The Song Fight Bulletin Board

... I'm sure they'll all be fine.

Please post your lyric in the appropriate thread: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=12063

Songs posted!

I'm trying to be conservative with my votes otherwise I'd probably do a meaningless vote for everyone. If I didn't vote for yours it doesn't mean I disliked it.

•Brown Word and the Big Whine (V)
Like the verse melody and the directness of the vocal recording. Transition in/and out of the choruses to 4/4 seems like it should be jarring but it isn't and flows great. Like the sound of the vocal doubling on the chorus. Just overall like the sound quality of this and it's a well written song. In my top 3.

•CazaroTaro
Like the overall sound of this and the vocals are sweet. The verse melody is a little repetitive at first but I think you only do the verse once so that helps. The bass is a little distracting as it sounds off time. The chorus / transition harmonies are gorgeous really like them. Since it was the best part of the song was good to hear it twice.

•David G. Harrington
Like the accumulated shit/forced to eat line, and the lyrics in general. Really strong chorus. Don't really like the woah oh oh vocals part, it's not a very interesting melody line and could do without it getting repeated different places.

•Duncan Martin
I really like how your verses end by dropping down to the tonic sort of abruptly with an air of finality. Overall really like how your verses sound, the melody and performance. The clean lead guitar sounds you have in this song are gorgeous to me. I don't really like hearing about farting animals made me think I was in for a comedy song. I think the song is a bit too long.

•heine
Stellar backing harmonies bring the song together. Was kind of lukewarm on the verse. The song may be way too long.

•hoodmo (V)
Satisfying verse progression and melody. I like that you literally sang about breaking a bank. magic touch/making a break part is a great hook.

•Jeff DeSantis (V)
Progression and melody on the first part of the verse is kind of cliche and uninspired. But, after that everything else is a lot more interesting and satisfying to listen to. Really memorable transition/chorus part that you want to hear again.

•Ken's Super Duper Band 'n Stuff (V)
Hey look someone wrote a song about me. Like the vocal melody and performance. It's such a hard driving song would be curious to hear it in more of a live or punk type of style.

•Lichen Throat (V)
Like the kind of swirling instrumentation with lots of little parts coming in and out. Like the verse melody and I think how the chorus is a single note is interesting. Enjoyed the lyrics.

•Night Sky
Like the theatrical nature of it. Like the feeling on the end of each verse transitioning into the little musical interlude. But I'm more of a microsoft teams man myself.

•PANOPLY
I have a pet peeve about vocals taking too long to kick in. But that's more my problem not yours. Regardless did appreciate the disparate musical ideas here, they get melded together seamlessly and blend well. The verses dont really give me much to latch onto and are mixed pretty low.

•Sumner Sloane
Like the simplicity of all the sounds you used. The splash is a little loud. Nice overall roiling sound and comfortable melody.

•Sweeney Toad(V)
How did you do this. And keep doing it. Beautiful song that I want to hear a lot of times. Only criticism I have is avoid mentioning hoobastank because I wasn't thinking of any comparisons to the lonely island until you said that. But if you don't know what I'm talking about disregard. My #1 vote.

•The Gross Tones
Enjoy the overall atmosphere. Really like the vocal performance and where the melody goes. Is this band in a box or something? Unrelated the drums sound compressed or downsampled or something and it's distracting.

•The Library Dogs
Enjoyed the tale. I like the vocals and kind of enjoy how direct and in your face they are, but the dryness feels a little out of place with the rest of the mix especially for space story song. Also heard some pops on your Ps. Nice angle on the prompt.

•The Pannacotta Army (V)
Great swirling soundscape, very lovely song. Like the chord changes, didn't try to figure out what they were but they sound very fresh. Just really appreciate the mellowness of this and the subtlety of the melody and vocal performance. In my top 3.

•The Sewer People
Great crunchy rhythm guitars on this. Really nice melding of a couple of genres. The world needs more phaser solos they're a favorite of mine.

•truth
Not really a criticism more a personal preference but would have liked to have heard something more interesting with the vocals like background parts or doubled vocals to keep me more engaged (I realize it happens at the end). Or if not that, something else to break up the song?

•Young Stroke aka Young Muscle(V)
You deserve kudos for your name alone. Drums are on point they sound great. The overall backing is great. I like the brashness of the off-key chorus. Not sure I'm on board with the 80s football team rap video flow (maybe thats what you were going for though?). overall I think this song is very fun and very well done. Your little outro speech was hilarious.

Cannot disagree Sir Chorizo.

New to all this and the "Wo oh oh oh bit" was not my finest hour

Lol sorry just trying to learn how to give feedback beyond ‘hey great song’ . The woah oh part wasn’t that bad

yep, should have listened on at least one more device.

Real-time bowling score reviews

Summer Sloane - this reminds of rocky horror picture show music for some reason. I think it just the way you sing. With that said, I like this a lot. It’s nice and catchy and I like the little solo in the middle. Bowling Score: Strike

The Library Dogs - the intro reminds me of Metroid. It also reminds me of that really long les savy fav skit about the ship crew when their ship goes down. Anyways, this song is really good, I like the whole concept, the sound, everything. And the solo is really good and the effect you put on it sounds really cool. Bowling Score: 9 / Spare

Brown Word - I like when you do this more 90s grunge riot grrrl style, this is pretty good. My only critique is maybe the chorus is mixed a little too loudly, it kind of sounds abrupt and out of place with the rest of the song. Maybe the louder vocals could have worked better as background vocals but screamier, idk. Bowling Score: 6 / 3 = 9

Cazaro - this sounds like something from the 60s. It’s pretty cool, I like it. I think the drums sound a little off sometimes. I start getting a little bored of the chorus by the end. It kind of sounds like you are a little bored singing it I guess. Bowling Score: 8 /Spare

Night Sky - I love this electro bass thing you got going. This song was pretty good but with the instrumental outro at the end I almost feel like this song could have just worked better with no vocals. I could see it being an instrumental in a video game soundtrack. Bowling Score: 5 / 4 = 9

Heine - catchy little riff intro. I like the backing vocals on this, gives the song a nice touch. The riff hook is really the strength of this song and it really makes it stand out. This was a good song. Bowling Score: 8 / Spare

Hoodmo - this sounds like a 60s folk song. I like it. I like the line about pink ceramics decorating the floor, good visual imagery there. This was a pleasant song and i enjoyed it. Bowling Score: Strike

Gross Tones - the volume on this seems a little low compared to everything else so far. This song is pretty ok but nothing about it really stands out too much. Well the guitar solo was pretty nice but it goes away too fast. Bowling Score: Strike

Sir Chorizo -I like your gritty sounding voice. It works well with the music I think. I like this, it reminds me of some random indie band I’d hear on a college radio station, I miss listening to college radio. Anyways pretty good song, maybe you should submit your music to some college radio stations perhaps? Bowling Score: 8 /Spare

David G. Harrington - this is pretty cool, reminds me of a song that might be in an 80s movie soundtrack. My only critique is some vocals may have a bit too much reverb. I like the breakdown section with the claps, maybe raise the claps and lower the whoa whoa ohs mix wise. Overall, pretty solid song though. Bowling Score: Strike

The Sewer People - this is a pretty fun song, attitude wise it kind of reminds me of a dead milkmen song. I like the hype chorus parts, those are my favorite parts. I like the outro part of the solo too, I feel like the song could of ended there and it would have been perfect. Bowling Score: Strike

Truth - this song is pretty chill. The singing is pretty pleasant. I like the very subtle instruments that accompanies the main guitar riff here and there. The only thing I didn’t quite care for were the concept behind the lyrics. The whole paying for love thing is just kind of weird. Overall, really nice sounding song though. Bowling Score: Strike

Sweeney Toad - this is my song, this started as a freestyle of sorts on this new app I’ve been having a lot of fun with called BARS. The app tells you the bpm of the beat you are freestyling to, so I created my own beat from scratch at the same bpm. The beat sounds completely different from the original one on the app but I think it sounds better with my style and I’m pretty happy with how this one turned out. Bowling Score: Strike

PANOPLY - catchy intro riff here, I’m digging it. Not sure if the singing quite works with this though, it just doesn’t sound right together. The vocals seem like they are mixed pretty low as well. The backing instrumental is really good but outshines the vocals unfortunately. Bowling Score: Strike

The Pannacotta Army - this has a nice dreamy quality to it. It sounds good but not my favorite of yours. Something about it doesn’t quite hold my attention. If you made a whole album like this it would be the perfect thing to put on and drift off to sleep for a nap. Bowling Score: 9 / Spare

Jeff Desantis - this is quite catchy, I like it. Your singing is nice on this. I keep thinking this would make a good song for a punk band to cover, like I could see nofx covering this for some reason. Anyways, nice solid track. Bowling Score: Strike

Duncan Martin - these lyrics are hilarious, I used to have two ferrets. They would always steal my stuff and hide it under the couch. I enjoyed this song, I think my only critique is the volume was pretty low compared to everything else. I really liked the lyrics the most on this, what exactly is new age bathing btw? Bowling Score: Strike

Ken’s Super Band - nice and catchy like always. What is the instrument that comes in right after the chorus? Is it just a guitar with weird effects on it? It sounds cool what ever it is. That solo part is pretty awesome. Pretty good track! Bowling Score: Strike

Young Stroke aka Young Muscle - this song made me feel very nostalgic because like 10 years ago I used to drive around listening to one of your albums I burned on a cd-r a lot. I liked the whole story and the journey you took us on with this song. All the lyrics are really funny and I think you did the best job of executing the song title this week. Congratulations on your success but I hope you’re not too sad and lonely now that you’re mega rich. Bowling Score: 9 / 0

Lichen Throat - I like the music you made for this one, it sounds nice. Thank you for mentioning Scrooge McDuck swimming in his bank vault. That is always a pleasant and nostalgic image. I feel like you could have a stronger chorus on this one. Lol don’t have to dance to make it rain was a pretty good line, I like how that kind of works on multiple levels. Bowling Score: G / Spare

SweeneyToad wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 28, 2021 9:25 pm

David G. Harrington - this is pretty cool, reminds me of a song that might be in an 80s movie soundtrack. My only critique is some vocals may have a bit too much reverb. I like the breakdown section with the claps, maybe raise the claps and lower the whoa whoa ohs mix wise. Overall, pretty solid song though. Bowling Score: Strike

Appreciate the feedback. Regarding reverb, some of us need all the help we can get

The general rule for reverb is: add in reverb until you think it sounds good, then turn it down a little bit.

Brown Word and the Big Whine—The 3/4 section feels very slow, especially when the chorus picks up. I like your guitar tone and the swirly—for lack of a better word—playing.

CazaroTaro—I like the bass. The piano, however, has kind of a lounge act feel that I didn’t care for. I do, however, like the contrast between the lyrical content and the feel of the music.

David G. Harrington—I really like your chorus, both the rhythm (that ride cymbal sounds great) and the melody. In fact, all your cymbals sound very good on this track.

Duncan Martin—Funny lyrics with a relaxed-sounding vocal: this has become your signature sound, and it works pretty well. You might want add more percussion and turn it up a little. The Hudson News line is funny.

The Gross Tones—The Nomex plaid line is good. Overall, however, this song has too much of a laid-back, lounge-act sound to suit my taste. I’m curious about what this would sound like with a sharp, snappy feel, rather than the laid-back tone you’re going for.

heine—I’d like to hear this about 30 bpm faster, perhaps with the deliberately slow parts left as they are. Your guitar tone sounds good and suits the feel of the song. I like the instrumental interludes.

hoodmo—This is pretty good. It doesn’t seize my attention with both hands, but it gently pulls on my sleeve. I especially like your rhythm in the chorus. The song has a nice open feel, like there’s plenty of room for it to breathe.

Jeff DeSantis—I love how “every” can be either two or three syllables, whichever fits the song better. Good rhythm with the snare. Your vocal sounds good and is suitably plaintive to fit the lyrics. Nice arrangement too.

Ken’s Super Duper Band ’n Stuff—That guitar lines is great, and the tone is good too. Definitely one of my favorites this week. I think, however, that a rawer, less processed-sounding vocal might match the song better, even if you had to be a little off-key. Very nice work.

The Library Dogs—Another of my favorites this week. I like how the klaxon blends with the song’s rhythm. This is a great demonstration of how much you can do with a good chord progression and vocal melody. I also like how your vocal sounds more desperate as the song progresses; you could even go for it a little more without it being excessive. Good job.

Lichen Throat (me)—I’m not thrilled with this mix; I wish I could have cut down on the guitar whine. I was also hoping for the chorus to sound more menacing than it did. Not my best, not my worst.

Night Sky—This sounds familiar and weird at the same time, which is cool. I like the vocal melody when you sing the title line. This arrangement is very creative, and everything still meshes well.

The Pannacotta Army—I think I’m still too juvenile to properly enjoy a sophisticated, adult-toned mellow song like this. I like your guitar tone, and your vocal is, as usual, very professional-sounding.

PANOPLY—I’ve taken a strange dislike to that descending guitar melody in the intro (and elsewhere), but the rest of the instrumentation is quite good. You’re bold to try such an unusual vocal delivery, but I think it works pretty well and fits with the rest of the song. The handclaps sound good.

The Sewer People—I was neither enamored with this, nor did I have significant complaint about it. It’s okay, but perhaps not my thing. I apologize for not having more meaningful comments.

Sir Chorizo—Every time I listened to this, I like the vocal better. The tinge of roughness is well-suited to the song and holds my interest. The lopsided rhythm is cool and suits the song well.

Sumner Sloan—Very McCartney. I could totally accept this is a Wings song, maybe even a Beatles outtake. I like the guitar has so much echo/reverb but still sounds very clean. I’d like to hear more of that guitar, in fact.

Sweeney Toad—Good rhythm on this one. You sound comfortable on your vocal delivery, too. In can see this squeezing onto your greatest hits album. I like the little pauses.

truth—Tender and sweet. Excellent arrangement. I think this accomplishes exactly what you had in mind. Very nice.

Young Stroke aka Young Muscle—One of your vocal lines makes my want to listen to TMGB’s “They’ll Need a Crane.” Your overall approach and structure are good. Your vocal has an interesting timbre which seems well suited to rap, even though it seems unusual for the genre. You might try being a little more relaxed in your delivery; it’s easy to make out the words (which is good), but you don’t sound entirely at ease.

Break the Bank reviews – done all in a bit of a hurry

Brown Word and the Big Whine – The optional challenge works quite well here. A light taste of Mr. Iommi on waltz. Never knew I needed this. Fine!

CazaroTaro – A very light feel. This is very well sung. I like the melody. I'd love to hear it without the artificial drums sounds. This would be a nice folk song.

David G. Harrington – Don't doubt the "Whoa's" – they're really catchy. The overall song is very catchy indeed. Maybe the cymbals are a little bit too loud for my taste. The "Here we go again"-Part is great. I really like this one!

Duncan Martin – This one comes really relaxing. Lots of lyrics, those are really funny. I really like the melody. The drums – are they played or programmed?

hoodmo – This comes with a Magna Carta folk blend. The drums sound a bit static. But I like your voice – the higher parts sound a bit like Justin Hayward which is really appealing to me.

Jeff DeSantis – This one starts with a more usual chord progression – but why not? Well sung. Drums sound sometimes like they're stumbling. I'd prefer it straighter. But overall this is a good production.

Ken's Super Duper Band 'n Stuff – This is a killer intro. Great guitars in here! Is this an e-bow? I feel there's something with the voice that puzzles me – but I can't put my finger on it what exactly it is. Maybe a bit to prominent in the mix? I don't know. But anyway this one is one of my favorites this time.

Lichen Throat - Scrooge McDuck! This is funny. This one suits your voice. It's sure my favorite of your songs.

Night Sky – This is interesting and unusal. But I don't know why it won't grab me. Maybe I should have listened more often to it. My fault.

PANOPLY – I really like your guitar work. It is well played, the sounds are tasteful. I'm still asking myself if I like how your voice is used in this one. But the more I listen to it the more I feel comfortable with it.

Sir Chorizo – What effects do you have on your voice? Or is this your natural tone? I don't think it's too short.

Sumner Sloane – This one features piano which is a nice variety between all this guitar songs here. Nice!

Sweeney Toad – This one is great. Your used vocal range suits the song very fine. The chorus is great. First I found the synth (strings?) a bit weird; but then I got accustomed to it; and now I think this is genius! It stays in mind and puts a smile on my face. To me your best track so far. And one of the best this fight.

The Gross Tones – How do you record your songs? There's a digital hiss all over the cymbals which makes it hard for me to pay attention to the fine rest. It has a light jazzy feel that could be on a Vertigo Swirl compilation from 1970. And this is really what I like about the song.

The Library Dogs – There are a lot of short songs this time. Only three that cracked the four-minute-mark this time. I like the chord progression and the story, the melody is catchy. Great.

The Pannacotta Army – This one is well sung. I like the dreamy feel. I don't know why but somehow I feel this would be nice on the "Seeds of love" album by Tears for fears.

The Sewer People – I'm not that much into reggae so I felt quite happy when that rock part set in. This one is a nice mélange. Overall well produced.

truth – Cirrus Minor meets Chinese pentatonic scales. Was this a mellotron? I'm a fool for mellotron sounds. Nice backing vocals! This one is well crafted.

Young Stroke aka Young Muscle – Hey, this is retro. I like the 80s soundscape, brings back memories of funny parties where Grandmaster Flash was played. Some of the vocals are great, some seem to be a bit out of place.

heine (me) - A lot to say about this one – if anyone is interested…:
Last Saturday when I awoke, I had this melody from my dream still inside my head. I immediately grabbed the phone, pressed record and hummed it into it. It should become the intro/intermediate/outro melody. Later that day I figured out how to play it and recorded a first instrumental version.
The first part is kind of a reflection; the choir is inspired by the early Moody Blues. (To put it in context I should have submitted as The Moody Doom )
The middle section happened by accident: I jumped from my desktop to the microphone and hurt my toes just before singing 'you broke my heart'. Singing about a divorce ain't the easy way so this rather funny part lights it up a bit. I think it fits nicely and is an amusing reference to The Rutles (Ouch!) I've never been a keen flute player and I didn't practice for over a year but it finally sounded the way it was intended.
The final part is like a reckoning. In the end there are only losers in this game: emotional and financial. Except the lawyers that were paid; they take the money (that once was yours) to the next holiday resort and when you need them they are out of reach. I spent a long time searching for a white noise plug-in, but finally I found myself in front of the microphone and making these sounds with my mouth, layering it three times. It became exactly how it should be. It adds a lot of dramatic to the ascending solo at the end. (I want you (She's so heavy) reference.)
All rhythm guitars were double recorded and panned hard left/right for a wider stereo feel. My twenty year old thinks that this is one of my best tracks so far. He also thinks that it doesn't need a chorus. I think it would have made it only longer and cheesier.

Yeah I partially change my mind about the woah ohs - still not my favorite part but a week later for better or worse I can still hear it in my head so at least it’s doing it’s job

Thanks for the reviews. I'm going to aim to have some in soon. In response to reviews of mine:
SirChorizo--I decided to do a colloquial tale, and once Isaid "started" then line wrote itself. It's light, but it's , like, heavy too
SweenyToad--Your bowling skillz are unmatched except for maybe Jesus Quintana. I picture new age bathing to be sensory deprivation tanks, essential oils, random salts, ionizing devices, Enya, Palm Springs, that kind of thing. Not a bad thing, just expensive when you add it all up.
Lichen Throat--thanks for the tips. I usually feel relaxed when I sing because I'm relieved I finally made a satisfactory backing track. I always just hit "normalize" in my master export but it seems to always come out lower than the pack. Maybe I'll manually do it next time.
Heine -- Thanks. The drums on this are me manually hitting the Casio's "room set." Sometimes I play a few measures and then loop it and add reverb. Not my strong suit, but I like the samples from 2001 or whenever it was made.

I don't have a lot to say, but I'd figure we need some more reviews. Some really quick, not too intelligent thoughts:

Brown Word and the Big Whine - Love the guitar tone. Love it. The time change works. If I'm remembering correctly, you always seem to pull off the optional challenges.

CazaroTaro - I'd be interested in hearing this without the bass line. Or at least a less busy one. Everything else sounds good

David G. Harrington - This is a good song. Nice vocals. I can see this one being the one that gets the crowd dancing when played live.

Duncan Martin- Your songs are always really cool. I have no idea what they mean. And that's okay.

heine - I really like the riff. Even better that it is played on an acoustic in a piece that seems like it would be electric and distorted. Nice and theatrical. Maybe a tad long.

hoodmo - Great vocal. I also appreciate when songs go right in with the vocal instead of 1000 measures of intro.

Jeff DeSantis - Solid throughout. Drums - bass - vocal. Love the guitar solos.

Ken's Super Duper Band 'n Stuff - The guitar is excellent. Nice tight drums and bass.

Lichen Throat - Your songs are always have a lot going on and should definitely be listened to with headphones. This is one of my favorites.

Night Sky - Love the synth bass (or whatever effect you put on your bass). This reminded me of "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite."

Panoply - Again, the guitars on this are great. I wish there was a second voice in there somewhere that was singing at a higher pitch to counter the low vocals (which I liked).

Sir Chorizo - a gem under two minutes. I would like this with 15 people singing at the same time. I think that could work.

Sumner Sloane - This is mine. I can also hear the cymbals. I get it. I swear in this. That's pretty cool.

Sweeney Toad - Don't have much to say on this one other than it is great. Hey! Today!

The Gross Tones - nice jazzy feel. The low volume/laid back stuff that others have mentioned is exactly what I like about it. Lo fi >>>>>> Hi fi

The Library Dogs - nice riff. Nice melodies. I appreciate when the song title isn't necessarily in the chorus. It was here once I believe, but I also like how the lyrics in the "chorus" are different each time.

The Pannacotta Army - nice mellow piece. I like the timelessness this song has. If somebody told me that this was recorded in 1978 or 1989 or 2021 I would believe that all years would be possible.

The Sewer People - ANOTHER great guitar song. I like the verses more than the choruses, but it is all well done. The last 30 seconds are my favorite.

truth - This is the the type of song I really like, but this one seems a bit long and I wish it had a little more muscle at the end. I'm interested in hearing other things you've done.

Young Stroke aka Young Muscle - I laughed right off that bat with your sigh at the beginning and was smiling the whole way through. Great work

My review methodology is:

1. I listen to each song, all the way through, at least twice.
2. I do read the lyrics.
3. I do not read comments of other reviewers prior to posting.
4. I separate the songs into 3 categories:
a. Songs that probably will get a vote
b. Songs that may get a vote
c. Songs that probably won’t get a vote
5. I vote for 20% of the songs rounded to the nearest integer. For this round, I will be voting for 4 songs. I do not vote for myself.

Results:

Category 1: Probably Will Get a Vote

The Library Dogs
truth


Category 2: May Get a Vote

Brown Word and the Big Whine
David G. Harrington
Duncan Martin
heine
Jeff DeSantis
Ken's Super Duper Band 'n Stuff
PANOPLY
The Sewer People
Sweeney Toad


Category 3: Probably Won't Get a Vote

The Gross Tones
hoodmo
Lichenthroat
Night Sky
The Panacotta Army
Sir Chorizo
Sumner Sloane
Young Stroke aka Young Muscle

Reviews. Written in the order they appeared on the Sonfight page when I loaded it.

Truth:
I like the intro guitar and recurring riff --very relaxing. This tune strengthens my conviction that a good 50% of Songfighters, me included, often have APP’s “Eye in the Sky” bumping around their head while writing. Nice melody, not crazy about the lyrics, but I think there are strong spots. I think the verses could use more specificity – is he talking about literal $$ or expressing another type of renewed commitment?

PANOPLY:
I like the descending guitar. This intro hooks me. That rockabilly guitar sound is fun with the Roxanne-style quarter-note strums. I like the vocal fry but I think it would sound better with a bit of telephone effect. Less full. The lyrics are really good. If it’s autobiographical I hope you get some answers – that really sucks. I like the pairing of music and lyrics – it makes digestion issues somehow badass.

Young Stroke:
Great persona. Funny song. The choruses and intro are what hooked me the most. The rap sections were good too, but the singing and general bravado was what made it stand out. Fun tune.

David Harrington:
This one grew on me. I like your voice and how you can do that falsetto– sort of sounded like Lenny Kravitz’s voice in It Ain’t Over Till it’s Over. Sometimes the vocals seem like they could be reworked to fit the melody a bit more (to avoid forced rests and stretched words). I think the opening oh-oh ohs sound good as a melody but might work better as an instrumental or accompanied by an instrument in unison.

Night Sky:
I was reading the lyrics as I listened and I liked how your delivery blends the lines into one another. It’s more like prose, but they rhymes and phrases still have punch. I’m of two minds about covid songs. In one sense I’m tired of them, but then again, why wouldn’t we sing about the giant thing that is still happening? So I commend you. I like your singing voice.

The Panacotta Army:
Your name always cracks me up. Those chord changes into “It’s just me” are so good. I love when I find a deep cut ‘70s station playing this type of thing. The other day I was in a soap factory for a solar job, and some Dan Fogleberg was playing while a few people were milling around, and it was really dated but sooo mellow and relaxing. Great simple message delivered well. A bit of a John Lennon “Love is Real” sound too.

Brown Word:
Your lyrics are so rock and roll and I love that second vocal that joins in for the rhymes and for backup. I think this song itself is fantastic and to give it the best delivery it could use some guitar that is up at a similar EQ and volume as the vocal. There are a few spots where it sounds like you hadn’t quite decided on the vocal melody yet, but I’m finding it hard to criticize it because even that sounds cool. Is your band name an homage to Gener and Deaner?

Sweeney Toad:
“Ok, let’s see.....the SongFight challenge is ‘Break the Bank.’ I could do a song about spending lots of money..................or I could do this other thing and write a song about ROBBING A BANK ON A HORSE AND BLOWING IT UP, and also about how I teach college courses on how to rob banks on horseback, and also I’ll have it start out sort of like Shaggy.” That was a wild ride. Great chorus – it shows us that while you are a professional bank robber, you don’t always spend tons of time planning each heist. You are so good at it that sometimes you just wake up and decide it’s one of those days.

Duncan Martin (Me):
I was an American, but I have Canadian health insurance now, so this song is fictional. We did have a very expensive feline UTI bill though – that part is true. I just think the more songs there are about America’s private healthcare scam, the better. The Ken Follett line is just about how people will drop like $20 at the airport for the very paperbacks that are clogging every neighbourhood book exchange.

Sir Chorizo:
I like this opening chord progression – It immediately felt a bit Jimmy-Buffety, but then got more jam-bandy, and then a nice McCartney-ish brigdge. I love the short chorus that goes right back into the hook. “Tomorrow’s our alibi” is a solid line. Great song and so compact.

Sumner Sloane:
Are you a big Harry Nilsson and Post-Beatles George fan? The quarter-note piano/drums etc delivers a nice tempo, and your phrasing is to tight and natural. I like the intro verse – about Songfight? The whole thing flows well and the repetition of “you can....but you...” sets up a good structure for the narrative. Now that I think of it, we both did that this week.

The Sewer People:
Cowabunga dude. Great message. I get really lulled by the chill reggae verses and then the 80s come back with a vengeance in the chorus. The arson-planning verse is my favourite. “Gonna get that job done” is a cool harmony. You know what, it sort of sounds like Yoda when he says “poke me in the coconut” in the Bad Lip Reading song “Seagulls”

The Library Dogs:
I love whenever a gasket or cotter pin or something like that is mentioned. This cracks me up because it’s really matter of fact and straightforward, like as you’re about to die you make this poppy upbeat and informative captain’s log entry. The chuckle from “the life pod’s broken” is a good little breach of the 4th wall. It would be funny if this were the “true” story of Major Tom, and David Bowie made him sound way more stoic than he is. Sounds like your spaceship is really fucked.

Jeff DeSantis:
I get the feeling that this song rings true for many at SongFight. Nice mix and guitar solos. Drums sound good. Your vocal delivery is really smooth and natural. My only critique is that the song could probably use a stronger hook somewhere to become an earworm.

Hoodmo:
I like your melody. I tried to decipher the lyrics, but couldn’t – the amount of detail means you can sort of fill in the blanks and probably make a bunch of different stories from it. I like that.
The percussion sections have some cool timing to meet the optional challenge. I focus more on melody and lyrics than recording/mixing/tech, but I did notice that in some spots there were a lot of instruments competing for the same space. This is probably fixed with a combo of panning, eq, automation, and some changes at the recording/composition level.

Heine:
This is one ambitious composition! A bit of a Jethro Tull vibe. Divorce just sounds like it’s the worst. A friend of mine is a family lawyer and she said it just brings out the worst in people, and many, but not all, lawyers aren’t really that interested in mediation. Your bass line captures the frustration well, and I like how you keep a thread of hope and carpe diem in the lyrics.

Ken’s Super Duper Band and Stuff:
Rockin songs about partying never get old. That slide sound after the chorus is great. Sort of like a guitar/theramin. The instrumentation sounds very automated and a bit stiff until that slide and the solo comes in before the bridge. But then again, it gives it a sort of The Cars type sound, which is cool.

Lichen Throat:
That Scrooge McDuck line made me laugh. Nice mention of Cardi. This one leaves a lot to the imagination: “I have you to thank”

Cazaro Taro:
Is this about shattering a piggybank to buy a video game? So much better than those cop-out ones with the cork on the bottom. Great delivery. Your vocal harmonies sound very experimental and are fun to listen to. I was glad when you brought in the seconf verse again.

The Gross Tones:
What is the backing track? Is this a sample? It’s relaxing to have a jazzy number to finish things off. Your delivery sounds a bit like Al Kooper in his Blood Sweat and Tears years. The meaning of the term “break the bank” seems very fluid in this song. Lyrical question: I couldn’t really tell what the final call was on this person. The narrator clearly is infatuated, but was “break the bank” meaning that her dress and smile etc are of value to you, or that they will somehow spell your demise? Or both?

# SF Reviews
Time is short - so I'm keeping reviews the same this round. Thanks to everyone who does find the time to review!
Brown Word and the Big Whine: Seems like the whole track is covered in a blanket, sonically. Not sold on the vocals but I definitely feel the lyrics.

CazaroTaro: Right off the top I dig this chord/melody combo. I'd love to hear this as a full, actual band. it's a bit stilted and mechanical in places but I like where you're going with this.

David G. Harrington: The voice break in the opening “ha ha haaaaaaaa” ’s is funny. I like the vocal affectation. The drums in the first section are too wide - they swallow the rest of the music unnecessarily imo. Not a bad tune though!

Duncan Martin: Jimmy Buffet meets kids songs. I'm not a fan of cutesy funny songs generally, but I let a wry smile escape while listening.

The Gross Tones: I love this. Great lyrics and vocal delivery. I’m not sold on the double time chorus change, but by the time the lead guitar gets going I’m down. I dig the slip back into the original half time vibe. Mix wise it’s a bit weird and phasey and so much of it is up the middle..- It sets up your panned stuff nicely though. Anyways - long review - I like this, might get a vote.

heine: Cool, ambitious groove off the top. The verses don’t grab me as much as that refrain from the intro - it’s great. The reso-filter-riser thing over the outro solo is cool.

hoodmo: Lovely folk voice! Nice guitar work. I’m not sold on the drum part - seems mechanical and programmed…might be worth exploring humanizing the patterns after you program them in. I think I would rather have not had any drums in this at all - it’s a cool tune otherwise.

Jeff DeSantis: Sounds like a capable folk rock tune with predictable but enjoyable changes and melody. Nothing to bother me here, but nothing grabs me either. I dig that guitar solo at the end - nice tone, nice line.

Ken's Super Duper Band 'n Stuff: I dig the snare sound! I find the hats too far left though. I’m weird like that. I love the intro part, especially when it comes back and features that in-between sections guitar lead…. Nice changes!! The bridge is killer!! Nice transition back to the main thing. Not a huge fan of the driving guitar sound in the chorus - not sure why, it makes sense musically - maybe it’s a tone thing. I like this song a fair bit. Possible vote.

The Library Dogs: This has a Major Tom feel. I like the guitar riff - nice. I feel everything is vastly undrestated in the production - this needs to rock way way more. Vocals need to be a lot more assertive - they’re sort of soft and lack confidence. Find the edges in that voice - they’re there! It’s all very centre-focused - use the stereo field more - let’s the elements breathe. I like this song and dig the title take.

Lichen Throat: Cool guitar tones!!! I like the wide soundstage here - production worthy of the 80’s! (Which I appreciate and very much like). I wish the vocals were a little less loose, performance-wise. I like the ending. Clever yet simple.

Night Sky: Not doing it for me unfortunately. The vocals put me off I think. And for some reason the 3/4, waltz vibe combined with the quarter note synth chording makes it hard to really listen intently. Production was fine - I could hear it all - I’ll give you that.

The Pannacotta Army: Dreamy, lush right off the top. Nice. I want more high frequencies on this mix - not much, just a shelf boost at 6k or so, few db. I love the song though - it’s really beautiful. Great melody sung by a great voice for the song. I’m a sucker for tunes like this. Great work. Vote.

PANOPLY: Love the intro!! Slippery little descending thing - sweet stuff. I’m down with the bass line too - great stuff. Oh no - not digging the vocal treatment at all. The vocals in the verses don’t provide enough contrast to hold the song together - by the time I get to the end I’m tired of the sameness from the whole song. I like the ending though - you bookended this tune really well.

The Sewer People: Smalltown Mike and I kicked this one. We love the genre hop. Thanks for the reviews!

Sir Chorizo: I am immediately struck by, and dig - the economy of this mix. Not to splashy, wide or deep. But somehow perfect for what’s happening. The vocals are too scratchy for my taste - but that’s a pretty lame nitpick, right? hah. I love the super tinny guitar line always there… very cool. Nice and short and sweet. Possible Vote.

Sumner Sloane: I dig your voice a lot! There’s a cool Baker Street vibe here. Nice. I’d love to hear this production punched up a fair bit and maybe some drum variation, more instrumental arrangement - but I definitely dig this. Nice work.

Sweeney Toad: Flaming Lips intro got me interested. Dug it until the chorus hit. Not my bag unfortunately. I dig the production though - just not into silly too much.

truth: I like the way that arpeggiated guitar line is the spine of the song, stuff shows up and goes away and it’s still there - nice touch. Nice simple melody, mellotron vibes, 2nd chorus builds out some bits adding interest… bridge is nice, but those backing Vox in the chorus that follows are sweeeeet. It’s a lovely song with many lovely little things - but it doesn’t grab me as much as I want it to. No accounting for taste, amirite? Nice job though!

Young Stroke aka Young Muscle: I’m not feeling it until the verse starts, and now I’m down with that GM Flash vibe. Nice throwback. Dig the music a fair bit. Chorus vocals lose me. Nice job though.

Sorry these are all brief. Trying to make my way back into songfight after multiple long breaks. Hopefully this one sticks for a few months.

Brown Word - I like the heavier stuff you do. The time signature change got less awkward on subsequent listens.
"Smash the pig into bits" doesn't lose any its punk brilliance however.

Cazaro - This is about the piggy bank that got smashed? I dig it. Nice harmonies.
The keyboard tones are a little synthetic for my taste, but that's not an absolute.
The syncopations in the chorus give it a nice lurchy feel.

David - the only thing better than whoa-o-os (see also sha la las and doo do dos) is whoa-o-os with hand claps.
Nice pop nugget. Being a guitar-head I'd have loved the fuzz guitar to be a little higher in the mix but there's
not much to complain about here.

Duncan - I've hit my out of pocket max this year so this song hits me where I live.
Your humorous rhymes hit that nice random-but-not-stupid area. Your switch between times is well done.

Gross - Nice Santana-ish guitar solo on this one in the double-time segment.
Nice jazzy feel overall too. The vocals don't pop out at me after about half way, but I think I get the story.
Struck it rich in terms of landing the girl, but couldn't afford to keep the gold-digger happy? Classic theme!

heine - great riff, especially dialed back a notch with acoustic guiar. Verses are nice and lush.
Arrangment very well done. Lyrics contrast love with breakup and from the sound of it a rather expensive divorce.
Ah well, we write for the times we live in.

hoodmo - Arrangement pretty straightforward, but I do like the guitar solo. Kind of a Mark Knopfler tone or a minute.
And the hits on "how much you should take" are a nice effect.
Sounds like kind of a large-scale wager gone wrong story that drives the protagonists apart?

Jeff - The intro promises some nice 90s pop rock, and the song doesn't disappoint. Solid rhythm section, nice mix.
Guitar solo fits right in. This all sounds patronizing but I love 90s Pop Rock so it's sincere if nothing else.

Ken - You had me at "Let's get this party started, a fool and his money soon are parted." (Slow clap)
The synthy guitar (or guitary synth) is a nice touch to bring it out of standard guitar song arrangement. Nicely done

Library - this is me. Went for a 90s pop punk take on sci fi. I didn't love everything about the way this came out,
and honestly I could use some tips on mixing/blending backup vocals when there's not like 3 of each part to do the
blending for me.

Lichen - the tones you're getting are trippy. Goes with the rhythm. It's hard to follow but I find myself liking it.

Night - I'm sensing a certain readiness to hit herd immunity with COVID. The track has a certain video game nostalgia
to it that I like with the flutes over the synth bass.

Pannacotta - Ooh floaty chords with a soft rock feel. I mean that in a good way.
That tremolo guitar is a nice way to build thing too. Nice arrangement.
An elegant mistake is an interesting vocal hook. She's trying to be something she's not, and is doomed to fail
and he chooses to be with her anyway?

Panoply - the arpeggios give the intro and interludes sort of VGM feel, which I don't mind at all.
The vocals are awkward but in kind of an endearing way.

Sewer - Revolution in the streets for equitable wealth distribution. I (honestly) wish history had ever actually been able
to make that work. The song, however, I like it. Reggae and Punk are classic protest genres and you've done a good job
with both.

Chorizo - I'm having a hard time connecting with this one. Bank robbers. Lots of harmonics on the guitar.
The arrangement is very loose, and it's hard to latch onto anything that I really like. Probably it's me.

Summer - It's a good piano groove but it gets a little repetitive. The future is not a guarantee. That's a good message.
Nice guitar solo.

Sweeny - My kids like your name. Also that your song starts with wub wub wub. I like this. It's nicely random and
paints an amusing picture. Trust the process! A little bit of a Supercommuter vibe.

Truth - I like this. The arrangement is good and has a nice ebb and flow. Mellotron is a nice touch, and on first
listen I thought you had a koto but I think it's an acoustic. The Taurus-y synth is a little bit of a sore spot,
not sure why it doesn't fit. Ooohs on the end are nice as well. Spending money to keep somebody interested in you
is a terrible idea, but the lyric lends a certain poignancy to everything in that way. Well done.

Young - Some clever rhymes in there. I can't tell if the multiple interludes enhance the piece by breaking up
the backing track (which reminds me of rapper's paradise), or if they interrupt the flow. Anyway I enjoyed hearing about
your meteoric rise to stardom.

mholland wrote: Everyday’s the same now
From my soles to eyebrows...

Is this in 11/4? Or... well, I'll not embarrass myself too much by explaining my other thoughts. *blush* At any rate, I liked it very much. I noticed an extra beat toward the end, but I'm listening very quickly and doing other things etc., so....

Pigfarmer Jr wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 04, 2021 5:48 am

mholland wrote: Everyday’s the same now
From my soles to eyebrows...

Is this in 11/4? Or... well, I'll not embarrass myself too much by explaining my other thoughts. *blush* At any rate, I liked it very much. I noticed an extra beat toward the end, but I'm listening very quickly and doing other things etc., so....

It's 4+4+4+3 isn't it? Sheesh.

I also especially liked truth, Jeff DeSantis and the Library Dogs. Ken's, heine and Pannocotta were both on my radar as well. Not a bad fight and sorry for the lack of reviews.