shouGawa's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Limbo]

This is beautiful! Simply beautiful... Breath-taking emotion in this piece. It struck my heart. Thank you!

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Thank you, shoKawa! I wanted to put my focus on the emotional aspect. I didn't even have a melody when writing this piece. I just made sure that the emotions shine through dynamics, harmonics and atmopshere. I'm really glad to hear that it can indeed be heard and felt!

[Prelude Finality]

This song takes my breath away every time I hear it, Chrononomad! So very beautiful... The beginning leads me in and then I'm set floating into the expanses. Cloud to cloud... sweeping me up ever further until I believe I must have reached the celestial plain. ^__^

ChronoNomad responds:

Rising up from the firmament and into the heavens? My, what lovely imagery, shoKawa! I am very pleased to hear that my track can take you on such a magnificent journey, not merely the first time, but every time you listen. I am duly humbled by your praise, and may you continue to enjoy the music far, far into the future.

[Vertical Horizon]

Such a solid piece, Chrononomad! I've enjoyed listening to it for quite a while this evening. I could go on listening to it very contentedly. It's bright and vibrant and it moves well from one part to the next. The tension is there and builds in a way that doesn't distract from the joyfulness of the song. I feel very akin with this song.

ChronoNomad responds:

Why thank you, shoKawa! I am glad to have once again created a piece of music that brings you joy, and may you find the very contentment that you seek. This song has a fairly simple formula, but it seems to be one that resonates with my listeners, and for that I am thankful.

It's light and airy with the piano progressions, but at the same time filled with fun and exciting energy. One of those pieces that I return to time and time again, and I always enjoy the ride.

[BRUCE: Angel - Innocence Lost]

It would be great to hear this in it's project context. That being said, I'd love to hear the piano on it's own. It's such a beautiful piece.

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Yes, it will be awesome to see/hear the project when it's out! It will still take a while as I have tons of tracks to write still though, hehhe. Alright, I might just upload the piano track on its own then as well, later today, or at least in the near future :)

Thanks for listening and for reviewing!

[-Young At Heart-]

Happy! Instant smile plastered all over my face for the length of the song, man!

Awesome! This is a totally sweet song! You caught the innocence and playfulness of childhood so well :)

ChronoNomad responds:

Hooray! I'm so glad that you enjoy those childlike happiness vibes. ^___^

You're giving me so many kind review lately, I feel a bit like a kid on Christmas morning! When I made this it was just so cute and fun and upbeat that coming up with the name took almost no time at all. It's not always like that, but I really like when they practically name themselves.

Thanks again for another review! They make me smile every time.

[-Aria Of Memories-]

I've put this beautiful song in my Hope playlist because that's what it inspires in me. Hope! Hope can sometimes be hard to come by and to have it here in direct soul infusion form is a precious commodity.

There is a levity that brings fullness to the song. The music climbs to the heights without being jittery or anxious. It carries peace with it. And anticipation too. It seems like the song starts with a sense of wonder and that wonder creates waves on which the hope and later anticipation rise and swell until they fill the heart to overflowing.

I am hard pressed to find a song of yours without an underlying sense of hope and peace, Chrononomad. Even the darker pieces have it. But in songs like Aria Of Memories it truly breaks free and soars!

ChronoNomad responds:

I am truly honoured that you have added this song to one of your playlists, shoKawa. Hope is something that I have never truly lost, but yes...it can indeed be difficult to hold on to at times. To hear that the music gives you such an infusion of hope means the world to me.

I have similar feelings when I listen to this, interestingly enough. The arpeggios, rising and falling as they do, create that sense of anticipation as it moves forward. Peace and joy and melancholy are interwoven to heighten that overall sense of wonderment, and to have that essence fill your heart to overflowing pleases me greatly.

Haha, that is very true. Hope and peace always have been and remain the cornerstones of my life, and therefore become a definitive component within the music of my soul. It is interesting that you see it within the darker pieces, as well. It's that hope, the light that lives within even the blackest darkness, that I try to get across. And since it cannot be extinguished within myself, I think that it will always shine through in my music, as well.

Many, many thanks for yet another wonderful review! My cup runneth over.

[-Risky Venture-]

Awesome retro feels! Such a fun escapade ;) It made me smile and laugh to myself! Thanks, Chrononomad, for share this bit of playful banter with us!

ChronoNomad responds:

Haha, so glad that you enjoy the romp, shoKawa! This one was a whole lot of fun to make, that's for sure! All kinds of cheesy 70's funkiness mixed in for good measure. :D

It actually features quite predominantly in a cute little 3D animated mouse project that I made back in my college days. I never uploaded it here, but it can be found on YouTube if you're search savvy enough. ^__~

[-Gunslinger-]

Departure is right! Right into the old west ;) This is a song I can crawl right into and happily bump along for the ride! The whistling gives just the right effect for a definite culture shift. I can feel that sand getting into the cracks and crevices and beginning to fill the toes of my boots. There's a wistful air to the song too. A lonely cowboy under the big western sky filled with stars...

ChronoNomad responds:

You know it, li'l darlin'! *tips hat* Thank you kindly for another fine review.

I'm really glad that you enjoy the classic old west vibe! It is a very fun ride, heading right on out into the desert, riding off solemnly into the sunset. There's always something a bit wistful when it comes to the romantic notion of being a cowboy in the untamed west, I think. Can you imagine how big and bright that star-filled expanse of sky would seem in comparison to our world of big cities, tall buildings, and deluge of electric lights? Why, that thought alone gives me wistful pangs for such a beautiful, untainted land.

[Wind Requiem]

This is superbly gorgeous, ChronoNomad! I feel touched by the wind and waves just listening. I simply adore the ambient nature of this song! And those drums are so soothing! I feel part of this land and seascape. Thank you!

ChronoNomad responds:

Why thank you, shoKawa! To feel embraced by the wind and waves is precisely my intent. It does have a very relaxing and calm sort of ambient quality, does it not? Glad that you enjoy the drums as well, though my early mixing and mastering skills left a bit to be desired when it comes to the overall clarity, I think. Yet somehow the message still manages to come across if it can make you feel such things. I am content and you are quite welcome.

[All Roads Lead Nowhere]

Again your loop is beautifully seamless! I do hear some strain of hope in this endless knot of existence. Stress and despair may be companions of the time but something pricks at the heart like the musician plucking at the piano strings. That is not all there is... You've created a lovely setting to shine that glimmer of hope. Life continues! hard as it may be. It's Life! and be damned if we're going to give it up! This song brings other stories to mind Book of Eli being one of them.
The strings could get tiring and sometimes seem to but then the burden of their constant work is lifted by another part of the song and I'm able to go on listening. Excellent job in capturing this in music! It's not a huge cinematic piece but it is no less full and the depth is continual. You've packed a lot in to that 1 minute and 29 seconds.

ChronoNomad responds:

I thank you very much for your review, shoKawa! There is indeed some semblance of hope to be found, even in such a weary and thin existence. I suppose that if my music does possess a theme at its core, it would indeed be hope. Art imitates life after all, and I have never been bereft of that thread of hope...even through the darkest and most trying of times.

Book of Eli is another fantastic example of this type of media offering! It has become a rather classic theme, though there are many different takes on it. It also brings to mind the Mad Max films with their dusty, technologically challenged and ultra violent post-apocalyptic environment. So much inspiration to draw from...

It is true that the strings carry on throughout the entire loop, but I was hoping that the variation around them would serve to compensate for their somewhat repetitive nature. Actually, I find that being able to wrap a really good piece of music around a nearly unchangeable central motif is a real challenge as a musician. I like to do so every once in a while and see how well it is received. I am glad to hear that the other sections work in concert to carry the burden of the strings and help keep things interesting. I count that a success!

Big and cinematic this is not, but it is a very pleasant loop for a nice relaxing listen, I believe. Simple and background-like, which is just fine since life really does deserve its own soundtrack. I can very easily imagine myself out walking with this filtering into my ears, letting my wandering feet get away from me and not really minding if I get a bit lost in the process.