The Song Fight Bulletin Board

Quite a few people are having trouble making sense of my lyrics this week, so I thought I'd provide some background:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=qLcvcGUn-KU

Just back from a week out of town, and looking forward to hearing the fight...

congrats jolly roger
8)

So I have a mixture of joy and sorrow right now, as this is my first win, but I have no clue how. I told nobody to vote for me, and I didn't get that much love on the boards. Should we pass the win on to someone else, or should I just be happy with an invalid win? Just wondering.

yah you're right i think all the people who voted for you were actually trying to vote for me....so you can give me the pitty win . just kidding, you got the most votes therefor you win! there were soooo many good songs in the fight though, and a lot of people that win think that there must have been some sort of mistake, but the fact remains..you got the most votes so be happy

Roger, you did really good work on this one, you deserve it. I've been rocking it all week.

Congratulations Jolly!!!
You totally deserved it, I was considering voting for you, so I'm certainly not surprised by the victory.
It's a great tune and a big step up from previous songs of yours I've heard.
I also love it when the most shredding guitar takes the win!

glennny

Wow, what a close fight! Congratulations on your win Jolly Roger.

I guess I'll be happy then. And even though there will always be some nagging suspicion that something happened, I'll just enjoy the moment.

jolly roger wrote:I didn't get that much love on the boards. Should we pass the win on to someone else, or should I just be happy with an invalid win? Just wondering.

I'm not sure why you think it is invalid, unless you know something the rest of us don't.

I, however, can not give you any advice on what to do when you win as I have never even come close to a win. However, I think you're supposed to give a speech. Umm.. and buy beers for everyone you beat out. Yeah, that's it.

Anyway, congratulations on a win in a strong fight.

glennny wrote: I also love it when the most shredding guitar takes the win!

+1 .....and shredding it was!

Magnetbox wrote:Umm.. and buy beers for everyone you beat out. Yeah, that's it.

Sorry. Underage. Ask again after April 12th.

*writes FREE BEER in big letters on my calender in the April 13th square*

I believe your only responsibility now is to fail spectacularly in the next fight, garnering no votes whatsoever (not even that of your significant other.)

Congrats on the win!

Hey LML,

I know you weren't asking for any "improvements" but anyway, whatever.

<a href="http://wflind.web.aplus.net/lml-ibtm.mp3">song</a>

Thought your song was great. I wanted to see what it would be like with some bass in there. So I decided to post the result here.

Hope you like it.

Yes, I know I'm late, but here they are anyway.....

Balance Lost/Balance Regained

Hmmmm.....3/4 time....or 6/8........or 12/16........anyway......some of the guitar had a bit too much mid/hi.....cool song. Vocals are cool. Not my cup of tea though. Seems like the mix needed a bit more work.

Billy's Little Trip feat. Steve Durand's Brass

Beginning sounds like someone phoned in the guitar part. Main part kicks in cool. Couldn't make out the lyrics at all. Guitar riff is cool though. Brass was.....interesting. I think something was too loud......like the guitars, which in turn made the brass be turned up. Didn't care for the mix of the vocals either. No comment on the feedback during the break. Brass part was nice though. I liked the echo at the end.

The Contrapositives

Vocals remind me of Bob Dylan for some reason. The end must have been for comedic effect as the overloading of the mic can't have been serious. Nose hair? I have no words....

Cranial Biffida

I missed the meaning of the beginning. I'm guessing this has someting to do with belonging to the devil or something? Not much else I can say. This one isn't my style.

The Disciples of Beer

The "la la la" part made me laugh out loud. The emphasis on "Meeeeee" was priceless. Nice little ditty here. Guitars were a nice accompanyment.

DM6

Interesting guitar work. Vocals are ok. "It belongs to me" seems forced when it's sung. The break parts seem like they need a bit of work on the timing, but of course this was done in a week. The end change guitar was better than the other breaks. Didn't quite get what belongs to you from the lyrics though....

Handpuppets

Couldn't make out the vocals at all. Guitars were ok, but too loud. Or actually, the vocals were too low. The vocals actually sounded pretty good except for the fact that they were too low. The rhythm on the verses seemed to work well. Would have liked the song a lot more if I could make out the vocals.

The Hell Yeahs

When I heard the beginning I thought it was another "your heart belongs to me" take on the title. Boy was I wrong. Now I'm afraid of getting bolt cutters to the back of my neck. So here's your sh*t, just leave me alone. I like the vocals, guitars were cool as well. Possible vote here.

Jolly Roger

I like the guitars, both the riff and the mix. "They were mine" was kind of fast, but kind of funny the way you sort of fit it in. Another violent take that's going to get another possible from me.

Jonathan Mann

"I was your tribe and you were my chief"????? I can't say anything about that line. Guitars are ok. The background vocals trip me out on the verses.

Just In Case

Vocals are mixed well on this one. Guitars are mixed well also. First vocalist is pretty good. The second vocalist is a little pitchy. Chorus part was done well. Even the mix doesn't overload when the volume goes up. Good job. Possible here.

King Arthur

Nice bluesy type guitars. Vocals were interesting. Vaguely along the lines of what I wrote about. Nice line about how Santa didn't bring enough. A non-violent possible here. (or maybe a violent possible if you think about it)

LML

Someone turn the treble down! Pleeeeease!!! No more mids! I could barely listen to this because of the eq (or lack thereof). This actually wasn't too bad, but the mix was horrible. The vocals don't sound too bad. The music isn't bad either but that overall "broken AM radio station" effect overrides. Too bad. This could have been pretty good.

Magnetbox

Starts out nice. I like the first verse. The chorus seems to have the strings (or whatever sound that is) up too loud. Vocalist is ok. Yeah, that major reverb effect on the chorus is a bit much for me. Solo part isn't too bad. Should have taken that mega echo out though from the other guitar and let the solo go with the drums or something.

MC Eric B

Beginning didn't start bad. At least before the vocals started. Once the vocals started it was pretty much downhill from there. It was......wow. I mean.....wow. Please change your name and stop defaming the name of the great Eric B (as in Eric B and Rakim)

Melvin

Nice guitar. Singing is....odd. Topic is kinda out there. Unique turn on the whole "sing about a girl" thing. Song was mixed pretty well.

Mike Lamb

Nice "whistle" type sound. Guitars are cool. Vocals leave something to be desired. Topic is interesting. Going to was for the king. Nice. Vocals were mixed a bit low.

Rone Rivendale

I have no words. I can't tell you you're good. I just can't do it.

Ross Durand

Cool song. Guitar seemed to have a bit too much treble, but other than that it was cool. Liked the harmonica part too. The topic was a trip. Get your stuff back man, get your stuff back!

Steve Durand

Man, you guys are some cool cats, you know that? Nice big band type ditty. I was waiting for the intro from Duke Ellington! Nice song. Possible vote here.

Stylon Pilson

I feel you man, I feel you. I've got at least 8 computers in here, and I'm not using them all. But on to the review, nice song. Singing was a bit pitchy, but nice nonetheless.

Thanks for the Frisbee

This one needs a little limiting on the vocals. Other than that it's cool. Except for the whole "the title is 'It Belongs to Me' " part. Perhaps I missed something?? I'm not sure I could vote for this one even if it was my favorite. So what belongs to who in this song?

Three Hole Punch

This one isn't my cup of tea. I just didn't get it. Tried to evaluate the lyrics and didn't quite get those either.

wormsweater

Ummmm........errr.......isn't this about 2 weeks late?? Anyway, to the wayback machine......

This is pretty nice. Interesting little story about going around in the city and seeing Mr Shelton with the Sunspots on his head. Kinda reminded me of Ross when he talked about his stuff belonging to.....err......I mean it reminded me of King Arthur and how more stuff should belong to.....ummmm.........

So these are my finalists:

The Hell Yeahs
Jolly Roger
Just In Case
King Arthur
Steve Durand

Since I'm incredibly late, there's no more voting so I'll just leave it at that.

Masterhyde wrote: The Hell Yeahs Possible vote here.

Thanks for the review even thought it was late. Coulda used that vote though!!!

Last but not least. All in all a great fight.

Balance Lost/Balance Regained - Very nice soft feel to this one. The sputtering effects makes it sound like my HD is freezing, lol, I like the lyrics too. Good job

The Contrapositives - HaHa, nose hair, knows hair. I'm always a sucker for straight up acoustic guitar and harmonica. I like this one, good job.

Cranial Biffida - Movie music. You're entries are always interesting. I like the imagery this one gives me. I'd love to see the video that goes with this sound track. Good work.

The Disciples of Beer - Nice guitar sound. 12 string, or simulator? Nice sound either way. Good job.

DM6 - Love the dobro. This is good old backwoods music. I felt like it took me on a journey down the mighty Mississip. Great job, I love this one.

Handpuppets - I love stuff like this. It's ok that the vocals are way back, I'll just read the lyrics if I want to know what your saying...which I did. Very Pixie's like, one of my giants. Great job.

The Hell Yeahs - This was one of my favorites in this fight. I love songs that actually makes me stand up and start doing the pogo like Tigger on crack. This song rocks. Great job you guys.

Jolly Roger - This was a big change from the other stuff you've done, I really like it. The rhythm guitar is ripp'in, the leads are smoke'in, the drums are bang'in, all around ROCKS! Vocal had a NoFX vibe, very cool. As far as the mix, the vocals seemed like a layer not meshing with the rest of the song, but who cares, we're here to show and challenge our song writing abilities. A good recording and mix is just icing on the cake in my opinion. But I'll always pick a good song over a good recording any day.

Jonathan Mann - Very cool cake vibe, I love it. I picture the music video with you guys dressed in red and white striped button up shirts with handle bar mustaches. Awesome tune, great job.

Just In Case - Vocals and guitars, cool. I love real music. Great harmonizing with a happy tempo. Good job on this one, I like it.

King Arthur - Wow, real classic rock, killer. This has been rock'in my truck all week. Also the recording is really good. Very stereo. Great work Charles.

LML - Very interesting mix. I like it, nice change. The melody is groove'in. Kind of has a ween vibe to it with the FX. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, lol. Great job, I like it.

Magnetbox - Starts off like the wall, but quickly jumps into it own, nice. The bird sound is kind of funny, sorry if it wasn't meant to be, but it made me chuckle a bit. I really like the whole mix. The lead guitar sound coming in was a nice entrance. The FX on the guitar had an 80's "new wave" vibe. Very cool. Good job.

Masterhyde - Nice groove as usual. I like your voice, it has a smooth jazz tone to it. This is a good history lesson. The midget voice was wierd, but hey, little people need work too, lol. Good job Hyde.

MC Eric B - Cool samples and loops. Flows like Fresh Prince back in the day. Obviously part of the nerdcore scene. Nice work.

Melvin - Great guitar work on this one. Very easy to listen to. Well writen. Nice melody. Great job.

Mike Lamb - Wow, flute and acoustic guitar. This song sounds awesome. Great job Mike.

Rone Rivendale - This is more like abstract art or spoken word. Interesting.

Ross Durand - Great job on ALL the instruments. Has a Hootie vibe to it. The lyrics made me chuckle, very creative. How do you get your kick to sound like a DW? Very classic rock. I loved it.

Steve Durand - I love this one. My foot was a tap'in and fingers were a snap'in. Nice touch with the muted trumpet solo. Your horn playing makes me happy inside. Great job Steve, you are a musical master. Lets face it, swing is just plain fun.

Stylon Pilson - I really like the bass line on this one and the simple rhythm. The whole song flows really well with the vocals too. Good work.

Thanks for the Frisbee - Great song, I LOVE voice and guitar songs. Nice passionate delivery of the vocals. I like your double voice thing you always do, it's a good sound. Great job over all.

Three Hole Punch - Interesting FX. Has a George Harrison kind of imagination to it. Could be a theme song for some kind of Australian comedy staring Yahoo Serious. I liked it.

wormsweater - Cool, piano, good guitar work, nice happy song, too bad you're such a prick, lol. Here's a little something I picked out just for you. >> Really good work on this one. I like it.

Freddielove wrote:Hey LML,

I know you weren't asking for any "improvements" but anyway, whatever.

<a href="http://wflind.web.aplus.net/lml-ibtm.mp3">song</a>

Thought your song was great. I wanted to see what it would be like with some bass in there. So I decided to post the result here.

Hope you like it.

Haha, this is great. I was actually hoping people would do a remix or something, I wanted to know what people invisioned would make it better. I see a collabo in our future, you interested?

Masterhyde wrote: Billy's Little Trip feat. Steve Durand's Brass

Beginning sounds like someone phoned in the guitar part. Main part kicks in cool. Couldn't make out the lyrics at all. Guitar riff is cool though. Brass was.....interesting. I think something was too loud......like the guitars, which in turn made the brass be turned up. Didn't care for the mix of the vocals either. No comment on the feedback during the break. Brass part was nice though. I liked the echo at the end.

I played around with the intro and ending on this one just to add another level listening entertainment The intro was intended to sound very mono tonal to give an "AM car radio" effect. I'm still working on my mixing abilities. It seems to start off great, but by the time I have all of the instruments recorded and I start mixing down, I have all kinds of low tones I didn't expect. Steve added his brass the best he could with what I gave him to work with, but I love the contrast of the clean brass and over the grungy guitar. Next week will be my first all digital "Cubase" entry, so I'm hoping the quality will be much better.
Thanks Hyde

Dre wrote:
Handpuppets : sounds like a happy upbeat song.. to bad is all whitewash with that distorted guitar on top of everything. is like Vangoh taking his time doing a painting, and right before showing it to you, he splashes a gallon of white paint on it, just for kicks.
am still scratching my head, on why that distorted guitar is so freaking loud.

That would have been cool if VanGogh did that!

Thanks For The Frisbee wrote:
hand puppets- spandex and blond perms are the order of the day for this song.

Don't hate us because we're beautiful. Hate us because we suck.

rdurand wrote:
Handpuppets – Rookie of the week award for sure! I liket he way this sounds – it reminds me of that really noisy alternative rock from the early/mid 80s like Husker Du and early Jesus and Mary Chain. The chorus is really hooky and got in my head, unfortunately, when I did go look at the lyrics – they didn’t seem to hold up for me to the sonic landscape you’ve created here. Even so – Good

That's the second nicest thing anyone has ever said to me! Thanks!

Billy's Little Trip wrote:
Handpuppets - I love stuff like this. It's ok that the vocals are way back, I'll just read the lyrics if I want to know what your saying...which I did. Very Pixie's like, one of my giants. Great job.

That's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me! Thanks!

I think we all agree that the mix had some problems, which is not surprising given that it was done in the wee hours before the deadline. We're probably going to rerecord the vocals and JohnHandPuppet is going to redo the mix. If so, we'll post on the website.

Thanks for listening, all.

As an aside, I hope nobody confuses Hand Puppets with Sockpuppet. I'd hate to have to change my band name again.

fluffy wrote:As an aside, I hope nobody confuses Hand Puppets with Sockpuppet. I'd hate to have to change my band name again.

Which part of a sockpuppet does the hand go in?;-)