Thanks a lot guys
September Contest: Gossip
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- KVRAF
- 5715 posts since 5 Aug, 2006 from UK - The Mudway Towns
Some great reviews so far
Thanks a lot guys
Thanks a lot guys
It wasn't me! (well, actually, it probably was) - apparently no longer an 'elderly', now a 'senior'! Is that promotion?
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- KVRian
- 1002 posts since 20 Mar, 2005 from Newcastle, UK
Gotta agree with Foldy ... some great reviews going on here.
All instruments close-mic'd through Behringer XM1800S into Behringer Eurorack UB1002 then D/I to M-Audio Delta 2496 card into Reaper. Standard FX chain, from then on, is usually ReaFir (to clear background noise), ReaEQ (on close-mic acoustic preset), Classic compressor (on acoustic guitar preset), finished off by tweaking the absolutely wonderful/can't do without/finishing off tool … MildomnBackStageEQOne.nikp2000 wrote:if those guits were mic-ed you
did a hell of a job!
Thanks all for the comments ... keep 'em coming
There are, by the way, some outstanding contributions this month
It's going to be a bad one for judgement day
James
---------------------------------------------
New Updated music site at - http://www.fraserology.com/music/
New Updated music site at - http://www.fraserology.com/music/
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- KVRist
- 240 posts since 18 May, 2008 from Brasil
nikp2000 - Another interesting track, no much innovation but a polished song. 7.5
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- KVRer
- 28 posts since 19 Feb, 2007
Folderol - Probably my favorite use of kiddie instruments so far. Opening minute is sublime, then it takes a lovely turn for the surreal. Sounds a bit like an alien singing a lullaby.
Barnadine - Gorgeous. Superb vocals/lyrics, dynamic instrumentation. A worthy soundtrack to the apocalypse.
Beanpole - Probably not the most original entry this month, but I can't stop listening to it. Great pop song.
Offthewall - This is some serious whistleage - expertly performed. The percussion sounds great and is nicely arranged. I could easily listen to a whole album of covers like this. (this is a cover, right?)
Rifftrax - This sounds professionally produced. I love the variety of sounds/effects. The flute works nicely in the initial build-up. Wish it was longer!
Farluker - I really like this, but wish you could've picked a time signature that was a little less conventional...
(sounds like 6-5-6-5-6-5-5?) Seriously though, this one gets better with each listen - guitar is simple but effective and it has one of the more creative uses of a child instrument so far.
Echo Voodoo - Perfectly captures the feeling of being "in the lonely hills." Nice performance - can never get enough ukulele.
More to come...
Barnadine - Gorgeous. Superb vocals/lyrics, dynamic instrumentation. A worthy soundtrack to the apocalypse.
Beanpole - Probably not the most original entry this month, but I can't stop listening to it. Great pop song.
Offthewall - This is some serious whistleage - expertly performed. The percussion sounds great and is nicely arranged. I could easily listen to a whole album of covers like this. (this is a cover, right?)
Rifftrax - This sounds professionally produced. I love the variety of sounds/effects. The flute works nicely in the initial build-up. Wish it was longer!
Farluker - I really like this, but wish you could've picked a time signature that was a little less conventional...
(sounds like 6-5-6-5-6-5-5?) Seriously though, this one gets better with each listen - guitar is simple but effective and it has one of the more creative uses of a child instrument so far. Echo Voodoo - Perfectly captures the feeling of being "in the lonely hills." Nice performance - can never get enough ukulele.
More to come...
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- KVRAF
- 2828 posts since 31 Dec, 2004 from Canarias
"Some great reviews so far", yes, I believe Scoops is testing his idea to start a music-reviewers-academy-via-internet !
Tip for next month : a free-for-all-song, plus at least 1 prize for the prize-pot.
I've got my song finished, at last ! Imagine I had to redo the whole bass track, 'cose I didn't realize that during the first take the bass got a bit out of tune (very low reggae sound).
It's also already on the internet, but I wait to drop it in the submissions until I have made 10 reviews. I can't stand any more boots, after doing business with them last week !
Cheers,
Max... .. .
Tip for next month : a free-for-all-song, plus at least 1 prize for the prize-pot.
I've got my song finished, at last ! Imagine I had to redo the whole bass track, 'cose I didn't realize that during the first take the bass got a bit out of tune (very low reggae sound).
It's also already on the internet, but I wait to drop it in the submissions until I have made 10 reviews. I can't stand any more boots, after doing business with them last week !
Cheers,
Max... .. .
Carpo diem ergo sum !
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- KVRAF
- 1729 posts since 26 Feb, 2008
t_riddy
This caught me by surprise - wasn't expecting to enjoy it so much just from the intro. Driving rhythm and smooth, eclectic and full mix and feel to the song. Progression is spot-on. I think I would have liked an extended sustain on the last note, but then - you were working within the 3 minutes so that's understandable. You've got a good voice, falls into the rest of the song quite naturally. Drums and overall mix sound extremely solid - absolutely nothing jumped out as being peaky or overly resonance or mis-eq'd.
Favorite spot was at 1:09 where you get that relaxed but steady drive going on. Great choice of kid instrument. All-in-all that's really quite nice.
nikp2000
Interesting beginning - I feel a little more relieved when the guitars come in and add some direction. Fascinating way that everything comes together here, almost feels to hearken to older generations of video games at part and then to 80's acoustic guitar at other points. Mix is solid. I do dig the swirly guitars and some of the more synthetic parts. Chord progression is completely unexpected as is the general song structure, which I enjoyed.
Favorite part has to be @ 1:15 when everything drops off and you just have the guitar there. Nice theme. Very creative stuff.
JacK_SoliuM
Wow, this is very different. Love the direction you take this. Extremely effective. Takes a little longer to really extend itself into the 1:30 section which is wonderful with the glockenspiel (?). The instruments each sound nice and fit nearly perfectly evenly into the mix. I feel like this should have had a sweeping transistion into a full-blown orchestra at some point though, I think that would have really made this epic.
Favorite part is @ 2:29 with the dramatic change to the feel. I'm normally more a D'n'B guy but this is neat. Solid, though not quite breath-taking execution.
mvrasseli
Interesting slightly abstract piano piece here. Enjoy when the melody joins. Feels extremely folksy and maybe something I could expect to hear in the LOTR triliogy at one of their dances. @ 1:23, I was kinda like "what in the world", but yeah LOL. That was just a little weird but pretty funny. I like all the various changes in direction the song goes through. The variety in each part is nice.
I'm not going to lie, that baby sample makes me now think distinctly of Teletubbies. You could probably get this song on that show as soon as the directors heard it. The kid sections made me smile, but not before I had a hard time knowing what to think
Barnadine
Really strong beginning to this piece. I enjoyed the voice and lyrics here. Very creative and distinct sound as well. I found myself a little nostalgic at points. It's hard to say what this reminds me of though. How the drums sound so distant was at first a little unsettling/un-natural but seemed to work better as the song moved ahead. I would have loved more prominent speak-and-spell parts but they were great as is.
I think I liked the banjo and rhythmic portions of the song most. Great progression. I would have added some epic sounding large choirs if this could be longer...
liqih
Some rather esoteric ideas arranged together, there are parts pretty quickly which are a little grating and too resonant and tend to overpower the rest of the mix. The rhythmic section is nice but I had a hard time getting a bearing on where it was heading at points. The synth strings are definitely a nice touch and probably me favorite part of the song. Parts sound quite familiar and seem to encompass flourishes which I swear I've heard from some 90's movies. I like this the more I listen to it - though that really edgy bell sound it getting unbearable when it "chimes".
I like the feel of the piece in general. Otherworldly and effective, but I would definitely re-equalize a couple of the instruments and maybe alter the structure slightly.
Echo Voodoo
Another very traditional piece. Some of the syncopation caught me off gaurd (can't tell if it's quite spot on or not...) enjoying the plastic ocarina a lot however. Overall, it seems to stay very static in chord progression - which makes it feel like a long-running movie theme for some folk-lore style script. The recording is good but I kept hoping things would become a little more dramatic (the uke sounds a little less prominent than I would have hoped while the percussive elements are nearly fore-ground in comparison). A more full-bodied recording would make it sound more deep I would expect.
As a strictly endlessly meandering folk-lore piece, it sounds good - if a little on the tepid side. Could be extremely effective in a compatible t.v. or movie background though.
folderol
I could tell I was going to like this from the beginning. Has that notion that it's going to keep evolving. The pad screams "80's kid show" which is more funny than anything. The synth electric-guitar sounding thing works but feels somehow out of place (not sure quite how to explain why). I liked how it felt like a happy/jovial version of certain "Labyrinth" themes.
Mix was really good. Nothing too edgy or significantly overpowering parts. I keep wishing the song had been percussive than paddy though. Some parts seemed to have too much humanization in the midi (?? - I do perfer quantized feels to most instruments, that's just me)
jenderton
Woah, that's really cool intro stuff going on. I'm a sucker for movie-sounding massively deep and "unnerving" intros though... The 'harp' (?) almost seems like it belongs to a different song. Synth fx work is excellent and each element seems quite carefully chosen/crafted. I like the more spacey, reverberate sound choices though in the end.
The build/rumble @ 1:06 is a BIG stand-out, awesome sounding. The 'harp' sounds a little more in place there. Could work in a Batman movie at points perfectly. Speak-and-spell stuff after the rumble (1:07 area) is very cool.
offthewall
Extremely well recorded and structured introduction. The guitar sounds excellent as does the recorder (I assuming that's a recorder). I'm digging the chord and melody and how each part fits so neatly in the mix. Very easy to concentrate on each element. Ending is definitely way way too sudden here (I would have chopped the song down a smidge to allow for a nice fade or whathaveyou).
@ 1:10 - does that not sound exactly sound like a Christmas song to other people??
It sounds almost exactly like "Noel" to me. That could be complete coincidence or maybe it was unconcious how that worked. Hum the melody during it and you'll see what I mean. That's kind of cool though TBH.
This caught me by surprise - wasn't expecting to enjoy it so much just from the intro. Driving rhythm and smooth, eclectic and full mix and feel to the song. Progression is spot-on. I think I would have liked an extended sustain on the last note, but then - you were working within the 3 minutes so that's understandable. You've got a good voice, falls into the rest of the song quite naturally. Drums and overall mix sound extremely solid - absolutely nothing jumped out as being peaky or overly resonance or mis-eq'd.
Favorite spot was at 1:09 where you get that relaxed but steady drive going on. Great choice of kid instrument. All-in-all that's really quite nice.
nikp2000
Interesting beginning - I feel a little more relieved when the guitars come in and add some direction. Fascinating way that everything comes together here, almost feels to hearken to older generations of video games at part and then to 80's acoustic guitar at other points. Mix is solid. I do dig the swirly guitars and some of the more synthetic parts. Chord progression is completely unexpected as is the general song structure, which I enjoyed.
Favorite part has to be @ 1:15 when everything drops off and you just have the guitar there. Nice theme. Very creative stuff.
JacK_SoliuM
Wow, this is very different. Love the direction you take this. Extremely effective. Takes a little longer to really extend itself into the 1:30 section which is wonderful with the glockenspiel (?). The instruments each sound nice and fit nearly perfectly evenly into the mix. I feel like this should have had a sweeping transistion into a full-blown orchestra at some point though, I think that would have really made this epic.
Favorite part is @ 2:29 with the dramatic change to the feel. I'm normally more a D'n'B guy but this is neat. Solid, though not quite breath-taking execution.
mvrasseli
Interesting slightly abstract piano piece here. Enjoy when the melody joins. Feels extremely folksy and maybe something I could expect to hear in the LOTR triliogy at one of their dances. @ 1:23, I was kinda like "what in the world", but yeah LOL. That was just a little weird but pretty funny. I like all the various changes in direction the song goes through. The variety in each part is nice.
I'm not going to lie, that baby sample makes me now think distinctly of Teletubbies. You could probably get this song on that show as soon as the directors heard it. The kid sections made me smile, but not before I had a hard time knowing what to think
Barnadine
Really strong beginning to this piece. I enjoyed the voice and lyrics here. Very creative and distinct sound as well. I found myself a little nostalgic at points. It's hard to say what this reminds me of though. How the drums sound so distant was at first a little unsettling/un-natural but seemed to work better as the song moved ahead. I would have loved more prominent speak-and-spell parts but they were great as is.
I think I liked the banjo and rhythmic portions of the song most. Great progression. I would have added some epic sounding large choirs if this could be longer...
liqih
Some rather esoteric ideas arranged together, there are parts pretty quickly which are a little grating and too resonant and tend to overpower the rest of the mix. The rhythmic section is nice but I had a hard time getting a bearing on where it was heading at points. The synth strings are definitely a nice touch and probably me favorite part of the song. Parts sound quite familiar and seem to encompass flourishes which I swear I've heard from some 90's movies. I like this the more I listen to it - though that really edgy bell sound it getting unbearable when it "chimes".
I like the feel of the piece in general. Otherworldly and effective, but I would definitely re-equalize a couple of the instruments and maybe alter the structure slightly.
Echo Voodoo
Another very traditional piece. Some of the syncopation caught me off gaurd (can't tell if it's quite spot on or not...) enjoying the plastic ocarina a lot however. Overall, it seems to stay very static in chord progression - which makes it feel like a long-running movie theme for some folk-lore style script. The recording is good but I kept hoping things would become a little more dramatic (the uke sounds a little less prominent than I would have hoped while the percussive elements are nearly fore-ground in comparison). A more full-bodied recording would make it sound more deep I would expect.
As a strictly endlessly meandering folk-lore piece, it sounds good - if a little on the tepid side. Could be extremely effective in a compatible t.v. or movie background though.
folderol
I could tell I was going to like this from the beginning. Has that notion that it's going to keep evolving. The pad screams "80's kid show" which is more funny than anything. The synth electric-guitar sounding thing works but feels somehow out of place (not sure quite how to explain why). I liked how it felt like a happy/jovial version of certain "Labyrinth" themes.
Mix was really good. Nothing too edgy or significantly overpowering parts. I keep wishing the song had been percussive than paddy though. Some parts seemed to have too much humanization in the midi (?? - I do perfer quantized feels to most instruments, that's just me)
jenderton
Woah, that's really cool intro stuff going on. I'm a sucker for movie-sounding massively deep and "unnerving" intros though... The 'harp' (?) almost seems like it belongs to a different song. Synth fx work is excellent and each element seems quite carefully chosen/crafted. I like the more spacey, reverberate sound choices though in the end.
The build/rumble @ 1:06 is a BIG stand-out, awesome sounding. The 'harp' sounds a little more in place there. Could work in a Batman movie at points perfectly. Speak-and-spell stuff after the rumble (1:07 area) is very cool.
offthewall
Extremely well recorded and structured introduction. The guitar sounds excellent as does the recorder (I assuming that's a recorder). I'm digging the chord and melody and how each part fits so neatly in the mix. Very easy to concentrate on each element. Ending is definitely way way too sudden here (I would have chopped the song down a smidge to allow for a nice fade or whathaveyou).
@ 1:10 - does that not sound exactly sound like a Christmas song to other people??
It sounds almost exactly like "Noel" to me. That could be complete coincidence or maybe it was unconcious how that worked. Hum the melody during it and you'll see what I mean. That's kind of cool though TBH.Snare drums samples: the new and improved "dither algo"
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- KVRian
- 1367 posts since 25 Mar, 2002 from Australia
rifftrax
Classy and well-produced. Re-entry of the big drums towards the end is well handled, bringing things sharply back into focus. Very much a soundtrack piece, in that nothing takes centre stage - e.g. piano hovers delicately around the edges of a melody rather than grabbing full attention. Leaves a slight hole during dedicated listening but maybe a plus in soundtrack context. Good sounds.
Beverage: Tonic water with ice and lemon.
mrblitz
A mixed bag for me. Guitar work often adventurous and inspired, occasionally lapses into standard wibble-rock noodling. I guess a certain amount of the latter is the price you pay for the loose spontaneity and flashes of genius. Main cymbal strangely wimpy. Would be interesting to hear your trademark lazy croon brought to the fore one of these days. Interlude works well.
Beverage: A mellow cabernet, mixed with several cans of Red Bull and consumed via funnel.
beanpole
Nice punchy clockwork drums, though maybe a little dominant. While I'm whinging about the mix: guitar a bit harsh on the top end, and strings could come up. Loses energy on the repeated melody in the middle bit ('my head...' etc.) - perhaps vary it or add some harmonies to avoid a lull? And having spent the whole review niggling, I'll now say what I should have said to begin with: solid song, good stuff.
Beverage: 'A bunch of us are going down the pub after work. I was wondering if... Oh. No worries. Maybe tomorrow then?'
farlukar
Bonus points for the enjoyably irregular meter, minus a few because you can almost hear the counting - stiffness of drums doesn't help, though things sound more lived-in and natural in the final quarter with that rather nifty lead coming in over the top. Excellent intro, good-sounding guitars, convincing work.
Beverage: Boilermaker of vodka and Finnish beer, 27.35 centiliters, precisely measured.
offthewall
The usual disclaimer: I'm a sucker for British folk. The usual cavil: occasionally sloppy timing adds stodge and keeps things from tripping along as gracefully as they might. Good choice of tune. Whistle gets off to a hesitant start, but overall one of your more focused and confident performances.
Beverage: Nice pint of stout on an autumn evening.
jenderton
Not sure what the toy element is here, but a pleasantly ominous soundscape. Favourite part - the thrumming, engine-like arpeggios, rising up like the rusty ghost of the Moonlight Sonata. Nice use of space.
Beverage: I thought it was water. Wasn't it water? Oh jesus.
will j godfrey
Cosy, saved from over-neatness by some interesting sound choices. Distortion gives a nice burnt texture to the lead, though the autopanning could be subtler - some jarring ping-pongs. Love the opened-out minimalism of 1:53+; would have preferred to end on this rather than the recapitulation.
Beverage: Cup of Horlicks while crouched in your parents' grandfather clock.
echo voodoo
Great piece of wide-eyed psych-folk, all the more appreciated for being such an unexpected departure. Lovely melodies on the ocarina. The percussion is a bit upfront and loses its way from time to time, but I respect the single take ethos. Excellent job.
Beverage: Dandelion tea boiled on a morning campfire.
Classy and well-produced. Re-entry of the big drums towards the end is well handled, bringing things sharply back into focus. Very much a soundtrack piece, in that nothing takes centre stage - e.g. piano hovers delicately around the edges of a melody rather than grabbing full attention. Leaves a slight hole during dedicated listening but maybe a plus in soundtrack context. Good sounds.
Beverage: Tonic water with ice and lemon.
mrblitz
A mixed bag for me. Guitar work often adventurous and inspired, occasionally lapses into standard wibble-rock noodling. I guess a certain amount of the latter is the price you pay for the loose spontaneity and flashes of genius. Main cymbal strangely wimpy. Would be interesting to hear your trademark lazy croon brought to the fore one of these days. Interlude works well.
Beverage: A mellow cabernet, mixed with several cans of Red Bull and consumed via funnel.
beanpole
Nice punchy clockwork drums, though maybe a little dominant. While I'm whinging about the mix: guitar a bit harsh on the top end, and strings could come up. Loses energy on the repeated melody in the middle bit ('my head...' etc.) - perhaps vary it or add some harmonies to avoid a lull? And having spent the whole review niggling, I'll now say what I should have said to begin with: solid song, good stuff.
Beverage: 'A bunch of us are going down the pub after work. I was wondering if... Oh. No worries. Maybe tomorrow then?'
farlukar
Bonus points for the enjoyably irregular meter, minus a few because you can almost hear the counting - stiffness of drums doesn't help, though things sound more lived-in and natural in the final quarter with that rather nifty lead coming in over the top. Excellent intro, good-sounding guitars, convincing work.
Beverage: Boilermaker of vodka and Finnish beer, 27.35 centiliters, precisely measured.
offthewall
The usual disclaimer: I'm a sucker for British folk. The usual cavil: occasionally sloppy timing adds stodge and keeps things from tripping along as gracefully as they might. Good choice of tune. Whistle gets off to a hesitant start, but overall one of your more focused and confident performances.
Beverage: Nice pint of stout on an autumn evening.
jenderton
Not sure what the toy element is here, but a pleasantly ominous soundscape. Favourite part - the thrumming, engine-like arpeggios, rising up like the rusty ghost of the Moonlight Sonata. Nice use of space.
Beverage: I thought it was water. Wasn't it water? Oh jesus.
will j godfrey
Cosy, saved from over-neatness by some interesting sound choices. Distortion gives a nice burnt texture to the lead, though the autopanning could be subtler - some jarring ping-pongs. Love the opened-out minimalism of 1:53+; would have preferred to end on this rather than the recapitulation.
Beverage: Cup of Horlicks while crouched in your parents' grandfather clock.
echo voodoo
Great piece of wide-eyed psych-folk, all the more appreciated for being such an unexpected departure. Lovely melodies on the ocarina. The percussion is a bit upfront and loses its way from time to time, but I respect the single take ethos. Excellent job.
Beverage: Dandelion tea boiled on a morning campfire.
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- KVRian
- 1367 posts since 25 Mar, 2002 from Australia
Cheers for the reviews.
James, I have whistles in C and D, but not in C#, otherwise I'd probably have bunged some in.
James, I have whistles in C and D, but not in C#, otherwise I'd probably have bunged some in.
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- KVRian
- 1002 posts since 20 Mar, 2005 from Newcastle, UK
Barnadine wrote:I have whistles in C and D, but not in C#, otherwise I'd probably have bunged some in.
Strange how things travel to 'down under' ... it's in a perfect D up here on the top side of the world
James
---------------------------------------------
New Updated music site at - http://www.fraserology.com/music/
New Updated music site at - http://www.fraserology.com/music/
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- KVRAF
- 2828 posts since 31 Dec, 2004 from Canarias
Here's my home-work :
Nº1 rifftrax - Beginning of the end : Beautiful composition. Wonderful soundscapes. An excellent tune !
Nº2 triddy - No escapin : A strong riff to start with, a great vocal line, solid drums. This thingie rocks like a hammer !
Nº3 beanpole - What time is love : Love at first sight ! À la Beatles, but consider this as a compliment, mayde therefore I miss a bridge part and the flute might need a little variation at the end.
Nº4 Foldererol - No more time for toys : For some mysterious reason this songs remembered me of what tits and electric toy trains have in common. They're both meant for children, but the daddies play with them...
Nº5 Farlukar - Islington : I love this one for the tension created by the interaction between drums, guitars and third instrument.
Nº6 Barnadine - End of world : For me Barnadine is synonym of musical beauty and this song is another example of it.
Nº7 Liqih - Dancing the dreams : IMO liqih is THE all-in-one man here at KvR ! He makes his own high-quality plugins and then he, himself, demonstrates their capacities, making songs for the contest with them and on top of that he drops from time to time some of them in the prize-pot !
Nº8 offthewall - Lodgings : Somehow, the more guitars this friendly 'wall-decorator' buys, the better he plays the flute !
Another 'WOW' for your all-in evolution : from a hesitating musician, in rhythm and pitch, you became a rock-solid studio-rat !
2, 2 go... .. .
Nº9 echovoodoo - In the lonely hills : What can I say about this song, made by the Jimi Hendrix of the ukulele ?...
Rather more important is what Echo and the Voodoos will say to the police, when asked for the disappearance of all the toy instruments in the village !
With reason he's hiding in the lonely hills.
Definitely worth a maximum notation for the toys-element of the theme !
And Nº10 mrblitz000 - Babushka-baby : Oh yeah, that's having fun ! A déjà-vu of myself, a few decades ago, spending some absolutely groovy afternoons. On my left a long-drink, on the right a fine hand-made and nicely spiced cigarette, in front some basic, mostly, very improvised recording gear and then banging/pulling the strings with the fire of a football/soccer supporter blowing his vuvuzela !
Say 'adios' now, you nasty black left-boot !
Off the record, an extra review,
Nº11 oddbod - Sequence of events : This is what I call "Top-class", "Top-Quality", "Crème de la crème" and it makes me say : "Chapeau, thanks" !!!
Now I'm gonna flush my song into the submission-bag.
Max... .. .
Nº1 rifftrax - Beginning of the end : Beautiful composition. Wonderful soundscapes. An excellent tune !
Nº2 triddy - No escapin : A strong riff to start with, a great vocal line, solid drums. This thingie rocks like a hammer !
Nº3 beanpole - What time is love : Love at first sight ! À la Beatles, but consider this as a compliment, mayde therefore I miss a bridge part and the flute might need a little variation at the end.
Nº4 Foldererol - No more time for toys : For some mysterious reason this songs remembered me of what tits and electric toy trains have in common. They're both meant for children, but the daddies play with them...
Nº5 Farlukar - Islington : I love this one for the tension created by the interaction between drums, guitars and third instrument.
Nº6 Barnadine - End of world : For me Barnadine is synonym of musical beauty and this song is another example of it.
Nº7 Liqih - Dancing the dreams : IMO liqih is THE all-in-one man here at KvR ! He makes his own high-quality plugins and then he, himself, demonstrates their capacities, making songs for the contest with them and on top of that he drops from time to time some of them in the prize-pot !
Nº8 offthewall - Lodgings : Somehow, the more guitars this friendly 'wall-decorator' buys, the better he plays the flute !
Another 'WOW' for your all-in evolution : from a hesitating musician, in rhythm and pitch, you became a rock-solid studio-rat !
2, 2 go... .. .
Nº9 echovoodoo - In the lonely hills : What can I say about this song, made by the Jimi Hendrix of the ukulele ?...
Rather more important is what Echo and the Voodoos will say to the police, when asked for the disappearance of all the toy instruments in the village !
With reason he's hiding in the lonely hills.
Definitely worth a maximum notation for the toys-element of the theme !
And Nº10 mrblitz000 - Babushka-baby : Oh yeah, that's having fun ! A déjà-vu of myself, a few decades ago, spending some absolutely groovy afternoons. On my left a long-drink, on the right a fine hand-made and nicely spiced cigarette, in front some basic, mostly, very improvised recording gear and then banging/pulling the strings with the fire of a football/soccer supporter blowing his vuvuzela !
Say 'adios' now, you nasty black left-boot !
Off the record, an extra review,
Nº11 oddbod - Sequence of events : This is what I call "Top-class", "Top-Quality", "Crème de la crème" and it makes me say : "Chapeau, thanks" !!!
Now I'm gonna flush my song into the submission-bag.
Max... .. .
Carpo diem ergo sum !
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- DASH Guy
- 8159 posts since 20 Sep, 2001
Thanks man & everybody else, I like how I started thisrifftrax wrote: liqih
Some rather esoteric ideas arranged together, there are parts pretty quickly which are a little grating and too resonant and tend to overpower the rest of the mix. The rhythmic section is nice but I had a hard time getting a bearing on where it was heading at points. The synth strings are definitely a nice touch and probably me favorite part of the song. Parts sound quite familiar and seem to encompass flourishes which I swear I've heard from some 90's movies. I like this the more I listen to it - though that really edgy bell sound it getting unbearable when it "chimes".
so I'm doing an extended version, where yours and the others comments are helping me for the new mix, which features many more synth strings lines, those parts have been sequenced or improvised directly on keyboard, so the flourishes are just from my memories I guess.
The beat is not always simple in this track, the first half is quite linear but on
the second half some chaos (which means *the Dream* to me) gets in,
therefore if the listeners expect it to keep on being easy, she might be disappointed, on the other hand
if you are open to let the groove "flow" you could be pleased, I think.
Maybe with the extended mix that effect can be enhanced for clarity.
Cheers,
Luigi
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- DASH Guy
- 8159 posts since 20 Sep, 2001
Thanks for the nice words, <grin>, I hope also to make some interesting musics,Max el Belga wrote: Nº7 Liqih - Dancing the dreams : IMO liqih is THE all-in-one man here at KvR ! He makes his own high-quality plugins and then he, himself, demonstrates their capacities,
making songs for the contest with them and on top of that he drops from time to time some of them in the prize-pot !
actually I'm still equally interested both to that and the software job
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- KVRAF
- 7274 posts since 4 Apr, 2005 from here and there
01 rifftrax - Beginning of the End
Fine choice of sounds to support the development of soft meaningful melodies on a good, enjoyable atmosphere. Sparse use of percussions is a good thing here.
02 mrblitz000 - Babushka-Baby
The crazy adventures of Mr.Blitz in guitarland. Another chapter in the saga, this track delivers the usual amount of fun, and weird vocals extravaganza.
I appreciate the experimental approach.
03 beanpole - What Time Is Love
Clean vocal based effort, a good performance, catchy vocal lines, nothing fancy, a simple but solid as a rock composition.
04 Farlukar - Islington
Great guitars, for the good sound and playing, excellent time signature and original percussive parts. Very nice idea, I enjoyed it very much.
05 offthewall - Lodgings
ACoustic trademark sound for another good instrumental ballad. Very effective melodies and variation on the theme. We knew what to expect and it doesn't miss the mark. Well done.
06 jenderton - dragon fodder
Great suspense from the nicely built atmosphere. Original alien civilization noises in background and technologic sound set works great on this one. A+
07 Folderol - No More Time For Toys
Return to the Folderol zone, and the use of toy sounds is only making the sound even more fantastic and enjoyable for this notable composition. Childish atmosphere revisited.
08 echovoodoo - in the lonely hills
An extraordinary folkish number, truly realistic overall sound, You can smell the dampness from the hazy fog and see the dark shadows of the trees down in the valley below.
09 Liqih - Dancing The Dreams
It works well to emulate the sounds from an hypothetic dream world, very nice and classy sound design. Percussive consciousness.
10 Barnadine - End Of World
Excellent vocal performance, very expressive lines and appropriate quality arrangement service the song. Just fine.
11 mvrasseli - balada do alfredo
You painted a very nice picture, well structured piece and well developed variations from the main melody. Many small changes through the song.
Watching the children's play.
12 Jack Solium - Au Bon Vieux Temps
Gypsy mountain breakdown. It has a retro feel with folkish influences well mixed into it, great production and mix. It has deep dramatic nature and the exotic feel of the sad waltz time.
13 nikp2000 - cookie cutter
A nice build-up, solid structure, very original and somehow experimental guitar sound, great atmosphere-construction work. I love the changes and the well controlled nervous mood.
14 triddy - no escapin
Very nice ! it reminds me of the 70's for its rocking approach. Slightly similar to Spirit. Very good melodies. A more than respectable, high quality production. A great song, one of my favorites so far.
15 oddbod - sequence of events
You can't go wrong with this one. The fine vocal line is well supported by a perfectly pitched arrangement and choice of sounds, everything serving the dense atmosphere, the filtered percussion trick is the icing on the cake.
16 Max el Belga - Get Down
Music as fun. Reggae inspired song, the vocal work is always 1st class, and the production nothing less than appropriate. I really dig this one.
Fine choice of sounds to support the development of soft meaningful melodies on a good, enjoyable atmosphere. Sparse use of percussions is a good thing here.
02 mrblitz000 - Babushka-Baby
The crazy adventures of Mr.Blitz in guitarland. Another chapter in the saga, this track delivers the usual amount of fun, and weird vocals extravaganza.
I appreciate the experimental approach.
03 beanpole - What Time Is Love
Clean vocal based effort, a good performance, catchy vocal lines, nothing fancy, a simple but solid as a rock composition.
04 Farlukar - Islington
Great guitars, for the good sound and playing, excellent time signature and original percussive parts. Very nice idea, I enjoyed it very much.
05 offthewall - Lodgings
ACoustic trademark sound for another good instrumental ballad. Very effective melodies and variation on the theme. We knew what to expect and it doesn't miss the mark. Well done.
06 jenderton - dragon fodder
Great suspense from the nicely built atmosphere. Original alien civilization noises in background and technologic sound set works great on this one. A+
07 Folderol - No More Time For Toys
Return to the Folderol zone, and the use of toy sounds is only making the sound even more fantastic and enjoyable for this notable composition. Childish atmosphere revisited.
08 echovoodoo - in the lonely hills
An extraordinary folkish number, truly realistic overall sound, You can smell the dampness from the hazy fog and see the dark shadows of the trees down in the valley below.
09 Liqih - Dancing The Dreams
It works well to emulate the sounds from an hypothetic dream world, very nice and classy sound design. Percussive consciousness.
10 Barnadine - End Of World
Excellent vocal performance, very expressive lines and appropriate quality arrangement service the song. Just fine.
11 mvrasseli - balada do alfredo
You painted a very nice picture, well structured piece and well developed variations from the main melody. Many small changes through the song.
Watching the children's play.
12 Jack Solium - Au Bon Vieux Temps
Gypsy mountain breakdown. It has a retro feel with folkish influences well mixed into it, great production and mix. It has deep dramatic nature and the exotic feel of the sad waltz time.
13 nikp2000 - cookie cutter
A nice build-up, solid structure, very original and somehow experimental guitar sound, great atmosphere-construction work. I love the changes and the well controlled nervous mood.
14 triddy - no escapin
Very nice ! it reminds me of the 70's for its rocking approach. Slightly similar to Spirit. Very good melodies. A more than respectable, high quality production. A great song, one of my favorites so far.
15 oddbod - sequence of events
You can't go wrong with this one. The fine vocal line is well supported by a perfectly pitched arrangement and choice of sounds, everything serving the dense atmosphere, the filtered percussion trick is the icing on the cake.
16 Max el Belga - Get Down
Music as fun. Reggae inspired song, the vocal work is always 1st class, and the production nothing less than appropriate. I really dig this one.
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- KVRist
- 240 posts since 18 May, 2008 from Brasil
I don't know if you saw but I'm giving punctuation in my reviews, I fear that will be my kiss of death 
t_riddy - Nice song and another good arrangement, Maybe It needs some more prodution tweaks but I always take in account It's not a 'only production contest' and overall you're 9.
oddbod - Oddbod always making good stuff, actually your song doesn't is much impressive to me but I would hear this a entirely day if it is an ambient song. 8.5
Laguna Rising - I think the arrangment was a litle crazy, the composition was good I have to assume that. 8
It seems like the people here likes surreal and acoustic guitar songs, maybe next month I have to show my ability as guitarrist...
t_riddy - Nice song and another good arrangement, Maybe It needs some more prodution tweaks but I always take in account It's not a 'only production contest' and overall you're 9.
oddbod - Oddbod always making good stuff, actually your song doesn't is much impressive to me but I would hear this a entirely day if it is an ambient song. 8.5
Laguna Rising - I think the arrangment was a litle crazy, the composition was good I have to assume that. 8
It seems like the people here likes surreal and acoustic guitar songs, maybe next month I have to show my ability as guitarrist...
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- KVRer
- 28 posts since 19 Feb, 2007
Part 2...
Mvrasseli - Hard to listen to this one without a smile on your face. It's a lovely composition in which the whistle feels right at home. The children's laughter is a nice touch.
Max el Bega - I love the back and forth between reggae funk and pop ballad. With all the different vocalists, instruments, and styles, this one is all over the place - in a very good way. And very well produced at that. Might be listening to this for a while…
Mr. Blitz - Certainly unique. The guitar can be a bit grating at times, but it really picks up steam towards the climax. I really like how you used the kid instruments in the middle and end - that was a nice surprise. Maybe not the most replay-able track, but I respect the ambition.
Jenderton - Feels like this may have been better suited for last month's contest. I think it would work very well as a musical score. If that was a speak n' spell, you were able to achieve some really cool effects with it.
Laguna Rising - Gets off to a great start. The break in the middle is probably my favorite part - the child instruments work well here. The lead guitar may start to wear a little thin after that, but just barely. I really like the overall composition.
Nikp2000 - What a great opening sound. Not sure if that is a synth, feedback or something else. The guitar is nice and subtle, it works well to ground everything else going on around it. The ending may be a bit anticlimactic, but I like this overall.
Jack Solium - A rather sinister-sounding waltz. The toy piano halfway through offers a nice shift, I was hoping it would be incorporated a bit more. Nicely done though.
Oddbod - Top-notch execution and production as usual. Lyrics and melody are very engaging. Bass and ambient noises sound great. You must be a Portishead fan.
Emerald Tablet - The best toy commercial I've heard in a while. Very interesting ambience. Feels "playfully somber" to me. I like the piano playing and the swelling synths. Only complaint is that the music may lose some of its momentum after the ad is over. Overall though this was a nice change of pace from the other entries.
Liqih - The percussion is the obvious highlight here. You must have put a lot of time into arranging/performing it. The synths at around the 1:44 mark take this into transcendent territory. I think I was expecting a bit more after the build-up, but overall this is a really cool track.
I think that's everyone so far...
Mvrasseli - Hard to listen to this one without a smile on your face. It's a lovely composition in which the whistle feels right at home. The children's laughter is a nice touch.
Max el Bega - I love the back and forth between reggae funk and pop ballad. With all the different vocalists, instruments, and styles, this one is all over the place - in a very good way. And very well produced at that. Might be listening to this for a while…
Mr. Blitz - Certainly unique. The guitar can be a bit grating at times, but it really picks up steam towards the climax. I really like how you used the kid instruments in the middle and end - that was a nice surprise. Maybe not the most replay-able track, but I respect the ambition.
Jenderton - Feels like this may have been better suited for last month's contest. I think it would work very well as a musical score. If that was a speak n' spell, you were able to achieve some really cool effects with it.
Laguna Rising - Gets off to a great start. The break in the middle is probably my favorite part - the child instruments work well here. The lead guitar may start to wear a little thin after that, but just barely. I really like the overall composition.
Nikp2000 - What a great opening sound. Not sure if that is a synth, feedback or something else. The guitar is nice and subtle, it works well to ground everything else going on around it. The ending may be a bit anticlimactic, but I like this overall.
Jack Solium - A rather sinister-sounding waltz. The toy piano halfway through offers a nice shift, I was hoping it would be incorporated a bit more. Nicely done though.
Oddbod - Top-notch execution and production as usual. Lyrics and melody are very engaging. Bass and ambient noises sound great. You must be a Portishead fan.
Emerald Tablet - The best toy commercial I've heard in a while
. Very interesting ambience. Feels "playfully somber" to me. I like the piano playing and the swelling synths. Only complaint is that the music may lose some of its momentum after the ad is over. Overall though this was a nice change of pace from the other entries. Liqih - The percussion is the obvious highlight here. You must have put a lot of time into arranging/performing it. The synths at around the 1:44 mark take this into transcendent territory. I think I was expecting a bit more after the build-up, but overall this is a really cool track.
I think that's everyone so far...