Even as I entered "O Jimmy Boy" into Garageband's contest, I wasn't too sure what to expect when the reviews would start coming in. I may have explained this before, but I don't enter these songs with any hopes of winning some contest. But I do like having my songs reviewed. It means that there are at least a few people out there who have listened to your song close enough to be able to offer an opinion about it.
But "O Jimmy Boy"...The first review I received didn't have much of interest to say:
This song reminds me of the 80's...some movie about highschool or dancing. Very upbeat stuff. Interesting break at 2:25 but the instrumental break after that til about 3:28 is long-winded. Like the radio sounding hiphop stuff to the end though. Song never builds though. It winds down without really going anywhere. You have good parts, ideas, instrumentation just sounds like more writing structure is needed.
The next review had little good to say, either, and perhaps was just a tad bit cruel:
A percussion rock beat with keyboards randomly smashed into the track. The bass pops in and out above the percussion track.
The song is 80 ish retro Talking Heads tempo and tone.
The percussion track is beat mapped up in tempo then then the brake displays no instruemental solo effort.
It's becoming cumbersome and boring to listen to. add something to it. Even the sound of a dish washer set the rinse cycle would sooth my tympanic membrane.
It's fading out with a volume fade. Thank you Jimi, I will say 10 Hail Mary's for what I am Thinking right now. But it only involves a little duct tape.
try taking a pringles potato chip can and cutting a hole in the bottom, duct tape the can to the mic, then start duct taping the mic to the left hand. This will help stimulate vocal expression and the fight or flight mechanism of oratory projection.
This was exactly why I shouldn't have put "O Jimmy Boy" in the running. But it's not the first time I've had one of my Acid projects compared to the Talking Heads. I can't help but think of it as a compliment, even if I don't think I sound too much like them at all. Maybe JUST a little.
The dude is obviously trying to channel some great dead rock critic muse. He didn't like the song. I think that point was established in the first words of his less-than-nice missive. I would not doubt that he has never heard an "experimental rock" song in his life. His understanding of "experimental" ends at the point where a space-invaders mini-Moog blips in the middle of a song that Joe Satriani could have played (if his hands were cold and numb or if he had sprained his left wrist). "Blip" it shouts and the whole feel of the song sways to a different emotion for 8 bars before swerving back into it's original groove. That freaks him out and he points the finger and cries out "Experimental!"
But enough...the man's entitled to his opinions. I just don't care for them and I'd rather his be as flattering as the ones set forth in the third review I got for "O Jimmy Boy":
The intro of this song is interesting with its upbeat drums and different noises in the background but it seems just a little long. I would shorten it by about ten seconds. The backing music is based around the bass riff and the drum beat. The singer has this off the cuff delivery style that really gets the attention of the listener. I'm not sure what Jimmy Boy has but he shouldn't give it away! Maybe he needs to sell it! The instrumental breakdown is a nice change of pace as the machine gun drumming sets up the rest of the song. This is a quirky little number that uses different noises to give it a psychedelic feel with the singer doing a little scatting here and there. The false ending and fade out is tricky- I almost thought the song was over. This is a song for smoking a big fat spliff, kicking back and enjoying the sounds. This song was well put together and it is obvious to this listener that some thought went into the song before committing sounds to tape. Just to keep all the noises and sounds straight is an accomplishment. As for the mood, I would have to say it is just quirky with no definable direction as far as mood goes. I enjoyed this song a lot and thought the vocals fit the rest of the song perfectly. He doesn't have the voice of Pavorotti but it doesn't matter. His style of singing the tongue in cheek lyrics and the tone of his voice combine for a pleasant listening experience. It's a fun little ditty that one could spend hours trying to dissect the lyrics to find a hidden meaning. Well put together and it's got a cool little beat as well. Nice experimental track that reminds me of Primus in many ways.
Now THAT'S what I'm talking about. This guy GETS IT, although I must say I think he's quite off the mark with that Primus comparison, though to be honest, maybe not. I suppose it may well have that feel but I dislike Primus so much that I don't want to admit to it.
Judge for yourself:
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