Random-storykeeper's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[AIM - Journey's End]

AIM 2024 Judge Review

The sound design and melodies in this piece are impeccable. I love the mix of western classic instruments with the koto and for the most part; these work well together. The tones in those instruments playing and supporting that beautiful, flowing melody effectively set the scene of returning home from a long journey - at least, that's how I interpret the "Journey's End" title to be. My favourite instrument in this track is the flute at the beginning; I love the use of the tongue sounds and vibrato on those long held notes. It just has a very "human"-like feeling that elevates the emotion when it plays the melody. There's a constant serene and satisfying emotion that is strongly evoked throughout, which is what makes it so replayable for me.

Admittedly, the first time I listened to this track, I found it to be underwhelming just because that melody has so much of a forward motion to it that it feels like it should lead into something more than the actual development of the track suggests. Upon multiple listens, I found it did not really bother me as much, though I do think it would be interesting to hear how this melody would sound if the track did build up to something more climactic. And while I do love the melody - especially when the flute plays it - I would have liked to hear it played with a better sense of phrasing and rubato in the piece as a whole. The melody specifically feels quite evenly paced and I think this entry would have benefitted from having some moments where the composition doesn't play out like clockwork. Fortunately, the sound design and textures save it from feeling too robotic, but I think the piece is missing just that little extra touch to really drive that sense of respite home.

Aside from the flute at the beginning, my favourite section of this piece was 1:49 to 2:19. I just love the way the piano and koto melodies are complemented with those flowing, smooth-motion strings in the lower layers. That part where the strings hit those upper octaves at 2:10 is the chef's kiss. I don't think I replayed an entry just because I wanted to more in this year's AIM than this one.

AceMantra responds:

Hey, thanks for all your hard work and the very in-depth review! I will admit, it is a tad robotic at times with it being stuck on the grid. I really would like to find a solution in FL Studio to use rubato effectively to add that little extra bit of realism.

Again, thank you so much! I look forward to AIM every year and you always knock it out of the park. Cheers!

[AIM - Atop the Promontory]

AIM 2024 Judge Review

The guitar work in this entry is awesome - I love the main hook and the switch up between the metres from what sounds like 3/4 to 4/4 - I am not so sure about the latter, but I do love the way this piece doesn't typically hit those strong/medium pulses, so everything feels just a little bit off-beat but it always finds its way to keep pulse with the first beat of each bar. I also love the use of the other instruments alongside the guitar - the little ornaments of bells, and the chiptune as part of the texture added that little extra charm. It's probably really easy to let the guitars overtake the mix with them being a loud instrument, so I'm impressed that the chiptune and bells were actually quite mixed well here.

The only part that throws me off about this piece is the section at 0:49-1:08. There's a lot of fast-moving notes and strummed chords and to have that sort of lead to solid, long-held chords very suddenly, it does feel quite anti-climactic. I like the basswork, but I do feel like the guitar chords could have had a bit more rhythm to them to transition better from the fast-moving chords in the previous section. This particular section is also short and not like any of the other sections to follow, which just play off the main sort of hooks, which makes me feel like this piece would have felt more satisfying to listen to if that section were either cut or had more time spent there to play out and develop those ideas further. Right now, it feels too rushed and jarring compared to how the rest of the piece progresses as a whole.

Personally, it did take me a while to connect this with the art, but after multiple listens, I think I get it. There's a sort of epicness and sense of adventure incorporated from the angle of the art being the intro to this comic as a movie or show. It's got a great energy and when it's in the main sort of hook with the guitars, chiptune and bells, etc. intertwined, I find this entry to be an enthralling listen.

[AIM 2024 | Siberg - Pond Enjoyer]

AIM 2024 Judge Review

I feel like your most outstanding entries in AIM have been the ones that make me want to sit and chill under an outdoor landscape. This entry is another strong addition to that lineup. The delayed melody with the very thick bass and chill chords is very catchy and immersive. I think you did an excellent job conveying the night scene with the lights and also this sort of warm atmosphere that feels kind of humid. It's a concise piece that is able to evoke a lot with what feels like a straightforward premise.

While I enjoy the thickness of the bassline, I do wish some of those chords in the lower end had more room to breathe. Those little off-beat chords add a lot of great detail to the texture, but I found it difficult to make them out until the piece reaches its quieter section at 1:11. I also enjoy the ascending delayed arp at the end of the phrases (like at 0:21 and 0:44), but I feel like there was a missed opportunity to play around with the way that ornamentation plays especially in the second half of the piece, along with connecting in that pickup looped set of notes that lead into around 1:34. It just felt like that ACFE pattern was the setup to a new sort of layer that just immediately fades out when it could have added something interesting while repeating the section from the beginning.

All gripes aside, I do want to mention that this entry has such a fantastic intro, with the little airy voice samples and that lead up to the entry of the bassline is extremely satisfying. That intro part alone is worth this entry's many, many replays for me. Great job!

Siberg responds:

Thank you for your kind words! I made this song really quickly, so I agree with all your points. I should've done more with her. I might make an edit with your ideas in there. :D

[Spectacle [AIM 2024]]

AIM 2024 Judge Review

I like the short harpsicord (?) interlude that takes place at the beginning and in between major sections. It feels like a show host announcing the next segment of a stage show and is a great lead-in to the musical ideas that follow. I also enjoyed the main melodies - the minor key helps to enhance the tension and spectacle, along with the pads and gated chords.

For a high-energy piece, I felt like there was something missing that would make me connect with its spectacle and mystique. The production, mainly, feels too stacked once the gated chords around 0:58 and the higher synth melody at 1:54. It seems like the snare gets lost entirely, although I do feel like incorporating some claps would have leaned into the idea of "circus show" more effectively as if it were a reflection of the audience "clapping".

I think the dancing energy was a good approach to this concept and I particularly like the part that immediately follows the return of those keys from the beginning at 2:08. The gated higher, airy chords really helped to add that sense of grandeur by adding more height to an otherwise low and mushy soundscape. Overall, I think there was a great basis here that I think had more potential to be utilized given the concept of a mystical circus show.

[AIM 2024 - The West Route 21]

AIM 2024 Judge Review

The basis for this composition is well done - I love that low droning bass that slides up and down with those higher sounds looming above. It really gives the piece this sense of large scale not only in depth but also height. It seems like a lot of the atmosphere from the art was used as inspiration for this entry and the sense of cold and vastness and large possibly abandoned structures is felt strongly throughout.

There are a couple of issues that come to mind, especially on repeat listens. I think the obvious one would be the major audio glitch that happens at 2:49-2:51. It sounds like the mp3 didn't quite render correctly and catches me off guard every time I play this. The other part of the track that I think could have been adjusted is that first lower delayed synth that plays the melody at 0:23. I love the melody, but the instrument is way too loud and overwhelms the atmosphere. I wonder what it would sound like if this lead was softer and also narrower in the stereo panning. The rest of the accompaniment already sets the tone and stereo space and this lead just clashes with that production-wise.

Other than that, I love the other sounds used in this entry. That muted piano sound coming in after the first minute mark is my favourite part. It sounds like there's a bit of vibrato in the piano notes or maybe some detuning (or both?). Either way, that timbre works so well with the atmosphere, adding a touch of mysteriousness that helps to shape out the rest of the droning soundscape and sends chills down my spine.

[Shining [AIM 2024]]

AIM 2024 Judge Review

What I liked most about this piece is the way it incorporates your electric guitar sounds with higher space-like synths. It definitely seems like a weird combination on first listen, but I think it helps enhance the elements that you were inspired by for the image. With the synths on their own, it would have been more prone to veer too far into an "outer space" sort of sound, and the use of the guitar helps to ground the scene. I really enjoyed the first section with those high pads, which evoke the scene of the northern lights so vividly for me. So much of that prettiness of the night and lights in an isolated landscape that is felt strongly throughout this piece.

I feel like there are parts where the bassline sticks out and doesn't fit in with the rest of the sound design compared to the other layers. Even the electric guitar, which has quite a prominent sound, fits better in this piece than the bass does. Personally, I think the bass having that heavier hitting sound and the tail fading seems a little too much like outer space and it kind of takes over the rest of the layers, especially once the piece goes into its quieter sort of middle section at around the 3 minute mark. I would have liked to hear something smoother in tone, maybe with a fade-in fade-out like a hill to complement the higher synths heard at the beginning.

The progression of sections throughout this track is great. It takes its time through some sections, but I think the ones that it loops feel natural - sometimes I don't even notice this piece is over 6 minutes long. I particularly love the second half of the track from 3:30 onwards and the way it builds off that chord progression with the addition of the layers and the melodies playing off each other. It's a bit of a differing take as far as capturing a wintery, peaceful scene with an electric guitar goes, but I think you hit the mark. Great entry.

[[AIM 2024] Ad Astra - nito-kun]

AIM 2024 Judge Review

What I like most about this piece is the composition, particularly in the way it builds up to 2:45. You did a wonderful job at picking chords that capture the vibrance and spaciness reflected in the art. I love the use of layers slowly building upon that same chord progression and using a lot of that texture to convey a sense of ascending through the galaxy. The sound design for the most part is pretty good, although I feel like the bassline at 2:00 sticks out too much with its resonance. It's too buzzy in sound and it feels distracting against the gentle arps in the background.

My biggest issue with this entry is that the development after the build (past 2:45) doesn't feel like it leads to anything satisfying. I really felt like the energy was gradually building up, especially once the drums started hitting the quarter notes and bass line became more rhythmic, so to hear this go back to a quieter part immediately at 2:45, it felt like all that built up energy fell flat and the momentum building up the track was lost. I would have liked to hear that quarter-note drum beat also slowly build itself up with the rest of the instrumental, perhaps incorporating some of those trancey chords at 3:30 into a faster drum beat. It just feels like the track resets itself too early and there's a climactic part that's missing to really stick the landing.

Overall, this is a very good entry with awesome compositional ideas and a vibrant atmosphere that I think has a lot more potential to grow.

[AIM - Sentient]

AIM 2024 Judge Review

It feels like a lot of work went into developing the composition and sections, and I think that comes through. The composition is the clear strength, especially that melody - I'm in love with those two chords that lead back into the repetition at 0:19 - 0:20. The melody has just the right balance of being mysterious, dark and intriguing, which I think complements the image inspiration excellently. I also like the different sections, especially the second section at 2:13 with that repeated stab and the arps and melody sneaking back in.

There's a couple of things I believe could have been tightened up here. I feel like there could have been more sense of dynamics leading up to 2:13. Right now, it seems like the track starts out quite intense and thick, thus there's not much else to build up to in order to reach that second section. Personally, I would have liked to hear less intensity in the sound design near the beginning so you can build up the tension and release it with more impact at the drop. I think the note stabs are too loud in the mix - it was difficult to hear that the arps and melody were sneaking back in the first few listens. It would have also been interesting to hear cleaner breaks in those short stabs and perhaps the rest of the track too as a contrast to the more flowy first section.

There are a lot of entries this year compared to last year, and I wish you all the best in making it a little closer to the top. Overall, great entry with a gripping melody and narrative. To me, this feels more like a piece about a computer gaining sentience and I like the idea of having this more emotional melodic section at the beginning leading up to a very repeated, "computer-like" climax. To bring it all back to the melody and have those ideas combine made for a satisfying listen.

OVERSCORE responds:

Thanks for such a detailed review! I was hesitant to leave the section at 2:13 in, so it's a huge relief that you liked it. I couldn't really think of a way to build up to it, but giving it more contrast in the dynamics would have helped, you're right.
Last year I was right in the middle of the pack, 40 out of 81 or something. If I got middle of the pack again for this entry, I would be just fine
Thank you for hosting this awesome competition!

[AIM - Yeah, something like that.]

AIM 2024 Judge Review

Art with a lot of fine linework really lend themselves to a range of wide interpretations, and I find the way you approached this entry fascinating in the mishmash of musical elements. There's this continuous synth line playing quarter notes which is orderly and in-tune, but there's also layers that are very punchy and suddenly drop in and out like those off-beat short notes in the intro. The simple lyrics, combined with a wavery vocal performance. I mainly enjoyed the synth line and its orderliness through the strangeness of the composition, and I think all these parts do feel like they were inspired by the strangeness of the art.

With the lyrics being understating, culminating to the line "something like that", I would have liked to hear more out of the vocal performance. Perhaps as the song progresses, the vocals become more agonizing or maybe they start on key and then slowly devolve into being more off-key and off-rhythm. To me, having lyrics that are, well, "something like that", only work if the vocal performance adds the extra punch needed to convey an underlying narrative or emotion. The song being performed with this constant off-key singing throughout didn't work for me in that regard - I don't think that in itself is an issue, just that it is like that for the entire song.

I like most of the counterpoint in the accompaniment; the moving bassline works well with the quarter note instrumental line and I like the little spacey sounds that kind of fade in and out. I would have loved to hear more of that in the accompaniment or even in the vocal lines as a reflection of all the mouths in the art. Overall, I like this entry, particularly for the instrumental line and there's certainly a lot to take in with the various elements at play.

Aalasteir responds:

Hi Annette. I am grateful for your feedback, I fully understand that my vocals have issues, and I agree with you. I typically start and finish songs in a single day because I have to work very quickly to complete them; otherwise, I might not finish them at all. I need to work fast because I struggle with overthinking, which is often a detriment to me. I understand your points. Thank you for creating your Judge Review.

[AIM - Frenchantress]

AIM 2024 Judge Review

I love how this piece takes this silly concept of mashing "French" and "enchantress" and transforms it into a night-time, enthralling work of music. The sound design itself is enchanting, especially the melodic lines with the guitar and accordion playing off each other. What really impressed me about your entry this year is that while there is a sense of improv in the melodies, the sections flow really well into one another. In particular, the entry of that guitar improv solo at 1:42 is one of my favourite parts about this track - the way it leads in, and the solo that follows. Another would be the sudden cut to violin at 1:12 - I like that there are a mix of ways that the music gets to its sections, which makes it more intriguing to listen to.

In your description, you mention the concept of this character turning VSTs into accordions. I'm sure it was an exaggeration, but I think it would have been neat to play around with that sort of transformation in the sound design as instruments slowly get taken up or gradually morph into accordion sounds. I think the current sound design works well enough, though I guess I was expecting more accordions for some reason - at least more accordion solos. I also feel like the piano notes are a bit heavy on the hits and they could have been a bit snappier as it dampens the energy a tad.

All things considered, I enjoyed this entry and its take on the concept. Awesome hooks, great sound design and fantastic transitions. There's a great balance between having a recurring hook (0:41 to 1:12) and free-form parts, and everything connects well to one another.

Cresince responds:

Thank you for putting on a great contest every year, and for your detailed review! I really liked your idea with the accordions, featuring prosody with the story of the art is something I would want to do in the future! Thank you! :D