xxxZigZagxxx's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[False Superman Blues]

it's too quiet i can't even hear.

[Polar]

0:00 Wow I like the 2-step drums. They're so fantastic.
0:15 Some off-time synths there. That drum. It's actually fantastic.
0:27 Except your synth here is too obvious. You could work on it a bit.

Very nice short snippet. The main saw/buzz synth is too obvious, you need a more interesting synth than that imo. But reminds me of the epic future garage sounds of Burial, Scuba and the like. Go the moody direction. You're onto something here.

[Timeless]

0:00 Orchestral strings and a steady building gat synth amp this.
0:23 Automations provide interest, build-up is steady.
0:33 I wasn't expecting a I chord there. Strange yet satisfying, if only a bit repetitive.
0:53 Incoming melody please.
1:04 What is this? A refrain? Very soothing, but a bit sudden.
1:18 Dem building gat synths.
1:30 Well it is building up.
1:42 Same build-up, different feel. A recapitulation of sorts.
1:54 This time it feels less forced. More expected. Nice background listening music.
2:25 Then again I can just imagine Flo Rida on this. You should try putting a Flo Rida acapella on it just for fun.

Steady, lilting techno-pop. Danceable, if not exciting. A bit mellow, and I usually like things on the mellow side, but this was almost too mellow. But it was well-mixed, well-produced, and it had a predictable structure as well as rise-fall mechanics. Chords may be a tad repetitive, since you're just switching between the I and IV chords I think. But nevertheless, nice release.

ForeverBound responds:

actually I'm atm more aiming on some more mainstream songs which u hear on the radio :)
Still looking for somebody who can sing and is willing to collab with me. I also think that the songs are getting less bored then because u have the vocals ;)

[Project True Love]

0:00 Yes I do recognize that sample. What heartless person wouldn't??
0:11 Oh snap you just gangstified this majorly. I'm loving it.
0:28 That edge of snap crack and sizzle is spectacular.
0:40 A simple drum beat, but somehow it still feels full and satisfying. Much like the Kransky sausage I just ate, which is digesting itself in a greasy state right now.
1:20 I am getting your album. Seriously. You've got a fan here.
1:35 I was just listening to Star Slinger before, and you remind of him a bit. Some of his songs, where he doesn't use sidechaining so excessively. I think it's the layering of samples you're doing.
2:05 I find it great how you essentially loop the same thing (almost) over and over and it's still great and not annoying. Not sure how you do it but fantastic.

Phat beat, bro. Uncannily, you did the sample justice, and I thank you for it. It's simple and understated; beautiful in its stripped-down state. So yeah. Props to you on this one.

[Less Than Zero]

0:00 Hi-hats in the background, a weird noisy signal.
0:10 Wow. Very loud. Distorted drums. A siren.
0:19 Bass that hits pretty hard. Reminds me a bit of Aphex Twin actually.
0:35 Ooh sidechain. I hear the acoustic piano.
0:54 Interesting refrain. The synth that kind of modulates in pitch brings a unique flair to the song.
1:20 More piano.
1:30 Oh snap. That piano is so distorted is not funny. I kind of like it, but not. Too much clipping can be a bad thing, you know?
1:51 Very nice riff, would be nice if it had different parts to it.
2:08 This is pretty intricate. I do enjoy the snare riffs and such.
2:20 Fading off. Wonder if it will come back.
2:28 More gat-synth stuff.
2:35 Ooh. Sounds like ringtones mixed in with that kick. A bit random, though. I don't see the structure here.
2:56 Lol. Oh I see, it's a heart machine. And now it comes back to life. Interesting concept.
3:17 A crash delayed/sidechained/whatever. And then it comes back for a finale. A bit abrupt, but interesting nonetheless.
3:42 And I'm guessing it's just gonna fade out like this. Nicely done.

Well there's a lot of distortion and weird stuff in here. The concept of a heartbeat, a heart rate monitor of some sorts. Starts off fast and distorted, then slows down to something more minimal, before halting to a stop. And then starting again. The mixing has a lot of distortion, which has its effect, but it's also harsh on the ears. You may want to work on that. Overall vibrant piece with a lot of experimental stuff thrown in. Cool.

xxxZigZagxxx

Aethertigris responds:

I'll try to ease up on the distortion. Thank you!! I won't scrap this, then.

[Radiance]

0:00 Starting up. Nice fading in effect.
0:10 I hear those riff melodies coming in. Very happy and ecstatic.
0:20 Ambient kind of. Drums are bit quiet, the low-mids (i think) are a bit overwhelming)
0:40 Very calm and soothing
0:46 Only a little bit repetitive :)
1:00 Nice little change up in here. When you remove that synth that used to be there you free up a lot of sonic space
1:15 ooh nice harmonies and stuff
1:21 Haha I heard that vocoding-type thing
1:30 Not sure about this part. I do like that you're changing it up, using automation filters and stuff.
1:58 Sounds like an underwater synth. I can hear the bass chugging along there. nice if you varied it up.
2:16 Soft and soothing.
2:27 I like those synths that kind of fade in and out. Provide a good interesting embellishment.
2:42 Now it's starting to warm up. I would've liked more of this earlier on to make things interesting.
2:57 Fading out nicely. well done.

This is a slightly repetitive song that you can play in the background while studying or something. Nice automation and stuff, and instruments. Things started to get interesting towards the end, I'd have liked to hear more of that towards the start since that's what most people listen to anyway. Overall decent song with nice dynamics, could use some excitement/flair.

Cheers
xxxZigZagxxx

Synthapse responds:

thx for your review i'll take in account some of your points in the future.

[No Sleep.]

Really cool. I do like the rawness of it all. The snare hit is really cool. The guitar in the background, doing the riffs and stuff, reminds me of the XX. You should do an XX-style minimalist song. Really good tho :D

KittenBeat responds:

Thanks. That's my patented "Be really lazy and let the stick rattle on the head" hit. :3
Ah. I love the XX. I'm going away for a couple days (I might still post on ng) so I won't be able to record with my people, but we might just do something like that. I'll also start labeling which songs are mine and which are the collective effort of my band.

[*Take U Out*]

i'm jelus of ur voice and ideas. keep goin mate and be a legend.

Poniiboi responds:

You're too kind.

[A Girl Like Holly]

Well written, dude. Your voice ain't half bad, and your lyrics are corny yet beautiful :) The riffs are really nice too, and your refusal to adhere to any time signature. The verses remind me of Bob Dylan for some reason, too. And that camp feeling of the song Michael Cera and Ellen Page sing on Juno. It's really nice and homely :)

[Anubis Wants A Razorback]

Really interesting experiment. Using the egyptian scale to create some kind of Arabic feels and rhythms, very nice. And then there's the metal drums that come in later, and the distorted that enters around the 1:30 mark. Some nice shredding skills there, dude. Simple yet effective.