Buoy's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[This is where it ends]

I read the forum post you made about it, and I kinda want to give you a hug man :( I'm sorry to hear it didn't work out... it happens. Being asked to defeat Waterflame can be a bit of a daunting task for anyone so to speak, and the combination of that and writer's block really sucks.

I'll spare you the usual category scores since they don't really apply that well to loops and wips. For what it's worth: the organ sound and bass synth are a bit cheesy perhaps. The kick and hats are really nice sounding, but the snare could use a bit of variety in the timbre, not just in volume. Composition-wise, I'm not really hearing that much potential.. I wouldn't know how to continue it, and apparently you don't either. So I guess this is where it ends. :]

Overall impression: 3-ish

FairSquare responds:

It happens indeed.. :(
Thanks for understanding :)

And also thanks for the tips and reviewing!

[-Rupture-]

Honestly. From the creator of tunes like Hillbilly Breakout and Wonky Blues... I wasn't expecting something QUITE that dark. This is one beast of a song, with a low end from out of hell and blaring brass. I've heard a lot of songs with similar dark, suspenseful parts, but this one pretty much takes the cake. The instruments all collaborate to bring forth an undeniable sense of impending doom, and the introduction of breakbeats and other electronic instruments only serves to augment this. The combination with the orchestral elements introduced earlier is perfect. The melodies too are all fitting and have the kind of chromaticism that's common for these doomy gloomy battle tracks.

Unfortunately I find it difficult to write much more about the tune, but it's for positive reasons: firstly, the flow is fantastic and there's never a place in the song that really feels like a transition or a turning point, the track just slowly evolves and transforms. The second reason is that this is one of the kinds of songs that I would much rather just sit back and enjoy than to analyze it too much.

9 points for sounds and instrumentation.
9 points for composition and melody/harmony.
10 points for theme/originality/other things that might impress.

Overall impression: 9.5

[Clicky]

This is short but oh so sweet, I love it. The clicks are a really cool defining element for the song and really opens a world of possibilities for cool variations and things to do with clicky, detailed high frequency percussion. You do a lot of it, and even from the start you pan it out from hard left to hard right for a nice immersive stereo image. It's a nice breath of fresh air too, replacing the role of the drum kit that dominates the rhythm section in the vast majority of western music.

The electric and acoustic piano parts that kinda sneak into the song from silence are very subtle and add a certain sense of soundtrack-esque sophistication. The way the piano part come in short bursts that kinda glue the track together almost remind me of - bizarrely enough - electro and dubstep tracks (see the last half of my review of MainStreamBeats' submission for reference). Though of course it's magnitude more classy with some tasteful piano! The muffled, reverberated sound of the piano gives it a nice place in the mix and also contributes to the vibe. The bass is as simple as can be, but it does its job and it does it well. The pads that continue throughout the piece add some simple, pretty groundwork.

The ending is just a reverberation that fades out, which is usually unfortunate, but considering the length and structure of the track it was probably the best choice. On that note - there are so many things you could be doing to continue and expand on this piece!! Mixolydian is a really cool mode and I'm excited to hear someone utilize it, but man would it be cool if you eventually brought forth a strong melody that really showed it off, then expanded on it with more intense parts and so on. This is like a brilliant introduction for a 9 minute song (not that anyone would expect that from 2 weeks). It stands strong enough on its own, but leaves a lot to be desired.

9 points for sounds and instrumentation.
7 points for composition and melody/harmony.
8 points for theme/originality/other things that might impress.

Overall impression: 7.5

TheBenjerman responds:

Thanks!

[-*}CaSH{*- King Benjerman]

If there is one thing that has been disappointing in more than half of the entries in this contest, it's simply lack of content and cool stuff to talk about. You and Kor-Rune however went through the goddamn roof in this respect and created a couple of preposterously complex and huge pieces of music for two weeks of work. This one requires a bit more effort and an open mind to fully appreciate, but I found it incredibly satisfying when I could figure out and follow the music while listening intently. 1:10 to 2:05 takes the cake - after listening through an awfully dissonant sequence of alternating 5/8 and 6/8 bars with flutes, horns and percussion assaulting my skull in marching regular rhythms as well as halting triplet rhythms, 1:50 feels like such a reward with the big, complex, open chords and fantastic piano runs. I think the part sounds horrendous to most ears, but i absolutely adore the whole bit after a few listens.

After that it's a relative breeze to listen to, even though the ideas used later on are far more sophisticated than the stuff I find myself listening to more regularly. After a midsection with a beautiful main melody and chord progression that perhaps dragged on a bit long, the variation from 4:00 and the evolution of it from 4:20 brings back a similar vibe to 1:50, you slowly and flawlessly bring the theme back to the starting point, but with more of a triumphant vibe. I love how you managed to do morph so smoothly between the different moods without a fade, or a definite transition or pause. The ending is fine too.

The sounds you've used aren't as gorgeous and detailed as some of the other entries, but don't sound bad by any means and they fit well with each other. But there is definitely a lot of room for improvement in the strings and percussion - and some parts sound pretty awful with the current mixing (4:20 to 4:32 is the biggest offender, but a lot of the time the track feels crushed). I had a look at the waveform and it looks a bit obscene for a detailed orchestral song. So that might be just the thing to look into with your next entry!

8 points for sounds and instrumentation.
10 points for composition and melody/harmony.
10 points for theme/originality/other things that might impress.

Overall impression: 9.0

[Isis]

The most appealing aspect of this song is definitely the cool rhythmic theme that is established right from the start - it's very simple, but the delay is just enough to make it interesting. For some reason it's also a very suggestive rhythm - this might be the only song in the round that consistently compels me to rock back and forth in my chair to the bell and its octave-jumping business. The track slowly and subtly builds up around this theme, and together the ensemble of instruments feel like somewhat of a totem pole dance with the rhythm as the pole and the other instruments dancing around it (or I might just be high on shrooms).

The percussion and strings sound gorgeous and are completely transparent in the mix, so all the details - the envelope and texture of the pizzicato strings, the squeaky wooden character of the sustained strings and the clacking of the percussion - can be heard and basked in. The brass hits and plucky strings are nice additions that add a bit of content to the tune too.

So the downfall of your submission is that you haven't used these great sounds and ideas to build a sufficiently fleshed out and impressive tune (not to trump your opponent anyway). It just keeps going in the same pace forever like a clockwork, and this is especially apparent since the intro and outro are just fades. The only very noticeable changes from the main theme are during the key changes, and even they sound forced and awkward when you're not doing anything else than transposing all the melodies.

9 points for sounds and instrumentation.
6 points for composition and melody/harmony.
6 points for theme/originality/other things that might impress.

Overall impression: 7.0

BenTibbetts responds:

Thank you for the review! You may want to lay off the shrooms, though.

[Hymn To The Fallen]

The sombre hymn begins with a subtle, haunting choir that humms the main theme and slowly gets accompanied by low-key variations from the rest of the orchestra. How very fitting for a respectful acknowledgement of fallen heroes. The high, thin percussion and windchimes might stand out a bit too much but at least the sounds are pretty and lacquered in just enough reverb to sit well in the mix anyhoo. The higher choir is a nice subtle touch, but since it's a clear open vowel at a much lower volume than the humming choir, I can't help but imagining some female singers standing really far away from the rest of the group! It's a realism issue, but obviously a really tiny one.

The violin is such a class move, man. First off, I love how it begins by echoing the clarinet part earlier in the piece. And the portamento and wild intervals are so cool! The brass provides good support for the violin, but after the crescendo from 0:39 I was expecting a fuller sound. The brass is also a bit blaring, like it's being played at a really high velocity but kept down in volume. So the brass generally doesn't have much dynamic variation. When the piano and timpani is introduced, there is a very brief climax at 0:53 that doesn't sound out of place at all, which I actually find to be quite a feat. Makes for a very exciting ride when listening intently, and grabs the attention of whoever might just be having it in the background!

Loving the chromaticism here and there, it's subtle but still makes it clear that you're quite skilled as a composer. Some parts of note are the clarinet at 0:30 (and the violin that echoes it), the transition between chords at 1:03, and how the chords, er, wiggle up and down by one semitone at 1:18. Each time I listen I hear some new subtle and clever little trick in the arrangement that makes this a joy to listen to analytically.

When it comes to talking about the main theme.. hmm. On one hand, several times it is so incredibly similar to one of the most famous themes from Harry Potter (especially the rhythm but also the tonality) that it's actually very tempting to shout "blatant freaking ripoff!". On the other hand, there are so many brilliant variations and creative ways of using the same motif that still keep it recognizable as the main theme, that I'm going to consider any resemblance to other works purely coincindental, so to speak. The fact that the main motif is so prominent lets me hang onto it as a solid reference point, and also gets me really excited about the aforementioned variations of that motif.

When the piece rounds off, I've been treated to a lot of cool stuff both instrumentation-wise and composition wise, so I don't feel cheated at all, unlike the case for most songs of this length. The instrumentation is very low-key and almost sleepy for most of the song, so the piece is perhaps missing a really rich, satisfying climax. But that might not even be fit for the theme you've provided with the song title.

9 points for sounds and instrumentation.
9 points for composition and melody/harmony.
8 points for theme/originality/other things that might impress.

Overall impression: 8.5

Rampant responds:

Thanks for those kind words and in-depth analysis, SBB -- er, Buoy! :D

[Chemicals [NGADM]]

Well... first off, a round of applause for what is without a doubt the most elegantly crafted, ambitious and stunningly diverse show of skill in this round.

The amount of genres and styles touched here is really staggering. I'm hearing jazz guitar runs, progressive metal riffs with time signatures that change like it's nobody's business, early progressive rock influences, modern prog rock influences, maybe even a few video game influences, and so on. The instruments, too, sound absolutely fantastic: the the guitars have character and are played amazingly, the drums are clear and detailed yet have plenty of punch. The vocals and vocal harmonies are completely transparent and clear. The mix is open and airy when needed, and rich and thick otherwise, but never overcrowded.

I'm going to go through the track and note a few moments that were particularly nice, because you should be credited for each one of them: (0:00) The haunting modern progrock intro reminds me of Porcupine Tree. (0:12) A jazzy polyphonic guitar solo that gradually morphs into a more traditional metal one. (0:30) Great interplay between the smooth synthesizers and harmonized guitars. (1:03) Polyrhythms that are a hell to try and analyze but a joy to listen to. (1:31) Dat blues influence (1:35) I love the jumpy slightly detuned guitars in this part. And you always have these tiny transitional guitar parts in all the little pauses. (2:32) Something almost sublime about this guitar solo. And great drumming patterns in this and the part that follows. (3:07) Very spacy chords are being implied by these arpeggios, which is fitting in a way. And the chord-playing clean guitar provides great support for it. (3:30) You just threw that amazing transition out there like it was nothing. Dude what (3:35) Almost no point in pointing out this part at this point because you know what I'll say. I love the dramatic Dream Theater-esque string section. (4:23) Same comments about this here as I said about 2:32, but more. (5:05) From here until the end, the vocal harmonies, distorted guitar rhythms and the entire mix just gets more and more over the top, with a climax around the last vowel of universe (it's also very appropriate that that particular vowel should remind me of 80s-90s space TV somehow). After that the tune promptly ends with some guitar pattern and string sequence fit for fading out.

My only main gripe would be that the long, drawn out singing occasionally makes the vocals sound a lot angstier than the lyrics would imply. Like in your audition entry, the subject of the lyrics and your approach to it is really refreshing, so I found the style you chose here a bit disappointing after the more, er, leisurely delivery, in Don't We All?. Apart from that, I could be listing a few things here and there that I thought could be improved upon, or that I would have enjoyed to hear in this song, but it would be missing the point, since the quality, ambition and skill in this song break the scale I was originally intending to use. This song gets clean 10's in all the categories I made up, as no other score would do the song justice. The passion shines through every note and every second of the song. Great work and congratulations.

10 points for sounds and instrumentation.
10 points for composition and melody/harmony.
10 points for theme/originality/other things that might impress.

Overall impression: 10.0

Kor-Rune responds:

Thank you Buoy for your super detail review! LOL DUDE, PT'S ALBUM THE INCIDENT INSPIRED THAT INTRO, you're right on the money there. I saw them live and they were seriously divine. <3

I'm so happy my guitar solos are enjoyed. I don't particularly like the (4:23) guitar solo, and I wanted to play something a little better, but it's too late to change anything other than the mix I think. You can hear a compensation arpeggio at the end and there's not any of those well thought out licks or anything.

I'm glad my transitions hold up, I felt afraid they might be abrupt!

Yes, the lyrics and vocal melodies were the hardest thing to write here. I still feel like the lyrics aren't connected well and the vocal melodies are a bit empty. After the "Fear is a chemical" line has a guitar solo immediately compensating for empty space where I wanted some more vocals. but deadlines were a comin' so had to post. it ended up just becoming the finished product(minus the horrible mix in lots of places).

OH MY GOSH BUOY ILY thank you for the tens it makes me happy. C: Thanks again Buoy!

[timeslip]

It's good to hear something with character, charm and a good dose of real instruments. The electric guitar part is played pretty well, with a unique and actually quite fantastic chord progression that I'm sure brings forth different associations for different people - I, for whatever reason, kinda started thinking about a forest with the second chord. I also love the thing you do rhythmically with the fingerpicking in the intro - I don't know the musical term but it's similar to what Philips Glass does in the opening of (and throughout) Glassworks.

The saxophone is a nice addition that sounds just a bit awkward when it is introduced - it's a bit too dry and present in the mix after the chorus-infused guitar intro, and the melody it plays is very bluesy compared to what came before. After a while (when the chorus begins to be more specific), I can gradually get used to the new, jazzier style the song has adopted, and at that point the instrument sound perfectly sensible together. The playing of it great and brilliantly jazzy, and follows the chords nicely. It makes for a nice and cozy atmosphere from 1:10 that I would really love being expanded upon in a longer and more conventionally structured song. The drums aren't too great - very dry and very obviously programmed or quantized and without much variation in the samples. I do like the laidback beat and the subtle use of brushed snare though.

I'm gonna have to cut the review of this song a bit short since there really isn't that much in it - it ends soon after it begins and doesn't explore that many ideas. The ones it does explore are of course great.

8 points for sounds and instrumentation.
8 points for composition and melody/harmony.
9 points for theme/originality/other things that might impress.

Overall impression: 8.5

acmeDyne responds:

Thank you for taking the time to review and judge the submissions.

Once I finish a couple other tunes I think I'll redo the drums and try mixing the whole thing better. Thanks for your comments-- it's good to get thoughtful feedback from people with experience and good ears.

[Beyond the Coast]

Holy shit. You are amazing.

[Propter Te]

First off (I'm posting this to everyone): Note that the scores might be a bit lower than what's typical for NG reviews - no one should expect a 10/10 unless their entry was absolutely incredible.

--

Really cool intro, I was half expecting a Bond remix for a few seconds. The piano flows very nicely with very human timing and velocity variations. Good on you for not robotizing it! Very nice musically too, and I like how you changed the pattern up for the first, more suspenseful verse. A few of the other instruments have problems - the bass sound is somewhat tinny and nasal (the basslines it plays however are very good and appropriate). The guitar sound is very synthetic and tinny. The drums, along with the mix in general, are floppy and have little punch (the cymbal hits beign somewhat of an exception). It's therefore very much appreciated when the string section is introduced and takes the spotlight, with interesting rhythmic variation, a great melody and a very fitting timbre. Wish it was featured more in the song.

I'm having trouble enjoying the busiest parts, mostly due to the aforementioned mixing. 2:42 marks my favourite part of the song, with a very open sound that lets the great piano work shine through, and the noise from the voice recording only serves to make it all more authentic. The brief guitar solos before and after that are very obviously synthetic but make for a nice addition that spices up the tune.

I know from experience that placing vocals into a song in a way that lets them shine through without dominating the track that can be obscenely difficult, so even trying is a solid plus for effort. That said, the vocals have quite a way to go: the recording quality isn't too great (seems like especially high and low frequencies have been lost, or the vocals might be so doused in reverb they don't have much presence left). The quality of the singing varies: moments like the second "Et prompter te, Domine" are great, while especially in the latter half of the song there are a lot of sour notes and you often seem to be holding back your voice - some more confidence and gusto could really kick this song up a notch. Lastly, the volume of the vox varies noticeably - I don't know if this is for artistic reasons (like it reflects the lyrics somehow), but it's a pretty quick fix with some careful compression if it isn't. Nevertheless, the words are all very clear (as far as I can judge. I don't actually understand any of it but I'm confident that a French listener would). I never learned a word of French so of course I can't discuss the literary quality of the lyrics. There might be some amazing wording and lyrical tricks in it, but in that case it doesn't carry over to the English translation (not that that is expected anyway).

6 points for sounds and instrumentation.
9 points for composition and melody/harmony.
8 points for theme/originality/other things that might impress.

Overall impression: 7.5