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June's Memory's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Correlation to theme | #103 | 3.933 | 3.933 |
| Impression | #109 | 3.800 | 3.800 |
| Overall | #120 | 3.807 | 3.807 |
| Creativity | #131 | 3.800 | 3.800 |
| Composition | #140 | 3.800 | 3.800 |
| Quality | #188 | 3.700 | 3.700 |
Ranked from 30 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Description
The music for June's Memory is a mix of orchestral and electronic music. There are 10 tracks in total, 8 of them loopable, 1 longer length track that's ends without looping, and a full rock song meant to be the end credits.
I used Cubase, a Matrixbrute, a eurorack modular synthesizer, and lots of sample libraries.
The writing process started with the song first (track 10) then I wrote the other instrumental ideas around the general concept of the song. That led to the idea of a character named June who's a young girl having recalling a day with her mom.
In the youtube link, I put together a series of ai generated images and text telling the story alongside the music. I hope you listen to it in that context! I think it's the best way to get the idea across.
Message from the artist
I hope the story I made makes some kind of impact on you, no matter how small the impact might be. Thanks for listening!
Theme
How does it fit the theme?
Without telling too much about the story, the concept is that June is remembering a day she had with her mom. Inside My World i changed to Inside My Mind for the sake of rhyming with "Mind" rather than "World."
There are many other connections to the theme like the beach, a festival which might explain the childs traditional clothing, the mysterious figure june is holding hands with, and many other concepts within the picture.
Link(s) of the submission on streaming services
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJPi-Q_Huoo
Number of tracks10
Genre
Soundtrack use permission
For game jams only
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Comments
Piano-centric pieces are always going to have my heart and this is no different. I like how you've explored a bunch of different styles throughout this, while still keeping the keys as the primary driving force in most, even if they're a little further back in the mix to accommodate some other instruments based on the given track.
The playing throughout is gorgeous; well articulated, explorative and befitting of the various moods present. I also like how the keys are a little more on the harder-side and that the softer dynamic isn't explored as much - I think this is an 'easy' go-to for making something more evocative and emotional but you've managed to keep the harder timbre present and still evoke those kinds of feelings.
Accompaniment-wise, there are some gems here. I really loved the string work in The Beach, and the weaving melodies in An Almost Answered Prayer are absolutely gorgeous. Nice variety of orchestral elements (and various articulations, at that) present throughout - big fan of the woodwinds in particular. Nice use of percussion when appropriate, too.
The ending track is genuinely something ethereal. Was not expecting a vocal theme, but the shift to guitar here was a major surprise and also a great palate cleanser to set a different tone immediately. Vocals are nice (I'd love to see some lyrics!) and the guitar-work itself is really well done. Drums coming in around the half-way point is a great way of adding some additional drive to the track ahead of the distorted guitars. Kudos for subverting expectations here - I would've been fully on-board with a pianissimo epilogue to round out this soundtrack, but having it end on a rock song makes it so much more memorable.
Super solid work here, you've got chops and it shows. Really nice arrangements, well produced as a whole and just a delight to listen to in general. Very unique submission.
Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked it. I teach piano and all of this, so it's nice to hear that people like it. Thanks for checking it all out I know it was a lot to listen to!
It's always great to see how much work people put into creating the world their soundtrack is based off of. The story and context you provide helps tie all the tracks together and keep listeners engaged throughout the entire run time. Creating this deep of a soundtrack in approximately a week is no small feat. Awesome job!
Thank you! Really nice to hear. Glad you enjoyed it.
It was...
it's one of the most amazing posts of this jam! It was interesting, emotional, with the use of various instruments and with a creative approach to sound! Amazing job! Amazing story and amazing timing...
I don't even know what else I can say, to be honest... Your soundtrack is definitely on the list of the most memorable)
Oww, some wild chords on piano in the "Start game" theme :)
Morning Shrine Visit is so atmospheric and calming, I love it...
June goes to school is so fun and touching with it's clumsy flute sound haha! Adorable :)
The Festival conveyed the atmosphere so well! And the transition where she lost her mom is really good keeping the rythmic instruments !
The almost answered prayer had such a good progression, well made. My favorite maybe :)
Oh really cool finish with Inside my world. The accoustic guitar and your voice make for a nice ending/credits theme. Cool touch !
Also, so cool to have that video all along, thank you for sharing :)
Really great work! I really like the beach theme and June's theme. The harmony in June's theme is just great. It is very well crafted. Great work!
Super engaging OST with a ton of variety. Really good job and i liked the youtube video accompanying the tracks. Made a lot of sense in that sense! Thank you!
The story you were telling kept me engaged the whole way through.
Title Track (June's theme) - I like the dynamics of the piano, and how large it feels from the reverb. A great opening theme.
"Wake up June" - The piano is nice and it feels bright, a nice contrasting feeling from the previous track by having less wet sound. I can't really describe the emotion I feel from this but it's something similar to lightheartedness.
Morning Shrine Visit - I love the little synth in the background, The lower general volume puts a strong emphasis on the story too
June goes to School - The flute-like (recorder?) instrument gives a very nostalgic and young feel.
The Beach - The sound design of the waves is very cool, I like the use of swells in this track.
The Festival - Paints the background very nicely. The ambience, the drums, A well fitting song for the environment.
June Lost Her Mom - I am reminded slightly of "Rivers in the Desert" from the Brass, I like the urgency of the theme, could imagine this playing when I lost my mom in the mall when I was younger.
June's Mom is Sick - The track is slow and melancholic. I like the chord-progression in the strings a lot.
An Almost Answered Prayer- I like the piano and drums, it has a grand but serious feeling, with some mystery to it. I like how the synth repeats after the piano. The SFX are nice too. This is my favorite track
Inside my Mind - The guitar and vocals are really nice. I like the buildup with the percussion and the electric guitar
I liked the story concept. I feel the tracks convey the whole story pretty well. The melodies are great and I like the reoccurence of June's theme, I am usually pretty bad at identifying leitmotifs on a first listen so consider that a compliment haha. Great work!
I can tell a lot of effort went into this. Well done! I liked your presentation too ! I also agree that you managed the vocals perfectly, I'm not good at managing vocals so i tend not to include vocals...
Piano themes are always the most difficult because it’s easy for them to sound cliché, even more so if they are minimal. However, that’s not the case with yours… really well executed, and at some points, it reminded me of the world of Johann Johannsson. Personally, I would have added some background elements (even simple modulated noise) to reinforce the atmosphere and pay more attention to details.
The video where you described the story scene by scene is great; it makes the music more evocative.
Maybe I would have orchestrated the second track differently with some pizzicato, because its writing was very interesting. "Morning Shrine Visit" is one of my favorites: the combination of soft piano and harp is very relaxing, fits well within the overall OST, and is perfect for the type of game you have in mind.
Certainly, extra points for the level of detail with which you described the story and the music, and also for the amount of music you composed (18 minutes is a lot for just one week!). Overall, I think it's a great piece of work.
Besides how impressive it is to get 18:00 minutes of score with this much variety, I think you do a really great job of having each song have a specific purpose. I'm a big fan of the theme and like how you used it throughout the pieces. Also is that your voice in 'June's Memory'?? The singing is so good!! Great work on this ^^
The youtube presentation was very clever and does a great job at telling the story. The vocals at the end are great! Makes me want to try doing a submission that has vocals. You did a great job with the rock sound and it's a really cool contrast to the rest of the soundtrack, the guitars are great and really everything about Inside my Mind is great lol
Amazing work, the more visual novel style was nice to see in this jam, thanks for sharing!
Thank you for checking it out! Really nice of you to say that. Honestly really glad to come across your music! I think you’re going to do really great things.
Very fitting music for the genre you chose! I played some visual novels that had very similar music to this...yet, I appreciate some other touches like the festival music. Also bonus points for presentation.
Beautiful piano at the beginning, Great job with the text and the illustrations following the music! My favourite track may be "The Beach" with this beautiful strings arrangement! I really like the reseach lorewise and find that you submitted an achieved project!
Wow, I love the orchestration detail in these tracks. A lot of the instrumentation choices feel very intentional - definitely taking notes here. I gotta say Inside My Mind is an especially amazing sendoff to this soundtrack. Great work :D
P.S. I use Cubase too and you are way more organised than me LOL
Great orchestration, it blows my mind when I hear stuff like this.
Very thorough soundtrack. I especially enjoy the solo piano sections (as pianos are my favorite instruments)!
"June's Theme" meloncholy and wistful, nice articulation on the piano.
Listening to "Wake Up June" on my headphones at times sounded a bit harsh at the higher end of the pitch (not an issue with headphones removed).
"Morning Shrine Visit" nice use of the motiff from June's Theme towards the end. Song has a nice, gentle feel to it.
"June Goes To School" a nice tune reminiscent of "Wake Up June".
"The Beach", like the trills and swells. Nice staccato melody. Horns are beautful as they come in.
The drum rhythm in "The Festival" has a nice groove. Crowd noises provide an immersive ambience.
"June Lost Her Mom" uses dissonance in the strings to create tension well. Piano melody has a very nice impact and I like that you stopped the brass rhythm during it to provide it space.
"June's Mom is Sick" is very legato and dramatic. I like the somber brass melody.
Nice variation on the "June's Theme" motiff at the start and end of "An Almost Answered Prayer". The deep piano has a powerful impact and the electronic instruments provide a nice groove.
As for "Inside My Mind". Oh hey, the "June's Theme" motiff again! Good guitar and vocal performance. Really enjoyed the transition to rock.
Most in depth comment yet. Thanks for putting so much thought into the feedback. The track that was harsh in the piano part is totally true. I just listened back and it’s because of the piano library. I’ve been having quite a bit of trouble with that Steinway sound on tracks and i think there is some clipping on some of the notes in the actual library itself. Frustrating but I’ve been able to troubleshoot that after your comment so thanks for that.
I really appreciate all the kind words and the main things you pointed out were the main qualities u wanted to stand out for each track. I think we have similar ears.
Thanks again.
First song in and I know I already know I found a hidden gem! Each song is so expressive and you did an excellent job creating such an engaging story line. I especially love the piano playing in the title theme and I wish I'd be able to play piano as good as that someday lol. That's not to say the other songs aren't good in comparison, tho. Tracks like "June Lost Her Mom" and "An Almost Answered Prayer" do an excellent job at showing June's emotions!
And my God was I not prepared for "Inside My Mind." You did an amazing job on it and it's such a beautiful last song to an already beautiful OST! I must ask tho, is that you playing the guitar? Because I think I've seen a discord comment somewhere searching for songs with live guitar playing and I think this would satisfy that.
Overall you managed so many amazing songs in only seven days and I applaud you for that!
That's all I have to say really. Thank you for blessing my ears with such amazing compositions, and have a good day :D
(P.S, you've made it infinitely harder to review submissions now because I only want to listen to Inside My Mind D:)
That’s super nice of you to say! I’m really glad you liked it. Thanks for listening to everything! I know it ended up being a lot.
Yes that’s me in there! It means a lot that you liked that song specifically. The main goal for the project was to write a song because I’m trying to get myself to sing more on everything.
Also, I’m always down to collaborate on tracks! Send me over the discord info and I’ll find people looking for guitar music.
Holy shit, this was incredible!!! I love your video walking through the story, and the music is just so superbly composed and mixed. You should be proud of this!
Standouts for me were June's Theme (brought tears to my eyes) and An Almost Answered Prayer (the dynamics throughout were sublime).
VERY impressive showing. Definitely top 10 for me!
Wow thank you! All of these compliments are very appreciated. Glad you liked it! Really enjoyed your submission too