Are We There Yet? (Three-Day Waiting Period Reviews)

Justincombustion · Post by **Justincombustion** » Wed Sep 29, 2004 1:43 pm

If anyone's feelings get hurt, I'll be there with a hug and a hankie. Very manly hug and a soft, soft hankie.
If (mostly) strangers saying something bad about your song makes someone cranky, they probably just need a nap. If you don't want honest reviews, don't click the message board. Right?

Look at Down With Gender, everyone blasted them when they first got here. Did they cry? Nope, they kept plugging away and now some reviews of their music are downright nice. (For that they get the "Spirit Award!")

Post by jb » Wed Sep 29, 2004 1:59 pm

Jim of Seattle wrote:Since nothing is really riding on these reviews, there's really little point in being "brutal", since it's just liable to upset someone for no reason that matters very much. If I really hate a songfight song, I'm not out any money, no one's being injured, there's not really a lot at stake. So why not be nice about it? Anyway, that's what I'm striving for. I don't want to make anyone mad. It's not worth it. But like C Hack said, if someone loves every single song, their review doesn't hold any weight. So there needs to be some happy medium. I'm working on it.

The thing is, it's much much easier to be brutal than to be tactfully honest. Especially for intelligent, articulate people. Our society rewards cleverness and wit, and trains us to be experts at the cutting remark.

Where I work we've been dealing with this issue for 8 years now. We are especially conscious of it because as tech writers we pay very close attention to the tone of what we write. So if we have to produce comments or edits in a hurry, we always preface with something that says "I'm under a deadline and haven't the time to moderate the tone of the comments in this email. If any of my comments sound mean, please remember that and don't take them personally. If I had time, I would rephrase."

And as I've said before, on the old message boards, if you get a review that pisses you off, read it again but in the voice of Strongbad, from homestarrunner.com.

Rachael Layne · Post by **Rachael Layne** » Wed Sep 29, 2004 2:37 pm

Justincombustion wrote:If anyone's feelings get hurt, I'll be there with a hug and a hankie. Very manly hug and a soft, soft hankie.
If (mostly) strangers saying something bad about your song makes someone cranky, they probably just need a nap. If you don't want honest reviews, don't click the message board. Right?

Look at Down With Gender, everyone blasted them when they first got here. Did they cry? Nope, they kept plugging away and now some reviews of their music are downright nice. (For that they get the "Spirit Award!")

Agreed!

c hack · Post by **c hack** » Wed Sep 29, 2004 3:15 pm

Justincombustion wrote:Look at Down With Gender, everyone blasted them when they first got here. Did they cry? Nope, they kept plugging away and now some reviews of their music are downright nice. (For that they get the "Spirit Award!")

DWG got blasted because they were acting like trolls -- it had nothing to do with their music. They had it (and much more) coming. They'll get no awards if I have anything to say about it (which I don't).

TVsKyle · Post by **TVsKyle** » Wed Sep 29, 2004 3:30 pm

I'm fine with an unkind review as long as it's CONSTRUCTIVE. I tried to be in the one review I did so far, but I don't always get that courtesy in return. Constructive criticism is the only way I'll improve.

Gazelles · Post by **Gazelles** » Wed Sep 29, 2004 7:21 pm

Reviews:
* indicates a keeper

Andre Was Here at Midnight: Vocal doubling comes in at the right times. Lyrics are lacking pretty bad. The second guitar doesn't always quite match the rhythm guitar. Probably the best I've ever heard from you, way to improve man. Nice little ending thing. 2 and 2/5 stars.

Bob McRae: I like you're voice. The music and vocal style is a little reminiscent of Blues Traveler or something. Or maybe I'm just pulling this out of my ass, I do that with band comparisons sometimes. Anyway, this has a pretty nice melody. And I'm fan of the chorus, it's pretty nice. It's a pretty boring overall though. It's definitey lacking something. Melody is nice but just not very interesting. I think what's reall lacking is the arrangement. You got a nice little thing here, just shorten it a little and work on the arrangement. 3 and 1/5 stars.

Calfborg*: Nice little intro, it kind of works and doesn't at the same time which is a really cool effect, if you understand me at all. Nice song for what it is, if you had tried to go on much longer then you did on that same melody, it probably would've died on me. I absolutely love the guitar solo outro. Really great job. 3 and 2/3 stars.

C Hack*: I love the C Hack simplicity. And I love you're twisted lyrics. At first it seemed like you couldn't write about anything that wasn't really twisted or anything, but now it's the C Hack trade mark. These are funny twisted though. You have a really nice little ditty here. 3 and 2/3 stars.

Charcoal: I can appreciate what you're going for in most of you're songs, that weird sort of ambient floaty sound with reverb and stuff, if you follow me. Usually I don't feel you really nail it though. You certainly did this time however. Nice story lyrics, not a real inventive story, but the way you tell it is nice. Overall, this isn't something I could listen to multiple times, but I think that's a preference thing. I think you really got what you were going for. It's also too long for being rather slow. 3 and 1/3 stars.

Dentron 3199: Average beat. Bad rapping. Bad lyrics. I'm glad it was short. 1 and 3/4 stars.

Explino!: I'm not a huge fan of the music, it's a very average melody. The lyrics are seriously lacking. The first bridge is really awesome, that's the only part of the song I really like. Other then that it's very average. 2 and 1/2 stars.

Freddielove*: Suavalamp should be a real genre or band name or something. It totally describes this song. Please post lyrics? I like the interspersed strings. You do a really fantastic song, I'm really loving this. The strings totally make the song, I wouldn't like the song as much with out them as much. Great job. 3 and 9/10 stars.

Josh Woodward*: Intro was not very Woodwardian, I like it. I think Josh Woodward makes up the largest part of my Keeper list, not because he's my favorite, but because he's really consistently very good to awesome. Back to the song. Great beatbox, real drums wouldn't do the song justice. This really sounds very different from your average Woodward, and you totally do a great job with it. AWESOME ACCORDION. I don't know if that's you actually playing it or what, but It's a great touch. And great weird ending, if at all possible, you just barely beat Freddielove with a killer ending. Great job. 4 and 1/10 stars.

5. Charcoal
3. C Hack*
3. Calfborg*
2. Freddielove*
1. Josh Woodward*

c hack · Post by **c hack** » Wed Sep 29, 2004 7:36 pm

the human cello wrote:Suavalamp should be a real genre or band name or something.

I love that. Where did that come from?

Gazelles · Post by **Gazelles** » Wed Sep 29, 2004 7:38 pm

Check out what Freddielove listed his genre as, I saw it when it popped up on iTunes. I thought it was pretty cool too, don't know if Freddielove came up with it himself or not though.

Freddielove · Post by **Freddielove** » Thu Sep 30, 2004 9:33 pm

your choice of drums.... makes me cringe

- Nice Geoff from Cold Sweat review.

I spent most of the song cringing....

- Jim of Seattle from Three Day Waiting Period review.

Hey, I'm on a roll.

Freddielove · Post by **Freddielove** » Thu Sep 30, 2004 9:36 pm

Actually, I think that is sig material.

Freddielove · Post by **Freddielove** » Thu Sep 30, 2004 9:53 pm

c hack wrote:nice vibe. I like this. Love the bass -- got a great Thievery Corporation feel to it. How did you do that? I'm assuming real bass direct into mixer? Any plug-ins? Drums are kinda awkward, listen to Thievery for ideas.

Actually, should I say this? it's the sub synth bass sound straight out of Garage Band. It is by far the best instrument in the library.

Yeah, the drums suck, at some point I want to remix and add new drums. Which brings me to a couple of questions:

For any mac users out there, are there any good vst plugins for drums for Garage Band? That is one area where I want to pick something up.

For everyone, I've also been considering Reason. I will try out the demo at some point. Is it worth the money for an upgrade over Garage Band? especially in the drum department. I am fairly happy with the program as a multitrack recorder and mixer but I could use an expanded library of sounds (already have Jam Pack) to add to what you get with the stock version.

Freddielove · Post by **Freddielove** » Thu Sep 30, 2004 10:01 pm

Suavalamp should be a real genre or band name or something

I always make up a genre for the song that I think it would fit into if such a genre existed. Past genres included lardcore an cold jam.

I will post the lyrics to the song and review, of course, in the next day or two.

c hack · Post by **c hack** » Fri Oct 01, 2004 6:50 am

Freddielove wrote:For everyone, I've also been considering Reason. I will try out the demo at some point. Is it worth the money for an upgrade over Garage Band? especially in the drum department.

Reason is what happens when you design a piece of software and you do everything right. I really really like it.

Except for one thing: the innocuous act of updating your system software makes Reason ask you for the serial numbers all over again, so you better have them handy. Completely uncalled for, IMO, and I don't see what good it serves. But it's better than a dongle (shudder).

Richard WreckdoM · Post by **Richard WreckdoM** » Fri Oct 01, 2004 3:02 pm

I'm writing these reviews whilest at work on a break that I didn't have to take, and I could be getting payed for. This might make me more harsh on someone that bores me for 5 minutes, for time is money. Good luck to all of you.

Andre was there at Midnight -
Singing is flat, guitar is pretty good. I like the way the accompaniment jumps in. It doesn't go anywhere for me.

Bob McRae -
When I was considering this title, it would have been about guns and shooting people. Shooting animals however; there's nothing macho or cool about that. This song sounds just as good to me as any other Neo Country song out there, which isn't saying much. I did resist the temptation to skip the last minute even though it was obviously just a repeat.

Calfborg -
I likes this so far. Good intro of noise. I would have liked the vocal start to be more in your face, but it's enjoyable. I can't really make out the lyrics, but I don't care. It's more about the voice as an instrument. Nice and quick.

Chack -
For guytar this isn't too bad. I'm glad that you plan on killing a person. I just don't enjoy a guy and his guitar.

Charcoal -
This mix is pretty good. It's really boring though. Maybe if I liked your voice as much as you do, it would be more enjoyable.

Dentron -
Fun intro. I'm glad you're not wasting my time. I enjoyed this a lot. I think you'll get my vote.

Explino -
Grungy and going together nicely. This is an interesting mix of agressive and pathetic. It seems very successful in that way. This could sell millions of copies considering young teenagers are the majority of the market. Good job I suppose.

Freddielove -
This is New Age crap. Sorry, but this doesn't do anything for me.

Joshie boy -
More of what I'd expect from you. I can't pick out anything that I don't like, as I can't pick out anything that I like.

That's it. My vote goes to Dentron!

Code: Select all

Denyer · Post by **Denyer** » Fri Oct 01, 2004 9:40 pm

Holy shit.

Richard WreckdoM · Post by **Richard WreckdoM** » Sat Oct 02, 2004 8:22 am

Richard WreckdoM wrote:
That's it. My vote goes to Dentron!
Code: Select all

I wish I could retract my vote. I voted before considering personal character. Had I realized beforehand that I was voting for a racist, I wouldn't have for I think that this sort of behavior should be anything but encouraged. I mean, come on. There are plenty of reasons to hate an individual based on their personal behavior. Hating someone that you don't know anything about, based on the color of their skin is pure ignorance, and gives me adequate reason to hate you. I don't however hate people like this. I realize that they are just children that don't know better. Despite what many people believe, reaching a certain age does not make you no longer a child. It requires some emotional development that apparently lots of people will never acheive.

My new imaginary vote goes to Calfborg. A very enjoyable song.

Gazelles · Post by **Gazelles** » Sat Oct 02, 2004 9:05 am

As much as I completely agree with everything you said, I still believe you should vote for who you think wrote the best song. And though I would strongly disagree that Dentron had the best song, if that's what you think, just vote for him and don't regret it. I think a vote on Songfigh! should be solely based on the how much you liked the individual song in of that person in that fight, not how well he did in previous fights, not how cool a person he seems to be, but how good the particular song is.

Eric Y. · Post by **Eric Y.** » Sat Oct 02, 2004 9:15 am

true. in an ideal world, you should be able to listen to all the songs without reading the names, and vote blindly for the best one.

astrolamb · Post by **astrolamb** » Sat Oct 02, 2004 10:56 am

Andre: Seems like there's a lot of room for improvement here. Obviously you're willing to take the time to make the music as opposed to just belching out an idea, and even more importantly you're willing to put your neck on the line and share it. Take notes on what the folks here tell you - most of them are pretty good as is their advice.

Bob McRae: This reminds of somebody...which is a good thing...I just can't remember who it is. Wait - "The Bastard Sons Of Johnny Cash" - that's it. Good stuff - I love that band. I don't like the lyrics at all, but the tempo, feel and sound of this song are really great - I really really like the vocal sound - I would die for this sound if I was back in Arizona on one of those interminably straight two-lane desert highways. I also agree with the others who have mentioned that this song could use a little bit more of a climax . . .

Calfborg: Very cool. I like screaming, pounding guitars and drum machines . . . I want more bass in this though. Someone earlier mentioned that the anger didn't really come through on this one and I'd have to agree - you sound like you want to be pissed, but maybe you had a good day before you recorded it?

C Hack: Not big on joke songs, personally, but this was well-done and amusing. I was also going to kill my girlfriend in this songfight had I finished it in time...

Charcoal: Too slow and melodramartic. It sounds like you might have written this down as prose rather than lyrics.

Dentron 3199: "Because I can't record when other people are home." That's funny - that's why I missed this week's fight! Sorry to say it, but the rapping isn't really up to par on this.

Explino: Nicely put together. I am not one who is able to critique recording quality, by any means, but compared to the rest of the song the guitar solo comes through as very thin.

Freddielove: Nice and relaxing . . . somewhat reminiscent of "I'm Cold" by Whale. I like it, but at the end it just goes away. I do that kind of thing all the time because I lack talent - you don't seem to have that problem so I had hoped the song would be wrapped up neatly.

Josh Woodward: It took about three listens for me to like this, but now I do like it. Very well done.

Post by **Lunkhead** » Sat Oct 02, 2004 6:34 pm

I voted for Explino! but it was a tough call. I really liked Freddielove's song but in the end I decided it was a hair less polished than Explino!'s tune, in terms of the arrangement. Anyway, good job everybody, and great debut, Freddielove. Looking forward to more good stuff from you.

Denyer · Post by **Denyer** » Sat Oct 02, 2004 10:38 pm

Richard WreckdoM wrote:Had I realized beforehand that I was voting for a racist, I wouldn't have for I think that this sort of behavior should be anything but encouraged.

You wouldn't be voting for a racist, you'd be voting for someone who thinks racism is funny.

drë · Post by **drë** » Sun Oct 03, 2004 12:11 am

short and sweet reviews:

Bob McRae -(download, vote)
i like this, the drum patter gets boring after a while, and the song overall may be a bit to long like :45 -1:00 to long. vocals are good, it reminds me of somekind of 80's song.. but can't think of the artits.. along the lines of peter grabrial tho ??

Calfborg - i don't get this, whats the whole point of the pop intro ??? the whole song and its mix(CLASH!) of 2 different genders...
did enjoy the background screaming and the guitar solot a bit..

C Hack-(download) really like the story telling here. whish you had more music here tho; but i guess you were going for a simple story telling song... and that you did well.

Charcoal- like the atmosphere here... got some early pink floy goin on... but after awhile it gets boring. maybe a minute too long, but this is the bets or at least most interesting song i'd have heard from you, so props to you for that.

Dentron 3199- this is funny, but i think i'd enjoy the chessy gaming music in the background more than anything else... creative on the lyrics, whish they were more clear tho, and here's a tip:F5

Explino!- this is well done, unfurtunally am not to fond of upbeat music like this, don't know why.. enjoy the guitar solo the most.

Freddielove-(download) uhh really like how that bass comes in... this reminds me alot of a band by the name of "Via Stelite".
unfurtanlly dosen't built into anything, it kinds of just stops! why ? also the bass could comedown just a bit in the mix... it kind of overshadows evrything else. like this, just really wish it would have built into something.

Josh Woodward - uhh what’s with the synths... not like regular woodward. Everything is good, music, lyrics, vox's... and production.. unfurtunaly like allot of your songs... they don't do anything for me, even tho everything is there technically, like all the ingredients on a recipe, i just don’t get a vibe from this song. Sound good though.

and my vote goes to Bob McRae.. i wanna keep hering more of your stuff.

Are We There Yet? (Three-Day Waiting Period Reviews)

Welllll...

Re: Welllll...

Re: Welllll...