KKSlider60's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Wonderfullaby]

Naivety is what I think of when listening to this piece, swiftly making its way to Yume Nikki-like atmospheres and melodies reminiscent of classical music, possibly baroque in style. Naivety... with a hint of mischievous curiosity, typical of those knowledge-thirst children that want absolutely the answers to their questions at all costs. Hm...

I don't particular complaints for this track. Its simplicity sets quite the mood you were looking for, I'm sure, and I think you've just achieved that goal. The few elements that enrich the lead synths including the drums fit nicely and are not intrusive. I think it's a pretty track, not ambitious, not pretentious, simply a fragment - for what it is, it's wonderful.
KKS

[Silver Helix War]

Hmm. I have various thoughts regarding this track, ranging from the lush, vivid visuals I have in my mind right now to the more technical aspects. Let me split into parts for you.

The intro is delicately crafted and goes well with the feelings of inner turmoil, struggle and motion. It is crafted in a way that no sounds prevail to each other, and the incoming subtle distortion adds more dynamics to the ensemble, while the mix still remains relatively quiet. I don't spot any cons here, since it sets the mood fairly well for the rest of the track. I'd also like to point out the layered percussion, very delicate contouring the sonic environment.

The second part after the first minute mark sets a new mood. The fast delayed arpeggios are my most favorite bit here, along with the introduction of a steady heartbeat-like kick line, creating a tense, dark and dense atmosphere. The distortion makes its return in a glorious fashion, although the lack of sidechaining is evident, as the kick overcompresses the mix creating an unpleasant "pulse" that will last until the finale. It's that kind of imperfection that doesn't seem to be unforgiving, but depending on who you talk to, either contributes or ruins the sonic experience. I think it's a tolerable option since overall, the piece in itself runs smoothly and the lack of prominent transitions doesn't seem to distract the listener from appreciating the dark, enveloping beauty of this shard of familiar reality.

From the third minute and onward, little ear candies pop up here and there adding a bit of variety to the ensemble, including the recurrent piano (I think it's piano or otherwise electronic sounds) notes and an important protagonist: the choir. Now here is where things start to get opinion-shattering. Personally, while it tries to set and confirm the overall mood of the segment it's featured into, it doesn't contribute in making it more interesting and it stays low buried in the distorted and overcompressed soundscape. I would have liked a different climax, where the choir - more twisted and dark - shines alone over very few percussive elements in the background layers of the song, setting an ominous and dreary feeling, perhaps even loneliness and desolating despair. In its current state, the choir is there, it's present... just not enough to set its own character.

Overall, it's the best "you" I've ever listened to in weeks. You're in great shape and there's always much to paint in the vast canvas you're seeking to fill with colorful thoughts and emotive patterns. I enjoyed the semi-Industrial surrealism, the research for another kind of experience, the experimental mindset.

Keep going
KKS

EnigmaticWolf responds:

Good. We agree on the introduction. I accept mixed verdicts, but I also enjoy it when one person sees a negative and the other sees a positive. It creates a balance between opinions where people don't feel inclined to choose only one side. Nowadays people are heavily influenced by other's opinions.

I personally enjoy that pulse and massive distortion. I wanted something that turned distortion into something that would surge into your head and fire up every dark corner of your imaginative realm. That's what I achieved, I think. I never did enjoy perfectly clear sound pieces. I always listen to music that is slightly dreamy/distorted. Besides I know a lot of professional songs that have way too much skipping and chopping, but people still seem to hang on.

I slightly agree. I do agree that there may be a potential error there, but it's not the distortion, really. It's the choir. This is the closing. The entire song is a parabolic chamber of madness. This means I went for a positive - climax - negative sequence. I imagined someone running from darkness, but since they can't run any faster, I wanted an intelligent, but very dark atmosphere for 3:00 on. I just wanted something very simple, atmospheric, dark and dainty. I didn't want, yet, another climax. It wasn't what I imagined, and I compose to my imagination. The piano was giving a false sense of safety. Then near the end the ''devouring'' part comes in, which is well pieced together by my choir use. Later accompanied by the constant pulses, roaring and darker drumline. When this part comes in, I can't help but feel like I'm in the depths of a heated battle between dark and light. It's an amazing piece through and through.

I am proud of this song. Certainly. Thank you for your long review! I enjoyed it. I will be brewing some more madness later. Stay tuned, brother.

Cheers.

[Beautiful Isolation]

There's so many ways I'd like to express my gratitude towards you for making this wonderful shard of simply another world. I don't even want to know how did you make this, for you wouldn't know the answer; it's something that has reached his own level of maturity... it's breathing a life of its own already. My mind is wandering in another plane of existence, while the rational part of me struggles to find logic among all this chaos when it is not even required... It's sensorial symbiosis, a symphony of feelings intertwined in a complex network of functions, immersed in a vast sonic world beyond our reach. When you reach this level of abstraction, you've done your job. So I bow to thee, and take a step back to what I've done so far, contemplating for the present being.

Some people won't understand, some people will still be too attached to humanity's labyrinthine and fragile systems, replacing feeling with technique. So here is my technical review: awesome mastering, awesome structure, awesome transitions, awesome depth, awesome samples.

Well done.
KKS

Kingbastard responds:

Thanks for the comment, much apprciated;)

[Idle Motion - Loop 4]

I think this track has great potential to become a wonderful shard of reality, a hidden gem among wastelands of opaque mirrors. There's so much in here that I'm literally lost in this atmosphere, starting from unobstrusive percussions, the little breaths you hear once in a while, the bells and echoed crystalline sounds panning from one place to another... I would personally give just a bit of reverb to the drums in order to give a sense of being suspended in a vast cosmic realm, the snare sound really needs to shine on, while the rest is just perfect. :)
Well done, brother
KKS

EnigmaticWolf responds:

I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment.

Thank you very much for your detailed review and for listening to my works.

[October 24 Hour Jam]

Nice mix :D It was more varied than I imagined, and definitely worth a listen. I liked the transitions and the little breaks between the tracks, it was great and with so many different styles - from my action movie-like track, to Casey and Yoshiii's dubsteppy beats, to Aether's dance-influenced groove.
KKS

[Buubdurub - Age of Robots]

Feeling like dancing, hm hm. XD This is like the Teletubbies of the future! And if they sound like this, I will totally watch them just to hear this awesome shard of uplifting, optimistic reality! :)
KKS

[~SW~ Star Nuclei]

Bonus points for the ring galaxy as the song icon. :D

Where do I begin, I don't usually like minute per minute reviews so I'll just write what I honestly felt by listening to this spacey-sounding piece.

This song has various influences. I can hear hints of progressive rock and the spacey, morphine-induced experimental avant-gardes of the 70's, especially the German bands (Krautrock, the "rock of the roots" comes into mind). It's almost as if Liquid Tension Experiment and Pink Floyd fused together to make something as awesome as this, with the atmospheric layers caressing those lucky listeners' ears in a delicate symphony of acoustic and electronic soundscapes.

Technically, I cannot spot any relevant problems in this beauty, as the track flows very nicely and headphones are REALLY recommended for an immersive and richer experience. I can, however, point out some minor discrepancies in the mix as at some points the drums sound either too overcompressed or their reverb slightly clashes with the other instruments. The snare sound didn't actually satisfy me completely, but I realize that complaining about the very "quality" of the samples is a bit stupid and excessive.

Instrument-wise it's a clever arrangement and it does show up some technical prowess, be it live recorded or programmed - I don't care in either case, with ups and downs clashing together to form one memorable piece. I'm very glad it got frontpaged as I think it totally deserves it, and it actually restores me more faith in Newgrounders' dubious tastes, so so far so good! :D

Thanks again for your support, and as you said in your review, the experiment succeeded in delivering a great shard of your imagination.
KKS

SkyeWint responds:

Well, good afternoon, my friend! Thank you indeed for the great review!

"Bonus points for the ring galaxy as the song icon. :D"
Hell. Yes. Fitting picture is fitting.

"Where do I begin, I don't usually like minute per minute reviews so I'll just write what I honestly felt by listening to this spacey-sounding piece."
Sure thing!

"This song has various influences."
Surprisingly, there's very little influence from any specific song, group, or genre in this. I took bits and pieces of what came up in my head and fit it all together - toward the middle, the song just decided where it wanted to go.

"some minor discrepancies in the mix"
Mixing is, sadly, my biggest problem right now. I think I can get the mix to be clear overall, but I still have the issues of "crap I'm using too much reverb", etc. Compressors were barely used in this, surprisingly. The snare was the drum I compressed the most. Sorry you didn't like it. :c It was part of the drumkit.

"headphones are REALLY recommended"
Indeed, they are! I had mixed this with headphones, though it would probably also sound good on higher-quality stereo speakers.

"Instrument-wise it's a clever arrangement"
I've been around music and music theory for over 10 years at this point. ;) Composition has always been a fairly strong point for me (particularly transitions), and learning to compose in the past two years was essentially just applying concepts I had already encountered and knew.

"the experiment succeeded in delivering a great shard of your imagination."
Why thank you! :D Hope I can get some more like this to you! ^_^ The three songs I have linked in the description of this are also some of my better ones, you might like them.

-Swint-