Random-storykeeper's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[AIM - Panorama Drone]

This entry feels very fixated on this particular moment captured in the picture, which I really like about it. Those long held, slowly evolving chords feel like the atmosphere is breathing and moving around while being held on this one scene as time moves on, but the structures remain stationary. I love the choice of synths to create this pretty breathtaking atmosphere in the composition, but their timbre also gives this sense of industrial structures becoming a part of the spectacle (as seen with the electrical tower and the presumably shining lights from buildings in the art inspiration).

The single melody that does persist throughout the track is gorgeous and works with the accompaniment quite well. I do wish that there was more of a gradualness to the way the melody was introduced. It did feel a bit too sudden and to hear this sudden and somewhat stagnant sounding synth blaring out against these long and evolving chords in the background felt like it took me out of the atmosphere. This, however, is mitigated once the higher synth takes over the melody and it begins to pan around. I didn't hate the first synth carrying the melody, but it does take a bit of getting used to after it first enters.

Overall, the unique atmosphere created by the synths really elevated this entry for me and I enjoyed being engulfed in its presence.

CryNN responds:

thank you for your review!

[AIM - Skyocean]

The ocean-meets-space aesthetic is one that is interesting to convey musically, considering the connections these settings have in real life and how we perceive them (astronauts training in the ocean, ocean creatures of the deep are often described as being very "alien") and the differences in which they are conceptualized musically.

In this entry, I think that the underwater setting comes through quite clearly to me. There's this rocking motion I get from the rhythm at the intro that feels like waves rippling through the ocean's surface while the more constant three-note arp following it makes me think of dipping under the water's surface and seeing all the life flourishing around you. At around the 1:13 mark, there starts to become instances of a faint bubbling sound that gently enters and exits in the background. If separate from the art, I would have thought this to be an underwater piece.

Given the surreal nature of the art, I would have expected some of the "space" qualities to become intertwined with the underwater atmosphere, but I wasn't getting a lot of the outer space/sky aspect that was part of the art. I get that the synths are supposed to evoke those vibes, but they seemed so integral to the compositional base of the underwater part that it just seemed like it was a developing idea for the ocean concept. As a result, it ends up contributing to the ocean sound instead of being discernable as a space/sky sound.

The mixing overall seemed to be an issue, with synths sticking out and not being balanced with the accompaniment. The synth that enters at around the 1:10 mark and around the 2:00 is just a bit loud compared to the rest of the mix. However, I do think that the idea of the changing modes does elicit that sort of mysterious, otherworldly tone throughout the piece that hints at being spacey, though I do wish that space/sky atmosphere were more prevalent composition-wise. A lot of the piece is very low and grounded, so maybe some higher and softer synth tones up top would give the idea of a sky or space being present.

I do like that the melody is happy and cheesy in a way that complements the cute cartoon style and the bright colours of the artwork. Overall, there are some interesting ideas at play and I think you took a good approach in terms of using the art inspiration. I just think there was more of an opportunity to capture the sky element that I don't think was quite there.

TebyTheCat responds:

Yeah, while I had many ideas as how to convey the ocean I struggled with bringing the sky/space elements
(and I wish I had finished this earlier so I'd had more time to figure out the mix's issues)

[AIM - Nightly Stunts]

I like the soft lofi instruments at the beginning, which give that sense of perspective of being inside something (like a car) and observing the scenes outside. The gentle arps also help to convey a nighttime, melancholy atmosphere. From my perspective, this piece seems like it's from the perspective of someone who wants to go out to the buildings with the neon signs, but is not able to at the moment.

The biggest setback of this piece for me is the production. Once past the intro, a lot of instruments start sticking out when they could have been integrated more into the mix. Once the piece gets louder at around the 2:20 mark, the drums feel completely drowned out. In addition, the synth at 1:55 being panned to the left while also being loud created an imbalance in the audioscape, especially while having it remain without any other ideas taking the right side.

Overall I think the intro and those arps were the strongest points about this entry and ones that suited the art inspiration the most. It was nice to hear them pop up again at multiple times throughout the piece and felt like a good respite.

BusanBlack responds:

I appreciate the feedback. I'm going to continue improving and hopefully I will come back with a better production and balance of my songs. I know I can make some great melodies and beats but I just cant get over the hump of pristine audio quality.

[AIM - As Screaming Shadows Consume Us]

Out of all the past entries I've heard of yours in AIM, this one inflicts a sense of fear that feels very shrouded in darkness and being alone with non-human entities just annihilating your body inside and out. The orchestral instruments draw upon the disorientation and pure terror of the unknown. You don't know what's coming but it feels like it's going to be so much more horrible than imagined.

I love the use of the voices and the way they "creep" into the orchestral instruments. The way it builds, taking its time is a one-of-a-kind experience. I was almost surprised it didn't get even more chaotic towards the end, despite those voices taking over. The way the piece waits until the very end to finally consume you not only connects the music to the art, but brings it to a horrifying life.

Overall I did feel like this was like an Expressionist piece drawing upon very dark times or moments. You've always been strong at devouring people with your music, and this is no exception.

[AIM - Girl With A Knife]

I love the idea of incorporating knife sounds that you recorded and using them in many different ways. Utilizing the kitchen knife as a sample throughout the piece is a creative and resourceful way of drawing inspiration from the art.

For an art piece that portrays a sinister but silly character, I feel like this entry leaned more into the silly aspect, especially given the bouncy nature of the composition. For a piece based off a particular character, I feel like there was a missed opportunity to give this character more sense of a personality that is being held back by the repetition of the piece.

Although I like the concept of using knife samples in the piece, I wasn't a huge fan of the execution and having the rhythm of the knife sample at 1:40 hitting the same emphasis on the beat that the rest of the piece had done beforehand made the whole piece fall flat for me. With such a prominent and distinct sound becoming the forefront, I think there was more opportunity to explore some variation in rhythm and pitch that would have helped transition to the buildup splat at 2:59 more effectively.

Full disclosure - while I'm aware that this is based off an FnF character, I have little to no familiarity with this game and didn't really see how this piece reflects the conniving expression given off by the character in the art.

ChromaCee responds:

Thank you for the feedback :)

[AIM 2022 | Siberg - The Journey]

Now this entry is just perfectly suitable for driving at night on the highway. There's that very constant rhythm that even applies to the longer held notes at 1:10 pulsating through the phrases and that continuous driving melody (no pun intended) that keeps the whole piece moving forward. Listening to this entry while focusing on the art was mesmerizing and I can only imagine what it would be like actually listening to this while driving on the highway at night.

When replaying this piece, I found myself not being as into the introduction as I am in the main part when the percussion kicks in. It feels like it could have been half that length, especially given that the second half of that introduction is basically identical to the first half - melody-wise and the subtle buildup could be moved to the first half while still being within that 3-6 minute limit for AIM entries.

That aside, the main part of this track is solid and fits the art inspiration by being both a driving piece and getting the setting and time of day down musically. I really enjoyed the resonant buzzy bass - kind of made me think about the engines of a car revving and it was a cool detail.

Siberg responds:

I wish I took more time to polish up this track. I would change some stuff now, but it is what it is. Thanks for the words and thanks for hosting AIM every year. It's fun making music to an art piece and I look forward to making something for you to judge next year :)

[AIM - Cosmic]

It's super neat to see that this entry was inspired by an art piece that was music-inspired art. Music inspired by art inspired by music (and twice in fact, seeing as there was another entry this year also inspired by this same art).

The thing that stands out most to me about this track is that it conveys the atmosphere of the art it's inspired by really well. That reverbed snare fills the space and adds a large scope to the audio-scape, and I like that it manages to be a part of the constant rhythm while not bleeding into other measures - which is important due to the repetition of that contouring downward melody. Overall, I get this feeling of being in the centre watching entities swirl around and away from me in the night sky.

I liked listening for that main hook when it was more subtle and other ideas kind of took over it. I think there could have been more of that in the variation of how that main idea was presented rather than it being more in the background or in the bass - perhaps some change in rhythm or subtle changes in chord progression could have alluded more to the different types of creatures seen in the art.

Regardless, I think the atmosphere you've created is solid and it certainly felt very large scale. I can definitely hear the inspiration drawn from the artwork.

[AIM 2022 - Night Rain]

What I like most about this entry is that it manages to be relaxing while also having an infectiously catchy hook. I really enjoyed that combination of the bassline, piano and those syncopated chords. There's also a lot of interesting choices being made in the progression, mainly with that turntable sort of sounding percussion, eg. at 1:00. It almost feels kind of unsettling in a piece that is otherwise pretty calming.

Even though the groove maintained a consistent energy throughout the piece, I felt like the mixing of the instruments was unbalanced, which is a shame given that the percussive elements seemed to be mixed fine. There's a little high synth line that holds a single note and then slightly inflects upward at 0:41 that I think could have been brought out more as a melodic line. The repeating syncopated chords being centred in the mix made them the focus of the music and I think their repetition makes them less of an interesting part to have that much prominence in comparison to other layers such as the piano or that higher aforementioned synth (especially given that the latter isn't introduced right away).

I think the sound design and even the softer tones of the instruments does give more of a sleepier nighttime vibe, which seems inspired by the artwork. That repeating idea throughout basically the entire entry does make me think of rainfall and its ongoing nature during the night. Overall, the catchiness of the track allowed for the track to be quite replayable and I can only imagine how much its comforting atmosphere would be elevated while listening during an actual rainfall at night.

[AIM - I am but myself]

I really like how you musically interpreted the character in the art. The way the piece builds up to the large climax at the end evokes the character's internal conflict, and I like how the lyrics transform the text in the art that feels like a villain doing an inner monologue (although I have to admit, without the lyrics I would have never known what was being said - even with the forward words).

The piece is structured well - I enjoyed the use of those downward arps and gentler tones with that underlying buzzing synth leading into those sixteenth notes at 0:40. What I loved the most about this whole buildup section was the way the whispering was synchronized with the snares to the point where I'm not really sure if there were snares involved or if it was all vocal samples being used like a softer snare? It added a lot to the idea of an inner monologue being portrayed, like multiple voices whispering in one's head.

While I loved the way the buildup was composed, I think the impact of it was most effective at the end - the harsher sounds hit just right. Although the intro is good composition-wise, I feel like it would have had more of an impact if we didn't hear that bell-like sound doing the downwards arps (0:05) right away, I would have loved to hear the overall phrase have more shape to it rather than just entering right away, especially given how this entry's structure as a whole is this gradual buildup to that super intensive climax. The same could also be said for the lower, faster repeated notes at 0:21. Consider how layers can be introduced without sounding like they're just being dropped in right on the strong beat.

This entry is super cool and there's a lot of neat stuff in the sound design. Compositionally, the buildup is amazing and the way the sections pull away just before giving its intense moments is its strength.

[AIM - 3am Waltz]

On first listen, this piece feels very disjointed. There's a lot of changing around of instrumentation and ideas moving around and it's easy to feel like melodies are just going all over the place. On repeated listens, however, the presence of a repeating idea with pretty bursts of instrumentation becomes the constant and it also helps that the waltz metre is very present in spite of all the apparent chaos.

I didn't personally notice any issues with the mixing. Perhaps some chiptune elements were a bit on the loud side, especially when they are introduced, but I felt like they kind of worked in the music's favour, with seemingly disconnected parts working together as a whole, contrasting in timbre and dynamics.

The way the percussion starts getting crazier towards the end was a great way of conveying the falling stars in the background of the art inspiration. I can definitely hear this piece musically connecting to the art, although I do get more of a somber mood from the artwork that feels very different from the playful vibes of the composition (especially given the title and the muted colours). Still, it does capture a specific mood that can be interpolated from the art and the piece does set a magical nighttime scene quite well.

Overall, this piece lent itself to many relistens, both for the comforting and whimsical nighttime atmosphere and the various pops of embellishment that may not be as prominent on early listens.

Zechnition responds:

thanks for the review, it means a lot! Glad you liked it too :3