Static Motion (static_motion.xm)

Overall Impression (8/10)

A melancholic wandering in a world of floating notes, dispersed in space by an electronic guitar under the gaze of a memorable and somewhat ominous string theme.

Technique, Arrangement, Composition (10/10)

I have to be honest, I primarily love this song for the production quality. I am a sucker for those incredible 80s drums. Laxity goes full Haas on the kick, the snare and the rimshot - and it works. The drums are incredibly punchy and real.

The guitar lead is versatile and spontaneous, like someone just thoughtfully improvising. Vibrato, tone portamento, the volume control are top notch. The strings chords are properly panned for a wider feel.

I also commend the use of just 14 tracks. The tune sounds more complicated.

Development (8/10)

All samples are 8 bit, but more or less clean. The resulting mix is fantastic, but where I think the tune falls a bit short are the first few patterns: the string theme is played using very high notes, which sound unappetizing, at the range when you can hear these are samples.

Creativity (8/10)

Static Motion is mostly one slow theme with some variations, set against a repeating string theme and an 80s bassline and drums. This definitely works for a tune like this.

The only small thing is that my XX century brain asks for a bit more swing, but all the guitar notes fall squarely on a normal 4/4 bit with no swing whatsoever. I am not sure who to blame here, the composer or the listener.

I love the string theme in patterns 4 and 25 and wish there was a bit more of this. Immersion!

Enjoyment (8/10)

The song has a slow start and requires a bit of an investment from the listener. It's definitely a tune you need to get into. But once you are there - you won't want to leave!