GrapheneKid's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Dramatic Tone Shift (Jamuary '25)]

I actually like this song a lot. Wasn't feeling the first half, but then the second half kicked in and it all clicked. Neither half works without the other. Each part individually is kind of meh, but when put right next to each other they become more than the sum of their parts. I love the contrast between the first half, with its brooding and muddy mix, compressed drop-tone instrumentation, and close, uncomfortable vocals, and the back half, with the clean harmonic instrumentation, the strong, centered vocals, and the "wider" and brighter mix. Great execution on a good idea. Not a fan of Christian music but I think this song is still pretty good lyrically.

MasterHand4444 responds:

Really glad you liked it and the idea worked!!! I agree that it becomes fully whole when placed together; it’s like two sides of the same coin.

I also understand that not everyone is gonna like Christian music - especially on Newgrounds LOL - but it’s such a core aspect of my life personally that it would be dishonest of me not to write about it. Lyrics in the second half are true to my experience but still a bit heavy handed - I need to work on that!

[Jamuary #21 - Lazy Loop]

Not that bad for 10 minutes! Interesting idea for a challenge honestly.

GlaceonDash responds:

I wasted like 4 minutes just thinking of what to do for the starting instrument lol

[Jamuary #16 - Rooftop Run]

I would probably call this a variant of Synthwave due to the omnipresent retro bass synths and focus on a beat that's engaging without being aggressive or hyper. You could also consider this Cinematic since it has crescendo and decrescendo elements, plus the airy, complex melodies from the string instruments.

GlaceonDash responds:

I will update as such!


Probably synthwave since it has more in common with that than what the brain imagines with Cinematic

[Jamuary #14 - Backlog Song [File Date: Feb 2021]]

Eh who cares if it's cheating, Jamuary is all about making stuff in whatever form that takes.

This is a neat song for being from when you were first starting this stuff. It's always neat to revisit these kinds of compositions because we tend to be a lot more "wild" and unstructured when we start out.

GlaceonDash responds:

Exactly! I know I had the mindset of "if I don't stop experimenting I'll never improve"

and I mean, I still do but not as extreme

[Jamuary #11 - I have no idea what I'm doing]

The bass is a little crunchy but I like how it seems to kind of "crawl around" between the left and right channels

GlaceonDash responds:

Too crunchy :( But the sort of disconnect between channels is yay!

[Jamuary #8 - Music for a Sci-fi Puzzle Game]

Has a nice, floaty feel to it, like C418

GlaceonDash responds:

It sort of WAS inspired by them in some ways!

[[DAY 5] - Cogushroom]

ooh, I like the spooky sinister feel. What's the game this is for?

Scareev responds:

It's for TTD (Through The Dungeon), the name is temporary and is still in development, but if it releases i will share it on NG!

[Guns (MH4 Mix)]

Week 7 but instead of a battlefield it takes place in a retro nightclub

MasterHand4444 responds:

You see the vision better than I do lol

[No Matter the Cost (Jamuary '25)]

This is nice! A little off-key in parts but your delivery is a lot stronger and more confident than the last one.

Now the question is: Are you gonna do a duet with Miku?

MasterHand4444 responds:

Holy Toledo I just might have to. That would force me to be on key as well…heck yeah, I’ll 100% do that before Jamuary is over.

[Plaything (Jamuary '25)]

Vocals are mixed nicely and I like the simplicity of the beat, but the vocals being off tune make the song uncomfortable to listen to.

There are two ways you could theoretically go with this: a second take more on-tune, like you had posited; or alternatively, leaning into the off-tune nature with some vocal processing. How exactly you would do this is definitely a fun and challenging little puzzle, but I can't think of any ideas off the top of my head that would help sell the off-tune aspect as symbolic of vulnerability or emotional damage. But hey, Alt-Rock does that all the time, so it's not completely impossible.

Honestly though, props for putting this out. It can be really scary to sing about vulnerable stuff like this and to work with your voice when it's minimally-processed. While I think the end result leaves something to be desired, I think this is a good way to get your feet wet when it comes to stuff that's a little more heavy.

MasterHand4444 responds:

I appreciate the sincere feedback!! As critical as it is this may be one of my favorite reviews I’ve gotten haha. I love the idea of leaning into the off-key, but I’m def not there yet in terms of knowing the “rules” enough to break them.

I also 100% want to get better at using my voice in projects and singing. And rapping! I’m glad you thought it was mixed well, and I agree that Jamuary is a good way to get my feet wet with heavier subjects - especially given what I have planned for this year ;P

Thanks for the review :]