path: root/album/coloUrs-and-mayhem-universe-a.yaml

Album: 'coloUrs and mayhem: Universe A'
Directory: coloUrs-and-mayhem-universe-a
Date: April 2, 2012
Date Added: November 15, 2019
URLs:
- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/album/colours-and-mayhem-universe-a-b
- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnVpmehyaOFYiRW0x2OrqmeDZZp4rQHEV
Cover Artists:
- Shelby Cragg
Cover Art File Extension: png
Color: '#9292e2'
Groups:
- group:official
Art Tags:
- Aradia
- Tavros
- Sollux
- Karkat
- Nepeta
- Kanaya
- Terezi
- Vriska
- Equius
- Gamzee
- Eridan
- Feferi
Banner Artists:
- Shelby Cragg
- Niklink (edits for wiki)
Banner Dimensions: 1100x180
Banner File Extension: png
Wallpaper Style: 'opacity: 0.8;'
Wallpaper File Extension: png
Wallpaper Artists:
- Shelby Cragg
- Niklink (edits for wiki)
Additional Files:
- Title: Album Credits
  Files:
  - CREDITS_A.txt
- Title: Lyrics & Trivia
  Files:
  - LYRICS_ETC_A.txt
- Title: Outdated Credits and Lyrics
  Files:
  - CREDITS_A.pdf
Commentary: |-
    <i>Homestuck:</i> ([Bandcamp about blurb](https://web.archive.org/web/20120405160556/https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/album/colours-and-mayhem-universe-a))

    *What Pumpkin Music proudly presents coloUrs and mayhem: Universe A, the first of [[album:coloUrs-and-mayhem-universe-b|TWO albums]] to feature many incredibly fine musicians who haven't had a chance in the limelight until now.*

    *Please don't lick your screen.*

    <i>Andrew Hussie:</i>

    <b>The Next Album: A Contest</b>

    The MSPA music team has made exactly 20 great albums since the beginning of Homestuck. For the next album, I thought it would be fun to open the music submissions up to everybody.

    There seems to be a large number of musicians in the readership outside the music team, who often work on their own HS fan music or remixes. I've had quite a number of people express interest in submitting music to HS over the years, but to keep the team from ballooning out of control, I've had to draw the recruitment line somewhere. This strikes me as a nice opportunity to give a lot of other creative people a chance to contribute music. The music team was originally assembled just before HS began with the idea that I wanted MSPA stories to largely build and develop through contribution from the readership, and I think this album idea is very much in the spirit of that original premise.

    <b>The challenge</b>

    If you want to submit music, the idea is simple. Pick a character from Homestuck, and make a song for that character. It can be any character, particularly those in identifiable categories, like the eight human kids, the trolls, ancestors, agents, exiles, Midnight Crew, Felt. If you want to pick a character not in one of those groups, that's fine too. Keep in mind there's a decent chance that if your song is picked, it could be reallocated to a different character, since it's expected we'll get a lot of submission overlap, and it's not going to be "The Album of 50 Karkat Songs!" So picking a character for your song is just a starting point for you, and we'll sort it all out during the selection process.

    You can submit up to three songs. No more than that, or they will not be considered! They can be for three different characters, or the same character, whatever you want. You can do remixes, etc. of other HS songs, but we'll have to run it by the original artist, and they'll have some stake in the song's sales.

    I am hoping to include as much artist diversity as possible in the final list. Ideally, one artist per song. So while you may submit up to 3, if one of your songs is picked, it'll likely be only one. If you have a lot of music you're dying to send, hopefully the 3 song max will mitigate any agonizing decisions over which to send.

    <b>The Prize</b>

    If your song is picked, it will be included with the album! That's pretty much the extent of the prize. You'll get a cut of the album sales, in proportion with how many songs you have in the album to the total number of songs.

    Also, if this contributes any motivation for you, I'm going to try to make a point of using at least one song from this album in a future animation.

    I think that should be all the info you need to get started. Everybody is already super psyched to hear what you come up with. Happy music makin!

    <i>Homestuck:</i> ([Bandcamp credits blurb](https://web.archive.org/web/20120405160556/https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/album/colours-and-mayhem-universe-a))

    Includes tracks by:

    [[artist:willow-ascenzo]]<br>
    [[artist:yan-rodriguez|Yan "Nucleose" Rodriguez]]<br>
    [[artist:first-turn-fold]]<br>
    [[artist:samm-neiland]]<br>
    [[artist:bleed-binary]]<br>
    [[artist:nathan-h|Nathan "EbonHawk7x" H.]]<br>
    [[artist:max-wright|Max 'Imbrog' Wright]]<br>
    [[artist:kezinox]]<br>
    [[artist:plumegeist]]<br>
    [[artist:ian-white|Ian "MyUsernamesMud" White]]<br>
    [[artist:eston-schweickart|Eston "silence" Schweickart]]<br>
    [[artist:decon-theed|repeatedScales]]<br>
    [[artist:dj|DJ 最テー]]<br>
    [[artist:frank-haught]]<br>
    [[artist:kera-jones|Kera L. Jones]]<br>
    [[artist:ray-mcdougall]]<br>
    [[artist:paul-tuttle-starr]]<br>
    [[artist:eligecos|Gec]]<br>
    [[artist:david-dycus|David "Dirtiest" Dycus]]<br>
    [[artist:marcus-carline]]<br>
    [[artist:james-roach|James "soselfimportant" Roach]]<br>
    [[artist:dallas-ross-hicks]]<br>
    [[artist:rachel-rose-mitchell]]

    Cover art - [[artist:shelby-cragg]]
    Mixing, transitions, and contest management – [[artist:toby-fox|Toby “Radiation” Fox]]
    Special Thanks – [[artist:sarah-fu|Sarahfu]], Liane Behrens

    Homestuck and associated characters © [[artist:andrew-hussie]]

    Thanks again to everyone who entered the contests, and to everyone who bought this album!
---
Section: Side 1
---
Track: ~~SIDE 1~~
Directory: side-1-universe-a
Artists:
- Toby Fox
Duration: 0:09
URLs:
- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/universe-a-side-1
- https://youtu.be/l9hqTE7FCu8
Referenced Tracks:
- Liquid Negrocity
---
Track: Rust Servant
Additional Names:
- Handmaid of Death (contest-submitted name)
Artists:
- Willow Ascenzo
Duration: '4:48'
Color: '#eb0000'
URLs:
- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/rust-servant
- https://youtu.be/ZbVCaNBeEpA
Cover Artists:
- Leslie Hung
Cover Art File Extension: png
Art Tags:
- The Handmaid
Commentary: |-
    <i>Willow Ascenzo:</i>
    If [[Violet Mariner]] was the elder child and [[Teal Hunter]] the middle child, then Rust Servant is the youngest child onto which I poured all my love and affection. This was one of my favorite pieces to work on and even today I'm still pretty pleased with how it turned out, from the striking staccato and col legno strings opening the song to the frantic violins, melancholic chromatic percussion, deep brass, and fast-paced drum grooves. I wanted the song to be big, epic, a little scary. If I may be so immodest, I think I succeeded.
    Rust Servant was the only one of my three contest submissions to remain allocated to the character I had in mind while writing it, Aradia's tragic ancestor and Lord English's dreadful Handmaid (although the name was changed from the terribly uncreative Handmaid of Death to something more apt for the naming scheme of the album).
    When I wrote this song, I had just taken an Intro to Hinduism class the previous fall and had written a short research paper on Kali, the Hindu goddess of time and death (more remembered for being related to death—those of you who have seen Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom must be familiar with the Thuggees, a cult of Kali-worshipers infamous for conducting human sacrifices—and, apparently, ripping people's hearts out and setting them on fire as well). And, of course, because I am A SHAMELESS HOMESTUCK NERD, I immediately thought, "Time? Death? THAT REMINDS ME OF ONE OF THE TROLLS" (no I didn't write my paper on that, i'm not that terrible). It doesn't come through much in the song itself, but that's where I got the inspiration from. And the moral of this story is, take a theology class (or two, or three) on a religion you know nothing about. It'll give you all sorts of new ideas for Homestuck fanart.
    Also when the album came out and this song was the first song on the album after Radiation's intro I was all "HOLY SHIT RADIATION LIKED THIS SONG SO MUCH HE MADE IT THE FIRST SONG" and started pelvic-thrusting across my dorm room. Then I realized that it was only first due to all the tracks being organized from lowest to highest by the blood color of the troll they represented. I continued pelvic-thrusting across my dorm room anyway.
    And to wrap things up, milkmanner's art for the track is just perfect.
---
Track: Bronze Rebel
Additional Names:
- If I Were Like Rufio (contest-submitted name)
Artists:
- Yan Rodriguez
Duration: '4:13'
Color: '#c36100'
URLs:
- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/bronze-rebel
- https://youtu.be/5z4ctxDKCVM
Cover Artists:
- Kitsu
Cover Art File Extension: png
Art Tags:
- The Summoner
- Tavros
Commentary: |-
    <i>Yan Rodriguez:</i>
    This track is one I sure as hell put a ton of effort into, as it was my big chance to finally do something with my music. I was at a pretty good time of my life and I was able to work on this thing day in and day out, and so I did, but first I put a lot of though into what I wanted to actually do. I'm a bit of a contrarian when it comes to making music, always trying to figure out what everyone else does so that I could do something different, and so I wanted to make a theme for Tavros that looked at his character from a more serious perspective about what he was and what he wanted to do. It's original title, "If I were like Rufio," reflected the melancholy desire to be something or be in a world where he was great, where he was a hero but in reality he couldn't really amount to much, and it was his own fault.
    For the style of the song I ended up falling back on one of my main styles, which I called "orchestral cinematic/game with a hint of latin rhythms and harmonies." I don't really know what it might actually be called. Unfortunately, while this made the song accomplish what I wanted it to, it can be a bit hard to listen to at times, for being too dependent on situation and scenery.
    However I'm very proud of it! I got to practice a lot of new and old things and combine them into what's currently my longest song! Well, longest I'm not ashamed of. It ended up being allocated to the Summoner, and I had a feeling it would. I'd say close enough, but it feels a bit weird to say that! I wouldn't change much about it, but I think it's a bit bland, and I've learned a lot from that.
---
Track: Gold Pilot
Additional Names:
- The Green Odyssey (contest-submitted name)
Artists:
- First Turn Fold
Duration: '5:23'
Color: '#a1a100'
URLs:
- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/gold-pilot
- https://youtu.be/QZqYLuCH62Q
- https://soundcloud.com/first-turn-fold/the-green-odyssey
Cover Artists:
- SuryaAsura
Cover Art File Extension: png
Art Tags:
- The Psiioniic
- The Condesce
- 'cw: body horror'
Sheet Music Files:
- Title: Sheet music by EuniverseCat
  Files:
  - 'Gold Pilot - EuniverseCat.pdf'
- Title: Piano score by Do The Musicy Thing
  Files:
  - 'Gold Pilot - Do The Musicy Thing (piano score).pdf'
- Title: Piano score by silverseer
  Files:
  - 'Gold Pilot - silverseer (piano score).pdf'
MIDI Project Files:
- Title: MIDI by Unknown
  Files:
  - 'Gold Pilot - Unknown A.mid'
- Title: MIDI by Unknown (piano)
  Files:
  - 'Gold Pilot - Unknown B (piano).mid'
- Title: MIDI by Unknown (piano)
  Files:
  - 'Gold Pilot - Unknown C (piano).mid'
Commentary: |-
    <i>First Turn Fold:</i>
    (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZqYLuCH62Q&lc=Ugxs1lhU-OE0XQ9zHXB4AaABAg">YouTube</a>)
    Originally the piece was called "The Green Odyssey". A fairly self explanatory title in light of it being about Bec, methinks.
    (<a href="https://youtu.be/QZqYLuCH62Q">YouTube</a>)
    So this is Gold Pilot, the song I wrote for the Homestuck album Colours and Mayhem. This song has become the theme of the Psiioniic (and it works freakishly well as such) but I wrote it originally in honor of Bec (to the dismay of some).
    The song recently made it into the actual comic as the music for the Act 6 Act 6 Intermission 1 animation. (totally took me by surprise!)
    Enjoy, Homestuck fans, and others alike!
---
Track: Iron Infidel
Additional Names:
- Hymn of the Signless (contest-submitted name)
Artists:
- Samm Neiland
Contributors:
- Katherine Bordonaro
- Connor Favero
- Lorilyn "Neoscottie" Seyler
- Steve Johnson
- Andrea McNeil
- ari
- Pippin
Duration: '2:43'
Color: '#ff2400'
URLs:
- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/iron-infidel
- https://youtu.be/pIplxQdLgA4
Cover Artists:
- Elanor Pam
Cover Art File Extension: png
Art Tags:
- The Signless
- Alternia
Lyrics: |-
    Han bear ey all vor smarte
    Oo en day trei striat ande glemt
    Lee kell vell are vey til lit

    Vor shlekt ah chilt meh bloo far guh
    Vee har ing en sha liet ell aey deed
    Lee kell vell are vey til lit

    (<i>He carries all our pain</i>
    <i>And one day his strife is forgotten</i>
    <i>However, we are forgiven</i>

    <i>Our kin are separated by colour of blood.</i>
    <i>We are without without love or virture.</i>
    <i>However, we are forgiven.</i>)
Sheet Music Files:
- Title: Sheet music by mayorails
  Files:
  - 'Iron Infidel - mayorails.pdf'
MIDI Project Files:
- Title: MIDI by IronInvoker47 (piano)
  Files:
  - 'Iron Infidel - IronInvoker47 (piano).mid'
- Title: MIDI by Unknown (partial)
  Files:
  - 'Iron Infidel - Unknown (partial).mid'
---
Track: Olive Scribe
Additional Names:
- Theme of PM With Ring (contest-submitted name)
Artists:
- Bleed Binary
Duration: '2:27'
Color: '#588a00'
URLs:
- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/olive-scribe
- https://youtu.be/FpC98dlKX4s
Cover Artists:
- WP
Cover Art File Extension: png
Art Tags:
- The Disciple
Referenced Tracks:
- track:olive-scribe-original-mix
---
Track: Jade Mother
Additional Names:
- The Real Heroes (contest-submitted name)
Artists:
- Nathan H.
Duration: '2:15'
Color: '#008f48'
URLs:
- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/jade-mother
- https://youtu.be/OKQqQ3152QQ
Cover Artists:
- Zilon
Cover Art File Extension: png
Art Tags:
- The Dolorosa
- The Signless
Commentary: |-
    <i>Nathan H.:</i>
    Inspiration for this piece came after listening to a segment of Hans Zimmer's "Attack" from the Pearl Harbor Soundtrack. I intended for the song to have a 'majestic' tone, but initially couldn't think of a character to set this theme to, so I chose the four beta kids. However, after being reassigned characters I think the piece fits equally well if not better with the Dolorosa.
---
Track: Teal Hunter
Additional Names:
- Bete Blanche (contest-submitted name)
Artists:
- Willow Ascenzo
Duration: '2:31'
Color: '#008b8b'
URLs:
- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/teal-hunter
- https://youtu.be/i_ehVzmj7dM
Cover Artists:
- Myotishi
Art Tags:
- Redglare
- 'cw: hanging (abstract)'
Commentary: |-
    <i>Willow Ascenzo:</i>
    Teal Hunter was sort of the middle child of my three Homestuck music contest submissions. Even now it's still my least favorite of the three songs I submitted. Why Radiation picked it along with my other two, I'll never know. I certainly wasn't expecting it to be chosen. With over a thousand submissions I'm sure there was no shortage of Redglare songs for him to choose from. Maybe the $20 I slipped him when I submitted my songs had something to do with it But his ways are not our ways.
    When Volume 9 came out, a lot of people looked at Radiation's arrangement of Stress by Buzinaki and started noting similarities between it and Teal Hunter. Radiation wrote about why the two songs sound similar in his commentary for Stress. If we're going to talk about "what sounds like what", then I'll lay my cards on the table and state that Teal Hunter was begun as pretty much a direct reference to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt_0Lg4-RkE">00 Gundam</a> from the Gundam 00 soundtrack (if you can't tell by now, I really like Gundams). When I started the piece, the first draft was more or less a low-rent version of that song, in the same way a cartoon that wants to parody Indiana Jones would get a song that sounds close to John Williams' Raiders March without being close enough to qualify as plagiarism. So I just kept fiddling with it until the two melodies sounded different. By the time I got to the final product and had added the buildup in the beginning, the two had nothing but their rhythm and syncopation in common.
    Teal Hunter's original title was Bête Blanche, a play on bête noire, a French phrase literally meaning "black beast" that the fan name "Bec Noir" is most likely a reference to. As evident, the song was originally allocated to PM, the one Exile powerful enough to battle Jack Noir to a stalemate.
---
Track: Cobalt Corsair
Additional Names:
- Hussie (contest-submitted name)
Artists:
- Max Wright
Duration: '4:14'
Color: '#3796c6'
URLs:
- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/cobalt-corsair
- https://youtu.be/FhFw9mhGf84
Cover Artists:
- Grue
Cover Art File Extension: png
Art Tags:
- Mindfang
Referenced Tracks:
- Hallowed Halls
Commentary: |-
    <i>Max Wright:</i>
    For those of you who didn't know, Cobalt Corsair was originally a theme for Hussie. The song being given to Mindfang, while some find it hilariously ironic, I find to be a lot more fitting. I do have a tendency to write piratey sounding orchestral songs; this time it just happened to be accidental! For this commentary, I'm going to be dividing the song up both by sections and instrument groups.
    <b>SECTION I - REGAL</b>
    I always wanted the piece to sound dominating and over-important, at least for this part. It begins with a solo flugelhorn playing its melody, providing an entrance for the rest of the orchestral. After not too long, the trumpets blasting out their fanfare in perfect 4th intervals, the lower brass backing them up with a strong chordal harmony - the brass works to create a very regal sound. Though Hussie as a character isn't anywhere near this serious, I felt that it wouldn't hurt to portray him in such a way - the way his character sees himself. The whole thing reeks of overlording and power, which, as it turns out, seems to fit the pirate idea nicely.
    <b>SECTION II - BROODING</b>
    This is where the piece changes from 12/8 to 4/4, and the solo flugelhorn returns to introduce the new section. I imagined this to be the other side of Hussie, calculating, always working, creating his world. The whole section is just a build up of instruments, as the lower string ostinato loops itself over. There isn't really much to say about this section, but it certainly works as a contrast for the rest of the piece.
    <b>SECTION III - EXECUTION</b>
    This is the final minute of the piece, just after the moment of silence. It explodes into a wall of sound, seeking to bring back the power of the first section in a more open way. I actually wrote part of this section before working on the rest of the piece, so naturally, it's what set the general tone. My favourite melody is introduced in this section (played most obviously by the flutes), and I regret not being able to flesh the idea out more. The piccolo part rising above the rest is interesting - it fits perfectly in with the whole pirate theme, despite me never considering this to be a pirate song. I suppose I consider this section the execution of various plans, to a successful conclusion.
    <b>INSTRUMENT GROUPS</b>
    Now, as you can probably tell from listening, Cobalt Corsair is very dense texturally. To give you a visual idea, here's a post from a little while ago showing the layout of the sequencer. <a href="https://imbrog.tumblr.com/post/23713453688/did-i-ever-mention-just-how-long-cobalt-corsair">It's big.</a>
    So, I've decided to chop the piece up in terms of the instrument groups, for anyone who wanted to understand what the hell is going on underneath all that sound.
    BRASS | STRINGS | WOODWIND | PERCUSSION AND MISCELLANEOUS <i>(dead dropbox links)</i>
---
Track: Indigo Archer
Additional Names:
- Mechani% (contest-submitted name)
- Mechanix (contest-submitted name, normalized)
Artists:
- Rachel Rose Mitchell
Duration: '4:42'
Color: '#487aef'
URLs:
- https://youtu.be/3F0S20HUuNA
Cover Artists:
- Toguchindraws
Cover Art File Extension: png
Art Tags:
- The Expatriate
---
Track: Purple Tyrant
Additional Names:
- VS Gamzee (contest-submitted name)
Artists:
- Kevin Grant
Duration: '3:50'
Color: '#a34bff'
URLs:
- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/purple-tyrant
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcFOqqCWao8
Cover Artists:
- Asiul
Art Tags:
- The Grand Highblood
- 'cw: blood'
Sheet Music Files:
- Title: Piano score by Makogeddon
  Files:
  - 'Purple Tyrant - Makogeddon (piano score).pdf'
- Title: Sax quartet score by PiGuy17
  Files:
  - 'Purple Tyrant - PiGuy17 (sax quartet).pdf'
MIDI Project Files:
- Title: MIDI by Makogeddon (piano)
  Files:
  - 'Purple Tyrant - Makogeddon (piano).mid'
---
Track: Violet Mariner
Additional Names:
- Heirstrike (contest-submitted name)
Artists:
- Willow Ascenzo
Duration: '2:45'
Color: '#db00db'
URLs:
- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/violet-mariner
- https://youtu.be/aXpnjMsqC6k
Cover Artists:
- rumminov
Cover Art File Extension: png
Art Tags:
- Dualscar
- Alternia
Referenced Tracks:
- Showtime (Piano Refrain)
Commentary: |-
    <i>Willow Ascenzo:</i>
    Let's talk about Violet Mariner.
    I tend to listen to the kind of music I like to compose and compose the kind of music I like to listen to. Before I started composing this song I listened to a shit-ton of battle music from Koh Otani's Shadow of the Colossus soundtrack, and it shows. Oh, boy, does it show, especially from 0:49 onward with the rhythm and percussion of the piece.
    Violet Mariner was the first song I started working on for the Homestuck music contest that eventually became the coloUrs and mayhem dual album. It's a song about Dualscar—but it wasn't always a song about Dualscar. No, it started out as a song about John. This explains the harp/piano section, which plays with the opening melody to Showtime, vaguely darting near it without ever actually producing the exact notes from Malcolm Brown's original song. I intended it to be more of a hint of John's original strife theme than a direct reference. In hindsight, keeping the references to existing Homestuck leitmotifs subtle was a smart idea. If I'd been more overt in my references and just made it a straight-up Doctor remix or an explicit arrangement of Showtime, it would have been really hard to reallocate it to a different character. And I'm happy that Violet Mariner is a Dualscar song. Dualscar needs more songs. And also it gave Radiation an excuse to almost name it "Violet Seaman". And besides, it means I still technically haven't used the original title, Heirstrike, yet.
---
Track: Fuchsia Ruler
Additional Names:
- Name: Witc)(ing )(our
  Annotation: contest-submitted name
- Witching Hour (contest-submitted name, normalized)
Artists:
- Kezinox
Duration: '4:07'
Color: '#e30072'
URLs:
- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/fuchsia-ruler
- https://youtu.be/AgOGQVszHbY
- https://soundcloud.com/kezinox/witching-hour
Cover Artists:
- Mel
Cover Art File Extension: png
Art Tags:
- The Condesce
Referenced Tracks:
- Liquid Negrocity
- twoward2 the heaven2
Commentary: |-
    <i>Kezinox:</i>
    Obviously with a name like Witc)(ing )(our, this song is for the condesce/batterwitch/etc. I always figured a sexy psychotic space empress bent on universal domination needed an over-the-top evil, but also dance-able track. I'd actually been planning to do a song like this for her for quite a while since she's one of—if not my favorite—characters. Every 30 seconds or so represents a time in the Condesce's life as we know it up to now and, while the song is almost wholly original, I did pull a few minor, but very recognizable things from songs like [[track:liquid-negrocity|liquid negrocity]] and [[track:twoward2-the-heaven2|Twoard2 the Heaven2]] to help really nail the connection.
    (<a href="https://soundcloud.com/kezinox/witching-hour">SoundCloud</a>)
    This is my song entry for the Homestuck Music Contest--essentially a dark electro house song for the Condesce. On a technical level this song more or less represents the culmination of all the practice and knowledge I've gained from working with music up until now.
---
Section: Side 2
---
Track: ~~SIDE 2~~
Directory: side-2-universe-a
Artists:
- Toby Fox
Duration: 0:10
URLs:
- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/universe-a-side-2
- https://youtu.be/4yYe9Y0zJwE
Referenced Tracks:
- track:side-1-universe-a
---
Track: Rust Maid
Additional Names:
- Apocalypse Maid (contest-submitted name)
Artists:
- Plumegeist
Duration: '2:54'
Color: '#eb0000'
URLs:
- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/rust-maid
- https://youtu.be/ekWCjAjetZA
Cover Artists:
- Digidigi66
Cover Art File Extension: png
Art Tags:
- Aradia
Commentary: |-
    <i>Plumegeist:</i>
    Around mid-2011 I was at a Nippon Ichi binge. Disgaea 4 was my most anticipated title of yesteryear and I ended up clocking roughly 300 hours in it. Playing it was essentially what finally made me look at the bigger picture when it came to how Disgaea structured it's entire universe, and if you know me, I love fictional universes with established rules and boundaries that are cleverly told.
    During the time I was playing the game I had roughly three or four pipe-projects when it came to comics or visual stories in general, some of which I will delve into soon enough, but generally I come up with ideas for storytelling around one basic principle and I keep them in an idea bucket for whenever I plan on working on them. The projects are things I hope to blend audio and visual presentations to, and as such I often tend to compose music with these projects in mind. Playing Disgaea as such gave me a new idea for a story I since abandoned, and was basically a story of a witch traveling worlds. I decided eventually to experiment a bit with creating some music for a scenario I had in mind, and the only thing I would eventually get out of it was a clarinet melody. The original inspiration was to be Tenpei Sato's compositions but I never really got to finish it since my laptop had a meltdown.
    In 2012 I got my laptop back and had backups of all my music files at bay, and noticed that MSPA was having a music competition. The limit was three tracks, and as such I wanted to compose three original pieces just to have a shot at getting in. While I got to composing two however, I was stuck at figuring out where I was going to go with the third one, and I realized that I still had a completely unattributed, unfinished track at hand with this work in progress. After recovering the file, rearranging a bit and ultimately rendering it, I decided I'd send it to the contest since I wasn't going to really get anywhere with the track. I figured the character it fit the most was Aradia, so I put it under her name and finished it.
    The idea was to have it be a bit of a grim little insidious melody for a title character, but somehow it ended up being slightly more Grant Kirkhope-ish during the N64 era in retrospect, which is something I have to say I'm kind of proud of since he's a massive inspiration. I eventually got the call back from Radiation during late February and was told that it won a spot. I was in shock and awe at that point, as it meant that I finally got somewhere substantial with my work. Immediately I re-rendered Rust Maid; then titled Apocalypse Maid, and Orange Hat, and sent it along What Pumpkin's way.
    Here's a fun fact though. When Radiation contacted me, he told me that the song was to be retitled "Rust Servant", and was to be the Handmaid's theme. This was something I was okay with, but he immediately contacted me a while afterwards and reassigned the character to it's original intended character. Between a few e-mails exchanged by me and him, we still referred to the actual track as "Rust Servant", until I got my contract which had it titled "Rust Maid". I thought this was a contract mistake of some sort, but imagine my surprise when I saw the first track on the album thinking it was mine and not realizing it was adhering to a color scheme. Rust Servant was fucking awesome though.
    Another fun fact - there's a cowbell right at the start that wasn't supposed to be there. I don't even know how it got there. The original sound file was a reverse cymbal. It happened sometime after I recovered the file and I didn't notice it until after I listened to the remastered version again.
---
Track: Bronze Page
Additional Names:
- Name: Fidusspawn (Adventure Lies)
  Annotation: contest-submitted name
Artists:
- Ian White
- Eston Schweickart
Contributors:
- Ally Clark (vocals)
Duration: '0:57'
Color: '#c36100'
URLs:
- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/bronze-page
- https://youtu.be/2ZmG8q5z1XE
Cover Artists:
- Durandana
Cover Art File Extension: png
Art Tags:
- Tavros
- LoSaZ
Lyrics: |-
    There is a land that I know, it is real and not just make believe
    One where friends will defend one another to the end, and you never have to leave

    A boy with the love in his heart, 'boldened by the courage in his soul
    He will fight for the rights of the fairies and the sprites, a hero among trolls

    You sitting there watching troll TV, get on up and come with me!
    Adventure lies and soon you will be, watching Fiduspawn!

    Fiduspawn!
---
Track: Gold Mage
Additional Names:
- Playtime is Over (contest-submitted name)
Artists:
- Decon Theed
- repeatedScales
Duration: '3:30'
Color: '#a1a100'
URLs:
- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/gold-mage
- https://youtu.be/IY9mF06ZVFI
- https://soundcloud.com/103_records/repeatedscales-gold-mage-2011
Cover Artists:
- Prassio
Cover Art File Extension: png
Art Tags:
- Sollux
- 'cw: body horror'
Commentary: |-
    <i>Decon Theed, repeatedScales|[[artist:repeatedscales]]:</i>
    Yes, I'm still amused by the fact that the comments on the most popular YouTube upload of this song essentially consist of nothing but "THIS REMINDS ME OF X GAME".
    And not one of them has ever guessed Baten Kaitos, which provided the primary sources of inspiration for this track (the two Chaotic Dance songs: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B64f48ewdo">link</a> - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ftFQ_ToXvA">link</a>). Absolute madness.
    So. Gold Mage. Originally known as "Playtime is Over" and written for Dirk Strider before being repurposed to Sollux. Probably my most successful song, before I wrote that remix of Amalgum from Undertale. The very first piece of music I ever made money on.
    I shan't lie; I'm not as fond of this song as I used to be. Not because of the Homestuck connection or anything; simply because it's just too repettitive. Enough so that it lead to why the eventual remix of it turned out the way it did (too busy and cluttered in places - [[track:gold-mage-playtime-is-over-mix]]) It was so with purpose; I did intend for lyrics to go over this- I even wrote a few- but never recorded anything. But honestly, I can't quite bring myself to hate it. The chords are quite nice, what melodies there are + the basslines are pretty slick, and it was my first major musical success. Though the royalties have since slowed way, way down- it's like £10 every four months, if that- it was a major deal when it first dropped as a part of coloUrs & mayhem: Universe A. Even Toby Fox and (assuming I'm not misremembering entirely) Andrew Hussie had nice things to say about it- directly comarping it to EarthBound-type stuff and being astounded it was written, from the ground up, in a PS1 game.
    I may not be much into Homestuck these days, and I definitely think the song is showing it's age... but, hell, it's special to me all the same. One of the most integral pieces of my early music career by a wide margin.
---
Track: Iron Knight
Additional Names:
- Caw Caw Motherfuckers (contest-submitted name)
Artists:
- DJ最テー
Duration: '4:07'
Color: '#7c7e81'
URLs:
- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/iron-knight
- https://youtu.be/Nv6hGW8cou4
Cover Artists:
- Emma Glaze
Cover Art File Extension: png
Art Tags:
- Karkat
- 'cw: blood (abstract)'
---
Track: Olive Rogue
Additional Names:
- Air for Eclectic Bass (contest-submitted name)
Artists:
- Eston Schweickart
Contributors:
- Alex Amlie-Wolf (bass)
Duration: '4:57'
Color: '#588a00'
URLs:
- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/olive-rogue
- https://youtu.be/L2BLUyv7UT0
Cover Artists:
- Grim Harlequin
Cover Art File Extension: png
Art Tags:
- Nepeta
- Karkat
Sheet Music Files:
- Title: Bass tabs by Dontrush
  Files:
  - 'Olive Rogue - Dontrush (bass).pdf'
- Title: Bass tabs by Nicholas Masso
  Files:
  - 'Olive Rogue - Nicholas Masso (tabs).txt'
MIDI Project Files:
- Title: MIDI by cookiefonster
  Files:
  - 'Olive Rogue - cookiefonster.mid'
Commentary: |-
    <i>Astrom:</i> (alternate artwork)
    <img src="media/misc/olive-rogue-bonus.png" width="300">
---
Track: Jade Sylph
Additional Names:
- Rainbow Drinker (contest-submitted name)
Artists:
- Frank Haught
Duration: '3:50'
Color: '#008f48'
URLs:
- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/jade-sylph
- https://youtu.be/oT-iHcyEjGQ
Cover Artists:
- Michelle Czajkowski
Cover Art File Extension: png
Art Tags:
- Kanaya
- 'cw: blood (abstract)'
---
Track: Teal Seer
Additional Names:
- Pumpkinsniffle Puree (contest-submitted name)
Artists:
- Kera Jones
Duration: '2:32'
Color: '#008b8b'
URLs:
- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/teal-seer
- https://youtu.be/Dwcn4q4X0OQ
Cover Artists:
- Sangcoon
Cover Art File Extension: png
Art Tags:
- Terezi
- Pyralspite
- Scalemates
- Alternia
- 'cw: hanging'
---
Track: Cobalt Thief
Additional Names:
- Luminous (contest-submitted name)
Artists:
- Ray McDougall
Duration: '3:22'
Color: '#3796c6'
URLs:
- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/cobalt-thief
- https://youtu.be/44un1ADquPA
Cover Artists:
- Shannon
Art Tags:
- Vriska
Lyrics: |-
    .--. .-.. . .- ... . / .... . .-.. .--. / .... .. --
    (<i>Please help him</i>)
Sheet Music Files:
- Title: Sheet music by EuniverseCat
  Files:
  - 'Cobalt Thief - EuniverseCat.pdf'
- Title: Sheet music by Superpig
  Files:
  - 'Cobalt Thief - Superpig.pdf'
MIDI Project Files:
- Title: MIDI by The Lovable Tramp
  Files:
  - 'Cobalt Thief - The Lovable Tramp.mid'
---
Track: Indigo Heir
Additional Names:
- Dirk's Dersite Derge (contest-submitted name)
Artists:
- Paul Tuttle Starr
Duration: '5:00'
Color: '#487aef'
URLs:
- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/indigo-heir
- https://youtu.be/tdzG9kkxGt8
Cover Artists:
- Erupan
Cover Art File Extension: png
Art Tags:
- Equius
- 'cw: decapitation'
Lyrics: |-
    ... --- ...
    (<i>SOS</i>)
---
Track: Purple Bard
Additional Names:
- Paradox Remnant (contest-submitted name)
Artists:
- Eligecos
Duration: '3:08'
Color: '#a34bff'
URLs:
- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/purple-bard
- https://youtu.be/H9PK2xF_b3I
Cover Artists:
- Brianne
Art Tags:
- Gamzee
- Dark Carnival
- 'cw: body horror (abstract)'
MIDI Project Files:
- Title: MIDI by Gec (piano)
  Files:
  - 'Purple Bard - Gec (piano).mid'
---
Track: Violet Prince
Additional Names:
- The Fallen King (contest-submitted name)
Artists:
- DJ最テー
Duration: '3:02'
Color: '#db00db'
URLs:
- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/violet-prince
- https://youtu.be/o0W_22WQjZ0
Cover Artists:
- Whimzu
Cover Art File Extension: png
Art Tags:
- Eridan
- Angels
- LoWaA
- 'cw: blood'
Sheet Music Files:
- Title: Sheet music by Tsuwami
  Files:
  - 'Violet Prince - Tsuwami.pdf'
- Title: Sheet music by Bob Franklin
  Files:
  - 'Violet Prince - Bob Franklin.pdf'
MIDI Project Files:
- Title: MIDI by cookiefonster
  Files:
  - 'Violet Prince - cookiefonster.mid'
- Title: MIDI by IronInvoker47 (piano)
  Files:
  - 'Violet Prince - IronInvoker47 (piano).mid'
---
Track: Fuchsia Witch
Additional Names:
- Jake's Theme (contest-submitted name)
Artists:
- David Dycus
Duration: '1:36'
Color: '#e30072'
URLs:
- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/fuchsia-witch
- https://youtu.be/FApClQH9MrE
Cover Artists:
- Inverts
Cover Art File Extension: png
Art Tags:
- Feferi
---
Section: Additional Mayhem
---
Track: ~~ADDITIONAL MAYHEM~~
Directory: additional-mayhem-universe-a
Artists:
- Toby Fox
Duration: 0:17
URLs:
- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/universe-a-additional-mayhem
- https://youtu.be/_cVhbp4Z2sI
Referenced Tracks:
- Double Midnight
MIDI Project Files:
- Title: MIDI by IronInvoker47
  Files:
  - 'Additional Mayhem (Universe A) - IronInvoker47.mid'
---
Track: Your Universe
Artists:
- Marcus Carline
Contributors:
- Rachel St. Marseille (voice)
- Steve Blum (piano)
- Nicole Sequeira (bass)
- Eric Hagstrom (drums)
Duration: '4:50'
URLs:
- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/your-universe
- https://youtu.be/iE1s52sqnpI
Cover Artists:
- J.N. Wiedle
Cover Art File Extension: png
Art Tags:
- Snowman
Lyrics: |-
    Cigarette ashes burn red
    But they fall like snow
    And I hear the wind a callin' my name
    And this world's got to end someday soon

    A slick black queen
    In a slick black coat
    Her leggings high and her brim down low
    She's beautiful and she knows it

    It's a cold, cold world
    And she's on her own
    This world is hers and hers alone
    She's powerful and she knows it

    She's your girl
    She is your world
    She is your universe

    I caught your eye
    You stole my heart
    I took your arm to show that I care
    You loathe me so and you love it

    I'm your girl
    I am your world
    I am your universe

    Our love was hot
    But I was cold
    You always made me feel so blue
    But when I said draw
    And you shot
    It was obvious that you were colder

    I'm not unhurt
    But you lost out
    When I said draw I just knew that you would
    You'll miss me so when I'm gone
    I'll miss you so when I'm gone

    Love or hate
    I was your girl
    I was your world
    I was your universe
---
Track: Superego
Artists:
- Yan Rodriguez
Duration: '2:58'
URLs:
- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/superego
- https://youtu.be/fjmiQ3wujn4
Cover Artists:
- Kajoinen
Art Tags:
- Vriska
Commentary: |-
    <i>Yan Rodriguez:</i>
    Boy do I love this song. The situation I made was pretty much the opposite of the one for Bronze Rebel. I felt pretty good about Bronze Rebel, and I had a feeling I was only going to get one track on anyway I didn't have high hopes for this one. In fact this one was the "let's make something I don't think others will like as much" song. And it might be true, I can't really tell!
    I had to fight myself to get this song done, since I wasn't feeling good and I still wanted to put out something quality. I had really wanted to make something for Vriska, but I didn't have great sounds to do it, but Solatrus convinced me to try a hand at it anyway, to see if I could do something different with Vriska. Unfortunately, what I had in mind still ended up being like what a lot of people already ended up having as "Vriska" ingrained in their mind from previous official homestuck music. I was a little disappointed about that, but after having spent days staring at the ceiling trying to figure out what I should do, I realized I just needed to make something.
    The drums were the first thing I had in my mind that I knew I needed to make a certain way, and the way I made the guitar do 9th intervals was initially an accident that worked out for the best. I'm also pretty happy with this one, I only wish I had better samples or actual guitar instead of the weird twangy and low impact stuff I currently do.
---
Track: Made of Time
Artists:
- James Roach
Duration: '2:17'
URLs:
- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/made-of-time
- https://youtu.be/MMwFJp_e3BQ
Cover Artists:
- Alexia Khodanian
Cover Art File Extension: png
Art Tags:
- Aradia
- Jack Noir
- Green Sun
- 'cw: blood'
---
Track: Nine Lives One Love
Artists:
- Dallas Ross Hicks
Duration: '6:33'
URLs:
- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/nine-lives-one-love
- https://youtu.be/woprOPxAOAE
Cover Artists:
- Lynnai Hicks
Art Tags:
- The Signless
- The Disciple
- Nepeta
- Karkat
- Alternia
- Meteor
---
Track: Temporal Shenanigans
Artists:
- Rachel Rose Mitchell
Duration: '4:13'
URLs:
- https://youtu.be/gO2SMV0lY3U
Cover Artists:
- Astrom
Cover Art File Extension: png
Art Tags:
- Aradia
Lyrics: |-
    There's no need to justify the meaningless destruction
    The voices always tell me that it's how I'm meant to function

    Everything's in order, everything will come in time
    Just as long as I complete the tasks that are mine

    When the time comes that you see the way destiny lies
    It would be okay if you'd pretend to be surprised

    I see in full clarity what was so muddy before
    You see a thousand of me and this is what I'm meant for

    I'm going around, not in circles but in spirographs
    It's pretty much this hard to keep just one timeline intact

    I can see the endings that the realms will not permit
    I see them over again while building up to this

    In my current state, it's a bit difficult to sympathise
    But I know what I'm doing! Don't try to tell me otherwise

    I see in full clarity what was so muddy before
    You see a thousand of me (thousand of me) and this is what we're made for

    From now on I know I'll be more careful where I tread
    I'm alive, I'm smiling, I'm so tired of being dead

    I see in full clarity what was so muddy before (The time will come when you'll see)
    You see I'm far from empty, I'm back to what I live for (What lies in your destiny)

    I see in full clarity what was so muddy before (The time will come when you'll see)
    You see I'm far from empty, I'm back to what I live for (All of your predestiny)
MIDI Project Files:
- Title: MIDI by Unknown
  Files:
  - 'Temporal Shenanigans - Unknown.mid'