this old, fat cunt called Winston Churchill. He came from a place called England. That's a little country near Edinburgh. In 1915 he had a bright idea and he sent a whole lot of Australian and New Zealand people to the other side of the world so they could try to kill Turkish people. Now, some 92 years later, the Autralian, New Zealand and Turkish people are all still a bit pissed off about the whole thing. The good news is that New Zealanders learnt their lesson back then, and they no longer send their people off to try to kill foreigners, just because some silly cunt from another country tells them to. Australians sadly, still haven't learnt that lesson...

[adamadamant]

Let me explain:
...

I'm sorry history's not my strong point. I'd never heard about this before. Churchill is always regarded as a bit of a hero in the UK so it's a bit strange, but very welcome, to learn about it.

[Mostess]

Now, some 92 years later, the Autralian, New Zealand and Turkish people are all still a bit pissed off about the whole thing.

If you're planning an international trip but doesn't know where to go, I strongly suggest Istanbul with a daytrip to Galipoli at some point. There is so much beauty and sadness there.

Americans' understanding of WWI in general is too hazy, and even the minimal reading I've done is insufficient. But to see the beach line where almost half a million kids died in less than a year for no gain in territory by either side, only to pack up and go home again...

Plus you can see John the Baptist's armbones in the Topkapi palace. That's just freaky.

Again, damned good song, Ray. I haven't put on my political angry-young-songwriter hat in a long time, and you made me nostalgic for all that.

[jeff robertson]

Americans' understanding of WWI in general is too hazy

Hey, no need to stop there. We* also think we won WWII all by ourselves.

* "we" as in "that's what our popular culture encourages us to think, and some of us actually do, although I don't personally"

[Hoblit]

I'm diggin' Boltoph's entry. Alot. I think this type of music is missing from my life. I need an album of that.

[Renwick]

boltoph got my vote.

highlights for me:

b. ellison - skilled musician with great production. really good vocals and i liked the piano.
jefferey davis - i listened to this one a couple times and i would never vote for it but you made me laugh so...congrats!
jolly roger - the guitar and drums were amazing.
shot pounder - i thought the vocal guitar solo was cool.
melvin - so good that i thought it was too short.
the worldly self-assurance - this was a nice song to end on.

[drë]

Boltoph: this is B. Ellison. thanks for the kindly review. you mentioned trouble understanding the lyrics. I posted them in the lyrics forum if you're interested. Thanks again.

Thanks for posting them... i like your song 50X more now.
It’s been on repeat for awhile now.

[glennny]

Everyone, very good fight!!! You've been making my cross country journeys quite enjoyable. I just had to give a particular shout out to Boltoph!! Holy shit dude that is a fantastic track!

also loving Melvin, State Shirt, unfortunately I didn't know who was who on my listens So I need to figure that out before I write reviews.

I'm also quite fond of our WSA track, but there's an obvious bias there. This time around I took on bass duties, more details when I do reviews.

great job people!

[stateshirt]

State Shirt is, as always, insanely great.

thanks mostess! that is very kind.

i think my vote this week will go to boltoph or worldly self assurance. best band name goes to awkward! at the porn store.

[Caravan Ray]

best band name goes to awkward! at the porn store.

yes - I agree.

(I will try to post reviews a bit later tonight)

[anti-m]

I just had to give a particular shout out to Boltoph!! Holy shit dude that is a fantastic track!

Yeah, this is one of my favorites of Boltoph's so far... and definitely in the top top tier of my own "Best of Songfight" list. I added this one to the permanent collection immediately! Please make more like this!

[boltoph]

I'm really glad that some people like the song. I will try to make more like this, as a matter of fact I have a new "band" and we're going to do this song...rerecorded with our drummer (who is a sick drummer) on the drums. (I felt that the drums were my weak point...what you're hearing is take 50+ of me on the drums.) So, there should be a whole album of like songs, hoping for sometime in the fall or winter at the latest...

[melvin]

Just want to chime in to say that I agree - Boltoph's entry is spectacular. Extremely well written, performed and produced. Sweet dude!

[Niveous]

Grapefruit Orgasm....you sampled Kirby and the Crystal Shards. I hated your song but I love you for that.

Steve Durand has got my vote. Damn those Durands are talented.

[chris]

Melvin- rocks. this is my favorite melvin track, great work dude.

caravan ray- awesome. reminds me of mrs. robinson, I like it alot. nice.

[HeuristicsInc]

awkward - rhyming "ottoman" with "bottomintoit" is pretty clever. not that fond of the vocal recording, though. the change halfway through seems oddly decided, and the different parts have little to do with each other.

latex - nice sounds here, but the intro repeats itself a little too much. the vocal isn't quite there, but i like your intent. the guitar thing is cool, but vary it a bit.

spoon+tangents - this is oddly good. like sausageboy. bit of a homage to tmbg, i see. the end is funny.

bellison - pretty. i like this more the more i hear it. i'm not sure if the piano solo works, but that's ok. this reminds me a bit of some 1970-era pink floyd, which is nice.

puadxe - the instruments aren't really in time, they keep going out. needs to change more, i think, particularly in the vocal.

jeffrey davis - i thought the challenge was to write our own song, not remix somebody else's? your "rap" is very distasteful.

steved - man, the horns + vocal melody totally reminds me of some sort of oldies hit - can't place it at this moment, though. i like this. the rhymes are great, the backing vocals are good stuff. i like to hear the kids doing music. fun!

saucalito - think you popped the mic a bit. i'm not fond of the backing vocal, i think it distracts. that weird piano bit is great. i like how you introduced the "experimental" sounds there. that part gets trance-inducing. i'm gonna say "favorite" but i'm not quite sure.

the msp - this is niveous and me. i did most of the words, then passed to niv, who added the chorus and recorded the vox and guitar. then i added two pads and the bleepy synths... they're not quite in time, but i made a newer version that has them better-synced. having missed out on "sugar shaker" i'm glad we were able to get this one together.

tone butter - i have this problem with vocals like this - many of the lines have syllables all falling over each other, too compressed. i kinda like it anyway, though. ooh, bad fade, either end the song or fade it longer. that was abrupt.

renwick - sounded like klownhole to me at first. the part where you say "the ottoman" is good, but the rest of the vocal i think is mostly too tuneless.that synth is good stuff though, with the guitars here in the solo part. i like that. think it's about 30secs too long.

shotpounder - the static vocal seems unconnected to the song, in a way, these aren't that well melded. not a lot i can grab onto here. the startstops are good.

boilerroom - ouch, those digital artifacts are hard on the ears on phones. just talking and painful sounds? sorry, can't do this one.

jr - hey, i like that guitar a lot. "i am i am the ottoman i am i am i am" is great. heh, superhero with no superpowers. how does that work? the vocal is very good.

wordly - this is one of the guys that's been submitting lately, right? this has that particular kind of vocal cadence that i've heard from, uh, whoever that was... it's not my favorite in general, but it works here - but i really do love that guitar solo, that's gold.

grapefruit - yarg. more painful headphone sounds. why do you hate my ears? sorry, nothing useful to say.

horse - this is another vocal cadence thing that bugs me. the oohlala thing is pretty good, though. too many of the lines ended with the same sound.

state shirt - wow, love the sounds. i wasn't sure of the vox in the verse, but the chorus or whatever is very nice and classic state shirt. hey, that solo is quite cool. is there some mp3-ification artifacts on the cymbals?

cr - wow, this is heavy. think the vocal maybe should be up a bit volume-wise. great layered vox.

adam - you've got that weird cadence thing too. i'm not a fan of those high-pitched vox things. the instrumentation is interesting. the words are just odd.

future - good sounds, but the guitar's got too much reverb. lots of superhero themes here. weird cadence thing. i do like that guitar.

boltoph - ooh, very nice oohs and guitar. oh, this is very nice. i really like it!

melvin - love the guitar sound. the vocal seems muffly. it's definitely good stuff, though, this sounds like it could be on indie radio.

gurdonark - ummm, silly. the melody here feels a bit amateurish, maybe that's because the vocal and synth are doing the same thing.

whitehat - this is pretty good. i'm not sure about it, but this solo is very nice. no, this is good. accordion?

beau - the beginning isn't doing it for me, but when the guitar comes in it gets better, except the vocals aren't doing anything different. yeah, i know the ottoman is coming, but what's it going to do when it gets here? quit repeating so much.

rumdreams - here's another one with this cadence thing, this is all over the place lately. the instrumental part is pretty good, though. the organ. yes.

weakest - vocal is a little shaky. not bad, though, and i appreciate the recording.

favorites: spoon, bellison, steved, saucalito, msp, jr, state shirt, cr, boltoph, melvin

i'll decide my vote in the morning!
-bill

[Caravan Ray]

In order of general merit...

HIGH DISTINCTION
Worldly Self Assurance
Who is this? Frisbee, Glenny and Pedro I’m guessing. Very nice. Perhaps it is slightly unwise for Pedro to try to emulate Frisbee’s falsetto bits. Love the echo-y backward guitar thing. That may have just got you my vote. Great work. Good song.

Melvin
Superb Melvin. Love the stop/start-y pre-chorus thing moving into the nice smooth bit with ooohhs. You really know how to put a pop song together.

White Hat
Wonderful performance and mood created by this. The lyrics really paint a nice picture – but I’m not really sure I understand what the song is supposed to be about. This appears to be some sort of fond reminiscence of Ottoman imperial grandeur – but I’m not really sure why. (as far as I can tell – the Ottomans really aren’t missed by anybody – especially the Turks)

Awkward at the Porn Shop
This is very cool. Rhyming ‘Ottoman’ with ‘squeeze your bottom and…” is genius. Shame it didn’t stop before the silly noises started

DISTINCTION:
Horse's Mouth
I like this song. Love to hear a bit more production behind it

Botolph
Nice work. I like the shifts from the mellow sort of stuff to the chunky guitar stuff. Good variation on the vocals. Very good song.

Monserratian Secret Police
Silly lyrics but I love the delivery. Sparse guitar combined with synth is great and really good, warm vocals. Great work.

Stateshirt
Hey, it’s Placebo! No – that’s cruel, you don’t sound like you play the same song over and over again like Placebo seem to do. This is very good. Nice moody guitars and stuff.

Steve Durand
Great lyrics. Best song of the round (although if you ever receive a letter from lawyers representing Mssrs. Dozier and Holland, you better tell them that you have never heard of the song “Heatwave”). A fine vocal effort by the young Durandette.

CREDIT:
B. Ellison
Melody sounds very familiar – but nevermind, I like this.

Jolly Roger:
Awsome work JR! You playing and production is just excellent. Apart from the “I am…” bit in the chorus which I think is quite good – I really don’t like this song at all (more genre bias than anything – this type of North American guitar rock leaves me very cold) – but I am enormously impressed by just how good this “sounds”.

Latex Heart Attack
This is pretty cool. Sounds like that Scottish dude who used to sing for The Orange Juice whose name escapes me (googles…), Edwin Collins – that’s it.

PASS:
Adam Adamant
Good melody and stuff – this could be OK with real singing.

Future Polka
Well done – but not my cup of tea.

Renwick
Another one that is very well excecuted – but simply doesn’t appeal to me at all. It’s not you, it’s me.

Shotpounder
Again – good, but not really me. I do like your vocal sound though – the vox are very cool – especially that screaming with the guitar around 1:30!

Rum Dreams
Not bad – but not really memorable

SpOOn
Nothing really grabbing me here Spoon

Beau McDermott
Pretty dumb at first. The guitar riff is good and I take interest again. But it doesn’t go anywhere and becomes pretty dumb again. Good riff though.

FAIL:
Jeffrey Davis
Think we’re going to get something like The Avalanches at first. Then it gets dumb. Does this make sense. How can someone suck your balls if they have their feet up on an ottoman? Isn’t that quite awkward? Wouldn’t it make more sense and be more relaxing for the party with the elevated feet to also be the suckee? I don’t think you thought this through.

Weakest Suit
Not good

Tonebutter
No. Try again


Word + Works Of Saucalito
next….

Boiler Room
No.

Grapefruit Orgasm
No

Gurdonark
No

Puadxe
No

[glennny]

A damn ant- quirky and lo-fi and charming. This hits that Mathlete/Wolfie pop vein really well. I've been enjoying this one a lot.

Awkward at the porn Store- This is a beautiful lush song. I wish the lead vocals were less effected and more straight. Wow this really gets Umma Gumma. This remains entertaining and weird for me until the end.

Beau McDermott- I don't know why the 1st 40 seconds is there, not offensive, but doesn't really serve the song. This song seems unfinished. I think it needs more lyrics and you know ....song. Nice raunchy guitar tones. Not much of a song I'm afraid.

B. Ellison- Oh yeah! This is great! Great singing! This is nice and breathy and Elliot Smithy. Excellent!

Boiler Room- why is this in between these 2 great tracks?

Boltoph- I'm quite blown away by this song. Great pacing. Wonderful tones especially on the guitars! I love the singing and harmonies. This is on my all time favorite list as well. i need to revisit all previous Boltoph songs. If anything, I wish the ending wasn't so abrupt, you leaving wanting more!

Caravan Ray- Here's one I knew just by listening not knowing who was who. Nice political protest folky song. The vocals are what really make me enjoy this.

Future Polka-Something about this doesn't groove for me. This is alright. Some nice keys and soloing, song just seems a little forced.


Grapefruit Orgasm- On one of my flights across country I fell asleep to this and was rudely awakened by that tone, I hated your guts. When I'm awake I enjoy this as an artsy piece but not very often. Won't get many repeated listens.

Gurdonark- this is crap on so many levels. I actually kinda like the song once it arrives. The Demento Song Fight stuff is painful. Yeah this is not total crap , just mostly crap.

Horsesmouth- Dumb song, i wish the whole thing was the ooh La La La Way-O bit, i like that part.

Jeff Davis- yeah, I hate this. skip.

Jolly Roger- best Jolly Roger ever!! Nice recording! this rocks!! the guitars and drums rule! the "I am I am .." is a nice hook. I think the rest of the vocals could be more melodic, but overall this really smokes! Good job!!!

Latex Heart Attack- this is a tired riff. The vocals are too hot. I'm bored. It's not actively bad, just bland i guess.

Melvin- Another AWESOME Melvin track!! You're on fire lately man! You're latest album, and by that i mean you last 14 songs have been your best stuff! You make me feel like a lazy member of the WSA. this song is just great! OK maybe too short. and coming in at 2:16 it's obviously satanic, but that's fun.

The Montserration Secret Police- I like this a lot. Those sure sound like Niveous lyrics. I'm tuned into Niv having used his lyrics for FAWM and a sem pil tune. This is dark and weird and interesting. It reminds me of how I feel when I listen to TV on the Radio. Nice vocals! Cool track!

Paudxe- Sloppy, huge timing issues, oddly appealing. Yeah the timing issues are painful, but there's something rock n roll about the vocal delivery. Nice vibe, just a little too sloppy for my tastes.

Renwick- Isn't that the Everlong drum intro? I really enjoy this song. I especially how the resolve is saved for the chorus. Not sure about the keyboard, think I'd rather hear a guitar solo, but then it'd be rock and not alternative right? Cool song!

Rum Dreams- Nice instruments! I enjoy this a lot. If you were a bass this could be a Magnetic Fields song.

Shot Pounder- I didn't like this until i heard the distorted vocal solo. That was brilliant!! The caress of Steel moment is sweet too. Yeah this is cool!

Sp00n & tangents- Always interesting, though not very catchy this time. I'm not fond of the Spiderman variation. OK the last line made me laugh.

State Shirt- This is very good! this is a keeper. Great drums, great tones, nice kick in to the solo! Dynamics are spot on. I'm a sucker for riffs like the one out of the solo. Excellent track!

Bridget Durand- I learned so much about furniture from this song. How can you not love this? This is fun.

Tone Butter- This sounds like Dirk Diggler in Boogie Nights.

The Weakest Suit- It's sooooo long. It's pretty but not really trancey or haunting enough to catch that Mojave 3/ Low thing. I think the lead vocals need a retake, good voice, just pitchy in a few places. Pretty guitar!

The White Hat- Hey this is that awesome acoustic guitar player! Nice musicianship! The song is alright, but not very catchy.

The Worldly Self Assurance- My project this week. We are Furry Pedro- Guitar , vocals & production, Melvin- drums, Glennny- bass, Thanks for the Frisbee-vocals. Well I just love this song. I think it's among the best lyrics Frisbee has done. FP's guitar line is one of the reasons I think he's one of the best on the fight. Melvin's drums are tasty and just perfect for the song. I love working with these guys, someday I hope we meet in person. Gosh I love Song Fight!

So my favorites many are : B. Ellison, Boltoph, Jolly Roger, Melvin, State Shirt, Bridget Durand, and our WSA track.

I'm blown away by this Boltoph song, and I have a deep affinity for our WSA song. Great fight hard to decide on a vote.

[j$]

Jeffrey Davis
How can someone suck your balls if they have their feet up on an ottoman? Isn’t that quite awkward?

Not that I have heard the song, but surely this is quite feasible - just a question of elevation, and lack of it, respectively, for the two people involved. Gravity will do the rest. The one on the floor won't have the best of views, mind ....

[gurdonark]

A lot of good songs in this one, of which my own was not one.


AdamAdamant--nice synth intro. The vocals fit well, but the lyrics are intermittently indistinct. The virtual percussion somehow fits.
I like the melody between the vocal sections. This quirky number somehow works for me. More breaks with silence and perhaps a capella vocals would enhance this. I like that the vocalist just goes for it and doesn't worry.

Awkward at the porn store--dense, rich production, with some interesting panning on the vocals. The lead vocals are quirky. I like the guitar lines. The vocal fx on the lead do not work for me.
The whole thing has a goofy something about it that's all well and good. The "Freak Out" break that begins around 2:00 is a change of pace, but I'd rather the pace had stayed closer to the same. Kudos,though, for all the various vocal fun in the backing.
1969. A good year.

Beaumcdermott--"here comes the Ottoman!". The intro is interesting, but too long. I like the bass line. I like the little guitar riff that picks up at :45. A solid riff melody. The vocals are easy to understand and work for me. I like that simple break around 2:10. This song has the good sort of "whatthehellisthat" going. This one is a bit repetitive, but it's overall fine.

BEllison--"I erased your number from my phone at least 100 times" is a great song intro. Nice guitar melody. I like your vocals,but I'd like to hear them further up in the mix. I like this, but I feel somehow it could be more than it is now. I like that break around 1:44. "Ottoman you cut me like a sword" is a good line.

Boilerroom--the intro noise goes on too long. The spoken word "my name is Otto Mann" is interesting, but then the repetitive noise picks up.
The spoken word track could be remixed into so many interesting songs, and yet here the backing wastes it. A real missed opportunity with a fun spoken word track.

Botolph--nice melody. I like the vocals, but some of the lyrics are not easy to understand. Good use of instrumention, and good mix. "I can't stand the thought of turning past the story to get to the end", either.
This is a solid, very listenable, worthy song.

Caravanray--nice acoustic guitar and enjoyable vocal style. Soothing, and pleasant, with an interesting lyric. It was a sad period of history, as are all wars. This is a solid, good protest song. I really like this one. Good use of mild alterations in the vocals to keep things alive. Good song, good production.

Futurepolka--The world needs more riffs and fewer bombs. I like that "road song" vocal. Bring that bass up, and make it more Entwhistlish.
Otto-Man! Raise a glass of cheer indeed. I'd let you open for Sabbath or Spinal Tap with this one. Before the show, they'd play "Frankenstein" on the monitors. This is jaunty fun, with amusing lyrics. I like that you didn't go all speedmetal in the riffs, but instead did a good old-fashioned propulsive 70s rocker.

grapefruitorgasm--let's get rolling with some thudding noise. The spoken word is fine, but the noises in and out don't work for me.
I am fine with noise, but this noise is just a bit too pat. That said, I am glad that you're willing to play with conventions a bit. Still, fun with samples requires that more of the samples actually be fun. "Play" with samples should sound like play. The joke wears thin here. Very thin.

gurdonark--I disliked my song, so I added samples. It amused me, but like a lot of jokes, is perhaps a joke best told to oneself. Live. learn.

horsesmouth--quirky guitar line, and quirky vocal singing a quirky lyric. They fit! Simple, light, and likable ditty. Definitely a ditty.

Jeffrey Davis--A barenaked ladies sample, with the word Ottoman distorted, and then riffing on that sample with the Dick Van Dyke show. I suppose I'm not the only one lost in samples here. I do like the idea of merging different things tihs way. The "put your feet up on my ottoman" section just doesn't work, and I'm glad when the song ends.

Jollyroger--a nice guitar line starts it off. A straight-ahead rocker and I kinda like the "I am I am the Ottoman" because the silliness of the phrase fits with the metal somehow. This sounds like a solid parody of everyone's effort to sound like a Brit metal trio while playing in a Manitoba basement. That's not at all a bad way to sound. "Do you know what it's like to be a super hero with no super powers at all?" Constantly, actually. Good lyrics. This one could benefit from a change of pace break. It ends before it's done.

Latexheartattack--I like the riffs. I like that so many people are bringing it on with more "rockin'" takes on ottoman. Perhaps the word has some unexpected metal association. The vocals are hard for me to make out, sometimes, but often they're understandable. "Baby, leave the ottoman". I can imagine a different lyric in which "she only left me an ottoman". This one is fine--not something I'd stay up nights to hear again, but not at all a bad job.

Melvin--Great uptempo intro. The vocals are slightly too far back in the mix. Good melody. The lyrics are not as distinct as they might be.
I like the propulsive feel to this one. Good backing vocals. Good little guitar solo. A bit short. A good song, although not one that particularly wins me over.

Montserattiansecretpolice--nice guitar intro. The electronica backing is distracting rather than enhancing. The vocals are good. I often love the addition of noise and atmosphere to leaven out a song, but here I'd prefer a more simple guy-and-guitar approach. "Its a furniture holocaust" is a good line. There are a lot of wars between haves and have nots in this world, right on down to the furniture. Perhaps a little rhodes or hammonds-ish keyboard playing the backing melody now played by a heavier orchestration would have worked better. I like the vocals and guitar here.

Puadxe--1-track live sound to this one. Kinda cool percussion. Hard to understand the lyrics. Nice shambling/easy pacing. I just can't understand the words well enough. the guitar needs to be miked way up.
Likeable enough melody. It just kinda drifs off into nothingness. Doesn't quite all work, but some interesting tries.

Renwick--rockin' riff to get us going, with cool electronica in the layers. "It was a good idea at the time", but the vocals might come up a bit, as they get lost in the riffs. Less a wall of sound than a Hoover Dam of sound. It's a bit much after a while, as by 1:30 I'm longing for a change of pace. Where is the guitar solo? This kind of piece definitely needs a guitar solo. It's all well and good, but it's too much of the same thing. I like the lyrics, because they are a little unexpected in this instrumental mix.

Rumdreams--nice organ sound. I have a very hard time hearing the lyrics in the vocals. This really takes away from the song for me. I like the melody, and I like the very light "tap' percussion. But here we have a lyric pop song in which a few phrases ("in smoking jackets") can be heard,but most are indistinct. A few fx to compensate for the mike might have helped. Nice enough song sound, but without the words being understandable, it loses a lot.

Shotpounder--The vocals are not working for me--I don't know what fx have been applied, but they are not a valuable addition. The basic rhythm and riff are fine, and the percussion works well. I do like the sense that this song would be right at home a 1965 blues-metal homage, or perhaps on "Johnny Winter And Live!". Overall, though, it doesn't really work for me. Too noisy, and too much fx on the vocals.


Spoon and tangents--The little electronic riff is interesting enough, although it gets oppressive through repetition. The vocals don't work for me--they are a bit too fx adorned. The melody is not much fun, although I like the way the production has so much to it--lots of activity. The percussion works in this one. I like the little section in which "ottoman" is alternated with quirky guitar lines. Ends in kinda late mid stream. Not entirely to my taste, but put together with a lot of imagination.

Stateshirt--I like the intro electronica, which then gives way to a more (and less pleasing) traditional guitar line. The vocals are too indistinct in the mix. I like the "I'm not coming back" lines. I like all the light melodic parts better than the "heavier" riff-ish stuff. A lot of good things going in this song, leavened only with a few things that don't work. I am all for "one last kiss on the ottoman"--reminds me of being 22 and thinking about "one last kiss". The rock break around 3.10 is fine, but in general this song benefits when the touch is lighter and more geared to electronica. The heavy riffs at 3.45 are just a bit ordinary. This one seems exhausted about 3.30, but runs on past 4.30.

Steve Durand--Nice retro pop song, with a heavy "heat wave" homage thing going. Clever lyrics. I wish I had a desk so cool I could call it a davenport. I like the horn solo around 1:10. Very witty.

Tonebutter--I like the intro. The speak-fast vocals are thin sounding.
Needs some EQ and FX to thicken them up a bit. I like the melody well ehough, although it's a bit familiar. I like that guitar solo--it really makes this song zing. This one is all well and good,but only the guitar line really wins me over.


Weakest Suit--Nice enough guitar and vocal song. Everyone should sit together on all sorts of days, not just holy ones, or treat every day as holy. "The real news is that we're just growing old without each other" is a good line. The song gets a bit muddy around 2:10 or so, between the backing, the bass line, and the lead. This song holds the interest, though. It's got good lyrics, and the vocals and the melody work well together.An uneven but very likable song.

whitehat--nothing wrong with the waiting 100 year old dead, lyrically.
Good vocalist, easy to understand lyrics, and a nice guitar line.
Nice folk-pop treatment. I could imagine hearing that at my favorite Friday-night-coffee-house folk venue. It could use an instrumental break in the middle, and then, at 1:30, it gets one. I'd put that in earlier, and have more such breaks. I like that the lyrics are all clear and they fit well. I think we should all grieve for the living who live as though they had died. A nice song.





Worldly Self Assurance--great melodic intro. Great vocals. This is a nice, catchy pop song in a good production. Nice, subtle use of guitar. I am all for memories which unfold and collapse upon themselves like a fallen empire, and yet the mix in that section might have brought the vocals up a bit. The instrumental break around 2:15 is just right.
I really like this one. My vote here.

Works+words of saucalito--A nice simple guitar and vocals. The backing vocals don't work. "something for your feet is something crucial for your mind" is a good line. The change of pace at 1:00 is a good addition. Great keyboard line/loop, though it goes on too long. Much too long--to extro with this is really flawed.