TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Goa Codex]

I like the ominous mood at the beginning and the cool filtering effects on the synth bass. It's pretty minimal compared to most of your other tracks, but the atmospheric vocals at :55 add a nice melodic flair. The koto is a great touch, especially the frantic riff at 2:15 - it really marks the beginning of the climax of the piece during the middle section. At around the 4-minute mark, the drums don't quite pop through the mix enough for my tastes, but there's plenty of content to keep me engaged and drive the piece forward. Again, the vocals at 4:50ish really break up the pizzicato-y synth textures well. The transition at 7:30 where a lot of the dense atmospheric elements fall away was a bit sudden, though. The harmonic content in this piece is pretty repetitive, and at some point I think it would've been advisable to scale back the energy and do some more storytelling. That said, you guys nailed the sound design, atmosphere, and rhythmic content, and overall the production quality is also rather impressive considering how dense the mix is. Strong work! The piano riff at the end made me smile, too. Always looking forward to your next fruitful collab, WF and pftq! :D

[The Rain (2022)]

I like the prominent bass line and syncopations. The transition at :25 was a bit cheesy. Mixing and mastering are solid, though. The phrase structure gets a tad repetitive towards the end - feels almost cyclical in a way. But again, you nailed the mood, sound design, and vocals. The automated female voice was a good choice for the "bookends" of the piece. Solid work, man! Where can I listen to the full EP? Do you have a Bandcamp? :)

[Lost & Found]

Hey, I remember you! Glad to see you're back posting again in 2022, man. This has a really feel-good and upbeat vibe, and the lyrics are really good too. Your production quality has improved a lot in these last few years, too. The vocal editing is super clean, too. The piece might get a tad repetitive towards the end, but the solo at around 2:15 is a nice touch. Keep it up, Zac! ^^

[-Jungle Driver-]

I like the percussion and the groovy bass at the beginning. The arpeggiated synths (like at :32) are a really nice touch, and the variety in the sound design helps keep things interesting despite the minimalism. The vocal samples are especially nice in this - evocative and adding to the rhythmic density without being overused. I'm liking the more eastern-sounding instruments at around 2:35 too. The rhythmic content is an absolute knockout here, btw - it's going to take me a couple more listens to get a full sense of the syncopations and phrase structure of it all. The echo-y vocals at around 6:00 are also super neat, and somehow flow really well into the slightly eerie melodies at 6:23. The thick textures here just further highlight how good the production quality is here. Overall, really cool track, WF! Probably my favorite of yours since you released Vast. :D Keep it up!

Waterflame responds:

Ahh hi man! First I just want to thank you for always leaving such in depth reviews. I don't have time always to answer it all but I do catch them. And I really appreciate all the kind words :D I personally feel like I could have done a little bit more with this vibe, but it felt natural to end it there. Glad you noticed all the little things going on! Those are kind of the main draw yeah. I WILL keep it up!

[Primordial Beach]

Ooo...I'm really noticing the differences here. Gives the piece a slightly brighter tone and a deeper contrast with the apprehensive mood of the rest of the track. The rhythm is a bit dense for my tastes at around :45, but again, you guys nailed the atmosphere and production on this one. Also, interesting that it loops. Is it designed to be in a video game? Either way, sweet track! ^_^

[Primordial Complex]

I'm also down for a WF/pftq collab. This one is a little minimal at the beginning, but I like the ominous tone it starts taking by the time the piano and vocal pads come in. Really nice job with the sound design on this one - the combination of the percussion, cutesy mallets, and horror-esque ambient effects make this piece sound both cinematic and exotic. I might've liked to see a bit more development in the composition, but the atmosphere is just engrossing. Nice work, guys! ^_^

[Needlemouse - All Is Lost (Sarah's Theme)]

I like the dreamy and pensive mood. The texture is a tad muddy - probably equal parts the generous use of reverb and the close proximity of the instruments in terms of frequency. The composition could've been more dynamic, but the sense of flow and relatively stable energy level of the piece would be good for a video game soundtrack. The melodies are nice. I almost expected it to loop, but the laughter effect at the end works too. Solid stuff! Keep at it, TheMusicalManiac. ^_^

[Who Knows]

I like the dreamy tone at the beginning and the filtering in the first 20 seconds or so. The quirky drums are nice too. Once the piano becomes prominent at around the 1-minute mark, the piece feels really uplifting, and I'm enjoying the bridge at 1:35 too. The piece flows really nicely, but also has a lot of variety, and the production quality is top-notch as usual with you. At times I think you overdid the reverb a tad, but it really helps fill out sections like 2:45 well. You also threw me off a tad with the guitars at the end. I still find your chaotic and variational style to be really engrossing and unique. Hope you start posting more often than once a year soon. Keep it up, Garlagan! ^_^

garlagan responds:

thank you TL! and i hope so too lol

[Movin On]

Really cute sound palette and neat rhythmic elements. It's like I never know what kind of instrument is going to come in at the end of every 4-bar mini-phrase. :) The mix is really loud and clear, and I'm hearing some similarities in melodic contour and instrumentation to "Moon City" and some of your other tracks. The melodies and phrase structure feel a bit meandering and aimless after a while, but the cutesy percussion was a nice way to end the piece. Dorky track indeed, but it totally puts a smile on my face. Keep it up, Michael! ^^

Michael-Flaherty responds:

I really appreciate the review. Thanks a lot for listening!