Not a lot constructive to say, a bunch of good songs. I will listen again before deciding on my scoring ...
The Bewells - Are you cooking sausages in the background? Americana makes me drowsy. Nice subtle handclapping. I mean this is undeniably good and I like the forefrontedness of it mix-wise, but it's a little been there seen it bought the Dwight Yoakm Cd for my tastes.
Bjam - I honestly believe you have the most expressive and therefore in my eyes the best voice on songfight. That said I haven't yet heard the material that truly does it justice. I'd like to hear you singing to a Yeah Yeah Yeah style song. Anyway I digress. I like references to poodles. I'd like to hear some cohen-style picking from you rather than just strumming, to stretch your talents a bit more, but this more than ok.
Calfborg - great opening. hi-hat is a bit superfluous - glad when it gives in. Even more subtle claps than the bewells. this is almost pink floyd remixed by massive attack - I'd like to hear you talking the verses a little more - that semi-spoken hugh cornwell style would suit your music better here, I think. My favourite bit is the 'rin tin tin' at around 1.40 ish ...
Denyer - Your backing tracks are uber-cool these days. Nice squealchy synth-bass. Part of me wishes you had a different voice to set against the standard rap tone, but it's so unique that I don't really mind, either. Wish you had double-tracked the chorus or had a keyboard matching it to give a bit more definition ... 'couldn't get pants to cover my arse' is great!
Deshead - The drums are all over the place in relation to the music but at the same time they're making me listen on. This reminds me stylistically of someone who I can't place. Really nice guitar solo takes this up a notch. Not your best in my book. In the end the drums are just too frantic for the rest of the song. Did I miss the handclaps?
Glenn Case - references to permenant ink make me like this more instantly. nice harmonies but they squish the melody a little. I wish there was a little more lead work here rather than the chord progression being the sell of the song, if you see what I mean. Having said that this is my favorite so far, based on the beatles-sque progressions of the harmony and the fabulous rhytmic lurch of the drums and bass. great bass line...
Heuristics Inc *does a little robot dance* I think the music could stand to be mixe dup to match the vocals. The vocals aren't too loud, they're just too dominant in the mix. I like the oscillators very much and the choppy rhtythms of the vocal make me do that pretending to be on eof the Kraftwerk Dummies arm thing. therefore this is good. Nice poppy weirdness which I love, as you know. Could do with a breakdown at about 1.45 just to drag you out and then back into the groove. Other than that I am happy.
Jim Tyrell - nice jazzy groove that is accentuated by the roughness of the instrumentation (or is it the mix?) in contrast. A little long without a big bombastic chorus maybe.
Jolly Roger - I wouldn't bother with the flangey echo on your vocal, you have a good voice no need for that. Feels a bit under-developed. The guitar tone isn't great and the drum machine is a little irritating by the end, but there is something here that appeals to me. The thought that's gone into the little background flashes of goodness, the great abrupt end, those part promises enough that I wouldn't want to vote you off before you've had a bit longer to run at the game. I like the change at 2.00ish very much.
Kam Great sleazy percussion. With a little bit of poppy bass this could be a white UK take on 'Sign of times'. The list lyric doesn't excite me, but it certainly suits the 'groove'.
Ken - This feels like the hidden track at the end of the album recorded to meet the time requirements laid down by the record company. That said, it's still quite catchy and seeing as it's a toss-off, I can't really complain.
Leaf - this is so gay. No, really - what would your wife say? It's also great - I'[d like to hear this mixed up proper but this is my favourite so far.
Noah - what a great opening! This is Cash filtered through some indie mix - I wish (and know you can't have) some tremendous Arcade Fire style backing badn kicked in and took this away into the stratosphere. As it is it never recaptures the impetus of the first minute.
# - heh. That's Octothorpe, alright! Nice groove!
Remiss - I quite like this, I think; despite myself. Or maybe to spite myself.
Ross Durand - pretty. 'pree-tend'? Those handclaps that sound so great at the bginning should fade out before they become annoying around the far-too-long held 'seeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee' in fact I'm not a fan of those multi-beat held words .... this is a song that would be much better without the percussion which nails the beat into the song a bit much.
Sausage Boy - best use of the challenge so far. Great build in the instrumentation. Just the repetitiveness of the lyric, which uis clearly a deliebrate choice, spoil it for me. But definitely not gonna be poo-poo-ed by me. My kind of music.
Stueym - I love your vocals on this. In an odd way this makes me think of Pete Burns fronting Republica. 'Change in biology' is cool .... wish I could hear the bass a bit more. But this is mincey camp strut tastic in my book.
Sven - how much do you hate it when I compare you to Matthew Sweet?
Tex - Ah, this is a song I would pride myself in writing. Only I would mix it better
Best lyric of the sidefight so far. Nice bah bah bahs. Nice melody. Could do with a bit more ... something. Maybe a nice lead surf riff surfacing in and out of the song but the energy is cool. I appreciate it.
Thornberry - Ahhh, this is not what I associate with you. My bad no doubt. I like the quivering. In an odd way this reminds of me of Bonzo Dog only with singing. The pomp is appealing.
Wreckdom - sound like # vocally here. My apathy towards Wreckdom is well-known but the fuzzy bass riff is getting my knee bouncing and making me happy.
Damn you must have spotted the eyeshadow, eye liner and lipstick from all the way over there LOL
