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Thank you so much for listening and for your comment - it means so much to me! My preference is also to write music that is fun to listen to! One thing I like to do to try and make catchy songs is to create the melody in my head and then sing it out loud and tweak it until I can’t get it out of my head. Thank you again!

I appreciate you listening and for the comment. I’m glad my choices paid off!

Thank you so much for the comment!

Thank you! I’m glad you thought the violin and chiptune worked well together!

Thank you so much for listening and commenting! The boss fight seemed like a natural idea to me and maybe I thought others would have tried it out as well, but I’m glad it is something that set mine apart a little. Thank you for the spots and aspects you highlighted - they are some of my favorites as well!

Thank you so much! This is my first real attempt using chiptune sounds so I’m glad it worked well with the strings. Thank you so much for listening and commenting!

This tune is spooky! It sounds like the background to a video game area where the distance is shrouded from view and you are stuck alone contemplating what consciousness means. I love that it loops too - I lost track of how many times it played because I just got captured in the foggy and melancholic atmosphere. I really like your melody - one thing I thought of while listening is that having space to let the long held notes breathe occasionally may add to the idea of AI consciousness and becoming more human. Overall I really enjoyed listening to this. Great job and thank you for sharing!

I really like your storytelling in this piece - starting heavy and dark moving into lonely and somber, then marching back into the dark mechanical forward progress.  While listening I imagine the story of a human who is conflicted about his relationship with his computer as he recognizes it is becoming more humanistic, fitting the theme very well. The march-like ending feels like something maybe isn’t quite as intended and the artificial intelligence has a new goal of dominance. Great work and thank you for sharing!

I am always impressed by how much thought goes into your compositions sounding like the theme. Just as you described in your description, you executed SO well. I love the transition with the computer startup sound into the minor disco groove section. But the best part overall is the vocal slides in opposite directions into that beauty of a chord. If I had to choose my favorite moment from all the submissions in this entire jam, I think that part takes the cake. Wonderful melody, apt and imagery-filled accompaniment, and spot-on the theme. Excellent job and thank you for sharing!

This is the exact opposite direction than where I took the theme, but I’m glad there is an optimism to yours - because like you said, AI is now and we had better get used to it! Love the emotional choral vibes throughout. The muted trumpet melody is heart-wrenching! I do like the addition of the banjo because it adds a little bit of a metallic twang that seems to be reminiscent of the robotic roots prior to the singularity. Overall this was a very enjoyable listen and a nice reprieve after so many upbeat tunes. Great work and thank you for sharing!

The beginning reminded me of 90’s racing games. It has a sense of rapid forward movement which represents the Singularity theme well. I love when the bass enters just prior to a minute into the song. The weaving melodies of the bass, high bell-like synth ostinato, and the hollow-sounding synth is really pleasing to listen to. I like how it ends up speeding up even faster than it started, which certainly continues to lend itself to the theme. Great work to both of you and thank you for sharing!

The fugue is very well-composed! It sets the dark ominous tone right away, especially with the reverb and the pads. The sound effects seem to me to represent the AI advancement and add a creepy effect to the overall sound. I agree that it certainly gets the point across in the short time-frame. Great work and thank you for sharing!

The part that sticks out to me to represent the theme the most is the use of extremely low piano notes playing the melody. When you get that low on the piano, it sounds so muddy that it can be difficult to distinguish pitches so close together. It feels like a chaotic move toward the singularity. The last note has a sort of distant church bell feel which gives an ominous feel for what I assume is the arrival of the singularity. Good job and thank you for sharing!

This is a fun groove. I like the variety of different percussive elements you use which also serves to move the track forward. My favorite part is when everything cuts away at 0:51 before coming back in. Stylistically, using a more percussion-centric approach to your composition makes sense as robots are often associated with rhythmic elements rather than flowing melodies, which would be more characteristic of a human performance. This was enjoyable to listen to! Great work and thank you for sharing!

This track makes me think of the game Electroplankton. The wandering harmony is so soothing. The dial-tone sounds give it a technological feeling and the increasing intensity of these notes fits with the theme of the singularity. Good job and thank you for sharing!

These Vangelis-like synths give a futuristic cyberpunk type of feel right away! Your sound selection does a good job of making this feel really big - so cool. You’ve got some pretty great overtones going with your throat singing - bravo! My favorite part is the pitch-bending violin, both up and down! Great work and thank you for sharing!

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer! These are great tips. I think that cutting out extra is a skill I still need to learn. I feel that I fall into the bad habit of thinking "more is better" sometimes, so I should start practicing that in all my music! I'm going to check out some of those resources and maybe try my hand at this genre sometime soon. I will for sure reach out if I have any other specific questions. Thank you!

I think you have very high production value which helps set the scene very well and makes this very enjoyable to listen to. The ambient nature to this track makes me think it would fit well in a video game level where you have to explore an area with landscape starting to be transformed by AI. Despite the dark undertones, I also feel a sense of calm and I feel relaxed while listening to it. I really like the high piano ostinato throughout. Great work and thank you for sharing!

The first minute does a great job of setting the mood and building up to the energetic rock portion. I love the main melody - it is simple but intriguing, memorable, and very singable. There is good pacing throughout where the rock energy comes and goes, leaving the sonic cyber wasteland sound to fill the space. I think that your choice to end the melody on an unresolved note helps tie into the theme with a feeling of uncertainty well. Great work and thank you for sharing!

Of course! One thing I love about participating in music jams is learning a ton from all the other composers. I'm curious if you had a method for how you created that middle glitchy section and if there is any advice you'd have for composers interested in creating that type of feel in a song?

I like the unique take on the theme, bringing the idea to a more grassroots origin of industrialization and man versus metal. The progression of acoustic instruments to electronic and synthetic all fit within the world you have created, and tell a clear story that evokes strong visual imagery of what is happening throughout. My favorite part is the change to minor and how the steel string adds in the ornamental grace note to the melody adding its own flare to the original tune. Overall this was fun to listen to - great work and thank you for sharing!

The way you start with the flute and glockenspiel feels so human and vulnerable. I think your next step to piano and strings add more foundation and also lead the way to a great transition into more electronic instruments. I really enjoyed the pulsing synth pads in the background that seem to lift up the synth leads. If I imagine what kind of space this song would accompany, I imagine a place like Star Haven from the original Paper Mario N64 game. While the acoustic instruments change to electronic, I like that it still keeps the calming atmosphere throughout. Great work and thank you for sharing!

The contrast between the beautiful choir and the digital percussive sounds is striking which highlights the conflicts between humans and AI in your composition. The somber quality of the second half in particular leading up to the alarm sounds shows me that your version of the singularity may not be as pleasant for humans! I really love the choral harmony - that is my favorite part! Good work and thank you for sharing!

I like how you incorporated many ideas together to create a larger work, which seems to me to represent the idea that AI functions by pooling lots of ideas together similarly. Overall the consistency that struck me as most impressive (and is my favorite part of your composition) is the melody you’ve written. Despite the changing instruments, there is a common thread holding each of the ideas together, making each section feel like part of the DNA of the mother code. Buen trabajo y gracias por compartir!

I really like your take on the theme. Your main message of human reliance on AI is what gives it power is very creative and hits home for sure. Your music conveys this idea very well as the humanistic ebb and flow of the piano slowly fades throughout the piece to simply metered synth pulses. I am impressed by your skill of creating a piano line that sounds both correct and incorrect at the same time! Great work and thank you for sharing!

These opening spacey chords make me feel like I’m in an open liminal space in a video game. The driving drums contrast this well giving some forward direction. I’m impressed with the oomph you were able to create with the kick drums. I really like the glitchy sounds throughout which feel like some sort of strange birthing process for the AI being. Great vocal samples and processing of them! I like how the voice plays over the liminal spacey chords. Overall I think you have done a great job with this track creating a very nuanced feeling, that despite not really having a prominent melody, still gives it strong story-telling features. Great work and thank you for sharing!

You have done a great job creating quite a dystopian vibe with these synth lines, the soft echoey drums, and the low string pulses. Your music sets an atmosphere that feels like a Blade Runner-esque futuristic landscape in which AI now rules over humans which I think fits the theme really well. I like the ending parts in which you separate the acoustic instruments from the synths. Super strong choice ending on a second inverted chord to make it feel resolved, but at the same time not. Great work and thank you for sharing!

The gentle piano and choir at the beginning appropriately capture the feeling of joy of creation. The glitchy progression into the beat-heavy electronic void is very well-executed and I think does a good job of conveying regret. The melody that emerges about 2.5 minutes into the song seems to have a lot of emotion behind it and works well to convey the feelings in your song title. Overall, I really liked that your composition felt like a story and a complete thought. Great work and thank you for sharing!

I really like the accelerando throughout the piece mirroring the accelerating pace of AI. I really like the bluesy notes that you have in your main melody, which in my mind signify the essence of perfect imperfection that makes us human. The melody is very catchy and has me singing along throughout - a mark of a great melody in my mind! The sound quality overall sounds very nice and full and makes good use of the entire aural space. Great work and thank you for sharing!

The flow of your piece from choir, clavichord/harpsichord, and organ to militant glitchiness fits the theme in a really creative way. The marching and chaotic sound effects work very well to create the effect of a major conflict on the horizon. I like that the human sections flow very nicely and have more of an emphasis on melody whereas the AI sections more emphasize rhythm and, in particular, sticking to the beat. Great work and thank you for sharing!

I love the choral swells with the sudden drop-offs. I like the idea of choir adding the humanity aspect and having it constantly cut short by the electronic sounds to convey the jam theme - very creative! The ambient nature of this song would fit very well as the background to an apocalyptic cyber exploration area in a game. Overall, my favorite aspect of your track is the general mood and setting you create as I can close my eyes and completely immerse myself in the world you’ve created for these 2 minutes (plus some, accounting for the number of times I listened on repeat). Great work and thank you for sharing!

Gosh, this is so well-made. You have executed to the highest degree all the ideas I wish I could perform - from the initial clean and clear string ensemble to the uber-clear electronic drum beat devolving into the glitchy yet so wonderfully-made chaotic middle. You have found the balance between classical/orchestral and electronic that I think fits the jam theme as perfect as possible. The synthesized choral quartet is so well-composed. I listened to this play on repeat and will add it to my library to come back to for sure. Overall, this is a stellar submission. You now have a new fan! Excellent work and thank you for sharing!

Really cool - this sounds radio-ready! Major kudos to your vocalist - she sounds very professional and was a very appropriate choice for the style. The lyrics flow very nicely and have a nice clear message that certainly addresses the theme and gives a more optimistic approach to the topic. The chorus melody is my favorite part, particularly with the rising 5th then the falling minor 6th. It just makes me melt - so good! Great work and thank you for sharing!

I like how you took this unique approach to the theme. The chaos at the beginning was disorienting as if the chaos is here even before the singularity, but then peaceful pianos come in and completely ground me. I really like your melody, it is memorable and singable and I like that you include it in different instruments. The effects you use on the vocals and synthesized instruments give this song a very unique and pleasing flavor and overall feel that I really enjoyed. The escalation to the electronic futuristic rock ballad feel had me convinced on your idea that maybe we should be more optimistic about the singularity. Overall, I really enjoyed the flow and progression forward but also upward in your piece. Great work and thank you for sharing!

The techno theme with heavy four on the floor kicks, strong hi-hat, and pulsing side-chained synths really gives me the “cybernetic” vibe that I associate with the theme. The melody that comes in halfway through is pretty catchy and it went very nicely following that rhythmic pedal tone in the mid-register. One thought that I had while listening is that if you introduced the first melody earlier and then repeated it again at the end, there would be an enhanced feeling of finality and conclusiveness to the track, especially as you end with the energy pretty high! Overall I love the synthwave vibes. Good job and thank you for sharing!

Hello there and Merry Christmas! I'm Blue Lava, a video game music composer who loves writing music and sharing it with others! If you want some wintery and/or Christmasy music to use in your game for this jam, I just released a free music pack of wintery and Christmas music (see the project page below). I know there isn't a designated theme for this jam, but if anyone is making a wintery game, maybe my music can give you some extra points in the audio category! Give my music a listen, and if you like what you hear, download for free and rate the pack. You are free to use any of it in your game with credit to "Blue Lava Music". Good luck to everyone in this jam! https://blue-lava.itch.io/melodic-winter 

Hello there and Merry Christmas! I'm Blue Lava, a video game music composer who loves writing music and sharing it with others! If you want some wintery and/or Christmasy music to use in your game for this jam, I just released a free music pack for exactly these types of jams (see the project page below). Give my music a listen, and if you like what you hear, download for free and rate the pack. You are free to use any of it in your game with credit to "Blue Lava Music". I see lots of composers looking for teams here and you should definitely team up with them, but maybe some of my loops can help fill in the gaps. I hope everyone has fun in this jam! https://blue-lava.itch.io/melodic-winter 

Hello there and Merry Christmas! I'm Blue Lava, a video game music composer who loves writing music and sharing it with others! If you want some wintery and/or Christmasy music to use in your game for this jam, I just released a free music pack for exactly these types of jams (see the project page below). Give my music a listen, and if you like what you hear, download for free and rate the pack. You are free to use any of it in your game with credit to "Blue Lava Music". Good luck to everyone in this jam! https://blue-lava.itch.io/melodic-winter 

Thank you so much for your feedback! Sound effects are not my forte, but this was such a great theme that I had to go for it! Thank you once again for hosting!

YES!! Your music is FIRE for that genre - that's what I was thinking of but it wasn't coming to me!