TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[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!!

[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

[Cracking the Code]

Cool synths at the beginning. I would've preferred the snare to be a bit more full-sounding and less static-y, but the rest of the sound design is really nice. The harmonic progression and melodic content are both satisfying, and the modulation at 1:07 is a nice touch. I think the texture could use a bit more fill in places, but at the same time I really like the relaxed vibe this has. The ending came on a bit suddenly. The piece loses a bit of cohesion between the pretty dynamic middle section, but still comes together well by the end. I like the mixing effects a lot here - there's a very spacious mix with some fun echo/delay effects on the lead. Overall solid work!

ChronoNomad responds:

Hey, TL! I really appreciate the critique, man.

Glad you like the synthy stuff, but I guess those snares just don't quite pass muster. Ah, well...I tried several on for size, and ended up choosing this one. What can ya do? lol

Lots of really nice comments, and I pretty much agree with your assessment. The abrupt ending was planned, so hopefully it works okay, but I'm not thrilled with that last transition into the main melody...or lack thereof. Sadly, just a couple days after rendering the track for submission, my computer gave up the ghost. Got a new one up and running now, but even if I'd wanted to make adjustments, the file is no longer accessible. :(

Eh, life goes on. Thanks again for stopping by, having a listen, and leaving a review! They always brighten up my day.

[Allowed to Dream Reality]

Woah. Really interesting harmonies at the beginning. Seems like you're using a lot of borrowed/applied chords. I really like the melodies at :45. Another unique thing about this piece is that there's a noticeably very wide interval between the voices; around 1:30, for example. Upon second listen, though, I might just think that because each line has such an unconventional contour. The breakdown at 2:23 works really well, and then the somewhat clashing chords at 2:41 sound rather calming. The piece ends with a somewhat tranquil, jazzy passage which I think did a great job of bringing these experimental "dreams" back down to earth. ;) Overall, really cool piece! I totally appreciate all the harmonic eccentricities here. Keep it up. ^_^

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Oh hi! Thanks for the review :DDD
I'm not sure if I'd call them borrowed chords or not, as there is no main scale. The scale changes with every chord (aside from a few exceptions), so I really don't know how else to describe it :p
I mainly use the same 4 chords, from 4 different scales.

I enjoyed reading your analysis of the different parts!

[Color Shift]

I like the quirky synths at the beginning. Flashy chords, smooth bass, and solid atmosphere. Vaguely reminiscent of funk between the guitar synths and heavily syncopated drum pattern. Melodies are strong, and overall the piece is smooth-flowing and well-structured. I really like the guitar solo at around 1:50. Production quality is great. Loud, clear, and punchy mix throughout. A couple of small complaints: the texture is made up of a lot of staccato-y elements. I felt like it needed some drone-like pads or something to smooth it over at times. Also, the fade-out ending lacked creativity. Other than that, really enjoyable piece. Sound design and production are major highlights. Keep up the good work!

Also, I've added you to the PM list for next year's NGUAC. :)

Tetfima responds:

This is probably the best feedback of my work that I've ever recieved, TL, thank you. And thank you, I think it would be cool to enter :) I have a version of Color Shift without the unneeded lead at 1:12 that I'm going to replace with. I really like the chords and bass there and the lead distracts from that. I'd like to hear more of your opinion on my future works, so don't be a stranger!

email: [e-mail]

[Kytoon - Save My Breath]

I like the smooth guitars and atmosphere. I wish you would've let the reverb fade out by its own accord at :21 instead of the sudden cutoff, but the raw vocals and progression are really enjoyable here. At times, I wanted the vocals to be more up-front in the mix, especially at the busier sections. One thing I really liked about the vocals was the call-and-response structure of some of the phrases, like at 2:20 for example. Nice touch with the solos at the end of the piece, too. The lyrics feel pretty powerful overall, and the structure definitely amplifies that effect. Production is super clean. Overall great work! ^_^

GhostLawyer responds:

Thanks for the thoughtful response! Always a struggle to keep the vocals on top of everything without getting too compressed - constantly trying to improve my mixing in that regard.

[Cat Trap]

Interesting rhythmic work at the beginning with the hats and metallic clanging sample. At first, I don't think the clanging quite feels quantized with the rest of the beat, but by :23 the piece comes together pretty well. I think the build-up into :23 is also really smooth. The atmosphere and sound design is great here, and the beats sound pretty crisp. The pause at 1:32 (and other places) was a bit long, and the synth at 1:38 was pretty grating on the ears. Overall, though, I think my biggest complaint here is that the piece needs more variety. The progression is very slow for most of the piece, and the piece gets very repetitive after a couple of minutes. I'd suggest implementing some stronger melodic content in the piece, even if it's just in a bridge or something. That would really help give the piece a sense of overarching direction. Still, the mood here is really engrossing and the beats are super catchy. Keep it up, DjRemedy!

djRemedy responds:

Thank you for another solid review, TaintedLogic! I appreciate the time you take in your comments... Couldn't have said it better myself. You rock!

[freezy destroyer]

I like the arpeggios at the beginning and the airy synths. Chord progression is a tad cliche, but I like the sense of build-up into :44. The drums could stand to come through the mix a bit stronger at the drop, but I like the rhythmic work with the bass. The arpeggios are getting quite repetitive by around 1:20, and the transition at 1:44 was really sudden. I think the harmonic framework of the piece could use a tad more fleshing out, but besides some potential for the drums to be punchier the mastering was rather good. There might be room for a tad more clarity by eliminating some reverb, but that's more of a detail than anything else. Arrangement/structure-wise, I think I wanted another drop to add some finality to the piece. The part at 1:58 felt more like a bridge. Overall, though, cool sound design and satisfactory job with the production. Piece is smooth-flowing and catchy too. Keep at it, man!

cathatmusic responds:

I have no memory of you commenting on this. but thank you for giving me some feedback! some of the stuff you mentioned I am just learning how to fix nowadays :p

[Transient]

Aha! Good to hear from you, Lockyn. ^_^ I like the spacey synth patterns quirky bass at the beginning. Really fun melodic riffs by around :40, and you really start taking it in a different direction with the piano melody at the 1-minute mark. I think some of the transitions could've been a bit more gradual/well-shaped, but tbh that's my main complaint here. The production quality is really strong as always. Crisp, clear beats and loud, punchy mix throughout. The drop at around 2:05 was a bit more ominous-sounding than I thought it would be, but I like how you quickly defaulted back to your smooth, beautiful melodies by around 2:40. :) I also thought you could've done a tad more with the drums throughout this piece. It's a pretty straight-forward kick-clap-kick-clap for most of the piece. The passion of the melodies at 3:47 was really nice. The second drop might've needed a bit more variation to draw some contrast from the first one, but at the same time I respect the amount of cohesion that you gave this piece (despite its quite substantial length). Classic Lockyn piano outro, too. Strong work again! Looking forward to listening to your whole album when I have time. Keep it up, man! ^^

Lockyn responds:

Hey TL, thanks again for the review. I agree with most of your points, very valid criticism. Cheers mate!