TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[endK - Cotton Glade]

---Official AIM review---

I like the cutesy, upbeat vibe at the beginning and the melodic content that begins shortly thereafter. Bass is especially prominent in this one, too. The texture is a little thin at times, but I love the call-and-response style that occurs between several of the melodic instruments. They just mesh together really well, both rhythmically and harmonically. There’s also quite a lot of structural variety between the sections at 1:17 and 1:51. Production quality is top-notch as usual. Everything sounds really crisp and clear in the mix. The final refrain at 2:35 did a great job of hitting the piece home. I especially like the quirky descending line at 2:51. The sound design is really fun, btw. I think I have to take issue with the ending, though. It came on a bit too suddenly. I think it would’ve been cool to create a slightly more downtempo rendition of the main melody (an echo effect, in a way) as a coda, although that’s just one idea. Overall, strong work yet again. Keep it up, EndK! :)

9.5/10

endKmusic responds:

I was actually quite happy how the ending turned out, since, at first, it was supposed to be 10x worse. >.<
But I do agree that it could've used some more air in between or that I could've slowed down in some way, as you said, to get you kinda more prepared, eventhough I'm pretty satisfied with the result.
It kinda sudden and not sudden at the same time.
That 2:51 lick was my favorite part too!
Thanks for the kind words and nice in-depth review Andrew! :)

[4:18am]

Really moody and distorted texture. The sudden pauses in the piano riff (:17, :34, etc.) don't quite work for me. Otherwise, it's a really flowy piece, but those bits interrupt that flow. Vocals have a lot of passion, and the lyrics themselves are also really good. Sounds more like a one-sided conversation than anything else, which I really like. I guess my only major complaint is that it's not structurally complete. Could also use some additions to the texture to show a little more directionality. Still, I especially like what you've done with the piano and vocals here. Keep up the great work, Steelside!

[Spitfya - Adventure (Original Mix)]

I like the sense of action that the beginning insights. Fun synth riffs in the mid-high range again. The vocals fit into the texture of the piece well while also adding some flavor. My favorite part of the piece was the dense rhythmic texture at 2:05. I also liked how you thickened the vocals for the second rendition of when the guy says "NOW!" That was quite a thematically tasteful touch. This piece sounds especially bouncy and fun. Something about that lead synth makes it seem like I'm about to enter into the ring to fight that mutant narrator. XD

Anyway, so glad you decided to join Newgrounds, man. I probably wouldn't have found you otherwise. I will be buying several of your tracks and also recommending your music to my friends. Keep up the great work!

[Spitfya - Left Behind (Original Mix)]

I like the ominous, wavering, atmospheric synths towards the beginning. Once again, the piece has a really ethnic vibe, yet also a strong sense of climax and intensity. In this piece, I think you could've been a bit more creative with the drop. The texture was completely dominated by that one mid-range instrument. The vocals during the bridge (1:50 or so) add a lot to the piece, though. I also appreciated how you highlighted that weird, jittery effect during the calmer section at 2:20. Piece has more straight-forward structuring than a lot of your other piece, but I really thought the variations at around the 3-minute mark added a lot to the sense of variety. Ending was amusing, too, despite the overly harsh note at 3:48. Great production again. ^_^

[Spitfya - Apocalypse (Original Mix)]

Nice start. More of a regular rhythmic pattern than the other tracks of yours I've reviewed tonight. The distorted vocals are a nice touch too. The texture sounds somewhat exotic, especially with the odd intervals/jumps between notes in the section at :48. I like the more contained, measured sound at 1:27 too. I really like the melodic content in the vocals at 1:36. I think that's one of things that your pieces in general seriously lack: strong melodic content. The glitchy content at 2:42 probably constitutes my favorite part of the piece. The vocals at 3:02 just sound terrifying. You've got the sound design of this piece like a puppet on your strings, man. Compared to a lot of your other tracks, this piece also has a much greater variety of textures, moods, and energy levels, which I applaud. I also really like the synth riff at 4:09. In a way, the ending of this piece was really dragged out, especially with the ping-pong panning and repetition of "you can hear-", but overall the piece comes together really well as the "bridge" of the album between songs that are more uniformly intense and punchy, even if it is the title track. Nice work yet again!

[Spitfya & Desembra - Cut The Check]

Very engaging intro to say the least. XD The beats at :09 are solid. Catchy synth riffs and punchy drums are a good combo. Mix is really loud and clear. I love the smooth, groovy bass riff that fills the space in between the gritty mid-range bass during the drop (:38). Sound design is just really unique overall, and I like the call-and-response nature of the drop. Also the ominous mood. Sounds like Halloween. That said, the mood shifts really suddenly at 1:51 to this brighter, warmer sound. It was a sudden shift that isn't very well integrated into the rest of the piece tbh. I also thought the second half of the piece was a little too similar to the first half. There was room for a lot more dynamism than there was from a compositional standpoint. Overall, though, really strong work again. These breaks, vocal samples, and other elements of the stinging, thick texture here sound really, really good. Keep it up, guys!

[Spitfya - Empire (Original Mix)]

Really tight beat at the beginning. Ten seconds in, I can already tell that the production quality is really high and that you have a great sense of flow and structuring. The phasing synths are a nice touch. I thought the transition at :45 could've been smoother, though. The build-up into the drop at 1:00 was good. Really engaging stuff throughout, although at some point I think the piece needed more structural variety. There's a lot of energy in this piece and not a lot of shape and contrast in the intensity. That said, 2:17 was certainly an emotional high point that serves the piece well. Overall, I guess my main complaint is that the harmonic framework of the piece is very simple, using the same chord progression A LOT without much strong melodic content. You're clearly a really talented producer, though. There's a lot of variety and flavor in this piece, and everything sounds really clean and punchy. Great work overall!