fürrypedro wrote:Test Week Haitus: You need to have a pretty damn good song to make such a sparse arrangment work. Overall the track is quite nice but there are bits that I really like. I don't really get the "sea can't into a sea can..." line, I think I'm missing something there. With a bit of a lyric shuffle, some sweet harmonies and a some other small tweaks this could be great.
the sparce arrangement was not intentional, it was a product of me running out of time before i could layer the instruments that i was planning to include.
as for the "sea can't" line: the song is about using nerdy terms to describe a fight in a relationship: ex. angular velocity, eigenvalues, etc. a secant is a trigonometry tern related to sin, cos, tan. i was going for a play on words, turning negatives into positives as the characters in the song try to make up, ex. secant into "see, can" and goddamn into "yes, ma'am". in short, i took too much time on the words and had no time left to record. my submission email was sent three minutes before the deadline. thanks for the comments.
Stages, an album of about dealing with loss, anxiety, and grieving a difficult year, now available on Bandcamp and all streaming platforms! https://jonporobil.bandcamp.com/album/stages
Stages, an album of about dealing with loss, anxiety, and grieving a difficult year, now available on Bandcamp and all streaming platforms! https://jonporobil.bandcamp.com/album/stages
Entries for this round that have been stuck in my head all week:
1.) Tex Beaumont
2.) Ross Durand
3.) Howl Down the Chimney
4.) Reist
5.) John Kloberdanz
Congrats everyone. This was a tough round, and I still feel lucky to have made it through.
"Warren Zevon would be proud." -Reve Mosquito
Stages, an album of about dealing with loss, anxiety, and grieving a difficult year, now available on Bandcamp and all streaming platforms! https://jonporobil.bandcamp.com/album/stages
Frankie Big Face- I didn’t think anyone came close to your entry this round. This was a clear winner case. Instant classic! This cracks me up! It’s amazingly well done and inventive. I don’t quite get the story, but I don’t really care, the melody and composition is so strong. I don’t recognize JB as the other singer, but it’s excellent! Great singing, great playing. No criticisms, well done! I much prefer this song to the More than Soup SF classic, were one to compete the 2. ( I do love that song too)
Tex- I love the production. I love the energy and the performance. I’m pretty indifferent about the lyrics. It’s always good to hear Looney Tunes. I like all the layered vocals. It’s a pretty simple song, but it is so fun I had to rate it high.
Paco del Stinko- I find this to be a pretty straight song for you. My favorite bits are the acoustic parts and the solo. I actually think these are the best lyrics of the fight. This is very well done. I have high expectations for you, so this is solid, but not sublime like Whale or something.
Swilington- I find myself singing the chorus to this when I’m away from the fight. The catchiness brings you very high marks. Yeah some of the lyrics are pretty weak, the composition meanders a lot and there’s that out of key note at 3:07. Furry Pedro has a name for that one out of key note in a song, in fact I think he sometimes has that goal. Anyway, I loved this song, I’m excited for the next track.
Wreckdom- I was just kidding about the melody crack. The melody is actually very catchy. I generally dislike definition songs, but you guys are funny enough to make this an exception. That cool noise in the chorus is my favorite part. The tuba bass line is funny too. This is great, I dig the production!
Todd McHatton- Nice instrumentation! Your vocals are solid, but perhaps a little too mellow. I suppose it’s a little hard to get passionate about a silly story, however Frankie did. The chords and melodies are very pretty.
Andrew Reist- Your vocals are getting better and better. Excellent vocal performance! I don’t care much for the dirgey guitar tone. I think the riff is a little dull. I’ve heard much more rocking stuff from you. It sounds like you found Nirvana. I’m ho hum about this song, but very much enjoy the vocals. If not a solo (but solo would’ve been a good idea, I think some melodic licks sprinkled throughout would’ve been nice. It just sounds a little unfinished.
Adam Adamant- I miss your oh so British vocals. This is as high as it is because it is so pleasant to listen to. The piano lick is catchy, and the Figurine style production and beat is really cool. It’s pretty risky to do a nearly instrumental, but I really enjoy it, so good job!
Howl Down the Chimney- I love the organ solo. I don’t get why you avoided drums. It works without them, but I can’t help thinking it would be stronger if drums were there. It’s tough to use that much reverb and have it work well, but I think it really works for this, perhaps due to the lack of drums. You have oodles of cool. The vocals are really great with a nice melody. Good job.
Nouvre Pauvre- Hot Damn, I want to hear this song finished. I love your melody and vocals, (thanks for leaving the effect behind). This might have given Frankie a bit of a challenge this round had it been complete. The backing vocals are fantastic. You’re only as far down the list as you are due to the obvious too-short-ness of this.
Jon Eric- This is clever and inventive. I’m having a hard time figuring out why I don’t really like this. I feel like I should. I think the drums feel really awkward for some reason. The “have you had enough” scoops across some really sour notes. Yes I’ve decided it’s the drums that unnerve me about this. Not so much the timbre, which isn’t great but OK, but the beat itself just doesn’t work.
Ross Durand- I really hate this song. You’re as high as you are because of excellent production and performance. All the instruments sound great. Your vocals are solid and well done. You have the lyrics out there and clear to hear, and they make me cringe. You’re very much hit and miss with me. Actually I think you hit 80% of the time. You usually hit hard. That glistening synth patch near the beginning I would have axed also. Maybe it’s a matter of inspiration but you’ve been known to be so much more clever a lyricist than this. Feels kinda like an “edgy” new country song.
Signboy- What happened? You were my favorite in Bullets & Lovers, kicking out kick ass jams. Then suddenly it’s cheesy 1987 cop show rock band at the club scene. Those fake horns are painful. I don’t care much for the lead guitar tone either. This was uninspired, and I think your B & L was truly inspired. The music sounds like a non funky "Play that funky music right boy".
John Kloberdanz- Nice intro, nice change up. I’m totally into the song until the “yeahs” come in. Then it seems to go on too long. That is, if it’s going to be 4:06 I want another idea. The solo is dirt simple, but kinda pleasant. I suppose you had to present more lyrics but if the song ended around 2:25 I think it would’ve been stronger.
Student Band- I feel bad you were cut. I would’ve liked to hear your take on the upcoming titles and challenges. There were 3 issues for me that put you near the bottom. But 1st the good stuff. The organ solo is very cool. The drums are great, the jazz bit is really good, the change to the metal part is inspired with a good riff. Your lack luster shaky vocals works well over the jazz, btw the bass is tasty too! Issues: 1) the vocal over the hard part doesn’t work, it’s not cute, it’s uneven, and mostly it feels like a severely blown opportunity. 2) That Frakking clapping in that tired pattern. 3) Those bad notes transitioning from the organ solo to the last chorus. I suppose I believe they are intentional, but I don’t like the idea, a big crunchy dissonant chord I think would serve the purpose better than the out of key notes.
Test Week Hiatus- Well I’m glad you submitted. It doesn’t sound like you were trying very hard. There was some real charm to the lo-fi Bullets and Lovers entry. Why no drums? Why no wife vocals? This just sounds very hurried. The lyrics don’t make sense. They’re among some of the most confused I’ve ever heard. I prefer nonsense to anti-sense. I think you mentioned you didn’t have much time for Nur Ein, that’s too bad, I tend to like your stuff more and more directly proportional to the amount of time you spend on it.
Phillipso, Older Brothers, Semolina Pilchards, Zipline , Thank Glennny for the Frisbee, The Odoriferous Valley, The Worldly Self Assurance, Berkeley Social Scene, Very Gentle Knives, Daddy Bop Swing Set, GUNS, The Kraken Lives, Cavedwellers
glennny wrote:SchadenfreudeHowl Down the Chimney- I love the organ solo. I don’t get why you avoided drums. It works without them, but I can’t help thinking it would be stronger if drums were there.
Purely a scheduling issue. I planned on including drums, but as it turned out I had to scramble just to finish up the vocals.
Too true, Glennny. Actually, I feel that all the reviews are spot on. I even feel a little bad for not being eliminated due to better people not submitting. I won't let y'all down in the next round.
Irwin: I'd sell my soul to jesus to program drums like signboy.