Everratic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Fancy Man]

This is really nice. The melodies are somewhat chaotic at times yet don't sound like total noodling. I love the dreamy atmosphere; the reverb on the leads is so luscious. The structure is good; there's sufficient variety in the composition and it never feels repetitive, and the entire track still feels coherent. My only qualm is with the production, but I'm not sure if that's valid since this is a mono track after all.

Possibly responds:

Thanks for the review.

[Ancient Resentment]

Was this inspired by FF? I love songs that have that vibe now.

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

You found some really old stuff huh? xD
I actually don't think this was, for once, but I totally get what you mean!

[Birthday Spoof]

This was very amusing :)

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

I think the version we made for you is my third version of this piece on NG, and the only serious one. I'm heading off to sleep, good night!

[Gunslinger's Code: Keep Moving Forward]

This is very relaxing and uplifting. It feels a bit repetitive, but it serves as fantastic background music.

ChronoNomad responds:

Aw, thanks for the quick review, BlueOceans! Yeah, I can't disagree that it's somewhat repetitive at whiles, but it really does have a very pleasant BGM feel to it. I'm glad that you find it both relaxing and uplifting. :)

[Gold Fever]

I think this your highest level of production and sound design yet. The composition is wonderful and I can easily visualize the Winter Olympics while listening. It seems to depict a celebration followed by an overview of the events leading up to that moment.

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

I did learn some new tricks while producing this! I usually take a different approach to mixing my piano pieces, but I went for a more "professional" sound here, for obvious reasons. I'm glad my efforts were appreciated, thanks for the review!

[Beachside With You]

not bad

johnfn responds:

funny cuz UR bad.

IN BED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ha

[To Feel Loved]

The song elegantly captures the many feelings that love entails. I sense moments of doubt and hesitation as well as moments that are clearly blissful. I find the chord progression to be excellent at depicting the theme of love because I sense moments of stagnation followed by a sense of rising, which represents a couple in a relationship transcending their doubts and worries and ultimately moving forward together. I like the way you executed that sense of rising; this part of the song seems to consist of two similar phrases that blissfully resolve into a higher chord, but with the first chord of the second phrase being more pronounced. From my perspective, this first phrase represents the suppression of doubts, whereas the second phrase represents a newly found commitment to the relationship.

The production and sound design are solid. The piano playing sounds very real (because it is), and the use of sustain is excellent. This is a solid choice of a piano, and it’s reverbed in a way that solidifies the feeling that the song represents someone’s stream of thoughts.

Although short and lighthearted, this is surprisingly deep composition with an excellent chord progression.

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Thank you for the kind review! I didn't intend for the piece to display any doubt or hesitation outright, but it's free for interpretation. To me, even though there is some ambiguity, the composition mainly portrays the feeling of calm. That is, after a period of either struggle, or uncertainty. So perhaps that is why you felt such a touch, listening to the piece. The way I see it, this piece reflects a "now", instead of telling a story per se. In that sense, to me, there is little in terms of emotional progress throughout the song; it reflects how it feels to live in the present. Not just any present, but one specifically influenced by the aforementioned feeling of peace.

This composition definitely repeats itself somewhat after the halfway point, with more expression. That may indeed be a hint towards some stronger feelings, though still of a positive nature.

[For Love is strong as Death]

LucidShadowDreamer just introduced me to this track. I just want to say that I truly believe this is a masterpiece. I'm blown away by the incredible amount of emotion this evokes throughout the entire duration.

Phonometrologist responds:

LucidShadowDreamer is such a kind soul. And I want to thank you for leaving a comment of your thoughts about this piece since you allowed me to remember and reflect of the mind I was in while writing this. I haven't thought about this piece in a long while. This was written for my wife at a time when I was only dating her for a month. Sometimes in the busyness of life one forgets how far one has travelled and I appreciate that your comment allowed me to pause for a moment.

You mentioning emotion in the music made me get into a train of thought on the purposes of music to begin with. At first I think of Shakespeare when he wrote for one of his characters:
"If music be the food of love, play on,
Give me excess of it; that surfeiting,
The appetite may sicken, and so die."
And then in attempt to find the unity between music and emotion, I remember of what Philip Glass said in an interview on his definition of music:
"Music is an eloquent speech."

Homo sapiens is latin for the wise man, and I've heard that some rather ought to think the species as the spiritual man in terms of how searching man is since the beginning of what is beyond. I would go even further and say that the human species could also be accurately described as the music man. The very nature of our languages are to communicate our thoughts and emotions to one another. Moreover, it serves to connect one soul to another. Music really is meant to be a form of communication that transcends what can ever be spoken.

Beethoven once said, "Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy."
I think it's quite interesting that most composers feel that the effects of music and the search for certain sound waves to reach others could be the closest thing to the spiritual than anything else a man could do on this earth. And if I were to imagine communicating in an afterlife, it would be that our ears would be so tuned-in to one another's sound that the atoms in us make, that we can actually hear each other by merely looking at each other's heavenly bodies. To feel another's soul without ever having to say anything and to never be misunderstood. As composers, we merely organize sound as a form of communication, and we are constantly striving to practice our ability to listen to the sound of the sound so we can effectively communicate that emotion. While our vocal cords vibrate and our tongues act as a rudder to come up with words, music is no different. Every physical form is made up of atoms that vibrate and Keith Richards agrees that, “Music is a language that doesn’t speak in particular words. It speaks in emotions, and if it’s in the bones, it’s in the bones.”

Finally, my thoughts turn to Arvo Pärt; a very spiritual man that also treats each sound in his compositions with equal weight to any other. "The biggest treasures, they're all hidden... And the greatest miracles happen in secret." Is he talking about music or the spiritual? I think he so brilliantly speaks in a way where that question becomes indistinguishable.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU1Gusdn_o0
As a Christian man, I see so many analogies to Christ in there.
That's probably more than you what you wanted to read, but your comment got me thinking once more about the subject.

[Once Upon a Time]

it's better than bad mayo

Miyolophone responds:

et tu BO

[Colossal Universe]

If I can make a riser half as good as yours, I'll be content.