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Post by Rob W on Feb 9, 2017 15:32:26 GMT
Two votes only!!
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Post by timwarner on Feb 16, 2017 16:45:58 GMT
What a good month! Many thanks to all the contributors.
Christian Duffin - The Man With The Changing Mind I just love your melodies. Even if I totally ignore the lyrics, which is difficult as I seem to get drawn in, it’s really lovely. I especially like the acoustic guitar sound in the second verse.
The lyrics give us a glimpse of the paranoia and suspicion that seemed so normal in the seventies. These USA v Russia chess matches really seemed to have huge significance.
Stephen Clark - Merde in France If your aim was to drive me to drugs, you have failed. This is utterly, brilliantly, bonkers and it makes me laugh and laugh. It is completely joyful, despite it being from the point of view of a disgruntled swearing crooner.
As a special bonus, for me at least, I understand very little french so, the lyrics I understand are just you saying ‘merde’ which makes me smile. The solo is something the Goons would have done.
The last few months your songs have really worked for me. You seem to be in a rich seam of form. Long may it continue.
Tim and Glyn - Over The Trees Freaky ‘Kate Bush does Star Trek’ at the start but, then the accordion starts and it sounds like it’s a collaboration with Tom Wait’s backing band collaborating with Madness. The heavily processed guitar work is very effective, the two parts never collide or try and up stage each other, and finally combine into harmony playing. When I think about it, it’s an odd mix of sounds with quite distinct sections but, it feels quite natural as a whole piece.
Phil Sanderson - Square Peg I enjoyed the guitar solo, you have the chops. It just ends a bit suddenly before going back to the vocal. The overall feel is interesting and slightly ‘other worldly.’ It taps into feelings many of us have about being a saviour of some kind in an otherwise skeptical world.
The production is the bit I usually struggle with on your stuff but, I like the effect here much more than usual. I’m not even sure what it is, possibly the reverb/echo but, it sometimes feels like some of the instruments are miked up from 30 feet away. There often seems to be more going on than I can pick out.
Tramp Emporium I suppose if big business can make money from selling debt, nothing is impossible.
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Post by eddiecustard on Feb 23, 2017 20:41:01 GMT
Going for the surreal seems to have brought out the best in everyone, with some very experimental work. Made me realise I need to aim for more surprises in my sonic backing.
Stephen Clarke - Merde in France
A spectacularly nutty piece of work, which could have triumphed in several categories from recent months; Eurovision, oblique strategies, and drinking.
It has the feel of an oompah band, mixed in with some vaudeville theatre and even a cockney knees-up. Kurt Weill would have approved. Like Tim, I don’t know many of the swear words but feel sure they are filthy. The ‘trumpet’ noises on 50 seconds are inspired, and the productions values are much improved. The singing sounds a lot clearer and the acoustic guitar is recorded well. A classic comedy in the ‘daft as a brush’ category.
Tim and Glynn - Over the Trees
Unfeasibly good. Well done. There are many highlights here: Glynn’s undulating vocals, the multi-tracked guitar solo and the evocative, zany lyrics about singing kettles and a hat in the wind. My favourite bit, though, is the part that starts ‘You tried to conduct the choir…’ The melody is very strong in this section, and the mix of Glynn’s singing, the background strings and what sounds like an accordion work brilliantly in combination.
A great production, and a great song.
Phil Sanderson - Square Peg Terrific title, Phil. Nice crisp drumbeat and snare work, which makes a pleasing noise placed alongside the acoustic guitar. I like the imagery in lines such as ‘I have the answers up my sleeve’. The fantasy of you being a rock star isn’t that far-fetched - your greatest hits collection should make a dent in the charts in any just world.
I like the way the drumbeat propels the song in parts. The characteristic guitar solo on 2.08 cuts through nicely and the melodies throughout are good.
Tim and Julie - Tramp Emporium
Another brilliant lyrical concept from Tim and Julie. It’s such a good starting point for a story, which makes it easier for Tim to conjure up his words. Still, the lines about an organisation hiring out tramps’ clothes and even a dented begging tin are very well visualised. There’s a good groove to this right from the start thanks to the interlocking of the insistent bass and the guitar chords. The result is an incisive, urgent beat to complement Tim’s clever singing. Good stuff.
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tandg
Junior Member
Posts: 67
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Post by tandg on Feb 25, 2017 18:55:13 GMT
The Man with the Changing Mind – Christian Duffin
One of the best features of the SWC is that other people’s compositions display such different approaches to songwriting. I can’t imagine writing a song like this; the flow of the melody and the bursts of harmonies are so characteristic of your writing but this song is unique and distinctive and none of the rest of us write in this way.
As often is the case, your lyrics are beautifully constructed, leading us into the drama. The unpredictable (yet catchy) melody works with the lyrics without sounding forced and I absolutely loved the harmonies on the ‘Bobbie’ section in particular. Great piano playing holds the song together nicely – this sounds fresh and yet familiar all at once.
Merde in France – Stephen Clarke
No idea what you are singing but this is very funny, with a sort of Goon Show feel (particularly the ‘butt trumpets’). You have the happy knack of recording something that sounds really simple but rewards repeat listening to catch all of the instrumental and vocal layers. This is helped by the clear recording and well balanced mixing.
This had us singing along straight away and continuing to hear it for many hours afterwards. La la la la la la merde in France. There! I’m doing it again…
Square Peg – Phil Sanderson
This is great stuff. It’s hard to believe there are no keyboard parts, so rich are the sounds throughout the song. The vocal parts are particularly well judged in this song, with great harmonies and octave-apart vocal lines. I particularly liked the drum track on this one as well, with great driving beat breaking down for the beginning of the solo – and what a solo! There are shades of Robert Fripp but this is pretty much a Sanderson original – your own distinctive style, sound and note selection.
I liked the sentiments in the song too – I think everyone can feel a bit of a square peg at times.
Tramp Emporium – Tim & Julie
The prize for taking the ball and running with it goes to Tim & Julie! You took Rob’s original suggestion and really got the most out of it. It’s a very clever concept, extended really well into a catchy pop sing. Valet parking before heading off with a hired mangy dog to beg. Brilliant!
I liked the light guitar sound on this one, against the high-reverb drum sounds and restrained organ – there’s a touch of Small Faces about this. I don’t know if it was a conscious thing but the delivery sounded very English (which is a very good thing in my book). Thoroughly entertaining, nicely paced with a good middle section. Great fun.
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Post by philsanderson on Feb 25, 2017 23:35:04 GMT
Christian Duffin
Great chord sequences and the movement between sections is very accomplished. Like all the varied keyboard parts, including nice flute parts. I remember well the Chess series in question. Fischer was undoubtedly completely mad as well as being a raving genius: Christian you’re the genius part, the mad is how good the song is.
Stephen Clarke
Stark raving bonkers. A heady mad mix of French Goon style as well as having a slight Eastern European feel. I was going to suggest another Eurovision month for the SWC, but Stephen has foreseen this and produced a brilliant winning entry: ‘Formidable!’ The production is really clear and the parts all well balanced in the mix. I’d like to write a song with the same title as one of my books, but I have yet to put pen to paper, and most probably never will. The madness of the song does have an echo of your writing, which is a great thing, like the aforementioned books!
Tim and Glyn
Very late era Kate Bush in ‘Over the trees …’ section of song and very effective ‘backwards’ part where it happens. When you produce such a brilliant vocal performance like this I feel somewhat in awe and often feel quite negative about my efforts. The use of strings I really like throughout, and there is the magnificent layered guitar part.. There is a little Eastern European feel to parts of this – or am I just slightly obsessed with this idea ( see my SC review )
Tim and Julie Definitely elements of 60s/ early 70s style here. Would like to have had the organ part more prominent earlier on in the song-it’s really good when I ‘isolate’ it. I like the vocal delivery style throughout, and I did listen carefully to the lyrics, and they are really spot on from first word to last. Nice interplay between bass / guitar.
Me
Seems my guitar playing /treatment divides if not the nation, then the SWC at the least. As things stand, this month there will be no electric guitar playing, but that could change if I have a ‘what the hell’ moment between now and the 28th.
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Post by stephen on Feb 26, 2017 12:03:34 GMT
Christian D Man with the Changing Mind I like this new, sort of cabaret style. The lack of drums works well because it gives more room to the melody and the lyrics. And you've carried the surreal theme over into the instrumentation, too, with all those different keyboards. Some excellent harmonizing, even tighter than usual. If I didn't know what it was about, I'd think it was psychedelic drugs. The way the lyrics play with the theme without getting literal is very effective, and I loved the line "Bobby's brain had jammed the machine."
Mine In case anyone's wondering, the lyrics mean something like this: Verse 1 : D*ckhead, b*stard, small ball / bloody hell, stupid pr*ck / Male then female f*ckface, f*ck your mother / F*ck off you tw*t, I sh*t on you. Verse 2 : D*ck, sl*t, d*ckhead / Pr*ck, arseh*le, small c*ck / Go f*ck yourself, rot in hell / You p*ss me off, I sh*t on you. Those are approximate translations, anyway.
Tim and Glyn Over the Trees The ethereal voice is really effective, a bit Cocteau Twinsish. The change of mood into the accordion sections adds a more down-to-earth feel but the accordion keeps it surreal. Great sound for the guitar solo, or solos with the duelling guitars. "Over the trees, over the hills" is an excellent lilting hook - I reckon you could have stuck it over a rampaging electro beat at the end and turned it into a club classic.
Phil S Square Peg Strangely, one of your most classically song-like songs, with that strongly constructed verse. But most of your stuff has a surreal edge and this is no exception. The lyrics about saving the world from disease, and that falsetto harmony keep things very much on the edge of sanity, and then the guitar solo sends us over the brink. Bonkers, it reminds me of Jan Akkerman of Focus. I like the way the song plays itself out, too, almost restful after the energy of the guitar solo.
Tim and Julie Tramp Emporium As usual some very tasty rhythm guitar, a great bluesy feel, very clear vocals, and some very effective chord sequences, especially leading into the hook. I like the "tramp!" bridge, the way the beat goes as surreal as the lyrics. All in all, very tight blues around a great pumping riff. I used to wonder this about those poor South American pan pipe players you see all over the place, so far from home, with their excellent sound systems and pre-recorded backing tapes. I thought there must be emporiums all over the planet, kitting out all the groups and repairing pan pipes.
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Post by timwarner on Feb 26, 2017 16:35:41 GMT
Now I have Stephen's translation, I feel even more justified in voting for it.
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Post by timwarner on Feb 27, 2017 23:00:13 GMT
Well done Christian. Another great song.
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