OFFICIAL JUDGE COMMENTARY - MADHATTEREVALUATION OF YOUR CHALLENGE 1 TRACKThe instrumental: Completely original, and I can tell Thunderball had fun making this one. It reminds me of old Kottonmouth beats (when they were good)... It's minimalistic, electronic, but not too electronic... switched up every once and awhile, has a rolling chorus which makes you not just just nod your head, but if you're in a particularly goofy mood like I usually am, swing your head all the way around.
Timing: I honestly didn't even pay attention to timing because I was having too much fun. Let me go back and listen again... Aw yeah, timing is REAL important when you've got such a simple-style beat, and you guys did real, real good. A complaint? Sometimes when you guys overdub eachother, some of you are a little early and late, and that bugs my ears a bit, but I'm being picky here. This track is tight-knit.
Energy: Yup, energy is there. Read the comment below. These guys would be great live.
Emotion: These guys are having fun and don't give a good god damn if you care or not, haha. Awesome.
Musicality: These guys definitely know how to use the beat to their advantage and mix it up with the different breaks in the music. As quirky as they are, I would definitely say this is something they do well.
Creativeness: Having heard their first cd, I can assure you Southside is creative, haha. I say that because they're nutty as hell and you never know what to expect. This song does kind of have the appeal of a Lonely Island-type track, but it's not parody music on purpose. These guys just rock it and come silly sometimes as well. "We talk about our dicks too much" is now the thing looping in my head today. Gee thanks, guise. Haha.
Flow variety: Yup, plenty of different styles and cadences here, which I loved.
Vocal quality: I have a major gripe with the way the vocals were mixed on the album I've heard from you guys, but that has nothing to do with this competition. I just had to get that out of the way to make a point here - Your vocals sound nice and crisp on this track, and everyone's levels are pretty equal. Keep this mixing style up, it tops the other things I've heard from you guys (in my opinion).
Additional comments: I really enjoyed this song, and I'm not scared of a little variety on the label. I can see Southside with us with a bit of tweaking, sure. This song alone shows me that you're dedicated to challenges and that you would all probably be a blast live. I have no major problems with this track at all. It's a keeper for sure. Oh, and mentioning Scrub Club in the first verse could never hurt, right? :P there's always room for improvement, but being a busy group, you guys really impressed me on the work you put in in the time frame you had.
EVALUATION OF YOUR MUSIC SITE UPDATESFirst impression without having to scroll or click through anything: The official site? The image that stands out leads me to believe these guys play a lot of live shows, and that instantly helps their credibility. Although it took me a split second to find it, the navigation is right here on the page, but an average listener may have to look for a bit to see it as well. They'd have to be dumb to completely miss it, but yeah. Hah. Everything's crisp and it looks good. The MySpace? Big splash banner displaying your name, easy enough. Here's an average misconception, I imagine... Is your name Southside and your album title is "Liquors," Or are you Southside Liquors? I can see how people can mix that up.
Graphical attractiveness: The official site? Crisp. Professional. Decent color scheme (I love that color of orange, and I think it's been obvious when I use it so much). There's not too many images to be seen here, but the ones that are their (logos and that big show poster wall image) work. The MySpace? There are no graphics besides their next performance and the banner I already mentioned. It could use some more. Color scheme is pleasing.
Cohesiveness: The official site? It all makes sense and comes together. The MySpace? As straightforward as can be.
Amount of content: The official site? Not too much. A bio, static show schedule, and an image gallery would have been awesome. I like your recommendations (oh look, Hipster, Please!) page. You guys have a million stories to tell, I bet... so put up more content! The MySpace? Same deal... At least you've got some photos here, but an official bio would have been nice, and the recommendations text may be a little too much for your left panel. You're using your blog, which is cool. Moar moar MOAR content, pleeeez.
Overall professionalism of the sites: The official site is professional. Could use more content, but it works, it's simple to use, and it covers most of the bases. Good job. The MySpace is just fine for a MySpace.
Additional comments: I can't stress this enough - MORE CONTENT! Give your fans something to sink their teeth into once they've already been pulled in by your music, or they might get bored and head right back out with nothing extra to do.
