TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Deadbeat]

This song is enormously catchy. I love all the punchy synths. The production quality is fantastic. I love the breaks at 1:42, as well as the more tranquil bridge at 2:07. The build-up at 2:23 was a little brief for my tastes, yet on par with the fast pace of the piece overall. I especially like how the melody was momentarily hidden underneath the crash at 3:23. It's very subtle, but really lets the piece "reset" before the coda. Awesome work as always, man. Has Monstercat signed you yet? :D

[Sly (Amethyst Edition)]

I like the atmosphere at the beginning. The sub-bass was an interesting touch. The distorted chords at :38 distorted the bass riff a lot, though. I'd suggest some compression, stereo widening, and maybe even panning to help spread out the frequencies. The tonality of this piece is really cool. Sounds like it should be playing in the elevator of a shopping mall that only sells punk t-shirts. On the surface, it's smooth and fun, but definitely has some harsh frequencies and edgy riffs. It doesn't really feel complete yet, not in the least because of the sort of additive continuity of it, but I'm looking forward to hearing some of the other songs you have on this album. Keep it up, man! ;)

[California Breeze]

I like the pulsing effect of the bass and the phasing. Sounds very clubbish and progressive. The chords at :30 are very dry and staccato, but add a cool anticipatory mood to the piece. The synth harmonies are really catchy, too. I think you should cut this track in half and turn it into an intro for a song with a bit more melodic support and direction. Otherwise, sounds good. Keep it up, TeraVex. ;)

[Daybreak]

Ah! I think I missed this one. I like the rhythm in the synths during the first 20 seconds or so, as well as the early emotional height at :22. Trademark pop piano at the chill sections, too. This piece has a lot of direction to it, and I love those juicy hats that pop in at around 1:40. Your transitions are subtle but effective, like 1:57 for example. There's a lot of variety here, but I think you did a nice job of tying it together. The chords seem a little distorted at 4:03, but that might just be because of the range of the sample. That chill outro at 4:54 was great, too. Definitely one of my favorite endings of yours. I think you should try more downtempo EDM in the future. You've definitely run the gamut of melodic bangers. Keep up the great work, Lockyn! :D

Lockyn responds:

Hey TL, nice to see you again. Thank you for your detailed reviews as always, I'm happy you enjoyed the ending because that was one of my favorites to make. Cheers mate :)

[rural home]

I like the jangly guitar sound. Sounds just inauthentic enough to be great for the video game. ^^ I thought the melody instrument at :49 was a bit overly-compressed (or maybe just a little heavy on mid-range frequencies), because it sounded a bit too forceful for the general mood of the rest of the piece. I also thought you overdid the reverb on the snare. You also start using a completely different drumset altogether at 1:37, which was a bit jarring IMO. Overall, this is a cute track with a lot of bizarre transitory moments that detract from it a bit. I also didn't like the silence at 2:24. It makes the track momentarily lose its flow. That said, the instruments fit their purpose well, and the loop is smooth. The mood is definitely my favorite part of the piece, though. Definitely appropriate for a cheesy indie game set in the countryside. Keep up the good work, Johnfn. ;)

johnfn responds:

Heh, well I suppose you caught on to the way this piece was written. I just kept on randomly adding and deleting sections, hence the odd transitions. I don't think they're thaaaat bad for the most part though... (The only one that really jars when I relisten is 2:17, there was really no lead up to that at all lol) And I really like the silence but it's super hard for me to judge how other people like it.

I really need a half-decent guitar VST.

P.S. OMFG ITS A CLAP NOT A SNARE U INCOMPETENT LIL... jk i luv u

[my friends are no help]

Yes! This brings me back to your groovy, glitchy days. :'D I love it. It's still just as catchy as your other tracks, with a much more experimental and innovative flair. The melodies at around 1:20 are awesome. The mixing in general is pretty water-tight, but I suppose I would've liked a little more kick during the particularly manic section at 1:37. Excellent job of changing things up for this track, though. I was going to ask what the lyrics were, but the vocal clip at the end cleared it up. ;) That crash at the end was so hilariously cheesy that my laugh bent the fabric of space-time. Nice work as always! Insta-fave and DL. ;)

johnfn responds:

Expect a resurgence of that kind of old-johnfn-skool nonsense. Except with better melody writing. Since I finally got better at melody writing! It had to happen eventually I guess.

But really keep an ear out, I'm gonna release some of the best songs I've ever written before the end of the year.

[painting]

Well, even if this isn't the best piano improv of all time, it still is beautiful and has some pretty spectacular melodies. I love how it's alternately busy and energetic and flowing and spacious. I've missed your piano improvs, too, Johnfn. Between you and LucidShadowDreamer, my iTunes library is a solid 20% piano solo stuff now (not really)! Excellent job bringing out emotion in this piece, though. It has a very natural-sounding sense of pace too. I was crying at the end too, but mostly because the track cuts off suddenly. :P All joking aside, nice work. Your piano skills continue to improve markedly.

Also, I have to ask: did you actually write an improv that somehow got deleted or something? Because that sucks. :'(

johnfn responds:

I actually do still have the other piece. I dunno if I can release it though... I mean to my ears it is perfect but it is flawed in some ways.

[-Striker-]

It's catchy and engaging, but still upbeat and fun. I think the melody gets buried underneath the heavy bass and kick at :41. I would suggest a high-pass. Still, I like the mood here a lot. You definitely pleased the Geometry Dash crowd, I'm sure. ;)

[Lamentation]

Octatonic scale! Fancy. It sounds inherently a little melancholic, especially with the dissonant notes at around :22 and other places. It has a smooth sense of continuity, yet also seems very succinct and well-structured. I also like the little turns and ornaments (e.x.: 1:17). The mood at 1:39 got much more blissful and reserved, and I like how you kept the sound nice and spacious going into the breakdown section at 1:58. You use modulations a lot. In my opinion, 2:25 didn't do much to add a sense of direction to the piece. Sometimes varying the melody is a more meaningful way of creating a final climax rather than simply modulating it. Either way, cool piece. The ending didn't seem as fleshed out as it could've been, but this piece has a great mood about it. Nice work, BO. ;)

[Tribute to Detektivbyrån - Re-recording]

Upbeat, flowing, and busy. Gives me a sense of a group of men in top hats walking down the street, trying to decide which bar to go in to celebrate Frank's birthday. It's a short piece, but there's very little structure except for a little ritardando at 1:14 before the coda. I would've liked to see this fleshed out more, with some more highs and lows dynamically and emotionally. That's pretty much my only complaint, though. Keep up the good work, Ale!

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Hey! Two years ago, you thought this sounded like spring, but also like montage music! Which fits well with the tophats xD
I also must be doing something right, since this re-recording has half a star more!

Wait... What does the ritardado have to do with structure? Perhaps you mean variation in the arrangement? That, there is indeed not, nor did I want there to be, since this is just something I did for fun many years ago.

Dynamically, there are highs and lows in the composition, but I think your critique once again, falls on the slightly flat arrangement, which is fair. I wanted this to be pretty upbeat all the way through, even though there is another ritardando at 0:40, which you mentioned in your previous review!

Thanks for checking by! Any music of your own in the works? I noticed a couple days ago that you uploaded a new track, and I haven't gotten a chance to check it out yet, so I'll do so after responding to your next review :D