I feel that no review of LoFaM can be truly complete without mention of konec0's MegaDanceVania. All of the current LoFaM albums contain at least one of his ambitious medleys, and I believe they should be noted for comparison's sake at the very least. :)
It’s an impressive, complicated medley, one that reviews most of the big ticket Homestuck tracks up until its point of release. But it’s not a track that triggered a particular reaction for me, positive or negative.
Usually when I pick a song for review, it’s because it’s one I particularly enjoy, or because it’s one that I find myself actively skipping over (bluh). I’ll be listening to all the album tracks, all over again when we roll around to LoFaM 2 (and 3 quite soon, so I hear), so I’ll have another opportunity to review konec0’s tracks, I’m sure. Until then!
WHY
I assume you’re a little disappointed in the Squiddles psyche-out from the other day. Not to worry, that album will eventually get its own review. Just not quite yet.
By Mark Hadley
An ambitious reimagining of Skies of Skaia. The deep strings section and the plucked harp gives it a new grandiosity. The lyrics confused me until I looked it up – it’s got Latin and Lord of the Rings Sindarin going on there.
Sometimes, on other tracks, vocals can feel forced. That’s especially so when the song is something that people are already familiar with. But here it works very well. The singer’s voice fits in as cleanly as another instrument, and it creates a new, interesting layer on the base track.
Will you by any chance be reviewing the Supercalifragalisticexpialadocious parody when you get around to Lofam again?
Boom! It’s funny ‘cause it’s twisted.
RATING: 10 / 13 – FR3SH L1K3 R3C3NTLY L34V3N3D GRUBLO4F
A solo effort by Mark Hadley, whose contributions to the catalog tend not to be prolific, but always high in quality. The album is short – it’s more like a single release with an A and a B side than an album. But taken together, it’s a strong eleven minutes of music.
All three tracks run with the musical theme first established in Skies of Skaia. None of the songs could be called remixes, though: that would be unjust. The album is symphonic, atmospheric, and very much new-age (if you draw a blank on that genre, think Enya). And I can’t help but be reminded of the soundtrack for the first couple of Lord of the Rings movies – and the Elvish-looking script in the album cover title (and, as it turns out, Elvish lyrics) only reinforces that presumption.
The transitions between songs are a little abrupt for a single concept in three songs, but that does little to detract from its vibe. It’s good stuff.
Click here for individual song reviews for Song of Skaia.
Prospit & Derse, a solo album from Jeremy “Solatrus” Iamurri, up next. Nothing like a Beatles parody to move things along.
By Jeremy “Solatrus” Iamurri
The Derse tracks tend to have good hooks, and this one’s no exception. Neat combination of violin and tech-noir synth backing in the beginning, and the energy and tension slowly builds into the second half, where the beatbox dominates.
By Jeremy “Solatrus” Iamurri
Best hook of the album. Where Darkened Streets featured the violin (Rose) and beatbox (Dave) in separate sections, this track effectively intermingles the two. Cool snippets of Endless Climb and Atomyk Ebonpyre (once again shining the spotlight on the first two Derse dreamers we meet) show up in the second half.
By Jeremy “Solatrus” Iamurri
It came this close to being a #cage pick just because the intro reminded me of this. But that whomping synth anthem in the second half lends it some gravity, so, even though it’s not as mind-numbingly catchy as Popcorn, a #haunting refrain it remains.
By Jeremy “Solatrus” Iamurri
Kicks off with a flourish and a fanfare. The bookends of this track are more of a march, but my favorite part is the bridge. The melody that starts at 1:50 and carries its way through flute, clarinet, and finally a crisp, clear-ringing trumpet.
By Jeremy “Solatrus” Iamurri
Another rolling drumline intro, this time into a bit of freestyle piano. Once again, though, it’s the middle section that does it for me: a sparse, austere remix of Frost starts at 0:53 or so. Love that protracted horn solo.
I find myself liking these sorts of Frost remixes better than the version that was first issued on Volume 6. I think that in the original, those chiptune arpeggios diluted the power of its slow, tenor melody. I like that version but for different reasons, I guess.
RATING: 8 / 13 – ripping sonnets of STRONGNESS
A solo effort from Jeremy “Solatrus” Iamurri, and with a coherent (if bifurcated) theme to boot. The album’s broken into two distinct halves (representing the eponymous planets in the comic). There are four bright, triumphant tunes for Prospit, and four darker, more aggressive songs for the Derse dreamers.
I found the second half to be stronger than the first. Maybe it’s more due to personal taste than anything else, but the Derse tunes tend to have better hooks, while the Prospit ones are a little more old-fashioned and stodgy.
Click here for individual song reviews for Prospit & Derse.
Cherubim, the latest official Homestuck music release, up next.
Aw yeah. I've been looking forward to these reviews!
It’s a review I chose to delay for a while specifically because I rather like it (that’ll be the case with more than a few of the remaining albums, in fact). Stay tuned!
By Alexander Rosetti
Xylophone, plucked strings, and harp to start with. I would say that it feels a little like a game show theme song, but that focuses too heavily on the first minute or so of the song, and there’s more to it than that. The melody comes into its own in the second half, with an expressive violin lead. In the end, it skews towards sugary again with the pipe organ, yet somehow it’s more symphonic than superficial. It’s a reverie, not a shabby carnival.
By Clark “Plazmataz” Powell
The dark side of Reverie, and even better for it. Take those same plucked strings down an octave and it sounds methodical, not celebratory. The beat box synth and the phased effects create a weird, unsettling background, right up until the bridge. There’s a great hook there, driven by a heavy, bass synth line starting at around 1:40 or so.