Reviews for Possessed

[ChronoNomad]

Love it, guys! A really fun and spooky track that's full of souls...er, I mean soul. Really nice timing between the instrumentals and vocals, and some great little nuances, like Jordi chuckling about getting a little freaky. ;)

You guys really nailed that jazzy, bluesy feel. The instrument mix is on point and evokes imagery of a smoky lounge filled with strangely transparent people, just hanging out and enjoying a bit of All Hallows' Eve reverie. The lyrics fit the theme, and are delivered beautifully with just the right tone.

While this bass is probably too much for my crappy little computer speakers to even handle at a decent volume without crackling, it quite overwhelms my ears even through my headphones. My suggestion would be to "distance" the bass a little by lowering the dry levels somewhat, or maybe stereo separate it a bit more to spread it across the field, so it doesn't just take over.

Fortunately, Jordi's lyrics are nice and clear, so they ring out well even with such an overshadowing low end. The sax is nice and bright, too. But much of that poor piano gets gobbled right up! But hey, it remains a fantastic and very enjoyable track.

And man, that loop would sound perfect on here if we hadn't had to move on from the old-school Flash setup. Ah, well. Happy Halloween, my friends! Best of luck in the Spooktacular.

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

I'm glad to see you enjoyed it, especially as it's a bit different, stylewise, from what we usually make :D
I also love Jordi's ad-libs!

It's fun to play and compose something a bit more jazzy every now and then (I recall when you did it with "One of Those Days"). I've got plenty of VSTs I rarely get to use, so I like to bring them out for tracks like this :3
Jordi came up with those lyrics in just a few minutes, which is insane considering how fitting they are, imo! We were listening to some 50s jazz (trying to look for something a bit spooky), when looking for inspiration, and we kind of just created the foundation for this piece on the spot.

As for the bass, I used the Komplete : World : Cuba kontakt instrument. I was a bit torn, since it has this great sound, but it tends to sit a bit weirdly in the mix. I'm sure with more work on it, it'd be possible to balance it out a bit better, but I've probably gotten too used to hearing it as it is for now, so perhaps after I distance myself from the piece a bit it'll be easier to get it right.

Yeah, I didn't do much to Jordi's vocals when I was mixing. That's the nice thing about working with someone as talented at singing (and fixing up the audio files); it kinda just fits on top of the track with some reverb (and perhaps some minor compression).
The piano I used has a great upright sound, but it cracks and clips really easily if it's played too loudly, which is why I kept it low-key. It's also quite repetitive, so I felt like it didn't need as much emphasis; it's there more as a backbone, the way I see it.

And yeah, it seems like the current NG player loops things weel about 1/4th of the time or so, which is interesting; I'd like to know how exactly it works.
Oh well, I'm sure it'll change again in the future, and maybe become better, with any luck :DDD
At least the piece loops well on WinAmp (for Windows; the mac version I believe doesn't loop things well).

Thanks a lot for the detailed review! I hope you're doing well ^____^
Happy Halloweeeeen!!!!!

[endKmusic]

Smooth and catchy.
Melody, perc and instruments - right on point.
EW's vocals amazing as usual.
Agree with Conquestus about the bass though, but on the other hand it kinda adds that room live effect inside the song though. :)
Great work guys!

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Thank you for listening and for reviewing!

I had fun working with the sax and the synth. I rarely create jazz songs, so it's a nice change :D

[Jmagnum]

Enjoyed it. It loops really smoothly too :)

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Hey thanks, we're glad you enjoyed it :D!

[Xuvero]

Oh yeah, that's some good groove. Good thing this is a loop, this way I don't need to get back up to make it play again.

The jazz style of this song makes it feel a lot like a common-place, but it has some nice touches that make it feel quite unique. Jordi's vocals are quite original and refreshing, as one would naturally expect a baritone singer on something like this.

The instrumentals feel like an american jazz song with traces of latin influence. The sax is captivating and the drums build a very nice and compelling rhythm. I also liked the bass, but I think it could have been highlighted a bit during the mastering.

These last two songs make me wonder what this game would be like.

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Hey there!
Yeah, it's a loop since it was originally intended for use in the Darktober game jam on itch.io :p
I thought of making an even smoother loop that you don't even notice, but I opted for the short synth solo instead, since I felt that it's cute :)

Jordi's vocals fit this piece so well indeed! He's got a great range, a unique voice, and quite the talent, after all :DDD
As for the style, I find that even when I try to incorporate inspired elements from somewhere else, I still want it to reflect my style, and be new in some way too. Jordi tends to feel similarly!

Good catch on that slight Latin influence ;)
It's actually precisely a mix of mostly good ol' American jazz, with a few other touches (as well as our own take on it).
Ahh yes. It's difficult to have "the perfect amount" of bass in a piece, since it sounds so different depending on what you're listening with (bad headphones, good headphones, laptop speakers, a proper monitor, etc. :p)

Thanks for the review, and for listening!!

[Conquestus]

Great thing, yet I feel a little bit raped by the bass.

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

It's a Cuban bass vst, and it's pretty much the only acoustic non-orchestral one I have :'D
Glad ya liked it in general!