Random-storykeeper's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[AIM - Master of the Forest]

I never thought I'd describe a piece about a snake as majestic, but I think this entry definitely captured a different perspective, true to the tone of the art. That continuum playing throughout the entire piece encapsulates everything that makes me love this entry. The choice of instrument and the composition working together, against the long-held droning strings, paint this warm, mysterious creature taking a bask in the sun within a forest. Really great job composing something that says a lot with simplicity.

What I think would have taken this piece to the next level is more attention to detail in the counterpoint. The running notes starting at 0:33 feel like an appropriate time to add to the piece's minimal soundscape, but their timbre sounds so similar to the main repeating idea that it doesn't really add much to the current texture, and the up-and-down contour makes the counterpoint feel a bit lost.

Overall, I love listening to this entry to feel at peace, and I love how minimally and effectively it evokes the art in both its style and subject matter. The best addition to the continuum, imo, occurs when the tempo picks up and there is less waiting time between the notes. The way that percussion enters is so satisfying and hearing more types of percussion, perhaps even various ranges and rhythms could have also elevated the main idea in a compelling way even more.

[AIM 2021- wadle chill]

When I first listened to this piece, the question that kept coming up in my mind was whether or not the repetition worked in this piece's favour or not. Having listened to it multiple times, I found that this piece actually grew on me in spite of its cyclic form.

I think the composition and sound design are just pleasant enough that it creates an atmosphere that works with those same beats. It felt kind of like something I would hear in An Untitled Story, especially with the little organ that pops up in the last two beats of that eight-bar phrase. The melody is also pretty good, and there's enough moving parts that the repetition allows for focusing on the different parts of the composition as it moves at its steady pace.

Overall, I think the composition and sound design do go along with the style of the art, though I think I may have to be in a very specific mood to listen to this, and it's definitely not an easy form of music to pull off repeatedly.

[Last Welcome In The Universe]

The arrangement of this piece is quite compelling. For a piece inspired by an overhead, outer space view of a planet, the sounds seem to be narrow and closely compacted. This contributes to an overwhelming concentration of sound that feels otherworldly, like aliens beckoning to the planet from outer space. It's terrifying, but also kind of beautiful.

I really like those high pitched bells playing notes from the whole tone scale. It gives the piece that touch of beauty and urgency simultaneously. If anything, I would have loved to hear more of a sense of space within the mix, allowing the individual parts to be more clear as a whole. The obviously higher instruments can be heard prominently, though I think that has more in part due to their range. The introduction to this piece also suggests a sense of progression and sequence of events, but the composition that follows feels more caught in the moment that just ends abruptly after three minutes. It would have been neat to hear some form of conclusion. Do the aliens take over? Do they leave? The way this piece ended felt underwhelming.

Overall, I think this entry stands out in its atmosphere and its interpretation of the art felt understandable, even if short-lived.

[AIM - Sunset]

This piece is really good at capturing those chill, warm sunset vibes, especially with its chord progression and those synths (in particular, the one with the notes that quickly slide downwards like at around 2:38). It's just that right sort of sound that feels both atmospheric and interesting to listen to.

I'm also a fan of the piano melody doing that little call-and-response with the lower synths. I don't know why, but the way the piano is arranged reminded me a lot of how piano is handled in Danganronpa music.

Although I love the way the piano takes those higher notes, I do think that the drums put a huge damper on the piece as a whole. They are quite overwhelming in a way that detracts from the instruments - which is kind of a weird thing to say I guess given that this is DnB. I think that there still could be a way to shape those drums and integrate them better into the mix so that they help elevate it rather than take over it. The transition from the peaceful section to the drums at 0:55 seems like it could work, progression-wise, perhaps with more tweaks to the balance and mixing.

Overall, I think the composition and sound design (save for the percussion) do work in favour of connecting to the title. I'm not sure if I quite feel that connection between the music and the art fully, just in regards to how this entry connects with a monochrome ink drawing of a sunset in particular. It's definitely pointed in the right direction, just not sure if it completely gets to its mark.

[AIM - Fox Dreams]

The instruments, for the most part, work in connection to the artwork. My particular favourite was the choice of acoustic guitar - it's a good choice for creating a sense of comfort and homeliness.

My biggest issues with the track come from its composition and the way the instruments are executed. I think a lot of the pieces are there - you have a good approach in terms of which instruments would work with this sound design, but they feel so uniform that it breaks the flow of the music. Additionally, the composition's chord progression does feel like it can work to create a sense of atmosphere that works with the art, but the accompaniment surrounding the guitar melody is so even that it comes across as clockwork and, as a result, makes the piece a tedious listen.

Having more sense of phrasing, I think, could have helped with the sound design. Little adjustments to the velocity, not so large to be extremely drastic, would have helped create a more dynamic arrangement. I also think that the guitar chords, particularly for the melody, could have had more release to them. Just hearing them play so "perfectly" feels unnatural and takes away from the atmosphere the piece is trying to convey.

I also believe that the composition, particularly the accompaniment, could have benefitted from more rhythmic movement in the bassline. It's not necessarily that there needed to be more notes, but rather consideration as to how the notes are played - when they are held for a bit longer versus played slightly faster, maybe there's some play between syncopation and even notes that hit the strong beats rather than ALL the notes hitting the quarter notes of the metre.

Overall, I think this entry has the right idea of where it's headed, and I think with more detail to the momentum of the composition and phrasing, it could be quite a lovely piece. I do want to mention that I love the section at 3:32, where the bells come in. Their slightly off-pitch sound gives off a wintery charm and I think that was a good way to bring the piece to a close.

Petrol4brains responds:

Thanks, you’ve surely given me a lot to think about and focus on!

[AIM 21 - Lighthouse]

I love how poignant this piece feels due to its quiet and somewhat minimal production. The choice to make the wave ambiance at the beginning bitcrushed is a brilliant idea for transitioning into the music. The way those chords at the very beginning play evoke strong feelings of a lighthouse beckoning from the distance. You really captured the style and concept of the art as if one were looking at it farther back.

Personally, I think the bass entering at 0:38 is a bit too loud. I think its uniformity and the way the notes cut off abruptly do a disservice to the rest of the sounds in this section, which seem to be very shaped and flowing. Another thing to consider is playing with more moving parts in the texture - it seems as though the piece is tending towards bringing the scene more into focus as it progresses. I was expecting the part after the piece ducks down and the piano enters at around 2:15 to have something like arps and faster rhythms, and I think it could have made that section stand out even more rather than sounding quite similar to the previous section that followed it.

The simpler accompaniment, however, allowed for the bass at 2:40 to stand out, and I really love how this bass works with the rest of the sound design in this section. The way the bass cuts in between the piano's notes is great. Even so, I think the preceding section could have still been more intricately arranged, since the piano basically repeats itself again.

Overall, I think this entry did a fantastic job at connecting with the art. Sometimes, ambiance in music can feel so tacked on, but the way you handled it in this work really allowed it to integrate with your music.

BaraAmann responds:

Thanks a lot for your feedback !
It will really help me to improve with your precise comment :)

[AIM - Skyward]

What this piece does best is that it immerses you in a grand and epic scene. The overall structure and the way the piece progresses from a sense of tranquility to intensity are wonderful. The instruments are well picked and the balancing on them is good. It would have been easy to make the electric guitar at the end stick out like a sore thumb, but I like the way it enters and then helps to elevate the final section.

Despite the evoking of epicness and grandeur, I find myself struggling with connecting this entry to its inspiration, and I think it comes down to the composition. To me, this feels like an RPG battle sequence and not so much a space/sky theme. The strings, the faster-moving chord progressions and supporting percussion all feel too fast-moving and I think there could have been more time given, musically, to take in the scene.

Overall, this entry captures the right scale; I just wish it connected with the artwork more instead of coming across as a battle theme.

KevinMueller responds:

Thanks for the review and the kind words!

I agree with your critique, I think I got a bit carried away with the epicness, considering the artwork is quite calm. :)

Thank you for listening!

[AIM - Tranquility]

The chiptune works so well with conveying both the spacey atmosphere while creating a sense of comfort. It's an entry I really enjoy listening to, laying back and being immersed in the journey, and I think it nails the concept of the artwork and its style on the head.

The various sections of this piece are fantastic and I love the ideas that are explored in each of them. I do get the sense of a certain progression in the musical narrative, and I think the order in which the sections follow each other makes sense.

What I would have loved to hear more of, however, are the ways in which these sections connect with one another. For me, the biggest issue I have with this piece is that it feels too "sectional". Often times, the end of a section and the start of a new one would come across as forced. One example I can think of is at the start, where the piece seems to be building momentum off the repeating melody, and that momentum just suddenly stops when the chiptune is abruptly cut off at 0:41 and replaced with the strings. Maybe it makes sense in the Author Comments, but I think when listening to the piece on its own, that's one instance that takes me out of the track's overarching mood and narrative.

2:07 is the other transition that comes across as abrupt, though this one at least has that sweep that allows it to work a bit better (though the differences in the two volumes feel a bit too drastic). It doesn't help that the way these two examples transition are very similar to each other, and I believe that this is part of what makes them feel like transitions made solely out of obligation. It just feels like a stark contrast to the composition in the sections themselves, which flow more naturally.

My favourite section was the one starting at 0:48 with the syncopated chords and the alternating square notes. It was such a great buildup, especially with the way those chords get filtered in and the variation on the main melody tying it all together. I am curious if the "whoop" vocal sound effects are also supposed to represent the "purity of space" like the acoustic drums and strings are. To me, those sounds also seemed out of place with the rest of the sound design, but they don't appear super often and didn't bother me as much.

Overall, this piece has terrific composition, and that and the chiptune mixed with the strings helped to connect it more with the artwork inspiration. With more organic transitions and development through each of its wonderful sections, it would be a comforting musical masterpiece.

Spadezer responds:

Glad to hear you really enjoyed it. I can see what you mean though. I probably got used to it after listening to the song 100+ times, but I really didn't have thought out plan for how I wanted to fit the piece to the art. I just kinda wrote and then forced sections together. Usually I've felt like I could do transitions but maybe I was dealing with a lack of good motivational work flow or something lol. It's always interesting finding out which sections people take as their favorites, and it's nice to get a thorough review again. Thank you

[AIM - Don't Cry]

This track accomplishes what it set out to do. There is an overwhelming sense of sadness and heartbreak in the emotion. I see the connection with the art quite easily; even the orchestration instantly comes across as an anime/RPG sort of track where the lovers have to part ways not of their own volition.

There are two things about this entry that keep me from completely falling in love with it, and they both have to do with the instruments. On one hand, I think some of the instruments used sound great, like the guitar at 0:37 has some nice details to its tone, especially when the string clips at 0:42, which makes me think of when a guitar's strings buzz. On the other hand, there are the longer held strings and piano instruments that sound very flat to me, and I think that does the track a great disservice, especially given the amount of raw emotion pumped through the composition.

Little details like that help to add that perception of "human"-ness and allows more of the track's personality to shine through with its instruments. Even just simple things like adding a gradual vibrato to the middle/end of the violin/viola section, maybe even a bit more attack in some sections, would help a lot. A similar thing goes for the piano - maybe some notes have slightly more release to give that sense of pedal dampening, maybe some notes are softer than others...having that dynamic change in the notes and not maintaining perfect consistency in their volume (of course you don't want drastic changes) makes a whole lot of difference.

The other aspect of this track that weighed it down was its overuse of the reverse cymbal. Although it works to transition between sections, it became distracting to the composition's main melodic ideas and I felt like a lot of the time, no reverse cymbal was necessary to making the transitions work. I think I get it - the reverse cymbal is used when new instruments are added to the texture, and playing them at the start of the phrase would feel too sudden. Perhaps, in some instances, instruments that enter could gradually build up at the end of the preceding phrase so that they feel like they mesh well with the main repeating melody. And what if, instead of a reverse cymbal, there were a fast rolling drum pattern hit with soft mallets on a giant bass drum that goes from soft to loud? I do think the reverse cymbal does work with the instrument choice, but it is a percussive choice that is more effective when used sparingly, otherwise it can become a nuisance.

Overall, this entry is beautifully composed, with a good approach to the instruments that would work with the concept and art. With more humanization and attention to dynamics and percussion placement, it could actually make me cry.

DigitalProdigy responds:

Beautiful review, and I am defiantly going to implement those ideas on my next composition. I agree with the over use of the reverse cymbal and could have used different percussion choices,
Thank you very much for taking the time to review my song, I greatly appreciate it!!!

[Where is Roland ?]

Cute track! The choice of chiptune works with the concept of the image, and the composition evokes the sense of a clueless robot wandering with no sense of direction. The main two sections of the melody (starting at 0:28, 0:49 and 1:03) are really catchy. The melody feels kind of aimless at times, but the chiptune sound design is so chill and pleasant that it kind of takes a backseat to the overall ambiance the track provides.

One thing I would comment on regarding the composition is the idea at 0:42 seems a little too aimless as a transition between the two sections. While it is brief, I think there could have been a way to work with that particular transition such that there are two variations of it (especially when it repeats the second time). I think the melodic ideas surrounding it provide just the right amount of sounding "wandering" while still maintaining that sense of momentum, so it would have been nice if that carried through to the transitions, too.

Overall, this entry is simple, but I found it very enjoyable and I like the idea of transforming the robot character in the artwork to a robot that has disappeared somewhere in the universe. That's the sense I get from the composition and title, anyway.