Aaaa, I wanted these to be done a lot sooner, but at long last it's finally here:
Official VGMC'21 Review~!
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I'll keep my mention of other pieces short, however I really love Lena Raine's Celeste OST, and I would be quite surprised if you didn't take any inspiration from it. Just a little forewarning that I'm gonna be a bit biased. Anyways, back to the review!
I like how you bring your interpretation of the prompt to life, choosing something shiny and sparkly, rather than dark and damp. Your arrangement does a great job at representing the environment. I don't have the exact vocabulary to elaborate too much, but the composition of your piece is very well done. Movements like 0:50 and 1:04 and show that your harmonic progressions are able to move the emotion of the piece in just the right direction, and your melodies merge seamlessly with the percussion, without getting old too quickly.
I think your piano is a bit too far forward in the mix at times. 1:28 is a good example. I would've loved if it left some more room for the other sounds and instruments because they’re what add together to create the detailed texture that makes the piece feel special. The chiptune chords in the background around 2:20 sound covered by the rest of the arrangement. This section is a bit messy in terms of the mix. I think playing with some eq & compressors until you hit a nice midground where all the instruments are working together rather than fighting would go a long way. I can hear it in my mind and it sounds beautiful! Honestly, all the instruments you chose for this section work together in such a pretty way. Also, I'm being a bit nitpicky here, but your percussion is a little covered around 3:20. I love around 2:48 when its easier to feel it drive the movement of the piece.
Most of your transitions feel really good, except for one or two which could've been pulled off nicer. Take 2:40 for example, where the blip is a bit too short, and the instruments are much too quiet after the transition. Though 2:45 is just beautiful. I’m sure you could get them to both sound equally great.
Nice job sticking with this project for 2 months, it was really worth it!
ps: feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions (discord or ng) & we can chat more about your song!