This is a beautiful song! Straight forward lovely :)
Reviews for "Unsung Hero"
bassfiddlejones responds:
Well thanks! :)
More amazingness! Not only is it guitar-driven orchestral, it's got multiple time signatures! You certainly know how to keep people like me interested in your songs. :D
You've got another great melodic motif here! Personally, my favorite way that it was played was definitely the guitar at 2:11. And that switchup to 5/4 at 1:11 was great! Thought it would've been cool to hear a variation of your main melody adapted to 5/4 during that section. But a killer solo during it is amazing too. XD
Nitpicks: transitions in and out of the 5/4 section! The transition leading into it at 1:02 featured some sick shredding, but it still felt a little drawn out. Also, imo the transition out of it around 2:10 could've used a somewhat bigger buildup. Ending was a little sudden, too, since the strings and drums ended on that non-final note. :P
But this is another brilliant track overall. Excellent work and good luck! :D
bassfiddlejones responds:
Another epic review, thanks man! I also enjoyed the 5/4 part, and you know what, we actually had originally planned on playing an adapted version of the melody in the 5/4 section, but it was taking extraordinarily long to get it to sound proper, so in the interest of time we abandoned the idea. Totally with you though, it would have been neat.
I agree, some transitions could have been smoother; we ended up changing time and key signatures at the same time and it the transitions ended up draining a lot of our time (which is a precious resource for a couple of dads!) Also with you on the ending, might smooth it out a bit after the judging (though if you listen closely, the strings actually end on the tonic). Thanks a ton for the feedback man, it's well placed and we'll use it to get more awesome next round!
This is beautiful! I also really loved your track from the first round but I didn´t find time too leave a detailed review :(
Your production here is stunning. Everything is mixed and mastered perfectly. You´re right joshgawaldomusic is indeed an amazing guitarist. You have these awesome melodies and you give this track so much power with the additional orchestral instrumentation and it feels so natural in the way it´s played. There is also so much going on in this track. I mean I listened it now for a few times and always I think when I press play: "If it started like this how did it end up there?" And I listen it again and it all makes sense, despite all the time signature changes ;) Okay, like LunacyEcho said, some transitions work better than others but I know that sometimes you can work on a single transition longer than on a whole passage, especially if the two parts are very contrasting. I really love the power of the toms at the ending! Something I didn´t like that much was the abrupt ending with the string arpeggio. I guess I would have ended with the guitar or a longer decrescendo afterwards. But these are really just minor complains here. You got yourself some really catchy track here but you didn´t just stuck to simple catchy stuff you mixed that with cool prog riffs and made a really unique mixure!
bassfiddlejones responds:
Thanks man! It's tough to find time to leave any kind of reviews, so I'm grateful you stopped by.
Josh did all the mixing/mastering, he is indeed a guru. We really wanted to keep this track fresh and constantly changing, but remaining so with a sense of continuity and wholeness in the piece. Like I said to LunacyEcho, definitely agree about your criticisms (transitions take forever!). Thank you for the feedback, it helps us become better at what we do!
This is an NGADM Round 2 Review
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I usually write NGADM reviews in the order of the official pairings, but just this once I feel like making an exception because this was one of the standout tracks of the round and I have some stuff I've been itching to say about it. So, here we go!
The composition is tremendously good. Like, I am in awe here, listening to how effortlessly you command your melodies. This has some of the best composition I've heard in this competition so far - straightforward and catchy enough to appeal to casual listening, but with tons of juicy, more complex content such as the time signature changes and modulations. Your use of motif ties everything together beautifully, making for a truly epic listening experience.
Now for the issues I have with the track! First off, I have some mixing qualms. I think this is a really wonderful and full mix, but at the same time, I was bummed to hear parts where the different parts of the song just get drowned out, like 1:25 and towards the end. I also absolutely agree that the drums should be louder, particularly the snare and cymbals. I could feel a nice punch from the kick but I was hoping for more power in the other drum hits. Another small thing I feel like I should mention is that there's this resonant, shrill tone that plays at 1:34's section and I can't for the live of me figure out what it is, but it's driving my ear crazy haha.
Lastly, in the transitions department, while you had some really fantastic transitions like 0:21, you also had ones that you didn't quite sell me on. 2:07's transition could have been much better executed, I feel. The dissonance is rather off-putting, and rather than giving the intended effect of "hey, we're introducing the main melody again, so here's a cool buildup", it feels more like "I want to get back to the main melody again but I'm not really sure how", lol. I'd have chosen a different set of chords to pull off that transition. On a final note, the ending felt a bit underwhelming, given the huge and exciting demeanour of the track. I would have personally gone for something more bombastic.
I've spent more time complaining about the bad stuff than praising the good stuff, but I feel like criticism is more helpful to you than blind praise haha. I need to emphasise that this is a REALLY good track, and it got my second highest score of the round. Can't stress that enough. Brilliant job you two. I deeply look forward to what you'll cook up next.
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SCORE: 9.6/10
bassfiddlejones responds:
Step! I'm glad you liked the track, we're working hard to keep up with this schedule D: I'm honored to make the top of your review list, and we will definitely use your critiques in the next round. THERE WILL BE DRUMS (maybe).... (Ok there will definitely be drums). And I think that the only thing at 1:34 is the guitar and a solo horn, I'm not sure what you are hearing.
As I mentioned in my reply to johnfn, we skimped a bit in the transitions department, which we will not do in this upcoming round. Already working hard, hope to kill it!
So I see you've won the NGADM. Congratulations! Now it's time to see why...yup, I see why. Rock and orchestral were meant to be together and you've proven it, guys. It has a great sense of flow to it, and some pretty cool pacing about it too. I love all the melodic riffs, like at around 1:40, and the mixing and mastering is simply top-notch. It has a very intricate structure that really tells a story. The mood is excellent - alternating between victorious, reflective, anticipatory, and several others. If I had to complain about anything, it might be that the intricate structure makes it a little hard to follow all the ups and downs of the piece sometimes. Also, the ending was a bit abrupt. I suppose I expected it to wind down a bit more before the end. Overall, though, this is quite admirable work, and you'll probably see some more reviews on your other NGADM tracks from me in the coming weeks... ;)
bassfiddlejones responds:
Thank you friend! I always appreciate your reviews, and thanks for following along through the contest!