TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Psybot - Digital love]

I like the dreamy synth pads and grouchy bass towards the beginning. The piece comes together well by :56 - the rhythm of the phrases (or maybe it's the meter overall?) feels really wonky and front-loaded, but it creates a nice sense of ebb and flow in short bursts. The vocals don't quite work for me, though - they sound a tad thin and nasally. The melodic content later in the piece - 3:05 or so, for example - was well done, though, and with the harmonies you layered on to the final refrain at 3:45, the piece felt conclusive and climactic, unlike the last piece I reviewed. Overall solid work, Psybot! ^_^

[Psybot - Neon lights]

I like the mysterious mood at the beginning and the 80s dance vibes inherent to the sound design. The progression is a little slow-paced, but the mix is super clear and the rhythmic elements help keep things interesting. At some point, I would've liked to hear some more dynamic melodic content or other major point of structural contrast. The transitions are smooth here, but the piece doesn't feel like it's leading much of anywhere. Maybe you were going for more of a "slow burn" sort of piece, but the climax towards the end felt a little underwhelming imo. The sound design, atmosphere, and production quality are very good, though. Keep at it, Psybot!

[Sailing Okeanos]

I like the ominous and cinematic tone at the beginning and the sense of build into :32 or so. The electric guitar at :36 was a pleasant surprise, and it blends in really well with the dramatic flair during the rest of the piece. This is something I'd really like to see you finish, Ale. The entire piece feels like the background music to the trailer for an epic robots-take-over-the-world-themed action movie. Maybe I can write the movie script, and you can finish the song? What do you say? :D Either way, stellar work!

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Haha, thanks! I'm glad you like it :D
It's also nice to hear from you, I hope you're doing alright. I've been very busy recently, but in a good way. A lot of it involves music, actually! But I've kind of left this piece behind, even though it was interesting. I hope to be able to share some even cooler stuff eventually, and perhaps then we can collaborate in one manner or another ^___^

[Happy Person Anthem]

NO. I refuse to believe that I missed this. The melodies are super catchy and engrossing, and the production quality is top-notch as usual. I love the echo-y vocals and the guitar strums. The wobbly synth solo at 1:07 made me smile. The layered vocals at the 2-minute mark or so work really well, and the blissful chorus during the last minute really hit the piece home nicely. Love the vocals that you transposed up the octave there. :D Overall, really strong work, johnfn! Hope you still pop into NG occasionally - haven't seen you around recently. Cheers! ^^

[Timmy's Very Bad School Day OST - 04 - No Talk Me]

Punchy and refreshing track, LE! The school bell sound effect and jazzy drums at :35 were highlights of the piece for me. You talk about Timmy getting "angry" in the description, but this piece sounded more upbeat and wholesome to me than anything else. Maybe I just need to play this game, haha. :) Btw, killer melodies and sound design on this one. I can tell the track loops really well too. Keep at it, man! ^_^

[Colors of Life]

Welp, took me way too long to review this! I really enjoy the whimsy and elegance of your orchestral compositions, Everratic. The melodies here are really lovely, and you do a great job of adding dynamic contrast and phrasing while maintaining a cohesive narrative arc. The production quality is excellent as usual, and the atmosphere and sound design of this one are particularly good. Keep it up, man! ^_^

Everratic responds:

Thank you for the nice review!

[Rite of the Woods - NGADM ROUND 3 (2021)]

Another one I'm sorry I missed the first time around. Again, very dreamy, like you're trying to capture a child's sense of wonder in a song. I love the gradual sense of climax over the first couple of minutes, and the woodwind melody at :45 is gorgeous. In fact, all of the sound design here really hits the spot, from the crisp strings to the subdued percussion to the evocative mallet riffs. The percussion really shines during the middle section of the piece - 2:10-3:00ish, before the woodwind melodies take over again. The transition at 3:38, while a bit abrupt, fits well with the narrative arc of the piece, and the modulation at 4:13 was a great way of driving the track home. Really great stuff, Elias! ^_^

[Squared Modern Nihilism]

Man, I keep forgetting to check out your new stuff! This is really dreamy and neat. A little eerie at times, but I can't decide if it's more majestic than eerie. Love the arpeggiated riff at :45 and the subtle build-up into 1:14. The sound design and atmosphere remind me of 1f1n1ty in his prime, and while the harmonic content is pretty simplistic at times, the textures and energy levels are well-varied enough to keep me engaged. The atmosphere is still probably my favorite part of the piece, though, and the production quality is great too. Strong work, dude! ^_^

[Tarot Girl]

I like the relaxed mood at the beginning and the muted percussion. The vocals also have a much more mellow and furtive tone than I'm used to hearing from you. At times, they come across as a tad mumbly, but that may be more of a mixing than a recording issue. I like the brighter tone at 1:46 and the minimal breakdown at 2:27. The spoken word bridge was especially nice - echo-y and mysterious, but also candid. Strong work, dude! I'm sure your client was happy. :)

[With Gun & Burger]

HAHAHA! Must've missed this one. I like the banjo, eagle screech, and other vocals. The variety of sound effects - car horns, roosters, guns, etc. - actually fit in with the overall sound design rather well. You guys thread the needle between opera house and Meemaw's front porch vibes brilliantly. The mixing and mastering is really good too, and the orchestral melodies really round out the piece well. I can totally picture this as the soundtrack to a country-themed action movie. Thoroughly amusing stuff, guys! ^_^