Firefly Movie Coming Soon! (Bioluminescence Revues)

Smalltown Mike · Post by **Smalltown Mike** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 11:19 am

I apologize for the short annoying reviews, but it's too hot right now to think.

Axolotl

The music is sort of interesting, though I’d like to hear more drums and less synth strings. I have to say the singing is fairly weak, and low in the mix.

Bewells

The percussion adds a lot to what I thought was going to be too much of a Sarah McLauchlin song for my liking. I do wish they were half-time though. Love the panning flanged (?) shaker that moves through my head sometimes. Great voice and a haunting chorus.

Doctor Frown

Great music, really great. Great keys. I really like this.

Jute Gyte

One of your better efforts, I think. But I find the drums particularly fake in this one. Snare too loud, I think, and kick not kicking enough. I think the instrumentation at 1:50 also comes a little too much out of nowhere.

Lonbobby

I like it a lot within the first 25 seconds. What a strange, beautiful chorus.

Puce

I keep thinking this is part of a kids’ science program about bioluminescence (minus the cussing, of course.) I like it, but the lyrics strike me as too literal sometimes.

The Rant

The Rant is where it’s at. I dug your last one, and this one is ever better. Dig your vox, dig the lyrics. The music is great. Strange, great drums. Very creative. Great keys in the strange ending. Perfect.

Shovel Sitting Down

Funky, funky laid back groove made even better by strong vox.

Steve Durand

There are those great horns, but again a real wedding song feel to it.

FWC

I can hear you adjust the mic stand at :27. This has some strong moments—I like the verses more than the chorus. I like the odd sounds and rhythms.

Caravan Ray

You’re one versalite dude. This is interesting (I like the whispering in parts) but mostly it doesn’t do a lot for me.

Evil-E

Odd song in a good way, but I don’t find it really goes anywhere.

Max the Cat

This walks the thin line between cheesy and clever. The funky stuff is really good, the lyrics are clever and complicated, but sometimes I get a whiff of a band trying to be funky out of their league. I also wish it hadn’t faded out while you were singing, but more good than bad here.[/b]

Phunt Your Friends

I just can't get into it.

Vote: The Rant.

Caravan Ray · Post by **Caravan Ray** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 2:41 pm

Smalltown Mike wrote: Caravan Ray

...You’re one versalite dude.

"Versalite = Stylish multifunctional lighting for wall, ceiling or table..."
http://www.versalite.co.uk/

Are you saying I'm bioluminsescent?

Smalltown Mike · Post by **Smalltown Mike** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 2:46 pm

Caravan Ray wrote: Are you saying I'm bioluminsescent?

I can't pretend I'm that clever. Uh, you're one VERSATILE dude. But I think you knew that's what I meant.

G. Rant · Post by **G. Rant** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 7:00 am

O.K. These are not reviews, just some random (possibly . . . most likely) stupid thoughts about just some of the songs this week.

Steve Durand - This would go great as a song for a highschool biology video, although I sense some second meaning to things (if my psychic powers serve me right) . . .

Evil-E - I like the eeriness (did I spell that right?). I guess that should be expected from an evilperson

Shovel - Reminded me of Prince.

Puce - Good. Cheesey (how's my spelling? call 1-800 . . .) in an indescribable way . . . but I liked it.

Well, that's it for my "reviews" . . . I still haven't decided where my vote's gonna go . . .

HeuristicsInc · Post by **HeuristicsInc** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 7:18 am

1000th post!
and it's reviews!

i listened to the songs earlier and many of the ones from this fight were awesome. so let's review them.

bewells - hey, this is beautiful. it actually reminds me of this band called area - later they changed their name to the moon seven times. have you heard them? the combination of vocals and electronics and melodicism is tough to beat. the vocal here is stellar. i'd remix this song. i like the chorus repeated rhymes... i'll probably vote for this. i love it!

caravanray - i also quite enjoy this one. the vocals are too indistinct, though... it's really impossible to tell what you're saying (yes, i am looking at the lyrics). i appreciate your latin-mass scheme, though. the music is quite cool. this reminds me of a dude called matthew g. davidson.

steve - your horns really are quite an asset! parts of this remind me of herb alpert, which i think is a new thing for songfight. i dig it, although some bits of the vocals are a bit uneven. fun!

jute - now here's a change-up. i enjoy your music so much more when i read along

kinda metallica in the guitars there. this is perhaps influenced by the cthulhu mythos? i like it. the quiet part in the middle is great, especially when the guitar and the "piano" are playing together... this fight is awesome. great ending.

lonbobby - very recognizable. this sounds like lonbobby. the vocals here are quite good. interesting lyrics, need to think about what it means... this is also great. especially the end is a little enigmatic.

the rant - good guitar tone in the beginning. sounds like there's a clean guitar in one ear and a dirty in the other during the singing... interesting but a little muddy. the spoken word part doesn't fit as well. you really stumble a bit on the "flagellate" word, guess that's hard to sing. good tune tho.

puce - heh, i love the lyrics. this is awesome. good vox, bit different style than recently.

fwc - i do like the music and it fits the title. i'm not digging the vocals, though. they're too "behind" and it's hard to make them out. i thought it ended abruptly, but it was just my computer randomly freezing up. weird.

shovel - this is good but the vocals aren't up front enough. it's hard to make them out as they're getting drowned in the music. cool music, though. pretty sick lyrics, though

axolo - vocals are pretty out of tune, maybe try an autotuner. also it's hard to hear.

doctor - cool synth. this one reminds me of elvis costello. i like it, but for this song i feel like we need more of a vocal hook. good stuff tho.

max - fun, strange. quiet part not quite as good as the rest. i like it. good vox, they fit the song well.

phunt - i like this better than a lot of your stuff. it's getting wandery, though. more upfront music needed.

evile - nice lead guitar there. this one's pretty quiet, compared to the other entries. you should master this! good vocal rhythm.

1: bewells, caravan, steve, jute, lonbobby, puce, doctor, max
2: rant, fwc, shovel, evile

yah, my vote: bewells!
-bill

Adam! · Post by **Adam!** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 12:05 pm

Woohoo!

Reviews still comming.

bwell · Post by **bwell** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 6:24 pm

Here's my reviews...finally had the time to finish these and remembered to bring the headphones along. I would have done them sooner but I was trying to fit in a pink skirt last night...that didn't quite work out.

Axolotl - I like the sound of the lyrics (Japanese?), but have no idea what the song is about. The synth-like sounds detract from the sound for me, but I do like they way the feel and style complements the vocal. Better vocal intonation would help the song a lot.

The BeWells - This one is me with my sister on vocals.

Caravan Ray - The song has a good atmosphere and the Latin works nicely adding to the effect. The structure and instrumentation is alright, but could use extra layers to really fill things out. The sound is a touch too thin overall as it is. Stronger, clearer vocals would also help take this up a step. Otherwise, I did like this but it left me wanting a touch more than what was there.

Doctor Frown - Even after taking a closer look at the lyrics, I am not quite sure what they mean. However, the song itself has a good sound with a nice mix. The instrumentation choices work well together and it stays varied enough throughout to keep things interesting. Good harmonies add a nice touch to fill out the chorus.

Evil-E - I like the lyric ideas in this one. That weird guitar or keyboard sound during the breaks is somewhat distracting for me (maybe an odd reverb/effect match with the rest of the song). Overall the song is a bit too repetitive, but I otherwise like the groove and style. The chorused or doubled vocal is nice for this sound. If there was a bit more variety (the change-up is good but not quite enough) and everything was a bit stronger this has some good potential.

fwc - I'm not into the Nintendo sounding songs; those synth sounds can be used more effectively (like Puce or Doctor Frown in this fight), but are a bit much by themselves. Given the simple arrangement the song feels a bit too long with the repetitive parts. I don't like the melody as much in the chorus (or whatever, the "come with me to the bottom" part...I was kind of lost on the structure of this song), but it did get much better during the verse or bridge parts. The vocals could be a little stronger, but there's a nice tonal quality there and a good touch with adding the harmony part at the end.

Jute Gyte - Good guitar and drum work on this song. While I cannot fully appreciate the screaming vocals, it sounds good enough for that sort of style. I like the lyrics. The guitar part in the middle is tastefully done, but it does feel slightly disjointed from rest of the song. It's not a familiar style for me, but it sounds great with good production throughout.

Lonbobby - Beautiful! I love the atmosphere on this song. That vocal style fits so nicely with the lyrical content. The phrasing and melody choices are excellent and enhance the robotic quality. The stretched out "bioluminescence" and the "I'll shine" accents work well in the chorus. My only complaints would be the quality of some of the sounds like the string parts (nice but more realism wouldn't hurt) and the meaning behind some of the lyrics ("Now my life it must end"?). Overall this is wonderful work.

Max the Cat - Great vocal work in this song with nice piano too. I like some of the individual phrases but the lyrics don't catch me overall. Excellent vocal control in general. The background harmonies are lovely. I always smile when that first "bioluminescence" kicks in behind the lead. Not quite a contender for me, but great work on this song. Oh, yeah, that fade out at the end doesn't quite feel right...

Phunt Your Friends - This one has a pleasant quality. Everything fits together so nicely, but I have no idea where it went. It is interesting enough to keep me listening. While it's hard to classify or critique this as a song, it is a good effort for this sort of thing and everything sounds good as a whole.

Puce - This is a fun song with cute lyrics. I like the blending of guitars, vocals, and electronic sounds. Great use of the different vocals. They all fit together well and make this a stronger song. Well done with great production...sounds great!

The Rant - The guitar "solo" parts are too stiff and could use more variety. I'm not drawn to this particular vocal style or delivery, but the sound of the music is otherwise alright. The lyrics didn't draw me into the song in any way...a bit too whiney. The spoken part provides a nice change of pace.

Shovel Sitting Down - I am liking the nice, relaxed groove. This is well done and makes for a pleasant listen. I am not sure what could be done, but it does lack something in the way of that extra spark or character that would make this particular song stand out from others like it.

Steve Durand - Nice brass! Stronger vocals would be a help. This has a great structure and feel overall and is a nice departure from the usual songfight fare. I like this song...with everything a little tighter and extra kick and clarity in the vocals this would be most excellent.

Overall it came down to Puce and Lonbobby for me with Doctor Frown, Max the Cat, Caravan Ray, and Steve Durand trailing behind. In the end I cast a vote for Lonbobby.

Freddielove · Post by **Freddielove** » Mon Jul 18, 2005 11:24 pm

WTF Did a note go out that said hey everyone send in your most awesome songs into this fight? Great stuff, best fight I've heard since the combined Zero to Phantom.

Some random thoughts --

BeWells - Great song again, although I think I like some of your other stuff better, loved your Junebug. Did you you use Garage Band for this as well? If you did, you need to write a how to book for the program.

Lonbobby - You just keep getting better. Love this one. Love the echoed ringing guitar, and you drum programming has taken on wonderful subtlety. Like the fit in with crowds line.

Puce - I guess you found a new place to record or kicked out the houseguests, either way, good. The chorus is super catchy. The 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 reminds me of Paul McCartney on Sgt. Peppers era Beatles, though I am fairly sure that wasn't a reference for this.

Shovel Sitting Down - Dude, dig that sample. I wish the song could have built on it a bit more, but still great.

Steve Durand - Your songs always make me laugh. It's a good thing. I think Plat summed it up best. Great chords in the horn arrangement.

Dr. Frown - Love the intro. Love the piano chord progression. Great song again, nice to hear from you again.

Evile - Elliot Smith lives here. Great guitar sound in the solos. Some great chord progressions. I think this is a great song, that unfortunatly got lost in a crowd of other really great songs. This could have won 50 other fights.

Max the Cat - I didn't notice until about the fourth listen, but there is some great piano playing here. Funnnnky. The backgroud vocals in the bridge give me shivers. A little different from your other stuff and great.

Every song in this was good. Even songs like Jute Guyte's, which aren't my thing, I liked, I even dug the latin and whatever language that was, and the Phunt entry was cool too, I think you got writtn off as annoying Downwithwreckdomfarts, but there is more going on here than that.

Thanks for the great songs.

Leaf · Post by **Leaf** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 7:02 am

Max the Cat... your tune is deadly.

thehipcola · Post by **thehipcola** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 12:33 pm

Shovel Sitting Down - I am totally digging your track. Awesome.

fluffy · Post by **fluffy** » Sun Jan 28, 2007 12:53 am

Even a year and a half later?

deshead · Post by **deshead** » Sun Jan 28, 2007 7:55 am

Why say it otherwise?

thehipcola · Post by **thehipcola** » Sun Jan 28, 2007 8:01 am

fluffy wrote:Even a year and a half later?

Especially considering. I've been waiting a year and a half to say that.

EightLeggedOedipus · Post by **EightLeggedOedipus** » Sun Jan 28, 2007 11:17 am

Hey Hip Cola. You are the man. There's no greater complement than to have someone dig up something you worked on in the past like this. Thanks. I'll telll Cameron (he did the beat.)

thehipcola · Post by **thehipcola** » Sun Jan 28, 2007 4:59 pm

Thanks man! That's one of the fights that I downloaded in its entirety, and so its entries occasionally show up on my player's shuffle. Thought I'd better mention somewhere how cool I thought it was.