The Song Fight Bulletin Board

Congratulations to Pipe Fist and special thanks to my voter, whoever you may be!

araa.
here are some favorites.
maybe next week i'll be able to say something about the songs too.

1: sforch, balham, lonbobby, freddie, weldele, hoosen, oedipus
2: max, pipefist, jack, magnetbox, bewells, ants
-bill

The Rest of the Reviews

Magnet Box
The verse is a tad repetitive. The chorus is a welcome improvement, though it could be sung with more energy. Nice guitar solo. The second solo not as nice. Almost sounds like an attempt at modal playing. This could really use a bridge to shake things up.

Max the Cat
The opening reminds of "Opposites Attract" by Paula Abdul. Thankfully this gets better. Really it only could. Nice percussive effects, I dig the glass strike. I like the way the beat builds. Nice vocal performance. Great breakdown with just the drumming. The it picks up steam out of it, well done. Nice song. The backing vocals seem like they are a bit flat, just under the note, which I only point out because your production levels are usually at a high standard.

Onion Patrol
Not a bad garage band sounding start. WooHoo! its the verse. Woohoo! now its the chorus. Woohoo! you even name drop Blur here. Woohoo! That twice now I've referenced them in the reviews. Not a bad song though it could use something like a change in tempo or intensity to give it some build.

Pipe Fist
Cool drum and bass inspired beat. The vocals at time are a little too much like you are trying way too hard. The organ in the second verse is great. Also, unless you are trying to sound like a R&B wannabee you scoop the vocals too much. Ok, the vocal have now gotten bad. This could be a good song with a better performance.

PISTOLERO
Cool sample at the beginning, I wish it flowed into the song better, it sounds like it was just put there. Ah, so this will all be samples. Not a bad Death in Vegas type of song. I like the reversed sounds. Great echoed piano over the bass line. Nicely done.

Prepubescent Canada
Pass.

Song Fight Orchestra
Interesting introduction. Not sure what it has to do with the title. Cool whisper. Nice start.

Wreckdom
You are actually writing songs now which is measured progress. The sample at the end is funny.

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And my song this week was more of a demo of a song than a produced effort. I had some ideas for an EMO style song but didn't get started until about 11:00 Sunday night so instead of setting up a real project I just played everything live with a slightly reconfigured chorus and bossa stylings. One problem, I don't know if his has happened to anyone else but I could not hold down the strings on the guitar, I could barely move my hand by the end of the song. So yeah the timing is awful. Anyway, the songs stands as is though. Someday I may revisit this one.

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In no particular order,

Good
Ants (Invisible)
Eight Legged Oedipus
Max the Cat

Great
Hoosenberger
BeWells
Lonbobby

in a battle of the vocoders, Lonbobby gets the nod over Hoosenberger. Great fight, a lot of good songs in this one.

Whither reviews?

I have to say I am a little dissapointed in the thread this time around. The view to post ratio is astronomical and only about half the people who sent in songs reviewed, unless a bunch are going by different names then on the songs. I don't care if they are a week late, it would be nice if everybody who enters a songs also sends in a review, thanks.

Oh and coure thanks to those who did review, especially those who weren't in the fight. That is always greatly appreciated. I am going to try to send in more reviews for fight in which I am not participating in the future.

Freddielove wrote:Whither reviews? <snip> it would be nice if everybody who enters a songs also sends in a review

Amen to that.

Apologies for all for not reviewing as regularly as I used to.

Part of my plans for 2005 include concentrating a little harder on my job. While this blows, it's also necessary so that I can pay bills and stuff. Consequently, it's a lot harder to squeeze the 90 minutes or so into the day to review. When I can squeeze it in, I will. I'm still listening, but the reviews have to take a back seat.

And I don't feel right about reviews such as:

Mr. Spitoon - Good
Leila and the Irenes - OK
Shut Yo Dirty Mouf - Bad

reviewing is only for the privileged few whose opinion matters.

Jim of Seattle wrote: Shut Yo Dirty Mouf - Bad

I thought that was the best song.

J$

I would review, but I am on dial-up, and don't have hours to sit and review, and I'm usually not on the computer long enough at the other Pipefist guy's place to do it. Or I'm on one that has no sound. But, I do usually get to hear one or two of them.

Maybe we should write reviews first, then the optional challenge would be to submit a song which fits the review.

Here's one to try:

Awesome!! That verse is very catchy. The slower middle section is cool too, but I think maybe a little too short. Also, the bass was mixed a little low, giving the whole song a thin feel. But this really got me moving in my seat. To make it ready for pressing, I'd re-record the lead vocal, because you're a little sharp in places (note especially on the line "Like a dead tiger on a stick"). Can't get that verse tune out of my head, though. Is that a pan flute playing underneath when you sing "Clippity-clop shut up"?

PipeFist wrote:I would review, but I am on dial-up, and don't have hours to sit and review ...

Hey I was on dial-up for over a year and I managed to find the time, pretty regularly, to review one if not two fights, sidefights &c.

I personally don't care whether you (plural) review or not, but don't give that lame old excuse. You (plural) find the time in the week to record a song, you (plural) can find an hour to do some reviews.

No offence intended, but the only excuse worse than that in my book is 'I can't articulate my thoughts well enough' or vairants on that.

word up johnny cashpoint.

the only opinion that really counts in my book (just below my own) is the one that is articulated.

Jim of Seattle wrote:Maybe we should write reviews first

"I think the bass part is fantastic but the minimalism doesn't carry all the way through the verses - needs a change in instrumentation / new layer at 0.36 and 1.42ish especially. The bridge is the best thing about this, that's some fretwankery and you've made it sound like TTS (well GuitarTS anyway, you know what I mean). Kudos. The operatic vocal style is grating yet the lyric is lame, but quite endearing. It's amazing that you manage to get 'Charlie Chaplin' and 'It ain't happening' to sound as if they rhyme. Came away really believing that you love those shoes. Repeating the chorus ad nauseam at the end isn't working for me, nor for you if the cool but clearly added-on-at-the-last-minute spoons counterpoint is anything to go by."

Actually, i thought of a fun/naff game for another thread. Write a review in your style of a well-known song but leave out any references to what it is. See if anyone can guess. Damn, I should be making parlour games for Xmas parties or something ....

j$

if you're going to take the time to write a review, i'm sure the folks in this week's fight would be much more appreciative than someone that doesn't know you're writing a review for them.

reviews help people get better. they spark long drawn out squabbles on the message boards. they make people happy. they make people upset. they help define your anonymous personality to the rest of the community.

nobody says you (plural) have to do them but a bit of selflessness goes a long ways sometimes.

jack shite wrote:reviewing is only for the privileged few whose opinion matters.

Well that settles that.

And by the way, I wasn't singling you out with the "whither reviews" reference. You've been a consistent reviewer for quite some time.

Perhaps this could be an alternative. If you (pl) don't have time to review all the songs in the fight comment on the few songs that merit a line. Reviewing them all is time consuming and painful when the time spent reviewing a song exceeds the time spent recording it.

Por Ejemplo,

Brodie and the Spit Lickers
The chorus was great but the outro could have used a Tuvan throat singing choir to bring out the fullness of the song.