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Desserts On Us!'s itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Quality | #16 | 4.045 | 4.045 |
| Composition | #17 | 4.197 | 4.197 |
| Impression | #19 | 4.015 | 4.015 |
| Creativity | #29 | 3.955 | 3.955 |
| Overall | #30 | 3.812 | 3.812 |
| Correlation to theme | #121 | 2.848 | 2.848 |
Ranked from 66 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Description
I have some friends who are currently making a game about a witch solving puzzles in a dessert landscape. When they asked me to make music for their game, they asked for Bossa Nova Jazzy style music so I took this opportunity to practice during the jam.
The track representations are very simple since I wanted to focus on making the music as enjoyable as possible first and formeost. So the themes of the tracks are up for discretion by the listener.
I composed the tracks starting with the bass line and chords because I wanted to make sure I had a solid foundation before I basically freestyled melodies as if it were a Jazz improv session.
Message from the artist
WATCH IT ON YOUTUBE!
My friends made an incredibly pretty video to go along with my music and I highly recommend watching it!
Theme
How does it fit the theme?
I like to focus on the orchestration techniques when it comes to theming, and what is more free than improv?
I wanted these tracks to feel like they had improvisational elements like a real jazz club would have.
Lots of off rhythm syncopation with a really funky bassline to compliment every instrument to its fullest, allowing them to be free with their voicings.
As a secondary element to the theming, The story of the music is that you are in a Jazz club that offers free desserts to all patrons. Free desserts? Sounds like the best kind of freedom to me!
Link(s) of the submission on streaming services
Youtube Link (Recommended):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tg5Pjb5dO8s
Soundcloud Link
https://soundcloud.com/joseph-black-16953843/sets/desserts-on-us
Genre
Soundtrack use permission
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Comments
This is probably the most creative approach I've seen for this theme, and it's really fortunate for you that it goes really with what your friends already asked for!
My favorite track is definitely Any Baker's Dozen! I really like the melodies and the accelerando in the beginning.
Great work!
Thank you!
I'm really glad that my goals lined up with the theme too! It would have been a lot more difficult I assume to fit some other possible themes into this style. Like the Azure Dragon one or the palindrome one would have been a hard sell to anyone for theme with this OST.
yeah exactly haha
"Free desserts? Sounds like the best kind of freedom to me!" - ok, you got me ahahaha
This is such a s smooth and funky soundtrack. Your purported opportunity to practice Bossa Nova translates to me as an excuse to jam out for 7 minutes, and I LOVE that. Any Baker's Dozen completely caught me off guard and goes hard for literally no reason other than it can; it's a straight up bop! Everything here was light, fun and a really cool vibe. Excellent work all around!!
Thank you so much!
I'm glad that Any Bakers Dozen is seemingly the fan favorite because I went into it hoping to make it just that! I tend to like using jams as a way to practice something I'm less familiar with. In past jams, I practiced using unique percussions, storytelling in music, using samples. So for this one, it was making good bossa nova pieces and it was a ton of fun!
In every track the thing that always gets my attention is the bass and I have to commend that. That bass line in Gelato Vibrato is so fun to listen to, paired with the piano and you have a perfectly delicious mix of jazzy goodness! Same goes with Strawberry Jam, the bass definitely carried most of it. The intro of Any Bakers' Dozen was really nice with the tempo, and the bass there was really nice too! I guess the only problem I had was that the bass really carried most of the soundtrack, and the instruments soloing during every track weren't given as much love. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it, it was still a nice listen, though it lost the feeling of freestyle jazz, and gave me more, cafe jazz vibes. Regardless, great work!
The bass being a key role was important to me in order to ground the rest other instruments. Acting as a sort of home base to come back to. I also just really liked writing the baselines which might have added to that.
A Cafe vibe works pretty well too considering the theme is about free desserts (: but I get your point.
Thank you for listening!
Alright, I'm probably gonna have the hottest take on here, but I didn't really like OST :I And I'm going to try my best on explaining why. (Keep in mind this is INCREDIBLY subjective, proven by the positive feedback here.)
1. Instruments
This isn't really something that can be blamed, but by using virtual instruments I feel like you lose that true improvisation that your take on the theme is hinging on, now ofc playing and recording actual instruments would be a tall order and kind of lucrative in a crunchtime jam, but I think it would've helped this a lot, not even mentioning how every note sounds the same in the dynamics which I diminishes any interest for me in the solos. (also I just don't like the sounds of the virtual instruments in general, they sound super robotic and bland). Also the articulations feel super limited because of it as well, even if it is Bossa Nova a lot of it is high energy, some falls or scoops would greatly enhance this.
2. Composition
Alrighty, I was SUPER unengaged pretty much the whole way through, to me there was nothing interesting going on in the solos, which if anything should probably be the most enjoyable, everything felt super predictable and generic, I could probably try to sing along with the solo on my first time listening and not get off track in the slightest. And it probably has to do with playing it safe in the solos, it seemed like it always afraid to play a note off key or off chord which prevented it from sounding "Jazzy" in the first place.
3. Solo Sections
I think there was a severe lack of attention to detail in the solo sections, I would've really hoped that there could be more than just the rythym section and the other solo instrument to accompany the solo, like a section of any 3 same instruments (Like three trombones as an example) subtily highlighting the chords would add SO much to it, I think more research on how jazz music usually progresses (such as structure and standard chord changes in Jazz) would also elevate this.
Overall, I'm just kinda underwhelmed by this soundtrack, but that's just me, hope you find something of value from this critique.
(Excuse me for all the edits lol)
I agree with the composition, I don't really listen to jazz (only artist would probably be squarepusher), but I find that the soundtrack could be more avant-garde but that's just me. I still like the mixing and the vibe of it.
I’m sorry you didn’t like it. Let me try to defend myself a little bit.
Instruments
There’s not much I can do about whether someone likes virtual instruments so I’ll focus on the other parts. The dynamics. First and foremost, I made this OST because it will likely be used in a game soundtrack in the future. Keeping the dynamics at least somewhat more consistent is so the soundtrack would be more consistent. I had the volume of instruments rise to come in and stay pretty high all the way up until they left for that reason. That articulation is a bit harder because of the virtual instruments. I had some parts with the clarinet try to be more legato, but I wanted the clarinet to also be rough, hence the things like the flutter on it and the slight growl on the trumpet.
composition
The chord progression stays consistent throughout each song because I wanted the lounge feel. Something soothing and yeah a little safe because it’s supposed to be a “safe” space. Instruments jumping in and out as the chords, bass, and rhythm continue whilst people eat their free desserts. Even then, there were parts that had off key notes but I kept it to a minimum since I was more focused on the rhythm of the notes than the notes played. I played in a jazz band and I can say that having fun timings is super important in solos and that playing on key notes makes that a much easier task.
Solo sections
This critique confuses me. It’s a SOLO section it’s kind of supposed to only be backed by the bass, chords, and rhythm. Even so, most of the time there were 2 different instruments playing at the same time o make it interesting. Also, I literally did have a brass section backing up the chords several times. I didn’t have it there all the time because it would have made it too muddy. I did research how chords progressed in jazz but I didn’t want every song to have the same chord progression in a different key, so I made my own chord progressions that I liked.
Again, I’m sorry you didn’t like the ost, but I appreciate you editing it to explain why more. The first time I read it it just felt really antagonistic.
Yea makes sense, I get why it was played somewhat safely now to preserve it's intention. Also I went back to try and find the brass backgrounds and I DID it hear this time, I think I overlooked it because it was ONLY playing the piano chords, and the sound seems to blend into each other, which is good. Also don't be sorry that I didn't like it, I'm ridiculously picky when it comes to Jazz and play in a band with people who have even more gatekeepy tastes, for all it's worth you made a pretty damn good soundtrack for a fake bakery game. :>
Soon it will be a REAL bakery game <:
Well not bakery game, from what I know about it, it's a like puzzle adventure with a dessert theme.
Easily the most funny interpretation of the theme so far for me; and using the jam as an opportunity to fulfill two goals at the same time is clever, hahaha.
My favourite track is "Any Bakers Dozen". I like the intro part with the accelerating tempo, it puts the listener into a "ready to fight" state, and the piano + brass... fantastic.
Overall, I love your take on this, besides, your skills are definitely great. (The use of call and response is top notch)
Thank you so much!
The call and response between the trumpet and clarinet was a lot of fun to make and the part that happens in Any Bakers Dozen with it actually had a bit of an accident.
I intended for the 2 instruments to not play together until the end of each phrase, but when I put in the clarinet part, I accidentally placed it a measure early causing it to play when the trumpet held a not and I realized at was super cool like that so I rolled with it.
Ohhh, these have a real nice groove : ]
The first two felt a bit repetative, however I really enjoyed "Any bakers dozen". It had that It factor you know. The beat and groove was on another level, the bass line underneath the saxophone made for such a cool combo, and the silent piano sprinkled throughout was the final touch it needed to really hit.
Great work!
:]
Thank you!
Having a nice groove was a goal of mine.
I'm sorry you thought the first 2 were a bit repetitive. I tried hard to make sure that people wouldn't be bored during the songs by making sections pretty short and changing the leading instrument often.
I really like the theme of this one. Any Bakers Dozen was my personal favorite. Almost sounds like a Mario Kart track theme.
Thank you!
Any Bakers Dozen was absolutely my favorite one to make and listen to and I'm glad so many people agree!
I'm a sucker for bossa nova so this was an easy listen for me. Loved the first track especially!
Thank you!
It was a lot of fun to write bossa nova since I haven't really made good jazzy pieces before.
I was hoping to like Gelato Vibrato the best cos that's an incredible name but Strawberry Jam is The Jam here. Honestly really cool interpretation of the theme from the improv and free dessert idea, but also just really great compositions sounding very japanese, sort of a Pokemon Gelateria. Only thing was that I found the bass guitar and one of the woodwinds in the first piece slightly overwhelming in some frequencies so would've maybe controlled that - but that's getting nitpicky. Solid stuff Jofes!
Thank you!
The clarinet being a bit overwhelming was actually a request by my game dev friend who wants to use these songs in her game, hence it sounding the way it does. But I understand because I felt the same way a little during the creation.
Ahh very interesting, thanks for telling me that - it's always cool to see how different people hear things in different ways like your friend wanting the clarinet pushed like that, and how we both felt similarly about it. No worries though great submission!
Oh my god I'm in love with strawberry jam, right up my alley. Every song was so consistent with your theme and that made the listen even more enjoyable.
Thank You!
Strawberry Jam honestly the sleeper hit of the OST. It’s such a vibe and a great rest area between the 2 juggernaut songs.
I’m also glad that all 3 songs have been claimed as favorites now! Let’s me know that I did a good job on them all.
Getting Touhou vibes from this, love the freeform approach you took with it, I think it works really well for the genre. The last tune really had me grooving!
Thank You!
I’ve listened to a few Touhou songs but the only one I’d say I’ve listened too enough to remember are bad apple because it’s bad apple and Yamame’s theme which I have on my playlist though I don’t remember where I heard it, just that it slaps.
I recommend "もし、空が晴れるなら (If the Sky Clears...)", one of my favourites to vibe out to
Oh, it's very neat; jazzy and catchy tracks, all really cool!
And 3 great tracks in 48 hours, I'm impressed!
Thanks!
Catchy is what I want so I’m glad you enjoyed them!
Really hard to believe those bangers were made in 48 hours. Captured the jazz vibes flawlessly and at some point I even forgot that i was supposed to be rating it and just enjoyed the music lol. Love the basses especially, and the dynamic in Any Bakers Dozen!
Thank you!
Working in a time crunch is something I think I excel at. Almost all the music I make I made within a few days max because I have no self control when it comes to making music.
This jam for example, I started writing at around 10 am my time and I finished at 3 pm the next day and that was with. Full night of sleep.
At some point I just get into a groove writing music and there’s nothing that can stop me!
You really nailed the improv style you were aiming for, and the jazzy feeling is so cool !
The licks and solos are quite cool, really fits the instrumental freedom and yet it's well put together, transitions beetween solos are well made.
Favorite of mine is Any Bakers Dozen, I like the more frenzied mood of it, and especially the ending with the solos overlapping and all, very nice !
Very good job !
Thank you so much!
I’m really glad you liked any Balers Dozen as that one is my favorite too! I went into it wanting to make potentially the fastest and most energetic song I’ve ever made and I think I accomplished that.
swam trumpet my beloved
love the carefree sounds on this, the melodies are just soaring and addictive. jazz is a weak spot for me so i'm always really impressed when people pull it off with such seeming ease. i feel like in a cafe or bakery listening to this, this is really good
Thank you!
Honestly jazz was a real weak spot for me before this jam as well.
I spent the 2 weeks leading up to the jam working on a single song in the exact same style to practice. That way, when the jam started, I already had the style in mind which was a huge help.
It also helped that I just improved drastically as a composer in the last few months.
Love this style, there's a lot for me to personally learn about the composition of this style of music from your tracks! The melodies and basslines are really catchy too
Thanks so much!
I would say that the most important thing about this style of music is the reliance and abundance of syncopation. Leaving small gaps where one would almost always put a note and placing that note an eighth beat late can make it so much groovier!
The composition feels like it would fit very well within the setting of your hypothetical game! The jazz is very well done and is dynamic!
Thank you!
My game dev friends are making a game right now and they specifically asked for this style of music so I’m glad you think it fits the theme well!
Wow. Just wow.
I love this submission so much, I wanna listen to it even outside of the context of this OST Jam. It is just so so good.
I’m so happy that you like it so much!
It’s a huge compliment to know that people like my music enough that they would listen to it outside of a jam environment and it’s what I shoot for everytime!
Love it!!! Love the variety of instruments you use.
Thank you!
I spent a good 2 weeks making the palette of instruments to have a good variety while staying cohesive.
THIS!!!!!
YES!!!