TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Trenches]

I'm not judging your group, Kurtiskong, but I'm thoroughly impressed with this one. The atmosphere pulls me in right away, and the powerful vocals and ominous guitars are really compelling. If one word needs to be re-recorded, it might be "needed" at 1:18, and I also think the autotune briefly poops out at 1:08, but otherwise the vocal performance was really strong. The ending cuts off a tad suddenly, and I might've asked for some additional variety/layering during the second chorus, just to up the emotion to hit the piece home. But I really like how you stuck with your hip-hop roots for the beat while taking on a new genre with such gusto. Overall, fantastic work here, dude. Well-deserved frontpage! ^_^

Kurtiskong responds:

Thank you. I appreciate the feedback and kind words! :)

[Early Access - Closer]

I'm not even judging your group, but I think you nailed this. The vocals are so well used, the production quality is top-notch, and the rhythmic content/drops are amazing. In a lot of ways, the arrangement and sound design are pretty generic, and the vocals do get a tad repetitive towards the end, but that's definitely not going to stop this from being stuck in my head for the rest of the day. Fave'd and DL'd! Keep up the good work, man. ^_^

EarlyAccess responds:

Thank you so much man, i really appreciate that, ill take all the advice into consideration when it comes to making future songs! :)

[vice]

I like the soulful, eerie synths at the beginning and how they contrast with the dense energy of the drums and mid-range bass that come in shortly thereafter. The rhythmic content here is great, but I might've liked to hear some more melodic content. The breakdown at 1:15 helps keep the piece interesting by injecting some tranquility in between two sections characterized more by chaos. The production quality and sound design are both really admirable here, but I'm still not sure a piece this minimal is really my vibe. Still, you're clearly a really talented producer. Keep it up, man! ^^

mothlightx responds:

God damn. You have no idea how much this in-depth of a comment is appreciated. Lots of love for still giving it a listen (and some solid-ass criticism) regardless of if it's your vibe or not. <3

[Mystery (Original Mix)]

I like the airy and slightly eerie vibe at the beginning. The echo-y operatic vocals and crisp beats help give the piece a sense of interest despite the pretty minimal harmonic content in the piece. The mixing and mastering are really strong, though, and the sound design is really evocative and neat. The breakdown in the middle with the brighter tone was a nice touch, and I like the dreamy guitar at 2:43 too. The rest of the piece felt a tad repetitive, but you certainly have me sold on the atmosphere here. I could envision this being used in a video game or movie soundtrack with a post-apocalyptic theme as our protagonist gradually descends into a hallucinatory daze. Keep at it, man! ^_^

GalaxyTones responds:

Awesome! thanks for the review and kind words :)

[wakey wakey lil flowers]

I like the bright, cutesy tone at the beginning and the quirky lead synth at :15. The beat is really refreshing too with the heavy hi-hats. The clap sample is a bit generic, but the piece flows so nicely and the rest of the sound design is rather enjoyable. The melodies are upbeat and smooth, and I like the climax at 1:25 too - it comes on both gradually and suddenly, in a way. The final refrain at 2:36 helps hit the piece home too and makes the entire track feel conclusive. The outro with the distinctive pitter-pattery synth is nice as well. Strong work overall, guys! Sounds like spring indeed. ^_^

GrizzlyCogs responds:

wow thank you!

[AIM - Lowlands Scrapyard]

I love the cutesy vibe at the beginning and the instrumentation. The clarinet and violin solos toward the middle of the piece fit nicely, and this piece has a number of really well-crafted transitions, like at 1:43. The more subdued tone at 2:25 is also beautiful - that's the part that sounded most like the art to me. :) The bright tone at the beginning was a nice way to close out the piece too. Feels like, while earlier in the piece the protagonist was wandering around amidst a number of eerie, shadowy figures, at the end the sun has risen on this new world and it turns out the figures were just large dandelions. ^_^ Strong work, Everratic!

Everratic responds:

Thanks so much for the detailed review! I’m glad you like the transitions and story :) my favorite transition is at :28 because it uses f# as a connecting tone to return to c major, and while that note isn’t in c major, it’s still played in the background by the wrenchenspiel (it’s a unique 8dio instrument that sounds like a mallet).

[~SW~ The Yearning]

I like the atmospheric effects at the beginning and the warm pads at :10. The bright piano and click-heavy beat have really cutesy vibes. Naturally with you, the production is top-notch, and the piece has a good balance of energy from the rhythm section and warmth/languidness from the atmosphere. The middle section felt well-balanced between the prominent bass and melodic synth on top. I've always admired how you shape your transitions - they're conspicuous, but smooth and forgiving, like an overripe avocado thrown at a wall of sound. Great stuff, Skye! This piece is dreamy, upbeat, and warm, but also really catchy and engaging. Cheers! ^_^

SkyeWint responds:

Suuuuuuper proud of this track. I really want to make more DnB like it, especially if I can start messing around more with bass modulation. Especially feel proud because I synthesized everything from scratch (aside from the drums and *one* instrument, but eh) and feel like I'm finally getting a handle on making solid melodies, haha. It's only been, what. 11 years?

[RiLo-Fi]

I think the excited children in the background makes for a really evocative background for the piece. I'm envisioning someone who brought a guitar to the beach, and someone taps along to the beat using a stick and some nearby rocks. The piece has a really nice flow to it by the time the melody comes in at 1:03. I really like the airy outro too. Strong work, Skye! You set the scene really nicely here. ^_^

SkyeWint responds:

Yo, TL! Thanks!
God, I need to do more. Thought I'd be getting back into working on music, and then the final chunk of the uni term hit... On the plus side, still gathering plenty of academic resources for other purposes, at least. And no shortage of ideas or even motivation! Just shortage of time. :)

[Beware - AIM]

I like the cutesy and mischievous-sounding melodies at the beginning. The crisp beats and atmospheric flair to this mesh very well together. The vocals are full of whimsy and personality, and the lyrics themselves are also really neat, and have a nice comedic element too. The creepy backing vocals remind me of some early Connor Grail tracks ("Not You Again" from 2017 AIM, for example). The structure of this piece is so effective - it tells a story for sure, but the harmonic framework remains very internally consistent. The mixing and mastering is top-notch here, Spadez, and honestly I had no idea you were such a talented vocalist. You've totally got me in the mood for Halloween in June. Best of luck in AIM! ^_^

Spadezer responds:

Pulled a fast on on you guys with the vocals. I've wanted to use lyrics for quite a while but never found a good way to use them until this.

[Anima Sentia]

I like the crisp strings at the beginning and the buzzy atmospheric effects. The mastering quality is particularly impressive here, and the airy synths at :33 serve well to push the reset button before the orchestral elements come back in. The guitar solos at 1:06 also fit into the flow well. The minimalist beat in the background throughout most of the piece really helps tie things together, despite the large amount of variation in the texture. I like how you brought back the crisp strings for the end to make the piece come full-circle. The little swell of voices at the end also tells me there's more of the album to come. :) Energetic yet pensive, catchy yet atmospheric, you nailed it again, Syamori! Congrats on the new album. ^_^

Baumarius responds:

Thanks TL! I appreciate the review. This is one of my latest tracks, so it makes sense that much of what I've learned would shine through. I definitely had fun with this one - it reflects how I've been feeling lately.

This song and the album as a whole is a statement that I'm finally awakening musically and personally - as if I'm finally showing up. I think I've finally figured out mastering too! After picking apart my music with my new headphones, I've realized that there's so much misinformation out there about how to actually master your music...

The next track (On Crystal Wings) is up on my NG if you'd like to listen as well! I'm gonna save the rest for release day :D