[bigFishAndTheSmallPondets]

With this song I felt it was time to really rock out. I wanted to write something in a similar vein to The Ramones, something fun and exciting. For the lyrical sentiment, I wanted to write something about the way social media effects people’s lives. I sometimes wonder if Instagram, FaceBook and the like leaves people feeling that they’re not special enough. See what you think.

https://soundcloud.com/big-fish-small-pondettes/a-way-to-be

All the best.

[David Christy Jones]

I wasn't sure what to expect here, but I'm very pleasantly surprised.
The voice puts me very much in mind of Neil Young (which I'm sure I'm not the only person to say so!). And thats no bad thing, NY has one of my favourite voices.


If I had one criticism with this, it would be with the lack of a prominent bass. Definitely could be beefed out and supported more with a lovely bass track behind it.

But honestly, it's awesome without it!

Can't wait to hear more!

[Killjoy]

Okay, gotta say I really liked this. Instrumentals are great and the main chorus is really enjoyable and catchy. I think your voice matches the style but that you need to exert your vocals more, seems like a song where you need to belt it out a bit more. Other than that, very nice song, one that I'll listen to again

[bigFishAndTheSmallPondets]

I wasn't sure what to expect here, but I'm very pleasantly surprised.
The voice puts me very much in mind of Neil Young (which I'm sure I'm not the only person to say so!). And thats no bad thing, NY has one of my favourite voices.


If I had one criticism with this, it would be with the lack of a prominent bass. Definitely could be beefed out and supported more with a lovely bass track behind it.

But honestly, it's awesome without it!

Can't wait to hear more!

Many have remarked on the similarity between my voice and Neil Young's. It's a great compliment. I've got Harvest and After the Gold Rush in my collection. True classics. Maybe one day I'll make a tribute act of myself.

Certainly a most valid observation. A killer bass line is a vital element to such rock music. On reflection, I may have rushed this particular part.

To describe the track as awesome is another great compliment. I'm also most flattered by your eagerness to hear more. Thanks so much for your very kind words. So very much appreciated.

[bigFishAndTheSmallPondets]

Okay, gotta say I really liked this. Instrumentals are great and the main chorus is really enjoyable and catchy. I think your voice matches the style but that you need to exert your vocals more, seems like a song where you need to belt it out a bit more. Other than that, very nice song, one that I'll listen to again

Too kind. Catchy is what I always aim for. I think it's a great skill to achieve it so I take your feedback as a great compliment. Unfortunately my voice can't be pushed very hard. I agree 100% though. A powerful screaming vocal would have worked very nicely. Thanks again. I'm so glad you enjoyed the song.

[PaulyX]

Hi there, I love a bit of punchy powerpop ... and this is punchy powerpop!  So you had me on side from the start with those crunchy guitars.  I dig it. I agree with the comments already made though that it could benefit from more going on in the basement, and I felt some more drum fills would fit the song too (imagine you had Keith Moon sitting behind you on the sticks...).  And how about some backing vocals?  I could imagine some "woo-hoos" or similar helping fill it out. To me right now it feels like a demo of what will be a very good indie pop song given a bit more production.  You've got a good voice.

[cowparsleyman]

@bigFishAndTheSmallPondets - love the beginning, love your voice, love the super dirty guitars and super clean vocal.

As others have said, 2xBVox, raunchy bass and a balls out drum kit...Watch those popping 'P's (I know a Person...) you might invest in a pop filter, or aim your vocal just off mic, and you'll be fine.

Maybe try this..
You could double track the LVox, this gives a depth - don't just copy the track that doesn't work.
Oooh's in the Choruses - these are generally the easiest way tho thinken out chr's
Choose a hooky line from the verse and uses that through the chorus sung in harmony.
The drums can be reined in with some EQ and compression, and touch of room reverb, but not much at all.
The bass sgould be easy enough to bring to the fore...

It's all there (apart from the extra vocals)

Hope this helps PikeMan

A blimmin good song.

Give us more.....

[pnb99]

Hi,

I listened to this song 3-4 times.

Firstly; I think the overall strong structure is good, the melody is strong and the guitar sounds really good.

My ears/brain desperately wanted the rest of the band to come in at 10 seconds (i.e. a 4 bar intro rather than an 8 bar intro)

I think the only instrumentation is guitar and drums. I can’t hear any bass I the track which obviously would have filled out the sound much more.

The drums for the most part are a little quiet and although they are pretty solid in the majority of the song they do seem to go  a little wayward on some of the fills. Simpler fills might help with this.

The vocals are good but would benefit from a slight EQ hole in the guitars for them to come through more clearly. Additionally, they sound very dry. A little reverb/delay would add some depth and space to the track.

Overall though, I enjoyed the song, it just needs the instrumentation filling out and a few wrinkles in the mix ironing out.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for letting me listen to your music.

Paul.

[Girlinside]

I really really like this it’s got a great tempo / maybe like a Blondie sound
I love the rawness- this song really excites me I’m going to play it over and over again xx

Definitely going to listen to more of your stuff x

[bigFishAndTheSmallPondets]

Hi there, I love a bit of punchy powerpop ... and this is punchy powerpop!  So you had me on side from the start with those crunchy guitars.  I dig it. I agree with the comments already made though that it could benefit from more going on in the basement, and I felt some more drum fills would fit the song too (imagine you had Keith Moon sitting behind you on the sticks...).  And how about some backing vocals?  I could imagine some "woo-hoos" or similar helping fill it out. To me right now it feels like a demo of what will be a very good indie pop song given a bit more production.  You've got a good voice.

Thank you sir! A bit of power pop certainly hits the spot. Thanks for your kind words. With so many wanting more emphasis on the bass, it seems I should really return to this and remix it. I guess I could also have given the drums more inventive fills. Listening to the song in the car, I do sometimes accompany myself on vocals, so some harmony parts could also lift the song. The trouble with my music is that I'm always impatient to start the next song! Thanks again for such a kind review. So glad you liked it.

[bigFishAndTheSmallPondets]

@bigFishAndTheSmallPondets - love the beginning, love your voice, love the super dirty guitars and super clean vocal.

As others have said, 2xBVox, raunchy bass and a balls out drum kit...Watch those popping 'P's (I know a Person...) you might invest in a pop filter, or aim your vocal just off mic, and you'll be fine.

Maybe try this..
You could double track the LVox, this gives a depth - don't just copy the track that doesn't work.
Oooh's in the Choruses - these are generally the easiest way tho thinken out chr's
Choose a hooky line from the verse and uses that through the chorus sung in harmony.
The drums can be reined in with some EQ and compression, and touch of room reverb, but not much at all.
The bass sgould be easy enough to bring to the fore...

It's all there (apart from the extra vocals)

Hope this helps PikeMan

A blimmin good song.

Give us more.....

Thank you! So glad you like the guitar chords. When I first came up with it I thought 'I really must put some vocals to this'. Maybe rather than running into the next track I should pay some further attention to the bass and drums on this one. Thanks so much for the tip on vocal popping. It's attention to detail like this that separates the pros from the amateurs (like me). Will bear that one in mind. I think double tracking the voice could be a good idea, especially as I feel my voice lacks power. Harmony could also thicken it out, as you say. Maybe some more work to do but I'm really so pleased you liked the song and took the time to write to me. Thank you!

[bigFishAndTheSmallPondets]

Hi,

I listened to this song 3-4 times.

Firstly; I think the overall strong structure is good, the melody is strong and the guitar sounds really good.

My ears/brain desperately wanted the rest of the band to come in at 10 seconds (i.e. a 4 bar intro rather than an 8 bar intro)

I think the only instrumentation is guitar and drums. I can’t hear any bass I the track which obviously would have filled out the sound much more.

The drums for the most part are a little quiet and although they are pretty solid in the majority of the song they do seem to go  a little wayward on some of the fills. Simpler fills might help with this.

The vocals are good but would benefit from a slight EQ hole in the guitars for them to come through more clearly. Additionally, they sound very dry. A little reverb/delay would add some depth and space to the track.

Overall though, I enjoyed the song, it just needs the instrumentation filling out and a few wrinkles in the mix ironing out.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for letting me listen to your music.

Paul.

Thank you for your kind words regarding melody/guitar/structure. Really appreciate this.

I guess the guitar does sound like a little lonely in the intro.

It seems fairly unanimous that the bass needs more prominence. I'm not sure if it's a simple question of remixing it. The bass follows the guitar riff completely so maybe this is the reason it gets lost. Will need to think about that.

The drummer is actually a gadget that I programmed! My guitar playing is not terribly precise so maybe this gives the illusion that the drummer is drifting off rhythm.

I did put some reverb on the vocal but for some reason I can't quite remember I just didn't like it. Maybe I'll have another think about this sometime.

Hey, thanks for listening and letting me know your thoughts. It's an honour.

[bigFishAndTheSmallPondets]

I really really like this it’s got a great tempo / maybe like a Blondie sound
I love the rawness- this song really excites me I’m going to play it over and over again xx

Definitely going to listen to more of your stuff x

So glad you enjoyed it. Thank you. To be compared to Blondie is an honour. Very flattering.

I had hoped someone might get the urge to dance to this one so I'm very pleased to see it worked. Thanks again, too kind.

[Yodasdad]

This is a grower for me but I’m pleased to announce that it grew very quickly, like before the song finished.

At first it felt like there was a mismatch between the delicate sweet vocals and the dirty guitars but the melody line is quite infectious and soon had me not caring.

Well done Fish(s)

Yodasdad

[bigFishAndTheSmallPondets]

This is a grower for me but I’m pleased to announce that it grew very quickly, like before the song finished.

At first it felt like there was a mismatch between the delicate sweet vocals and the dirty guitars but the melody line is quite infectious and soon had me not caring.

Well done Fish(s)

Yodasdad

Such a great compliment from a Jedi master. I'm so pleased you liked it. Thank you.