August Contest: Gossip

[lex_strooder]

BTW did Lex Strooder say where that fiddle solo and voice comes from?

Hmm, i dont think i did, but should I reveal my secret toolbox

Well, here it is:

The piano is a fabulous piano from tonehammer:
Tonehammer Emotional Piano
http://www.tonehammer.com/?page_id=3575

The voices is a another stellar (phrase) sample library from tonehammer,
I played this live on the keyboard until i got the right phrases together (total of 5-6 phrases played).
Forgotten Voices: Francesca
http://www.tonehammer.com/?p=1510

The solo violin is the best sampled violin i ever played, true legato intervals, so no phrases here, played and recorded on keyboard.
Quantum Leap Gypsy
http://www.eastwestsamples.com/details. ... index=1043

/lex

[rifftrax]

So yeah, I'm pretty sure Lex just won that contest.

[edit], though it looks as if future-bit may suddenly pull through with those 2 more 1st place votes. hmmm...

[Sleek Month]

So, I am going to do something possibly unfortunate, which is to solicit criticism.

I couldn't help but notice my track isn't being widely voted for, and I only got one review, which was positive, but uninformative, (That's not a slag, thanks, man!)

I really thought I nailed it, and I hate almost everything I do...

So, what is it about my track that y'all are hating?

[shrikant]

Sleek Month
I couldn't help but notice my track isn't being widely voted for

Where does that leave me ?

All the best Slack(Sorry,Sleek) Month.

shrikant

[Jerru]

Ok, I'll bite....

Ummm, do you think your caustic reviews had anything to do with your lack of votes? (Although I laughed my a$$ off at a few of them). That could be your problem. As much as I admire great musicians and sports figures, I don't root for them if they turn me off for various reasons. JMHO.

I thought your song was terrific. The vocals and strings were outstanding.
Although I feel you somewhat contradicted yourself because your "theme" wasn't any more repetitive or memorable than most of the other entries this month. (Ex: The chorus was only repeated once at the end). However, the song idea was spot on and the delivery and playing were great and that is why it made my top ten.

Maybe you just hit a raw nerve with the masses

Best Regards,
Jerry

[Echo Voodoo]

So, I am going to do something possibly unfortunate, which is to solicit criticism.

I couldn't help but notice my track isn't being widely voted for...

So, what is it about my track that y'all are hating?

Since you explicitly asked:
Lyrics: corny. My eyes were rolling enough to make me dizzy. I can appreciate corn in certain contexts, but it didn't work for me here.
Vocals: just not digging the style. Your vocals are usually better than this. I assume it was an intentional effort to mimic a certain sound, but it didn't sound good to me.
Music: the only elements I liked were direct callbacks to the James Bond theme, so no points for originality. If this were one of those "in the style of X" contests, that's fine, but it didn't work for me here.

All that said, it's not that your entry is bad, but there are (more than) 10 entries that were better, for my tastes. If I had to rate them all, top to bottom, yours would probably have hit squarely in the middle.

[Sleek Month]

Since you explicitly asked:
Lyrics: corny. My eyes were rolling enough to make me dizzy. I can appreciate corn in certain contexts, but it didn't work for me here.

I was riffing on '60's Bond...the lyrics were always corn with a bit of double entendre. You ever hear the Thunderball theme? Or the defacto theme from the second Flynt movie, "Your Fabulous Face"? No?

Vocals: just not digging the style. Your vocals are usually better than this. I assume it was an intentional effort to mimic a certain sound, but it didn't sound good to me.

It's very specifically splitting the difference between the "twisted old pervert" sound of the demo of the Goldfinger theme by Anthony Newley:



...and the over the top iron lungs version by Shirley Bassey that was in the movie.

As for the music...the trem/belzouki mediterranian guitars didn't do it? The intro Trombone riff? The instrumental break after the first chorus?

Hrm.

I knew I should have cut the Bond phrases out

Besides, it's actually the riff from "my heart belongs to daddy" by Artie Shaw from 1946...as heard here at :58



How could you not notice? The rhythym is totally different from the Bond riff. Sheesh.

[DrApostropheX]

I liked the piece, and I understood where it was coming from, but like EV, I didn't think it was among your best work. In other words, it didn't knock me on my butt and make me beg for mercy like your stuff usually does. But it's ONLY because you asked....

EDIT: I feel bad now, after reading your reviews (which were awesome and spot-on, as usual, and I think a lot of people get caught up on the language and don't actually see the trained, constructive criticisms in there) for not coming up with something more original to say about your piece this month. I liked the "Fools Gold" movie poster, though.

[Scoops]

Ah yes,

With the rise of the sun tomorrow morning bring3 a whole new contest.

Please be sure to place your vote if you haven't done so yet

-Scps

[Echo Voodoo]

Lyrics: corny. My eyes were rolling enough to make me dizzy. I can appreciate corn in certain contexts, but it didn't work for me here.

I was riffing on '60's Bond...the lyrics were always corn with a bit of double entendre. You ever hear the Thunderball theme?

Heard it? Yes. Like it? No, not really. I enjoyed the movie, so I tolerate the music when I'm watching it.

As for the music...the trem/belzouki mediterranian guitars didn't do it?

Yeah, that's another thing - I generally dislike that style of guitar playing.

Your skills and effort show, even without the various references you drop in your posts regularly. There's no question of that, and never has been on any of the entries I've heard you post over the years - you clearly work hard at meeting the qualifications of the theme and producing a solid song. I just didn't enjoy this one enough to vote for it.

[thomekk]

pheew,
for me this month's theme was very enjoyable how it was adapted by all here.
Great idea, so thank you, Scoops. What I also liked was that everyone had a movie in mind 'nd described it - so it's really authentic without having seen the movie.

But as there are so different movie genres there are so many tastes.
What EV is saying in the post above (enjoying a tune over meeting the theme) is a still valid one when it goes to voting.

Actually trying to make up 10 tunes for the voting is VERY hard for me.
So will make it more to the personal taste and not so on fitting the theme in general - I'm afraid.

cheers

[Psy-T]

So, I am going to do something possibly unfortunate, which is to solicit criticism.

I couldn't help but notice my track isn't being widely voted for, and I only got one review, which was positive, but uninformative, (That's not a slag, thanks, man!)

I really thought I nailed it, and I hate almost everything I do...

So, what is it about my track that y'all are hating?

The voice you went with was the main dealbreaker for me (regardless of authenticity, it just grated on me). Lyrics were a tiny bother, and the last nail was the fact that the things I liked most were elements in all the other bond films already, rather than original additions.

[thomekk]

@Sleek:
Liked your tune, well done musically, the mix and all indeed, to be honest the chromatic Bond-melody was the only real catchy hook which stayed in the head also after serveral listenings.
Another thing is taste too: I'm not a big Bond-fan I have to confess.

[Mike777]

Sleek Month's entry I thought was clever and well made, and gave me a chuckle. But I voted for originality over covers, even if using only a motif of some other work, I give credit for the extra work required in originals.

Thanks for the votes here and there for my entry, which suffered from production value- I will be posting a MUCH improved rendition tomorrow after the voting.

[Sleek Month]

Right. Lesson learned: Go instrumental. Never use known parts, as it will attract people's ears to the wrong thing. Wait until voting is done to do reviews.