ShangXian's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[basement 2 (full ep)]

Ok, yesterday I listened to the song to get an idea of its content but I wanted to wait to today to give a proper and honest feedback to this work. One thing that I don't understand is if this "full ep" should be a kind of mini album or a composition of different parts. When making something is always important asking "what do I want to convey with this piece?". I personally think that one of the differences between visual arts and music is that visual arts rely on static shapes whose dynamism is a combination of deception, illusion and artistic skill that give the vibe of movement and progression.

With music things are different, because you build a story in motion through notes, arrangements, mixing, instruments, vocals and so on. And this is why it's important for a musical piece to be consistent in what it aims at showing to the listener. Music is composed of many things such as rhythm, pitch, timbre, dynamics, texture, harmony, melody, tempo and form.

-rhythm is the most important element of music because it's its building block. It tells us when a sound should be played and how long it should last. It is what makes you want to tap your foot or dance along to a piece of music. It’s the underlying pulse that drives a song forward. All music, no matter what style, has some kind of rhythm. I can see in this piece a rudimental rhythm in each of these seven parts as I mentally classified them. Rhythm is the pattern of sounds and silences that occur over time. I can hear the pulse (the beat repeated in a regular pattern) but it's very minimalist and doesn't achieve that emotional building that keeps the listener engaged in moving some body parts to the rhythm. If I'm not mistaken at 03:41 I can hear 4/4 time signature. I can sense that the drums try to hit each quarter note beat throughout the song but the mixing element interferes a bit with the structure of the beat. You can see in the famous song Blinding Lights by The Weekend how the drums are able to create a pulse that instantly makes you want to tap your feet, clap and go with the flow. Here I see a much more drier rhythm.

-harmony is when two or more notes are played at the same time and is what makes music sound full and complete. It's extremely helpful at adding depth and context to a melody and can even completely change the mood of a song. Because of the lack of effective mixing I don't seem to perceive an incisive harmony to the structure of the songs (notably 00:05-00:27 and 00:37-01:53) and this leads to another weak point of your composition: texture.

-texture is basically how the music or sound is organized. Here I think to perceive a highly monophonic, thin texture. Each song seems characterized by one melody, or tune. Bach’s “Cello Suite No. 1” is a great example of monophonic texture, so it's not a bad thing per se but because both the title of the piece and the lack of a minimal description don't give a clear clue at what you are trying to convey with this piece, I struggle at fully appreciate this texture. At 06:36 the time signature seems breaking due to the attempt at adding variety but this breaks temporary the texture too, creating a less coherent musical piece.

The structure of some parts are very monothematic and even boring such as at 01:12 while the part at 00:37 has more rhythm and is more pleasant to listen to compared to the one I've just mentioned. At 01:49 the mix of drums and chords gets a bit confused, creating a slightly dissonant pattern that breaks the composition of the piece.

At 08:29 the music completely changes, breaking the flow of the preceding piece, and it gives me a strong gamelan vibe. I don't understand why the musical signature in this part completely changes in this orientalist-like vibe and I'm not using orientalist as a nice thing here because gamelan is the heavy use of hand-drums (i.e. kendang) and metallophones such as gendér barung, not to mention the use of gambang gangsa and gambang kayu. Gamelan is ruled by the céngkok pattern which dictates the pathet of the piece, here ofc I don't hear this because I don't think you know the musical theory of gamelan which is fine but maybe a bit more of study on its pattern and structures would have made it more nice to appreciate. Despite this I admit it's the only part I truly enjoyed of the composition because of its completely different nature, more folkloristic part and musically engaging tempo.

Because dynamics are kept at a very minimum due to the limited types of instruments used here, I can't sense much variety in the composition and the listener might be not interested at all at keeping listening such piece.
Dynamics are an important way to add interest and variety to a piece of music, and they can also be used to create a certain mood or feeling. Because of this the main mood that this song gives me is a lack of interest in effectively sending a concept or idea in the musical piece. If I had to compare this song to a colour, it would be a grey scale, minus the last part that resembles a gamelan (I would see that part as green).

High-hats as 06:36 add a nice vibrancy and variety to this part despite they last briefly. Nice job with them.

But I admit the thing that I really found annoying in this work were the constant silence breaks between each part (i.e. 00:27-00:37, 01:52-01:58 and so on), these were probably thought as way to create a transition between the parts but because the whole composition is not kept due to the many errors (lack of mixing or wrong mixing, minimal dynamics, dry rhythm, etc.) it's difficult to see a composite, organic, vibrating structure of the song. Plus these breaks interrupt the evolution of the song in the very moment it seems to be evolving into something interesting.

I know my comment might seem a bit harsh plus who am I to judge this way considering I'm not even a musician, just someone who loves music as vital part of their existence, but I was genuinely interested in listening your piece and give a honest feedback. I can see a potential for future works because the basics of musical theory seem grasped but I feel to give you these advice to better improve your experience as musician so more people will be invested in your works:

-don't use casual musical genres just to fill spaces, scroll down and you would have seen "Other-Experimental". Due to the nature of this piece that struggles to convey something effectively, I see it as an experimental piece and not Ambient. Ambient music emphasizes mood and texture over the traditional melodies and rhythms found in pop music or classical music. Ambient musicians often augment these synths with acoustic instruments and ambient sounds from nature. This piece "Reflections" made by ForgottenDawn superbly shows what I have said: https://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/1419061

-tags, tags and again tags. Use them to make your song easy to find. If you don't use them, people will never discover you since, thankfully, NG does not rely on algorithm but only on human force.

-title. Next time add a more convincing title because "basement" doesn't transmit anything besides images of darkness, closed spaces, domestic environment while here music give a more lively, open-spaced feeling especially 02:02, 04:42 and 08:29 which bring the listener to a forest, not a basement.

-description. Add a description about what brought you in the creation of the song, the feelings, emotions, symbolism, even shitposting, everything that shows that you cared about your own creation. Songs, just like videogames, videos, and artworks, are like children. They are made by us and it's our responsibility to care about them by taking care about each aspect, even the silliest.

-username. I know this might not have anything to do with the song itself, but it's important when it comes to promote yourself. How do you prefer your listeners and potential watchers remember you? A catchy name or a generic "user[INSERT NUMBERS HERE]? A catchy name gives a more lively feel to an account, you can sense life. A set of numbers gives an aloof feel and might make some people not get invested in your works (plus the other two things I mentioned such as description and tags).

-study, practice, ask for advice from more seasoned musicians. Do not isolate in your account, explore the Audio Portal, comment on people' stuff, fave, open threads in the audio forum: https://www.newgrounds.com/bbs/forum/13

If you scroll down you will notice that people open audio threads, similarly to art threads but with musical pieces. Open one, ask for critiques and if you are open to them people will gladly help you.

I hope my humble opinions might be useful, good luck for everything and don't get discouraged if initially you will have to work a lot to get people invested in your works but in the long run it will pay off.

wallslugs responds:

thx for the review
i genuinly learned a lot

[Tarian Lumut]

Oh man, where do I start with this green gem? I nicknamed it "green" because it strongly evokes me this colour while listening to it. Another track that I discovered thanks to the Creature Collab and entered in my personal list of the top 10 favourite NG tracks here. But what I love the most is the musical arrangement and type of instruments used, not to mention that the title confirmed what I immediately thought: a gamelan. For those who don't know, gamelan the traditional ensemble music of the Javanese, Sundanese, and Balinese peoples of Indonesia, made up predominantly of percussive instruments.

The musical signature of gamelan is the heavy use of hand-drums (i.e. kendang) and metallophones such as gendér barung, not to mention the use of gambang gangsa and gambang kayu. I love listening to it as form of appreciation for Indonesian cultural tradition. It is used for rituals, ceremonies, dance theatre, dance-drama, traditional Indonesian theater, wayang puppets theatre, singing, concerts and so on. As I said the title confirmed my thoughts because, although I don't know Indonesian languages as whole, I know a few words and "tarian" is one of them which means "dance" and "lumut" which means "moss". So "moss dance" and again the green colour returns semantic-wise, but frankly the name "lumut" brought my mind on another field: folktales.

And I would like to share here an Indonesia folktale I learned some years ago when a person sold me a small book featuring folktales around the world, and the one I am about to tell was in this book. While I write it down, try to image a dancer and the gamelan as background music, ruled by the céngkok pattern which dictates the pathet of the piece.

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Long time ago in East Java, there stood twin kingdoms, Jenggala and Kediri. The kingdoms were once united under Kahuripan Kingdom. To avoid war, the kingdoms decided to reunite through a marriage of the kings’ children. They were Raden Panji Asmarabangun and Dewi Sekartaji. One day, Jenggala kingdom was attacked by a large number of people. When the war broke out, Dewi Sekartaji ran away and hid out in a desolate village. There she met a wealthy widow called Nyai Intan. Nyai Intan had three beautiful daughters, Klenting Abang, Klenting Ijo, and Klenting Biru. Then, Nyai Intan took Dewi Sekartaji as her child and gave her a name, Klenting Kuning.

Klenting Kuning was more like a servant than a child. Nyai Intan and her daughters often scolded her and treated her badly. In the meantime in Jenggala, Panji Asmarabangun with his soldiers were looking for his wife, Dewi Sekartaji. Then, in one afternoon, a soldier came up to him and told him that he saw a girl that looked like the princess in a small village. In the next few days, Panji Asmarabangun and his soldiers decided to go to Dadapan, a village that not far from where Klenting Kuning lived. Under the name of Ande-Ande Lumut, Panji Asmarabangun stayed in a modest house of an old widow called Mbok Randa. He soon announced to the people that he was holding a contest to find a wife.

Klenting Kuning's three stepsisters heard the new and dressed up as beautiful as possible to win the prince’s heart. On the due day, the girls seemed ready. They put on their best dresses and jewelry. When they were wearing their make up, Klenting Kuning came up to them and complimented their look. Klenting Abang cruelly asked Klenting Kuning if she wanted to come but it was clear it wasn't a question out of genuine care since the other two sisters mocked Klenting Kuning.

Klenting Biru while pointing at a pile of their dirty clothes said Klenting Kuning to do the laundry. Klenting Kuning took the dirty clothes and went to a nearby river. She actually did not want to go to the contest because she loved her husband so much, Raden Panji Asmarabangun. Suddenly a crane approached her. It talked like a human and grabbed a whip in its feet. He told her to go to the contest in Dadapan where she would have met her husband.

Klenting Kuning rushed back home and dressed up for the contest. By that time, Nyai Intan and her three daughters reached the bank of Bengawan Solo River. But they could not get across a river that deep and wide, when suddenly a giant crab floated upon the stream. They did not know that the crab was Yuyu (1) Kangkang, Ande Ande Lumut’s henchman assigned to test the participants. Yuyu Kangkang would help them to across the river if they kissed him. The three sisters agreed and one by one they kissed the crab. After that, Yuyu Kangkang told them to get on his back and took them across.

Not long afterwards, Klenting Kuning showed up at the river bank. Yuyu Kangkang asked the girl if she needed help to cross the river, Klenting Kuning nodded and the crab spirit told her the condition to cross the river: the kiss. She refused saying that she already had a husband, then she lashed the stream with her whip, making the river water dwindle. The crab got scared and agreed to take her across the river even to Dadapan Village. Klenting Kuning thanked Yuyu Kangkang, while in Mbok Randa’s house, the ladies showed off their beauties in front of Ande Ande Lumut. But he did not seem impressed by any of them. Nyai Intan went forward and got on her knees before the prince and begged him to marry one of her daughters, but the prince refused and commanded the guards to lead the lady in yellow dresses. She was Klenting Kuning. Everyone was surprised especially Nyai Intan and her daughters. The mother scowled why he did chose the girl in yellow instead of one of her daughters. Ande Ande Lumut replied that they have been disgraced by kissing the giant crab, whereas the girl in yellow was clean.

Afterwards, Ande-Ande Lumut revealed to Klenting Kuning who he really was. So, they went back to the palace and lived happily ever after.

Footnotes:

(1) yuyu is the Indonesian word for the Gecarcinucoidea, a superfamily of freshwater crabs which can be found throughout South Asia, Southeast Asia and New Guinea, with a single genus found in Australia.

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I love how you can hear small fragment of chiptunes at 01:38 and 03:25 which add a nice reminder it's a videogame track with modern elements. I love hearing the Kendang (maybe Kendang Ketipung) and Gambang Kayu melodies which add a strong, driving rhythm to the musical composition, not mention the Bonang Barung, one of my favourite céngkok repertoire. The traditional musical base of this piece slightly reminds me of the Janger Banyuwangi, the folk art from Banyuwangi, East Java that combines Balinese dance, costumes and gamelan with Javanese folk tales. And it's not a coincidence that the story of Anda Anda Lumut is performed in this type of art. Other stories include Cindelaras, Minakjinggo Mati, Damar Wulan Ngenger, Damarwulan Ngarit, and Sri Tanjung.

I was gladly happy to see a musical piece that features traditional elements of one of the type of music and arts I love the most in a website that mainly favours modern compositions. I know this piece is modern but it incorporates very well the traditional elements that bring the listener to an orientalist journey into the South-East Asia. Thank you for making such green gem! Keep it up.

[Crystal Frogs]

Seriously why doesn't this little gem have more votes and interactions after all this time? It's truly beautiful and enchanting. I discovered it thanks to the Creature Collab 2024 but every time I hear it in the game I feel mesmerized by the watery notes it has especially in the first part of the song. For example the part from 01:37 to 01:42 and how it gets repeated through the song, is one of my favourite musical feature. It gives me goosebumps. I also love at 01:52 the use of mixing to recreate the croaking sounds of the frogs chatting with each others.

I know have the visual imagery of frogs made of crystals, others with the shape of a frog but with crystals coming out the back, crystal-eyed frogs hopping from time to time and other amphibian-like creatures crawling in this cave.

03:41 is another part that gives me goosebumps with those dripping-like notes that truly give a watery, crystalline vibe to the musical imagery this composition has. In particular this song gives me a strong vibe of mystery and adventure but not something dangerous, but mystical. I can hear purplish to blue -violet sounds in this track. It's strongly evocative and soothing in its tunes.

The first 44 seconds are a really nice way to introduce the overall environment and mentally prepare the listener for what's about to come: a magical word of mystery and personal growth. Because this track evokes bluish tints in my mind, I find it highly calming. Blue is a colour linked to meditation, calm and thought. I like the presence of drums and high-hats that give dynamism, counterbalancing the more relaxed pace of the musical signature.

The frogs almost seem to talk to the listener/explore (whether it's the protagonist of the fictional story or the physical listener who is enjoying this track) as if they were saying "don't be afraid, keep going on and soon you will find the truth". These frogs sound so friendly. I like how the song has a bell shape in my mind when it comes to how it evolves during its track: we first have the introduction, then the development, the discovery, the adventure, the revelation, the reward and finally the ending part that concludes this cycle of adventure.

The track itself is a living book that opens before our eyes and ears. It's a beautiful, mystical, magical and fairy track that hypnotizes the mind and the heart of those who truly take time to listen to its words. Congrats, it's a masterpiece that deserves more recognition. Keep it up!

p.s. frogs rock! I love them^^

[FD - Pico's Dream]

Ehh niente, oggi sono in vena di recensire le tue opere, sono troppo belle! E ancora una volta sento la pelle d'oca mentre ascolto i tuoi brani e non posso fare a meno di esprimere in parole quello che questi brani mi ispirano. Ma ora basta con le chiacchiere, concentriamoci sul brano in se. Stavo esplorando la tua playlist FD Singles e ho trovato questo brano, catturata dal titolo. Dato che amo molto il personaggio di Pico ho voluto subito controllare e vedere in quale modo superbo questo personaggio viene rappresentato e devo dire che sono rimasta colpita nell'intimo!

A parte la bellezza compositiva del brano che è caratterizzato da una melodica semplice ma molto efficace, poiché sento che si basa sul principio "mostra, non raccontare" ma applicato all'ambito musicale, quello che mi ha colpita nel profondo è il magnifico contrasto tra l'immaginario visivo della canzone e il soggetto della canzone stessa: Pico. Stiamo comunque parlando di un personaggio che, nella lore, ha vissuto un'esperienza traumatica che lo ha segnato nel profondo, gli ha lasciato una ferita che non si rimarginerà più a meno che non faccia un percorso terapeutico.

Amo molto quando ci sono questi contrasti tra l'opera presentata (in questo caso un brano musicale) e il tema centrale e gli eventuali leitmotif soggiacenti. C'è una decostruzione del personaggio Pico sotto forma di musica, c'è un concetto trasmesso in modo non convenzionale che rende quest'opera a tema Pico una delle mie preferite. Cosa assocerebbe una persona avvezza al mondo di Newgrounds, se sentisse il nome "Pico"? Di certo non temi pacati, tranquilli e tutto sommato rilassanti.

Penso che se dovessi associare questa musica ad un pezzo di arte visiva che più si avvicina a tutta la dimensione psichica di questo brano sarebbe indubbiamente questo:

https://www.newgrounds.com/art/view/ramujin/pico-so-cool

Pico non è generalmente un personaggio associato a ritmi pacati e meditativi, almeno in apparenza e sulla superfice, perché è di solito associato alla velocità, all'azione, agli spari, il rosso è il suo colore (i capelli ma anche concettualmente nonostante abbia la maglia verde ma il verde si accompagna col rosso poiché ne è il suo complementare in accordo alla teoria dei colori). Sempre secondo la teoria dei colori, i colori complementari possono essere utilizzati per attirare l’attenzione su determinati elementi o messaggi; nel nostro caso la maglia attira l'attenzione sui capelli e ancora una volta quindi sul rosso, colore associato alla passione, all'umore sanguigno, alla vita ma anche al pericolo, all'impulsività (anche se Pico non mi sembra del tutto impulsivo anzi), all'attività (pensa anche all'oni rosso e all'oni blu) ecc. La combinazione del rosso e del verde in Pico, oltre a rimandare ad uno dei suoi leitmotiv (la mela), crea anche uno spazio vivace ed energico qual è appunto il personaggio di Pico.

Nell’ambito del design, ad esempio, il colore complementare rosso può essere utilizzato per creare un punto focale forte all’interno di un ambiente. Se si desidera attirare l’attenzione su un particolare oggetto o elemento di design, basta aggiungere una nota di colore verde a contrasto con il rosso circostante. Questo creerà un effetto visivo dinamico ed emozionante. Questo è quello che è Pico a livello concettuale: un mix di dinamismo ed eccitazione.

Si crea un forte contrasto visivo e questo si riflette nel personaggio di Pico: lui è un contrasto perché prima degli eventi di Pico's School era tranquillo, molto amato, popolare, amichevole, allegro e sempre pronto a partecipare in classe, dopo quegli eventi si è trasformato in una persona con PTSD, schizofrenia, insonnia, agitazione, turbamento e tendenze omicide. In Pico 2, Pico è caratterizzato da una personalità molto instabile. Durante il gioco, il giocatore può scegliere tra diverse opzioni di dialogo, con Pico che di solito lancia un insulto, un commento sarcastico o un complimento indiretto nelle sue risposte.

C'è un'altra parola che assocerei a questo brano: Sehnsucht. Questa canzone mi dà pensieri e sentimenti forti su tutti gli aspetti della vita che sono incompiuti o imperfetti, abbinati a un desiderio di esperienze alternative ideali. Penso che Pico sperimenti qualcosa del genere durante i periodi in cui è più pensieroso e questa canzone mostra questo lato nascosto di lui. Una parte più profonda della sua mente che anela a una realtà alternativa in cui non ha dovuto affrontare ciò che ha dovuto sperimentare. C'è un grado di desiderio violento e spesso doloroso per qualcosa, specialmente quando non si ha speranza di ottenere ciò che si desidera, o quando il raggiungimento è incerto, ancora lontano. Si pensi a tutto ciò che ha sperimentato Pico.

Questa canzone mi da un senso ambivalente di emozioni dolceamare, riflessione, ricchezza emotiva e simbolica, calma, melanconica spensieratezza, senso di incompletezza e imperfezione. Ora vorrei condividere un fatto molto interessante sugli studi effettuati sulla Sehnsucht: in uno studio interculturale condotto per determinare se il concetto tedesco di Sehnsucht potesse essere generalizzato agli Stati Uniti, quattro campioni di partecipanti americani e tedeschi "hanno valutato i loro 2 desideri di vita più importanti e hanno completato le misure di benessere e salute soggettivi". I partecipanti tedeschi e statunitensi non differivano nella loro capacità di identificare i desideri di vita o nell'intensità del loro Sehnsucht. Tuttavia, i partecipanti tedeschi lo associavano di più a stati irraggiungibili e utopici, mentre gli statunitensi hanno riferito che il concetto non era così importante per la vita di tutti i giorni, qui lo studio:

Scheibe, S.; Blanchard-Fields, F.; Wiest, M.; Freund, A. M. (2011). "Is longing only for Germans? A cross-cultural comparison of sehnsucht in Germany and the United States". Developmental Psychology. 47 (3): 603–618. doi:10.1037/a0021807. PMID 21219068

Avrei ancora molto da dire su quest'opera ma lentamente e inesorabilmente sto finendo i caratteri quindi terminerò dicendo che le campane e i rintocchi al centro nonché il pianoforte e le campane verso la fine sono gli elementi che adoro di più in assoluto nel creare quest'aura magica, quasi di un altro mondo. Complimenti!

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English translation:

Oooh well, today I'm in the mood to review your works, they are too beautiful! And once again I feel goosebumps while listening to your songs and I can't help but express in words what these songs inspire me. But now enough chit-chat, let's focus on the song itself. I was exploring your FD Singles playlist and I found this song, captured by the title. Since I love so much the character of Pico I immediately wanted to check and see in what superb way this character has been represented and I must say that I was deeply impressed!

Aside from the compositional beauty of the song which is characterized by a simple but very effective melody, as I feel it is based on the principle of "show, don't tell" but applied to the musical field, what struck me deeply is the magnificent contrast between the visual imagery of the song and the subject of the song itself: Pico. We are talking about a character who, in the lore, has lived a traumatic experience that has scarred him deeply, and it has left him with a wound that will never heal unless he undergoes therapy.

I really love when there are these contrasts between the work presented (in this case a piece of music) and the central theme and any underlying leitmotifs. There is a deconstruction of the Pico character in the form of music, there is a concept conveyed in an unconventional way that makes this Pico-themed work one of my favorites. What would a person accustomed to the world of Newgrounds associate with the name "Pico"? Certainly not calm, quiet and all things considered relaxing themes.

I think that if I had to associate this music with a piece of visual art that comes closest to the whole psychic dimension of this song it would undoubtedly be this one:

https://www.newgrounds.com/art/view/ramujin/pico-so-cool

Pico is not generally a character associated with calm and meditative rhythms, at least on the surface level, because he is usually linked to speed, action, shooting sequences, and red is his color (his hair are red but he's conceptually red despite wearing a green shirt but green goes with red since it is its complementary colour). According to color theory, complementary colors can be used to draw attention to certain elements or messages; in our case the shirt draws attention to the hair and therefore to red, a color associated with passion, a fiery mood, life but also danger, impulsiveness (even if Pico does not seem entirely impulsive to me, on the contrary he can manage delicate situations i.e. Pico vs Bear), activity (think also of the red oni and the blue oni) etc. The combination of red and green in Pico, in addition to referring to one of his leitmotifs (the apple), also creates a lively and energetic space which is precisely the character of Pico.

In design, for example, the complementary color red can be used to create a strong focal point within a space. If you want to draw attention to a particular object or design element, simply add a pop of green to contrast with the surrounding red. This will create a dynamic and exciting visual effect. This is what Pico, from a conceptual point of view is: a mix of dynamism and agitation.

A strong visual contrast is created and this is reflected in the character of Pico: he is a contrast because before the events of Pico's School he was quiet, very loved, popular, friendly, cheerful and always ready to participate in class, after those events he turned into a person with PTSD, schizophrenia, insomnia, agitation, restlessness and homicidal tendencies. In Pico 2, Pico is characterized with a very unstable personality. Throughout the game, the player can choose from different dialogue options, with Pico usually throwing an insult, sarcastic comment, or backhanded compliment into his responses.

Another word I would associate with this song is: Sehnsucht. This song gives me strong thoughts and feelings about all facets of life that are unfinished or imperfect, paired with a yearning for ideal alternative experiences. I think that Pico experiences something like that during those times he is more pensive and this song shows this hidden side of him. A more deep part of his mind that yearns for an alternative reality where he didn't have to face what he had to experience. There is a degree of a violent and often painful longing for something, especially when one has no hope of attaining what is desired, or when attainment is uncertain, still distant. Think about all Pico experienced.

This song gives me an ambivalent sense of bittersweet emotions, reflection, emotional and symbolic richness, calm, melancholic carefreeness, a sense of incompleteness and imperfection. Now I would like to share a very interesting fact about the studies done on Sehnsucht: in a cross-cultural study conducted to determine whether the German concept of Sehnsucht could be generalized to the United States, four samples of American and German participants “rated their 2 most important life longings and completed measures of subjective well-being and health.” German and American participants did not differ in their ability to identify life longings or the intensity of their Sehnsucht. However, German participants associated it more with unattainable, utopian states while Americans reported the concept as not as important to everyday life, here the study:

Scheibe, S.; Blanchard-Fields, F.; Wiest, M.; Freund, A. M. (2011). "Is longing only for Germans? A cross-cultural comparison of sehnsucht in Germany and the United States". Developmental Psychology. 47 (3): 603–618. doi:10.1037/a0021807. PMID 21219068

I have much more to say about this work but I am slowly running out of characters so I will end by saying that the bells/chimes in the middle as well as the piano/bells towards the end are the elements that I love the most in creating this magical, almost otherworldly atmosphere. Kudos!

[FD - Here and Now]

Un altro pezzo straordinario che combina sonorità eteree con note molto acquatiche che mi rimandano alla mente immagini di grotte, quali la Grotta Azzurra, dove rifugiarsi per rinfrescare l'accaldato spirito dopo i tormenti del vivere quotidiano. Bella la foto messa nella descrizione, quella mi sembra proprio la Galassia di Andromeda a giudicare dalle caratteristiche generali.

Il suono è solenne e maestoso al tempo stesso, e le corde musicali utilizzate danno il senso di un ambiente acquatico, rilassante e che ti trascina in un'altra dimensione facendo addormentare serenamente lo spirito. Dai tag ho notato la parola "malinconico" compare nella descrizione del testo. Non è un senso triste e negativo di melanconia quello che trasmette il brano, anzi quello che da è uno stato meditativo e contemplativo a tratti quasi accidioso ma nel senso originario a cui gli antichi greci davano, ossia uno stato inerte senza dolore o preoccupazione.

Adoro moltissimo il pezzo a 02:28 e a 02:38, le note danno un non so che di vibrante nel sottotono apparentemente tranquillo di un'atmosfera calma e distesa. Amo tutto il pezzo ma i due che ho citato sono le parti che amo di più. C'è un qualcosa di magico e incantato in un pezzo che trovo molto positivo nel suo immaginario visivo trasmetto dalle note semplici ma profonde nel creare una vibrazione forte nell'animo. Mi piace poi come questa sequenza sonora si ripeta a 03:24 e 03:35 nella chiusura del brano musicale anche se poi ascoltando attentamente il brano le parti si ripetono a intervalli regolari di cui la prima a 00:34 e poi a 00:45 e così via durante tutta l'intera composizione.

Ottimo lavoro come sempre, è un incanto ascoltare queste gemme che rendono non solo il Portal musical veramente molto bello ma anche tutto Newgrounds. I tuoi lavori sono un valore aggiunto al sito!

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English translation:

Another extraordinary piece that combines ethereal sounds with very aquatic notes that remind me of images of caves, such as the Blue Grotto, where you can take refuge to refresh your heated spirit after the torments of everyday life. The photo in the description is beautiful, that one seems to me to be the Andromeda Galaxy judging by the general features.

The sound is solemn and majestic at the same time, and the musical strings used give the sense of an aquatic, relaxing environment that drags you into another dimension, making your spirit fall asleep peacefully. From the tags I noticed the word "melancholic" appears in the description of the text. It is not a sad and negative sense of melancholy that the song transmits, rather what it gives is a meditative and contemplative state that is at times almost accedic-like, but in the original sense that the ancient Greeks gave it, that is, an inert state without pain or care.

I really love the piece at 02:28 and 02:38, the notes give a certain vibrancy in the apparently calm undertone of a carefree and relaxed atmosphere. I love the whole piece but the two I mentioned are the parts I love the most. There is something magical and enchanted in a piece that I find very positive in its visual imagery transmitted by the simple but deep notes which creates a strong resonance in the soul. I also like how this sound sequence is repeated at 03:24 and 03:35 in the outro even if then listening carefully to the piece the parts repeat at regular intervals of which the first at 00:34 and then at 00:45, and so on during the whole composition.

Great work as always, it's a delight to listen to these gems that make not only the Audio Portal really beautiful but also all of Newgrounds. Your works are an added value to the site!

[FD - Lost]

Wow! Ho scoperto questo bellissimo pezzo grazie all'intervista che hai fatto con il grande @Aalasteir e che sto leggendo in questo momento. Wow, sono davvero senza parole per la bellezza di questo pezzo, che è entrato nella mia personale, mentale top 10 delle migliori canzoni di NG. Mi chiedo ancora perché non abbia ancora un Frontpage, considerando la bellezza ipnotizzante di un sentimento triste e malinconico che parla ai nostri cuori. Inoltre adoro la musica Ambient, in particolare la Dark Ambient, perché è uno di quei generi che mi fa davvero creare disegni dalla musica. È incantevole come il rumore di fondo si unisca agli accordi in una danza pentita ma emotivamente distaccata.

Ma questa canzone potrebbe anche rappresentare i resti di un Universo morente pronto a essere inghiottito dalla morte termodinamica. Vedo gli ultimi buchi neri, come dei giganti che assistono alla morte inevitabile, evaporare nella radiazione di Hawking (la radiazione del corpo nero rilasciata all'esterno dell'orizzonte degli eventi di un buco nero a causa di effetti quantistici). La radiazione di Hawking ridurrebbe la massa e l'energia rotazionale dei buchi neri e di conseguenza causerebbe l'evaporazione del buco nero. Per questo motivo, i buchi neri che non guadagnano massa attraverso altri mezzi dovrebbero restringersi e alla fine scomparire. Per tutti tranne i buchi neri più piccoli, ciò avviene estremamente lentamente. La temperatura della radiazione, chiamata temperatura di Hawking, è inversamente proporzionale alla massa del buco nero, quindi si prevede che i micro buchi neri siano emettitori di radiazioni più grandi rispetto ai buchi neri più grandi e dovrebbero dissiparsi più velocemente in base alla loro massa. Di conseguenza, se esistono piccoli buchi neri, come consentito dall'ipotesi dei buchi neri primordiali, dovrebbero perdere massa più rapidamente mentre si restringono, portando a un cataclisma finale di sola radiazione ad alta energia.

Fun fact: Erik Satie è riconosciuto come un importante precursore della musica ambient moderna.

Nonostante l'apparente mancanza di composizione, ritmo e/o melodia strutturata, la musica ambient è caratterizzata da strati e toni testuali che costruiscono la composizione, un diverso tipo di composizione; una composizione emotiva che ci parla e mostra il legame tra microcosmo e macrocosmo sotto forma di immagini visive perché in questo pezzo, ad esempio, possiamo vedere sia la nostra dimensione interiore sotto gli echi della perdita di tutto sia la sfera più grande e universale di un universo morente.

Nonostante tutto questo, tendo a vedere il sentimento della perdita più sotto la sfera universale che sotto la mia sfera personale. In realtà è un pezzo molto calmante, necessario per anime come la nostra, turbate dal mondo mondano. Una volta ho letto nella sezione commenti di YT di un video di Cryo Chambers un bellissimo commento che diceva più o meno: "l'arte disturberà i calmi e calmerà i turbati"

Penso che la musica ambient sia il genere che meglio si adatta a questo obiettivo e in questo momento questo brano mi calma davvero molto in un profondo senso di perdita malinconica e pensieri solitari che vagano nella mia mente come il vento in una notte nel deserto. La musica può sembrare semplice nella composizione, ma è in realtà profondamente complessa sotto la lente emotiva e le sue varie trame stratificate ci trasmettono una sensazione primordiale di introspezione. Il fatto che tu sia stato esposto a diversi generi che vanno dalla musica classica, jazz, soul, new age, rock alternativo, tra gli altri è ben incapsulato da questo lavoro, posso dirtelo.

La musica ambient si nutre di generi diversi e questo è uno degli aspetti che la rendono davvero bella ai miei occhi e alle mie orecchie. Continuo ad avere la pelle d'oca ascoltando questa perla che potrebbe essere una traccia con un film di fantascienza. Continua così!

Un'ultima cosa che quella canzone mi ricorda molto: memento mori. Questa canzone è un promemoria dell'inarrestabile marcia del tempo che ci sta lentamente guidando tutti verso l'inevitabile morte termodinamica. Nonostante tutto non mi sento turbata.

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English translation:

Wow! I discovered this beautiful piece thanks to the interview you had with the great @Aalasteir and that I am reading right now. Wow, I am truly speechless by the beauty of this piece, that has entered in my personal, mental top 10 list of best NG songs. I still wonder why it hasn't been frontpaged yet considering the mesmerizing beauty of a sad, melancholic feeling that is speaking to our hearts. Plus I adore Ambient music, especially Dark Ambient music, because it it's one of those genres that truly makes me create things out of music. It's enchanting how the background noise comes along in a remorseful yet emotionally detached dance with the chords.

But this song could also be the remnants of a dying Universe ready to be engulfed by the thermodynamic death. I can see last black holes, liked giants who witness the inevitable death, evaporating into the Hawking radiation (the black body radiation released outside a black hole's event horizon due to quantum effects ). Hawking radiation would reduce the mass and rotational energy of black holes and consequently cause black hole evaporation. Because of this, black holes that do not gain mass through other means are expected to shrink and ultimately vanish. For all except the smallest black holes, this happens extremely slowly. The radiation temperature, called Hawking temperature, is inversely proportional to the black hole's mass, so micro black holes are predicted to be larger emitters of radiation than larger black holes and should dissipate faster per their mass. Consequently, if small black holes exist, as permitted by the hypothesis of primordial black holes, they ought to lose mass more rapidly as they shrink, leading to a final cataclysm of high energy radiation alone.

Fun fact: Erik Satie is acknowledged as an important precursor to modern ambient music.

Despite the apparent lack of composition, beat, and/or structured melody, Ambient music is characterized by textural layers and tones that build the composition, a different type of composition; an emotional composition that speaks to us and shows the link between microcosm and macrocosm in the shape of visual imagery because in this piece, for example, we can both see our inner dimension under the echoes of losing everything and the bigger, universal sphere of a dying Universe.

Despite all of this, I tend to see the sentiment of loss more under the universal sphere rather than mine. It's actually a very calming piece, necessary for souls like ours, disturbed by the mundane world. I once read under the YT comment section of a video of Cryo Chambers a beautiful comment that roughly said: "art shall disturb the calm ones, and calm the disturbed ones"

I think Ambient music is the genre that best suits this goal and right now this piece truly calms me a lot in a deep sense of melancholic loss and solitary thoughts that roam in my mind like the wind of a desert night. The music may sound simple in composition, but it's actually deeply complex under the emotional lens and its varied layered textures that bring us a primordial feeling of introspection. The fact that you were exposed to different genres ranging from classical music, jazz, soul, new age, alternative rock, amongst others is well encapsulated by this work, I can tell you.

Ambient music feeds on different genres and this is one of the aspects that make it truly beautiful to my eyes and ears. I keep having goosebumps listening to this gem which could be a track featuring a sci-fi movie. Keep it up!

One last thing that song strongly reminds me of: memento mori. This song is a reminder of the unstoppable marching of time that is slowly guiding us all towards the inevitable thermodynamic death. Despite everything, I don't feel disturbed.

ForgottenDawn responds:

Cheers, thanks again for your glowing review. 🙏

[ςгץรՇคɭɭยร שเ๒гคภร (Vibrant Crystal)]

This song sounds extremely intriguing, starting from the name that is "Crystallus Vibrans"

I am reading the other part of the corrupted text and it can be converted as:

שเ๒гคภՇ ςгץรՇคɭ'ร ร๏ภﻮ ฬคร คɭՇєгє๔ เภ Շђє ภค๓є คภ๔ ๓єɭ๏๔ץ קг๏ςєรร, เ ภєє๔ ђєɭק!
Vibrant Crystal's song was altered in the name and melody process, I need help!

The other text feels extremely Latin to my eyes:

ภ๏שค ɭ๏ςค ๓ยՇค๒๏ ยՇ ɭย๒єՇ, ςคг๓เภค ợยคєςยภợยє ợยคє ש๏ɭ๏ รเ ɭย๒єՇ ς๏ภשєгՇค๓ єﻮ๏ ๓ยรเςєภ ๓คאเ๓є ς๏ггย๓קค๓
ร๏ɭยร ợยเ ๔єรςเ๔เՇ ς๏ггเ๔๏ ๔คՇ๏ ςคภՇย ς๏ภςєรร๏ שเ ๓єค, Շย๓ ๔є๓ย๓ єг๏ קєгŦєςՇยร.

Nova loca mutabo ut lubet, carmina quaecunque quae volo si lubet convertam eio musicen maxime corruptam
solus qui gescigit corrigo gato cantu concesso vi mea, tum gemum ego perfectus

I know not everything is totally perfect in the conversion but if I still remember my rusty Latin the text roughly translated is (the cat is the only part that didn't fully convince me but yeah):

"I will change new places as you please, I will convert any songs I want, if you wish, to that most corrupted music.
Only he who has done it corrects the cat, the song granted by my power, then I will be perfect."

I love how the initial notes seem to caress the ears of the listeners in an almost hypnotic manner, it seems I am accompanied in a deep cave that is about to change the fibers of my very being. I like the corrupted voice that can be heard at 00:15 that speaks in an unknown language. She seems a divine being welcoming you.

I like the fast-paced yet not aggressive rhythm, I like how the high-hat in the first part of the song begin to build up the structure of the song and how the composition fully unfolds after being introduced by the high-hats at 00:54. The tonal middle sequence and the underlying accompanying melodies help to keep focus on the mental journey this song gives. This song stimulates me with synesthesia so I see these notes in a purple-violet hues of serpentine ray lights that surround me inside this cave where crystal grows.

I always love these 4/4 time signatures and how the kick drums flow harmoniously with the middle tonal sequence because it creates a fast-paced rhythm that is never too quick nor anxiety-inducing, quite the opposite: it relaxes a lot with these tunes. I like the deep and punchy nature of these kick drums. The downbeats goes very well with the open hi-hat signals of the upbeat. It's a nice combination that creates harmony and a geometric sense of equilibrium. I also like how the build-up, occurring at the midpoint of the song, is followed by the breakdown that help to focus on the melody. The result is a sensation of tension and release with a floating, euphoric quality. I can notice how these build-ups and breakdowns are also typically longer and more melodic than in other forms of EDM.

This is one of trance pieces where I hear vocals, are those feminine vocals? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I like how the vocals enhance the melody with singing that lends an ethereal quality to the song. Nice use of bass too, I like how it provides a backbone for the rest of the track to shine. Really great job as always^^

The evolving melodic phrases can be noticed by focusing on the overall visual imagery which is done in major key and this creates an uplifting and positive feeling. Like I said, this song hypnotizes me and relaxes me at the same time while making me dance in an energetic manner. The fast, repeating patterns synth lines add melodic movement to the lead melody.

I really enjoyed this track! I hope to have translated in an approximately corrected way the Latin text of the description. The title of the song is also in the English name but translated from the Latin, "corrupted" name. Keep it up!

VariableGR responds:

Indeed you discover many things!
Yes it is a female voice and thank you very much for listening to the details
S...o........t...h....f ...n...a ..t .g
Soon you might be the one to find the name of the song I'm going to give away. S
.f..f.......j......e....t...y...u........f,....j......u
..u.u.....j.j...j.....j..j.g..f......... f. .h .d. ..g ..t

Dude help!....d..d d.e .ff ..c.....h.h.h.h.h..e..e.e.e.e.e.e..r..p..p.o.k.j.j..

[FD - Alternate Past]

Wow, è bellissimo questo brano che ho scoperto grazie alla collab NG Mall Music Collab: Closing Time che sto tutt'ora finendo di ascoltare. Questo è uno dei brani che adoro di più dell'album anche se è difficile per me scegliere quello che amo di più in assoluto dato che siete stati tutti eccelsi dal primo all'ultimo.

Nel frattempo ne approfitto per condividere i miei pensieri su questo capolavoro che mi ha dato la pelle d'oca dall'inizio alla fine. Le note hanno un non so che di acquatico (00:33) e nostalgico al tempo stesso. Le sonorità stesse danno un forte vibe di wanderlust che nutre il sentimento di anemoia come anche il tag suggerisce. Respiriamo la stessa aria, sentiamo lo stesso sangue nelle nostre vene eppure sperimentiamo mondi completamente differenti grazie al magico potere dell'arte, in questo caso un brano musicale breve ma che in realtà si estende fino ai confini dell'eternità nel tempo e nello spazio.

L'immaginario visivo della composizione è un mix di malinconia e solitudine ma non in senso negativo anzi. Questi sono quei momenti in cui è fisiologica la necessità di isolarsi e riflettere, ma anche di connettersi con se stessi per poi connettersi al mondo stesso. L'immagine nella descrizione è minimale e liminale al tempo stesso, ma anche il brano è liminale nelle sue note, nei suoi ritmi lenti e costruiti con passi appena accennati.

Lo trovo un brano altamente commovente, uno dei più belli di tutta Newgrounds tra quelli che ho ascoltato finora e rientra appieno titolo nella mia classifica mentale dei 10 brani musicali più belli di NG. Adoro crogiolarmi in questo sentimento che m'ispira il brano, è così bello, rilassante e ti accarezza il cuore come una madre accarezza il proprio figlio.

Questo brano mi parla a livello spirituale in un modo fortemente relatable per spiriti come me ma penso per tutti coloro che vogliono per un attimo rifugiarsi nel mondo delle idee, o semplicemente fare dell'escapismo. Il mondo creato dal sentimento di anemoia è si andato e se il passato è un paese straniero, noi ne siamo i suoi turisti ma forse è meglio avere l'atteggiamento del viaggiatore che assapora per davvero l'essenza del viaggio seppur mentale, immaginario e immaginifico. Abbiamo bisogno alle volte di rifugiarci in confini definiti dalla liminalità al fine di evitare lo scorrere ansioso del tempo in un'epoca nevrotica quale quella che viviamo oggi.

Sto riascoltando il brano più e più volte, non voglio abbandonare questo mondo, è troppo bello. Se potessi votare 10 e altre volte 10 invece di 5 stelle, lo farei per altre 10 volte. Bellissimo oltre ogni immaginazione, bravissimo!

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English translation:

Wow, this song is beautiful, I discovered it thanks to the NG Mall Music Collab: Closing Time that I'm still finishing listening to. This is one of the songs that I love the most on the album, even if it's difficult for me to choose the one that I love the most since you were all excellent from the first to the last.

In the meantime I take this opportunity to share my thoughts on this masterpiece that gave me goosebumps from start to finish. The notes have something aquatic (00:33) and nostalgic at the same time. The sounds themselves give a strong vibe of wanderlust that feeds the feeling of anemoia as the tag also suggests. We breathe the same air, we feel the same blood in our veins and yet we experience completely different worlds thanks to the magical power of art, in this case a short piece of music that actually extends itself to the boundaries of eternity in time and space.

The visual imagery of the composition is a mix of melancholy and solitude but not in a negative sense, quite the opposite. These are those moments in which it is physiological to have the need to isolate oneself and reflect, but also to connect with oneself and then connect to the universe itself. The image in the description is minimal and liminal at the same time, but the song is also liminal in its notes, in its slow rhythms and built with steps that are barely pressed.

I find it a highly moving song, one of the most beautiful of all Newgrounds among those I have listened to so far and it fully fits into my mental top 10 of the most beautiful musical pieces of NG. I love basking in this feeling that this song inspires in me, it is so beautiful, relaxing and caresses your heart like a mother caresses her child.

This song speaks to me on a spiritual level in a way that is highly relatable to spirits like me but I think to all those who want to take refuge for a moment in the World of Ideas, or simply experience some escapism. The world created by the feeling of anemoia is now gone and if the past is a foreign country, we are its tourists but perhaps it is better to have the spirit of the traveler who truly savors the essence of the journey even if it is mental, imaginary and imaginative. We need sometimes to take refuge in boundaries defined by liminality in order to avoid the anxious rush of time in a neurotic era such as the one we live in today.

I'm listening to the song over and over again, I don't want to leave this world, it's too beautiful. If I could vote 10 and then 10 instead of 5 stars, I would do it 10 more times. Beautiful beyond imagination, kudos!

ForgottenDawn responds:

Thank you so much for your kind words! 🙏

[-Midnight Vibrancies-]

It's interesting to notice how the low-register rumblings at the beginning introduce the song instead of a well-defined root note. It creates a sense of mystery elongated by the part from 00:29 to 00:59 then the tonal part that gets repeated from 01:13 adds a bit of a more enriched musical hue. The mixing is good and give a nice vibe of the mysterious atmospheres that night can bring even though the bass instruments get a bit murky probably because they were EQed too. Maybe it's just me but the chords of the downbeats can be barely heard around 01:10 and on, but besides this I can hear pretty clearly all other instruments.

I like the how the low-end sounds so rumbly, it enhances the feel of the night, nice job with the vibrancy of 00:16 and how it gets enriched starting from the 29th second. I enjoyed the mid-range synth at 00:58 because adds a little of dynamism and spice. The melodies and composition are a bit simple but this is probably due to the will to show the more slow-paced nature night has compared to the day (at least from the perspective of a diurnal animal like the human being) where people usually sleep or enjoy a more calm moment of the day.

But I admit the main melody that starts at 00:58 is quite catchy and I like it a lot, it's one of my favourite parts. The reason why I gave 3.5 and not 4 is mainly due to the lack of variety of the melodies and composition but I understand as I stated above. I can see the nature highly experimental of this EQ piece and you moved your first steps in this territory. I can see the potential for great EQ pieces in this musical work though.

The overall visual imagery is a mix of dance and relaxation: night is a period of the day where people usually rest but others prefer to enjoy it by dancing in the right places so I can see both of elements here. Sadly I know jack shit about EQ so I can't give you any solid advice in improving them and avoiding making them sound a bit muddy (especially in the mid part of the song) but besides this the rest is very solid and enjoyable.

By the way I listened to your YT video about how you used to sound in 2023 and I can tell you that you overall improved a lot with both mixing and using the right instruments, not to mention the storytelling in your compositions, so I am more than sure that you will improve even more and you will master EQ in no time! Keep it up ^_^

Creeperforce24 responds:

Yeah, this is my true first time using EQ, I used eq on the drums and bass, I was very new to the eq topic lol. Thanks for ur honesty!

[-Port Force-]

The more I listen to it, the more I love it. If I had to sum this track up it would be: drum fest. I love the different types of drums and percussions used here to make a very vivid, bright and lively rhythm that well represents a port. A port is a place full of activity, movement and trades and this track embodies very well the spirit.

The beginning is simply lovely as it gives me strong 90s videogame vibes and I can some voices in the distance. I love so much the sound of the drum set, especially the tom tom at 00:15, 02:17 and how it becomes more aggressive around 00:42. This aggressiveness is not negative, quite the opposite since it helps to give a fast, quick, rapid and brisk pace. I like that the mixing is simple but effective in giving a clear, cristalline image of the harbour.

I've heard the English horn in the three main parts of the song (initial, middle and outro). The only thing I would like to point out is that the horn is not that incisive in its sound as it should be, it's almost as a background sound. Other than this I liked hearing it since I personally think it's a very underrated double-reed woodwind instrument compared to other instruments of the same class. One of strong points of English horn is that the strength of the register is more balanced across range, with tempered weight focused lower, notes below written Middle D speak easier, making it capable of more dynamic control and nuances (things that could have taken advantage of in writing the story of this musical piece imho). But I understand that it was difficult making it reading from the description.

If in future you manage to reach complete control in making English horn sounds you will have a powerful instrument (pun intended, yes I know XD) to make more musical nuances that will make the entire composition even more enriched in sounds, textures and timbers.

Still I love this piece very much and because its visual imagery is full of optimism and gives me mental images of a sunny, cloudless harbor this is why I gave it 5 stars and not 4. I loved the overall atmosphere and vibe and this is one of my favourite piece of yours. It's a happy and cheerful rhythmic pattern, i like it. Keep it up!

Creeperforce24 responds:

Thanks! I appreciate the honesty! I’ve only started making music really, been doing this for what, 2-3 years? Maybe going on 4