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.
Fanart. Source: potatokind.
By Malcolm Brown
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).
By Malcolm Brown
This track opens with a great steady bassline that underpins the whole song. The melody is rolling and leisurely, working its way up to a high point before cruising back downwards with a counterpoint hook. It’s relaxing and it doesn’t become dull or repetitive.
By Malcolm Brown
The music-box intro, with its string quartet backing, gives off a great ‘fallen from grace’ vibe. I don’t like it as much as the remixed version used in Cascade (the chiptune glissando scales are a little off-putting), but it’s still a great, atmospheric song.
By Malcolm Brown. Originals “Chorale for Jaspers” by Michael Guy Bowman, and “Aggrieve” by Mark Hadley
It’s a shame this wasn’t featured more extensively in the webcomic: only a few short segments are featured here. It’s as ‘strife’ a song as they come. Favorite part? The section with the eerie choir and the electric guitar lead that starts around the two minute mark.
By Malcolm Brown. Originals “Doctor” by George Buzinkai, and “Savior of the Waking World” by Toby ‘Radiation’ Fox
Awesome. Just awesome. Rises from a sober melancholy chorus, through a hopeful pizzicato rendition of Doctor, to a ridiculously energetic, driving overture. The song would have a completely different feel without the power-chords backing the main melody.
Technically, this version of the song is not used as part of a Flash animation (though it forms one of the main sections of Cascade). The coda is a bit different from the version used in Cascade: it doubles down on the energy with strings that smack of the shower scene in Psycho, until dropping just a little too abruptly.
‘Black Hole / Green Sun’ by Malcolm Brown. Solo piano, violin, guitar parts written and added by Toby “Radiation” Fox, featuring Joren “Tensei” de Bruin on electric guitar and Kelly Sadwin on violin
Black Hole / Green Sun begins at 10:48 in the Cascade medley. It’s only available as a stand-alone track when you purchase the album, but the album version is unchanged from the final few minutes of Cascade.
I like this remix better than its source (Black Rose / Green Sun), but only just. The changes aren’t huge: this track’s more like a driving classic rock anthem. The melodic guitar solo in the first half is great, and the soulful, Celtic violin refrain in the second half is even better.
And I love the extended chord that finishes things up. Now where’s that been done before?
By Malcolm Brown
What an awesome, well-balanced combination of instrumentation. At its most basic level, it’s a duel between leads: chiptune, piano, electric guitar, string section, bass guitar. When one section takes over the main melody, parts of those prior leads add to the harmony.
A song like this could very easily feel stapled-together with so much variation, more like a medley than a single composition. Except for a rather abrupt break in the middle that adds a bit of character (and also proved helpful for the bifurcated Flash animation that features it), this track flows easily from one part to the next. It feels totally complete as a single piece. And to top it all off, the main hook is awesome, and it’s not overplayed or relied on too heavily. This is one of my favorite tracks in the library.