Very peaceful and moody at the same time :)
I don't listen to much indie rock, but I found this pretty interesting. The guitar backing was really nice, and the instruments coming in and out at certain parts really helped carry the song forward. The percussion was pretty nice too, and the part at 2:14 was a pretty cool bridge with chord shift. Nice work, keep it coming!
Reviews for "Not Like This Again"
spoonman420 responds:
Omg, it appears I made a mistake with the scheduling, this was supposed to publish on the 18th, lol!! Thanks for the review... I should post this to the NGADM thread... :D
Awesome work as always :) (I'm in NGUAC, not sure why, but it is what it is haha)
spoonman420 responds:
...you are in NGUAC, that is great! Be inspired and make something beautiful to your ears. Thank you for the comment! :)
THIS IS FUCKING GOOD
spoonman420 responds:
Whoa!! Thank you, Hypefon... I am certain my work is not all-caps kind of good. I'd reserve that for the really good all-caps kinda good music that you'd soon discover on Newgrounds :D haha! Really appreciate it though :D
I am utterly aghast you criticize your voice at all. I think it's crisp, clean, and refreshingly natural.
Also amazed you mixed this on apple earphones. I also have tinnitus so I sympathize with mixing with one's eyes LOL. I constantly hear cicadas, crickets, whining computer parts, and TV static that isn't really there. It's a challenge to cut through that. Sometimes sounds like I'm listening to the world through a drink straw.
Only mix critique I have is that vocals be bumped up a dB or two, and hihats and cymbals conversely come down a wee bit. Beyond that, this is about as perfect for me as it gets. Perhaps the open close hi-hat could move a bit to the left channel, 5 percent or so, with room overhead emphasized in the right, if applicable. I also can't hear toms too well, perhaps .4 dB boost or less would do the trick there.
I feel your automations of FX serve your phrasing really well, and the choice of Battery with previously recorded samples was a genius idea.
Also, glad to have surprised you with my true nature LOL. I'm a goof with resting bitch face in the nth degree, and I like to make weird faces.
spoonman420 responds:
I agree 100%. Aware that the voice can be louder and could use some more automation. I just listened to this again yesterday and, yuup, my voice is low again. As for the drums, my performance wasn't good, and I'm not working on my drumming skills. It should work for demo purposes and I should hire a real drummer for anything serious!
Thank you for the time, Adrean! I've learned many things from you, including "resting bitch face"... :D
I like the tranquil mood at the beginning and the light, airy percussion. The vocals are soothing, if a bit undecorated in the mix. They could use a tad more compression and reverb in my opinion, at least towards the beginning. I really like the dreamy instrumental section at 1:11, and the subtle phrasing elements are really nice, like how the lead guitar gets gradually louder at 1:16. The piece has a great sense of drone-like continuity about it, and the sound design and mixing both sound very retro to me. The piece could’ve used a stronger “point of arrival” towards the end to add a sense of closure. Otherwise, the energy level of the piece kinda flat-lines after a while, and the tension inherent in it (especially after 2:15) doesn’t quite feel resolved. Otherwise, I really like the instrumentation, mood, and mixing here. Very strong work, spoonman420! ^_^
Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9.25/10