I started this blog because for the first time in years, I’d discovered a whole new class of music that excited me. So much so that I wanted to talk about it. Thanks for putting up with all of that, by the way!
So, anyways, the music. It ranges from introspective to bombastic. From placid to chaotic. There’s songs that millions of people have heard merely by reading the comic. On the other hand, there’s entire albums that fly under the radar, yet carry immense meaning and significance to their fans (heh, I’m looking at you here liza).
It’s been a lot of fun so far, and it looks like there will be even more music coming up in the future. Fan-music continues to be produced, and Homestuck Vol 10 looks very likely. But that’s still a ways away, so it’ll be mostly quiet here for a while.
Well, soon it will be. I’ll leave off with my 50 favorite tracks from the catalog (i.e. the TOP TRACK x50 COMBO).
There’s no methodology to this list, no special criteria or anything like that. It’s the 50 songs I like the best, in rough order. One a day, starting with #50, coming up soon.
It took me a few listens to warm up to this one. The first time I first listened to it, this style of music simply wasn’t on my radar. The latter half of the song, with its crazy speeded-up Eddie Morton and its squiggly, synthesized lead, was a little too electro-thrash for me. Each time I’ve revisited it, though, I’ve liked it better. The energy is undeniable.
By Erik ‘Jit’ Scheele. Original “Harlequin” by Mark Hadley
This music library must have the greatest collection of ‘scary as hell carnival music’ tracks in the world. Gamzee approves. As strange as it sounds, this is probably my favorite version of the ‘Harlequin’ motif. Crazy honk horns (and what seems to be some kind of a dinosaur) in the background are a bonus.
Under the Hat is a great stand-alone piano tune, but this takes it to the next level. The grainy, warbly organ, the distant, stale muted trumpet, the twangy bass, the static… it’s the perfect introduction for a hard-boiled 40’s detective radio serial.
Fanart source: tinikah. Seriously, go check her work out, it’s fantastic!
Wonderfully dark and brooding. The cello opening sets the tone, and this track features some of the best ambient effects (the rain, the heartbeat, and the clock) I’ve ever heard in a song like this. Effects such as these (including the pipe organ in the background) could easily be gimmicky, but they’re used sparingly, and they work great to accent the main melody.
All of this falls away for the harp interlude in the middle, though. And that little section is the best part of the composition.
Written by Malcolm Brown. Arrangement by Kevin Regamey
The original haunting refrain, and the very first track on the album. I would be remiss not to include it as a pick. Homestuck Vol. 1-4 contains many remixes and reimaginings of this song, and many of them are good listens, but I prefer the original, unaccompanied piano out of all of them.
By Joren “Tensei” de Bruin. Original ‘Homestuck Anthem’ by Clark “Plazmataz” Powell
OK, it’s elevator music. Let’s just put that on the table where everyone can see it. Now that that’s on the table, we can talk about it as a song. Before the advent of Muzak, bossa nova used to be pretty popular in a real, non faux way (and it still is in some real, totally non-fake circles that I wouldn’t know anything about).
This song takes a basic existing melody (one of my favorites, as it happens), and executes it in this new style very, very well. I dare you not to like this song. Go ahead, try it.
It’s a weird combination of a rap percussion beat and a symphonic overture, complete with pizzicato strings and soaring brass. It’s exactly the sort of genre-mixing that makes music in the Homestuck catalog so appealing.
Xylophone, plucked strings, and harp to start with. I would say that it feels a little like a game show theme song, but that focuses too heavily on the first minute or so of the song, and there’s more to it than that. The melody comes into its own in the second half, with an expressive violin lead. In the end, it skews towards sugary again with the calliope (!), yet somehow it’s more symphonic than superficial. It’s a reverie, not a shabby carnival.
The most shocking twist yet. Heavy, ominous horns drive it forward behind a rushing arpeggio of strings. Brief, but it stands on its own (and it’ll show up again later on).
Mostly piano, with a side of flute and strings. There’s plenty of time-themed effects in the track, but they’re subtle and serve to accent the melody, rather than overwhelm it. Great melody.
Karkat start thrashing up stunts something uncannybrutal on his quest for “MAD PALEMATES YO” and get this way rude clown under control. Shit is basically flying off the hook. It’s like shit wants nothing to do with that hook. The hook filed for divorce from that shit and is now seeking custody of the hook and the shit’s two kids.
Oh yeah, the song’s great, too. Heavy metal with a side of 80’s style thrash. It inspired me to look up some wicked flagrant quotes. Perfect for some rudebrazen wicked extreme shoosh-papping.
TOP TRACK x50 COMBO: #40
DJ Sai Tae posted a live video of this thrash on YouTube: check it out!
Featured in the end of Act 4 flash animation. In a very crude way, you could describe Descend as a ‘greatest hits’ for Homestuck music up until now. It’s composed of bits and pieces of many different songs. The electronic drumbeat from Upward Movement (Dave Owns) ties the whole thing together, and little bits of songs like Liquid Negrocity, Explore, Atomyk Ebonpyre, and many others make appearances.
It’s a great, fun puzzle, in a way: some of the familiar songs are executed so differently, they can be difficult to recognize. Only upon repeated listening did I realize that the funky bass part at 0:47 (when Mom and Dad are shown on the ship) is the main melody from Aggrieve. Or that the staccato chiptune melody at 2:24 (when Jack start’s tearing shit up on Prospit) is a modified version of Doctor.
The editing job is fantastic. Except where the effect is intentional, the flow of the track is great. This song rightfully serves as the anchor, the featured track, for this album. It speaks to the album’s quality that I rank a few songs even higher.
In the beginning, it’s just a story about a few kids getting ready for an adventure. Because many of its ideas come from another source, it’s surreal, discordant, but above all, lighthearted. At first.
Over time, though, the scope of the story changes. The author relies on his own vision for larger and larger sections of the story. New, more serious themes emerge. By the end, it’s a tough, emotionally draining read. Cathartic, in all the worst ways possible.
Yeah. I think everybody knows what story I’m talking about.
The dropped-pitch tubular bell intro (the same motif as Stellarum Salve) falls away in a hurry, in exchange for a heavy metal guitar jam. It meanders on from there, from high shrieking electro-thrash (1:20) to a calm, echoey bridge (2:00), to a gothic synth march, complete with chanting (2:30 on). The whole track foreshadows Eternity Served Cold a bit in tone.
TOP TRACK x50 COMBO: #38
Malcolm Brown recently had a couple of comments on this one after it was used in [S] GAME OVER: check it out!
Intense and driving: a perfect fit for Mr. Strider. It’s a little industrial, but not at all harsh. The muffled, jerky, rising fade-in makes for a cool effect. Music to get shit done by.
It’s a goofy Western piece at its core, but with a sort of ironic authority behind it. From the booming timpanis, to the drawn-out melody, all the way through to the stately “isn’t it sad when a clown cries” coda.
I’d like to be able to say that I haven’t listened to this tune dozens and dozens of times. Yeah. I’d sure like to be able to say that.
On the flip side, I’m happy to say that it puts a smile on my face every time I hear it.
Starts out simple, with yet another strong piano melody. Starting in the second half, a backing string section starts building up the atmosphere, and the track soars after that. Soars in a moody, mournful way. Somehow. Like Tom Cruise in Top Gun after he got Goose killed.
At first I only thought it was ‘just’ clever. That was a mistake. After a few more listen-throughs, I realized I was doing this track an injustice.
Musically, the entire composition feels terribly authentic. The little guitar string squeaks add to the song’s character, rather than distracting from it. The simple acoustic-plus-vocals arrangement gives it a better perspective than a busier composition might: it’s all one character’s thoughts.
And what a poetic set of lyrics. It’s stream-of-consciousness, all from Eridan’s perspective, as his attitude slowly deteroriates and he falls deeper into isolation and nihilism. The vocals are rapid-fire, and it’s a really impressive combination of content and rhyming meter (it’s tough to nail both without making sacrifices in one or the other).
This one’s not just my top track for the album: it’s one of my favorites throughout the Homestuck library.
Epic. It’s got the booming symphonic presence of a Hollywood soundtrack. It kicks off dark and brooding. Most of the track, though, suits its title a little better. It’s almost a chase scene, with a mellow interlude not too far from the end.
Best hook of the album. Where Darkened Streets featured the violin (Rose) and beatbox (Dave) in separate sections, this track effectively intermingles the two. Cool snippets of Endless Climb and Atomyk Ebonpyre (once again shining the spotlight on the first two Derse dreamers we meet) show up in the second half.
This one’s interesting in that it features chiptune, but as the backing harmony rather than the main melody (which is mostly piano and flute). There’s a nice call back to Showtime in the middle, too. It’s a great listen.
Fanart. Source: 
