Random-storykeeper's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[AIM - Succubus]

The chorus in this is insanely catchy and the lead-in to the main phrase on "wicked little one" feels cathartic whenever it comes back in the song. The handoff, in particular, of the word "one" and the "ahh" vocals in the background was seamless. I also really enjoyed your vocal performance in this. From the tone of your voice and the enunciation of the verses, I got that sense of desperation and infatuation with the character depicted in the art. Part of what makes the chorus so impactful is the way your vocals get a little more breathy, which helps to shape the phrase instead of it having that growling undertone the whole way through.

I think the one issue that crossed my mind in multiple listens was that the chorus was super great, but the verses didn't quite feel up to snuff. Obviously the chorus should be where the song builds to, but it feels like the verses are sections where I feel like I'm waiting for the chorus rather than being led into the chorus. If I had to point to what makes the verses weaker to me, I think the accompanying synth in the first verse being basically all one note repeated in a quarter note rhythm made the momentum feel very stagnant. Although there are some moments where the electric guitars come in brief spurts, they felt like embellishments that weren't really working with the main synth bass note.

What also doesn't help is that there's very little time transitioning between the chorus and the verses and it kind of makes the song's sections bleed together. At 1:24, there's no break between the chorus and the second verse and it does feel too sudden as the song just gets off the high point of the chorus.

Overall, I think this interpretation of the character in the artwork was solid - loved the style of the music and the production was pretty good. With more attention to the transitions and verses, this would have really sucked me in. That chorus is absolutely killer, though.

Shifterhead responds:

Very helpful review, i am planning on working on it and release it soon taking into account your constructive review here, thank you!

[AIM - The Silence of Winter]

Out of all the AIM entries I've listened to so far, this is the one that strikes me as being a near perfect representation of its art inspiration. Everything from the wind sounds to that single chiptune instrument "calling" out through the ambience - it was just the right tone that suggests this scene down pat. I like to think of that mostly solo melody as the single detail of light in the picture.

I love the way the repeating melody starts to pick up tempo as it progresses and then it just leaves you in the cold (haha) with the ambience being the resolution to the desolate landscape. I think the one thing I would have elevated this piece more is if the starting notes of the melody were a lot slower and had less release to them. Like not minutes between each note but just a few more seconds slower than how they were introduced in this entry and allowing each note to fully conclude with brief pauses of the ambience filling in the "silence". That could more effectively portray this sense of being quiet, alone and cold.

Overall, this is a great entry that is able to say a lot with a conceptually simple composition.

Curruff responds:

Thank you for the advice! I'm really glad you liked the song.

[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 - 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 - 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

[AIM - Skypunks]

Out of all the entries I've listened to, this was the one I came back to replay the most. The thing I love the most about this track is that it's really well constructed. The beautiful piano intro, the way the bass enters, the melodies setting the stage - man and the way the bass takes that extra step to go up to the next set of repeated notes at 0:58, it's like everything hits and flows in a way that feels incredibly magical.

I can definitely get that the feeling/atmosphere of the artwork was drawn upon for inspiration, especially in the way that repeating melodic idea latches onto the G note until the end of its mini phrase. The dissonance with the underlying IV V vi chord progression elicits that sense of falling but in a fun and charming sort of way, like it is depicted in the art inspiration.

The biggest drawback I'm getting is that even though I've replayed this a ton of times, I still can't completely get into the key change at 2:03. It just felt too sudden, like even though the music was building up to that big sort of change, the chords/accompaniment didn't seem to accommodate for that, so something always feels off when that section begins. In this sense, having the ideas repeat in that new key allows me to regain my immersion by connecting the unfamiliar with ideas introduced earlier, but that part to me comes across as a jolting moment when the rest of the piece's strength lies on its ability to flow through ideas organically.

Other than that, I really love the melodies, particularly the use of the vocaloid as a lead instrument. The overall energy and that repeating looped idea that cycles through basically the entire piece is captivating and also comforting, and I found myself wanting to listen to it because of those things.

LordAndiso responds:

Thank u so much <3 really appreciate the analysis. glad you liked it. Yeah the part that feels off, i really love experimenting with new stuff, i had another section made but it was a bit too much.. so i removed it and kept it like this. This how i like it :D Anyways, thank u for listening!

[AIM - Pixel Daylight]

This piece feels so calming and comforting. I like how the notes feel very sparse and independent at times, but their pointilistic nature does convey the feeling of the different aspects of the landscape in a distinct pixelart nature.

The chromatic upper note feels a bit too happy-whimsical to fit with the rest of the composition’s atmosphere, but I think it does tie in nicely when there are multiple melody lines going on. I think the multi-melodic layers pull the piece in interesting dimensions; they almost feel like different elements of nature interweaving with one another but still remaining their own independent entities, like the trees and clouds, maybe.

Out of all the acoustic instruments, I particularly enjoyed the addition of the strings at 1:00. They feel very pixel-like, with their short notes and unnoticeable volume enveloping. I wish that there were more opportunities to hear how that instrument worked against the chiptune sounds, although I did enjoy the little bits of call and response in that particular section.

Overall, I enjoyed the incorporation of the music as the medium itself, whether intentional or not. It was simple, pleasant and hits the atmosphere of the art adequately. Nice work.

Zechnition responds:

Ah I forgot to respond to this review, I got distracted at the time pulling up the project and figuring out what you were referencing 😅. Thanks for all your thoughts, it totally helps!