here's lookin' at you, squid (looking at the sea reviews)

[BBABM]

yeah it's a dumb name... all i could think of

[BBABM]

well i got today off, so ill do more reviews

backward binoculars: i like this nintendo music better than last weeks. still not my thing, but well done. also the drums sound like the 4/4 rock beat on the old 1980s casio keyboard i used to have.

bbabm: my song... it made me laugh when i wrote the "boots and long johns" line, and it makes me laugh now. i played this live for some friends the other day, and i have been changing the "car with all 4 doors" to "and the fellers ain't got no drawers" and it fits much better and makes sense in relation to the rest of the lyrics... plus who hasnt seen a car with 4 doors? stupid. i wanted it to seem like he had only seen giant trucks, but i dont think i got that across what-so-ever. anyways, i like short punk songs, and have for some time been working on an album of like 100 songs that are under a minute. this one will be there, probably changed a little.

bss: cool off beat intro.... reminds me of sonic youth quite a bit, with less bass, and a happy chorus. i like sonic youth. i dont know if y'alls male singing voices are just growing on me, but the past few songs have been really impressive. you have what i call "the bay area drawl" in your voice... epitomized to me by bands like green day, kinda whiny drawn out stoned skater that doesn't care... if that can be called a sound. very cool tune, kinda seattle meets berkeley.

dj venetian blinds: breaks... sweet. trumpet is cool addition. desperately needs a vocal sample. even if its just "lookin at the sea, yeah!" i LOVE the tune, it just needs a reason to be called "looking at the sea". saving it for the ipod, but may not get a vote for lack of title connection. but damn that was a good song.

ga ga ghosts: reminds me of the silly songs me and my friends make up while hanging out and drinking... we have a few harry potter songs that seem to be played every time we get together. A+ for crazy stuff you could see in the sea... probably no vote though.

heine: i like this one. there are a few places where the all the parts arent quite on beat with each other. however, during the greater part it is really good. the part around 2:19 is really awesome, but then at 2:49 instead of rockin it dies into a sea sound thing with pan pipes and synth... 3:58 back into rockin. to me, that whole min could have just been cut. the chorus is really pretty though.

historyman: hahahaha, this is true talent at work here folks. seriously, i have to applaud your skills, singing quite well while obviously messing with some sort of music machine. i love the audible key taps, knob twists, key flubs, at 1:58 a mistake(?) somehow pulled off. all recorded live i assume. fantastic. i would love to see a video of this happening.

jeff desantis: wow that voice is loud. a little startling. when the guitars pan across its not so bad, but the whole song is really loud for being so quiet. i think you could have done without the feedback stuff at the end, but i really liked the song.

john kloberdanz: it kind of sounds like not funny bloodhound gang, but a little repetitive, and slow. not my favorite this week, but not horrible. kinda seems like it should be called "when i go"

kris miner: wow, this is sick. well done. i cant even nit-pick this song. i love it. saved and voted.

sockpuppet: wow, beat me by 33 seconds. pretty though. short, sweet, to the point.

titus: i like the raps, but the track is a little weak. just fading in and out for the chorus isnt gonna cut it, there needs to be some change. but the lyrics are hot, i like the imagery of the dock, and the reflective tone to the whole thing. put it over a better beat, and it would be a hit. kinda reminds me of lupe fiasco.

i believe that's all of em... voted for me. kris, historyman, and bss

[fluffy]

I couldn't form coherent thoughts about a lot of these songs so here's just the ones where I could think of something vaguely-constructive to say. I think I'm coming down with a cold.

BBABM: Cute, energetic, and exactly the right length for a song like this.

heine: Those drums bug me. Sounds like a drum machine trying to be played like real drums, only it's sloppy and loose and then quantized very badly. Way too much cymbal, too. It does finally pick up at 2:22 in but by then I was on the verge of just skipping to the next track, and I still just keep on focusing on how bad the drums are. Lose the sound effects, too. They sound cheezy.

backward binoculars: This just kind of rambles and seems kind of muddy because of the chorus effect on the vocals. There's also a lot of repetitive, drawn-out stuff that just seems like it doesn't add anything to the song.

DJ Venetian Blinds: I enjoy a good breakbeat track now and then. I'm not sure how this fits the title though. Reminds me of Slake (from the various Beatmania soundtracks). But I'm 2:30 in and anything that might make this relate to the title at this point is going to feel painfully grafted-on and shoehorned in.

Ga Ga Ghosts: Rhyming "see" with "sea." Clever. Good music, though, and I like the energy of the actual verses. Goes on way too long without any real musical development, though. Adding more percussion that builds up with each verse (and then pulling back with everything else at the break halfway through) would do a lot more to keep it interesting, and then let it build up again in the second half. It also seems like the verses are very repetitive and never really go anywhere.

Jeff DeSantis: This is pretty.

Sockpuppet: too short

votes to, I dunno, BBABM and Jeff DeSantis.

[historyman68]

Songfight Reviews
All written after one listen- I'll try to listen to them each a few more times to see if I can offer more in-depth critique. I'm impressed in general with all of them, though!

Heine
Lyrics a little hackneyed.
Chorus rocks pretty well
Interlude around 3:30 calm, like the sea, but a little long and boring. Nice when comes back.

Titus
Nice beat
Nice rhymes
Nice chorus
"infested"?
Pretty chill groove

Berkeley Social scene
Pavement-y groove, rocks pretty well
Vocals a little grating, but again, pavement
I like the solo, gives a bit epic feel- I can imagine a boat sailing into the horizon to this
Chorus almost feels like a different song, goes from alternative garage rock to upbeat ska 

DJ Venetian Blinds
Ah, the classic drum n bass beat
Wow that interlude with the horn is kinda long
I like the outro from there though
Not super notable but not horrible

Sockpuppet
Short and sweet, nice melody. No long, pointless interludes

Kris miner 
Line about "objective" reminds me of Against Me!
Rocks pretty hard
Refrain works well
Relatively concise
Ends decently, I'd like a slightly cleaner one without the hits at the end but that's extremely nitpicking 

John Kloberdanz
Nice drumbeat
Somethig about this reminds me of self-titled era blink 182, like "I miss you"- has something to do with alternating vocals
Vocals are not great, but has a slight British invasion feel
Chords are a bit repetitive
End "you will remember me" repeat is a nice moment

Jeff DeSantis
Pretty- instrumentation, arrangement, melody
Vocals slightly remind of polyphonic spree
One song I wish were slightly longer
Maybe my favorite so far?

Ga Ga Ghosts
Voice a bit annoying and pitchy
I like the riff
Catchy
Those whale verse gets a little silly after the third repetition
The speaking voice is likable
About 2 minutes too long, but cute

Backward binoculars
Nice band name 
Nice production quality, mood
Voice a bit Kermit-y, but works with the tone
Or TMBG! (I'm a small small fish)
This interlude works
Awww, heartbreaking! Great! Only one so far to get an emotional reaction from me
Another favorite 

Bad boys at bar mitzvahs 
Clever
Made me guffaw out loud
Nice songwriting
Good last song, only funny one, doesn't overstay its welcome.

Historyman
 (that's me!)
Lyrics are a little silly, don't always rhyme but when they don't it's intentional at least
Not great production quality
Done in single take
I like some of the imagery
I like the chorus too

Yeah, so I totally did the optional challenge and discovered the title and wrote the song about 5 hours before it was due... I don't have my computer at the moment so I recorded it on my phone in one take. Lots of practice, though.
I used my casio Casiotone CT-370- it's got different beats and stuff, nothing too sophisticated. I recorded another version with some effects on it. Here it is!
http://chevycomics.tumblr.com/post/2687 ... ritten-for
BBABM, thanks, I liked yours too. Practicing all the changes and button pressings was a big part of the rehearsal, and I did let go of the effects because it became even more to keep track of. I guess I tried to make up for my nonexistent production quality by still varying it up live? 
In terms of why I wrote it, I was trying to get to sleep Friday night and listened to all my old songfight songs to try to relax... On a whim, decided to look up songfight, realized I could do a song with this title, and got to it. 

*edited to put in the link to the other version 

[Heine]

Nice fight. Every track is worth listening to.

backward binoculars - one of my favorites. clear vote. nice and catchy chorus. wonderful soothing vocals. nice ukulele in the background. clear production. i like it very much.

Bad Boys at Bat Mitzvahs - short, simple, funny lyrics. vote.

Berkeley Social Scene - solid work on drums and guitars. i like that e-bow part very much. the synth sounds are pretty cool so they should be louder in the mix.

DJ Venetian Blinds - perfect production. cool trumpet. but it doesen't refer to that sea thing. (i still got some wave and seagull samples left. ) i really like the outro (from 2:46 on)

Ga Ga Ghosts - simple, cool and funny. it's got fine melodies and rhythm. wish i could sing words that fast. vote!

heine (me) - yeah, the drums really bug me, too. played on a small e-drum set. i'll keep practising, i promise! but beside this i'm quite satisfied with the song itself. the calm part with melotron, synth and sounds effects could be entitled poor man's pink floyd. but i like it - it makes the return of the chorus even stronger. i'm very happy with the slide guitars.

Historyman - played live, done in single take!?! cool. very funny. nice chorus. very well sung. vote.

Jeff DeSantis - clear vote! this one got me first. cool harmony vocals. the strings are so beautiful. i want more of that. how was it recorded? maybe on tape? the sound could be a bit clearer.

John Kloberdanz - a bit too much reverb. the chorus is nice, maybe some more instrumentation would enhance it.

Kris Miner - very powerful. i like it. (it's totally different but it somehow makes me think of Rainbow's Stargazer). vote!

Sockpuppet - couldn't be much shorter. the best thing about it: too short to get boring. nice melody, i like.

Titus - i'm not kind of a rap fan but this is something i don't have to skip. in my opinion the chorus works. the backing track sounds much clearer than the vocals. maybe it's time for a new microphone? ...listened to it some more times.... vote!

[Spintown]

http://spintown79.blogspot.com/2011/01/ ... t-sea.html

Titus - You need help in the chorus, like another singer. But I enjoyed the beat, the flow, the rhymes, and the story. Best rap I've heard here in months. Come back...often...this place needs you. (voted)

heine - I liked the sound effects...waves, wind & birds...all sounded great in the mix. The vocals weren't great, but good enough not to distract me too much. I thought the chorus could have been stronger, it just wasn't all that catchy for me. Overall I thought this was a very good entry though, and think it could be improved even more with a few tweaks. (voted)

Jeff DeSantis - I usually get excited to see this name in a fight, and this entry will do nothing to change that. It was very pretty & relaxing, but it feels like it's about 30 seconds long...and it IS a short track. I hope you plan on doing more with it at some point, because this really starts to pull the listener in... (voted)

Kris Miner - Not really my type of music, but the longer I listened the more I got into it. Don't think it'll ever be my thing, but I'll give you a "well done" in this case.

John Kloberdanz - This ain't bad, it's just not grabbin' me either. It's just catchy enough to make me want to hear more from you in future fights, but not enough to get a vote yet...so try again next time. #Close #VeryClose

Sockpuppet - HA, I love songs that I can fit into a single tweet on Twitter. Maybe you didn't have time to produce something good, but at least you didn't waste much of my time...I thank you.

backward binoculars - I liked the concept you came up with for a story, but the music was so bland that I lost interest in less than 10 seconds.

Bad Boys at Bat Mitzvahs - I'm guessing this was written last second on a drive home from work or something. It was very brief, but I did chuckle a little, and with something so short & simple that's about all you can hope for.

DJ Venetian Blinds - You were the biggest waste of my time this round...congrats. Don't be afraid to use words...maybe form a sentence or 2 even.

[fluffy]

Sockpuppet - HA, I love songs that I can fit into a single tweet on Twitter. Maybe you didn't have time to produce something good, but at least you didn't waste much of my time...I thank you.

With room to spare!

[Spintown]

That deserves a RT. :p

[BBABM]

Bad Boys at Bat Mitzvahs - I'm guessing this was written last second on a drive home from work or something. It was very brief, but I did chuckle a little

On the couch watching tv actually, and it's not all that great a joke so I didn't want to beat it to death. A chuckle is all I wanted.

[wetknitting]

good fight overall. particularly enjoyed jeff desantis, historyman, and heine, but historyman's lo-fi performance suits my sensibilities so i'm going to have to vote for his song.

[jonthecomposer]

Backwards Binoculars:
Not to be harsh, but this leaves me feeling like it needs more production. More specifically, if I were hearing this on the radio, I'd expect drums and guitars to kick in on the part after after "of the ocean."
Lyrics are the high point. Nice feel and use of "old organ" sound effects.
Vocals are processed just enough to be appreciated. Sounds they were double tracked and panned hard left, hard right.

Bad Boys at Batmitzvahs
Ha ha. Short, sweet, goofy, gung ho.
Not much to review.

Berkeley Social Scene
Only having visited around on SF a time or two before, this is the first time I've had the chance to really listen to this group. With that in mind, this song gives me a picture of a bunch of inebriated Ivy-League frat-boys drinking jager bombs and heineken.... while trying to sing. Now, before you go smashing me over the head with your guitar, just remember that, beyond the sloppiness and notable lack of production, I think it sounds GREAT!
Very nice difference between the verse and chorus. The chorus does EXACTLY what it is supposed to. It "breaks free." And that pseudo-lounge vibe in the verse is really what makes the song in my opinion.
Nice "riffing" with the guitars and bass. It gives it a definite feel.

DJ Venetian Blinds
Great use of samples
Great groove
Danceable (although I don't dance)
Like the trumpet sounds
The interlude was too long (IMO)
Needed lyrics and/or a definite melody. I'm a bass player so I can appreciate a good groove regardless of where it comes from. But with as varied as this song is, it still leaves me wanting more.

Gaga Ghosts
I have to laugh when I listen to this - and I mean that in a good way.
However, I don't like the sea:see wordplay. But that's just me. Probably because I expected it to be.... about, um, er, the sea. D'OH!!!
I DO like how the premise of the song builds on what the artist sees. I like how each time it builds and adds on. I like how the words flow through each buildup. I like the fantasy nature of the lyrics.
I don't like the "rock anthem" vocal sound. I think it was overdone as I believe the song would have completely retained all of its charm simply through the lyrics alone.
And also, I think the vocals could have caught the right notes more. (no offense, I suck as a vocalist)

Heine
Good lyrics, good vocals, great orchestration
Sets a mood very well
The drums and timing could be better.
The production could be better.
This is a gem of a tune. I think it screams to be put down more cleanly. I'd certainly listen to it if it were.

Histroyman
There's potential there. Believe me when I say that I am all for creativity and learning and self-expression. So I will leave out all the negatives.

Jeff DeSantis
Good lyrics
Nice feel. It definitely builds a mood as well.
Good harmonies.
Nice use of strings.
Nice ending.
I found the sound quality artifacts in the mix to be distracting, though.
This is another one that screams to be put down more cleanly.

John Kloberdanz
Simple and to the point. A well-focused song as far as arrangement is concerned.
The lyrics are alright.
Nice touch with the "when I go" part putting on the reverb and cutting some of the low mids. Very creative.
That guitar echo with the REALLY LONG feedback was distracting as hell. To me it did nothing for this otherwise good tune. It added low-mid mud and some note artifacts that took away from the overall tonality of each chord change. I think probably a better way to have approached it (provided the artist absolutely HAD to have that echo) would have been to copy the original track, put the echo on the copied track, only apply the "wet" setting, EQ most of the frequencies under about 500Hz out, then mix the two back together. And of course use less feedback!

Kris Miner
Hellz Yeah! lol
This is gung ho as hell. And the production, vocals, and music are right-on for the style.
I prefer a little less compression overall and slightly more volume on the snare and toms so they hit harder.
Overall, though, this song rocks.

Sockpuppet
Assumptive lyrical content. Nice vocals. Nice sounding guitar.
I find this song way too long for my taste. Anything over a second, and my ADD takes over.

Titus
Nice. Positive message.
Great lyrical content and references.
Good beat and loops.
Good effects on the word "so."
Nice vocal octaves on the chorus.
The ONLY real criticism I have about this song is that (IMHO), with as good as it is, it ALSO screams for a bit better production. Don't get me wrong, it was produced well, no doubt. But why stop when the chorus vocals could be tightened up just a bit and cleaned just a bit in the mix? Overall, this song hits.

I know I'm a bit of a production whore. Sorry guys. It's just me.

[Billy's Little Trip]

yeah it's a dumb name... all i could think of

Isn't that a line from Humphrey Bocarp?

...see that?

[BBABM]

yeah it's a dumb name... all i could think of

Isn't that a line from Humphrey Bocarp?

...see that?

Yeah.... I got nothin else