Pixelated Pipe Dreams (Digital Chimera Reviews)

[Spud]

I would like to thank everyone who made a review thread this week.

[Rabid Garfunkel]

I'll wait longer next time, heh...

[nyjm]

lots o' electronica in this fight, but that was to be expected, no?

andre was here at midnight
- i like the opening music, though the piano sounds slightly out of tune and out of time
- the singing, on the other hand, especially the harmonies, are off-key and distractingly so
- rather like the low guitar vamp, though it gets a little repetitive; give it some more focus

dan werkenhorse
- interesting sonic effects
- much improved from last week; i especially like the bass groove
- interesting dynmaic play, but sounds like a bass jam that you added bits too; a little more direction to it would do you well

brent clark palmer/network cowboy
- pretty piano twinkling; good counter point with the lower chords
- the constant right hand twinkle gets a little old. the change in pace near 2:00 is welcome; maybe you could move that up in the composition
- why is this called digital chimera?

nex-gen herd
- interesting lyrical take on the title
- makes me nostalgic for my old super NES
- doesn't really go anywhere, though

noah mclaughlin
- i was trying to keep this composition tight (short), but listening to its now, i think some of the ideas aren't given enough time to develop
- wanted to go for a real quiet/loud juxtaposition, at which i think i succeeded to certain extent
- the lyrics are an example of what grad school does to your stream of consciousness; read rousseau's "confessions"

noise brigade
- fun little ditty

song fight orchestra
- a bit of "eternal sunshine of the spotless mind"
- the backing lyrics don't really do it for me; slightly off key

tube toothepaste
- "with my rocket launcher drawn" haha! as an avid FPS player, i love these lyrics, but wonder who else might get into it
- like the bass groove
- bring that lead guitar part in earlier than the final chorus

x-tokyo-river-god
- there was really no question that you would be in on this fight, was there?
- damn: we had the same idea and your effects kick my effects butt
- the lyrics lack a bit of prosody

[DELETED]

DELETED

[Dan Wrekenhaus 2]

X Tokyo Rivergod

I definately appreciate the creepieness. For me personally, not enough happens dynamically, which is actually probably appropriate.

Dan Werkenhorse

The guy that said it sounds like a bass jam with parts added in was probably right. Needed more lyrics. I liked the effect I had on the guitar, but it needed some compression and I didn't have time to learn how to do it this week so I had to keep it down in the mix.

Andre Was Here at Midnight

Decent song, longer than my attention span allows. Vocals could use some work here and there, and I might've made the electric guitar a tad more subtle.

Network Cowboy

Some cool piano work.

Nex-Gen Herd

The lyrics are relevant to me, but I don't find the music too interesting. What's your favorite NES game?

Noah MacLaughlin

Tasty morsel is one of my favorite team of words! Especially when it's said by a "robot." For the sake of being about a digital chimera, I like it.

Noise Brigade

Oh man, for some reason this is making me thing of Road Blasters! Bonus points for that. My take on it, and this is more of a general statement, but with the lyric-less songs would have been more chimera-ish if they were more diverse or fragmented. Like last weeks entry by Dither Dander was a chimera of a song.

Songfight Orchestra

Okay song. I have nothing creative to say about it.

Tuba Toothpaste

ok, the song I have just cuts abrubtly... I am downloading it again.. but so far I like the lyrical content, even though I don't like FPS' much. (less hitman)

[Dan Wrekenhaus 2]

dan werkenhorse
- interesting sonic effects
- much improved from last week; i especially like the bass groove
- interesting dynmaic play, but sounds like a bass jam that you added bits too; a little more direction to it would do you well

Are you a freaking mind reader? I suck with a capital SUCK at guitar, so I am trying to learn how to build a song, an interesting song, from the bass up. Of course, I'm not that good at bass either...

Dan Werkenhorse:
::Is this the only fight you're in, this week? It looks like it served you well; the song feels more focused and songlike, without losing your ever-adorable weirdness. The bass is cool as hell, the vocals work well and it ends pretty much exactly where it needs to.
::Contender- and I'm tempted to say "most improved," but I suspect that the songs you did last week sounded exactly how you wanted them to.

Last week I was part of Systematic Panic, and did the Everybody Now song on my own. This song was also just me, which is why it's a little bass heavy.

[Tuba Toothpaste]

Noise Brigade:

::I don't know, this one synth-bell patch is making and breaking the song, for me. Everything that's going on in the background is just fine, and everything that you're doing with the bell is really neat... it just feels almost Rugrats, to me.

I detect this bell patch is the "chime" in "chimera". A clever idea. Seems obvious, but I missed that connection when planning a song because the word is not pronounced that way.

[tonetripper]

Andrewashereatmidnight - The pitchiness is kind of cool at points in a J. Mascus kind of way, but really just gets a little out of control and makes me not dig it for the title and mostly because I find the lyric of Digital Chimera forced into the music.

Dan Werkenhorse - Like whiny punk-rap music with a bass tone that rules and sonic space that kind gets under my fingernails. 8)

Network Cowboy - Sounds like Philip Glass gone mental with David Foster.

Nexgenherd - The vocoder works for me for the title, but that's about it.

Noah McLaughlin - Look everyone it's Stephen Hawking having sex with a strange unidentified cosmic animal......

Noise Brigade - Casio tainted instrumental video game music.

SFO - Good lyric for the title considering your time restraints.

Tuba Toothpaste - This is the best lyric for the title, too bad the music is so midified, because that is where it loses me, but in comparison to the other submissions it'll probably get my vote.

X-Tokyo River God - Backward masking is fun, but why so often in your submissions? 8)

Top 3:
1) Tuba Toothpaste - for the lyrical content
2) Dan Werkenhorse - for getting under my fingernails
3) SFO - for the desperation

[nyjm]

Noah McLaughlin - Look everyone it's Stephen Hawking having sex with a strange unidentified cosmic animal......

HAHAHAHA!

not really the effect that i was going for, but that's one of the funniest things i've ever read in my life....

[joshw]

Andre WHAM (6, 4, 5)

Lounge-o-matic music, bad lyrics, worse singing... are you even trying?

danwerkenhorse (6, 7, 5)

This one's pretty bad, too, but at least there's some creativity here. Still, it
feels like strange for the sake of strange.

Brent Clark (7, ?, 6)

The new agey intro isn't giving me many warm fuzzies. And seeing as how this is
just a 2:43 intro to a song that never comes, next.

nexgenherd (7, 6, 5)

I don't know if I'm cranky today or what, but this one is doing nothing for me e
ither. The verse is just plain bad, the chorus is better. Not nearly enough to s
ave this, though.

noah mclaughlin (7, n/a, 4)

Is this fight a giant April Fools' joke?

noisebrigade (6, n/a, 4)

Oh my fucking god, where are the songs in this fight?

Songfight Orchestra (7, 6, 7)

This has little hints of funness. I'm not fond of the arrangement and I'm definitely not fond of the singing, but the TMBGish feel and the chorus are nice. Too
short.

Tuba Toothpaste (6, 6, 6)

The lyrics and vocal delivery on this are extra cheesy. Not feeling this, either
, but one of the better ones in this fight.

xtokyorivergod ()

*sigh*


Wow, this fight was not one of SF's shining moments. I guess SFO gets my vote.

[Dan Wrekenhaus 2]

danwerkenhorse (6, 7, 5)

This one's pretty bad, too, but at least there's some creativity here. Still, it
feels like strange for the sake of strange.

When you say "bad, too," are you comparing it to the previous song in this fight, or the song I did last week? Because the song I did last week went without your review and I didn't know if that was on purpose or not. It left me feeling empty.

[NeilThrun]

Andre at 12PM-Nice idea but your voice is extremely out of time and tune. It wouldnt matter but everything else is so crystal clean and clear.

Dan werken horse-Intro is too long, but i suppose thats artistic. Nice vocal effect and rap. Cuts out early, and you really lost the momentum of the song. But still its cool.

Network Cowboy-Yeah i suppose this is good. Too bad I dont give a shit. Boring. Piano with out harmonica, bah.

Nex Gen Herd-Your voice lacks energy, its no good. The transistion from verse to refrain is poor aswell.

Noah- If your going to use computer voices, make sure to say little and make it count. Otherwise people get bored. Regardless the lyrics are good, its just a bad way to go about.

Noise Brigade-This song is by a friend of mine, Its alright. Maybe a couple more synths and variation. Cool harmonies and melodies.

Song Fight Orchestra-Starts off boring. But the vocal back ups are awesome. Your voice is really cool and interesting to listen too. Perfect length, its gets the point across well.

Tuba-Bad echo effect, boring lyrics. Worse drum pattern. Guitars are alright but could use a little more distortion or something. Nice bass line, your basist might be the only one of you guys who knows what hes doing.

Tokyorivergod-This isnt music, you have no beat, melody, or lyrics. Maybe a bass drum could have saved this.

So my money is on Song Fight Orchestra.

[Edge of LA]

*sigh*


Wow, this fight was not one of SF's shining moments.

I concur

[roymond]

<b>Danwerkenhorse </b>- I think the head-banging anger-scream delivery would have served the first verse better. I like that screechy guitar and the place it holds in the mix. The mix overall is great. But I’d cut the last few bass notes, and have it end with the bongo. 6

<b>Tuba Toothpaste </b>– Mostly held back by the production. This is fun nonetheless. Seems so thin …piano instead of guitar? And there’s too much reverb on both vocals and drums. I’d give the bass more bandwidth. 6

<b>Xtokyorivergod</b> – Wow, you got your voice back? I’m digging the loops and the mix. Ahhh, she’s back You have a fan. 7 & the vote

<i>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):</i>

<b>b. Ellison </b>- 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

[Dan Wrekenhaus 2]

Dan werken horse-Intro is too long, but i suppose thats artistic. Nice vocal effect and rap. Cuts out early, and you really lost the momentum of the song. But still its cool.

In seriousness I ask: "too long" as in it's not interesting the whole time, or you're just not a fan of long intro's?

Danwerkenhorse - I think the head-banging anger-scream delivery would have served the first verse better. I like that screechy guitar and the place it holds in the mix. The mix overall is great. But I’d cut the last few bass notes, and have it end with the bongo. 6

I was trying to go for a "perspective of the beast" in the first verse, and then "perspective of the victim" in the second. Would've come across better if I weren't going solo I suppose... My falsetto isn't.... um... any good is what I was searching for.

Thanks so far everyone, the reviews for the most part have been constructive!

[Niveous]

Niv's Review Paragraph

First reviews of the day. Just had breakfast and I'm ready to go. Digital Chimera time. A fight already touted by Woodward and Edge of LA as one of SF's worst. I know what this means- Experimental offerings abound. This ought to be fun. No sarcasm there, folks. I'm looking forward to this one. First, the return of AWHAM. Dischordant piano is a nuisance. Without it, I could dig this song. Wait, I am digging this. It intensifies and that energy has got my head bopping. It's got this Pixies meets Jesus & Mary chain feel. Falls apart a bit at the end but it's good nonetheless. Next Noise Brigade. Lots of Midi. Lots. No experimentation, just lots of plinks really fast. Instrumentals get no vote from me. Next Werkenhorse. I like the grumbling bass in this and the percussion. The end is weak but this wasn't half bad. Oh looks like I'm next. This week's x-tokyo is my attempt to get the feeling of a street preacher speeching against technology and about the upcoming apocalypse. Another backward beat from me. I just loved stringing together Bollywood style beats, screwing around with them and hearing them backwards. Next, Tuba Toothpaste. I'm digging some of the lyrics (verses not chorus). It's ok, but it's not hooking me enough to warrant further listens. Not bad though, just ok. Next. Oh, it seems to be another instrumental. This one by Digital Cowboy. Where is the Chimera in this? It's a bland song full of pretty sounding keys. Next. Nex Gen Herd do more talking about videogames. It's short and not as well written as Tuba toothpaste's. Below average marks. Noah McLaughlin, we should collab. It has the feel of something I would make. Very much like my entry in the way it's a speech about the digital chimera coming to bring the apocalypse. It's got some good stuff but the beat is too sparse. SFO is last. Who is this trying to make their voice fit with the J$ voice from last week. Yuk. I can't stand SFO entries. They come to the fight but have no punch to them. Vote time. My vote is for AWHAM, with #2 to Tuba and #3 to Werkenhorse.

[Dan Wrekenhaus 2]

I like the grumbling bass in this and the percussion.

I have a 4 string bass, and I use the BEAD strings from a 5 string set. It's hard as heck to keep in tune, since the bass isn't designed for it, but I like a lot of the lows I can get.

[blue]

danwerkenhorse (6, 7, 5)

This one's pretty bad, too, but at least there's some creativity here. Still, it
feels like strange for the sake of strange.

When you say "bad, too," are you comparing it to the previous song in this fight, or the song I did last week? Because the song I did last week went without your review and I didn't know if that was on purpose or not. It left me feeling empty.

you didn't do a song last week.

[blue]

Andre: I'm struggling hard with this one. The backing tracks are really great - so much better than the rest of the song that I'm wondering if it's a loop from a Pavement song or something. Either you're a genius on the rise or just another songfight fucktard. I guess time will tell. But hey, really nice job on the backing tracks. The vocals even grew on me a little. It's all Beck meets Smog with some crazy guitar attitude.. I just dunno. [edit] Third listen: I like it. I'd buy an album of it.

Dajshittenhedz: songfight!

Next dude: songfight!

Next dude: beow beow beow beo.. jesus.

Noah M: This had better turn into a giant wall of distorted guitar... beep beep TTS.. beep beep. OK, actually, this is starting to lack in suck. Good monologue... Enjoying it by the end. You're hired to dress up as <s>Elmo</s> Daffy and DJ my sex parties. THIS IS YOUR DUCK, ACADEMIA. THIS IS YOUR DUCK, POLITICIANS. Quack.

NoiseB: Lacking in both noise and brigantry.

SFO: Man I hate the bass patch here. This would have been really cool with drums, vox, and THUMB PIANO. Excellent lyrics.

Tuba: I'll review when you tune.

Tokyo: Suitably creepy, but coulda used some more elements. Feels a little weird-lite.

[Dan Wrekenhaus 2]

danwerkenhorse (6, 7, 5)

This one's pretty bad, too, but at least there's some creativity here. Still, it
feels like strange for the sake of strange.

When you say "bad, too," are you comparing it to the previous song in this fight, or the song I did last week? Because the song I did last week went without your review and I didn't know if that was on purpose or not. It left me feeling empty.

you didn't do a song last week.

I have a hard time understanding around here... are you being mean or funny?

[Niveous]

Dan Wrekenhaus 2. Here's an excerpt from the old SF Forum guidelines which might help:

Keep in mind, especially if you are a newbie, that not all reviews or posts will be constructive or positive. In fact, you may experience a short hazing period, typical of many public boards. We are an established community, and you are, well, to put it bluntly... fresh meat. It's all in good fun though. Unless you actually ARE an asshole, don't let Blue get to you. Keep in mind that we are used to ripping each other a new one on a daily basis - it's not about you. If you have the fortitude to ride it out, you will very likely earn a place in our hearts.

[erik]

are you being mean or funny?

Both.