Album: The Wanderers
Date: July 14, 2011
Date Added: November 15, 2019
URLs:
- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/album/the-wanderers
- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF3092FD8EA59F218
Cover Artists:
- Lauren Ross
Track Art File Extension: png
Color: '#ffcc66'
Groups:
- group:official
Art Tags:
- WV
- PM
- AR
- WQ
- WK
- Ruined Earth
Commentary: |-
    <i>Homestuck:</i> ([Bandcamp about blurb](https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/album/the-wanderers))

    *413 years in the future, all is devastation. Great lakes are now empty pits, sprawling cities are now rubble, and humanity is now extinct, fossilized under the endless blanket of sand that covers the Earth.*

    *However, all is not lost. Exiled to our world through gates in space and time, a few brave, carapaced individuals toil to give our planet new hope.*

    *They are...*

    *The Wanderers.*

    (Comes with two bonus tracks: [[Vagabounce Remix|"Vagabounce Remix"]] by [[artist:david-ko]], and [[Tomahawk Head|"Tomahawk Head"]] by [[artist:toby-fox|Toby "Radiation" Fox]] and [[artist:tensei|Joren "Tensei" de Bruin]]!)

    <i>Andrew Hussie:</i> ([MSPA news post](https://web.archive.org/web/20110717001331/http://mspaintadventures.com/))

    The first, an Exile-centric album brought to you by a collection of artists. [[album:sburb|The second, a solo album composed by James Dever and performed by Erik Scheele.]] Both are great!

    Are you running out of room on your ipod yet? You might have to start deleting some of that crappy non-HS music soon.

    <i>Lauren Ross:</i> ([Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/luzerna/7604385333/andrewfussy-whaoanon), excerpt, 7/14/2011)

    I did the cover and header image for this!! I'VE BEEN WAITING SO DAMN LONG FOR AN EXILE ALBUM AND THEN IT FINALLY CAME AND IT'S REALLY GREAT AND I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE ASKED TO ILLUSTRATE IT DFJSDJFSD I COULD HAVE CRIED TEARS OF JOY. *SO MANY TEARS OF JOY.*

    <i>Michael Guy Bowman:</i> ([Michael Guy Bowman Talks About His Homestuck Music](https://youtu.be/85VXWZTg-vo?t=1766), adapted to text, 7/20/2024)

    This is something else I didn't get around to recording, but there's actually another lost Homestuck album. It was called The Wanderers. It was a compilation that I had two songs on. One was called [[Aimless Morning Gold]]. The other is [[Ruins Rising]]. [...] I really liked the whole desert-punk vibe of this record. If you feel like tracking this one down, be my guest - it's a really great record and I wish it were still up there.

    <i>Homestuck:</i> ([Bandcamp credits blurb](https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/album/the-wanderers))

    Includes music by:<br>
    [[artist:seth-peelle|Seth "Beatfox" Peelle]]<br>
    [[artist:michael-guy-bowman]]<br>
    [[artist:erik-scheele|Erik "Jit" Scheele]]<br>
    [[artist:solatrus|Jeremy "Solatrus" Iamurri]]<br>
    [[artist:nick-smalley]]<br>
    [[artist:rj-lake|Robert J! Lake]]<br>
    [[artist:toby-fox|Toby "Radiation" Fox]]<br>
    [[artist:steve-everson]]<br>
    [[artist:james-dever]]<br>
    [[artist:alex-rosetti|Alexander Rosetti]]<br>
    [[artist:malcolm-brown]]<br>
    [[artist:david-ko]]<br>
    [[artist:tensei|Joren "Tensei" de Bruin]]

    Cover art by [[artist:lauren-ross|Lauren "Sock" Ross]]
Banner Artists:
- Lauren Ross
Banner Dimensions: 1463x270
Banner File Extension: png
Wallpaper Artists:
- Lauren Ross
Wallpaper Brightness: 0.75
Wallpaper Style: |-
    background-size: auto;
    background-repeat: no-repeat;
    background-position: top left;
    background-color: #83bace;
    opacity: 0.85;
Additional Files:
- Title: Album credits
  Description: >-
    Included with the album download.
  Files:
  - Tracks and Art.txt
- Title: Bandcamp banner & background
  Description: >-
    This album and [[album:sburb]] were released at about the same time; the banner artwork highlights both of them.
  Files:
  - banner.jpg
  - bg.jpg
---
Section: Main album
---
Track: Carapacian Dominion
Artists:
- Seth Peelle
Duration: 7:20
URLs:
- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/carapacian-dominion
- https://youtu.be/bhG6zJpC60c
Cover Artists:
- Sarah Fu
Art Tags:
- WV
- PM
- AR
- WQ
- Serenity
---
Track: Aimless Morning Gold
Artists:
- Michael Guy Bowman
Duration: 3:48
URLs:
- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/aimless-morning-gold
- https://youtu.be/KrimTgZi5uk
Cover Artists:
- Leondra
Cover Art Dimensions: 774x787
Art Tags:
- AR
- Serenity
---
Track: Endless Expanse
Artists:
- Erik Scheele
Duration: 5:59
URLs:
- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/endless-expanse
- https://youtu.be/TktueKyYBKs
Cover Artists:
- Carla Bravo
Cover Art File Extension: jpg
Art Tags:
- WV
- PM
- AR
- Ruined Earth
---
Track: Gilded Sands
Artists:
- Nick Smalley
- Solatrus
Duration: 4:00
URLs:
- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/gilded-sands
- https://youtu.be/i5gsRSo3sMo
Cover Artists:
- Nyanface
Art Tags:
- WV
- Serenity
- Ruined Earth
Referenced Tracks:
- Stone Tower Temple
Commentary: |-
    <i>Solatrus:</i> (via [[media:misc/commentary-collection.txt|early commentary collection]])

    That was an episode of shenanigans with me and Mr. Nick Smalley.

    We're both huge Majora's Mask fans (obviously we were inspired from Stone Tower Temple), and we think Wayward Vagabond is rad, so we wanted to make a walkabout inspired theme for him.

    That's really about it.

    Lots of time shifting shenanigans, too, especially on the drums and the digeridoo.

    And Nick's chiptunes went through some crazy filtering after I got my Oxygen 88 MIDI controller.

    <i>Nick Smalley:</i> (via [[media:misc/commentary-collection.txt|early commentary collection]])

    Take one night goofing off with Jeremy; add FamiTracker, Jeremy's newfound love for Grossbeat, and Majora's Mask, and you pretty much have Gilded Sands.

    Seriously.
---
Track: Years in the Future
Artists:
- rj lake
Duration: 4:35
URLs:
- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/years-in-the-future
- https://youtu.be/CadBaY2j6pE
Cover Artists:
- Shad Andrews
Art Tags:
- WV
- PM
- AR
- WQ
- WK
- Carapacians
- Ruined Earth
- Can Town
Commentary: |-
    <i>Shad Andrews:</i> ([Tumblr](https://whaoanon-old.tumblr.com/post/7604054819), 7/14/2011)

    Aaaa, aside from the democracy poster, this is the other thing for the exile album that I drew!

    Oh my god I’m just

    estatic.

    I got to help out, and the music is just SO GOOD.

    Homestuck music has come a LONG way. I remember when I first started Homestuck, all I listened to was the album music for…like, all summer! And then the BIIIIGGGG album came out and it was amazing.

    I have to download this soon so that I can have it for my biking music tomorrow when I run errands.

    <small>#feel good time</small>
---
Track: Mayor Maynot
Artists:
- Toby Fox
Contributors:
- Toby Fox (vocals)
Duration: 3:20
URLs:
- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/mayor-maynot
- https://youtu.be/d9KVN4WfHHc
Cover Artists:
- Shad Andrews
Art Tags:
- WV
Referenced Tracks:
- track:mailtime-blues-clues
# Sampled Tracks:
# - Judge Dredd
Lyrics: |-
    MAY YER MAY YER MAYER MAY MAYER MAY<br>MAY YER MAY YER MAY YERMAY YER MAYER<br>MAY YER MAY YER MAYER MAY MAYER MAY<br>MAY YER MAY YER MAY YERMAYYERR~
    MAY YER MAY YER MAYER MAY MAYER MAY<br>MAY YER MAY YER MAY YERMAY YER MAYER<br>MAY YER MAY YER MAYER MAY MAYER MAY<br>MAY YER MAY YER MAY YERMAYYERR~
    MAY YER MAY YER MAYER MAY MAYER MAY<br>MAY YER MAY YER MAY YERMAY YER MAYER<br>MAY YER MAY YER MAYER MAY MAYER MAY<br>MAY YER MAY YER MAY YERMAYYERR~
    MAY YER MAY YER MAYER MAY MAYER MAY<br>MAY YER MAY YER MAY YERMAY YER MAYER<br>MAY YER MAY YER MAYER MAY MAYER MAY<br>MAY YER MAY YER MAY YERMAYYERR~
    MAY-MAY-MAY-MAY-MAY-MAY-MAY-MAY-YR-YR-YR-YR-YR-YR-YR-YR MAYOMAYOMAYOMAYOYUMEYUMEYUMEYUME<br>MAY-MAY-MAY-MAY-MAY-MAY-MAY-MAY-YR-YR-YR-YR-YR-YR-YR-YR MAYOMAYOMAYOMAYOYUMEYUMEYUMEYUME<br>MAY-MAY-MAY-MAY-MAY-MAY-MAY-MAY-YR-YR-YR-YR-YR-YR-YR-YR MAYOMAYOMAYOMAYOYUMEYUMEYUMEYUME<br>MAY-MAY-MAY-MAY-MAY-MAY-MAY-MAY-YR-YR-YR-YR-YR-YR-YR-YR MAYOMAYOMAYOMAYOYUMEYUMEYUMEYUME
    MAY YER MAY YERMAY MAYER MAY YR-YR-Y-Y<br>MAYER MAYER MAYERMAYMAYYERMAY MAYMAYYERMAY YER YER~<br>MAY-MAY-YER-MAY MEH-MEH-YR-ME MAY-MAY-YER-MAY M-M-MAY-YER-MAY<br>MAYOMAYOMAYOMAYOMAYOMAYOMAYOMAYO YER-MAY-YER-MAY YERRRRRRRRRRR~
    YER. MAY, YER, MAY YER.<br>MAY, YER, MAY YERRRRR~!
    (mail, mail, mail)<br>M, M, M, M HERE'S THE MAIL IT NEVER FAILS (behbehbehbeh)<br>HERE'S THE MAIL IT NEVER FAILS (behbehbehbeh???)<br>KEATON KEATON MAIL IT NEVER FAIL??? (behbeh)<br>MAIL MAIL MAIL IT WAGS MY TAIL
    HERE'S THE MAIL IT NEVER FAILS,<br>IT MAKES ME WA-AN-NA WAG MY TAIL tail<br>WWWANNA WWWAG MY MAIL MAIL mmMMMMmmm<br>MAKES ME WANNA WAG MY TAIL.
    HERE'S THE MAIL IT NEVER FAILS<br>(mail mail mail mail mail mail mail mail)<br>HERE'S THE MAIL IT NEVER FAILS<br>(mail mail mail mail mail mail mail mail)<br>HERE'S THE MAIL IT NEVER FAILS<br>(mail mail mail mail mail mail mail mail)<br>HERE'S THE MAIL IT NEVER FAILailailails..!<br>(mail mail mail mail mail mail mail mail)
    HERE THE MAIL, IT NEVER EVER FAILS (behbehbehbeh)<br>(mail mail mail mail mail mail mail mail)<br>HERE'S THE MAIL, IT NEVER EH-EVER FAILS (BOO BEH)<br>(mail mail mail mail mail mail mail mail)<br>MAIL MAYMAY MAIL MAY MAIL MAYMAYMAYMAYMAYMHMHMAY<br>(mail mail mail mail mail mail mail mail)<br>HEEHEE NENEV-R FAILSVERFAILSFA MAFAHEFAILS MAIL~ MAIL
    HE THE MAY THEMAY MAYMAY-MAY-MAY<br>HE THE MAY THEMAY MAYMAY-MAY-MAY<br>m-m-MAIL-m-m-MAIL-m-m-MAIL-m-m-MAIL-MAY m-m-m-m-MAY m-m-MAIL m-m-MAY-MAIL
    HE THE MAY THEMAY MAYMAY-MAY-MAY<br>HE THE MAY THEMAY MAYMAY-MAY-MAY<br>I AM THE LAW (mail mail mail mail mail mail mail mail)
    MAY YER MAY YER MAYER MAY MAYER MAY<br>MAY YER MAY YER MAY YERMAY YER MAYER<br>MAY YER MAY YER MAYER MAY MAYER MAY<br>MAY YER MAY YER MAY YERMAYYERR~
    HERE'S THE MAIL IT NEVER FAILS<br>(MAY YER MAY YERMAY MAYER MAY YR-YR-Y-Y)<br>IT MAKES ME WA-AN-NA wwwWAG MY TAIL tail<br>(MAYER MAYER MAYERMAYMAYYERMAY MAYMAYYERMAY YER YER~)<br>HERE'S THE MAIL, IT NEVER EVER FAILS (boo)<br>(MAY-MAY-YER-MAY MEH-MEH-YR-ME MAY-MAY-YER-MAY M-M-MAY-YER-MAY)<br>it MAKES ME WA-AN-N-N-N-NA W-WAG MY TAIL-TAIL-TATA-T-T<br>(MAYOMAYOMAYOMAYOMAYOMAYOMAYOMAYO YER-MAY-YER-MAY YERRRRRRRRRRR~)
    YER. MAY, YER, MAY YER. (TAIL. MAIL, MAIL, MAY TAIL.)<br>MAY, YER, MAY YERRRRR~! (MAIL, MAIL, MAY MAILLLL~.)
Commentary: |-
    <i>Toby Fox:</i> ([toby fox portfolio page 2011 wip](https://web.archive.org/web/20111107184748/http://tobyfox.net/portfolio) - "Finished Tracks")

    Homestuck Summary: Sandy dudes in rags in the future fool around with electrical equipment. One of them appoints himself as mayor and another thinks she's a mailwoman and gets in a swordfight with the one who thinks he's Judge Dredd. This is that story, told through my own nasally voice clips and nostalgic children's cartoon shows.
Crediting Sources: |-
    <i>Toby Fox:</i> ([toby fox portfolio page 2011 wip](https://web.archive.org/web/20111107184748/http://tobyfox.net/portfolio), excerpt)

    [...] This is that story, told through my own nasally voice clips and [[track:mailtime-blues-clues|nostalgic children's cartoon shows]].
---
Track: We Walk
Artists:
- Steve Everson
Duration: 2:42
URLs:
- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/we-walk
- https://youtu.be/0DILZ3Qi_Wg
Cover Artists:
- Emi
Cover Art File Extension: jpg
Art Tags:
- WV
- PM
- AR
- WQ
- Serenity
- Ruined Earth
Commentary: |-
    <i>Steve Everson:</i> (composer, [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/tenebrais/19896197965/could-you-do-some-commentary-on-your-homestuck), excerpt, 3/25/2012)

    My most recent contribution to Homestuck's music, and another of my favourites. This piece is actually pretty old, going back to before [[album:homestuck-vol-5|Volume 5]], where it was much simpler (playing out more like a round) and with poorer sound quality in general. Like most of my music it was inspired by a similar piece from somewhere else - in this case, [the original Bionicle flash adventure game](https://biomediaproject.com/bmp/play/web-games/mnog/) that used to be on the Lego website way back. If you've played it, you might notice the similarity, at least as far as instrumentation goes. It had been many years since I'd last even seen the game, long after it fell off the site, so I couldn't recognise what I liked about the piece and so the imitation I'd made was pretty poor!

    Fast forward a year or two. Some discussion with internet friends had led me to find that old flash game again, and I heard my old favourite tune in all its glory (significantly less glorious than I remembered; nostalgia does that to you). Still, it showed me the main place I was going wrong, which was that I'd neglected harmony. All of the three or four lines of music that piece had were monophonic, making a really drab sound, while what I needed where chords. A stupid mistake? Sure, it was, but then, I wasn't that good a musician when I first wrote the piece. I started over, applying all the experience I'd got both from writing music and simply listening to it with a critical ear to get my main contribution to the Wanderers album, and something I could be proud of.

    <i>Emi:</i> (track artist, [Tumblr](https://averyniceprince.tumblr.com/post/7604455794/httphomestuckbandcampcomtrackwe-walk), 7/14/2011)

    [[artist:rachel-locklin|Rachel]] asked me to draw for one of the tracks for the new album, and I honestly couldn't have been more honored!!! ;____;;; I had always wanted to draw the exiles, so this was a perfect opportunity hehe \*U\*
---
Track: Requiem for an Exile
Artists:
- James Dever
- Solatrus (production)
Duration: 2:01
URLs:
- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/requiem-for-an-exile
- https://youtu.be/aAphwUVKFm4
Cover Artists:
- Zilleniose
Cover Art File Extension: jpg
Art Tags:
- WV
- PM
- AR
- WQ
Referenced Tracks:
- track:requiem
Commentary: |-
    <i>Solatrus:</i> (via [[media:misc/commentary-collection.txt|early commentary collection]])

    I made James's great composition sound, well, better. Imagine it without the panning, without the reverb, etc.

    I'd be a bit flat sounding!
---
Track: Raggy Looking Dance
Artists:
- Alex Rosetti
Duration: 3:28
URLs:
- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/raggy-looking-dance
- https://youtu.be/kHSVHbxBEHU
- https://albatrosssoup.bandcamp.com/track/raggy-looking-dance
Cover Artists:
- Zilleniose
Cover Art File Extension: jpg
Art Tags:
- WV
- PM
Referenced Tracks:
- Squiddles!
---
Track: Riches to Ruins Movements I & II
Artists:
- Toby Fox
Duration: 2:20
URLs:
- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/riches-to-ruins-movements-i-ii
- https://youtu.be/K7WRrBG6BM8
Track Artwork:
- Artists:
  - Kendle Iulus
  Tags:
  - WK
  - Skaia
  - Prospit
- Label: Full-size artwork
  Directory: full
  Attach Above: true
  Dimensions: 456x630
  Date: May 18, 2011
  Source: >-
    [Tumblr](https://tzepesh.tumblr.com/post/5629867451/the-white-king-ponders-the-fate-of-his-world-while)
Commentary: |-
    <i>Kendle Iulus:</i> ([Tumblr](https://tzepesh.tumblr.com/post/5629867451/the-white-king-ponders-the-fate-of-his-world-while), 5/18/2011)

    the white king ponders the fate of his world while i DESTROY YOUR EYESIGHT

    i have the worst artblock ever grrr
---
Track: Litrichean Rioghail
Artists:
- Malcolm Brown
Duration: 5:00
URLs:
- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/litrichean-rioghail
- https://youtu.be/RtzNs4pH11Y
Cover Artists:
- Hanni Brosh
Art Tags:
- PM
- Regisword
- Derse
Referenced Tracks:
- Explore
Commentary: |-
    <i>Malcolm Brown:</i> (via [[media:misc/commentary-collection.txt|early commentary collection]])

    Aaah this one. This caused me a bit of unexpected grief, but we'll get to that.

    Basically, I wanted to do some kind of Parcel Mistress/PM theme. Representing her transition from postal worker, to warrior, to queen. We start off quite desolate, and we gradually build up to a kind of royal, celtic march.

    The instrumentation is a bit all over the place (bagpipes, panpipes, probably an Oud somewhere as well). Most of it was attempting to channel various stereotypical "World Music" concepts into one track (We're dealing with the remnants of Earth as a setting, so one idea is a kind of combination of different cultural styles - It doesn't fully work, since it's mostly just the instrumentation applied to a fairly simple layout and melody).

    As for the melody itself, I quite like it - It's very playful and jumpy, yet brings a sense of duty, which fits quite well. Explore also makes an appearance during the kind of transitional "Wandering" segment. Also because I really like Explore.

    The name, and it's worth mentioning I've done incorrect translations before (see Rex Duodecim Latinus), is supposed to be "Royal Mail" in Scots Gaelic. It's a bit of a strange pun on PM as a character...

    Now onto controversy!

    As a few people pointed out when they first heard it, that the notes starting from 0:20 onwards by the sitar are viciously close if not identical to the start of Schala's theme from Chrono Trigger. And yes, yes they are. There is a subtle difference but the majority of the phrase matches. Depending on who you ask this ranges from either an atrocity or an inevitability given the limited nature of conventions and structure of music.

    Personally, the reference was unintentional. Let's get this straight also, I'm a ludicrously huge Yasunori Mitsuda fanboy. I'm not fully ruling out that at some level I was remembering ST when making LR, but I honestly could not recall the song until someone linked a video, and even afterwards I don't recall the song from the game. There are tonnes of tracks from CT that I recall fondly but ST just isn't one of them. This all said, there was no malevolence nor deceit intended when writing LR and I apologise to anyone offended by it.

    That's really all I have to say on the matter.
---
Track: Ruins Rising
Artists:
- Michael Guy Bowman
Duration: 5:00
URLs:
- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/ruins-rising
- https://youtu.be/pDYCL68d3wI
Track Artwork:
- Artists:
  - Raizor
  Tags:
  - WV
  - Jack Noir
  - Queen's Ring
- Label: Full-size artwork
  Directory: full
  Attach Above: true
  Dimensions: 1280x935
  Date: June 27, 2011
  Source: >-
    [Tumblr](https://raizor-blog.tumblr.com/post/6984292673/redrew-an-idea-i-had-a-while-ago-except-way)
Referenced Tracks:
- track:ruins
Commentary: |-
    <i>Michael Guy Bowman:</i> (Bowmantown Discord, excerpt, 8/19/2017)

    merger of a lot of different ideas<br>
    i used to listen to a lot of beats antique<br>
    also frippertronics<br>
    the intro is an homage to that technique<br>
    doing scratches was fun too<br>
    i like to think the myst soundtrack was an influence on it too<br>
    really listened to the uru and myst iii soundtracks to death

    <i>Michael Guy Bowman:</i> ([Michael Guy Bowman Talks About His Homestuck Music](https://youtu.be/85VXWZTg-vo?t=1778), adapted to text, 7/20/2024)

    The other is Ruins Rising, which is, again, another treatment of [[track:ruins|Ruins]] by Erik Scheele. This one, the guitar intro is kind of drawn from the Frippertronics technique of Robert Fripp, and, it actually features a lot of re-re-record scratches and cool textures that I hadn't really experimented with before. *(Caption: "God bless the fruity scratcher")*

    <i>Raizor:</i> ([Tumblr](https://raizor-blog.tumblr.com/post/6984292673/redrew-an-idea-i-had-a-while-ago-except-way), 6/27/2011)

    Redrew an idea I had a while ago, except way better and quicker and whatnot.
---
Track: What a Daring Dream
Artists:
- Alex Rosetti
Duration: 2:46
URLs:
- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/what-a-daring-dream
- https://youtu.be/qtt0o-v2yco
Track Artwork:
- Artists:
  - Noot
  Tags:
  - WV
  - Jack Noir
  - Serenity
  - Rag of Souls
  - 'cw: blood (abstract)'
- Label: Full-size artwork
  Directory: full
  Attach Above: true
  Dimensions: 1000x500
  Date: June 30, 2011
  Source: >-
    [DeviantArt](https://www.deviantart.com/shikana/art/Dreams-of-red-and-sunder-215885568)
  Tags:
  - WV
  - Jack Noir
  - Serenity
  - Rag of Souls
  - Reckoning
  - Prospit
  - Battlefield
  - Skyship Base
  - 'cw: blood (abstract)'
Lyrics: |-
    What a daring dream, to combine the finest qualities of humanity with the elegance and nobility of the animal kingdom. How you wish you could know their world. To hear one night those muted pawpads traipse up your stairs. A low but friendly growl unsettles your slumber, and as the sopor seeps from your eyes they detect a sharp pair of ears cutting moonlight. A mysterious wolven tongue invites. Wouldn't these ears suit you? Would not this proud long snout assist you in the hunt?

    What a daring dream...

    (Just what do you think you're planning on doing with that ring?)
    (Whatever it is forget it)
    (The Slayer is miiiiiiiine)
    (Now w8ke up)
    (I said W88888888KE!)
Commentary: |-
    <i>Alex Rosetti:</i> (composer, [Tumblr](https://albatrossthesoup.tumblr.com/post/25964085415/commentary-for-what-a-daring-dream), excerpt, 6/26/2012)

    The Wanderers is my favorite Homestuck album. Its focused premise, interesting takes on a theme, and general aesthetic all appeal to me. Not to mention the fact that it contains some of the best songs in the Homestuck discography. This song is not one of those.

    I don't mean to sell myself short, but <i>What a Daring Dream</i> is hard to appreciate on its own as music, and this was intentional. As a matter of fact, I wrote it to underscore WV's dream sequence, which is one of my favorite parts of Homestuck. And even then, my approach wasn't as programmatic as Malcolm's, as he had the same idea with his track, [[Nightmare]]. Funny enough, we even ended up giving our pieces the same title, but he was generous enough to change his so that I could keep mine. Of course, because of this the two songs compliment each other very well, and make for a great double-closer to the album.

    I composed What a Daring Dream long before we officially started production on <i>The Wanderers</i>. I actually made the first version of it very shortly after that update came out, it being one of those quick flashes of inspiration. In terms of musical influence, there are a few musical cues from <i>Neon Genesis Evangelion</i> that sounded like the direction I wanted to take. All the ones I listened to had this sort of "stuck in your own head" sort of approach to them, which of course is very suited to their subject matter, and that was the reason I thought this sort of music would be perfect for my piece.

    I wanted the music to be very hazy and meditative, very much like a dream (naturally). Unclear sounds fading in and out, soft messages you're not quite sure you're hearing. The use of Morse code was an obvious choice, though I did not have the patience to translate every single line of code in that sequence. I just used the same sample repeatedly, altered it a bit, and panned the two versions of it to each side of the mix. I did, however, think it would be worth my time to whisper the English translation of the Morse code, so throughout the piece you hear my voice narrating ever so slightly in the background, even up to Vriska's dialogue.

    The instrumentation was a lucky coincidence since I modeled parts of it off the <i>Evangelion</i> score, and those happened to fit the very broad "Eastern music" theme we were going for for the most part. So the piece turned out to be a great candidate for the album and I worked on it a lot more before submitting it to be on there. Overall it was one of the most fun songs I've had the pleasure of making for Homestuck, and the fact that it spooked some people is an added bonus.

    Speaking of bonuses, [[artist:noot]] did the art we used for this track. It was one of a few pieces of track art that weren't commissioned. I happened to be looking around for artists and saw this, and I already knew it was perfect.

    <i>Noot:</i> ([DeviantArt](https://www.deviantart.com/shikana/art/Dreams-of-red-and-sunder-215885568), excerpt, 6/30/2011)

    <b>Dreams of red and sunder</b>

    A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.<br>
    \- Mohandas K. Gandhi

    This was probably the most ambitious thing I have done in quite a while. WV's dream sequence was always incredibly interesting to me, and what it implied. I wonder when we'll get to see how he gets out of being blown the smitheroons.

    Here's hoping it isn't very long before that bit of exposition up there becomes HORRIBLY OUTDATED.
---
Track: Nightmare
Additional Names:
- Anubis (working title)
Artists:
- Malcolm Brown
Duration: 4:13
URLs:
- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/nightmare
- https://youtu.be/CVxTL43Czuc
Cover Artists:
- wodnesse
Cover Art File Extension: jpg
Art Tags:
- WV
- Carapacians
- Battlefield
- 'cw: blood (abstract)'
Referenced Tracks:
- Liquid Negrocity
- Rex Duodecim Angelus
- Carapacian Dominion
Commentary: |-
    <i>Malcolm Brown:</i> (via [[media:misc/commentary-collection.txt|early commentary collection]])

    This one was a bit weird, and went through several revisions trying to figure out what to do. It's loosely designed to be a bit of music for WV's dream in which he effectively turns into Bec Noir and starts killing everything before Vriska turns up disguised as Serenity and makes the whole sequence even weirder.

    Firstly, the concept - It starts of quite dreamlike, then as we get to 1:40 the transformation starts, then there's some more preamble up to around 2:45 onewards, which is the "Red Miles" section where everything starts to go haywire. In betwixt there's lots of creepy choirs, weird noises and distorted barking all set to a kind of pseudo Egyptian theme (One working title was 'Anubis')

    Hidden around 0:25 onwards is a kind of very subtle reference to [[Black]] and an even subtler reference to [[Rex Duodecim Angelus|RDA]]. After that it's mostly original.

    There are various samples hidden around the place, like wolf barks and jackal howling. Also all sorts of bizarre human laughter/screaming/conversation that's been reversed and distorted. Then we get to 2:45 and I attempt to kick it into a kind of bizarre Trailer-music affair with a ridiculous amount of percussion and a lot of staccato strings. Oh and those big brass drones everyone loves these days.

    The ending (3:50 odd) attempts to mimic the beginning of [[Carapacian Dominion]], to act as a kind of bookend for the album. It doesn't do it perfectly, but that's my fault :P

    I quite like this one. I'm not fully sold on the odd sound effects since they're always a bit gimmicky, but the overall theme kinda works. The name was fairly obvious - I did attempt to call it "What a daring Nightmare" but Alex Rosetti beat me to it.

    Also hey, 4:13. Love it when that happens.
---
Section: Bonus tracks
---
Track: Vagabounce Remix
Artists:
- David Ko
Duration: 1:55
URLs:
- https://youtu.be/P_pCaNbhExo
Cover Artists:
- Noot
Cover Art File Extension: jpg
Cover Art Dimensions: 490x590
Art Tags:
- WV
- Ruined Earth
Referenced Tracks:
- Vagabounce
---
Track: Tomahawk Head
Artists:
- Toby Fox
- Tensei
Duration: 3:29
URLs:
- https://youtu.be/vqs4yf_Fs4I
Cover Artists:
- Lexxy
Cover Art File Extension: jpg
Art Tags:
- AR
- Eagles
- Riflekind
- Derse
MIDI Project Files:
- Title: MIDI by Unknown
  Files:
  - 'Tomahawk Head - Unknown.mid'
Commentary: |-
    <i>Tensei:</i> (via [[media:misc/commentary-collection.txt|early commentary collection]])

    I always felt like this song was in a bit of an unfortunate position, being a bonus song on the Wanderers album, which basically meant that only people who bought the album or those who specifically scoured youtube for it would get to hear it.

    So I'm gonna bring it to your attention and hopefully someone will be hearing it for the first time!

    Tomahawk Head was pretty much a full-on collaborative effort between me and Radiation. We had already done some stuff together with the full version of MeGaLoVaNia, but this song was a much more even split IMO. Radiation basically wrote most of the composition in midi form, and I had the task of unleashing my samples and live guitar on it. I also did some minor rewrites, like fleshing out the acoustic middle-section as well as adding the guitar solo section.

    This song was intended as ARs theme, and uses a lot of (stereotypically) Native American instrumentation. In that sense, it kinda reminds me of a lot of Jade/Bec themes, where there's an obvious eastern Asian vibe, even though thematically there's no real canonical connection between Jade and eastern Asian culture.

    I actually consider this a really cool use of ethnic instrumentation. It's not even the fact that it deliberately tries to go against a stereotype to make a point, but rather that it treats the ethnic instruments as any other: it makes use of the characteristics of the sounds to underline a particular situation or character, and ignores any cultural connotations of the instrument.

    When you think about it, it's pretty silly to assume that Jade has to be Asian because some songs associated with her use ethnic instrumentation. In that sense, I might as well claim that Rose has to be Italian, because hey, that's where violins originally came from!

    At the end of the movie Kill Bill, there's a final showdown between The Bride and O-ren Ishii. They're both wielding katanas and the setting is a very stereotypical, snow-covered japanese garden. You would THINK that you'd at least get some taiko drums as a backing, but nope. The song that plays is "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" by Santa Esmeralda, which can best be described as a flamenco/disco hybrid. And it fits PERFECTLY.

    In that sense, I think that this song too fits AR very well, even though his character has fuck-all to do with Native American culture.
