Land of Fans and Music 3 - Commentary
9k words across 139 entries.
Land of Fans and Music 3 Land of Fans and Music 3 (album commentary) Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube (playlist)
Veritas Unae: (booklet commentary, front)
In 2011, some musicians got together. They had an idea, to grab together some of the many pieces of fan music floating around the MSPA forums and the internet, and compile it into an album for the fandom to download. I can remember excitedly heading to my second semester classes at university listening to the tunes that these fantastic artists had provided, and the track art to go with each song. I'm so glad to have worked with most if not all of these musicians along the course of the past 3 years.
I got my own chance to participate in these endeavours in 2012, with the fan musicians coming together to work on Sburb OST and LoFaM 2. And now we're here, in 2013, releasing LoFaM 3 for you all. I hope you love each and every track on this album, much like I remember loving LoFaM in 2011. Many thanks have to be extended to everyone who brings these projects together, most of all Lune, who has handled everything art for the project! I couldn't have done it without her. Thanks to Brad for making the booklet, AndrewNeo for hosting all this fan music for us, Xzaz for being incredible at picking tracks and references, as well as the brave sacrifices she has made for the album, and to Solatrus, Konec0 and Mark for helping along the way.
Thanks for listening!
- Veritas Unae
Lunise: (booklet commentary, front)
So this sure is a thing! I did art for LOFAM2 and retconned in a nice banner for the rehosted LOFAM1, so naturally I sold my soul to the LOFAM once more to draw things and wrangle some artists for the third album! I consider this project a tribute to the creative side of the Homestuck fandom. You guys rock! I hope yoiu enjoy this album and take a look at all the cool art for it.
- your friendly neighborhood Lune
Unofficial MSPA Fans: (booklet commentary, back)
LOFAM 3 Special Thanks
these thanks are special
-CONCEPTION/ORGANIZATION-
Lune (Artist Wrangler)
Veritas Unae (Musician Wrangler)-ADDITIONAL ORGANIZATION-
Brad "Avinoch" Griffin <- thanking myself
Mai Yishan (Catboss)
Mark Ciocca
Jeremy "Solatrus" Iamurri
Lambda Elise Merryberry
...and everybody who nominated songs!-MASTERING-
Veritas Unae-YET ANOTHER COMMENTARY BOOKLET-
Brad "Avinoch" Griffin <- twice-WEBSITE CODE-
Veritas Unae-WEBSITE HOSTING-
AndrewNeo and skaia.net-INSPIRATION-
Andrew Hussie & What Pumpkin Studios
The Homestuck Music Team
The Homestuck Fan Musicians
The Delicate Art of Temporal Manipulation Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
dodostad: (track artist, booklet commentary)
I want so very badly to draw cherubs, Lord English chasing down poor Calliope.
Brad Griffin: (booklet editor)
Hi there. I am the guy doing the commentary booklet again. This is one of the few tracks where either the musician or artist didn't leave commentary. Though there aren't enough free pages for an epic tale like last time, I figure I can find something to put to fill in the blanks.
Some cool time-reversal effects in this track. Very reminiscent of the Felt album. Cool art, too. Always like Ella's stuff.
Bite the Apple Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Nice Wizard: (composer, booklet commentary)
Hey there! Bite the Apple is a song about John going from being a goofy kid playing the piano to a goofy kid being launched into SBURB! For me, this was an incredibly refreshing song to write, and I still find it refreshing to listen to! You might even call it... A Breath of fresh Heir. I'm so sorry, I'll never make puns again. Thanks for listening!
Brad Griffin: (booklet editor)
In this piece, John is biting the apple. Clever!
Planet Cracker Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Colin Stanfill: (composer, booklet commentary)
I wrote this song as an art exchange for redux on the forums who wanted more sunsetter remixes.
awakesleeping: (track artist)
When I first saw the track's name on it's own I thought of Caliborn's planet quest, but I thought this song was too upbeat for that, so I went with a Derse and Prospit's moons exploding and the Alphas reaching godtier. I really enjoyed drawing Jake and Jane's face. Drawing Derse and Prospit was quite the challenge but I hope I managed something recognizable! I tried to include some pixely elements and most of the godtier update (unfortunately I couldn't find a place for Jake's crotch but hey we all know why he's so shocked).
I'm Not a Hero Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Brad Griffin: (booklet editor)
Ok so no art OR musician commentary for this page.
This track is a jamming remix of Upward Movement... Pretty rocking! Also there might be a banjo in it at 2:45. Might be something else, but it certainly sounds like a banjo to me.
The track art is Dave Strider from Homestuck. He is the one referenced in the song title. He's not a hero.
John is the hero. (See track 19)
confinis Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
horizon: (composer, booklet commentary)
As a theme for the Disciple/Signless(Sufferer) pairing, I wanted the song to be haunting, cold, and foreboding, but still beautiful and rich.
The word confinis is latin for "beside" or "adjacent to" -- in astrology, it is another word for semisextile, which is an aspect of 30°. Such angles only occur when two planets are in two signs next to each other; in this case I'm referring to Cancer and Leo. The song (and image, for that matter) both follow this concept of 'togetherness', no matter what may face them -- and you'll see that The Disciple keeps her promise, as she is found in our night sky beside the prophet Cancerian.
Brad Griffin: (booklet editor)
Don't see much art or songs for the Ancestors.
Both are pretty.
Emissary of Dance Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Catboss: (composer, booklet commentary)
This is more of a MGDVN 2.5 than a 3, really. After DSD I was all, okay I'm tapped out of official Homestuck songs, what now?
Fanmusic. Fanmusic is what.
This song is essentially a love letter to the huge, burgeoning, and pretty much excellent fanmusic community. There is so much creativity and talent there it is pretty ridiculous?? Also, I would probably never have gotten any of my stuff online if it wasn't for the community's support so basically you guys are awesome.
now the hard part
Quotes songs by... *deep breath*
eston"silence"schweickartbradgriffin(avinoch)malcolmbrownpaultuttlestarrclarkpowellcharles"crazy-8"neudorfwillowascenzofirstturnfoldkeral.joneserik"jit"scheelekristian"dacen"andersonnicksmalleymichaelguybowman... *puff* *wheeze*
...brenna"randomencounter"curranyan"nucleose"rodriguezmarcynabors(shadolith)sammneilandmax"imbrog"wrightgecdavidkorobert"kali"blakerjamie"hrmnzr"paigesinisterpsycheian"myusernamesmud"whitetoby"radiation"foxveritasunaedavid"dirtiest"dycusteamdogfightdavidellis(alunatic'sdaydream)demographerist
Dance of Viridian and Violet Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Willow Ascenzo: (composer, booklet commentary)
Dance of Viridian and Violet is an old track of mine--about two years old! I was surprised anyone remembered it enough to nominate it for Land of Fans and Music 3, but I suppose I should never underestimate people's willingness to dig years back through a fanartist's works. Anyway, like I said, it is very old and absolutely no mastering was used on it whatsoever (I'm scared to actually look at its waveform) since back then I didn't know what mastering was. The song ended up sounding quite beautiful, and I sitll think so today, despite my relative lack of skill.
Of course, this track being so old, I'd long since deleted the original FL Studio project file during spring cleaning, so I didn't have access to any of the MIDI data (the same thing happened with Sign of the Scorpion). I couldn't even properly remaster the song since I no longer had a lossless source. That's why I made a brand-new arrangement of the piece for LOFAM 3 that captures the piece's ouriginal beauty and romantic feel while only adding to its richness and elegance. Both Dance of Thorns and Endless Climb are hinted at in the composition, and while there aren't any quotes from Alternia/Bound, the stately elegance of the piece is meant to recall Kanaya.
rosesarecrimson: (track artist)
This was a piece where I had the concept from day one. I knew that the piece ought to be ballet-inspired, given the prompt. Grimdark Rose and Kanpire were aesthetic choices - I wanted their duet to be balanced, with neither one taking the background role, and the duality suited the theme nicely.
Warweary Villein Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Dakota Medina: (composer, booklet commentary)
Warweary Villein is a song about my personal favorite character. Inspired by Toby Fox's 'Mayor Maynot' it is about how such a little dude can be such an inspiration for a massive call to arms. My favorite part about the piece is the harmonies. The song was also revamped for the LoFaM3 album and completely remade from the ground up. Hope you enjoy!
piskomil: (track artist)
He's on a walk with his citizen-cans. They're having a lot of fun if you couldn't tell.
Wayward Vagabond fansong
Secret Santa gift for toadsandtombstones! :D I hope you enjoy it
piskomil: (Tumblr, bonus artworks)
possible track art for Snortrax’s Wayvard Vagabond (REVAMPED for lofam3)
I don’t know which one to pick =D
The first one [this track's main cover art] is an old art from the beginnings of my blog. The other two are new. The last one has ironic Dave throwing confetti, because I can’t do serious art…
Thermporia Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Yan Rodriguez: (composer, booklet commentary)
This song came out of strange feelings.
I thought that a lot of remixes of this song were treading the same ground, and while they were cool I liked this song enough to try my own shot at it using what seems to be becoming my signature style. Well people enjoyed it, but I still think it could have had more... pizazz.
Brad Griffin: (booklet editor)
sooooooo goooooood
Veritas Unae: (musician wrangler)
no, but really, SOO GOOOOD
720413 Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Lark Mordancy: (composer, booklet commentary)
Sburban Jungle has been stuck in my head since the moment I first heard it in Homestuck, and the rest of Michael Guy Bowman's work is equally memorable. For this piece, I chose to mix Sburban Jungle with 69423 from his album Comfortable Bugs. As for the title, well, I'm thinking of a number between 450 and 850...
sayachan-art: (track artist)
This music gave me a ton of inspiration for the track art but I ahd to draw a lot of different things and concepts before I actually came down to what I really wanted. For starters, Sburban Jungle has always been the music that kick started the game for the kids. For a beautiful track like this I felt the need to be a bit more abstract, so as the kids rise up, they bleed this colourful and glitchy glitter and the image itself follows the sequence of the Zodiac Signs (Trolls amde the kids), Green Spirograph (Beta Kids session) and the game reset which amde the Sburb logo red (Alpha kids session).
March of the Aluminum Soldiers Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Ian White: (composer, booklet commentary)
it is a march
inspired by kirby games
and I guess Sousa
that guy is like the king of marches
Veritas Unae: (percussion)
i didn't even do anything except duplicate a snare sound that's it
also sousa is the best
rosesarecrimson: (track artist)
I knew from the minute I read it that I wanted it to look something like a Russian propaganda poster. The toughest thing about this was the over composition. Turns out it's reallllllly hard to get a rectangular composition to translate to a square.
An Uncertain Venture Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
David Ellis: (composer, booklet commentary)
This is intended as a walkabout track.
No guitars this time.
awakesleeping: (track artist)
This piece has a bit of back story that I made up and I suppose I might've been more than a little self-indulgent here with my otp, but it's what the song made me think of. So the idea is that Dirk and Jake are adventuring together on lomax with Sawtooth and Squarewave (who are providing the hip hop backdrop). I imagine Dirk would be very controlling during tomb raids and such, taking the leader role, or at least being manipulative in some way. I think this would really make Jake feel uncomfortable and.... (wait for it) uncertain about his feelings towards Dirk. I think the songs vibe really matches this as well with the cool electronic instrumentation (Dirk) and the walk around looping anxiousness of it (Jack and his adventuring).
Hymn of the Horrorterrors Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Tamara Fritz: (composer, booklet commentary)
This is a piece entirely done in a constructed language entirely created by me. Deatils can be found on the original post on tumblr found on the 'melodystuckrose' blog.
Brad Griffin: (booklet editor)
Pretty would be an understatement.
I partiuclarly like the lacy border.
Sgrubian Wilderness Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Veritas Unae: (composer, booklet commentary)
I did this piece a while back, quite some time ago now. It was a hypothetical theme for Sgrub in the same vein as Sburban Jungle was. I considered reworking the piece, but everywhere I turned the piece wasn't really getting better, so here it is in all its original Sibelius 6 glory! Imagine this playing as all of the trolls enter the medium for the very first time. Go imagination, go!
Brad Griffin: (booklet editor)
Karkat furiously playing the marimba ostinato.
Medium Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Arzenic: (composer, booklet commentary)
This song was my first serious attempt at incorporating vocals into music. At the time this song was created, I had no recording equipment other than a mic on my webcam (and I actually used that same thing to re-record the vocals). Since the audio quality was incomprehensibly bad, I ended up messing around with equalization and limiting a lot, and because of that, I had to change the song to compensate. It went from a more acoustic song, to a song that used a lot of percussion, to even chiptune at one point. It finally settled on this pad-synth kinda' style, and I'd say I'm pretty pleased with that.
Excluding the actual production, the subject and title of the song, "Medium", really stood out to me while I was making it. The Medium holds all of the planets, all of the life, and all of the excitment of S___b. Actually, it holds everything that there is about the game. So, I wanted to make the song sound vast, but I also wanted it to be a bit more personal. Maybe "vastness of the mind" could be a good description. All in all, I'm satisfied with the song, and I hope whoever hears it will be as well.
Scarodactyl: (track artist)
I really enjoyed working on this one. Trying to get the entirety of The Medium into the canvas in a coherent way was an interesting challenge.
Fracta Sub Luna Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
dodostad: (track artist, booklet commentary)
I imagined this song would fit Snowman perfectly, so I tried to squish dramatic moonlight and her into the same square and this is the end result.
Brad Griffin: (booklet editor)
MANDELBROT "EAT FRESH" MOON
Fool [Explicit] Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
PhemieC: (composer, booklet commentary)
A sad, one-sided GamTav song from Gamzee's POV.
You're the Hero (It's You) Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
David Dycus: (composer, booklet commentary)
Written for, but not entered in, the Homestuck music contest. It would have been submitted for John. It was loosely intended to be a major-key counterpart to my song Checkmate from Colours & Mayhem: Universe B.
Brad Griffin: (booklet editor)
This art is about John because it was established earlier that Dave is not a hero (see track 5).
Oh Hi There, Lil Cal Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Catboss: (composer, booklet commentary)
This is a remake of an old track I made back when lil' cal was still a creepy little puppet, which actually, is all the time.
HAA HAA HEE HEE HOO HOO HAA HAA HEE HEE HOO HOO HAA HAA HEE HEE HOO HOO HAA HAA HEE HEE HOO HOO HAA HAA HEE HEE HOO HOO HAA HAA HEE HEE HOO HOO
dodostad: (track artist)
I originally drew this on a post it note, and it kept reappearing in weird places and scaring me. It was a sign I had to paint this, I think.
Courtroom Shuffle Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Nitrosparxx: (composer, booklet commentary)
Well, I certainly didn't expect this song to take off like it did! What was originally just another remix suddenly became one of my most well known and recognized songs! It all started when I saw an interesting post speculating what instruments the trolls might've played. There was harp for Aradia, there was guitar for Tavros, and for Terezi it had clarinet. As soon as I saw that, I knew I had to do a jazzed up remix of her theme. So for about two days, I transcribed the melody, worked out some chords, and did up a bassline and drumbeat. It was kind of weird working on this song, since I was using the unconventional 8/4 time rather than 4/4 time. The reason for this was to make the eight-note swing sound like sixteenth-note swing. Although I'm not as much into Homestuck any more and I feel as though I've written better songs since then, I am still pleased that a lot of people liked this song!
Brad Griffin: (booklet editor)
This track was actually slated to be on LOFAM 2 originally, but got pushed back for some reason or other. This art's been around since then. Very dramatic.
Waveform Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
keyboard cait: (composer, booklet commentary)
In June 2012, Homestuck Volume 9 was released, and I was real excited. Given that it had been months since the whole team had made a new collaborative effort, I took no time in replaying the album several times a day for weeks after its release. As you might expect, this kinda gets into your subconscious. And one night, I had a dream. I was in my room, listening to Trepidation. Then... actually, I'm pretty sure that was the whole dream. When I woke up, I begain thinking about what the dream could have meant. My conclusion was that I should probably listen to Trepidation some more. And I did. And it ended up becoming my favorite Homestuck song.
About seven months later, I reminded myself about the fact that the LOFAM 3 project was probably about to start soon. Resolving to make a quality song before the selection process began, I decided to make a Trepidation rearrange, given that I practically knew all its notes by heart by then. So I opened up FL studio, and began working nonstop for the next day and a half to finish it. It ended up quoting not only Trepidation, but also Negative Aperture, Miasmajesty and Upwards Movement, and I'm pretty proud of the end results!
Yorick Cobb: (composer, booklet commentary)
This picture started out digitally as an attempt to imitate N's original placeholder, but I had to restart it when the pen on my tablet wore down. Because I am more comfortable with physical media, the piece was free to go in more interesting directions. I feel digital art is better suited to applications like music art, so I added distinctly digital colors.
Maidswap Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Ashley Jones: (composer, booklet commentary)
I find that a lot of my Homestuck tracks tend to be medleys: One of my first ideas for a track was the Gamzee vs. Dave rap battle with all their motifs as a backdrop (that never really picked off because UGH, LACK OF VOCAL TALENT ON MY PART). This one follows a similar vein; Her Imperious Condescension vs. Lord English's Handmaid. I wanted the track to show how tired of life the Handmaid had become, so a lot of her motifs get cut short quite abrasively by HIC's "attacks", as it were. She puts up a little bit of a struggle sometimes, but eventually she just accepts her fate and lets herself be replaced. So ends the tragic life of the Alternian Ancestors.
Brad Griffin: (booklet editor)
All of scarodactyl's art was actually slightly smaller than the resolution I used for this booklet. Hopefully upscaling it didn't ruin the pixels too much.
Sleepy Eyes of Derse Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Colin Stanfill: (composer, booklet commentary)
This song was written for the colours & mayhem contest, but was never entered.
Brad Griffin: (booklet editor)
There's no sleepy eyes,
Just a snoozing Roxy butt.
(I'm not complaining)
Sign of the Scorpion Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Willow Ascenzo: (composer, booklet commentary)
Sign of the Scorpion is an old track of mine, about maybe 14 or 15 months old, and while I'm legitimately proud of a lot of compositional elements, the mastering and production horrified me looking back on it. Like Dance of Viridian and Violet, I'd long since deleted the project file, since it was just a one-off Homestuck song that I figured I was unlikely to ever need again, so I made a new arrangement of the piece from scratch, taking elements I liked from the original and putting them in a new context. It doesn't quote any Homestuck themes (I don't believe the original did at all), except for a brief mention of Spider's Claw right at the end. The new arrangement has a bit more of a hard-rock feel and toned-down orchestral elements, making it a bit more reflective of Vriska as a character.
Ducky Senpai: (track artist)
I did a track art for one of Ascenzo's songs back in LOFAM2 as well and also the art for Rust Apocalypse. So, when I saw two songs by them on the available songs for track art, I couldn't really help myself. Their songs are great. I know you like it, I can tell. Hope the track art seems suitable, and that you'll enjoy that as well. I have nothing else to say on the matter. That's it.
Aqueous Armagourddon Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Brad Griffin: (composer, booklet commentary)
Like everybody else, I was astounded by Malcolm Brown's Pumpkin Party in Sea Hitler's Water Apocalypse from Volume 9. For this song, I wanted to do a different take on it. Apocalypses aren't all fun and games, after all. Major props to Ella for the wonderful track art.
a pumpkin is a type of gourd that is the pun
dodostad: (track artist)
I loved the sound of this song but had a hard time figuring out what to draw for it, but whenever in doubt draw a sad Roxy inside a pumpkin.
Fortune Healer Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Joe Ouellet: (composer, booklet commentary)
This is a song for Aranea Serket. I originally set out to make this piece for a Hero of Light, mainly for Rose at the conception of the piece, but as I got further into making it, it became clear it was not a "Rose" song. Although I think this song goes off on too many tangents (not sticking to a particular melody or motif throughout the song) I find it suiting for Aranea due to her tendency to jabber away at any chance she gets, often changing the subject multiple times. Or maybe I just made that up now to make it seem like I did it on purpose...The world may never know. I have also been thinking about making a sort of "sequel" set of songs to this one for Vriska and Rose. They would be called "Fortune Stealer" and "Fortune Teller" respectively.
Elanor Pam: (track artist)
Aranea.
Bathearst's Theme Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Brad Griffin: (booklet editor)
NANANANANANANANANANNANANNANANANA
BATAMARI DAMACYThe first and only Problem Sleuth song on a LoFaM album to date. Hopefully not the last!
The Metamorphosis of Rose Lalonde Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Thomas Ferkol: (composer, booklet commentary)
A three movement piece based on Rose Lalonde's character developments from normal to grimdark to god tier. It's about 10 minutes all together. Also, the last of the Seer pieces. The first two movements were from early 2011, but the last movement was added after Cascade.
Racheme: (track artist)
This beautiful track and it's title is very direct that this is about Rose and how far she has come since Act 1 so I just drew what it told me, I hope it is okay ;;
Theme of the Slam Jam Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Catboss: (composer, booklet commentary)
WORK THAT BODY WORK THAT BODY MAKE SURE YOU DON'T HURT NOBODY
GET WILD AND LOSE YOUR MIND
TAKE THIS THING INTO OVERDRIVE
HEY DJ, TURN IT UP
QCD GONNA yeah okay i'll stop now(...c'mon and slam and welcome to the jam)
Catboss: (composer, Tumblr, excerpt)
GameBro and GameGrl work the crowd at the Slam Jam, with a little help from QCD.
plaidcushion: (track artist)
This is simultaneously the best and stupidest thing I have ever created. Thank goodness for the 90's.
JOHN DO THE WINDY THING Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Robert J! Lake: (composer, booklet commentary)
i was drunk
Brad Griffin: (booklet editor)
John, do the windy thing,
John, do the windy thing,
John, do the windy thing,
Do the windy thing...end of disk 1
cintiq's broken, no new gifs for a while i guess
meantime:
would you buy a song like this
would it contribute to the value of a homestuck volume
you should tell radiation/andrew, if so
be honest
#the best thing i've ever made #secret homestuck music #bonus round #john do the windy thing #best song ever #homestuck songs #snog #things that have been around since volume 6
Niklink: (wiki editor)
A little bit of fandom history: Dave's Phat Beat Machine, the actual real thing instead of the static image they replaced it with after Flash died, has four secret buttons with extra music you find after selecting the four corner buttons on the machine. Somewhat unusually, the flash does indeed pull music directly from external sites which have stopped working over the years. By looking into the flash itself you can see the intended music for each button. From left to right:
http://www.mspaintadventures.com/storyfiles/hs2/00253/mspa_harlequin.mp3
Harlequin. This one still works, as it links back to MSPA. Reused from the Act 2 walkaround, actually.
http://www.turner.com/planet/mp3/cp_close.mp3
The Captain Planet closing credits. Visiting this link now redirects you to a redesigned Warner page instead.
http://fozzy42.com/SoundClips/Themes/Movies/Ghostbusters.mp3
Ghostbusters theme song from some random-ass page that no longer exists.
http://pasko.webs.com/foreign/Aerosmith_-_I_Dont_Wanna_Miss_A_Thing.mp3
Same deal as above, but for I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing (as an Armageddon reference)... This link actually works! But.. it's playing a different song??
Well, it turns out that from early 2019 all the way through the death of Flash at the end of 2020, fans managed to purchase this domain name and sneakily changed the song that plays to this very song! The link is still active, although of course it's pretty difficult to actually get Flash to run on your computer these days.
˚ Disk 2 ˚ Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Brad Griffin: (booklet editor)
Halfway there!
I'ma get real for a sec.
The Homestuck fanmusic albums are very dear to me. I've met many friends and colleagues through the creation of the LoFaM albums and the Sburb OST project. I am honoured by each opportunity to work alongside such great talent, and to somehow be included amongst them.
Everybody involved is a great inspiration to me. Thanks.
-Avinoch
Quasar Nebula: (wiki editor)
Track art originally created for Together (At Last) (check out its commentary).
Garden of Eden (Part 1) Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Veritas Unae: (composer, booklet commentary)
Wow. This piece was a huge undertaking that started back when I first played Eden sometime... last year I think? I really connected with James's piece, so much so that I made sure to let him know (and continue to let him know) how easy and intuitive it felt to play. I experimented with it, transitioning into psych0ruins, and then into Doctor. Being heavily inspired by Konec0's dance medleys, I thought to extend the piece, and extended it I did. Up until the Walk Stab Walk / Earthsea Borealis section was all ad lib'd on my piano, as I picked pieces I thought I could move between, and beyond there I wrote original scores straight into Sibelius which I could barely dream of playing. This piece developed into what you hear today, including the seret ending! I hope it moves you, as all of Homestuck's music has moved me. Enjoy listening to this 31 song medley! Some day I'll learn to play it.
A 'quick' fact, I had planned to continue the Killed By 8r8k Spider section through over the top of the Unite Synchronization ostinato, but when I played back the section after the high G, stacatto F into the ostinato, I felt a powerful urge to just get straight back into the final version of Eden, which was written on whim straight into that 4/4 pattern and more fluidly in B minor. It feels like a new life has been breathed into Eden because of it, and I'm so happy to be the man to have done it!
azuzatori: (track artist)
scoot did piano
i drew piano
Full Song Credits
Eden - James Dever
Psych0ruins - Toby "Radiation" Fox
Doctor - Buzinkai
Savior of the Dreaming Dead - Malcolm Brown
Sburban Jungle - Michael Guy Bowman
Lotus - Seth Peelle
Growing Up - Eston "silence" Schweickart
Flare - Clark "Plazmataz" Powell
Showtime - Malcolm Brown
Heir Conditioning - Joren "Tensei" de Bruin
Dawn of Man - Michael Guy Bowman (+ Sburban Jungle)
Cascade - Joren "Tensei" de Bruin
Liquid Negrocity - Toby "Radiation" Fox
Ruins (With String) - Erik "Jit" Scheele
Black Rose / Green Sun - Malcolm Brown(Continued in Part 2)
Garden of Eden (Part 2) Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Veritas Unae: (composer, booklet commentary)
Full Song Credits
(Continued from Part 1)
Crystamanthequins - Erik "Jit" Scheele
October - Erik "Jit" Scheele
Walk-Stab-Walk - Erik "Jit" Scheele
Earthsea Borealis - Toby "Radiation" Fox
Carbon Nadsat / Cuestick Genius - Robert "J" Lake
Hate You - Toby "Radiation" Fox
Three in the Morning - Clark "Plazmataz" Powell
Rex Duodecim Angelus - Malcolm Brown
Moonsetter - Toby "Radiation" Fox (+ Eden)
English - Toby "Radiation" Fox
Gold Pilot - First Turn Fold
Nightmare - Malcolm Brown
Killed By BR8K Spider!!!!!!!! - Toby "Radiation" Fox
Unite Synchronization - Malcolm Brown (+ Eden, revised)--- SECRET ENDING ---
Homestuck Anthem - Clark "Plazmataz" Powell
Theme (Bonus) - Toby "Radiation" Fox
Mother - Erik "Jit" Scheele
Electric Fireflies Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Thomas Ibarra: (composer, booklet commentary)
Many of my recompositions tend to be experiments with lemotiffs, and Electric Fireflies is no exception. While largely focused around the light flicks of piano melody within Firefly Cloud and the song itself by Erik "Jit" Scheele, I found my experiment to take a course of it's own. I tried to follow Jit's carefully integrated elements of Doctor to discover that his method employed a much more flowing and intertwined realization of instrumental melody; this was something I felt that I did not achieve. I felt refreshing to observe what can only be described as mastery of melody, theme and atmosphere. It was a pleasure to make this piece.
Elanor Pam: (track artist)
Sketched and colored in Paint Tool Sai and color adjusted in Photoshop.
MY WORKSPACE TABLET IS INCREDIBLY SHITTY I AM SO SORRY CALLIE DESERVED BETTER THAN THIS also I actually forgot about Dirk's sword and only noticed it when I was about to post haha whoops
The Blast Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Dakota Medina: (composer, booklet commentary)
The Blast is a song written from Aradia's perspective regarding the 'sollux killing her hyped up on Mind Honey' incident. It is about her about to blow up about telling everyone that it is 0kay. The song was written mostly as a 'Can I write a simple and effective only 4 chords song' and I think it was successful. The song was revamped for the LoFaM3 album and completely remade from the ground up. Hope you enjoy!
RaChoTamer: (track artist)
Oh man. "The Blast". I really love this song. Seriously, Snortrax is a very lovely musician. Go listen to his other stuff after you listen to this album!
Honestly, this track art took me... far too long to finish. Mainly because I decided to redraw Aradia completely once I had finished the lines HAHA OOPS.
But I think it was worth it in the end! I learnt a lot doing this, especially when it came to style and faces and painting, so hopefully it was worth it!
I also learnt that I can't draw psionic blasts for my life.
Dominion Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Thomas Ferkol: (composer, booklet commentary)
Me jumping the gun on making a land theme for Dirk. Had put it forward for Vol. 9 as just a track about him but didn't make the cut. Held onto it for a while hoping I could find some way to make it better, but it's aging on me.
inimitable-nectar: (track artist)
I listened to the song on loop while I was drawing. I think it ended up being about 36 plays long.
Run-Stab-Run Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Yan Rodriguez: (composer, booklet commentary)
This was back when I cared about getting the first remix of at least one recently released song out for Homestuck. The result is this! I tried elaborating a bit on the material Jit gave so far, since at the time there wasn't much to go off of, and I think it fares relatively well. It's hard to feel good about old music sometimes though.
Brad Griffin: (booklet editor)
Slick strut!
Tombs & Krypton Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Rob Little: (composer, booklet commentary)
I made this shortly after LOTAK was first revealed, and I wanted to capture the pressure and paradoxical claustrophobia of that huge space blanketed by a heavy, inert atmosphere. I started with the drums, which were just an attempt to create a kit from scratch that I didn't entirely hate, plus a ton of reverb. Next came the atmospheric elements - the distorted tremolo synth, the piano, the echoing synth bleeps which to me are a signal intended to guide the player, decayed over the aeons the planet has waited for Dirk's arrival, and the nearly-metronomic hat-click to reinforce the sense that, now that he's here, his limited time is rapidly ticking away. Finally I tried a few string melodies for the middle section, but simply nothing says 'towering ancient remains of a lost civilization' as effectively as Erik Scheele's Ruins, so I stole it and added a sort of contrapuntal harmony underneath. And now I give it to you.
fueledbyanimation: (track artist)
I was beyond excited to get to be part of another fan album, especially to be drawing for a song connected to Dirk's planet, since he's one of my absolute favorite characters. Every kid/troll's planet reflects them and also challenges them at the same time. LOTAK is one of the more dangerous planets, with its constant raging lightning storms and the most powerful denizen at it's center, fitting for Dirk who is a determined, skilled fighter. The planet is also a contrast, a planet full of tall buildings for someone who grew up in an ocean surrounded by nothing. I really wanted to show LOTAK as an extension, or part of, Dirk himself. The song itself gives a sense of floating, or as the music artist said themselves, a very spacey feeling, so I tried to capture this as well, with the overview shot of the planet that Dirk appears to be floating over. I hope that others who look at my piece will feel I managed to picture the song well in my drawing for it.
Contention Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Marcy Nabors: (composer, booklet commentary)
I wrote Contention as a strife theme for Dirk Strider. It's synthesized entirely with FM patches ripped from a ROM of Sonic The Hedgehog 2 and converted to FM8 format, in keeping with the Sega Genesis inspired style of Dirk-related songs like Anbroids. The rhythms in this song were largely inspired by the drums in the song "Tung, The Icelandic Lesbian" by Kitsune^2. I've always been a big fan of heavy 6/8 two-against-three rhythms played with Sonic-style drums, so the choice of time signature for this track was a no-brainer.
melodiousDiscord: (track artist)
Here we see Dirk, the Prince of Heart, preparing to clash with the Imperial Drones sent by HIC to dispose of him. His loyal and steadfast retainer, Sawtooth, seeks to thin the enemy ranks while Dirk meets the opposing force head on. A fierce and devastating battle ensues, yet the Prince prevails. For now...
Slick Snow Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Elanor Pam: (track artist, booklet commentary)
Snowman and Spades Slick.
Brad Griffin: (booklet editor)
Ooh, complex rhythm. Jazzy.
Sord..... Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Team Dogfight: (booklet commentary)
NEOCLASICAL GUITAR-
S O L B O
BWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEe eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEeeeeeeeeeflareeeeeeee eeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEe eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEE EEeEEEEEeeeeEEEEEeee
Veritas Unae: (track artist)
"i don't usually make art
........................but when i do, it's for a sbahj track."
The Demon and the Alien Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Veritas Unae: (composer, booklet commentary)
CAA: f0r a demon wh0 is indestructible
CAA: 0mnip0tent
CAA: and enragedAlthough MeGaLoVania is an awesome track for [S] Wake, I felt that it didn't really tell the story of how Aradia arose, and eventually faced Jack and vanished through his frame into the realm of the Green Sun. And with my love of psych0ruins and Liquid Negrocity / Black leading me to sessions on the piano playing around with the song, a steady chain of events started forming as I played around with the medley. Imagine the events of Aradia's half of [S] Wake playing, plus those pages that come a little while after where Aradia stops Jack in time (note the 'ticking' of the high notes late in the piece!) Of course, I had to pay homage to the original track used for the flash. What you hear is played live, too! (albeit through a MIDI keyboard) Many thanks to Lunatic again for providing assistance - it's insane the air this guy's got.
laroone: (track artist)
Since Aradia came back to life she's been entertaining nuts, and I had this image of her sitting with a calm smile on her face while Jack is trapped and PISSED. I thought it would be fun since Aradia takes everything so in stride, and when she first becomes God Tier she freezes Jack mere seconds before he kills her, with a big smile on her face and no worries. I wanted to go with something like this, Jack being trapped in 'time' and Aradia sitting by sweetly.
Party of Three Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Cullen Lawson: (co-composer, booklet commentary)
Hello there! I'm very excited to be a part of LOFAM 3! This is the first time I've been a part of a LOFAM album, and this tune is the first one I've ever done as a collaborative project with someone. I had a blast working with Joe. He's been a very supportive friend and music-making mentor and I couldn't imagine working with a better collab partner. I was tossing the idea around for a while to do something for the Draconian Dignitary/Diamonds Droog, so I was very happy when Joe went along with the idea. It turned out a lot different than I expected, but in a very good way! I'm pleased as punch to have been a part of it.
Joe Ouellet: (co-composer)
This was a collab between me and Cullen! I had a ton of fun working on this with him. It was his idea initially to mash up a few songs featuring DD. I didn't really expect it to turn into a dubstep piece as I had no experience making the genre at all!
plaidcushion: (track artist)
I wanted to go with a simple but striking design that worked on two levels: the large diamond with the grey layers, which looks good as a thumbnail on a small ipod screen or similar, and the silhouetted shadowy type DDs that are more apparent when you view the art at full size. I'm really happy with how well it worked out!
Invertebrate Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
dodostad: (track artist, booklet commentary)
A friend of mine made a plush squiddle so I decided to let it have a moment to shine! Also this song is the cutest thing what the heckie.
Brad Griffin: (booklet editor)
SQUIDDLES
timaeusAmplified Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Shandy: (composer & track artist, booklet commentary)
Originally this track was intended for Parcel Mistress, but after learning more about Dirk's character I thought it fit him better. Thank you to LOFAM and all the talented musicians and artists who made this album possible!
Scabbard Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Yan Rodriguez: (composer, booklet commentary)
I used to do a series of songs/arrangements lining up with stories. I didn't ever really line this one up with anything, but the basic idea was "Unsheathed in a haunted house." I played a lot of Luigi's Mansion for this one.
Brad Griffin: (booklet editor)
Pretty sure this is one of them Pisces trolls. Not sure why it is called Scabbard.
Sketches in Black Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Kevin Grant: (composer, booklet commentary)
Originally supposed to be a practice project so I could learn how to sample, I added in a few piano riffs from Black and it took on a life of its own. The most obvious sample is from "It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing", but other samples in there inclue the trumpet from an old 1940s big band song, and the drums from "Paint It Black" by the Rolling Stones. For a song that wasn't even originally a song, I think it came out pretty well. Enjoy!
Brad Griffin: (booklet editor)
If another one of these commentaries ends with "Enjoy" I am going to punch everyone.
Great perspective work on the art.
queenoftheantz: (track artist, Tumblr)
My track art contribution for LOFAM3, for a song called Sketches in black. I hope they will like it! c:
#I'm super nervous #what if they don't like it???? #Oh god #But at least I'm very proud of it as a picture #So I really really hope they will like it! #I find it's very interesting that in every universe no matter if it's troll human or cherub #Jack and The black Queen's story seems to start around a desk administration work and #hateful black sketches
Together (At Last) Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Joe Ouellet: (composer, booklet commentary)
Together (At Last) is a theme for the Beta kids' reunion, obviously made before they reunited in canon. The beginning is supposed to be happy; the beta kids finally unite for the first time after a session gone awry and a 3 year journey through the dark abyss and a mysterious alternate dimension. They hug, cry, fist bump, push each other down a set of friendship stairs, etc. Then Rose drops a bombshell: an unbeatable demon is going around destroying dream bubbles, and in the process, the universe. Things look grave, and Jade and John are startled. But they decide to press on and not give up. Together, with the remaining trolls and the alpha kids, they can defeat, or escape, Lord English once and for all.
Brad Griffin: (booklet editor)
Due to miscommunication, we actually ended up with a couple pieces for this track. Both were pretty rad, so we didn't want either to go to waste. The other ended up being the "Disk 2" track art.
INFIDELS! Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
David Ellis: (composer, booklet commentary)
I wanted to ruin Samm's song. Mission accomplished.
Kate Holden: (track artist)
Let's be 100% clear here, I freaking love prog rock, so I was pretty pumped listening to this tune over and over while drawing this one. Every piece of track art I've done for this album has been a little different. This one was the easiest to do and only took an hour because this kind of inked comic book art is my bread and butter. I felt that something bold and comic bookish would fit well since it has that epic kind of scope prog rock gets across. Remember how in the eighties the X-men seemed to spend most of their time in space participating in big Space Opera stuff? I wanted to do something like that.
INFIDELS!
Here's a little Homestuck related piece I've been working on based mainly on Iron Infidel.
Audio files kindly provided by Samm Neiland.
I've wanted to do a piece where I could exploit Melodyne a bit and mess with vocals so I took this as a chance to do so.
Also quotes a theme by Toby 'Radiation' Fox. Probably not the one you're thinking of and probably not when you're expecting it.
Forest Fire Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Brad Griffin: (composer, booklet commentary)
This track was initially just an arrangement of Heart of the Forest by Solatrus, from the Spiritwake soundtrack. Then I was all "hey I bet Flare would sound pretty good with this" so I added it in and it didn't sound terrible. A fadeout is a totally lazy way to end a song. Apologies to Jeremy Iamurri and Clark Powell.
Thanks also to sayachan for the exceptional track art.
sayachan-art: (track artist)
This song takes me back to when Rose was trying to escape her impending doom and get into the game and then when hearing Flare I find myself thinking about the tumor, it's countdown, her death and ascension and it makes me realize how much she has grown. So, what I tried to imply with this cover is how that fire she was trying to evade eventually became the flames of the green sun where she accepted her fate and arose anew.
RetroBution (ohgodwhy Remix) Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Riki Tsuji: (composer, booklet commentary)
900pm
butts per minute
Kate Holden: (track artist)
I had been wanting to make a full set of functional, repearing titles anyway for use in maybe making a simple platformer, so I decided to make use of them and create a sort of "If mspa was a game in the 16 bit era" thing. The spirtes were also an excellent opportunity to test out the sprite base I've been working on making from scratch.
Insomniac Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Princey The Kid: (composer, booklet commentary)
It's a battle for dominance between Caliborn and Calliope.
Caliboner: (track artist)
All I really have to say is that I have never worked as diligently on any art piece, as I have on this. I spent, what, two months psychoanalyzing a painting of a skull, covered in blood. I had several friends critique it through the process, and eventually ended up with this.
I know it has a chance to be used as cover art in the next LOFAM, which made me sort of sheepish toward the end because I realized that the fan albums are a big deal, which lead me to submitting it a bit later than I had hoped, because I became nervous.
As for the actual song, after listening to it 164 times on my counter, I have realized that I still love the song as much as I did the first time I listened to it.
Hope Remains Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Elanor Pam: (track artist, booklet commentary)
Veritas wanted to use my Together at Last pic for this track (since that one already has track art) but I thought it was too contemplative for this song. Hope Remains has something of an "ongoing chase scene" feel for me. So I offered to come up with something more active. Then my comp's power source went and burned... good thing I have a tablet at work! And that work on this day was slow to a ridiculous degree. I had but few interruptions while drawing this one. Whew, crisis averted!
Brad Griffin: (booklet editor)
Andre does good musics. This is no exception.
Maid in Spades Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Max Wright: (composer, booklet commentary)
Taking the motif from Willow Ascenzo's Rust Servant and completely changing the genre was one of the more fun piece ideas I've had.
Maid in Spades is a piece written for the Handmaid, reimagining the character in a swinging bundle of positive vibes. Now, I could try and justify the choice of genre here by referring to her past, how she is a tragic character with a pure heart, how she was nurtured into evil... but the truth is: this piece doesn't fit the Handmaid in the slightest.
But really, it was never meant to.
dodostad: (track artist)
The song is very uplifting, but you can't really draw Handmaid without making her glare really hard, can you?
Max Wright: (Tumblr, excerpt)
This is a piece I did in reply to THIS remix, by wellmanicuredmusic, of Cobalt Corsair. So this is a remix of Rust Servant, a swingin' romp that uses the same thematic material in a jazzier way. Does it fit the character of the handmaid? Nope, but it was never meant to.
Gears and Chandeliers Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Joe Ouellet: (composer, booklet commentary)
A remix of one of my favorite Homestuck songs, Candles and Clockwork. It's more of a reimagining of the piece really. There isn't much to say about it in particular other than it was my best mastering work at the time of its completion, I think. It may have also been the first time I stayed away from using endless breakbeat loops in a Homestuck remix.
Brad Griffin: (booklet editor)
Ooh, crystalline. Very shiny!
Cold Steel Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Nick Smalley and Solatrus: (co-composers, booklet commentary)
We started this song back in January 2012, during one of our regular hanging-out-probably-drinking collaborative sessions. We got talking about the fact that Frost had been remixed a couple times (once by us, and the other by orngje223). One of us (probably Nick) wondered what Frost would sound like as a really cliched remix, to which Jeremy sarcastically pointed out that the only people who ever remix Frost is himself and his friends. This idea was, obviously, a total joke; nevertheless, we kept at it. The song ended up getting to a point where we realized the joke had been lost, and something awesome took its place. To put it simply, what started out as us dicking around ended up becoming one of the coolest songs we've done together.
devonianecho: (track artist)
Doing art for a dance remix of Frost wouldn't have proved tricky if not for a perplexing (but very cool) track title. And so, here we have Jade and some frogs integrated as part of a... metaphoric-circuitboard-type-thing by Echidna. I think if you imagine the song set to a trippy frog-gathering montage on LOFAF with this imagery, you'll get a better idea of what I was aiming for. At any rate, I'm really happy with how it turned out, and I hope I've done the track the justice it absolutely deserves.
Pirates of Alternia: Dead Troll's Chest Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Willow Ascenzo: (composer, booklet commentary)
0:00-0:14: An unassuming troll merchant ship sails the ocean, its precious cargo of shitty romantic comedy movies tucked safely within its lower decks, unaware of the danger that approaches.
0:14-0:24: A pirate ship suddenly appears from out of the fog, closing in fast! Its captain: the dastardly pirate Marquise Spinneret Mindfang!
0:24-1:05: Mindfang's pirate crew boards the vessel, and a battle ensues! This part introduces the main theme of the piece, which is adapted from the first thirty esconds or so of Imbrog's Cobalt Corsair. As the fight continues, another ship closes in...
1:05-1:19: It's Dualscar! He and Mindfang cross swords once again. This section lifts the main melody from my own Violet Mariner.
1:19-2:04: It's time to get all Hans Zimmer up in this bitch. Mindfang and Dualscar duel amid the cacophony. There's a whole bunch of Errol Flynn swordplay and shit. Masts get climbed and sails get torn and stuff like that. Fun for the whole family!
2:04-2:58: The chaos awakens a beast from the depths of the sea, which begins to ravenously devour the hapless cargo vessel. The battle continues even as the foul kraken crams the ship down its toothy gullet. Mindfang and Dualscar swordfight their way onto the deck of Mindfang's ship as the beast, satisfied, sinks back beneath the waves. There's a little bit more from Cobalt Corsair in here.
2:58-3:53: Thrust, parry, dodge, that kind of stuff. What remains of Mindfang's crew knows it's best to stay out of their way. Meanwhile, a round of decisive cannon fire takes its toll on Dualscar's ship.
3:53-4:00: Dualscar and Mindfang's blades both end up precariously close to each other's throats.
4:00-4:13: One jump cut later, Dualscar is left adrift in a lifeboat as Mindfang's ship, a little worse for the wear, vanishes into the fog.
Ducky Senpai: (track artist)
Oh look, it appears I've done yet another track art for Ascenzo. I'm kind of like Willow's artist stalker.
Sunsoaked Heavenscape Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Ashley Jones: (composer, booklet commentary)
When the Homestuck Music Contest first opened well over a year ago, I'd really only just started exploring my love of creating music. This track (which is based around the Exiles years in the future) and one other are actually only the third and fourth tracks I ever composed! I've improved a lot since then but I always had a little bit of love for this one. When LOFAM3 was announced I made a snap decision to spruce up my little deser themed tune and bring tumblr's attention back to it. I'm honoured that such an old track of mine is still considered worthy of LOFAM, to be honest!
Brad Griffin: (booklet editor)
That heavenscape is certainly sunsoaked. Neat!
Explore [Keygen Mix] Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
keyboard cait: (composer, booklet commentary)
What even is keygen music? I have no idea, but if it exists, I hope this sounds like it.
This song is pretty important to me. Prior to completing it in March 2012, I had really only been making small loops in FL Studio that only had one or two instruments, save for two submissions I'd sent to the Homestuck fanmusic contest, which, while pretty good in terms of structure even by my standards today, didn't exactly have much to them in production value. But when I took it upon myself to rearrange Explore, that suddenly changed. I was extremely self-deprecative about it at first, but as I began to listen to it more, I realized that it didn't sound all that bad- in fact, it even sounded.. tolerable, compared to everything else I'd made. And that was essentially when I resolved to work on making my music sound even better.
In fact, people liked it enough that it was nominated for LOFAM 3, no more than a year later. Having improved a lot by that time, I decided to touch it up a little, and this version is the result. I didn't really change all that much, besides adding and tweaking a few instruments, but I hope it sounds better nonetheless!
Lunise: (track artist)
My interest in doing Homestuck fanart has waned over the past few months, but I will always have a soft spot for the exiles no matter what. So it is only natural that I do goofy exile art for an Explore arrangement! Even though I was seriously burned out on art in general when I did this, I think it turned out okay. Goofy, happy exiles always turn out okay!
Ohgodboss Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
Kevin Grant: (composer, booklet commentary)
So, this was one of my first chiptunes. People seem to like it. However, when I listen to it now, two years later, I realize how little I knew about Famitracker, and music composition in genearl. I like to think I've learned a great deal since Ohgodboss. Still, I guess it's catchy enough as it is. Enjoy!
Brad Griffin: (booklet editor)
oh for the love of god!
Kate Holden: (track artist, booklet commentary)
I actually did two pieces of potential art for this, both featuring Dave and Jade fighting Bec Noir, since it seemed appropriate for an intense boss tune featuring a theme associated with Jade. There was a duller version of this as well as a more comic bookish one. A panel of friends agreed that this one read better, but it was a little flat, so I started brightening it and tweaking it, but still wanted to convey '8-bit', so I started playing around with a square brush throwing in this Darwina-esque square noise, which I thought looked pretty cool. It has been remarked that Jade firing an assault rifle in the air in front of a volcano is metal as shit. That's probably my favourite commentary on the image.)
Track Art for 'OhGodWhat Boss Battle Remix' by UWBW for Land of Fans and Music 3 (coming soon, I hope!!). Originally I drew this all with hard pixel edges:
...but it wasn't really 'working'. It looked a little flat and also a bit blobby up close (something I didn't like about my artwork for 'Amongst Smiling Faces' on SburbOST), which would have taken a fair bit of fiddling close up to fix. So I got out some smooth brushes and smoothed up a lot of the lines and added some glowy effects to soften things and bump the contrast. That looked nicer, but then I felt the link to the chiptune feel of the piece of music was lost. I decided to do something Darwinia-esque, got out a square brush and threw in a lot of square noise.
While I was feeling dissatsfied with the above image, before making those changes, I actually did a whole other piece of alternative track art though!
I like this image in and of itself, but discussing with CoLab friends, it was felt that the first image would read better, particularly on a little iPod screen, and also that it was more dynamic, exciting and suited to the track in question.
As you can see from both, I knew I wanted to do something involving Jade and Dave on LoFaF, fighting Jack. OhGodWhat being, of course, a track that Jade made for Dave originally, and this being a boss battle remix.
Dogfight (Dirtiest's Dubstep Remix) Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
David Dycus: (composer, booklet commentary)
My first attempt at a dubstep song, from my ill-conceived dubstep phase. It took a ton of time, an entire new drum pack, and ultimately, a new laptop to finish. It's not my favorite song I've ever made--it doesn't sound like a real dubstep song, in my opinion--but I learned a lot in the process of making it.
Lunise: (track artist, booklet commentary)
I HOPE YOU LIKE GAMEGRL
Does this look familiar? It should because this is the new and improved, revamped version of some art for a track that didn't quite make it onto LOFAM2! What was once the art for Stalemate is now the art for Dogfight (Dirtiest's Dubstep Remix), which will soon be on LOFAM3, and I'm glad to announce that it didn't cause me nearly as much pain and suffering as it originally did. Upscaling to 300dpi was a bit of an issue but in the grand scheme of things this version was a lot less painful to do than its low-res counterpart.
Wings, especially feathered ones, are still a very deep circle of art hell, though. I love them but they're a pain.
The GameGRL assets were originally made by the incredible Tavia Morra, who got a kick out of seeing what I did with them.
This isn't my best work per se since it's a reworking of something I did months ago but I'm pretty satisfied with how the reworked version turned out nonetheless. This actually wasn't intended for LOFAM3 originally and I started reworking it in November last year so I could potentially submit it (without GameGRL) to the What Pumpkin print store, but it hasn't been open for submissions in a long time so I put this on hold until work on LOFAM3 had started.
#april fools #or is it
Quasar Nebula: (wiki editor)
Lunise's artwork (sans GameGrl collage) was originally illustrated for Stalemate, which had been slated for Land of Fans and Music 2 at the time. (Sburban Genesis, also composed by Lark Mordancy, ended up on the album instead.)
Starblaze Listen on: Bandcamp, YouTube
plaidcushion: (track artist, booklet commentary)
Starblaze is a really cool track, and I'm really pleased i got to make the art for it! I tried to stick with the same format as the art for the song it came from, but a bit more lively- It made me think of the Alpha kids hanging out together at night, lit only by the glow of their lanterns from the tower in LoCaH.
Brad Griffin: (booklet editor)
Welp, so ends the third volume of Land of Fans and Music. This album would not be possible without your suggestions and constant support.
Thanks for listening!
Land of Fans and Music 3
Disk 1 (1–31)
Disk 2 (32–63)