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Tehran Avenue Music Open: Short Commentary
By Saeed Ganji
saeed@tehranavenue.com
May 2004
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Ababil - Feeking For Not

This is a well-done 4-piece (drums, bass, rhythm and lead guitars) metal song. The song starts with very high energy and stays there. The instruments all sounded smooth and are played well. The effects used are appropriate and befit the genre. The vocals were shifted one octave lower, creating a sort of Black Sabbathy feel to the song. Of course, you can’t really understand the words. I wish the lyrics were available in written form. I like this song and thought that it was creative and performed quite well.

My suggestions would only have to do with the mix-down of the piece. Also both guitars and the vocals were all panned left and so the balance wasn’t perfect. I also noticed a bit of distortion, probably introduced in the mix-down stage.

Song writing/melody/lyrics: 17

Musicianship/instrumentation/effects: 18

Recording/mix-down: 16

Abathur - Last Man's Last Way

A well-performed heavy metal using a 3-piece arrangement. I thought the song was good and all the instruments were performed excellently. I loved the effects used on all the instruments, although the bass guitar didn’t come through enough. The recording however was too thin and made the song sound a lot less effective. I liked the balance of the final mix and the arrangement of the song.

Song writing/melody/lyrics: 16

Musicianship/instrumentation/effects: 18

Recording/mix-down: 17

Alien - Tabas Hot Delirium

A very well performed, instrumental metal song employing two guitars, bass, drums and keyboard. The song is composed of two parts. The first part is a long, minimalist piece that repeats the same basic pattern for a good five minutes. This piece has some recording problems and I noticed  lots of distortion in it, perhaps due to recording levels being set too high. The second section is a lot more catchy. I wish the arranger would have kept the first piece to a much shorter length, perhaps only 20 or 30 seconds, and make it be just an intro to the second part, or even make two songs out of it.

Song writing/melody/lyrics: 16

Musicianship/instrumentation/effects: 18

Recording/mix-down: 18

Alookal – Dars

Another metal piece, although this time not only did it have lyrics, but they were is Farsi. The musicianship of this song is quite good. The lyrics are about the age-old dream of young teen-agers being tired of school and wanting to become a rock-and-roller. I thought they were funny. The melody was a bit too simplistic and I think the singer could have used a little more creativity in not repeating the same melody. Other than that, all the instruments were played well and the length of the song was appropriately kept to around 3 minutes. I thought it was a plus for Alookal to use Farsi lyrics, but the melody was a bit thin and could use more of an Iranian flavor. But I did have a lot of fun listening to the lyrics, so what can I say?

The recording of this song needs more work. The levels were set too high, probably during the main recording, so a lot of nasty distortion is present. The vocalist’s voice is specially poorly recorded. The mix-down is OK though.

Song writing/melody/lyrics: 18

Musicianship/instrumentation/effects: 17

Recording/mix-down: 14

Amateurs - Find Out

This is a soft-rock, five-piece song composed of acoustic guitar, harmonica, bass, drums and vocals. This is a well-written and well-performed song and the recording is also quite good. What made the song a bit boring was that the melody had absolutely no variations throughout the song. Any time you can guess what the next phrase of a song is going to sound like, you will lose interest. What saves this song is the beautiful harmonica and the creative percussion.

My only other suggestion would be to try to incorporate Farsi lyrics. Of course, this is not so easy. The first few times something is done it’s never easy. But I think it’s still worth striving for.

Song writing/melody/lyrics: 16

Musicianship/instrumentation/effects: 18

Recording/mix-down: 18

Arcometics - Denounce the Truth

A soft-rock love song using acoustic guitar, piano, keyboard, drums, bass and vocals. This song had very good arranging which helped it be interesting. How ever, its length, almost seven minutes, did not help this cause. The melody was good, but it was not excellent. A good, beautiful melody is the most important aspect of good song writing. I liked the lyrics. They were heartfelt and seemed to be based on personal experience. The recording is quite good but some distortion on the piano solo part were present.

psssst, what happened to the Farsi lyrics?

Song writing/melody/lyrics: 16

Musicianship/instrumentation/effects: 16

Recording/mix-down: 16

B & F – Ghorub

This is a blues song with Farsi lyrics. I love the blues and thoroughly enjoyed this song. The vocals sound a lot like Tom Waits, whom I admire. Although, what makes him such in important icon, is the fact that he doesn’t sound like anyone else. The lyrics, the parts I could recognize, were interesting.  Again, I wish I had the written form of them. Maybe we can have this be available on the Tehran Avenue site in future. The recording was good, although a bit too thin. The vocals has a lot of distortion during the main recording. The guitar and bass sounds could use  more work.

I wish the song writer would do without last instrumental part that was not bluesy at all. I didn’t like the mixing of the genres. Is this blues or metal?

Song writing/melody/lyrics: 18

Musicianship/instrumentation/effects: 17

Recording/mix-down: 16

Black Blooms - Living Without Love

This is a soft-rock ballad using acoustic guitar, electric guitar, keyboard, drums, bass and vocals. It’s a well-performed song and all the pieces work well together. The melody, however, was not catchy enough and kept repeating itself. The vocalist’s voice, for this style, wasn’t using the correct effects. I thought it had too much reverb and wasn’t loud enough either compared to the rest of the mix. During the chorus, I wish a new rhythm guitar or something could add some pizzazz. The very last instrumental solo at the end of the song is not needed and makes the ending less strong.

Song writing/melody/lyrics: 16

Musicianship/instrumentation/effects: 17

Recording/mix-down: 17

Fanoos - Jang

This is a professionally performed song using a large ensemble of great musicians. It uses lyrics written beautifully by Sohrab Sepehri. The song starts with a strong Iranian melody using Iranian and Western instruments. The vocalist/lead guitar player/song writer, Behzad Rashedi, has done a very good job on all accounts. The melody does not repeat itself and is beautiful. The recording of this song is superb and all instruments come through perfectly. I wish the guitar solo parts could have more of an Iranian flavor.

Song writing/melody/lyrics: 18

Musicianship/instrumentation/effects: 19

Recording/mix-down: 19

Fat Rats - Superman & the Joe Ordinaries Say Hatred Is Not Always Bad!?

A punk-rock song performed amazingly well. I loved the melody and the lyrics. The recording is fine although perhaps a bit too thin. The ending could be stronger and not simply fade out.

Song writing/melody/lyrics: 16

Musicianship/instrumentation/effects: 17

Recording/mix-down: 17

First Point - What Happened to All the Superheroes

This is an alternative rock ballad that has simplicity on its side. The lyrics are the strongest part of this song, although the instrumentation does not do justice to drive the point home.  There was some guitar amp noise during the quiet parts of the song that could have been taken out.

Song writing/melody/lyrics: 17

Musicianship/instrumentation/effects: 17

Recording/mix-down: 18

FMF - Qeer-e Shab

This is prime example of a song that has been written well, but the instrumentation and mix work against it. As the song starts, we have to listen for 80 seconds to the guitar being tuned! Does anyone find that interesting? I certainly don’t. When the main part starts, you realize that this is actually a beautiful song in many respects. The lyrics seemed the most interesting part, but the melody was also quite good. The vocals are good as well. But the instrumentation didn’t work well at all. The drums, for example, probably played as an after-thought on keyboards, instead of keeping the main beat, worked simply as sound effect. As the song progresses, the volume of the instruments reach a level that make it impossible to hear the vocals.

This song could benefit greatly from a little more organization.

Song writing/melody/lyrics: 17

Musicianship/instrumentation/effects: 16

Recording/mix-down: 16

Insane – Divane

I love this song. For one thing, all the part work together, they all support the same idea, the same direction. It’s a metal song through and through. The effects, the lyrics, the melody, instrumentation, even the lead guitar, all work in unison, which is something that is sorely missing in most of songs in this competition. The recording, aside from the short feed backs (at 1:45 and 2:23), is well balanced and full. It’s a perfect example of how a small ensemble can produce an effective impact. The use of Farsi lyrics is fantastic and fits in perfectly. I would personally cut about a minute out of this song.

Song writing/melody/lyrics: 19

Musicianship/instrumentation/effects: 20

Recording/mix-down: 18

Khak - Sabzi Foroush

This is a very well done pop song using guitars, keyboard, bass and drums. The lyrics are personal and interesting, and in Farsi. The recording is good. All the instruments work well together and sound good toether.

Song writing/melody/lyrics: 18

Musicianship/instrumentation/effects: 17

Recording/mix-down: 18

Kharazmi - Khooney-e Madar Bozorgeh

A fun pop/electronica song based on a children’s song that is composed, arranged and performed very well. The lyrics are catchy and the style of singing and the effects used are all quite befitting of the style. The recording is full and the mix-down leaves nothing to be desired. This is another excellent example of how to use experience and creativity in making sure all the parts of the song work together towards a common goal. It’s simply too bad that the mix-down level keeps hitting red although the distortion is fortunately not too noticeable. I love the fat analog synth sound and the way it’s used in this song.

Song writing/melody/lyrics: 17

Musicianship/instrumentation/effects: 19

Recording/mix-down: 16

Kooch - Dokhtar-e Lab-e Panjereh

This is a well-performed, and well-recorded song. The mix-down is perfect and you can hear all the instruments correctly and creatively. All the effects are suitable and sound good.  It’s a shame that there is some distortion present in the instrumental parts.

One aspect that needs to be worked on is the very long instrumental section that seems to take over the rest of the song. This section does not at all pair with the singing style for example, which is somewhat operatic. Again we run into the problem of the different elements not working together with a common message.

Song writing/melody/lyrics: 16

Musicianship/instrumentation/effects: 18

Recording/mix-down: 16

Koolak - Bedoon-e Tow

A good song that uses a lot of pop elements correctly. The instruments and the vocals are all well performed and recorded without the slightest problem. Different sections of the song  work well together. The usage of too much reverberation on the percussion part has made it a bit less punchy than it can be. The melody is a bit bland to me.

Song writing/melody/lyrics: 17

Musicianship/instrumentation/effects: 17

Recording/mix-down: 17

Kuarash - Acid Jazz

A very interesting ambient piece that shows a lot of creativity on both song-writing and performance sides. The melodies are interesting and work quite well. There is a bit of distortion present on this track, but I’m not sure, it might be intentional and used as sound effect.

Song writing/melody/lyrics: 18

Musicianship/instrumentation/effects: 17

Recording/mix-down: 17

Lunatics on the Grass – Sorrow

This is a nice soft rock ballad. The musicianship is good on all fronts. The lead guitarist does a very good job. But the song fails on several important fronts. First, the usual one, is the melody, which isn’t quite interesting enough. Then is the length of the song, which at almost 8 minutes, is way too long.  Thirdly, I didn’t like the mix-down. The guitar was so loud that you couldn’t hear any of the other instruments.

Song writing/melody/lyrics: 16

Musicianship/instrumentation/effects: 17

Recording/mix-down: 17

Majoud - Addicted Reality

This is a two-part electronica, one-part rap song, with lyrics half in Farsi and half in English, about addiction. The song has a good message, encouraging the addicts to give up their addiction, etc. I didn’t quite understand the urge to sing in English. I liked the Farsi parts better. The recording had a lot of distortion, and the different parts of the song didn’t really mesh together too well. But all and all, it was an interesting piece.

Song writing/melody/lyrics: 17

Musicianship/instrumentation/effects: 17

Recording/mix-down: 16

Mavara - Bar Bam-e Boland-e Aseman

This is a nice song that mixes several genres successfully. It has aspects of pop, rock, and new age. The overall feel of the song is good and enjoyable, although a few things need to improve. Firstly, I didn’t like the mix. I couldn’t hardly hear the vocals, and don’t even know if they were in Farsi or Englsih. The recording had way too much distortion in it. My levels were mostly in red! The intro was way too long and this song could have easily be cut down to 4 minutes.

Song writing/melody/lyrics: 18

Musicianship/instrumentation/effects: 17

Recording/mix-down: 15

Mordab - Trapped in Time

This is a pretty good death-metal song. The musicianship is quite good. I liked the playful interaction of the two voices. The recording and the effects used are all OK as well. Unfortunately the mix-down has a lot of distortion. The guitar sound could be lowered compared to other instruments that didn’t come through too well.

Song writing/melody/lyrics: 16

Musicianship/instrumentation/effects: 17

Recording/mix-down: 16

Motogen – Motogen

A reggae song with French lyrics. The melody and instrumentation are interesting and I enjoyed listening to this song. The recording is good, although some of the instruments were a bit too muddy. The solo melody, played by the flute is especially nice. The vocals have a nice feel to them as well. The drums and bass work well together. But what is that 20 second silence doing at the end of the song?

Song writing/melody/lyrics: 18

Musicianship/instrumentation/effects: 19

Recording/mix-down: 17

Mud - Vagh Vagh-e Sag

An interesting and creatively arranged mixed genre (hard-rock + pop) song that I enjoyed listening to. The melody and arrangement goes through a lot of sections. I loved the first 30 seconds because it started very strongly, and wish the song would stick to the same instrumentation and mix that started the song. This song needs to be cut down to around 4.5 minutes.

Song writing/melody/lyrics: 18

Musicianship/instrumentation/effects: 17

Recording/mix-down: 17

Nabz - Akharin Harf

This is an excellent alternative rock song that proves Farsi lyrics can work in this genre. The musicianship is excellent throughout, and the arrangement quite interesting. I loved the melody and the way the vocals sounded and felt. The recording is good except that it has some distortion during the guitar solo that as in many other songs, is mixed too loud. Note how the drum pattern stays constant throughout the song.

Song writing/melody/lyrics: 20

Musicianship/instrumentation/effects: 19

Recording/mix-down: 18

Namjoo - Begoo Begoo

This is a very interesting and creatively arranged traditional Iranian song. The rhythmic variation and evolving melody make this a very enjoyable song, although at seven and a half minutes it is a bit too long, but perhaps not for this genre. The recording and mix-down were good except that the delay effect used on many instruments created too much mud. I loved the interesting effect (was it sample-and-hold?) used at the end of some of the vocal parts. All together, this a very creative piece and very enjoyable.

Song writing/melody/lyrics: 19

Musicianship/instrumentation/effects: 18

Recording/mix-down: 17

Nefrin – Nefrin

This is a highly interesting pop song with a reggae beat and very funny Farsi lyrics. Although all the instruments are played on the synthesizer, they still have a pretty good feel. One could imagine that this song could sound a lot better with actual instruments. The recording is pretty good although some distortion is present. I loved the melody and the lyrics. The subtle auto-tune effect used on backup vocals is done just right. The length is also exactly right. All together, a very tasteful piece.

Song writing/melody/lyrics: 19

Musicianship/instrumentation/effects: 18

Recording/mix-down: 17

Nik Aeen – Barun

This is a well-performed pop/rock song with Farsi lyrics. The musicianship is very strong and the recording is quite good. The song form is a lot more complex than your usual verse-chorus-verse-chorus, and as such, an interesting song all together.

Song writing/melody/lyrics: 18



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