Outstanding submission!! The orchestral but minimalist style, mixed with very smart use of everyday sounds and the concept you worked around, reminded me of some 3D indie games I loved and used to play years ago, such as Flower and the Unfinished Swan, or film soundtracks such as The Little Prince (2015). Thanks for the amazing experience.
A Quick Learner: I think it really conveys the childish feeling of fun and carefree (but very focused) drawing, as the clock ticks in the background. It makes a very good job at taking me to a “childhood core memory” mood.
If I try to decompose what made me feel this way:
- The strings staccato manage to accomplish multiple things: emulate the sound of an old clock (120 bpm helps too of course), create tension and add a childlike feel.
- The composition is “simple and repetitive” in the best possible way, since it’s not boring at all. Kind of what I want music to sound like when I’m focused on a task. The occasional harmonies in the background definitely help keep this track fresh.
-The base chord progression that never resolves makes me feel like when I’m really “in the zone”, almost anxious, trying to push my mind and body to bring some creative work to life.
Great use of all those tools.
Dreamworld: Love the ambience with this one. I think I’d be really hooked in the moment if I was playing a game to this track. Ethereal is the perfect word to describe this track, and I think it would make a great, solid first impression, for a player who is seeing the surreal flooded house Mitsuki wakes up to.
Still Life with Plum: Gave me goosebumps from second one!! So many emotions at once. Energy, amazement, wonder, confusion, freedom. I think I can definitely learn a few things from this track. The chord progressions were not obvious at all, and were effective as hell. From 1:00 to 1:25 I felt like I was almost hallucinating from all the weird melodies and harmonies building up [could it be inspired by Boléro (Ravel)?], and then you grounded me back with the (comparatively) easy to digest section from the start. *Claps to you sir*
Tea With Mr. Plum: Great contrast with the previous track. It has the same quirky feel, but way more grounded, while keeping a relaxed sense of tension. I can definitely feel this like a more “home-ish” track (like when you enter a house in Wind Waker). The section with the sliding strings really adds a fancy tone too!!
The Garden Party: I love how everything relaxes at this point. I think it properly signals to the player that they accomplished their task and can simply have fun around and explore the surroundings and talk to the NPCs. Very sober and sweet.
Missing: The tension is strong in this one. Great use of harmonies and progressions to set uneasiness. The sound scape in the background adds a lot too. I think with this one, headphones are 100% necessary to get the proper experience, since the deep bass sounds create a very strong emotional layer.
However, by far my favorite thing about this track is the contrasting perspective between Kasumi and Mitsuki to the same event. It really conveys the theme of “adulthood” vs “childhood” through pure music and sound effects.
Impressions Of Akari River: Nice mix of unsettlement and dreamy wonder. I do think you nailed the mood for an “above the water” water-level.
The Ducks Converse: This one was an absolute flex of your classical piano composing skills!! I guess since ducks are from the same family as swans, the classical ballet-like waltz simply made a lot of sense. It works great and I’m truly amazed at the range of your skills as a composer.
Descent From Cloudtops: Yup, definitely feels like dropping from the sky in a fun yet very scary way. It’s funny how you play with tension over the arpeggios, from very playful to extremely tense, like a mix between finding a guardian on Zelda BOTW, dropping from the sky in Zelda TOTK and nailing a hit/counter while fighting on Zelda TWW. I can totally see the inspiration on Hedwig’s theme though!!
Motions, No. 18: I can feel the frustration through this minimalist piece. I really like the layers of instruments/voices you added throughout the track. I feel like different sounds would appear as you progress across different parts of the stage. If I were to make a single suggestion for this one (knowing that is meant to convey frustration and lack of inspiration), it would be to make it “stand out” more, probably through stronger bass sounds and string dynamics that can ground the listener, similarly to “Still Life with Plum”. The composition is great, but I feel it doesn’t cause the same strong and lasting impression as the first stage track, mainly because the volumes and layers of frequencies seem “tamer”. There’s nothing wrong with this track, I really love what you did here, but that’s why I think it really deserves to show-off more its existing colors and layers.
Glassy: Beautiful, BEAUTIFUL track. The melancholy and nostalgia that comes from listening again to the original melody of Dreamworld, after exploring the rest of the world is superb. It really feels like everything comes to a full circle, especially as you reorchestrated the main theme to strengthen the emotions through different dynamics. I think it’s beyond acceptable, and it makes me wonder how it would sound if you were truly satisfied with it, since it’s already an amazing track!
Your work is truly inspiring. I definitely can learn a few things from your work. I wish you the best for this jam and for all your future works as a music composer!!