Post Mardi Gras Depression (Empty Wednesday Reviews)

[erik]

SHOW US YOUR REVIEWS.

[EmbersOfAutumn]

Reviews most likely coming today--slow day at work.

{EDIT:

Reviews most likely coming tomorrow--boss gave me needless crap to do.

Also, stream doesn't work on Empty Wednesday at this point}

[roymond]

The art is the bank (I know, so 90s).

[Spud]

stream doesn't work on Empty Wednesday at this point

Thanks for the catch. FIXED

[frankie big face]

No-one makes a review thread title like Erik. You have bathed in the fountain of wit, young man.

[EmbersOfAutumn]

(Ok, second rescinding… I started a few, got my work done, and picked back up to finish the reviews.)

I see as the stream is loading up that we only have 14 songs this week. No doubt Nur Ein is still drawing the crowds—I’m just happy I have less competition than usual… not that it helped the quality of my music any—but more of that when I get to my song. My reviews are usually affected by my mood when listening to the music, and—at least to start off with—I’m a little stressed. I’ll try to go easy. Anyways, on with the reviews:

Accessory Twelve
Not a bad start to the songs. Got the EKG in as an instrument, eh? The music is catchy. Got a light, electronic and ambient Kokomo feel to it. I think the ambience (reverb/echo) could be turned down a bit on some of the background instruments. I like the use of the various instruments in the song, though. Like my song, it just kinda dropped there at the end. It’s good, not enough appeal for replay value, but good. 5 of 10.

chonny
Very grabbing intro. The rhythm is good enough to not be monotonous. I really liked that bridge between chorus one and verse two… gets better during the longer bridge after chorus two. There is a lot right with this song in my opinion. Muy Bueno. 9 of 10.

Embers of Autumn
This is me. Where to begin. Because of some personal issues, I had less time than I originally allotted for myself. It shows in the vocal track, recorded the night before it was due, around 11:30 PM, with very little mixing. There was some stuff to the rhythm guitar I wanted to mix better, also, but mainly it was the vocals I was unhappy with. I’m just all over the place. If I get a chance, I’m going to redo this song. I just need better equipment.

Ignite Your Face
I like the channel bouncing going on with the intro ‘chant’. The soft melodic intro builds up nice and smooth into the verse. A little skip somewhere around 1:22 or so, but other than that, a pretty solid recording. I would have chosen a different sound than the generic Casio Electric Keyboard, but, that’s just me. I also don’t say this too often, but I feel it could have been a little longer. Maybe a powerful bridge or outro just to give a contrast to the rest of the song. Good job, though. 7 of 10.



--[BREAK]--

Back. That bout of work actually was better than I thought it—I was training someone… I’m not a good teacher, but she took good notes. Anyways… back to the reviews.



Jeff Robertson, et. al.
Folksy guitar on the intro. Getting a little… twangy on the vocals, though. Just a personal thing—not a big fan of it. I live in the deep south, so I’ve become desensitized to that old-timey-country (literally, if you look it up on Wikipedia, it used to be called “hillbilly” music… no lie.) Kind of a country-gospel feel with the music. Actually, now that I hear the lyrics… that what this is. And… I hate to burst your bubble, but these are the EXACT same chords as every country-gospel song my family ever sung… and they sung quite a lot. Banjo, harmonica, the whole nine yards. Well… you picked it up around 3:40 or so. Distortion is a little crackly. Honestly, I feel that 5:00 would have been too long, but this song should have faded out right about there. Instead, we get an extra 1:30 of the same chords. A for effort, but a 3 of 10.

Kid Cruiser
Well, you disappointed me last week. And… I proceed to hang my head again. I did chuckle at the “rape, etc.” line—but I felt bad about it afterward. You know, there’s something wrong with a competition where you listen to a gospel song one second, and immediately followed by a song where 70% of the lyrics are the word ‘rape’. The music is pleasant, I just wish you would try one serious song. I bet it’d be awesome. 1 of 10.

King Arthur
I’ve been paying attention to your style lately—kinda was looking forward to this song. And I was wondering when SOMEONE was going to use a Wednesday Addams reference. (At least, that’s what I assume, a goth girl named Wednesday.) The music is catchy—90’s folk rock or a harder 80’s folk rock. Another great song. 9 of 10.

Melvin
Nice harmonics on the background vocals right before the chorus. Also, nice contrast on the chorus from the verse. How you keep pumping out good melodies like this week after week blows my mind. (And, no offence, but this song is much better than last week’s.) I always love tremolos, so very nice bridge. 10 of 10

Mighty Mouse and Pudding Delicious
The problem with the genre you’re doing is that the vocals are the feature attraction. Which means that, if your vocal track isn’t mixed or recorded well, it stands out a little more than in other genres. Your beats are also just a little naked. I’m also not a fan of rap, sorry. 2 of 10.

Natural Copse
Your intro reminds me of that Spongebob episode where the jellyfish wouldn’t leave his house, so Gary clicks his eyes like a metronome. Ah, good times…. Oh, your song… sorry. You probably shouldn’t record your vocals at the bottom of a well while the microphone hangs in the bucket at the top. Just a thought. 1 of 10.

Paco Del Stinko
We meet again, Mr. Stinko. As always, your guitar riffs are top notch. I’d love to do a collaboration with you one of these days. I think your bridge could use a little more pizzazz to it, but outside of that, not too bad. (Although that last line was a tad creepy.) 7 of 10.

roymond
Laid back feel to the music at the intro—almost incidental music to a Western. Kinda turned into a love theme from a James Bond movie… almost. A coffee-shop rendition of James Bond. The reverb on the vocals are a little too heavy (in my opinion). Song’s great for background music somewhere, but it was kinda putting me to sleep. 5 of 10.

Steve Durand
Nice intro. Sounds like a Jazz Ensemble you’d expect to play at a Ballroom Gaza. Hint of 70’s disco in there somewhere. I see you have a political agenda message in your song there. I could see Rage Against the Machine covering this. 7 of 10.

The Weakest Suit
Very playful feel to this song—kinda wasn’t expecting that. I know there was a bit of playing around with this song, but there’s a couple of things I would have left out, just to be afraid of being too goofy. I refer to the background track. But I don’t want to discourage you—it’s always great to see that you’re in almost every week. It’s kind of a nice symbol, like that same guy you always see at the gas station working the night shift when you go in for a loaf of bread. 5 of 10.

A short fight, a couple of pleasant songs for sure, couple of keepers, a few points we all could work on. Not sure where the vote falls right now, but it’s between Melvin, Arthur, and chonny. Looking forward to all of your reviews.

[roymond]

Empty Reviews from Acela:

Accessory Twelve - I love the beep intro (the Sputnik groove) and the over-all pace of this. Vocals are weak, but sounds like if you belt a bit more they'd be stronger. Do you take your headphones off one ear when singing? This helps with confidence and often fixes pitch ambiguities, since you can't really hear yourself in the mix well enough through the cans. If you already do this, ignore me. I like the twittly synth against the other textures. Also like the break down to acopela around 2:08.

Chonny - Lots of guitar tracks make this mix difficult. Your voice is lost, but I like the parts. Like all these guitar parts twanging around. I like how the bass is alternately holding the floor and then doing cool riffs. A real drummer would make this crank. But then you’d have to sing like you weren’t trying to be quiet.

Embers of Autumn - God there are like 3 bank robberies in my hood every week. You'd be very busy I like the frantic energy of this (the dueling tom toms included), and the walk through the week. The chorus would be great if the production was a bit more open, I like those guitars and chords, but it gets all compressed and distorted. If you look at the wave, there’s no white at all. Dude, turn the track levels way way way down, then adjust in the master. Your production sound will automatically improve a thousand times over. Vocals are often so off it makes me cringe, but that’s another thing.

Ignite Your Face – Cacophony is a great word. Is that what’s happening here? Is that Major Tom I hear in there? Sorry, not taking me anywhere.

Jeff Robertson and the Neo-Candylanders – Candyland is a real place near my VT farm. Fabulously subtle build throughout. Like the arrangement, and the pace. The acceleration is well timed. But wow, then you blast it into the red, damn. Watch those levels, man, that totally kills things. It could have been so effective to hit the high with some real crunch and punch. The ending goes a bit long, but I like the intent.

Kid Cruiser – Sad misuse of Dr Seuss.

King Arthur – Tight guitars rocking and a nice cough. Perhaps once again the great lyric won’t win you a fight. “So few distractions I might even pass” is classic. Charles, these are great. I got you in there with David Lindley…crisp, witty, rocking. Nice job. Finally, a possible vote.

Melvin – I like the breathy stress in your voice. All the hooks and licks of pop goodiness. Nice job.

Mighty Mouse and Pudding Delicious – very listenable the first time, while not my thing. Like the subtle progression and your rap holds up, bolstered by a bit of a plot. Imagine that! Sad about the computer voice at the end. Doesn’t really hold up to repeated listens though.

Natural Copse – cute though incomplete sounding. I like the sparseness and your voice overall. OK, the organ is great.

Paco del Stinko – Frank Zappa meets King Crimson. Finally

roymond – OK, so I’m sorta down lately, and Wednesday really was a bit of a low. This was pretty cathartic when it all happened Sat morning before anyone woke up. But I felt better all day, so I loved it. My wife says it’s “beautiful but so sad”. Sorry if it bores anyone.

Steve Durand – This is so good after my downer song. Excellent sax arrangement. Love the parts before the break (descending harmonies). Good take on the title, too. Is this vocal doubling or some of the tricks discussed in that other thread? Sounds good either way. Love the organ these days, used to hate it. This is the other possible vote I think.

The Weakest Suit – I like the straightforward naïve sound here, including the repeated lyric. It just says what it says. Feels like it’s 1978.

[MC Minimum]

Mighty Mouse and Pudding Delicious
The problem with the genre you’re doing is that the vocals are the feature attraction. Which means that, if your vocal track isn’t mixed or recorded well, it stands out a little more than in other genres. Your beats are also just a little naked. I’m also not a fan of rap, sorry. 2 of 10.

I'm actually trying to figure out how to better record my vocals. The mic setup I have right now sucks, despite the fact that I think I have a pretty good mic. Is there a way to boost the recording quality without buying a ridiculously expensive soundboard? (My setup right now is sort of a frankenstein of cobbled together chords and adaptors) Thanks for the feedback.

[Steve Durand]

Steve Durand
Nice intro. Sounds like a Jazz Ensemble you’d expect to play at a Ballroom Gaza. Hint of 70’s disco in there somewhere. I see you have a political agenda message in your song there. I could see Rage Against the Machine covering this. 7 of 10.

Hmm.. Not sure where the disco vibe is coming from but...OK. Not really intended to have much of a political slant, just a lament that I'm paying a lot of money for gas and we are all kind of at the mercy of the oil suppliers on that score.

Thanks for the review.

Steve Durand – This is so good after my downer song. Excellent sax arrangement. Love the parts before the break (descending harmonies). Good take on the title, too. Is this vocal doubling or some of the tricks discussed in that other thread? Sounds good either way. Love the organ these days, used to hate it. This is the other possible vote I think.

The vocals are doubled but I didn't use the tricks from that other thread, I actually sang the part twice. The lead track is panned about 10% left and the doubled track is panned about 10% right. The doubled track is mixed very low, I wanted it to not be obvious but to add some body. I'm glad that you think it was effective.

BTW that organ is not a patch. It's a real Hammond circa 1968.

King Arthur and myself as possible votes? Go old guys!!

[Emperor Pilaf]

Mighty Mouse and Pudding Delicious
The problem with the genre you’re doing is that the vocals are the feature attraction. Which means that, if your vocal track isn’t mixed or recorded well, it stands out a little more than in other genres. Your beats are also just a little naked. I’m also not a fan of rap, sorry. 2 of 10.

I'm actually trying to figure out how to better record my vocals. The mic setup I have right now sucks, despite the fact that I think I have a pretty good mic. Is there a way to boost the recording quality without buying a ridiculously expensive soundboard? (My setup right now is sort of a frankenstein of cobbled together chords and adaptors) Thanks for the feedback.

try putting foam or carpet on the walls around the mic, or at least a very soft blanket behind the mic. also try compressing ur vocals, adding a slight amount of reverb. putting some backing vocals wouldnt hurt either.

[MC Minimum]

Accessory Twelve - I like the interplay of the electronic and acoustic sounds, but the melody gets a bit repetitious. Maybe needs a more obvious chord progression. It feels like the lyrics don’t quite mesh with the music. Overall, an interesting song to listen to, but taken together, the whole thing just seems to be missing something.

Chonny - This opens like a pretty standard rock song. You pull it off well, though the vocals seem a little less energetic than the melody calls for. The melody grows on me even more as the song progresses. You capture a cool combination of excitement and melancholy with this music.

Embers of Autumn – Vocals may be mixed just a bit too loud. I love the premise of the song. The lyrics are funny as hell. I love “Today I don’t have to fight the traffic.” Vox go out of tune fairly often. I end up having to choose between listening to the music and listening to the vocals.

Ignite Your Face – The intro kicks ass. The lyrics later in the song sound overly rhythmic. The chorus sounds alright, but the part just before it sounds kind of awkward. I like your use of the title. I’m not sure how I feel about the upbeat synth.

Jeff Robertson and the Neo-Candylanders – The vocals grate on me at first, but I get used to them about thirty seconds in. The verses remind me of a slow version of “Man of Constant Sorrow” from O Brother Where Art Thou. I like the slow musical build as the verses progress, but there’s not really enough musical variation to keep me enthralled for 6+ minutes. I keep waiting for the crescendo. Holy crap it’s getting faster. Okay. Forget what I said. This rocks. It does still repeat more than it needs to, though. Way more. Way, way more.

Kid Cruiser – God dammit. Your music always sounds good at the beginning of the song, but then your lyrics come in and I realize that you’re just singing the same song you’ve been singing for the last three weeks. This one is actually interesting, musically, but I’m pissed off about the lack of topic variation.

King Arthur – This is spot on. I like “She was too goth to rock, so they rolled her away.” And a whole bunch of other lyrics, which I tried to write down, but then realized there were too many of them. So far this has my vote. This is also going in my music library.

Melvin – Dammit. Why can’t this ever be easy? I was just going to vote for King Arthur no problem. Now I have to agonize. I really like the way the drums come in at the beginning. I’m not crazy about the content of the lyrics. I feel like they’re a bit generic. But musically, this is fantastic.

Mighty Mouse etc. – I’ll do better next time, I promise.

Natural Copse - I love this intro. The vocals and the percussion create a nice feel. Really builds anticipation for the melody. Wait … There isn't a melody. This sounds like a sad, all-percussion version of 99 Luftballoons. As much as I like my German pop songs, there’s just not enough here. WHAT THE HELL? IF YOU HAD AN ORGAN, WHY THE HELL DIDN’T YOU USE IT FOR THE SONG INSTEAD OF ASSAULTING MY EARS WITH IT FOR 20 SECONDS AT THE END? AUGH.

Paco del Stinko – Okay, any song that starts with “corn and Jesus” and then RHYMES it gets immediate points from me. This song has an interesting quality to it. The vocals don’t QUITE mesh with the song at times. That’s about all the criticism I have for this. It has a nice, hard-edged, creepy vibe to it. Definitely a vote contender.

Roymond – This sounds like something you would hear in a Quentin Tarantino movie. The come come in a little late for my taste. The lyrics seems to have the “Empty” part of the title covered, but I don’t really get the connection to Wednesday. Maybe I’m just thick.

Steve Durand – Totally different type of music than anything else in this fight, and you do it really well. For this genre, though, I feel like you need fuller, more passionate vox. A little less reverb might help. Lyrics really ring true, and make me smile. You get some of the passion that was missing at the beginning song towards the end.

The Weakest Suit – The grating strangling sounds after each repetition of the chorus don’t really add anything to the song. In fact, they detract from the song. Stop it. Those sounds aside, this is just a standard rock song. Well done, but nothing extra to attract my vote.

So it's down to King Arthur, Melvin, and Paco del Stinko. Now to deliberate.

[melvin]

Melvin I’m not crazy about the content of the lyrics. I feel like they’re a bit generic.

I certainly can't argue with your feelings on the matter, however, I will point out that the lyrics are based on a real-life (and extremely ill-advised) relationship I once had that featured a weekly event called "Confession Wednesdays". Thanks for the kind review!

[roymond]

Roymond – This sounds like something you would hear in a Quentin Tarantino movie.

That's excellent feedback

The lyrics seems to have the “Empty” part of the title covered, but I don’t really get the connection to Wednesday. Maybe I’m just thick.

You're thinking too much. It's a depressing title, I've been depressed. This is the song produced by this confluence of circumstances.

[ujnhunter]

King Arthur for the win! I really liked the lyrics, noticed the connection with 5 years ago too...

[roymond]

Natural Copse - WHAT THE HELL? IF YOU HAD AN ORGAN, WHY THE HELL DIDN’T YOU USE IT FOR THE SONG INSTEAD OF ASSAULTING MY EARS WITH IT FOR 20 SECONDS AT THE END? AUGH.

I'm thinking that's a sample, not a real organ.

[king_arthur]

King Arthur for the win! I really liked the lyrics, noticed the connection with 5 years ago too...

Thanks! We'll see, I think they have a rule against that here.

Charles

[roymond]

You got my vote, Charles. Very nicely done.

[jb]

JB's First (and usually only) Time Listen Reviews
Heard through iPod earbuds plugged into a MacBook.

Steve Durand
If this had some kind of dark undercurrent, I'd dig it. As it stands it's a nicely done quirky song that I think would be enjoyed by people over forty who fondly remember Dr. Demento.

Embers of Autumn
I'm sorry, I didn't listen to this for more than five seconds. The production quality and first couple of lines of the lyrics didn't lead me to believe that I would enjoy myself.

King Arthur
This is pretty great, Charles! Some of the words are a liiiiiittle bit forced in there, but it's totally forgivable. Only nitpick would be that the arrangement's a little derivative for my taste. Similar problem with Steve's tune. But well done, sir.

Melvin
I wish the punch line weren't so predictable. It's not a joke, but in lyrics you can have a punch line without a joke. Some of the vocals get buried a little. Love the harmony guitar. Like the drums, although the snare might be a little out of the mix.

Weakest Suit
OMG that's a hook! I dunno if you needed the goofy noodling in the background, but I totally dig this. Bring the drums up a little to reinforce that bouncy rhythm even more. I think I'm going to find myself singing this all day.

Natural Copse
The clipped vocal isn't pleasant, and that's a shame because if the girl's voice was clean it would be real pretty. Might need another melody in there though, as it does go on longer than I'm willing to spend here in headphones. If it were playing in the background. Ok, the organ thing near the end is an unfortunate misstep IMO. Please try again; a little more thoughtfulness might have made for a really nice track.

Accessory Twelve
Bouncy auto-chord reminiscent of playing around on my grandmother's Casio organ. Vocals need work in both intonation and recording quality. Interesting bloopy sounds, but without catchy words and an additional chord progression or two I can't get myself to listen to the whole thing.

Kid Cruiser
Holy cow that's a terrible snare sound. I have to admit that I don't get this. It's like Ween, but (apparently, on the strength of one listen) without the depth. I did listen to the whole thing, but only because I was busy typing this and it's not very long. Yeah, don't like it. Seems like somebody posting a gross picture to a bulletin board and claiming it's "funny" when people get mad. I'm not offended by it, just kind of bored by it. Please try harder.

Chonny
This is an interesting production. It's kind of like the singer is outside the band, but also kind of not. Definitely working together, but the backline is hired pros and the quirky songwriter/singer comes up with these wacky lines and is sort of out of it but they tolerate him because with him they make cool music, if a tad indie for their taste (they usually play Alt-rock covers from the 90's). I like it alot, especially near the end when it's just the instruments. Really nice pastiche of elements and lovely solo melodies. And I'm a sucker for two-guitar harmony solos.

Mighty Mouse etc.
Hahaha, this is pretty funny and moderately well done. I'd like you to apply some EQ to your vocals so I can understand the words more easily. And the singing part, reduce the volume on that and apply some delay and reverb so it sounds like it's in the background. And maybe some more details in the arrangement to give me something interesting to listen to in the breaks. I like this. I'm never going to listen to it again because it doesn't have much "come back again" fu for me, but I like it and will look forward to your next entry.

Paco del Stinko
Well I like the grungy guitar environment you've created, but I wish there were more lyrics and definitely more hooks in the lyrics. When the verses are happening I found myself a little bored. I like the BWAAaaAAAaa guitar solo thing and the guitar lick ending of that section. Needs more hooks, yo! It might have worked better for me as a Stooges tune, with the guitars being beat on so hard you could feel skin of Ron Asheton's knuckles splitting, and the drums just pounding pounding in your brain, and the lead singer's neck veins popping out and he struggles to communicate the overpowering angst encapsulated within the torrid confines of the massive track.

Ignite Your Face
This sounds partially like a description of an event, similar to my own "Big Red Snack Foam". But I think while you had some possibility here, you lacked inspiration. The lyrics just never went in the interesting direction that I expected based on the interesting beginning. Please try harder.

Roymond
I'd like to have heard another chord in there somewhere, for variety. The slide solo didn't contain much interest either, although I totally get sitting and plucking out a sad melody like that on a day when you feel kind of crappy. Unfortunately it's not working for me in my mood. I would have been totally sucked in by some harmony though, and the aforementioned "additional chord".

Jeff Robertson etc.
Omg how long is this; my Quicktime playback bar is creeping very slowly towards the end. That's not to say I don't like it-- I kind of do. It gets progressively more interesting, and I was especially pleased when the doubled voice came in. Still and all, I'm not even halfway through yet. Holy cow, Flapjack, how many verses did you freakin' write? OMG I'm *still* not halfway through. Ok, an organ patch just came in, that's nice. OOOH and it's speeding up! ... Holy shit! Ok, no spoilers for anybody else, but I dig that change right there you know the one I'm talking about. I dunno about the guitar sound, it might be a little too clipped but it kind of works in a Neutral Milk Hotel kind of way. All in all, I gotta say, I'm gonna listen to this one again if any of them from this week. Maybe you could have cut it by one fourth, but when I'm listening to it in my house while I wash the dishes I don't think I'll mind the length so much. The lyrics might have used one or two more punchy phrases, but I'll let that slide this time. Nice job. VOTE.

[roymond]

Roymond
I'd like to have heard another chord in there somewhere, for variety. The slide solo didn't contain much interest either, although I totally get sitting and plucking out a sad melody like that on a day when you feel kind of crappy. Unfortunately it's not working for me in my mood. I would have been totally sucked in by some harmony though, and the aforementioned "additional chord".

I hear ya. But to quote the Simpsons...Jazz ain't s'posed ta make you feel betta. S'pose ta make everyone else feel worse!

[jeff robertson]

it kind of works in a Neutral Milk Hotel kind of way.

DING! Everything about this week's entry except for the lyrics and the double-tracking was fairly deliberate and if I do so say myself blatant attempt at Neutral Milk hotel emulation.

That organ you heard is "supposed" to be an accordian like the one that comes in on the second verse of King of Carrot Flowers pt. 1.

[Overcomer983]

Here Be Reviews

Accessory Twelve
I enjoyed the mellow, liquid-cool feel of your song. You utilized several different styles ranging from acoustic to techno and they complement each other nicely. The main downside is that the lyrics are difficult to understand. Also, I think the vocal melody could have used a little more variation. The singing style tends to get a bit redundant and mopey as the song goes on. A possible improvement may be to add a flourishing, emotion shifting chorus near the middle; ascending the feeling from mellow to inspiring. You could throw in a nice keyboard/synth solo in there, too.

Chonny
Superb guitar work. The solos were spot on and amplified the uplifting feeling of the song. Your voice came through smooth and understandable. Nevertheless, it always helps if you can post the lyrics so that everyone can better understand the meaning of your lyrics. The overall production sounds very professional. There’s little to complain about here. A very solid song.

Embers of Autumn
The lyrics and concept are very fanciful and imaginative. It’s great that you went out of the ordinary in order to make an interesting scheme to fit the title. Nevertheless, I have two complaints: the singing and the choruses. The singing was, well…off. I soon found myself cringing at the sporadic intonation of the voice and concentrating on that rather than the subject of the song. The increase in instrument activity during the chorus created a cacophonous racket which, once again, took away from the lyrics and the song as a whole. Also, I think there was one chorus too many. After three, the fourth seemed redundant and left me hoping for the song to end. Despite the musical deficiencies: Cool concept. Cool lyrics.

Ignite Your Face
(Dis my song) Yeah…I’m not a very good singer. I admit, the whispering’s a bit cheesy. It was an after-thought, really. That part in the middle: schizophrenia? Hope you like it.

Jeff Robertson and the Neo-Candylanders
The most notable element of this song is the instrumental progression. The gradual build-up of instruments is very fluent and pertinent to the song. I was especially impressed with the smoothness of the shift in tempo and the power of the rapid change in direction nearing the end of the song. The singing, albeit effective and appropriate, could have been a little better. I liked the Biblical allusions in the lyrics. Especially “He rested on the seventh day.” I had never superposed the creation with the resurrection like that. Interesting… Good job.

Kid Cruiser
As always: quality song, strange/funny/creepy rape-ness. The last two songs were funny, but now it’s getting freakier. I not sure if I feel safe in public bathrooms anymore.

King Arthur
I’m impressed all around. The quality of the music and singing was indubitable, but what stuck out the most for me were the refreshingly clever and funny lyrics. I got a good laugh out of the lines: “So few distractions / I might even pass.” Keep up the good work, my liege.

Melvin
Ah, yes. This is the sound which comes only from song-fight-hardened veteran experience; a highly tuned, effective, high-quality song. There is very little here to criticize. Although, I do have a minute, personal grievance…I thought the subject matter was a tad predictable. Not that this is a bad thing, but this is the type of song which popped into most everyone’s mind when they saw the title “Empty Wednesday.” Don’t get me wrong. I’m not asking for every song of every fight to be completely out-there with the sparse connections and radical creative flare typical of muzak rebels. I’m just saying it was a tad predictable. Great. Very solid song.

Mighty Mouse and Pudding Delicious
Wow, great flow. I really liked how your lyrics were smooth, seamless, and connected. I have two small complaints: the mic and the chorus. There was nothing wrong with the mic per se, but I felt as though I was missing out on the full quality of your flow because of the background buzz. Also, the “empty Wednesday” line really took me out of the song for a moment. Rap, rap, rap (awesome), straight to singing (Wuh?). I really enjoyed the concept of your lyrics as well. Nice.

Natural Corpse
Hmmm…interesting. Well, I found myself to be disappointed half-way through the song because of the lack of instrumentation. I was thinking: “here comes the drum roll leading into the real song,” but it never happened. Also, the organ at the end took me very much by surprise. It made me jump actually. Not only because it was surprising, but also because it was musically uncalled-for and inappropriate. You definitely have a nice voice. Put some music to it and you might have something.

Paco Del Stinko
I’m a bit confused…your lyrics read like a Faulkner novel! Definitely a good and a bad thing. Bad because I don’t grasp the meaning right away, but good because I can insert my own meaning in there and make it better in my own mind. Besides the potentially baffling lyrics, there’s very little negative here. The instrumentation is well done. I especially enjoyed the drum work.

roymond
I found your song to be quite Pink-Floyd-esque. (They’re my favorite band. So, extra points, I guess.) The guitar work was metallic, saddened, yearning. The singing fit the emotion of the song perfectly. Nice job.

Steve Durand
Snap! Jazzy! A welcome spot of variety amid this fight’s block of rock. Stupendous work on the brass. It was very enjoyable and refreshed my musical palate. I also found the lyrical melody and rhythm to be particularly pleasurable.

The Weakest Suit
Seemed to me reminiscent of The Beatles. Okay music, okay singing. Although, the overall song seemed to have lacked much evident effort towards really integrating the title into the subject matter. It seemed to me to be a cookie-cutter type of song in which one could really insert anything without messing up the music.

To all Song Fighters: Always be inspired and keep making music!

[melvin]

Thanks to everyone who's written reviews. I'm really going to try to post my own soon. But, just in case I don't make it, I want to say that this is by far my favourite King Arthur track of all time. I usually give the King a hard time based on some kind of genre bias / generation gap / culture gulf, but to my ears, this is just a great, classic pop song with excellent vocals and really fantastic guitar tones. Great work.