September Contest: Gossip

[spirulence]

Time to get in my reviews. pt 1

rifftrax:
Icy. Serene. Bouncy. Nice use of new-agey sound fx and pads.

mrblitz000:
Quick, the zombies are coming! Grab yer guns! Dear Lord, one's playing a toy piano! There's another on guitar and voice!

beanpole:
There should be a montage of home-movies from the 70's playing with this song as the backing track. Simple and sweet.

Farlukar:
An enraged toy speaks out about issues of social justice. England quakes with revolutionary thought.

offthewall:
Beautiful. Simply beautiful, especially around the 1:05 mark. I'd say this is working out pretty well.

[Max el Belga]

Hi folderol,

Excellent, you've noticed that : "Actually the mix was clearer than many you've done".
Now the most important : does it sound better or worse than before ?

I'm also trying to follow Liqih's advice, from some time ago, to respect more the dynamics, being less generous with the limiter-compression (thanks Luigi ! ).

Cheers,

Max... .. .

PS : Tonight I'll have to do the opposite and ad more punch to a 'weak'/flat bunch of recorded songs (somebody else's ).

[Jerru]

Revieu by Jerru:

Rifftrax - Beginning of the End:
Great production, melodies, groove and choice of sounds.
Though I'm having trouble identifying the choice of flute as a kiddie version. This song would have also worked well in last month's movie theme contest too. Great job on a great song.

Mr Blitz - Babushka Baby:
I think this is your best effort since your very first contest entry. You have a pretty cool, unique vocal style which is unfortunately buried quite a bit in this mix. The part between 1:46 and 1:22 was pretty effective, but the toy piano really did not fit the vibe of this song. I hope you will continue in this general direction as it is a touch more (dare I say) mainstream at least compared to previous Mr Blitz entries.

Beanpole - What Time Is Love:
You have quite a knack for writing catchy lyrics, music and melodies. I like the guitar playing and vocals on this one. The recorder fits very well in this piece. Another fine job as usual!

Farkular - Islington
Where in the hell has this been hiding? This is by far the best song I have heard from you in all these years! The toy organ is a nice contrast to the mounting tension of the guitar riffs. The mix could have been louder, but overall great guitar playing and drums. Let's hear more of this in the future.
Also, you and Folderol need to tell us on the other side of the pond the tale and mystery of this place called Islington.

Off The Wall - My Lodging's On The Ground: (Great Title)
Excellent guitar mix and congrats on the new guitar. She's a beauty. I really like how you transition the song at the 1:00 mark. Good choice on the kids instruments and wonderful whistle playing as usual. Solid effort to be proud of!

Jenderton - Dragon Fodder:
Sorry, I'm not the best judge of experimental type music, however the low rumbling pads sounded quite ominous.

Folderol - No More Time For Toys:
Messing around with the missus' saucepans again are you? I really liked the toy percussion section and melodies. I wished you would have used a softer lead sound though. But it did not overly detract from a solid, well done song.

Echo Voodoo - In the Lonely Hills:
Apt title for the mood of this song. I imagine this having a part in the movie Braveheart as the weary men are sitting around the campfire ruminating about the epic battle that awaited in the morn. The percussion sound seemed a little loud, but everything was played just right. Very well done!

Liqih - Dancing the Dreams:
Promising start... then....then......(still waiting for something to happen) Ahh then at 1:43 there is a glimmer of hope when the keyboard part evokes a "Yes" like aura. Nice choice of percussion sounds and it was a nice concept, but it didn't do much to hold my attention throughout the duration.

Barnadine - The End of the World:
Nice vocal performance and vocal melody as usual. The mix was quite substandard though - muffled and coupled with ill advised distorted drums made this fatiguing to listen to. But it's nice to see that you are willing to step outside of the box, if just a wee bit on occasion.

Mvrasseli - Balada Do Alfredo:
Charming. Nice choice of kiddie instrument. Including the sounds of children laughing and playing added a great deal of appeal to this piece. This is a nicely played, all around good effort.

Jack Solium - Au Bon Vieux Temps
Absolutely killer accordian! (What did you use?) Fantastic playing and great melodies. Toy piano use was very effective. Perfect mix. I would have liked to been in your studio watching you create this masterpiece!

Nikp2000 - Cookie Cutter:
Not the typical nikp200 song. I can't say this was my favorite from you. The mix was rather low, but I did like the music after the 0:34 mark.

T_Riddy - No Escapin:
Sorry to laugh, but when I first saw your album cover, I thought the man was standing at the loo But on a serious note, this is a nice song. Great vocals and nice job on the guitar parts. The Xylophone parts fit very well. Catchy groove and melodies. An all around fine job.

Oddbod - Sequence of Events:
I don't know if I can add any superlatives that weren't already previously mentioned. You seem to add tiny bits of "ear candy" in your productions that add a lot of appeal. That's what separates the men from the boys - It's the secret sauce! Oh, did I mention that I liked the song too?

Max el Belga - Get Down:
I'm not the biggest reggae fan, but I really - really like how you transitioned the reggae parts into smooth pop with the female vocal parts. Terrific choice of vocalist and melody. Looks like I'm going to have to steal another Tanga girl or two away from you and take them on another cruise I could listen to this again and again....

Laguna Rising - Dark Waves on a Deep Blue Sea:
Best song title of the month! The song was not what I was expecting though. I was yearning to hear a moody piece. I was not fond of the drum mix on this one. However, I did like the way the melody developed toward the end and the water/wave sample was a nice effect.

Emerald Tablet - Toy:
Interesting and thought provoking. The background announcer pitching the Remco toys added a memorable contrast to the sad music, perhaps invoking an unhappy childhood Christmas experience.

Knockman - I Saw an Owl Up in a Tree:
Great beginning, then the song decided to turn into a chlidrens song, almost against it's will. I wish you could have saved this melody for a future song. Be that as it may, it is a good concept and I love the fact that your kids were included with the background vocals. They did well! The mix was quite low, but overall, a nice job.

Thomekk - Through the Scrub:
Delightfully demented and I mean that as a high compliment. Superb vocal performance by Mona. The title sould have been "Spiny Monsters." Lead parts define the word quirky. Brilliant - Bravo to you both!

Spirulence - Play Time Over:
I really like the Egyptian style of this one, but why so short? It seems like there was a lot to expand on with that beat and melody. I wish you could have taken a few extra days to fill this out more, but it was great while it lasted.

Whew, That was a lot of work - I need a cigarette now.
Thanks to all the reviewers. I appreciate your efforts more so than ever now!

[knockman]

knockman owl in a tree
this tune has a definite split enz vibe. nice catchy chorus and quirky vocals. mix is kind of buried in reverb so the different elements don't stand out as they should, but this is a good tune and i'll be looking for owls for while.

cheers. though i know the name and so on, i'm not at all familiar with split enz' sound or vibe. i decided to research a little online. i can't listen to any audio here at work, but it appears from some of their photos that they've been looked at by owls. perhaps a little too often?

the reverb issue is something i always struggle with, i'm thinking i need to do something to my monitoring environment? i'm thankful for you pointing this out as it forces me to go and listen elsewhere to the mix and now i'm hearing the problem. for me the great thing about these contests is you approach things spontaneously and with an attitude of fun. consequently i never really envisage the tracks having a life beyond the month in question, but i confess i'm fond of this track and may revisit it. when i do i'll be giving the reverb due consideration.

Knockman - I Saw an Owl Up in a Tree:
Great beginning, then the song decided to turn into a chlidrens song, almost against it's will. I wish you could have saved this melody for a future song. Be that as it may, it is a good concept and I love the fact that your kids were included with the background vocals. They did well! The mix was quite low, but overall, a nice job.

thank you. actually the contrast between the beginning and children's song is something i was initially planning as central to the track. the verses were going to be lifted from 'rock classics' where the protagonist proclaims a free-spirited independence (think "born to be wild" by steppenwolf) that's then undermined by an encounter with an owl. in the end i only kept the snippet hendrix lyric and adapted it slightly. technically and sonically i couldn't achieve a suitable balance, the children's part was no trouble, but the rock elements weren't happening

luckily we have a national holiday on thursday, so i'll be able to get some reviewing done then.

regards

[mvrasseli]

These months government will bring some international chamber music artists to play here for free(I don't live in Cuba, I live in Brasil!). I hope that will give me some expiration to the next contest.

Jerru - A nice sound, and a nice photo, That cat looks like
Van Halen kkk. 8.5

Emerald Tablet - Looks like ambient music, It's good but I think still some edges to cut. 7.5

knockman - The song sounds like It was made by "The dark Beatles". Very interesting. How much did you pay to your kids to do that song? 9

Thomekk - A nice song and she has a nice voice though I think it didn't suite well in three minutes, It seems to be a unfinished song and I would make some arrangements alterations because it's a little repetitive. 8

spirulence - As you said, the song is realy unfinished, It doesn't show much. 7

[liqih]

note : with "typical" I mean "cliche" but not in a such negative way


thommek & mona

pros
very interesting composition, good sounds and mix, typical but well used low passed electronics, the melody is nice too,
creative use of reverb, catchy claps

cons
the timing of groove is too lame for my taste, the beat of the toy sounds is so off that sometimes I can't stand it


oddbod

pros
great comping both as groove and sounds, typical but well layed out trip hop arrangement

cons
the vocals and the melody are not as exciting as they could be


Laguna Rising

pros
nice progressive melody and arrangment, great variety of sounds

cons
the guitar timing, tuning and mixing are weak and not well fitted with the other sounds, especially in second half

Barnadine

pros
wonderful waltz song, Simon & Garfunkel meet Nick Drake in Australia, delicate arrangement

cons
hard to find one, but the melody is not as fresh as it could be, the mix is lofi but it fits the indy song


offthewall

pros
totally live "folk" feeling, sparking good sounds, catchy theme

cons
the timing is a bit messy sometimes, it's usually ok for the "folk" genre, just too much in some spots

Max el Belga & Cº

pros
hifi production, close to commercial pop standard, nice flute melody and balanced arrangment with cool touches,
great timing

cons
the song structure varies too much, sounds like there are too many bridges and a strange ending


beanpole

pros
typical pop melody but sung with grace, nice to hear, good strings arrangment

cons
the drums beat misses a bassline, the flute is too over the voice in the ending


Will J Godfrey

pros
carillon clock is friendly, the melody reminds of McCartney style "Someone's sleeping"

cons
a little repetitive


jenderton

pros
suspenseful athmosphere achieved, great use of high tones

cons
typical distorted voice


mrblitz000

pros
great chromatic intro, crazy voice and guitar, twisted blues feeling

cons
none but not an any day listening


Jerru - Jerry Wright

pros
makes me smile, very good guitar performance, swing groove, good mix

cons
none if we like the style


nikp2000

pros
interesting sounds suite

cons
the EQ of the drums is dull but loud


rifftrax

pros
good variety in arrangment, funky groove is pumping

cons
the melody sounds already heard and the mix sounds a little squashed


knockman

pros
great rock song, very well structured and sung with feeling, reminds Heroes of Bowie and some others

cons
the mix could be cleaned up a little


Jack Solium

pros
good accordion performance, well layed out arrangement, fresh entry among the KVR ones

cons
the mix could be cleaned up a little


Echo Voodoo

pros
the idea, the "ethnic" feeling, the primitive melody, many good features

cons
the timing and the mix are too unbalanced


Farlukar

pros
power playing, syncopated groove, good sounds and mix, great intro

cons
doesn't keep up and explode as expected

later for the others

[shrikant]

1. Offthewall : A fine rendition of guitar. I felt the whistle came in bit early. The clapper somehow could not get to the top. It kept surfacing on and off attracting attention to itself.The second time the whistle came in it made a perfect entry.At about 1-1.05 the strumming changes beautifully. quite a pleasure listening to you as always

2. Folderol : Very sparse and controlled use of instruments. The percussion is a lively minimalist presence. The ambient organ has an excellent entry point.It is nicely extended converging with the tune which takes the listener to an elevated plateau. Thanks for a nice tune.

3. Echo voodoo : ukulele is your forte. I have heard some of your presentations on You Tube. The ocarina has a mellifluous feel to it as it combines with the ukulele. The shaker in the beginning makes it a value addition to the tambourine perfectly balanced. Only in the middle somewhere it clashes a bit with the tambourine,I felt. With a tune like this your loneliness will not last longer, whether on a hill or a desert. You are bound to attract the choicest fairies to surround you.(at the least)

4.Oddbod : Oh, sir, you are a master in everything you do. The singing is top class.I felt the song ends rather abruptly as the chorus fades out and the beats are still going on.It seems this one needs more than 3 minutes to take it to a better ending to make it a fulfilling experience. One more seemingly effortless rendition to keep your reputation intact.

5. Max : Your exuberance and sense of humor come through in all your tunes. You tend to surprise with a pleasant twist in the tale almost always. some seductive singing to go with your heady mix of drums and the guitar.It began rather abruptly,I felt, as if to jump ahead of the time constraint. Similarly The "ye ye" at the end gives it the space, echo and further construction possible in the mind of the listener.

6. Laguna : You always make me listen to your tunes more than once. Guitar begins quite well. The drums come in bit loudly I felt. The beginning shows very many possibilities with the tune. The middle has avoidable slackness and brings down somewhat the structural extensions possible. The later part manages to keep the tune afloat and brings back matching the charm of the beginning. A possible re look at the midriff would probably give it an exciting structure.

7. knockman : Oh No, Oh yes. Honestly I don't know what to do(say) to such a wonderful owl in the backyard.Sure it can show me a thing or two about how to build a meandering,ambling,and boisterous mood in a tune. The kids are a perfect foil to the singing. Could become a perfect puzzle for an Alice in the wonderland trying to decipher the stuffed owl singing so well in time and tune !

8. Mr. blitz000 : I am at present struggling to tame the toy piano. I can see similar struggle going on in your tune. The guitar entry was a nice counterpoint to the panning ambiance of the beginning. You are always a different kind of "original" here. You don't allow us to doze of listening to your tunes. There is always a twist,an explosion,a surprise to make it tame less. (I hope such word exists. Tame less !) But the Piano shows how you must have admired the kids who tame this damn thing into a skull splitting mayhem.

9. Rifftrax. A nice voyage in to the galaxy. I felt, the mood is not of an ending. But a beginning of an adventure that would take me in to the periphery of a lonely planet. Would it end with the title cards or will it extend in to the body of the celluloid/tv narrative.? Several possibilities open up on this.It certainly has the scope to take it further,if needed.

10 .Jerru. As usual your guitar rocks. The Toy Piano is lyrical matching the other instruments you have used apart from the guitar.All that makes for a foot tapping tune. The cat looks up in ecstasy as if in a trance waiting for that appreciative applause from the audience. Hope you don't allow it to drive the car. Could get arrested for drunken driving.

I am posting these 10 as the statutory requirement following the Scoop dictates to escape the boot.Those left out, please excuse me if I don't come back with more.You wont miss any great insight there. I will send you one of those spurious liquor bottles sent to me by Max.

Oh,by the way talking of Max,the spurious liquor he sent to my address made me run from the chasing officials of all sorts. Interpol might drop in one of these days. This has inspired me to call my tune this month "The Prison Diary" You will hear lot of clattering steel rods of the cell door as the warden makes his rounds.I am waiting for some one to come and bail me out of this hell.
Oh, Max why didn't you understand
I asked for the boot. Not bootlegging

[farlukar]

Where in the hell has this been hiding? This is by far the best song I have heard from you in all these years!

It's probably just that I'm sooo much better at making utter crap

The mix could have been louder

I think the loudness is ok, so give the volume slider a push upward
As for Islington, I don't know anything about it really. The only bit of London I ever saw was the M25...

I will send you one of those spurious liquor bottles sent to me by Max.

Ooohh can I have the calvados pretty please

[folderol]

Once again, I'm really enjoying all these reviews. Not only for the insights to my own scratchings, but it's also interesting to see all the different thoughts about everyone else's entries. People pick up on all sorts of things I completely miss

[milkshakeiii]

Here are my reviews in vaguely reverse order- maybe someone will find something useful in there, maybe not.

Thomekk- Through the scub: Love the not-quite-locked-in rhythms. Thought it could have built up a bit more throughout the first 3/4ths of the piece- it doesn't have enough direction in my opinion, although sometimes that isn't a bad thing.

Jerru- Bad Cat Boogie: Loved it when the electric guitar kicked in about 1/3rd way through. Despite your protestation of cat-swingyness, I thought the rhythms and especially the drum part were a little square. I see you were going for the bluesy cheese but, a post-bopper at heart, I just can't stand it! ^^

Knockman- i saw an owl up in a tree: I love the chorus- it was looking at me! oh no! Can't you do something about that voice? Kidding of course.

Emerald Tablet- Toy: Fantastic! Good concept, good excecution. Did you think about putting some sort of DSP on top of everything at any point in the piece? (Just a random thought that occurred to me.)

Laguna Rising- Dark Waves On A Deep Blue Sea: Made me bob my head. I definitely would say it was out of focus at a few points- but what I thought when I was listening was not that it was a bad thing, but rather "Oh, it goes out of focus and back into focus, awesome." Maybe that is not what you meant by out of focus.

Max el Belga- GetDown: Definitely creative and with good production. (The only thing keeping YOU off the radio is... creativity!)

oddbod- Sequence of Events: Definitely a winner. I'm going to be singing this one while walking around. I've noticed that happens alot with your entries. Am I supposed to make some sense... of the sequence of events?

t_riddy- No Escapin': You definitely have the U2ish rock feel down pretty well and you're not afraid to experiment with it. Seems good to me.

nikp2000- Cookie Cutter: I'm always impressed with the technical work in your entries, and this one is no exception. I'm also loving the chaotic feel when you let it get to that point, and I think "cookie cutter" is an evocative title.

JacK_SoliuM- Au bon vieux temps (valse musette): I'm just missing the bellowing italian baritone. (Or french, if the title is any indication.)

Cheers.

[jenderton]

Here are my Ten. I'll try to get to a few more it time permits. Really enjoyed all the selections this month. Shows me I really need to step it up if I'm going to hang out here.

Dancing the Dreams I really like the ethnic feel of this track. And the attention to detail. The way different elements come in and out really appeals to me. It;s one of those tracks I listened to a couple of times to make sure I got it all. Excellent.

End of the World Perfect. This melody is stunning. Mellow and engaging which is not an easy feat. That bass line, the way the song builds, everything is just the way it should be. I wouldn't change a note. I did college radio for a bit and I could see this on any college station. I could go on. the lyrics. just great I don;t know about the rest of the list but this is my #1.

What time is Love. Another well written song. It takes a good musician to know how to strucre an arrangement to best show off the tune and capture a feel. It;s done masterfully here. THe arrangement never gets i the way of the tune.

In the Lonely Hills. Another perfect arrangement. It Stays out of the way of the Melody.I really like the way the you capture a feel and make it last until the end of the piece without losing interest. IT never fells repetitive. It has a sad feel and a cinematic quality to it.


NO More Time for Toys. I like the way you set up the rhythm with the toys. I like the synth-y melody that changes patches a few times. This is sparse in a good way. the contrast in sound between the melody and the background in nice


Au Bon Vieux Tempts .The accordion is genius. That bass made me laugh out loud . My favorite part of this piece is the change about half way through. The chime-y toy thing is great after a little accordion. It provides just enough variety. Makes the accordion sound fresh again when it comes back. Great feel.

Dark waves on a Deep Blue Sea. Great guitar sound. Like its almost about to break. I love the chord progression about a minute or so in.I have always been a fan of that sound and here it comes in perfectly great playing throughout. I like that you chose to stay with the feel of the tune and not force in too many notes.

Babushka Baby. This reminds me of Mr. Bungle in a way. I like the little bits of chaos that go one behind and around the vocals. The vocal is great too. The guitar is excellent. It just seems to run amok throughout the track. This is one of those I listened to a couple of times. Really dig the humor in it.

Islington. Great production. The intro with the guys voice leading into the guitar was stellar. very tight the glockenspiel if thats what that is, is nice against the guitar. I could see this as background music to a video game trailer. The groove is nice too. You lay in the packet throughout.

Cookie Cutter. So many interesting sounds!! Nice production. The intro is perfect. I like whatever patch you used on that melodic line just after the guitar chord work. Nice blending of elements. It was a track that kept me listening for what was coming next.

[liqih]

Here are my Ten. I'll try to get to a few more it time permits. Really enjoyed all the selections this month. Shows me I really need to step it up if I'm going to hang out here.

Dancing the Dreams I really like the ethnic feel of this track.
And the attention to detail.The way different elements come in and out really appeals to me. It;s one of those tracks I listened to a couple of times to make sure I got it all. Excellent.

Thanks so much jenderton! You made my day, <grin>

[Laguna Rising]

21 thomekk & mona - Through the scrub
Great vibe ! perfect suspended atmosphere, nice vocals, childish instrument blends in perfectly.
Excellent.

22 Spirulence - Playtime over
Abstract is the word that comes to mind, listening to the melody. I like the energy and the general idea. Short but effective.

23 Milkshake - the spinning of the earth
Nice use of the Toy instrument, good pace for the spoken vocals. Original effect. It sounds like a phone-call from a submarine.

24 Shrikant - Prison Diary
Interesting melodic openings, good combination of pad sound with the moog-ish lead and the toy piano. A bit different from your usual style.

25 Patrick9 - ToyBoy
Weird vocal line, it sounds a bit like a childish rigmarole. Wild arrangement, it's just like living a dream.

[Chuck E. Jesus]

when is the deadline?

EDIT: i see it's Sept. 25th AM, got confused by the voting deadline (which i assume is Oct 1st, not Sept 1st )

[PurpleCatfishBettie]

knockman, i saw an owl in a tree: Brilliant! With the background vocals and chord progression, this one reminds me of some combination of The Who, and early Pink Floyd; then with some electronica thrown in; and all with that distinctly great knockman lead vocal style. Oh, and what lyrics these are!

Jerru, Bad Cat Boogie: I really like the guitar, with the 'chromaticism' thing going on. The piano is incredible. Maybe the snare needs to be dialed back a bit. It seems like the piano repeats itself in the last 3rd of the song. Maybe add/subtract some notes; just mix it up a bit. Same with the bass line, maybe have it evolve. Anyway, those are quibbles. The piano and guitar are great. It's funny, because on the same month you think i've offered up one of my best entries so far, i think the same of yours. Your entries are always solid, but this one is really cool to me.

thomekk, Through the scrub: This one is mysterious, yet playful at the same time. And, the 'flatted 5th' never fails to reel me right into a piece.

Spirulence, Playtime Over: Carnival chromaticism with industrial underpinnings. Great stuff!

milkshakeiii, The Spinning of the Earth: Count me in the 'bring the vocals out' camp. Without the included lyrics, it would be tough to tell what you're saying. Knowing what you're saying though (reading as the song plays), this piece is wonderful. With its sense of childlike wonder, it totally befits a contest which requires a toy instrument.

shrikant, Prison Diary: This piece might well fit into the soundtrack of 'Midnight Express.' As a standalone piece, I wanted to hear the prisoner talking/singing. All of that aside, this is quite the enjoyable listen.

Patrick9, Toy Boy: LOUD! After the volume adjustment, this is quite endearing. The kazoo solo really takes this one over the top. It reminds me of being a freshman in high school, and looking at the junior and senior girls in a similar fashion.