TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Kings & Queens]

I love the edgy guitars at the beginning and the powerful vocals. The lyrics themselves are also really good. "Bleeding on the inside where it grabs you" is probably my favorite line. The production quality is rock-solid, and the flow is so smooth throughout. I love the solos at 2:40, too, and the breathy whispered line at the end was a good way of winding the piece down. If I had to complain about one thing, it might be that the refrain feels a little open-ended. What's binding the kings and queens? Musically, that phrase also feels rather unresolved. Maybe that's intentional, though it still bothers me. Anyway, top-notch track here, y'all! Love the sound design and crisp production. ^_^

[Geoplex - Breathless (feat. Lyra Ivy)]

Oh man, how did I miss this? I like the bouncy vocals and punchy beats. The lyrics are a little hard to discern, and the vocals theoretically could take up a bit more space in the mix, but otherwise the production quality here is superb. The melodies at 1:10 are killer, and there are also some great atmospheric details, like the orchestral instruments at 1:40. The melodies at 2:30 or so are also really engaging and energetic, and the chopped vocals later on in that phrase also get high marks from me. The melodies at 3:30 hit the piece home nicely. Overall, I'm really impressed with the amount of variety here, and the mixing, atmosphere, and sound design are all fantastic as always with you. Keep it up, Geoplex! ^_^

Geoplex responds:

Hey TaintedLogic! Thanks for the feedback <3! I have to say I completely agree with you on the vocal presence. In earlier iterations the vocals were much louder, I have some regret for how they ended up. Tbh this song was really over-produced. Gotta remember to always follow my gut :)

[Barely Here]

Ooohh. Scrumptious rhodes at the beginning. The minimal beat and rich atmosphere of this piece are great. The furtive vocals and wave-like synth patterns round out the sound nicely, and the glitchy beats help keep me engaged despite the minimalism. I like the echo-y vocals at the 3-minute mark or so - it's a little hard to discern the lyrics, but in a way the mood speaks for itself. There's a great sense of building energy in the texture by around 4:30, with the solos underlying the vocal lines really driving the piece forward. The piece never really reaches a point of climax, but in a way that fits the whole subtle and furtive mood of the piece. The distorted vocals at the end don't quite work for me, though - they're a lot less smooth and flowing than the rest of the texture of the piece. That said, I think the "body" of this track is really neat and evocative. Keep it up, LAPSE! ^_^

LLAAPPSSEE responds:

Yer reviews are scrumptious as ever!

Nice to read you like the vox as I'm still a little shy/unsure about them -- probably why I try to subtly hide the phonetics of the lyrics a bit. I also kinda like the idea of people mishearing lyrics and filling them in, ha.

I suppose ~4:10 would be considered the "climax" of this piece, for me. The boiling/bubbling like subs in the background. It really is a sorta ez rider though, overall. The ending vocals are more of a "post credits" kinda thing. They happened on accident. My audio interface bugged out and had a lot of latency/choppy audio while I was recording a take. I kept recording and just started talking about whatever came to mind. At the time, I felt like it sounded like some weird transmission from across the universe or something. I just riffed. I then heavily edited that further. So yeah, it is a bit out of place, but that's just part of the fun. ;)

[Mr. 36 is buried in the ground now. But I don't understand why.]

I like the frantic and dissonant riff at the beginning and the warm, jazzy chords overlaying it. I'm not a huge fan of that snare sample - somehow, it sounds pretty dry and flat relative to the atmosphere of the piece. I like the E-piano solos at around 1:55, and the texture really fills out nicely by the end. I don't mind that snare too much when it's overwhelmed by the pensive, jazzy solos. :D Solid work, LAPSE! ^_^

LLAAPPSSEE responds:

This whole piece started because of that intro glitchy synth noodling. Another happy accident. I get where you're coming from on the snare. It's just a simple noise generated snare. I suppose to reminisce and reference old 8-bit/16-bit games. Maybe it's just to loud. I should go back and add some little effects flourishes or something here and there to break it up. Or some light volume adjustments here and there. Sometimes you just get caught up in a drum groove and let'er ride.

[Fresh Metropolitan]

Really catchy track! I like the crisp drums and quirky synths. The harmonic content is a bit repetitive, but the compositional details help round out the sound nicely. I especially like the squeaky effects at 1:05 and that minimal synth bass that sits so well in the mix. You faked me out with that bridge/interlude thing at 2:38, but it was good for some variety and also showed off the bass more. Groovy stuff. Keep at it, Leia! ^_^

[-🅰🅽🅾🆃🅷🅴🆁 ѕᴘєᴄɪaƖ Ｄａｙ-]

I like the cute melodies and catchy beats. The lead's descending contour at the end of every 4-measure pattern sounds a little awkward at first, but I get used to it as the piece goes on. The relaxed breakdown at 1:20 was a nice touch, and segued nicely into the stripped-down refrain later on. Other than that, it's a little repetitive, but I like the upbeat mood and instruments. Happy birthday!

[Like that]

Woah, you should go digging in that graveyard more often! Love the crisp beats and catchy rhythmic content. The lyrics are a bit generic, but the production is clean and the compositional details (Super Mario effects, backing vocals, etc.) fit well. Later on, the piece gets a tad repetitive, and the texture is pretty minimal throughout - maybe a bridge or something would help keep it more interesting. The pitch-shifted vocals at 2:48 were a nice touch, though. Keep it up, guys! ^_^

Kurtiskong responds:

Always love seeing your analysis of my music. This is an old one we made for fun to try and sound like Chris Brown or something.

[Iron Lung (Day 1)]

Gratz on having the first NG audio submission of the year! I love the smooth tenor vocals and funky instrumentals. Production quality is solid, and you nailed the blissful and bouncy mood. Perfect way to ring in the new year! Keep it up, TeraVex. ^_^

[Legend]

I like the ominous mood at the beginning and the echo-y vocals. The texture is a bit bare at times, but I'm enjoying the build-up into :41 and the gritty mid-range bass at the drop. Elements of the sound design and arrangement are a bit generic, but the vocal details ("oh"s and "hey"s) are nice, and the sample at 1:25 also fits in well. Overall, my favorite element of the piece is probably the production - it's crisp and well-balanced, but also not over-compressed or artificial-sounding. The atmosphere and vocals are also big pluses here. Strong work, Annihilate! ^_^

[Lift]

I like the airy pads at the beginning, and the chord progression kinda reminds me of "Holy Night." :D The piece is a bit slow-paced at times, but I like the blissful mood and cutesy synths in the upper range. I wish the drums were a bit more prominent in the mix, especially the hats at 1:30 or so. You might even consider transposing them up an octave. By 2:45, the texture is really coming together well, although at some point I would've liked to hear some more dynamic melodic content. Still, nice job with the sound design, harmonies, and mixing. ^_^

Arctnu responds:

thanks a lot for the detailed review, it helps me a lot :) also the opening chord progression indeed sounds a bit like Silent Night because I started working on this song right before Christmas