Nur Ein II Round One "Sister Cocaine"

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Billy's Little Trip
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Post by Billy's Little Trip »

I want bjam on my street team. She makes buttons and everything :?
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Post by sausage boy »

Caravan Ray wrote: Nevermind Sausage Boy - you are the David Hicks of Songfight -
I'll get my Dad to start posting for me from now on, then.

I also expect an extremely badly organised rally.

And a logo.
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Post by mo »

in this particular round, i was judge 3. i'd like to see you get a brown snake through chinese customs!

(no, that's not a non-optional challenge)

i basically judge by organizing the songs as i'm listening into groups labeled excellent, good, average, mediocre, bad and really fucking bad. like ben said, i felt like i put a bunch of songs down at the top that really could've been good enough to survive. at the bottom, it was pretty tough to decide how to rank the songs.

i do not, however, have a bias against australians, most of my best friends out here are aussies. i totally love aussie music and aussie dance styles and aussie food. i swear on a mountain of stoned koalas that i'm not racist!
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Caravan Ray
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Post by Caravan Ray »

mo wrote: i do not, however, have a bias against australians
Well, I guess the only way I'll reeealy be able to believe that is if you look after me next round (nudge, nudge) :wink:
Mind you - I didn't really disagree with you - after all, Sausage Boy and me were both pretty crap last round.

Oh...and Ben, if you happen to receive a package postmarked in Australia in the next few days and it's wriggling - just mark it 'Return To Sender'. It's OK - I put Denyer as the return address.

mo wrote: i totally love aussie dance styles
:lol:

Can you do the one where all the men stand around the edge of the dancefloor with beers in there hands, bobbing their heads?
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Post by frankie big face »

mo wrote:in this particular round, i was judge 3. i'd like to see you get a brown snake through chinese customs!
I should have known you were judge 3. Only a musician of your stature and esteem could recognize the true greatness in my song. :D

Puce, my man, you made a great song this round. I like the bouncy beat, the chord progression in the chorus, your witty lyrics and your usual top-notch production. Some fine guitar work too. My hat's off to you.

The biggest disappointment in the results for me was the Cynthia Size song scoring so low. I thouht that song was really fascinating.
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Post by Paco Del Stinko »

Cheers to Puce, I'd have been surprised if he didn't win. Sorry to see the others go, but that's part of the fun. Don't forget to stick around for final round voting. Good luck in round two peoples!
Bringin' the stink since 2006.
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Post by sausage boy »

Caravan Ray wrote:Mind you - I didn't really disagree with you - after all, Sausage Boy and me were both pretty crap last round.
I prefer to think of it a niche audio.
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Post by Kill Me Sarah »

Oh why oh why couldn't I have been Sanjaya instead of Hung?
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Post by Billy's Little Trip »

Judge 2 hates me. :?
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Post by mr_lostman »

Wow... I made it to round two sweet!

Thanks to everyone for listening and the judges for liking me... especially judge one :shock: .... anyway

Had to clear up a few things about my last post apparently i was quite brain dead. Firstly, I meant to thank Caravan Ray for placing me so high in his unofficial ranking. (sorry durands for the confusion).

Also, (and most importantly) I forgot to tell everyone that bass for "Sister Cocaine" was provided by our very own Signboy!! Sorry i forgot to mention it but seriously thank you!! It was great working with you. Welcome to the Elephant Union (my internet backing band).

now.... brownie points?.....

NUR EIN!!!
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'cause I've stopped listening!"
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Post by bz£ »

Abom. More of the not-quite-expected. It's okay but I don't think you're playing to your strengths here.

BL/BR. Needs a little something in the first minute or so. More variation, I think, and maybe a few bars less in the intro. The second voice that comes in is not a strong take, except for the "simplify everything" which is perfect.

Tex Beaumont. I hate all Australians, especially those without poisonous snake experience. And Fraser Gehrig; I wouldn't piss that dude off for all the money in Australia. Oh, yeah. The percussion is jarring, and that's the majority of the music. Heck, the a-cappella mix (which you would put on the 12", of course) might be better, because I do like the singing.

BeWells. This is one of my favorites. It's the little barbershop vocal fill that just completely won me over.

BLT. Needs more variety in the guitar riff, which just repeats over and over and over. Also a completely different set of lyrics, which should probably be sung.

BovRec. This is another song where the lyrics make me vaguely uncomfortable. If you ignore them it's a really neat song, though. Needs more of a rhythm guitarish thing in the verses. Something to fill part of that void between bass and voice, I dunno.

Calfborg. I dig the 80's electronic sound and you've got it nailed. It's the gated snare, people. Lyrics don't get me though.

C.Size. Oh, I get it now. This is the second song of yours that I have ever heard and it is way better than the first. I still don't care for it at all but maybe there is something I just don't get here.

Steve D. Thanks! For putting the falsetto away, that is. The horns work nicely. I know you're a horn guy, but that doesn't mean you can just throw some horns around wherever and have it all work nicely. You know. The alliteration gets over the top pretty quickly. Like, from line one. You'd never start out with "Each and every evening..." if you didn't have to.

Ross D. The alliteration is way too much here. I-I-I-I-I'm irritated immediately.

FBF. Unexpected, which I think is part of why I like it. It's hard to separate oneself from one's expectations sometimes, but I don't feel too bad because this song is good anyway.

Ice 9. See, this is an example of that EQ thing I was talking about elsewhere. This mix sounds like it is all bass coming from non-bass instruments. Try playing with it to see how much better it could sound. Also, real nuns don't shoot people with guns.

Jolly Rog. This is close, in a bunch of ways. The most obvious thing it needs is more loudness! The guitar sounds like it was recorded through a bad amp, or maybe some kind of simulator, and it really needed a Marshall stack at high volume. I realize that is probably not possible for y'all, but, you know, there's no perfect alternative. And while you're spending lots of imaginary money at the guitar store, what you want for the bass is an old Ampeg tube head and probably a 4x10 cabinet. You know, instead of no bass. The drum fills are kind of ostentatious: more of a "look how fast I can hit these different drums" than a nice addition to the song. Sing more, speak less.

BK. S'okay but production could be better. That high-hat sound gets annoying. The acoustic guitar needs to be brighter; better miking could go a long way here.

Marcus K. I like the vibe. Even if "unique New York" is alliterative (debatable, depends on definition), there is still too much of it.

Merisan. Feels a little constrained. Like you're not quite letting it all out, so to speak. That goes for both the vocals and the guitar-- a tiny touch too tight.

Mr. Lostman. I like this song but it needs bettering. I think what I'd do with the two-note guitar leads is play through a delay pedal and miss about half the notes. Not sure if that would help but it sounds too urgent as-is for the laid-back mood of the song. I'm trying to remember who this reminds me of and maybe I'll think of it later. Don't get your hopes up, though, it's probably just some track on a ten-year-old mix tape that I've lost the track list for.

Paco del. I can't remember offhand where I ranked this but it must have been pretty damn high. This is very well put together. Built like Beyonce, one might say.

Puce. There's really nothing useful that I can add. Swell tune.

Rabid G. Probably good enough to have survived. Lyrics make me vaguely uncomfortable in a way that's hard to put a finger on. "Cellar" and "yellow" do not quite a rhyme make.

Sausage Boy. Doesn't resonate for me the way Let Me In did. There isn't much here that says "there are at least four other songs better than me!" Also, the Australian thing. You know, I hate you all.

Tx Glennny. I like this song more or less as is.

Jim T. I don't care for the story here and I don't believe for a second that you know someone by that name. If, however, yo do know a floozy who is built like Beyonce, feel free to send her southwards.

Wreckdom. Now this sounds like it was loud when you recorded it. You've been more conventional-sounding than I would have anticipated, which (along with executing it well) is probably not a bad Nur Ein strategy.
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Post by jimtyrrell »

I have actually met a girl by that name, and she was rather proud of it. It was at a show in New York. Her actual last name spelling was Cockayne, though.

But the song is not biographical. I don't know much else about her, to tell the truth.

Anyway, that's not why I posted. I really just wanted to say a big THANK YOU for the judge reviews. My song was received fairly well by some judges, and poorly by others. One, in fact, had me on the edge of elimination this round. It definitely helps to have some insight into the judges and their predispositions.
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Post by bz£ »

It's a wacky world, that's for sure.

Incidentally, damn you all for talking about chess during the "judges aren't supposed to comment yet" period.
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Post by ken »

Here are my quick and useless reviews:

Rabid Garfunkel - I like the sound of the guitar. Good lyrics. Melody could use some work. I like a lot of the guitar riffs, but you need additonal melodic parts. It's all rhythm, no lead.

Ross Durand - Interesting mouth percussion. I really like this. The lyrics could have been stolen from the Stones' Mother's Little Helper. Nice guitar solo! Wow.

Sausage Boy - I like the organ sound. With a lack of vocal melody, I am trying to focus on the lyrics. I'm having a hard time though. This song really lacks a hook. It just kind of drones along, not hitting any peaks.

Steve Durand - Nice bass line. This has a lot of funky elements, but they don't quite gel. I like the idea of using funk with the title. You should work on getting your vocals to sit more at the front of the mix. Get closer to the mic when you sing and use more compression and less reverb.

Tex B & the Dirty <3s - Vocals could be louder. Good lyrics. This song really needs some development. It doesn't really go anywhere. Lacks alliteration.

Thank Glenny for the Frisbee - I'm really enjoying this. Excellent arrangement. 12 string plus mandolin is a winning combination. Good use of alliteration.

Wreckdom - This song rocks from the first note. If anything, this song is too relentless.

Abominominous - Excellent use of alliteration. The jazz feels a bit too cheezy for me.

Balance Lost/Balance Regained - Nice synth poppy intro. I think if the vocals were stronger I would really like this song.

The BeWells - Aliteration and a story. Very nice. Not very engaging though.

Bryan Kandel - This is a really strong song. One of the first that grabs me a whole. A few tweaks to the mix and I would expect to hear it on the radio.

Billy's Little Trip - I like the intro effects. Interesting lyrics. Mix is good. Nice end tag.

The Bovine Recyclery - Great singalong song. Vocals are really winning me over. A very enjoyable song.

Calfborg - I like this better than your song last week. I like the synths. The vocals are hard on the ears sometimes. Watch the dissonance.

Cynthia Size and the Eclectic Spoons - This is like a space age Nico or something.

Frankie Big Face - More rock than I expect from Mr. Big Face. Nice breakdown.

Ice9 - Good use of alliteration. The panning synth is disorienting.

Jim Tyrrell - Peppy song. I like your breakdown a lot. This might have made a cool intro. Really, it is my favorite part of the song. The chorus almost does it for me, but not quite.

Jolly Roger - I like a lot of your riffs and vocals.

Lostman - The production is bad from the start. Sounds like a bad 4 track recording. There's a decent poppy song stolen from the Gin Blossoms or something. Excellent ending.

Marcus Kellis - Nice drum machine. Guitar playing is nice too. Keep working with this stuff.

Merisan - This pop song needs more pop. Where's the SH101 synth lines? That kick drum is awful. This song takes off at a few points, but doesn't fully deliver most of the time.

Paco Del Stinko - Nice and upbeat song. Plenty of alliteration. Excellent gospell ending!

Puce - Holy shit that's a chorus!
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Post by Kill Me Sarah »

bzl wrote:
Ice 9. See, this is an example of that EQ thing I was talking about elsewhere. This mix sounds like it is all bass coming from non-bass instruments. Try playing with it to see how much better it could sound. Also, real nuns don't shoot people with guns.
Would this have gotten us through another round in your book? :-)

Also, you shouldn't stereotype.
ken wrote: The panning synth is disorienting.
Actually it was a guitar synth through a Leslie VST. It sounded even freakier before I'd put the rest of the stuff to it and (poorly) mixed it.
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Post by bz£ »

Kill Me Sarah wrote: Would this have gotten us through another round in your book? :-)
Making your song sound better would almost certainly have helped. It's impossible to say whether that would have been enough.

I still think it's worth trying, if only for your own edification. You might find you like the results better; you might not. I'd also try to think of ways to change the panning synth, because Ken is good at music and if he doesn't like it then there must be a good reason. That doesn't mean that he is right and you are wrong, of course, and after reconsideration you might decide that it is perfect as it currently is. You should still reconsider, though, or at least consider reconsidering.
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Post by Ross »

ken wrote: Ross Durand - Interesting mouth percussion.
Jug bass :-)
Nice guitar solo! Wow.
Evil-E rules :-)
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Post by Rabid Garfunkel »

bzl wrote:Rabid G. Probably good enough to have survived. Lyrics make me vaguely uncomfortable in a way that's hard to put a finger on. "Cellar" and "yellow" do not quite a rhyme make.
Uncomfortable, eh? Good :twisted: I did my job, heh.
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Post by erin. »

Rabid Garfunkel:
I am truly sad to see you go...(and not just because you have fantastic hair). I was really ready to hear more from you. Your enthusiasm was most impressive.
I also enjoyed hearing you play a skeleton last round...thank you.

Ken:
I too yearned for more synth...more to come I promise.
Thanks for the tough love.
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Post by ken »

rdurand wrote:
ken wrote:Nice guitar solo! Wow.
Evil-E rules :-)
I suspected as much.

Ken
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Post by Reist »

bzl wrote:The drum fills are kind of ostentatious: more of a "look how fast I can hit these different drums" than a nice addition to the song..
Yeeeeeaaaaaaa! 8)
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Post by Caravan Ray »

bzl wrote:And Fraser Gehrig; I wouldn't piss that dude off for all the money in Australia.
I had to Google that - never heard of him. You're talking to a Queenslander remember. Gordon Tallis would have made more sense.
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