Melancholy Soldier

My first original.
Watch on YouTube

26 Likes

Noticed this right as you uploaded it…
And IT’S AN ORIGINAL OH MY GOD
THE DAY HAS COME
TSUKASA HAS BEEN OVERTHROWN

2 Likes

Wow, that was both epic and awesome rolled into one. 5/5 from me =)

FEATURE. NOW.

3 Likes

…huh?

3 Likes

yeah sorry about that, i can be really weird sometimes

Nice!

+1

Beautiful

[insert fran quoting ggfchl here]

You’re a mod…

Sounds very nice! Again, the use of V3 is astounding! I know in the past I have asked for an original from you… Thank you.

The song is not extremely original… but I definitely like it!

1 Like

I want V3 so badly. ;A;
Nice song.

Congrats on the feature!
(first V3 song featured?)

1 Like

Wow… Absoluty perfect!

All I can hear is the bass and piano harmony.
Where’s the melody? Oh it’s hiding its face I see.
The Melody is tooooooooooooo quiet

1 Like

I thought “In My Defense” was perfect. I’m sorry Kaveman, but you just got beat.

THIS IS BETTER THAN IN MY DEFENSE, WOW. =D

Okay so sweet. V3 songs will need a somewhat different approach to being reviewed by me but what I’ll do is just open them in v3 (THANK HEAVENS I CAN DO THAT :3) and will go from there. This is the first review I’ve done of a v3 song so bear with me.
Thanks in advance Antonim for labeling the sheets in the same way I label sections of songs for review purposes.
Initial thoughts after a first listen of the full song
Biggest problem I have at first is the drums. The cymbals are sitting well in the mix, but the kick and snare are just barely audible, and fill sections, including crashes, are pretty much non-existent. Which is a shame, because the fills are incredibly well done, certain ones are really nice and would have added more emphasis to those sections. More details on that to follow. The song as a whole has a certain wonderfulness in it’s sound, it’s happy mood and atmosphere, and good composition all around, while make it so nice to listen to. And that word really does encapsulate this song, it’s a nice song.
Intro (Measure 1):
Well, I won’t rate this first measure, since it’s just a drum fill. I just don’t want to skip it without mentioning that I feel it kinda works and kinda doesn’t. My suggestion is to have it be twice as long, with the cymbal hits spaced out into half-notes instead of quarters. As is, it doesn’t really feel realistic as a drummer introducing the song’s tempo to a band, which is what I think it’s supposed to do.
Hook 1 (Measures 2-9):
I kind of have mixed feelings about this intro. On one hand, all of the different parts mesh together really well and sound wonderful together and everything, and the piano, being the clear lead of the section, in particular, just has a great melody and really catches your attention, hyping you for the song and setting the tone well. All in all, a great first section, and yet at the same time, because the first 8 measures of the song have so many elements at play, it also has two problems. One is obvious, such a sudden rush of energy at the start can be inappropriate especially for such a slow song. This is not a big problem by any stretch, in fact I think it is a benefit to the song, as it skips any unnecessary build-ups and repetition and can excite the listener for the rest of the song. The elephant in the room for me is how uniform it all sounds. I know it’s a V3 problem, and to be honest, it’s a problem with all popular music today, but because you weren’t going for an electronic sounding song, it’s an issue for me. Maybe a bit of velocity control to make the piano sound a bit more organic, the same for the drums (V3 is fantastic at creating real sounding drums if the right amount of care and effort is applied), would have fixed this issue entirely. Since the piano is the main focus, it should have been the most well thought out and detailed part. (On a side note, I mentioned earlier about how the fills were mostly inaudible, and I loved the panning work on the toms in this section. That would have been great given we could have heard it.)
Rating: 4/5

To Verse (Measures 10-17):
Not much to add (so I won’t rate this section), but I loved the guitar harmonic fade at the end, imo the best part of the transition. In fact, I’m willing to say that if you are new to notessimo, even those able to access v3, this is a perfect example of how to properly execute a transition that isn’t static or boring. Adds flair, gets you pumped for the next section, all while blended the two sounds into each other perfectly.

Verse 1 (Measures 18-33):
Okay case in point on the drum fill in measure 29. What an incredible moment in the song, just before the build up to the bridge, nice and rhythmic. Overall, just one of those cool moments in a song that really resonate with a listener, making the song more memorable as a whole. Again, I must emphasize that the drums are too quiet, although in this instant the impact isn’t totally drowned out, probably because of how the hi-hat was worked into it. May a little more variation could have been thrown in in places, but overall, I thought this was a well composed section, full of energy. This adds good contrast to the other sections in the song, particularly the chorus and hooks, which were slower sections meant to be more technically interesting, while the verses carry the energy in the song. It’s a good balance imo.
Rating: 4.5/5

Bridge 1 (Measures 34-44):
Alright so right of the bat I feel the drum problem is the worst here in this bridge. All I can really hear with any clarity is the lead vocals (that’s good since they are the main focus), the hi-hats (must point out that the high-hats take up a very high section in the frequency spectrum in a song, and the higher it is, the louder it sounds to us humans, which is why basses and kick have to be so much louder than hi-hats and synths in today’s music, otherwise it just wouldn’t sound balanced, the main problem with this section), and if I pay attention to my left ear, the bass is panned pretty aggressively to the left. The main problem here is balance, while background elements, such as the distorted guitar chords, the piano, and clean guitar are all working in tandem to create a great sound and groove to the song, they are being detracted from by the rather distracting bass in the left and the lack of power from the drums to keep everything glued together. This isn’t a bad section per se, the composition is certainly fun and enjoyable, I just feel that it’s a bit unbalanced.
Rating: 4/5

Chorus 1 (Measures 45-61):
Alrighty, on to the meat and potatoes, the chorus. And wow is it good. All the elements come together to bring you a stunning eargasm of wonderful decisions and great composition that really make you feel awesome. Despite previous problems, the snare is more present here than it was before (this probably because the cymbals are further back in the mix), and the main vocal isn’t the only element being accentuated by the background elements. Here the clear standout was the piano, which is just so perfect with the lead. They trade off so well that you aren’t being distracted from one or the other to listen to one, they are either playing in tandem or taking breaks while the other plays, it’s all so brilliantly done. There are very few changes I could even suggest for this section, all of them minor. The kick is still too weak imo, and…uh…I mean I guess the bass is still panned left, but it’s nowhere near as big a problem as before, in fact it just adds a nice effect since it’s so constant now. So yeah. That’s all.
Rating: 4.5/5

Bridge 2 (Measures 62-65):
Another small section here, but another wonderful transition back to the verse setting. The only niggle I have is the re-use of the guitar harmonics, which at this point does seem a bit repetitive (I haven’t mentioned it yet but it’s been used every time a transition is made), but to be honest, I didn’t even notice it on my first listen all the way through, and because it’s such a background element, I’ll give it a pass. It’s a lot like white noise in electronic tracks, it gets used to death, but you never really notice it, all you notice is that each transition sounds awesome for some reason. Props on that front.

Verse 2 (Measures 66-81):
Alright not spending too much time here, as it’s a repetition, but I’ll be darned if I don’t mention the awesome harmony introduction, right in the section I highlighted in the previous verse. I do love all the other changes, the distorted guitar’s rhythmic cutting to the beat, and the piano has improved massively, adding a lot of character to the verse while still preserving the leads clarity and dominance in the verse sections, while makes it feel the same without being the same. While some elements (the bass and drums) don’t seem to have changed overly much, I think it’s a very good second take, keeping the energy up while not sounding overly repetitive.
Rating: 4.25/5

Bridge 3 (Measures 82-95):
Well, again I have a few mixed feelings. I’m extremely glad to see a resurgence of that little intro sheet from measure 1 (Again, thank you v3 for helping this review be a lot more in-depth than I usually am), that was extremely creative. This section has a lot of very little details that are very well done, such as the faint arpeggiated chord by the clean guitar in measure 92, and the tandem electric guitar chords adding emphasis to the lead vocal on the same rhythm in measures 86 and 88. To top it off, the bass problem and hi-hat problem from the 1st bridge are gone in this section, due to different composition. But because this bridge is built slower, it’s less effective as a bridge between verse and chorus. The first bridge was pretty much perfect in that regard, maybe a little too perfect. The drums are half as fast as the verse and twice as fast as the chorus in that one and here they more closely resemble the chorus. The pause at the end (while I applaud you again for reusing the intro sheet) has less impact because more energy has been bled out of the song at this point, which makes the transition to the chorus a little less interesting as a result. And the piano just kinda plays the same melody like 5 or 6 times before getting ready for the chorus. I want to point out that the piano has been the most well composed instrument in the song so far, which makes it more of a letdown here.
Rating: 4/5

Chorus 2 (Measures 96-111):
Hmm, well I do enjoy a harmony section as much as the next guy, I just feel that in this chorus it’s a bit over-powering pretty much everything, especially the aforementioned excellent piano work. Won’t leave a rating here, as I don’t feel there’s enough variation. However:

Hook 2 (Measures 111-117):
I really liked this section and (spoiler alert) the final re-use of this hook sheet. Here, it’s just a great and simple way to bridge to the solo in a different fashion that at this point sounds new and not repetitive in any way. I’ll leave a collective rating for the chorus and this hook here.
Rating: 4.25/5

Solo (Measures 118-145):
Yep, I’m reviewing the solo as one big section. So the first little build up, which ends on measure 125, was a bit of a letdown. I like the release of energy in the first few measures into the introduction to the solo itself, that’s a good call, adds some hype and tension to the section, really gets you excited for what should be the highest build up of energy and raw composing talent in the whole song. I mean that’s what a solo is, right? Anyway the problems with these first 8 measures is that they kinda drag a little bit, don’t have a lot going on, and don’t feature a buildup of energy, making the transition a little weak and spilling a little too much energy out. The simple fix would be to have this section be only 4 measures long, and have a humongous surge of power from the background instruments (which should be similar in sound and composition to the rest of the song). Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not stating that repetition is a good thing or that all songs should sound the same, but the execution in this solo was a bit off, which creates a disconnect from the rest of the song that makes you, as a listener, compare it internally with the rest of the song, and, finding the other sections to be more enjoyable to listen to, determine that the solo doesn’t fit. As a guide, I would say that you could have structured the solo to be more like the chorus sections, slower and more powerful, making a more rock/ballad type feel with lots of power and feeling, or you could have structured it more like the verses, faster-paced and more technically appealing (which is what I think the solo currently is supposed to be like, it just has less energy), and it would have been better. I know it probably sounds like I was expecting a kaveman-tier solo, which is unfair to say the least, it’s just that a solo can be truly incredible, but it’s also very difficult to get right. The saving grave is certainly the transition out of the solo, back into the chorus, which is fantastic. I don’t think it could have been done any better.
Rating: 4/5

Chorus 3 (Measures 146-177):
Won’t leave a rating here, but man was this indulgence to the extreme. “HEY GUYZ I MADE AN AWESOME CHORUS HERE IT IS TWICE AS LONG!” Of course it gets away with it because it really is that awesome, but still :stuck_out_tongue:

Ending (Measures 178-202):
Alrighty so the ending. Yee. What a fun way to breath new life through an old section. This is the true strength V3 has over V2. Since most reading this review won’t have access to V3 to see it for themselves, this is a literal use of the same sheet used for the beginning, with the vocals on top to make it new. Sounds incredible, love the ending itself, really leaves you content with the song as a whole. (DAT ENDING CHORD <3)
Rating: 4.5/5

Final Thoughts
This song is not without it’s flaws, but on the whole those are far outweighed by great sound, wonderful composition, and an effective structure. The drums are still the biggest thing I noticed as a whole as needing work, not in composition (that was flawless), but in production, specifically the just felt too quiet pretty much the entire song.
OVERALL RATING: 4.22/4.5 (4.68/5 or 9.37/10) :smiley: GOOD JOB!!!

6 Likes

man it’s bad when you realize the song stuck in your head for two weeks is one from notessimo. what a song :smiley:

3 Likes

Who knew such an awesome song could come from a guy who does covers.

Antonim possesses an astounding knowledge of V3 and it’s inner workings, which is incredibly useful in making original works and covers that sound exactly like or better than the originals. Also, covering is a great way to learn how to make great music yourself.

3 Likes