October 2014

By Michael Guy Bowman

Lyrically, this is the wittiest song on Mobius Trip & Hadron Kaleido, in my opinion. The recurring intro hook works really well to tie together the verses.

By Christian Michael Poynter

A rockin’ synth anthem. It’s surprising how catchy a tune that features a bit of softened dot matrix printer as one of its lead voices can be.

The album From Beta to Alpha can be downloaded for free from the Skaianet Download Database.

By Kris “Astartus” Flacke

Two totally different sides to this track, and both of them are solid. The first part’s a futuristic, upbeat synth jam. The second part (about the last 90 seconds or so) is more of an anthem. For a song ostensibly about the death of a civilization, this one’s pretty uplifting.

By Seth “Beatfox” Peelle and Alexander Rosetti

Exotic. The choice of instrumentation establishes setting well enough, but I think the melody shines brighter in a later remix (the very next track on the album, as it happens).

By Mai Yishan

The intro track for Land of Fans and Music, and a good choice for that spot. It’s mostly a medley of many of the most popular Homestuck tunes, and I especially like the increase in pace from beginning to end.

By Christian Michael Poynter

My top track for the newly released fan album, From Beta to Alpha. It’s a synth jam through and through, and the choice of instrumentation for this original track is pretty familiar. Almost as though the insurrection were triggered by some kind of coolkid.

The album From Beta to Alpha can be downloaded for free from the Skaianet Download Database.

By The Black Curtain

A bit of easy listening, with a melodic lead guitar that flirts with a surf sound. That lasts up until the second half, when a deep chiptune bassline takes over the lead.

By Jeremy “Solatrus” Iamurri, original (Skies of Skaia) by Mark Hadley.

The original version of this song sort of jumps right into the action without much fanfare: the longer introduction in this remix is a big improvement. Kick in some percussion and some high-voltage synth, and the pastoral ‘Skies of Skaia’ turns into a jam. The piano that wanders around the main melody is a nice touch.

By Nick Smalley

The last official track on Homestuck Vol 9 closes things out with a bit of slow, soft piano. Sort of a relaxing lullaby quality to it.

By VeritasUnae

A simple, enticing melody serves as the title track to the fan album Loftlocked. It’s a little plain, but I’m kind of a sucker for austere piano solos.

The album Loftlocked Vol. 1 can be downloaded for free from the Skaianet Download Database.

By Kevin “UWBW” Grant

Okay, it’s not exactly tyrannical in tone, but I’ve got a soft spot for NES-vintage chiptune, and this one’s got an awfully catchy melody going for it.

By Team Paradox

A little bit simplistic, and it flirts with that ‘uncanny valley’ of sampled instrumentation, but there’s a pretty cool combination of energetic melodies throughout in this one.

The album Team Paradox can be downloaded for free from the Skaianet Download Database.

By Thomas Ferkol. Featuring production by Clark “Plazmataz” Powell and percussion by Toby “Radiation” Fox.

The reverent faux-choir pulls off that ‘as big as two universes’ sound. But it’s the very end that does it for me: there’s a kickin’ metal cut of Atomyk Ebonpyre that caps off the song.

By Erik “Jit” Scheele

Wow. Hard to put a finger on the genre for this one. It’s like a weird combination of chiptune, funk, and old-timey muzak. That’s one of the things I like most about this entire catalog: there’s no genre left untouched or uncombined.