Where your rating is (Come Down reviews)

Discuss upcoming, current, and previous song fights.
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john m
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Re: Where your rating is (Come Down reviews)

Post by john m »

hahah, wow, those are some fake sounding real drums to me, then. My bad. I guess you could stand to be a little more dynamic in your play, then but it was seriously not a criticism of that originally.

Also, the Third Eye Blind comparison isn't saying you suck, it's just... I mean, listen to Jumper or Semi-Charmed Life or a few others and you might understand what I mean. It's eerily similar.
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Re: Where your rating is (Come Down reviews)

Post by deetak »

Dude's reviews are even more condescending than Jon Eric's. I only review SERIOUS ENTRIES. Not bathetic alt-rock anthems. No thanks. Old days. Old days. Let's get some real guitar in here. Real drums. Real rock and roll. You need some more rock. Flute? What the hell is this, London Philharmonkadonk? WHATEVER HAPPENED TO COMMUNITY??? Be INCREDIBLE, community. Take it from me, concentrate on your song-writing. Take it from me, this is songfight, straight objectivity. Straight objectivity.
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Re: Where your rating is (Come Down reviews)

Post by deetak »

Thanks for the reviews.
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Re: Where your rating is (Come Down reviews)

Post by JonPorobil »

um?
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Re: Where your rating is (Come Down reviews)

Post by inevitableguy »

I'll add my opinionated and not terribly useful reviews to the mix:

Signboy - You nailed the cheesy disco melodies. The vocoder is a great touch.
Steve Durand - The vocals seem off in places, and it's distracting from a rather pretty melody.
Quimby feat. BLT - It's very beautiful and slick, but I'm finding the progression a bit boring.
Mortimer the Tortoise - Cheese-tastic. It's great in a Dr. Demento kind-of way, but it's not something that could be enjoyed over and over again.
Humboat - The lyrics made me giggle, but this has the same one-time enjoyment factor.
Jan Krueger - I wish I could offer something constructive, but I'm just not getting into this. Can I plead genre bias?
Todd McHatton - Are the guitars clipping, or are they just muddy? I like the variety of keyboards.
Doctor Worm - Overall, I like this. I think the cymbals need to be dialed back in the mix a bit, they really overwhelm some parts of the song. Also, the bridge/solo section goes on just a little bit too long.
Tungsten Chic - Whoa. Intersting concept, but this goes on like this for far too long.
Lawless Drive - This doesn't work as a disco monkey song. Where's the disco? Also, step back from the mic.
Nigel Clements - The vocals are a bit off, but the songwriting's good, so I'll forgive it.
Abominominous - The guitars kinda step all over each other, but it's not bad overall.
The Chadderandom Abyss - I just can't get my head around your style, no matter how hard I try.
Max the Cat - There needs to be more to this.
Clifton Lee Johnson - It's hard to impress with a simple G&G, but this hooked me right from the start. Excellent work.
The Sky Looks Pissed - You need a pop filter. I like the extra instrumentation at the end - wish there was more of it throughout.
Adam Adamant - I like the dark synths. I probably would have listened to this in college.
Chopped Liver Meat God - I like the instrumentation, but I'm hating the vocals. I understand what you're going for, but please don't.
deetak - The instrumentation is so sparse that the vocals seem to overwhelm everything.
Big Crouton - This isn't the kind of thing I'd listen to regularly, but it's really good. The mix is great.
Paco del Stinko - The verses kind of plod along, but I love the chorus.
Quimby - Once again, you've written a very pretty song, but it needs more than just the guitar to set it apart and make it great.
Berkeley Social Scene - Solid work, but not outstanding in any way. I think it would help if the vocal performance was more enthusiastic.
Ford's Theater Disaster - I can see how this vocal style would appeal to some audiences, but I'm not into it and I'm having a hard time getting over that.
Rone Rivendale - I'm not a big fan of the lyrics, and you still need practice with your vocals, but I really like the music - polish this up a little bit and there's a good song in there.
Chthonic Chtock - This has a great vibe to it that I'm really digging - it reminds me of some of the stuff coming out in the 80's when some new wave was trying to turn into industrial.
The Weakest Suit - I think the drums need a bit more punch, and I'd dial up the tempo a few notches - it tends to drag a bit.
Grass Stained - I like this. It feels like it needs a little bit more, but I'm not sure what. Overall, a pretty good tune.
Who Fly - Very nice. This grooves along really well. It's a simple arrangement, but that's exactly what this song needs. The more I listen to it, the more I like it.
Embers of Autumn - This is a different sound for you. Your vocals need some work, but it's an interesting song.
Andrew Reist - There's nothing wrong with this song, it just feels kind of generic to me.
Larry - The mix is a little weak. A lot of the instruments seem to blend together rather than stand out on their own.
Ross Durand - Nice guitar tone. I'm not finding myself satisfied with this, and I'm not really sure why, either.
Jonathan Mann - I think the vocals need more variation.

I think Chthonic Chtock is the standout for the week, but I'm also giving votes to Signboy, Clifton Lee Johnson, Big Crouton, and Who Fly.
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Re: Where your rating is (Come Down reviews)

Post by Clif »

john m wrote:Ew, couldn't you do a little editing and take out the "I breathed too loudly into the microphones" noises? Unless this is one take, in which case... eh.
There is a lot to follow with 30-some entries and all the pre-fight and review posts, so no worries if you missed the backstory. I'm the guy who was displaced for 19 days due to the Ice Storms in KY. The song was recorded in one take using a $100 flip cam. That wasn't breathing, it was the wind, because I had to record outside. Glad the song came across "okay" regardless of the circumstances. :)
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Re: Where your rating is (Come Down reviews)

Post by Ross »

Chadderandom wrote:
adam b wrote:As a guitarist myself I find it funny you decide that 'we' would be horrified by your submission.
No we, just Ross. He specifically mentioned Charles Ives, a dissonant composer, as someone he appreciated, but I don't think Charles Ives included any guitar in any of his pieces, I could be wrong since I've not heard a lot of Charles Ives. But just because you like some dissonance, it doesn't mean you'll like all dissonance, especially if that dissonance is coming from an instrument you're more familiar with, which is why I brought up the guitarist factor. For him. As a possibility.
Well, you appear to be making my point for me. You are correct that the reason I mention Ives is his dissonance (by the way - much of his output is not dissonant as well - a master of tension and release to be sure). I was mentioning it only because you have written that you "hear different" [not a quote, but the gist] than other people, and seem to dismiss dissenting opinions of your music - so I was being sort of sarcastic. I wanted you to be aware that we are not all just shallow 3 chord schmucks. I quite enjoy music that challenges me - I listen to things like IVes, Webern, Lutoslawski, Varese, and Anne Gosfield for fun. And yet, because I play guitar, you find me unqualified to judge you. It begins to feel as if your standard is, if we don't like your music, we are not qualified to judge it.

By the way - I was a french horn player and composer before I was a guitarist, and don't exactly consider myself that, but a songwriter. From this side of the screen you appear to be pigeonholing me in order to defend your art. I will continue to give full listens.

PS - Yes - a conscious response to "From A Distance" - you nailed it. and thanks for the review.
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Re: Where your rating is (Come Down reviews)

Post by Chadderandom »

Ross wrote:And yet, because I play guitar, you find me unqualified to judge you. It begins to feel as if your standard is, if we don't like your music, we are not qualified to judge it.
Bullshit. Its really fucking frustrating when people twist what I say (or assume I fucking mean things that I don't) and especially this crap because I was responding to something YOU said. You fucking said you were unqualified to judge it, you seemed confused by it, stating possibly why you should be able to judge it, how the fuck am I supposed to know what you're saying is sarcastic or not. And sarcastic or not, you fucking said it not me, so don't pretend I pulled that shit.
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Ross
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Re: Where your rating is (Come Down reviews)

Post by Ross »

Chadderandom wrote:
Ross wrote:And yet, because I play guitar, you find me unqualified to judge you. It begins to feel as if your standard is, if we don't like your music, we are not qualified to judge it.
Bullshit. Its really fucking frustrating when people twist what I say (or assume I fucking mean things that I don't) and especially this crap because I was responding to something YOU said. You fucking said you were unqualified to judge it, you seemed confused by it, stating possibly why you should be able to judge it, how the fuck am I supposed to know what you're saying is sarcastic or not. And sarcastic or not, you fucking said it not me, so don't pretend I pulled that shit.
Wow - hey didn't mean to really piss you off that much.

In my original post, the "apparently" has to do with several weeks of me getting the impression that you have the idea that other people (perhaps me in particular) just can't understand what you are doing (this includes the week that you posted an altered version of your song because you felt the one you liked better would not be well received). So I wanted to point out to you that you may be at fault for judging my perspective based on my product, and perhaps the perspectives of others. I suppose I could have chosen a more diplomatic way of doing so - but I think I wrote this pretty late.

I said nothing about guitar - that part was you. You could just have easily asked "Why do you feel you aren't qualified to judge me?' instead, you appear to agree, and even suggest a reason why.

Anyway - I'd be happy to continue this conversation off-board in pms - we've probably used enough of other people's screen space on it.
Last edited by Ross on Thu Feb 19, 2009 10:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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john m
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Re: Where your rating is (Come Down reviews)

Post by john m »

deetak wrote:Dude's reviews are even more condescending than Jon Eric's. I only review SERIOUS ENTRIES. Not bathetic alt-rock anthems. No thanks. Old days. Old days. Let's get some real guitar in here. Real drums. Real rock and roll. You need some more rock. Flute? What the hell is this, London Philharmonkadonk? WHATEVER HAPPENED TO COMMUNITY??? Be INCREDIBLE, community. Take it from me, concentrate on your song-writing. Take it from me, this is songfight, straight objectivity. Straight objectivity.
hahaha, this is awesome. If you don't like criticism, play your songs for your parents instead of a community of musicians. Or, you know, get better.

... and Jon Eric is condescending? hahaha.
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Re: Where your rating is (Come Down reviews)

Post by deetak »

Hey man, criticism is ROUGH, don't you understand? If you can't take it, the music business will eat you alive (I'm not a sell out) (My heroes sold me out). I'm honest, and if you can't deal with it? Then Grow Up. Look, this isn't your mommy's teat OK??? I'm not here to pamper you. Hahaha. Typical. Me? Smug? It's called honesty. Pure. Brutal. Honesty. Play your songs for your granny and rub down her wrinkles with your nose, little baby. You tell them, John M. My word is the only word. You like this song? What are you, retarded? Practice makes perfect, kid. Down with song love. Up with songfight all the way up your ass and out through your mouth into your audience. Shoot that grit to the front seats. That's Rock and Roll.
Last edited by deetak on Thu Feb 19, 2009 10:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Where your rating is (Come Down reviews)

Post by Reist »

john m wrote:Also, the Third Eye Blind comparison isn't saying you suck, it's just... I mean, listen to Jumper or Semi-Charmed Life or a few others and you might understand what I mean. It's eerily similar.
Haha, I sort of see what you mean, especially with the vocals. But honestly, I don't see much similarity between the two songs you linked to and the song I submitted. Just because I use generic chord progressions doesn't mean I sound like every alternative rock band out there, you know? :P

That is the style I enjoy though - the 90s alternative rock, so I guess you'd probably hear at least the influence of the genre. Thanks for the review.

ps - sorry for my lack of reviews guys, I've been pretty busy lately. School etc ... probably won't even have time to listen to all the submissions. I feel like a dick, like maybe if I can't find time to review, I shouldn't bother submitting - don't want to be a leech, you know?
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Re: Where your rating is (Come Down reviews)

Post by Steve Durand »

Deetak,
It probably isn't really worth getting all worked up over the comments of some basically anonymous guy on the internet. You're free totake what you think is of value from it and ignore the rest.
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Re: Where your rating is (Come Down reviews)

Post by deetak »

yah, I'm done.


SEE YOU AT THE BLOODBATH THAT WILL BE KNOWN AS "WE KEEP THEM ALIVE"
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john m
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Re: Where your rating is (Come Down reviews)

Post by john m »

heh, I don't mind if you typecast me as jaded rocker or whatever. I listen to a huge variety of musical styles. I was a classically trained percussionist, turned jazz quartet drummer, turned self-taught rocker. Some of my favorite songfighters have been from genres I never ordinarily listen to. Brick Pig made me appreciate country, for fuck's sake! I appreciate all styles of music.

Good music.

If you don't agree with my review of you, why don't you provide some insight as to why you disagree? Why did you write the song the way you did? You're only coming off as defensive and attacking me without making any real point about the content of your entry. I don't like your song because the instrumental parts don't associate well with each other, the transitions are jarring because each subsequent section feels drastically different from the last with no musical continuity. The lyrics are unintelligible and the vocals are forced and their passion is horribly fake. Drone piano bass as a whole is overused and your version does nothing to differentiate itself from any of the million other songs with drone piano bass that I've heard before. Why don't you tell me the reasoning behind layering ten different vocal takes when it's hard enough to make out anything you're saying in a solo vocal track? If you're so horribly offended by my "condescending" review, you must have had some forethought behind your composition, right?

Really, if all you want is a flame war, I can continue to antagonize you until the fight has long passed, but if you're really trying to defend your piece as a legitimate intellectual conception with purpose in its design, your original intent and reasoning would be a good place to start.

Oh, and uh, consider yourself lucky this isn't the old songfight (trademark old-school reference), because what we (trademark old-school self-inclusion) had to say back then (trademark old-school reference) was way harsher (trademark old-school nostalgia) but accomplished much more (trademark old-school I walked 15 miles to and from work uphill both ways in the snow).
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Re: Where your rating is (Come Down reviews)

Post by Billy's Little Trip »

Image
Last edited by Billy's Little Trip on Thu Feb 19, 2009 11:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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john m
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Re: Where your rating is (Come Down reviews)

Post by john m »

HIS NAME IS GRINMAN DAMN IT
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Re: Where your rating is (Come Down reviews)

Post by jackfrost »

john m wrote:No songlove. Harsh but fair (and actually helpful) reviews only, like the old days.

Overall, I'm pretty disappointed that songfight has fallen this far. There were some decent entries, but they were mostly "good for songfight" entries rather than songs I will keep on my hard drive and listen to amid signed artists. It is not impossible to make such songs. Frankie, JB, add, Front, DT, Glenn, sos, State Shirt, Ken, #... many, many artists before all of you have made great songs (within a week or less) that stand alone as fantastic. This obviously has been lost somewhere along the way. Please get it back.

I don't do the multiple vote shit. This is songfight. I've always voted for the single best song in a fight (of which there is always exactly one), regardless of whose it was. So, it is with complete objectivity and after full critical analysis that I... find no other song better than my own, by a considerable margin.
i don't see anything "helpful" in you "reviews", just some bitterness from a person who is trying desperately to piss people off on a message board to compensate for how fucking horrible his life has become. personally, i thought your song was shit. there was no hook, the vocals were off key from the start, the picked out guitar part was out of time in parts, and the mix makes the whole thing sound like a computer having an abortion. pretentious nonsense. the first time i heard it, i actually laughed out loud at how over-produced and cheesy it was. why don't you just go back to listening to your "signed artists" and let the big record labels dictate your tastes? i hope typing all those reviews didn't take you away from seeing too much of American Idol this week.
Last edited by jackfrost on Thu Feb 19, 2009 11:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Where your rating is (Come Down reviews)

Post by Reist »

Holy hell, people.

ps - great post for numba 2500.
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john m
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Re: Where your rating is (Come Down reviews)

Post by john m »

Life's great, thanks! Getting pretty much everything squared away, finally. Doing exactly what I want to be doing every single day. Life isn't perfect, but who's is? Thankfully, mine's better than it's been in years.

Top 5 artists: They Might Be Giants (self-published through "indie major," whatever that means these days), Matthew Good Band (Canada only), Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra (Japan only), Rip Slyme (Japan only), the Pillows (Japan only).

Oh, and the next episode of Idol I watch will be my first. The next time I listen to the radio will be the first in... 12 years? Something like that.

Man, you guys are seriously missing the point.
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Re: Where your rating is (Come Down reviews)

Post by jackfrost »

john m wrote:Life's great, thanks! Getting pretty much everything squared away, finally. Doing exactly what I want to be doing every single day. Life isn't perfect, but who's is? Thankfully, mine's better than it's been in years.

Top 5 artists: They Might Be Giants (self-published through "indie major," whatever that means these days), Matthew Good Band (Canada only), Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra (Japan only), Rip Slyme (Japan only), the Pillows (Japan only).

Oh, and the next episode of Idol I watch will be my first. The next time I listen to the radio will be the first in... 12 years? Something like that.

Man, you guys are seriously missing the point.
the pillows aren't japan only. they just live in japan. they released "penalty life" and "my foot" in america. the first 2 flcl soundtracks with their songs were released here. the third flcl soundtrack, with exclusively their songs, was released in america before japan. they have toured in america the last two years (i have a set list to prove it). they have music available on american itunes. how is that japan only? dude, at least try to know a bit about your top 5 artists.
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Re: Where your rating is (Come Down reviews)

Post by john m »

Oh cool, you know them. Which show did you attend? I didn't manage to make it (didn't have the money at the time, plus the closest was Chicago, iirc). Their new stuff is kinda disappointing.

By the way, I meant to ask, since I don't know who you are: Did you enter this fight? If you took issue with my review of you, I'd be happy to talk it over with you in more detail.
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