The Stage Ate My Girlfriend! (Attack of the Show Reviews)

[ken]

Everybody run, the Homecoming Halftime Show's got a gun!

[j$]

Ah, it all becomes clear - the short deadline, the big names appearing in the fight, the 'odd' title ... publicity whores, I say, publicity whores

But feel free to play my song if you get the chance ... only as a protest against the machine of course .... hehehe

Seriously, go plug! Yay Songfight! Let's hope it attracts a whole buncha new exciting songfighterrrrrrrrrrs!

j$

[Spud]

Well, as y'all might have noticed by now, there is an announcement on the front page regarding the name of this fight.

It's true, your beloved fightmasters, jb and spud, are appearing on G4TV's "Attack of the Show" on Wednesday, September 28, live at 4pm pst (7pm est).

They suggested the title, so it follows that they might want to play some of the songs. Please pm jb or me if you do not want your song played.

Some helpful links:

<a href = "http://www.g4tv.com">G4TV</a>
<a href = "http://www.g4tv.com/attackoftheshow/">Attack of the Show</a>
<a href = "http://www.g4tv.com/attackoftheshow/episodes/4520/Songfightorg_Ultimate_SpiderMan_Serenity.html">Our Episode</a>
<a href = "http://www.g4tv.com/episode_airing.aspx?episode_key=4520">Rerun Schedule</a>
<a href = "http://www.g4tv.com/channel.aspx">Find G4 in your area</a>

Yeah, yeah, I know it says just JB. I am gonna be there, too.

[Future Boy]

Right, now I remember where I heard it before. Jonathan Mann wrote a song for them, didn't he?

Anyway, y'all can prepare to be laid waste by HD's new masterpiece.

[HeuristicsInc]

well, this is cool. looks like we get that channel so we're going to tape it!
no wonder it was rushed, then...
-bill

[starfinger]

somebody please digitize the segment.

[Bjam]

Oooh. Very cool. Will watch.

[j$]

The stream wasn't working when I clicked on it, so apologies for un-orderliness of reviews ...

EBA - this sounds great - the rhythm you've chosen for the vocals maybe feels a little odd against the drum machine rhythm - also don't like boasty rap. but I can't really knock it for what it is, except maybe a key change for the chorus would help - at the moment it feels a little longer than it is...

Anthony - hey there. Your microphone is too loud. Again there's charm here, but it goes on too long and pales quickly. Still interesting potential suggested by the lyric.

Johnny Cashpoint - is me. I like this one, which are usually the ones that everybody hates A 20 minute mastering session might make it even less palatable than usual ...

Klaus Atomik - good stuff. What more can I say? It would be churlish to find fault in the arrangement (slightly flat during the chorus breakdown) because it's a live jam, and a damn good one at that.

Fluffy - I hope it's not 5 and a half minutes of 'Art Fluffy' - for a while I thought this was going to be a one-chord drone - it still feels like it needs a bit more variation - but I like the 'ooh ooh attack of the show' segment. Overall a little bit too reverby? Might benefit from being barer ...

Menbah! - Are you following me around? Great opening. Vocal could maybe do with being mixed into the track a bit more than it is - seems to be sitting atop it at the moment. Maybe only my impression. I like the 'Attack of the SHOOOOOOOOW' and subsequent silly wig-out - that section could be choppier percussion wise. Yeah I like this, but that vocal, which is in fine Jello biafra territory, just seems a bit out of kilter with the rest of the song, to these jaded ears.

# - this is a great lyric (although I would call it 'Attack of the ...' -- the show is just one in the list) - oh this is prime Octothorpe - Art jazz is always welcome round these parts Yes, suitably insane - the sped up voices and the mad residents stomp sections work very well for me.

Corn on the Cob - lovely tune, a little hot in the mix but that's what four days does for ya, I guess. I really think these words are really trite, but the tune and performance are strong. I love the weirdy bit at 2.00 mins in or so. Ah yes there is the Boltoph 'grind out' that always comes ... predictable but welcome. Play to your strengths &c - but really - Living in fast forward, thinking in slow motion/ I'd like a show of hands to vote on if we're really living at all'? 'No fat lady'? I really like this song but I really don't like the words. I doubt it will stop you doing very well, so no biggie ....

Flying Brick - song in two fights? No review .... oh alirght, this is quite good, but I can't shake the nagging feeling that I have heard this music somewhere else before ... i mean, exactly that music ... maybe it just means it's really good and well recorded, of course ...

Abjure! - Ah that's a great grind. Not much else I can say about it! The chorus maybe submerges the melody under the weight of the sonic hammer time but not in any way that makes the song suffer, and the bridge is beautiful. (although did I hear a flat note in there? I thought you were pitch-perfect

HD - pretty. Do Cobras spit more when they are on crack? You have a lovely voice. A little bit twee and orphan-annie-performing-in-a-spotlight, but in a good way. And a lot of the lyric is really top-notch - 'might as well look up her dress' is the highlight for me.

Well, that's not a bad bunch to throw at the TV Execs. If they play any, I would reccommend it to be Corn on the Cob, East Bay Acolytes, HD, # and Abjure!, so I guess my vote should come from there, although I personally have a soft spot for Klaus Atomik and his crazy garage high-kicks ...

[Delicious Nick]

Anthony: ouch! The 1st “hello there!â€

[A-Log]

Thanks for the helpful and nice reviews so far. But for the record, it's Anthony "A-Log" LoGatto, not Antony. The Fightmaster made an error on my name, and I e-mailed him to tell him so, but so far no response.

Anthony "A-Log" LoGatto

[WeaselSlayer]

[mkilly]

abjure! - pretty good!
anthony a-log logatto - is there a song here? oh, there it is. that is, that's where it would be if it was a song.
corn on the cob - matchbox twenty?! did you guys ditch rob thomas. this is pretty good though.
dark liberty (flying brick?) - cute.
east bay acolytes - this is kind of cool so far. vocals aren't so hot. pretty bizkit-esque. it's uh... well, if i was a couple years younger and you were a couple years older... it shows promise and all but you're years too late and stuff. beats are good and all, but i just can't take it seriously.
fluffy - fluffy fluffy fluffy. what can i say to you? this is actually kind of nice. i like the melodic line and the lyrics.
high density - the melody is a lot like "don't deconstruct" by rilo kiley, in parts. that's a real nice organ sound. real good track here, i can see myself falling in love with it.
johnny cashpoint - cool intro dude! this is neat. i like the tone of the guitar. you're getting better at arranging.
klaus atomik - wooo, rockin'. it's nice to have a live rock song in the fight. this sounds live. maybe the vocals were on another track, but. nice ending there. i dig it.
menbah! - you are not quite at dead kennedys or screaming weasel level. good effort, though.

-= STORY TIME =-

I used this firefox extension to download all the songs, and then I queued them up in Winamp and found that I had, one, forgotten to go to the fight page and so I also downloaded Cow Exchange's "Concentrating" and two "Old People Shopping"s. So I deleted those three tracks, and found that Octothorpe hadn't downloaded correctly. I deleted it from Winamp's playlist and redownloaded the track. I then listened to all the tracks, besides Octothorpe's, and reviewed them, and came to a decision about a vote. I wrote the following: "i don't see a clear vote here! hmmmmm. klaus atomic or high density or corn on the cob or abjure! i guess. fuck it, i'm voting HD. klaus atomik, you did great, though."

I went to post it, and went to the IRC room to tell Future Boy, fluffy, and Spud that I had reviewed the fight, but then I thought... no, I didn't review Octothorpe. So I listened to, and reviewed Octothorpe's entry: octothorpe - forgot to get a windscreen for mad dog again? ahaha this is awesome. i love octothorpe. when octothorpe's bad it's unbearable, but when octothorpe's less bad it's awesome. you do real well, spud, with the announcer voice. fluffy evokes "suicide is painless." there's some funny musical stuff going on here. wow.

-= END STORY TIME, KIND OF =-

I'm voting Octothorpe.

[fluffy]

We used a wind screen on Maddog and he STILL got breath on the mic. I think it's hopeless.

[mkilly]

# - this is a great lyric (although I would call it 'Attack of the ...' -- the show is just one in the list) - oh this is prime Octothorpe - Art jazz is always welcome round these parts Yes, suitably insane - the sped up voices and the mad residents stomp sections work very well for me.

Never criticize Octothorpe for writing songs that aren't exclusively based on the title. C'mon, dude. Do you know the Flaming Lips' song "She Don't Use Jelly"? (link to the lyrics, hosted on the Ben Folds.org page--they did a cover). The girl uses neither butter nor cheese to top toast, but vaseline. The song goes on to describe two other characters, one of which doesn't use tissues, his sleeve, or napkins when he blows his nose (favoring magazines), and a third doesn't use nothing that one buys at the store to color her hair (favoring tangerines). But the title "She Don't Use Jelly" is charming and intriguing and funny.

Don't look at it as "Octothorpe wrote a song for the title 'Attack of the Show' but it only says 'Attack of the Show' once," look at it as "Octothorpe wrote a song that used the phrase 'Attack of the...' several times but opted for 'Show' for the title." See how big a difference this different perspective makes?

[moboid]

Anyway, y'all can prepare to be laid waste by HD's new masterpiece.

Uh, well it's our new SONG at least. I will admit this much.

[cynic]

Abjure: are you talking about laura foy? She was my reason for watching G4TV.com. If you aren't talking about Laura Foy, then, well done... 'Try not to sneeze.' = lovely.

Anthony Logatto: the promise of complex lyrics. a creative ability limited by the constraints of time? I enjoyed the show, it really was surreal!

Corn on the cob: Man, that lead in sounds nice. And a nice groove throughout. The show must go on!

East Bay Acolytes: This beat is amazing... I don't have to make excuses, but I wrote the lyrics, without a beat. Then, Delicious Nick put together this amazing piece and I recorded over it, the 'hook' was written to match up with that catchy guitar. I like the way this sounds, and we might record something full length. Vote for EBA!

Fluffy: Say word... ooh oooooh AotS. So soft, I don't feel it fits with the theme, in a different context, the melody would be nice.

Flyingbrick: For real, that is a nice mix. The drums are solid with the the rest of the music, and the vocals are very clear. I know the guitarist loved recording that last part.

HD: I spent both minutes waiting for a beat. But great work on the songwriting.

Johnny Cash Point: One man show? nicely put together. Prepare for the attack.

Klaus Atomik: The pacing and arrangement makes it feel like a 4 minute song put together under 2. Rockin' is an astute observation.


Menbah: I am more of a lyrical guy, it seems lacking, but the sound overall is nice.

Octothorpe: Much Respect. The production value on this clip is amazing. A lot of time went in to it and shows. The 'show' format gives it a gimmicky feel that begs you to replay it.

Thats my take on the fight. I voted for myself, is that bad form?

[jb]

Abjure: are you talking about laura foy? She was my reason for watching G4TV.com. If you aren't talking about Laura Foy, then, well done... 'Try not to sneeze.' = lovely.

Thats my take on the fight. I voted for myself, is that bad form?

Abjure! is *probably* talking about <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unscrewed_with_Martin_Sargent">this Laura</a>.

It's not bad form to vote for yourself if you like your song the most. It's probably unwise to admit it however, as some people may disagree.

[cynic]

I am sure other fightee's keyed in on 'Attack of the Show' and were drawn to submit. Our submission is the result of some strange confluence of outside forces. Me and Delicious Nick have put together a lot of music as the East Bay Acolytes. After recording our latest song on Friday, he suggested recording something for songfight. We checked the site, and coincidentally, it was AotS, which happens to be on everyday when i get home from work. I like the submission we put together, and plan on getting together for more fights.

For those who don't know Attack of the Show is National I may not follow it religiously, but I have been aware of it breaking websites. Following jb and spud appearing, I expect the site to go down. Not a threat, just a warnin'... prepare for the Attack of the Show.

[cynic]

Abjure: are you talking about laura foy? She was my reason for watching G4TV.com. If you aren't talking about Laura Foy, then, well done... 'Try not to sneeze.' = lovely.

Thats my take on the fight. I voted for myself, is that bad form?

Abjure! is *probably* talking about <a href="http://en.[CENSORED].org/wiki/Unscrewed_with_Martin_Sargent">this Laura</a>.

Oh yeah, Unscrewed was like the AotS precursor. Laura Swisher was another good reason to watch the channel. Martin Sergeant... Genius, was he really on the dating game or something!?

[j$]

Never criticize Octothorpe for writing songs that aren't exclusively based on the title. C'mon, dude.

Who said I was criticizing it? Oh yeah, that's right, you did ....

j$

[j$]

it sounded clash-y?

I don't think the Clash ever used a cheesy marimba patch, but apart from that, that's no bad comparision, and certainly you're not the first person here to draw it! I love the Clash and other Brit-Punk bands so thanks:)

j$

[Spud]

Never criticize Octothorpe for writing songs that aren't exclusively based on the title. C'mon, dude.

Who said I was criticizing it? Oh yeah, that's right, you did ....

j$

While I applaud Marcus for coming to our defense, it is entirely unnecessary for several reasons.

1. Johnny has it right. At the end, I actually say something like "See you next week for another episode of "Attack of the..." show.

2. Johnny has it wrong. "Attack of the Show" actually appears in the song four times, at the end of each "chorus" (or interlude, as someone else put it).

3. I didn't really take Johnny's comment as a criticism. More of an observation, really.

4. I am bigger than Johnny anyway, so I can defend myself if he actually does get out of hand.

But you know, Marcus, if you wanna write an essay on the genius that is Octothorpe for our next album insert, let me know.