august contest - GOSSIP

[You™]

Me - Being no native english speaker, I don't get what the samples are all about (or where they're coming from), but execution is OK. Found it to be too repetitive from a formal aspect.

Don't worry about the samples - and thanks for the feedback. As I said before, the main stuff was from a jam session we played live. It's deliberately repetitive because that's the way I work. Of course I like variation and beginnings, middles and ends - but I tend to find the path of least resistance performance-wise and get really into the engineering part. In visual art terms you would say I'm process-oriented. Anyway, I know it's not everyone's thing, but I've always liked polyrhythmic and microtonal music so I tried to favor more subtle progressions then the standard pop fare - like the intro-verse-chorus-verse stuff I've usually been submitting here. One of the Juno tracks I played is only one or two notes I think. I just play different patterns and ride the filter with the mod wheel and the LFO button.

I guess the world isn't ready for my original 11 minute version of this song! Er, maybe I mean I'm not ready...

If I may plagiarize Emerson: My music is an endless combination and repetition of a very few rules. I hum the old well-known air through innumerable variations.

[plunge]

Hey, I finally got a chance to download the rest of the tracks yesterday. I'll probably give more feedback as I listen through a bit more, but just wanted to post some first impressions on some standouts, imo. These are aside from the first page reviews that I've already given.

EarthTones - Fun stuff. I like your singing and the style is fun. Catchy too.

Lady J - Cool and catchy, as well. I wish there was more variety. Seems like a tease for the long version, which doesn't sit well for me for a 2-minute song contest. Cool production, though. BTW, you'll probably get more effective and discernable voice effects if you squeeze (compress/limit) the track before you effect it.

Dave Spiers - Great production and jazz as usual. I, for one, am more drawn to more serious stuff (not that it's not funny, but it's such an inside joke). Fun stuff, though.

Garret - Wow. I love this. Very nice stuff and beautiful lyrical voice. Both literally and figuratively. I like the "you make me right/write about the future...." line.

GuitarJeff - Fun stuff. Drums are still a little too stiff, but the guitar work is great, of course.

Ixox - Very nice. The violin is a highlight for me. It's not a freeware sample is it? Beautiful playing.

aMUSED - I don't normally care for this kind of thing, but it certainly had an impact. Nice construction and effects.

wilkoryte - Exceptional blues. I think I'd like to lay down a piano or wurly on this. I'll send you the track if you'd like.

pHz - Another standout fave. Great production and interesting emotion evoked from that little electronic voice.

You™ - Incredibly interesting to listen to. I just like it. A lot.

Jens - I like this one too. Guitars are nice. Musically interesting. Cool little staccato piano.

There are many more that made their way into my iPod, but these are the ones I can remember enough to comment on. I'll listen more before I vote.

[garret]

Garret - Wow. I love this. Very nice stuff and beautiful lyrical voice. Both literally and figuratively. I like the "you make me right/write about the future...." line.

Thanks, plunge... the lyric is "you may be right about the future, but wrong about the time"... I was tired and mumbling when I recorded the vox, and the crickets outside were insane that night... you can hear em chirping away, despite all the eq and gating I did...

Thanks for the votes peppy, mystahr, bagungie, wopelka, fst, and cheeso. The tune is a bit square, so I wasn't sure how people would react. My next tune will rock, I promise.

So many good tracks this month, it's going to be tough to pick 10. I love free for all months...

-Garret

[plunge]

Garret - Wow. I love this. Very nice stuff and beautiful lyrical voice. Both literally and figuratively. I like the "you make me right/write about the future...." line.

Thanks, plunge... the lyric is "you may be right about the future, but wrong about the time"... I was tired and mumbling when I recorded the vox, and the crickets outside were insane that night... you can hear em chirping away, despite all the eq and gating I did...

Shouldn't have told me. I think I like the double meaning lyric better. Oh well. Still a great tune!

[You™]

You™ - Incredibly interesting to listen to. I just like it. A lot.

Thanks a lot! I should tell you that your song has grown on me more and more with each listen. It seems so simple but it's really sublime. I'm very impressed. I love music that doesn't show-off but takes risks. I think it's very risky to wear your heart on your sleeve and write about something or someone that gives you joy without being too sentimental or corny. I think you did it really well here. I love the playful jazzyness - it reminds me a bit of good ol' Vince Guaraldi. I hope Chloe likes it as much as the rest of us do! She will treasure it one day - and your work will be remembered and inspiring to someone long after the rest of ours are forgotten. That's impressive and that's really what successful art is all about.

It's a good thing your daughter's not named Rhoshandiatellyneshiaunneveshenk or you would never be able to sing it!

[pHz]

pHz - Another standout fave. Great production and interesting emotion evoked from that little electronic voice.

thanks for the review and glad you liked it ...

... interesting you point out the production on this track since there really isnt any (apart from a cut-down version of my usual bag of mangling tricks) other than one native live4 reverb used as a send effect at varying levels and an instance of vintagewarmer used to master the whole shebang ...

... so ill take it as a compliment on my meagre ability to judge levels on individual sounds

i enjoyed hunting through the speak-n-spell samples xoxos put up a while back trying to find little phrases i could put together that almost seemed to have meaning (like utm i guess im a little more concerned with process than result at times) but i know what you mean about the way they almost seem to have an intonation at times that suggest emotion ...

... BTW the lyrics are ...

candy bullet
pleasure plunger
rhythm sugar

(what a dirty little song it is)

slainte rob

[plunge]

I should tell you that your song has grown on me more and more with each listen. It seems so simple but it's really sublime. I'm very impressed. I love music that doesn't show-off but takes risks. I think it's very risky to wear your heart on your sleeve and write about something or someone that gives you joy without being too sentimental or corny. I think you did it really well here. I love the playful jazzyness - it reminds me a bit of good ol' Vince Guaraldi. I hope Chloe likes it as much as the rest of us do! She will treasure it one day - and your work will be remembered and inspiring to someone long after the rest of ours are forgotten. That's impressive and that's really what successful art is all about.

It's a good thing your daughter's not named Rhoshandiatellyneshiaunneveshenk or you would never be able to sing it!

Wow thanks. You hit on almost every single thing I was trying to accomplish with this. And the drum part was inspired by "Linus and Lucy." I wrote the song as a shuffle on acoustic guitar, but couldn't pull it off for a recording since my guitar skills are, um, not so great. Anyway, thanks for your generous comments. And yes, Chloe is much easier to sing about than that name.

And @pHz: Yeah, I knew that it was mostly loops, but sometimes when you put loops together they sound like loops put together. You've managed to make them sound like a song.

[ianweb123]

@ earthtones..

wow, I'm flabbergasted, I'm not sure if thats my best ever mark..

[Robert Randolph]

OK, Ill listen to em all again and change my mindset on voting.

glooper still gets #1 tho.

[pHz]

OK, Ill listen to em all again and change my mindset on voting.

thanks bob

glooper still gets #1 tho.

yeah ... great lyrics on that track

slainte rob

[You™]

glooper still gets #1 tho.

yeah ... great lyrics on that track

slainte rob

I was gonna say - I think the song is terrific, but I wasn't crazy about the lines:

"...believe in
anything you feel like
hope it's reciprocal
the tit for my tat"

I dunno, tit for tat gets too double-entendre-ish when broken apart and (IMHO) it doesn't work in favor of the mood of the song. Sorry Ben I'm sure I'm missing something because I can't always understand the first line of each phrase, but "tat" doesn't rhyme with "like" even in a Welsh brogue. ...or does it? That's not to take much away from your work. You know it's special if it's singled out. And I've already said several times that I really like too.

[pHz]

glooper still gets #1 tho.

yeah ... great lyrics on that track
slainte rob

I was gonna say - I think the song is terrific, but I wasn't crazy about the lines:
"...believe in
anything you feel like
hope it's reciprocal
the tit for my tat"
I dunno, tit for tat gets too double-entendre-ish when broken apart and (IMHO) it doesn't work in favor of the mood of the song. Sorry Ben I'm sure I'm missing something because I can't always understand the first line of each phrase, but "tat" doesn't rhyme with "like" even in a Welsh brogue. ...or does it? That's not to take much away from your work. You know it's special if it's singled out. And I've already said several times that I really like too.

ill try to explain george ...

... ben was in the chatroom one night asking about using lyrics from the sticky thread here in his contest entry ... not having written anything for a while i dashed off and scribbled these quick lyrics ...

(sacrificial)

were not all soldiers
we dont all make war
many hate violence
i respect them more

[CHORUS]
to see fear on a face
to hear screams in the air
to feel a lovers breath fade
why doesnt it care ???

they believe what they wish
im happy with that
i hope its reciprocal
their this for my that

[CHORUS]
to see fear on a face
to hear screams in the air
to feel a lovers breath fade
why doesnt it care ???

it cant force me to fight for it
but its law says it can
how can mans belief
support man killing man ???

[CHORUS]
to see fear on a face
to hear screams in the air
to feel a lovers breath fade
why doesnt it care ???

having said all this now
i think of us two
if your life was threatened
i WOULD kill for you

[CHORUS]
to see fear on YOUR face
to hear YOUR screams in the sky
to feel YOUR breath fade
to avoid all this ...

... i AM prepared to die

---------

... and offered the to ben - he accepted but we later agreed that they didnt quite scan for what he had in mind so he edited / amended them hence the oocasional mismatches and misrhymes ...

... and as for it and tat ... yes - having written it it did seem a bit 'carry on' so i changed it for this and that but ben kept the original in there ...

slainte rob

[Kriminal]

8 - Kriminal - She´s alive (love to know how the song title fits in here, mate...then again, maybe none O my business)

Did you listen to the song?

"bio readouts are all in the green, looks like she's alive"

[You™]

...A stirring and thoughtful lyric without any tits (or tats)...

Oh I get it. Well then. I alway feel a little foolish going out on a limb commenting on such esoteric stuff but I learn all these groovy things. Like last month with Plunge's paean to his dying car...

It is a good lyric. Now carry on...

[pHz]

...A stirring and thoughtful lyric without any tits (or tats)...

thanks ... i REALLY enjoy writing lyrics but often feel restricted by my total inability to sing them - when other more talented folks take them on i actually get quite a cool rush from it and bens done a GREAT job here ...

Oh I get it. Well then. I alway feel a little foolish going out on a limb commenting on such esoteric stuff but I learn all these groovy things. Like last month with Plunge's paean to his dying car...

you dont ask ... you dont learn and we ALL need to learn

and talking lyrics isnt esoteric surely ... when a piece of music uses words i always pay GREAT attention to them - assuming (rightly or more probably wrongly) that they MUST be important to the meaning of the track (otherwise why not write an instrumental ??? ) ... part of the reason i love the manic street preachers and abhor busted i guess

It is a good lyric. Now carry on...

see above ...

slainte rob