Naked Songfight (Things To Do in New York Reviews)

Discuss upcoming, current, and previous song fights.
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Denyer
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Naked Songfight (Things To Do in New York Reviews)

Post by Denyer »

I did a song feat. greenday & bach & ashlee simpson but I gave it to kanye west to remix and the loser forgot to send it in. :(
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Post by Sober »

Then this should be a good fight.
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Post by Duncan, of Level Nivelo »

Aw SNAP!
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Post by Niveous »

I wish I could've been in this fight. Damn technical problems.

Duncan- your song may have been less than a minute long but it's so true. Damn tourist trap we live in.
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Post by Sober »

Which one is J$'s?
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First Listen...

Post by EightLeggedOedipus »

Caravan Ray
+++ Good lyrics. Excellent vocal sound. +++
/// Decent chord progression. Predictable but pleasant melodies. ///
--- Poor vocal delivery. Extra syllables trip up the rhythm in places.
Guitar sound would be the last on my list. ---

Eight Legged Oedipus (me)
+++ Rockin' sound. Secret samples of Seinfeld, Simpsons, Schwartzenegger, Star Trek Voyager, and Ren & Stimpy +++
/// No more convictionless curse words ///
--- Mood-breaking pseudo-bridge that goes on way too long. ---

Feldspar
+++ Nice backing vocals, emotive final chorus. +++
/// Straightforward songwriting ///
--- Same crappy plugged-in acoustic sound as Caravan Ray! ---

Fifteen years
+++ OK, diggin' the beat, ladies. Awesome string samples +++
/// Warming up to the vocals. Not good, but 'has character' ///
--- Cheesy rap a la Madonna's American Life. You and she can do better. ---

Historyman
+++ Cool riff. Fun falsetto. +++
/// Still not great though. I'm impressed that the MIDI sounds don't make me hate it///
--- Ok now it's irritating. That amp-modded (reverbed?) bass part is nasty ---

More to come...
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Post by Edge of LA »

HostessMostess..... solely on a technical level... awesome vocal recording. What kind of mic, etc did you use?
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Continued...

Post by EightLeggedOedipus »

Hostess Mostess
+++ Spanktacular recording. Great vocal take. Folky phrasing.
Good delay / reverb. +++
/// Interesting although not enchanting chord progression ///
--- A couple Dylanesque touches that are not to my taste ---

Level Nivelo
+++ Funny song. To the point. Cheerful +++
/// Reminds me of Big Poo Generator, only not as good ///
--- Also sounds like bad X-mas karaoke (or ALL x-mas karaoke) ---

Livestock at Large
--- Annoying ---

Magnetbox
--- Way out of tune. Way off beat. Predictable chords. Unlistenable. ---

Masters of Grip
+++ Hey nice hard-panned lead lines. Cool intro +++
/// Guessing the vocals will suck ///
--- Yup, they do. For four wasted minutes ---

Max The Cat
+++ I like the beat, and foreboding acoustic. Cool chorus melody +++
/// I could do without voiceover, but it doesn't ruin it.
Setting the stage... ///
--- Well now all that voiceover is getting to me. Too Henry Rollins.
Should be more rhythmic a la Charlie Daniels band or Primus ---

Milk Machine
+++ Lo-fi Creepy Circus Music!!! +++
/// Not the best creepy circus lo-fi, though ///
--- Monotonous droning chorus twice ---

Prepubescent Canada
+++ Might be funny to sample this some day +++
/// Would fit with any of the anti-music on Nauscopy Recrods ///
--- Lacking unbearably loud noise and chaos to end it ---

Rule 6
+++ No clipping this time. Yay. It's a well-written song +++
/// Vocals sound so demo-ey, but charming ///
--- The drums are so thin and so low. Needs Tape Sim & Verb ---

Wreckdom
+++ Oh god it's Wreckdom!!! Grab the Whipit! +++
/// Not instantly annoying. ///
--- Not at all memorable ---
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Post by EightLeggedOedipus »

If not giving a mandatory self-vote this week, mine would go to prior champion Hostess Mostess for certain. Cheers to all who participated. Nothing personal if I didn't dig your song.
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Re: First Listen...

Post by historyman68 »

EightLeggedOedipus wrote:Historyman
+++ Cool riff. Fun falsetto. +++
/// Still not great though. I'm impressed that the MIDI sounds don't make me hate it///
--- Ok now it's irritating. That amp-modded (reverbed?) bass part is nasty ---
Thanks. That's because the MIDI sounds aren't MIDI -- they're actual samples of strings and various horns/woodwinds (though I did have to pitch-shift the horns because I could only find samples in C).

You don't like the bass? What about it don't you like? is it the bass in the chorus you don't like? with the tremolo?

Okay, well I'll have reviews up soon enough. For real this time.
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Historyman vs the BeeGees

Post by EightLeggedOedipus »

historyman68 wrote:...the MIDI sounds aren't MIDI -- they're actual samples of strings and various horns/woodwinds...is it the bass in the chorus you don't like? with the tremolo?
Yeah it's that tremolo part. I couldn't tell what effect. Maybe it's that I happen to be listening on my least flattering pair of headphones right now. Yeah, that part from :43 to 1:11. I definitely like the symphonic samples and the little guitar part in the {?chorus?}. Great bass riff.
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Post by Mostess »

Edge of LA wrote:HostessMostess..... solely on a technical level... awesome vocal recording. What kind of mic, etc did you use?
NADY SCM-950 condenser

mic'ed everything very very close because:
a) the kids were asleep
b) the furnace was loud
c) I usually don't and wanted to try it

Adobe Audition noise reduction (very necessary), low pass (<1200Hz) compression of the vocals, a touch of reverb. Got some popping and clipping, so it's not ideal, but I was in a hurry to record.
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Post by j$ »

the sober irishman wrote:Which one is J$'s?
I'm not in this fight.

But 'Prepubescent Canada' is such a great name for a band that I don't want to listen to the song.
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FY and Hostess

Post by poprocks »

I think the fight this week is between Fifteen Years and Hostess Mostess, because I couldn't listen to the rest without the impulse to press the "Skip" button midway through...

Hostess-- has great recording quality, but the actual song is BORING... I am soooo sick of the folksy "guy with guitar" style of music that inundates SongFight.

Fifteen Years is a little weak on the vocals, but the background track is great. And it's refreshing to hear a woman rapper on SongFight... even if she does sound like Madonna. (I wonder if she looks like Madonna too?)

My vote this week goes to Fifteen Years.
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Post by Duncan, of Level Nivelo »

Midway through mine? It's 36 seconds! :o
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Post by j$ »

Oh, Mostess, I had such a funny response to that, and then you went and deleted it. Oh well, it made me laugh...

j$
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Post by Mostess »

Duncan, of Level Nivelo wrote:Midway through...blah, blah, blah
Bo-ring! :)

(Deleted when I re-read poprock's comment; mine sounds bitter in that context. For the record, not bitter. Reposted for J$. We await your witty rejoinder.)
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Post by j$ »

Mostess wrote:(Deleted when I re-read poprock's comment; mine sounds bitter in that context. For the record, not bitter. Reposted for J$. We await your witty rejoinder.)
Ah, never mind. The moment's passed.

(that's not the rejoinder, btw)

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Post by Mostess »

I'd delete my re-posting of my previously deleted silly comment, but then J$ would just look like a crazy poster talking to himself. So here are some reviews:

* Vote Contenders *

Max the Cat: Great idea and executed very gracefully. Commitment to the sound is admirable. "...unsanitary luggage against deli glass" is memorable alliteration. The bridge doesn't flow the way I'd want it to---I want it like a flock of birds taking off, but it kind of lurches and stays in place until the snare enters. No doubt the work of a master. Hats off. I'd get rid of the first (tinny) voiceover; we can infer what it says from the rest (and the title). The way the acoustic guitar blends with (turns into?) the pictch-bending MIDI synth is smooth and beautiful.

Caravan Ray: I hear Loch Lomond in the last two lines of the verse; intentional? I love this song. Heartfelt and honest. Performance is a little sloppy, but the song shines through.

Rule 6: This rocks! Great use of words to define the rhythm. Better ennunciation would bring that out.

Level Nivelo: The sentiment is deeply true. Made your point and got out. Can't ask for more than that.

* Ones I Like *

Eight Legged Oedipus: Progression is fascinating. I'm detecting influence from the Hell Yeahs (their So Kind Stacey is pretty relevant). Somewhat disjointed and the ending is too abrupt. The lack of musical cohesion makes it hard to understand what you're saying. Less a song, more a sonic collage, which is interesting but not as interesting as other entries.

WreckdoM: I'd like a dirty martini, too. The contrast between the voices is the focus, maybe too much so. It's disappointly simple for WreckdoM; I've come to expect to be confused by the unexpected but this time got a direct and clear poetic statement. Good job.

Feldspar: Nice and conventional. A good start of a song, and as is it's likely a crowd pleaser at the cafe. Solid entry.

Fifteen Years: Wow and flutter on the vocals (artificial? flange? why?) is distracting. The use of sonic space is admirable; the flute is especially sweet. The strings are nice, but need to go away more often. Lyrics are pretty trite: small apartment, sleep all day, lost girl in a lost world, sin and boredom. Nice trip overall, but it's a well-beaten path.

Historyman: I'm enjoying this despite the silly vocals and noisy arrangement. Take 80% of the stuff out at a time; the horns, strings, electric guitar keep stepping on each other and drowning out the vocals.

Milkmachine: Tom Waits homage is always welcome. I love him, too.

* Ones I Don't Like *

The Masters of Grip: Good energy in the instrument tracks; vocals don't seem to fit in. It's not just the mix, they lag in time and sound bored. There's a suggestion of melody, but it's never really there. Either hone a melody or just patter your way through.

Magnetbox: The arythmia is painful. I can't get past that. Eliminate the drum tracks, and you'll have a listenable, though thoroughly dull song. Couplet lyrics are tiresome and adolescent. Mix up the length and quality of your phrases, either rock out or don't. Throw away the first idea you have and use the second (or third).

Livestock at Large: Exactly what I expected everyone to do. Slightly WreckeD, but without the charm.

Prepubescent Canada: No.

* Myself *

Hostess Mostess: I didn't have time/energy to put something soft and sustained (a string section, or a wind quartet, or something, anything!) behind the second and third verses to define the form better. I had an itch of an idea for a flute or recorder part. I wrote the song and practiced it a lot over the week, I didn't record it until the night before the due date. I think that worked well because of the simple arrangement, though I'm sure it will suffer from anti-guitar-only bias.
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Re: Continued...

Post by Andy Balham »

EightLeggedOedipus wrote:Masters of Grip
/// Guessing the vocals will suck ///
--- Yup, they do. For four wasted minutes ---
I think you'll find that it was three and half wasted minutes. You wasted the other thirty seconds yourself.
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Post by Niveous »

EightLeggedOedipus wrote:If not giving a mandatory self-vote this week, mine would go to prior champion Hostess Mostess for certain. Cheers to all who participated. Nothing personal if I didn't dig your song.
Mandatory Self Vote?
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Post by Magnetbox »

Mostess wrote:Magnetbox: The arythmia is painful. I can't get past that. Eliminate the drum tracks, and you'll have a listenable, though thoroughly dull song. Couplet lyrics are tiresome and adolescent. Mix up the length and quality of your phrases, either rock out or don't. Throw away the first idea you have and use the second (or third).
As my first SongFight! submission, I actually find this to be pretty helpful. I suppose this is what I get for adding/changing the drums last without updating the previously recorded parts.

Generally, I'm one of the first to flame couplet lyrics, but I actually thought I could get away with them this time being the flow didn't seem so bad--I guess not. (Yes, I mean both cases that the flow didn't work and I couldn't get away with them.)

But my question is on the statement, "mix up the length and quality of your phrases, either rock out or don't." I could see this working better with phrases of different lengths. I suppose you mean to spread out the higher-quality phrases so they stand out throughout the song and aren't bunched together? But you kinda lost me about "rocking out." Do you mean the phrasing of the verse should "rock out" or the changes in the song are too much and it changes gears too dramatically?
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