Is She Beautiful? How? (How Beautiful She Is Reviews)

[Ross]

[ I kept listening to it the whole week trying to figure out if it was any good

It's not.

You, sir, are no Eugene Chadbourne.




I hope your work will improve.

[MC Eric B]

Chadderandom - Your song was still worth submitting. Just because you get bad reviews does not mean you should stop. It just means you should try to improve based on reviews you get.

[jackfrost]

I was listening while I mowed the lawn, so if you song was slow or quiet, it most likely got skipped.

Very Nice:
Melvin – Love the prechorus delivery, and the emerging Melvin style.
Andre was here at midnight – Very catchy, with a nice atmosphere.
The Go Ahead And – One of my favorites this week, even though the melody is heavily borrowed from “Lump” in places. Clever lyrics. I think the song should have ended on the “get my laid” line. That was the height of the joke, and in my opinion, the song should have ended on it.
Signboy – Another very catchy number. I liked this one a lot too.
Stu Jordan – Even with the off-key vocal delivery in the chorus, this is still one of my favorite songs in the fight. This one has been stuck in my head.
The Phobias – Love this one. The layered la la la’s are great.
Paco Del Stinko – Classic Paco. I don’t know how you get such dense songs recorded in a week.
Kid Cruiser – Laughed quite a bit at this one. I’m enjoying the absurd experiment you’ve got going here.
chonny – Great song. I’ve had this one in my head too.

OK:
Eddie Lance – This is a lot like every entry I’ve heard from you.
The Hell Yeahs – This is a lot like every entry I’ve heard from you.
King Arthur – I appreciate the story telling and vocal delivery.
MC Eric B – I like the point where the rap starts.

[rone rivendale]

Rone Rivendale – Another eleven second song

Acutally it's alot longer than 11 seconds. It's too bad you missed it. Yes, I'm being sarcastic. It was a stupid review.

[The Go Ahead And]

I think the song should have ended on the “get my laid” line. That was the height of the joke, and in my opinion, the song should have ended on it.

That's a good point about that line. It was a close call between writing three completely different chorus "tags" or repeating the first chorus again at the end. I chose to repeat the first one because of its hopeful tone, and I wanted to the song to end on a hopeful note. Doing that made it more reasonable to bury the 'get me laid' in the middle.

When I was figuring out the structure of the song, I liked the idea of bookending the first and last choruses to give it a stronger sense of closure.

Also, what's "Lump"?

[jeff robertson]

Also, what's "Lump"?

Presumably: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uDDdxDKmNA

See also: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbXUfemY7Lk

[Paco Del Stinko]

I don’t know how you get such dense songs recorded in a week.

I guess I'm just dense. Besides that, though, I try and mix as I go, as much as I can. I mean, you still end up having to sit down and mix, but if you can tweak a little bit of this and a tad of that as you progress, it's a big help. Knowing what you want in the end helps as well also, although there's always a bit of wingin' it along the way. There's also a certain amount of 'formula' involved, I suppose, but that slowly evolves over time as well. Thanks for the comments, I'll get some posted in the next day or two.

[No Horse Town]

ARRGH, 27 songs this time, but I'm determined. Actually, these took me two days. Everything from Napoleon's Toes down is today, the rest I typed up yesterday. Maybe that means there's some subtle change in tone or drunkenness. Ooh! Let's have fun trying to spot the differences! A little insight into lil' ol' me. OK, I'll shut up now. I mean, here's my damn "reviews".

Chadderandom Abyss - I, for one, like what (I think) you're going for. I don't think you pulled it off this time tho. You said this was a little more accessible (or something) than your usual stuff. I think that's the problem. Your "abyss" is just not "random" enough (tho I hope it's not truly "random", but you get what I mean, yeah?). You had some cool ideas and a couple of nice, eerie vocal melodies - just embrace it and don't be so hesitant. You'll end up with weirder, better (hopefully less repetitive?) shit. Shit which at least a few people on here might be into.

King Arthur - This is cool. This makes me wanna go check out your other stuff. Thank you! Possible vote.

Sanity - I dunno, this sounds really derivative, but I'm not sure from where. The echoey vocal thing bugs me. The little rap part, I wanna say needs more energy, but it is a lazy song, so nah that won't work, nevermind. When the electric guitar comes in, I wish you'd do more with it... but maybe that's the point, yeah? Overall this isn't too bad, but I find it.. boring. Mostly a matter of taste, I guess.

Kid Cruiser - This song is good, until the tacked on "rape rape.." I think that last bit, right there, the "rape rape.." is a good example of how your enthusiasm for your joke may actually be shittifying your song. Oh well, at least you're having fun?.. but uh.. Part of my mind wonders if this is all like some grim movie where the serial killer psychopath sits in the secret basement dungeon and plays his acoustic guitar and makes his victims watch the whole recording/submitting to Songfight procedure and somehow we're all unwittingly enabling him.. um, yeah. Well, prolly not, right? That would be pretty crazy. I hope I'm just putting too much thought into this.

Signboy - diggin' the guitar on the verse. I think the vox are too loud, but I think that a lot. Don't like the chorus. The chorus and vocals both kinda suffer from the same thing, in my opinion - they're too "grunge". They need to be more "punk". According to me. That "bliiiiiiiiiiiind" thing at the end is bad. Bummer, cuz yeah, the verse section's nice.

Paco Del Stinko - the "don't say nothin'" / "offer up my lovin'" lines don't seem to fit. I like the melody on the latter one, tho. Aside from that, I think this is great. You're Mr. Guitar around here, yeah? Makes sense. You're good. This song is catchy! Possible vote.

Flxxvm Florvm - I like that lead guitar line at the beginning. Whoa, that's a cool change into the chorus! Reminds me of... Atom meets Shiny Beast-era Cap'n? Oh hey, there's that guitar again! Two good guitarists in a row! Shit, I really liked this! 3rd possible vote. Already, wow. If more of you guys don't hurry up and suck already, I may end up with a weird voting dilemma. I guess that's good!

The Weakest Suit - Not digging your voice so much this time. Hmm, yeah, I don't like this one. This might be better if it was done all BIG, country-rock ballad-BLAST! Or maybe not. I dunno, didn't do it for me.

Andre was here at midnight - not liking these vocals either. Too much overdubbing, I think. Is that it? Too loud, a little? There's a weird warble on 'em that's bugging me, too. As far as the music side of things, it's kinda nice. On the music, the warble and drone sounds good. But yeah, those vocals need to be redone, I think. And although, with this kinda song, it's OK to drag on a bit I guess.. really, it's still just a little too long. Sorry. Nice effort.

The Stims - "all drumbeat"? nah, I like the instruments. That guy's a dumbass anyway. This ain't my thing at all, but I think it's very well-done. There's some cool clunky slidey messy noises here and there on the guitar - that's cool. Quality singing. Pretty fuckin' good job, Stims.

Clifton Lee Johnston - voice oughta be a little stronger on the chorus, methinks. Maybe alternate your melodies a bit. Of course, if you're going for sweet and quaint, that could be bad advice. So I dunno. It was OK.

Swilington - what is that horrible popping noise? Just before the vocals come in. Bury those vocals deeper. And that bass drum is too loud. Then it fizzles out, and that's the best part of the song. Then that damn drum comes back. These are all production issues - compositionally, this is good, although still really not what I'm into.

Stu Jordan - "arrogant"/"modern gent" - I liked that bit. Otherwise, I dislike pretty much everything about the lyrics/vocal performance. 2nd verse has some weird little bass syncopations, or maybe it's another guitar - anyway, I like that. Your falsetto really needs some work, man. Y'know, this isn't too bad. It's more production issues, and yeah, some bad singing, but you put a lot of nice little parts in there and some of the vocal melodies are really good in theory. But yeah, as it stands, I think it kinda sucks.

The Phobias - mic pop right at the beginning? Really? At the very least, you could have fixed that one. OH, this is getting louder. Hey, this is kinda cute. I sure wish it changed, tho. Weird: sometimes your massive vocal domination really works, and sometimes it sounds like crap. Then we get the synth section, and it's boring. The ending's OK. Take the basic idea and condense it into a PART of a song. That'd be pretty good. The way it is now, uh... not that good.

Eddie Lance - "there was a fish in the perculator!" Lance = Nance? Funny, it sounds kinda Twin Peaksy too when it's not being goofy. Heh, fun times. -EDIT, SO MY REVIEW ACTUALLY SAYS SOMETHING SLIGHTLY SUBSTANTIAL: ->The delivery on the line "..from rain" is great. And that high pitched thing after it is also cool. In general I really like the music and movement, but I wouldn't listen to this for fun. It's nice to listen to once, and then, it's done. Well, I guess it was still nice a second time. But it doesn't rock (well, duh, I guess..), and usually I go for the rock thing. Or at least something with some energy. Good job, nice for what it is.

The Go Ahead And - the uh, "hook", "how beautiful she is", that part, I mean... is terrible. The rest, hey, pretty cool. But write a better chorus, please. Kudos on writing about a watch! You earned a creativity voucher! Redeemable for, uh, well... nuthin', I guess.

Napoleon's Toes - this is damn cool. There are parts where I wish the vocals were a little less geeky. Otherwise, fuck yeah. Possible vote #4!

chonny - another one with cool changes! I can't say I really like the individual parts all that much, but the ch-changes! It's like the spaces in-between, man, the connections that bind us all together man..! Wait, am I high? Nah, but seriously, this song is cool. Good job Chonny.

Pompeii - hey, are you Dave Mustaine's daughter? The verse delivery is reminiscent. I think the vocals need more energy, tho. This isn't my favorite sort of metal at all, but that first guitar solo was pretty blinding, so someone's gonna like that. The snare snare snare thing coming out of the breakdown is cool. Oh, that ending "ow!" was kinda lame. I dunno, I think this is pretty OK but I don't enjoy it.

Melvin - I like the beach boys woo-ooh-ooh thing. The synth line on the chorus is cool. Excellent work, get your ass on the Radi-Oh! already and make some big bucks, you deserve it.

Deux Freres - Ooh, this whole.. is it baroque?.. thing is well done, and AW JEAH one of those horn lines, the one right before "and ashes fill the sky" was especially awesome. The vocals are a little shabby, sounds like you can barely hit some of those notes. Maybe you should look into getting a third Frere. Really, the singing brings it down quite a bit. Otherwise, superb.

Rone Rivendale - "m'clothes", that was funny. So is the end. But, I wish this song wasn't funny. To me, it feels like a really depressing song, way more so than "sad songs" which howl and cry and emote so damn much.. so, yeah, I wish it was just that. But it seems like it's kind of a joke, which is cool I guess, but, yeah. It's NOT monotone, and it's totally, uh, musical, but I think a lot of people will have a hard time seeing that. As for me, I kinda liked it. Kinda.

Iqballers - I don't mind turning the sound up, but I can still barely hear that guitar, dude. The ambient fuzz is way louder. The singing's kinda weak. Not digging this one.

LSK - I don't mind turning the sound down, but, still, I can barely stand that snare, fella. The singing is somewhere in between bad and mediocre. No likey.

MC Eric B - I hate the vocals. I really don't get the nerdcore thing. So, it's all end-rhymes? It sounds like you don't have any grounding in, y'know, REAL rap music. I guess this is a niche thing that I prolly won't ever understand. I'm fine with that. Let's agree to disagree, B.

The Hell Yeahs - I like the harmonics. The I-I-I-I-I part is fun. Well-arranged. For some reason the vocals on this one kinda grate on me, more so than other stuff I've heard from you guys. Pretty damn good.

The Styop Quoons Experience - after doing the first bit twice, I think something else shoulda kicked in. Like, a different song. This is really boring, man. That fuzzy voice thing that came in real quick, yeah, please don't do that. Did you just say "full of food inside"?! OK, that was funny, that was the only part I liked. Sorry man.

Good fight in my opinion, tho that may just be because it was so damn huge!
Ciao!
-NHT

[king_arthur]

Just for the record, my song here is unlike just about all of my other stuff. "12 Monkeys" might be the closest, plus I did something for "I Know My Rights" that was in 10/4. But thanks to all for the comments... I was really expecting a bunch of "what is this crap???" comments, but I guess we're more sophisticated here than I gave us credit for

Charles

[halen99]

re: my entry.

Just thought I'd explain not that I expect anyone to care

The voice is not mine. I use mine sometimes, this time not. It's similar to my "and counting" entry as inspired by a poet named Bukowski that I enjoy. He reads kinda like that. The story is actually a story about how I got my new organ, not about a woman. thanks all.

Eddie

[Chadderandom]

just embrace it and don't be so hesitant.

If I'd done more than one take that probably would've cleared that up.

[ujnhunter]

I miss Henry Chinaski... How beautiful she is... *)

[Paco Del Stinko]

Andre was here at midnight - A pedal steel would just bring out the tears on this one, although there are some instrument phrases that hint at the sound. The vocal jump up at the chorus is very nice, and the patient pace of the song is just right. There are nit-picky things to criticize here, if one would want to, but the genuine feel is nice and sweet. This would make for a good tear-jerker video like you do so well. I like this very much. Intimate.

The Chadderandom Abyss - It sounds like you're trying to learn guitar chords, initially, then let your kid strum it for a while. This would almost be funny if it were like a minute long or so. Almost. But if you were actually going for some artsy-fartsy thing, I'd have to say that you tanked.

chonny - Very nice layering, everything complementing each part just right. What a nice vocal sounding wah, as well. The arrangement is good, although the ending feels a bit abrupt, like it just fell in there. Still, nice sections that transition well, especially into the glockenspiel monster music section. The vocal line is fine, if under delivered. Maybe a little more oomph, but not over the top. Very good tune a wee bit under baked.

Clifton Lee Johnston - Where's the production? I'm kidding! ( I saw your comments somewhere) What a nice and delicate song. Very fragile, and appropriately so, given the lyrics. The melody is fine, if a bit standard, but the guitar part adds the soul, I think. Nicely done.

Deux Freres - It's like a New Orleans funeral march through medieval Europe. I like the wandering melody, but it kind of feels like it loses its way later in the song, and that you got a little tired while singing. The serious subject matter is appropriate and fits well. Loose but smart and well arranged.

Eddie Lance - Despite the entrance of the organ, I don't think I would've guessed that the song was about it. Nice and lean, yet getting the point across. You do what you do very well, but I'd like to hear you take a sharp turn and do something dark and even threatening sometime. Give us a scare!

Flvxxvm Florvm - Where did this feel come from? Very Carlos Santana or something. I dig this direction and like the rubbery bass. Also the fuzzed out chorus. The song makes more sense after the first chorus, feel wise, as well. A nice change in the drums would be refreshing, but somehow the horse-trot feel gets away with working throughout. Care to share who this is about?

The Go Ahead And - I didn't care much for this song the first time I heard it, finding it stiff or something. But after each subsequent listen, I enjoyed it more each time, even the familiar 'but I can't recall what it is' chorus. I like the lines about the watch, for reasons I may not understand, as well. I could end up hating this if I heard it too many more times, but at this point in history it's good fun.

The Hell Yeahs - The lyrics and beat are great, but the bass line and subtle accents and buried in the mix schnibbets are the secret weapons here, I think. Nice complex arrangement that does a lot in a short time, yet doesn't come across as too busy. Heather sounds good, but better in the almost naughty sounding I-I-I's and chorus. Nice lead/tone as well, Mr. Phil. You guys can teach everyone how to rock properly.

Iqballers - I kind of like the ultra lo-fi here, and don't mind the static either. Or the car driving by as well. I like the melody and this seems to be the success to the song, too short and undeveloped as it may be. (structurally, not sonically)

Kid Cruiser - What a great melody and structure, if too short, although too many verses and all that would probably rob this of some of its charms. Totally infectious. Nice voice and singing all around as well. And the dee-doodle-oodle-lee-doo business is tops. I don't think the subject matter, with a couple of chuckles, is required to get something this nice any attention, as it sells itself with a multitude of hooks.

King Arthur - This is a nice surprise. How goofy and weird that main line is, it's great coming back in when you start repeating 'how beautiful she is'. An over the top, maniacal vocal would've fit in here nicely as well, though your matter of fact hep-cat delivery works well. The monster in the lyrics is scary, and I'd rather bump into a more traditional Frankenstein than the one you describe-good job.

LSK - Well, you get points for enthusiasm, but lose them for that brain punching snare. It's nice that it's real and all, but put that thing in a harness, please! The lyrics are way under-baked and display a lack of either effort or time, hopefully time. Step it up, man.

MC Eric B - Familiar and also dipping your toes into a new territory. The chorus starts off good, with the descending chords, but almost gets scared and comes back to safety. The rap part is OK, but I like the effort you made to layer vocals underneath it better, even if they struggle a bit. It's good to hear you trying to branch out a bit, don't be afraid to tank. Hell, I think I drive a tank! Watch that vocal pitch though.

Melvin - Nice pre-chorus and chorus, both nice and hooky. Good supporting keys and oohs. I'm a little head scratchy at the car bit, but like the return from it. This would work well both blasting out of your convertible's stereo or in the eating ice cream cones on the beach montage section of the hit romantic comedy of the summer. Jees, make a stinker, won't you?

Napoleon's Toes - This gets better as it goes, starting right about where the way in the back scream comes in. I like some of the lyrics, even if I have no idea what they're about. I like the little half-steps in the progression, which is an odd one. I like the rubbery bits breakdown at the end, and would enjoy it more without the accompanying voice. It's almost kinda scary, for some reason.

Paco del Stinko - This is indeed about a blow-up/ sex doll. Not an auto-biographical story, thank you very much. Fun to try pedal guitar type sounds. The drums were played with rods instead of sticks. Good god, that strained end note, though.

The Phobias - Wobbly vocals, but a nice effort and good idea. I like the falsetto vocals in the verses and the repeating piano line in the bridge section later on, it saves that part from being just a robot feel. The simple layering works well throughout. This tune is OK, but it feels like someone who hasn't quite hit their stride yet. Keep at it, peoples.

Pompeii - That's not a gal singing, like people say is it? I like the voice, whatever the gender, but feel the melody is a bit too plain. I like the song except for the pause in main progression, where the chord is just held. I don't know why. The guitar on the right is awfully gravelly sounding and I wonder if the same sound might work better produced differently, as it's not necessarily a bad sound. The left guitar sounds like an organ at times, and I wonder if that might've been a cool approach to further enhance the Deep Purple elements in the song. The lead smokes and is a great example of 'shredding' without sacrificing feel.

Rone Rivendale - I just realized that the weird bell harmonics I was hearing, and couldn't figure out what they were, is a guitar! Tune that thing up, bro. Glad that you're trying a new instrument, though. What dark and bleak lyrics, some work well some don't. Some bass tones might've helped this, but I'm not so sure about that, as the entire song feels a bit rushed, evident in the overlapping and stuttery sounding vocal tracks. You can do better.

Sanity - That simple bass line is great: right out of 70's porn or the original Dirty Harry flick. It's nice that you updated it with more current sounding vocals and keys, but I could listen to that simple line for, well, as long as this song is, anyway. Sounds like you're having fun here even though the track is laid back and far from being zany. Maybe too casual at times, the guitar noodles take away from the cool factor at the end, and the backing voices could be less aggressive, compared to the main voice. Still, an enjoyable mood piece, if a tad long.

Signboy - Great opening riff, it sounds better on speakers than on headphones, where it sounded sloppier. Cool main progression, and chorus as well. The vocals sound a bit strained at times, but head in the right direction, if not delivering a great melody. I feel like this could benefit from some kind of way up high and fast paced key riff squiggles or something. I like this song but it doesn't quite deliver a knock out blow. Like the bass sound, too.

The Stims - Frankie Little Face. The melodies work well and the progression is decent as well. I like the guitar phrases on the right, despite the scruffy sound. I think a bit smoother tone would've helped, but not as important as what they're doing. Weird how the bass is almost not there during the song, but pops out during the little riffs it does. This is good but almost feels lazy, although I'm sure that wasn't your intention. This is probably a good candidate for a re-do, if that's your way of going about things.

Stu Jordan - Nice melody and one of the better voices around, it's almost shocking when you go off key here. Maybe this would've worked better in one of your more 'regular' production approaches. All finger picky or something. The song is nice and sweet and I can see what you were going for, but maybe the lovey-dovey version could have benefitted you better. And the little famous melody lick in the lead has to go. Good song, wrong road.

The Styop Quoons Experience - This could afford to be even creepier, it's weird but maybe not weird enough. Give it a heaping dose of Alice Cooper and now we're talking! Still, I like the banjo sounding thing and the snaps, if both a bit stiff. Go full out creepy next time, or if you re-work this.

Swilington - Good guitar progression, if a bit wandery. It fits in well with the keys when they enter. How about a distant and way 'verbed out slide accent in there, that might give this a bit of haunt. The tinkly sounds work well in that direction. I like the arrangement here, as it patiently evolves yet doesn't lose its skeletal structure. Right approach to the vocals, another simple verse might not have hurt.

The Weakest Suit - Much of this reminds me of Sway by the Stones. I'm sure that wasn't deliberate, but I have a hard time shaking that off. I didn't like the opening line for some reason, I thought it was going to be a joke. And the false ending kind of bugged me. Ha! Not trying to dump all over you, man! The late at night feel you often display is here and working well, and although you're probably pressed for time, this could benefit from some more tinkering. Good foundation for something stronger.

[jeff robertson]

Flvxxvm Florvm - Where did this feel come from? Very Carlos Santana or something. I dig this direction and like the rubbery bass. Also the fuzzed out chorus. The song makes more sense after the first chorus, feel wise, as well. A nice change in the drums would be refreshing, but somehow the horse-trot feel gets away with working throughout. Care to share who this is about?

The lyrics are about a girl that one of my friends told me about, who goes on Yahoo! live and takes off her clothes in front of the webcam, gets banned by the moderators, and then comes back under a different name to do it again. She keeps her face covered, though. The one time was curious enough to check it out she was wearing a Middle Eastern-type scarf over face and playing with a (hopefully fake) machine gun. I didn't stick around long enough for her to take off her clothes; apparently it involves a lot of waiting, sometimes for days.

I first programmed the drums, then wrote the bass part while listening to the drums. I had to record several completely different ideas of what the guitar should be before I arrived at what you hear now. It was all very trial and error. None of the reviews have said much about the keyboard, but it is a VSTi that is supposed to sound like a DX7 run through Simulanalog's DS-1 distortion emulator. Imagine a guy in the band with a Yamaha keyboard plugged into a guitar amp.

The vocal distortion is a plugin of my own creation called the Gilliganator.

[melvin]

I'm a little head scratchy at the car bit...

It's a love song... to a new car! Thanks for the review, my stinky compadre (and to everyone else who reviewed).

[rone rivendale]

No Horse Town

Rone Rivendale - "m'clothes", that was funny. So is the end. But, I wish this song wasn't funny. To me, it feels like a really depressing song, way more so than "sad songs" which howl and cry and emote so damn much.. so, yeah, I wish it was just that. But it seems like it's kind of a joke, which is cool I guess, but, yeah. It's NOT monotone, and it's totally, uh, musical, but I think a lot of people will have a hard time seeing that. As for me, I kinda liked it. Kinda.

Thank you for the positive review, I almost forgot what that felt like. I actually do ALOT of 'sad' romance songs. Not really sure why. I guess it's just easier to write. But I'm glad you liked it! This song was bascially a way to practice my guitar in public. I wish I could record it clearer.

Paco Del Stinko

Rone Rivendale - I just realized that the weird bell harmonics I was hearing, and couldn't figure out what they were, is a guitar! Tune that thing up, bro. Glad that you're trying a new instrument, though. What dark and bleak lyrics, some work well some don't. Some bass tones might've helped this, but I'm not so sure about that, as the entire song feels a bit rushed, evident in the overlapping and stuttery sounding vocal tracks. You can do better.

LOL, yes that was my guitar. I couldn't get it to record very clearly. Plus I lost my only pick (got one now) and I suck at strumming with my fingers. I know it's a little bare as far as the whole package goes but I was going for a bare bones song because I just wanted to practice my guitar and didn't feel like dressing it up since it might have hidden the guitar too much. BTW, thank you for saying I'm capable of doing better vocals. It's not true, but I appreciate it!!

I know I never do reviews. I suck. Blame it on my job. It makes me hella tired and sucks up all my time. I always mention I have a part time job but 'part time' in my case is actually 35-38 hours a week. They just always make sure i don't cross that 40 hour mark cuz then they'd have to pay me over min wage.

[drë]

Holly Molly, i got a decent review from Jackfrost... i have made it guys!

How Beautiful She Is REVIEWS:

Clifton Lee Johnston : soft and folky.. not bad. Wished it was better recorded, it sounds like you’re very distant from the mic.
Holly molly is this song depressing... crap. good soft vocals. overall a nice and sweet song. try to improve on your recording techniques.

Deux Freres : wow this takes you back to the psychedelic /folk scene of the 60s.. ahh trumpet / brass section comes in, Mr Duran?...good song, but its lacking some bass. there’s some great composition in this tho.

Eddie Lance : ummm.... ummm... odd. nice keyboard playing..? is this some kind of parody, i don’t get? sorry this song gives me the creeps.

Flvxxvm Florvm : Yeah, i can hear the Santana comparison.. like the bass & guitar tone, the drum loop gets tiresome after a while. good soloing. Interesting yahoo story. good song overall.

Iqballers : ahhh, who would of thought such a lo-lo-fi sound would sound so ok. good concept for a song.

Kid Cruiser : you fuckers are so perverted, but you make it sound so fun... the musicianship is definitely their as well. Sounds great. Possible vote.

King Arthur : Wow, KA with an unorthodox sound. trippy, mysterious...sci-fi. Wished the bass was dead center and not pan.

LSK : yippi for experimental music. dude, it would be so cool to lock someone up in a cold pitch dark room, and just loop this song over and over for like 24 hours.. see how insane you can make them. the melody part at :50 is pretty sweet.

MC Eric B : ahhh soft and cloudy floating music... then the rapping/singing /talking... dude, your in a league of your own. cant compare this to anything or anyone else. Bring the vocals up a bit more to try to give it a bit more punch to the song ?

Melvin : Yes, classic multi-layer Melvin. very beetle’s like. you know after the car drives off, the song just seems to drag. maybe it should of finished with the car driving off.

Napoleon's Toes : you got me so far with the lyrics, and intriguing music. could of done without some of the annoying ear shattering sound fx, but cool song none the less.

Paco del Stinko : Paco is the man! what a great fucking song this is. upbeat, funny and well crafted. yeah, are you unemployed ? How in the hell can you mix so many instruments in 1 week? possible vote.

Pompeii : Pompeii extra hard. heavy sound guys. love the guitar/bass tone... not so much the drumming (great big fuckoff wash). the vocals are good too. ok and the solo and break rules. possible vote.

Rone Rivendale : oohh dude, you had to follow Pompeii. i would love to say, Rone your getting better.. unfortunately i can't.

Sanity : oh, nice intro , smooth and jazzy... not the best vocals, but their used and mixed properly. Really liking the vibe of this song, but it starting to drag around the 2:45 mark...needed to build it more that just with a distorted guitar. crap now is really dragging... still great vibe for a song.

Signboy : straight up rock... uh the drums sound out of sync.. i think. like the attitude of the song, just take drums out.

Stu Jordan : this is actually a pretty decent song... just needs more polishing up and production work. but there’s definitely the framework to a great song in there.

Swilington : you know there’s some free audio filters out there that can remove some of that "hiss" for you. Besides the hiss, am enjoying this song. its trippy, and well mix. a bit of the cure vibe.. and the vocals weren't too bad. good use of bass. nice.

The Chadderandom Abyss : WTF? part experimental, part country, part avant-garde... completely weird.

The Go Ahead And : i dig some of the dance samples you have here, and the whole techno/ dance vibe, just wish it was produce with a more in your face style. really loud, and supper bouncy. its mild.

The Hell Yeahs : is this a continuation of your fictional lesbian love story?
Its a good song, but it really gets cracking at the breakdown and towards the end. Good use of the bass line. love the line "i auta stick you in your wondering eye".. Possible vote.

The Phobias : i dig the music, not the vocals. Actually i really really dig the music, but the vocals just seem half ass wondering around without any particular melody.

The Stims : smooth, and layback. good song with great soulful vocals. my only nitpick is that distorted guitar, did it really have to be so distorted? Great song overall. possible vote.

The Styop Quoons Experience : i liked the intro.. then it gets all weird. then is back to the cool section, then back to the weird section.
i liked the cool section.

The Weakest Suit : man, i dig it! it reminds me of some of those soft ballads Paul Westerberg did with the replacement. very simple guy and guitar. But it sounds just right. Possible vote.

chonny : good beat, and music. wish the vocals were higher in the mix.. as their buried, specially in the loud chorus. it a bit of a random song, mixing a lot of styles, and sound FXs. it would have been a lot more enjoyable if i could follow the story.. But its hard to make out the vocals most of the time. Not bad tho.

[LSK]

LSK - Well, you get points for enthusiasm, but lose them for that brain punching snare. It's nice that it's real and all, but put that thing in a harness, please! The lyrics are way under-baked and display a lack of either effort or time, hopefully time. Step it up, man.

LSK : yippi for experimental music. dude, it would be so cool to lock someone up in a cold pitch dark room, and just loop this song over and over for like 24 hours.. see how insane you can make them. the melody part at :50 is pretty sweet.

LSK - Crazy sounding, but I like it. The problem is it needs more lyrics.

lsk
Did you replace a snare with a pan?

To answer the two most common complaints:

- The recording was made with an actual snare. It was recorded with a $10 microphone placed atop the floor tom.

- The lyrics are intentionally concise, and I have every intent to keep future entries under the LSK name that way.

[Paco Del Stinko]

The recording was made with an actual snare. It was recorded with a $10 microphone placed atop the floor tom.

That's fine, you gotta make the best of what you have. But maybe try experimenting with mic placement and EQ and all that - it's just a bit rough on the ears.

[Clif]

Clifton Lee Johnston - Where's the production? I'm kidding! ( I saw your comments somewhere) What a nice and delicate song. Very fragile, and appropriately so, given the lyrics. The melody is fine, if a bit standard, but the guitar part adds the soul, I think. Nicely done.

Thanks... I get "fragile" a lot

To some of the other reviewers: as for the volume and sound quality, I don't apologize for being "lo-fi" because that's what I do. But I think the reason the clarity (and volume) is missing on this is because I tried using my video camera instead of my field recorder. Lesson learned, and from now on I'll do both.

Thanks for listening.

[Billy's Little Trip]

Paco del Stinko - This is indeed about a blow-up/ sex doll. YES, an auto-biographical story, thank you very much.

Ha, that makes it even funnier. I thought it was about a corpse. Great little ditty, either way.
...oh, and you're welcome.

[jeff robertson]

Andre was here at Midnight
Like the lead guitar, assuming that is guitar. Several things are kinda out of tune but I assume that's done on purpose to lend an air of edginess and keep it from being actually relaxing and comforting sounding.

Chadderandom Abyss
Was this recorded at 4am? It sounds like it was. Jesus. Interesting lyrics. Pretty hard to listen to. This would maybe work better as spoken word.

Chonny
Man, this is an arrangement. First those casio-ish drums, and the acoustic-ish guitar.. then at 0:38 the whole thing kicks in. Kinda short for a song with this much going on. A couple of times the bass hints at country "one two, one two".

Clifton Lee Johnston
Man, this is a serious fight, lyrics wise. Oh, wait, shit. It wasn't until the 2nd verse that I figured out the narrator was just blind and not laying dead in his grave thinking about his girl.

Deux Freres
Wait, I'm a little confused. Is Steve Durand in this band? It sounds like.. sounds like his voice, and the presumably real brass and wind instruments too. This sounds like a homage/parody of sixties music as could only be done by somebody who was actually alive in the sixties.

Eddie Lance
You need to get yourself together with a real 80's sounding hair-metal band to turn your piano stylings into Meatloaf-like power ballad operas. Is this based on a true story?

The Go Ahead And
The lyrics are way, way too similar to my actual life circa 1985. The music fits the era too. Way too close for comfort. I think I'm gonna have to go get drunk now.

The Hell Yeahs
Awesome. Did somebody say in another thread somewhere that you guys don't use real drums? I honestly never figured it out, they always sound real to me. Prefect spygirl-in-catsuit April-March-singing-Chick-Habit surfcrack. This song could have gotten me laid in college just for knowing about it.

Iqballers
Sounds like it was recorded on a tape recorder inside someone's pocket.

Kid Cruiser
Are you a known songfighter who adopted a new rape-themed alias a few fights back? I bet you are.

King Arthur
Damn. Early 90's video game music. Awesome.

MC Eric B
More rapping, less singing. Music is cute, but also sounds like it was recorded with a cellphone or something.

Melvin
Most Beach Boys Melvin evar.

Napoleon's Toes
Vaguely like an early TMBG that was willing to say words like "shit".

Paco
Ironic how both our songs involve internet.. "romance". Country bear jamboree.

The Phobias
Cool vocal harmonies. Almost sounds sixties, except for the electronic instrumentation.

... more later...