By Marcus Carline. With Rachel St. Marseille (voice), Steve Blum (piano), Nicole Sequeira (bass), and Eric Hagstrom (drums)
When I heard this song the first time I dismissed it, which was a mistake. It’s done in the style of a 40’s lounge singer, with a jazz trio backing her up. I mentioned that techno’s a little bit outside of my own personal taste: this is way outside my usual playlist.
That being said, I like this. A lot. It’s smooth, and the vocals are fantastic. And it’s very, very clever. Read the lyrics if you get a chance.
By Samm Neiland
Just can’t get into it. The track serves its genre well, but pipe-organ hymns and unaccompanied Troll-Latin make for a tall order. The second half of the song is undeniably impressive, though.
RATING: 13 / 13 – WELCOME TO THE DARK CARNIVAL, BROTHER.
I took a pretty pedestrian path when I started picking up Homestuck music. Of course, at first I focused on the Volume releases, since the majority of the songs used in the Flash animations were concentrated there. Then I picked up some of the other themed compilations (like Cherubim and AlterniaBound) and a couple of the solo albums, the ones that featured one or two Flash songs.
I held off on buying coloUrs and mayhem until a little later. I held off because I knew that these albums are made up of songs submitted by fans, not songs made by the music team. I thought that there would be a lack of quality.
I was wrong. I was very, very wrong. I screwed up as hard as fat guys fall.
I’m not saying this album is Abbey Road or Dark Side of the Moon when I give it the highest rating. It has its little blemishes and slow spots, like just about any other album. But this is my favorite album out of all of them in the Homestuck catalog. It’s the best, in my humble opinion (so far, in any case).
Click here for individual song reviews for coloUrs and mayhem: Universe A.
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.