coloUrs and mayhem: Universe B, the second half of the contest album release, next in the pipe.
By Monobrow
Fanart source: tinikah.
A smooth (Dave-influenced? It just screams ‘coolkid’) percussion beat combined with an easygoing reimagining of Doctor. It’s a cool mix of synth and guitar spread throughout (that melodic guitar cover of Doctor’s main hook that starts around 3:30 is just effortlessly smooth and mellow).
By David DeCou
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.
By Nathan “EbonHawk7x” H
Fanart source: tinikah.
There’s quite a few epic, symphonic covers scattered throughout this album, and they’re almost all good. This one’s no exception: it’s almost ecclesiastical, with its soaring soprano-heavy choir organ (the ol’ Wurlitzer gets quite a workout on this album, too).
That heavy electric guitar gives the track a metal edge, though. It makes for an almost unrecognizable remix of that venerable chiptune track ‘Atomyk Ebonpyre.’
By David Ellis (A Lunatic’s Daydream). Saxophone performed by Malik Refaat.
Fanart source: tinikah.
‘The Beginning of Something Really Excellent’ is positive, energetic, and a little aggressive. This remix trades in the techno for a funky rhythm electric guitar, a solid bassline, and a fantastic alto saxophone lead. It’s just so damnably catchy, like the main theme from an 80’s sitcom.
What an awesome, imaginative remix. This is my top track for the album. It’s that good. No regrets.
By David Ellis (A Lunatic’s Daydream)
That leadoff hook, which serves as a sort of chorus and anchor for the whole song, is excellent. In hindsight, this track is more appropriate now than ever for Jane: the cheerful synth parts represent her normal personality, while the staccato electric guitar breaks represent the Betty Crocker corporate juggernaut that has bent her unwillingly to its subjug(gl?)ation.
By Plumegeist
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.
By Elisa “Moony” McCabe
Don’t let the hokey ragtime piano intro fool you: most of the track is darker in tone. Just as it sounds like it’s about to break out, it falls back a little bit and stays in check.
By Gec
It’s perky and cheerful, and that phased-in drum beat intro is awfully cool, too.
By Solarbear
Image source: Homestuck.
One of the few pure chiptune tracks on either coloUrs and mayhem album. I can’t put my finger on it, but the main melody has a really cool, unpredictable rhythm, almost like there’s two main rhythms going on at the same time. It’s like something David Byrne would write, if he worked in the medium of chiptune.
By Haunter
It’s got a monster hook, and that’s all it really takes sometimes. That final synth whomp at the end of the song (a full 10 seconds of dead time precede it) unsettled me, too. So there’s that.
By viaSatellite and infiniteKnife
An electro-symphonic cover of Beatdown. It’s a new twist on an old standard (well, old by the Homestuck book, anyways). Although the some of the string parts feel a little forced, it’s a cool jam (especially starting in about the final third of the song, where it picks up on a time measure that’s a little more suited for rock).
Extra points for working a god-damned didgeridoo into the intro.
By Shandy
Reminds me a little of Indigo Heir, except that it’s not quite so perceptibly despondent. That simple drum set percussion line (that fade-in is pretty damn slick) sets the groove, while the flute and strings are more about atmosphere.
By Tristan Scroggins
I like this song. I really do. The performance is great, and the song itself is infectious. But it gives off a little bit of a ‘Home Depot commercial’ or maybe 'New Yankee Workshop guy finishing a cabinet with dados and rabbits or some shit’ vibe.