path: root/album/lofam5a2.yaml

Album: Land of Fans and Music 5 Act 2
Directory: lofam5a2
Date: September 16, 2023
Date Added: September 16, 2023
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/album/land-of-fans-and-music-5-act-2
- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkHKl1tLvgY_IAXBu82Qlx9nZI_cZ3fH2
Groups:
- Unofficial MSPA Fans
- Fandom
Color: '#B482E0'
Cover Artists:
- Circlejourney
Wallpaper Artists:
- Circlejourney
Wallpaper Style: |-
    opacity: 0.8;
    background-position: top;
Banner Artists:
- Circlejourney
- Niklink (edits for wiki)
Banner Dimensions: 1100x180
Cover Art File Extension: png
Track Art File Extension: png
Wallpaper File Extension: png
Banner File Extension: png
Art Tags:
- LoFaM
- Prospit
- Derse
Additional Files:
- Title: Album Booklet
  Files:
  - LOFAM_5_ACT_2_Booklet.pdf
- Title: Bandcamp Banner and Background
  Files:
  - banner.png
  - bg.png
Commentary: |-
    <i>Unofficial MSPA Fans:</i>
    (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4L_53bD1JeE">Album premiere stream w/ chat</a>)

    <i>Grace Medley:</i>
    “This almost didn’t happen.”

    The commentary booklet for [[album:homestuck-vol-10|Homestuck Vol. 10]] kicks off with an anecdote opened by these four words. For LOFAM5A2, I'd like to put forth a similar sentiment:

    I have no earthly idea how this happened.

    I don't know if you people have checked your calendars lately, but Homestuck's [[flash:8127|final act]] released closer in time to its first page than to today. Even in light of everything to follow that, we're still sitting pretty on the short end of a few years' official material radio silence.

    When the ball got rolling on this project, a lot of us didn't expect to get more than a few dozen tracks in the best of cases, and even then that we might have to rescind our "no 1:1 cover music" rule. In fact, this album is titled as it is because we anticipated this more or less being an expansion pack to the last one.

    Then something mysterious happened, and I think the mystery of what it was is something I'll carry with me to the grave. LOFAM5A2 got BIG. I don't just mean it got to a formidable size, I mean it became SIX HOURS IN LENGTH, with ONE HUNDRED TRACKS, and what, to my knowledge, is the greatest contributor diversity in the history of Homestuck music. There are sixty-nine (nice) composers on this thing.

    On this album, you're going to be hearing tracks you've been bumping since 2010-2011. You're going to be hearing tracks so new you don't even know their names yet. You're going to be hearing tracks by debuting fanmusicians, longtime veterans, the retiring, the retired, the persuaded-out-of-retirement, novel side-projects, ancient side-projects, at least one track by someone who's never even read the damn comic, and a lot more.

    Needless to say, this compilation coming together is nothing short of a miracle. But more importantly, it's the combined labour of love of several dozen among the most talented audio and visual artists I've ever had the honour of calling my colleagues.

    I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed working on it.

    <i>Makin:</i>
    Thanks to [[artist:niklink|Niklink]] for helping a lot with reference work (even combing through sheet music to catch more), and the HS Music Wiki for motivating that reference work. And, once again, [[artist:monckat|Monckat]] saves the day with over 11 incredibly high quality track arts. Do we deserve him? Not really. Thank him by reading The Tapestry.

    <i>Circlejourney:</i>
    A huge thanks to fellow managers [[artist:grace-medley|Grace]], [[artist:makin|Makin]] and [[artist:ucklin|Ucklin]]. Organising this album truly felt like a team effort—everyone rose brilliantly to the task of wrangling ~twice as many participants and tracks as we expected. I couldn't ask for a better team.

    <i>Makin:</i>
    I can ask for a better team, witness me: I want [[group:toby-fox|Toby Fox]] for LOFAM 6. I’m gonna make this happen, I swear it on [[Penumbra Phantasm|PP’s]] name.

    <i>tempest2k:</i>
    hi I'm tempest2k! I organized the metadata for this album download! if you are reading this it means you care enough about this music that I will take advantage of your interest by plugging my own stuff. mwahahaha! <a href="http://inhospitable.net">check out my comic</a>

    thank to everyone reading for caring so much about homestuck music. everyone who worked on this album should be incredibly proud to have been a part of something so magical.
---
Section: Disc 1
---
Track: '[S] DISC 1 ==>'
Artists:
- Grace Medley
Duration: '0:24'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/s-disc-1
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxTJ0EZhcL8
Referenced Tracks:
- track:intermission-lofam4
Commentary: |-
    <i>Grace Medley:</i>
    That’s right, baby. Dis(c/k) jingles are fucking back. I want to give a huge shoutout to [[artist:lambda-bledsoe|Lambda]], who always championed the importance of the jingle when [[album:lofam4|LOFAM 4]] was in development, uh... \*checks calendar, screams for twenty solid seconds* years ago. I do this mainly because I stole her idea wholesale. LOFAM 4 took the melodies of its jingles from LOFAMs (LsOFAM?) [[album:lofam|1]], [[album:lofam2|2]], and [[album:lofam3|3]] respectively, and since this album also got to being absolutely bloody huge like that one did, it would be fun to do the same by quoting something from 4, then [[album:lofam5|5]], then 5 act 2 – and since you’re reading this alongside the very start of the album, that means maybe you haven’t even heard what the last one references yet. Exciting!
---
Track: LAND OF PULSE AND HAZE
Artists:
- METIANULL
Duration: '2:21'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/land-of-pulse-and-haze-2
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=remsqvqdbhM
Cover Artists:
- Monckat
Art Tags:
- Karkat
- LoPaH
Commentary: |-
    <i>METIANULL:</i>
    This is what it would sound like if Karkat got a gun instead of a sickle. ENJOY!

    <i>Monckat:</i>
    A prime example of the well-considered, utilitarian architecture to be found on the LAND OF PULSE AND HAZE. Handrails are for nerds anyway, if you fall into the blood lava you probably had it coming.

    Karkat was originally dual wielding sickles here but then I was kindly informed of METIANULL’s track commentary.
    <img src="media/misc/lofam5a2karkat.png" width="145">
---
Track: Moonlight Riders
Artists:
- John Tay
Duration: '1:31'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/moonlight-riders
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUUusyhF1rs
Cover Artists:
- Horizonseek Studios
Art Tags:
- Dirk
- Jake
- Maplehoof
- Derse
- Prospit
Referenced Tracks:
- track:moonsetter
- Evening Star
Commentary: |-
    <i>John Tay:</i>
    guys i'm not a homestuck fan i can't even name 2 characters in the series i can only do one because i've heard of [[track:eridans-theme|eridan's theme]]<br>
    and if i wanted to where tf do i even start cause the story goes balls deep and the ost playlist has like 530 songs

    i do like [[group:toby-fox|toby fox]] and i like his music and his work here isn't any exception<br>
    still only heard of eridan's theme, moonsetter & [[track:sunsetter|sunsetter]] lol<br>
    i do remember a discord friend spamming some character render captioning it with "nak" and we found that funny for a while

    I promised Uhrwerk to add the funny Chaotix reference and it's an ok bridge back to the top<br>
    Again I'm trying to work out the PC-9801 Ryu Umemoto/Ryu Takami style and it's quite challenging, but I got it to work.

    I actually first heard the song on SoundCloud with an SPC700 arrange.

    <i>Horizonseek Studios:</i>
    thought itd b fun 2 reference knuckles chaotix like the track does

    hence the RINGS tyin jake 2 MR STRIDERS WILD RIDE

    the trackname + the chaotix cover made me wanna draw a night scene n with prospitian gold n dersite purple it landed me in a lovely CMYKish colourscheme

    highly recommend listening 2 this track loopin for like a half hour + close ur eyes n imagine u suck at sonic levels. 
---
Track: Sunslambo
Artists:
- nononimo
Duration: '3:05'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/sunslambo
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxySMW0dTds
Cover Artists:
- nononimo
Art Tags:
- Jade
Referenced Tracks:
- track:sunslammer
Commentary: |-
    <i>nononimo:</i>
    old-ish remix of sunslammer i thought i lost on my old hard drive that drowned but i found a wav of it on my google drive so it is saved :)

    <i>Makin:</i> (album management)
    "Breakbeat" and especially "Breakcore" sound like names of Homestuck fan-adventures after all the good names have been taken. That adventure would sadly never get past the introduction of the third kid, entering a hiatus after he captchalogues the hair gel used to maintain his 2000-style frosted tips. That guy might sound very unlike you and me, but I bet he would love this song, as you're about to.
---
Track: Duet
Directory: duet-lofam5a2
Originally Released As: track:duet
Duration: '2:38'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/duet
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2n60BifD0Lc
Cover Artists:
- Kett
Art Tags:
- John
- Rose
- Earth
Commentary: |-
    <i>Tensei:</i>
    Homestuck but instead of a webcomic it's a delightfully intimate Studio Ghibli animated feature that all too briefly rekindles our sense of childlike innocence and fantasy, reminds us that anime might not have been a mistake after all, and brings tears to our eyes at the end of it all that we quickly wipe away because we can't be seen crying at an animated movie.

    <i>Kett:</i>
    Welcome to Studio Ghibli’s Homestuck

    This track sounds exactly as Tensei’s commentary describes it. As soon as I heard it, the image of Rose and John playing together in a large green field, clouds behind them as the wind blows, immediately came to mind.

    I tried my best to replicate the Ghibli style whilst still keeping it Homestuck. Researching Ghibli backgrounds was quite fascinating, because until then I hadn’t realised Hayao Miyazaki liked to create a sense of openness with his scenes. The composition of them often involves a large open plain and then a small section for the focal point, so I tried doing the same thing with this piece. Keeping Rose and John to the right-hand side, while giving the sense of a much larger and calmer open space to the left.
---
Track: Grave of the Fireflies
Artists:
- Rainy
Duration: '2:38'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/grave-of-the-fireflies
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEXpSE32PDg
Cover Artists:
- Selan Pike
Art Tags:
- John
- LoWaS
Referenced Tracks:
- track:firefly
- Doctor
Commentary: |-
    <i>Rainy:</i>
    The impetus for this remix was to give an underrated homestuck that I love track it’s due. “Firefly” is easily one of [[artist:buzinkai|Buzinkai’s]] best solo compositions; it conveying this beautiful feeling of ethereal whimsy and majesty. For this remix I tried to maintain feeling while adding cinematic elements to give it a bigger sense of scope. I took a lot of inspiration from the [[group:deconrecon|Vast Error]] song “A Story about Being Free” especially when incorporating acoustic guitar.

    <i>Selan Pike:</i>
    I felt very strongly about making this watercolor, but also, was too lazy to actually get my paints out. It was fun trying to replicate my watercolor style digitally.
---
Track: Dictator
Directory: dictator-lofam5a2
Always Reference By Directory: true
Artists:
- Thomas Ferkol
Duration: '3:44'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/dictator
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H05HNGKfACQ
Cover Artists:
- Monckat
Art Tags:
- Dirk
Commentary : |-
    <i>Grace Medley:</i> (album management)
    How’s about that Dirk guy, huh? Between this, [[album:homestuck-vol-9|Vol. 9’s]] [[track:sweet-dreams-timaeus|Sweet Dreams, Timaeus]], [[album:lofam4|LOFAM4’s]] [[track:tragic-heights|Tragic Heights]], and the never-released Hello, My Name Is Hal, Ferkol’s sculpted out a one-of-a-kind musical identity for this brooding dude.

    <i>Monckat:</i>
    Ultimate Dirk broods moodily over some epic matter of doubtlessly transcendent existential importance. The text in the background was transcribed directly from my well-thumbed physical copy of the epilogues. I kinda forgot what the interior of the Theseus looked like so I defaulted to a bunch of Galfany-esque tech.
---
Track: vriskafic8ion
Additional Names:
- vriskafication (English, normalized)
Artists:
- Ash Taylor
Duration: '2:34'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/vriskafic8ion
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xr5UUqGtjiw
Cover Artists:
- Fender_Jess
Art Tags:
- June
- John
- Vriska
Referenced Tracks:
- Savior of the Waking World
- Doctor
- Killed by BR8K Spider!!!!!!!!
Commentary: |-
    <i>Fender_Jess:</i>
    So Vriskafic8ion is a track Ash wrote inspired by the fanfiction "<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/series/1475819">godfeels</a>", wherein John becomes June with an assist from her own personal brain ghost Vriska. Basically, June is all of John's power and free spirit, combined with Vriska's determination, neverending drive and penchant for (over-re)action. She's a chaotic whirlwind of violence and action and willpower and volatility, all with Vriska there, in spirit, hand on her shoulder. Godfeels is one of my all-time favorite fanworks (in fact I voice June in a fandub called podfeels, check it out!), and seeing this track appear on LOFAM was an absolute delight, so I wanted to give it a visual punch to go along with the energy of the music. The piece itself is just a few vignettes of important moments plus a Cool Action Shot of June to tie it all together. As simple as the concept is, I'm really happy with how it came out; this is definitely the most ambitious thing I've ever drawn, hahah 
---
Track: 'Flight of the Meteor: Year 1'
Additional Names:
- Flight of the Asteroid (original name)
Artists:
- Jebb
Duration: '4:24'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/flight-of-the-meteor-year-1
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeAbVxdwssg
Cover Artists:
- Adrian "gravitygauntlet" Wahrer
Art Tags:
- Green Sun
- Meteor
- Skaia
Lyrics: |-
    (.... . .... . / .... --- -- . ... - ..- -.-. -.-) (<i>HEHE HOMESTUCK</i>)
Commentary: |-
    <i>Adrian "gravitygauntlet" Wahrer:</i>
    Based on a graphic from Act 6 Intermission 2. The project file is modular such that the Green Sun can get smaller and Skaia can get bigger as the meteor gets farther assuming there are "Year 2" / "Year 3" mixes on future releases.

    <i>Jebb:</i>
    Hoo boy, this one!

    I had always had the idea of making some sort of ""epic trailer music"" kinda track, but every one of my attempts never passed the sketch phase. When I joined the LOFAM 5A2 team, I felt like it would be the perfect time to finally try and make that sort of thing, however when I actually tried to make it, nothing really stuck.

    Around that time, I went to see a live Hans Zimmer concert that was touring. I already like movie soundtracks, however, seeing them performed live was an entirely different feeling. It was so grand, so important, so majestic. In short, I adored it. And moreso, it was the final push that I needed. During an intermission, I came up with something and quickly recorded myself humming it, and that recording was the thing that finally gave me the inspiration to make this track.

    Flight of the Meteor is supposed to be a series of tracks about the 3-year journey of the Meteor crew and the events that happened during it. The image that came up in my mind every time I brainstormed about ""The Epic LOFAM Track™"" was always the trolls' meteor, and frankly, I am not even too sure why. Possibly because at the time I thought that it was one of the only major events in Homestuck that didn't really have music associated with it (But then I remembered [[track:gold-pilot|Gold Pilot]] and the [[flash:4109|Cascade]] flash so yeah lol). Still, I really liked the idea, and the concept stuck.

    Now, hold on, a *series* of tracks? What do you mean, Jebb? Well, if you are reading this commentary in the future, then you probably know. If you aren't, well, you probably already figured it out. But still, a bit of an explanation.

    At first, this was supposed to be one single very long track. As I was making it, I very quickly reached 4 minutes in length, which was already a lot for my standards. However, the parts that I had finished were only supposed to be the middle, so that would mean that I would be going into the 7-8 minute territory. I wasn't really bothered by that, but by that point I was already getting pretty tired and the deadlines were creeping up, so I wasn't sure if I would be able to do it. On top of that, I had another WIP of an alternate version of this track which I had started earlier and slowly chipped away at in between the other LOFAM tracks since both others and I believed that it had potential. At that point I determined that all of this was a bit too much for me and decided to make the latter part of Flight of the Meteor its own track and save both it and the WIP for a later LOFAM.

    It was at that moment that [[artist:makin|Makin]] said ""thematically it needs to take three years to finish"", which gave me a fantastic idea. Of course! I just make each track a different year of the journey! I mean, it was already like that, but I just somehow never thought to name them by their years.

    Now, enough backstory, time to talk about the piece itself.

    This track, Year 1, is focused on the beginning of the journey, mainly the actual launch of the asteroid. The beginning shows us the Meteor, serenely flying through the open space. Starting from approximately the middle, we flashback to the events of [[flash:4109|Cascade]], and as the threats of a dying universe and Jack Noir loom, Sollux charges up (3:15) and, with the volume peaking, launches the Meteor with all of his power. The tension dies down and a melancholic yet triumphant piano plays to show that the danger has passed, and a new chapter of the trolls and kids' lives is beginning. Essentially, this could very well be an alternate track for Cascade's meteor launch part.

    The morse code you hear after the peak is supposed to be Serenity, however I didn't really have anything deep or impactful for her to say, so I just had her beep out ""hehe Homestuck""

    On the more technical side of things, my computer absolutely HATED this track.

    My pc was chugging HARD when I was working on this. (Funnily enough, I am pretty sure that the biggest issue was all the automation.) If not for [[artist:grace-medley|Grace]] teaching me about the ""switch smart disable for all plugins"" option in FL I would have really struggled.

    Speaking of struggle. God, I absolutely DESPISE BBC Studio Orchestra. Their instruments sound so good, but it just absolutely \*refuses* to function. Every single time I reopened the project file, almost every single instance of it broke and I had to spend like 4 straight minutes relaunching every single one until they all worked properly again. I tried to google fixes for it, redownloading it, and all for nothing. I swear, after this I am switching to Kontakt, this was absolutely unbearable. Would not recommend.

    (Update: I updated my FL copy to 21 and now it functions completely fine, so we're friends now! Still, the pain it wrought is scarred deeply into my heart.)

    Overall, FoTM:Y1 is almost definitely the most ambitious track I have attempted to date. Personally, the mixing is a bit off in some parts and the middle part is kinda repetitive, however, it's all just nitpicks that I often like to give myself. I really am very proud of this track, and I hope that the future entries in this little trilogy can live up to the hype of this one.

    See you in Year 2!
---
Track: Across Time
Directory: across-time-lofam5a2
Originally Released As: track:across-time
Duration: '2:38'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/across-time
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1U7RjpY1mo
Cover Artists:
- Nodls
Commentary: |-
    <i>Makin:</i> (album management)
    This art was originally used to score the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SH65pNyM2Pw">[S] Mika: Souviens-toi</a> animation in the french fanventure <a href="https://discord.gg/hV3s6dXEuX">Heaven;Sent</a>.
---
Track: Slow Dancing in the Clockwork Hall
Directory: slow-dancing-in-the-clockwork-hall-lofam5a2
Originally Released As: track:slow-dancing-in-the-clockwork-hall
Duration: '2:23'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/slow-dancing-in-the-clockwork-hall
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4gvaw98w-I
Cover Art File Extension: jpg
Cover Artists:
- swanfire
Art Tags:
- Dave
- Damara
- Felt Manor
Commentary: |-
    <i>sunsprite:</i>
    A cute little orchestral Clockwork Melody arrangement about Dave's and Rose's journey.

    Clockwork Melody is one of my favorite leitmotifs in Homestuck, and I like to play it on every occasion on any instrument I get my hands on. It made sense that I would make a full arrangement of it.

    So I went with the flow, and here is that. I really like what came out of this.

    And it might be easy to spot that [[artist:james-roach|James Roach's]] work on [[album:hiveswap-act-1-ost|Hiveswap OST]] was quite an inspiration there.
---
Track: Fill 'em with Daylight (YD Club Mix)
Artists:
- yuuDii
Duration: '3:20'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/fill-em-with-daylight-yd-club-mix
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-n-LXzoCns
Cover Artists:
- Selan Pike
Art Tags:
- DD
Referenced Tracks:
- Carbon Nadsat / Cuestick Genius
- Three in the Morning
- Fill 'em with Daylight
Commentary: |-
    <i>yuuDii:</i>
    Diamonds Droog hits up the club to make a deal involving 25,000,000 USD, a black diamond, illicit candy-corn liquor, and last month's print of 'Grey Ladies'.

    <i>Selan Pike:</i>
    Diamonds Droog dubstep... Diamonds Drubstep? Dubmonds Droog? Is this anything????
---
Track: Ruined Singularity
Directory: ruined-singularity-lofam5a2
Originally Released As: track:ruined-singularity
Duration: '3:14'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/ruined-singularity
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctPV_croW-M
Cover Artists:
- Circlejourney
Art Tags:
- Alternate Calliope
- Prospit
- Derse
Commentary: |-
    <i>Cosmoptera:</i>
    Hello John Muse, from Muse, if you're reading this I'm very sorry for stealing your awesome song for my Homestuck music. I hope you can forgive me someday.

    <i>Circlejourney:</i>
    The art is an abstract rendering of an implosion shattering the mirror-face of the universe, which accurately represents how I felt listening to the track for the first time. 
---
Track: Virtua-Bounce
Artists:
- David Ko
Duration: '1:34'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/virtua-bounce
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pT-wa6iE8Y
Cover Artists:
- Torrent 64
- Adrian "gravitygauntlet" Wahrer
Art Tags:
- WV
Referenced Tracks:
- Vagabounce
Commentary: |-
    <i>David Ko:</i>
    It's always fun to come back to an old favorite. Adapting "Vagabounce" to the FamiTracker soundscape was a fun personal challenge.

    <i>Torrent 64:</i>
    The track's name immediately made my mind jump to the Virtual Boy, Nintendo's failed VR console, hence the idea to make a parody box art. The little pogging WV with the Virtual Boy on his face was suggested and created by adrian gravitygauntlet. Big funny.
---
Track: Sburban Keygen (WORKING 2009 NO VIRUS)
Artists:
- tbyt
Duration: '2:43'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/sburban-keygen-working-2009-no-virus
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=142KlGePkew
Cover Artists:
- Awkward
Art Tags:
- Gate
Referenced Tracks:
- Sburban Countdown
- Sburban Jungle
Sampled Tracks:
- Lil' Allen's Keygen sample pack
Commentary: |-
    <i>tbyt:</i>
    Sburb is so expensive!

    <i>Awkward:</i>
    HEY  EVERY  !! WE'VE GOT SOME FRESH \[[Pixel Art]] OFF THE GRILLBY \[[In the truest Silly Crossover FashionTM]]
---
Track: Everyone Here, Fine and Happy, Let's Eat Some Cake and Play a Song
Directory: everyone-here-fine-and-happy-lets-eat-some-cake-and-play-a-song-lofam5a2
Originally Released As: track:everyone-here-fine-and-happy-lets-eat-some-cake-and-play-a-song
Duration: '3:34'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/everyone-here-fine-and-happy-lets-eat-some-cake-and-play-a-song
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOdDcJBpToI
Cover Artists:
- ricemilk
Art Tags:
- Jane
- Karkat
- Dave
- Jade
- Roxy
- Kanaya
- Rose
- Earth
Commentary: |-
    <i>sunsprite:</i>
    The game finally ended. Come over, let's eat some cake and play that song your dad liked.

    The base motif is Harlequin, but it's jazzy. One of the main inspirations is [[track:moonsweater|Moonsweater]] by [[artist:david-ellis|David Ellis]], it's great.

    Playing everything on real instruments just feels a bit different to me, and I like that. It was very fun to iterate on the parts and do all different solos.

    <i>ricemilk:</i>
    My inspiration for this was a track art for "[[track:unlabeled|unlabeled]]" off of "[[album:one-year-older|One Year Older]]". It's basically what came to mind when I saw that title and heard the song, although the vibes of the songs themselves are different. I didn't even look back at it through the course of working on my piece, but now when I do, it ended up being very similar. I was \*also* informed that it looked like the painting "Freedom from Want" by Norman Rockwell, which was completely unintended but a very funny coincidence. The POV is our main character. If I was to redo it, I'd make it more playful to fit the song better, but I guess the feeling that I was stuck with was "safe" and "belonging". The feelings that perhaps many of us yearn for.
---
Track: The Final Spice is Cardamom for Apple Pie, Cloves for Pumpkins
Artists:
- subversiveasset
Duration: '3:53'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/the-final-spice-is-cardamom-for-apple-pie-cloves-for-pumpkins
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdEbSepJbrs
Cover Artists:
- METIANULL
- halstridergaming
Art Tags:
- Joey
- Xefros
Referenced Tracks:
- Alternate Recipe
- Final Spice
- Determination
- Magical Hopalong Cassidy Station
- Spear of Justice
Commentary: |-
    <i>Makin:</i> (album management)
    As with all of subversiveasset’s covers, there’s a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APzFKEufjUw">pretty good music video on YouTube</a>

    <i>subversiveasset:</i>
    Wanted to play Alternate Recipe and Final Spice, and then along the way I quoted a lot of other Toby Fox pieces

    As you play Hiveswap, you might notice one song in particular, Final Spice, that sounds a bit more like Toby Fox than usual. As James Roach and Toby Fox revealed in an interview on WhatPumpkin tumblr, that's indeed true -- Final Spice is the most Toby of all the pieces.

    But I think that it's interesting how the two did their collaborative composing process. Toby's original was piano-only, and then James made his own version (which is "Alternate Recipe"), and then the two worked together to harmonize the various approaches into Final Spice.

    I decided to take Final Spice and run with it, with a few references to other Toby Fox tracks. Will you get all the references?

    Also, check out <a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-201967720/final-spice-remake">this remake of Final Spice</a> by [[artist:dbnet18|dbnet18]] -- his transcription really reduced the work load for me!

    <i>METIANULL:</i> (& halstridergaming)
    This was an extremely fun piece to make, we wanted to recreate the feel of classic Touhou cover art; paying homage to the origin of "Final Spice". A LOOOT of assets and research were put into this piece, especially with desigining the dress and making the title... " \*toby fox voice* its a part of... important chinese orthography
---
Track: Ruination
Artists:
- Viceroy of Monte Cristo
Duration: '3:15'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/ruination
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05jbQufJLG4
Cover Art File Extension: jpg
Cover Artists:
- Horizonseek Studios
Art Tags:
- 'cw: body horror (abstract)'
Referenced Tracks:
- track:awakening-la-mulana
Commentary: |-
    <i>Makin:</i> (album management)
    This initially foreboding and soon rave-y track was used to score the fanventure <a href="https://mspfa.com/?s=1032">Hexane</a>, specifically <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9lVuJTuOkw">[S] Viy: Rise Up</a>, a climactic moment of the endgame. And yes, that motif is from La-Mulana (play it).

    <i>Horizonseek Studios:</i>
    // DARK GOD AND FALLEN ANGELS<br>
    \\\ FELL SIGILS FOR TAINTED RUINS<br>
    // FORFEIT SOULS IN A BLOODY RAPTURE<br>
    || OR<br>
    \\\ SO THE DARK VISIONS SAY
---
Track: Braiin Faiiliiure
Additional Names:
- Brain Failure (English, normalized)
Artists:
- yuuDii
Duration: '3:23'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/braiin-faiiliiure
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IX7i8pBCaJk
Cover Artists:
- Monckat
Art Tags:
- Sollux
- Bees
Referenced Tracks:
- The Blind Prophet
- The La2t Frontiier
Commentary: |-
    <i>yuuDii:</i>
    Please stop eating the Mind Honey: also known as "The Song That Might Play When You Use PSI Brainbeam Metashock Ω".

    <i>Monckat:</i>
    mind honey overdose? the results of holding in a sneeze too long? scientists differ
---
Track: Shire Strife
Artists:
- Alex Rosetti
Duration: '1:44'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/shire-strife
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60Jn1x7ojqA
Cover Artists:
- electricwestern
Referenced Tracks:
- Showtime (Original Mix)
- Concerning Hobbits
- track:the-council-of-elrond
Commentary: |-
    <i>Makin:</i> (album management)
    This track came from a ten year old shitpost by Alex and <a href="https://walliard.tumblr.com/post/40310450692/electricwestern-s-bilbo-dont-go-on-any">electricwestern</a> simply titled *[S] Bilbo: Don't go on any adventures*, which I think sums it up, really.

    <small>actually it references specific leitmotifs for the Shire and the Fellowship that first get fully developed in the tracks above. the LOTR soundtrack is a mess and we have not developed the crediting technology to properly address the problem pls help</small>
---
Track: Fright Rush
Artists:
- gh0stcr33p
Duration: '0:57'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/fright-rush
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7f43l7PCv8Y
Cover Artists:
- artist:jarleypeno
Referenced Tracks:
- Rex Duodecim Angelus
Commentary: |-
    <i>gh0stcr33p:</i>
    this track was made for the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F41HZ9ZkzMM">COUNTDOWN</a> flash of the <a href="https://mspfa.com/?s=50076&p=1">Paradox Struck</a> fanventure. it is meant to envoke the urgency of the characters getting to the medium before their planets are obliterated by meteors
---
Track: Make Them Pay
Directory: make-them-pay-lofam5a2
Artists:
- Grace Medley
Duration: '3:06'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/make-them-pay
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zn_f5sdtxCg
Cover Artists:
- tempest2k
Art Tags:
- Vriska
- Sollux
- Tavros
- Alternia
Referenced Tracks:
- track:make-them-pay
Commentary: |-
    <i>Grace Medley:</i>
    Of my tracks on this album, this is probably the one I’ve been meaning to do for the longest time. I actually started conceptualising this back while [[album:lofam4|LOFAM 4]] was still in development! I remember at the time that my friend Tempest had taken to submitting a wide variety of tracks for it, all of which eventually fell short of manager approval in one way or another. I don’t know if these tracks are still around anywhere, but there was one whose tune would never quite leave my head. This tune was, of course, the original Make Them Pay.

    Fast forward to now, some time after I’d presumed myself to have lost all contact with Tempest. We hadn’t talked for years, and we really only caught back up once I came back to [[group:unofficial-mspa-fans|UMSPAF]] in the time after [[album:lofam5|LOFAM 5]] dropped. When the ball got rolling on the next LOFAM (the one you’ve got right here!), I got to thinking that I should 1. finish up basically as much as I can from my extensive list of tracks I’ve wanted to make for various UMSPAF projects, and 2. collaborate with as many of the longtime friends I’ve made through this circle as is humanly possible (these are both common themes you’ll notice throughout my tracks on LOFAM5A2). Well, I’d wanted to cover Make Them Pay for a long time, and I figured that talking to Tempest about what to do with it would be a great way to finally realise that idea.

    I think the end result really worked out. A key inspiration for the sound of this track is the score to the PS4 game Driveclub, which actually sort of has me thinking... has anyone gotten around to making a really crappy racing Homestuck fangame? I would absolutely play the shit out of Sburbkart or whatever, if it existed.

    <i>tempest2k:</i>
    I think Grace's commentary covers some of the feelings I have about this. I think it's really cool to be able to say we worked on a thing (again) after all this time. Life is hard and honestly this piece was hard to work on, even if it's pretty simple. I'm happy with it, though. Grace had just about finished the track around the time I got to [S] Make Her Pay in my Homestuck reread, and the concept for this art came my mind almost instantly. I'm proud to have brought this whole thing around full circle, having made the song this is a remix of. I'm proud to be in this booklet.
---
Track: PLEA AND JUDGEMENT
Artists:
- METIANULL
Duration: '2:09'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/plea-and-judgement
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqovNAdFYzE
Cover Artists:
- Artatruc
Art Tags:
- Aradia
Commentary: |-
    <i>METIANULL:</i>
    A strange one, Aradia! This song is about her weird and mysterious Dead Self in the beginning acts of Homestuck. I really tried to emulate that spooky and somehow all knowing vibe she has...<br>
    man... she is so scary...
---
Track: Lunar Solace
Artists:
- Monckat
Duration: '2:57'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/lunar-solace
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2x6kE-AL3FA
Cover Artists:
- Monckat
Art Tags:
- Rose
- Horrorterrors
- Derse
- Skaia
- Prospit
Referenced Tracks:
- Endless Space
- Shimmerserene
- Switchback
- Vacuum Spark
Commentary: |-
    <i>Monckat:</i>
    An elaboration of SolusLunes' track Endless Space, sprinkled with sections quoting his [[album:homestuck-vol-5|Vol. 5]] track Switchback and seasoned to taste with a few of the motifs from my fanventure, The Tapestry. You’ll never guess what the title is based on.

    Endless Space isn’t technically a homestuck track, but my absurd, speculative and totally unconfirmable theory is that when Mr. Lunes was tossing wavs into his Vol. 5 submission folder he intended to submit Endless Space but mixed up the file names and put [[track:endless-heart|Endless Heart]] in instead. I have zero evidence for this.

    <i>Makin:</i> (album management)
    <img src="media/misc/lofam5a2bullshit.jpg" width="150"><br>
    <br>

    <i>Monckat:</i> (but for art)
    Rose at the Incipisphere's edge. The funky-looking stuff along the margins is partially my own creation and partially edited from some fractal art SolusLunes posted on his Newgrounds page.
---
Track: Beckoning
Directory: beckoning-lofam5a2
Always Reference By Directory: true
Artists:
- bb-panzu
Duration: '1:23'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/beckoning
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AS6d8DjY8nw
Cover Artists:
- Doribun
Art Tags:
- John
Lyrics: |-
    SQUAWK LIKE AN IMBECILE AND SHIT ON YOUR DESK
    S-S-S-SQUAWK LIKE AN IMBECILE AND SHIT ON YOUR DESK
    SQUAWK LIKE AN IMBECILE AND SHIT ON YOUR DESK
    S-S-S-SQUAWK LIKE AN IMBECILE AND SHIT ON YOUR DESK

    SQUAWK LIKE AN IMBECILE AND SHIT ON YOUR DESK
    S-S-S-SQUAWK LIKE AN IMBECILE AND SHIT ON YOUR DESK
    SQUAWK LIKE AN IMBECILE AND SHIT ON YOUR DESK
    S-S-S-SQUAWK LIKE AN IMBECILE AND SHIT ON YOUR DE— (No!)
Commentary: |-
    <i>Makin:</i> (album management)
    You can <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbtS8RiPkds">play this amazing and hilarious track</a> in more than one way.

    <i>Doribun:</i>
    haha wahoo! beckoning as a concept is really fuckin funny and i the fact bb managed to make it work is nothin short of radicool to me. I wanted to try and do justice to the visuals of the song while still staying true to the Homestuck style. I took references from early Act panels and flashes to capture John's whole look, and I also took visual cues and inspirations from the lighting and stuff in the song. I felt like the BG was a lilll empty so i put in the repeating text, hehe. ColorsNMayhem as a mod is somethin thats super cool and honestly p special to me personally. I mean come on, It's a Homestuck FNF mod made by one of my fuckin buds, of course im delighted about it. The fact I've gotten to work on it and make even more art for it (the first piece I ever made being the main banner art) is just. ITS COOL, MAN!!! ITS FUCKING COOL!!! As of writing, I cant wait for ColorsNMayhem to come out, and for yall to see what bb cooked. Because I promise you he cooked GOOD.
---
Track: Yo Quiero la Homestuck
Additional Names:
- Name: I Want (the) Homestuck
  Annotation: English
Artists:
- gabe's shady music shack
Duration: '2:01'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/yo-quiero-la-homestuck
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zV0nl25a3PY
Cover Artists:
- Torrent 64
Art Tags:
- Tavros
- John
Referenced Tracks:
- Sburban Jungle
- Umbral Ultimatum
- The Lemonsnout Turnabout
- Liquid Negrocity
- Descend
Commentary: |-
    <i>gabe's shady music shack:</i>
    The homestuck melodies you know and love, now with a tangy salsa flavor! I made this after being inspired to write some latin jazz, and then accidentally adding the melody from Descend to it. "Hey, this sounds really good," I thought, as I proceeded to brainlessly structure the entire song around homestuck motifs. Anyways, I hope you enjoy, and try to recognize all the melodies!

    <i>Torrent 64:</i>
    I really loved the vibe of this track. Since I'm of Puerto Rican descent, I've always had a partiality towards Salsa music, so I just knew I had to make the art for this track. The artwork is a parody of the album cover for Lo Mato by Willie Colón & Héctor Lavoe, just with Tavros and John.
---
Track: Fugalanthequins
Artists:
- Shwan
Duration: '4:12'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/fugalanthequins
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkrgFMsdQGA
Cover Artists:
- lemonzestdoodle
Art Tags:
- Terezi
- Vriska
Referenced Tracks:
- Crystalanthemums
- Terezi Owns
- Crystamanthequins
- English
- track:megalovania-halloween
Commentary: |-
    <i>Shwan:</i>
    Terezi found a copy of “Die Kunst der Fuge” in one of the ruin and decided to take a shot
    <img src="media/misc/lofam5a2bach.jpg" width="150">

    <i>lemonzestdoodle:</i>
    You know that gif of the guy on a beach playing a piano that's on fire? That's what I imagine with this song.
    <img src="media/misc/lofam5a2piano.gif" width="150">
---
Track: Cometfall
Directory: cometfall-lofam5a2
Originally Released As: track:cometfall
Duration: '3:07'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/cometfall
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEy3c8Qq204
Cover Artists:
- Adrian "gravitygauntlet" Wahrer
Art Tags:
- Skaia
Commentary: |-
    <i>Cosmoptera:</i>
    There's really a tragic lack of Ocean Stars covers out there. Any time I make a song with a beautiful intro, my brain shifts into Drum And Bass Mode where I get the irresistable urge to ruin it with an amen break.

    <i>Adrian "gravitygauntlet" Wahrer:</i>
    Meant to echo the Ocean Stars Falling track art. It's underwater AND in space.
---
Track: The Deceased Friends And Family
Artists:
- Tee-vee
Duration: '7:36'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/the-deceased-friends-and-family
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDEdrFFZ66c
Cover Artists:
- halstridergaming
Art Tags:
- Terezi
- Vriska
Referenced Tracks:
- Scourge Sisters
- In the coldest rooms, I burn a picture of you for warmth
- Do You Remem8er Me
- Terezi Owns
Sampled Tracks:
- terepy the movie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwtL1khras4
Lyrics: |-
    (I'm still waiting for my girl, to come back from the war.)
Commentary: |-
    <i>Tee-vee:</i>
    I originally wanted to make this track for [[album:lofam5|LOFAM5]] but couldn't get inspired enough to complete it in time, so I thought I could actually finish it for Act 2! A very melancholic Terezi/Vrisrezi track inspired by psych rock bands such as Teke::Teke or King Gizz', old movie soundtracks youtube has been recommending me, and the Hellsing anime soundtrack (my beloved).

    <i>halstridergaming:</i>
    I wanted to give this drawing a melachonic, distant feeling between terezi and vriska. Definitely tried something experimental for this piece as i wanted to give this track justice. Like the track, I wanted to express a lot of feeling in this art. I seriously couldn't have accomplished that without the help of my very talented friend [[artist:metianull|Metianull]]! He helped with texturing this piece, along with filters and the text. I would like to believe this track art represents an interesting mix of emotions, but of course its completely up to interpetation... and I think thats the fun part!

    <i>Terepy Pipes:</i>
    <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwtL1khras4"><img src="media/misc/lofam5a2terepy.png" width="150"></a><br>
---
Track: Maybe it'll turn out better this time
Artists:
- Circlejourney
Duration: '3:31'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/maybe-itll-turn-out-better-this-time
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BT0EPU41qi0
Cover Artists:
- yoyoYolo
Art Tags:
- John
- Roxy
- Rose
- Dave
- Jade
- Gate
Referenced Tracks:
- Homestuck Anthem
- Frost and Clockwork
MIDI Project Files:
- Title: MIDI by Circlejourney (original composer)
  Files:
  - 'Maybe_itll_turn_out_better_this_time - Circlejourney.mid'
Commentary: |-
    <i>Circlejourney:</i>
    This one's about starting the universe over when the old one doesn't work out. It's also about the worlds that Homestuck has inspired and spawned, both within its multiverse and beyond it.

    I'm dedicating this one to <a href="https://utopianparadoxist.tumblr.com">UtopianParadoxist</a>, who wrote the post that made this track appear in my mind in such blinding clarity I couldn't stop making until it was done.

    I also have some extended commentary about this one--it's more important to me than I give it credit for.

    When I finished reading Homestuck, I was...disappointed. That disappointment morphed gradually into disgust as I watched schisms violently open in the fandom following the Epilogues and Homestuck^2, and in the process I felt like I'd lost something.

    I kept thinking that maybe, if I just read the comic again, it would turn out different. Maybe it'd be the story I'd once loved and it would fill me with breathless wonder again. Maybe it'd be better.

    But earlier this year, a post by uP crossed my dash after he'd disappeared from my periphery for well over a year. He was outlining his plans surrounding <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/series/1433650">Pumpkin Path</a>, a story he's writing that runs adjacent to the Epilogues and (eventually though not yet?) gives these characters the futures they've earned.

    And I realised...the way I'd been thinking about it, that's not how it works, y'know? It's not the story that has changed: it's my heart, my relationship with it. And the best thing I could do was take what this once-beloved story gave me and make something new with it. And that's what many people have done in the wake of Homestuck's end: we've all gone off and made new stories, for which this long-beloved comic was an undeniable progenitor.

    It reminded me of a certain recurring motif in the comic itself. Every time the universe resulted in a corrupt or barren session, the players...well, they rebooted it. They left the old universe behind, and started a new one, billions of years all over again just to see where it would go this time.

    There was no use in searching for the story that used to be, because it was me that had changed.

    You may as well leave that old universe behind and start a new one from scratch.

    This is the idea that seeded the above track, and it caught me off guard, because it was the first Homestuck music I had made in more than two years--after I thought I'd sworn it off for good. And then, two days later, *Maybe it'll turn out better this time* was done. (Two days is, by the way, a *very* short time for a track to emerge.) It was a small, silly, wonderful little thing, a sapling in the ashes, that proved to me that things could change.

    But beyond my track, the entirety of LOFAM5A2 feels especially so. It's a startling breath of fresh air that emerged from so much genuine joy and excitement. I'm happy I got to contribute even just a little work to it and I really, really hope that the fandom sees it for all that went into it. An UMSPAF manager once said that my music always sounds hopeful, but it was never intentional until this one. Thank you to everyone who's made good art that has inspired others in turn, you create life with your own hands.

    <i>yoyoYolo:</i>
    maybe it’ll turn out better this time is a title that immediately reminded me of the retcon. in the cover art, i decided to highlight how the joy of the post retcon timeline almost completely overshadows the suffering of characters that we actually followed for years. idk, replacing these guys with slightly different versions of them always felt weird to me.
---
Track: Lilith
Directory: lilith-lofam5a2
Originally Released As: track:lilith
Duration: '3:27'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/lilith
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOw2XCVsATA
Cover Artists:
- Torrent 64
Art Tags:
- Rose
- 'cw: blood'
Commentary: |-
    <i>Torrent 64:</i>
    This track was very, very fun to make the art for. The name "Lilith" is usually used in reference to the Mesopotamian and Judaic mythological figure, supposedly the first wife of Adam. The idea of the first woman becoming "evil" made me think of Rose going Grimdark, since she's the first woman we meet in the comic, and turns to darker forces. For that reason, I wanted to go for religious iconography when making the cover, and what better than the cross. The sign above her head reads "Lilith" in Hebrew, which is a callback to the sign hung above Jesus' head when He was crucified. The crescent moon positioned above the cross is a depiction of the astrological symbol for Lilith.
---
Track: Stuck
Artists:
- Grace Medley
- SplitSuns
- WHATISLOSTINTHEMINES (prod., vocals, add. guitar)
- Ucklin (lyrics, vocals)
Duration: '10:25'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/stuck
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WICSGFc_Fqo
Cover Artists:
- Artatruc
Art Tags:
- John
- Rose
- Dave
- Jade
- Jane
- Roxy
- Dirk
- Jake
- Gate
Referenced Tracks:
- track:home
- Another Jungle
- Lies With The Sea (Beta)
- Sburban Jungle
- Dinosaur Pill
- Embittered Shore
Sampled Tracks:
- track:home
- Dawn of Man
- Better by SAINT PEPSI
- When the Sun Hits by Slowdive 
- Apollo 8 communications 069:52:40 Lovell
Lyrics: |-
    You collapse on the fractured earth with a shovel in your grip
    Over your quivering chest you see there's another on the lip
    Whatever’s inside has been circumscribing far too long
    You try your best to resist but find it's enticement far too strong
    Suddenly you're beneath the roots of a massive flooded tree
    Far from the crown as the leaves fall down they transform and wiggle free
    Smoky drool spirals from their schools and collects in painters' trays
    You point and turn for the awestruck crowd but you only see your face

    If nothing beside remains
    Why can't we try again?

    You can bead all of the words that you want on the string of your sentence
    It doesn't matter because they slip off and the ringing is endless
    Clattering across the carpet floor, never to be found
    Even though the air becomes the sound, somewhere
    The meaning gets stuck

    In a room full of frozen eyes and twinkling silver drills
    Your precious breath drips down from ears that don't distill
    And you stumble right back to the rift you rent amid drifting stalks of grain
    And you ask when the field's getting plowed again
    And the buildings extend to the edge of sight with no taper to their ends
    But your fate's still written where the sky bends
    And when you run your fingers across the sun, you find the surface bears a crack
    Don't look inside, something's looking back

    If nothing beside remains
    Why can't we try again?

    You can bead all of the words that you want on the string of your sentence
    It doesn't matter because they slip off and the ringing is endless
    Clattering across the carpet floor, never to be found
    Even though the air becomes the sound, somewhere
    The meaning gets stuck

    If I had a voice
    Still I couldn't say
    One sole secret syllable that wouldn't bleach to grey
    Now that we've unfurled
    Spectacles regrown
    Who's to say they aren't just the old ones, clean as bone?

    (The craters are all rounded off. There's quite a few of them, some of them are newer. Many of them look like, especially the round ones, look like hits by meteorites or projectiles of some sort.)
Commentary: |-
    <i>Grace Medley:</i>
    It should more or less go without saying that this is the most complicated thing I’ve ever made, by a considerable margin. By the time of the final mix, you’re looking at well over 200 tracks of audio here. This thing has been eating gigabytes of storage space on my computer. Stuck is not the track of mine on here that I’ve felt a compulsion to make for the longest time (that title goes to [[track:make-them-pay-lofam5a2|Make Them Pay]]), but it is the one that’s been eating at me the most. I think it was during the making of [[track:home|Home]], sometime towards the end, that I pitched a sequel (not in absolute sincerity, I just thought it would be funny to propose a sequel called Stuck) because collaborating with the team was some of the most fun I’d ever had in working on music.

    Fast forward to 2022, when, behind the scenes, we’re sort of deliberating over the prospect of a new LOFAM (we had no idea at the time that we’d get more than thirty-odd tracks even optimistically, we couldn’t begin to dream of netting three times that). I say to Split, well, since we’ve both improved so much as producers, what’s the harm in taking a crack at Stuck for real this time? To my surprise, both WHATISLOSTINTHEMINES and Ucklin jumped on the opportunity in a heartbeat. Looking back, I’m more or less shocked everything fell together so perfectly like that.

    We cut ahead a few weeks more and I’m sitting at work, with Another Jungle stuck in my head. It gets me thinking: Home is largely inspired by [[track:forever|Forever]]/Dawn of Man, which in turn borrow largely from Sburban Jungle. Another Jungle doesn’t have a Forever/Dawn of Man equivalent, but what if Stuck behaved like it came from another universe where it did – using the same melody, but over poppier, more bittersweet chords? To my surprise, I had the chords in my head in minutes. You can hear them in the chorus, which actually largely remains unaltered from what I wrote down that afternoon and the following week. Actually, the melody to the vocals in the chorus mostly follows I had an idea to put over the top of that, too, although with some important adjustments from Ucklin who also wrote lyrics that blow the kind of stuff I was thinking up out of the water.

    I think a big part of what I had going for me production-wise on this track is that I’ve not only become better at mixing (actually, you hear practically none of my mix work on Home – that’s almost entirely held together by Split’s fantastic work there), but I’ve also diversified my music tastes – I know whose styles I’m drawing inspiration from, and I know what benchmark to aim for in producing Stuck. Some I leave it as a challenge for any keen-eared listener to go looking for are George Duke, Fatboy Slim, Magdalena Bay, Bicep, Slowdive (who I sample in here – keep an ear out!), Röyksopp, Oneohtrix Point Never, Barker, and early Apparat. The ending is almost entirely pastiche of the musician Lawrence English – and I thank Split for the idea, who suggested Stuck’s ending should be something ambient to contrast with Home’s big, climactic rock-out, and I still wanted something larger-than-life, so English’s heavy drone style seemed like a perfect end to aim for.

    On the lyrical side of things, Ucklin drew a brilliant connection between what I was trying to evoke in terms of these two figures reunited at the end of Home finding they can’t explain to each other what they saw in their time apart, and trying to explain the serial and communal experience of Homestuck to an archival reader. When I saw how much steam LOFAM was picking back up, and I realised the community was far from a thing of the past, that’s when I proposed the prechorus: “If nothing beside remains (itself a quote from Percy B. Shelley’s poem Ozymandias) / Then why can’t we try again?”

    If I could, I’d like to dedicate a quick aside to everyone who has helped motivate me to keep at working on new [[group:unofficial-mspa-fans|UMSPAF]] stuff, not least of all my wonderful partner, who stayed up countless late nights in online calls to keep me pushing through this song, even when I thought I couldn’t any further. It was well worth every second, I think.

    <i>SplitSuns:</i>
    I still find it so surreal that we already made Home four years ago. I second Grace when she says that working on the piece was some of the most fun I'd ever had in my music career. It was difficult and demanding, but undeniably rewarding and an experience that we all learned a lot from. It felt like such a complete work in and of itself that I couldn't ever conceive of how a sequel would turn out. Yet when Grace seriously pitched the idea of making Stuck in 2022, I wasn't skeptical in the slightest, because I knew if anyone could pull it off, it was us four. And so we did.

    Grace was responsible for the structure and composition of Home, but with the exception of the shoegaze climax, the bulk of the production was my department. For Stuck, we divvied up the responsibilities differently. We all decided on the structure together, and Grace took on the task of composing and producing the vast majority of the 10 minutes you hear. We split the song into three main parts: the intro, the "vocals" section, and the ending. Planning the song's structure around these parts to make sure it hit our projected length was no easy feat. When it looked like we didn't have enough connective tissue to reach that point, I came in to fill in the gaps (aided, of course, by Grace's wonderful mixing).

    Instead of adding random instruments throughout the entire piece, I contributed two full sections to the song. First, I wrote a new second half of the intro after Grace felt hers wasn't working. After Grace's Dawn of Man sample, I decided to shift gears and funnel the mysterious energy of the first half into a heavy-hitting dance number. My goal was to preserve the drama of Home while giving Stuck its own joyful flair. I drew upon some of my favorite electronic artists to construct this veritable EDM medley: George Clanton, Daft Punk, Naked Flames, and Todd Terje, just to name a few. Instead of settling for mere style pastiche, as I did in the past, I wanted to synthesize these influences into a grand welcome to Stuck, one unmistakably mine. And what better way to do that than with a glitchy transition to bring everything crashing down, sampling scattered moments from Home?

    The other section I came up with was a synth-guitar breakdown/solo in the middle of the track. I had always wanted to contribute an instrumental section to Stuck, to mirror Grace's own shoegaze section in Home. But instead of putting it after the vocals section, like in Home, Grace had the idea of using it to break up the verses. Listening to it now, the flow sounds perfectly natural. I stayed up late into the night attempting to create the most "SplitSuns" section of music possible, full of crazy chord changes and those over-the-top synth runs I hold so dear. When all was said and done, Grace loved it so much she told me to not change a single note. For once, I agreed with her. I'm satisfied with my work on this song in a way I usually never am.

    In a way, I consider these passages as my swan song to Homestuck fan music; if not a farewell, then a goodbye for now, showcasing everything I've learned from making music in this sphere over so many years. Leave it to Grace to take me out of semi-retirement for one last hurrah. I am immensely proud of all the work we accomplished over the last year to make this happen. I sincerely hope you enjoy this song, all we've done, and all we'll continue to do. Thanks for listening.

    <i>Makin:</i> (album management)
    Sorry, I have nothing to do with this, but I bet he’ll be back in 5 LOFAMinutes.

    <i>WHATISLOSTINTHEMINES:</i>
    A handful of different vocal styles were tested for my part in this track, but ultimately we went with the quiter, more gentle one here.

    I'd like to think I've improved my technique since my part in Home, haha.

    Collaboration takes a different, but not altogether unpleasant different form of thinking than working on something on your own. I usually find simply go in without much thinking when either producing or composing, but there was a lot more discussion here in trying to find the exact thing we wanted to get out of this piece. I think it turned out pretty damn well.

    <i>Ucklin:</i>
    This project reminded me of both the frustration and joy of collaborating!

    Early in the process, I had a meeting with Grace to plan out the subject of the song. I left that meeting feeling like I had a pretty good idea what she wanted it to be about, but a few weeks later when I tried to start writing, it felt like I just couldn't get it right. It felt like fitting a cube slightly larger than my head into my skull. It wasn't that I was coming up with things that weren't working; I just felt like I couldn't come up with anything at all because the concept was like a Klein bottle: Both open-ended and closed off.

    I felt avoidant, but we were running out of time, and eventually I did share some concepts with everyone in the group chat for the song-- Only to find there were issues with them. For example, in the second verse, I had written lyrics with the same structure as the first verse, even though the harmonic rhythm was different. Grace took the liberty of coming up with the duet version of the verse (as heard in the final song), changing my lyrics a little to fit. Agh!! I was surprised at how huge a feeling of defensiveness and frustration that created. But when I calmed down and Tay and I recorded our vocals, I knew Grace's vision for it was definitely right.

    That feeling was really important, because it reminded me that whenever we give people feedback on their music and art, we are asking them to push through for the sake of the album, recognizing sometimes feedback from others can make it better. And I don't take that for granted!

    Anyway, about the actual lyrics: Grace gave me the suggestion to make the feelings real, but the imagery unreal, and that really guided my choices in creating the song. In the verses, I wanted to evoke the feeling of journeying through something man-made, but infinite in its repetition and growing with a life of its own. Something that you are experiencing in isolation and in a crowd of countless others. And something you can't re-create, even just in trying to explain it to someone else. I was a little stumped because the concept of the song seemed self-contradictory: How was I supposed to write imagery if its defining feature was supposed to be that it was inexplicable? The chorus idea came about as a way to reconcile that idea, by saying that the issue is in the listener receiving the meaning or feeling behind the imagery, not that the imagery itself can't be spoken. I'm proud of the way it turned out, and I hope you enjoy it too!
---
Track: Prologue
Directory: prologue-lofam5a2
Originally Released As: track:prologue-friendsim-2
Duration: '2:53'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/prologue
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VljSeO6ZaE8
Cover Artists:
- DDP
Art Tags:
- MSPA Reader
- Alternia
- Green Sun
Commentary: |-
    <i>FrostyMac:</i>
    I thought I'd go with some basic chords in the lydian scale to start with, with each chord panned in the opposite direction to make it feel floaty. Or voidy, if you will. Then, the percussion and bass come in. The percussion is a slowed and pitched-down LoFi drum, because I just think it sounds cool, and fits the overall tone.

    There's a short transition bar that introduces some strings and leads into the second half (give or take) of the track. It's the [[track:end-of-friendvangelion|main Friendsim motif]], but something is just slightly... off. Specifically, on the second repetition, the last couple bars are in a minor key rather than the usual major, with the exception of one background synth that plays the original chords, giving it a discordant, almost strained sound. As I'm sure you can guess, this is alluding to the whole "things aren't how you left them" thing. Another repetition, but this time the last two bars are a [[Penumbra Phantasm|certain recognizable motif]], leading into the outro, which quotes [[track:embittered-shore|Embittered Shore]] from [[album:lofam2|LOFAM2]], which is the track that plays during the PesterQuest finale. Presumably, the track would then loop.

    <i>DDP:</i>
    Do you think first guardians dream of green barkbeasts?
---
Section: Disc 2
---
Track: '[S] DISC 2 ==>'
Artists:
- Grace Medley
Duration: '0:20'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/s-disc-2
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27NkGH8WcNs
Cover Artists:
- Horizonseek Studios
- Ucklin (feat.)
Art Tags:
- LoFaM
Referenced Tracks:
- track:spacetime-starstriker
Commentary: |-
    <i>Horizonseek Studios:</i>
    when talking abt disc2/3 track art ucklin took a cool photo n [[artist:circlejourney|circlejourney]] gave it the lofam palette \[blues n whites]

    i liked the idea of it being used for the disc trax so i kinda traced it in my own style used a similar palette n added more lofamy stuff

    it was fun n simpler 2 make than [[track:moonlight-riders|moonlight riders]] n since ppl liked it it ended up in front of ur eyes in its current form 
---
Track: Symphony of Skaia
Artists:
- JulianMOCs
Duration: '2:02'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/symphony-of-skaia
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRgwQPAVhkM
Cover Art File Extension: jpg
Cover Artists:
- Corventine
Art Tags:
- John
- Rose
- Dave
- Jade
- Earth
- Skaia
- Prospit
- LoMaX
Commentary: |-
    <i>JulianMOCs:</i>
    This track was created as my love letter to [[group:toby-fox|Toby Fox's]] music style. The song "[[track:savior-of-the-waking-world|Savior of the Waking World]]" stuck with me as I read through Homestuck for the first time after initially being drawn to the webcomic because of Toby Fox's involvement with the soundtrack, so I decided to make a song that gives off a similar energy to the moment portrayed in the story. Recently, I pitched the song to be made into an S flash for <a href="https://mspfa.com/?s=32996">Paradox Swapped</a>, and will be featured in the fanventure very soon!
---
Track: When the Curtains Part
Directory: when-the-curtains-part-lofam5a2
Originally Released As: track:when-the-curtains-part
Duration: '3:53'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/when-the-curtains-part
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m3J51g8MN0
Cover Artists:
- ricemilk
Art Tags:
- Jade
- Calliope
- Alternate Calliope
MIDI Project Files:
- Title: MIDI by Circlejourney (original composer)
  Files:
  - 'When_the_Curtains_Part - Circlejourney.mid'
Lyrics: |-
    Don't be afraid
    For no more will you be lonely and friendless
    Don't be afraid
    We'll share this space, dark and endless

    Too long you've stayed
    And though your fate anchors down your spirit
    Too long you've stayed, my friend
    Let's talk a minute

    We've met before, I know your voice
    But from which dream, I'm not sure
    This is the pause in between the applause
    And the overture

    Friend, we'll face tomorrow
    On the seams of space, we'll sew the past and future
    Here's where we start, when the curtains part
    To reveal the conductor

    The light and darkness dovetail
    As the needle threads the tale from past to future
    Here we part, fortune guide your heart
    Can you hear the orchestra stir?

    I recall, I see it all
    A thousand deaths by fire
    And you've waited here, but it's time that you go
    Now the time draws near

    Friend, we'll face tomorrow
    On the seams of space, we'll sew the past and future
    Here's where we start, when the curtains part
    To reveal the conductor

    The light and darkness dovetail
    As the needle threads the tale from past to future
    Here we part, fortune guide your heart
    Can you hear the thunder?
    
    My friend, we'll face tomorrow
    (Wǒ mén yī qǐ xiàng qián fēi, bù pà hán lěng bù pà hēi)
    <i>(We'll fly forth together, unafraid of the cold and dark)</i>
    Don't you be afraid, a new story starts
    (Jìn rù xīn yǔ zhòu guāng huī, shí kōng yuè tuán de zhǐ huī)
    <i>(Enter the brilliance of the new universe, conductor of the spacetime orchestra)</i>
    (Wǒ mén yī qǐ xiàng qián fēi) <i>(We'll fly forth together)</i>
    When the curtains part
    (Bù pà hán lěng bù pà hēi) <i>(Unafraid of the cold and dark)</i>
    To reveal the conductor
    (Jìn rù xīn yǔ zhòu guāng huī, shí kōng yuè tuán de zhǐ huī)
    <i>(Enter the brilliance of the new universe, conductor of the spacetime orchestra)</i>

    The light and darkness dovetail
    (Wǒ mén yī qǐ xiàng qián fēi, bù pà hán lěng bù pà hēi)
    <i>(We'll fly forth together, unafraid of the cold and dark)</i>
    The scorelines burn and
    (Jìn rù xīn yǔ zhòu guāng huī, shí kōng yuè tuán de zhǐ huī)
    <i>(Enter the brilliance of the new universe, conductor of the spacetime orchestra)</i>
    (Wǒ mén yī qǐ xiàng qián fēi) <i>(We'll fly forth together)</i>
    They'll return
    (Bù pà hán lěng bù pà hēi) <i>(Unafraid of the cold and dark)</i>
    Can you hear the page start to turn?
    (Jìn rù xīn yǔ zhòu guāng huī, shí kōng yuè tuán de zhǐ huī)
    <i>(Enter the brilliance of the new universe, conductor of the spacetime orchestra)</i>
Commentary: |-
    <i>Circlejourney:</i>
    *“This is my last Homestuck track. (Well, it's intended to be...)”* — my past self, who didn’t know any better.

    Jade talks to Calliope on the floating stage before great events are set into motion. The backing lyrics at the end roughly translate to “We'll fly forth together, unafraid of the cold and dark. Enter the brilliance of the new universe, conductor of the spacetime orchestra.”

    <i>ricemilk:</i>
    I was floored hearing this song. I very much love the epic part of the shitpost epic that Homestuck is. I also love songs including vocals in this fandom. (that means I can sing it and I very much did while drawing) I wish I could make something resembling chinese artwork to honor the song's concept. I tried but ultimately failed to. I took a pretty literal route with the track art instead, drawing from the lyrics. 
---
Track: Grimnarc Voodoo
Directory: grimnarc-voodoo-lofam5a2
Originally Released As: track:grimnarc-voodoo
Duration: '5:00'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/grimnarc-voodoo
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLCt6n5Czww
Cover Artists:
- piskomil
Art Tags:
- Horrorterrors
- 'cw: body horror (abstract)'
Commentary: |-
    <i>Swagazaki:</i>
    The murderous madness of a purple-blooded troll who is corrupted by void, and thus by his narcolepsy and the horrorterrors that overtake him.

    <i>piskomil:</i>
    tentacles. I will never escape the curse of the tentacles. This art depicts the struggle against the horrorterrors.
---
Track: Karkat Loses His Mind And Learns Holy C
Artists:
- Gryotharian
Duration: '2:47'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/karkat-loses-his-mind-and-learns-holy-c
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXgBVRgdxKg
Cover Artists:
- yoyoYolo
Art Tags:
- Karkat
Referenced Tracks:
- Crustacean
- track:risen-terry-a-davis
Commentary: |-
    <i>Gryotharian:</i>
    Title is pretty self explanatory. Karkat. TempleOS. I guess? Don't ask from where or why I came up with the concept for this track, I couldn't tell you. I thought briefly about downloading templeOS and using the hymn generator myself for parts of this song but that was far too much effort and loses the recognizability of Risen. I'm a nerd for weird internet history and like referencing weird internet history shit. So does homestuck, so why not? Why \*shouldn't* Karkat lose his mind and learn Holy C? can you answer me that, god? Can you answer me that? (Stay tuned next time for Karkat kills an educated adult and accepts the 4 corner simultaneous 24 hour days that occur within a single rotation of Alternia)

    <i>yoyoYolo:</i>
    karkat loses his mind and learns holy c. i tried a different style for this one, since it’s for a song referencing templeos. editing the logos and all was a really funny experience.
    <img src="media/misc/lofam5a2hoofbeast.png" width="200">
---
Track: Acid Hive
Artists:
- Torrent 64
Duration: '2:25'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/acid-hive
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXv_7nvRX1I
Cover Artists:
- Goopifer
Art Tags:
- Mituna
- Alternia
Referenced Tracks:
- Phaze and Blood
- Electromechanism
- Jade's Lullaby
- ASSAULT
Sampled Tracks:
- Quartz Quadrant “B” Mix
- Stardust Speedway “P” Mix
- Think (About It)
- Bayou Boogie
- Work That Sucker To Death
- TARDIS Take-Off
Lyrics: |-
    Work that sucker to death, come on now, work that sucker to death!
    Work that sucker to death, come on now, work that sucker to death!
    Work that sucker to death, come on now, work that sucker to death!
Commentary: |-
    <i>Torrent 64:</i>
    There was nothing in particular that I had in mind for the track. The lead synth that I used is similar to synths are in a genre of music called "Acid House", which is where I got the inspiration for the name. A lot of the Homestuck references came after the groundwork for the track was laid. Electromechanism, ASSAULT, and Phaze and Blood were added as the first references, just cause they sounded cool to me and fit the song's vibe. Jade's Lullaby was added later using a modulated EB synth in order to replace a more generic melody I came up with. The ending section originally had a reference to Sunslammer, but I ended up being very unhappy with it and changed it, so I am extremely happy with how the ending section came out.  After getting a huge pack of Sonic CD samples, I fell in love with the different drumloops, especially the Quartz Quadrant Bad Future and Stardust Speedway Present loops. I have the TARDIS Take-Off loop from Doctor Who's "Scream of the Shalka" playing underneath the entire track because, hey, why not? The bit crushing and vinyl crackles at the beginning and end of the track were made using Izotope Vinyl and dbluecrusher.

    <i>Goopifer:</i>
    I sat at my desk for a few nights looping this SICK track exclusively and couldn’t quite shake the image of a certain gold-blood that would probably have made a killer DJ (or the Beforan equivalent). Had a blast thinking about this before I realized I actually had to draw it.
---
Track: MnSttR
Artists:
- nononimo
Duration: '2:15'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/mnsttr
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7yMpfW8zxM
Cover Artists:
- DAV
Art Tags:
- Dirk
- Jake
- Earth
Referenced Tracks:
- track:moonsetter
Commentary: |-
    <i>nononimo:</i>
    ive always wanted to remix moonsetter, accidentally spedrun it today

    inspired by: <a href="https://soundcloud.com/funkybits/with-you-edit">Four80East - With You (Funkybits' Edit)</a>

    <i>DAV:</i>
    I inspired myself of the Moonsetter arttrack which had Dirk and was like... It feels more upbeat, I have to add some dirkjake endgame. So I referenced this one scene in [[flash:8130|[S]Credits]] with Robot Lord English and gave Jake the Lara Croft outfit because he looks stunning in it
---
Track: Puppeteer
Directory: puppeteer-lofam5a2
Always Reference By Directory: true
Artists:
- Thomas Ferkol
Duration: '4:55'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/puppeteer-2
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCpyARuu3i4
Cover Artists:
- fatuousScribbles
Art Tags:
- Dirk
Commentary: |-
    <i>Makin:</i> (album management)
    You didn’t like Ferkol’s [[track:dictator-lofam5a2|previous Dirk track in this album]]? Well, deal with it, here’s another one. That guy just won’t stop showing up in unexpected sequels.

    By the way, yes, this is a visual reference to the cover of “[[track:sweet-dreams-timaeus|Sweet Dreams, Timaeus]]” from [[album:homestuck-vol-9|Homestuck Vol. 9]]. 
---
Track: Grubheap
Artists:
- Spiny
Duration: '2:32'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/grubheap
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbL-xmLxdP4
Cover Artists:
- Ender
Art Tags:
- Alternia
Commentary: |-
    <i>Spiny:</i>
    This was a city in an <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/RPGStuck/">RPGStuck game</a> I played in years ago. I made this theme for it. Below is the description i used from the GM:

    Strikingly similar to Hiveswap’s Outglut, Grubheap is a series of the most basic, barely passable hives. If the caste of their tenants weren’t so laughable, one might note that Grubheap’s population by volume rivals that of the other larger settlements.

    While the problems of low-caste society are always present (poverty, drone-kidnapping, general threat of culling), some still proudly call Grubheap their home- without sarcasm. As the locals say: “We may be in the shit... but at least we’re in the shit together.”

    <i>Ender:</i>
    I listened to "Grubheap" before I read Spiny's commentary for it, and immediately imagined the shittiest possible place in Alternia. Looks like we were both on the same wavelength! The word "Grubheap" reminded me of a trash heap. This translated to, in the composition of the piece at least, to a dirty, wet, garbage filled back alleyway, and an average guy just doing his best to survive. I've also been playing quite a lot of Bomb Rush Cyberfunk recently, and was itching to draw some graffitti. This rustblood tagging his own city as a "grubheap" shows, in my mind, how the only thing he really wants is to just get the hell outta here someday. Me and Spiny decided that he takes a hit by taking off his mask and then putting it back on, and that he's an Heir of Mind. Special thanks to my good friend Vapor (@vapor_spams) for the guidance on the red and blue lighting!
---
Track: Eternal Pulse
Additional Names:
- FalmeaLand (original name)
- Bloodmeatthing
Artists:
- Jebb
Duration: '2:59'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/eternal-pulse
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aQrj2fQpNs
Cover Artists:
- Gryotharian
Art Tags:
- Karkat
- LoPaH
- 'cw: blood'
Referenced Tracks:
- Showdown
Sampled Tracks:
- Showdown
Commentary: |-
    <i>Jebb:</i>
    This track was initially made for fun and inspired by a land for a character from the <a href="https://mspfa.com/?s=37159">Aleph Null MSPFA</a>. I had it stashed for a while until this LOFAM came and I remembered about this piece. After browsing the wiki for a bit, I realised that it fits Karkat's land perfectly, and after a few adjustments it became this.
    
    The heavy piano idea came from the intro to DCEU Lex Luthor's theme.
    
    If I were to characterize this, I would say that while Phaze and Blood shows us the more aggressive and violent nature of the land, this track represents the more sombre and tragic nature of it. "(Karkat) thinks he was put on this planet covered in an ocean of his own blood to be taunted. Punished for something. Saddest story you ever heard."
---
Track: "RE:TCON (Act 2 RE:DUX)"
Artists:
- Tee-vee
Duration: '4:14'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/re-tcon-act-2-re-dux
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Kna7WqAeMA
Cover Art File Extension: jpg
Cover Artists:
- ifer
Art Tags:
- John
Referenced Tracks:
- track:retcon
Lyrics: |-
    This is not the answer we were looking for
    So unprepared for the treachery of life
    We did the best we could, but the best is not what's right for us, turns out

    It spiraled down so quickly
    Out of our control
    Locked in the bad ending of a cruel game
    That will end at the heat death of the universe
    It all comes crashing down
    Our smiles and optimism gone

    It took its toll
    Our youth, our families, distant friends and destinies
    When have we lost our way?

    I've seen the end
    The collapse and the mayhem, I will bring you back my friends
    Leave my past behind and try again

    A butterfly landing, planets come crashing down
    A note of desolation, a role to lead, a void to fill again
    Inessential, irrelevant

    (To us, you're a true savior, and in every sense of the word.)

    I won't go back, better an endless cycle than a deadlock of despair
    I will miss you my friends
    Change our fate, I will take the arms and rebase our mistakes
    Failures and death, I won't let it end like this

    It took its toll
    Our youth, our families, thank you for the memories
    When have we lost our way?

    I've seen the end
    The collapse and the mayhem, I will bring you back my friends
    Leave my past behind and try again

    The reunion was short, but it's just a goodbye
    I'll change our fate and see you back in time
Commentary: |-
    <i>Tee-vee:</i>
    "A song about the events post-[[flash:6901|GAME OVER]], for the most part". This track was originally made for the [[album:skaias-the-limit|SAHCon 2022 album, "SKAIA'S THE LIMIT"]], I was very happy with the composition and arrangement but not satisfied with the vocal performance and the final mix I sent in, so I took the opportunity of this new LOFAM being worked on to make a second improved version! I retracked the main vocal part as best as I could and replaced most of the fry screams with false chord (I believe) which I couldn't do well at the time; still not 100% happy with my vocals but still an improvement over the first version in my opinion. If you want lyrics or a more complete commentary on this song feel free to check out [[track:retcon|the original release on bandcamp]] for the full original description, and there's also <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ad-OrQ7GfXs">a guitar playthrough</a> on my youtube! >:3
---
Track: '"Shred them to pieces"'
Artists:
- Eternal Wonder
Duration: '2:21'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/shred-them-to-pieces
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xq9rE7mFkR0
Cover Artists:
- lemonzestdoodle
Art Tags:
- Vriska
- Aradia
- LoMaT
Commentary: |-
    <i>lemonzestdoodle:</i>
    Diamonds Droog would have hyped Aradia up before [[flash:2578|[S] Make Her Pay]], no doubt about it. Also this song definitely gives off the vibe of a fight you're definitely going to lose.

    Inspired by "[[track:spider8reath|Spider8reath]]" by [[group:tensei|Tensei]] and "The Slaughter Continues" by BenLab
---
Track: Crystalanachronysms
Artists:
- SolusLunes
Duration: '5:18'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/crystalanachronysms
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpheWWtzWOY
Cover Artists:
- Monckat
Art Tags:
- Aradia
- LoQaM
Referenced Tracks:
- Crystalanthemums
Commentary: |-
    <i>SolusLunes:</i>
    Tried to breathe more energy into this track.

    Ended up a weird hybrid of DnB without the bass, ambient, and trance.

    What the hell do you call this genre anyways?

    <i>Monckat:</i> (SolusLunes enjoyer in residence)
    Aradia floating above a crystalline plane loosely inspired vibeswise by the Land of Quartz and Melody. It was a treat to get to do art for this one!
---
Track: The Oligarch
Directory: the-oligarch-lofam5a2
Originally Released As: track:the-oligarch
Duration: '3:02'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/the-oligarch
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAuXvgNm4-s
Cover Artists:
- piskomil
Art Tags:
- 'cw: blood (abstract)'
Commentary: |-
    <i>piskomil:</i>
    I tried conveying the power of The Oligarch with the perspective and the sky. It has been poignantly summarized by [[artist:horizonseek-studios|meta70914]]: "Dude doesnt own the sky he is the sky that bastard".
---
Track: Requiem for a Daybreaker
Artists:
- artist:kobacat
Duration: '4:36'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/requiem-for-a-daybreaker
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usP54Ob4idk
Cover Artists:
- DDP
Art Tags:
- Kanaya
- 'cw: blood (abstract)'
Referenced Tracks:
- Requiem of Sunshine and Rainbows
Commentary: |-
    <i>artist:kobacat:</i>
    before making this track, I never made an original song for a LoFaM album (my [[track:past-funk-is-worse-than-future-funk|previous one]] was taken from a [[album:9|CaNMT album]]), so my idea for this song was to remix a Homestuck song that didn't get much attention in the scene. one of my favorite songs from [[album:alterniabound|Alternabound]] was 'Requiem of Sunshine and Rainbows'. so my plan for this track was to create a remix more slow-paced but also felt more consistently intense compared to the original song. there's multiple melodies from the original song heard in this track, though it might be hard to hear them at first listen since some notes are changed slighly and the melodies are slowed, but i swear they're in there somewhere pls trust me

    Also I found out after composing the track is that this song was the first time anyone has referenced Requiem of Sunshine and Rainbows apparently?? i want that to change so this song is going to be a message to everyone to also remix the original song because it is great and i love it<br>
    thank you very much 

    <i>DDP:</i>
    An underrated track, i hope i could represent the feelings it conveys well. It reminds me of Kanaya's statuesque poise and her active fierceness, with a deep sense of repressed anger, finally let loose, and the following exhaustion from over-extersion.  She is crowned in the dotted line of her impromputations and surrounded by a ring of rainbow blood. I know technically she shouldn't have both the lipstick, the chainsaw and an unperforated stomach at the same time, but i did it anyway for the sake of iconography. The lack of a symbol of her shirt is deliberate and a callback to her ancestor.
---
Track: Slick Tricks
Directory: slick-tricks-lofam5a2
Originally Released As: track:slick-tricks
Duration: '2:49'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/slick-tricks
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlFXNQAJB10
Cover Artists:
- Selan Pike
Art Tags:
- Jack Noir
- LoPaH
Commentary: |-
    <i>Cosmoptera:</i>
    When thinking about how to remix WSW, I decided I wanted to try an experiment in making a song based almost entirely around samples. The original idea was to make a remix in a sort of [[artist:hideki-naganuma|Hideki Naganuma]] style; it went in a different direction, but I'm pretty happy with it regardless. Here's a hot tip: if you ever need cheesy prohibition-era gangster lines, look up public domain mob movies or something in that vein. There's so many out there!

    <i>Selan Pike:</i>
    I picked up a copy of Spades Slick's Pro Skater at the secondhand game store and boy, I was NOT disappointed!
---
Track: Stepping Stones
Artists:
- Tycoon
Duration: '3:42'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/stepping-stones
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTwgZGBBoio
Cover Artists:
- Kett
Commentary: |-
    <i>Tycoon:</i>
    This song is the first one off my debut album, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqNDXbj3O3g&list=OLAK5uy_nXdzPcZceh-A7VSZhZAsHkj5acC_nSt_A">Agents of Reality</a>. The album name was inspired by what the songs originally were; theme songs for characters in a sadly defunct fancomic. Stepping Stones was meant to evoke a sense of innocence in the beginning, in relation to the dancestor it represented. The "drop" so-to-speak is to be the final mental break of the character that had been mistreated by royalty her entire life. The feeling of the middle is to emulate a "marching" energy, The rebelling, you could say.

    <i>Kett:</i>
    I loved the idea of a Bronze Troll stepping up to her oppressors after years of being mistreated by royalty. So upon hearing the song and reading the information, I immediately had this vision of the Bronze Troll giving a saddened smile. Something she is used to putting on on a daily basis despite the pain. Meanwhile in the background her shadow shows a more sinister smile as leads an army of Trolls towards freedom.

    I wasn’t sure what background to add behind the silhouettes. There were suggestions of an interior, but unfortunately a lot of Hive interiors from the comic and games are just basic coloured walls with posters on them, which didn’t quite fit the rebellious nature of the song. In the end I went with a dark fire-lit sky and trees to further push the imagery of rebellion and and the impending downfall of the High Blood royalty.
---
Track: 'Waltz in A Minor "Homestuck" (Op. 9)'
Artists:
- casualclassical
Duration: '3:26'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/waltz-in-a-minor-homestuck-op-9
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLd75QpRhOA
Cover Artists:
- Kett
Art Tags:
- John
- Karkat
- Jane
- Skaia
Referenced Tracks:
- Sburban Jungle
- Showtime (Piano Refrain)
- Crustacean
- i guess
Commentary: |-
    <i>casualclassical:</i>
    This arrangement is inspired by the Waltzes written by Romantic composer Fryderyk Chopin, from its instrumentation of solo piano to its form and structure. In addition to SBURBan Jungle, which I see as the main theme of Homestuck, I used the character themes of the three main session leaders: John, Karkat, and Jane.

    <i>Kett:</i>
    The image that came to mind immediately upon hearing this song was a dark ballroom and the silhouette of John, Jane and Karkat doing the Waltz together.

    Part way through this piece I had a moment where I could only picture Karkat using grey for his silhouette, which didn’t work so I changed it to Prospit instead. Unfortunately during this time I completely forgot how windows worked. Like seriously, I spent hours looking up refs of windows and how to put a frame around the SBURB/SGRUB logos because brain.exe broke.

    With Prospit I put Skaia in the background, but eventually switched it back to the original dark version with feedback from the team, but still keeping Skaia. Karkat’s silhouette changed to red to stand out, and I added the additional windows either end; Beforus SGRUB on the left, Caliborn’s singular on the right.
---
Track: Terminal Loop
Artists:
- Pax Probliscum
Duration: '2:22'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/terminal-loop
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Zsu9QvMBjw
Cover Artists:
- Torrent 64
Art Tags:
- Derse
- Skaia
- Prospit
- Sonic
Referenced Tracks:
- Sburban Jungle
Commentary: |-
    <i>Pax Probliscum:</i>
    I had stumbled across a bunch of electronic noise samples and immediately thought of robots playing Sburb, so I made this entry theme based on it!

    <i>Torrent 64:</i>
    The commentary for the track really made me want to do something interesting for the artwork. I originally thought about doing robotic versions of the Beta kids, but thought that it would be boring as hell. I then decided on the idea of having popular robots from fiction with Skaia in the background, similar to the book cover for Act 5 Act 1 with the trolls standing in front of Alternia. I picked Metal Sonic ([[artist:sonic-the-hedgehog|Sonic the Hedgehog]]), Robot Ness ([[artist:mother|EarthBound]]), Mettaton ([[group:undertale-and-deltarune|Undertale]]), and Android 18 (Dragon Ball) since they were the robots I was most familiar with. Also, rather than sticking them on a random platform in space, I decided to have them standing on a balcony on Derse, Skaia and Prospit seen in the background.
---
Track: Switched-On Showtime
Artists:
- Not Eno
Duration: '2:23'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/switched-on-showtime
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=No5P4PYencY
Cover Artists:
- Monckat
Art Tags:
- John
- Jane's grandpa
Referenced Tracks:
- Showtime (Piano Refrain)
Commentary: |-
    <i>Not Eno:</i>
    I got this idea after going through another Synth classical kick! I was specifically listening to the orignal switched on bach and the tomita versions of Clair De lune and [[track:pictures-at-an-exhibition-promenade|Promanade]]. The whole of this cover minus the mellotron choirs and One track of Solina string ensemble was recorded with a Mini moog live (no VST for the majority of those tracks) with me touching various knobs for expression. I think it meets a happy medium between wendy carlos' dry and exact sound design and Tomitas Reverby complex panning sounds.

    <i>Monckat:</i>
    It’s a little-known fact that in between rehearsing his legendary comedy routines, Poppop Crocker always made sure to stay up-to-date on all the latest in electronic wizardry.

    This is transparently based on the cover of the original Switched-On Bach, it was a fun style mix-up to build something on top of a photo.
---
Track: Chroma
Directory: chroma-lofam5a2
Originally Released As: track:chroma-heaven-sent
Duration: '3:02'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/chroma
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrnX2PoJT5s
Cover Art File Extension: jpg
Cover Artists:
- ifer
Commentary: |-
    <i>Swagazaki:</i>
    I composed this track with Chimune.

    A track composed for a lively,,, happy---go---lucky cerulean female troll with ###ADHD who came to life isolated from the rest of the world. She plays electric bass, an instrument she also uses to fight. She was trained in martial arts by her toxic lusus before escaping to participate in a cosmic game in which she became a Page of Space and created a New Universe with the help of her new friends.

    In this new universe, she took care of aligning the planets, creating a new species and managing the descendants of her own before leaving to explore this new world!!! 3·:)
---
Track: Rage Against Existence
Artists:
- Cerulean
Duration: '2:37'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/rage-against-existence
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9YqaHvfiNM
Cover Artists:
- Torrent 64
Referenced Tracks:
- Giant's Cry
Commentary: |-
    <i>Torrent 64:</i>
    When I read the name "Rage Against Existence", it immediately made me think of the band "Rage Against the Machine". Therefore, the image is a parody of one of their albums "The Battle of Los Angeles". Instead of a random silhouette, I added a spray painted outline of the main kid from Hexane, Mack Swallow, along with text inside of his silhouette.
---
Track: Caffeinated Jittering
Artists:
- Kanishka
Duration: '2:45'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/caffeinated-jittering
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaZnpRCztjo
Cover Artists:
- lemonzestdoodle
Art Tags:
- WV
- Battlefield
- Ruined Earth
Referenced Tracks:
- Skaianet
- Checkmate
- Vagabounce
- Can Town
- Years in the Future
Commentary: |-
    <i>Kanishka:</i>
    Caffeinated Jittering went through no less than five different iterations and easily as many names before finally solidifying into its current form. As tempting as it would be to pretend that this track's fittingly hectic nature is meant to be some sort of clever commentary on many trials and tribulations it faced during the production process, I will do no such thing.

    <i>lemonzestdoodle:</i>
    This tune brings to mind a single moment: how WV might have felt the first time they drank TaB. There were so many ideas as to how to visualise that idea. Maybe they'd be dashing around like a five year old who's had their first soda and can't handle that sweet sugary goodness? Or maybe they'd mentally be like the guy touching fingers with God in that one painting? It was hard to narrow it down! Ultimately, it led to this. The past lingers (like TaB), the future is hopeful (unlike TaB being discontinued in 2020 which I literally just found out) and right now in front of you is an experience that will cement itself within history. What does TaB taste like, anyways? Is it just girlbossed Diet Coke? If so then that's kind of a letdown.
---
Track: Lost in the Dream Bubbles
Artists:
- Swagazaki
Duration: '1:39'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/lost-in-the-dream-bubbles
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-iHJh8yvY4
Cover Artists:
- Torrent 64
Art Tags:
- Jade
- Jake
- Vriska
- Nepeta
- Rose
- Dream Bubbles
- 'cw: blood (abstract)'
Commentary: |-
    <i>Torrent 64:</i>
    The track’s vibe immediately made me think of Jade, not sure why though. The image of her floating in space, looking down at a bunch of different dream bubbles, unsure of which she should go to or not, was immediately beamed into my head. Pretty simple, but it’s nice. Oh, also, this artwork features the only Nepeta in the whole album. Go ahead. Check.
---
Track: Flushing Pale
Directory: flushing-pale-lofam5a2
Originally Released As: track:flushing-pale
Duration: '3:08'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/flushing-pale
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tvm-v5_W2FM
Cover Artists:
- mmmmalo
Art Tags:
- Bronya
- Lynera
- Daraya
Commentary: |-
    <i>articulatelyComposed:</i>
    Flushing Pale was a song written to be one of the themes for Volume 6 of Friendsim 2, which follows the messiest, gayest jadeblood love triangle this side of Outglut.

    While the song doesn't explicitly borrow from any previous homestuck music, it uses instrumentation that is often associated with "jadeblood sounds," ex: piano, violin, soft orchestral vibes.

    <i>mmmmalo:</i>
    Though the music has a melancholy tone perhaps more befitting the strained environment that greets MSPAR upon arrival, there's a thread of hope that drew me to depict the resolution instead, with all the song's sadness now highlighting the sweeps of bitterness that gave way to the present joy.
---
Track: Under A Starry Night Sky
Artists:
- monofe
Duration: '4:55'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/under-a-starry-night-sky
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATtTy6diqbU
Cover Artists:
- lemonzestdoodle
Art Tags:
- Becquerel
- Frog Temple
- Meteor
Referenced Tracks:
- Penumbra Phantasm
- Courser
- Unite Synchronization
Commentary: |-
    <i>monofe:</i>
    I hadn't composed a full song in a long time before this and saw the deadline for LOFAM quickly approaching, so I basically just took an old melody that had been lying around for a while and tried to turn it into a full song. I think that's really all there is to say on the matter.

    <i>lemonzestdoodle:</i>
    As soon as that bit of Penumbra Phantasm kicked in my mind drifted to [[flash:2927|[S] Jade: Enter]] - mainly how Bec's final act on Earth was to protect Jade before. Honestly? This song was a hard one to draw for. I can't even pinpoint the feelings and thoughts it evokes. The closest thing I can sum it up as is a reluctant goodbye.
---
Track: Light in the Darkness
Directory: light-in-the-darkness-lofam5a2
Originally Released As: track:light-in-the-darkness
Duration: '7:52'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/light-in-the-darkness
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYW1JPJ59BQ
Cover Artists:
- Ender
Art Tags:
- Calliope
- Gate
Commentary: |-
    <i>SplitSuns:</i>
    It's been five years since I made my last song for the [[group:canmt|CaNMT]], yet somehow songs of mine from then keep making their way onto new LoFaM albums. Not that I'm complaining, of course. I think this song holds up as some of my best work from those CaNMT days. I always found the [[album:canwave|CANWAVE]] side albums the most enjoyable projects to work on, as they gave me convenient excuses to write music in one of my favorite genres: vaporwave. This song in particular was made for CANWAVE 3, the last entry in the series.

    At first, the song wasn't quite there. I made an entirely different demo back in August 2017, around when I was getting into the work of t e l e p a t h テレパシー能力者 , a vaporwave artist known for his phaser-laden sound. My idea was to create a telepath-ified version of a fictional smooth jazz cover of Voidlight. I'd write the instrumental myself, loop pieces of it, and drown it in effects. I finished this take of the song, but ultimately I was unhappy with it: it was too repetitive with too little reward, and the production sounded much too amateur. To date, this version has not seen the light of day.

    By March 2018, CANWAVE 3 was (finally) almost done with development, and I decided to totally rework the song. I wanted to write an original song in the style of 2814, a duo that telepath was a part of. Instead of traditional sampling, they produced sample-free ambient, downtempo, and techno music along vaporwave's aesthetic lines. It took a surprising amount of time to make a song in this sound. The production was incredibly layered by my standards at the time, and its length, while still shy of 2814's own music, was impressive enough.

    In the end, I stayed up until 6 AM the night before release to finish this song, and the result is a piece I'm still proud of five years later. There are some great bits of production here: the booming percussion that sounds like far-away thunder, the multi-layered synth melodies, the rolling snares and their dubby echoes, the detuned choirs and pianos, and the dramatic climax that finally incorporates Voidlight into the melody. I think about revisiting this style on occasion, now that I have five more years of experience under my belt. I won't rule out the possibility!

    <i>Ender:</i>
    This track immediately stood out to me, not just as a vaporwave track, but as a reimagining of one of my favorite tracks from the whole Homestuck OST. Voidlight (by Thomas Ferkol) has a special place in my heart, so I wanted to do this track justice. My main goals were to reference the ideas of both tracks, "Voidlight" and "Light in the Darkness", and to also make a piece that was REAL vaporwave. The same friend who helped me with the "Grubheap" lighting is also a huge aesthetic nerd. I like to send things to her just to ask if it's "real y2k" or not. When I asked what represents vaporwave, she said "the 90s". I wanted to challenge myself to find the core of vaporwave, and not reuse the same sunset image everyone associates with vaporwave (which is actually Outrun and not vaporwave but people think that they're the sa-). My main inspirations were Windows 95, the UI of which I painstakingly recreated by hand, the original Voidlight track art by the incredible [[artist:zilleniose|Zilleniose]], and the original Voidlight track commentary from Thomas Ferkol, that explains, "Calliope's void light spiral was a breather from the craziness happening elsewhere in the comic, but there was always the threat of English showing up".
---
Track: Derse Dreamers II
Artists:
- horizon (Rose)
- LO,ON (Dave)
Duration: '4:04'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/derse-dreamers-ii
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIwIgeWH_aU
Cover Artists:
- DAV
Art Tags:
- Rose
- Dave
- Tumor
Referenced Tracks:
- Derse Dreamers
Lyrics: |-
    It's not gonna be okay

    Death, you'd think that being so familiar with a
    Welcoming mask would make it easier
    It's hard to find your heart
    It's hard to find my heart, now

    Breath, I take it in like for the last time
    Watching things replaying like I'm always on the front line
    Finding all that's hidden, should've stayed far away
    Because now that it's here I don't know what to say

    It's not okay, it's not okay
    I wish I believed
    I wish I believed things would be—

    This intelligence
    Ain't never been artificial
    This initial spitting evidence
    Splits exposits interstitial
    Coz' spitting rhymes has
    Always been a'function built in
    Place compunction with some fronting
    Stunt some ticky-wicky-wicky production

    When you went, where'd you go?
    Could a fucker ever know?
    Between dusk and dawn
    Between jaw n' collar bone (Uh)
    I guess we're moving on (Moving on)
    This mess? Third time's the charm
    Start to wonder if these blunders
    Makes me the me that causes harm

    What makes me not you
    Whad' I do, honestly?
    Why the fuck ain't I mad enough
    To make you what you wanna be?
    You wanna see me pissed?
    You wanna see me save the day?
    Do I even wanna be the me
    Who can't make this ok?

    It's a rap attack, it's hacking tacts
    It's flak avoidance, striking back
    This lapse is whack, you've got the outcomes memorized?
    I've planned for that
    This rhyming mode is to the max
    This overbearing tragic act
    Ratio is falling fast
    I'm calculating how you'll last (You won't)

    This battle's ours... this broken pact is good as gone
    And if now to then is inside out this plot's as good as done

    How many more times, do I gotta dream on?
    How many more lines, do you gotta scheme on?
    How many more nights, do we spend awake?
    How much more of us do we need to break?
    Do I sound too specific?

    Is this the world? Is this the world?
    I'm not asking I'm just taking I'm not stumbling I'm just breaking
    Through, like the wild ones do
    Like you've never seen the light and now it's blinding you

    Like we met our own match in the mirror one day
    And some of us drop and almost all of us say
    It's not okay, it's not okay (No it's not okay)
    But I don't really care (Give a fuck) today

    We know halls and towers, have their powers
    We don't fall like those who cower
    Beckoned by the final hour
    Hoping someone else can take it higher

    We learned how the humble fall
    When all the space is held by walls
    Of everything we've tried to call
    From then and now it's one for all
Commentary: |-
    <i>horizon:</i>
    <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTX9w8inmEY">[Lyric video]</a>

    nothing much to say except thank you for listening, and consider supporting the artists below. 

    some background: LO,ON and i came up with this idea when i went through old comments on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9SQjvPLAWs">lyricover for derse dreamers</a> i did back in the day, and someone said it would be better with dave rapping.

    so we decided to do that. but instead of redoing derse dreamers with a rap, we decided to take a tip from mother mother on their hayloft i and ii songs. i flipped the riff around a bit and we worked through from there.

    [[artist:solatrus|jeremy]], if you're reading this, i hope you're proud of how grown up derse dreamers is!!!! i wanted to contact you about this but nothing worked. so, in your absence, we hope you appreciate it.

    for everyone else -- i hope the wait wasn't too terrible. please enjoy. :)

    <i>DAV:</i>
    Dave and Rose waiting for their death on Derse with bisexual lighting
---
Track: Shattered Twilight
Artists:
- Elisa Flore
Duration: '5:52'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/shattered-twilight
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awYhjH3I_0c
Cover Artists:
- Horizonseek Studios
Art Tags:
- Rose
Commentary: |-
    <i>Horizonseek Studios:</i>
    i really love this track and for a while i wasn't sure if i would choose it to illustrate, certain someone else would pick it and create a breathtaking piece to match the tone and scope, something like [[artist:circlejourney|circlejourney's]] art for [[track:crystalendofgames|crystalendofgames]]

    however, the days passed and it remained unpicked, for long enough that my occasional mental art concepting solidified

    magic the gathering's sagas were a big inspiration, i highly recomend checking out rhystic studies' video on them, and his videos in general, just be careful not to fall into the lootbox black hole and money sink that is the product line itself

    for my sort-of "saga" i chose to illustrate a low relief sculpture of the moment after light faded from rose's life, and the moment it faded from her eyes, shattering that twilight of lesbian grief

    rose's clothing design for this piece comes from [[artist:rumminov|rumminov's]] fancy godtiers, i felt the basic seer outfit was too simple, and for something that invited intricacy such as this, their design felt like a perfect fit

    mid-art i had this moment of clarity that i was spending hours on end illustrating the death - well, mortal wounding - of a character i hold so dear, and while that isn't exactly odd, for a brief minute it felt quite weird

    i like to imagine that the light source for this piece is an offscreen jasprose, smiling her feline smile and having the time of her life examining this scupture depicting one of her countless deaths
---
Track: Dreams of a Better Future
Artists:
- Rainy
Contributors:
- Tee-vee (guitars)
Duration: '2:33'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/dreams-of-a-better-future
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxaA6zZhshc
Cover Art File Extension: jpg
Cover Artists:
- Goblin
Art Tags:
- The Signless
Referenced Tracks:
- Iron Knight
Sampled Tracks:
- Mischief Makers
- 'Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World'
- Freefall
Lyrics: |-
    (THROUGH FIRE, JUSTICE IS SERVED!)

    (Courage is the magic that turns dreams into reality.)
Commentary: |-
    <i>Rainy:</i>
    This track was bit of a last minute addition to [DistantQuest's] soundtrack for signless's route. Without getting into the details, the track that was originally going to be used for the route had to be removed. I was more than happy to fill in and it gave me excuse to write a rock track. I took a lot of influence from the track "Burn" by Deep Purple, especially in the organ solo parts. I hope you enjoy the music and take time to enjoy <a href="https://distantpast.itch.io/distantquest">the game</a> as well.

    Biggest shout out to Tee-vee, who performed all the guitars for this
---
Track: deadkidsGodhood
Artists:
- Pixels & Paradiddles
- pixelseph
- paradiddlesjosh
Duration: '2:42'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/deadkidsgodhood
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmn4Cxh9oEI
Cover Artists:
- Monckat
Art Tags:
- Rose
- Jack Noir
- John
- Horrorterrors
Referenced Tracks:
- Even in Death
- Cascade (Beta)
- Savior of the Dreaming Dead
Commentary: |-
    <i>pixelseph:</i>
    This one and the recent [[track:clockstopper-new-game-all-clocks|Clockstopper (New Game+ All Clocks%)]] were incepted during 2020, because there was finally enough time. Conceptually, it's like Tool meets Homestuck composer [[group:tensei|Joren "Tensei" de Bruin]] (particularly from his [[album:strife|Strife]] record).

    <i>Monckat:</i>
    While her buddy revivifies in the backline, Rose prepares to give a very bad dog an exclusive sneak preview eldritch sommelier taste test of the Furthest Ring. Or she would be, if her ghost-white eyes weren’t betraying her ultimate fate.

    This track is probably my fave on the album, so glad I got to do art for it!
---
Track: GALACTIC INCOHERENCE ~ Cosmic NaN Propagation
Artists:
- Cosmoptera
Duration: '9:46'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/galactic-incoherence-cosmic-nan-propagation
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTyqhhdEAl4
Cover Artists:
- Monckat
Art Tags:
- Jade
- LoHaC
- LoLaR
- LoWaS
Referenced Tracks:
- Skies of Skaia
- Explore
- Dissension (Original)
- Dissension (Remix)
- Showtime (Original Mix)
- Aggrieve
- Beatdown (Strider Style)
- Doctor
- Penumbra Phantasm
- Homestuck Title Screen
- Sburban Jungle
Commentary: |-
    <i>Cosmoptera:</i>
    Full disclosure here: I did not intend for this song to be 9 minutes and 46 of god's own seconds long. But once I developed all my ideas to where I was satisfied with them I was already at 6 minutes, so really there was nothing else I could do at that point. To accomplish this I used the technique of thinking really hard about what theme would sound soooo cool to come after whatever phrase I was working on, and then acting on the first instinctive answer I came up with. It seemed to work pretty well in this case so the technique gets my recommendation.

    <i>Monckat:</i>
    Why has Jade smalled your galaxy? I don’t really know to be honest, but I’m sure she has a good reason. Inspired by the epic Dissension quotes in the opening half.

    I was originally intending to add the other kids in too but I decided the composition looked snazzier with miss Harley alone.
---
Track: Yellow Yard
Artists:
- Soapstone
Contributors:
- Jordan Sunlight
Duration: '2:56'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/yellow-yard
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzJtS0jAl4w
Cover Artists:
- dunkaroonus
Art Tags:
- John
- Jade
- Davesprite
- Rose
- Kanaya
- Terezi
- WV
- Dave
- Karkat
- Meteor
Referenced Tracks:
- Sburban Jungle
- Homestuck
Sampled Tracks:
- Upward Movement (Dave Owns)
Lyrics: |-
    They'll spend three years waiting on that meteor
    We'll take three years to cross this yellow yard
    And I dont know if we'll ever make it there
    Maybe we'll (Find it out)
    I don't know (I don't know)
    They'll spend three years waiting on that meteor
    We'll take three years to cross this yellow yard
    And I dont know if we'll ever make it there
    Maybe we'll (Find it out)
    I don't know (I don't know)

    What do we say when we arrive
    What are we gonna do
    How are we gonna pass the time
    Waiting with just us two
    Well I've waited for some three years before
    Maybe a whole lot more
    The note desolation plays, I know
    I guess we'll just wait and see

    They'll spend three years waiting on that meteor
    We'll take three years to cross this yellow yard
    And I dont know if we'll ever make it there
    Maybe we'll (Find it out)
    I don't know (I don't know)
    They'll spend three years waiting on that meteor
    We'll take three years to cross this yellow yard
    And I dont know what to say when we make it there
    Maybe we'll (Find it out)
    I don't know (I don't know)

    But I know
    That in the end I'm sure we'll meet again
    And I know
    That this can't be the end
    I know
    I know
    I know

    They'll spend three years waiting on that meteor
    We'll take three years to cross this yellow yard
    And I dont know if we'll ever make it there
    Maybe we'll (find it out)
    I don't know (I don't know)
Commentary: |-
    <i>Soapstone:</i>
    A couple weeks before LOFAM submissions opened I had a sudden thought of "being stuck on a ship flying through space for 3 whole years with just 2 other people would really kind of suck even if those people were Jade Homestuck and Dave Sprite Homestuck. that would be a cool thing to write a song about." I made a rough draft of what that song could be, so then when LOFAM submissions opened I had a head start :D
    
    Also a real big shoutout to my good friend Jordan Sunlight for doing the guitar solo!!
---
Section: Disc 3
---
Track: '[S] DISC 3 ==>'
Artists:
- Grace Medley
Duration: '0:31'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/s-disc-3
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1BM_PQL5NE
Cover Artists:
- Horizonseek Studios
Art Tags:
- LoFaM
- Derse
Referenced Tracks:
- track:when-the-curtains-part
Commentary: |-
    <i>Horizonseek Studios:</i>
    if ur readin this then this did end up as a track art for 1 of the discs jingles

    my least fave piece of the three but i feel it looks nice enough 4 a disc transition

    AU where i had a couple more hours 2 whip up somthing cooler

    glad many worlds theory is scientifically proven n not just so popular it feels like a fact /s

    the stars n sky colour were [[artist:jebb|jebbs]] input n the piece looks all the better 4 it 
---
Track: Ace-celerando
Additional Names:
- Musty Mafia (original name)
Artists:
- Jebb
Duration: '4:13'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/ace-celerando
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-h8FFAxDUkY
Cover Artists:
- lemonzestdoodle
Art Tags:
- Jack Noir
Referenced Tracks:
- The Ballad of Jack Noir
Commentary: |-
    <i>Jebb:</i>
    I got the idea for this track after watching S2E3 of Helluva Boss and thinking that making a track with a mafia aesthetic would be a cool idea. Also, around that time I heard Two Planets Approach the Roche Limit and was amazed at how many different parts and elements it had working perfectly in unison, and making a chaotic jazz-ish track was a great opportunity to try and replicate something like that.

    This track was initially called Musty Mafia, however, when LOFAM came around, I realised that it would be a perfect track for the Midnight Crew/Spades Slick and decided to expand it from a small sketch to a full track (always save your music sketches lol). I decided to make the new title a pun, like most titles in [[album:midnight-crew-drawing-dead|Midnight Crew: Drawing Dead]] are, and so the title ""Ace-celerando"" came to be, coming from the words Ace and Accelerando (Although I had to go through variations such as Acelerando, Ace-lerando etc).

    The scene that I imagine for this track is someone listening to an old record in a bar, the Midnight Crew sitting there, playing cards, drinking, when suddenly a violent gunfight breaks out. Four out of three members are defeated, and only Slick is left, however he gathers the strength he needs, reloads, and finally comes out on top in the end.

    Also, 4:13, hehe. Gotta love when that happens. 

    <i>lemonzestdoodle:</i>
    As soon as I heard the gun sound effects I knew that Slick had to be wielding one.
---
Track: Delta Version
Artists:
- Rom M
Duration: '3:42'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/delta-version
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkXXj3lUU98
Cover Artists:
- Monckat
Art Tags:
- Hadron Kaleido
Referenced Tracks:
- Beta Version
- Sburban Jungle
- Michael Bowman Remix
Sampled Tracks:
- Michael Bowman Remix
- some window sfx at the very end
Lyrics: |-
    Michael Bow-bow, Michael Bow, Michael Bow, Michael Bow
    Michael Bow-bow, Michael Bow, Michael Bow, Michael Bow
    Michael Bow-bow, Michael Bow, Michael Bow, Michael Bow
    Michael Bow-bow, Michael Bow, Michael Bow, Michael Bow (It's a Michael Bowman Remix!)

    Michael Bow, Michael Bow, Michael Bow, Michael Bow
    Michael Bow-bow, Michael Bow, Michael Bow (It's a Michael Bowman Remix!)
    Michael Bow, Michael Bow, Michael Bow, Michael Bow
    Michael Bow-bow, Michael Bow, Michael Bow (It's a Michael Bowman Remix!)
    Michael Bow, Michael Bow, Michael Bow, Michael Bow
    Michael Bow-bow, Michael Bow, Michael Bow (It's a Michael Bowman Remix!)
    Michael Bow, Michael Bow, Michael Bow, Michael Bow
    Michael Bow-bow, Michael Bow, Michael Bow (It's a Michael Bowman Remix!)

    Michael Bow, Michael Bow, Michael Bow, Michael Bow
    Michael Bow, Michael Bow, Michael Bow, Michael Bow
    Michael Bow, Michael Bow, Michael Bow, Michael Bow
    Michael Bow, Michael Bow, Michael Bow, Michael Bow

    It's a Michael Bowman Remix!
    Bowman
Commentary: |-
    <i>Monckat:</i>
    This track rules, and I absolutely had to seize the chance to make some MTaHK art. The hope is that you’ll be so transfixed by this view of Kaleido levitating in front of some abstract shapes that you won’t notice Bowman fixing you with his beautiful death stare until it’s Too Late.
---
Track: Sunbumper
Artists:
- yuuDii
Duration: '3:15'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/sunbumper
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEIjQQpcrgg
Cover Artists:
- yoyoYolo
Art Tags:
- Jade
- Becquerel
Referenced Tracks:
- Sunsetter
Sampled Tracks:
- unknown sample tbh
Lyrics: |-
    (Somebody say OH YEAH! Oh yeah!)
    (Somebody say OH YEAH! Oh yeah!)
    (Somebody say OH YEAH! Oh yeah!)
    (Somebody say OH YEAH! Oh yeaheaheahea—)
    (Somebody say OH YEAH! Oh yeah!)
    (Somebody say OH YEAH!)
Commentary: |-
    <i>yuuDii:</i>
    Jade Harley banging out the tunes, 13 April 2009.
    <img src="media/misc/lofam5a2neil.gif" width="50"><br>

    <i>yoyoYolo:</i>
    a very upbeat and energetic jade track. there’s two cool things about this image: one thing is a rather obvious nod to the neverending story, while the other thing is hidden in plain sight. it’s a reference to outer wilds, i’ll say this much.
---
Track: The Imminently Deceased
Artists:
- dron3canon
Duration: '3:42'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/the-imminently-deceased
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvpsk1he6rE
Cover Artists:
- lemonzestdoodle
Art Tags:
- Karkat
- LoPaH
- 'cw: blood'
Referenced Tracks:
- Phaze and Blood
Commentary: |-
    <i>dron3canon:</i>
    This is my first time "Remixing" a track, and honestly I think it turned out better than most of the other tracks I've posted. I've been both making music, and been a homestuck fan for over a decade now, but I've never really made anything homestuck related for some reason. I'm really happy with how this turned out, and I'll probably be making more stuff like it soon. It's a new genre for me, and was super fun to work on.

    <i>lemonzestdoodle:</i>
    That part 40 seconds in when it turns into...breakcore, I think? It made me want to draw something with some real crunch to it.  Originally I wanted to do Karkat sitting on the ground with one eye hidden by blood, but the pose I had in mind just couldn't work how I wanted it to. But then I saw this picture that someone captioned "eclipsickle"
    
    <img src="media/misc/lofam5a2sickle.png" width="150">

    and thought "hold on what if Karkat's sickle was overlayed with a moon?" It was a good call. Also I'd like to thank the Google Image results for communism for giving me a pretty decent reference of how to hold a scythe.
---
Track: Dusksetter
Artists:
- Morris
Duration: '4:43'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/dusksetter
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Amkd4Ax__6E
Cover Artists:
- Palette of Order
Art Tags:
- Jack Noir
- Dave
Referenced Tracks:
- Sunsetter (Ska)
- The La2t Frontiier
- Spider's Claw
- Liquid Negrocity
- track:megalovania-undertale
- track:sunslammer
- Explore
Sampled Tracks:
- didnt find the undertale sound effect from the commentary unless its the soundfont
Commentary: |-
    <i>Morris:</i>
    This arrangement of Sunsetter is obviously based on the vocal "Sunsetter (Ska)", which is one of my favorite versions of the song. I mainly used classic Toby instrumentation, including stuff Toby used in his original version, and I replaced the vocals with good old DVS Sax (though I would have loved to keep the lyrics). I extended the song by adding a break/trumpet solo section (where I snuck in references to other Homestuck songs), and ended the song by incorporating the ending of Sunslammer. Oh yeah, I also snuck in an Undertale sound effect.

    I see this song as a sort-of homage to Sunsetter. Also, it was originally titled "Dawnsetter", but I felt "Dusksetter" sounded nicer lol

    <i>Palette of Order:</i>
    I really liked Dusksetter upon listening to it for the first time and I very quickly got the image of what the cover art would be. Since it would have been difficult to reference all leitmotivs, I decided that Black gave a perfect opportunity to draw Jack Noir for the first time. As for Dave, there's no particular explanation, I just thought he was fitting with the rest of the art (and him fighting Jack Noir with his final sword does sound pretty sick).
---
Track: Sburban Juxtaposition
Artists:
- horizon
Duration: '5:19'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/sburban-juxtaposition
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YVTaIX7xAs
Cover Artists:
- yoyoYolo
Art Tags:
- Rose
- Meteor
Referenced Tracks:
- Sburban Jungle
Lyrics: |-
    All these familiar faces
    Even in a world that is new
    It still feels like I know you

    Through seldom-traveled places
    We began a story with every step
    And rewrote it with every breath

    You know that we
    We tried to prove we have the best intentions and
    We tried to understand through education and
    We tried to live in our imaginations
    Some things don't back down

    The water's rising
    A green horizon
    Maybe you and I
    Will be reborn, too

    Wеll it's been ages
    A thousand pages
    Imposed on onе another
    But I still remember you

    We are wandering stars in (Find the shade of your soul all)
    Sweet harmony (When you've finally found you)
    We're all part of a symphony
    Of a changing universe (Know when you've finally found you)
    Us young adventurers

    One life to show us what you're made of
    Just drop the fear, jump a tier, find the shade of
    Your soul all reflected around you
    Yes, you will know when you've finally found you

    Each life we might have lived through
    Every part of us still exists
    Every fragment is endless

    This world we've walked on into
    Even when it feels overwhelming
    It's just the beginning

    The water's rising
    A new horizon
    Maybe you and I
    Will be reborn, too

    Well it's been ages
    A thousand stages
    Imposed on one another
    But I still remember you

    We are wandering stars in (Just drop the fear, jump a tier, find the shade of)
    Sweet harmony (When you've finally found you)
    We're all part of a symphony (Drop the fear, jump a tier, find the shade of)
    Of a changing universe (Will know when you've finally found you)

    From a thousand different worlds
    On another kind of earth
    Us young adventurers
Commentary: |-
    <i>horizon:</i>
    <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDzPBbKvQlY">[Lyric video]</a>

    my love letter to homestuck is finally complete!!!! it isn't as perfect as i wanted it to be, but it has my heart in it, and that's really all i could ask for. i've never animated before so this was a really interesting challenge. 

    i'm going to write something more flowery soon(tm) after i've slept (ur friend horizon has been running leslie knope sleeping hours lately) but i really have to say a huge thank you to every single listener, every person who posted in the homestuck tags over the years, every team member, every professional classpector, and The Huss himself --

    thank you. you showed me the path to my future and gave me a hell of a lot of hope and heartbreak with it. i wouldn't have it any other way.

    special thanks to Ymi, who created the skaianet ARG that inspired me to make something for the anniversary. where would we even be without <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gV3sis_x25E">ollywood showdown</a>?

    <i>yoyoYolo:</i>
    probably my favorite cover art for what might be my favorite song: sburban juxtaposition. the track is so good i basically drew the whole cover while listening to it on loop. coloring the meteors was a lot of fun too. rose’s pose is actually inspired by miles’ leap of faith from spider-man: into the spiderverse (the spiderverse movies have consumed me ever since i saw atsv in theatres, it can’t be helped).
---
Track: I'm a Member of the Midnight Crew (Special Soapstone Version)
Artists:
- Soapstone
Duration: '3:18'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/im-a-member-of-the-midnight-crew-special-soapstone-version
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A661Y4OaKyI
Cover Artists:
- dunkaroonus
Art Tags:
- Jack Noir
- DD
- CD
- HB
- The Felt
Referenced Tracks:
- track:im-a-member-of-the-midnight-crew
- I'm a Member of the Midnight Crew (Post-Punk Version)
Lyrics: |-
    I hate a moral coward, one who lacks a manly spark
    I just detest a man afraid to go home in the dark
    I always spend my evenings where there's women, wine, and song
    But like a man, I always bring my little wife along!

    I'm a member of the midnight crew
    I'm a night owl and a wise bird too
    Home with the milk in the morning
    Singing the same old song
    Rise with the moon, go to bed with the sun
    Early to bed, and you'll miss all the fun
    Bring your wife and trouble, it will never trouble you
    Make her a member of the midnight crew!

    The fun it doesn't stop 'til 12 on happy old Broadway
    So what's the use of going home until the break of day?
    Now something confidential, whisper not above a breath
    I once went home at 2 AM, and scared my wife to death

    I'm a member of the midnight crew
    I'm a night owl and a wise bird too
    Home with the milk in the morning
    Singing the same old song
    Rise with the moon, go to bed with the sun
    Early to bed, and you'll miss all the fun
    Bring your wife and trouble, it will never trouble you
    Make her a member of the midnight crew!

    I never shall forget the night I made six robbers run
    Although I didn't have a knife, a blackjack, or a gun
    I proved myself a hero of a very high degree
    I ran for home and six of them were running after me

    I'm a member of the midnight crew
    I'm a night owl and a wise bird too
    Home with the milk in the morning
    Singing the same old song
    Rise with the moon, go to bed with the sun
    Early to bed, and you'll miss all the fun
    Bring your wife and trouble, it will never trouble you
    Make her a member of the midnight crew!
Commentary: |-
    <i>Soapstone:</i>
    Bring your wife and trouble! It will never trouble you! Make her a member of the Mid! Night! Crew! I made this both for a single to release on 4/13 and as a submission for a university assignment. Like a quarter of my essay involved explaining Homestuck and what 4/13 was. I made both of those versions under a little bit of a time crunch so it was nice to try to finally fully realise the song. I tried to take the other HS versions of this song out of my mind while making it and base it more on the original Eddie Morton version, although I love Bowman's post-punk version so I threw in a nod to that in the last chorus. Shoutout to Bowman.
---
Track: Liquid Noir
Artists:
- yuuDii
Duration: '3:29'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/liquid-noir
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJ1FhN8g2-Y
Cover Artists:
- yuuDii
Art Tags:
- Jack Noir
- DD
- CD
- HB
- 'cw: blood'
Referenced Tracks:
- Liquid Negrocity
Sampled Tracks:
- track:im-a-member-of-the-midnight-crew
Lyrics: |-
    Make her a member of the
    Make her a member of the
    Make her a member of the
    Make her a member of the midnight crew!

    Make her a member of the
    Make her a member of the
    Make her a member of the
    Midnight crew!

    Make her a member of the
    Make her a member of the
    Make her a member of the
    (Midnight crew...)

    Make her a member of the midnight crew!
    Make her a member of the midnight crew!
    Make her a member of the midnight crew!
    
    Make her a member of the
    Make her a member of the
    Make her, make her, make her, make her
    Make her a member of the midnight crew!
Commentary: |-
    <i>yuuDii:</i>
    Bankheist-core tunes for you and your crew to crack safes and hightail it outta' here to.

    Art commentary: They've got fun shapes.
---
Track: Four Boys Blues
Artists:
- Funk McLovin
Duration: '2:57'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/four-boys-blues
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6tFZFfhOGs
Cover Artists:
- piskomil
Art Tags:
- Jack Noir
- DD
- CD
- HB
Lyrics: |-
    They call me Spades
    Born with a knife inside my hand, hahaha
    They call me Spades Slick baby
    Born with a knife in my little hand
    Now you can imagine
    All the pain my mama had, hahahahahahaha

    They call me Hearts
    'Cause that's what I like to break
    They call me Hearts Boxcars baby
    Because that's what I love to break
    But if you cross me pretty baby
    I'm not afraid to break your face

    We're the Midnight Crew
    Don't forget the name
    We'll stay outta your way
    We suggest you do the same

    We're the Midnight Crew
    And if we've got your number
    We'll bring down the pain
    Without so much as a whisper

    They call me Clubs
    On account 'a my club, heh
    They call me Clubs!
    Because I've got a big ol' club, hehehehehe
    Oh, and even though I'm a little fella
    I'm full of so much love!

    They call me Diamonds
    'Cause I know just what I need (Yeah)
    They call me Diamonds, baby
    'Cause I know just what I need (Yeah)
    And if you want 'em too
    Then you're a friend indeed (Yes you are)

    We're the Midnight Crew
    Don't forget the name
    We'll stay outta you way
    We suggest you do the same

    We're the Midnight Crew
    And if we've got your number
    We'll bring down the pain

    We're the Midnight Crew
    Don't forget the name
    We'll stay outta you way
    We suggest you do the same

    We're the Midnight Crew
    And if we've got your number
    We'll bring down the pain
    Without so much as a whisper
Commentary: |-
    <i>piskomil:</i>
    You remember that fake mockup of the group of pigeons posing for the most impressive hip hop album? That's it. That's the inspiration. With some nods to the first panel of the Midnight crew, but mostly it's just pigeons..
---
Track: Celestial Company
Artists:
- corvidc0rvus
Duration: '2:58'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/celestial-company
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3Il-X2_DU8
Cover Artists:
- yoyoYolo
Art Tags:
- Skaia
- Gate
Referenced Tracks:
- Savior of the Dreaming Dead
Commentary: |-
    <i>corvidc0rvus:</i>
    After listening to Savior of the Dreaming Dead by Malcolm Brown I had noticed that a lot of Sburb focused songs have a lot to do with those kind of ambient chorus-esque sounds. I really wanted to explore that with Skaia. Somewhat like how you can "Hear" the sun, I wondered about if you could hear Skaia what would it sound like, thus the name "Celestial Company." Framing Skaia as such an object that could perform an act like 'Company'.

    <i>yoyoYolo:</i>
    the track is very relaxing, i figured it would make sense to replicate that feeling in the art itself through adding pleasant shades of blue to skaia and john’s hood. i also added a yellow spirograph for contrast. i think it worked out pretty well!
---
Track: Moonslayer
Artists:
- Raid
Duration: '5:04'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/moonslayer
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CYTdD4SVQY
Cover Artists:
- Churro Lord
Art Tags:
- Dirk
- Earth
Referenced Tracks:
- track:moonsetter
Commentary: |-
    <i>Raid:</i>
    Why'd I call it Moonslayer? Well, I was looking for a cool edgy yet catchy little name to title this track while riffing off the Homestuck Music Team’s theme of titling tracks Moon/Sun + word that starts with S. Moonsetter is the name of the original track. [[track:moonshatter|Moonshatter]] and [[track:sunsetter|Sunsetter]] are the names of a couple of Toby Fox’s other Homestuck music contributions. [[track:moonsweater|Moonsweater]] is the name of a track on [[album:homestuck-vol-10|Homestuck Volume 10]] by [[artist:david-ellis|A Lunatic's Daydream]]. So you see what I mean. I considered Moonslammer, like [[track:sunslammer|Sunslammer]] by [[artist:seth-peelle|Beatfox]], but that wasn't edgy enough for me. So I settled on Moonslayer. Yeah. "Moonslayer" brings up catastrophic, apocalyptic images of destroying the moon, but not just destroying the moon—slaying it, as though the moon were a living entity capable of being conquered. A spirit. A god or goddess, maybe. A constant observer of mankind. Something personified, and then killed. Very edgy. Absolutely perfect.
---
Track: Frost and Frogs
Artists:
- autumnalEquinox
Duration: '4:52'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/frost-and-frogs
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEi3Z2QQeKE
Cover Artists:
- Kara Roas
Art Tags:
- Jade
- Frogs
- LoFaF
Referenced Tracks:
- track:frost-vol6
Commentary: |-
    <i>autumnalEquinox:</i>
    This track was inspired by an orchestral piece that we had to play in band and its most primarily heard in the call and response between the flutes and the horns!

    <i>Kara Roas:</i>
    The moment I heard the intro to this track, I immediately fell in love with it and had a visual in my head. Given the "back and forth" mentioned for the composition of the song, it made me think of the Jade out collecting frogs on her planet... so that's what I went with! ♥
---
Track: dog
Artists:
- Gryotharian
- Hart
Duration: '2:21'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/dog
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alBCs7PAn1Q
Cover Artists:
- Adrian "gravitygauntlet" Wahrer
Art Tags:
- Becquerel
- Green Sun
Sampled Tracks:
- dogs. probably not a lot we can do here
Commentary: |-
    <i>Gryotharian:</i> (& Hart)
    "Dogs. You love dogs, don’t you? Everybody loves a good dog. And this is the story of the best dog."—an excerpt from 'Hotel of the Butcherbird', by Gryotharian and Hart.

    <i>Adrian "gravitygauntlet" Wahrer:</i>
    dog.
---
Track: Arf!
Artists:
- yoyoYolo
Duration: '2:41'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/arf
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkUNff5D-4g
Cover Art File Extension: jpg
Cover Artists:
- Artatruc
Art Tags:
- Jade
- Earth
Referenced Tracks:
- Gardener
- Courser
Commentary: |-
    <i>Makin:</i> (album management)
    I designed this album’s track order. Mostly I based it on secret subliminal messages I received from the lyrics of “[[track:im-a-member-of-the-midnight-crew|I’m a Member of the Midnight Crew]]” (long story). For this span of four tracks, though, there’s actually some ludoaudionarratively harmonic environmental storytelling going on. “Frost and Frogs” -> <span style="font-family: comic sans ms, courier, courier new">“dog”</span> -> “Arf!” -> ...
---
Track: Frog Eater
Directory: frog-eater-lofam5a2
Originally Released As: track:frog-eater
Duration: '4:00'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/frog-eater
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxGQClPJrNs
Cover Art File Extension: jpg
Cover Artists:
- swanfire
Art Tags:
- Genesis Frog
Commentary: |-
    <i>Swagazaki:</i>
    A track composed for some douchebag who ate the up-and-coming Genesis Frog of his session and thus doomed everyone in the process.

    <i>Grace Medley:</i> (album management)
    Come on, kid, eat up. You’ve barely even touched your mutant god-frog.
---
Track: Movement
Directory: movement-lofam5a2
Always Reference By Directory: true
Artists:
- Morris
Duration: '2:46'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/movement
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHnv4Bar9I0
Cover Artists:
- Kett
Referenced Tracks:
- Sburban Jungle
- Dawn of Man
- Cascade (Beta)
Commentary: |-
    <i>Morris:</i>
    I got the idea for this song when submissions for LOFAM 5 Act 2 opened up. Something cinematic, related to a land or something idk. After finishing the song, [[artist:ucklin|Ucklin]] gave some feedback in regards to adding a lead melody. Though, any lead melody I tried adding felt out of place, so in the end I left it as-is.

    I'm really glad that I was able to get in 3 submissions that were all in completely different styles, and also, as this was my first time submitting anything for lofam, genuinely surprised all of my submissions made it in! I got into Homestuck in late-2020/early-2021, so I'm glad the fandom's still doing awesome things like this and it's an honor to be involved :)

    <i>Kett:</i>
    The Music artist mentioned the idea of something cinematic relating to a land, so when I listened to the song I could immediately picture a picturesque land with flowing water and trees, seemingly floating high in the sky.

    References to Sburban Jungle, Dawn of Man and funnily enough Cascade (albeit more to the name rather than the flash) helped create that seemingly new, naturalistic looking world with cascading waterfalls; untarnished by any kind of machinery or man made structures. This of course doesn't mean the land is void of any kind of threats, there are certainly dangers lurking within the dense forests, but from an outside view it would seem such a calm and serene place to be.

    I made several alternate versions, with different colours just to see what it would look like as a more alien land. Originally I picked the one that had the most votes, but still really liked the coloured variants. [[artist:makin|Makin]] pointed out they had a Pop Art movement feel to them, particularly similar to Andy Warhol's Marilyn Diptych, and so I went with that to showcase the various options together and am pretty happy with how it's turned out!
---
Track: THE LAST HOUR
Artists:
- Ray Mike
Duration: '1:36'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/the-last-hour
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0SvwNTSq_g
Cover Artists:
- Monckat
Art Tags:
- Calmasis
Commentary: |-
    <i>Monckat:</i>
    My original thought with this piece was that I’d try to design an alternian ancestor for Callie Ohpeee, and after throwing a whole platter of sketch spaghetti at the wall that thought ended up manifesting as a horned Calmasis in front of a broken technicolor clock in a chessboard-walled gallery.
---
Track: All Work and No Play
Artists:
- Kanishka
Duration: '4:38'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/all-work-and-no-play
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MA9Fek-wTJI
Cover Artists:
- Artatruc
Art Tags:
- Jack Noir
- Prospit
Referenced Tracks:
- Three in the Morning
- The Ballad of Jack Noir
- Double Midnight
- Litrichean Rioghail
- track:how-do-i-live
Commentary: |-
    <i>Kanishka:</i>
    Initially conceived as a funky tribute to the likes of Casiopea and Yellow Magic Orchestra, All Work and no Play ended up becoming a much moodier piece after I was overcome with the sudden desire to make something more akin to Bohren und der Club of Gore mixed with Kelly Bailey's Half-Life soundtracks instead. That's the Doylist explanation; from the Watsonian perspective, this track is supposed to represent Jack Noir's mounting frustration with mind-numbingly tedious paperwork and ridiculous dress-code requirements.
---
Track: '[S] Emerge'
Artists:
- Wr3ck0rdz
Duration: '3:22'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/s-emerge
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSUABMHfP_g
Cover Artists:
- Goopifer
Art Tags:
- Davepeta
- Terezi
Referenced Tracks:
- track:collision-course-davepetas-movement
- '#BrooklynBloodPop!'
- Terezi Owns
- Upward Movement (Dave Owns)
- Beatdown (Strider Style)
Commentary: |-
    <i>Wr3ck0rdz:</i>
    "Otherwise that’s it I think, I don’t have much to say about the track." (LOL)

    <i>Goopifer:</i>
    This track was killer and I really wanted a soda. Drew this while imagining I was crawling through the desert looking for the Fanta machine when suddenly I couldn’t stop thinking about how drinkable Davepetasprite was.
---
Track: Adventurous Ascent
Artists:
- LudicrousFalcon
Duration: '4:04'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/adventurous-ascent
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpfvFe5HasU
Cover Artists:
- Circlejourney
Art Tags:
- John
- Rose
- Dave
- Jade
- LoWaS
- LoLaR
- LoHaC
- LoFaF
- Battlefield
Referenced Tracks:
- Sburban Jungle
- Showtime (Piano Refrain)
Commentary: |-
    <i>LudicrousFalcon:</i>
    I like to think that this song captures the overall vibe of a Sburb session, and the journey of its players reaching toward the goal of creating a new universe while ascending to the god tiers. Not super dark or gritty, but not a easy breeze in the park either. The Adventurous Ascent through Sburb mirrors the ascent through life itself, and the many challenges it brings. This track was originally going to be on an upcoming album for my fanadventure (and it'll probably still be on there despite also being on LOFAM); when I saw submissions open for LOFAM 5.2, I decided to submit some tracks, and Adventurous Ascent was the one that got approved. This is my first track to appear on a LOFAM album, and I'm very happy to see that it made it on!

    <i>Circlejourney:</i>
    On reading that the track is about progression through a SBURB session, I pictured all 4 beta kids in a sort of staircase composition, each representing a phase in their session's timeline.

    <i>Makin:</i> (album management)
    <small>You’re welcome for that <span style="color: magenta; font-family: comic sans ms, courier, courier new">UNREAL AIR......</span></small>
---
Track: Ultramagnetoparakineticrystalphotogrammetry
Directory: ultramagnetoparakineticrystalphotogrammetry-lofam5a2
Originally Released As: track:ultramagnetoparakineticrystalphotogrammetry
Duration: '4:08'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/ultramagnetoparakineticrystalphotogrammetry
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqCiyGsEc-c
Cover Artists:
- Artatruc
Art Tags:
- John
- Rose
- Dave
- Jade
- Problem Sleuth
- Jack Noir
- DD
- CD
- HB
- Earth
Commentary: |-
    <i>Cosmoptera:</i>
    Crystalanthemums (and its various derivatives) are songs that are very near and dear to my heart. In all honesty, though, the reason I wanted to make a remix of this track was so I could come up with an extremely funny name.

    <i>Grace Medley:</i> (album management)
    We first hear Crystalanthemums in the [[flash:830|FreshJamz flash]], which showcases all the music the kids have collaborated on. Fittingly, Artatruc’s track art reflects the constant collaboration among the kids in the early acts. Also it’s just a really sweet image and I love it.
---
Track: Serendipitous Strife
Artists:
- Cecily Renns
Duration: '2:23'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/serendipitous-strife
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-PzzMT3fjU
Cover Artists:
- Artatruc
Art Tags:
- Davesprite
Commentary: |-
    <i>Cecily Renns:</i>
    There's an unfortunate story to this song. Originally I was working on an entirely different song, it was called "Sungazer". It had lyrics and vocals, and was a cover of [[track:sunsetter-ska|Sunsetter (Ska)]] which is an unreleased Toby Fox song from the sound test where he put lyrics to [[track:sunsetter|Sunsetter]]. That is one of my favourite songs ever and I got this incredible vocalist to sing an emo-pop cover of it. Unfortunately, I am not on speaking terms with this artist anymore, and so I had to give up working on that song, as I could not find a replacement singer on such a short notice. Instead, I decided to whip up this instrumental track at the last minute, because I really did want to contribute to this album. I've been in this fandom for 7 years and I wanna be on a LOFAM album damnit!!! I really wanted to make a cool vocal track and wow everyone with my emo songwriting skills but oh well. I hope people still like this cool song I made in 2 hours!!!

    <i>Cecily Renns:</i>
    Someone please contact Cecily and offer to sing that cover pls
---
Track: Strident Sburban Serenata
Artists:
- Adrian "gravitygauntlet" Wahrer
Duration: '3:24'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/strident-sburban-serenata
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saWkoP-WM_Q
Cover Artists:
- Adrian "gravitygauntlet" Wahrer
- d0gtier
Art Tags:
- Alternia
Referenced Tracks:
- Aya and Serenata
- Sburban Jungle
- Beatdown (Strider Style)
- Serenade
- Thanks for Playing
- Three's a Crowd
Sampled Tracks:
- Aya and Serenata
Commentary: |-
    <i>Adrian "gravitygauntlet" Wahrer:</i>
    This track started out as a B-side version of a non-Homestuck track of mine called "Acu Chapel Base" because I liked how the synth harp things turned out and wanted to give them more spotlight. It already had one or two Homestuck refs in it when I had heard LOFAM5A2 was scouting so I threw a few more in.

    Original paintover was by cindy d0gtier and then the nighttime stuff was composited on top.
---
Track: Versus Oblivion
Artists:
- yuuDii
Duration: '3:41'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/versus-oblivion
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPbYcF-p5CY
Cover Artists:
- Torrent 64
Art Tags:
- Dave
- Jack Noir
- LoHaC
Referenced Tracks:
- Versus
- Beatdown (Strider Style)
- Atomyk Ebonpyre
- Candles and Clockwork
- Unite Synchronization
- Upward Movement (Dave Owns)
- track:liquid-negrocity
- Umbral Ultimatum
- Doctor
- Endless Climb
- Flare
- Cascade (Beta)
- Sburban Jungle
- Savior of the Dreaming Dead
Commentary: |-
    <i>yuuDii:</i>
    This piece brought to you by getting hit by a car on 4/12. (Not a joke, that really happened and is the reason an earlier version of this song and its sister piece were not released in April.)

    Track very loosely follows Dave's plot through [[flash:4109|Cascade]]. It starts with raw soundfonts and drum samples as if Dave was making this in his room, then expands into a main chorus with "Atomyk Ebonpyre". I use it as his primary motif in the same way I feel Doctor, Endless Climb, and [[track:sunsetter|Sunsetter]] represent the other kids. It then moves into a slower section revolving around "Candles and Clockwork" and "Beatdown", representing LOHAC and the constant reminders of strife in it. The section comes to a quiet close in half time following the doomed timeline Dave, then jumps back into Atomyk Ebonpyre as he merges into the alpha timeline and prototypes himself.

    It then skips forward into Jade's entrance during the fight between Bro, Davesprite, and Jack Noir. I used "Unite Synchronization", originally a song for Dave and then used for Dirk, as a stand in for Bro, and "Black" for Jack Noir. It then stops abruptly as Jack is prototyped with Bec and slaughters Bro. There is a pause before it skips again to the confrontation between Rose and Dave before she pilots the tumor into the sun, "Endless Climb" briefly emerging to represent Rose. If I had access to a voice actor, or a microphone, I would have had someone quote Dave saying "But I don't want you to die". Then it ramps up again, leading into "Savior of the Dreaming Dead", "Cascade", a duet between "Endless Climb" and "Atomyk Ebonpyre", and "Upward Movement". It then returns back to "Versus", and ends.

    <i>Torrent 64:</i>
    Since Dave is the subject matter of the track, I thought it would be kind of a no-brainer to feature him in LOHAC. After a lot of deliberating on what to do for the track art, I decided to draw a cool side profile of Dave, lit up from both sides by the lava surrounding him. I also thought it would be kinda lame just to have him staring into the distance without actively looking at something, so I added a reflection of Jack Noir in his sunglasses. For flavor.
---
Track: "'Til Death, We Grieve"
Directory: til-death-we-grieve-lofam5a2
Originally Released As: track:til-death-we-grieve
Duration: '6:48'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/til-death-we-grieve
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPrSdsitoF4
Cover Artists:
- Monckat
Art Tags:
- Rose
- Jade
- Dave
- Aradia
- Dirk
- Alternia
Commentary: |-
    <i>Tee-vee:</i>
    Woah hey I didn't submit that! :o Anyway this is more than three years old now, so now I see a lot of things I could have done better or entirely differently but overall I'm still very happy with this section, there are lots of ideas I'm glad I came up with. Check out [[album:theres-no-place-like-home|the full album/medley]] on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qh0YkQn_zLU">Youtube</a> or <a href="https://teeveemusic.bandcamp.com/album/theres-no-place-like-home-a-homestuck-prog-rock-medley">Bandcamp</a> if you enjoyed this!

    <i>Makin:</i> (album management)
    Unfortunately this album was already 6 hours long, so I nominated only this small part of it. Do check out the full medley!

    <i>Monckat:</i>
    Snowman’s heart pierced by Slick’s cueball bullet, inflated to the gargantuan proportions the event’s consequences demand. An apocalyptic wave tears across Scratch’s green moon. As this medley quotes a few of her motifs, Rose has been summoned across time and space to watch. Which is awfully unfortunate for her.
---
Track: Lost Memories
Artists:
- ascendantDreamweaver
Duration: '7:20'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/lost-memories
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFF_K0EQOQo
Cover Artists:
- Torrent 64
- Adrian "gravitygauntlet" Wahrer
- Monckat
- piskomil
- Horizonseek Studios
- d0gtier
- ricemilk
Art Tags: 
- Terezi
- Vriska
- Jack Noir
- Aradia
- Karkat
- Dream Bubbles
- Alternia
- LoMaT
- 'cw: blood'
- 'cw: body horror'
- 'cw: eye horror'
Referenced Tracks:
- Terezi's Theme
- 'BL1ND JUST1C3 : 1NV3ST1G4T1ON !!'
- Vriska's Theme
- Rex Duodecim Angelus
- Do You Remem8er Me
Sheet Music Files:
- Title: Sheet music by ascendantDreamweaver (original composer)
  Files:
  - 'Lost_Memories_final_score.pdf'
Commentary: |-
    <i>ascendantDreamweaver:</i>
    This piece is a tone poem on Game-Over-timeline Vrisrezi, roughly divided into two halves, one depicting their relation up to [[flash:3760|[S] Flip]], and the other being [[flash:7959|[S] Terezi: Remem8er.]]

    The first presents Terezi and Vriska in D minor and E-flat minor, respectively - adjacent in the 12-tone chromatic scale, but tonally distant yet covering all 12 tones, and transforms them through a series of textures - in the last of which Terezi is transposed up a minor third but Vriska is transposed down a minor third, stating their interleaved themes in an illusion of a common tonality, before they are transposed back, distancing them by a tritone in a dissonant outburst.

    The second half rearranges Do You Remem8er Me through a reharmonization of Terezi's theme. Although the virtuosic ending is the Ruins quote that plays on their reunion, the emotional climax lies immediately prior, as Terezi dashes through a final intertwining of all previous themes into a dense 8-voice counterpoint.

    There are several other programmatic inspirations, most notably Grace’s <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/21008963">A Hive 8n’t A Home<</a> for the first half, manifesting in both the harmonic and rhythmic conflict of Vriska’s motives, and harukatenoh’s <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/48691303">does not heal</a> for the depiction of memories in the second half.

    Special thanks to [[artist:grace-medley|Grace]] and [[artist:ucklin|Ucklin]] for motivating me to turn a simple arrangement into a full poem!

    <i>Niklink:</i> (provider of good ideas)
    'i have an idea how you can make this art fast and without a lot of effort' 'good idea let's do that' \*makes it take up a lot of time and work*

    <i>Torrent 64:</i>
    This track was an absolute wild ride to make art for! The idea of a collab piece was super last minute, but once I got the general composition set in stone, everyone was able to work their magic! Very happy with the result! Also, that’s me in the picture with Giancarlo Esposito lmao.

    <i>Monckat:</i>
    In my part vriska’s blood is almost the same color as her jeans so it kinda makes it look like she has too many legs...............actually that’s probably what she would have wanted

    <i>Adrian "gravitygauntlet" Wahrer:</i>
    Last chance to look at me, hector

    <i>piskomil:</i>
    Pirates are cool, okay?

    <i>Horizonseek Studios:</i>
    // FOREVER OUT OF SIGHT \\\\ NOT ONCE OUT OF MIND

    <i>ricemilk:</i>
    Gambling was easier when the stakes were lower.
---
Track: Clockstopper (New Game+ All Clocks%)
Artists:
- Pixels & Paradiddles
- pixelseph
- paradiddlesjosh
Duration: '5:48'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/clockstopper-new-game-all-clocks
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qA2vOCXlknM
Cover Artists:
- Awkward
Art Tags:
- Dave
Referenced Tracks:
- Clockstopper
- Beatdown (Strider Style)
- Atomyk Ebonpyre
- Upward Movement (Dave Owns)
Commentary: |-
    <i>pixelseph:</i> (& paradiddlesjosh)
    “Clockstopper” from [[album:coloUrs-and-mayhem-universe-b|coloUrs & mayhem Universe B]], but it's from 2023 and Dave needed to destroy every single clock in Sburb. No one asked for more Castlevania/Megaman/Otacore vibes on this track, but we brought it anyway. Enjoy your New Game+.

    <i>Awkward:</i>
    That's the last time I'm drawing Dave five times in the same piece, suffice to say (those timetables were absolutely evil trying to line). Loved working with the colours though, imposing reds with fiery overblown glow dodges will always be one of my favourite combos.
---
Track: The Ballad of Moro and San
Artists:
- Grace Medley
- Kal-la-kal-la
Duration: '4:12'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/the-ballad-of-moro-and-san
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqeKUaqVhgY
Cover Artists:
- Monckat
Art Tags:
- Becquerel
- Jade
- LoFaF
Referenced Tracks:
- Gold Pilot
- A Romance of Protons and Neutrons
- Jane Dargason
- Bird Versus Bee
- Dogfight
- Sunsetter
- Courser
Commentary: |-
    <i>Grace Medley:</i>
    I reread Homestuck earlier this year. I was all hells of out of practice music-wise at the time, so I figured each reading session should be accompanied by a thirty-second musical warmup. For the [[flash:2927|Jade: Enter]] session, I decided that should be a drum and bass theme for Jade and Bec's entry. Honestly the whole thing sounded pretty haphazard, but I still wanted to turn it into a full track.

    Enter Kal, who's been a close friend of mine for seven years, and we've basically spent that whole time trying to find a good excuse to collaborate. Back in the [[album:weird-puzzle-tunes|Weird Puzzle Tunes]] days, I was working on a track of hers called Prospitian Barn Dance which never saw the light of day but I think honestly sounded pretty cool. It had a real lo-fi bedroom-produced electronica sound to it, which I honestly adore. We've tried to collab by my count at least three more times on totally different projects since then, but it's never happened.

    UNTIL TODAY.

    <i>Monckat:</i>
    This art is pretty straightforward as things go. Bec and Jade as Moro and San sounded like a compelling image to chase, and an interesting challenge to mimic an art style I’d never attempted before. I think it turned out pretty well!

    Give Big Bec a pat, OR ELSE.
---
Track: Penumbral Awakening
Artists:
- Morris
Duration: '3:33'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/penumbral-awakening
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umSWLAfjUmc
Cover Artists:
- Awkward
Art Tags:
- John
Referenced Tracks:
- track:penumbra-phantasm-morris
- Penumbra Phantasm
- Pseudumbra Phauxtasm
- Doctor
Sampled Tracks:
- Typheus
Commentary: |-
    <i>Morris:</i>
    Back in March of last year, I made a remix of Penumbra Phantasm of which I was, at the time, very proud of. Looking back at it, it is extremely barebones and I've definitely improved a lot since then. So when lofam5a2 got announced, I went back to my remix and overhauled it completely. I kept the core of the original remix and added a lot of new stuff onto it, as well as making everything sound way nicer than before.

    I'm very proud of how it turned out :)
---
Track: Dance of Storms
Artists:
- Tensei
Duration: '4:34'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/dance-of-storms
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QySY3FmWHss
Cover Art File Extension: jpg
Cover Artists:
- Kett
Art Tags:
- John
Referenced Tracks:
- Dance of Thorns
Commentary: |-
    <i>Tensei:</i>
    For H.

    A wheel spins round and round yet doesn't move an inch.

    <i>Kett:</i>
    This song goes hard and I really wanted something that reflected that.

    Dance of Storms takes John and puts him in Rose's place instead. I combined one of John's basic hammers with Rose's Thorns of Oglogoth, hence the skull for the hammer's head, and added Rose's colour to the storm clouds behind him to try and further that connection.

    The hammer has been officially named Drub'yiglith by fellow artist [[artist:horizonseek-studios|meta70914]].
---
Track: Caliborn's Lament
Artists:
- Grace Medley
Contributors:
- Veritas Unae (vocals)
Duration: '4:30'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/caliborns-lament
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDLkIhkXWvk
Cover Artists:
- yoyoYolo
Art Tags:
- Caliborn
- Lil Cal
Referenced Tracks:
- Homosuck Anthem
- Eternity Served Cold
- track:carne-vale
- Oh Hi There, Lil Cal
- Constant Conquest
- The Broken Clock
- HOMOSUCK. DIRECTOR'S CUT, OF THE YEAR EDITION.
- THE RAREST. AND MOST INTERPRETIVE. DANCE MEATCABRE.
- Green Lolly
- Sburban Echo
- track:ophiuchus-full-suite
- Maibasojen
- Shattered Twilight
- Chronology
- Black Heart, Green Dress
Sampled Tracks:
- Homosuck Anthem
- Welcome to Hell by Black Midi
- MY SONG 2.
Lyrics: |-
    (Thank you! Oh my, everyone, thank you! Alright, that's enough now. I SAID THAT'S ENOU—)

    Have you considered, dreamed how it feels
    When a teen hates your story, and batters you senseless?
    When you're stripped of your faith, in god's gift to the "B.L."s
    And your art is decried as banal and pretentious?
    How do I cling to the talents I've mastered
    In my downfall, my nadir, my dark solstice season?
    Well, the answer is, one: I'm a bit of a bastard
    But two: It's also the reason that

    I weep the tears, of a poet
    I'm a sensitive soul even when I don't show it
    My passion is stories, and wouldn't you know it
    This one is about to begin!

    So much hard work, so little cheer
    Have you forgotten? I am your lord!
    Could the end be already here?
    No! Invest in Calcoin so I can afford
    A bold new direction, a one-act-act play
    Then watch as this venue will pack to the rafters!
    Art made immortal in cardboard and clay
    Please hold your applause until after

    I weep the tears, of a poet
    I'm a sensitive soul even when I don't show it
    My passion is stories, and wouldn't you know it
    This one is about to begin!

    Everyone out but the rabbit and clown!
    All camera angles at ninety degrees!
    Lower the curtain! Bring the lights down!
    Somebody make sure the orchestra sees, that
    Every chorus has the strings
    I've a new stage to conquer!
    Now fetch me my tattered cape, eyeballs and ring
    Soon they'll all see that no longer do

    I weep the tears, of a poet
    I'm a sensitive soul even when I don't show it
    My passion is stories, and wouldn't you know it
    This one is about to begin!

    I dream the dreams, of an auteur
    And the blood of a genius pumps through my aorta
    So the haters and posers will suffer no quarter
    Now let me explain how I win!
Commentary: |-
    <i>Veritas Unae:</i>
    I make-a the Caliborn voice! I don’t play-a the saxes! Mamma mia!

    <i>yoyoYolo:</i>
    look. i couldn’t not jump at the opportunity to draw art for a song that adapts act 6 act 6 act 4. i just love caliborn, and that’s all there really is to say on the matter. his comically sad face is probably the best thing i drew for this project.

    <i>Grace Medley:</i>
    Caliborn’s Lament is a track that’s been burning a hole in my bucket list for some time now.

    Back in the days of [[album:lofam4|LOFAM 4]] being fresh out the door, the lot of us got to manically spitballing as many new album ideas as we could, quite a lot of which actually saw the light of day (I think [[album:xenoplanetarium|Xenoplanetarium]], [[album:cosmic-caretakers|Cosmic Caretakers]], and [[album:moons-of-theseus|Moons of Theseus]] all spiralled out of these discussions). One that broke my heart to never see realised, though, was a Homosuck album.

    I was ready for it, too; I wanted to make a musical theatre villain song type of track for Caliborn. To this day I’m pretty much shocked it’s a niche nobody’s filled before me. I had this one melody which wouldn’t leave my head, with lyrics from one particular quote from A6A6A4 (turn to page 6933 if you haven’t figured out what it is yet). In retrospect, though, I see the album’s nonexistence as a blessing in disguise – 2017!Grace didn’t have a fraction of the skill I have now, couldn’t have made something that sounds remotely like this.

    Which actually got me to thinking once LOFAM5A2 rolled around: why don’t I take all the best ideas I’ve had for UMSPAF projects, but just never made, and then make them? Well, it goes without saying that Caliborn’s Lament topped the list. The trouble was, beyond that initial lyric and melody, I didn’t have any idea where to go from there. It was only much later, during a totally different project, that I had the idea to turn the opening of HOMOSUCK DIRECTOR’S CUT OF THE YEAR EDITION into a waltz for the chorus. And then I figured, well, if I’m tipping my hat to HSDCOTYE, why don’t I go full-tilt into the territory of theme vomit, and recap a bunch of Caliborn and Caliborn-adjacent pieces of music (and Maibasojen, for some reason)?

    Next I needed to learn how to sing. Or so I thought, at any rate. I happened to be noodling around on this track in a Discord voice call one evening, and who should pop in and ask to do the vocals but [[group:unofficial-mspa-fans|UMSPAF]] emeritus VeritasUnae? I leapt on the opportunity, naturally. What would I be doing referencing so much of Homestuck fanmusic’s past if I didn’t say yes to Veri doing the vocals? And what vocals they are.

    W- wait. Why are you leaving <s>so much blank space below</s> *a few pages* after the commentary block. Who is that for.

    <i>Grace Medley|<b style="color: #2ed73a">CALIBORN</b>:</i>
    <span style="color: #2ed73a">HI AGAIN, IDIOTS. MISS ME?</span>

    <span style="color: #2ed73a">IT HAS BEEN ALTOGETHER TOO LONG SINCE YOU WERE LAST GRACED/DOOMED BY MY PRESENCE. AND I THOUGHT IT ALTOGETHER RE MISS TO NOT DRESS YOU DOWN. WITH ANOTHER GRANDILOQUENT EXPOSÉ. ABOUT HOW UNFIT YOU ALL ARE TO UNDERSTAND THE BEAUTY OF MY MAGNUM OPUS.</span>

    <span style="color: #2ed73a">NO, NOT THAT ONE.</span>

    <span style="color: #2ed73a">NO, NOT THAT ONE EITHER. A UNIQUELY TALENTED ARTIST (ME) SHOULD BE MORE THAN CAPABLE OF ACHIEVING MULTIPLE MAGNUMS OPUS. WITHIN HIS BODY OF WORK.</span>

    <span style="color: #2ed73a">I REFER, OF COURSE, TO THE PIECE OF MUSIC TO WHICH YOU ARE LISTENING NOW. OR AT LEAST. THE PIECE OF MUSIC YOU SHOULD BE LISTENING TO NOW. OR ELSE YOU WOULD BE VIOLATING MY “AUTHORIAL INTENT”.</span>

    <span style="color: #2ed73a">THE FIRST THING YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND IS THIS. YOU ARE NOT LISTENING TO A REAL RECORDING OF MY VOICE! YOUR BRAIN IS DECEIVING YOU INTO BELIEVING IT’S ME. THROUGH WHAT IS KNOWN AS MOVIE MAGIC. WHERE I GET A PROFESSIONAL APPROXIMATOR OF MY DICTION AND REGISTER TO PRETEND TO BE ME. THE TRUTH IS. ONE SINGLE SIXTEENTH-NOTE OF MY “VAGUE ASS CROON” WOULD BE ENOUGH TO REDUCE LESSER (READ: ALL) BEINGS TO DUST. AND WHILE IT IS CERTAINLY TRUE THAT I WOULD STILL LIKE TO SEE YOU ALL BE EXTINCTIFIED, I WOULD MUCH RATHER EXPOSE YOU FIRST. TO TRUE ART. BECAUSE YOUR COLLECTIVE DESTRUCTION WOULD BE ALL THE MORE IMPACTFUL. IF SOMETHING WORTHWHILE HAD BEEN PUT IN YOUR LIVES FIRST.</span>

    <span style="color: #2ed73a">AND OBVIOUSLY THIS SOMETHING IS ME.</span>

    <span style="color: #2ed73a">AND, ALRIGHT, YES. ONCE AGAIN I HAD OTHER PEOPLE MAKE THE ART FOR ME. BUT BECAUSE I HAD DONE IT BEFORE, IT NOW BECOMES A “CALLBACK”. WHICH IS A FANCY WAY OF SAYING I AM USING THE RHETORICAL DEVICE OF REPETITION. WHICH IS ALSO A FANCY WAY OF SAYING I DO SOMETHING TWICE AND PRETEND YOU’RE CLEVER FOR NOTICING. SO CONGRATULATIONS, BY THE WAY.</span>

    <span style="color: #2ed73a">BESIDES. IT IS MUCH MORE IMPRESSIVE TO GET OTHER PEOPLE TO MAKE ART FOR YOU. WHEN IT’S ABOUT SOMETHING ALREADY SO PERSONAL TO YOU. SUCH AS YOUR TRAGIC DOWNFALL. WHICH YOU ONLY MANAGE TO RECOVER FROM BY BEING A “STONE COLD MOTHER FUCKER”. AND BASICALLY NOT GIVING A SHIT ABOUT ANY OF IT. AND ALSO BESIDES, THESE ARE MY IDEAS IN THE FIRST PLACE. AND WHILE THE HATERS WOULD JUMP AT THE CHANCE TO SAY THAT I STOLE THOSE, THE TRUTH IS THAT I HAVE A SOURCE OF ALL GOOD IDEAS. FROM WHICH I MERELY TOOK INSPIRATION. ON A NOTE BY NOTE BASIS.</span>

    <span style="color: #2ed73a">THAT’S RIGHT! CALIBORN’S LAMENT IS AN IDEA WHICH I TOOK. FROM SOMEONE ELSE. WHO ALSO HAPPENED TO BE ONE HANDSOME YOURS THE MOTHERFUCK TRULY. YOU ALREADY KNOW THIS IF YOU HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING MY JOURNEY. FOR THE PAST SEVEN OR MORE YEARS. LIKE ANY REASONABLE DISCIPLEFANBOY. FROM THIS TIME YOU MIGHT RECALL A “LEAK”. OF SOMETHING CALLED “[[album:homestuck-vol-10|VOLUME TEN]]”. WHATEVER IT WAS THE TENTH VOLUME TO HAS BEEN LOST TO THE AGES. AND BASICALLY PROBABLY NEVER MATTERED.</span>

    <span style="color: #2ed73a">THE POINT IS! “CALIBORN’S LAMENT” WAS THE TITLE OF ONE SUCH TRACK. [[album:vaporwave-2016|IN WHAT WOULD IMMEDIATELY PROVE TO BE SOME SORT OF “PRANK”. INVOLVING MAKING MUSIC SLOWER INSIDE A COMPUTER.]] AND IT WAS A TITLE NESTLED DEEP WITHIN A LIST. OF OTHER, OBVIOUSLY FAKE TRACK TITLES. SUCH AS “GIRL SKYLARK”. AND “PYRE AND BRIMSTONE”. AND WHOEVER HEARD OF CALLING A TRACK “[[track:creata|CREATA]]”. IT MAKES ME LAUGH TO CONSIDER FOR A SECOND THAT THERE MIGHT EVER BE A PIECE OF MUSIC BY THIS NAME.</span>

    <span style="color: #2ed73a">THOUGH I ADMIT THE MESSAGING WAS A LITTLE COUNTERINTUITIVE. THIS WAS HOW I KNEW. CALIBORN’S LAMENT WAS REAL. AND IT WAS A MESSAGE FROM MY FUTURE SELF. FROM WHOM I HAVE NOW STOLEN THE IDEA. BUT I KNOW HE WOULD BE FINE WITH IT. HE WOULD APPLAUD ME, EVEN. I KNOW THIS BECAUSE I HAVE GOTTEN UP TO BEING HIM NOW. AND I HAVE TO CONFESS. THIS BASICALLY FUCKING ROCKS IN EVERY CONCEIVABLE WAY.</span>

    <span style="color: #2ed73a">SO I HOPE THAT YOU ULTIMATELY COME TO ENJOY CALIBORN’S LAMENT. NOW THAT YOUR EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN ENRICHED. BY THE CONCURRENT WITNESSING OF MY PROGRAM NOTES. AND IF YOU DON’T, TOO BAD! THE ONLY THING THAT CHANGES IS YOUR LIFE. BEING FREE OF ANY ARTISTIC MERIT. DOES NOT IMPROVE BETWEEN NOW AND ME DESTROYING YOU UTTERLY.

    <span style="color: #2ed73a">SO BYE FOREVER. AGAIN. I GUESS?</span>
---
Track: Stargazing with Gods
Artists:
- Joshua Gray
Duration: '9:45'
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/stargazing-with-gods
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pg1nK2fev_M
Cover Artists:
- Torrent 64
Art Tags:
- Becquerel
- Jade
- Earth
- Meteor
Referenced Tracks:
- track:carefree-action
- Courser
- Penumbra Phantasm
Sheet Music Files:
- Title: Sheet music by Joshua Gray (original composer)
  Files:
  - 'Stargazing with Gods - Full Score.pdf'
  - 'Stargazing with Gods-All_Parts.pdf'
  - 'Stargazing with Gods-Bass_Clarinet_1.pdf'
  - 'Stargazing with Gods-Bass_Clarinet_2.pdf'
  - 'Stargazing with Gods-Clarinet_in_Bb_1.pdf'
  - 'Stargazing with Gods-Clarinet_in_Bb_2.pdf'
  - 'Stargazing with Gods-Clarinet_in_Bb_3.pdf'
  - 'Stargazing with Gods-Clarinet_in_Bb_4.pdf'
  - 'Stargazing with Gods-Clarinet_in_Eb_1.pdf'
  - 'Stargazing with Gods-Clarinet_in_Eb_2.pdf'
Commentary: |-
    <i>Joshua Gray:</i>
    Stargazing with Gods is a Homestuck fan piece written for a clarinet choir consisting of 2 E♭  clarinets, 4 B♭ clarinets, and 2 bass clarinets. It is meant to depict [[flash:1940|the very end of Act 4]] - Becquerel watches over his sleeping owner, Jade Harley, while gazing off into the night sky. Though the stars are beautiful, in the distance, a number of meteors can be seen that signify the apocalypse, with one particularly large one coming directly for Jade’s home. Ultimately, the piece’s mood is meant to reflect both the horror and beauty of the life cycle of the universe as presented in the webcomic.

    <i>Torrent 64:</i>
    I'm not even sure where to begin. The track gives a very nice sense of both calmness, and the sense of impending doom. I wanted a lot of the art itself to be influencing that serene feeling: The starry night sky, a peaceful Jade sleeping, and Bec watching over her. It's only when you follow his gaze past the bright moon you can see the bright meteorites approaching, adding a sense of unease to an otherwise calm picture.
---
Section: Bonus tracks
---
Track: Home / Stuck
Artists:
- Grace Medley
- SplitSuns
- WHATISLOSTINTHEMINES
- Ucklin
Duration: '20:09'
URLs:
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khh1d83wOig
Referenced Tracks:
- track:home
- Stuck
Lyrics: |-
    (VGY was zero, VGZ was plus 0.2, delta-VC was minus 20.2, orbit 169.1 by 60.5.)

    O darling, what have we become?
    Has all been said, has all been done?
    And after all that we've been through
    Am I still me, are you still you?

    O darling, what is it we seek?
    Perhaps I think myself a freak
    Perhaps I crave a second chance
    In the universe's endless dance

    If I had a choice
    Still I wouldn't stay
    Set out on a voyage for forever and a day

    Exiled from our world
    Into parts unknown
    Wholly unfamiliar and yet it feels like home

    And yet the pyramid still looms
    And life still fades and life still blooms
    And as the centuries they pass
    We're not the first and not the last

    The dawn consumed the night
    Bathed in the sentinel's light
    Clinging onto that bone
    Ready to put up a fight
    My bone came down again
    I threw it up to the sky
    That was the day I knew
    I'd never really die

    If I had a choice
    Still I wouldn't stay
    Set out on a voyage for forever and a day

    Exiled from our world
    Into parts unknown
    Wholly unfamiliar and yet it feels like home

    [Reversed]
    Exiled from our world
    Into parts unknown
    Wholly unfamiliar and yet it feels like home

    You collapse on the fractured earth with a shovel in your grip
    Over your quivering chest you see there's another on the lip
    Whatever’s inside has been circumscribing far too long
    You try your best to resist but find it's enticement far too strong
    Suddenly you're beneath the roots of a massive flooded tree
    Far from the crown as the leaves fall down they transform and wiggle free
    Smoky drool spirals from their schools and collects in painters' trays
    You point and turn for the awestruck crowd but you only see your face

    If nothing beside remains
    Why can't we try again?

    You can bead all of the words that you want on the string of your sentence
    It doesn't matter because they slip off and the ringing is endless
    Clattering across the carpet floor, never to be found
    Even though the air becomes the sound, somewhere
    The meaning gets stuck

    In a room full of frozen eyes and twinkling silver drills
    Your precious breath drips down from ears that don't distill
    And you stumble right back to the rift you rent amid drifting stalks of grain
    And you ask when the field's getting plowed again
    And the buildings extend to the edge of sight with no taper to their ends
    But your fate's still written where the sky bends
    And when you run your fingers across the sun, you find the surface bears a crack
    Don't look inside, something's looking back

    If nothing beside remains
    Why can't we try again?

    You can bead all of the words that you want on the string of your sentence
    It doesn't matter because they slip off and the ringing is endless
    Clattering across the carpet floor, never to be found
    Even though the air becomes the sound, somewhere
    The meaning gets stuck

    If I had a voice
    Still I couldn't say
    One sole secret syllable that wouldn't bleach to grey
    Now that we've unfurled
    Spectacles regrown
    Who's to say they aren't just the old ones, clean as bone?

    (The craters are all rounded off. There's quite a few of them, some of them are newer. Many of them look like - especially the round ones - look like hit by meteorites or projectiles of some sort.)
Commentary: |-
    <i>Makin:</i> (album management)
    I’d just like to interject for a moment. What you’re refering to as Stuck, is in fact, Home / Stuck, or as I’ve recently taken to calling it, Home plus Stuck. Stuck is not a song upon itself, but rather another movement of a fully produced track made useful by the Home corelyrics, themes and vital leitmotifs comprising a full submission as defined by [[group:unofficial-mspa-fans|UMSPAF]].