Slither2Unknown

Wow! This is a fantastic song. Beautiful vocals, resonant lyrics. Nice instrumentation, with a richness of layers to rival the best kind of chill pop electronica. And it's just gorgeously put together, all the elements complimenting each other, such as the transition from vocal to layered chimes around 2m50s. When I glanced at the length a third of the way through on first listen, I worried that it might stretch on and become repetitive. It never did, but shifted away from verses into more of a dance track with repeated refrain, and very organically so. I was also wondering whether we were going to get some unambiguous reference to vampires or Castlevania at some point which might lend this song that awkwardness that some video game mixes have of only being good in a context where you're thinking about the game. But it doesn't do that, either! I can dig the hell out of this track without feeling it has to be tied to anything outside of itself. It plays with some really resonant themes to living with depression and isolation in a way that I can really appreciate! I suppose for someone who had actually played Symphony of the Night (I haven't; Travesty! I know...) there are probably some references that make it even better to appreciate from the perspective of a fan. "Outside the frame" hints at the interesting image of someone trapped in a portrait or something and I suspect that makes more sense to those in-the-know, but is still very poignant without context.

I think this is an enjoyable electronica piece without having to know anything about the source material. An all-around solid arrangement that sounds exhilarating and joyful, like flying through a haze of bright colours in a really happy dream. The layers of different instruments playing at different speeds gives it a remarkable richness which feels immersive rather than just busy, and conjures images of the beauty of space.

Fascinating. Um... The strongest impression I got off this song, throughout, was that it really really sounded to me like a song that could have featured in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. From the lyrics to the sparkly rising music, to the vocals; This vocalist sounds a lot to me like the singing voice of Rarity. I would consider that a good thing, and it has a very cohesive style. I just find myself laughing that this particular cohesive style, to my ear, has ponies and rainbows written all over it. Leaving that aside for a moment, I feel like this song does an excellent job of evoking the joy of exploration with feelings of intense wistful determination bordering on greed for the delight of uncovering the unknown. I listen to it, and I picture people (well, ponies, but I said I'd leave that aside) building crystal towers into the sky, and shining lattices that connect worlds.

I believe the word is "overdriven". This track is so grunged and bled out that the sounds have very little definition. If you like that kind of thing, this might be fun I guess, but while the rollin' riffs are pretty cool, and I respect the break into chill and slower performance in the middle, I feel the distortion drags it down. I also find the drum solos kinda self-indulgent and don't personally feel they add much but a momentary interruption.

Did you ever come back to this? The bones of this track seem promising to me, just waiting for some extra flesh to bring them to life. Some thoughts as to what: Perhaps sounds of lapping and rippling water could be incorporated in somewhere? Small echoing drips, maybe? Or if you wanted to take it in an entirely different direction, it could be brought outside to storm and rain, perhaps crickets... The rhythmic tapping that comes in from time to time, what if there were more versions of that with sounds of something else tapping? What if in one or two places it echoed? This seems like a theme you could do a lot of interesting with looping back on itself in layers, fugue-like. I suspect keeping the melodies simple and all in this soft piano is a big part of the mood, and would be well preserved, but perhaps having some subtle hazy tonal drone fade in and out underneath it like you might hear in a horror game soundtrack, could help flesh it out without competing at all for the melody lines, such as they are. You wouldn't want to make it crowded, of course, but somewhat less barren, this could get really interesting. Hope this enthusiasm and advice has not been unwelcome, anyway. Good day!