How's it hanging? (Gallows Hill reviews)

obscurity · Post by **obscurity** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 1:40 pm

Title stolen from Freudian Slip's post to the prefight thread.

Geoff WreckdoM · Post by **Geoff WreckdoM** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 2:24 pm

I greatly enjoyed the mad lib experience, although I fear those who participated will be displeased with the results. Before you give me too hard a time on the vocals read the lyrics and try it out yourself. It was not easy.

joshw · Post by **joshw** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 2:54 pm

Scoring Key: (Production, Performance, Song)

Bloodberriesandcream (8, 7, 7)

The intro is turning me off, but only because of genre bias. The vocal really seems like you're nailing what you're after, I just really dislike 80s music and figure there was enough of that made in.. well, the 80s. Nice production. Could use more treble. By the 2m mark, it's starting to grow on me. There's a good song underneath the odd presentation.

Calfborg (7, 6, 5)

It took 30s of that riff before the vocals came in. Once they come in, I'm wondering if it was worth the wait. Nope.

Ducking Stool (7, 6, 7)

Acoustic Guitar + Microphones - Pickup = happiness. The verse is okay, but kinda repetitive and monotone. The chorus is much better. The vocal delivery is too harsh for my taste. You've got a cat? Is his name "Tommy The Cat"? This isn't bad, it's just not pulling me in at all.

Kapitano (7, 7, 7)

I like the little rising squirty sound. This has a neat feel. It doesn't feel like it was completely developed, though. Needs more treble in the mix.

Pun in Tend (7, 8, 8)

Interesting mood. The samples might be a little much, but maybe not. Nice singing. I want to say the mix is too busy, but it almost needs that for this song. Great piano. One nitpick in the arrangement: it would be nice to have a less predictable building (rather than quiet, loud, quiet, loud, etc). Good tune.

Boy+guitar w/o an ID3 tag (7, 7, 6)

By the end of the first verse, there's been a very worn chord pattern played by a strummy guitar and lyrics that don't really say anything. The building instrumentation helps and gives me something listen to. Genre bias alert: I'm not a blues fan, so take whatever I say with a grain of salt.

Sta Warz (6, 6, 5)

Intro goes on too long, as does the first line. Verse is better, funny bleeps but they aren't funny by the second verse. You had potential in this one, but it fell flat by the end.

Tentativious (8, 7, 6)

Nice intro, but the vocals kinda killed the mood for me. The mood is way too mellow for the topic. I know it's probably meant ironically, but it gives the song novelty.

Josh Woodward (me)

Production notes

For those who care...

Thanks to all of you who've listened and reviewed and stuff. Like I mentioned in the prefight, this will probably be my last SongFight. A week just isn't enough time for me to come up with an idea, write a song around it, and record it. I end up writing a lot of okay songs rather than a few really good ones. I definitely don't want to give the impression that this a big "fuck you" to you guys, which it isn't at all, I just need to start writing better music. I still love listening to the songs on here and I'll do reviews when I have time. So yeah, thanks everyone.

Niveous · Post by **Niveous** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 4:03 pm

Niv's Review Paragraph

First Pun in Tend. What the hell. OK, I heard this song yesterday and it didn't sound like this with all the war stuff and screaming. Other than that bit with the God will give you blood to drink remark, that was great. Love the drumming, accentated the piano well and Freudian Slip's voice is always superb. Next, Ducking Stool. It's a little Octothorpe and a little Screaming Jay Hawkins. "My ghosts remains...and it's got a few questions". I love that line. I can dig this. So far this is a pretty fun fight. Next, Ross Durand. Yeah, g^2! Wait, here comes some percussion. Ah, this is a very well done build. Someone needs to rock the mic with the pantyhose, lots of clipped p's. 3 songs down and 3 songs I've dug. Next, Tentativious. God, I dislike your name and it's closeness to my own. Interesting. The witch voice is almost childlike. And Tenta's voice is almost Nick Cave like. Felt a bit short though. But a decent song. Next, Kapitano. Wait, what did ya say? Chorus completely lost in the wall of sound. Yawn. That was ok. Nothing to write home about. Far better than his "Goodbye Monster". So far, nothing here that I hate. This is quite a strong fight so far. Next, it's the Last Entry of Woodward. Oh, slick guitars there. Dammit, I would find a Woodward song that I like right at the end of his run. This is a really good song. I like the sending the reverend to hell bit, very nice. Next, it's Wreckdom's Madlib over a beat of toy barky dogs? Son of a Biscuit!! Let's eat some corpses and collapse some uvulas. Gotta love madlibs. May have to vote for that in hopes that Wreckdom doing a madlib beats the Last Entry of Woodward. Next, Calfborg. This is almost pop for Calfborg, or at least Nirvana. This song sounds like it would be played during the end credits of the 90210 episode that had the Flaming Lips. Next StaWarZ. Lots of beeps and crunk. Gee, that ruined a good fight for me. Thanks, StaWarS. Oops StaWarZ. Lastly, Hoblit in Gothland. Sometimes Hoblit can really pull off the goth and I don't think he did it today. Now, I know not every Goth band needs to have the deep dark voice (example- Alien Sex Fiend, Cruxshadows) but I think it's just the delivery on the lines. "Friendly Fire" worked better. Vote time. Ooh. What to choose? I'm gonna take a second listen to this fight tomorrow then vote. Off to the next fight.

Caravan Ray · Post by **Caravan Ray** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 4:11 pm

Awww, total bummer dudes.

Been working all week on an international collaboration with that Canadian King of the Skins, Mr Leaf. Finished the song yesterday - sent the email - went to bed - and woke up to find my internet connection had crashed.

Obviously the awesome power of Leaf's stickwork caused the email to break-up somewhere over the Pacific.

Hopefully, in his infinite wisdom, The Fightmaster may post us as a late starter - however - in the meantime - here is a link to the World Premiere of Caravan Leaf:

http://www.users.bigpond.com/cavanreagh ... eaf_gh.mp3

(Leaf - sorry dude - I've let the team down - I'm a disgrace to myself, a disgrace to my country, a disgrace to Songfight and a disgrace to The Collaboration - I need to spend some time in the Room of Mirrors)

Niveous · Post by **Niveous** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 4:19 pm

Damn you Caravan Ray & Leaf. If you're officially entered, you've just made picking a song to vote for just that much harder. Good stuff. I didn't expect rockabilly.

Hoblit · Post by **Hoblit** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 4:46 pm

Niveous wrote:Lastly, Hoblit in Gothland. Sometimes Hoblit can really pull off the goth and I don't think he did it today. Now, I know not every Goth band needs to have the deep dark voice (example- Alien Sex Fiend, Cruxshadows) but I think it's just the delivery on the lines. "Friendly Fire" worked better.

Think of Bloodberries And Cream as 'Hobscurity' rather than Hoblit in Gothland. I think this piece is more of a goth dance piece than it is a 'dark' song. The lyrics are dark..but the music is..dare I say...energetic and 'campy'. I really enjoyed doing this song... whats really funny about you pointing out 'Friendly Fire' is that when I originally recorded vocals for this one...I accidently used almost the exact same melody in my delivery...ended up having to re-record the vocals. which, in my opinion turned out to be a better idea anyways.

Thanks for the listen *SMILEY*

Niveous · Post by **Niveous** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 4:53 pm

Yeah, I could still hear Friendly Fire peeking out at times. I dig BB&C a lot but on this one, something about your delivery just isn't hitting the mark- even if it's a goth dance tune. But maybe that's because I'm holding it against other goth dance pieces like "Kiss" by London After Midnight or anything from Switchblade Symphony's "Sinister Nostalgia".

Leaf · Post by **Leaf** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 5:01 pm

Yo Caravan Ray, no worries man. The fact of the matter is, I had a good time playing on that tune.. I could have worked on it for a few more days if I had the time!!

Suffice to say, no matter what happens, it was a good time, and we'll do it again!

...I more hope that those that have reviewed already will include us in there posts, and those to follow.... GOD DAMN DIAL UP!!!

JonPorobil · Post by **JonPorobil** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 6:27 pm

No order.

Sta' WarZ - The SW music goes on just a little bit too long before your modifications become apparent. The bleeps aren't funny. Really, I just spent most of this thinking about the Star Wars Rap a few years back: "It ain't the east side or the west side, no. It ain't the north side or the south side, no. I'm talking about the DARK SIDE." I'd like to hear something from you that isn't quite so bleep-heavy.

WreckdoM - I can't deny the creativity behind this. I can certainly deny its quality. The chorus is almost Beck-ish, but the rest is just too much for me.

...

WreckdoM - On second thought, I'm strangely entranced. What the hell have you done to me? Probably won't get my vote, but you might get a few more listens.

Calfborg - Cool groove. The vocals are inaudible. Once again, I'm thinking of Beck. Musically, it doesn't change up enough to keep me interested. If I could hear the lyrics, I might not be so bored, but the end is welcome here. Sorry.

Tentativious - I like the lyrics, though the guitar is halfway drowning them. Ooh, was that a kick drum? Aww, I was hoping it was a lead-in to a slick drum groove. The call-and-response works well. I just wish the drums were doing a bit more than they did. Good song, needed better production.

Josh Woodward - Sounds a little more silly than creepy. Perhaps it's because of the fast pace and the enunciated vocals. The tempo changes don't sit very well with me. When that supercharged snare drum comes in, I'm into the song, then you slow it down. Why? It's like you're intentionally pulling me out of the groove just as you get into it. Nice ending, at least. That's the only slow-down that works, IMO.

Bloodberries & Cream - I like your goth groove here. Wow, Hoblit, I envy your vocals. You're very Anthony Keidis this week. Very professional-sounding, good lyrics, good delivery... Quite possibly my vote. The demonic vocoder underneath some lines in the second verse pleases me. I like the chorus, though I'm not too fond of the "long / belong" line. Still, very strong song.

Ducking Stool - Vocals are hard. So it's really weird that you've got a bunch of voices harmonizing really well, but the guitar is out of tune. I like your idea. The spoken barfly style works. A lot of these lyrics are funny, but not jokey. That's a compliment. Your use of cadence is careful, but not forced. I'm impressed. This one reminds me of Ween, and in a good way. It's about thirty seconds too long, but I'll give this a few more listens, likely.

Kapitano - Slick as ever. Haven't I heard these words somewhere before? They sound familiar... The second verse vocals are much improved over the first. Your upper register is better. The Distort-y outtro doesn't do it for me. You lay down a good groove, for sure, but there are conflicting things in this song that don't work so well.

Ross Durand - You could sure use a good mastering, but this is a really good song. Moody guitar blues. Without many instruments, you filled a lot of space. Your voice works well, too, and the lyrics are good. Oh, and I'm a sucker for a good buildup, and this is very effective. After I turned up the volume here, I had no complaints.

Pun in Tend - Trippy opening. Wow. There's a thunderstorm in my right ear. Then it goes away. Dark lyrics, that's for sure. I like the girl singing, but it sounds like she falls out of sync with the piano every once in a while. Maybe a bit heavy on the sound effects for the chorus. Interesting pre-echo in the bridge. It's a little jarring every time the storm comes in and then goes away. The ending is a little abrupt. It's probably not a good idea to end on spoken vocals, in general.

Alright, so my top three?

3. Ducking Stool
2. BloodBerries & Cream
And my vote goes to...
1. Ross Durand

What the hell. Honorable mention to Josh.
He's also my prediction this week, with bb&c in second, and wreckdom in third.

obscurity · Post by **obscurity** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 7:09 pm

Generic wrote:No order.
Bloodberries & Cream - I like the chorus, though I'm not too fond of the "long / belong" line. Still, very strong song.

So...see if you can guess which one line in the whole song I wrote? :)

j$ · Post by j$ » Mon Feb 28, 2005 7:11 pm

IMO. Picked at random. Written as I listen,

Sta'Warz - Sample at the start is too long, man. great pulsy bass - 'gallows Hill' sounds like 'college girl' - the comedy self-censoring is nice rhythmically but not making me laugh out loud. The loop of gallows hill in the chorus is a bit loud. Not the worst rap I've ever heard on songfight, for sure. Everything seems a bit too bulgey soundwise - maybe it's just mastered a little loud for my tastes.

Wreckdom - can I claim a collaboration credit on this one? Hmmmm, smacks a little of desperation to win a fight before your year runs out. Maybe that's a bit harsh, but you have totally sold out and now you're trying to rediscover that early mad wreckdom feel but it doesn't feel right to me. Good chorus though. Very good chorus.

Calfborg - great opening. Goes flat after that. Needs another guitar riff to set against it. experimentation gets a big tick from me though.

Pun in Tend - Great military snare. Sounds like nice keyboard but it's a bit furry. And the male vocal is too loud and nowhere near butch or, alternatively, creepy enough to convince as a Witchfinder General. Like the madness of the 'chorus'. Freudian Slip continues to have one of the best voices on Songfight, mind. 'You are a witch and you know it'? *sniggers behind hand* Overall a bit of a mess and pretty pretentious (that's by no means a diss btw - i like messy and pretentious) but fairly enjoyable nonetheless, especially as internet collabs go.

Kapitano - he returns with guitar in hand ... good God, is nothing sacred? I don't think your vocal sits with this song so well. I mean it's good, and the music track is great, they just don't gel - and also I think the very drum machineness lets down the more punky, nirvana moments. It sounds much better second time when the drums run out for a few bars ....

Hobscurity - We return to the 80s. Ah you do it so well, obs, and Hoblit sounds great singing on it. It could be the Hacienda on a cold January morning in 1982. 'Where evil boys come swinging down'? I hope that's what you're saying, that's so gay

I am filled with the desire to sprinkle you both with flour. Good stuff, if you like the genre, which I do... CONTENDER

Tentativious - nice tone, and a pleasant groove. great opening line too, and good last line, in between goes off the boil lyrically for me. I want to hear you singing this higher than you do it. Your voice sounds great, and gets better when you stop intoning like you do in the first verse. The female voice is nice, a bit out of key on the oohs, but solid elsewhere, a bit like Kimmy D. Yeah, nice tune, the man should stop 'performing' the vocal so much, and the woman should 'perform it' a little more ... and it kind of stops. Even a long gentle fade out from 'safe side' would be great. Or maybe a short little sample of something. Oh, I dunno. CONTENDER.

Ross Durand - Good call on the Cash pastiche for this title. Not much I can say except very well done, you've nailed it, things all come in at the right time, I like it. It's too long for what it is, maybe.

Ducking Stool - Octothorpe with added pop - Poptothorpe! I like the Tom Waits / Nick Cave-ishness of the vocal and the lyric in the second verse is great! Made me smile and worry about your sanity at the same time, which is exactly what all lyrics should do. Ooh key change! Very nice guitar solo. The song probably is 1/2 minute too long, but I can't see what you could cut without the song suffering. I like the fact that this song is a toe-tapper yet clearly has no percussion whatsoever for the majority of it! Must be that cool walking bassline. Good werk all involved. CONTENDER.

Josh Woodward - I actually put off listening to this right to the end because I was afraid I wasn't going to like it as usual, and upset you on your 'last fight' - ah well, here goes ... nice medieval mandolin-esque intro ... this is camp as tits and therefore I like it. 'Pitchfork Army' is a good image. Sounds very loose - and therefore I like it. i get the impression you're probably updating some medieval song structure so the fact that the point is made by 2.30ish is forgiveable. If this is your last fight (we should be so lucky

) then it's equal parts a great way to go out and also unlike anything I expected. CONTENDER.

And because I'm nice ...

Caravanleaf - Ah, surf punk! The guitar isn't up-front enough really. Which is a big shame. A real shame because it's what makes a song like this - but what's being played, the concept, everything else is pretty cool. Maybe a bit too much reverb on the vocals??? Also a few more bullet snare rolls and fills like just before the solo would have been very welcome. If it gets into the fight it's a CONTENDER.

I'll think on it - one from Ducking Stool, Bloodberries & Cream or Woodward I guess...

JonPorobil · Post by **JonPorobil** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 8:39 pm

obscurity wrote:
Generic wrote:No order.
Bloodberries & Cream - I like the chorus, though I'm not too fond of the "long / belong" line. Still, very strong song.
So...see if you can guess which one line in the whole song I wrote?

it's because i hate you.

Hoblit · Post by **Hoblit** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 8:49 pm

Generic, there is no vocoder. Thanks though!

Distortion was used...but no vocoder or pitch effects *winky*

J$. Yes, where evil boys come swinging down. Both dark, and deliciously ga...dance..dance....

ha obs, no matter what you say...I liked those first two lines in the chorus, thats why they are there!

Kapitano · Post by **Kapitano** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 9:08 pm

Gah! I just reviewed all the songs, then the dratted computer crashed. Okay, listening through them again, retying...

Bloodberries and Cream
Excellent. A bit of The Cure, some Flock Of Seagulls, and a smattering of early chicago deep house. You're Hoblit?!

This is one of the few SF tracks that (a) I like immidiately and (b) I like more on the third listen.

Calfborg
Vocals sound like you want to be Beck. And you drank too much of the beer that bears his name.

Ducking StoolMelodramatic high kitch humour. The trouble with joke songs is, the joke obscures the song, and when the joke gets old, the song dies.

I like it musically - especially the untrained male choir, the tone of the guitar. The piano sounds too electric to fit with the organic quality of the other sounds. It goes on for about a minute too long.

Josh Woodward
Usually, I'm awed by your ability, and bored by your music. I quite like the pace of this one, though it does sound rather bare.

It sounds like a show song.

Kapitano
My first guitar experiment.

Pun in Tend
Have you been listening to Kate Bush?

The distorted panned spoken bits don't work. The piano sounds a bit tinny.

It's a good voice - maybe a great one - overshadowed by recording and production that doesn't do it justice.

Russ Durand
This is very nicely constructed and performed. You have a very good singing voice for the genre, and it's catchy.

On the negative side, it's highly generic, about 90 seconds too long, and though it builds well, takes too long to do so.

The mic pops are a problem. The panning is a bigger problem - mid left strum, mid right vocal, far right solo. Distracting and detracting.

Productionwise, some reverb and compression would help give the track the 'epic' quality it's reaching for.

Oh, and next time include your name in the ID3 tag.

Sta Warz
Needs more variation. You've got the ideas, the vocal skill and the voice. You just need to say more in 2m41s.

Tentativious
Pleasant, if cliched. Reminds me of Locust, who are best known for covering Depeche Mode songs as sophisticated piano ballads.

The female vocal is offkey - not horribly, but distractingly. The synth chords don't seem to fit - probably you just need to lowpass them to make them more stringlike.

Wreckdom
Wreckdom is two people. One is an inventive experimentalist. The other thinks he has a sense of humour. Both had an off day.

I wouldn't usually vote for a man who watches women take their clothes off for a living, but...

jack · Post by **jack** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 9:55 pm

Sta Warz....i chuckled all the way through your song. in a good way. i dig it.

stawarz · Post by **stawarz** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 9:58 pm

All of you guys seriously NEED to go review the words to my rap. I think then you will understand the point behind it.

LockSmithDon · Post by **LockSmithDon** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 10:09 pm

Bloodberries And Cream
+ Nice beat. Like a dark 80's dance tune. Cool.
+ The lead vocals and how the backing vocals are contrasting. Nice.
| Couldn't make out a lot of the lyrics, but it could be my current setup (laptop/headphones)

Calfborg
+ Nice work on the snares (custom drum loop?)
| I can't tell what it is (distorted piano?) but it reminds me of the Charlie Brown theme song

- Too monotonous for my taste
- The drunk vocals don't do anything for me

Caravan Leaf.mp3
+ Great lyrics and vocals (and the Oooo's)
+ Love the guitar work and the drums are nice and punchy
+ Big fan of the genre
| Hope the fightmaster let's you in - you where pretty quick to announce your absence

Ducking Stool
+ Nice spooky intro
+ "dance naked in the moonlight" ... nice ... haha
+ "my ghost remains there still" comes across nicely
| I like the scruffy vocals (very fitting), but it's a little too spoken word for my liking
- Internet reference

Josh Woodward
+ Lyrics are excellent
+ Wow! The dissonant guitar work is fantastic
+ Tempo changes make this an even more interesting tune
+ Man, the filtering and layering on your voice works really well
| As a newbie, hearing that you're not going to compete anymore is bitter sweet news. You're one of my favorites and I'm going to miss the weekly tunes, but at least it's going to level the playing field

Kapitano
+ Nice intro and tempo
| I couldn't make out much of the lyrics
- The vocals don't really work for me, but it wouldn't take much tweaking

Pun In Tend
+ Great female vocals, and the distorted spoken word fills
+ Clean piano against all of the other darker textures
| I used the same type of marching snares ... cool

Ross Durand
+ The angle you used on the subject
+ The depressive vocals over the contrasting bouncing tempo
| I like the guitar solo, but the tone seems a little off for some reason

Sta'Warz
- The intro doesn't seem to fit the rest of the song
- Way too monotonous for my liking
- The beeping drove me crazy ... I would have preferred the vulgarities

Tentativious (Me)
+ I like the panning in the intro and outro
+ I like how the lyrics progress to the witch's death
+ I think the little guitar fills in between the vocals added a nice touch.
+ I can't believe I've actually written a song, and IN 6 DAYS! Holy shit that was hard. I don't know how some of you crank out such excellents songs in a week ... EVERY WEEK. I am so far behind at work now

| My voice. Sometimes I like it in this song ... sometimes I don't. Thanks for the Nick Cage association!
| The female vocals. This is the first time my 12 year old daughter has ever recorded her voice (well mine too for that matter). I think she did great for her first time, but it could be a little stonger.
- It's too short. I just ran out of time. I wrote another verse and a bridge, but didn't have time.
- The guitar solo isn't much of a solo. The phrasings are okay, but it would've been better to have more color.
- The cymbals are fitting, but they sound like crap. Same goes true for the ambience synths (what do you call that?)
- The production is lousy. I need a wav editor. I just couldn't always find the right levels and EQ. As you can see in the "Help Forum", I'm still learning about that

Hopefully better in future tracks.

WreckdoM
+ Love the textures
| I think I'm the problem ... I just can't comprehend your genius ... yet
- Many of the lyrics seemed forced (something tells me it's intentional)

I'm going to have to give this one to Josh. I wish I could make my guitars sound like that.

Rabid Garfunkel · Post by **Rabid Garfunkel** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 10:29 pm

stawarz wrote:All of you guys seriously NEED to go review the words to my rap. I think then you will understand the point behind it.

Au contraire, mon frere. Seeing that there ain't no FCC-class vulgarities only confuses me more. Unless the humor is the word-substitution action going on in the [bleep]ed listener's head. If that was the case, mayhap applying the gags with a spoon rather than a steamshovel would be more effective in the tomfoolery department.

/grain of salt

Freudian Slip · Post by **Freudian Slip** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 10:54 pm

Rabid Garfunkel wrote:
stawarz wrote:All of you guys seriously NEED to go review the words to my rap. I think then you will understand the point behind it.
Au contraire, mon frere. Seeing that there ain't no FCC-class vulgarities only confuses me more. Unless the humor is the word-substitution action going on in the [bleep]ed listener's head. If that was the case, mayhap applying the gags with a spoon rather than a steamshovel would be more effective in the tomfoolery department.

/grain of salt

I too, was thrown by the lack of gratuitous "F*cks", unless of course , the peppermints yo momma was plugging came from the pillows at the Motel.
Course if that were so the fireman woudln't be *hosin'* anybody's house, would they. (Don't get any on ya!

)

OK one down 10 to go

(This space reserved for reviews-- or something rather like them)

LockSmithDon · Post by **LockSmithDon** » Tue Mar 01, 2005 1:12 am

joshw wrote:Nice intro, but the vocals kinda killed the mood for me. The mood is way too mellow for the topic. I know it's probably meant ironically, but it gives the song novelty.

Interesting. When I first read the title (and learned what it was), I immediately thought of a slow, somber song in a minor key. Normal citizens executed as witchs and warlocks due to righteous fits of paranoia? Pretty sad if you ask me. Of course, I liked your dissonant take on it too.

Generic wrote:I like the lyrics, though the guitar is halfway drowning them. ... Aww, I was hoping it was a lead-in to a slick drum groove. The call-and-response works well. I just wish the drums were doing a bit more than they did. Good song, needed better production.

I couldn't agree more. I'm not really pleased with the production either. Hopefully I'll get better with more practice. I would have loved to do more with drums, but I don't really know how to do that yet either.

j$ wrote:nice tone, and a pleasant groove. great opening line too, and good last line, in between goes off the boil lyrically for me. I want to hear you singing this higher than you do it. Your voice sounds great, and gets better when you stop intoning like you do in the first verse. The female voice is nice, a bit out of key on the oohs, but solid elsewhere, a bit like Kimmy D. Yeah, nice tune, the man should stop 'performing' the vocal so much, and the woman should 'perform it' a little more ... and it kind of stops. Even a long gentle fade out from 'safe side' would be great. Or maybe a short little sample of something. Oh, I dunno. CONTENDER.

This just made my night. Not only did I get a few compliments, but the constructive criticism is awesome. All this stuff is old hat to all you veterans, but this whole songfight phenomenon still has me floored. Thanks Johnny.

Kapitano wrote:Pleasant, if cliched. Reminds me of Locust, who are best known for covering Depeche Mode songs as sophisticated piano ballads. The female vocal is offkey - not horribly, but distractingly. The synth chords don't seem to fit - probably you just need to lowpass them to make them more stringlike.

I'll have to check out Locust. And thanks for the tip on the synth chords - I'll give it a shot. The string samples I have are worse than the synths I used. Guess there aren't any good free string samples are there? Yea, she's a little off key, but after 30 some odd takes I just didn't have the heart to ask her to do it again ... at 2 in the morning

joshw · Post by **joshw** » Tue Mar 01, 2005 7:22 am

tentativious wrote:
joshw wrote:Nice intro, but the vocals kinda killed the mood for me. The mood is way too mellow for the topic. I know it's probably meant ironically, but it gives the song novelty.
Interesting. When I first read the title (and learned what it was), I immediately thought of a slow, somber song in a minor key. Normal citizens executed as witchs and warlocks due to righteous fits of paranoia? Pretty sad if you ask me. Of course, I liked your dissonant take on it too.

It's definitely sad in retrospect, but at the time it was fear and hysteria. My favorite kind of historical songs take you back to the time they were written and convey the emotions that it caused at the time, rather than telling them from the perspective of today. This style of music would be great in my mind for something that felt like this at the time - for instance the Great Depression, or maybe a war as seen from the homefront.

Just my preference, other people might like songs from a more retrospective point of view. I guess I figure we already know what it feels like now - take me back in time.