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moonsongs's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Creativity | #44 | 3.737 | 3.737 |
| Impression | #60 | 3.368 | 3.368 |
| Quality | #77 | 3.211 | 3.211 |
| Overall | #77 | 3.326 | 3.326 |
| Correlation to theme | #89 | 3.316 | 3.316 |
| Composition | #94 | 3.000 | 3.000 |
Ranked from 19 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Description
This is my soundtrack for a narrative game with the protagonist adrift on the ocean at night. He spirals into despair until he comes to the conclusion that the way to save himself is to surrender to his fear - he then sees his love and steps into the ocean, free from fear.
The soundtrack is raw and rough, and represents the protagonist's slow unravelling of thinking and growing despair. As he surrenders to his fears, and thereby frees himself from these, there are some beautiful moments that are experienced which suggests that even in the darkest moments there is still some light. Whether his escape represents freedom or doom is left up to the player/listener.
Recordings were made using a (really) old DAW with guitar/bass/synths recorded directly (as WAV) against drum beats. I had tried to program MIDI to have a more 'seamless' recorded approach but I'm not used to Waveform Free and found it was limiting my creativity.
Message from the artist:
Back for another round of the Composing Jam! This contest is awesome for a number of reasons - it gives me a reason to create with a strict deadline (so no procrastinating) as well as a prompt to kickstart my creative inspiration. And I get to listen to a bunch of much more talented musicians and creators who have been given the same parameters.
My approach this time is a bit different than the last few, Previously, I have tried to blend in' with my sound and while I have liked the final result, it was a departure from what I normally tend to create. This time around, I have just jammed until I had a handful of tracks I liked the sound of; guaranteed they will lack the well composed sheen and structure of other entries but I am happy to stand behind my imperfect soundscapes. I hope you enjoy listening to them.
Theme:
How does it fit the theme?
I took the sea and the moon as inspirations for the game setting of a person lost at sea as well as being lost in himself,
The game? I imagine the soundtrack accompanies a narrative game where the main character is adrift on a boat at night (as suggested by the prompt image). He is starting to despair, slowly becoming more fearful that he will die alone at sea. Starting to become feverish, he hallucinates that his loved one has joined him . He comes to realise that the only way he can escape his predicament is through acceptance rather than denial, and in doing so a sense of peace washes over him. No longer in fear, he steps off the side of the boat and into the hungry sea.
Link(s) of the submission on streaming services
https://soundcloud.com/driveelizabeth/sets/moonsongs
Soundtrack use permission
Any non-commercial project
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Comments
Great use of the rough instrumental sounds! They convey well the deteriorating psychological state of the protagonist as he is trapped amidst the sea! :D
Dream of the Moon: This is great for the product of jamming and experimentation! The main guitar riff is pensive and ripe for reflection on a breezy oceanic night. I also think you have good pacing for a solid overall structure to the track. Nice work!
Something is Changing Within Me: The “something” that is changing feels quite on-point with the sharp synth line. I appreciate the use of the deeper synths to help support it. Toward the beginning there is an alarm sound that trails off with some reverb – I think the main lead synth line would benefit from having the same reverb placed on it.
The Fever is Rising: I really like the bassline you have going at the beginning! The soft mallet/bells that emerge at about a minute in feel really nice against the low growl of the bass and deep drums. The soft echoey guitar that follows is what sells me on this really feel like your title describes – that sound is the musical embodiment of what a fever feels like: it comes up slowly and you start to feel woozy and just kind of stuck in a loop. I think this is my favorite track from your submission!
Undiscovery: The squealy synths in the background sound almost alien-like and add to the descent of the main character. This track almost sounds a little happy with the major chords, but I wonder if that might be part of the trickery of the fever.
Moonlit Sincerity/Only Us: The reverb on the guitar feels really nice. I like the high bell that doubles the main melodic line – this for me helps tie in the theme of all the shooting stars in the sky over the ocean waves. This track feels very nice and peaceful compared to some of the previous tracks.
Beneath the Surface: I really like how you leave it up to the listener to decide whether he has stepped out to his freedom or out to his doom. In listening to this track, I think I could go either way! I think you found a nice combination of both of these endings – he meets his doom, but he doesn’t mind because he feels free. Overall I’m really happy that you decided to use your sound on this because that’s when magic happens. Great work and thank you for sharing!
Thank you for taking the time to give such a detailed breakdown of the tracks, I really appreciate it and am glad you enjoyed it.
The experimental nature of all this was refreshing. Most of these tracks would honestly make great background music for actual gameplay, in that they don't demand too much attention and generally sit on a specific vibe throughout. It's all very chilled out but still has a focused energy. The spacey minimal guitar brings the whole thing together nicely. Great take!
Cool tracks. The Fever is Rising has such a menacing vibe to it. Beneath The Surface was an extremely pleasant listen, that bass and beat are great, and the guitar is so pretty. Great work!
I really appreciate a progressive beat... Less common in the OST jams and yet very frequent in actual videogame soundtracks. I would chill on my Thursday night with these tunes - they definitely give a sense of isolation and the sounds of the waves are blended in well. I love the theme of your hypothetical game... I'd play it just for that. (Probably because that's been a running theme for 2022 for me, resisting denial, radically accepting, moving forward, etc.1)
"Dream of the Moon" is my favorite for it's solid bass riffing. There is something about the electric sound of "Something is Changing Within Me" that seems to not match the others. If I new sound/music a little better, I'd probably have a more helpful adjective -- too chirpy and square wave? Like you said -- they're good pieces that stand alone more than usual for you. It's a good piece that stands alone.
Great work!
I am loving the use of live instruments, especially the bass! I'm also a big fan of the crashing waves and high-pitched percussion at the end of every track. The mix and mastering could use a little bit of work as I could imagine some of the songs would get a bit grating with repetition, but other than that, this was a pleasantly interesting soundtrack with a unique style of composition.
This was really good! I'm a big fan of the live bass.
feeling 80s vibe :)) Love the psychedelic rock in Only Us and Beneath the Surface.
"put on my best suit and glasses, drive car slowly"
I like the bass on track 3 a lot, and the guitar on track 1!
Thank you 🙂
Nice work! The guitar sounds you used are great, I really enjoyed The Fever Is Rising. Great job!
Some really nice and catchy guitar riffs there. Extra points for playing this on a real guitar. Thanks for sharing!
I'm absolutely vibing to this rn; also nice work conveying a 3-act story through the tone of each track
I will always be in awe of anyone who plays and records all their instruments. I can only write with a piano and midi, and even then my skills are limited to a lot of clicking and programming. Great job on your submission, I like that you stuck with your own style of sound. I always really enjoy the more unique submissions, and this one definitely stands out from some of the go-to styles of composition in the contest. My favorite track was Only Us.
Outside of balancing the mix a little bit more, I think you did a great job creating something beautiful and emotional for the game you described!