headphoamz's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Bajo el sol, sobre las rocas]

I am simply swept off my feet by that beginning. The first thirty seconds of the song are probably some of my favorite thirty seconds of music ever. It's so well-composed, sweet juicy Jesus. I love me some flamenco.

Then you come back in at 1:05, a sigh of relief from the heaviness, and then BOOM they start working together again at 1:27. You have some excellent riffs in here that give a strong sense of imagery - like this is an island that is suddenly under attack, maybe.

Not sure how I feel about the near hip-hop beat that comes in around 2:22, it almost seems out of place. But the general feeling of this segment is very relaxed, like something got resolved, and it's still very well put-together.

Then we come back to reality with the main theme. You have amazing structure throughout the whole piece! Solid closure, too. Might have put a little more verb at the end there to signify that this event echoes in time, or some such sap. Really awesome work, overall. :)

InYourDreams responds:

Hey phoamz! Thanks for the nice words :)
I think I should have kept it simple, instead of going all confusing and stuff... xD.
I actually didn't think of a particular scenario when I wrote this one... I just wanted to do something as confusing as my life :D... But your description fits it perfectly! thanks!

At some point I thought about only doing some flamenco stuff, cause I had a couple of cool ideas, and that guitar is just to fall in love with.... it's a 3/4 (smaller than a normal guitar, but not to small) and sounds really incredible. But I said "NO... I have to finish what I've started", so I went all the way to confuse the crap out of people :D

Thanks again for your review, although I know the heavy parts may be a little to heavy for your taste ;)

[Agnos]

Aw man Jordi. Great choice implementing a guitar. It adds to the mystical feel the song gives. The chords are warm, emotional, and have a fairytale-like atmosphere.

And dat voice. It's like someone is pouring honey into my ears. You seriously I've begun to also see your vocal style, which includes a lot of grace notes that blend perfectly into the harmonies. The chords at 2:35 made me gasp - they were such an pleasant progression that I don't often hear. You have incredible vocal range as well! I didn't know you had like four different octaves in you.

You also have amazing dynamics - it's very well-mixed. I enjoy the stereo phasing of the choir, it's like a very smooth breeze throughout the piece. I think my only criticism is the pause at 0:50 - I feel it goes on for a half second too long. But that's it. Once again, great job my friend! :)

etherealwinds responds:

'Honey' seems to be peoples' favourite word when describing my voice and is something I find difficult to actually really understand haha! I don't think I have the best vocal range in the world but it's something I continue to work on when I practice by myself. Thank you so much! That part has had mixed reviews so I guess it's just down to people's own perspective.

All the best and thank you~

[Tir Na Nog]

Aah, lovely. Reminds me of a bard's song in Skyrim, upon first listen. Absolutely love Celtic mythology, and this is definitely a mystical piece to accompany a story. Plus, having etherealwinds sing for you was a great choice, as he's an excellent singer!
Great work, Chrono. This might be my favorite work from you.

ChronoNomad responds:

Thanks a ton, headphoamz! It's really nice to find that so many people appreciate Celtic music and lore here on Newgrounds, and having this compared to one of Jeremy Soule's songs from Skyrim is decidedly awesome. I couldn't agree more when it comes to etherealwinds and his singing talent; I feel very fortunate in that regard. I'm really glad that you enjoyed the music, and I feel as though I'm growing more and more as a musician thanks to this competition and all the wonderful feedback I've been receiving! <333

[The Penguin - Theme]

OH MY HEAVENS THIS IS SO CUTE!!!
Okay, I have that out of my system. But really, too adorable. Just so playful and penguin-ish and Pixar. I can definitely see a penguin sliding on his belly or something like that. The pizzicato in the background only adds to the fun. :3

SoundChris responds:

Thank you! It is a very simple composition (logic pro 8 instruments only) - but i think it doesnt have to be extremely complicated all the time. It has been written to accompany some voice actors who tell the story - underlined with some fx sounds. I never tried to set a childrens story into music - but it really was fun :D Echnaret ant the penguin guys are so proud of their work so i decided to submit those short sequences to advertise the full story :3

[Worth Your Time]

Really, this is very beautiful. I love the backup synths more than anything; they add so much flavor to the already warm melodies and chords you're using. Reminds me a little of Snow Patrol, but better, I think! The auto-tune is present but not overbearing, which works well with the song's already electronic atmosphere. Your harmonies near 3:10 are incredibly well-done.
Both you and garlagan have outstanding tracks this round. Gonna be so tough!

[Not Everday]

The lead up to 0:48 after hearing the voice sample change is really, as JC mentioned, very dance-worthy. You have a certain way of making the vocal blend smoothly into the melody. Got some cool transitions in here, too - soft, understated flangers after a break are a nice touch. Very clear production value. Diggin' it!

[GM - Dragon Of The South]

Man, you are so good. I'm not really an expert on heavy metal, because most of it is just too "heavy", in terms of production and sound. But what you've done here is captured the heart of rock, with your riffs that pan back and forth, the progression of the melody, and the solo that starts up at 2:57 - simply gorgeous! Then it all goes back to the original tune, which I have actually been humming today. Call me a fan! :)

InYourDreams responds:

OMG! thank you very much, woman!! :D... I'm actually a big fan of YOUR stuff xD... this means a lot to me (specially if it's actually not something you would normally hear or like). You girl are so freaking talented!! I love your "dear mario" song, and your work for this contest is off the charts!!
I'm really glad you like it... :)

[Ablixa]

This is a fantastic house song! Are you into Benassi? Sounds a lot like his stuff. Great use of the square lead, and the way its tail waveform wiggles at the end of every beat. I think I'd add a little more bass to the song, but that's my opinion here. The arps that start at 3:40 - I NEED MORE OF THOSE IN MY LIFE. Awesome work!

garlagan responds:

Thank you!
I don't really like Benassi, though I haven't listened to many songs from him. Will check out some more later.
Glad you liked the arps. I really enjoy using them.
You worried me about the bass! glad you sent that message then.
Cheers

[Memories of a Forgotten Land]

Incredible, Michael. Your sense of composition is really inspiring - the melody is sad, but the strings and sevenths behind it truly make the movement one of despair. You and your friend Jeremy are both very talented! Well done.

MichaelJ responds:

Wow, thank you headphoamz, we really appreciate it. :)

[Ling Kano's Fighting Show]

A FUNK SONG! Dude, I was hoping to come across one of these in the comp.
So this whole thing just screams Street Fighter, which has some excellent music - very punchy, big attitude. The song itself has some good elements, like the brass accentuating the bass. That instrument at 1:26 - what the heck is it? I'm trying to place the sound. It's a nice addition there.
The guitar that comes back in is a good way to remind the listener they're still in the game! Nicely done, Jovis.

SourJovis responds:

And now you do. Hadn't thought of Street Fighter in particular, but now you mention it, I can imagine some tatsumaki senpuu kyaku-ing to this. The instrument at 1:26 I think you refer to is a string section from an old fashioned tape keyboard/sampler (from when all samples were stored on tape). I had an erhu (chinese string instrument that sounds somewhat like a violin) in mind, but I didn't have samples of that instruments, so I used this instead, because it sounds similar to an erhu, and a tape sampler fits the style of the song too.