TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[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.

[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.

[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

[Merry Synthmas]

I like the cutesy synths and rich atmosphere of this one. Production quality is solid, and the crisp drums and luscious reverb give the texture a nice buoyant feel. The blissful mood and quirky sound design keep me engaged until the end, although the structuring of the piece seems pretty stream-of-consciousness at times. Overall, great work! Merry Synthmas to you too. ^_^

maximusmonk responds:

That seems like a spot-on description... especially the stream-of-consciousness part. :P Thank you!

[Dream or Die]

Yeah, this is a piece I regret missing the first time around. Simultaneously melancholy and meditative, I love the smooth piano lines and clear, almost conversational vocals. The lyrics are kind of dark - despite the often ambiguous tone of the instrumental tracks, they seem to be describing an abusive relationship. Really evocative content, guys! Looking forward to seeing how you do in this contest (jk - I know it's already over lol). But congratulations on your success in the NGADM this year, and Happy New Year! ^_^

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

That certainly is an interesting interpretation :p
Thanks for returning to review this! I hope you had a Merry Xmas, and that you'll have a Happy New Year :D

[mind fog]

I like the wonky chords at the beginning. The string pads at :11 aren't my favorite, though - don't like how the attack is basically non-existent. The sing-songy vocals are neat. From what I can tell, the lyrics are good too. The beat could've been a bit more up-front in the mix, but otherwise the production quality here is really strong. The breakdown at 1:10 or so was a welcome switch-up to the texture, and I also enjoyed the transition back into the refrain later on. The section with the really drawn out "I can't say" line got a bit annoying, but I enjoyed the filtering phasing effects that become prominent at around the 3-minute mark. Overall, neat track! The experimental texture and blissful vocals give this a really dystopian vibe.

ihatecontortion responds:

thx also i was saying "is it you or myself i can't stand?"

[A Wish for Companionship]

Congrats again! This piano sounds great. Airy and well-balanced, with an especially resonant quality in the upper-mid range. As for the composition, the melodies are beautiful, the languid pace fits the character of the plugin well, and I like the details like the modulation at :58 and the ritardando at the end. Neat track, Everratic! Also, where is the picture in the description from?

Everratic responds:

Thank you! The picture is AI art from Midjourney.

[Robot Bebop]

This is a jazzy and fun one! I might have liked the percussion to be a bit more prominent in the mix, but the piano and synths blend together so well, and the rhythmic content is great as well. The circus-like vibe at 1:19 is just the cherry on top. Really creative work, Ben! Sounds like it could make a decent loop too. Keep it up! ^_^

BenTibbetts responds:

Thank you! I agree about the percussion. I'll work on it. I appreciate your attentive listening and helpful comments!

[Changing Tides]

Wow. I love the rich atmosphere at the beginning and the mysterious mood. The mallets/bells that come in during the first minute help create a sense of motion, while the brass melodies at :55 solidify the sense of tranquility and majesty that pervades the piece. The different elements of the texture blend together quite nicely, and as the atmosphere fades starting at around 1:50 I'm reminded of the long exhale of a large sea create, perhaps a whale. The minimal outro also fits the piece well. Really strong work here, Ben! Happy holidays. ^_^

BenTibbetts responds:

Hey, thank you for the lovely description and kind words! Happy holidays to you as well. :)