I like the pensive mood at the beginning. Jordi's vocals at :21 are great, although I feel as though there could've been a stronger transition there than the stop-start effort at :20. The lyrics themselves are also pretty powerful. The rhyme scheme seemed a bit forced at first, though, so I like when you started to take liberties with it at the "one day" stanza. Nice melodic content through the 2-minute mark or so, and then the theme at 2:20 is really fun. The production quality is really strong here. I liked the arpeggiated transition into 3:27, drawn out though it was. I love how the vocals have a really low register towards the end. Makes them seem foreboding, even while the content of the lyrics seem encouraging/motivational. Cool piece, guys! Good luck in the ADM. ^_^
Reviews for "Darkness and Light"
Thanks for reviewing!
I personally like the transition at 0:20. I think one shouldn't be afraid to have a short break in the music, or even silence, when going into a new section. Similar transitions are also used throughout the piece (such as at 1:00), as it's part of the composition's continuity.
I also tend to like when songs have something that binds the rhythm, such as through rhymes (or "near" rhymes). Especially in this piece, the melody is pretty straightforward in the verses, so another element that adds to the rhythm makes the verses a bit more interesting. I spent a long time contemplating where I should use the rhymes, and how I could convey the message of the piece through the lyrics.
Since the rhythm is simple in the first half of the piece, I felt like 2:20 was necessary in order to give the piece some variety and power. I'm glad you liked that part, along with the "one day" segment.
The production was surprisingly difficult for this piece. I'm happy with the result, but I'm not as good at cleaning up and mixing Jordi's voice as he himself is :D
It's nice to hear that you think I did a decent job with it!
I actually can't sing this piece myself, since my voice doesn't go low enough to be able to sing the part at the end. I'm really impressed with Jordi's performance, and I wanted to show off his singing in a lower register, since it still retains its emotional tone. He's such a versatile singer o.O
Thank you for the review, and for the good wishes! Good luck with judging and running the NGUAC! It's exciting to follow the progression!