The Song Fight Bulletin Board

Forget the dogs and cats? Go for a Boa Constrictor.

Skunks are suppose to be very good pets. The optional scent bag removal procedure might entice more tries, though.

Luntar----I like this, good mood,good work, I'm a fan.


bgm---- I have been missing your parlor guitar.

bgm - Smooth vocals over a cool guitar bit with a pop chorus melody that isn't too sugary hit me pretty well. I'm liking it. Would have preferred the vocals a hair higher in the mix, but maybe my ears are just tired. Was hard to hear the lyric in many places.

Charles and Pierre Etienne - Well, the vox are pretty prominent, I can definitely hear them. Not sure about that chorus vocal, though I liked the verse vox a lot.

Glennny - A little busy and doesn't quite gel for me. It's not bad, mind you. Well, actually I like the chorus pretty well, but again the vocal maybe not quite sitting perfectly for my taste.

Inflatable Vegetables - Thought my speakers were crapping out at first. I like that bass sound but it took a second. A little sugar on that melody line and I like the bouncy feel. The vox are just a hair… not out of phase, but… they sound good enough by themselves but I don't like the effect on them in relation to the rest of the mix.

luntar - Bass line was fun. That percussion groove got a little old after a while, but I liked the feel, the rhythm. The groove, especially in the bass. The verse vocal has a cool tone to it. Not much of a fan of the actual melody. Yeah, the groove after the vox is the best part for me.

Nick Soma - Energy to spare. I like it. Hard to hear the lyric through half the song. Maybe the tone of the vox as much as the mix? But it sounds good enough. I couldn't stop moving throughout, though. I liked it.

Pigfarmer Jr - Wow, this is not the right mix. Some moron (me) sent in the wrong one. Bass part is off in one verse and the guitars are almost absent. What a loser.

Schlimminy Cricket - I really liked that vocal (melody, tone and performance) on the chorus which is weird as it's not the type of thing I normally go for. But good. I'm surprised, but I like it.

Skadaddle - I like guitars. I like energy. I liked the verse delivery vs the chorus delivery. Didn't quite grab me, though.

Squirrels - Vox effect worked against itself. I liked the feel of the intro but the vocals just didn't work for me mixed this way. I'm not saying it doesn't fit the song, but... I liked the melody well enough and the guitar line in the background was good, tasty.

The Chocolate Chips - Not a vocal effect I would have gone for, but it works in this song. I like the arrangement of adding instruments as you go along.

King Arthur - I like the rhythm, it fits the lyric setting very well. Nicely arranged to support the angle.

Here, Atticus - I like guitars. I can hear all the parts in the arrangement distinctly, clearly. But the overall sound is just a hair less clear than I want. But maybe that's just the volume of this track being lower than the others more than anything. Where is my volume knob? I like the chorus melody and the vocal delivery. Yeah, I like this one, too.

Jim Fallope and his Fallopian Dudes - Bouncy. The panned/effected vox is cool and stays clear. How do you do that? I like the doubled/harmony vox in places. I should save this for ideas in mixing the vocals in the future, but I'm too lazy. Kinda short, but I guess you can't outstay your welcome that way.

Thanks for the review, Pigfarmer Jr!

Pigfarmer Jr wrote:Would have preferred the vocals a hair higher in the mix, but maybe my ears are just tired. Was hard to hear the lyric in many places

Totally. Not your ears, mine. I tend to bury my vox, it's a long-standing issue I'm working on...

hillbilly wrote:bgm---- I have been missing your parlor guitar

Thanks, hillbilly. I'll try and work it into the next one.

glenny--- I don't get in to the vocals or lyrics at all, but you are getting better and better on that guitar, very taste full guitar.

Pigfarmer Jr wrote:

Jim Fallope and his Fallopian Dudes - The panned/effected vox is cool and stays clear. How do you do that?

Thank you, agricolam porcorum, for the kind review. I'm really happy you liked the vox; they tend to be my constant struggle. To get that vocal effect, I do a few things. First, I make the basic track, which I then copy to a separate track. I then take the new track, and push it back just a smidgen (whatever the smallest increment is that GarageBand will let you move a track) to create a double track effect. You have to pan this new track left or right about 1/4 to 1/3 of the way, otherwise you get that annoying phasing effect. I keep the first track centered. Unfortunately, with GarageBand for iOS, I don't have many (or should I say I don't have any?) eq options. I generally end up using one of the vocal presets (largeroom is nice because I can get rid of all the reverb but keep the compression) and turn up the compression as far as it will go without pushing the vocal into the red and drowning everything else out. I do this with only 1 of the doubled tracks. Then I do an actual double tracked vocal, and do the same thing to it, panning the copied track in the opposite direction, and add the compression, and yada, yada, yada. Essentially, I end up with four tracks for what would normally be a one or two track deal. I actually do this to the harmony tracks as well, because if I don't they'll end up sound hollow and one dimensional compared to the lead vocal tracks. Of course, the levels on the harmonies are much lower. Wow, I didn't expect to write that long of an explanation. Hope it makes sense. My reviews for everyone are coming!

bgm's was my favorite by a pretty wide margin - liked some of the stuff in luntar's too. Voted for bgm & luntar. overall it's a bit quiet around here these days, eh?

I'm not too happy with my entry this time around - not too inspired. and I'm not inspired enough to do full reviews either. At least not now. Maybe later...

chocolatechips wrote:overall it's a bit quiet around here these days, eh?

A little too quiet... *cue entrance of evil ninja horde* --TMNT2: Secret of the Ooze

In the U.S. we are entering somewhat of a period of holiday-making time, so folks will be in and out and up and down and such. Board traffic seems to slow down this time of year.

JB

Pick an Animal reviews:

BGM: I don't know much about Fountains of Wayne aside from "Stacie's Mom," but I feel like this could be the B-Side to that tune. Really nice harmonies; reminds me of the Byrds. Wow, this is just about perfect, really. Didn't really pay much attention to the lyric aside from the fact that it sounds so pretty.

Charles and Pierre Etienne: Randy Newman? The voice is interesting. Nice piano. Again, not paying much attention to the words, but don't feel as if they are matching the rhythm of the tune; kinda forced.

The Chocolate Chips: I like the picking on the guitar, but not the effect so much. Despite the effect on the vocals, they are very clear. This sounds like it could be a song in a musical, maybe something like Willie Wonka, except with a "zoo" theme. You have your Charlie-type lead character asking about which animal he should choose to be, and then Willie Wonka breaks into song explaining that he can be any animal he picks. If you want to view paradise, Simply look around and view it, Anything you want to, do it, Wanta change the world? There's nothing To it.
PS. I just remembered that your band name is the Chocolate Chips. Coincidence?

Pigfarmer, Jr.: Wow, very political. Or maybe apolitical; apathetic? Really like how you took the title and really turned it on its head. Punky. I wish it was a bit more distorted, more gain, more crunch.

Squirrels: A very Pink Floydish beginning; vocals are very muddy; cannot follow it. Wait, just heard "the old man said" and then something about a "galley?"

Inflatable Vegetables: I am becoming a big fan of the Inflatable Vegetables. Would Inflatable Vegetable fans be called "Inflatable Vegetarians" or "Veg Heads?" Getting that late Steely Dan feel like I did with your "the Rat Brain." The chorus vocals seem a bit jumbled; maybe too much reverb?; I don't know, I'm not an expert. Really like it over all.

Nick Soma: Nice punky tune. Lyric is cool. What's that thing doubling the bass in the left channel? I like how it and the bass in that section are doing their own thing rhythmically but it all seems to gel.

Here, Atticus: Is this Animal Farm? You know, I never read it. Read 1984 and Homage to Catalonia. Its one of those books that I was probably supposed to read in the 11th or 12th grade and then bullshitted my way through a report. I like the tune, but feel like the lyric doesn't really match the song; i.e., the song is too serious for the lyric. Maybe that's because I never read Animal Farm.

Luntar: I am at a Panera Bread as I am listening to and reviewing these songs. My whole body started moving when this song came on. Great groove. Once the vocal comes in everything suddenly sounded like it was in mono, which was reinforced by the fact that it suddenly went super-stereo right after that point. Regardless, your groove held and I continued to almost fall out of my Panera Bread stool.

King Arthur: Very topical! I hope you're re singing this with a hefty dose of sarcasm. Okay, I know you're singing it with a hefty dose of sarcasm. Favorite line: "lion population in decline, so I had to make sure I got mine." Initially I looked at the song time and thought "Oh shit, this is going to be much too long" but it managed to hold my attention throughout, which is something I'm never able to do with a 4 minute plus song. It's "The Lion King" meets "Bungalow Bill."

Schlimminy Cricket: Love the Lyric! Funny, funny, funny. I wonder if this is something that exists in pop culture, these characters? If so I'm not familiar with the source. If its something that you just came up with on your own, well, wow, what a brilliant piece of comedic lyricism. Well done. You could almost see this being an ESPN transcript from the pre-match commentary of an MMA fight or Boxing match.

Skaddadle: I see vikings, taking on the bear shirt, the wolf shirt, taking on the attributes of the creatures they are emulating in battle. I see vikings. With golden biker mustaches and braids, silver helmets with horns. Lightning bolts and longships. Wagner vikings. These vikings are really clean and smell great. Am I anywhere close? Probably not.

Glenny: Me: Siri, what's the opposite of personification?
Siri: Let me check on that...okay, here's what I found.
Zoomorphism.
Me: Cool.

My favorites are BGM, Cricket, Arthur, and Vegetables. Don't know if I'll be submiting this week due to aforementioned holiday (also, my son was born about 7 years ago on November 25th, which, however wonderful, further complicates holiday scheduling). Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Please stay safe.

Rudedawg Raymond wrote:Pick an Animal reviews:
Pigfarmer, Jr.: Wow, very political. Or maybe apolitical; apathetic? Really like how you took the title and really turned it on its head. Punky. I wish it was a bit more distorted, more gain, more crunch.

Yeah, I sent in the wrong mix. The guitars are almost nonexistent here. What little fuzz you hear is actually on the bass guitar. I've already tweaked the levels slightly and I'll revisit before putting out the album next month.

Thanks for the review.

Glenny: Me: Siri, what's the opposite of personification?
Siri: Let me check on that...okay, here's what I found.
Zoomorphism.
Me: Cool.

I tried to use all of the animal metaphors I could think of that would fit in a little rock song.
Zoomorphism is a good word.

bgm
Big Star, Matthew Sweet, the Posies, I love this kind of rock. Those guitars, the main riff on the right, the warm chords on the left, sound so good. The bridge, omg the bridge is sublime. The jangly shimmering strummed guitar chords, and the gorgeous harmony vocals on 'fly', that shit gets me high. Favorite song of the fight.

Charles and Pierre Etienne
Dig the 70s piano and organ sound. The buildup on 'such a cutie' is great, but the line after that (right before pick an animal) is sorta garbled with the multi-track vox stepping on each other. The vox sound great, you guys can really sing, but in a few places the vocal tracks don't quite sync up right which sounds sloppy. Having said all that, I really like this song, and the style.

The Chocolate Chips
The stereo guitar and vocals really work well for me, nicely dreamy. The 'fffttt' percussion sound to me unfortunately sounds a lot like the Slack application's new message sound, which took me out of the song for a sec, but I got over it quickly. David Lynch I have positive / surreal associations with, Donald Trump not so much. I guess that's the danger of name dropping. The line 'be a bee' I really like. Good stuff.

Glennny
Right away I'm liking the cowbell and the Rush guitar sounds. Lyrically I like how you worked all the different animals into the verses, and made it all make sense with the 'I could morph into any kind of beast' line. The chorus is uplifting and makes me feel good like it should. I think your lead vocals sound a little bit subdued, I feel like they could use a little something to make them stand out a bit more.

Here, Atticus
Love the Orwellian take on the song title here, nicely done, I really appreciate the seriousness of the song. Start a revolution baby! The line about the pig having other plans and walking like a man, gets to the heart of the book where the other animals can no longer distinguish between pigs and humans. Musically it rocks, and as usual the singing is stellar. This song made the most of the title IMHO.

Inflatable Vegetables
Rudedawg: I like 'Veg Heads' best. The synth bass is maybe a bit overwhelming, but overall the groove is really solid, and the Ooh Ooh Ooh' hook is sweet. As usual it's the lyrics that draw me in, and this track is no exception, the line about the lioness is my favorite.

Jim Fallope and his Fallopian Dudes
Right away, I'm boppin' my head back and forth, and I'm a fan of the strummed pick sounds on the guitar. "Ooooo-weeee-oooh" perfect. After that you hear somebody say something like 'quit it'. That same voice at the end I think says 'get with it'. As a listener I love these kinds of weird details, they definitely add interest for me. 'You will be as a girl if you wish to try' is really fun, what was the original line you started with? My only complaint with this song (besides the fact that there isn't more Ooooo-weeee-oooh vox) is that the character of the vocal lines that start at 0:55 are a bit over-the-top, like they were sung by Thurston Howell the Third or something.

King Arthur
Heh, nice, way to tie the song title to Walter Palmer, the dentist and trophy hunter. My original idea for this title was about going to a Furry dance at a Sci-Fi convention. Luckily that idea remains safely locked up in my notebook. I think you managed to capture the mindset of this guy, maybe a little too well.

luntar
Good spooky funky groove, dig that electric piano sound. Musically I like this song a lot better than lyrically. The line 'pick an animal that's fun to kill' is like a middle-school rhyme and sentiment. Meh.

Nick Soma
Nice loud mix! Can really hear the bass, and the cymbals. I always mix the drums dead center, and maybe I shouldn't because having the crash in the left ear and the high-hat the right ear like that really works. I can really hear the panning on this track. Enjoying the pop-punk sound of this quite a lot. The vocals do a weird thing at 1:36, where they kinda warble a bit. 'Let me tell you what it means / I'll interpret all your dreams' is a great line.

Pigfarmer Jr
I think you can be political, or you can be literal, but when it's both it's a turn off. On the chorus 'not true / that's true' is a little too loud, and a little too far panned to the right, my right ear is taxed. My favorite part is the muffled low dirty solo.

Schlimminy Cricket
The schmaltzy synth sounds are a turn off right off the bat. Jeffery vs Rocky, they both have good traits, gonna be a tough one. Are they literal cats? Mega-Rat and Steve Supreme complicate matters. What I like about this song is that is just plain weird. I have no idea what it's about, and I like that.

Skadaddle
Fuck ya, sounds like Sabbath right off the top, those guitar licks rock. The verse vox sound like like your vocal chords have taken well to the Tom Waits throat ointment of unfiltered Pall Malls and cheap booze. Gravelly. The chorus vox though sound soaring and have a cool layered treatment to them, nice.

Votes: BGM, Charles & Pierre, Choco Chips, Atticus, Jim Fallope. Great fight everyone!

Chumpy wrote: Great fight everyone!

"Almost everyone," surely.

AJOwens wrote:"Almost everyone," surely.

I'm nearly over it. I'm starting to come around to the idea that they're acting in good faith and not just trolling us for laughs.

Chumpy wrote:I'm starting to come around to the idea that they're acting in good faith and not just trolling us for laughs.

Can it be both? Trolling for laughs in good faith?

Chumpy wrote: 'You will be as a girl if you wish to try' is really fun, what was the original line you started with?

I thought someone might ask, so I screenshot the evidence. It was an actual internet quiz. The only thing I changed was "come" to "try." I thought some people might misinterpret "come," just like I did with Norah Jones (then again, I might be right about Norah Jones). I guess I added the word "you" as well.

Thanks chocolatechips, Rudedawg Raymond and Chumpy for the really nice words, I appreciate it.

Congrats bgm!

Thanks man!