Like a snake in the lass (Hiss and Hearse reviews)

Rabid Garfunkel · Post by **Rabid Garfunkel** » Sat Mar 26, 2005 5:53 pm

So how early is too early to post one of these? Heh.

Sorry PFM, looks like the alternate won out. Rock on, brah.

Post by **Spud** » Sat Mar 26, 2005 6:11 pm

THIS is too soon.

Kapitano · Post by **Kapitano** » Sat Mar 26, 2005 6:19 pm

Not too early at all. Here's my reviews:

Wreckdom: I like the way you rhyme 'Hearse' with 'Curse'. And a backwards-recorded phanged guitar, a la late Sousie and the Banshees. Is this written from the point of view of a cucumber?

J$:
"Run and fear the Hiss of death
Drink and tastes the Kiss of meth
Hiss and Hearse
You get what you deserve."

With lyrics like these you should get an oscar. Or a nice padded cell.

Josh Woodward: Um. Weren't you supposed to be...er? Nevermind. Great stuff, middle of the road, you'll win, blah blah blah.

The Hell Yeahs featuring Redcar: Too Much Rock! Tooo Muuch RAAWK!

David Bowie: Who are you? You can't sing. Go away.

Octothorpe and The Sober Irishman: Not so much Irish as Martian. I'm sure you knew exactly what you were doing and why. But I have no idea. Nice teacup-and-bulldozer solo.

Down With Gender: Vote! A sweet soulful ballad of loss, yearning and ultimate redemption.

Rabid Garfunkel · Post by **Rabid Garfunkel** » Sat Mar 26, 2005 6:59 pm

Spud: Please forgive my jumping the gun on this, and edit the topic so that it's just "Like a snake in the lass", so's to not distract/confuse from the fights at hand.

Kap': brilliant, simply brilliant.

nyjm · Post by **nyjm** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 3:27 am

and now it's too late! reviews:

brandon e.
- it takes a while, but i'm getting into this song; the guitar lopes along
- and there is the nice dynamic shift i was looking for
- needs to be tightened up a bit though
- when all the instruments come in, the vocals get a little buried
- an interesting song that with a little bit of polish could be really really good

draft
- i like these lyrics
- at 1:25 it kicks in really nicely; i wonder if that could be moved up in the song
- cool. i like it. solid songwriting that sets a mood well, if not a really stand-out song

johnny cashpoint
- interesting, but not really grabbing me
- maybe too much work on the vocals

luke henley
- sounds like a blind melon demo
- the high-pitched chorus kind of grates

one third of the daj collective
- the music is pretty good, especially the slide guitar
- the vocals aren't doing it to for me, though
- maybe some dynamics; a minute and a half of the same vamp gets a little boring

rabid garfunkel
- like the analog crackle
- "i never drink... wine"; great dracula quote
- very interesting lyrics, would like to have some more dynamism (no, i'm not fixating here)
- good story

sell crazy
- good guitar lick
- i like the chorus; the clapping is a nice touch
- morbid lyrics seem to clash with the upbeat song

WeaselSlayer · Post by **WeaselSlayer** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 3:50 am

Am I David Bowie?

Love,
Luke

gduncan · Post by **gduncan** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 8:26 am

Thanks for the comments.

nyjm wrote:sell crazy
- morbid lyrics seem to clash with the upbeat song

The sad waltz part was suppose to be about a guy who had lost his love and was going to her funeral. The upbeat chorus was from the perspective of the dead girl who wasn't sad about dying as she knew they'd be together again, eventually.

Gareth.

j$ · Post by j$ » Sat Apr 02, 2005 7:04 pm

Brandon E- Vocals, though clear, seem to be under the song. I like the pressure build at 'pressure builds', natch. The nuts time shift with the organ is good, a little messy, but in a good way. Overall the production doesn't seem right for the song - it's good, but I'd like to hear this a little smoother, more studio. Lovely harmonies towards the end. Good end! The stumbly drums are appealing but a little ditsracting for radio hit territory. Hmmmm, intruiging.

Draft - vocals a notch too loud. I like your hiss. Very Floyd-esque when the full band comes in. Actually that hiss sounds more like a synthetic wave - maybe over-used? Hmmm, it's a little too slow for me to get into it, maybe 5 bpm even, and a few of the drum stabs are a bit too sharp in the mix. Hmmm, this is very pleasant but it's not getting me going really. i could listen to it again, but it's a little too epic, too many prog elements for my tastes personally. Then the ending goes a bit Waits-y somehow, and I like it a whole lot more.

Luke Henley - I love the turning of the lyric page captured on audio at the beginning. This is a cute tune. I like the melody and while I'd like to hear it as a Nirvana-esque quiet / loud thing I appreciate you don't have that set-up so I can enjoy it for what it is - I love the piano, could have had a bit more of that. Seems a little long, even at 2.00 minutes, but hey, I like.

1/3rd - Turn up the vocal a little! And a better-recorded / produced drum machine from the second verse, or even just make the one that's there louder, just matching the guitar. And then I would vote for it. Really, it's that good a song, I just feel a bit cheated by the lack of stuff.

Rabid Garfunkel - Oh how I want this to kick into a birthday party mutant punk thing. It's a great little tune, cute lyric, good voice as always, but I want it to kick off on one. but hey, that's just personal taste.

Sell Crazy - not enjoying those backing vocals. Not badly done, but they just don't seem right, they make the song a bit too smooth. Oh dear, i love the rhythym change but britpop/ska is such a difficult thing to pull off, unless you're Supergrass. I mean this is a very well done song, i can imagine it as competent support, but never headliner. I'm sorry, that's a bit harsh, I guess. But everything is in place and well done, it all feels a bit forced .... maybe it's just me...

Not a bad little fight. Either Luke Henley, or 1/3rd if I can get over the latter's production issues. There was nothing here that I couldn't listen to again, so that's a good sign ....

boltoph · Post by **boltoph** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 8:40 pm

Draft - this tune is gripping my soul and twisting and you know how much I wanted to hear it rage into the utmost madness but i'm glad it didn't you know why? cause if it did I might have had a fkin heart attack. rok!

drë · Post by **drë** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 9:53 pm

brandon e.(+keeper +possible vote)
good song, was really into it, it becomes a bit disjointed around 1:40 but then it pick up again. This song could use a bit more of bass and mid tones, as it gets pretty treable heavy with the symbols and hight guitar strings .. some of the drumming , specially lazy snare roll toweres the end fits ver well.

Draft (+keeper +possible vote)
Awsome with capital A. but then again with that voice you can’t go wrong.
This is so moody, dark and bluesy. Very smart by just keeping it simple and monotone, with no over the top choruses of unessery guitar solos.
edit: holly molly, just checked out the lyrics page for this song, and found out that draft=tonetripper, .. diden't know you had such a cool voice. props.

johnny cashpoint (+keeper)
at first that beep sound was annoying, but then it does fit pretty well with the song. So I like it. And the chorus as disjointed as it may be, the vocal melody still takes over and make it enjoyable. Cool song.

Luke Henley ( +keeper +possible vote)
I might have to make my own “Luke Henley ROCKS!” T-shirt, as my modest mouse one has been worn too many times, it’s all warned out, with many holes, as it belongs in Goodwill. Seriously though, loving your stuff, from this song and some of your previous ones. Always good energy, and provoking lyrics.
The keyboard at the end adds a nice extra melody. Keep it up.

one third of the daj collective
ooohhhh… is that some really pitchy vocals. And the guitar is not helping.
Am just hopping the other two thirds of the daj collective was the bass section, and next time the 1/3 and 2/3 can get together and make a whole.

rabid garfunkel
like the delta bluesy slide guitar work here. But there’s not much of melody or anything else. Am pretty sure you were going for the deep spoken words song, but its not working for me.

sell crazy (+keeper)
decent intro, good song. but the hight hats are killing me.. find them annoying as hell, but that’s just me. The toms are also ditracting.. bring the whole drum track down a bit in the mix.Vocals and guitar and bass are the best parts. Also the swith between verses and chorus, should be a bit more subtle and transitional instead of that stupid drum roll. Good song overall though.

my vote goes to draft and luke..
yes i can really vote twice.
cause i got two motherfucking computers!.... hahahaha.

tonetripper · Post by **tonetripper** » Sun Apr 03, 2005 11:49 am

Brandon E. - There are some great builds in emotion and energy in this tune. I just wish that there was a little more attention paid to the production of those builds. As a song for the title, I could find myself voting for this as the performances are great.

Draft (us) - Another happy accident in the world of Draft. Thanks goes out to the C. Monster for laying down the skins that inspired the whole shooting match at the end and to my newly acquired '63 Harmony Rocket for those amazing guitar tones. This one was a one day wonder. I wish I had given THC more time so that he could have added his awesome sonic sensibilities to this. This song will be re-released with more added production once he gets around to putting his finger print on it.

Johnny Cashpoint - There is very little I don't like about this song other than the fact that I find the lyrics strangely obvious for some reason in reference to the title. The production is some of the best I've heard from Cashpoint. No vote.

Luke Henley - I'm starting to believe that I'm a closet Luke Henley fan and I especially liked that you paid more attention to your vocal dynamic in reference to digital distortion. The doubling whiny vocals just get inside my head so hard especially with the strange piano tinkering along side. The lyrics are great. 8)

1/3 of the Daj Collective - The sonic nature of that throbbing bass part combined with the slide guitar and distant vocals makes me love this. I don't really know what it is about it, but I think it's cuz it's strangely catchy and the recording is good in a lo-fi kind of way. 8)

Rabid Garfunkel - You are like the acid cowboy beat poet in this song which is awesomely cool. The one lyric that doesn't work for me is the one where she says, "Get in boys, let's go" whereas I think it would work better rhythmically to say "Get in boys. C'mon let's go." and still stand with some realism. I love this take on the title especially with the scratchy record effect. One of my favourite RG songs. 8)

Sell Crazy - When the reggae feel comes in it's sooooo hooky. I've had it stuck in my head for a day now. My biggest beef isn't with the production at all, but with the lyric that doesn't really sell me the title all that much. Sounds like it could have afforded to be a different title for the cool music. The lyric would have stood out for something more in the feel of that music. Great hooks though as it is one of my favourite produced songs in this fight, but not for the title. 8)

Top 5:
1) Luke Henley
2) Draft
3) Rabid Garfunkel
4) 1/3
5) Brandon E.

joshw · Post by **joshw** » Sun Apr 03, 2005 2:33 pm

Scoring Key: (Production, Performance, Song)

Brandone (6, 6, 8)

There's some really bad phasing problems in the mix. Also sounds like a plugged
in acoustic. I like the music a lot, but the vocal delivery is too hokey. Wow, t
his is really good music. The production and performance is hurting this to the
point where I probably won't listen to it for fun, but this is prime fodder for
a coverfight. Nicely done.

Draft (8, 8, 8)

Very nice production. Too much reverb, but that's a quibble. The singing is real
ly unique and haunting. Rhyming "fears" with "tears" makes me squirm a little. T
he static waves are very cool. This is great stuff. Possible vote.

Johnny Cashpoint (7, 6, 8)

I'm digging the cheesy intro beat. This is very fun. Like Brandone, the producti
on and performance are bringing this down in my mind, but the song itself is good enough for that to not matter. There's a ton of energy in the high frequencies, but nothing holding down the fort on the low end. Nice, though, easily one of my favorites of yours.

Luke Henley (6, 6, 6)

This isn't bad, but following three very strong songs it kinda pales.

onethirdofthblahblahblah ()

Did this song scratch out the eardrums of the other two thirds of your collective, or something?

Rabid Garfunkel (7, 7, 7)

Heh.. this reminds me of a Robert Johnson record played at too slow of a setting. The only faux pas is that the record crackle seems to have reverb. ;-) Unfortunately, I'm not into blues.

Sell Crazy (7, 7, 7)

The time changes are cool. As a whole, something about this isn't grabbing me, t
hough. I think there's too much going on - a little space would go a long way he
re.

Out of the three powerhouse songs from Brandone, Draft and J$, I'll let the production and performance break the tie and give my vote for Draft.

tonetripper · Post by **tonetripper** » Sun Apr 03, 2005 3:03 pm

joshw wrote:Draft (8, 8, 8) Rhyming "fears" with "tears" makes me squirm a little.

I'm splitting hairs with you mate, but I never once say the word "fears" in that song. Check Ye Ol' Lyric Archive if you like. Just so's you know. Thanks for the review and vote.

Rabid Garfunkel · Post by **Rabid Garfunkel** » Sun Apr 03, 2005 3:10 pm

joshw wrote:The only faux pas is that the record crackle seems to have reverb.

While we're divvying up the coneys, dunno where the 'verb's coming from, did the 'verb in hardware this time, and the crackle's a VST plugin, un effected (applied to a track of room noise, rather than the music tracks)... Will listen to the masters again, but dunno how it coulda got in there.

And for the rest of y'all, bitchin' fight, will get the reviewing action on tout suite. Fun stuff.

j$ · Post by j$ » Sun Apr 03, 2005 5:46 pm

tonetripper wrote: Johnny Cashpoint - I find the lyrics strangely obvious

Now that's strange. this is the least obvious lyric I have written in a long time, mainly because it's written specificially about a songfighter. Not being mean, I tried to obscure it as much as possible ...

j$

Daj Werkenhorse 1 · Post by **Daj Werkenhorse 1** » Mon Apr 04, 2005 12:10 am

joshw wrote:
onethirdofthblahblahblah ()

Did this song scratch out the eardrums of the other two thirds of your collective, or something?

.

No, but I'll gladly scratch out yours!

joshw · Post by **joshw** » Mon Apr 04, 2005 6:23 am

Daj Werkenhorse 1 wrote:
joshw wrote:
onethirdofthblahblahblah ()

Did this song scratch out the eardrums of the other two thirds of your collective, or something?
No, but I'll gladly scratch out yours!

I noticed.

Daj Werkenhorse 1 · Post by **Daj Werkenhorse 1** » Mon Apr 04, 2005 7:14 pm

joshw wrote:
Daj Werkenhorse 1 wrote:
joshw wrote:
onethirdofthblahblahblah ()

Did this song scratch out the eardrums of the other two thirds of your collective, or something?
No, but I'll gladly scratch out yours!
I noticed.

Honestly, it sounded fine on my desktop (hooked up to a really good set of speakers and woofer), and then when I listened to it my laptop, it was pretty tinny. I used a Guyatone TZ2 fuzz pedal, and it's pretty good at bumping up the ear-attacking treble. I won't do that anymore, at least not without a decent EQ.

Daj Werkenhorse 1 · Post by **Daj Werkenhorse 1** » Mon Apr 04, 2005 7:31 pm

(my first) REVIEW (, cut me some slack)

BRANDON E - I dig the acoustic and the offbeat. It sounds almost something my girlfriend would listen to, which isn't a bad thing. The organ seems off-key and out of place.

DRAFT - I think the vocals are too loud, or the instrumentation is too low. But that might be a personal preference. A little too slow for my liking. The distorted/electric filler chords sound kind of interesting.

CASHPOINT - I like the tinking keyboard bit.

LUKE HENLEY - The piano is neat, but maybe a bit too high in the mix.

RABID GARFUNKEL - The guitar is nice, but the vocals aren't my thing.

SELL CRAZY - This song is probably my favorite. I especially like the beatles-esque breaksdown about a minute in and again after about 2 minutes, in fact because of that, I'm voting for this one.

jack · Post by **jack** » Mon Apr 04, 2005 7:42 pm

luke henley
this isn't a bad arrangement wise but i hate the production.

johnny cashpoint
there are guitar moments that are good, like in the chorus, but in the verses it seems the guitar sits way too far back in the mix. drums aren't too bad but could really use some kick or low end as i don't hear any, and the bass seems sort of buried too. and sorry johnny but that hi hat hit is driving me postal mate.

brandon e
this is pretty good but the vox could really use a sonic boost of some kind. the rest of the mix is very clean and well done. it's got that deshead sort of feel (i think deshead's been around long enough for unofficial comparative purposes). i like how you go for lots of shift dynamically, but the mix sounds a bit flat. it's a pretty nice tune though.

sell crazy
starts out with more of that PDS* but i like the little ska switch up. i like this. if deshead and sober ever do a song together, it might sound something like this.

draft
well, the bar just got raised alot higher. awesome. fear the draft.

rabid garfunkle
dude, is that you playing the slide? thats some sick shit. i like this.

1/3 of the daj collective
it's got some potential but needs some buildout instrumentally. it sounds like you had some ideas for it, but you seem to play them all out on the electric guitar, in the same register, using the same tone. even handclaps and footstomps would have helped it out.

*Patented Deshead Sound

Rabid Garfunkel · Post by **Rabid Garfunkel** » Mon Apr 04, 2005 8:11 pm

Hey Jack, thanks!

johnny, your frenetic Big Audio Dynamite harmonies and then some are stuck... in... my... freaking... head. Your chorus (edit: not chorus, but the ...sex/virgin lines... duhhh, catchy catchy hooky fun) is *not* the thing to sing under your breath at the market checkout at 1am, heh. But I do it anyway.

More replies & bona fide reviews to come.

roymond · Post by **roymond** » Mon Apr 04, 2005 9:36 pm

Draft - Nice intimate production on voice and guitar. Is that a brush in the left ear? Yes, its very teasing and welcomes the drums entry. The vocals may be a bit too hot. I’m on a train right now to DC, looking at reflections on the windows, spying on the people around me. Weird. 7 & the vote

Johnny Cashpoint - The intro seems just tacked on, it could integrate more eloquently, as it does at the end. Not sure what your message is here, but I wish it appealed to me as much as the music. The more I like your music the more I wish I liked your lyrics. 6

Not sure who the next artist is or even what song this is, so in the event this belongs here (please use ID3 tags, people. they're nice):

b. Ellison - I like the lowered 7th in the bass (or something), but something’s out of sync at that point so it sounds wrong. Tuning among the instruments is haphazard and dangerously close to distraction. But it does add a field-jam quality to the climaxes. 7