The Song Fight Bulletin Board

If your music seemed even half as thought out as your reviews appear to be, I might actually like your songs.

Points for the Aqua Teen reference at the beginning of your reviews.

ROCK!

Glenn (DR FUNK)

It's much more thought out than my reviews. I'd be amazed if anyone other than Egg and myself know of even half the hidden subtleties in our music.

jack, it's funny because my song was completely inspired by the events I experienced in one day in Santa Cruz. It was, in a sense, in homage to those people you see at the farmers market. I even got the name Ashok when I was in Santa Cruz.

Mogosagatai wrote:It's much more thought out than my reviews. I'd be amazed if anyone other than Egg and myself know of even half the hidden subtleties in our music.

Again, the key word here is "seemed".

It might be incredibly well thought-out, but if it is? It certainly doesn't appear that way.

My challenge to you: Write what most of us would call a "Real song" next week.

ROCK!

Glenn (DR FUNK)

Do <a href="http://www.songfight.org/music/sincerit ... 3">t</a><a href="http://www.songfight.org/music/zero_2_p ... 3">h</a><a href="http://www.songfight.org/music/in_the_d ... 3">e</a><a href="http://www.songfight.org/music/in_full_ ... 3">s</a><a href="http://www.songfight.org/music/puppetsd ... .mp3">e</a> count as real songs?

But okay. Challenge (probably) accepted. If not this week, then the next.

Puce wrote:
<b>Caravan Ray:</b> ... A few of the retarded penis puns felt a little to… well, retarded.

I believe Marlowe once said that exact same thing to Shakespeare after reading his first draft of Othello

bzl wrote: Caravan ray. If I didn't know that there were lyrics, I wouldn't have believed it: it's mostly mumbling at or below the threshold of hearing..

Rone Rivendale wrote: However, the vocals were VERY quiet in some parts.

These comments have me a bit puzzled - is my mp3 a bit dodgy? the vocals are quite clear as far as i can tell?

there's the "rockopolousa.." title bit, which is a low robot-voice. The "chorus" - which is me reciting the names of Indian cricket captains with the pitch shifted up. The bridge with the 'vindaloony' line. And the end which just involves a lot of bad willy jokes.

Leaving "artistic merit" aside - does everyone find these vocals hard to hear? As I said - they seem pretty clear to me. Do I have some technical difficulty here?

I'm guessing they meant the "rocko...phone" part, although even it sounds alright to me. It's quiet, but no quieter than it oughta be. I think the vocals sound fine, volumewise.

Also, it's pretty funny that you're just naming cricket captains.

bzl wrote:Frankie and whoever. Shouldn't it be "phalangists?"

no. http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Falangist

bzl wrote: There are lyrics, which I guess makes it a song, but I can't tell what any of them are saying...

hey did I ever say that lyrics make a song? Please don't project your own hang-ups on to me! There is a lyric, in the lyric thread, and explained in some (but perhaps not enough) detail here

Henley & the Phunts - mighty hiss makes me less inclined to listen. Everything is pushed to the sound limits. Pretty pleasant fucking around, I guess. Doesn't make we want to listen to 5 minutes of this. The sort of thin they might cream over in Wire. I like the 'pressure in my veins' lines though.

Beefy - Hmmm, drums and vocals are noticeably louder than the instrumentation, which is a shame. It makes this sound a lot amateur than it is. I like your voice for some reason. I am not sure you'er a great rapper, but I like listening to it. It's just that cool, slightly Simple Minds instrumentation is too far buried to let me enjoy this a song rather than some occasionally quite funny words floating on top of something ... all said, I like it.

Bombathon - great synth. Good mix of the music. Instrumental = no vote.

Caravan Ray - This reminds me, with total prejudice no doubt, of that song with the Knight Rider sample. In answer to your question I can hear the words but it does sound like they are part of the instrumentation. I think they are too close to the sitar (or whatever it is) in sound. Lyrically I haven't changed my mind. This is the best so far. Should be given a dance mix though (by which I mean it should have been mixed as a dance song, not it should go on for 18 minutes!)

Charcoal - this sounds gerat for the first minute or so. Really into that droning mood you create. The words you claim I cannot hear, but as an instrumental it rocks, and is reasonably well mixed (the lead guitar is a little hissy hatred, but I can go with that.) I really like the wig out at about 5.30. Yeah, if you're gonna do (mainly?) instrumentals, this is how it should come out.

Frankie & the Falangists - is me. I wish I had time to re-record the line 'Luke Reinhart's feint dream' - it bothers the shit out of me because it's noticeably flat (more noticeably than others) and maybe the second verse could be a tad louder - other than that I am really happy with the way this came out.

Glenn Case - This has a mid 90s indie feel to it which is good, but maybe a bit generic? I have decided arbitrarily that you should have more lead work in your GC songs - like riffs in the background of the verses and things like that. At the moment, your GC songs seem to follow the same format - cool strummed chords, bass following that, variation supplied by harmonies and changes in the drums. It's all good, but it drags a little when it shouldn't... ending is fabulous!

Jim Tyrell - Art of Noise! Hmmm, you know I feel about this, Jim. I am not saying you are the death of songfight or anything. But with the best will in the world, the lyric is cute not clever. It's a shame you didn't use the lyric has the backing track and write some different words for the top of it. Anyway, great delivery, and throwaway stuff won both last week's fights, so you might be on a winner!

Max the Cat - see comment for Jim. You come across as bitter. I take it the 'voice' is the reviewer of the music that's happening? Self-referential meta-crap will the death of us all. A waste of the very good talent that's clearly on show. i.e. very well done but I don't want to hear any more by 1.00

Melvin - once again, two entries means no review from me.

Puce & Cow Exchange - well, this sounds pretty much like I imagined it would. It's very well done. Lyrically, I stand by my 'creative' interpretation, but i have a 'diseased' mind so what do I know, right? It sounds like a song from a musical about being in a metal band, at times. This to me at least is not a good thing. Overall nice, although the honky tonk piano seems like a curious choice. By the time of the solos I am thinking about skipping, even though the end is in sight, not because it's not good (it is) but because I have got the measure of where it is going. Oh yeah the lyric sucks

PYF - yeah?

STM - nice guitar riff. Takes me back to the early 80s in about 3 seconds. A good shortcut in other words. Your voice sounds good here. I would have stopped the intoning over the choruses - or changed to something else - it makes the song sound samey even though it's not, if that makes sense. The bridge is the best part - that should have been the verse, and vice versa. A little long for what it is. But I like.

Those Meddling Kids - this is great fun music. Really cool - although the guitar could be meatier. Instrumental = no vote.

Zombie Love Militia - I like this oddly, in a VU style drone. Actually i don't mean VU but I can't think of who the style reminds me so strongly of. Hey, when my double-tracking is that far out of synch I get slaughtered! This has a suitably messy short-haired hippy feel to it! Indeed this, imo, is what Phunt should be doing. There is absolutely no reason for me to like this, but i do. Artwank bands, take note. The drums right at the end, the way they surf the edge of tolerability, nicely done.

Caravan Ray or Zombie Love Militia for me. Probably Caravan Ray.

j$

Ray: Nowadays, people seem to think vocals can't get loud enough.

It sounded right to me. Good song, too!

There is alot going on in this fight, it's very much amazing.
I just had to respond to all the anti-phuntisms by including a link to a past Phunt submission. This is the tune that changed my view of the Phunt, I think it's pretty amazing. Just imagine it produced with a full band, in nu-metal/heavy fashion.

Quite frankly, all the fightin' has drawn up some publicity for th' Phunt here! After reading, I had to go back and post this link. I think I just listened to half of the entire Phunt archive to get to this one.

Phunt Your Friends - I Hate You

p.s. boltoph has reached his maximum number of posts. Hey Mogo, where is the piece of boltoph guitar in this week's entry?

Seoup Gei wrote:Hey Mogo, where is the piece of boltoph guitar in this week's entry?

It's not in the actual entry (it was, but I had to cut it due to ginormous size). It's in section III in my signature, starting at 8:30. It represents Parasurama being saddened by atrocities committed by the warrior caste. It's the guitar you sent Egg for "Save New Orleans". Thanks for the boost!

jack wrote: beefy
it's weird how much you sound like starfinger with your vocals. i think it's the enunciation. man, you really need a drummer. gets kind of repetitive.

do i really sound like that??

not that i'm taking it as an insult or anything. i just don't hear it

-craig

personally, i think you "sound" a little better to my ear, but maybe thats just my taste. i think it has to do with the inherant zaniness of the delivery, but yeah, i feel the similarity. i did like beefy's vox though.

not to insult either one of you....

Seoup Gei wrote:There is alot going on in this fight, it's very much amazing.
I just had to respond to all the anti-phuntisms by including a link to a past Phunt submission. This is the tune that changed my view of the Phunt, I think it's pretty amazing. Just imagine it produced with a full band, in nu-metal/heavy fashion.

Quite frankly, all the fightin' has drawn up some publicity for th' Phunt here! After reading, I had to go back and post this link. I think I just listened to half of the entire Phunt archive to get to this one.

Phunt Your Friends - I Hate You

p.s. boltoph has reached his maximum number of posts. Hey Mogo, where is the piece of boltoph guitar in this week's entry?

Yes, good call SG. I would also add their Freddie Love Themesong to the list of great Phunt moments. Anyway, no - I don't think they are making noise just to annoy us - no matter how successful at it they may seem.

For an alternative, try Phunt Caravan Ray. It's like Phunt Lite! It comes in smaller bite-sized bits and coated in a sugary melody! Mmmmm...

Caravan Ray wrote: Anyway, no - I don't think they are making noise just to annoy us

In which case, that's the saddest thing I've read all day. No, really.

j$

For all you crazy remixers out there, or just those of you who want to chortle at our naked vocals, we (aka Mostly Harmless) have released the source for Rockopolousaninjananophone Eternal - The Vishnu Cycle. You can find it on my website, the most recent post (linkage).

Hi
this is my first track and post on songfight

Thanks for all yer comments on Those Meddling Kids; I think next weeks track is gonna be a bit more conventional. Though on that note I would also like to thank Phunt for introducing me to songfight, and congratulate them for not giving in and trying to make "proper" music, as I'm sure they're just doing what comes naturally and pissing people off with music is a lot of fun, you should all try it sometime.

Pissing people off with 'music' is as easy as pissing them off with flippant blanket statements about what they have and haven't tried. Anyone can do it, and the results are predictable. The impression made by such efforts is vivid, but not lasting. At least with me, anyway.

What is it with the new players trying to enlighten everybody?

-craig

I can't remember.