GIGANTIC (Kim Deal reviews)

Treachjuris · Post by **Treachjuris** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 5:17 pm

Just popped in to gape in awe at the Dirty Allisons.

WeaselSlayer · Post by **WeaselSlayer** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 3:16 am

Mr. Lostman: I dunno, showing off how into the Pixies you are isn't a new trick and it still doesn't make for a good song. You mispronounced HÃ¼sker DÃ¼.

Paco del Stinko: Your voice could use some more desparation. And then it gets like funky grunge. I dunno, this is pretty cool, but could use a bit more edge. A little more off-the-handleness. Step out into the deep. Fucking cool harmonies though. And I like the changeup, where it turns to the theater for a moment. I'm really regretting putting the one reference to a Pixies lyric in my song because the references are really bugging me in this fight. But I guess it's nearly unavoidable.

Carol Cleveland Sings: One of the more phoned-in lush pop songs from you. It's nice and nicely done, but it's resting on your well-established and hefty laurels a little too much. The glockenspiel is a nice little Brion touch. I like the outro the most out of the song, but the rest I found myself eager to get through.

Those Meddling Kids: Starts like Massive Attack's "Teardrop." Maybe it's me but this fight is letting me down. It's full of stunning people turning in pretty run-of-the-mill stuff. I mean, I love TMK, and this is nice and all but you've just done better you know? You've been down this road before and either need to keep going further down it or find a new one, at the moment it just sounds like TMK being TMK. Some of the vocal parts are pretty fetching though, a little more confident than before I daresay.

The Anchors: I think this is supposed to be like a Pixies motif again, but it ends up sounding a little like Atom and His Package. It's just not manic enough, and with the effects put on the voice but the voice not really committing as much as the Frank Black it imitates, it just sounds too compressed. Not free enough. And all Frank listens to, it's all freedom rock.

Booty Chesterfield Trio: The references have reached critical mass. Now a voice is singing song titles into a mic too loud and it's just stale at this point. Which is a drag because at first I thought your riff would turn into a cool little broken down junkie-folk thing. But it didn't. Or maybe did, too successfully. Because junkies suck.

Katy and the Dwellers: This nice and pretty and airy. But maybe a little too much? I dunno. The vocals are really cutesy, which I think works for the song, and the poppy riffs and arrangement all work for the general nice clean pop effect. So, well-done. I'm not particularly into nice clean music, but I can appreciate when it's done well.

Luke Henley (me): The lyrics aren't nonsensical actually, I don't know if that makes it better or worse. It's a love letter, basically, to a lot of people.

Dirty Allisons: Lyrically, this is probably the most fun I've had in the fight, but there's just too many cooks spoiling the broth here. It could have done with some paring down, I think. I like the chorus, but a lot of this just seems like more flash than substance. Great lyrics though.

j$ · Post by j$ » Sat Jul 08, 2006 3:38 am

WeaselSlayer wrote:there's just too many cooks spoiling the broth here.

This is utterly meaningless. Four people is not too many for most bands, and you only have to look in the lyric thread to see how many of those people were involved in the writing.

You are, of course, entitled not to like the song. But do it for the right reasons rather than one you just made up.

I've said this before but you really need to work on your review technique. Just writing down the first thing in a review that sounds cool, and fits your pre-conceptions, isn't helping anyone, and it makes for a boring read. Sure, I know you like improv, but this is an etirely different media.

Bad, lazy Luke.

WeaselSlayer · Post by **WeaselSlayer** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 3:53 am

That's a common expression, and it means something very specific. Too many people who do their own thing coming together still doing their own thing and therefore producing a product that is just going in too many directions at once. Your song doesn't sound like a cohesive band, it sounds like TMK/j$/Ray/a splash of Jacob. And I don't write this shit to sound cool or to be interesting, I write it to share what I think of songs. And that's just going to come from my own personal frame of reference: what other bands I listen to, what my mood is like when I listen to the songs, if I had a good lunch, my own thoughts as to what sounds good/interesting. So, I don't know, what else are people supposed to get from me as a reviewer?

j$ · Post by j$ » Sat Jul 08, 2006 4:33 am

It's a (rhetorical) question of why you review. There is no obligation to even listen to a fight, let alone sit down and write thoughts about it. It's a (rhetorical) question one needs to ask oneself each time one is thinking of reviewing.

My point was - the song does not sound like a collision of styles - that's nonsense. TMK only added backing vocals, for instance. Jacob played the tab that I sent him. There may be a hundred other reasons why you don't think it's tight - but it's your pre-conceptions that hear four disperate people playing in different styles, nothing in the actual song.

This is something which could be deduced very easily by looking at the credits to the lyric that's been posted in the archive all week - that's why I called it lazy reviewing.

furrypedro · Post by **furrypedro** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 4:43 am

WeaselSlayer wrote:it sounds like TMK/j$/Ray/a splash of Jacob

That's how much of a musical presence I am

the smallest contribution to a performance ever and I get listed first

I really appreciate all the reviews; I think between them all you told it like it is, and there's actually more reviews than songs this time, I'm amazed! It'd be totally justified if I didn't get any votes for this one too, but I think Jacob's my safety net there, thanks!

Paco Del Stinko · Post by **Paco Del Stinko** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 5:22 am

I enjoyed the reviews nearly as much as the fight. Here are some brief comments about the reviews.

FurryPedro- Thanks for your patience. Your vocal suggestion is an excellent idea. Picture the horrified looks as people hear just the voice of Stink!

Bolio- Thanks for your vote and nice comments, esp. considering the competition.

Glenny- You're making me blush! I enjoy your stuff much also, and guessing who you entered as.

Beatlebrent- Adam Sandler? I would've said Adam West!

Anchors- The Halloween squeal is a Theremin.

Caravan Ray- Huh-huh. He said knobs Huh-huh huh-huh.

Mr.Lostman- Almost unsettling? I better try harder! And it's pronounced Hoo-sker Dew. Check'em out, a great band.

A Bebop A Rebop- Real drums, real bad playing too.

Weasalslayer- Like Peter Wolf said: "Every now and then we do get a bit desperate"

Thanks all, I appreciate all of the comments and that you took the time to listen. See ya! - Paco

The Anchors · Post by **The Anchors** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 6:44 am

Paco Del Stinko wrote:The Halloween squeal is a Theremin.

You should make an entire song based around that. It would fucking rule.

Paco Del Stinko · Post by **Paco Del Stinko** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 7:20 am

to: The Anchors - That's a great idea and keep your ears open! In the mean time, check out WreckdoM and Rabid Garfunkal, that I know of here, for loads of Theremin goodies!

WeaselSlayer · Post by **WeaselSlayer** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 10:53 am

Look, j$, I respect the hell out of you but back down on this one. I fucking didn't like your song, it was late at night and I was writing about a bunch of songs I didn't like and I think I did a pretty fucking good job. Cut me some slack and don't get all righteous because I thought your song was boring and uninteresting. I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry. And it still sounds like a collision of styles to me, regardless of who did what. And I read the credits on the lyrics thread, but I can just go with what my ear tells me. I don't have time to research the origin of all these songs. And just, fuck man. I just thought it wasn't very good and that you could do better. It's not a big Deal (ha).

Caravan Ray · Post by **Caravan Ray** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 4:04 pm

fwiw - Luke's review seems appropriate to me. Not saying I agree - but I see where he's coming from. I liked his review better than his song.

WeaselSlayer · Post by **WeaselSlayer** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 7:14 pm

Oh you tricksy bastard!

The Anchors · Post by **The Anchors** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 7:41 pm

My avatar's teeth put yours to shame, WeaselSlayer.

j$ · Post by j$ » Sun Jul 09, 2006 3:24 am

WeaselSlayer wrote:Look, j$ .... It's not a big Deal (ha).

Absolutely. Not getting righteous, just calling you out on a weakness I perceive in your reviewing technique. I really don't care if you like the song or not, as I said. Sorry you can't handle a different version of the truth.

Paco Del Stinko · Post by **Paco Del Stinko** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 5:18 am

Congratulations to The Anchors and Carol Cleveland Sings, rising victorious in a good fight! Thanks to my four (FOUR!) voters, very much appreciated. Good tunes all around.

mr_lostman · Post by **mr_lostman** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 7:34 am

Wow, i got third! Thanks to my six votes, whoever you are!!

congrats to what were definitely the two best songs in the fight for your wins.

Great fight everybody!

Billy's Little Trip · Post by **Billy's Little Trip** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 2:59 pm

mr_lostman wrote:
Furrypedro wrote:So who's gonna have the best Pixies/Breeders reference this fight then?
blue's already lost

I think i got the best pixies references... my song is loaded with 'em... maybe too many....

I really liked your version.