Random-storykeeper's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[AIM 2023 - Psychedelic Landscape]

AIM 2023 Judge Review

As far as interpreting the general sort of emotion one could get from this art, I think this entry hits that spot well enough. Those repeating two notes that make up the bulk of this piece are nicely placed and I like being able to focus on them as the throughline while the pads and piano sort of shift underneath it. You mentioned getting a calmness from the art and I think that comes across in the music quite well.

With the chosen art inspiration being abstract, I feel like there was more of an opportunity to explore that more in the music. There are these three main colours of varying shades splayed throughout the canvas and with the simple setup of the composition, there could have been a lot more showcasing of timbral changes, shifting in and out of certain sounds and instruments and really playing around with phrasing, filtering, phrasing, etc. Right now, this entry is very straightforward and uniform in its presentation and while it is very calming and the interpretation of the emotions from the art makes sense, I think having that extra touch to the sound design and effects could have created a more interesting and dynamic sort of listening experience.

As it is, this entry is fine - the composition flows well through the sections and I like how spread out the lower end feels with the piano. I also enjoyed the quieter section with the resonant chiptune melody at 1:37.

[Contrasts. (AIM 2023)]

AIM 2023 Judge Review

I find this entry to be incredibly well crafted and moving. There's something so heartbreaking about the description and its interpretation of the art, and I feel like this piece manages to capture the journey into the daydream and out of it. For me, the dream concept here feels like it's used as a form of escapism for temporary satisfaction and comfort before going back to the hardships of life. That fleeting moment of happiness gone in a moment's notice is what drives the emotion here for me.

What really shines through in this piece is the piano. I love the way it starts with a sort of heavily reverbed melancholy tone and flows into this slow-building section where the piano is mostly just repeating a single note with slight inflections here and there. This repetition what makes everything fall into place. It's like you're walking through this dreamland and all these pads and strings shifting in and out are like the environment being formed around you as you move forward.

I love that hard cut after all the buildup at 2:51 where the softer pads linger for a few seconds - still hanging onto a dream as long as your state of mind allows. The piano at the end almost sounds a bit out-of-tune and a little distorted at times (though I can't tell if that's just vinyl scratch fx) and it's absolutely heart-wrenching, makes reality sound so miserable.

If I had to point out an issue, I was having trouble understanding the use of sound effects at the beginning of this piece. I think the intro was supposed to be like a tape recorder, or was it a page turning? It was confusing to understand the role these sounds serve to getting the listener immersed in this dream-like environment. I wonder if the daydream concept would be more effectively conveyed if the recorded sounds were taken out entirely and the "close your eyes" part (which I assume these sfx were supposed to portray) were showcased more in the music itself.

Other than that, I wasn't super into this entry the first time I listened to it, but the more it comes up, the more the emotional weight it carried finally got to me. It's really the journey and the buildup in the middle section that finally got to me.

[AIM - Routed Cerebrum]

AIM 2023 Judge Review

What this piece excels at is capturing the overstimulation of the bright, busy city lights from the art which also seems to be the artist's intention with this character. There's also this sense of disorientation as the track is not being pushed forward by melodies or chords but by sounds and rhythms creating this lively and bustling texture. It's all presented in an intriguing way where I really feel like I am that character in the art, getting disoriented taking in the city.

There's so many interesting sounds in the layers that warrant many replays. The pacing is also impeccable - the way the track moves through sections, lingering and changing through ideas feels natural and nothing overstays its welcome or moves too quickly. While the sounds are more percussive and non-melodic, I think the few bits of melody are fantastic. When I start to familiarize myself with AIM entries, I normally like to play all of them in the playlist in one go without looking at the titles, and 1:41 instantly jumped out at me on my first listen through the playlist. There's something so bright and elevated about the melody and the way it feels like it kind of rises above the rest of the sounds.

Overall, I think this entry is sublime. I don't know if it feels like too different from your compositional style, at least in AIM. I do think the "noise" elements are executed more stylistically in a way that captures the scene in the art and the sensation of experiencing said scene and that makes for a more interesting listen. It's definitely my favourite entry you've done for AIM since "Twin Cities Under Blue Sky".

[Optimus Primal [Art Inspired Music 2023]]

AIM 2023 Judge Review

The art has a very striking image of a transformer with gorilla fur and hands, and I think this track approaches this appropriately, combining jungle-esque rhythms with a melodic, robotic loop. It was wild to hear the first time I put this track on (pun intended) - that robot sound that dominates the beginning and end is captivating and its repetition gets that "cog in the machine" concept across. I like the idea of interpreting this art as a means of reaching into your inner beast and fighting for your own individuality rather than just living by the machine alone.

While the machine concept is executed well in the music, I'm not really sure if I get the conclusion. If you're marching to the beat of your own drum, why is the ending section nearly identical to the beginning? Is this supposed to be you surrounded by the other cogs? But if so, then why does the perspective of the musical narrative shift from being your perspective to what's in the surroundings? I would think marching to the beat of your own drum would entail playing around with the rhythm of the main melody, perhaps adding a little extra counterpoint or something instead of it being very much an echo of the beginning.

Overall, I think this entry has a neat concept and a catchy sort of recurring loop. Personally I wish the arc were conveyed more prominently at the conclusion, but I enjoyed the general flow, especially the part with the piano melody and the high synths carrying that same melody at 3:20. The way that whole section builds up is top-notch.

Trackers responds:

Thanks RSK!

Is this supposed to be you surrounded by the other cogs?

Yes, that's right. The reality is noone will notice you. The melody is internal thought and awakening. Ultimately though, you continue as a cog, different, but still a cog. It's a bit grim heh. Thanks for the detail, really appreciate it 😀

[AIM - My oasis]

AIM 2023 Judge Review

The violin and flute seem like they are being used to characterize the two people in the inspiration by having these two instruments exchange the same melody and play counterpoint to one another, and I think that was a great approach to connecting the music to the art. It was a nice touch having one instrument be a bit quieter, and I think reflects the perspective of both individuals quite well.

The main melody has a lot of heartache and longing to it and the flute handles this so beautifully, especially when it jumps to the lower octave at 1:55. I wish the violin sounded more humanized - it just sounded too synthetic, which is strange because the flute sounds fine. It might be the absence of vibrato in the long held notes of the violin, which are more present in the flute. As a result, I feel like the emotional weight is a bit lost when the violin is playing. The last notes also cut off too cleanly and I believe it would have been more ideal to let the tail ends naturally fade out on their own to really drive that sense of longing right to the end of the track.

That being said, I'll give a shoutout to this entry for incorporating a key change that doesn't sound clunky and out-of-place. Overall, great setup with the instruments and reflecting emotion and perspective that feel strongly connected to the art.

IndexatioN responds:

Thanks for the review! Actually, you're not the first one to point out the syntheticness(?) of the violin, and thanks for telling me the cause of it :)

[AIM - Horizon]

AIM 2023 Judge Review

This is an absolutely gorgeous entry that nails the sense of scope and perspective reflective of the tiny subject in the bottom-right corner of the art. I love every instrumental choice made here, from the chord progression to those beautiful pads that support the softer bells playing that continuum from the beginning. Every layer fits so effortlessly to create an atmosphere that feels very tall and wide.

Where I find this piece starts to lose me is in the percussion, which is probably very weird to say given that this is categorized as a D&B track. I keep going back and forth as to whether the fast drums actually fit into these beautiful melodic sounds. Some days, the drums seem fine. Other times, they come off as a huge distraction. I noted, at one point while listening, that the snare feels like it's competing with some of the instruments in the mix. I do think the fast percussion is a risky move to capture a breathtaking and otherwise ambient sort of scene. The melodic elements definitely give room for this faster composition - I just wonder if there was a way to introduce the percussion in a way that a listener would more easily acclimate to its presence.

Other than that, I really love the work you've done here really building out the progression of the track. I also noticed you used Sunvox to create this, which is awesome. I didn't realize Sunvox had piano sounds, or was that from a sample?

OVERSCORE responds:

Thank you for all the compliments and feedback! I wanted the percussion to drive the song but in a soft, subtle way. But my lack of mixing expertise has foiled my plans yet again! What a shame.
Yeah, SunVox does have a few piano sounds. A lot actually, they’re all pretty good.

[Aalasteir - MR. 100 (AIM CONTEST 2023) | Game Music | Royalty Free Instrumental + MIDI |]

AIM 2023 Judge Review

I like how this entry manages to be both chill but have this sort of hardworking vibe to it. The entire piece is basically just jamming out to the same idea for 3 minutes and I think the repetition is what draws this piece to be relaxing in a way that you can just sort of put it in the background and do other things without getting distracted. But at the same time, the repeating pattern itself is not your typical sort of setup for chill music. It's very plunky and uses some nasally-sounding synths to riff on its main melody, which places the mood in a very sort of structured, methodical environment. This is a long-winded way to say I can make that connection between the music and the art.

The percussion choice works well when all the instruments are playing, but I feel like the kick pattern from 1:51 - 1:56 hit way more beats than I think it should have to match the quieter part of this section. I did like the softer pads and I got the sense that they were being panned while holding their notes, which was quite nice.

Overall, I think this track is pretty good - I see it's meant to be royalty-free game music and I believe it serves this purpose well. Personally I hear this theme as being more suited to a cutscene in a lab where two characters are having a back-and-forth chat through a scrolling text box. Nice job!

[Facing the Storm (AIM2023)]

AIM 2023 Judge Review

I can see that you drew from a few elements within the art to use as inspiration, and I think they are pretty evident in this entry from the get-go. For example the use of orchestral strings at the beginning is a good choice for reflecting an image that appears to have been painted. The way you also use the string instruments in the intro, sliding them on a single held note up and down, is evocative of a motor sound, and I drew connection to that sound and the windmill in the art. I get this sense of the wind being picked up by the windmills; something ominous is coming, from the perspective of the shepherd and the dog.

The composition is solid; I like the choices made in the sound design and the buildup to the drop at the end. One particular detail that stands out to me is at 2:46 when that subtle really fast repeating bassline enters and I feel like that was a great choice for conveying the wind picking up - the windmill works harder.

The only issue that comes to mind is that it seems as though everything starts a little too in-your-face, such as when the drums enter at 0:25. Despite being an intensive piece, I feel like having too much intensity at the beginning lessens the impact of when things really start to build up at 2:46 and I believe there is room for more dynamic range in the mix so that there's room for it to build towards the end. A softer sound design at the start could complement the art inspiration even more considering there's a tint of bright blue in the top-right corner of the art, so it's not all completely dark.

Overall, this entry is effective at drawing inspiration from specific details in the art and showcasing them in the sound design and certain elements of the composition. I love the choice of intensive synths during the drop - at around 3:37, those downward "pew" synths are particularly memorable.

Arponax responds:

For me, strings vibrato and some sort of sliding notes always feels like wind to me or something uncomfortable/unpleasing :D (i dont have an option to do some vibrato and i was lazy doing it with Piano rolls slide notes so i just put really fast low depth flanger on them XDD which sounded better than i thought.

Im glad the composition works :D

Maybe i was trying to achieve some sort of impact....like when you hear something in the distance or someone tries to warn you, maybe it could have been a shorter part so it doesnt affect the whole impact of the ending part or maybe just go even less on those taikos.

Overall thanks for feedback, well see how it goes. XD

[AIM 2023 | Siberg - Buddy Guyerson]

AIM 2023 Judge Review

What I love most about this track is its ability to capture the background of its inspiration. The chord progression and sound design sold me on musically setting a nighttime scene with a lot of street lights shining, which does reflect what's being shown in the art. The production sounds very full but also as if it's pulsating, which seems to bring life to the lights.

There's a lot of nice compositional choices here, particularly in the addition of that higher synth that soars above the intensive lower ends of the track like at 2:10 and the guitar part at 2:40 and its syncopated off-notes were quite satisfying. Honestly I would have loved to hear the guitar part break into a full-on solo, like it almost sounded like it was going to do.

While I believe this entry captures the environment of its art inspiration well, I found myself struggling to hear how inspiration was being drawn from the subjects within the artwork: the person and the bird on the street. I mean the streetlights are a part of the art, but it seemed like a missed opportunity to not draw any inspiration from the main focus of the art. I didn't see any intention to portray the subjects nor did I get any sense of that from the music.

And sure, listening to the music itself, I like it just fine. But when judging this in regards to its relevance to the art, the only thing I'm wondering is why you picked this art piece over any other art piece on Newgrounds that captures just a night scene with a street and streetlights?

The other thing I would have liked to hear, music-wise, is more clarity in the production. The track definitely feels like it's way too chocked up in the lower ends and I feel like it's hard to listen to, at least multiple times in a row. The higher synths and guitar part helped to make this a bit of an easier listen, but looking at the waveform on this track, it feels like some instruments were overblown.

Despite my criticisms, I do like a lot of aspects in this track - the chord progression the entire entry is based on is very good and when it changes to that third chord, I feel a sense of hopefulness coming through. Overall, you've made a lot of entries for AIM where the composition was one of your strong suits, and I think this entry slots right into there.

Siberg responds:

Thank you. I appreciate the feedback and unique perspectives.

[THE YEAR 2000 - 2023 AIM Submission]

AIM 2023 Judge Review

Listening to this and reading your description of your childhood was intriguing and I think this entry certainly manages to capture the vibes of a particular time period, if it is one that I have a very different perspective on. As a kid, I never really was into the high-tech fantasies of the future from the perspective of the 2000s. Anyway, this track is an absolute jam. The sound design definitely captures that futuristic energy and the layers all work together incredibly well. I especially love the syncopated chords that add a percussiveness to the texture alongside the drums (the ones that start at 0:23). In general, I think the sound design and the composition suitably reflect the colour palette of the art inspiration and it was interesting to use the art as a means to delve into the sounds evocative of your childhood.

If there's one thing I could point out as a nitpick, I think the drum rolls going back into the main groove at 1:24 could have been a little more impactful. I think the lighter brushed snares were a bit too tinny and it felt like there could have been more weight to the drums at least leading back into the main section, especially because of how impactful the rest of the track is. But other than that, I think the track has great pacing and placement of breaks.

Overall, I think you did a great job with creating an entry that feels very vibrant, fun and evocative of an era. That acid bass is absolutely delicious and makes this track extremely replayable.

EDIT: Wow, those being DJ scratches makes so much more sense now LMAO. Now I'm wondering what a snare roll would have sounded like there. 🤔

TeffyD responds:

Thanks for the review, I appreciate it! I should clarify at 1:24 those are DJ scratches, not snares.