I don't know how to tell you this... (Difficult Reviews)

[adamadamant]

In rough order of preference:

barrels leaves and strings
a nice christmassy jingle. well structured i love the weird voices and the loopy guitar. the vocals are bit too high up maybe, but nice and fun in all.

steve durand
a nice cheery number, very well put together and interesting to listen to. i like the whistling and the brass after is too nice. the lyrics i couldn't really say that i like them and i don't like the guitar that comes in near the end. very good though.

the worldly self assurance
very good, plenty of variation, good production all over. it's hard to criticise, but it's such a good entry.

the weakest suit
i like this, simple but without being boring. you have a good singing voice and manage to keep the song full and interesting.

booty chesterfield trio
its got a nice sound, i like the simple trashy riffs and shouty vocals. all works very well together.

paco del stinko
a nicely constructed ditty. some of the instruments are a bit sloppy at times, but that's really only a minor complaint. generally the different parts fit together really well and the song works very well.

thanks for the frisbee
a nice tuneful song, i'd like to hear more of the acoustic guitar and i'm not such a fan of the electric bit near the end.

lockheed symphony with gritty teeth
i like this, it's fun and a bit wild. a bit hard to listen to but i really like the use of the computer voices. top marks for being interesting.

melvin
it's a well done entry, though i find it a bit uninteresting. the vocal melody could be livelier and the parts are a bit stretched out. still better than most.

the author
i like your vocals, well sung and lively. i wouldn't listen to this genre of music but i can appreciate it's very well done. kept my interest and good guitar work.

max the cat
very atmospheric, simple but effective. the guitar is very well done and the lyrics are top. it's a little short and lacks variation but good.

wages
another good but simple song. sorry i'm out of things to say.

lord of oats
as has been said before it reminds me of the amelie soundtrack. good lyrics and a nice structure. the drums work really well and i like the guitar at the end. your singing voice is not great but it's far from awful. i would have liked a bass that dosen't just follw the accordian to add depth.

tv's kyle
it's good but it is a bit sloppy throughout and dosen't grab me massively.

ratt poizon
i think i'm very impatient today, this song is quite slow moving and it's annoying me. it's better once it gets going (around 2:40) and it's nice for what it is. quite repetitive and especially with just the guitar driving it it loses my interest in 7 minutes. pulled off professionally though.

leaf n twig
being honest i don't really care for this genre of music. but i can appreciate that this is a well written and executed song

jim tyrrell
the guitar riff is a bit repeatitive, would have been nice to have some variation. you manage to keep it interesting with the other instruments and the vocals are generally well sung, if the lyrics are not my bag, particularly the 'uber alles' line which stands out and brings the credibility of the song down for me.

the idiot kings
i like the heavier bit in the middle, quite nice, but it deosn't really move me. all a bit by-the-by, sorry.

david lost
for a simple song it's performed well. but it is very simple, i feel like i've heard this song before somewhere, the chord progresions and melodies are all a bit uninteresting and seem unoriginal.

mc paul denyer
you have got a reasonable grasp of rhythm and flow which is nice for a rap. i dont like the organ, especially the faster bits, too much dissonance. the subject matter is a bit lame and the do do dos are not very good. very repetitve without a proper chorus or anything to break it up.

rio mondo
ok 1 minute+ is too much for the weird intro. the song is nice enough, and mildly amusing, but it seems less of a song and more of a recording of a jam.

emporer pilaf
for nerdcore it's good. it's not that good though. you mostly avoid the too many words in a line disease wich most nerd-corers have but you get it a bit. it's quite creepy and interesting but i'm preety sure i've heard the backing track befor ethough not sure where and i'm having trouble relating to dbz, but that's kind of the point i suppose.

blues manufacturing facility
im not too sure about the drums, they dont fit so well with the super distorted vocals and guitar. hmm, creepy guitar and vocals. the first time i listened through i thought they were two songs. its interesting but a bit too weird to want to listen to again. quite repetitive as well, the creepy guitar loops for ages.

mime
the backing track is too quiet and though it sounds good all i can really hear is the rap. i am kind of interested in whether you wrote the music, if so then i wonder why your rap is so jerky and lacking in rhythm when the music is so accomplished. i would advise thinking more about the way you sing the lyrics, because it ruins the song when you're constantly running out of room for the words and you have to pause in the middle of a sentence to fit a lyric in.

meatknob
i find the lyrics are much too quiet. it seems a bit messy and the different parts all blur together a bit.

eddie lance
sorry i really didnt like this one. you give a big list of old fashioned things that you like to do but it's just a dull list, there's no reasons or effort to convince the listener of anything. the piano doesn't really match the tone of the lyrics for me either.

surf rock manufacturing facility
i'm afraid i'm losing the will to do this. your song is not very good, it's not very surf and just discordant and messy.

northside hindus
the drums are ok. very dull really.

boiler room
it's very hard to listen to, too many harsh buzzings and sharp noises. not much of a song really.

And myself:
The song was a little repetitive, i added the distorted piano at the last minute whilst high and regret it, but the song needed more direction throughout really. I was happy with the basic bass and piano bit and even my singing wasn't too bad I thought.

@nicegeoff: yes good ears

[Emperor Pilaf]

In rough order of preference:

it's quite creepy and interesting but i'm preety sure i've heard the backing track befor ethough not sure where and i'm having trouble relating to dbz, but that's kind of the point i suppose.

hmmm yes i sampled something. i'm not even sure what it was. i think the wav file was titled bab_yaga. it sounds like it was from a movie score or something.

[Æpplês&vØdkã]

One word reviews

Thanks for the Frisbee-sad
Meatknob-trip
Melvin-interrogative
Mime-graaahhhhhhh
Northside Hindus-beat
Paco del Stinko-bassline!
RioMondo- self-indulgent
Wages- ironic
Surfy- juvenile
TV's Kyle- catchyashell
Emperor Pilaf- notasbadasIfeareditwouldbe
David Lost- radioready
Steve Durand- awesome
Max the Cat- exceptionallypretty
Lord of Oats- casiotastic
Leaf and Twig- remindsmevaguelyofoldschoolincubuskindofmaybe
Jim Tyrell- reallyfreakincool
Jach S- niceguitarwork
The Idiot Kings- delighttohear
Eddie Lance- eddieIloveyou
Booty- yeah!
Bluesy- nausea
Barrels- thisisreallywonderful
TWSA- nicedrumrecordingtechnique

And the winner is....
Eddie Lance

[Spud]

I just wanted to say that I put this fight on "stream all" for a sunday night dinner party that I had, and I was very proud to be able to say I am involved in this website. Not a clunker in the bunch. My guests and I have been listening to you all for the past several hours, with no regrets.

Keep up the good work, songfighters!

SPUD

[Jerry]

Lemme take a shot at these, er, this...
Adam Adamant: I dig the sparseness of the arrangement. Melody is intriguing, would get better on subsequent listenings. Love the raunchity raunch.
Barrels,etc.: Is that a voice thru a pitch shift? Tight arrangement, though the song itself is rather banal.
BMF: Thinking of moving on from the 'blues' is to be applauded. However, not sure if you ended up in a better place...
boilerroom: (in raspy whisper) Frank...Zappa...rolling...in...grave...This ain't gonna get much play on my ipod, dude. But at least it ain't 'blues'.
bootychester: Well, you're difficult, so, you know, that's good...This sound might be better served by a less orthodox tune. Maybe.
David Lost: You must get the ladies with your G&G thing. Do you get the ladies? I'm not a lady. My wife would like this. Stay away from my wife. Songwise it's okayish. But hey, I'm a dude.
Eddie Lance: Just to be self righteous, you've left us with this dainty li'l tune. Now, that must be an acoustic piano. Because a man like you would not use an electric keyboard.
Chickenballs??: Don't let your hoes hear this track. You'll lose their much respeck, yo.
Idiot Kings: Nice bass tone. I like the arrangement, but the dynamics, to my ears, are a bit flat. Nice tune, man.
Title-Author?: the song proper is alright, though the progression is a bit undercooked. You could definitely use some production chops here. It's all a bit half-baked, and I prefer my cakes fully baked.
Jim Tyrell: This is not to my personal taste, but I give you props for the conception and production. 'contention uber alles'? okay...
Leaf and Twig: Yes, this is tasty. The guitar solo may have been ill-advised (call me el-negativo) but all-in-all I like this wee chune. Now which one's Twig?
Lockheed: At 0;40 I'm thinking 'change up the dynamics and you'll earn my love'. You didn't. Not much. So you've won my liking.
Lord of Oats: This is a charming song. Your vocal shortcomings add to the charm for me. And it's not about Melvin. May get a vote, Oaty.
Max the Cat: What's with all the french lyrics in this round? What's going on? This is pretty. The chords are evocative and the reverb in the mix is just right. Not my type, Max, but I'm digging the mood of this, and mood is tres cher.
Didn't I Already Hear This: The streaming option doesn't always reveal everyone's carefully chosen monikers, so I'm not sure who's doing this English?Aussie? Scooby Doo rap, but please stop. You're offending my sense of sonic decency.
AAAAAAAAAGH. Enough for the moment. I hope I can pick up where I left off. If I can't, and I haven't slagged you yet, sorry.

[halen99]

Just to be self righteous, you've left us with this dainty li'l tune. Now, that must be an acoustic piano. Because a man like you would not use an electric keyboard.

Sorry.. Digital Piano, and Pro Tools, not Analog. However this poem is not supposed to be about me. A lot of them are me, but not all. I prefer to order tickets online. I used to wait outside the venue for them but no, not anymore.

Eddie

[Jerry]

Meatknob: Ah, sweet heaviness. Doesn't Slay me, though. Nice clear sound. Lacks the demonic passion this metal really needs.
Melvin: Nicely conceived and played. I dunno, maybe it coulda been a touch faster in tempo, but that's my only real criticism. This is a pleasantly written and recorded pop song. Ergo, it will not get my precious vote.
Mime: OMstinkin'G. Your biggest problem may be your recording technique. Okay, maybe it's your rapping, or ranting. But it does sound like you're rapping along with a cassette player placed, oh, 18" from your Radio Shack mike. Now I'm not hating on anyone without the cash (or credit) to acquire Protools. And Lord knows my production skills are sub-subpar. But heavens, man! The track I'm hearing is decent enough to warrant better production. But then, there's the rapping problem. Ah, never mind.
Northside Hindus: Are you really Hindu? Cause if you are, you know Kali's gonna have your ass for this aimless drum practise. You may be stretching the term songwriting and, like, stretching in the direction of the city dump. Namaste. Shoot-I may be inviting bad kharma for that last review
Paco del Stinko: Your vocals at times sound like Elvis Costello. And that's a good thing. The guitar riff at 1:43 livens up the verses nicely. I like the brief drumming on the and-beat at the end. Might've been effective in the choruses? Don't know. But I do know a cool little pop tune when I hear one. And yes this is one!
RattPoizon: I'm loving the drum track here. Lots of room. But, dude, if you want to threaten me, you have to up the Evil. At the second half, the percussion still, er, titillates. The guitar is your standard Black/Death/Dirge Metal variety. Decent riffage. But again, more Evil, please. M.O.R.E. E.V.I.L. There. I spelled it out for you. Now rage on.
Riomondo: At 0:50 I'm thinking 'this better pay off'. It does not.
Steve Durand: Harmonically iffy at times, but I appreciated that you have methodically penned verses that satisfy your concept. The fuzzy break was a welcome respite. Almost. In fact, I had to go back and hear it a few times before I could feel that part. It was a bit...difficult. I think a dash of RattPoizon's evil would have helped immensely.
Surfrock...: Just to be honest, there were a few amusing sounds in there, but not enough to justify listening to that horrible pitch-shifted voice. Wipeout.
Frisbee: I haven't heard more than two, maybe three songs that reference Crest Whitestrips. I'm not sure I should congratulate you on that or not. This chune is catchy in a whitesugar kind of way. The lyrics are sweetly disturbing in a juvenile kind of way. Maybe you could have mentioned Clearasil as well? Clever, but clever usually has a short shelflife. Having said all that, I enjoyed it.
Kyle: I'm not finding anything remotely original in the lyrics, but due props for sticking with the program even though, admit it, you must have thought 'geez this is kinda lame' after committing to it. I've been there. I know. If not, oops sorry.
Wages: You've rhymed 'notes' with 'notes'. Right off the bat. You can diss someone for being technically proficient. But a bit of that woulda helped you out, bro.
WeakestSuit: I cannot wear this suit. It is ill-fitting for me. It chafes. At over four minutes it's also in need of some serious hemming. Sorry. Maybe it will fit someone else.
Worldly: The raking guitar is novel. There's a freshness about this tune that I dig and the guitar is pretty exciting. Is that an electric 12 string? The melody is also interesting, with a cool call-and-response part. I like it.
Proving that the last really isn't the least, my vote is for TheWorldlySelfAssurance, though I enjoyed listening to all.

[wages]

Wages: You've rhymed 'notes' with 'notes'. Right off the bat. You can diss someone for being technically proficient. But a bit of that woulda helped you out, bro.

Sometimes the story requires rhyming the same word.... which isn't really rhyming, just telling the story. Besides, the point wasn't to say "notes" but to say "sixty four second" with notes on the end. But I hope that didn't keep you from listening further! 8)

[TVsKyle]

Kyle: I'm not finding anything remotely original in the lyrics, but due props for sticking with the program even though, admit it, you must have thought 'geez this is kinda lame' after committing to it. I've been there. I know. If not, oops sorry.

Actually, I committed to "this will be funny", which it is. Oops, sorry.

[furrypedro]

In my post-results reviews I shall judge whether you are desrving of your vote count or not. Feel my wrath - or brown-nose depending on who you are.

Amadant: I like this. It's good the way you build it up, all the diffferent parts counter each other quite well. The very glitchy bit is perhaps a touch too loud, and you could chop a minute off the end and not lose much. Apart from that no gripes. 0 votes - you were bummed over a barrel sir.

Barrels, Leaves & Strings: Clearly CCS in disguise. This is very good, I always dig the textures and sunny laid back melodies. Keeper. 5 votes - I bit harsh but a respectable count to be sure.

Blues Manufacturing facility: Doesn't feel so much like a song as you hitting record and then seeing what you come up with in 4 minutes. It does go somewhere at least but I can't hear anything I find compelling. I don't like the melody of the repeated arppegio. 1 vote - and that was you wasn't it. just kidding.

Boiler room: Interesting sounds. I think a lot of what you've got here would be good for augmenting a song but doesn't hold up as the main body of the track. 0 votes - I'm surprised [/sarcasm]

Bootae Chesterfield: S'alright. but I've heard better from the Stereophonics. 5 votes - sounds about right.

David Lost: Good recording and well played. Arrangment isn't very interesting and it feels earnest-by-numbers. 3 votes - yep.

Eddie Lance: Sounds exactly like a Buck65 track, '50 gallon drum' or something. "heaven is a place where they do 2-for-1 shakes on tuesday, a home run every time would start to get boring after a while". Yeah that was pretty good, nice take on the title. 5 votes - I'd be interested to know who voted for this, possibly worthy of a couple more.

Emp. Pilaf: This is okay, you're voice is pretty distinctive, dunno if I like it yet but it could grow on me if you get some killer lyrics. Some here are alright, nothing amazing. The weezy fart sound at the end is good. 8 votes - 2nd best song of the fight - I think not.

Idiot Kings: This begins alright, the bassline is pretty cool. What I like is the electro bit that kicks in later; I like not knowing where a song is going to go when I start listening. Sounds like Jack Johnson feat. NiN. 0 votes - more bum-rape, I hope it didn't hurt too much, the song was good.

Jach S: the rhythm guitar feels a touch too dull, and I know you can get some decent tone from the lead guitar so must be a mix issue. The song ain't bad, but ain't great - and the arrangement guts it. the words and tune aren't good enough to carry it alone. 2 votes - fair enough, but generous compared to say, Idiot Kings.

Jimmy T: Going for the rock this time. A solid entry, I don't mind giving this repeated listens and can't think of anything to improve it. I like the piano that comes in quietly. Nice dischordant solo. Rhyming "malice" with "uber alles" is fucking cool. 3 votes - a couple more would've been deserved

Leaf & Twig: Good drums and guitar, though the shredding gets a bit tiresome but that's just me and my shredistinism (I'm sending that one off to the dictionary people tomorrow). No song is too short. I gave this about 5 spins. 2 votes - I'd give it a couple more on technical proficiency alone.

Lockheed Symphony: Yay, horrific digi-squealing. Hawking does an awesome job on vocals, I didn't realise his range was that big. Once again I'm very pleased you ended with the church organ - but this isn't quite as entertaining as your Night Terrors - did you just say "give me money or I'll give you lice"? - I take that last comment back. 0 votes - yeah, this appeals to a very selective audience. not sure how many Atari Teenage Riot fans come to SF.

Lord of Oats: is going through a Decemberists phase per-chance? The song's very simple but it works okay, I can see people singing along to this. A better execution would help this. 2 votes - give or take, maybe one more?

Max: I like this from the opening bar. Reminds me of Jose Gonzalez who I've been listening to a bit recently. The guitar is beautiful, I love the chords and style. Keeper. 2 votes - worthy of 4 times that at least.

Denya!: Killer, gives me a fuzzy feeling inside. I wish I could hear the words better, every time I hear a bit clearly it's fuckin hilarious. You bummer. There aren't enough Denyer albums in the world. 1 vote - everybody apart from that one person sucks - and it wasn't me, I forgot.

Meat Knob: Hey this is pretty good, I wasn't expecting it to be. The guitars and drums all sound good, it's not usually my style but I like what you've done with the whole atmospherics and weird noises and stuff. I have no criticism, I may even keep this one. 6 votes - all deserved.

Melvin: Sounds like you stole the rhythm from that Steve Miller Band song. My favourite bit is in the breakdown after the solo when you hold that squeal of feedback. The rest is familiar pure pop nugget territory but not in a way that gets me really excited like say, 10 lies. 6 votes - it's good to have a reliable fanbase

Mime: The loop sounds pretty good, as soon as your vox come in it ruins the effect, they don't fit in the mix at all, you need to make them quieter and put some reverb or something to make it all gel. At the moment it sounds like you're rapping over SingStar or something, like you just stole the whole backing track cos it's recorded so much better than the vox. Lyrical flow sounds in parts too busy and in other parts just boring, the busy bits are better but sometimes you trip over yourself. the chicken coop lyric is good. 0 vote - A consolation vote would've been nice.

Northside Hindus: There are a lot of mercifully short tracks here. Did somebody buy themselves a drumkit recently - or a mic set. Recording is fun, now learn another instrument. 1 vote - and that also was you wasn't it? you don't fool me

Paco: yay, a good entry. This sounds surprisingly poppy for you, saving the prog for the middle 8 only, how restrained. 1 Vote - you woz robbed, have some of Pilaf's votes, help yourself.

RattPoizon: Welcome back sir. I'm digging the Isis vibe going on here., this is probably a bit too long for me to continue reviewing in my pants on a December morning so I'd best go put some clothes on. I think you've achieved what you were going for here (unless you meant to make some free jazz - I'm making a big assumption here), it's tight. Only downer is the drums could probably have done with being more....just more y'know? but it's difficult. 5 votes - less than a vote a minute, harsh.

Rio Mondo: hmmmm.....skipping, ah song. we're deep into 'if i had a million dollars' territory here, I was gonna say 'but not as funny' but some of this is, the shredding is good fun and the window smash is good too, it's difficult to record a good window smash these days and somebody always has to clean up, unless you have a window in a bag with a microphone or something. 4 votes - could've had more without the first minute and a half.

Stevey: Accomplished and refreshing in the context of the fight. Not particularly refreshing in the context of your career. Some good lyrics. 0 votes - a hard life to be sure.

SRMF: I think your snare drum needs a bit more punch, it kinda sounds like another kick at the moment. The bit in the middle is more like it. This is kind of fun, the guitar at the end is more of what I would've expected from a band with this name - this sure beats BMF. cool synth too. 0 votes - As I've said it deserves more votes than Blues Manufacturing Facility cos it's like the B-52's.

TFTF: This is classic TFTF but I think all the lyrical barbs give it an edge over a lot of your other songs. Definite keeper, this would have made a good WSA song. 2 votes - you're chorus is better than melvin's so it's worthy of 7 votes at least.

TV's Kyle: This is screaming TMBG at me. The song's okay, cool change a middle bit. If the challenge was to beat me over the head with the title then yes, you comprehensively beat the opposition. This ain't my fave song this week but it's pretty good and the lyrics are quite good. 17 votes - is it twice as good as the next best song? no, but it is better than Emp Pilaf so good work.

Wages: I think I like this more than songs I usually hear from you, I think it's the lyrics. It's still not quite enough to make me want to come back for more. I prescribe a healthy dose of Lemonheads, listen to Confetti and steal some catchy melodies. You have your homework. 1 vote - a bit stingey but them's the breaks.

Weakest suit: I like the vocal effect, it's not over the top and it works pretty well. This song's quite good, some of the chords changes are cool, the "heaven in your eyes" bit is nice. and the lead guitar sounds nice. But yeah, "nice" isn't great and it starts to lose my interest, it does remind me of the Webb Brothers though, who I used to listen to quite a bit. 1 Vote - I'd have said it was worth another 2 or 3.

WSA: always good fun, thanks guys, and thanks for everybodies reviews and votes.