TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Spring Chicken]

I like the sing-songy vibe and old-school instrumentation. Sounds very Hollywood indeed. The mixing is rather good, so I think your hard work paid off on that front. It does get a tad repetitive for my tastes, but I still really appreciate the intricacy of the orchestration. The cutesy ending is also super nice. I can totally see this going into the soundtrack of one of those videogames where you dress up characters and then have to do their makeup/hair/nails with great precision. :) Keep up the good work, SFW! ^^

sleepFacingWest responds:

Thanks! I agree with you, but the repetitive structure is unfortunately hard baked into the project demands. A lot of the tracks I'm doing these days are for a stock music library which is an interesting challenge and I've learned a lot. In order to be usable, the track needs to instantly elicit a familiar genre and emotion, and needs to pretty much stay there the whole time. While shifts in tone, theme, instrumentation, etc would make a better piece of standalone music, it would force an emotional change that likely won't coincide with whatever is happening on screen. Likewise, custom sound design also makes for a more unique/individualized product, but becomes too niche for general score use. It's weird...the unique artistic stuff that is fun to listen to gets more attention, but the flat and sometimes schlocky stuff gets more use. My current employer prefers schlocky. As a composer who can find both worlds interesting, challenging, and fulfilling for different reasons, it's difficult to figure out which way to lean. In the end, I really just want more work.

[Secrets of the Universe (Sky Prancer, Track 2)]

I like the foreboding mood and crisp percussion at the beginning. The intricate rhythm at :30 is great, and the way the drone suddenly cuts out at :45 somehow makes the texture even more haunting. The distorted strings at 1:20 are nice, even if their entrance is a tad abrupt. This piece has a really nice slow climax, and the electronic elements at 2:20 provide a good counterweight to the legato, drone-like qualities of the pads. I also really like the forlorn quality of the duduk at 3:20, which in turn flows nicely into the strings at 3:50. The piece really starts taking on a frantic, cinematic vibe at this point, almost reminiscent of a chase scene in a desert landscape. The tempo automation at the end was a bit underwhelming as a conclusion to the piece imo, but you definitely told a story with this one nonetheless. I'm usually a bit fastidious with pieces that evolve constantly like this, but the sense of flow and narrative form is excellent here. Keep up the good work, Syamori! Congrats again on your album. ^_^

[Zo]

I like the tempo automations right off the bat and the fun, jazzy feel. Excellent sense of atmosphere too. The drum patterns and sound design are awesome, and the jittery lead at :45 sounds ghostly in a way. I like the burst of intensity at 1:25 and the crisp beats that follow. The emotional height there is glorious, and the transition into the tranquil, pensive conclusion was beautiful as well. You really told a story with this one, 1f1. If I had to complain about something in the entire piece, it might be that the echo effect at 3:16 felt a tad out-of-place. Otherwise, this track is as excellent as it is diverse. Keep up the good work! ^_^

Onefin responds:

yo TL!

this is funny actually bc i had a feeling you'd be on the fence about this one because it has the verse-chorus-verse structure that you disliked in some of my earlier pieces

i appear to have been wrong about that though

[Sky Prancer (Album Out Now!)]

I like the suspenseful vibe at the beginning and the rhythmic framework. The sound design is top-notch as usual, and your production is also quite clean here, even with the generous dose of reverb and atmosphere here. The call-and-response between the flute and sitar (and later violin) at around :40 is nice, and I love the live cello. The vibrato is impressive, and the level of concentrated intensity in the sound is really wonderful for a live instrument. The escalating intensity through 3:25 is nice - the piece often feels a little contained before that point. The violin solo at 3:26 is nice too, although the re-entry of the cello and other instruments was a tad sudden. This piece has a bit of a predictable phrase structure at times, without many longer melodic phrases for the listener to really sink their teeth into. I'm not sure it has quite the strong sense of ebb and flow that a lot of your other tracks have. That said, I still really like it as a pensive cinematic track with some evocative sound design and glorious atmosphere. Keep it up, Syamori! I'm looking forward to listening to the rest of the album. ^_^

[Amber]

I like the contained, groovy sound at the beginning and the tape-shifting noises in between that and the cutesy beat at :15. The mix is really clean, and the sound design has a really funky and refreshing vibe. I like the melodic flair that comes later on (at around :45), and the post-chorus instrument that sounds like whistling (:55). The breakdown at 1:20 was also really cute, and the rhythmic variations at 1:45 work well to provide a bit of a burst of energy. The organic-sounding drums is a nice touch here in an otherwise very electronic-sounding piece. I think the texture often has a lot of staccato-y elements, but that doesn't bother me too much because the melodies are pretty smooth and the flow of the piece is still solid. Overall, not much to complain about here! Strong work, 8-bitheroes. ^^

8-bitheroes responds:

Thanks very much for taking the time to leave some excellent feedback :)

[Terminal Velocity (demo)]

I like the bright-sounding guitars and underlying cinematic vibe this has. Almost sounds like an anime soundtrack. The element of suspense is nice, and there also lots of cool riffs like at :42. Sometimes I think the synths and guitars are fighting against each other a little too much, though, especially since they're both pretty staccato-y and frantic. I'm really liking the added intensity by around 2:20, especially since that section had a more melodic flair. I'm looking forward to hearing the vocals! Seems like it's a piece worthy of some storytelling to go along with it. :) Keep it up, MetalRenard! ^^

[Time In a Bottle (Cover, Jim Croce)]

Lovely to see you posting again, Ceevro! I like the smooth, soulful guitar at the beginning. The vocals are good, but sometimes they were a little weak in the mix relative to the guitars. The piece has a really nice flow, and I like how before every vocal entrance there's a slight anticipatory pause. The slightly darker, pensive vibe after the last verse is a nice touch too. The composition is fairly simple, and part of me wishes you tried to add more onto it vis-a-vis the original, but regardless you guys are clearly talented guitarists. Hope to see more of you around the Grounds soon! ^^

Ceevro responds:

Dude, if you had any idea how tricky this is to perform as a duet...I'm amazed at how well my brother did at this...his guitar skillz are amazing, but he does it for himself...no interest in performing or recording at all. Sometimes I wish I could be like him. He just gives zero fucks about the outside world. I was honoured that he recorded this, entirely because he knew I wanted to. I doubt he's ever even pulled the page to see how it sounded. There's something inspirational in that.

[Moonflower, II: Close]

A fittingly emotive and relaxing conclusion to this wonderful and diverse EP! It has a great sense of ebb and flow about it, especially with the tempo and contour of the melody line. Very human-sounding music here. That's what I like to hear. :)

[Sunday]

I really like the tranquil mood at the beginning. The cutoff at :08 really threw me off, and you definitely took the piece in a different direction starting at :10. I like the smooth, jazzy undercurrent of the piece and the sound design. The bouncy piano, quirky pads, and groovy bass are especially good choices. The breakdown at 1:58 is also a nice melodic interlude. During some of the busier sections of the piece, I couldn't help but feel like you could've done a little more with the drums, but the melodic variations towards the end help keep me engaged, and besides the first 10 seconds the flow and phrasing of the piece is really smooth and pleasant. Strong work overall, Miyo! ^^

[In My Garden (feat. annapantsu & feebeechanchibi)]

Wow, Rose's voice sounds really cute. :3 You really told a story with this one, Miyo. Sounds like something right out of a broadway musical. I'm really engrossed by the quality of the vocals and how well the instrumental palette complements them. Rose and Eden are the perfect names, too. ^^ The emotional appeal of 4:30 is great, and the extended melodic section ("la la la's") at the end was a great way of hitting the piece home. It's pretty cheesy at times, but the little snippet of dialogue at the end made me laugh. This is wonderful work. Remind me to book a train ticket to New York so I can see your broadway hit in a few years or so, Miyo. ^_^