Score: 10

"Impressive"

submission: {B.A.B.} Obsidian Horror

date: August 16, 2009

I'm a member of the marching band where I attend school, and this is probably comparable to something we would march to (though i doubt we would have the capacity to have a marching choir and marching orchestra, but you get the drift). Very well put together, and the percussion effects and ensemble at the beginning add a great opener for the piece.

Score: 8

"Sweet Brass"

submission: Big Things/Small packages

date: February 18, 2008

I agree with what has been said earlier about this piece, and for once the repetition in this song helps you. Now a few general comments before I go in depth about the pros and cons of this song.

The brass effects and higlights really help you. The string movements provide a dricing feel that help you to get the feel that I hope you were looking for.

Next, We'll go in depth on what the anatomy of the song feels like to me.

00:01, the introduction of this theme helps to establish a feel of light triump. It feels like it wants to move, and the insistent rhythym helps you to get some sense of travel.

00:15, we see an entry of a brass theme and a violin effect that helps to bring a sense of sweeping grandeur. I get the feel that a horseman is riding towards a cliff, and all of a sudden the camera goes overhead and we see that grand canyon. It has a sence of revealing what is going on and revels a sense of awe.

00;28: Violin take over helps here. Breaks this low brass concept that has dominated the piece so far. This helps to bring a sense of alleviation and brings about a key change if i hear correctly, or atleast a tonicization of a different key. This helps to bring about some change in the texture.

00:43: Brass takes melody and you further develop. This chorale effect and layering work that you did here is amazing. I like how we have the violin in the background continutally pushing and making things move. The brass chorale helps to further accentuate this sense of grandeur, and that really helps your feel for a nice pbouncy movement.

00:55: New counter melody is introduced. This counter melody is something that you might want to further harmonize with the main melody as to give a sense of building, before you fade off again. Using that metaphor of the horsemen, I invision a small encounter with short people, which culminates into a grand celebration. After this celebration, the horsemen leaves once more.

:01:04: Trumpet fanfare and melody comes back. This gives a climaz to the piece, seeing as it is the only time you use trumpet in this entire piece. It is a grewat accentuation, and it a nice little add on. I would reccomend that you use more trumpet, as it is a very strong and noticiable instrument. If you want to give anything more flair, always either add timpani or trumpet.

Overall, I'm docking you two points simply because I don't think this song is a great work of art. While admittedly it is nice and jolly, and I can understand why people like it, I simply don't like a melody sticking around in the low brass for an entire song. While it feels like Copland, It doesn't have quite the melodious aspect of Copland. Think of a good melody that you can truly develop and variate and you'll get a higher score.

Score: 7

"Not my style but..."

submission: ~The Girl From Memory Planet~

date: February 18, 2008

I'm a Jazz/Classical/Rock kinda guy so I don't generally venture into this genre. However I have to admit that you did a pretty good job with this song. The chords get repetitive after the first minute or so. Try modulating into a major key just to give it some twist. Or atleast twist it into a different key. The same synths, drums and piano can get nauseating.

Also, the vocalist is very, VERY hard to hear. Try and amplify that more so it covers the background. I feel that if you had the voice be a primary part of the song, I would have given you a higher score. Work on your balances so that you can actually here the girl's voice. That is after all, the one doing the story telling.

Score: 8

"Great Jazz..."

submission: When I fall in Love

date: August 1, 2007

I've been playing sax for 5 years and have listened to a lot of jazz within the past three, and I must say i love the piano comping. My Single problem with this not getting all 10 stars, is that you can barely her the saxophone and it seems more like a piano solo with saxophone accompaniment (spelling?) and i feel that if only the saxophone was louder would it have a better feel to this.

Score: 7

"Ehh... Decent..."

submission: {Workaholic}

date: August 1, 2007

While the other one I reviewed so far... I believe it was... "Lazy Summer Days" I enjoyed a lot more, I found that his song was much more stagnant in motion. I felt that while you may have been going for something "heavy" it was heavy to the point of dragging the energy in the song and that the song was struggling to go any where.

While the bass line is cool, If it were to switch up during some point in the song it would be a nicer fit to allow the listener something to latch onto. As I like to describe it, music should be a game of hide and go seek with the listener. You should have enough turns and dives through out the texture of your song to allow the listener to think about how you made the piece.

It is still a nice piece.

Score: 9

"Nice work...."

submission: {Lazy Summer Days}

date: August 1, 2007

While I am much more into Classical stuff on the audio portal, I think this song may have convinced me that Techno and Trance music isn't all tht bad.

The counter melody that starts up at around 00:50 is a great addition. The differences in tempo and texture make this a very effective song and additional percussive noises that enter and recede at various points in the song allow for great transitions. My one complaint is that I found that there was never a place where you had a "stop time" motion in which everything slowed down or the instrumentation fell out completely for a few seconds, while you perhaps had synth runs imitating something like a harp. I think that if you added something like that, it would make for a cool effect.

Score: 9

"Very nice..."

submission: Mario in the Sky

date: August 1, 2007

Love the remix once it finally gets started. When i heard the intro, i just though... wow... another one of these.... but that underlying beat pattern that enters a few seconds into it is a great new introduction.

Good work!

Score: 10

"Great Work"

submission: Erebus

date: July 31, 2007

I do believe that this is the one I have been looking for the past few minutes. This is the one that I think can be comparable to Milkman Dan's Ode to Angels. The full orchestration has a great richness and depth to the music and the great scoring is truly a testament to great progress.

However, I am going to have to agree with the person below... it doesn't sound extremely hellish, but I don't really care, because it still sounds great.

Here is a play by play review of your song,...
00:01 : Chimes and low brass entry give a great opening feel to the piece and the string background is great.

00:24: Woodwind solo is great and produce is a friction cutter.

00:47: The decieving chord gives us a glimps of hope, and kicks us straight back into the pits.

00:58 Subito piano is very effective. Chimese are also a great effect here, along with low strings

01:28: Church chimes reminds us of deadfrom Black P{lague almost, tying in with death theme.

01:45: Sequence theme is very nice in tying together various theme.

02:00: Tension building from 00:01 has still not resolved it seems.

02:20: New theme is very refreshing and gives me a picture of a soldier marching through multiiple years of time, trying to find a lost loved one. Reminds me of Persephone...

03: 00: The lack of upper voices and lower melody is a very nice contrast compared with earlier. The shifty upper voice and pounding bass is very nice, setting a great mood.

03:30: I love this theme. The bassoon and other voice... sounds like french horn, are a nice mix blending well.

03:55: The string take over is very nice as well. It is hidden well, and boils over quickly enough so that it is a very smooth transfer. String Bass effect is well written as well.

04:10: French Horn runs are well placed and give a sense of trumpets at Armegeddon.

04:40: Subdued theme reminds the listener of beginning of piece, and allows heart rate to come down.

04:50: M<elody from beginning reappears in clarient (I think) and is a very nice way to tie up loose ends.

05: 19: The strings have a great cad3encal theme from before.

05:30: subito is well placed and the obscurity that it ends with is a very nice touch.

I just realized... the tension never resolved throughout the whole piece! Great work!

Score: 9

"Raise a Glass!"

submission: Fantasie for Cello and Piano

date: July 30, 2007

I was browsing through the portal after Milkman Dan took a vacation, and I think I have found another favorite musician! The massive amount of cello technique at around 1:45 was a refreshing little bit.

While this may not be comparable to Milkman Dan's greatest work (IMO) Ode to Angels, it is starting to come very close. There is a distinct and refreshing difference in style between you and MMD, and it is a relief to know that the Classical section of the audio portal is still living strong.

I cannot wait to hear your potential collab with MMD.

Score: 10

"Great"

submission: _=[Soul of Viano]=_

date: October 22, 2006

This was a great song. But why is everyone leaving? First it was Milkman_Dan and now you? Where the heck am i supposed to get my music now?

Sigh... also how do you compose your music? Do you throw stuff together and see if it sounds good and then sculpt it? Or do you start with a framework of chords to work off of?