Post by pegasuswarrior on Aug 3, 2013 17:53:17 GMT -5
Ghetto Lovin
The phrasing is way too much of a stretch. There are inconvenient stresses (musical accents) and stretched syllables that just aren’t necessary in a song that is really really easy to parody. It’s really elementary stuff that backs up that age old observation that parody-writing really is the lowest form of creativity. The original song lends itself so easily to parodied lyrics and somehow the creators manage to really flub up the seamlessness of the production, which really shouldn’t be as difficult to pull off as they make it.
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Harry Potter
Now see, this is the complete opposite of what I described in the previous selection. It takes a “blah” musical genre and lyrically arranges some word combos and references that are not at all convenient, YET the mesh into the original is much more seamless. That’s really taking the parody genre passed that blasé stereotype it has in the realm of music. The inconvenience of the rhymes, use of names, places, and such really elevate how impressive the selection is since the transitions are still catchy AND make sense in the context of the melody and composition of the song itself.
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YOLO
Definitely funny. Ironic rearrangement of the pop culture concept in a way that most joke-makers don’t take the stupid “YOLO” meme. Not only does the lyrical arrangement work well, there are enough varieties musical arrangement to keep it interesting too. I tell you what though, you barely barely escape with me as a judge from getting last place automatically. Why? This song—for the most part—is not a parody. It’s a comedy song, but it’s not a parody … until the end. Since it does borrow from an actual track and play around with that (umm, an amazing track at that from an amazing band), I’m willing to shave off the automatic last place ranking. Just be really careful we all are on the same page in understanding the categories before submitting songs this late in the contest. I didn't anticipate this to be an issue, or I would've asked in the main thread ahead of time. I just didn't think of that, sorry.
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Insane in the Membrane
It’s not a parody. It’s a cover. I suppose that contestants thought we were just supposed to make fun of something, which is not a song parody. I guess I’ll take that into consideration. The write-up said “parody” an artist, but parody is ripping them off in order to make fun of what they’ve done—-it’s imitation. Since the connotation there could be to rip off the artist’s words to make fun of them, I suppose I’ll take it. This is a lot better than some Richard Cheese I’ve heard. I will say that the concept is smirk-worthy at least. For that, I say well done. I got a kick out of it. It's pretty clever to be able to put that off. Fine line between the smirk and the eyeroll. You escaped. Haha.
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1. Harry Potter
2. YOLO
3. Insane in the Membrane
4. Ghetto Lovin
******************************************************
New Math
*sigh* Since we just saturated the round with “comedy” picks, I’m rolling my eyes at another comedy round selection. We’ve worked our butts off to get you to this point in the competition only to decide the Top 3 on comedy songs? Maybe if some buddy were to say, “Hey, listen to this song for a minute,” I might give it a listen and have a smirk in the moment, but we’ve watered down the competition by resorting to these types of picks? I don’t like that. Not really the song selector's fault because it fits the category. But geez, two categories of comedy. I’m out on that. (On the bright side, it’s funnier than any of the songs in the actual comedy round of parody. I’m just more burned out on the concept of “make us laugh, make us laugh, make us laugh” than the song here itself.) The cleverness is certainly there though, so don't let me be all negative nancy. The rankings here should reflect that I'm not really "unimpressed" or anything. Just not happy with comedy after comedy gimmicky picks.
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Comic Books
Yep. This is really showing off knowledge of the category. Part of me wants to applaud you for knowing about this song. At the same time, outside of the category itself, I’ve not really thought this to be the best representative work from Debbie Harry. I love Blondie to death, but this doesn’t grab me in the creative sense and catchy sense as so many other tracks she/the band has produced. It’s rather straight forward and more like an homage track that would get buried on track 10 or 11 of an album. The only setback here is that the song is so straightforward it just leaves this listener with a “Why? Why even make this song?” feel to it. The entire content of the song could’ve been listed as a thank you note liner from the album rather than made into a song that doesn’t feel particularly inspired.
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Doctor Who vs. Doc Brown
I get the joke, but this is almost a repeat commentary of “New Math.” The only difference is that the level of cleverness is a step down from that. The delivery was entirely too bombastic and in my face. (It’s the same reason Big Bang Theory isn’t funny. Slap me in the face with the delivery just in case I don’t get that you’re making jokes? Nah, I don’t think so.)
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A Happy Place
Finally a pick that delivers on the category in the guise of a real song. (Debbie Harry did it too.) I like the alternative vibe of the song that fits with the content of the theme. Her voice matches the off-center style lyrics and content as well. This is more along the lines of what I expected from the category, and while it’s true you shouldn’t fall into expectation when choosing songs, I just mean that the extreme double doses of comedy got to be too much. I want song choosers like this to advance over gimmicks.
1. A Happy Place
2. New Math
3. Comic Books
4. Doctor Who vs. Doc Brown
*****************************************
Me and Mr. Jones
Man, that’s some extreme soul going on right there! I’m not the biggest fan of Amy Winehouse, but I will never deny the talent. Listen to that voice. You’re deaf if you don’t recognize talent in those pipes. It may not be your style (not exactly mine) but there is something that is speaking universally when it comes to that sort of handle on what music is. Amy Winehouse knows her music and knows what she wants to pull from a song.
-----------------------------------------------------
Bitch
I thought this song got very tired very quickly. There were women angst songs from the 90s that superceded this attempt, which seemed to me to be Meredith Brooks riding the coattails of a popular genre and jumping the shark with it. The song itself takes on more than it can chew in the lyrics and does not come across genuine as a result. There were anger anthems the preceded this that were much more personalized and produced with feeling. This is a pop summary that really comes across more to me as an artist who capitalized on what others had already done way more genuinely. Sorry about that.
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Man
I actually dig how this serves the category in two ways. It’s a solo female artist, sure, but I love how it establishes a female identity in the same way; yes, it’s a song about “men,” but it’s an outside perspective on a proxied masculine gender identity. And in so doing, you get the voice of the female. It’s almost as if to say, “Do you people even stop to look at yourselves? Hello? You’re not the only ones inhabiting this society.” Thanks for the really connecting with the genre here. Those lyrics are blistering, and it’s probably the best Neko Case song I’ve heard.
---------------------------------------------------------
The Party
Gosh, this is a real weak spot for me here. I really hope someone isn’t playing off my affinity for this artist. Wow. No one delivers in this way. I could certainly say the same thing about Amy Winehouse, but there is a melodic construction in Spektor’s tunes that really grab me in ways that the more classic and straight line way Winehouse does. I love the experimentation, and the metaphorical lyrics go places no one else goes. And the scat/human kazoo’ing? Who does that? Bold and I dig that. Such an identity in Spektor pieces like this.
--------------------------------------------------------
1. The Party
2. Man
3. Me and Mr. Jones
4. Bitch
******************************************
Oye Como Va
I love that you went with a classic that I’m sure speaks to you as a player. This judging here comes down to the fact that I’ve never really grasped the song myself. I understand it and what it’s going for, but it’s a bit too repetitive in a sense that song seems to be grinding itself out about midway through. There just isn’t enough hook for me to endure the repetitious nature. What I always appreciate is the background runs behind the melody that give the song its class. I really don’t get enough from the vocals or main melody though to constitute this particular song as one that grabs my attention for multiple listens. In fact, I might go so far as to say a more sultry vocal or something sinister would’ve accompanied this particular melody better. The melody really seems like it’s suited for something Tarantino-esque in its content, but the vocal is just too festive for what I actually get from the instrumentation. That’s always been my conflict as a listener with the song, I think.
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Home
Love this band and this song. We need more acts like it. I think this is a contender to stack up as my markout moment for the entire round. We have mentioned Lumineers and Mumford and Sons and others that are kinda taking a folky route these days. But I love the ensemble selections here meshed with the folky roots. Plus, there is something just extraplanar about the “non-folky” whistles and strings during the harmonies. Plus, Sharpe goes into some other cult-like addictive vocal in certain places of the song. This song just gets in my veins and works like whatever unusual drug this group is probably on.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Found Out About You
I’m marking out bro! A stellar artist that I don’t remember being uncorked prior to this season. I love this band’s ability to mesh 80s vocal stylings of people like Morrissey, mixing it with a 90s flow, and meshing all that with the 90s pop band feel of the time. Gin Blossoms kinda feel like a pop Blue Oyster Cult at times too. Just a unique sound and one the helps define of the best eras of music history. I also enjoy that I get a taste of prior acts' roots when I listen to this song.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Whirring
Marking out on an unreal level right now! This song. Oh man, this song! This band! I’m drooling! This is exactly what I want out of modern music these days. I also think it’s freaking amazing (has to be the same song-chooser) that YOLO, which I referred to earlier, has j-u-s-t enough parody to constitute a parody. And the song it uses? This exact one. The energy here fires me up immensely. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the minimalist stuff colliding with that power chorus and that instrumental toward the end! Where has this band been all these seasons?! Perfect time to uncork them in their FAN Idol debut! I alluded to a list of top mark-out songs in a post before this round got started. If I concocted such a list, you’re looking at a song right here that would pop the Top 10 without question! Probably one of my top 5 mark-out moments of the season, if I ‘m being honest. One time, as judges, we had to list a series of musical artists in the finale for contestants to pick and choose from for part of their entries. I can honestly say that Joy Formidable would've been one of the bands I chose this season if we followed that format in the finale. A big thank you to this contestant!
1. Whirring
2. Home
3. Found Out About You
4. Oye Como Va
The phrasing is way too much of a stretch. There are inconvenient stresses (musical accents) and stretched syllables that just aren’t necessary in a song that is really really easy to parody. It’s really elementary stuff that backs up that age old observation that parody-writing really is the lowest form of creativity. The original song lends itself so easily to parodied lyrics and somehow the creators manage to really flub up the seamlessness of the production, which really shouldn’t be as difficult to pull off as they make it.
----------------------------------------------------------
Harry Potter
Now see, this is the complete opposite of what I described in the previous selection. It takes a “blah” musical genre and lyrically arranges some word combos and references that are not at all convenient, YET the mesh into the original is much more seamless. That’s really taking the parody genre passed that blasé stereotype it has in the realm of music. The inconvenience of the rhymes, use of names, places, and such really elevate how impressive the selection is since the transitions are still catchy AND make sense in the context of the melody and composition of the song itself.
------------------------------------------------------------
YOLO
Definitely funny. Ironic rearrangement of the pop culture concept in a way that most joke-makers don’t take the stupid “YOLO” meme. Not only does the lyrical arrangement work well, there are enough varieties musical arrangement to keep it interesting too. I tell you what though, you barely barely escape with me as a judge from getting last place automatically. Why? This song—for the most part—is not a parody. It’s a comedy song, but it’s not a parody … until the end. Since it does borrow from an actual track and play around with that (umm, an amazing track at that from an amazing band), I’m willing to shave off the automatic last place ranking. Just be really careful we all are on the same page in understanding the categories before submitting songs this late in the contest. I didn't anticipate this to be an issue, or I would've asked in the main thread ahead of time. I just didn't think of that, sorry.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Insane in the Membrane
It’s not a parody. It’s a cover. I suppose that contestants thought we were just supposed to make fun of something, which is not a song parody. I guess I’ll take that into consideration. The write-up said “parody” an artist, but parody is ripping them off in order to make fun of what they’ve done—-it’s imitation. Since the connotation there could be to rip off the artist’s words to make fun of them, I suppose I’ll take it. This is a lot better than some Richard Cheese I’ve heard. I will say that the concept is smirk-worthy at least. For that, I say well done. I got a kick out of it. It's pretty clever to be able to put that off. Fine line between the smirk and the eyeroll. You escaped. Haha.
-------------------------------------------------------------
1. Harry Potter
2. YOLO
3. Insane in the Membrane
4. Ghetto Lovin
******************************************************
New Math
*sigh* Since we just saturated the round with “comedy” picks, I’m rolling my eyes at another comedy round selection. We’ve worked our butts off to get you to this point in the competition only to decide the Top 3 on comedy songs? Maybe if some buddy were to say, “Hey, listen to this song for a minute,” I might give it a listen and have a smirk in the moment, but we’ve watered down the competition by resorting to these types of picks? I don’t like that. Not really the song selector's fault because it fits the category. But geez, two categories of comedy. I’m out on that. (On the bright side, it’s funnier than any of the songs in the actual comedy round of parody. I’m just more burned out on the concept of “make us laugh, make us laugh, make us laugh” than the song here itself.) The cleverness is certainly there though, so don't let me be all negative nancy. The rankings here should reflect that I'm not really "unimpressed" or anything. Just not happy with comedy after comedy gimmicky picks.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Comic Books
Yep. This is really showing off knowledge of the category. Part of me wants to applaud you for knowing about this song. At the same time, outside of the category itself, I’ve not really thought this to be the best representative work from Debbie Harry. I love Blondie to death, but this doesn’t grab me in the creative sense and catchy sense as so many other tracks she/the band has produced. It’s rather straight forward and more like an homage track that would get buried on track 10 or 11 of an album. The only setback here is that the song is so straightforward it just leaves this listener with a “Why? Why even make this song?” feel to it. The entire content of the song could’ve been listed as a thank you note liner from the album rather than made into a song that doesn’t feel particularly inspired.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Doctor Who vs. Doc Brown
I get the joke, but this is almost a repeat commentary of “New Math.” The only difference is that the level of cleverness is a step down from that. The delivery was entirely too bombastic and in my face. (It’s the same reason Big Bang Theory isn’t funny. Slap me in the face with the delivery just in case I don’t get that you’re making jokes? Nah, I don’t think so.)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Happy Place
Finally a pick that delivers on the category in the guise of a real song. (Debbie Harry did it too.) I like the alternative vibe of the song that fits with the content of the theme. Her voice matches the off-center style lyrics and content as well. This is more along the lines of what I expected from the category, and while it’s true you shouldn’t fall into expectation when choosing songs, I just mean that the extreme double doses of comedy got to be too much. I want song choosers like this to advance over gimmicks.
1. A Happy Place
2. New Math
3. Comic Books
4. Doctor Who vs. Doc Brown
*****************************************
Me and Mr. Jones
Man, that’s some extreme soul going on right there! I’m not the biggest fan of Amy Winehouse, but I will never deny the talent. Listen to that voice. You’re deaf if you don’t recognize talent in those pipes. It may not be your style (not exactly mine) but there is something that is speaking universally when it comes to that sort of handle on what music is. Amy Winehouse knows her music and knows what she wants to pull from a song.
-----------------------------------------------------
Bitch
I thought this song got very tired very quickly. There were women angst songs from the 90s that superceded this attempt, which seemed to me to be Meredith Brooks riding the coattails of a popular genre and jumping the shark with it. The song itself takes on more than it can chew in the lyrics and does not come across genuine as a result. There were anger anthems the preceded this that were much more personalized and produced with feeling. This is a pop summary that really comes across more to me as an artist who capitalized on what others had already done way more genuinely. Sorry about that.
---------------------------------------------------------
Man
I actually dig how this serves the category in two ways. It’s a solo female artist, sure, but I love how it establishes a female identity in the same way; yes, it’s a song about “men,” but it’s an outside perspective on a proxied masculine gender identity. And in so doing, you get the voice of the female. It’s almost as if to say, “Do you people even stop to look at yourselves? Hello? You’re not the only ones inhabiting this society.” Thanks for the really connecting with the genre here. Those lyrics are blistering, and it’s probably the best Neko Case song I’ve heard.
---------------------------------------------------------
The Party
Gosh, this is a real weak spot for me here. I really hope someone isn’t playing off my affinity for this artist. Wow. No one delivers in this way. I could certainly say the same thing about Amy Winehouse, but there is a melodic construction in Spektor’s tunes that really grab me in ways that the more classic and straight line way Winehouse does. I love the experimentation, and the metaphorical lyrics go places no one else goes. And the scat/human kazoo’ing? Who does that? Bold and I dig that. Such an identity in Spektor pieces like this.
--------------------------------------------------------
1. The Party
2. Man
3. Me and Mr. Jones
4. Bitch
******************************************
Oye Como Va
I love that you went with a classic that I’m sure speaks to you as a player. This judging here comes down to the fact that I’ve never really grasped the song myself. I understand it and what it’s going for, but it’s a bit too repetitive in a sense that song seems to be grinding itself out about midway through. There just isn’t enough hook for me to endure the repetitious nature. What I always appreciate is the background runs behind the melody that give the song its class. I really don’t get enough from the vocals or main melody though to constitute this particular song as one that grabs my attention for multiple listens. In fact, I might go so far as to say a more sultry vocal or something sinister would’ve accompanied this particular melody better. The melody really seems like it’s suited for something Tarantino-esque in its content, but the vocal is just too festive for what I actually get from the instrumentation. That’s always been my conflict as a listener with the song, I think.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Home
Love this band and this song. We need more acts like it. I think this is a contender to stack up as my markout moment for the entire round. We have mentioned Lumineers and Mumford and Sons and others that are kinda taking a folky route these days. But I love the ensemble selections here meshed with the folky roots. Plus, there is something just extraplanar about the “non-folky” whistles and strings during the harmonies. Plus, Sharpe goes into some other cult-like addictive vocal in certain places of the song. This song just gets in my veins and works like whatever unusual drug this group is probably on.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Found Out About You
I’m marking out bro! A stellar artist that I don’t remember being uncorked prior to this season. I love this band’s ability to mesh 80s vocal stylings of people like Morrissey, mixing it with a 90s flow, and meshing all that with the 90s pop band feel of the time. Gin Blossoms kinda feel like a pop Blue Oyster Cult at times too. Just a unique sound and one the helps define of the best eras of music history. I also enjoy that I get a taste of prior acts' roots when I listen to this song.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Whirring
Marking out on an unreal level right now! This song. Oh man, this song! This band! I’m drooling! This is exactly what I want out of modern music these days. I also think it’s freaking amazing (has to be the same song-chooser) that YOLO, which I referred to earlier, has j-u-s-t enough parody to constitute a parody. And the song it uses? This exact one. The energy here fires me up immensely. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the minimalist stuff colliding with that power chorus and that instrumental toward the end! Where has this band been all these seasons?! Perfect time to uncork them in their FAN Idol debut! I alluded to a list of top mark-out songs in a post before this round got started. If I concocted such a list, you’re looking at a song right here that would pop the Top 10 without question! Probably one of my top 5 mark-out moments of the season, if I ‘m being honest. One time, as judges, we had to list a series of musical artists in the finale for contestants to pick and choose from for part of their entries. I can honestly say that Joy Formidable would've been one of the bands I chose this season if we followed that format in the finale. A big thank you to this contestant!
1. Whirring
2. Home
3. Found Out About You
4. Oye Como Va