The Song Fight Bulletin Board

HeuristicsInc wrote: Er... lyric sheet has been posted since Monday
-bill

Yes, Bill--I know. What I "should" have said was, "There I was, *reading* the lyrics while listening to the song (which I found to be a cool spin on the title, BTW). What I meant was the vox were so "distorted" that even reading the lyrics alongside, I still couldn't "hear" most of what you were saying, even *after* I knew what the words were."Photosynthesis" was more discernable, for example, more because it is an "unusual" word, easier to pick out via "audio blur interpretation".
Basically, I just meant that I would enjoy this song much more if the words were more "clearly audible".

1.A Different Monkey ....doomp doo boo doomp......ponderous lumbering intro to an intriguing guitar break nice talky vocals, into layered break...(sloppy) the dropping aaaall day part alright the last 15 secs suck buttock......overall good......needs polish
2.Andre Was Here at Midnight sounds like your having fun.....not too worried about sounding good.....which tends to upset the fighters.....but it doesn't seem you have anything to say.....I recommend you try a different recipe.....maybe cold medicine on top of 48hrs with no sleep and a pot of coffee.
3.Anonymous Musings .....good for a fifteen minute effort.....
4.And he hams it up with leafy green bells.....sloppy tuning on vocals.....makes it hard to listen to......80's ish dark dark......good use of clips......mainly this exhales........it doesn't quite blow, but i wouldn't listen to it again on purpose
5.Bjam support your vocals....they are generally pretty good.....i am pysched to see new participants, and your crew put in a good submission considering the last minute prep....(i read the thread)keep it up.......do you play and sing?....maybe you might think about some percussion....just an idea
6.Creep i dig the finger cymbal sound....this song really needs the sound of an old school typwriter return.....vish.......bing! you know.....i like it....yeah, but the high backing vocal leaves me wanting
7.deshead........well, this is my first review and i have hung about for a while reading and listening oh.....since may, and I am initially inclined to introduce myself and say hey let's be friends....but if you were really my friend i would have to tell you the truth.....and that truth is this.....i played your submission last week simultaneously with this week's.......and my friends couldn't tell two songs were playing.....they were so similar.....what's that you say? no deshead submission last week? oh...well i guess when you are stuck in a rut and cant break away from what is mass produced and fed to you on all fronts by the industry and submit the same song with vague differences you are forced to use a psuedonym.....that being said, Josh, I want to encourage you to listen to submissions like my own, WreckdoM's, Heuristics to name a few and find something good about them and see if you can use that to offer all of us something we cant find on any clear channel........peace (for real)
8.fwc caught my attention with the intro......let down by the boomp boomp.......mainly because i think......maybe this calls for more instrumentation........or something more than 80's keyboard
9.Glenn Case and the Hat Racks.....batter is not nesecarily thick......fun tune.....feels like a tune i'd drink beer to......which is a compliment, because there are a lot of places to drink and this song wouldn't make me look for another one.....the girls might even dance to it....
10.Heuristics, Inc........i like it quite a bit.....delicious noise
11.Jake Holmes Whales of the World Unite! this is great after Heuristic goodness........and the sap at the end is fine......but more whale at the end please
12.Kap'n'Kyle dig it ......nice lyric delivery vehicle....good work
13.Ken's SuperDuper Band 'n stuff They Might Be Super.....or Duper.
14.The Likely Lads i like it, but i dont believe the lyrics.....your voices are too nice......smoke more and hit yourself in the head with a 2 by 4 until your pissed and then this would rock......but i dig it
15.McCulloch/Carlier this.......well...........this.......reminds me of waiting for a friend in a coffee shop wishing the dude singing would mean what he was saying....if no ones going to listen you may as well.......more change in the guitar part perhaps.....i kinda like it......
16.The Motor Monkeys.......i like it......vocals could be cleaner, well instrumented.......
17.Poor June musically enthralling........wood flute......end of record whavhumpump.....carnival piano......cool
18.RockOxCox cyberivalry.......adolescensce can be funny, but not in this case......waste of a submission
19.The Sober Irishman great......but three servings of the same tasty leaves one full, but wanting for other nurishment....good job man
20.Southwest Statistic:PHENLYKETONURICS:CONTAINS PHENYLALANINE!.... at least there are no calories.......still artificial.......tasty, for those raised on diet.
21.Wreckdom rocks nuts!

Freudian Slip wrote: Basically, I just meant that I would enjoy this song much more if the words were more "clearly audible".

Ah, in my experience it's generally not a big deal in that kind of music. However, I can see if I can clean it up a bit without forsaking my "vision" of the vocal sound - which I am quite happy with, myself
-bill

Your vote for The Rockin' Oxen with the Huge Coxin has been recorded

funneh

slowRodeo wrote:by the way i dont think anyone likes being fisted.

hey! welcome to the internet. stick around a lil while and you'd be surprised what sorts of things you might learn.

Jake Holmes

Two completely different styles – both done very well, although they seem very unconnected musically. I’d give this more marks if it connected the two better.

McCulloch/Carlier

I thought there might be a lot of acoustic songs in this fight. I wonder if everyone goes for a similar ‘dark all day’ melody phrase. Nothing too surprising and the guitar is a bit heavy handed and lacks variety, but a nice tune.

Deshead

Another acoustic one, but well produced and performed. It reminds of me of a well known song I can’t quite place. Bit nondescript at first but grows on the second listen. Piano is very nice, would have liked more of it.

Creep

Vocals are too indistinct, especially on the chorus, which is otherwise quite catchy. Could do with more variation on the (sparse) instrumentation and development of the song.

Kapitano with TVs Kyle

Can’t go wrong with the monkey references in my book. Solid instrumentation, catchy rapping. Ok song.

Sober Irishman

Great vocals and cool guitar work, Starts as a likely vote, but the continual stops and restarts are a bit annoying, and breaks up the groove for me.

Hueristics Inc

Doesn’t do much for me I’m afraid.

Southwest Static

Rock – Cool riffs! Genre bias will mean this is looking like the probable vote.

Poor June

Bizarre but original, dig the vocals and flute sounds. By the end though it does drag on a bit long without changing.

Rocking Oxen

Dull song, offensive lyrics (although the line “In a gay video game you’d get the high score” is quite funny)

Bjam

For some reason, this is my favourite of all the boy and guitar entries. Good tune well sung.

Glenn Case

Another contender, good song, slightly weird but effective backing vocals

Kens Super Dooper Band

Ok but nothing great, Not sure if I like the ‘bird song’ sounding synth

Motor Monkeys

Us. A change in style from the usual faster rock stuff we do. Thanks to Andy Balham for the lyrics and the Windsor Philharmonic for the strings.

A Different Monkey

More monkey! nice guitars and vocals, - drums a bit thudding and mechanical which lets down the song. Feels also like it should develop further but it just finishes, However the song has a unique character that separates it from most of the other entries.

Likely Lads

Turn the guitars up! they’re too low in the mix. Lovely growly voice, nice harmonies, good fun, doesn’t outstay its welcome.

Anonymous Musings

Sounds like a poor mans Wreckdom without the character or atmosphere.

Andre Was Here At Midnight

Vocals disjointed and jumbled, and the rhythm isn’t really keeping it together in a coherent way, but bizarrely by the end I’m starting to get more into it but then it suddenly stops.

Bell Green/Leaf/Balham

Solid rock, great production, with excellent vocals (leave out the ‘dark, dark’ backing vox though) but as others have said, about a minute too long. Love the New Order guitar lines.

Fwc

Too long intro, very thudding percussion and a very annoying burp sound on the synth. It doesn't really sustain its four minutes plus however it has quite a melancholic feel to it that in the end saves it.

Wreckdom

I'm usually left non-plussed by their stuff, but this was bizarrely fun. Again a masterclass in use of samples and blending of sounds, I wouldn't necessarily want to listen to it again though.


My top 7

1. Southwest Static (vote)
2. A Different Monkey
3. Bell Green
4. Likely Lads
5. Sober Irishman
6. Bjam
7. Glenn Case

AMotorMonkey wrote: Bjam

For some reason, this is my favourite of all the boy and guitar entries. Good tune well sung.

*coughs* "boy and guitar" Erm... Are you trying to say 'boy' as in gender-neutral or... that I sound like a guy... Because I'm, err, a female. But thanks for the compliments on the song.

Damnit, now you've got me paranoid that I sound like a guy.

Bjam wrote:

AMotorMonkey wrote: Bjam

For some reason, this is my favourite of all the boy and guitar entries. Good tune well sung.

*coughs* "boy and guitar" Erm... Are you trying to say 'boy' as in gender-neutral or... that I sound like a guy... Because I'm, err, a female. But thanks for the compliments on the song.

Damnit, now you've got me paranoid that I sound like a guy.

No worries, I don't think you sound at ALL like a "guy". Can't remember her name offhand, there was a woman a while back who sang "Fast Cars" (I think her name began with an "M"... but, eesh and I've always been "terrible" with names.)

She had a *much* deeper voice, but as you listened to the song... the "timbre" of her voice came across as decidedly female.

Anyway, I wouldn't even bother with getting "paranoid".-- Unless you woke up one morning singing "I ain't got no money... I ain't like those other guys you hang around-- Honey!..." in a balls in a vice "falsetto" (Hey wait, *I've* done that... nevermind.) :::ahem::: As I was saying, you have a good voice (though I would have liked to see a bit more "energy" in the delivery... the words had more "force" than the sound they made.)

BTW-- When I looked at your band moniker , I saw Ba-zhjam, for lack of a better way to sound it out. 2 sylablles.
Anyway... all the rest aside, I thought it was a good well thou8ght out song.

(Ooooh, greaaaat --Lookit me, I'm an Uber Noob... "Thrillsville" :::sigh::: Gotta whip me up some o dat random posting power, dang yo.)

Oops! Apologies.

I meant "boy and guitar" as a generic term for the voice and single guitar songs. I can now see and hear that you are definitely all female.

Completed reviews at the top of the page.

These are just my first impressions and I tend to say who it sound like to me as well. Here goes . . .

A Different Monkey - Geat bassline. Sounds like UNKLE to me. Quite a good mix. Not sure about hte bit at the end. Like the melody.

Andre Was Here at Midnight - Like the unplugged feel, but seriously, get a metronome. Or maybe you are playing 15/16 or something.

Anonymous Musings - taking a leaf from the Wreckdom school of music? Has a certain arty quality - would work well with a movement piece. Nah . . .

Bell Green feat. Leaf and Andy Balham - So you all thought it was too long and the 'dark, dark' too cheesy. I was running out of time so didn't get a chance to strip the silence at the end. I thought the backing was too cheesy as well, but thought it added to the 80's feel so kept them in. Vocals are distorted.

Bjam! - Nice to hear a female voice for a change. You are doing a bit of a Johnathan Woss in the tomowow. Good song and well recorded but lacks a little power. Extra points for knowing who Bagpuss was.

Creep - Nice and tight. Well constructed song. Don't really dig the effects on the vocals - I would go for less reverb and clearer and more upfront. Not bad.

deshead - Nice and loud. Snare sounds a bit flat though. Like the gravelly vocals. Guitars a bit too bright for me. Bass sounds very muddy. Very closed mix. I would go for a more open one with this song. Nice tune though, liked it.

fwc - Good vocals, good song and good lyrics, but the backing track is letting the song down. I would go for a sparser arrangement, with really tight and triphoppy drumtrack. Needs more hi mid.

Glenn Case and the Half Racks - I like it already. sounds like a band playing. Great backing vocals. Good arrangement and the mix fits the song. There are the odd mistakes, but you don't focus on them because the feel is good. The best one so far.

Heuristics Inc. - sounds like something you might hear in an s and m club. I can see the leather and rubber clad dancers now, not to mention the waitresses. OOh it's been ages. Immediate response. I liked it.

Jake Holmes - reminds me of Tibetan horns. Intergalactic weather report. The earth is doomed. Like war of the worlds. The seg between the two sectioned could be a it more overlapped I think, so that one is fading in while the other is fading out. Some good ideas here.

Kapitano feat. TV's Kyle - Not bad. Well produced. Waiting for something to happen, but it's not. Reminds me of the Thievery Corporation. Some great chillout vibes in there.

Ken's Super Duper Band n' Stuff - Kind of a Snow Patrol thing going on here. Makes me want to light a lighter and start waving it about. Well produced, but no real hooks. OK.

The Likely Lads - Sounds like a song from a comedy skit. Well done, but hard to take it seriously, as a song I mean. Lacking a bit of top end. I was waiting for the guitar solo. Pretty good.

McCulloch/Carlier - . . . flowers in your hair . . . a little piece of history here. Sure you didn't find this in your parents record collection. Would be nice with a bit of crackle in the background. Don't forget the tambourine.

The Motor Monkeys - Amazing. This is the best one

I just did a whole load more reviews, but the post button made them disappear leaving me with the login window.

What's with the pseudonyms this fight? Am I crazy or:

deshead = josh woodward
jake holmes = max the cat

creep almost sounds like johnny cashpoint at times...

... more to come ...

And the votes from the Balham jury:

A Different Monkey
At first I thought this was going to be a dull electronic track, but the groove of the verse got me. The little guitar riffs work well with the beat and the voice on the verse. The chorus is a bit of a let down for me, but that is only because I like the verse so much. I don't care for the ending though.

Andre Was Here at Midnight
Slight unplugged Nirvana feel right at the start. The rest is too shambolic to keep my interest.

Anonymous Musings
Variety is the spice of life they say.

Bell Green feat. Leaf and Andy Balham
It was interesting to hear our disparate parts put together. I think it's a strong song, but could have done with some pruning. I agree that the 'Dark Dark' bits don't work, but I do like the samples.

Bjam!
I like the rhythm of the delivery and your voice. There is some nice dymnamic changes in a (relatively) short song. I real nice listen and I hope to hear more.

Creep
Starts off with an 80's vibe. The chorus isn't as strong as the verse, I was left feeling unsure as to whether I was listening to the bridge or the chorus. The drum pattern is a bit relentless and adds to a feeling of wanting a little more variation.

deshead
The nice picking is a bit spoilt when the bass heavy backing kicks in. This wouldn't sound out of place on tyhe radio, but it's not really my song of thing. I admire the craft though it doesn't grab.

fwc
The backing and the vocal are not really meshing for me. It all feels a little slow and repetitive for my tastes.

Glenn Case and the Half Racks
Ear-catching early rhyme with batter. Perhaps the most cheery of the 'Dark' entries so far. Good harmonies and the changes are keeping me interested, this is the sort of variation that does seem to be lacking from a lot of other entries. Nice finish too.

Heuristics Inc.
I like the opening, but it loses me when the vocal comes in. I guess you may be going for the vocal as instrument line, but it doesn't work for me.

Jake Holmes
Vaguely interesting soundscape, but unfortunately ends up sounding like WreckdoM wannabes.

Kapitano feat. TV's Kyle
Nice semi-tribal backing. Your flow isn't half bad and the multi-layered parts adds variety. Another good example of keeping interest with changes. I very much enjoyed it (which is pretty much unusual for rap on here).

Ken's Super Duper Band n' Stuff
This one really assualts the ears after the previous track. In fact, the backing sounds a bit overpowering. The constant barrage of sound detracts from the song structure for me. I'd be interested to hear this without all the extra sounds.

The Likely Lads
Ah 'The Lads', a sharp pointy stick to pop the balloon of pretension. Some good rockin' going on behind the fine lyrics (all/drawl ). I also admire proper songs that come in under the two minute barrier.

McCulloch/Carlier
Back to the B'n'G. It's a pleasant voice you've got there, though the song sounds too familiar. I guess it sounds like I would imagine a song called 'Dark All Day'. Well crafted.

The Motor Monkeys
Lyrically stupendous Nice to hear such an epic and the vocal is both distinctive and catchy. The music rises and falls well and the arrangement is top notch. All hail the new Verve.

Poor June
I'm finding it a little difficult to listen to this. Yet again, there isn't enough of a hook or variety to keep my interest. Some novel sounds in there though.

The Sober Irishman
Top class instrumentation and vocals. As a song it's too bitty for my tastes. It sounds more like a demonstration than a coherent whole.

Southwest Static
It's an impressive level of produciton you achieve. As has been said before this wouldn't sound out of place of the radio. Once more I admire the craft more than the song itself, but that is more down to the style. I would like to see you branch out in the near future.

WreckdoM
Ah, like the funny story at the end of the new, no SongFight would be complete without WreckdoM's footnote. I love the camp and malevolent delivery and the use of language. The trailer genre does seem to be your forte, I also thought you excelled with Motor Psycho. Keep up the hard work.

As for votes, ruling out the ones I contributed to, I'm torn between A Different Monkey, Kapitano feat. TV's Kyle and The Likely Lads. I actually think The Motor Monkeys was the most pleasant listen despite the lyrics.

Now the rest of the comments from the Bell Green jury. You know I figured out what happened. I was in an internet cafe and logged into the boards, but didn't tick the checkbox that said that said to keep me logged in unless I log out. Then I proceeded to spend over two hours doing reviews, but for some reason copied and pasted some into a text editor. When I hit submit, I was given the login window again; I guess it had been inactive too long. I'm going to try and remember what I wrote.

Poor June - You have a good voice, you play well and you write well, but your production is letting you down. A decent large diaphragm condensor, a preamp, and a good soundcard. That's all you need. I'm almost tempted to buy it for you, but I got married recently and I'm broke. Keep em comin.

The Sober Irishman - A cross between a spaghetti western and italian. You have a great voice. You seem to be able to do tempo changes, which is hard to do well. I love it and hate it at the same time. Strange response I know, but that's how I feel about this one.

Southwest Static - Are you sure that this isn't pre-written? It's very American teeny rock. I would have had the vocals up a bit more. I kept reading Southwest Statistic up till now. I was listening for Dark All Day in the lyrics, but after two listens I still can't hear it.

WreckdoM - If that is supposed to be Vincent Price impersonation, then it's not bad. Like the heartbeat in the background and the chains. I think I would have changed the heartbeat ie changed its tempo depending on the changes of mood. You are in a genre all to yourself(ves) and I like that you are here. I especially liked your reviews.

Special shouts going out to Leaf and Andy Balham for their help this week, I'm only sorry that I couldn't have done any better. 21 entries, that really is quite something. Keep 'em comin. My vote goes to The Motor Monkeys this week - it's the only song here that I could listen to again and again. There are minor imperfections in the song, but the song itself is so strong it more than makes up for that. Thanks everyone and goodnight.

I'm sure I did a review for the rockin oxin coxin thing, but seems to have been edited out. It's gone off the blue list as well. Better read some more posts and see what's happening.

the sober irishman wrote:

Future Boy wrote: why beat a dead horse? If you are good enough to accomplish creating such a good "shameless pop rock" song, then you are good enough to be innovative in some way that pushes it just far enough outside of the cookie-cutter genre to be interesting"

Not this argument again. We went through this with Brother Machine. I'm not saying anything further. You know it was a silly thing to say.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to recall that thread being about how BroMac was upset about being called "poppy" when he didn't think he was anything of the kind. I don't recall anyone asking him to do it differently, in fact I think most people wanted him to keep on churning out the hits. Furthermore, I wasn't trying to start an argument, I was expressing my opinion (oh damn i hate the opinion card). I hold myself to the same standard.

P.S. Southwest Statistic - Michael Jackson, taken in context, is actually a bad example of how bad pop can get, I think.

I... AM... NOT... DESHEAD!

Though I will admit that I submitted a song this week under a pseudonym. But it's not Deshead, and nobody has managed to guess which one is me.

To repeat: I am not Deshead, I'm not connected with Deshead, and I hadn't heard of Deshead until this week. I'm flattered that anyone would confuse me with him, though. :)

.

So are you Big Mountain Fudge Cake, Josh? If not, I give up...

vanilla ike made me laugh out loud.

But yeah, deshead != josh

(though I'm flattered for, and probably unworthy of, the comparison.)

Go on. Do a duet.

It'd be great and you'd probably win.