TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Recovery]

I like the dreamy atmosphere at the beginning. The heavily filtered arpeggios at :39 were a great touch, and overall the texture sounds really rich and full. The piano melodies at around the 1-minute mark were really cute, yet also took the piece in somewhat of a different direction. Overall, the pacing of the piece is pretty slow, but compared to a lot of ambient pieces it actually sounds pretty dynamic. The emotional height at around 2:50 was especially satisfying. There were some parts of the piece where I wanted the drums to be a bit more creative or present, but otherwise I thought you used the sound design really well here. The soothing mood and airy quality definitely make this piece what it is, though. Keep it up, Colin!

ColinMuir responds:

Thanks for the review TL!

[Sink or Swim]

Cute piece! The tempo feels really slow for a VGM track, but I like the melodies and progression. It might've needed some drums to keep it moving along at times. I can picture this song as a menu tune for a game, though. My favorite element of the piece was the victorious vibe at :33 (and again at 1:40). That said, I was surprised when the upper voice in the chord at :46 didn't resolve down a semi-tone like I thought it would. Maybe I just need to unlearn cliches, but it still felt like you rushed into the section at :50 a bit. Anyway, I'm over-analyzing as usual. Fun piece, Jordi! I hope you'll continue to experiment with new genres and moods. :)

[Direction]

Been a while, Garlagan! I love the haunting vocal ambient stuff at the beginning and the melody once it finally "lands" at :31. Part of me wanted it to be a bit more legato, but the rich chords underneath it really help fill out the texture regardless. Nice rhythmic work in the drums, too. By around the 2-minute mark, the main theme of the piece is getting really repetitive, despite some intense creativity in the non-harmonic elements of the piece. I think my favorite thing about the progression was the subtle transition to 6/8 time at 3:08. That part also had a really cute, waltzy vibe to it. The final refrain ties the piece together well, although I was still itching for a bit of a different direction to the piece by the end (no pun intended). The distorted, ambient content at the very end was really well done, though. Overall, I'd say my favorite elements of the piece were the sound design and production. Keep up the good work, Garlagan!

garlagan responds:

thank you TL!!

[-Momentary-]

Huh! Haven't heard a hip-hop track from you in quite some time. I certainly like the ambient quality and the way the chords cut off so precisely before the next measure. The details really make this piece what it is, like the subtle pause at :58 and the sound effects. I really like the brighter chord at 1:16, too. The drum samples are super nice and clean. I think the faster pacing of the chords towards the end is a nice touch, too. I agree that the piece doesn't really have a proper melody or a strong sense of progression at times, but for what it is it's a really enjoyable track. Simple in some regards, yet satisfying. Keep it up, Waterflame!

[Yötön Yö]

I like the organ at the beginning. The progression gets brighter as the intro moves along, and the percussion at 1:03 was a great touch. The mix is a bit quiet, but otherwise quite clear and crisp. Your lyrics are always so spiritual, Jordi. I commend you for taking on an immense challenge with the linguistic requirements here. ;) One instrumental choice that caught me off guard was the plinkish sound at 2:35 - is that from the organ too? Somehow it didn't quite fit the rich chordal atmosphere of the song in my mind. Excellent work with the sense of emotional height by around 3:35, though. This piece comes together very well, and I thought your choice of a rather melancholy final chord was strangely refreshing.

Sorry for not reviewing this sooner, and congratulations again on all your hard work over the course of the ADM! ^_^

etherealwinds responds:

Sorry I'm replying so late TL! Thanks so much for the review :) some really kind words!

[Mourning My Memories]

Okay. 'Bout damn time I got around to this. I like the fun, lively riffs at the beginning. Somehow, the chords seem a bit too rich and introspective to be danceable, though. I'm really enjoying the smooth flow and occasional dramatic pauses. The more reserved section at 1:10 was a really nice touch, too, and the spaciousness of the ominous part at 1:24 was great for some structural contrast. One thing I didn't quite enjoy about the middle section of the piece was that the rhythm felt rather square. It gets more interesting by around 2:10, but even then the piece lacks the flourish and energy of the beginning. I really like the compound melodies going on at 3:10, as well as the ritardando at 3:25. The droning vibe at 3:40, followed by the strong bass line at 3:50, really sold the drama of the piece. It's a huge compositional risk to have a track decline in energy overall over time, but I think you've done a great job of portraying a descent into melancholy here. The brighter sound of 4:38 caught me off guard a bit, and it sounds like you're taking the piece in quite a different direction by the end. Structurally, it reminds me of one of your (quite long) improvisations, where you explore a theme for a few minutes before moving on. It seems like that's what's going on here, except at a smaller scale. Overall, lovely work. This was an especially vivid listen. ^_^

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Thank you for the review!

Haha, I have a hard time imagining someone dancing to this :'D
Maybe if it was a very interpretive dance though?

I'm aware the energy decreases after the first section, and that's ofc quite intentional. I see the first part as someone trying to solve a suddenly arising problem, while still in decent spirits. After that attempt failing, the mood gets more melancholy (I imagine a character mourning whatever they've lost, while remembering the past). There's a bit of redemption at the end, at the sudden shift back to the earlier theme, but I wouldn't quite say things end well :p

As for the arrangement, I played around with a few different styles, somewhat differing from my general pieces, which might explain why it sounds a bit like my improvs!
Thanks again for the review :D

[Forgotten Promises]

Beautiful, calming instrumental. I love the imagery in the lyrics too, especially about the road swallowing night and day. The vocals themselves are also very strong, and the mix has a amazing degree of clarity and balance. If I had to complain about something, it'd be that the "drink with me and drown with me..." line sounded a tad too aggressive for the overall tone of the song, both in the content of the lyrics and the way the phrase was articulated. The sound design is one of my favorite parts of the piece. Sounds celtic and whimsical, especially with the fun little afterthought at 3:26. It really sounds like you guys had fun making this piece, which is great to hear. If you ever release an album, please PM me directly and I'll absolutely buy it. Congratulations again on all your hard work in the ADM this year! ^_^

[Windswept Cycling]

Cute piece! Sounds like a video game menu tune. Instruments are pretty cheesy, and I guess I would've liked to hear some more legato elements throughout the piece. The A-B-A form is really satisfying, though, and I like the melodies. Keep up the good work, LE. ^^

[TeslaX - False Consciousness Collapse]

I like the ominous ambient sounds at the beginning. The synth riff at :13 is a tad cliche, but the sound design really sells the intro regardless. There's a nice sense of build, although the pacing is a bit slow. The drop is pretty satisfying, and I like how the theme remains audible throughout. The frantic melody at 1:45 was a nice touch. The change-of-pace at 2:20 was a tad sudden, but I appreciated the structural contrast. I definitely didn't expect the synth guitar riffs at 2:47, but that part sounded really full-textured and cathartic. While most of the piece thereafter is smooth-flowing, I'm not sure I liked how the build-up into 3:44 essentially led right into another build-up. Overall, the piece is quite long and also somewhat disjointed. That said, the production quality is really good. The compression is very heavy, but everything is so crisp and clear in the mix. Well done on that front. There are some parts where I felt like there could've been a stronger sense of melody. The synth guitar bit is the only part where there's a prominent melody at an emotional height, and towards the end the piece descends into a series of mostly emotional, ambient sounds that don't seem to resolve some of the harder-hitting themes you introduced earlier. The one sound design choice I think was questionable in the piece was probably the violins at 6:30 - they just sound really fake. Otherwise, this piece is still a huge accomplishment. You definitely went all in for the final round, and I'm really impressed with your production skills and sense of storytelling. Keep up the great work! ^_^