WHO ARE YOU?!!?!? (Identity Crisis reviews)

[Pigfarmer Jr]

I'm Batman!

[Lunkhead]

Songs posted!

[Pigfarmer Jr]

I only see two lyrics posted. Feel free to post them at the following link (if you haven’t already.)

viewtopic.php?t=12778

[rose]

a person named Rose: i am really, REALLY not the biggest fan of the way this song came out at all. however, at the end of the day i think a bad song is better than no song in 99% of situations, because i can strip this for parts later, which is always fun! the keyboard present in this song (doing drums + bass + trippy sfx) is my recently-acquired Casio SA-35, which i have been playing nonstop for like two weeks and which is quickly becoming one of my favorite keyboards to just kinda make noises with.

Grid: i enjoy the airy instrumentation a lot! sort of reminiscent of they might be giants' lie still little bottle in that way even though the music is very very different from that song's style. quite a fan :]

Johnny Cashpoint: hey, it's got the kazoos! sounds like they're through a sampler or something which is a really good touch, i keep forgetting that's a thing i can do with instruments. the super distorted guitar lead works really well with the jumpy arrangement. not really that sure if i fully mesh with this but i like what's being done with the song.

Pigfarmer Jr: this is a really good rock song!! short and sweet. as a current TMBG fan who grew up on tiny punk songs i'm sorta biased towards that type of thing but i think this does what it needs to in like, a minute fifty, which i greatly appreciate. really really good.

Tomdg: i feel kinda bad saying this but i dunno if i like this too much. the guitar + bass + vocal arrangement is cool, i just don't think i really click with the song that much. it's a bit too isolated-sounding for my taste... i hope that makes sense, i dunno how to phrase music stuff good. sorry

V4nnim3l: i like the vocals in this a lot! kinda reminds me of the first Go! Child album in delivery. as someone with gender troubles i feel these words a lot. the minor 4 in the progression is a good touch. i liked this one quite a bit, the harmonies and arpeggiated guitar and ambient synth that come in at the end make this really nice.

[Pigfarmer Jr]

a person named Rose: I truly like the energy of this song. There's a few production points that keep me from enjoying it more. The vox is too up front with little spatial effect (reverb and/or delay.) I think a light touch would go a long way. The drums panned left and the fuzz to the right leave me with a slightly disjointed feel. I do like the like the effects toward the end, though they seem a bit tacked on. Overall, I get an energetic excuse to have fun playing a song. That's not a bad thing.

Grid: I very much enjoying the arrangement, the sparse effectiveness is a surprise, of this song. The vocal is well performed, The rhythm track enticing (and something I would think wouldn't work as well as it does, which goes to show what I know.) From a purely enjoyment perspective (which includes my genre bias etc.,) I would suspect this won't stand up to repeated listens but it's holding up well. This likely is my favorite of the fight.

Johnny Cashpoint: I think your kazoos sound like a vocal through an emulator but is that even possible? If they are, and that's what you had available, then you should get props for being creative and hitting the optional challenge. If not, then props for using a vowel other than "oo" (as in food) in your kazoo playing. I really liked the backing vox (the crises) I found it interesting to look at your lyric; the on brand humor and the last two lines hit like they should. This won't be on my SF rotation any time soon but I don't dislike it.

Pigfarmer Jr: I purchased a new computer and an audio interface and still haven't set it up perfectly. This started as a way to test out the recording set up. I use Reaper and have only stock plugins except for three virtual instruments, drums being the only one I've used so far. I selected a stock drum pattern and started adding parts until I had something that felt like a song that I could finish. Obviously, SF titles are the way to go when experimenting and here we have it. I had rerecord the guitar parts several times because of timing issues (really, latency issues) and the final version uses three guitar tracks, all with timing issues, that together don't sound nearly like ass (compared to any two of them alone.) Oh, I also used new to me outboard gear for the guitar, a DNAfx floorboard. Useful going forward, I think. (Also, to add, I actually have an electric kazoo that's never been out of the package. I'll self deduct points for not using it.)

Tomdg: I don't know how it's possible to bury a vocal with a sparse bass and guitar arrangement, but you've managed it. I think going sparse tends to support the lyric, which I can't hear (or read for that matter.) As a result, this feels like an experiment with possibilities that doesn't hit the mark. (Obviously, burying a vocal for effect is a thing but it doesn't work for me here.)

V4nnim3l: I like the arrangement, this has a nice feel to it. The doubled vocal is a great touch (although probably not perfectly implemented, the stray dissonance only adds to the lyrical theme.) I love that it comes in right at "Am I a boy..." This one probably hits me the hardest, most effectively of the fight.

I think Grid and V4nnim3l are the obvious votes. It's weird to think that two relatively laid back, sparse songs would be at the top and I wonder how many fights that would be the case. Am I off on that?

[Lunkhead]

A late Berkeley Social Scene song has been added to the fight.

[j$]

Johnny Cashpoint: hey, it's got the kazoos! sounds like they're through a sampler or something which is a really good touch

Johnny Cashpoint: I think your kazoos sound like a vocal through an emulator but is that even possible? If they are, and that's what you had available, then you should get props for being creative and hitting the optional challenge.

Just to clarify, the track consists of two real kazoo tracks, one using a sequencer (because my vocal limitations stretch to include kazoo-ing, apparently) and one ukulele, put through a guitar amp VST. Going for that 'two turntables and a microphone' vibe. Other tracks are a sampled and sequenced drum loop; and vocals/BVs as well.

J$

[j$]

Johnny Cashpoint: hey, it's got the kazoos! sounds like they're through a sampler or something which is a really good touch

Johnny Cashpoint: I think your kazoos sound like a vocal through an emulator but is that even possible? If they are, and that's what you had available, then you should get props for being creative and hitting the optional challenge.

Just to clarify, the track consists of two kazoo tracks recorded live, with one using a sequencer to get it in tune (because my vocal limitations stretch to include kazoo-ing, apparently) and one ukulele, put through a guitar amp VST. Going for that 'two turntables and a microphone' vibe. Other tracks are a sampled and sequenced drum loop; and vocals/BVs as well.

J$

[V4nnim3l]

a person named Rose: Loving the Guitar and what I'm guessing are samples of things
towards the end, It does sound very raw, which is good if its intentional.

Berkeley Social Scene: Is that a key change I hear? the synth solo is a great touch as well,
although I'm not sure about the melody.

Grid: I don't know why but I can't decide if its more like chariots of fire or Do they know its
Christmas towards the start, I love the beginning but I feel like it wants to build more.

Johnny Cashpoint: The Kazoos definitely sound a lot like a sampled vocal, I'm loving the guitar and snare sounds, but I think in general the whole song seems kind of disjointed, which is great if that's what you're going for.

Pigfarmer Jr: This sounds like a breakdown and I love that, totally fits with the prompt. The guitar bit at the end is also great.

Tomdg: I like the relentless bass, I like the idea of the "Who Am I" hook but I'm not super sure about the delivery.

V4nnim3l: This is my one, I basically did the guitar and the vocals, then realized it was a bit flat and added the 'strings' and harmonies later, overall I'm way more proud of this than I should be.

[Lunkhead]

The results are in and the fight has been won by ... Grid!