January 2014

By Eston “silence” Schweickart

Not to sell it short, but ‘musically interesting’ is the best description I can give. Love how a chaotic, metallic 'noise’ slowly fades into actual music, and the odd woodblock percussion could be hammered on the tops of appropriately sized grandfather clocks, for all we know.

By Thomas “EidolonOrpheus” Ferkol 

Jazzy piano and cacophonous crash cymbal, with a catchy, Bond-eque hook. 

By Joe “DoubleJoeSeven” Ouellet

Another cool reworking of Candles and Clockwork from Volume 5. It’s a little bit of a funkier take on the original (great percussion beats throughout).

By Thomas “EidolonOrpheus” Ferkol

it never really gets all that threatening, but the main low, looming synth hook works great against the flighty chiptune-y melody that hops around over top of it.

By Veritas Unae. Assistance provided by A Lunatic’s Daydream.

Maybe this will give you an idea of the scope of this album. This track (and its second part) is inspired somewhat by the album Sburb. These two tracks clock in at nearly 2/3rds the length of that entire album. And these are 2 tracks, out of 63 on this album.

This composition is solo piano through and through, much like Sburb. The largo treatment of Lotus around the 3:10 mark is my favorite amongst the many melodies visited in this track. The very different piano rendition of Savior of the Dreaming Dead just before it is fun to hear, too.

By Veritas Unae. Assistance provided by A Lunatic’s Dream.

Two parts, two posts. I especially like how slow, introspective parts from Sburb are used to tie together more dramatic segments like the bit from Gold Pilot

On the other hand, the version of October early in this track loses a bit in the reprise. The original’s stacatto key-bouncing positivity is hard to top: One Year Older will be a fun album to review when we roll around to it.

By Fuzz

Ethereal and light. The synth effect that backs the melody starting around 1:30 is pretty awesomely weird. It’s like a heavily processed pipe organ in an echoey room.

By Brad “Avinoch” Griffin

This track has a little bit of easy-listening, funky, muzak vibe going for it. The main source, Heart of the Forest by Solatrus, is a little more solemn. But combined with Flare, all that brooding, threatening tone is diminished, and it’s more about the jam than the attitude.

By Matt “NiceWizard” Lee

This song captures a little bit of that wonder and innocence that I like so much in Homestuck off of Volume 5. Especially in the payoff at around 1:20 or so. Pretty high up on my list of favorites for this album.

By Michael Guy Bowman

Some albums feature an intro track that sets the tone, yet is wholly dependent on the album it’s leading into. This song sets the tone, yet works as a single, too. It’s a little eerie, a little quasi-ambient, but each layer adds a little more depth, a little more detail, until it leaves off with a crashing surge.

By Michael Guy Bowman

If Sburban Jungle is Skaia’s overworld music, then this is what’s pumped through the Battlefield’s underground speakers when you’re in the middle of a subterranean quest / level.