Song Fight Review: In Time Of Crisis

The last fight I reviewed over at Song Fight was titled "That's Enough", and my favorite entry was from bgm who finished in 2nd. The John Benjamin Band (who I ranked 3rd) ended up getting the win.

A new batch of songs can be found over at Song Fight, so I suggest you go pick your favorite songs for the current round.

I'm going to be really short on time for awhile. I'm in the process of moving, I have SpinTunes #4 to plan & other things going on taking up a lot of time. So in an effort to plow through this round quickly I will not be commenting on songs unless the lyrics have been posted in the Song Fight Lyric Archive.

My favorites from the fight In Time Of Crisis are posted below.

Voted For:
(Right Click "Save As" on the artist's name for a MP3 of their entry.)

Ross Durand - Great performance of a topical song. Creates a sense of urgency that drives the song nicely. Everyone else can go home now, Ross just kicked your ass.

Billy & The Psychotics - Great sound, love the guitar. Rocks harder than any other entry by far. Lyrically not for me.

Others:
(Head over to Song Fight to listen to these songs.)

Jan Krueger - Lyrics didn't grab me & the music felt messy. At times sounds would just seem out of place.

Naked Philosophy - Performance wise it wasn't much to brag about, but the topic was a good choice. Seems like there's a new riot going on every day. Overall it was one of the better songs in a weak fight.

Monkey Touchers - The only people I respect less than you would be anyone who says anything remotely positive about your entries. I know your lyrics weren't posted, but what you entered has to be one of the worst tracks ever entered into this contest (that's not easy to do). So I had to point out how stupid your track was.

No Lyrics Posted:
Berkeley Social Scene - sonofsupercar - Life in Decibels - Micah Sommer - Monotone Destroyer - Ux Mpuzm - The Various Artists - hillbilly
Side Note:
This fight was one of the worst fights of 2011. Only a couple people came out swinging, and somebody should have warned the audience to protect their ears at all times.

Help Sammy Kablam Get Back To Insulting People

For anyone that has enjoyed Sammy Kablam's reviews on this site, please take a look at his ChipIn page & consider making a donation.

For those who have never heard of Sammy Kablam...let me introduce you. Sammy started off writing reviews of Master's Of Song Fu, SpinTunes & Song Fight (these are song writing contests) on this blog. He has recently been battling tech issues to do his reviews on video & posting them on YouTube & BlipTV. The tech issues finally gave Sammy a beat down after months of dealing with them. Since pan handlers typically give him money when he walks by, he hasn't got the funds to get the equipment he needs to overcome these issues.

The situation is a real shame because he had moved onto making fun of movies with his new series "Dammit, Tad" & I know he had other series planned. I'll embed a couple examples of his work below, and if they make you laugh you can click on the link above to keep the insults coming.

Negative Reinforcement: Song Fight (Has Been For Years)
As I mentioned, he has also reviewed SpinTunes.

Dammit, Tad: Python

Song Fight Review: That's Enough

The last fight I reviewed over at Song Fight was titled "The Last Afternoon Of A Woman He Only Thought He Knew", and my favorite entry was from Future Boy who finished in 5th. Mom&Data ended up getting the win, but I didn't really care for their entry.

A new batch of songs can be found over at Song Fight, so I suggest you go pick your favorite songs for the current round.

I'm going to be really short on time for awhile. I'm in the process of moving, I have SpinTunes #4 to plan & other things going on taking up a lot of time. So in an effort to plow through this round quickly I will not be commenting on songs unless the lyrics have been posted in the Song Fight Lyric Archive. I will still link to the songs I voted for, even if the lyrics weren't posted.

My favorites from the fight That's Enough are posted below.

Voted For:
(Right Click "Save As" on the artist's name for a MP3 of their entry.)

bgm - Very sad song. Enjoyed the overall experience & thought the vocals were perfect for such a lonely song.

Semolina Pilchards - My favorite story of the fight. It's funny without being too silly. Musically it kinda bored me though, and at times the singer seemed bored.

The John Benjamin Band - Music was cool at times, but the first "Let's be together/Let's be interstellar" line jarred me a bit. The transitions weren't bad, but it's an unusual sound & I think I just wasn't ready for it. Lyrically it's not for me, but it's the most memorable song of the fight.

Others:
(Head over to Song Fight to listen to these songs.)

Billy & The Psychotics - When it started...honestly I about did a facepalm for you. BUT, it didn't take long for me to hear that you actually came up with a nice sound. Musically it was fun & the vocals were great. Lyrically not for me.

Berkeley Social Scene - Too repetitive for me, and I didn't care for the bare bones story.

heine - Felt really long, and the performance was too robot like for me to get into it.

Paco del Stinko - Enjoyed the music throughout. I liked the angle you took, telling people to be more independent. Just didn't think the lyrics were as creative as your music.

Pigfarmer Jr - You made me hungry.

Ross Durand - The first half is something I'd expect off a children's CD. Raffie-ish. The 2nd half went in a different direction lyrically, and it tried to make the song more than I felt it should have been.

No Lyrics Posted:

Billy Oh! - Dejected Motives - GreaseMonkey - Guiterrorists - Hip Hop Anonymous - Klownhole - Life In Decibels - Manhattan Glutton - Mike Lamb (feat. Suckweasel) - Monkey Touchers - the pannacotta army - Ripping Hammer - ShotPounder
That's Enough (acoustic) by Manhattan Glutton

Circle Of Titles 2

The Circle Of Titles is a project started by Jon Eric. Everyone who signs up makes up a title for a song that they want someone else to write a song for. When sign ups are over the titles are randomly given out to everyone & the songs are written. So everyone submits a title, and everyone writes a song. I decided to review this side fight much like I would a regular Song Fight round.

My Favorites:
(Right Click "Save As" on the artist's name for a MP3 of their entry.)

Milo Dunderville - I'll Ruin This
Title suggested by DJ Ranger Den
Funky from the get go, and you never ruined the song. Will probably get more plays on my MP3 player than any other song in this side fight.

Jon Eric - Winter Clothes
Title suggested by Milo Dunderville
Bonus points for mentioning Cincinnati. This would have met the Masters Of Song Fu challenge of writing a non-holiday holiday song pretty well. Enjoyed it a lot, but you could have cut a little off the ending. Missed the title in the song.

King Arthur - Wisenheimer (my favorite title)
Title suggested by Bad Boys At Bat Mitzvahs
I'm glad you got this title, because you almost always come up with an interesting story. After a few listens I did think that maybe you shouldn't repeat the 1st verse again, but no real complaints here. Nice work.

The Real Sign - Melody Of Smoke
Title suggested by King Arthur
Great use of audio clips from the news. Music just seemed perfect for the lyrics. I'd like the vocals to be brought up just a little in places. Well done.

Jan Krueger - Somewhere I Don't Know
Title suggested by Paco del Stinko
I'm ashamed at how long it took for me to get this song. I was literally saying to myself, "I don't know what the fuck this is about." 2 seconds later I'm feeling like, "It's a me, Dumbass!" Well done sir....well done.

DJ Ranger Den - Shoot Through It
Title suggested by The Real Sign
I was going to say the music was great, but the topic was an odd fit. But with the topic you picked I can't picture what type of music would fit. I don't know why, but I thought of "Nightmare Before Christmas" while listening to this.

Schlimminy Cricket - Clinical Cynical
Title suggested by Jan Krueger
Really liked the idea you came up with for the title (still wished you would have used it). Definitely had a creepy hospital/factory feel to it.

Others:
(Head over to Circle Of Titles 2 to listen to these songs.)

Paco del Stinko - Another Day Another
Title suggested by Noah McLaughin
When I got to the bridge I felt like the rest of the song should have been more chill. The lyrics there were just more heavy & it's almost like the bridge belongs in another song. I didn't dislike the rest of song, but it didn't fit together all that well for me.

Noah McLaughlin - Bourbon & Boobs
Title suggested by Billy's Little Trip
This might be my favorite vocal performance that I've heard from you. Musically it held my interest, but I didn't get into the story since it left me with a number of questions. Was clearly inspired by the challenge, but I missed hearing it in the song.

Billy's Little Trip - At the Geothermal Plant
Title suggested by Jon Eric
This song was not completed, but if it ever is I'll include my thoughts here.

Bad Boys At Bat Mitzvahs - Trench-coat Warfare
Title suggested by Who Izzy
I'm usually not a fan of long spoken word sections, so this just wasn't up my alley at all.

MC Who Izzy - This Again
Title suggested by Irwin
sgkaf, asdf dg fweroh sfhts werkg srhjs rhfwtq gbnasfdg! Use the lyric archive.

Sockpuppet - Made From Corn
Title suggested by Mike Lamb
If it was funny...maybe I could listen to this. But it wasn’t' & I'm not a fan of the long spoken word stuff.

Suckweasel - Why Yes, I DO Have A Pistol In My Pocket, But That Does Not Necessarily Mean That I Am Still Not Pleased To See You (worst title of the bunch)
Title suggested by Caravan Ray
Let me start off by saying I know you got screwed with the title. The vocals weren't bad, they just felt like you were going through the motions though. Wasn't much feeling in it. Considering how stupid the title was I'm impressed that you included it ALMOST completely. Not bad.

Caravan Ray - Virgin Nancy
Title suggested by fluffy
Can't blame you for doubling this up with a Song Fight round, but since I've already reviewed that round there's no point in reviewing the song again.

Mike Lamb - The Bourgeois Orchestra
Title suggested by Shlimminy Cricket
Musically I enjoyed it, but never got into the lyrics. The ending was pretty sweet, you don't hear much of that in Song Fight.

Christmas At Spintown 2011

As usual, I avoided posting any Christmas videos until December. In the past I posted all the Christmas videos on the main page. This year I plan on posting them all on the other pages of the blog. So for those of you that only stop by once a year for all the Christmas videos, I suggest you follow the blog's Twitter account: @SpinBlogs. I'll post links to every Christmas post there.

For today I'll post 1 video below, but if you want more Christmas presents you'll have to head over to the Music Videos page of the blog.

Mall Santa Musical
Improv Everywhere starts off Christmas this year.

The Chronicles Of Rick Roll Movie Trailer

I have a feeling this is going to be really bad...but still worth watching.


Here's a little more about the project.

Song Fight Review: The Last Afternoon Of A Woman He Only Thought He Knew

The last fight I reviewed over at Song Fight was titled "Occupy My Heart", and my favorite entry was from Jon Eric who finished in 8th. I had The Pannacotta Army ranked 3rd in my review & they ended up taking the win.

A new batch of songs can be found over at Song Fight, so I suggest you go pick your favorite songs for the current round.

My favorites from the fight The Last Afternoon Of A Woman He Only Thought He Knew are posted below.

Voted For:
(Right Click "Save As" on the artist's name for a MP3 of their entry.)

Future Boy - I was enjoying the sound & lyrics (if not the performance) then WHAM you change things up pretty abruptly. Great story telling & way to use the title when so many others wussed out.

Hip Hop Anonymous - Creepy Michael Myers inspired music? I likes. Used the title. I likes. Clear story with mostly clever lyrics. I likes. Nice flow.

bgm - The music was good, but left me feeling like something was missing. I thought it was building to something (other than the disco flare) that never came. Lyrically I loved it aside from the fact the title wasn't used.

Sportswriters - "That winter was colder far than any that I remember" REALLY?! The very first line is a Yoda line? Change that stupid line cause otherwise this is a lovely song. Well done...even though...again...the title wasn't used.

Others:
(Head over to Song Fight to listen to these songs.)

Berkeley Social Scene - I know in Song Fight you don't have to use the title in the song, but as I've said in the past I like it when people do. You kinda cheated to do that, and even still it sounded awkward. The song aside from that part sounded fine. Nice work. I can't blame you too much for not finding a way to work the really crappy title into the song.

Billy & The Psychotics - Not enough of a story for me & the chorus sounded too messy for my liking. No title in the song.

DJ Ranger Den - No title in the song. I got the big picture, but the journey to it wasn't to my liking. Nice to hear your guitar again.

c.layne - Vocally it was a nice performance. Musically it was interesting, but a few sounds just annoyed me. For instance the very first sound in the track. Then whatever came in with about 1:50 left in the track. And 50 seconds later makes me think about when I put a bad CD in my CD player. Lyrically it wasn't my cup of tea. Didn't hear the title.

Dejected Motives - 15 seconds in & I'm guessing this is going to be tough to listen to. Music starts off bad, can't hardly make out the vocals, and I see you decided to waste 7 whole minutes of my time. Lets see if I have to edit this review after listening to the other 6 minutes & 45 seconds... ...Nope...I was right on the money. It is possible you used the entire title...as I said it was hard to make out the vocals.

Dirge - Starts off with a lack of flow. Seriously it sounds like a little kid trying to be careful to say everything correctly as he's reading in front of the class. It gets better as it goes, but never really grabs me, even when you totally change it up at the end.

Emperor Gum - Graham...over a minute to get to the lyrics? Musically I didn't care for it at all, which makes it worse that it took so long for vocals. Your recording of vocals has improved a lot over the past year or so, and there's some emotion in them which is often lacking in your past offerings. Still needs work though.

Wicked Cripple feat. dont reply - Bring up the vocals. You used the title...YAY. That's as positive as I can possibly get with this.

Klownhole - Sloppy.

Life In Decibels - The last 70 seconds were the best part, other than the use of the title.

Mom&Data - Lyrically it starts off like it might be interesting, but never really goes anywhere. I stopped caring halfway through.

Paco del Stinko - What is that blaring noise? It's more obnoxious than Sammy Kablam. Lyrically I liked it...but that sound was enough for me not to hit play again.

Pigfarmer Jr - Flow...get some. The hook...terrible. Music...dull & repetitive.

Ripping Hammer - What few vocals there were I had trouble picking up. Just...start over...completely.

sonofsupercar - Lyric archive...use it. Couldn't understand parts of it. Has an old feel to it. Not for me, but better than most this fight.

T.C. Elliott - If a certain afternoon is so important that it's being longed for in the chorus maybe we should know a little about it? Didn't care for the singing & the whole song never really goes anywhere. No title again.

The Last Afternoon Of A Woman He Only Thought He Knew by DJ Ranger Den

Side Notes:
- Stupid ass title for a fight.
- I know I didn't mention every song that didn't use the title, but that's only because I got tired of mentioning it. It annoys me each time.

Song Fight Review: Occupy My Heart

The last fight I reviewed over at Song Fight was titled "Has Been For Years", and my favorite entry was from The HATE Noise featuring Mean Gene Goatee who finished in a tie for 3rd. Tye Lemery took the win, and was also who I had ranked 2nd. Dang...same results as the previous fight. My favorite tied for third last time, with my 2nd favorite taking the win.

A new batch of songs can be found over at Song Fight, so I suggest you go pick your favorite songs for the current round.

My favorites from the fight Occupy My Heart are posted below.

Would Have Voted For:
(Right Click "Save As" on the artist's name for a MP3 of their entry.)

Jon Eric - Ok...based on what I know of Jon I have to say I disagree with him on most political issues, including those in this song. MESSAGE ASIDE, I thought this was really well done. The music & lyrics held my attention, and he made his message loud & clear. The vocals during the chorus kinda hurt, but this is a great song other than that. Well done.

King Arthur - Nice take on the title, and I enjoyed the lyrics. Musically it wasn't my favorite from you, just felt like it needed more variety.

The Pannacotta Army - Very pretty. I think it needs a bit more of a hook, cause after listening no 1 line really sticks with you. Musically it's pretty, but feels too repetitive...stronger hook might help fix that?

Ross Durand - Before I even listened to this, I put my money on you winning. Just seems like a perfect Ross title. *after listening* Yeah...it's a pretty good bet. Evokes more emotion than most of the entries.

Others:
(Head over to Song Fight to listen to these songs.)

The Al Gore Band - I would rather listen to Al Gore ramble about how he invented the internet than listen to this.

Berkeley Social Scene - If they showed you where they lived...why didn't they just let you in to begin with. Why would you have to knock or ring the bell? Wait...after listening farther...I've decided this isn't supposed to make sense. Liked the guitar at the end...during the last minute when you repeat the same 2 lines over & over.


Billy & The Psychotics - If I had walked into my room & heard this, I would have went to my computer to look & see if I had left 2 files playing.

c.layne - Was excited to see you entered a song since I've enjoyed some of your past work, but I had a hard time getting into this. Had some interesting sounds, but in the end I had a hard time focusing.

Dealin' Doug & The Rocky's Autos - I get why you may have wanted your performance to come off like you were in pain or having a terrible time, but in the end it's painful to the listener as well. Didn't really care for the intro either.

Dirge & Sara - In places I think the vocals could be brought up a little. Enjoyed the music throughout.

DJ Ranger Den - Most of the time I didn't really know what the heck this was supposed to get across. (shocking, I know)

dont reply - You're so special that even the kids on the short bus make fun of you.

Elephant Finger Et Le Casio Ensemble Contemporain de Paris - I didn't understand any of it, and the music sounded like something off an Atari 2600 game. You will not be getting the high score in this game.

MC Charlie Oh - Music was dull, and the delivery was just as dull.

Metaluna - Vocals were rotten, really ruined it for me. Music during the chorus was pretty cool & honestly this could be good with a better singer & performance.

Monkey Touchers - Just go away already.

Noah McLaughlin - Strong song even if I'm not a huge fan of the vocals. Some lines felt a little clumsy, but I got the picture at least. Production was good.

Paco del Stinko - Musically this is my favorite song of the fight, hands down. Just rocked. Felt the chorus was a little weak in comparison to the last couple songs you entered. Lyrically there were a few corny lines that were a bit much for me.

Pigfarmer Jr - I think this is a good start, but still needs a lot more. The story is very bland & the song feels like it ends before it really gets going. Liked the guitar & vocals were ok.

PiGPEN - First few seconds felt like the opening of an 80's news program. Lyrically it's not for me. I don't always hate cursing & juvenile lyrics in rap...but there needs to be more creativity if I'm going to have to listen to that stuff.

Sep - Vocals were real bad. Music was dull & the transitions were abrupt.

sonofsupercar - Certainly a different sound than anyone else in the fight. Not all bad, just thought the lyrics were.

Sportswriters - Really liked the music from the get go. Lyrically it didn't always flow well, and a few lines I just didn't care for. For instance: "Well I cleaned up the house cause the house needed cleaning". A bit redundant don't you think? Why else would you clean something if it didn't need cleaning? Jeez you did it again with the trash...cake....keepsakes...sweeping...ok this is just lazy now. And wouldn't a song about someone have a meaning?

State Shirt - Music to trip by. I'm usually not into the atmospheric dreamy stuff.

Tony And Juan And Adam - The 2nd vocalist just needs to shut up. Music was pretty rockin' whenever you were rapping, but not so much when you were. UGH

The Yyarrell Brothers Band - Didn't really care for the lyrics, and honestly whatever sound it is that starts with 1:45 left in the track is kinda annoying. Rest of the music & vocals were ok.

Side Note:
I often make fun of how stupid the titles are in Song Fight. I would like to go on record as saying this title was GREAT. Topical & open to to take in a lot of directions. *looks at the next title* Oh shit...looks like the next one is another stupid one...may be the worst yet.

5 Seconds Of Every #1 Billboard Hot 100 Hit From 1993-2011

This is a fun trip down memory lane.

Song Fight Review: Has Been For Years

The last fight I reviewed over at Song Fight was titled "Out Of A Hat", and my favorite entry was from Billy & The Psychotics who finished in a tie for 3rd. Merijamby took the win, and was also who I had ranked 2nd. So overall, I was pretty close this time.

A new batch of songs can be found over at Song Fight, so I suggest you go pick your favorite songs for the current round.

My favorites from the fight Has Been For Years are posted below.

Would Have Voted For:
(Right Click "Save As" on the artist's name for a MP3 of their entry.)

The HATE Noise featuring Mean Gene Goatee - For fucks sake...I don't want to do this...but I have to say something nice about The HATE Noise. The track got me bobbing my head instead of covering my ears for once. The rapping had flow, and most of the lyrics were ok. My ONLY problem with the track is the hook is too repetitive. How many times do you need to repeat "Sharks and Mean Gene's been here for years"...you're a rapper...you did fine with the rest of the lyrics...be a little more creative & less repetitive there. *grits teeth* Nice work.

Tye Lemery - Cut the acoustic opening. You mumble a bit too much for me to pick up lyrics at times. One reason you should use the lyric forum. The music (after the opening) wasn't bad though, and the chorus was fine. I could seriously like this if you fixed those 2 things. Not bad at all.

Others:
(Head over to Song Fight to listen to these songs.)

Paco del Stinko - I enjoyed the hook again (2 weeks in a row I think), but I felt the vocals in the verses wavered too much at times. Music rocked throughout.

Shambles Square feat. MC Heapey - The music didn't do anything for me. The lyrics were pretty creative, but it's hard to listen to a British Mr. Peabody delivery for that long without something to mix it up a little.

Berkeley Social Scene - Enjoyed the lyrics & message for the most part. The music just felt a bit flat to me. In other words I would have liked some that would have made me get up off the couch & put the remote down.

The Sportswriters - Daguerreotype? *grabs dictionary* Ooooh...ok...continue. I think the vocals are too up front. What Star Wars film is "And the earth I become" a quote from?

Billy & The Psychotics - Music was rockin' but it sounded familiar. Listened to a few old CD's looking for what it reminded me of but didn't figure it out. Didn't really care for a number of lines in the song. For instance: "but you wonder if you should walk this time away". Nobody talks like that, so it throws the listener. Not really sure if I dug the vocal performance either.

Dejected Motives - I have to strain to hear the vocals & it's 9 fucking minutes long. Oops never mind...there's 4 minutes of dead air at the end. But still...even when I cranked the volume up it was hard to hear.

Dirge & Sara - My biggest problem with this one is the guitar. Just didn't like the sound at all & it felt like it was competing for attention almost.

Faight From Fire - The vocals in this were bad throughout. Really though, I think you came to the right place. The production here was just messy overall & you can probably get useful tips from SOME of the people in Song Fight.

Ken's Super Duper Band 'n Stuff - Not bad, but the lyrics just felt...like I've heard them before...1,000 other times in 100 other songs.

Klownhole - You sounded like my stoned grandpa trying to tell a story over the music blaring from my annoying neighbors house.

Monkey Touchers - You're now the NEW Hate Noise.

Pigfarmer Jr - So he stole the kid? That caught me off guard...kinda funny. But up until the twist the story is bland as hell.

PROTECT IP Act Breaks The Internet

I'm sure most of you have heard about this already, but I figured I would do my part to help spread the word.

Song Fight Review: Out Of A Hat

The last fight I reviewed over at Song Fight was titled "Threatening To Some", and my favorite entry was from Hostess Mostess who finished in a 3-way tie for 4th. The voting was a bit of a cluster fuck this time with a lot of people in the 11-19 range. bgm managed to get the overall win.

A new batch of songs can be found over at Song Fight, so I suggest you go pick your favorite songs for the current round.

My favorites from the fight Out Of A Hat are posted below.

Would Have Voted For:
(Right Click "Save As" on the artist's name for a MP3 of their entry.)

Billy & The Psychotics - Wasn't a huge fan of the bridge, but other than that I loved it. Great entry.

Merijamby - Cute, kinda funny. Probably not enough of either to get a lot of replay value, but it's good enough to get a chuckle from me the first time around.

Others:
(Head over to Song Fight to listen to these songs.)

Berkelyn Social Scene - Has a dreamy feel to it...interesting sound, but didn't hold my interest all the way through.

Bubble Pipe Media - Despite the whispering I can still hear it...I suggest getting even quieter for your next track.

Klownhole - 7 minutes? What did I do to you? Whatever it was I'm sorry.

Paco del Stinko - "Hoo-doo-do-ooo" is the thing that stuck in my head more so than any other bit from any other song this fight. I had no fucking clue what it was about from just listening though. Since I liked the music I hit the forums to find out about it & saw your description of the song. Fans of that show will be thrilled, but as for me I'm just going to pretend you're singing about something else.

Ross Durand - The bum is lookin' "sharp"? Complaining about inflation? Interesting topic, just seemed a bit strange at times. As usual fine performance.

Side Notes:
Was short on time & wanted to post something today. So if I didn't have any comments for you it's simply because on first listen I had no feedback good or bad, and I wasn't going to take the time to relisten.

Dammit, Tad: Never Back Down

If you would like to comment on this video, Sammy has a new website up called: oceanofbees.com. You can all his new videos there as soon as he gets them uploaded.

You can still leave comments for Sammy below, on YouTube or on Twitter.

Song Fight Review: Threatening To Some

The last fight I reviewed over at Song Fight was titled "The Only French I Know", and my favorite entry was from Torrentz. Not only did he win, but he dominated taking first place by a large margin. The other song I liked was from King Arthur, and he finished in a tie for 3rd.

A new batch of songs can be found over at Song Fight, so I suggest you go pick your favorite songs for the current round.

My favorites from the fight Threatening To Some are posted below.

Would Have Voted For:
(Right Click "Save As" on the artist's name for a MP3 of their entry.)

Hostess Mostess - I was only half listening when I first played this, and it came off really creepy. Glad I listened again...a song about mans best friend is a lot more fun than a song about a sex offender.

Yen Sing Mot - I had a thing for Ice on American Gladiators, and I pictured her during this. So I don't know what's more weird, the song or my reaction. Solid tune though, well done.

Dandy Hen - The message of the song is pretty lame, and even though it feels like it needs more, what is there is very pleasing to the ears.

Others:
(Head over to Song Fight to listen to these songs.)

Anomaly Jonez + Yeshintae - Bring the vocals up in the mix.

Berkeley Social Scene - I was eating a New York Strip medium rare as I listened to this...want to guess what I think of the song?

bgm - The song is pretty void of energy for the most part. The chorus isn't bad, but the vocals are a little too low for me.

Billy And The Psychotics - On first listen I thought meh...but after a 2nd & 3rd it grew on me a little. I didn't like the line "Gonna share the good and the pain". While listening you're so used to hearing "Good and the bad" that your line just feels off. It's not, but it's just I'm so conditioned to expect 1 thing that even though another thing fits...it doesn't. Make since?

Black Russian Futurists - Vocal performance bored me. The lyrical direction just didn't interest me...it's a topic I'd expect Billy to take on...but only he would do it better.

Bubble Pipe Media - The singer sounds like he's trying to fight off premature ejaculation.

The Chadderandom Abyss - Lets just try to forget this ever happened.

Dolphins In Pain - Not a lot of feedback...all I can say is this is the least painful song from a band with "Dolphins" in the name that I've heard in Song Fight. Oh, and use the lyrics forum.

Ebola-Cide - Any enjoyment I got from this has more to do with nostalgia from the samples than the lyrics. It's not bad, it's just not for me. Things like "Crazy ass fool" are just not things I want to hear Mario say. lol

Evils That Never Came - Depressing & slow...not really something to put on my MP3 player.

J@M35 & Dejected Motives - Attempting to find something to say about this would almost be as big a waste of my time as the "song" itself was.

King Arthur - Musically it was fine, I just didn't get into the story & going meta didn't help.

Lord Of Oats - I'm glad you like haters, cause you might get a few with this.

Paco del Stinko - I had to look up "portend". So the guy is either loved or hated...but why exactly? I think I just missed the point with this one.

Spacepub - The 2nd vocal doesn't sound very happy about being part of this.

Song Fight Review: The Only French I Know

The last fight I reviewed over at Song Fight was titled "His Last Few Days", and my favorite entry was from Mind Map That. They only got 7 votes, and finished in a 3 way tie for 8th. The winner was Ebola-Cide with 32 votes. I really don't understand the results at times, but whatever...

A new batch of songs can be found over at Song Fight, so I suggest you go pick your favorite songs for the current round.

My favorites from the fight The Only French I Know are posted below.

Would Have Voted For:
(Right Click "Save As" on the artist's name for a MP3 of their entry.)

Torrentz - I did not expect to enjoy a rap entry this round. I was shocked by how good this was. The sampling, the lyrics, the flow...everything just fit together so well. Damn son.

King Arthur - You took a POV for this song that does not appeal to me...at all. However, it's done so well that you sold me...on the song. Clear story, that went at the title from an angle I didn't expect, and the ending was entertaining. Great work.

Others:
(Head over to Song Fight to listen to these songs.)

Billy And The Psychotics - Loved the music & vocal performance. Overall I could listen to this if I just to rock out to something while doing something else. But...I didn't care for the lyrics, so it's not something that would make my MP3 player. PS: I did like 2 lines "The only French I know / Is how to kiss goodbye". You also get bonus points for using the lyric forum...since only 25% of the people did this time.

Elephant Kitties - Really enjoyed your singing, it's a really sweet voice. Clean recording, even if there's not much too it. Simple isn't bad. Lyrically...bored me.

Johnny Cashpoint - Funny idea, poor execution.

Juliet's Happy Dagger - Props for including a lot of French, but honestly that hurts your replay value...at least for me. I like to understand the lyrics, and I don't speak French. I can read them in the forum (thanks for that), but if I'm listening on my MP3 player I couldn't sing along...and that ain't fun. This was just a bad fight overall for my personal tastes.

Side Notes:
I knew going into this fight I probably wouldn't enjoy many of the entries. The title wasn't bad, I actually thought it was pretty good. I just knew that a lot of songs using various amounts of French (which I don't speak) wouldn't be all that fun for me personally to listen to. And overall...it wasn't fun for me. So I was a bit lazy I didn't say anything for half the songs.

April In Paris (1952)

April In Paris (1952) has plenty of good & bad in it. It stars Doris Day (who has never looked better) & Ray Bolger (who looks like Ray Bolger). Ray was given this role because it ended a 3 film deal with the studio, and unfortunately there isn't much chemistry because the 2 leads. There isn't much of a supporting cast either, so when Doris isn't singing or Ray isn't dancing...there isn't much to get excited about. At least the musical numbers are well done, and that's really the only thing that saves this picture. You can watch the full movie Trailer for plot details.

I'm Gonna Ring The Bell Tonight by Doris Day & Ray Bolger

April In Paris by Doris Day

Presidential Dance by Ray Bolger

That's What Makes Paris Paree by Doris Day & Claude Dauphin

Here are links to a few other numbers from the film:
I'm Going To Rock The Boat by Doris Day
It Must Be Good by Doris Day
I Know A Place by Doris Day

NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT

An Unfair And One-Sided Review
by Sammy Kablam

Fight: Has Been For Years

If you would like to comment on this video, Sammy has a new website up called: oceanofbees.com. You can see all his new videos there as soon as he gets them uploaded.

You can still leave comments for Sammy below, on YouTube or on Twitter.

Spintown Stalker

Nalts posted a funny video he made by using takethislollipop.com. Since I haven't posted a video of any kind in ages...I thought I would do the same.

The Pleasure Seekers (1964)

The Pleasure Seekers (1964) is a remake of a movie I've never seen called Three Coins In The Fountain (1954). The movie is about 3 American girls looking for love in Spain. The movie follows all 3 of the girls as they fall in love & try to win over their men. For the most part the movie lacks any real drama, and kept me bored for 2 hours. The 3 girls are played by Carol Lynley, Pamela Tiffin & Ann-Margret. Brian Keith also has a role in the film, and even though I'm fond of his work, the character he plays annoys me. The only reason to watch this movie is the 4 musical numbers performed by Ann-Margret, and I've embedded 3 of them below.

The Pleasure Seekers

Everything Makes Music When You're In Love

Next Time

Song Fight Review: His Last Few Days

The last fight I reviewed over at Song Fight was titled "Ashes", and my favorite entry was from Steve Durand. Steve only lost by 5 votes, but that dropped him all the way down into a tie for 6th. The winners were The Midnight Society & DuToVa. I didn't care for either of those entries, but they tied for 1st.

A new batch of songs can be found over at Song Fight, so I suggest you go pick your favorite songs for the current round.

My favorites from the fight His Last Few Days are posted below.

Would Have Voted For:
(Right Click "Save As" on the artist's name for a MP3 of their entry.)

Mind Map That - This song includes sections about mating in mid air...Billy had to love this song. Anyways...very creative & funny take on the challenge. Loved it.

bgm - Well I'm depressed now...but that's a good thing I guess considering the direction you took. Not something that has a ton of replay value for me. After all, I can only cut my wrists so many times.

AntBut - Very pretty music. Bit sleepy for my tastes...but it's going on my mp3 player anyways. Well done, but you might want to cut off the 15 seconds of dead air at the end.

King Arthur - Another clear & well told story. Flows nicely & the story of a rocker on the road was a great choice. Too many people went with the obvious take on this title. Congrats on buckin' the trend while still rockin'.

Torrentz - You need a better singer for the chorus. Overall, it was a solid entry, and much better than any other rap entry this time around. Oh, and use the lyrics forum. COME ON PEOPLE!

Others:
(Head over to Song Fight to listen to these songs.)

AG Beats, Viktor Walters, and Nate C - I was listening...and listening...and finally it dawned on me that this isn't just a long intro...and I skipped.

Anomaly Jonez - Needs a stronger hook...hell...needs a hook. I enjoyed the vocals, even though they are a bit distorted when they get loud. It's a good start, but still needs a little more love & attention.

Bad Boys At Bat Mitzvahs - Not bad, but it needs to breathe. It reminds me of being on a date with a hot chick that just won't shut the fuck up long enough for you to even say goodbye.

Berkeley Social Scene - Vocals...ouch. Liked the lyrics & the music was ok.

Billy And The Psychotics - Couldn't get into the lyrics, and generally had a hard time focusing on this one.

Daring Front - Liked the lyrics, but the music really kept me from getting into the song completely. Nice entry.

deetak - Nothing really bad to say here, so I'm going to nitpick. "His Last Few Days" is the title, and it bugs me it's not used completely in the lyrics.

Dejected Motives - Every vocal effect you used annoyed me. Way too long...but I'd probably say the same thing if it was only 10 seconds long.

Ebola-Cide - I was interested up until you changed your focus from Larry. I was looking forward to seeing where you were going to go with that.

EggNogAdam - Sometimes I just have nothing to say. It didn't move me from neutral.

The Flight And The Grand Design - Don't think I've heard an entry from you before. The guitars really sounded bad to me, but overall the song makes me hope you enter again.

hillbilly - Static...yay...but at least you sounded like a hillbilly. Oh, and 1 minute? Really?

Hostess Mostess - Didn't hate your voice, but overall I just sort of zoned out during this.

Jeffrey Davis - This is the problem with allowing anyone to enter.

Juliet's Happy Dagger - Liking this team more & more with each song they enter. I'll forgive you for the Ohio crack, but just this once. Needs a hook of some sort, but good entry.

King Ginger - There is only 1 king in song fight...you are not him. Seems like you tried to cram more words than you should have into some parts. Find a hook.

MC Who Izzy - Were you trying to hide in the mix?

The NATIONAL FRONTBOTTOM - Funny, but honestly for a song like this I'd like for you to include WHY Billy is such a cunt....aside from spilling a beer.

The Notorious F.A.P. - You were butt raped? Did you write this in hopes the rapist would hear it & you would have your sweet revenge?

Odoriferous Valley - When I saw the collaborators in this group I was excited, but I just never got into this. Can't point to anything I really disliked, just didn't like it.


Paco del Stinko - Enjoyed the vocal performance & the music. The Tick Tocking was catchy, but there were times I just didn't care for the lyrics. GREAT entry, just missed a vote.

Planets And Bubble Pipe Media - Not bad. I was into it through the first chorus, but started to get bored. Looking forward to your next entry though.

Sep - You can't be serious.

styop quoons - The lyrics were as uninspired as your vocals. Too long.

SYNFONYC - Did you write & record this minutes after receiving a concussion?

The Yyarrell Brothers Band - Didn't like the vocals. Lyrics didn't really grab me, but I think I'd have liked it with better vocals.

Catkiller

This is a strange update not only because someone wrote a song about me...but because it's about me killing & raping cats? So yeah...a work of fiction for sure, but kinda funny...in a very dark sorta way.

I play MineCraft on Zack Scott's server (you can watch his MineCraft videos @ ZackScottGames), and at some point I gained a reputation as a cat killer. The reaction of the fans was really amusing, so I never confirmed or denied it, and just kinda went with it.

ldshadowlady is one of the players on Zack's server, and she made a request to Oliver Parsons (who plays on her server) to write this song.

Just so everyone is perfectly clear...I don't rape cats & I don't endorse the raping of cats. HOWEVER...if you want to throw a bag of kittens into a river...who am I to say you shouldn't...

At Long Last Love (1975)

At Long Last Love is a train wreck. Peter Bogdanovich takes stars that can't sing (one of which he's in a relationship with at the time of the filming), and not only makes them sing, but he records them as they're performing for the camera. Nothing was done in a studio & dubbed. I don't know what Cole Porter did to piss Peter off...but Peter got revenge & then some by making this film.

It tanked with the critics, it tanked at the box office, and it's commonly named as one of the worst films of all time. It was so bad that Peter himself apologized for it's lack of quality. It stars Burt Reynolds, Cybill Shepherd (Peter's irl girlfriend), Madeline Kahn (the only one who can sing) & Duilio Del Prete...unfortunately for them.

Below I've embedded 1 video twice. Each time it starts at a different number from the film...I'm not going to recommend you watch them for once...but just in case you're curious...they're there.

Which sung by Cybill Shepherd

Friendship sung by all 4 stars

Song Fight Review: Ashes

The last fight I reviewed over at Song Fight was titled "You Are the Heartbeat of This Office For Sure", and my favorite entry was from Billy And The Psychotics. They finished strong at 3rd, and the winner was Manhattan Glutton who put in a solid tune. A new batch of songs can be found over at Song Fight, so I suggest you go pick your favorite songs for the current round.

My favorites from the fight Ashes are posted below.

Would Have Voted For:
(Right Click "Save As" on the artist's name for a MP3 of their entry.)

Steve Durand - This is not even close to my favorite song from Steve, but it's my top pick today. It sets a mood, tells a clear story & in my opinion should win this rather weak fight.

Berkeley Social Scene - It's not fair using your kids to gain 'cute' votes. Anyways...nice song, has some replay value.

Daring Front - 80's movie montage music. The final 30 seconds or so felt like someone was pushing a pipe cleaner in 1 ear & pulling it out the other. Otherwise...not bad. (Use the lyrics forum)

Others:
(Head over to Song Fight to listen to these songs.)

Bubble Pipe Media And Viktor Walters - This song flows like a river of peanut butter.

East Coast Coin Company - The music was ok, but I had trouble picking up the lyrics by ear at times. When reading along I just didn't find the lyrics all that creative...and with rap that's kinda important.

EggNogAdam - Once again my big issue is your lyrics, but the rest of the song didn't really grab me either.

Jacob Bernado - There's not much there, and what is there, is repetitive.

Juliet's Happy Dagger - Lyrics aren't for me.

Life In Decibels - Vocals are too low in the mix, and the music is about as catchy as 56k modem connecting to the web.

MENBAH + Swampjaw - I hate Pokemon, so I really can't say much about this without that factoring in.

The Midnight Society - WAY to slow for my personal tastes. This makes me sleepy.

Missions To Proton - I think I liked your last entry...will look forward to the next one. Still like the vocals.

Ross Durand - Honestly this is too slow for me, and not really my type of song. It's really well done, but just not for me.

SevidemiC - Flow is good...lyrics didn't interest me.

SYNFONYC - This song not only put me to sleep, but it was so offensive to the ears that it woke me up afterwards.

Berkeley Social Scene
Hey look, a cute video for this entry.

Song Fight Review: You Are The Heartbeat Of This Office For Sure

The last fight I reviewed over at Song Fight was titled "Circle Me", and my favorite entry was from Minty Handy. I didn't pick the winner this time, but they did come in 2nd. The winner was Scott Gesser who I had ranked 3rd. A new batch of songs can be found over at Song Fight, so I suggest you go pick your favorite songs for the current round.

My favorites from the fight You Are the Heartbeat of This Office For Sure are posted below.

Would Have Voted For:
(Right Click "Save As" on the artist's name for a MP3 of their entry.)

Billy And The Psychotics - Music was catchy & I liked Denise's singing. Lyrics were ok, but again...has there been a zombie outbreak in the lyrics forum or something?

Missions To Proton - I like the vocals & personality that came through in the performance. Musically it was fine, and felt like a pep talk for dealing with all the douchebags you find in an office setting.

Caravan Ray - Funny, enjoyable music, and a cool ending. Nice work with a stupid title.

Steve Durand - The story was similar to the previous song, but I liked these lyrics a lot more. Musically it kinda bored me though, and that's why it's 1 place lower.

Manhattan Glutton - The music was amazing, and the vocals were fine. I didn't really care for some of the lyrics cause at times it seemed like something a 14 year old with a hard on would write during study hall.

heine - Sometimes the lyrics didn't flow to well, but overall it's a fun song. Sometimes I wish I could boom boom my way to the top.

Others:
(Head over to Song Fight to listen to these songs.)

Juliet's Happy Dagger - The idea isn't bad, but I'm having a hard time picturing someone blowing up the workplace just cause they weren't noticed at work. I may struggle picturing it happening, but overall it was a good entry & I dug the music. You cheated a bit by not using the last 2 words of the title, but that's just a pet peeve of mine.

Berkeley Social Scene - Nothing stood out about this, and at times I could have used the lyrics in front of me.

Bubble Pipe Media And Viktor Walters - Someone with a frog in his throat...whispers...more frog... I'd rather kiss a frog than listen to this one.

chthXchthXchthX - I think someone forgot to tell you Song Fight is a songwriting contest. You don't literally have to beat your instruments to death.

EggNogAdam - Love the vocals, but you didn't overcome the stupid title & give us a story worth listening to.

MC Who Izzy And Kapitano - The music was the best part of this entry, but it bordered interesting & out of place a lot of the time.

Toshiro - It would be ruled a justifiable homicide if you were found beaten to death by some sort of musical instrument.

Trotsky And Marx - Too slow for my personal tastes. Just kinda depressed me.

The Yyarrell Brothers Band - Way to get me to care about the character...make him a douche driving drunk. Anyways...the music was pretty cool, and very catchy. No problem with the vocals, but the lyrics just didn't grab me. I look forward to your next entry.

Side Notes:
- The title was really stupid this time around. If you drop the last 2 words of the title it's still not great, but it's not as laughable as it currently is. Sometimes a strange title can be good, but the last 2 words just seem tacked on for no reason.

- Can we just delete the lyrics forum...or maybe just USE it?

- Overall...better fight than I expected. Well done.

How I Write A Song A Day: The Talk

NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT

An Unfair And One-Sided Review
by Sammy Kablam

Fight: The Only French I Know



You can leave comments for Sammy below, on YouTube or on Twitter.

Song Fight Review: Circle Me

The last fight I reviewed over at Song Fight was titled "Ruthless Lately", and my favorite entry was from Yardley Social Scene. They not only got my top pick, but they won that fight. A new batch of songs can be found over at Song Fight, so I suggest you go pick your favorite songs for the current round.

My favorites from the fight Circle Me are posted below.

Would Have Voted For:
(Right Click "Save As" on the artist's name for a MP3 of their entry.)

Minty Handy - A song from the POV of a wrong answer? This is actually pretty cool, certainly a neat idea. Well done sir.

Steve Durand - I liked this. Very different from what I expected from Steve. This type of song doesn't require a great voice, and that's a good thing for Steve. (use lyric forum)

Scott Gesser - Fran Drescher would love this. This boarders on the line between entertaining & annoying...for now it's leaning towards entertaining. Nice work.

Others:
(Head over to Song Fight to listen to these songs.)

Infinity Point Buck - Enjoyed the flow. Some of the lines I thought were clever while others felt weak & out of place. The music sucked.

Ross Durand - Enjoyable little tune, but not really my style of music. Just a bit slow for my liking. Sweet song though. (use lyric forum)

Billy and the Psychotics - Vocals got lost in the mix a bit at times, and overall I just couldn't get into this. Felt messy.

Didn't Ask, Didn't Tell - Lyrically it didn't grab me, the vocal performance was ok, but in the end it didn't stand out.

DJ Ranger Den - I enjoyed the lyrics through the first part of the song, and I'm kinda glad your changes didn't make it into the song you entered. It was too slow for me, and as usual, there were lines I just didn't care for or completely get later in the song.

EggNogAdam - 3 votes was your goal, and you got 9. I don't know how...I mean meta songs should be kickass to get votes...cause there are too many of them in these type of contests.

Juliette Echo - Like the concept, but the lyrics didn't really flow as much as stumble along. Musically it held my interest.

Kapitano - Interesting experiment, but not exactly something I would sign up to participate in.

McCalum - Nice to see someone take on the topic that I imagine inspired the title. Not much replay value, but I would suggest a quick YouTube video of this.

MC Who Izzy Feat: The Standardized Individual - The vocals sounded like shit. Especially "you say circle him once or twice / when he's been left to his own devices / you say circle him once again / but I won't have his blood on my hands" You really need a better mic or something.

The Big Trees (1952)

This isn't really a musical, but it does have 1 song & dance number in it. Since I've been slow to post here, I figured...why not post it. This film stars Kirk Douglas, Eve Miller & Edgar Buchanan. It's not a bad film, but I wouldn't recommend watching it unless you're just a big Kirt Douglas fan. Alan Hale Jr. (Skipper) has a small role, but isn't important to the story.

Since it's not really a musical I won't get into the details of the film, but if you want to watch it, it's public domain & easy to find. (The Big Trees)

The Soubrette On The Police Gazette
This number by Patrice Wymore was my favorite part of the film.

Dammit, Tad: Python

Part 2

Footlight Parade (1933)

Footlight Parade (1933) stars James Cagney, Dick Powell, Joan Blondell & Ruby Keeler. Cagney plays a musical producer who starts making musical prologues for movie theaters. The film is about him dealing with his 2 business partners who are ripping him off, a mole leaking ideas to another competing company, 3 love interests & meeting crazy deadlines. In all it just seemed like too much. The movie felt busy, yet almost bored me to sleep. There was only 1 musical number I enjoyed in the film, and it didn't even involve Cagney. I think Cagney's highlight for this film would have to be the very short dance he did with Ruby Keeler in the number "Shanghai Lil".

You can watch the movie trailer below & you can go watch "By A Waterfall" on YouTube. It's the highlight of the film for me, and shows the influence of Busby Berkeley in Hollywood.

More Info: (Source)
- Not only was this Dorothy Lamour's first film appearance, but Ann Sothern also made an appearance. Both were uncredited chorus girls.
- John Garfield may or may not have made an appearance in this film. If it wasn't him, apparently the guy looked so much like him that people still aren't sure.
- The film that Guy Kibbee and Arthur Hohl takes James Cagney to see is "The Telegraph Trail" starring John Wayne.
John Wayne

Song Fight Review: Ruthless Lately

Yeah…so I got WAY behind with my reviews. I know my reviews suck, but I’m going to get caught up…so lets get started…

The last challenge I reviewed over at Song Fight was titled "Under Over", and my favorite entry was from Ross Durand. Ross finished in the middle of the pack, and PiGPEN got the win. A new batch of songs can be found over at Song Fight, so I suggest you go pick your favorite songs for the current round.

My favorites from the fight Ruthless Lately are posted below.

Would Have Voted For:
(Right Click "Save As" on the artist's name for a MP3 of their entry.)

Yardley Social Scene - Dang, great way to cap off a pretty good fight. Totally earned the victory. Clean, catchy & interesting sound. (use the lyrics forum)


BLT and the Psychotics - Aside from a couple lines I really dug this. Yall sound great together, my only real complaint is that it sounded like the 2nd line of the first chorus was flubbed? Of course I was listening on my shit headphones & not my good ones…so maybe I just misheard it…like 5 times.

King Arthur - Fun story & the music kept me entertained while you told it. Nothing bad to say…and that’s the norm in regards to your work.

Others:
(Head over to Song Fight to listen to these songs.)

Berkeley Social Scene - This is odd. I mean the music is ok…I like the lyrics, but they don’t mesh for me. The lyrics remind me of something you might hear in a Rocky film or as Hulk Hogan walks to the ring, but the music is too laid back.

Canonical Man - Didn’t find the lyrics all that creative…but I didn’t HATE it.

EggNogAdam - Keeping it simple isn’t a bad idea since the vocal performance was pretty good, but the piano got annoying…and it’s not a long song. (use the lyric forum)

illscreen - I understand that a lot of rap is about boasting, and I’m cool with that. But if you’re going to boast you better be good. I’ve heard worse…but that’s nothing to boast about. I’d like to hear you enter more fights…but with rap I really want more creative lyrics.

Kapitano - That long intro could put someone to sleep. The lyrics weren’t all that easy to make out, and whatever effect you used on them didn’t do anything for me. I don’t care what genre of music I’m listening to, I never want to strain to make out what someone is saying.

Larry - I see that you had 0 votes this fight. Consider yourself lucky it wasn’t lower.

MC Who Izzy - What the hell? I was expecting a rap…change your name.

noah mclaughlin - Not really sure what it’s about, and your link in the lyric forum didn’t work. I’m WAAAAAY to lazy to put any more effort into research.

Paco del Stinko - The music was pretty cool, but the lyrics just weren’t that interesting. I normally like your lyrics, so I was a bit surprised.

Scott Gesser - Didn’t like the vocals, and they were muffled at times. I think there’s some good stuff here, but the vocals hurt it a lot. (use the lyrics forum)

Steve Durand - The opening reminded me of an old music video I saw on the Disney channel as a kid. Can’t remember the song name…just that it was about haircuts. Anyways…it was a fun song…even though it annoyed me at first cause I couldn’t find the song it reminded me off. (use the lyrics forum)

NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT

An Unfair And One-Sided Review
by Sammy Kablam

Fight: You Are the Heartbeat of This Office For Sure



You can leave comments for Sammy below, on YouTube or on Twitter.

Dammit, Tad

If you didn't subscribe to Sammy Kablam's YouTube channel when his NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT series moved from text to video, you've now got another reason to. Sammy will still be reviewing Song Fight & SpinTunes in the future, but he's now moved onto movies. Unfortunately for Sammy, he's having trouble getting his hands on GOOD movies. But Sammy's misfortune isn't necessarily a bad thing for you. It just gives Sammy more ammo to blast the shit out of the films. I've embedded Part 1 from a few episodes below.

Dammit, Tad: Ghost Game (Part 1)

Part 2 & Part 3
Dammit, Tad: The Graveyard (Part 1)

Part 2 & Part 3
Dammit, Tad: Basketweave (Part 1)

Part 2
You can find Sammy on Twitter: @SammyKablam or the website http://www.oceanofbees.com

SpinTunes #3 Round 4 Review

Well, this is it. The last review of SpinTunes #3. The contest has been over for a few days, and the winner has already been announced. (Results) All 4 of the finalist did at great job, but 1 stood out a little more than the rest to me.

Pat And Gweebol - In The DeVille
Strongest hook of the finalist by far. Loved the first & second verse, and how you're coming back to the childhood memories after the passage of time. It kinda left me wanting more story wise, but I don't know where you would have taken it from where you left off. Yeah, this is going to be stuck in my head awhile...

Ross Durand - Rusty
"Cause they don't make em like me anymore" might have been my favorite line this round, but for whatever reason the chorus didn't have much punch to it. The song does make me feel sorry for the car, which is good I guess, since you got me to care about it apparently. With your round 1 song I don't think I ranked it extremely high, but it's got more plays from me than any other song in this contest. It grew on me, and I hope this does, but right now it's not standing out from the other 3 entries.

Matt And Donna - Back Down The Road
The music & performance were fine for me. No issues. Lyrically I loved the first 4 lines, but then got lost until "And while you may like to think you're part of it all". From that point you grabbed my interest again, and held it for the remainder of the song.

Charlie McCarron - Skipping Stones
Until the last verse I was really wondering how the picture was worked into the song. I would have liked a stronger connection between the car & the relationship early on. You totally met the challenge, but I just think the story would have been held together more if that the connection was made at the beginning. In the end it was pleasant to listen to, but nothing really stood out that got stuck in my head. Meaning if I heard it on the radio I wouldn't change the station, but I'm not likely to search for a copy of it after hearing it.

SHADOWS
Gold Lion - Some Things Weren't Built To Last
I think this could work, but when you go acapella it can be hard to hold someone's interest throughout a song. This is too repetitive to do that for me. Your voice is great, but you need more story or some music to keep it interesting the entire time.

Noah McLaughlin - Seeds To Sow
I liked the image "steel tombstone" put in my head, and the music was very relaxing & enjoyable. I was never really able to get into most of the lyrics though.

Dr. Lindyke - Photo Finish
I read the description on BandCamp, and thought it was an interesting idea. The song itself held my interest for the first half, but lyrically it just wasn't for me & I ended up having to force myself to pay attention to them. The highlight for me was Dave's singing, but I could have done without the 2nd vocal track.

Kevin Savino-Riker - Forgotten But Not Gone
Kevin told me this was going to be a "placeholder" track. Something he was going to work on later (after his orange song I assume), so I'll overlook the 1:19 running time. :p Since it's short & acapella there's not much to review. I like what little lyrics there are, but I can't really say anything else cause there's so little there.

Governing Dynamics - Flooded
I picture a black car keying itself to this song. (Kidding) Lyrically it's mostly not for me, but it set some cool mental pictures (for real). The whole "I lose" section was just awesome, and one of the more memorable things about this round. Great shadow.

JoAnn Abbott - Tempted
Impression after the first 10 seconds: 4:44 run time...acapella...this has no chance from the get go.

Impression after the first 2 verses: Sounds a lot more creepy than probably intended, or I'm just a sicko...likely a little of both.

Final Impression: Creepy, depressing, and only half a song at best.

Boffo Yux Dudes - Alien Octopus Trilogy
The first 2 parts LOOSELY fit together...but the 3rd...just comes out of nowhere. I'd have rather you stuck with part 2 until the conclusion. It was funny & had me interested, then just lost me completely. Loved the music throughout.

Boffo Yux Dudes - Car
Chorus is supposed to be catchy right? This is just something I totally don't get, and with that chorus I'm afraid there's not much I'm going to remember about this. Oh...and what's with the sudden end?

Boffo Yux Dudes - My First Car
Ok, this is my favorite shadow of the round. Was upbeat, funny, and something everyone can relate to. You really need to change "Then it didn't look too bad" line. Wasn't a great line to begin with, but you just told people it looked good even while sitting still. Get rid of that 1 terrible line...please.

Boffo Yux Dudes - Bayou Cadillac
The music surprisingly worked for me. At first I thought it was just going to be too much, but after repeat listens I rather enjoyed it. The story idea just didn't go over well with me, and I found myself not paying much attention to the lyrics after the first listen.

Boffo Yux Dudes - Cadillac Coupe DeVille
Bluesy music isn't really my thing. It made me picture an open mic with a bunch of hippies wearing sunglasses in a dark smokey room. So you got the feel down I guess...but again...not something I like.

Boffo Yux Dudes - (Lay Around The) Caddy
I like harmonica, but at times it was overpowering in this. Good shadow, but I just think it needs mixed again. I don't really understand why the production seems rushed when you only wrote 6 songs this round. It's not like you did anything crazy & did 7...

NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT:

An Unfair And One-Sided Review
by Sammy Kablam

SpinTunes #3 Round 4

How I Write A Song A Day - Episode 1: I Don't Care

I thought this was good advice, and I'm looking forward to this new series.

NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT:

An Unfair And One-Sided Review
by Sammy Kablam

SpinTunes #3 Round 3

SpinTunes #3 Round 3 Review

(To listen to the songs mentioned in this review, just click the picture above.)

Spintro:
First round...shit ton of songs. Second round...homework. Third round...easy. At least for the judges in comparison to the first 2 rounds. It's no secret that I've been pushing for this challenge since SpinTunes started. I also knew a lot of people would hate the challenge when they read it...and they did. Technically I thought it was a good challenge, and it put most people out of their comfort zone. Thankfully, a number of the people found that it was a lot more fun than they originally thought.

Oh, and the title of this challenge (Top That) was inspired by the rap scene in the terrible movie "Teen Witch".

Ross Durand - Camp Romance
I really didn't expect Ross to turn in my favorite song of this round, and I certainly didn't expect it to be one of my favorite songs of SpinTunes 3...but he did. Lyrically he's usually one of my favorite story tellers, but the music in this somehow managed to be extremely cool, but fitting for a camp setting??? I really enjoyed the sweet love story being told, and it will fit nicely in a playlist with other similar raps I enjoy like "I'll Go" by Young MC. If this doesn't get Ross to the finals, I would be extremely disappointed.

Jon Eric - The Dance
I expected Jon to enter something solid since he's got the most experience rapping in this group. He stepped up to the plate & demonstrated the best flow from the round. I enjoyed the piano, and having Denise singing the chorus was a good idea. Even though it was a quick pace, the story telling was great. This will live a long life on my i-Pod.

Dr. Lindyke - Politics And Promises
I wish more people would have hit this challenge right in the jaw like you guys did. Who needs funny when you have amazing lyrics like this? (although hearing Dave say "wack" just didn't seem right) Dave's delivery is pretty good, and at times great. For instance the "Did the baptism take or just make you wetter?" line is great, but the attitude in the delivery is great as well. It's a shame there were a lot of production issues, cause I'd like to hear what they had planned. Don't know if Dave & William would be happy about this, but I have a new favorite Dr. Lindyke song.

Pat And Gweebol - TickiTock (Top Tad)
What's with all the penis references in this SpinTunes? Anyways, I thought this flowed better than most entries, and was probably the most catchy entry of the round. Really enjoyed the back & forth between you both, and I'm officially naming Pat And Gweebol the SpinTunes version of Karmin Music.

Matt And Donna - Anatomy Dance
My college anatomy prof would have loved this. Putting this down on paper had to be tough enough, recording it had to be a real pain. The performance seemed a bit lifeless, and I'm pretty sure it's just that Donna is concentrating on saying the words correctly. It's still one of my favorite entries, but the performance did hold it back a little. I'm sure Donna can do it, but 8 days just probably wasn't long enough to write & then get comfortable with it.

Edric Haleen - Sarah
Long sung intro...didn't see that coming. :p The idea of his alter ego coming out through rap was pretty cool. The idea of his confidence growing & his rapping going from bad to good in the process was also interesting. (wrote this before reading bio...oops) I think most things fit together nicely, even the intentionally bad rapping.

I once again screwed up your song at the LP. The last time that happened I just accidentally clicked the wrong button. This time, it was me not paying close attention (multi-tasking...not cause I didn't like what I heard). I just clicked the next song when I thought your song SHOULD have ended. Didn't do it on purpose though. Overall it's a good entry, but it probably doesn't have a ton of replay value for me. Can I sing it? Yes. Is it fun to sing/rap badly...for now I'll say no.

The Offhand Band - Not Cool
Liked the idea you had about playing off your uncoolness. Dang there's a ton of word play & references in this. I didn't get A LOT of the references, which takes away from a lot of the enjoyment & makes it hard to follow. I enjoyed the chorus, but the song needs something to change it up more. Either that, or shorten it a lot, cause it's REALLY long for a rap. I'd drop the 3rd verse & the 4th chorus.

Steve Durand - A Place For Love
You fit in some funny lines, and the story was a lot of fun. At the same time other lines just fell flat with me & I didn't get a perfect rhyme where I might have wanted. Glad to hear you managed to still use the brass, and the chorus stuck with me awhile. Another penis reference?

Jutze - My Friend Kay
I think you dove into the performance more than most people this round. Maybe it's the topic you picked, but I had a hard time getting into the story. What I LOVED was the beat. Bonus points for using banjo. When that came into the song, it went from computer to i-Pod. And even though you really had to stretch to reach the 2 minute mark, I didn't mind cause you stretched with the banjo. Oh, and Chelsea should send you a new clip to use as a "penis" sample.

Wait What - Six Years Seventeen Days
This felt like 2 incomplete stories being forced into 1. You start off rapping from the POV of a whiny schmuck who was dumped. That's fine & all, but you should have got to the extremely creepy stuff in the last verse a lot quicker. When you finally get there, it just sort of ends right when you get to the interesting stuff. Drop the original 2nd verse completely, make the original 3rd verse your new 2nd, and write new 3rd.

Charlie McCarron - Trail In The Snow
I really liked the feel the music created, but I'm not really sure what's going on with the story. I'm fairly dense when it comes to following along at times, so maybe it's just me. I think a little more work on the actual rapping is needed. At times it's hard to pick up what Charlie is saying, and that makes it even harder for me to follow the story. Again though, I really liked the music. The beat, extra vocals, and everything about it fit perfectly. Me not getting the story was the big issue here.

Caleb Hines - Two Musicians
(Will be posted after a judges decision to DQ or not has been made final.)

Shadows:
Ethan Ivey - Entry 3
Wow you recorded that way too loud. The beat is pretty simple & the rap feels too repetitive. I know you mention it's based on a couple YouTube series, but I'm not going to watch a series on YouTube just to get what the song is about. I'm basically just left in the dark here, and that's a shame cause the story seemed pretty interesting.

Menage' a Tune - Roman Road Rap
The 20 second piano bit at the start...cut it. This is a tough one for me cause I don't like most Christian music. I also don't like most children’s music. This feels like a cross between what I'd hear in church & what I would hear on a Christy Lane teaches Hip Hop dance DVD. It might make you fairly cool during vacation Bible school this year, but neither appeals to me.

The Boffo Yux Dudes - It's All About the Benjamins
Funny concept, and the over the top cheese is good. The only thing I didn't care for was the "Rollin with the Benjamins..." hook. The line itself doesn't bother me, it's just kinda annoying sounding so low & slow. Overall this was one of my favorite raps of the round, and one of my favorite shadows of the contest. Great work guys.

SpinTunes #3 Round 2 Review

(To listen to the songs mentioned in this review, just click the picture above.)

Spintro:
Reviewing this round was kinda difficult. There were less songs, which helps, but having people write about a headline in a newspaper presented 2 problems.

1. I had to read news stories I wasn't really that interested in just to review the songs.

2. It really opened the doors for people to go political this round. Nothing wrong with that, but even a well written & performed song can be difficult to listen to if you disagree with what it's saying. I normally rank the songs simply by how much I plan on listening to them in the future. I think that would be a bit unfair of me this round, so I'll try to avoid knocking someone based on their chosen topic.

3. These were done a couple days ago, but the shadows I did yesterday/tonight/this morning. I decided to put them in the current album order so the songs are easier to find if someone wants a quick reference.

Charlie McCarron - The Mountain Will Not Yield
Right off the bat the wind sets the mood, nice touch. The music held my interest the entire time, and it was actually kinda odd (but good). What I mean is that it was very atmospheric sounding, but it actually told a very clear story. The ONLY thing I didn't like was the repeat of the opening at the end. To me at least, it seemed like there was just too much going on with the extra vocals. Other than that...perfect.

Chris Cogott - Welcome To Kabul
Loved the instrumental bit, your guitar is always great. I thought you did a good job of putting the listener in this guys shoes.

Matt And Donna - A Tight Spot
I'm a little shocked that more people didn't go with shorter stories like this that allow a little leeway in story telling. I thought the idea of telling the story from the POV of an older brother (who may or may not exist) was great. Lines like "But let's calm down / Try to get our story straight" is something I think I might have said a few times. And "Now I'm stuck behind the bars" is the perfect way to end the song. Leaves me with a sad picture of a little boy sitting on his bed grounded. Great story telling.

Pat And Gweebol - The Story Is Mine: Confession Of An Undocumented Immigrant
Man that was a long article...but I won't hold it against you. :p I thought it was a good song, and I liked the peppy tune. After that long read I would have liked it to be more about the individual person. This song was kinda split on it's direction. I liked the fact that you worked "Breaking News" into the song, and overall this should get you into the next round.

The Offhand Band - Program aids food stamp users
Another song that worked the title of the round in...nice. Really liked the piano, and overall the music held my interest. I know you were trying to mimic a newspaper article with the song, and I think you did a fine job in that department. The vocals would at times be distracting. Seems like they were walking a fine line of being ok & off most of the song. For instance in "with discounts on the freshest local produce in town" the first syllable in "produce" was enough make me wince. It's not that bad really, but the rest of the song was so well done that a few spots like that stuck out more for me.

Steve Durand - When Frankie And Johnny Get Married
With the "Frankie And Johnny" title & opening...I expected Frankie to find Johnny cheating with another man & getting shot for it. Thought you nailed the style, cause I felt like I was watching an old musical with lines like "We'll have a gay old time" & "To wed your tootsie wootsie". And as always...nice horns.

Jutze - Re: Your Oil
I didn't really care for the transitions between the 2 styles in this song. The line "All we want is your oil" was memorable, but it might be the only thing I remember about this song in a week. Mostly just because each time I started getting into the song, the transition would throw me right back out.

Ross Durand - The American Way
After the challenge was posted Noah McLaughlin told me, "You realize you just let Ross Durand win this next round, right?" As if to say, "Yeah, this shits easy for me" Ross went out & used multiple articles to rant about many things that don't make sense to him. It's a simple song with 1 man & 1 guitar, but it's the perfect team for this challenge. I didn't find it as memorable as his round 1 song, but Ross ain't going anywhere this round.

Dr. Lindyke - Prayer For Peace
In my round 1 review I mentioned I like upbeat funny songs, but Dave doesn't give a rats ass. He should either, you can't write for 1 judge, and especially not an alternate judge. The song was purdy, but so was Fran Drescher, and I don't want to listen to her either. Stylistically you took most things I avoid & used them in the song. How did you know I hate Hebrew? You'll probably move on to the next round, cause everything I disliked about the song was based on personal preference, and not the quality of what you chose to do.

Jon Eric - North Dakota (I. Five Years, II. Fargo, III. Panic, IV. Rain, V. Dry Land)
You have balls of steel to enter this. We have a piano player who went to Berklee for songwriting & a professional whistler judging. So what does Jon do? He enters a 9 minute song that's piano heavy 9 & includes whistling. BALLS! I admit there was a little dread at the idea of listening to a 9 minute song multiple times to review it...but the song was pretty dang good. The song was much BIGGER than the human interest part of the story that you based it on, and that's fine. I thought the "Rain" part would be BIGGER...I was actually waiting for that part & was disappointed a bit. Wasn't epic enough after waiting so long for it.

Gold Lion - Message For Vivian
Ok, the music was cool & laid back. The main vocal was enjoyable. I didn't care for the 2 vocals together after the instrumental though. You added more content than you did in round 1, so that's great. This feels like an entire song, unlike your first one. Lyrically I see references to the article & everything, but I don't really follow your story telling all that well. You'll find out soon enough that I'm pretty dense at following along if the stories aren't crystal clear. Just ask Denise Hudson....Travis Norris....Spencer Sokol....etc...etc... :p

Wait What - Bunny Please Don't Go
When you submitted your article I was really looking forward to the song. I can't say it lived up to my hopes. Some lines made me laugh, while I was distracted by the autotune during others. I liked the cowbell, but it needs banjo. Whenever the contest ends for you...I REALLY want to hear a produced version of your round 1 song. I just hope this round wasn't your last.

Caleb Hines - Too Soon To Say Goodbye
First off you told the story really well & I enjoyed that. I liked how the verses were broken up into 4 sections & the first 2 built up to the next 2. In the 4th section of the verses I didn't care for the strings. Small gripe maybe, but it annoyed me both times. Sweet entry overall.

Edric Haleen - What About Love?
This blogger does not want this review to be available for Internet distribution. I don't want to chance that Edric's students will read the strong, coarse language that I use about him in this review. A copy of this review will be e-mailed to those I trust upon request. Sorry about the inconvenience. Thank you for understanding.

Inverse T. Clown - Something In The Air
I think everyone added a little fantasy to their stories, what makes this different is that it adds fantasy to fantasy. Lyrically this shows why you're one of my 3 favorite lyrist in SpinTunes (Edric & Ross are the other 2), and I really can't complain about anything else either. I don't know if the music is catchy enough to make me come back often, but I'll come back.

Alexa Polasky - Infidelity
After reading that long article, then listening to the song...I find myself asking did you send the right article? Since it's like 7 pages long, I won't read again to make sure, but I took something different away from it than you did I think. The song itself is ok, it doesn’t jump out at me as something to vote for, but it's not bad. I think it needs a stronger hook, and a song bio...a song bio would be nice for this one.

Governing Dynamics - Cameras, Streetlights, And Things Worth Fighting For
Too busy, couldn't really get into it cause there seemed to be too much going on, and it wasn't coming together for me. Lyrically I thought you did a good job, but the music was fighting the lyrics.

Godz Poodlz - Independence And Freedom For All
Vocals weren't the best I've heard from the Poodlz. When I got to the chorus I felt similar to how I felt with Alexa's song. Did you read the same thing I did? I think you did a great job of telling the story with the verses, but the chorus just seems to be from another song.

Alex Carpenter - The Last Launch
Your tweet about recording this in the bathroom during a sound check is the single coolest #SpinTunes related tweet ever. Unfortunately, even though it's good for a last second bathroom recording, I don't think it's tight enough to pass into round 3. The sudden end, stumbling for lyrics at one point, and rushed production makes for a good start to a song. But I don't think the demo is strong enough yet. Would like to see what you can do with this when you get some free time away from the road & tour. Rock on.

Matt Walton - Take Your Placards Down To London
I'll be honest, I didn't know what that sound was until about 1 minute into the song. I'm not a big fan of bagpipes, but that was more annoying than usual since I couldn't even tell what it was for a 3rd of the song. You did a fine job of telling the story in the article, and the vocals were pleasant. Overall it just felt too empty, and the bagpipes....ugh...

Happi - Double The Fetish
"My song is pretty terrible as I wrote it the night before recording (there was no inspiration anywhere to be found)..." As you did at the end of the song, it's probably not a good idea to GIVE people reasons to not vote for you or knock you down. Your topic was gross & strange, but had potential to be a funny song. I'm not usually a fan of cursing for cursing sake, and lines like "just fuck off and die" just didn't seem to NEED to be there. Matter a fact that whole section is pretty weak. As for the verses, there were some I thought were good, and some that seemed to have no effort put into them. There were good moments, but it wasn't nearly as enjoyable as the round one song you put up.

SHADOWS:
Glen Raphael - Billion Metal Dollars (Shadow)
You did this with your i-Pad? Very nice. I wouldn't have thought a song about this topic would have held my interest, but it did. You just reminded me of Ross Durand, and that's good company to keep. My favorite shadow of the round, and if it was a regular entry, it probably would have got a vote from me.

Doom SKITTLE featuring Luke Brekke, Esquire - Going Undercover (Shadow)
The Onion? Really? Ah, you're a shadow, what the hell. Might as well have fun with it right? The lyrics seem awkward & rushed in places as well. The course doesn't really leave a lasting impression, and since the vocals get mostly lost in the mix, not much has a chance to leave an impression. The guitar picking was probably the highlight of the song. Your review just ended, the following is Edric's review that I'm hiding inside of yours just to be a prick.

This is tough. Lyrically it's great, and the flow is better than any other rap track this round. The LOVE section fits in perfect. What I didn't really care for was the performance. It's not that I would expect a 'funny' rap from Edric, but this sounds like he's pretending to be someone else & not Edric. I'm not buying into the performance, and maybe it's cause Edric didn't find a way to be Edric within "rap". This probably doesn't make since, and it sounds like I dislike the song, but I did like it. It's not something I'll listen to in the car with the windows down...but it'll get played on my MP3 player with the headphones on...even if it's just to hear Edric say naughty words.

Noah McLaughlin - Fear Drive (Shadow)
I liked how you tacked each POV in the article, and lyrically I had no problems with it. And I liked the last two lines of the song. What I didn't like was the guitars, and some parts of the song it was hard for me to make out the lyrics by hear. Great ideas...only ok execution.

Menage’ a Tune - The Furries Are Heading Back To Pittsburgh (Shadow)
You're about 15 seconds short of the requirement...but it's a shadow...I can let that go. The piano & singing just seem awkward the whole way through...not going together. Lyrically it does it's job, and telling about the Furries coming to Pittsburgh, but the most entertaining part was a part you borrowed from a musical. I'm sure the organizers of this event would be happy with it, but it's a REALLY narrow audience that you're shooting at right now.

Young Stroke aka Young Muscle - One Dollar Robber (Shadow)
Best opening of the round. But from there on out my review is similar to Happi's. Few lines were fun, but most of them just didn't seem that creative or flow well.