TheVodouQueen's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[HAVE A GREAT NIGHT]

** A NGAIC REVIEW **

Hey there. Hope all's well. :)

COMPLIMENTS:

Like some have already said, the vibe going on here is delicious. It's not often you find true Olskool Hip-Hop / Underground sounds around here, and how you employ the chopped vocal along with the beat is spicy. It does very much remind me of something SEGA-esque, and I love the jazzy rhodes that is your harmony to the chippy 'whistle' melody. However you mastered the song (or kept it unmastered) sounds great as well, and honestly, wish mine sounded like that (especially the bass). Crisp, clear, and a bop.

CRITIQUE:

I've only got two things that I think could help this expand. I'm unsure if it was meant to be just a short loop, but even within the confines of the loop, I wish there was more interplay/instrument-usage for the melody and harmony. Like, throw in a sax VST or change-up the chippy 'whistle' with another chippy soundbyte. Keep people on their toes. I know Hip-Hop tends to circle the beat quite often, but I find in even a lot of the more loopy songs, they tend to add and *take away* bits here and there, or even change up the style / beat measures to add some variety. Also, yes, the vocal is a bit overwhelming and loud by comparison to the backing tracks/samples...

So yeah, I think a few more instrument change-ups and soft, short beat change-ups would've added to an already well-spiced tune (I heard you swapped the rhodes with a violin/string synth towards the end, but I'd like to see a couple more swaps, primarily to the whistle melody). Way more focus seems to have been put into the vocal chops, but that's just my 50 cents...

I've seen that you do quite a bit of this style of music, which is fantastic. :) Hope to see more of your work as the challenge continues! o/

[SpeedRunning - NGADM Round 2]

Goddamn, man. Thumping goodness at its finest. ♡ Used to love playing Extreme-G...(miss that game and others around the N64 / PS1 era.) Some real fantastic shit deserving the big 5 from me.

Godspeed in the competition. This is such a banger! :D

Spadezer responds:

yeah definitely one of my favorite fantasy racing games that Nintendo has put out (can't beat F-Zero-X for me though). Glad you liked it

[AIM - Mystery]

Man...I love that deep synth and 80s tech-noir feel. I'm unsure if it really fits its artistic inspiration, (for as unsettling and chaotic it looks), but...if we're speaking of the really old, more accurate depictions of angelic beings, and how they were so mysterious, bold, and discomforting to look at...this track kinda edges towards that. So I would say, a direct correlation to the inspired source?--not so much. But metaphorically?, yeah...I can see / sense it, especially @ the 2:20 and beyond mark. :)

It's pretty cool, bombastic in all the right places, and has that weird, almost creepy air in behind the instrumentation. I wish the background soundscape reflected more of the horror and chaotic notions of old-school angels and the artwork itself, but ATM what you got here is pretty rad nonetheless.

Good luck in AIM 2022! Keep up the good work. :3

TenodiBoris responds:

Thank you for your review :)

[AIM 2022 - should i...?]

Hmm... I am a bit torn. It's repetitive, sure, but at the same time...I think that's the point. Based on the poem and your art inspiration, it fits the theme. Tiring, repeated thoughts, over and over, of depression, of anxiety, of feeling not good enough, of feeling alone. We all have those thoughts. And they all revolve around the edges of our emotions, on and on, ad-infinium--and that's the point. Like the man sitting under the bridge, we're just transfixed on those negative feelings. And sometimes positive ones--and this Indie Rock track sums all of that up in very few chords and very few plucks.

Sometimes we don't need "deep, wide-range music" to achieve what we're trying to say. And I really like that about this track. Especially the undertone harmony that starts playing @ 2:50. It's very beautiful, almost romantic in a sense. And in so many ways, a timeless expression we all know and are familiar with...

Good luck in AIM 2022! I look forward to hearing more of what you produce. :3

[AIM 2022 | Siberg - The Journey]

Bit loud (especially in the beginning), but man...does this fit the pixel art to a T, and I love the smooth, rich House beats. It's very Hotline Miami, or that real Euro-Disco / Eurobeat with a subtle hint of 80s synthwave groove. I can almost hear lyrics to this song, and it is reminiscent of driving at night, on a long journey to anywhere and nowhere.

It's real lovely, and had me listening to it more than a few times. <3

Good luck in AIM 2022! Have a good one. :3

[AIM - Storytellers Tale]

Very expressive; I always love hearing more traditional Asian music, especially Japanese koto, shakuhachi, taiko, etc. It goes very well with your art inspiration, and is so lovely to hear just a piece of music with no heavy beat, bass, or background walls of sound except for what we're given up front in live-rendition.

Very, very cool and good stuff. Loved listening to every second of this piece. <3

Good luck in AIM 2022! Godspeed. :3

[AIM - Stalwart & Ready For Battle]

Hmmm... Listened to this twice, and sadly I am not a huge fan of the pizzicato strings / synth you're using. I am unsure if its the attack on them, or their place in the soundscape, but it's causing "ear fatigue"; (their frequency--to my ears--edge on that breaking point between 2-5k hertz that can get irritating to hear, and not close enough to the 5-12k mark to give it that 'shimmer', clarity and brightness to ease that stark sound). Other than that, I love the drums. It reminds me of some of the boss and sub-boss themes from later Zelda games (like Wind Waker, Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword). The heavy drums and lower strings teem with the idea of a mighty warrior in the heat of battle, and goes well with the art of the Dwarven Paladin that inspired it. :3

Good luck in AIM 2022! Hope some of the constructive criticism some people gave helps you along in further music endeavours! :D

[Lost]

This kinda reminds me of the start of some older works by Daft Punk... It would work lovely as a BGM loop. Would've also been nice to see what art inspired it, (as I can't see that anywhere or in your description...unless I've gone blind... D: ) I love the soundscape, but I do wish there were more juicy details to it. I am sure whatever you cook-up to further this song will be a banger. :D

Look forward to hearing more from you. o/ Have a good one.

V1ZION responds:

It’s in the extended version but I can just link it here too.

https://www.newgrounds.com/art/view/hypervolt/embark

Also, thanks for the kind words. I know the extended version is basically just this with a faster version of the same thing after it. I may actually try to switch it up a bit in the future if I ever come back to this.

[AIM - Where Even the Monsters Cry]

Hmm...yeah I can see what some people are saying about the strings you use. They hit hard, and between the sharp attack and the long delay, they kinda "overstay their welcome" just a tiny bit. That said, I do like them, and they do fit well with the creepy vibe and your artistic source material / inspiration. Especially the sort of, DnB, taiko-drum layering you've got going on--it's spicy, and I saw some people mention in the art's commentary that it reminded them of yokai parades in Japanese mythos. So well done there. :) Overall, it feels very inspired and I like the flow a lot once the strings drop down to more of a background sustain. A bit of tweaking on the beginning strings, and this would've been even more awesome.

I also think some change-ups in either the melody, chords or harmony towards the end (after about 2:30 - 2:50) would've upped the ante with the song--but I digress.

Good luck in AIM 2022! I look forward to hearing more work from you. :D <3

[Dawn]

Hey there!

Really like your intro. It felt like we were literally riding the synth waves and vibrato that was going on there. :) This is a very interesting, almost Harvest Moon / Stardew Valley-kinda vibe you've got going on, and given the art source material, works quite well. The drums are a lil' overly-soft, but when they perk up they're nice to hear. Everything in the song is very relaxed and chill, and I think you did a great job of juxtaposing the melody and harmony with the onlook of a peaceful sunset on the farmland, as given in your chosen inspiration. :D

Good luck in AIM 2022! Have a pleasant day. :3