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Text File | 1997-10-21 | 72.4 KB | 1,314 lines

WMR (Reviews [week #30]) __ __ __ | \ __ ______/ |_ | | | o \ | | | / o | \ |o | | \| o| |o _/ | o\ []=======| |==| \ |=| |/ | \========[] []=======| |==| \ |=| | |\ \=======[] []=======| |==| \|=| | |=\ \======[] :: | | | \ | | | / / :: :. | | | |\ \| | /| |/ / :: : | | |/\ | \ | |/ | | / : | | / \| |\ | | | | / :. | | / \ | \ | |__| | / .: :: | |/ \| \_| | |/ : :: | /\ | | __| |\ :: []=======| / \ |=| |==| | \==========[] []=======| /| \ |=| |==| | \=========[] []=======| /=| |\ |=| |==| | \========[] |o / | | \ o| |o | | |\ o\(mansooj) |_/ | o | \_| |__/ | o | \__/ |___| |___| (Originally compiled and added on October 20, 1997) (last updated 10.20.97) -----========================================----- -----================================================================----- "Radio2" by Chris and the Clones (8ch XM, 02:28) (radio2.zip [1215K/1444K]) [Experimental] "This eerie composition is composed entirely of static between radio stations on the FM band. From this starting point a musical composition unique in sound texture was created. A soundscape with a difference, if you will." [Chris and the Clones] Samples -----------------. Originality -------------. | Technical ---------. | | Composition -----. | | | Overall -. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ==================== Shih Tzu 87+ 91 88 98 84 MING 86+ 80 65 100 70 Skullsaw 85+ 85 70 85 80 Rebriffer 60+ 65 65 75 65 Anders Akerheden 47+ 50 50 98 74 Mansooj 39= -- -- 70 50 Emit 20+ 20 25 30 10 /----------------------------------------------------\ )-----------------------========[ Mansooj ]========-----------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ This tune needs a subtitle. Here's one: Mood Music for the Deranged. The term music, however, is taken to an abstracted limit few may be willing to accept. Once again, Chris and his band of Clones has succeeded in whipping up the sparkling essence of weirdness. My guess is that nearly all, if not all of the sounds used are home-fabricated. To be brief where it's possible to be brief, the sounds are basically the kinds which you would hear in one of those scary Halloween tapes one is expected to use to lend a creepy atmosphere to the evening's proceedings. In other words, it's background noise. There's also a brief stint where what could be envisioned as humongous wind-chimes bong around--this and some odd sweeping noises help keep it vaguely listenable. Experimental music has been one of my middling preferences after having being turned off by a lot of really bizarre, non-musical stuff self-labeled in that broad genre. Not stuff that's just offbeat, but stuff that's more along the lines of sounds thrown in a pot, swirled around for a bit, and dumped into a bowl. Yeah, it's edible, but not very palatable. Oddly enough, I found a correlation between this track and a track by one of my favorite real-world musicians, Jarre. This and Jarre's Fifth Rendez-vous are similar in certain ways, but Jarre's track is coherent and contains melodic fragments that hook your brain, if only briefly before moving on--Radio2 has nothing in that area, and tends to just meander aimlessly from bit to bit. In light of Picasso's much lesser known skill at representational drawing, it might be true that Chris and the Clones does indeed have the ability to create -musical- music, ya know...the kind with melodies and interesting rhythms and such. However, I have yet to be presented with something that would satisfy that suspicion. I must admit it makes me curious to find out, because I found Picasso's abstractions that much more interesting (still don't care for 'em aesthetically) after such revelation. Note also that this module is 1.2MB in size, compressed. I can't see any reason why this is necessary, given the lack of great diversity in the sounds, not to mention the fact that there is nothing that appears as though it would be compromised with 8-bit (maybe even lower...) samples. In addition, it seems as though the number of samples--there are twenty, three of which are over 150K--could have been reduced pretty easily through some judicious effects techniques. That is, some of the samples seem similar enough that it shouldn't require a whole new sample to achieve the sound you're looking for. Perhaps this is just a sign that C&tC is still learning the tricks of sensible module creation (or that he doesn't really care how bloated his modules are...no way to tell from my perspective). Okay, so as an experiment, fine...it's weird and interesting enough to pay attention to through one playing, in a morbid, sort of car crash way. But once over with, there's not much that's compelling enough to spark my replay instincts. If you like 'em weird, here it is. In fact, you're probably safe with most C&tC stuff, so go root 'em out. /----------------------------------------------------\ )------------------------========[ MING ]========-------------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ I know I've said this before, but to this tune it is more than ever appropriate: It is not music. Of course, in the most liberal, philosophical way of looking at it, anything the composer calls music, is music, but as a listener, it is, to me, not. Whatever. That does not mean I didn't like it. Oh no. It is a soundscape with an artistic impact of extreme measures. It is more sonic art than anything else. And it's so werid, so deep, so moody, it hits like a well balanced punch in the face. Should I really describe it? Okay, you asked for it. :) An underpitched, ringing, whistling sound, and a deep bass wave start it off, serving as groundwork to build upon. Backward cymbals, canned voices, Casio synth clinking, and more sweepy atmosphere sounds are added, and finally a synthetic bassdrum saying bom-bom with an extremely annoying click to it; probably on purpose, but if so, it wasn't that sucessful, since it stole the attention away from everything else. Anyway, this piece, of two and a half minutes, is like a mix between the buzzing of a far away factory and heck knows what strange possessed band playing on (with) beer cans, overloaded microphones and a bunch of kazoos. To put it succinctly, this is a weird module. Maybe one of the weirdest I've ever heard. Technically, it could be much more polished, though. Some of the more stretched out sounds are too obviously having patterns of off topic noise in them, that keeps repeating with the sounds, and the way they stick out and poke me in the eye (or rather, ear) is too bad to be intentional. It does not add to the mood at all, and should, therefore, have been worked upon. Similarly, some other sounds are too meek and unnoticeable when blended into the rather edgy mix that is this song. Also, the tracking job could be improved in several areas, which is surprising, due to the maliciousness I can see behind Chris' work. But there is nothing that is entirely devastating, either, and the technique is not really the focus in a tune like this, so I can live with all that. So, if you think you have the guts, and don't run to the hills when someone mentions Experimental Music, I suggest you take the time to download this quite large piece, and experience some reaction, repulsion or attraction of your own. After all, with a tune like this, the word of a reviewer isn't worth that much, as the reaction to it is very, very personal. We all can agree on one thing though. It's weird. /----------------------------------------------------\ )------------------------========[ Emit ]========-------------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ Radio2 is an experimental track which uses numerous samples of what sounds like heavily altered bells with a fair amount of feedback. It is quite short, about two and a half minutes. Its structure is difficult to describe since it is rather erratic, but it is basically something like this: bells, bells, bells. More bells. Add some bells. Weird voice. Bells, bells. Formally, this piece doesn't go anywhere that I can see. Because all the sounds are so similar, I'm left feeling like I've heard very little; as though I had listened to only one layer in a piece which could combine many more sounds into it. Also, some very repetitive, annoying rhythms popped up unexpectedly, then disappeared twice as fast. I really wasn't sure why they were even there, as they didn't go at all with the droning bell sounds used to that point. Technically, I found a majority of the sounds were concentrated around a high-mid range (in the 1-4kHz frequency where our ears are most sensitive) and became especially irritating rather quickly. Also, I was terribly annoyed by a clicking sound panned hard left which ran through a majority of the track. It would not have been nearly as bad had it been panned fairly centrally, but instead there was this repetitive noise with a sharp attack exclusively in my left ear that I found in no way interesting or challenging. Again, I have a very big problem with the samples. many of them are quite long, and in 16-bit, as well. The use of 16-bit, in this case, is completely pointless, as the only real reason to use 16-bit (I'm sure many people will disagree with me about this) is when the sound you're going to sample has a poor signal-to-noise ratio (like bad tape hiss). Now, almost all the sounds that are 16-bit in this track have a lot of spectral components in the higher end, and therefore mask any tape hiss or what noise that may be there anyway. This is really a problem for me; this track weighs in at 1.44MB for two and a half minutes, which I think is a poor ratio in the mod world. Furthermore, as I've mentioned before, most of the samples sound a great deal alike, and I'm left wondering why so many were used instead of attempting to create more sounds from less samples.... I would definitely tell listeners to avoid this module, both because of its unnecessarily large size, and because I imagine this is the type of track that could make people think all experimental music is awful. /----------------------------------------------------\ )----------------------========[ Shih Tzu ]========-----------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ You know all those 'creepy' CDs they make in droves just before Halloween? The ones with the wind and the laughing vampires? Save some money and tape this module instead. Blast this over your front lawn and see just how many 5 year-olds you can drive to tears. Radio2 presents a truly horrific vision very effectively. This is not in any way a typical piece of module music. There are no real melodies; everything is dependent upon the atmosphere created by the sounds; and what interesting sounds they are indeed. Dissonant harmonics fade in and out, ranging from low to piercingly high. Through most of this piece, a single percussive instrument keeps an unsteady pulse until the unpleasant sounds and strange chattering reach a climax, after which a bell-like sample chimes a mirthless melody, and the piece winds down with uncomfortable-sounding pads and a couple of weird, short samples played in seemingly random rhythms. I'm really struggling for words to describe these samples because they're all so incredibly odd and original. Suffice it to say that this piece, with its mood of dread and somewhat futuristic feel, reminds me of the Alien movies. I can easily picture a badly-lit, unfriendly hallway with bits of goo on the walls and a general feeling that something is wrong, that something I don't and can't understand is about to engulf me. I'll admit that this image is rather banal and unworthy of this piece, but I have been fortunate enough not to experience any real-life horrors that would be applicable. It's too bad that the composer doesn't use the sampletexts to explain more about the motivations for the piece. Radio2 certainly will not make you happy. Contemporary classical music, which Clones is obviously familiar with, is not known for its dedication to happiness. However, if you're interested in experiencing this nightmarish reality, or want to see a possibility of the tracking scene's effect on contemporary music, you'd do well to listen to this piece. I'd keep some Purple Motion handy, though, just in case. /----------------------------------------------------\ )----------------------========[ Rebriffer ]========----------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ Having just reviewed C&tC's Sonata, this really shows the contrast between the two sides of the Clones' style. On the one hand, they can make tracks like Sonata which are so musically intelligent it's scary. Then they come up with a pure peice of 'electronica dissonica' ((c) 1997 :)) like Radio2 which also--like all C&tC material--is totally and utterly opaque. Of course, where I use terms like 'uncompromising' and 'difficult,' there are going to be people who can (and will) substitute terms such as 'crap' and 'awful rubbish' in their place...and they'd be right too. I guess it depends on which view you subscribe to. C&tC are truly making music for their own sakes and to hell with the rest of us--a risky move but one that can pay off. On that basis, Radio2 has a certain charm and style. It isn't a track I would want to listen a lot, but it is one I might take out on certain more cerebral days. Hard-edged, raw sound doesn't really appeal to everyone but there is a place for it in the music scene as is evidenced by the continuing popularity of such bands as Pere Ubu, late Zappa and the like. This is a touch more in left field than either of those two artists (the composer *literally* recorded samples off the radio and tracked them) but if you like that sort of material, you'll find something in C&tC's work. --- References --- Sonata by Chris and the Clones ([download]/[reviews]) /----------------------------------------------------\ )------------------========[ Anders Akerheden ]========-------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ During the first five or so seconds I am thrilled by the sound. Then, all I do is wait. But the wait is long. Longer than I had hoped. Actually as long as the entire song, which is some 2:48. This is way too experimental for my tastes, and the song never reaches the climax I had hoped to hear. I mean, I do like experimental music like Future Sound of London, and The Orb. But this sounds like the sound effects from a scene in a scary movie, but without the music. It could probably suit fine as meditative noise, but being that the file is so large, I wouldn't encourage people like myself with a 14.4k modem to spend time downloading it. However, if you really enjoy weird, twisted bell and sine voices, you might want to take a look at the samples section. Maybe, if Chris and his Clones would have decided to add some soft digital sweeps, I would/could have been more positive. /----------------------------------------------------\ )----------------------========[ Skullsaw ]========-----------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ Radio2 is an abstract sound collage for the computer age. It's dark in mood using cold, metallic sonorities and electronic tones to project an aural plasma of sound. You won't hear melodies or even a sense of meter in this module. What you will hear is a medium being used in ways that are far from the straight and narrow. Glassy tones meld into the mix as if being pushed through a funnel. Melodic elements are tossed about while an iron lung heaves in the background. Morse code in reverse signals from beyond adding to the otherworldly tone of the soundscape. The only setback, as far as samples are concerned, is one bad clicking loop that may or may not be intentional, I just find the click to be a bit to glaring. Once again, Chris and the Clones show that the tracker can be used for more than traditional music where meter and harmony prevail. This is for the adventurous only. -----================================================================----- "Winter Frost" by Skull of Silence (24ch XM, 02:01) (si-wrft.zip [367K/473K]) [Easy Listening/Dreamy] "I think this is 'Easy Listening.' I have no idea whatsoever what that means, but what I do know is that it's the most melodic tune I've ever made. The best one yet, I guess. NO DRUMS? That sure is unlike me, but this is nice anyway. :D" [Skull] Samples -----------------. Originality -------------. | Technical ---------. | | Composition -----. | | | Overall -. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ==================== Cubix 83+ -- -- 89 90 MING 79= 90 80 55 70 Peraphon 67+ -- -- -- 75 Mansooj 65= 60 -- 54 75 Araneus 64+ 73 -- 73 60 Anders Akerheden 49+ 55 40 48 58 /----------------------------------------------------\ )-----------------------========[ Mansooj ]========-----------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ This here is a very short--juuust over two minutes--piano ballad piece, utilizing a small, but quite good quality, range of nine instruments, six of which are 16-bit piano samples, and the rest being incidental percussion. Winter Frost attempts to paint a picture that is not unusual for such tunes: a relaxed, emotional, mildly melancholic atmosphere. It does this fairly well, though the severely short running time seems to have truncated any chance of bringing that emotion to fruition and then driving it home to a sense of circularity and satisfaction. The track meanders through nice piano riffs very typical of the genre, accentuated here and there by some discrete and appropriately dramatic drum jabs (cymbal, and I think kettledrum, or something similar), but does little else. Although the tone is nice, there is a problem with the flow: it's just too flat. If not for the percussion injections this would be a nearly plumb level road as there are far too few changes from beginning to end. Yes, there are key changes, and some minor tonal variances, but it's far too monodimensional to keep me from noticing that very idiosyncrasy. This is not to say that the melodic elements are lacking; on the contrary, the core melody is quite pleasant--it just doesn't go anywhere. Whether this is because the composer suddenly found himself out of ideas, or there was some self-imposed time limit (two minutes flat just seems too arbitrary), is hard to tell, and frankly, hardly matters from a reviewing standpoint. There are bits which are quite lovely and dramatic, and even inspiring, but the overall layout simply restricts it too much. Outfitted with a more diverse itinerary and an extended schedule, this could have been taken somewhere quite impressive. As it stands, it's nice, but lacking enough to be short lived on my playlist. /----------------------------------------------------\ )------------------------========[ MING ]========-------------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ The piano rolls on.... Spanning over numerous channels a compelling and intriguing melody unveils. On even fourths the slightly edgy piano sound hammers a harmony of perfectionism into your ears. The piano rolls on.... To this weave, almost thoughtfully changing from minor to major and back again, other delicate melodies are added, forming a theme upon the sub-theme of the original rolling pianos. And the piano rolls on.... Finally, sonically counterpointed with orchestra hits, cymbals, careful percussion and a few deep basspunches. The result of all this is a piece of music, not quite resembling anything else, although it isn't really stylistically odd. I believe it is the melodies themselves that deliver a certain feeling to the whole of the production. They are, when subjectively looking at them, not really anything out of the ordinary. A few disharmonious notes here and there testify that the composer may not have total musical comtrol. But the melody, as a whole, shouts out talent, instead. And that is so much more important. Skull also has a great deal of experience in the art of tracking, and the way he uses simple but effective means, in terms of effects, also shows good taste and workmanship. Thus, the result is a crisp sound, where the edginess of the samples are actually used to their advantage, and he creates a very well balanced sound, overall. Maybe there should have been a break somewhere in there, as the piano just keeps rollingandrollingandrollingandrolling, and the tune seems to get more monotonous as it goes on, ending without even one real surprise having occured along the way. So Winter Frost is an incredibly good song, sure. But also way over the average in monotony and boredom. /----------------------------------------------------\ )------------------========[ Anders Akerheden ]========-------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ I love piano music! Basically, because of its fine, sonorous sound, something that this song, unfortunately, lacks. The overall impression would have been miles better if those piano samples wouldn't have been so flat. Qualitywise, they're not bad, but as I mentioned, way too short. Whatever happened to the sustain pedal?! Was it malfunctioning at the time? Also, the song is way too repetitive, and short. And one really doesn't make good use of 24 channels if they're not all playing at the same time. The piano bassline is a simple "from bottom to top" transportation. Not very exciting. The chords sound harmonious, but still fade out too quickly as with the rest of it. Besides plenty of pianos, there is also an open hihat, a tambourine and a kettledrum. Neither the tambourine nor the hihat are great, nor lousy; just a complement. If the rest of the song would have generated a richer sound, the effect of that kettledrum building up rapidly would probably have given a good impression. As things are now, you hardly even recognize it. As I always say, filesize shouldn't discourage you. And why not use that effects section in FT, and let those notes stay with us for just a few more tenths of a second. The overall impression is pretty average; but as I noticed Skull had both managed to track plenty of new songs, and even change his handle since releasing this song, I'm sure some of his later creations are a better pick. /----------------------------------------------------\ )-----------------------========[ Araneus ]========-----------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ A fairly nice piano tune, made unique by pleasant chordal progression, and a fairly positive melody. However, it seems to lag on because, as the composer admits, the actual melody is only a minute long, but is drawn out over a few (four?) different stages. Hint: Don't listen to this song with headphones. As far as I can tell, the entire thing is in mono. Which is a shame, because multi-instrument mods NEED to have stereo these days. Samples in this one are a little boring. Piano chords are nice, but one really needs a separate set of samples when trying to play a note realistically at high pitches (the high-pitched piano samples were kinda 'twangy' in sound). This song failed to play properly in both Cubic Player 2.0 and in Impulse Tracker (two of the more popular players/trackers). In IT (and also on CP, it turned out), the module failed to reset the speed/tempo settings after it was done, so on repeat, it was miserably slow. With CP, I discovered an even more serious anomaly in which the module would only play for a minute or so before it would return to the beginning. Composers should make sure their modules play on CP or IT, and if they don't, should inform the user as to the correct player to use. For what it's worth, Mod4Win was the only one I could find that plays the module nicely. /----------------------------------------------------\ )----------------------========[ Peraphon ]========-----------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ This is a very, very nice piano ballad that is very emotive and expressive indeed. The composer has succeeded quite well in capturing the essence of winter, the carefree attitude, the falling of the snow, the cold. This song does not play for a very long time though the composer does manage to pack a fair bit of music into it. Skull uses some very good chord work with the piano. The song starts off with a melody of high and low piano octaves which carries throughout the entire song, the only percussion to speak of being what sounds like a tambourine and a timpani. The ending isn't too bad--a very good wind-down for the song, although I think that a little more could have been done. It's not exactly abrupt, but it could have been padded a little more. The samples are of a high standard, and are highly appropriate for what the composer appears to be shooting for. I am hard pressed to hear any faults in them at all; the loop points are spot on and there doesn't seem to be any ring, hiss or crackle in any of them. The piano sound is rich and full throughout the entire song, and the percussion crashes sound very good. Overall, it's a pretty good piece of piano music. I like it. /----------------------------------------------------\ )------------------------========[ Cubix ]========------------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ This piece is a delightful exhibition of musical skills. The composer successfully conveys his thoughts and feelings to the audience through a balanced blend of piano and new age riffs. This piece relaxes and calms the listener while the playful piano experiments with new and exciting ranges. The moderate bass in this selection is awe inspiring, accentuating the essence of the message the composer is sending. This work plays just like the title would suggest: The listener wakes up to a new day, peering out the window at the glistening frost all around. The listener can't help but feel the excitement and joy of this feeling, which is wonderfully captured by the composer. I would recommend this as a good pick to anyone interested in this particular musical style. -----================================================================----- "The Two Become One" by The Virtual Reality Band (12ch XM, 03:48) (vrb-two.zip [133K/285K]) [Pop] "Two independent melodies brought together in the end, the total being more than the sum of the parts. A marriage in music. Just missed moving on to round 2 in the Rookie division of MC5." [The Virtual Reality Band] ! 2nd strata finisher in Music Contest 5's Rookie division ! Samples -----------------. Originality -------------. | Technical ---------. | | Composition -----. | | | Overall -. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ==================== Walrus26 90+ 92 95 85 90 Mansooj 74+ 75 -- 77 70 WolfSong 72= 81 76 77 92 Nemesis 60+ 75 63 47 55 Cubix 60= -- -- 75 40 Anders Akerheden 54= 58 57 64 47 Peraphon 53- -- -- -- 88 Skullsaw 20- 30 25 10 25 /----------------------------------------------------\ )-----------------------========[ Mansooj ]========-----------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ This is The VR Band's second release, and also his/their (urg...another composer with a multiply split personality ;)) second module to be covered by the WMR. His initial two products are divergent in two ways: they're both not in any of the most common styles chosen by rookie trackers (techno, trance, ballad...), and, fortunately, they're also good quality. I think they're first release, Tuzie, shows that a first release can easily build some polish before going out the door. The usual process seems to be: see rookie get tracker, see rookie track rough draft of track, see rookie distribute rough track widely. TTBO is light listening music, sort of poppy, sort of light jazzy with use of plenty of horns. Its upbeat and happy-go-lucky nature is quite catchy, and it doesn't hurt that the arrangement is surprisingly skillful for a second release. It moves along smoothly from an early laidback sequence led by an electric piano (though the focus is split almost equally amongst a set of instruments) through to an up-tempo change featuring a well-articulated sax backed up by organ. Throughout, there are plenty of visits from a brass section which helps keep the lustre on the tune, and also helping in that area, the track is graced by a drumtrack laden with lots of twists and turns. The sample set was rather small, being only thirteen instruments, over half of which are in the percussion set. However, having said that, credit goes to the composer for creating a tune with a surprising amount of richness for the ingredients. As to the quality, although I didn't notice anything odd in specific, the whole tune had a sort of shiny veneer--almost plastic in the way some MIDI tunes sound. As if, despite the fact that there's quite a few sounds in the mix, each is tightly wrapped and kept discrete. One other thing about the samples, or rather use of a sample: I'm not quite sure, but the way one guitar sample was used doesn't sound quite right--more like a piano than a guitar. Although I noticed this right near the intro, it didn't distract enough to be a legitimate gripe. The only other non-sample related quibble has to do with the fadeout ending: it was a little too quick. I think if you're going to use that simple technique, the song shouldn't be gone before you fully realize it's going.... Minor faults in an otherwise good quality tune. For those with a lighter disposition and a penchant for horns and upbeat moods, this is a worthy package to drop into your next download basket. --- References --- Tuzie by The Virtual Reality Band ([download]/[reviews]) /----------------------------------------------------\ )-----------------------========[ Nemesis ]========-----------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ Now, I'd heard Tuzie by this person or band, or whoever it is, and recognized the musical skill, though it sounded a bit schizophrenic (due to multiple people having parts in writing it, I assumed). This module is a bit more impressive, I think, and doesnt quite suffer from the same schizophrenia that Tuzie did. There are, however, a few shortcomings and we'll cover those in a moment. The song starts out with a brass lead-in to a short intro-part, and immediately noticeable is the guitar sample, which keeps banging out chords as if it were a piano. In my experience, it's generally not a good idea to use guitar samples in such a way, since you end up sounding quite a bit less realistic than if you had just used a piano instead. Guitars have a completely different way of being played than pianos, (duh :P), and it is rather common to see them played like pianos in tracked music, which gets pretty damned annoying sometimes. (Not like I'm not a culprit of this as well, though. At least in my earlier work, you see guitars played like pianos all the time.) That said, the electric piano that plays the main melody is nicely done, though the melody itself sounds very cliche. The hi-hat sample, however, is terribly old, dating way, way back (though I have nothing against old samples...some of them are quite good; just not this one), and sounds nothing like a hi-hat. The rest of the drums, though the samples are grossly overused, are functional, with a few fills here and there, and a sometimes overactive crash cymbal. The song structure is well developed, though simple, as it goes from verse to chorus to verse to chorus. In the second half of the song, a sax solo picks up the pace (literally, the song speeds up...it's a well done transition), with some nice melodies as it flies along the scales. The solo sounds a bit too cliche for my tastes, in some places, but all in all, it's a good solo. Now, this song is definitely a step up from Tuzie, in my opinion, but it's main problem (now that I've listened to it through a few more times) is that it sounds like the intro theme to some 80's sitcom. The song is pleasing to listen to, if you're into the style, and shows some definite musical talent, however cliche the melodies may sound. Oh, and though it shares the title of a song by the dreaded Spice Girls (aaaugh!), thankfully, it's not a remix or a cover or anything like that. --- References --- Tuzie by The Virtual Reality Band ([download]/[reviews]) /----------------------------------------------------\ )----------------------========[ Walrus26 ]========-----------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ Wow. That's the word that enters my head every time I listen to to The Two Become One. This creates such an excellent feel, that looking at my tiled floor while listening made me believe that I was walking down the aisles of a grocery store. There was such an overwhelming attention to the individual instruments, including an amazing bass line, that it was hard to tell at times that the music I was listening to was computer generated. The instruments selection lends this song an extra hint of reality, from the interplay of rimshot and snare to the switch in rhythmic support from guitar to organ in the saxophone solo. Coupled with good song structure and a solid melodic basis, this second release from the Virtual Reality Band gave me a tune to recommend. The only faults I can find with this module are ticky-tack, personal annoyances. Every time the chorus comes around, there is a B minor chord used in transition that consistantly bugs me, since the F# is not diatonic or found in any of the relevant parallel modes. A G minor seventh, an E half diminished, or even a plain old Bb major triad would have jived a bit better. The tempo shift at order 12 offered a good lead-in for the saxophone solo. The only problem was that the tempo didn't return to the original when the chorus did. The whole song beyond the solo sounded slightly rushed. The sax solo itself was well tracked, but never quite sounded like a true saxophone. This is very excusable, because I have never heard a properly sampled saxophone. And finally, the concluding fadeout seemed a bit rushed, and possibly unnecessary. A module like this one could have easily ended with a solid hit. /----------------------------------------------------\ )----------------------========[ WolfSong ]========-----------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ Whoa! I don't quite know what to say about this one. This has the background of a 70's pop song and the melody of a tune you'd hear on a children's television show. Though as surprising as this may sound, it's rather pleasant to listen to (either that or I'm just a very twisted guy). All of the instruments used in this song are synthesized versions of traditional instruments. Sax, horns, bass, electric pianos, drums, guitars and all. Some might say that it would make for a synthetic sound but, be that as it may, the samples are crystal clear because of it. The song is built solidly and supports its very hummable melody well. There is nothing profound or revolutionary about the chords or music and, in fact, they're a fairly basic progression with nothing surprising, though this is not to say that it was boring or predictable. There were a few mixing errors in the song. At times a piece that was playing would have some element added to it and the background would be brought down, but a little too much in my opinion. It says in the song message that the song placed 11-20 in MC5 which doesn't surprise me. It is certainly an above average song and I can see how it would be likable. There's almost nothing about it to pick on, technically, but to be honest, it was too happy-bouncy for me. Almost to a corny level. I know it's a little too much when the only image I can conjure up in my head to go with it are scenes from Thomas the Tank Engine. However, I don't want to pick on this song too much because even though it was a little out of my taste range, it's still a quite respectable piece of work. Download if you like happy stuff or just a good sounding module. /----------------------------------------------------\ )------------------========[ Anders Akerheden ]========-------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ First, I must say this is a fairly tricky song to judge. The style is some kind of combination of ballad, pop and easy-listening. Actually, it sounds somewhat like a demo song from some Casio keyboard, only not quite so bad, heh. On startup, I become enormously annoyed. The thing that bothers me, is an awful, squeaky brass-sound, used in the intro. It reminds me of a brass used by Purple Motion in Soul-o-Matic, though this sounds much more dry, and slightly out of tune. At least, it doesn't really fit with the rest of the samples. Unfortunately, the VR Band itself seems to enjoy it heaps, since it is utilized plenty. Well, not to get stuck on that very detail. The Two Become One, is a cute little tune, and though the samples don't really thrill me, they probably suit this type of tune. I just wish they'd have been of higher quality. It's not that they're full of crackling noise, or something, they're just not crisp enough to make a really good impression. Maybe if they had dared to use bigger samples? The first part of the song is rather slow and after two minutes or so the feeling gets a lot groovier. The same goes for the drums. I think it would have been ideal to put some voice samples to this song as it fairly much works best as accompaniment (background) music. And the chords and melody are not really startling, either. So lyrics would probably add that extra touch to it. Though, since it's a fairly small tune, I'd say it's worth a listen if you really enjoy this type of music. --- References --- Soul-o-Matic by Purple Motion ([download]) /----------------------------------------------------\ )----------------------========[ Peraphon ]========-----------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ Another offering from the VR Band. This one sounds just as much like a MIDI in XM clothing as Tuzie did. This song does have a very jazzy, big band feel to it through use of a saxophone, other brass instruments and guitar. This jazz sound does go through some change, as some synths come into play. The song starts off very brassy, and moves to some very solid acoustic guitar accompanied by a non-intrusive bass and fairly quiet percussion. The song changes pace around a third of the way in, becoming a little bit quicker than before and featuring more sax and more intricate drum work. The song maintains this increased pace until the end. There is no real end to the song, though, as it just seems to be a series of global volume fades. Something definite at the end would have made this song a little more memorable. Fortunately, the samples sound a lot better than the standard GUS patches. The samples are of a very high standard, and they boost the song quite a bit. The samples sound extremely appropriate for what the VR Band is doing with this song. I heard no faults in them--no clicking, hissing or ringing at all. Very impressive; and even at lower mixing rates (around 22kHz), the samples still sounded faultless. The song seems to have a very full and rich tone, and covers the sound spectrum well. Overall, I'd have to say that if you're not a fan of jazz or MIDI music stylings then steer well clear. On the other hand, I do think it would hold appeal to fans of this style of music. Tuzie by The Virtual Reality Band ([download]/[reviews]) /----------------------------------------------------\ )----------------------========[ Skullsaw ]========-----------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ There's so much not to like about this piece. At the very top of the list is the cheez factor of the samples. Next in line is the lightweight composition and finally the overall sound. The Two Become One has a General Midi sound to it, all of the samples sound like they were taken from a bottom-of-the-line PC soundcard. Major offenders include a lame sax, a strumming guitar(?) and terribly wimpy drums. There is a decent electric piano but that's not nearly enough to make up for the rest of the cheez. The tune itself is a light pop instrumental that exists only as an exercise as I can't imagine anyone actually wanting to pop this up to listen to for any reason. This is the definition of a throwaway mod, it makes Yanni sound like Ministry. The composer does show some arranging skills, instruments trade licks, the bass is melodic and has quite a bit of movement. Come to think of it, this sounds like it could be a homework assignment for an arranging class. No matter, it is still a lousy tune. The mix is as wimpy as the samples and tune. The drums are down low in the background. The overall sound is limp and lifeless. Do what you want to the girl but for God's sake leave this one alone. /----------------------------------------------------\ )------------------------========[ Cubix ]========------------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ This module is a play of two melodies competing with one another for the position of main melody. At times, this play of melodies does not feel quite appropriate, being an uneasy mash of notes and repetitive measures. Also, this piece's samples need some cleaning up. With fuzzy tones and midi-like sounds, this work seems more like a calliope at times and a merry-go-round at others. I am also left unclear as to what feeling the composer is trying to convey to the audience because the song ends abruptly, leaving a feeling of neutrality. This song didn't come across as moving, beautiful, or as having any emotional feeling, and is one I can safely recommend to listeners as one worth passing over. -----================================================================----- "Find Yourself" by Rowie of Face the Bass (??ch IT, 04:00) (FTB-FIND.zip [399K/545K]) [Dance/Melodic Techno-Groove] "Find Yourself, inspired by Underworld. A groovy yet still pumpin' techno-styled tune with even some melody." [Rowie] Samples -----------------. Originality -------------. | Technical ---------. | | Composition -----. | | | Overall -. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ==================== Rebriffer 85+ 85 80 75 75 Zond 3 75+ 75 80 72 80 MING 65= 45 88 60 80 WolfSong 61= 63 68 53 73 Emit 55+ 40 45 55 70 Nova 45= 50 35 35 55 Ka'PQat 40= 50 70 30 55 Mysterium 30= 30 30 30 20 )------------------------========[ NOTE ]========-------------------------( It has come to my attention, according to one scheduled reviewer of this module, that this appears to be simply a dice-up modification of Necros' remix of Skyscraper. I have yet to ask Rowie about this, but I suggest that you keep it in mind if such things matter to you. You can grab the Necros module in question by clicking the title above. Also note, for those of you who are wondering, this module was submitted prior to my addition of a no-remixes submission restriction (yes, it's been waiting for a while...). )------------------------========[ NOTE ]========-------------------------( /----------------------------------------------------\ )------------------------========[ Emit ]========-------------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ Find Yourself is a four minute techno module, apparently inspired by an Underworld track called Skyscraper I Love You. This track sounds essentially as you would expect a techno module to: simple, repetitive percussion (with a few subtle and effective changes), a TB303-ish sound occasionally appearing, some synths and a few beeps, as well as a sample of some heavily effected female vocals. While listening to the module, I thought a good job had been done selecting the samples and mixing them together. The heavy swing (created with tempo changes and not the usual speed changes) was quite catchy. I did think that some of the pannings were too extreme--all the sound on the left, and none on the right, etc. It seemed to happen rather suddenly just about halfway through. Everything was sounding quite good until the last pattern was reached...was this module not finished?! When it finishes the last pattern, four looping samples are not turned off; they remain playing when the song begins again. I cannot understand why they are not faded out and ended, so the end actually ended, or at least blended back into the beginning. To defend this opinion, I will state that I think the end of a track is equally as important as the beginning; it is the final thing the listener will hear and will cement their opinions about the module. This track was good enough to get me to listen all the way through without wanting to stop it, but the end simply didn't exist. This left me thinking that all the effort put into the entire track had been betrayed by a sloppy conclusion, and that diminished my overall opinion quite a lot. Find Yourself has potential, but something needs to be done about that ending (e.g. give it one!). Even with this problem, it remains listenable. /----------------------------------------------------\ )----------------------========[ Mysterium ]========----------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ Face the Bass does it again, or so the text of the song claims. Umm...just what exactly did FTB do? Well, release a sub-mediocre song. This IT reminds me of MOD music, and this is an Impulse Tracker (IT) format file! Retro-style music works but not when the quality of the music only equals retro-music. Listening to this tune, I found myself having to resist pressing the 'forward' button. The music begins with an uneventful house beat and a heavy bassline (fitting the composer's group name?) soon arrives. The music does not seem able to make up its mind as to whether it is trance or pop, and while I like fusion music, this just does not go anywhere. I remained hanging and waiting for a climax that never occurred. Case in point, most of the song is bassline, house beat, hi-hat, and a weird bassy sound in the background; occasionally an unintelligible voice appears, but it just adds to the confusion of the music. It seems that FTB threw together a whole slew of sounds; perhaps arranging these a little better, adding better volume controls, and taking the melody to reach climax would improve this boring song. However, one aspect of this music I did enjoy happens a quarter of the way into the song, when a background synth joins the beat. A strange, gurgling noise I liked leads the synth. Furthermore, the bell melody that appears about a short while beyond the halfway point remains one of the finer points of the song because it seems to fit the mood of the music better than the synth. Lastly, the samples in this song are low quality and simply add unneeded noise. Thus, all-in-all, Find Yourself does not strike me as a memorable piece, but as a tune that requires much patience and a guide to help find itself. /----------------------------------------------------\ )----------------------========[ WolfSong ]========-----------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ This is a dancey piece that is pretty heavy on the drums and synths. When it started playing, I was terrified that it was going to be another thump-thump-thump song, and though I turned out to be wrong about it, I was only slightly wrong. I thought this song lacked a good bit of imagination. Too many components do the same thing over and over again too many times for my liking. On top of that, it's not very involved. Little more than a couple of chords are juggled around throughout most of the song. It's not that the idea was bad; the song started out interestingly enough, it just never strayed from its starting point--it never really went anywhere. There were a couple of breaks in the action where some fleety, computery-sounding notes were used and I have to say that that was rather nice, but it just didn't make up for the repetitiveness of the rest of the song. I think Rowie had a good enough idea, but he should not be afraid to expand a song and bring more ideas into it. Maybe a couple of chord changes and some dynamic phrasing would have been nice. Anything that would have created a mood or direction in the piece. Once I was finished listening to this song, I didn't feel like I'd gone anywhere. As if I were dropped off just where I was picked up. I wasn't fond of the ending either. The song just simply stops without warning. I would say that this song should have actually been only a piece of a bigger song--only one phrase in an entire presentation. By itself, it does get rather dull. /----------------------------------------------------\ )-----------------------========[ Ka'PQat ]========-----------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ This short song is desultory mid/late-80's house with touches of demo. It begins with the beat and a very unimpressive bass sound twonking away in skip-rhythm syncopation, adds demo-like strings, then a nifty-sounding woodlike sample rippling upward is the flourish by which the old-school blase synths are introduced, filling out the top. A cutesy, very blonde-sounding voice sample saying "do whatcha do from the past" begins to be interspersed throughout, presumably helping us find ourselves. In the middle, there is a brief burst of fresh liquid light on this drab tune as it changes key with a sudden rush of synthstrings in well-done vibrato (which I plan to rip) and an underpinning of warm thumbed bassline that reminds me of Mr. Mister's Take These Broken Wings. The voice sample sounds a little wiser against this background. Then it's back to the same-ol', with some wet buzzy proto-acid touches helping shore it up to the finish, which is perfectly timed to my tolerance of listening any more. The composition of this piece is well-balanced, but it just isn't anything new or exciting. The quality of most samples left something to be desired. Decent, but certainly not virtuoso tracking, as near as I can tell, not being that familiar with IT. Download something else, unless those two samples sound too good to pass up. /----------------------------------------------------\ )------------------------========[ MING ]========-------------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ Find Yourself? Uh, okay. Hey, I'm already right here. Oh bugger. It's just a title. Prolly means nothing either. On the other hand, when I first played it, 'find yourself' was exactly what I said to the tune during the first ten or so patterns. It does take an awful lot of time to find itself, and after waiting for so long for it to do so, I kind of expected more. Starts with a normal bom-tsk-bom-tsk beat, and adds one little feature each pattern, until it's worked itself up to standard dance style. A quite well made one, with some intriguing twists, I'll admit, but never enough to keep it entertaining. Thus, it keeps going, one repeating stacatto synth riff upon an anonymous padscore, spiced with snarls and some quite cool voices. But nothing happens, it just keeps going and going, with the occasional breaks and one or two quite uninteresting bridges, but it never ever catches me off guard, it never does ANYTHING to surprise me, not even in a negative way. It is nearly flawlessly tracked and the frequency range is well balanced, giving the whole song a professional character. Something the composition doesn't share. So summing it up, I can say that Find Yourself is a rather nice sounding dance piece with little or no character, but skillfully produced and at least worth a listen, even if it is far from striking in any way. /----------------------------------------------------\ )----------------------========[ Rebriffer ]========----------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ A Face The Bass track which, as usual with FTB tracks, shows how this dance stuff should really be done. I've heard a great deal of FTB stuff and, as of yet, have never been disappointed. There's always something that makes you go "that's neat" and this track is no exception to that rule. The track is (allegedly) based on the excellent Underworld track Skyscraper (also in remix by Necros/FM) and rocks extremely well. Vocal samples are used to great effect setting off the track's main feature: a driving bass that just shoves the track into a groove all it's own. Personally, I could have done with a little less of the syndrum sound which seemed to be almost every phrase of the track, but that's just me not liking that particular sound. This track is definitely one of the best tracks I've heard for a long while that's just what it says it is: a great dance mix. As such, it scores on all the right levels and although there are some niggles, they are so few and irrelevant to the track itself as to be unnoticeable to the untrained mod ear. On that basis, I would highly recommend downloading this track just for the pure energy it generates. --- References --- Skyscraper by Necros ([download]) /----------------------------------------------------\ )------------------------========[ Nova ]========-------------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ I hate doing this, but this is a mediocre mod that does not really deserve a long review. But I always want an author to walk away from this process with something to build upon. Okay, let's start off with the bad points. First of all, there is a middle range synth (that goes 8th, 8th, 16th, 16th, 8th, 8th) that nearly repeats throughout the entire mod and which needs to be toned down because it starts to grate on one's nerves. The main percussion pattern and the rest of the 'background instruments' could be varied a little more, and the author overuses the voice samples. Lastly, the ending is a bit abrupt as it simply just cuts off a measure with out any real resolution. Now the good points. The song has a good breakbeat which is found in the middle of the song. The song is short and to the point (anything longer could be a tragedy). Finally, the work with the computer beeps sounds found a little after the halfway mark are well done. In a nutshell, I have heard much worse. This song is a decent start for Rowie and I hope that he learns from and applies what is found within the WMR reviews. /----------------------------------------------------\ )-----------------------========[ Zond 3 ]========------------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ The more I listen to this, the more I like it. It's not a classic, and it does tend to get a bit repetitive, but it has a certain groovy feel to it that'll have you listening to it for ages. After a short, well-timed intro, the main tune kicks in with chord stabs providing the main melody and a nice, solid bass growling away under the bonnet. As mentioned before, the tune does become slightly repetitive, and if the author had only spent some more time playing with variations on the main melody he would have added to its overall appeal. A female vocal sample is put to good use and complements the song very well, as are the acid bleeps that can be heard doing their thang quietly in the background. All the samples are of a very good quality and sound fresh. Overall, this is a well written track that'll grow on you. The fact that it's a bit samey won't stop you from listening to it time and again. -----================================================================----- "Awakening" by Nighthawk (32ch XM, 04:06) (nwk-awak.zip [348K/907K]) [Easy-Listening/Dreamy] (soft synth song) "A soft synth song with some nice leads. It took me about two weeks to finish this one and it looks like it turned out to be quite a nice song, in my opinion. ;)...." [Nighthawk] Samples -----------------. Originality -------------. | Technical ---------. | | Composition -----. | | | Overall -. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ==================== Anders Akerheden 95+ 95 96 85 93 Zond 3 90- 88 92 86 85 WolfSong 89+ 92 80 93 79 Rebriffer 85+ 80 85 75 85 Nemesis 84+ 90 85 80 80 Skullsaw 50+ 50 50 30 50 /----------------------------------------------------\ )----------------------========[ WolfSong ]========-----------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ This is a piano song, though not in the way you might think. It's not your usual mushy love song; it's more along the classical/new age edge. I want to take a second here to express a bit of admiration for the artist. He's taken a bold leap into the blue in that the one and only instrument in this song is a piano. That's all. No drums, no bass or synths. Only a piano. There are strings in the background but they follow the piano exactly and are, in fact, part of the same sample. This means that without tons of effects, wild sounds and vocal samples, the only thing he's relied on to make the song enjoyable is simply...music. In that task, I would like to congratulate him. The song is very soulful and emotional. It's far from being computerized or too perfect. Nighthawk has simulated a real piano player excellently using speed and volume changes to get the accents on notes that you would get when hitting real keys. And with the sound out of the way (as far as mistakes go), the only thing left to listen to is this wonderful music. There were a couple of places in the song where the samples didn't seem to work. Nothing big, only a couple of notes. It sounded to me as though they cut off just a bit too abruptly. It didn't really match what the overall sound was trying to express, however, it didn't break the flow too much. This song is for fans of music. Real music. Not tracked distractions. Are you one of the few? If so, this song will certainly be a pleasant treat. /----------------------------------------------------\ )----------------------========[ Rebriffer ]========----------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ Here's a familar name and yet another of the ubiquitous Swedish trackers. In common with most of his countrymen, Nighthawk knows how to track and this track shows his skill to the utmost. I can't remember the name of it, but I heard another Nighthawk track a while ago and really enjoyed the experience, so I very much looked forward to reviewing this. But was it worth the wait? Absolutely; definitely. Tracking as an art has always been a feature of Scandinavian mod composers, and Nighthawk delivers exactly the kind of track you would expect. The samples used are clear, very, very clean and well used. The track itself stays away from the normally more 'techie' sounds the Nordic trackers like, which automatically somewhat elevates this one for me. See, I like what the Scandinavians do technically, but a lot of these sort of tracks tend to leave me cold (no pun intended!). This track, however, is warm--and that makes all the difference. It's still 'epic' in feel, and it's still (like most of the genre) very laidback, but all that notwithstanding, this is one hell of a track. The main theme is carried by the cleanest arpeggiated synth sound I have heard in a while, and the brass synth sounds are absolutely dynamite. Not yer average Swedish fare, then, and well worth the download time. It's even good enough to gain access to my playlist--and that's saying something. /----------------------------------------------------\ )-----------------------========[ Nemesis ]========-----------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ When I first started up this song, it immediately called up visions of AM radio. No, I'm not kidding, I couldn't help but think of my little radio at the side of my bed, since there was this ugly sounding 'atmospheric' sample that couldn't have had a sampling rate above, oh, 3000, or so. However, some nice-sounding synthpad arpeggios were brought in rather quickly, destroying that little image I had in my head, and smashing my shallow assumptions that the first few seconds would set the pace for the rest of the song. Quite the contrary. Nighthawk really opens this one up once it gets into the 'meat' of the tune, and it really impressed me. There's this great chorus sample in there that rises and falls during the chorus, making it really memorable to my ears. The melodies are nice and simple, following the chord progression neatly, and the bass is pleasing to the ear, as well. Nighthawk doesn't overcomplicate his bass in the way I hear a lot of people doing nowadays: it stays simple, and sweet. The mixing in this song is a little marred in the high end, as some of it comes out a bit muddled, but the bass and drums are at good levels. This tune is a keeper for me, and is well worth the download for anyone who's looking for a nice laidback tune to listen to. It sits very well in the background, and may well become my new homework music. /----------------------------------------------------\ )------------------========[ Anders Akerheden ]========-------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ Awakening... ...or the slumber--as far as I'm concerned, that would be a more appropriate name because if Awakening gives you the feeling of waking up in the morning, you're probably one of those guys that never DOES get up. Talk about divine, soothing harmonies! They're bound to bring you into dreamland. I came across this splendid piece a while ago through this music compo at the FOSH homepage. My first impression was: Here's the winner! Try to imagine how surprised I was to see this masterpiece end up with an 11 point average out of 20. So, what are you to expect from a tune like this? Well, first: I hope you're one of those guys (like myself), that really does enjoy soft, melodious music. Not all music has to sound like Hardcore or Techno, am I right?! Actually, no one would be happier than I to see that kind of music go out of fashion. If you totally agree with me so far, you're probably also going to agree that Awakening is one great masterpiece. The choir samples and various flutes really make an excellent couple, and I even enjoy the brass samples, for once. The four minutes this song lasts seem to fly by in no time, and even though it's very repetitive, I could easily go on listening to it for twice as long. Well, not much more needs to be said except: don't make the same mistake the FOSH guys did by flunking this song! /----------------------------------------------------\ )-----------------------========[ Zond 3 ]========------------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ When I heard this song for the first time, I sat up in my seat, and then I slowly sank back down as the haunting melody shimmered about the room in a magical play of sound that left me totally awestruck. This isn't normally a style of music I listen to, but when a melody as beautiful as this hits my ears, I cant help but admire it. It's a slow, easy-going track that has been arranged by a true professional. All the instruments sound authentic and contain realistic expression, there's some wonderful chord changes that'll make you cry (if you're an emotional type...), and the samples are spot on, with no clicking or popping to be found anywhere. There aren't really any criticisms I can lay down on this song. It's a truly captivating sonic creation that you should keep on your playlist forever. /----------------------------------------------------\ )----------------------========[ Skullsaw ]========-----------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ This is a midtempo melodic composition featuring delicate timbres and easy on the ears chord progressions with a laidback, dramatic drum part. Samples include simulated oboes, flutes, choirs and a smattering of lead synth. The arrangement is okay, nothing special to make it really stand out, it's all neat and clean, everything in its place, which is this mod's downfall. It's all too perfect, no chances are taken, no new ground explored. As clean and pretty as the samples are, there's nothing that makes me say "Oh, there's a neat sound." The same can be said about the melodies and progressions. The best thing I can say about this one is that it's very good in its averageness, in fact it's as average as one could hope to attain. -----================================================================----- "