Random-storykeeper's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[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.

[AIM 2021 - Sick]

I really enjoyed the nostalgia trip this track gave me. That chord progression and electric guitar put me back in highschool when I would music that would sound like this to get through major outdoor runs for gym class.

It was amusing how the intro sounds like it's going to be in a minor key, but the "transition" to the major key works so well once the other instruments kick in. Although, I will say that the intro reminded me a lot of the intro to "Pumped Up Kicks" (though the two tracks diverge once we get to the main part of this entry).

The vocals were particularly well done - nice effect on them - the "grating" sound of the distorted voice ties in with the sort of whiny nature/immaturity the lyrics come across as to me. What also really stood out to me was the addition of the chiptune, though I do struggle to say it actually works with the rest of the piece. It felt invasive when played alongside the vocals, but on the other hand, it was neat to see if being used to transition from the verse to the chorus. I'm not really sure if the mixing was really the issue; it's possible the issue is also with the choice of chiptune instrument itself. Have you tried using a wave that is more similar in sound to an electric guitar? I also wonder if the original wave used in this entry would have complemented the vocals better had the vocal filter been removed.

Overall, I think the song is a banger, especially when the chorus hits. I do see the connection between the music and the vibes I get from the artwork's colours (and of course, the electric guitar in the picture).

[AIM - Cyberworld]

This track, to me, feels a lot like music you'd listen to while falling asleep in a car driving through a city at night with all its lights on. I think you capture the chill, calming vibes of the artwork perfectly with the composition.

The bell-like synth that carries the melody makes this entry so endearing. It feels like there's a slight hint of vibrato, which is absolutely amazing. Not sure if I was hearing that correctly or if the sounds surrounding it were causing it to duck, thus giving a sense of vibrato. Either way, the lead worked with the accompaniment really well, especially that chord progression.

The only major issue I have with this track is the way in which it concludes. I feel like the fadeout was almost a disservice to how wonderful the intro leading to the main section worked. I think there were still more ideas left to be explored and developed, and there was still enough time in the allotted range for such an expansion (and almost a month before the submission deadline too). To me, the track felt like it was cut short in the middle of its evolution. I've noticed fadeout endings also being prevalent in your other entry and I think there was more opportunity for this entry, in particular, to continue.

Overall, the main part of the track was excellent, just the right amount of emotion to atmosphere, composition and sound design, and I definitely think the ideas have more room for development within the same track.

[AIM - Lost Ancient Machines]

What I love about this entry is that it brings out the emotive connection between the two characters in the artwork. The somber, muted piano suggests the girl being timid and I like that evoking of character via timbre. The little vibrato in the keys, too, comes across as a quiver. The composition also sounds like it's constantly changing between like a IV and V chord or something similar of the sort, and the fact that it never really resolves was a great setup for portraying this ongoing conversation between the machine and human.

What I really would have loved to hear more of is a sense of development in conversation between these two characters interpreted musically. I do, however, find the little glissandos from the electric sounds at around 2:15 to have a sense of urgency, but it seems to not lead to any consequences as the piece basically returns to the same musical ideas later on. I think it could have been interesting to show more emotion in the piano/guitar composition - the sense of initial curiosity could lead to an understanding like "hey, this strange, scary thing isn't really that scary after all".

It also could be a neat idea to (although I'm not sure how many programs do this) slowly have the piano/guitar and electronic robot sounds shift into each other. Timbral morphing I think it's called? That shift would also be a possible method of getting these two sets of instruments to interact with each other.

I do find it interesting that the piano aka human character seems to remain in that same chord progression, whereas the machine sounds have that sort of warning sound as mentioned in the previous paragraph.

Overall, this entry is very good at portraying characters and a general snapshot of the scene musically, and it made me want to know more about the "conversation" that was being evoked in the music.

[AIM - Full Meal : )]

The choice of instrumentation and composition connect with the style of the artwork adequately. The goofy synth at the beginning, along with that descending pattern, gives a sense of charm with an underlying sense of dread. I can picture the little character trying to scarf down as much of the meal as possible.

Initially, I found the sounds accompanying the main melody to feel disconnected from the rest of the work, but when the more distorted instrument took over at 0:17, I felt like the sounds became more cohesive to the general composition. Changing instruments while keeping that repeating pattern was a neat idea that changes up the intensity in subtle ways.

I like that brief melody at 1:43 and it's kind of a shame it gets "swallowed" (no pun intended?) as that section develops. It felt like a strange choice to distort the piece more towards the conclusion; I think it was an interesting direction for the piece to go, but it did leave me feeling rather unsatisfied.

Overall, I think this entry is a good representation of the artwork's concept and style. It's simple, but it does get the point across.

StufflingDX responds:

Forgot to respond to this, thanks for the critique, I appreciate it! The structure of the song is sort of "boy excited for meal : )" , "boy anxiously and sadly chows down meal against his will" , "boy dies" , "Boy ascends into heaven and accepts his fate". I felt like most AIM submissions I was used to were more orchestral and serious so I wanted to throw everything at the wall in the shortest amount of time for fun. Glad you enjoyed it.

[AIM - Twin Cities Under Blue Sky]

I've been really excited about reviewing this piece, even though it made me speechless the first time I listened to it. This entry (and your other one) spoke to me in a way that I don't think any of the other entries did.

As simple as it seems, the way the piece is structured allows for that perfect introduction to the intense main section. Despite its ever beating, barely "musical"? repetitive tune, it allowed me to focus on the sounds surrounding it. And as those sounds repeat, they gradually and perceivably become background noise as the background sounds become foreground noise. I guess that's the best way I can describe it, lol. I listen to this piece like a detailed painting, where I can tune in to different aspects of the texture, or I can sit back and go along for the ride.

The transitions from the louder sections to the quieter ones are done so gracefully - everything feels incredibly natural. Even when the ideas at around the 0:40 mark return at 4:55, it feels so satisfying to hear that same section return having drawn away from it for so long.

Also, while this is not the sound I would have imagined when looking at the art you've chosen, the connection from your entry to the art was evident to me the moment I heard it. I do get the sense of elevation, and all the chaotic, intense sounds felt like they would reflect the noisiness of the contraptions that float in the air to make cities in the sky. I imagine that in real life, those things would not be quiet!

I'm really curious as to whether or not the environmental sound effects were reconstructed to create the synth-like sounds, or if they were supposed to be heard organically and by reconstructed, it was more like rearranging the order. It's always neat to see how people get crazy amazing instruments from sounds in their environment.

This entry was easily one of my favourites of this compo. It connected with me in an unconventional way, as if it were the perfect balance between sound art pieces I'd analyze in university and the wonderful conventional music tracks I'd listen to casually.

CryNN responds:

Thank you so much for this very constructive and positive review! Im really happy you liked it