2.5k words across 33 entries.

Stable Time Loops and Paradoxes Listen on: YouTube (playlist)

Pascal van den Bos: (booklet commentary)

Hi there!, i'm PotatoBoss, i pretty much started this album, even though i never would have thought it'd get this big. Anyway thank you for downloading this album, and be sure to check out all the amazing artists and musicians if you have time, they all worked very hard and it would be much appreciated. Thanks!

The Paradox Music Team: (Bandcamp about blurb, excerpt) captured 11/30/2021

Cover art by: Culdhira

The Paradox Music Team: (Bandcamp credits blurb) captured 11/30/2021

Featuring:

Musicians:
apatheticPianist
Caelan Kier
Pascal “PotatoBoss” van den Bos
Frost Carter
Thomas “EidolonOrpheus” Ferkol
Sunbent
CALIKID

Artists:
Zoe Stanley
Camelote
melodic-co
cup
Méline “Meriinu” Hamard
Caelan Kier
doctorcorby
Pascal “PotatoBoss” van den Bos
questionedSleeper
Sunbent
Pastel Colors
Imperial Nyx
SoulofWoods
OrangeKrro
catharticGhost
Paula Zotter
CALIKID
Culdhira
Hilaletto
frummpets

~~Disc 1~~ Listen on: YouTube

apatheticPianist: (composer, booklet commentary)

This is an arrangement of Showtime that I've had lying around for a while - and it happened to be perfect for the opening disc jingle, so here we are! I actually managed to knock this recording out in my first three tries, which is kinda crazy... and that's really all there is to say on the matter.

Egbert's Kitchen Listen on: YouTube

Pascal van den Bos: (composer, booklet commentary)

For this track i went for the style of music i think Dad listens to, a jazzier version of Under the Hat fit this idea. Also the chiptune breakdown in the middle is supposed to reference the original Strife! theme for dad. So later with a bit of saxophone it worked! I think it came out pretty well, and i think this is what you'd hear whenever you walk into the kitchen when Dad is baking.

Penumbra Phantasm (Frosty Style) Listen on: YouTube

Frost Carter: (composer, booklet commentary)

This song has been in the works for a very long time. The better part of a year, in fact. It went through a LOT of different iterations and versions (at one point even being part of an Undertale fan game that was unfortunately canceled) before landing where it is now. I finally decided to finish it and let the little bird fly for this album. Fun fact: It was originally titled "Penumbra Phantasm (Frosty Edition)," but then, thanks to a typo from PotatoBoss, the "Edition" changed to "Style," and, honestly, I prefer it this way. Go figure, there would be one last change to the song before it was finally finished.

Solicide Listen on: YouTube

Caelan Kier: (composer, booklet commentary)

Y'know that feeling you get when you've been told by gods to blow up a sun twice the size of a universe? well if you have, i think it'd feel something like Solicide. So I was just spittin' some phat-tunes-y'all, y'know, some chill Dave song, when I was like... "Nah, this is just too spooky for Dave, but maybe spooky enough for Rose?" so I changed the idea from a song about Dave & Time to a song about Rose's (and Dave's kinda) mission to heck up the green sun. (P.S. you can't go wrong with hella' samples + at least 73 different phasers.) (P.P.S if y'all wanna see what this lit jam was like when it was just a simple "chill dave song" then too bad because the Instaudio link is dead R.I.P) (P.P.P.S lol nice name that wasn't used nerd) (P.P.P.P.S oh wait that was me...)

8r8k the 8ottle Listen on: YouTube

apatheticPianist: (composer, booklet commentary)

As you've probably gathered from listening to it, this song is themed around the first five acts of Homestuck! It has a similar structure to Cue the Curtains, but with five parts instead of four (which is oddly appropriate, in retrospect - five parts, five acts): John, Rose, Dave and Jade, Bec Noir and Vriska's machinations that led to him, and finally the kids' ascensions and the Scratch. The title uses Vriska's quirk for two reasons: because she had a pretty big hand in the creation of Bec Noir... and also becasue she's "stealing the spotlight" from the Beta Kids. Anyways, a huge thanks to PotatoBoss for mastering this song, and I hope y'all enjoy it!

Me/Ga/Lo/Vania Listen on: YouTube

Frost Carter: (composer, booklet commentary)

It's funny, you can't seem to go two steps on the internet without stumbling across a remix of one certain song that shall not be named. Y'know, that one song that's associated with that one character from that one game? Yeah, you know what I'm talking about. Well, I decided to add to the pile with this remix of the OG version of that song, complete with a sound effect from that other game that probably helped inspire that first game that I mentioned. Gosh, this commentary would probably look so ridicuolous to anyone who hasn't ever been on the internet.

Hospitalized Listen on: YouTube

Pascal van den Bos: (composer, booklet commentary)

I was trying to create kind of a battle theme for a john dave team battle, the name hospitalized is another joke on doctor because doctor is partially in it. but this is something i'd imagine plays when john and dave are battling together. Fun fact (again): the sick lead is the Romantic Trumpet from Touhou with way too much chorus.

Temporal Virtuoso Listen on: YouTube

Pascal van den Bos: (composer, booklet commentary)

I really like to make dave songs, this song was inspired by a bass player on youtube named Davie504. I wrote the first bass parts with some squares (the square in the middle even sounds like Walk Stab Walk even though i didn't intend it to) to give it some variation. Then some phat beats for dave coolness and Time on My Side combined with Cascade to give it max awesomeness, i guess you could see it as a strife theme for alpha Dave fighting those clowns on top of the "purple house".

~~Disc 2~~ Listen on: YouTube

Frost Carter: (composer, booklet commentary)

This is, as I'm sure you noticed, a quick one. It didn't really take all that much effort. Honestly, it'll likely take longer to read this than to actually listen to the song, so I won't take anymore of your time.

Velvet Pillow Listen on: YouTube

Pascal van den Bos: (composer, booklet commentary)

With this track i kinda wanted to remake a Strife! theme for Mom. The bass in the beginning is building the tension of Rose trying to sneak out of the house, and when Aggrieve starts playing you know she got busted. I also added parts of Sburban Jungle to foreshadow her entering the medium soon, and the guitar just makes everything 10x cooler.

More Real than Kraft Mayo Listen on: YouTube

Frost Carter: (composer, booklet commentary)

This song just kinda exists. I don't really remember initially making it. Maybe it magically appeared one day, ascended from Heaven to change the world and herald the 2nd coming of Christ himself. Or maybe I made it in the middle of the night on 0 sleep and forgot. Whichever you perfer. I won't make the choice for you. I'm not your mom.

Petrichor Listen on: YouTube

Caelan Kier: (composer, booklet commentary)

"Rooftop-shenanigans-with-Dirk" might as well be the title since that's what it is. I had an idea where I could make a song on FamiTracker and then master it on FL Studio, so I did! This idea turned out well, I just had to export each track on FamiTracker separately and then import them all to FL Studio and so I could just mix it as much as i wanted like some kind of evil scientist, but way less exciting...

Daydreamer Listen on: YouTube

Pascal van den Bos: (composer, booklet commentary)

This is what happens when you're scrolling through your Touhou soundfont trying to come up with ideas for an original track and you find a funny thing, i also used a fretless bass to have some of Jade's wackiness. Since she's a Prospit dreamer, i based this track on Prospit and it's dreamers. That's why this track sounds so dreamy and dissonant. I was also heavily influenced by Final Fantasy themes while making this. Overall i think it came out pretty much like how i wanted it to.

Delirious Biznasty Listen on: YouTube

Pascal van den Bos: (composer, booklet commentary)

This is an idea that came from an emoji we have in our discord server, which is the deliriousbiznasty emoji. I wanted to make a song with that name based on the GameBro, so then FrostyMac suggested that i use the vocals from Jit's GameBro song and it worked out pretty fucking hella rad as fuck.

Tranquil Downpour Listen on: YouTube

Pascal van den Bos: (composer, booklet commentary)

I was messing around with a midi i made of Rob Scallon's "Rain", and i found out that if everything is a square, it sounds like a Cavestory song. So when i added "Doctor" into it, it got even better. The sweet drums and the high square from "Windswept Shale" by Baleish finished it up and made the song sound as good as it does. Also the title is kind of a nudge at "Rain" if you haven't noticed yet (ahahah I'm so clever HEEHEEHOOHOO).

~~Disc 3~~ Listen on: YouTube

Caelan Kier: (composer, booklet commentary)

Chill beats + weird pads with spooky progressions = something that sounds like LoHAC or Dave or something else I don't know don't judge me! (also I pretty much just copied Heat from the medium album for this because that sounds Dave-y)

Outrageously Awesome Hashrap Battle Listen on: YouTube

Pascal van den Bos: (composer, booklet commentary)

This track was inspired by Bro and Dave's battles, the beginning starts out slow and tense (Dave ascending to the roof, that's also what the strings are referencing) and then shit hits the fan. The beat becomes phatter and the Beatdown lead speeds up. I think this is what a typical battle with Bro would be like.

Land of Crypts and Helium Listen on: YouTube

Pascal van den Bos: (composer, booklet commentary)

I wanted to make an eerie song for the land of crypts and helium, i was struggling to find a fitting instrument until i accidentally knocked over my acoustic guitar (which i can't play, why do i even have that) and i really liked the sound it made. And after adding delay and reverb to a Touhou guitar it was perfect. Very fitting for that planet i'd say. The spooky pads also help give it more of a spooky cryptic vibe in my opinion.

Windswept Shale Listen on: YouTube

Caelan Kier: (composer, booklet commentary)

This song was kinda having an identity crisis since this was gonna be a song for LoWAS as you can see by the title & intro bit, but then I did the breakdown and the Heat motif and it didn't seem like it would fit very well so i was just like "heck it." and thought this should be song about the Forge. Nothing else to say besides damn that bass makes me wet.

Slammed 8y the Sun!!!!!!!! Listen on: YouTube

Pascal van den Bos: (composer, booklet commentary)

Vriska Guitar Sun Vriska Guitar Sun Vriska Guitar Sun Vriska Guitar Sun Vriska Guitar Sun Vriska Guitar Sun Vriska Guitar Sun Vriska Guitar Sun Vriska Guitar Sun Vriska Guitar Sun Vriska Guitar Sun Vriska Guitar Sun Vriska Guitar Sun Vriska Guitar Sun Vriska Guitar Sun Vriska Guitar Sun Vriska Guitar Sun Vriska Guitar Sun Vriska Guitar Sun Vriska Guitar Sun VRISKA GUITAR SUN!!!!!!!!

(Vriska ascends to god tier bluh)

Wander Listen on: YouTube

Thomas Ferkol: (composer, booklet commentary)

Wander was the result of there not being enough Explore remixes. Back around the time I joined the music team, I was listening to Explore and thought the orchestration of the synths would translate well to strings. I'd also probably been listening to old Apocalyptica at the time, resulting in a cello ensemble with plodding gritty drum loops. While Explore soars above the remains of the world, Wander is grounded and more subdued. The interlude of ambient jungle noises was partially to reflect the world reverting back to nature, and the distant atmosphere and distorted portions are sort of the echoes and ruins left behind.

Take a Stand! Listen on: YouTube

Sunbent: (composer, booklet commentary)

A pretty long one, and i guess it's kind of a non cannon afterwards to collide in my mind. I refrained from using leomotifs because I honestly don't think this song needs it. Now if you watched collide, it never actually showed them killing lord English right? Well this is in my mind the battle theme to what happened there. If you want you can watch the YouTube theories but simply put, after collide vriska summons more powerful beta (and possibly alpha) kids out of her sburb house thingy. So basically it beta kids, vriska and the ghost army vs lord English. And thats the song. I considered calling it "collide v3" but i felt it was too obvious.

LOWAS M.D. Listen on: YouTube

Frost Carter: (composer, booklet commentary)

This song has a truly awful name, I know. Just ignore that massive blunder on my part, and listen to the song itself. Like with most of my songs, I made this ages back, and, upon refinding it, I simply touched it up and pushed it out of the nest, where it, no doubt, landed on the ground with a thud in spectactular fashion. Oh well.

~~Disc 4~~ Listen on: YouTube

Pascal van den Bos: (composer, booklet commentary)

I wanted to use the awesome Verdancy bassline as a funny jingle, so i learned how to play it and improvised some parts and added a sick drumloop for that potential verdancy feel... Not much else to say on that... Here, have a Crab Apple.

Fetch The Bullet! Listen on: YouTube

Pascal van den Bos: (composer, booklet commentary)

This is an interesting one, Fetch the Bullet! Is based entirely on the flash [S] Jade: Retrieve Package (specifically the old version). The song is paying its respects to the removed track Mutiny which needed some love, it was removed for a reason but it's still a great (and one of my favourites) track. I also used alot of spacey synths to signify Bec traveling to space and teleporting all over the place and shit. And then MeGaLoVania and Beatdown are in there for some reason. I also put in the Ultimate Guitar kit again for the reference to Jade knowing how to play guitar (man do i love that soundfont).

Urban Forest Listen on: YouTube

CALIKID: (composer, booklet commentary)

The clock is ticking and you and your friends are doomed. Or are you? Who's to say? But you gotta act quick! The notorious song heard in the 13th flash of Homestuck. (copyrighted by Andrew Hussie) remixed and remastered by yours truly. Completed with fantastical arpeggios and and drops so massive you'll trip on your feet. Don't hesitate now, click that play button. (You know you want to.)

Death by the Time to Gardenlovania (Bassline) Listen on: YouTube

Pascal van den Bos: (composer, booklet commentary)

I was originally just going to play Gardener as a cover, but then I realised that's completely unoriginal and i remembered i can play some other random songs. So i just mixed those in and improvised some parts of Gardener and you get this! Fun fact: i had to play this like 30 times over because i kept fucking up (wow that wasn't fun at all).

Starsetter Listen on: YouTube

CALIKID: (composer, booklet commentary)

Ahh yes. The rain. Your friends. Your friends and the rain. But under an umbrella of course. Kick back and relax as you listen to this chill jam inspired by Toby Fox's Moonsetter. It's truly a masterpiece. The melody is so sweet that people can't help but make remixes of it, which is exactly what this is. A remix of just that. With ambience and a sick beat, this song fills every need fitted to survive on a barren planet that you made with your chums in a video game that may or may not destroy the world.

Endless Dreamers Listen on: YouTube

CALIKID: (composer, booklet commentary)

I was originally planning on doing Endless Climb but somehow in the middle it changed to Derse Dreamers too so I decided to go with it. It's full of action and heavy saws. I thought it would be cool to add a bit of a mellow sound to the beginning though so I went with that. I hope you like it!

Cue the Curtains Listen on: YouTube

apatheticPianist: (composer, booklet commentary)

Somewhat ironically, this song actually came before 8r8k the 8ottle - when I joined the album, a song themed around EOA6 / Collide was the first thing that came to mind, and this is the result! As you've probably noticed, it's separated pretty evenly into four parts: first Vriska vs. Lord English, then Terezi and the Striders vs. Lord Jack and Spades Slick, then the HIC fight, and finally an ending meant to call back (forward?) to Act 7. Also, giant thanks to PotatoBoss for mastering it and 8r8k the 8ottle - they definitely wouldn't have had that extra Homestuck kick without his help, hehe. Aside from that, nothing much else to say about it - it's a giant pile of motifs that I really enjoyed composing!