Rollin'DowntheStreet (rollingdownthestreet.xm)

Overall Impression (10/10)

This one if one of those tunes where putting a finger on exactly what makes it work so well is difficult.

On the first hand, there's no reason it shoudn't be categorized as yet another chiptune. But it's the ambition, the sublime quality of storytelling done purely with notes, the confidence with which fearofdark wields his tracking.

A truly amazing piece!

Technique, Arrangement, Composition (10/10)

This is definitely a very modern tune, which takes into account a whole school of tracking. High resolution and lots of detail.

Development (8/10)

Very well mixed, although not perfectly and at times a bit too many things playing at the same time. Easily fixed with an EQ, but as the tracker has none, certain compromises should be made.

All in all, this is a solidly tracked piece and you will find no problems. Just the feeling that in a proper DAW this can be made much cleaner in post-production.

The choice of sounds is excellent: every sound feels in its own place and relevant changes of the lead add variety.

Creativity (10/10)

The power of this piece in the melodic talent of Fearofdark. The theme is endearing, but the dazzling barrage of notes that feel like a fresh spring stream.

I also like how this tune is clearly a chiptune, but escapes all of the usual tropes. Even the fast sequences of notes don't feel like your standard chiptune arpeggios.

A use of sustained chords gives it that unmistakable anime feel.

Enjoyment (10/10)

That this is a masterpiece is attested by the fact that its video has over 5 million views on YouTube. Definitely, my favorite.

Overall Impression (10/10)

I LOVE this XM chiptune track. One of the best sounding tracker files I've heard this year, and I'm certainly going to be playing this more and more over 2024.

Technique, Arrangement, Composition (10/10)

The composition skill on this track is top notch. Every sample fits well with each other, creating wonderful textures and melodies. Chiptune to me usually sounds quite dry, but the way this is done sounds very funky and danceable in many ways.

Development (8/10)

The mix of the song is overall quite good, however occasionally some bits are quite loud, likely because of the samples having high volumes. This does not affect listening experience too much though, and for chiptune, the mixing is still quite good!

Creativity (9/10)

There are lots of commands used in the track such as 3xx and 4xx and for me, this is able to make the XM sound happy and exciting. The melody stays largely similar, however there are a range of variations including more instruments added at certain points in order to change things up.

Enjoyment (10/10)

This XM file is going in my top 5 ever. And as someone who has listened to a LOT of modules, this tune oozes quality and brilliance is persistent all the way through due to how the track is engineered and produced.

Additional Comment

:)

I'm going to check out more from Fear of Dark soon!