Solacitude's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Autumn Rain]

Very nice! As always you've got this nice storytelling aspect as in most of your compositions.
The contrast you created at 0:45 is very enjoyable, a more jumpy, happy mood. In between two sections that are a bit more introspective. I don't don't know what imagery was going on in your mind but it makes me think of love and playfulness. Well done!

HollandAlbright responds:

Thanks so much! Yeah, I felt like it needed a little contrast. For the first part, I imagined just rain falling outside a window- sort of gray, quiet stillness of it. The lighter section, I thought of a raindrop's path as it rolls along leaves and branches, maybe dripping onto a window pane, rolling down the glass and continuing rolling on its fast pace until it finally drips off a ledge and into a puddle. Playfulness was one thing on my mind for that section- it brought some levity. :)

[Presage]

Quite nice ambiance! It sounds very dark and mysterious for a birthday, but no matter what I like how you put it together! 1:46 It sounds like these old series about criminal investigations involving detectives unravelling complex cases, big cigars and smoking suits.

50Steaks responds:

I guess that was sort of the point; this was definitely not a piece made to feel whimsical and bombastic, like most birthday pieces tend to be. At 1:46 the intent was not really to continue being super mysterious and detective sounding but I can sorta see it with the sax. I suppose I should note at this point that "presage" refers to a bad omen or prediction of the future. But ultimately my intention while writing doesn't really matter; what matters is that people like you enjoy it!

[NGADM 2024 - Grand Finals Podcast]

The NGADM was quite the experience, full of ups and downs, but a journey that leaves me more confident than ever before in publishing my music!

I'm very glad that I managed to make it up to the semi finals! It's beyond any expectations I had when getting into it! I've written a news post to complement my missing voice :)
https://solacitude.newgrounds.com/news/post/1491257

Congratulations to @CloakedSoup for the first place!! Well deserved, also congrats to @icantpronouncethis and @trixelbit for making it this far! And congrats to anyone who made it passed the auditions for that matter, it's already an accomplishment in itself to be one of 64 out of 257 participants! Big thanks to our host @AED-4 and all the judges for giving us this opportunity! I grew as a musician during this contest in many ways and it's worth more than anything else!

[Main Theme (TeeTiny Online Soundtrack)]

Congratulations for your first game project! It sounds very good, epic, and interesting from start to end with the build up, the load of subtle and carefully implemented elements adding up without ever being too much until reaching maximum intensity that gives an actually very epic vibe to the piece! Quite funny I found you just before you post this one by scanning through older music on the audio portal! It's inspiring to see artists sharing such accomplishments on NewGrounds!

JessieYun responds:

Hahaha! Thank you for checking out my profile and my music too! I’m very glad you enjoyed the track :)) this accomplishment was possible thanks to Newgrounds, so I am definitely much obliged to share it with everyone <3

[The Great Descent]

You sure master the orchestral epic style! I would see this one as a trailer for a thriller movie.
I know what it feels like to work on a couple not so satisfying ideas then being stuck on a very tight time frame to complete a composition! It happened a couple times during this contest, only having 30-40 seconds of good material up until the last 5-6 days. It adds a bit of stress to the process! When inspiration is there it can be easy to compose something good in 2 days, but when it's forced by deadline and inspiration is not there, it can get more complicated. Nevertheless you managed to craft a very nice listening experience despite the short time frame! Congrats on getting into the final!

CloakedSoup responds:

Haha for sure! I wrote the piano sketch for the first 25 seconds or so last Wednesday (the 13th), and everything after 2:50 was written in the last 2-3 hours before I submitted it. I had like 3-4 minutes of alternative ideas that I never used (including one 30 second Americana/Western style idea that was reminiscent of 'See You Tomorrow' from HTTYD in terms of the arrangement style and complexity of the orchestration). Regardless, I'm happy I was able to get this out in time!

[Nightfall]

You always have a very nice way of telling stories in your compositions. Episodic but very well integrated, it often makes me think of what can be found in older movies, when productions cared more about high quality compositions rather than attention grabbing material that can be produced more quickly. It shows that you care about details a lot, and it results in high quality pieces that never fail to evoke some kind of scenery.

HollandAlbright responds:

Thank you so much! I also like the really melody-driven film scores, and nowadays when they are intentional about having memorable melodies and themes, they stand out from the rest (and can stand on their own later on). Thanks again!

[No More Dreams]

I hope you get better, that music continues to have this healing effect.
Know that it also has a positive effect on people listening.
You help others feel better.
It's a very valuable gift when sharing such felt music. Thank you.
I also hope you continue to do so, that you find peace of mind.
Take care! ❤

[Return]

The unspoken words that you transmit through music are meaningful beyond the conscious world. I feel in the beginning the violin questioning in disbelief "Why?", the sadness and frustration coming in bursts of very strong emotions. The attempts to comfort at some point despite the dire situation... But it's everything together, the tone, the dynamics, the tempo, etc that create a strong connection to what your mind had to say while you were composing.

This piece comes from the heart, and it can be felt intensely! It brought goosebumps at first, then became almost overwhelming :'( Extremely sad, beautiful and mindful piece.

Phonometrologist responds:

You are quite generous with your words. I continue to be surprised that there are any that understand it so well and know it deeply. Not often, but a few. That still comes as a surprise; for when you capture something in flow, even when alone, it doesn't become void.
I'm not confident that I even understand it. We are of the same standing. It's beyond me.
Thank you for your contribution.

[Survive the Night]

Very nice and well developed themes! The spookiness is very well represented in each section, maybe as you said other than this little skeletons part "Screw the horror element, I wanted to make something cute!" I imagined these skeletons with sombrero dancing happily. It's still spooky enough for Halloween I think :) Hats off to you, it must've been a lot of time and efforts put into this project! The result is high quality production that is easy to listen until the end, even with a 17 minutes piece! Which is quite remarkable itself. I really enjoy the more calm sections, it's very welcome element of contrast that helps stay hooked throughout.

Tangerine responds:

Thank you! This was quite a different challenge for me because I had to focus on quantity over quality. A challenge of how many different variations I could create in a month. I might try it again next year to see how my efficiency has improved :)

[It Takes Two]

I was going through your old stuff, this one I love the ambiance you went for! Introspective, mysterious vibes. Only 2 hours, you were probably "in the zone" for the whole time! Quite a nice inspiration! I feel like 2018 is a year you reached a new level in your composition skills.

Everratic responds:

I'm glad you enjoy it!

I agree, my composition skills skyrocketed in 2018, which coincides with when I switched to orchestral music. I entered small competitions every month from 2017 to 2018, so I was constantly motivated to get better.

Thanks for checking out my older stuff!