Tokolos's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[RD2010 AA - Mechanical Defeat]

Mechanical Defeat

Really cool AA, this my favourite track of yours ( so far )
It's something else, and even though it's rather short, it still packs a punch.
Not many people would be aware of the transhumanist agenda yet, but you created a fitting backdrop for an endgame ( whenever that might be )
What's that saying, "the world will end not with a bang but with a whimper..."
5/5

AphoticAthanasy responds:

Thanks, :3 . Glad you liked it, I am glad to see that this is like 4.05 . Makes me so happy . <3 Looking forward to seeing more reviews of yours ^^ ;'

- Aphotic Athanasy -

[number 10]

nommer tien

Always enjoy listening to your songs yagru. You keep it simple, and there's always something beneath the surface that gets my attention.
/the bass could do with a slight boost, esp when the kick is playing.
5/5

yagru responds:

took me forever to figure out what nommer tien meant LOL.

thanks fo da review mah frieeennn

[Change my mind (reggaedubrock)]

Change my mind

Nice work... there's still a lot you could do to this song/post production
I think giving some more space to your mix would be a good idea, could just be my speakers though...

Vocals add some spice to the song but I think theyre too far back in the mix, bring them up a bit...
Also, the reggae vibe is great, but I think the bass needs more definition, along with the drums. Taking away some of the filler at the start of each new bar/section/riff will bring out the other instuments more.
Well, that 's my opinion.
All in all, great track Soreblack
5/5

Soreblack responds:

oh! thanks a lot, any advice is welcome, for i am no expert, but im learning every day!!! thanks again!!!!

[ride of the donkey]

Paseo de la burra

This is a great cinematic track, it reminds me of all the old spaghetti westerns, poor old donkey carting supplies up the hill, somewhere in the distance the civil war rages on...
All the elements here are in place, the guitar playing is great. It's been on my playlist for a while now...
5/5

acmeDyne responds:

Thanks! I think I might try some more stuff in this style. "Paseo de la burra" is a much better title- I wish I had thought of that!

[Hourglass (KK Slider)]

Hourglass

Great track! So glad you decided to use 7/8 ( favourite time sig )
instead of the doef doef 4/4
You have a lot of space here with the slower bpm, I think you paced this song just right.
The atmosphere is very relaxing, but there's just a drop of sadness too, I suppose that's just my perception, the polarity of emotions, where one defines the other.
I can't believe it's 6:44 in length, it goes by so fast, and before I know it, it's back to the start again.
Great work, I'd have given you 10 if you threw in something unexpected towards the end instead of a fade out...
5/5

KKSlider60 responds:

Thanks a bunch, man!
As a personal taste, I love sad/dark themes, so to me it's normal to put some "negativity" in my tracks.
Great review, cheers,
KKS

[AA - Broken Mirrors]

Broken Mirrors

The problem with a-tonal, lingering compositions is that on 1st listens, it doesnt make sense to the listener, and only with repeated listening does the mind begin to create recognizable patterns. I'm not suggesting that your song is a-tonal per se, but maybe it should be going in that direction a bit more?
Some might argue that youre just plonking away aimlessly at the keys, but because I'm open minded I can sense the direction youre going in, and the subconcious, dream like quality youre tryng to achieve.
Now, if youre serious about your endevours, don't be surprised if most people don't like the music you make, esp if it's a bit different than most of the popular genre's. Don't take it personally, and don't tell listeners that they have bad taste, it's way too subjective a comment( just like musical tastes hey? ), and won't get you anywhere.

My advice would be for you to embrace your unique musical perception, and dig a bit deeper. To me, it seems that youre just scrathing the surface of the subconcious refinery, from where all dreams and music flows freely. Remember that the listener wants some kind of reward when they listen to music, esp if you want them to listen to a song more than once. Some music grows on you ( discovery through sheer repetition ) and some music becomes stale over time, even though it sounded great the first time you heard it.
Listen to some Angelo Badalamenti, Nicolas Lens and Penderecki for inspiration, but keep on working and perfecting your own style/

AphoticAthanasy responds:

I agree . I will try to be less harsh, I apologize everyone . I will see to it that I will gather my talent from the deeper oceans within me . Just one thing .. I don't make random notes, listen to the song ''Time Goes By'' I deliberately place these piano keys from what I love to make, which is an ambient story like structure . Thankyou for your wonderful review ..

- Aphotic Athanasy -

[A Ship to the North]

A Ship to the North

Gentle/soft & soothing song. I agree with previous reviewer that you could give the piano some more variety in dynamics, but my biggest wish would be for a time sig change towards the end, when the drums come in... just something unexpected.
5/5

Grandvision responds:

Ah, kay, surprise the viewer. I get ya. Thanks again. ^^

[Live on]

Live on - WIP

Beautiful song. The real magic starts at 00:51,
The intro could have a little more build up/mystery, but apart from that it's a success - Take away from it, add to it, the sonic foundation is set.
Percussion is just right.
Nice work.
5/5

Grandvision responds:

Thank you. This is my first proper orchestral track.

[Evaporation Disaster]

Evaporation Disaster

Great song. Hope you got your machine sorted, I have had that happen - so I know,and ffs, I hope you backed up your files.

/ if you reinforce the bass & drum section with some real instruments in post-production it would sound awesome.
It's quite complex in it's simplicity, if you were to slow down the bpm/tempo a little you could make it sound even more anticipatory.
It would be fun to play this live, esp the bass and drums, so I love it, awesome beat and catchy groove, recipe for success /
5/5

LightKeeper responds:

Thanks a lot man. :) I have all my files backed up and such but I'm currently stuck using linux as my OS. It's a real downer. I'm looking to by a new comp soon though so I can get started back up on all this stuff. I'm really glad you noticed the bass and drums btw because the composition on that stuff was intense. If I can ever get some actual instruments on this I'll do it. Thanks a lot for the awesome review. :)