(disclaimer: AIM judge review here! these are just my opinions and thoughts, you can take from them whatever you like! music is subjective and all that. <3)

i think this one could benefit a bit from all the parts individually being turned down in volume because as it stands, everything is kinda fighting for space and pushing up against your limiter/compressor. with a little more careful leveling you can still get something that sounds just as full without the ducking or bits of distortion. collectively though the only thing that really stands out is the cool guitar line that comes in around 1m being quite loud compared to everything else, but the rest feels sensible.

there's a really cool developmental section there in the last 30sec or so, which i totally think is the right idea but i might've placed it in the middle of the song and then returned to the original stuff after some time chilling with the new. sort of an A-B-A type idea than [really long A]-B to keep things fresher. the benefit is twofold: avoiding excessive repetition of your core loops and ultimately doing something satisfying to the listener by coming back to the original thing after going elsewhere for a while. also those opening chiptuney arpeggios were really cool, i would've loved to hear those make a return beyond the intro!

overall this is really groovy, and there's a lot to be said for how much i wanna bop my head to this! your interpretation of the art is interesting and thoughtful in a particular way: when powerless to something seemingly so massive and ominous, appreciate what you have and where you're at while you still have it. not what i expected entirely but valid, and you've made a great soundtrack for the rest of this scene for sure.

AIM 2023 Judge Review

If I had to make a most improved list from participants in this compo, I would put you somewhere near the top of that list. This entry surprised me in how good the composition is, particularly in that transition into the groove at 0:34. Once the track enters the groove, the bass and the chord progressions complement the atmosphere from the art so well. There's definitely a dusk/not completely nighttime sort of vibe paired with an undertone of uncertainty and it comes through well with the setup of the composition.

While I do love what I'm hearing, I think the mixing could use some tweaks. There's a bit of a choked-up sensation in the groovy part but some parts, like the drums, feel like they sit too confidently on top of the mix. The leads like at 1:02 seem quite loud compared to the accompaniment, though it oddly sounds like it starts fading in volume at 1:22 with the lower counterpoint.

I was also surprised at the intro and conclusion, as they seem so different and unexpected given how the main groove is so smooth. The chiptune intro almost seemed like it was going to lean fully into 8bit and it certainly caught me off-guard when the track went in a different direction. I do, however, think the gradual buildup into the main grooving section worked well enough that I didn't feel like these were two completely different parts of two different songs. The ending was also not what was expected, but I do think this part came across more like you running out of ideas and concluded the track abruptly. I'm not sure if that was the intention - maybe the blood moon came down and truly brought the bad omen with it.

Overall, I like that your interpretation of the art inspiration was not entirely negative and I think that comes across effectively in the music. You've created something that really captures that specific time of day as portrayed in the art with the main part of your track. Great job!

Wonderful!!!!

Normal

chill