The Song Fight Bulletin Board

It's a sort of title, you see. I've never been very good at them myself, but I'm told they can be very effective.

What?! I didn't even think to look at the deadline. Assumed I'd have the weekend. So my Pogues-ish jig will never be heard. I had a great hook, too.

(Please don't bother telling me I can do it anyway. I won't.)

spOOn wrote:you can do it anyway

He won't

Billy's Little Trip wrote:

spOOn wrote:you can do it anyway

He won't

Shame... he had a great hook, too.

Rabid Garfunkel wrote:It's a sort of title, you see. I've never been very good at them myself, but I'm told they can be very effective.

arthur dent is my idol.

Mostess, I had the same idea do go Pogues-style. The title begs for it, doesn't it?

I went with something else entirely for some reason. I ended up writing and recording the night before it was due.

Reviews:

adamadamant - Nice synth pad opening, though the keys sound rather disconnected, floating atmospheric vocals are a good idea though they're rather undistinguishable, this actually has rather a nice tune/tone to it, but overall it's rather difficult to listen to, coming from everywhere as it does...

carlsalbacka - Quite a straight forward approach, extremely simplistic in fact, but not entirely in a bad way, (ouch at 1:11), overall this track drags on for too long and is very meandering in an extremely maudlin way almost like you're making it up as you go along...

civiloffense - great intro, good use of the title, intesesting lyrics, quite a weak chorus though I like the coyotes hunting witches refrain that comes after! in places this is brilliant (in a Paco del Stinko way), though overall it's a bit of a mish mash of good ideas, that don't entirely gel...

cynthiasizeandthe@eclecticspoons - Ah the whole Nick Fury bit was an after thought, I wish I'd gone with my original idea of using Bill Foster, it would have made so much more sense then... doh!
Slighly dirtier sound than normal...

djgreen - stoP PoPPing the mic dude! odd rap n' guitar track that leaves me cold... by about 1:40 things have settled down quite nicely but it took far too long to get there.
Answer that phone!!!

electricneedleroom - quite like this in a TMBG kind of way, at times you've tried to sqeeze far to many words into too short a space (I don't know the technical terminology... doh! again!), overall good if a little washing over without too much sticking...

embersofautumn - I'm trying very hard to be objective here over the clashing of noises, this has that same Electric Eels - Cyclotron kind of angry noise going on, but on this it's not angry it's awful and off-putting, clean the whole thing up dude, there may be a good song underneath.

flvxxvm florvm - I'd love to hear some crackly static noise over the intro, kind of like it was over the telephone, that'd really work well, 'specially going into the rock psychadelica, then when it segways back (which in this case it doesn't), it'd be nice if the rock faded and echoed away under the outro.

giantsnail - The effects on the vocals make you sound like your singing into a bucket, very repetative track, but lyrically this has some rather good ideas, and the vocals wouldn't sound bad at all if they were kept clean.

hamnoburger - Sounds like i'm listening to a recruitment message from the college satanist collective society, this is far far far too similar all the way through, though the bass guitar breakdown is good if a little generic.

ip - this has an appealing julian cope(ish) quality that's kinda nice, your voice falters in a few places, but that not altogether a bad thing, has a slight McCartney feel to it as well, very interesting piece... admirable in fact!

mailbox - This is quite good, 'specially like the beatle(esque) strings. favourite so far! (mostly for the lyrics I might add).

melvin - Head and shoulders above everything else I've heard here so far!

projectd - Aargh! that's an awful vocal effect dude! and the backing track could do with a few changes of direction, very samey throughout and consequently rather annoying.

theweakestsuit - on a par with Electric Needle Room and Mailbox, quite a nice jingly jangly track, with some promising ideas shining through.

theworldyselfassurance - Welcome back Pete! I'm gonna ramble now, I was listening to some of your older Carpetburn stuff earlier this week, and was struck by how much your remind me of the Teardrop Explodes at there best... okay now this tune, Who's that your collaborating with? damn fine track, up there with Melvin's.

WreckdoM - I prefer you when you do your whole PWEI thing rather that this sub-ICP sonic rap stuff, though this'll still shoot into a top 5 of a pretty much sub standard songfight week!

Between Melvin and the Worldy Self-Assurance, with 3rd place play-off being between WreckdoM and Me! this is rather a poor week, lots of production issues, I'm guessing that quite a few entries here are first or second attempts at songfight, though I'd ike to stress I can hear a lot of promise in a lot of these entries, they just need cleaning up on the whole!

spOOn wrote:.... they just need cleaning up on the whole!

if i had a nickel

Guest reviewing on our program today is provided by the always lovely Mz. Conduct.



And now, a nice round of applause, please.

Adam Adamant
rg WTF? iTunes ain't playing this. Hello web link! Holy Residents, man.
mz.c Sounds like a soundtrack to a vampire sitcom.
rg Is that reverb and delay on your vox? Can't hardly make out any words.
mz.c About as muddled as the vodka cocktail last night.

Carl Salbacka
rg One mike? Push that bad boy away from you and your guitar.
mz.c Sitting in a coffeehouse drinking decaf.
rg Grinding it up and snorting it off the formica, yeah.
.
.
.
.
.
.
mz.c Sorry, drifted off there and discussed the neighbor's cat.
rg Umm... 2 more minutes...
mz.c Keep that coffin nailed shut.
rg Focus... there's like three meandering songs in here.
mz.c I don't know, baby.

Civil Offense
rg I know this guy.
mz.c Those aerobic percussions are making me moister than a snack cake.
rg You did want to see the toys in action.
mz.c Use the dirty voice more consistently. You go from pansy to dirty man in a second and it doesn't work for me.
rg It's the bridge, baby. Shoulda spat those marbles out before recording.

Cynthia Size and the Eclectic SpOOns
mz.c '80s Riding on the Metro. She's tall, she's skinny, she's blonde eurotrash. And pass the heroin.
rg It's a computer voice.
mz.c The backbeat's not too bad.
rg Never can understand what Cyn's saying. It's a pity, that.
mz.c What the hell are they saying? Guess it's not a singalong song, unless you just did a dime bag.

DJ Green
rg Suburban white boy computer mike blues.
mz.c (wrinkles forehead) I am so outta here.
rg Gotta listen all the way through. Will... strong. Body... weak. Talking over the end doesn't help. Down on the vox, damnit, and up on the backing track.
mz.c Sounds like he did this while he was laying in bed. I am so outta here. Next!

Electric Needle Room
rg RAWHIDE! Yeah!
mz.c Actually not bad. Back in the ethereal part of the '80s, that's what it reminds me of.
rg Sorta like Soft Cell covering Wall of Voodoo.
mz.c Pet Shop Boys, too. Pretty boys, let me atcha!
mz.c Decent length, but I say that to most boys.
rg Hey now!

Embers of Autumn
mz.c Elliot Smith, did you come back from the grave? And spaced out practicing?
rg This ain't bad, even for g&g. Could use some Caravan Ray® backing na-na-na action.
mz.c Geez. Next.

Flvxxvm Forvm
mz.c I like this part of it (the blues guy part). Oh jesus fucking christ (Señor Distorto part).
rg Pretty schitzy, FF. Where's my acid?
mz.c Pick a drug and stick with it, hallucinogenics or downers.
rg Pretty dischordant flip flops in this. Level- and stylewise

The Giant Snail
rg Talking sucks.
mz.c ...damn.
rg Dude, did you just namecheck "Sex Dwarf"?
mz.c I like the tune, but the electronic crap (distorted vocals and music) lessens it.
rg That's the whole song.
mz.c I know. (shrugs)

Ham No Burger
mz.c Vocals are too buried.
rg Dancers at Union Jack's would seriously rock the pole to this one.
rg I want to butcher zombies with an axe to this song. That's kinda cool.
mz.c (shakes head) Zombies fucking in the woods.
rg Nice breakdown at 2:05.
mz.c Rockabilly zombies. Like the bassline.
rg Hey, bring up the string pad!
mz.c How many more songs?
rg Seven.
mz.c Baby, we got shit to do.

i.p.
mz.c The strings are cool. Like his voice too.
rg Paging Eleanor Rigby.
mz.c Instant sadness. Guess it's the strings.
rg I sense a disturbance in the force.
mz.c That's pretty baby. Sounds well recorded too. Nothing's muffled or buried.

Mailbox
rg You liked this one.
mz.c I did. Sounds like a movie soundtrack to, umm, like a '70s movie soundtrack. Mm-hmm, totally. Something involving Central Park. Being barefoot, and black balloons drifting up in the sky.
rg Can't remember who this reminds me of. Is nice, though.
mz.c He can sing, too.

Melvin
rg Tambourine is buried in the mix. They are a bitch, though.
mz.c good as anything on the radio.
rg Thanks for the honester vocals. And laying off the harmonies. They fit right, where you put 'em. Good for the tension build.

Project-D
rg SCOOBY-SNACKS!
mz.c At least you can hear what he's saying.
rg WHERE IS MY MIND?
mz.c Kinda runs into the last song (Melvin's)
rg I'm an asshole. This is pretty decent, though pulling some of the bass out of the vocals might tighten up the sound a bit.
mz.c Drags.
rg Holy shit, four minutes thirty?
mz.c Oh lord. I'm going to masturbate now.

The Weakest Suit
rg Here's a happy one!
mz.c I like that.
rg Sounds like Scruffy the Cat. Good closing credits track for our zombie movie.
mz.c I don't like the harmonies or double tracking or whatever. He should bring up the vocals. Good length.

The Worldly Self-Assurance
mz.c This is also from the '80s. Didn't we say that last night?
rg Yah.
mz.c Robert Smith in a tutu and come-fuck-me pumps.
rg Black or pink?
mz.c Black. Always black. It's a funeral after all. Always wear black to a funeral.
rg Who all are you? Stink, are you in there? JR? Bueller?
mz.c I like that (@ ±2:30), the lyrics and the changes. How it picks up speed, and dynamics.

WreckdoM
rg Last song.
mz.c There was one I really liked last night. Then again, I had several cocktails.
rg It's WreckdoM.
mz.c Oh, okay. That's alright then.
mz.c Uh-huh.
rg What did we say about this last night?
mz.c Background's like Frank Zappa meets Tom Waits.
rg Lap steel's fucking hot. Ooh! Chimes!
mz.c Best mixed of everything I've heard. I like his voice, too.
rg Nice and dirty.

The Worldly Self Assurance:

Furry Pedro
Melvin
Thanks for the Frisbee
Glennny

We collaborated in Nur Ein as Thank Glennny for the Frisbee featuring Balance Lost / Balance Regained. Such a great expirience working with those guys we really wanted to do it again, but with a better producer than me.

This particular track is a Furry Pedro seed, beautiful rhythm guitar, chord pattern and 1st verse vocals and lyrics, Thanks for the Frisbee 2nd verse vocals and lyrics (mostly I think, repeating FP's chorus), with Melvin production, drums, bass, bridge vocals, and some Glennny E-bow and guitar solo.

reviews to come!
reviews to come soon

People, it's SongFight!, not UnlistenableShitFight!

This is the third week in a row where the average entry was so godawful bad I can't bring myself to review them.

If Melvin doesn't win this unanimously I will be gobsmacked.

SHP[/i]

Steve, have you listened to the whole fight? there's some really good stuff, I admit there's some tough to listen to tracks, but I listened to the whole fight and found a fair share of keepers.

Scrolling... scrolling... scrolling... nope, no SHP in this lineup. Refer to rule #4.

Thanks for the info, glennny. The e-bow ripped it up over an already solid production.

glennny wrote:Steve, have you listened to the whole fight? there's some really good stuff, I admit there's some tough to listen to tracks, but I listened to the whole fight and found a fair share of keepers.

Sorry everyone for being so negative, and sorry for the hyperbole, but lately visiting songfight hasn't been as rewarding as it has been in the past. Maybe its me or maybe its a passing thing.

I've listened to each song once and generally came away with the feeling that there was only one song I felt was really good (Melvin's), a small few that were OK and a lot that was some combination of not-my-thing and/or poorly done. Since I normally don't review a set unless I devote the time to listen to most of the songs a few times through, and spend an inordinate amount writing the reviews, I usually make the go/no-go decision to review based on whether I have much positive or constructive to offer. If I think its going to be almost entirely negative I'll just pass on the whole thing.

I should have stuck to that philosophy this week and just kept it to myself.

shp

i.p. hands down. That's sweet.

Although Worldly Self Assurance comes in handy now and then. That's fun. Yes, ebow does rule.

roymond wrote:i.p. hands down. That's sweet.

Although Worldly Self Assurance comes in handy now and then. That's fun. Yes, ebow does rule.

thanks!
I'll take this as my chance to credit the deserving musicians who helped us make the song.

Maija Anstine - Viola
Anna Ponto - Violin 2
Ali Luthmers - Violin 1
Kenny Lee - Cello
Lewis Gilmore - Clarinet
Ben Caiazza - Trumpet

Bean wrote the whole song, minus the chorus melody and lyrics. I wrote those.

i.p. wrote:

roymond wrote:i.p. hands down. That's sweet.

Although Worldly Self Assurance comes in handy now and then. That's fun. Yes, ebow does rule.

thanks!
I'll take this as my chance to credit the deserving musicians who helped us make the song.

Maija Anstine - Viola
Anna Ponto - Violin 2
Ali Luthmers - Violin 1
Kenny Lee - Cello
Lewis Gilmore - Clarinet
Ben Caiazza - Trumpet

Bean wrote the whole song, minus the chorus melody and lyrics. I wrote those.

Great job you guys! That was really cool!

I guess I got some 'splainin to do for my track. I lost the resizing jack to plug my e.guitar into the computer, so I tried to put the mic against the speaker and, being a little rushed and nervous for my first project, couldn't quite get the ringing out. Also, the lack of drums are all too obvious. Will try much better next time.

Hot off the press! Gimme a holler if you want clarification.

Adam Atom Ant - Sounds like a middle of the night headphone exercise. Some good atmosphere peeks through, but way messy.

Carl Salbacka - Demo scratchpad or exorcising guilt via audio diary.

CO - Rubbery, less willy-nilly percussion and this song is great cave rock - not caveman rock. I like it, but would rather hear it a bit leaner. Nice and dark, a fretless bass would dement this even further.

Spoons - Real guitar? Beats and basslines are best, the vocal almost doesn't fit with it. I like/don't like the guitar parts that sound like they are in a different key at times. Great parts, not a great whole.

DJ Green - Less cheese, more beef.

ENeedRoom - The first time I heard this, I was looking out a window at a muddy field with a tank in it. The PS Boys on the Pretty In Pink soundtrack?

EofA - Love rock (not the LP copy) Could be spiffed up a bunch.

Fluxom Floor'em - The looseness of liveness would make this totally blow your face out. Nasty guitar! Nasty! We should absolutely have a fuzz fight.

The Giant Schnail - Catchy and danceable. Needs spiffin' up and a better ending. Nice lead runs.

Hamnoburger Meisterburger - This is fun but could be scarier. More threatening. Stacks of vocs w/ the pads might be nice.

i.p. - Very nice if a bit deliberate occasionally. Radiohead-ish at times. This would be totally over the top with greatness after a vocal re-do: It's not bad, given time constraints, but a more familiar with the music take would be fab. Instruments sound beautiful, excellent work all around.

Der Postkasten - Greg Lake does upbeat piano pop. Cool! Nice melodies and arrangement. I like this more after a couple of listens. Nice strong performances.

s'Melvin - Nice easy melody. Not the big hit of the summer, perhaps, but doesn't feel forced or artificial. Sounding better all the time, too, you are.

ProD - Works, then doesn't, then does again. A live band would give this a better spark. Some good parts, some OK parts. This song teeters!

Tweakest Suit - Bit scruffy, but good feel and easy catchiness. Could use a few sparkles just to make you go ahh, but not necessary as it sells itself with the lean arrangement. Nice and sunny.

The WSA - Hmm. prior to Glen's post, I was ruling out Melvin's involvement due to his other entry, but didn't think that any of the other fellas production sounded like this. (not a criticism) This is super all around, though it almost strays at the end. Great playing and singing by all, are those Melvin or Pedro drums? Only a little stumble there. This group could kick anyones ass, and the Friz never sounded better too.

WreckdoM - Wet and creepy. The not too dense arrangement gives this its delicious spine tingles. I'd love to feel this in a live setting. And thanks for giving Kweep a shout out somewhere - I was wondering what happened to that guy! I really dig this mood.

wow. only three or four regulars this time, and a lot of entries from new people since i started reviewing in april. where are the durands, tyrrell, mc eric b, davis, signboy, doorite, henley, and hostmost (addressed earlier, but still missed), just to name a few? seems like songfight participation has really taken a hit. is this due to the nur ein II competition, the sugar shaker due/no new title doldrums, or just a reaction to a perceived bad/uninspiring title? or have you all just retired from the songfight grind? as it stands now there is not one artist this week that i am excited about by name alone. disappointing.