So, you've probably heard of Songfight...

August 26, 2008 6:49 PM

So, you've probably heard of Songfight by now. It's a competition in which every week or so, musicians submit a song based on a given title. Anyone can enter. What you probably didn't know...

...is that, among other artists, MC Frontalot and KOMPRESSOR both got their starts submitting to Songfight. Notably, MC Frontalot has never lost a fight.

posted by LSK (40 comments total)

Well, he does front the most.
posted by Mikey-San at 6:56 PM on August 26, 2008 [1 favorite]

No, that would be MC Frontsthemost. Different guy.
posted by davey_darling at 7:01 PM on August 26, 2008 [3 favorites]

I THINK I DELETED IT
posted by loquacious at 7:01 PM on August 26, 2008 [1 favorite]

No. I haven't heard of MC Frontalot or KOMPRESSOR, either.
posted by yhbc at 7:07 PM on August 26, 2008

No. I haven't heard of MC Frontalot or KOMPRESSOR, either.

You ain't missin' much. "Joke" acts that stretch the one-note joke way too far. MC Frontalot is a white guy with coke bottle glasses that raps about computers and math (hahaha get it, he's a NERD and he RAPS! High-larious), although his flow is actually pretty OK. KOMPRESSOR is a parody of 90s German industrial-metal bands like KMFDM, etc. that's pretty funny the first time you hear it, but the returns diminish pretty quick.
posted by DecemberBoy at 7:13 PM on August 26, 2008 [2 favorites]

Our goal is to provide a venue for new music and creative expression on the Internet. Keeping that goal in mind, the proprietors of songfight.org must reserve the right to add and remove any content from songfight.org at any time for any reason, as they see fit.

I'm actually more interested in hearing the removed content
posted by mannequito at 7:19 PM on August 26, 2008

K is for KOMPRESSOR.

And I guess that gets old IF YOU HAVE NO SOUL!
posted by kittens for breakfast at 7:20 PM on August 26, 2008 [9 favorites]

MC Frontalot is more than a one-note act... Floating Bridge (warning - MP3 link), for example, is witty and fun and has nothing to do with computers or "nerdiness".
posted by Spacelegoman at 7:33 PM on August 26, 2008

No. I haven't heard of MC Frontalot or KOMPRESSOR, either.
posted by yhbc at 7:07 PM on August 26 [+] [!]

You ain't missin' much.
posted by DecemberBoy at 7:13 PM on August 26 [+] [!]

THIS IS ME ON YOUR LAWN.

MC Frontalot isn't as simple as a nerd/math rap joke. Check out "Mountain Kind", "Yellow Lasers" or "Special Delivery" if you can find copies.
posted by loquacious at 7:40 PM on August 26, 2008 [5 favorites]

KOMPRESSOR is Drew of toothpaste for dinner, no?
posted by dismas at 7:57 PM on August 26, 2008 [1 favorite]

Yes, and he's said that he's fine with people distributing his Kompressor-era music for free.

So here's a Pirate Bay torrent of his entire catalogue. I just leave it in my uTorrent and seed it whenever I'm torrenting.
posted by Pope Guilty at 8:05 PM on August 26, 2008 [3 favorites]

Yes, and he's said that he's fine with people distributing his Kompressor-era music for free.

So here's a Pirate Bay torrent of his entire catalogue. I just leave it in my uTorrent and seed it whenever I'm torrenting.

This whole comment (and concept) makes me so happy I could cry unicorns and shit rainbows.
posted by loquacious at 8:18 PM on August 26, 2008

a nerdcore is fine too.
posted by knowles at 8:34 PM on August 26, 2008

So, you've probably heard of Songfight by now.

Nope. Can't say I have heard about it.
posted by ericb at 8:36 PM on August 26, 2008

Kompressor is TPFD Drew? That explains a lot.
posted by tehloki at 8:36 PM on August 26, 2008

You know, I always thought Drew and Brian Posehn were the same person.
posted by tehloki at 8:36 PM on August 26, 2008

SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION.
posted by The White Hat at 8:49 PM on August 26, 2008 [1 favorite]

I shalt not front a little.
posted by adamdschneider at 8:54 PM on August 26, 2008

Oh, and uh, it looks like I'm the only seeder on that torrent, so please seed it once you're done, or else people are only going to get downloads while I've got uTorrent on.
posted by Pope Guilty at 10:01 PM on August 26, 2008

I always mean to enter a Songfight but then I don't.
posted by chococat at 10:23 PM on August 26, 2008

"Gonna Be Your Man" is great. Frontalot was also the subject of a documentary that premiered at SXSW this year. Good stuff.
posted by waxpancake at 11:02 PM on August 26, 2008

dismas: "KOMPRESSOR is Drew of toothpaste for dinner, no?"

Yes.
posted by sveskemus at 11:16 PM on August 26, 2008

This whole comment (and concept) makes me so happy I could cry unicorns and shit rainbows.

I once cried rainbows and shit unicorns. The first part was nice, but the second part hurt like a motherfucker.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 11:38 PM on August 26, 2008 [1 favorite]

MC Frontalot is more than a one-note act... Floating Bridge (warning - MP3 link), for example, is witty and fun and has nothing to do with computers or "nerdiness".

Except, wasn't that song inspired by a show on bridge engineering Frontalot saw?
posted by Mikey-San at 11:49 PM on August 26, 2008

You ain't missin' much. "Joke" acts that stretch the one-note joke way too far. MC Frontalot is a white guy with coke bottle glasses that raps about computers and math (hahaha get it, he's a NERD and he RAPS! High-larious)

This is somewhat like saying that They Might Be Giants are a joke act that stretch their one note way too far (HA HA. They're nerds but in a rock band! And sing songs about EXPRESSIONIST PAINTERS).

Frontalot's music is a lot more sincere than you're giving him credit for. It's important in hip hop to be rapping about what you know, right? Well. Clipse-style coke rap, or whatever, coming from him wouldn't make any sense and wouldn't be believable. He raps about things he knows + cares about.

He's not any more a joke act than Jonathan Coulton. Just because there's humor in the music doesn't mean the artist is doing it for LULZ.
posted by sparkletone at 12:13 AM on August 27, 2008

Except, wasn't that song inspired by a show on bridge engineering Frontalot saw?

Yes? And?
posted by sparkletone at 12:13 AM on August 27, 2008

Oh, I get what he's saying now. It's still a nerdy song, but not about being nerdy.

lO"$
posted by Mikey-San at 1:47 AM on August 27, 2008 [1 favorite]

Frontalot's always going to be a bit of a guilty pleasure for me, but seriously, listen to his rhymes and delivery (collectively categorised as 'flow', I believe) on It Is Pitch Dark. Yes, part of the pleasure is the oblique cultural references, but it's not just another godawful internet 'novelty' rap - the guy's extremely technically accomplished.
posted by RokkitNite at 3:38 AM on August 27, 2008

Frontalot's live act is also very well-done.
posted by reventlov at 4:13 AM on August 27, 2008

You ain't missin' much. "Joke" acts that stretch the one-note joke way too far. MC Frontalot is a white guy with coke bottle glasses that raps about computers and math.

How is rapping about computers and math a one-note joke but rapping about money and women isn't?
posted by DU at 4:16 AM on August 27, 2008 [3 favorites]

OBLIGATORY MC CHRIS LINK
posted by SPUTNIK at 6:49 AM on August 27, 2008

That kompressor song is kind of amazing.
posted by ph00dz at 7:16 AM on August 27, 2008

Songfight! My friend, and old college room-mate started SF and I used to be a regular competitor under various names. Gill Sans, Jon Bennett, George, and as half of the duo Shortcakes. Those were my favorite contributions. I still think we got robbed on Shipwreck.

Fun times.
posted by JBennett at 7:46 AM on August 27, 2008

Shortcakes kicked ass. I used to run around singing Eternity Without You kind of often.
posted by damehex at 8:32 AM on August 27, 2008

Nope. Can't say I have heard about it.

I always kind of assumed you were the same Eric B that hung out on SongFight; so now I don't know if your statement is sarcastic or not.

SHAMELESS SELF PROMOTION
posted by davejay at 9:18 AM on August 27, 2008

I'm actually more interested in hearing the removed content.

Oh, I know you're joking, but here you go anyways: a NSFW song that was removed from songfight.org. The artist went by the name Rockin Oxen and the Huge Coxin, and for no reason they wrote a song called "Dark All Day" where they try and be insulting by describing all this graphic gay sex that is supposedly being had by me (I record music under the name "15-16 puzzle").
posted by 23skidoo at 9:44 AM on August 27, 2008

the guy's extremely technically accomplished

Yeah, I said his flow is pretty good - if it weren't for the lame "nerdcore" gimmick I'd probably be more into him. The beats are totally backpacker shit, though. Like, Eminem is an excellent rapper, but that doesn't mean I want to hear any of his music past maybe his first record. Joe Satriani is an extremely talented guitar player, but that doesn't mean I want to hear any of his music at any time ever. There's more to it than technical ability. The annoyingness of the gimmick sinks the whole package.

How is rapping about computers and math a one-note joke but rapping about money and women isn't?

Congratulations, you've won MOST WHITE SUBURBAN COMMENT OF RECENT MEMORY! Tell him what he's won, Bob! Why, it's a fabulous pair of orange rubber shoes and white knee socks! Dude, try knowing about a thing before you talk about it. I will never understand why people who don't listen to or like or know anything at all about hip hop always feel compelled to talk about it. ALL ROCK N' ROLL IS ABOUT LOOSE WOMEN AND COCAINE, AM I RIGHT? HURF

This is somewhat like saying that They Might Be Giants are a joke act that stretch their one note way too far

No, They Might Be Giants are just plain fucking awful. MC Frontalot is a pretty good rapper with a really annoying gimmick, while They Might Be Giants and their entire fanbase should go on a long ocean voyage in a boat with a hole in it for the good of humanity.
posted by DecemberBoy at 11:12 AM on August 27, 2008

Although I should note that I did dig that "you are likely to be eaten by a grue" song. I don't want to sound like I totally despise the guy, I just think he's overrated among internet types and the whole "nerdcore" "haha-let's-subvert-hip-hop-stereotypes" thing is annoying, in large part because I suspect it appeals in part to people with the "all hip hop is dumb music about bitches and money" attitude expressed above. Like, I don't think there's many people who own a Frontalot record and, say, a Nas record.
posted by DecemberBoy at 11:27 AM on August 27, 2008

I will never understand why people who don't listen to or like or know anything at all about hip hop always feel compelled to talk about it. ALL ROCK N' ROLL IS ABOUT LOOSE WOMEN AND COCAINE, AM I RIGHT? HURF

Congratulations on your strawman. I hope when you burn it in effigy of me you achieve catharsis.
posted by DU at 2:53 PM on August 27, 2008

Using the word "gimmick" implies that you don't think he's being sincere. Well, I've met him -- he played at our con last year, and hung out with us at the San Diego ComicCon -- and he's a true-blue geek (and an extremely nice and unpretentious guy). He raps about the stuff he knows and is interested in, and why not? Why should he rap about anything else?

If you don't dig his stuff because it's not topics that you're interested in, that's fine. But writing it off as a "gimmick" strickes me as kind of a dick attitude.
posted by rifflesby at 10:10 PM on August 27, 2008 [2 favorites]