Focal Point - VCMG

choose your price (or free download): http://vcmg.bandcamp.com/album/pb053-focal-point

As always, dear readers, this blog's opinion is that solely of a classically trained worker-monkey.

Preamble:
I feel like the chiptunes scene has been lacking much in quality since I entered. In our lives we are constantly bombarded by "DATA CHIP EXTREMECORE1337", "Avante-Garde Chip pop" (note to self, now is not the time to rip on Jay Tholen), and stuff that isn't (according to myself) even chiptune (Sorry, Je Mapelle, you're guilty.) This album is none of this.

Negative:
As he told me to, I will be ruthless in pointing out little mistakes

1- The beginning of "Waking up in the Perseids" makes me dizzy. He plays too much with panning, thus gives the listener the feeling of being dizzy as hell. (I know it made me dizzy as hell). It's like spinning around in a chair listening to a song, except minus the spinny chair.
The Song Focal point has the same problem. Other then that heavy-panning opening, these songs are pretty good.

2- No cadence on "Stars and Skies forever"
This was a bit of a let down, honestly. A pretty song needs to have some sort of cadence at the end, a pop fade-out just won't cut it.
example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-Xm7s9eGxU
It wraps up the song, Satie takes us into this sonic universe of unrelenting beauty and sadness (this is one of the few songs I've cried to, TBH)
This very pretty song VCMG has crafted, would be much better with a cadence, not matter what it was (as long as it wasn't a "fuck you" cadence)
SIDENOTEExample of a "fuck you cadence", 8:51 through the end of this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toa8s0FtBLY
/ENDSIDENOTE


The Positive!!!!
1 -
The song "introduction"
It really gives the listener a taste of some material similar to what the rest of the album is going to be.

2 -
Fantastic writing

3 -
EVEN MORE FANTASTIC WRITING

4 -
Excellent choice in synths

5 -
"Stars and Skies Forever"
I know I got on this song for not having a cadence earlier in this review. But, god , it might be one of the prettiest things I have ever heard in my entire life (and I spend a lot of time listening to and looking for pretty music).

6 -
The fast paced songs
TALK ABOUT HITTING THE BALL OUT OF THE FUCKING PARK.

7 -
The Bonus song...SHHH, DON'T TELL HIM I TOLD YOU ABOUT IT

It reminds me of a postlude to finishing pokemon, an excellent way to end an album that really takes you on a journey. I cannot compliment this man enough.

So, in review

The album "Focal Point" by VCMG, might be one of the best things I've ever listened to in my life. I'm not one to sugar coat (as you can tell by my other posts on this blog, I really hate sugar-coated reviews). VCMG might be the next most important artist in chiptunes. He shows true mastery of the genre, his instruments (showing skill in 2xLSDJ and 1xLSDJ). He nailed what he was going for. If I could, I would drop 100 dollars for this album. Unfortunately, since I don't have the money to do so, all I can say is "this album is worth atleast 5 dollars, probably more like 10...alright 100 dollars."
Unfortunately, do to slight mistakes, this album is not "perfect", but, as Picasso once said "One can only abandon a piece of art", implying that art is never perfect.

9.9/10
This is one of the most powerful albums in the chiptunes genre. This man doesn't need help perfecting his style, what he needs is publicity. Please, tell your friends.


note: any level headed reviewer, probably more of a 9.5 or a 9

Radmobile - 10spd

buy: http://10spd.bandcamp.com/

As always, may I remind my loyal reader (yes, I used a non-plural) that all opinions expressed in this are that of a classically trained worker monkey (myself)

Before I begin, I'm liking the album cover

This is also his first full release (and the first time I have heard of him)

Here goes:

The Negative:

1- It doesn't fill your ears enough.

What do you mean by this Monov?
Sometimes through the songs there is too little going on, it takes away from that techno/dance/club-vibe he has going.

SIDENOTE:
In music, silence is very powerful (when used properly).
A good example of properly used silence: (note, I took the opportunity for a lesson, 10spd's music is fairly active, and he doesn't just randomly pause)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NU75uz0b8EU
Right before the drop in this song (as in when the bass hits) and after the fairy says "listen!" we have a moment of silence, that really creates a punch and shock factor to the song.
/end of sidenote
But see, in these songs, in-between beats there sometimes feels like too little. I'd like some more full harmonies, and I'd like it to really encompass me in a sound-scape.

Also, he really should use stereo and echo more, especially with what he's going for, it's fairly common in that genre.

Even when the melody is not there, you can do something to make your listeners less bored.
example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Urfjyj4FnUc
in-between each instrument's solo in bolero, Ravel has that snare drum and the strings plucked to keep beat. While it may not seem much, it's a lot more interesting than just have the drum do rhythm keeping. Ravel also has other instruments join in on the rhythm. (also, on a side note, I am now going to be listening to Bolero for the next few days, annoying my classmates)

an example of using more stereo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kY1PeH9fg5A
Notice how it fills up your headphones?

So 2 things to improve on:
Using stereo space more so I feel engulfed in the sound
Doing more than just a melody and bassline, some harmonies can really improve what you are going for! EXPERIMENT!!!!!

The positive:
Nice melodies!!!
Melodies tend to be a theme on the negative side of my blog, his melodies being on the positive side is good!

Good instrumentation
His gameboy really does have an electronic synth feel, and it fits all of his melodies. Never was there a moment that I questioned the type of synth he used.

8.5/10
He knows his way around the gameboy quite well. For a first full release, it's really good considering stuff I've heard that are also first releases. Worth 5 dollars for sure! PS. I'm writing this outside under the stars on my ipod.

Homework for him:
Make sure your gameboy fills the space! Use the stereo more. Make sure you aren't doing nothing!

Fun City EP (Naiky)

download here: http://naikymusic.bandcamp.com/album/fun-city-ep

I have not seen anything else by this artist, so I'm going to assume this is his first release.

As always, the opinions on this blog are that of a biased classical worker monkey (myself).

Here it goes:

The Negative:
1-The album cover = it makes me nauseous, it is for too busy (yet again, 99% of art makes me VERY nauseous). Whoever did this does have talent, just needs to work on making things a little less busy (in my opinion), it will make more people listen, and generally make his life easier!

2-The sound he uses from the gameboy. It sounds too close to the default. Just look at all of the possibilities there are with gameboy sound:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ka1L5pSMvxE
(bitshifter-esque)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmwfHppAjUY
(nullsleep-esque)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRiP-8lLi68
(An0va-esque)
http://frostbyte1.bandcamp.com/album/synesthesia-101
(The frostbyte tracks are done with LSDJ)

point is, the sound is far too rough for the fun he wants. If he wants fun, I highly suggest he listen to more bit shifter and frostbyte and see how their sound is produced

3-The melodies:

The melodies seem rather like the same theme/melody in a different key (minor 2nd up to create some tension for the song). He has some really interesting, melodies in the back that are drowned out by the percussion. Much more interesting than 2 notes played over and over again. Now, if he really wants to go with "my melody is my theme and I keep that theme throughout most of the song with repetition" deal, he should look at Parov Stelar. His melodies are really really catchy, and the beat isn't drowning them out because they work more with the beat than a minor 2nd up and repeat it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRtHYiWmsoA

The positive:
1- He understands song form:

Whenever I listened to one of his songs, he seemed to always really bring back that original melody/theme he wants us to like (thinks of example of this)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFQLFp5FuD4&feature=related
at the beginning of this movement, ravel starts with some fun chords and a roll on the snares(?). I only have the score in french, so I don't know what exactly that drum at the beginning is.
At the end of this movement, Ravel uses that same little passage of chords VERBATIM. He also creates variations on it to move onto different sections (as in the same passage, just a different key).

Why is this important?
It lets you feel a song ending. A song with a solid amount of repetition at the tail end lets us go "yay! the ending, this was awesome!"

2- He understands how to write fun music

really, the music on this album is quite fun. Fun City sounds like a fun place. He just needs to work on the synths he uses.

3- His sound is original
honestly, if he can make his fun sound a little less rough, and make sure the songs on the album sound more different he will do well

Overall

7.5/10
for those of you who like chip-electronic dance stuff more than me, you'll probably think "8.5/10" maybe even 9. I hope he can really make his sound a little bit smoother. Fantastic job considering he is a newcomer though. He just isn't on par with the greats yet.

homework for this man:
Checkout Bubu's "I am a pirate" that is a fun song. Listen to more bitshifter and frostbyte as well. All of these artists I mentioned are really fun!

Only Godzilla Can Judge You (condensed) - Psifork

Before I begin, a bit of a preamble is necessary.
All opinions on this blog are biased, from a classically trained worker-monkey (myself).

Download here:http://psifork.bandcamp.com/album/only-godzilla-can-judge-me-condensed
Okay, here goes:

The album has a fantastic cover (bro, I'm lovin' that dreamcast). Strange album name, but dammit, any reference to godzilla is awesome.

The Negative:
1
- It feels like all of the songs start with some sort of drum loop of sorts. Honestly, these drum loops don't start the song powerfully enough, and I can just expect some sort of minimalist looping with these drums into slowly changing phrases, marked by occasionally sound effects. The way he started this out honestly lost my interest.
How can he fix this:
Start out more powefully! Sometimes, a single chord is more powerful than a thousand drums:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ud_wGMXRnQ
As reference to Rach 2: How he starts with a powerful progression of chords really leaves a lasting impression on the audience, brilliantly stating the mood for the rest of the piece and how it might change. These openings in Psiforks albums really just make you think "boring...drums". So, figure out less minimal, more powerful ways to start out songs.
Another great example of how to really create a mood for a piece:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XL2ha18i5w
(note, Psifork, if you have an opening and closing track, try to reference some of the powerful tracks from the album in the closing, and maybe hint at material of the tracks in the opening. Pure rhythm isn't strong enough, sorry bud)

2-He tries to do too much at once. Really, I just get lost. Too many clashing voices (as exemplified in his song l2k3). The melody needs to be hear-able, especially for what seems to be a rhythmic approach that our friend here is taking. He is relying too much on the beat. A lot of good melody adds to the drive of the rhythm. (example: 8:10 to 9:45 in this recording = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ENNXLb3pXI) What Ravel does in the linked recording is that he really makes the melody rhythmic, it works with the rhythm to make you want to jump up and do some silly dance! Also, do remember, less can be more (classic example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6yuR8efotI). A good melody can work in any octave, on any instrument.

This brings me to his 3rd problem
3-especially in the song "L2k3", his melody is very jumpy. Jumpy melodies are fine, really. But if you are going to jump, do it on a chord tone:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6yuR8efotI
first 14 seconds, whenever Bach goes down to a lower string, it is always on a chord tone (I don't remember the exact progression, but I believe the piece starts with the notes G-D-B-A-B-D-B-G) Notice how it outlines a G Major chord (we take away that A because it is not on a strong beat, and the D is included since it is a perfect fifth and thus establishes the key G-Major). (also, for the record, the strong beat in classical is always on the odd beat, So: ONE, two, THREE, four, FIVE, six, SEVEN, eight)

the importance of Bach outlining this G Major chord is that it allows him to jump around in it. If you want to have a jumpy melody that catches your listener by surprise, set up a chord progression to follow. Jumping up and down octaves to repeat the melody is a great idea!

The good:
I feel like the tracks "everyday salesman", "RRR~1" and "Dental Pain" are fine examples of what this artist will be doing in the future (yet even better). It feels like here he has a clearly understanding of melody, and not having too many voices (there are some points that I feel are not as good as they could be, but those might be just to my preference...)

I especially like Dental Pain, 3:25 is particularly genius, because the melody is clearly hearable (the static noise doesn't interfere too much, and actually adds a nice little grove)

I would love to hear the voice he takes up if he continues going off into those styles, those tracks were fun, exciting, and generally worth listening through the other glitchy stuff in the album. (Be aware, I am no expert on glitch-chip, so I put on my "avant-garde hat" for some of the tracks.)

All in all

6/10

He has a lot of room for improvement, but the tracks he does well are nice and well-rounded. If you're a fan of glitch, you'll probably like his stuff more than I do. Keep rockin buddy, I hope my suggestions help you become someone really capable of changing this scene for the better

Signing off,
Monovfox.

Welcome to R&S Reviews

What is this blog?

This blog, is an idea I've had for a few months. Frankly, I'm tired of bad chiptune music. I want time put into the music, I want to people to really understand how music works before throwing stuff out there.

My preferred genre is Classical, I live and breath it. As a composer (albeit a beginner considering the works of Shostakovich, Ravel, Adams, Glass, Stravinsky, Faure, and many more), I feel like I know something a bit more about composition than the average user. Although, I will admit that I am not as good of a composer as Bit Shifter, An0va, Frostbyte, Nullsleep, Tristan Perich, etc. Infact, I rarely get a piece right, this blog is not to promote myself. (Monovfox for those curious)

Please, feel free to send me stuff to review. I'm not going to go "this sucks", though I might, constructive criticism a shot in addition to saying it sucks, and even point out what the artist did right! My first review will be within the coming days, until then, TTYL

-Monovfox.