The Song Fight Bulletin Board

But I'll take a gentle nudge. Post your reviews here.

Please post your lyric so we can all take a look and criticize you mercilessly: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=11934

Songs posted!

add
I like the calypso-techno feel of this. The chorus kicks in beautifully. Really great tune here. I’m also a sucker for guitar solos that strongly feature the melody. Excellent.

Amby Moho
I don’t know who you are, stranger, but this is wonderful stuff. Fantastic melody all around, and I love how the background vocals switch speakers. I really must steal that at some point. Another excellent entry with some interesting instrumentation.

Balls to Monte
More Renaissance Fair than spooky. Decent melody, but I’m not sure whether I quite pulled this one off or not. Still, not completely horrible.

Brown Word and the Big Whine
Really like these lyrics. Generally love your stuff, and this is no exception. “I can’t help but wonder where the rest of him is” is a particularly great line that really sticks with you.

Caravan Ray
Another really good tune here, as well as excellent musicianship. The mix could be a bit tighter and punchier. Apart from that, it’s really great.

Glenn Case
Another super-solid tune and track from you. The vocals are particularly good, the harmonies, as always, impeccable. Really like the guitar solo as well.

Hot Pink Halo
Is that a real violin or a Sears violin [an incredibly arcane Zappa joke, forgive me]? How many damn instruments do you play pretty darned well? Your songs tend to lean on atmosphere, and that’s more than fine with me. That’s not to say this isn’t a great song, because it is. Your delivery is unique is all I’m saying. Excellent overall.

Jim Tyrell
LOVE the “War Of The Worlds” angle on this one. Who DOESN’T love a song about zombies? This totally works for me: the story, the delivery, you’ve got everything down here. Superb job. AND you used my favorite quote from Night Of The Living Dead:
“Yeah, they’re dead. They’re all messed up.”

JP Nickolas
Again, your musicianship is undeniable, but the drums and bass need to come up a bit in the mix. Really good guitar work here, and the song itself is great. Another REALLY great guitar solo.

Ken’s Super Duper Band ’n Stuff
Good, solid song. Really like the lyrics in particular, as it paints this minimalist yet beautiful story. The keyboard solo is really nice. Great stuff as usual.

Lichen Throat
Like the minimalist arrangement, kinda like if New Order still had Ian Curtis at their disposal to rein them in. The lyrics paint a nice visual landscape.

Lucky Witch and the Righteous Ghost - Really liking the vibe on this one, REALLY spooky. The vocals are a little loud/hot and the drums could be a tad louder, but this is good stuff. A good story.

miscellaneous owl
Whoa! Was not expecting electricity. I LIKE it. GREAT harmony vocals in the chorus. This is infectious and hypnotic. The lyrics are just fantastic. Possible winner here.

Night Sky
Wow. Another bit of wonderfulness from you. Again, my only valid criticism here is how low the vocals are in the mix. You have a good voice, let us hear it, dammit! The musicianship is superb, as usual. The lyrics in the chorus are particularly great. Damn, this might be another vote.

The Pannacotta Army
You’re another group that has become a trademark of quality for me. This is no exception. Really like the organ sound [please tell me the name of the patch used]. And the guitar solo is wonderful. The overall, laid-back vibe of this reminds me of Dillard & Clark, and I can’t pay you a higher compliment than that! Possible vote.

Phlebia
Good lyrics and mostly a good arrangement. The organ solo absolutely soars. My only advice is: turn the bass up!

Pigfarmer Jr.
An incredibly bleak [yet hopeful] song, but it’s very well done. I really liked this one.

Robyn Mackenzie
YES! This is fantastic! Overall, the best thing I’ve heard so far. DAMN YOU! You more than likely get my vote this week (again). GGRRRRRR!

Sweeney Toad
I really try to dislike your work, but it’s just too damn good to dismiss. It’s so masterful. This absolutely lives up to Sweeney Toad standard. GREAT lyrics, GREAT arrangement, etc. Fantastic job.

Damn, I don’t know who the hell I’m gonna vote for. This was a particularly good fight.

gramparsons wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 26, 2020 9:14 pm

The Pannacotta Army
Really like the organ sound [please tell me the name of the patch used].

It's my go-to organ - a VSTi plugin called VB3 and a preset called "Funky Comping"
I have the Mk1 version of VB3 - looks like there's a Mk2 version available now.

gramparsons wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 26, 2020 9:14 pm

Lucky Witch and the Righteous Ghost - Really liking the vibe on this one, REALLY spooky. The vocals are a little loud/hot and the drums could be a tad louder, but this is good stuff. A good story.

Thanks! I feel like that's what I'm hoping for with this song, that someone feels the vibe. It's not going to be everyone's cup of tea because there are some choices that are going to hit left of center. The bass in the song is run through a Nux Time Core reverse delay pedal. The result leaves a very odd trail which I enjoyed. As for the vocals, I know they're a bit hot. How could I not? But I kept them. I did a lot of vocal passes for this song. We're using a Neumann's mic and that thing could pick up the sound of an ant farting from 100 yards away. When I did the bombastic vocal take, it did some clipping. So, I did a bunch of other takes and found in the end that there was no other take that I liked as much. Maybe it's because I've been listening to a lot of Girl Band and IDLES lately but I liked the screamy side and that it felt almost uncomfortable in the ear. The mix of the reverse bass, the harsher vocal and Brookes' omnichord which I ran through a Nux Mod Core pedal, it makes the whole thing uneasy. At the end of the day, it's not going to appeal to everyone and that's okay. Hopefully everyone gets a vibe.

PS- I don't know if I'm going to review this set of songs this week. I feel like listening to 2020 Songfights while I'm knee deep in 2009 Songfights for The Exploration breaks the space time continuum. Hopefully Brookes will get a chance to.

Listening party for 'Eyes in the Dark' will be Monday 11/2 at 9pm EDT. It'll fall ahead an hour because of daylight savings time this weekend.

19 Official tunes! Drop in and chat about the songs if you have a chance. I'm also doing the Frankensong LP on Friday night 11/30 planning on 10 songs/music videos for that with co-host Charlie McCarron.



https://youtu.be/ackUTVo3v-g

I'm going to try to write reviews for this fight for the first time!

& to gramparsons - thank you. i love a little bit of stereo trickery now & again

add:
I've been thinking a lot lately about how you are the most senior Songfighter still contributing regularly. I'm probably next in line after you. Your songs are always consistently good. This song has a cool arrangement. The marimba-ish sound makes me think of that Somebody I Used to Know song, but nothing else about your song reminds me of it. I like the space you've left in the mix by having small percussion and blippy bass. Of course, your voice is compelling and it hits me especially hard when you hit those high notes during the chorus.

Amby Moho:
I like that this is kind of futuristic lofi right off the bat. Kind of a mix of Elephant 6 bands, Syd Barrett, and I don't know, Pinback... Lots to like about this song. It may just be my laptop speakers, but the effects on the vocals make it a little hard to understand the lyrics. I think there is a really solid song in here. I'm not sure you need the outro.

Balls To Monte:
Your acoustic guitar sounds really sweet and reminds me of the Beatles for some reason. Your voice is very nice in this range and sounds great. Okay, maybe you are straining a bit on the high notes. It seems like you could have added a few more elements to the arrangement without too much work. Some distorted sustained chords in the chorus, a bit of tambourine here or there. Oh, it sounds like you did add those sustained distorted chords. Maybe make them bigger and panned wider. Overall, a good effort.

Brown Word and the Big Whine:
The mix sounds really good. I don't know them well, and maybe it is just a spooky female voice, but does this sound at all like Souxie and the Banshees? I hear a lot of cool elements in this arrangement, but maybe the levels could change a bit more to feature them? The picked guitar is one element I'd like to hear more featured at times. I like the synths a lot.

Caravan Ray:
Why do you sound so much like Glennny on this track? Seriously, did you two work together on this track? Something about this track lacks the Caravan Ray we all know and love. I like the chorus a lot. The subdued vocal delivery isn't working for me, but overall, I like this track.

Glenn Case:
Classic Glenn Case piano song. Something about this track sounds a little distorted to me, like there are too many competing frequencies in parts of the mix. I wish the mix had a bit more space around each instrument. Of course, love your voice and harmonies.

Hot Pink Halo:
Is out of tune violin supposed to be spooky? I applaud your minimalist aesthetic, but I'm finding it hard to listen to due to hearing the song as off key. I like how the arrangement builds throughout the song, then breaks back down.

Jim Tyrrell:
This intro reminds me a bit of the Postal Service. Maybe it is the twinkly keys. I love the Death Row synth. Well done there. Solid rapping. Solid beat. Solid song overall.

JP Nickolas:
Is this a riff on the intro to Thriller? This song is cute. The howling makes it kitschy in all the right ways. I wish I could hear more of the drums and bass. They are barely audible on my laptop speakers. The guitar playing is generally very good and funky. The guitar solo is crazy good. Not sure you need all the guitarmonies that come after it. They just kind of distract rather than add.

Ken's Super Duper Band 'n Stuff:
I mentioned this in another thread, but I struggled to make this song. I ended up recording much of it in small pieces, just focusing on one section at a time. I really like the way the guitars turned out. If I had more time I would have tried to sing the vocals as a single take with more energy, but it is the best I could do this week.

Lichen Throat:
I like the groove of this song. I appreciate how low your voice is. It works really well for a spooky song. Are you abusing auto tune in the bridge? Is it on your voice the rest of the time as well?

Lucky Witch and the Righteous Ghost:
I think the intro is a little long to just move between a couple of chords. If there isn't some kind of lead melody, you could have cut it or shorten it. Vocals are good overall. They sound a little clipped, which may be intentional, but kind of sounds like you just had the preamp too hot. The spoken word section in the middle definitely qualifies as spooky sounds. The lyrics are really good, which is no surprise from Niveous. The vocal get louder in the chorus, but the music doesn't rise up to meet it. That might be something to work on.

miscellaneous owl:
Love the distorted guitars. They sound great. They may be little too loud, making it hard to hear the vocals. Could be they need a bit of EQ as well, to make space. I hope we get to see you perform this song live with band sometime soon. The spooky ending is great.

Night Sky:
The sax notes grab you right away. I like how loungey this song is. Lean into it! Great sax solos. Drums/bass/keys are hard to hear. They sound like they are all really good though from what I can tell.

The Pannacotta Army:
Lovely organ intro and slow groove. Acoustic guitar and drums sound great. Everything about this song is solid.

Phlebia:
I like the combination of organ and distorted guitar. The effected vocal is also really cool. Overall, I like the groove of this song, but maybe it is a bit too relentless and could use a change occasionally? The fade out is exceptionally long. I was starting to expect a loud BOO at the end as a spooky surprise.

Pigfarmer Jr:
Great howling. Guitars sound really good. I like this, but wish the verses had a stronger vocal melody. Chorus is much better though.

Robyn Mackenzie:
Yes, a strong rock song. I feel like the band is a bit quiet beneath the vocals, which takes away some of the rock and roll power. The vocal harmonies are sweet, and I wish they were nestled among the band. The distorted vocal parts are a nice touch.

Sweeney Toad:
Great lyrics and vocals. Very spooky. I like the beat of this song. What would you call the rhythm? The contrast of the vocal delivery and backing track rhythm is really compelling. I like the computery synth breaks.

ken wrote: ↑

Tue Oct 27, 2020 11:53 am

Hot Pink Halo:
Is out of tune violin supposed to be spooky? I applaud your minimalist aesthetic, but I'm finding it hard to listen to due to hearing the song as off key. I like how the arrangement builds throughout the song, then breaks back down.

The violin isn’t out of tune, just deliberately dissonant.

Re the organ: that was initially a really dinky sounding preset on my kid's keyboard, but I ran it through my new overdrive pedal and my chorus pedal and it made it sound pretty rockin.

Re turning up the bass: ha, joke's on you, it's just two tracks of bass guitar as per usual. i plan on getting an actual guitar soon.

ken wrote: ↑

Tue Oct 27, 2020 11:53 am

Lichen Throat:
Are you abusing auto tune in the bridge? Is it on your voice the rest of the time as well?

I don't think I'm abusing autotune. At least, I hope not. It's on a fairly modest setting that's the same throughout the song. I made a conscious decision to sing the lower portions at the end of a couple of lines in the bridge in a different voice than the rest of it. Perhaps that wasn't a great decision, but I was trying to make my vocals less monotonic than usual. As is well-known, I don't have a very good ear for pitch, so I wouldn't be surprised if there's something I didn't notice that sounds weird to everybody else.

Edit: I listened to it a few more times, and I think I know what you're taking about. On the bridge, and some of the choruses, I sang quietly but held the microphone very close. I'd probably do it differently if I were to rerecord.

ken wrote: ↑

Tue Oct 27, 2020 11:53 am

Brown Word and the Big Whine:
The mix sounds really good. I don't know them well, and maybe it is just a spooky female voice, but does this sound at all like Souxie and the Banshees? I hear a lot of cool elements in this arrangement, but maybe the levels could change a bit more to feature them? The picked guitar is one element I'd like to hear more featured at times. I like the synths a lot.

I honestly don't know much of Siouxsie's music, but I've heard this comparison before. I too would liked to have the 12-string sound more 12-string-like but it sort of got toned down in the mix. The creepiness weighted it down

A late entry from Evermind has been added to the fight.

add: I like the title line melody. There are little things that I don't like about this song (that steel drum sound, for instance) but taken as a whole, I like this. And I like it more on repeated listens. I didn't see you lyric in the lyric thread. Am I blind?

Amby Moho: I liked most of the lyric and your melody. I found the vocal treatment (especially to start) interesting. It's better to be interesting than boring (like I am so often) so that's not a critique, necessarily. If Jerkatorium were reviewing they'd point out a lot of places that the stress of a word was misplaced to fit the melody. In a few places this was unnecessary. But I'm not Jerkatorium and actually enjoyed the way you phrased the lyric.

Balls To Monte: Reminds me of... like Emerson Lake and Palmer or maybe... something else? I think it's mostly the melody, phrasing and vocal performance. Which I liked, btw. Maybe the only real critique would be that it's pretty static throughout. If this were a prelude to a more full arrangement or a stand along song that lead into another song with a more full arrangement it would work perfectly. As it is, it's good but maybe not great.

Brown Word and the Big Whine: I actually think this is one of your better mixes. Maybe a little light on the bass. Scratch that, I like the bass, but it might be a little inconsistent volume-wise in a few spots.. maybe. I like the lyric. The arrangement might be a bit static, but this is another good entry.

Caravan Ray: Doubled vox works very well. Maybe a place or two where the timing of the backing vox is a hair off.. but I actually like that. This is pretty good. It's a fairly busy mix (or maybe just rhythmically)and I like the energy that gives the song.

Evermind: I like the acoustic guitar a lot. I like the way you used the distorted backdrop, almost a pad, behind. Your vox gets lost a bit, though. Sorry for the short review, I only had a chance to listen two times through.. well, 1.5 times, really.

Glenn Case: You always have great performances. The vocal treatment got a bit old for me here. I needed a change up. You've got the voice for an out front mix, even if it's just for a section or two. Otherwise I thought this was solid.

Hot Pink Halo: I like the violin. But it overrides the vocal a bit too much for me. There's a note or two where the vox/violin clash tuning wise. That bit at 2:00 or so was a very tasty bit of dissonance. And the section after that with the noise-ish bit. Some damn good stuff in here. Especially on the strings.

Jim Tyrrell: I like the bass, the "spooky" choir patch, the rhythm.. hell, the whole arrangement. And I thought you performed the vocal very well. A good mix, too.

JP Nickolas: I feel this is a fun, tongue-in-cheek spooky take. All the performances are great (with a small caveat that the vocal is a bit less consistent, but not bad.) The mix is a bit off on levels, I think. The drums seem distant. Maybe it's just the drums, though. Great guitars.

Ken's Super Duper Band 'n Stuff: I made the mistake of reading your pre-fight post and was expecting something less than stellar. But right from the start I liked this. Good vocals, good arrangement. If Jerkatorium were reviewing this song they'd mention the wrong accent on "warnINGS." But as far as I know, they aren't.

Lichen Throat: I, too, like the groove. You tend to use fairly simple motifs very well. A simple pattern, or note combination that seems to help the song along. Did you pick a key when you used autotune (or your equivalent?) If not, then I think it might help quite a bit. There are places that it's way more obvious than others, but I think you've got a good start on using it as a tool.

Lucky Witch and the Righteous Ghost: I like the music and it does come across as a bit spooky/creepy. Something about the vocal doesn't sit perfectly. I do like the distorted feel to it. And I thought the spoken word part worked very well.

miscellaneous owl: There seems to be a lot going on in the mix and listening I feel a bit of ear fatigue. I wonder how much of it is some masking going on in the various instruments. Your melodies are always a treat in all the fights you enter.

Night Sky: Sax and jazz drums, what's not to like? Nice solos. This is cool.

The Pannacotta Army: I think the snare is a bit heavy in the mix, but this is a cool song. One that I could point to if I wanted to share your style with someone. The guitar solo is tasty. The organ sounds great. Just an all around good listen.

Phlebia: Cool intro, cool groove. I like the vocal effect, but it got a bit stale for me by the end. You're not the only I've said that to, so maybe it's more me than you. (No, I'm not breaking up with you.) I like the energy, the feel of this one.

Pigfarmer Jr: So after plugging in and recording a few bits I realized that the wah I still had plugged in was actually in the on position. So the bass and all the solos are through a wah. MUAHAHAHA! Also, there is an unintentional measure of 2/4 toward the end of the bridge. Took me forever (figuratively) to figure out what the hell was going on when I was trying to get the drums right. I agree with comment about the melody, but I was rushing and everything I tried took away from the desolate/plaintive feel I was going for.

EDIT TO ADD: This song was based on the book Empire of the Summer Moon. Or at least part of it.

Robyn Mackenzie: Yes, do more of this, please. A little heavy on the splash, the distortion you used is a bit heavy handed and it took waaaaay too long to get to those tasty harmonies/vox doubling. And none of that matters because this is good.

Sweeney Toad: Great use of synths to set up the song. I like how you use a monotonous vocal assault to full musical effect. The bass drum and vocal work very well together, especially in the last verse.

Pigfarmer Jr wrote: ↑

Tue Oct 27, 2020 7:57 pm

Balls To Monte: Reminds me of... like Emerson Lake and Palmer or maybe... something else? I think it's mostly the melody, phrasing and vocal performance. Which I liked, btw. Maybe the only real critique would be that it's pretty static throughout. If this were a prelude to a more full arrangement or a stand along song that lead into another song with a more full arrangement it would work perfectly. As it is, it's good but maybe not great.

Yeah, there is something almost interstitial about this, but I still kinda like it. Maybe it could have used a middle bit or something. Or at least a guitar solo.

Pigfarmer Jr wrote: ↑

Tue Oct 27, 2020 7:57 pm

Evermind: I like the acoustic guitar a lot. I like the way you used the distorted backdrop, almost a pad, behind. Your vox gets lost a bit, though. Sorry for the short review, I only had a chance to listen two times through.. well, 1.5 times, really.

Yes! I did actually want the vocals to get lost a little bit. It's a bit hard to tell, but the second line is supposed to be from another perspective, watching another person fall asleep ("as you're falling asleep" vs "as I'm falling asleep"), and it's supposed to be a little bit distant and buried. I wasn't sure if this would come across properly or just sound like poor mixing, but I took the gamble.

Thanks for the review

Lichen Throat - This reminds me of a song I used to listen to in college a lot. I can't remember what it was, but I liked the sound of it, and I like the sound of this too. Really good imagery in the lyrics.

Hot Pink Halo - Love those slideys in the violin! The dissonance works really well for the spooky factor. The tambourine is a nice touch.

JP Nickolas - I need this on my Halloween playlist stat. I like the spoken intro and the wolf howls. Nice guitar work too, although I wanted the lead to be a bit louder.

add - I like the synthesis of the percussive synths and the guitar. Great vocal work, those harmonies are sweet. The organ adds just a bit of spooky flair. Really enjoyed this one.

The Pannacotta Army - I like this a lot. Nostalgic and wistful, but not depressing. This is something I'd listen to driving down a desert road late at night. The backing vocals are superb. Nice one.

Pigfarmer Jr - Super cool intro. This has a nice classic rock sound, especially with those doubled vocals in the chorus.

Brown Word and the Big Whine - I like all the glitchy percussive sounds. Very atmospheric. The vocal sounds great.

miscellaneous owl - This has a real 90's alt-rock vibe to it with those gritty guitars and soft doubled vocals. Amazing harmonies. I think this is my favorite so far.

Night Sky - I'm getting an interesting mix of Sinatra and The Doors for some reason-- I think it's mainly from those horns and jazzy drums. I want to hear your vocals better, I like the lyrics and wish I could hear them clearly.

Phlebia - I think this is my favorite of yours that I've heard so far. I really like the psychedelic feel to it. I think the guitar could come up a bit more to compete a bit with your vocals. I can't stand Gray's Anatomy but I like your songs about it so now if people talk to me about it maybe I can pretend I know what they're talking about based on the little bit I've gleaned from your lyrics.

Jim Tyrrell - Yet another one I need on my Halloween playlist--you got my favorite horror movie in it! Everything works so perfectly here, the samples, the eerie instrumentation, the rapidfire lyrics. Love it.

Robyn Mackenzie - Sweeney Toad requested something in the style of Bikini Kill. I'm not sure whether that's exactly what I achieved, but it was fun trying. Solo courtesy of my wife.

Balls to Monte - Very 60's and I dig it. Impressive vocal work. I always like unpredictable chord progressions like this.

Amby Moho - Another one with a unique chord progression and a retro sound. I really like when the harmonies come in. I can't decide whether the panning is fun or distracting but I think I'm gonna go with fun.

Sweeney Toad - I wasn't prepared to think about buttholes so much tonight but here we are. This is like chiptune Marilyn Manson and I'm not sure how to feel about it.

Evermind - Interesting concept in the very simple lyrics. The acoustic guitar is almost too soothing for the drums and background fuzz. Also I wanted it to be longer.

Ken's Super Duper Band 'n' Stuff - I like the different combinations of synths in here. This is yet another one with a really engaging chord progression. And I'm always a sucker for good harmonies, which you've got. Also, very catchy.

Lucky Witch and the Righteous Ghost - Spooooooooky. I like the cathedral organ/choir sounds. Another one for the playlist.

Caravan Ray - I like the rhythm guitar a lot and the contrast between the harmonies in the verse and the doubled unison vocals in the chorus. The drums feel a tad busy, but not to the point where it's distracting or anything.

Glenn Case - I always enjoy your stuff. The harmonies are really solid throughout, and I like the processing you put on them. The solo is fantastic.

robynmackenzie wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 29, 2020 8:31 pm

Night Sky - I'm getting an interesting mix of Sinatra and The Doors for some reason-- I think it's mainly from those horns and jazzy drums. I want to hear your vocals better, I like the lyrics and wish I could hear them clearly.

Haha, I think Sinatra + The Doors = Nick Cave, which is what we were listening to when we wrote this. I should have spent more time on volume automation on this one. The low notes were pretty much bottoming out my range, so there was a lot of volume variation that I didn't quite get evened out.

I tried to get one in for the deadline, but it didn't happen, but if here's what it would have been!

https://thegarages.bandcamp.com/track/e ... the-dark-2

add - Synthy bits a little too 80s MIDI for my taste, but solid arrangement, and I really like the vocal melodies.

Amby Moho - Nice pop sensibility in this one, good melodies. Relaxed, maybe a little too rhythmically loose for the style (as if I’m one to talk).

Balls to Monte - Optimistic take on the prompt. I like the melody and your vocals.

Brown Word and the Big Whine - The arrangement really creates an atmosphere. I have no idea how to approach creating something like this, which makes me appreciate it all the more.

Caravan Ray - I get a little Gilligan’s Island from the first half of the verse melody, which I find a little distracting. Rhythm section parts feel like they’re fighting a little too much rhythmically, but maybe I’m hypersensitive to that since it’s one of my frequent struggles. I like the non-Giligan’s parts of the melodies and the overall arrangement.

Evermind - I like the acoustic guitar, and there’s some harmonic motion! (Sorry for the terse review last week.) In any case, I like the atmosphere the acoustic and the distorted guitar create, though I do think your vocals could come up in a few places.

Glenn Case - Reminds me of The Strokes in 2001 or so. Very well-executed as usual, but there’s a sameness throughout that doesn’t quite hold my attention. More dynamics would be nice.

Hot Pink Halo - I find the dissonance really hard to listen through. Might be better to use it a little more selectively to create tension and release.

Jim Tyrrell - I’m a very uninformed consumer of hip hop, but I really enjoyed this. I like the synth leads in particular. Curious if the radio report parts were sourced from B-movies, original, or otherwise (I’m also ignorant of horror movies). The rhythmic blend of them was so good that it feels original, so either way, well done.

JP Nickolas - I like the clean rhythm guitar part quite a lot. The vocals are a little rhythmically loose for my taste. Howls are a nice touch. Guitar solo sounds technically proficient.

Ken’s Super Duper Band ’n Stuff - I like the instrumental parts, arrangement, and mix. Vocals could use a little more energy as you mentioned. Still, I find it amazing what folks in this community can do in such limited time week to week.

Lichen Throat - Like others, I like the simple but effective rhythm section arrangement. Your vocal melodies do have a sameness to them from song to song, and you say you don’t have a very good ear for pitch. But I hear melodic sensibilities in your instrumental parts, so I suspect you “just” need to work on your ability to reproduce pitches with your voice, and probably on extending your range as well. I put “just” in quotes because so many of us put a ton of effort into this and never quite get where we want to be, but it’s worth the effort, so keep at it!

Lucky Witch and the Righteous Ghost - I agree with others or at least one other that the intro is about 2x too long. Overall good atmosphere, though. Dissonances in the synths create tension/spooky factor without grating on the ears.

miscellaneous owl - A worthy four and a half hours, even if you paid for it dearly. Great vocals all around, as usual, and I like the lyrics.

Night Sky - Awesome feminist murder lyrics from my wife and rhumba drums from Steve made the other parts kind of write themselves. I would have liked more time to do vocal takes and mix this. Weekday deadlines are rough.

The Pannacotta Army - I like the how the bluesy organ works with the rest of the arrangement, which feels at times bluesy, and at times more pop. Great guitars, vocals and production, as per usual

Phlebia - Good arrangement and lo-fi mix. I like the heart failure gasp around 1:11 and elsewhere, and the synth melodies that come in around 1:30, in particular. Can’t place the episode, but I sleep through about half of them (thankfully).

Pigfarmer Jr. - I like the wind and howling off the bat. Good guitars. I particularly like the clean guitar with the trem, and would have liked to hear it come back in the latter half of the song. I can never figure out how you guitar players come up with 5 or 6 guitar parts (or more) that work together. Great arrangement and vocals, too. Dig it.

Robyn Mackenzie - I like the sparseness and call/response with the guitar in the verse. I would object to the distortion on your good voice, except that it works. Well done.

Sweeney Toad - I kinda like the “eyes in the dark, I see his eyes in the dark,” chorus or bridge, or whatever it is. Otherwise, I can’t get, um, behind this.