Image source: Lexxy.
The Wanderers, an official Homestuck concept album, up next. There will be plenty of music to talk about, but first, I implore you to look at this alternative cover art (it’s tucked away in the album’s file set). Drink it in. Wallow in its glory.
The Kraft Dinner in the bottom left’s a little suspect, though.
By Seth “Beatfox” Peelle
Maybe the first exiles landed in the Middle Eastern desert: the intro to this tune may as well herald the rising sun over Damascus. It’s only a bit later that the electronic instrumentation kicks in. The repetitive, swinging synth bass beat works really well against the synthethnic (!) wanderings throughout. It’s a weird, bold mixing of genres that sets the tone for the songs to follow, and it’s my top track for the album.
By Alexander Rosetti
A happy peasant’s dance. The improvised makeshift bridge that starts around 2:00’s my favorite part.
By Toby “Radiation” Fox
Not as catastrophic as its title might make it sound. The first section’s a bit of a march led by high strings, followed by a more relaxing ‘it’s okay being poor’ guitar piece.
Image source: Lexxy.
Tomahawk Head (composed by Toby “Radiation” Fox, and performed and produced by Joren “Tensei” de Bruin) is one of two bonus tracks on the album. Yeah, I can definitely see the Aimless Renegade cranking this on Grandpa’s Walkman before taking justice into his own hands. I AM THE LAW!
It’s a bit of ultra-Western rock, the sort of eclectic tune that might find its way into an especially self-aware gunslinger film. One where all of the eagles are crying.
By Michael Guy Bowman
That guitar part could have been played while lazily swinging in a hammock. Love the pacing and meter. Even when things get a little neo-Western with echoey machine-guns rattling off in the far background, a feeling of carefree apathy still dominates.
By Michael Guy Bowman. “Ruins” by Erik “Jit” Scheele.
The intro’s ambient and subdued, but really interesting and varied. It leads into the main hook, which is just a monster, minimalist version of of Ruins. Deep bass and thumping electric guitar.
By Jeremy “Solatrus” Iamurri and Nick Smalley
A bit of Eastern European, Tetris-esque chiptune to start with. It’s another exotic mix of sounds, with a bit of the subcontinent coming through in the second half of the song. And man, that’s one boomin’ bassoon.
By Alexander Rosetti
Eerie and unsettling. There’s nothing wrong with ‘unsettling’ in a song, but this one never really takes off into much of a melody. On the bright side, this would be an especially effective accompaniment for the comic starting with this page.
By Malcolm Brown
Pretty awesomely weird. Haunting, ethereal howls and chopped-up voices sort of muddle the first part (though, like What a Daring Dream, it’s clearly targeted towards a specific point in the comic). The last minute or so is more focused and ominous, and the coda gives the album a nice bookend.