Re: No Flava Original Twists Reviews (coverfight)
Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2010 11:33 am
Happy Thanksgiving! I'm thankful for all these covers! Here's part 2 of my reviews!
The Idiot Kings cover King Arthur's "Cosmic Confirmation" - This is another one of those songs that I was pretty sure I'd heard before, but couldn't remember it. I heard practically none of King Arthur's voice in this cover, which isn't a bad thing, as it stands. I do think this cover rambles a little too much, but it somewhat justifies its length with its sweeping version of ambience. Replacing that Arthurian guitar lick with that repeating piano/synth was sort of a stroke of genius. I'm really struck with the contrast between these two versions - Charles' original feels playful but unambitious and unpretentious. The Idiot Kings' cover feels sweeping and grandiose, but loses that freewheeling whimsy. It's hard to believe these are the same song.
Naked Philosophy covers LMNOP's "Am I Forgiven?" - Hey, someone had the same idea as me! Funny thing is, out of LMNOP/Milo's whole discography, this is perhaps the one that least evokes Naked Philosophy. And yet you inhabit it pretty comfortably. Some of the lyrics are twee enough to sound out of place in a NP song, and I would have taken a few more liberties with the melody in changing the genre, but overall, the transition to punk song works surprisingly well here. I also like the sections where the guitar and bass drop out - those compliment the barbershop phrasing of the original melody well. In terms of recording, this is one of the best-sounding Naked Philosophy songs I've heard yet. I think something about working with each other's material has inspired most of us to go above and beyond; that's one of the coolest things about Coverfights!
Johnny Cashpoint covers Lonbobby's "The Wrong Girl" - Wasn't familiar with the original, though I can see how, given the lyrical subject matter, this would appeal to J$. One weird observation I find myself making a lot is how "straightforward" some of these sound (this one included) in spite of a significant genre change. I guess it's amazing that this can sound like basically the same song even when most of the sequenced instruments (plus voice) have been replaced with their acoustic equivalents.
Berkley Social Scene covers Lord of Oats' "How Much Will You Give Me?" - You guys deserve major props for sorting through all the Lord of Oats songs and finding the perfect one to cover. Sometimes I feel like there's a huge disparity of quality between the original artist and the coverer, and in those cases, the covering artist just needs to coax out the song that was hiding in there in the first place. Duboce Triangle and Frankie Big Face have both done this with my old songs, so I think I can imagine how Oats probably feels listening to this. I love this cover. It feels like what the original was trying to be. The chorus is bouncy and catchy, and you really bring out the feel-good pseudo-inspirational vibe that comes from all that personal nostalgia in the lyrics. This is spectacular. Great job!
Sockpuppet cover Sven Mullet's "Moscow, Idaho", AND Minty Handy covers Sven Mullet's "Feet" - Poor Sven, he got two covers, but neither one of them was really full. In covering the orignal, :20-long joke song "Moscow, Idaho," fluffy did a decent job, but I couldn't help but wonder whether it was necessary, or even worth the effort. Minty's cover of "Feet" has more potential, but it doesn't feel finished. I don't know if it was Minty's intention to submit an instrumental as the final version, or whether he plans to go back and add the vocals later, but this doesn't feel done. I listened to the Sven original for the first time after hearing this cover, and I was really impressed. The catchy conceit, the time-changes, the clever take on the title, the coda, they all worked really well. Minty captures the time changes, and I hear hints of the melody there, but with such a dramatic genre shift, and with no lyrics to keep track of, it's hard to even identify this as the same song.
Sockpuppet covers Minty Handy's "Tomato" (twice!) - I'm not crazy about the instrumental version; it sounds out of tune, almost like elementary-school orchestra bad. I also wasn't familiar with the original, which sounds like it was REALLY fun to record. Sockpuppet's orchestral version made a lot of changes, but retained that playful quality (with lyrics like those, it'd be very difficulty to shake that playfulness, I suppose). Oddly enough, perhaps the most effective change that fluffy makes here is the addition of a little more swing in the vocal melody. This was a fun experiment, and if you ask me, it paid off really well.
Hoglen & Wages cover Octothorpe's "Acid Mouth" - I thought I'd been through the whole Octothorpe catalogue, but listening to the original, I have to say it doesn't sound familiar. I get why you picked this song, though. It's got that combination of darkness and playfulness that seems to be your stock-in-trade. I kind of feel sorry for whoever winds up with Octothorpe in these coverfights, because it's such a challenge to make something listenable while divorcing these songs from the - ahem - unique performance that drives them. The liberal application of kazoo helps. I find it interesting how you managed to dig into the meat of this Octothorpe track and actually find some fairly familiar melodies and blues-rock riffs. You know what, maybe I should just quit trying to dissect the frog. I dig this. The Beatles-ish after-coda noise piece at the end, I could have done without.
Caravan Ray covers Rabid Garfunkel's "Stranded" - Hey, one that I remember! And fairly recently, too! Rabz really brought his A-game last Nur Ein, and I was sad when he dropped out. A little surprised to see Caravan Ray tackle this instead of some of Rabid's more playful material. I like what C-Ray did with the harmonies, though. Other than that, though, this cover is pretty straghtforward. A little smoother around the edges than the original. A better ending. This is an example of a cover that doesn't have to stretch or distort the source material to be particularly effective. Well done, John.
Octothorpe covers Ross Durand's "Evil April" - As we all know, Octothorpe is something of an acquired taste. Earlier I remarked that I kind of feel sorry for whoever has to cover Octothorpe. I also kind of feel sorry for whoever Octothorpe covers, because they literally can't cover anything without leaving their tracks all over it, and unless the recipient has acquired the taste of the 'Thorpe, then he'll be in for a disappointment. It's a good thing, then, that Ross has a sense of humor, and that some of his songs are somewhat whimsical. Heck, this one seems to have been tailor-made for just in case Octothorpe ever had to cover Ross. I seriously doubt if Octothorpe could have tackled any other RD song and had it come out sounding this close to the source material. The Octothorpe touch makes this sound even more like a children's song than the original did. I loved Ross' original, but I'm digging on this cover, too. Spud, my only suggestion would be to seriously rework the drum machine, or maybe cut it altogether. It seems to be accenting the wrong beats in some places.
Rabid Garfunkel covers Roymond's "Shoelace Soup" - Another song that I'm not familiar with the original. Rabz, how did you get that weird, clipped-off-sounding synth? It's very evokative of Roymond. Absent that synth, this would have come out sounding fairly Baltic, or at least akin to Beirut. Unlike Minty's take on Sven, I get the distinct impression that this is complete without the vocals. It's surprising - considering how much of the heft of the original track comes from its lyrics - how well that impact is preserved without the lyrics. I wonder if it's because my mind fills in the blanks with information that I already know? This is a really unique take on the song - like some of the other fighters, you've taken the song in a new and wholly unexpected direction. Kudos!
LMNOP covers Sockpuppet's "tw3rp" - This song came up on the playlist at my birthday party last weekend, and it made me smile. I love that we have this hobby which enables situations like that. If I'd drawn fluffy/Sockpuppet's name in the coverfight, I would either have picked this song or his "Night Terrors." LMNOP, you've done a great job with translating all the little details in the background of this song into cleaner synth analogues and spot-harmonies. Have you heard the final version, from the foodsexsleep album? For reasons I can't pin down, I get the impression that you based this cover on the Songfight version of the recording. I don't really have any constructive criticisms. You've been doing absurdly clean-sounding practically professional-level recordings for quite some time, and you clearly know what you're doing. Great job!
Billy's Little Trip covers Wages' "Crush" - To me, most Wages solo tracks sound like unfinished BLT demos, so this is a particularly fortuitous pairing. BLT makes a couple of smart production decisions - inevitably, he throws some of his electric guitar stylings and harmonies over there, but he also wisely jacks up the tempo by a lot. Chris, I love how you throw yourself whole-hog into Wages' refrain "WHAT DO YOU THINK THEY SAY?" I think maybe the bass is a little too high in the mix, which makes the song sound hollow during the breakdowns when the bass drops out. But on the whole, you've done a really great version which I'd imagine sounds closer to what Wages had in mind when he recorded his, anyway.
The Idiot Kings cover King Arthur's "Cosmic Confirmation" - This is another one of those songs that I was pretty sure I'd heard before, but couldn't remember it. I heard practically none of King Arthur's voice in this cover, which isn't a bad thing, as it stands. I do think this cover rambles a little too much, but it somewhat justifies its length with its sweeping version of ambience. Replacing that Arthurian guitar lick with that repeating piano/synth was sort of a stroke of genius. I'm really struck with the contrast between these two versions - Charles' original feels playful but unambitious and unpretentious. The Idiot Kings' cover feels sweeping and grandiose, but loses that freewheeling whimsy. It's hard to believe these are the same song.
Naked Philosophy covers LMNOP's "Am I Forgiven?" - Hey, someone had the same idea as me! Funny thing is, out of LMNOP/Milo's whole discography, this is perhaps the one that least evokes Naked Philosophy. And yet you inhabit it pretty comfortably. Some of the lyrics are twee enough to sound out of place in a NP song, and I would have taken a few more liberties with the melody in changing the genre, but overall, the transition to punk song works surprisingly well here. I also like the sections where the guitar and bass drop out - those compliment the barbershop phrasing of the original melody well. In terms of recording, this is one of the best-sounding Naked Philosophy songs I've heard yet. I think something about working with each other's material has inspired most of us to go above and beyond; that's one of the coolest things about Coverfights!
Johnny Cashpoint covers Lonbobby's "The Wrong Girl" - Wasn't familiar with the original, though I can see how, given the lyrical subject matter, this would appeal to J$. One weird observation I find myself making a lot is how "straightforward" some of these sound (this one included) in spite of a significant genre change. I guess it's amazing that this can sound like basically the same song even when most of the sequenced instruments (plus voice) have been replaced with their acoustic equivalents.
Berkley Social Scene covers Lord of Oats' "How Much Will You Give Me?" - You guys deserve major props for sorting through all the Lord of Oats songs and finding the perfect one to cover. Sometimes I feel like there's a huge disparity of quality between the original artist and the coverer, and in those cases, the covering artist just needs to coax out the song that was hiding in there in the first place. Duboce Triangle and Frankie Big Face have both done this with my old songs, so I think I can imagine how Oats probably feels listening to this. I love this cover. It feels like what the original was trying to be. The chorus is bouncy and catchy, and you really bring out the feel-good pseudo-inspirational vibe that comes from all that personal nostalgia in the lyrics. This is spectacular. Great job!
Sockpuppet cover Sven Mullet's "Moscow, Idaho", AND Minty Handy covers Sven Mullet's "Feet" - Poor Sven, he got two covers, but neither one of them was really full. In covering the orignal, :20-long joke song "Moscow, Idaho," fluffy did a decent job, but I couldn't help but wonder whether it was necessary, or even worth the effort. Minty's cover of "Feet" has more potential, but it doesn't feel finished. I don't know if it was Minty's intention to submit an instrumental as the final version, or whether he plans to go back and add the vocals later, but this doesn't feel done. I listened to the Sven original for the first time after hearing this cover, and I was really impressed. The catchy conceit, the time-changes, the clever take on the title, the coda, they all worked really well. Minty captures the time changes, and I hear hints of the melody there, but with such a dramatic genre shift, and with no lyrics to keep track of, it's hard to even identify this as the same song.
Sockpuppet covers Minty Handy's "Tomato" (twice!) - I'm not crazy about the instrumental version; it sounds out of tune, almost like elementary-school orchestra bad. I also wasn't familiar with the original, which sounds like it was REALLY fun to record. Sockpuppet's orchestral version made a lot of changes, but retained that playful quality (with lyrics like those, it'd be very difficulty to shake that playfulness, I suppose). Oddly enough, perhaps the most effective change that fluffy makes here is the addition of a little more swing in the vocal melody. This was a fun experiment, and if you ask me, it paid off really well.
Hoglen & Wages cover Octothorpe's "Acid Mouth" - I thought I'd been through the whole Octothorpe catalogue, but listening to the original, I have to say it doesn't sound familiar. I get why you picked this song, though. It's got that combination of darkness and playfulness that seems to be your stock-in-trade. I kind of feel sorry for whoever winds up with Octothorpe in these coverfights, because it's such a challenge to make something listenable while divorcing these songs from the - ahem - unique performance that drives them. The liberal application of kazoo helps. I find it interesting how you managed to dig into the meat of this Octothorpe track and actually find some fairly familiar melodies and blues-rock riffs. You know what, maybe I should just quit trying to dissect the frog. I dig this. The Beatles-ish after-coda noise piece at the end, I could have done without.
Caravan Ray covers Rabid Garfunkel's "Stranded" - Hey, one that I remember! And fairly recently, too! Rabz really brought his A-game last Nur Ein, and I was sad when he dropped out. A little surprised to see Caravan Ray tackle this instead of some of Rabid's more playful material. I like what C-Ray did with the harmonies, though. Other than that, though, this cover is pretty straghtforward. A little smoother around the edges than the original. A better ending. This is an example of a cover that doesn't have to stretch or distort the source material to be particularly effective. Well done, John.
Octothorpe covers Ross Durand's "Evil April" - As we all know, Octothorpe is something of an acquired taste. Earlier I remarked that I kind of feel sorry for whoever has to cover Octothorpe. I also kind of feel sorry for whoever Octothorpe covers, because they literally can't cover anything without leaving their tracks all over it, and unless the recipient has acquired the taste of the 'Thorpe, then he'll be in for a disappointment. It's a good thing, then, that Ross has a sense of humor, and that some of his songs are somewhat whimsical. Heck, this one seems to have been tailor-made for just in case Octothorpe ever had to cover Ross. I seriously doubt if Octothorpe could have tackled any other RD song and had it come out sounding this close to the source material. The Octothorpe touch makes this sound even more like a children's song than the original did. I loved Ross' original, but I'm digging on this cover, too. Spud, my only suggestion would be to seriously rework the drum machine, or maybe cut it altogether. It seems to be accenting the wrong beats in some places.
Rabid Garfunkel covers Roymond's "Shoelace Soup" - Another song that I'm not familiar with the original. Rabz, how did you get that weird, clipped-off-sounding synth? It's very evokative of Roymond. Absent that synth, this would have come out sounding fairly Baltic, or at least akin to Beirut. Unlike Minty's take on Sven, I get the distinct impression that this is complete without the vocals. It's surprising - considering how much of the heft of the original track comes from its lyrics - how well that impact is preserved without the lyrics. I wonder if it's because my mind fills in the blanks with information that I already know? This is a really unique take on the song - like some of the other fighters, you've taken the song in a new and wholly unexpected direction. Kudos!
LMNOP covers Sockpuppet's "tw3rp" - This song came up on the playlist at my birthday party last weekend, and it made me smile. I love that we have this hobby which enables situations like that. If I'd drawn fluffy/Sockpuppet's name in the coverfight, I would either have picked this song or his "Night Terrors." LMNOP, you've done a great job with translating all the little details in the background of this song into cleaner synth analogues and spot-harmonies. Have you heard the final version, from the foodsexsleep album? For reasons I can't pin down, I get the impression that you based this cover on the Songfight version of the recording. I don't really have any constructive criticisms. You've been doing absurdly clean-sounding practically professional-level recordings for quite some time, and you clearly know what you're doing. Great job!
Billy's Little Trip covers Wages' "Crush" - To me, most Wages solo tracks sound like unfinished BLT demos, so this is a particularly fortuitous pairing. BLT makes a couple of smart production decisions - inevitably, he throws some of his electric guitar stylings and harmonies over there, but he also wisely jacks up the tempo by a lot. Chris, I love how you throw yourself whole-hog into Wages' refrain "WHAT DO YOU THINK THEY SAY?" I think maybe the bass is a little too high in the mix, which makes the song sound hollow during the breakdowns when the bass drops out. But on the whole, you've done a really great version which I'd imagine sounds closer to what Wages had in mind when he recorded his, anyway.
