By Erik “Jit” Scheele
Begins with such a simple little motif. One of my favorite introductory tracks on any Homestuck album. It could make for a really cool live ensemble, with such unique parts for each member of the string section.
By Eston “silence” Schweickart, original “Walk-Stab-Walk” by Erik “Jit” Scheele
Another take on Walk-Stab-Walk. The new-agey bookends (with an especially interesting intro) cap an otherwise faithful synth remix of the original.
By Erik “Jit” Scheele
The first full minute features a dying dot matrix printer, and I can see how that might be off-putting. But there’s a very cool piano melody hiding behind it. And the echoey, distant, tinny drum beat really contrasts well with the weird techno-noise that hovers in the background.
By Erik “Jit” Scheele
That skittish piano drives the song, with most of the main melody provided by oboe-led woodwinds. My favorite bit starts around 1:40, where one of the piano parts sort of lazily plunks around the main beat.
By Erik “Jit” Scheele
Every time I listen to this neo-ragtime tune, I find something new to like about it. Its theme is common to Unite Synchronization: the kids get together to jam. Later on in the album things get a little more serious, but this tune’s all about positive energy.
On this album it’s tough to pick a favorite, but I think this is it for me (Under the Hat’s a close second, and FantasyP and Game Over aren’t far behind). Top track.
By Erik “Jit” Scheele
This tune feels… old. Like something that an heirloom music box might play. In listening to it a couple of times, I think I can see how it might have come to be called Unlabeled. It’s cut from the same sort of cloth as tunes called simply Adagio, Rhapsody, or Minuet.
By Erik “Jit” Scheele
One of the album’s bonus tracks. It’s jazzier and more improvisational than the prior versions of this tune. Like a victory lap, or more appropriately, an encore.
By Erik “Jit” Scheele
As a ‘boss fight’ track, it falls a little short. The relatively modest ensemble, which works so well on the rest of the album, holds this one back. The melody speaks of danger (especially the ‘flight of the bumblebee’ interlude towards the middle), but there’s no imminence to it, no lack of control. Compare this to another epic villain track, Eternity Served Cold: the horns absolutely roar out the arrival of the big bad guy
It’s the final minute of the track that really makes me a fan: a reserved, wistful little fanfare. Like victory, but at great cost. Its intimacy, the same aspect that pushes me away from the rest of the song, draws me closer to this bit. The lead-in to Mother is superb, and only reinforces the effect.
By Erik “Jit” Scheele
Like October, the main instrumentation reflects the kids: piano and violin, flute and percussion. But there’s a new, hard-won maturity to this tune: one year older, I suppose. A great choice for the closing track on the album.
RATING: 12 / 13 – 4 W4RM 4ND COMFY B4THROB3 M4D3 OF FL4VOR 4ND M3LODY
This is another one of the albums that I happened to buy later than most. There’s not really any Flash tunes on it, and, being unfamiliar with the catalog, I had naturally gravitated towards stuff I recognized at first.
I had no particular expectations, good or bad, with regards to this album. Because of this, my first listen-through of the album, months ago, was all the more gratifying.
Most of the songs on this album feature just a handful of instruments. But there’s a deceptive complexity to the music, and layers of counter-melody are scattered throughout. The interplay between the synth lead and the strings in Sunrise… the skittery piano set against natural woodwinds in Firefly Cloud… it’s taken to an extreme in The Scratch with improvisational piano and sampled musique-concrete. The simplicity of the orchestration only serves to highlight the quality of the melodies.
This is my favorite of all the solo albums (and there have been some excellent solo albums). Erik Scheele has a very significant talent for songwriting.
Click here for individual song reviews for One Year Older.
I guess there’s no delaying this album’s introduction anymore. It is time to dive headfirst into a world of cheeky cephalopods and their quest to thwart an honest, hardworking mariner with student debt.
To fully appreciate this album, I think I’m going to need a little bit of help.
Powerful help.
TIME FOR SQUIDDLES!
By Alexander Rosetti
WELCOME TO HOMESTUCK! THE ONLY WEBCOMIC THAT FEATURES NOT JUST ONE, BUT MULTIPLE MUZAK COMPOSITIONS! IT MIGHT BE THE ONLY THING THAT FEATURES MULTIPLE MUZAK COMPOSITIONS, BESIDES ELEVATORS, OF COURSE! THIS ONE’S GOT JUST THE RIGHT MIX OF SMOOTH AND SILLY!
By Seth “Beatfox” Peelle
PEPPY, FUNKY SQUIDDLES MUSIC! THAT WAH-WAH SYNTH IN THE BACKGROUND GIVES IT JUST THE RIGHT FEEL! BUT IT’S THE BRIDGE AT 1:30 THAT’S MY FAVORITE PART!
By Alexander Rosetti. Original (Carefree Victory) by Mark Hadley
A FUN HARPSICHORD DITTY THAT DRAWS INSPIRATION FROM CAREFREE VICTORY! THERE’S A LOT OF ORIGINAL FLAIR TO IT, TOO!
By Michael Guy Bowman
THE TITLE SAYS IT ALL! THE BIT WITH THE OVER-AMPLIFIED ELECTRIC GUITAR THAT STARTS AROUND 1:50 IS A COOL DEPARTURE FROM THE OTHERWISE BRIGHT, CALYPSO LATIN TONE OF THE REST OF THE SONG!
By Malcolm Brown
NOW WE’RE TALKING! HOMESTUCK’S MUSIC SPANS ALL GENRES AND ALL INSTRUMENTATION, YET ACCORDION IS RARE! THIS ONE SCRATCHES THAT PARTICULAR ITCH! I CAN TOTALLY PICTURE A GRIZZLED LONGSHOREMAN, STANDING ON A DREARY DOCK, MANICALLY HAMMERING OUT THIS TUNE ON THE OL’ SQUEEZEBOX! PROBABLY WHILE DANCING A BAWDY JIG!
By Mark Hadley
MELLOW AND RELAXING! LIKE SEEING A STARRY NIGHT REFLECTED IN THE SEA, I SUPPOSE! THE RISING STRINGS AND HARP PLAY OFF ONE ANOTHER WELL!
By Erik “Jit” Scheele
A BIT OF A LULLABY IN ACOUSTIC GUITAR AND HARMONICA! ALL YOU NEED IS THE CRACKLE OF THE FIRE AND A SQUIDDLE IN A TEN-GALLON HAT TO TOP OFF THE PICTURE! I’D IMAGINE THEY’D BE REALLY GOOD AT PLAYING THE GUITAR, TOO! WHAT WITH ALL THOSE ARMS! TOP TRACK? TOP TRACK!
By Robert J! Lake
IN ITS FIRST HALF, IT’S A BOOKEND TO THE TITLE TRACK! RJ’S WEIRD ETHEREAL, BREATHY VOCALS ONCE AGAIN FIND A GOOD FIT! THEN, AFTER ALMOST A FULL MINUTE OF DEAD AIR, HORRIBLE, TERRIBLE THINGS START TO HAPPEN!
THE SONG BETRAYS THE DARK UNDERPINNINGS THAT INSPIRED THE CARTOON SQUIDS, OF COURSE (NO BETTER WAY TO CLOSE IT OUT, I THINK)! THIS ALBUM CAME OUT MONTHS BEFORE THE MEMORABLE FLASH THAT FEATURES THIS SONG! IT’S REMARKABLE HOW WELL THE ART AND THE SONG FIT TOGETHER: A COMBINATION OF MR. ROGERS AND H. R. GIGER!
By Robert J! Lake
JUST THE THOUGHT OF GANGSTA SQUIDDLES IS ENOUGH TO MAKE ME LAUGH! MAYBE PLUMBTHROAT’S PISSED OFF AT THEM BECAUSE THEY BLEW HOLES IN HIS BOAT IN A SWIM-BY SHOOTING! OCEANSIDE, MOTHERFUCKER!
AND THIS SONG’S SEEN A SURPRISING AMOUNT OF RECENT ATTENTION: ASTRO KID CUT A REMIX FOR LOFAM 3, AND RJ JUST KICKED OUT A NEW REMIX YOU CAN FIND HERE!
By Alexander Rosetti. Featuring Toby “Radiation” Fox as Skipper Plumbthroat
A SAD TALE OF A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER AND HIS STRUGGLE WITH DEBT! IT WOULD BE PITY-INDUCING, IF IT WEREN’T FOR THE FACT THAT THIS GUY SEEMS TO WIN HALF THE TIME AND KILL MOST OF THE SQUIDDLES!
By Michael Guy Bowman
THE FAINTLY CONDESCENDING “WELL, OF COURSE, CHILD!” MAKES IT ALL WORTH IT!
By Alexander Rosetti
THE QUINTESSENTIAL KIDS’ SHOW THEME! IT’S REALLY WELL CONSTRUCTED. BUT… MY GOD, THOSE FREQUENCY-SHIFTED VOICES ARE LIKE A HURRICANE WIND OF SUGAR CRYSTALS!
This next album isn’t even Homestuck music. It’s the first volume (with dozens to follow, presumably) of the soundtrack to Jailbreak, the very first MSPaint Adventure. This is an unofficial album written primarily by Robert J! Lake. It’s in a little bit of a gray area, so far as this specifically Homestuck music blog goes. Gamzee? can I get a ruling on this?
He’s gonna motherfuckin’ allow it.
There’s about 40 minutes of non-bonus-material music… I’d be willing to bet that a leisurely read-through of the comic would take about that long. What better way to put the album through its paces than to accompany each song with an out-of-context picture from Jailbreak?
By Robert J! Lake
It’s a little more melancholy than you might expect for an opening track. That’s not to take away from it, though: the first half’s gloomy and brooding, and the second half picks it up into something a little more frantic.
Image source: MSPaint Adventures.
I imagine the gravity of his predicament is really setting in at this point. Not only is he stuck in jail, but he’s subject to the whims of a manic command prompt. Pumpkins phase in and out of reality randomly. There will be blood.
By Mark Hadley
Love that deep bass triangle wave and plucky melody. A good fit for a set of woodland elves that are probably evil (their policy with regards to infants is particularly troubling).
Image source: MSPaint Adventures.
A rare musical accompaniment from our protagonist. Go ahead, I dare you. Make these words fit the song.
By Andrew Huo
Another tune with a solid, strong intro that opens up into a consistent beat. The main chiptune track is pretty improvisational, especially in the second half.
Images source: MSPaint Adventures.
A fitting salute for an officer of the law. And one that at least one other law enforcement agent has been subjected to.
If you’d like to read the high-resolution version of Jailbreak, you can find it here.
By Erik “Jit” Scheele
Simple yet effective. Another cool pair of melodies that meander around each other. The playtime’s a little deceptive: the tune’s doubled up in the second half and the fadeout stretches it a little more (in the commentary Jit even mentions as much, which I thought was funny).
It reminded me of reports I’d write in high school: 12 point Arial (so much bigger than Times New Roman), spacing set to 2.2 lines, margins set to 1.75” on the left and 1.25” everywhere else. If I could have exploited word spacing and kerning, I would have. Courier New would have been pushing it over the top, though.
Image source: MSPaint Adventures.
Hey, look at that. Timed it just right to stumble into a moment in the comic that actually relates to the song. Soggy gourds provide the best armor protection. Fashionable, too.
By Robert J! Lake
The main riff’s drawn from Arcade Thunder off of Volume 8. I like this tune better, though: there’s a great, rushed energy to it, where Arcade Thunder’s a little more mellow. And it’s as chiptune as a song can be. Have a listen starting at 1:10 or so: if it were any more electronic, it would have been composed procedurally in BASIC. My top track for the album.
Image source: MSPaint Adventures.
Prisioner #2’s emotional high point in the comic. Things will go downhill pretty quick, after he’s shot by (and then, later, shoots himself with) a harpoon gun.
By Robert J! Lake
A slow-paced remix of Softly, off of Volume 5. It’s surprising how many unique ‘instruments’ RJ manages to coax out of a limited palette: thumping bass, white-noise percussion, and a couple of triangle- and pulse-waves that carry the main melody.
Image source: MSPaint Adventures.
Jailbreak, the prequel. So many unanswered questions. Why is he wearing a boot on his head? How did they die, with the conspicuous absence of any stumps in the room? Is the handgun just another key, and are the three keys actually just other, assorted firearms?
UPDATE: sometimes the scope of this loosely-bound series of comics boggles my mind. It turns out that some of these questions have been answered.