Rest is Peace (Peace is Rest reviews)

[canonicalman]

Ok gave up sleep to get reviews in. Warning I am quite harsh this week. I just felt that too many people had ideas that didn't click properly and I don't pull punches because music is just too damn important to sugarcoat. A is something worth putting on radio. B is a group to watch. C is not going to get many gigs but ok at what they do. D is heavily flawed. F is just terrible.

Dunce - The synth is and drums are well sculpted to fit your lyrics. And you do have nice emotional delivery. Very well done overall, I could see this on the radio. But I don't think this was done in a week. Just too much nicely executed stuff. Including time spent on scripting and story. If you did crank this out for the contest then props to you, this is the best done piece this week. One weakness in the song is there are two lines in a row that end with don't know shit or ain't worth shit. That sounded structurally weak and dunno how that made it in when the rest was so polished. A+ (not sure if I will give a vote since I never heard 'Peace in Rest'. Rest Peacefully is not the same thing and is a lot easier to work around.)

Manhattan Glutten - The early intro was lacking. The bass has no mid frequencies and there is just nothing going on in mid to high range. A background part (synth apagio?) or a fuller bass sound would help in building the first 15 seconds up. Another issue with the intro is the overuse of man at very start> Man, it is said like 5 times? What the hell, man? I like when you kick into the full NIN blast of industrial music. Nice stacking of many parts to make a cohesive whole. Even there I think the bass sounded a little thin though. A bit of fuzz or just some more middle might have given it more oomph. Your singing on the "And in my dreams" falsetto felt weak on pitch. It was mostly on pitch but I was hesitant. If you had just nailed those pitches or sounded better supported it would have been beautiful. A (VOTE)

Just in Case - Mixed bit lower than other entries. Loved the funky harmonies and guitar. The bass and percussion were really soft like you live miked live jam band for the intro. (Which you didn't but it was a lot like a room mike at a concert only gets certain parts.) The piano section was not a great transition. To much of a shift there and the drums just ignored the change in feel as if they were a drum machine or just not nuanced enough to inforperate something as a nod to the change in feel. Overall I really appreciate your entry and despite some flaw I think this really hit the topic well and made it feel not like an awkward phrase at all. B+ (VOTE)

Chopped Liver Meat God - I like the melodically ambiguous guitars and it had me nodding along. The vocal part was the weakness of this song. As experimental as the vocals felt like they were going for they really needed to be nailing pitches to really carry the atonal feel without feeling like missed notes. (Yeah that seems counterintuitive but a good dissonant or atonal part sounds best when it is really flawlessly executed, this just felt vocally sloppy while the rest of it felt quite good. Heck I liked the vocal part's concept but it might have been better auto tuned.) The stacked harmonies were slightly out of tune with each other and that just made the vocals stick out even more as the flaw here. C+

Idiot Kings - Heh, this reminds me strongly of a song from a videogame... Mayne Xenosaga? It also has a vague Tear for Fears feel. A minute and a half in I think the music needs a new idea to mix things up and keep things going. It felt a bit monotonous around there and felt better 30 seconds later when it changed up the synth part. A bit more variation and this could have been quite interesting. Not a bunch of big flaws but I am not a fan of the style either so you only get a C- from me.

Cock - Ok another synth heavy song from the 80s. I loathe the 80s pop music but this is well done despite my personal dislike for the genre. Vocals at "Peace is rest Rest is Death" sounded wrong for the song. I think it was too little processing for the genre. One minute in the electric whine keyboard voice was really vile my computer almost spit out its sound card to save itself. If I liked the style I think this song would have had serious legs. B-

Chekhov's Raygun - I don't like the Musical backing on this song. The 8 bit synth + heavy guitar is a hilarious mix but don't blend very well. The component parts of the backing music just do not make a cohesive whole. The vocals are the strongest part this time but they just didn't grab me. I did get a few chuckles here and there but the delivery should change up some to draw attention. I know Front a Lot sometimes had a singing part to change things up. Dirge just used pure heart rending delivery of hard hitting situations. You need to figure out a way to make your rhymes hit with that same impact. Either through contrast or delivery technique. Try playing around with techniques used by artists you like. Switch things up some, try to flow, then try to spit bombast, then try singing. Find what works for you. You are not there yet but your delivery is getting better each week. C

Shitload of Dolphins - The semi dissonant sing song style is very much like what i used to write. The percussion part is somewhat weak. (Was that just thumping and muted strumming on guitar and some tambourine? If so then that is a pretty creative way to get some percussion and a nice change from the a generic drum machine sound on many of these tracks.) Your vocals feel a bit thin. I think the vocal weakness may be due to your delivery technique. With better technique I think you could sound a lot fuller. No real easy tips for you otherwise, I have the same problem and have yet to fill out my sound as I have never stuck with lessons long enough.. C

State Shirt - This song is a bit introspective feeling. It takes a minute to start going and it doesn't build up until 3 and a half minutes in for heavens sake. How many people are gonna listen that long while checking contest entries? A pretty song but a bit laid back for the forum. I really think fight entries need to grab people in the first few seconds to have much chance. B-

Adam - Wow a lot of technical flaws from you this week. Both Guitar/Bass panned too far to the side. The drum machine sound doesn't blend well with the rest of the sound. A less gated drum sound would have helped and a higher reverb or delay would have made it fit better with the other parts. Stylistically too soft / introspective for a fight entry for the same reasons I said to state shirt. Nothing really drew me in. C-

Mister Mann - A bit of a beach luau sound here. I liked the use of the maraca as a like percussion part but the song didn't really grab me. When you hold out longer pitches you are slightly bending the pitch. Try singing to a guitar tuner sometime to see what I am talking about. Or better yet record yourself holding out notes like this when you add a slight swell to the vocal part and then watch what the tuner says you are doing to the pitch. C-

Ukulele train and the men - Vocals sound a bit far off. Sounds like it was recorded live with a room mike. I generally prefer close miking everything and mixing them bit hot. You have nice sounding vocalists you should show them off rather than having them way back in the mix. Good vocal technique and control. Only the recording and mixing components seem to suffer here. Probably a B performance but a D for studio technique and mastering. So overall a C.

Just Bcz - I enjoyed this entry. I feel very strong Frontalot styling to the vocals part. However that pulls attention to the fact that the musical backing is weak compared to Frontalot's DJs. A bit more variation to the music backing would help carry this. Also rappers ranting on the sad state of rap has become a well worn groove. It is hard to tread new ground when your subject material makes you feel derivative. I also find it amusing that while critiquing the effort people put into making songs you don't seem like you have spent enough time editing or revising lyrics. Maybe I am being too harsh because you evoke too much of one of my heroes (Frontalot) so I hold you to the standards I expect of his works. (Front has very good writing. Dude was a freaking English major. He could teach a freaking year long course on how to remove extraneous fluff.) Some parts of your rap are good but others belabor the point and spend needless time on something that can be conveyed much more succinctly. That moved the song from being good to almost self satire. Also the sing song part of the song suffered from being out of tune. First Time I listened this was one of my favorites but after a couple listens this feels more like a C. A few more changes to the backing music and some tightening on the lyrics and this sucker could have been a B.

Hate Noise - Why is this mixed so low? I had to triple the volume to hear this well. I liked the Mariachi feel to the first half of the song but the song itself just didn't really grab me. I do wonder if the soft mixing level was deliberate so that that damn vuvuzela would drive me nuts later. Kinda amusing gag but not really a strong song otherwise. C

New result - The music would be better on its own without the electronic voice. Hell the addition of some clever stops in the musical structure would have gotten me to like you more> The repeating vocal clips are annoying. Not quite as annoying as the horn in the last tune but this goes all the way through your piece and just weakens it. D

Young Stroke - Your flow has pauses which ruins what you are trying to do stylistically. Awkward pauses break the momentum of smooth rap. Also some the rhymes felt simple in nature. No inner pattern sub-rhymes, no complex vocabulary. Those are two areas where smooth rap "flow" artists excel.. Instead this comes across like a frat boy trying to rap. D

Who Izzy - saturated track == bad. This is worse than the darn vuvuzela. My headache is now killing me. The last 3 tracks all had headache inducing segments and this distortion is just killing me. The entire thing was mixed too high. The music could have used a bit more variation. It wasn't bad music, it just wasn't something I would rap over normally. Also variation in the backing track helps accentuate or transition the story in the lyrics. also the lyrical delivery came off a bit flat. Try varying your style, explore some different techniques. It sounds like you need a bit more variation in your delivery manner. F

Queef - I hated this the first time I heard it. But the cleverness of some of the rhyme combos later grew on me. This time the song made me grin. I wound up relistening and nodding along to the first minute. Though when the song goes to disco style at 1:20 it falls apart. The falsetto voice section was weak compared to the cleverness of the found rhyme combos. C

[Manhattan Glutton]

My entry's pretty sub-par this week, so I don't feel like I have the authority to say what's good or not... but I'll do it anyway.

Checkhov - Another decent entry from you, sir. I'm not sure you should be rapping, though, you just aren't bad-ass. Guitar tone is nice, but the song feels a little thin.

Cock - Not my favorite cock, but not my least favorite cock. It just feels a little too 80s for my taste. I like the syncopated vocals "disconnect empires of".

Dunce - Good rapping, but the words are pretty asinine and it seems to go on a little too long without changing things up.

A far off land - Once again, you're composing for a slow-motion movie montage. Nothing wrong with that...

Hate Noise - You cocky bastard. You're just trying to show off your range now. I really like the dissonant guitar part.

The Idiot Kings - Really good synth choices here - love the atmosphere. Some really good ideas in here. The vocals are good but IMO could be mixed in cleaner, and you could do a lot more interesting things with them. The song just sort of teeters out without any good hooking part.

Just In Case - Good stuff, but it seems kind of generic for its genre. Sounds like a live take, so kudos for that?

Manhattan Glutton - If I had a few more weeks I might have made this decent. Almost didn't submit it... oh well. I did a pop song last week so I needed to do something different.

Who Izzy - Not bad but I think you realize you fucked up the mix by now. That will teach you to listen before you submit!

Mister Mann - I like the lyrical structure, you clever dog. I think it could definitely be performed better, though.

New Result - Well, it's more obnoxious this week so I guess you're moving in the right direction.

McBeef - If your name didn't have 'queef' in it, I might actually take this seriously. It actually could work with some more musical elements.

Shitload of Dolphins - This is catchy. You should stop idolizing whoever you're trying to sing like - while you're on key, I kind of want to punch you for that breathy crap. The lyrics are entertaining, but make it so I can't take the song seriously.

State Shirt - While I have great respect for your talents, I am so bored.

Ukulele - Love it. All the quirks, the live vibe, it's pretty much perfect for what it is. Who is singing this? He reminds me of a less pitchy Mr. Jon Eric.

Young Stroke - I like this. It could have a fuller sound, but it's nice. Clever lyrics.

Chopped - Another interesting entry. I like the style - the first verse plunks on a little long and then hard part has kind of crappy guitar tone. With a good hook, this could be awesome, but right now it's just good.

Just BCZ - This sounds like someone rapped over a MIDI from SimCity 2000. Not terrible, but pretty boring.

All of the entries are really good this week. I think I can only vote for the one that stands clear above the rest - Ukulele. We'll see how I feel by vote time.

[Lucky Spoon]

my "reviews" are uber thin as i didn't enter and thus i didn't spend too much time listening to songs.

Checkhov - love the guitar sample, did you play this yourself? you took a step in the right direction with vox this week. you no longer sounds like you're trying to not wake someone up. still a bit timid, though... really put some emphasis and energy behind them. Even though you're not singing you still want to support the voice to get a more powerful resonant tone. your rhymes are good and your beats are hot i'm looking forward to what else you can do as you keep making songs

cock - i keep getting thrown off by your voice. i like it, but i think some cthchtonic youth song threw my off as to what i expected from you (not saying this is bad/good... is different)

dunce - the production is good, your rapping is superb and definitely a step above basement studio dwelling rapper wannabees. The backing track sounds a lot like Moment of Clarity - Jay Z. The lyrics sound a lot like something that eminem would write... which is a compliment in that it's hard to put words together that flow that well, but also a challenge for an original style. rapping about how bad things are... building up, getting angrier... hoping things would go ok for your daughter... i was waiting for you to call her Hailie. All criticisms on originality aside it's a really good track... i'd be proud if i could put out something that sounds like this.

AdamA - dreamy.

hatenoise - ummmm disappointment after your sweet rap last week.

The Idiot Kings - 80s poppy!

Just in Case - funky fresh with thin production. not a bad song, though.

Manhatten Glutton - i live for the quiet piano parts in this song... so sweet.

Who Izzy - watch the clipping. you can't make your song louder by just turning up the volume in your DAW.

Mister Mann - not a bad G&G... guitar sounds a bit out of tune here and there.

newresult - this. is-your review. this. is-your review. this. is-your review. this. is-your review. this. is-your review. this. is-your review. this. is-your review. this. is-your review. this. is-your review. this. is-your review. this. is-your review. this. is-your review. this. is-your review. this. is-your review. this. is-your review. this. is-your review. this. is-your review. this. is-your review. this. is-your review. this. is-your review. this. is-your review. this. is-your review. this. is-your review. this. is-your review. this. is-your review. this. is-your review. this. is-your review. this. is-your review. this. is-your review.

queefmcbeef - stay in school! or face the staticy wrath of queef mcbeef!

Shitload of Dolphins - sounds like your trying to make your voice something it's not... by straining... be careful, don't hurt your voice. hehehee some of the guitar chords around 1:45 remind me of Wind Waker.... not sure where... played that game years ago... but just rung a bell.

State Shirt - not my favorite song of yours. vox a bit nasally sounds like you needed to support them a bit more. still a really good song and dreamy... fit the mood of PIR (not just the lyrics), which is impressive. Also, how do you have a beard when singing vocals but no beard for guitar?

ukelelely - G&U?

Young aka Stroke Muscle - is this rap with a southern drawl? i guess bubba sparxxx did it.


and i voted for: everyone.

[Lucky Spoon]

Question for Dunce, I really like your story and vocal styling and felt what you were saying was conveyed well but did you ever say "peace is rest"? Closest I heard was "Rest Peacefully" You were my favorite tune but so far I think you didn't meet the song topic. Peace is Rest is a LOT harder to do than Rest Peacefully and that was part of the challenge by my definition at least.

I don't think it's a requirement to have the songfight title as lyrics in your song... it just has to be the title of your song.

[insert list of songs that don't use the song title in the actual lyrics of the song]

[ChekhovsRaygun#2]

Checkhov - love the guitar sample, did you play this yourself?

First, thanks for the vote!

I recorded the guitar track for us this week and will continue doing so moving forward, I'm also the backing vocals/vocal part #2 in each of our songs so far. I was also given a decent amount creative control during the mastering process for the guitar and the effects, which probably turned some people off. heh.

[sleepysilverdoor]

queefmcbeef - stay in school! or face the staticy wrath of queef mcbeef!

This is my favorite review yet.

[Spintown]

http://spintown79.blogspot.com/2010/07/ ... -rest.html

Just In Case - This music is catchy as hell, and I struggled to pay attention to the lyrics because of the chair dancing fit the music put me in. It also reminds me of a song I can't place, but you've got my vote.

DUNCE - The ominous music really works for this track, and the rhymes are pretty slick. No question you're getting a vote, I like the entire package.

Cock - I didn't want to like this...but I did. Can't say why exactly...lyrically it's not the type of song I go for normally. Not a style I typically like...but the song was definately driving me somewhere, and I liked the trip. *voted*

Chekhov's Raygun - This isn't a bad entry, but it does touch on 2 pet peeves I have about song writing contest. When the guitar comes in I have trouble picking up on some of the lyrics, so it would be great if there was a place you can post the song lyrics.....oh wait...there IS. I wish people would use the "Ye Olde Lyric Archive" more often. The other thing I get a little tired of is; songs about writing songs. I hear a new one every month is seems. For what it's worth this one is better than most, but it just seems like a fall back topic for every single person who can't think of a good idea for the challenge/fight.

Just bcz - I'm glad you pointed out how stupid the music & beat was...saved me from having to. I can get behind the message of the song, but if you want people to listen to it more than once...you'll need music that's more inspired. Glad you sent this in....even late.

[bdog5778]

Been out of commission for a few weeks -moving and then having my computer damaged during shipping. SO, I'm posting at work during lunch. Which means that I won't be reviewing entries by folks with profanity in their band names. Sorry Gents. Of course, I'm also only reviewing entries that I enjoyed. Bah, lunch is short and time is precious. I listened to these last week, so I'm writing from memory here.

State Shirt- Enjoyed this. Heart-wrenching if its subject matter is related to one of your blog posts (as I believe it is). Love how you keep switching the amounts of delay on your voice. Very pro. To offset other criticisms, let me just say that I love the sound of your voice. It's definitely unique. This may get a download, but unfortunately it doesn't get the vote (I only do one per week). That honor goes to...

Manhattan Glutton- AWESOME! Just wicked good. The best composition of the week. My only issues here are mix-related (though there were one or two lyrics that could have used a little massaging). The key issue here being -as others have rightly noted- the bass. It just doesn't lend itself to that sense of impending doom, does it? From one Line 6 owner to another, all I can say is: give it up. You'll never get the bass tone you need. These are not the droids you are looking for; move along! The solution is a relatively expensive one, but it's worth every penny. I speak, of course, of the Ampeg SVX plug-in by IK Multimedia (~$200). I bought it earlier this year and the PRESETS alone were instant magic. In fact, I'm pretty sure that I'm still using just the presets. I set the active tone controls on my Ibanez bass to flat and it's just superb. I have to say, that opening squall of guitars just floored me. The guitar tones are appropriately thrashy and trashy. The vox kind of remind me of Korn (a good thing). Totally understand the whole voice going out business, but I LOVE the background vox. The piano, on the other hand, needs a little help. Here's the problem -you've got other instruments with frequencies that are stepping on some of the piano's frequencies. Cut some of the guitars' frequencies somewhere to help the piano stand out a little better. This one gets the vote but not the download. Fix the mix.

Chekhov's Raygun- You do realize that you've got that single guitar panned straight up the middle, yes? Record another take and then pan one guitar hard left (100%L) and one guitar hard right (100%R). That problem people keep mentioning about not being able to hear the vox? This is one of the solutions. Oh, and I like this, BTW. Kind of bouncy. I like bouncy.

Mc Who Izzy - I like this. Even if it is rap. Nice and short so it doesn't overstay its welcome. Just a cool melody, too. Everyone else has already commented on production issues, so I'll say nothing more here (though there are tips below for everyone). I only mention this so that people know that yes, I am in fact listening to and talking about the same song.

Idiot Kings Too long/repetitive. Slick and polished, though. I mostly like it. Given how danceable it is, it needs better bass. Even goth chicks like to shake their groove thang. I liked the backwards effect on the beginnings of vocal phrases.

That's all I've got. If I didn't review your song, there are one of three reasons (or some combination thereof):

1) it was rap
2) i didn't like it
3) your band name has something in it that would flag the internet filters here at work

And now, time for a....

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

People here on SF need to realize that compressors are the key.

Want a more solid bottom end? Okay, start with a great sound to begin with. This goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway. For real bass, I can't recommend Ampeg SVX enough ($200 and worth far more than that -instant goodness). Synths are their own bag and I can't comment definitively on them. I'm a rock guy.

Next, the compressors. These are the KEY to THAT sound.

Instruments

Blockfish is a great free VST. Some nice coloration. This is the only compressor I would use on my guitars/bass/vocals individually for a long time. This was until I could afford the Waves Musician's Bundle #2 ($200). I originally bought the bundle just for the Doubler VST -but it turns out that it just sounds better to do a second take to thicken up your vox. The compressors, on the other hand, were awesome. RVox is 10x better than Blockfish on your voice. Just really polishes things up if you use a lot on recording and then a little on the postprocessing. RComp -in conjunction with Ampeg SVX- gives a really solid bass sound. I still use Blockfish rather than RenAxx on my guitars -especially the leads. Brings things over the top. For the kick drum, I use Dominion (another free VST). It's hard to describe it, but you can use it to help the kick cut through the mix after all of the other compression has been applied. I heard somewhere that the kick should be the first and the last thing that you adjust in your mix. Works for me.

Mix

I can highly recommend three good free VST compressors for your mixes: Endorphin (solidify that bottom end like no other), GMulti (multiband comp with multi-band stereo imaging; i use it mostly for the imaging -gives depth to your recording), and Kjaerhus Audio's Classic Master Limiter (just set it to -0.2 dB to prevent clipping, lower the threshold if you really, truly must -it actually does this fairly well). Place these on your Master buss in the order specified above. I also own L3 by Waves -I only use the Ultrimaximizer limiter (as opposed to the Mulitmaximizer multiband) to get those extra few dB as it does this rather cleanly. It's not usually necessary though and it doesn't provide the color that I like from the other compressors in my chain.

All of the compressors I've mentioned here are extremely easy to operate and experiment with. Further, they all have cool-looking GUIs. I just can't have an ugly looking GUI in my mix -it offends my delicate sensibilities. Used somewhat sparingly and judiciously you can really improve the sound of your mix. Where I have most of my fun is with Endorphin -you can really push the bass here and add some juicy saturation. Bwahaha!!

Let's get some better sounding productions here, eh?

[chekhovsraygun]

http://spintown79.blogspot.com/2010/07/ ... -rest.html
Chekhov's Raygun - This isn't a bad entry, but it does touch on 2 pet peeves I have about song writing contest. When the guitar comes in I have trouble picking up on some of the lyrics, so it would be great if there was a place you can post the song lyrics.....oh wait...there IS. I wish people would use the "Ye Olde Lyric Archive" more often. The other thing I get a little tired of is; songs about writing songs. I hear a new one every month is seems. For what it's worth this one is better than most, but it just seems like a fall back topic for every single person who can't think of a good idea for the challenge/fight.

I've posted the http://songfight.net/forums/viewtopic.p ... p154154%20. You're not wrong about the fallback thing, though. I started lyrics a couple times and had to discard them because I couldn't keep "peace is rest" straight from "rest is peace" / "rest in peace" / "peace in rest". Distaste for the title quickly became lyrical dissent. Write what you're feeling I guess? I'm not wild about songs-about-writing-songs either, but I did kind of enjoy it.

Chekhov's Raygun- You do realize that you've got that single guitar panned straight up the middle, yes? Record another take and then pan one guitar hard left (100%L) and one guitar hard right (100%R). That problem people keep mentioning about not being able to hear the vox? This is one of the solutions. Oh, and I like this, BTW. Kind of bouncy. I like bouncy.

I did not realize this, or I didn't realize this was an error anyway. The recording / mastering process is really new to me. For that matter, the whole song writing process is pretty new. Anyway, tips like this are enormously helpful - I'm going to check out these plugins. Thanks!

[Spintown]

I've posted the http://songfight.net/forums/viewtopic.p ... p154154%20.

Thanks, it's appreciated.

[Manhattan Glutton]

stuff

I just bought a brand new Line6 X3 Pro so I have something rackmountable, so don't tell me to give up! I'll concede I fucked up the bass tone on this one, but I'm pretty happy with the clean bass tone at the end - it's much better there, right? We should trade tones!

Thanks for the tips and kind words.

Edit: I have the X3 Live as well, but I was tired of bending down and disconnecting and all that nonsense.

[Manhattan Glutton]

So here's what happened with my bass. I recorded @ 48kHz, and when I rendered the project to 44.1kHz it came out with distortion that sounded like fret rattle, so the obvious easy solution was to EQ out the mid-highs on it (derp). I'm working on a new mix that sucks less, but this song is damn hard to get the frequencies right on.

[Who_Izzy]

Mc Who Izzy - I like this. Even if it is rap. Nice and short so it doesn't overstay its welcome. Just a cool melody, too. Everyone else has already commented on production issues, so I'll say nothing more here (though there are tips below for everyone). I only mention this so that people know that yes, I am in fact listening to and talking about the same song.

I really appreciate that. thank you. And I think I figured out what it was because it sounded alright on my computer, but the file type was wrong and i used an online converter to change it to mp3. I didn't listen to it again after that before i sent it in.

[HeuristicsInc]

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

I recommend re-posting that info somewhere in "Help and How To" so it's saved for posterity, and not lost somewhere in the review threads...
-bill

[the idiot king]

I recommend re-posting that info somewhere in "Help and How To" so it's saved for posterity, and not lost somewhere in the review threads...

agreed.

Given how danceable it is, it needs better bass.

there is no better bass than an arp 2600. even if it is an emulator!

[Spintown]

http://spintown79.blogspot.com/2010/07/ ... nt_23.html

NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT:
An Unfair And One-Sided Review
by Sammy Kablam

Fight: Peace Is Rest

I'm in a much better mood this week, although I will admit, I got rather sick about halfway into this review, so if it seems too "nice" or "easy going", I apologize. It's an unfortunate side effect of being sickly. But, with that out of the way, let's find out just WHY Peace is Rest.

Mister Mann

Aside from waiting for the lyrics to get more baffling every line, there was little to no reason to continue listening to this. The music was unimpressive, the vocals were...also unimpressive and the whole thing was pretty well boring. But, the consistently weak and therefore morbidly fascinating lyrics definitely kept one intrigued for the duration. Thank God, however, the duration has ended.

New Result

I cannot fathom why you put together things like this and offer them as entries in a songwriting competition. This is not a song; this is bad, bad techno music with the prompt phrase spoken over it. And the phrase isn't even cleverly mixed. This kind of thing is basically cheating, as much as one can cheat. Not that you're breaking any rules, per se, but you're putting forth zero effort and giving us redundant, bland crap that rave parties would be embarrassed to play.

The HATE Noise

What just happened? I can only make out about half of your lyrics, so I have no idea what this song is supposed to be about. And that's one thing, I mean, I've never met a rolling Stones song I could fully decipher, and those guys are billionaires. But your song just kinda starts playing Atari. And then it gets sucked into a jet engine. I, uh...I just don't get it.

Young Stroke

This might be the silliest rap I've ever heard. Not the worst, but the silliest. "I wanna go *poof*" is just wild. I will say this: your song appears to be moping about not being able to go home. That's fine, but emo rap is weird. Also, call me crazy, but a guy with a Carolinian accent calling himself a "thug" or a "pimp" strikes me as laughable. I simply cannot believe it when you try to depict yourself as a "gangsta". If you want to play up your street cred, that's fine, but you can't do it while moping. Or with twang.

The Idiot Kings

This sounds like it could open an Eddie Murphy cop movie in the early 90s. I can't hear anything you're saying, but the music is pretty ominous. Nothing much happened, but it wasn't something atrocious. Very mood-setting.

Ukulele Train and the Men

I hate ukuleles. But the song is musically better than my hatred. It's pleasant enough music, and makes for easy replays. And the vocals seem to have some great harmonization. But the lead vocal is pretty well indistinct, and I can't make out half of the words. And that weird line about saying "breasts" doesn't make any sense, because, like so many other words, I never heard "breasts" mentioned before that point. It's melodious, it's easy to listen to, and I have no clue what the vocalist is saying.

State Shirt

Well, this is certainly depressing as all hell. That said, I do believe it's the best thing I've ever heard from you. This is my first State Shirt download.

Manhattan Glutton

If anyone is ever in short supply of rock, I'm sure you could lend them a cup. And there are so many reasons this song is awesome. There are just so many great elements to this, and I'm not going to take the time to point them out. The song is so complex and intricate, without trying too hard and turning into a mess. I might even dare to say it's perfectly constructed.

Sh*tload Of Dolphins

This is not something to which I want to listen. I did. A few times. But there is absolutely nothing about it that makes me WANT to listen. The guitar is uninteresting, the vocals are flat, the story -- I guess you can call it a story -- is very much "so what?". There are worse songs, but even bad songs can be interesting.

Dunce

That organ loop is not exactly attractive. And it goes on so long, if I didn't have to hear the whole song, I'd turn it off before the lyrics started. As for the lyrics...eh. It's another rap song that just complained the whole way thru. It sounded better than Young Stroke's, but it's still a guy complaining about the end result of his personal choices. Not exactly entertaining.

Chekhov's Raygun

Lyrical rhythm. Lyrical rhythm, lyrical rhythm, lyrical rhythm. 50% of your words are spoken like you don't know how to talk. It's "bra-VA-do", not "bra-va-DO". And when you speak like you don't understand emphasis or syllables or natural tones, it makes you out to be one terrible rapper.

queef mcbeef

This sounds like the TV suffered a seizure. The greatest thing about this is how quickly it ends.

MC Who Izzy

The 8-bit intro had me intrigued. The vocal quality kicked my intrigue in its soft underbelly. Normally, I'd say a minute:thirty is too short, but since this was a bunch of static, I'm not too disheartened. Get a real mic and try again.

Just In Case

This...this really isn't all that bad. It's got an odd 60s funk kinda vibe. I think it could be polished, maybe tightened up, but it sounds pretty good as is.

Cock

I can't help but see people in neon leotards and legwarmers, running in place with a digital scene green screened in behind them. But that's just me, I guess. Also, you sound like Lemon Demon, if Lemon Demon was worth the hype. Your name is retarded, but the song is surprising. And yes, that's a compliment.

A Far Off Land

When this started, I thought it was a set-up for something big to happen. But...nothing does. This is the musical equivalent of the movie "Starfighters". This song has less activity than a forgotten graveyard. This is background music for a romantic scene in a Ben Stiller comedy -- but only if you take out the entirely pointless vocals.

******

So, there you have it: Peace is rest, and that is that. In my correct opinion, this prompt was found wanting, and the fact that any good songs came of it is a testament not to the contest but the songwriters. Hopefully, the upcoming prompt -- which looks like a great one -- will deliver even more.

Until the next time,
S. Kablam

[Spud]

I am guessing that you forgot to vote...




yeah, you.

[Lucky Spoon]

I am guessing that you forgot to vote...




yeah, you.

hey don't look at me.

should i vote for everyone again here at work?

[Lucky Spoon]

speaking of missing votes.

i really did vote for everyone and some people got zero votes... a good indication that votes got lost somewhere.


my guess: they were lost when spud uploaded the late entries (this happened in a previous fight with late entries http://songfight.net/forums/viewtopic.p ... 54#p148895 )

[Spud]

speaking of missing votes.

i really did vote for everyone and some people got zero votes... a good indication that votes got lost somewhere.


my guess: they were lost when spud uploaded the late entries (this happened in a previous fight with late entries http://songfight.net/forums/viewtopic.p ... 54#p148895 )

This did not happen this time. I uploaded the late entries at the same time as the rest. I will look into a possible glitch involving voting for everyone.

SPUD

[canonicalman]

I see some listings got less votes than people saying they would vote. And people usually vote for their own entries. I dunno, something seems fishy. Considering the number of entries I expected a lot more votes.

Can anyone here confirm that they voted for their own entry but didn't get a vote? It might help Spud.

[Who_Izzy]

i dunno if this is where this should go but I'm just gonna cross my fingers and type all at once.
I re-edited my entry for this so it isn't a large chunk of crap and it is up on my facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/mcwhoizzy