path: root/album/mobius-trip-and-hadron-kaleido.txt

Album: Mobius Trip and Hadron Kaleido
Artist: Michael Guy Bowman
Cover Art: Tavia Morra, Richard Gung
Track Art: Tavia Morra, Richard Gung
Date: May 31, 2011 00:00:04
FG: #eecc22
URLs:
- https://bowman.bandcamp.com/album/mobius-trip-and-hadron-kaleido
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBZx4eTVu4Ufun
- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kT4A-zOvA1ht-UCuwStN-uoVIdxS7S7Qw
Commentary:
    <i>Michael Guy Bowman:</i>
    Mobius Trip and Hadron Kaleido, agents of Prospit and Derse. They once fought on the battlefield as their respective nemeses, only to be united by a common epiphany - the truth behind the Ultimate Riddle. Gazing upon the Skaian clouds, the secrets of the past, present, and future are now well guarded by these strange sentinels who spread enlightenment through their cryptic music and dance. Together, they hope their songs may be a beacon to all those who undertake the Riddle.
    <hr>
    <i>Is there a linear story to this album, or is it some other form of story telling?</i>
    I've seen a good handful of questions like this and I'd be glad to clear this up. This album does have characters and a story behind it, but it is not a linear story or a rock opera. It's an eponymous album by its members Mobius Trip and Hadron Kaleido.
    Back when Andrew proposed the music project in March of 2009, he made it clear that one of the things he wanted to do was create a lot of "fake bands" which would exist as actual musical entities within the Homestuck Universe in much the same light as the Gorillaz, the Monkees, or the Chipmunks (wow, those are all animal names). While we accomplished that somewhat with albums like "Squiddles Singalong", most of the concept albums have largely been musical homages to the actual characters. For example the Felt didn't "make" their album of the same name, the music team made it as program music.
    <i>Mobius Trip and Hadron Kaleido</i> is meant to be literally an album that Mobius and Hadron would make together. Like the Kernelsprites, they spread their knowledge of Sburb and <u>The Ultimate Riddle</u> cryptically through overtly complex riddles rendered as rock music. They have a seemingly limitless knowledge of all things in the Homestuck universe, or do they? For all their answers they don't just give anything away, they tease you with their songs.
    Hoohoohoo!
    <i>How much thought did you put into connecting the album with Homestuck? Or was it just supposed to be a silly thing with a loose connection?</i>
    From the very beginning I wanted to make this an album for Homestuck fans, but I also wanted this to be something which could be listened to from the outside-in. My goal was to create a solid set of songs that would revisit the basic themes of Homestuck, meaning that the fans would get a whole new dimension to the world of Homestuck and listeners unfamiliar with the comic could discover listen to it and, if so intrigued, discover the entire world of MSPA to create context for the album. Think of it as the relationship between <i>House of Leaves</i> and the band Poe - there is intertextuality between the literature and music and together they create a bigger picture. Plus, you can discover them in whatever order you like.
    Personally, I believe the album is very faithful to the basic ideas of Homestuck. All the big themes are there: time, eternity, repetition, survival, the unknown, fractals, betrayal, dreams, romance, hypnosis, pumpkins, etc. While I certainly had ideas for songs already floating around before the fake band project fell in my lap, my rule of thumb was to incorporate Homestuck any time I hit a dead-end and didn't know what to do. Plus, the process of planning the art was something that Tavia and I were working on from almost the very beginning.
    <i>how much of the instrumentation was synthesized and how much of it was organic? i'm thinking specifically of the fiddly guitar bits in forever</i>
    I play every instrument on this record, and all the ones that aren't real instruments I either played through a synthesizer or sequenced myself. All the guitar is real guitar played by myself. I did all of the singing except for some backup vocals by Tavia. About half of the bass parts are me playing an old P-Bass and the other half are some spectacularly vintage-sounding synth basses that I sequenced. While I do play drums, I was unable to use my drum set in the making of this album and instead spent an intense amount of time laying down the drum parts as the first step in making each track. Most of the performance side of the album was really quick and just involved running through the song and playing a midi keyboard run through patches.
    The "fiddly guitar bits" are played on a white Epiphone Les Paul named Glinda.
    <i>Are there any intentional song similarities or specific inspirations, musically? Chain of Prospit reminds me a LOT of She Blinded Me With Science by Thomas Dolby, in a very good way.</i>
    None of the songs are supposed to sound intentionally like any other song, but my style is informed by the groups I've listened to that I really enjoy. I can see the resemblance, but when I listen to my own music I always hear a demolition derby of every song I've ever liked. All the things I've seen posted about my music being a mix between groups like Daft Punk, David Bowie, or They Might Be Giants really satisfy me because those are most of the same things I listen to.
    I think I listened to "She Blinded Me With Science" a lot about five years ago. Thomas Dolby is a cool guy. I really like his soundtrack to Gate to the Mind's Eye.
    <i>Tavia Morra:</i>
    <i>Also any fun stories you can share from taking the pictures for the graphics?</i>
    For the portrait of Hadron's face, I cobbled together my little lighting and shooting rig with the following: tripod, camera, music stand, orange extension cord, nightlight, and a chair. It was super guerrilla, if you consider shooting in the comfort of your own home guerrilla. Either way, it was actually a very pleasant photoshoot that didn't require an extensive amount of time to set up.
    Oh, and I kept eating cookies during one of the photoshoots.
    That's all I can remember at the moment. Bowman might remember more.
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Track: Forever
Duration: 2:58
URLs:
- https://bowman.bandcamp.com/track/forever
- https://youtu.be/O9Q5JvfBMYc?list=OLAK5uy_kT4A-zOvA1ht-UCuwStN-uoVIdxS7S7Qw
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Track: Dawn of Man
Duration: 5:44
References: Sburban Jungle
URLs:
- https://bowman.bandcamp.com/track/dawn-of-man
- https://youtu.be/Fyib6VCDA2s?list=OLAK5uy_kT4A-zOvA1ht-UCuwStN-uoVIdxS7S7Qw
Lyrics:
    I was about fifteen<br>I was walking the beach<br>I was racing a wave<br>It knocked me off my feet<br>I fell into the tide<br>It spat me back on the sand<br>I laughed without a clue<br>How lucky I was to land
    It's been a long long time<br>Since my life was spared<br>It's been a long long time<br>But I'm still not scared
    It was the dawn of man<br>I held the bone in my hand<br>I was as hungry as death<br>Wandering through the sand<br>I met a wild boar<br>My bone came down with a crack<br>I tasted flesh and blood<br>And swore I'd never look back
    It's been a long long time<br>But I had just begun<br>It's been a long long time<br>Out in the African sun<br>It's been a long long time<br>Since I learned that skill<br>It's been a long long time<br>Since my very first kill
    If anyone's out there to see what we have done<br>Can somebody tell me what we are to become<br>Our tiny lives<br>They fly right by<br>This goodly frame, it does not care<br>If we live or die
    It was the month of June<br>In Tiananmen Square<br>The tanks were on TV<br>But I was not yet there<br>The guns they wall went pop<br>We heard the screams and shouts<br>I was brought into this world<br>As they were taken out
    If anyone's out there to see what I have done<br>Can somebody tell me what we are to become<br>Our tiny lives<br>They fly right by<br>Who were they, and next to them<br>Who the hell am I?
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Track: Beta Version
Duration: 4:35
URLs:
- https://bowman.bandcamp.com/track/beta-version
- https://youtu.be/m6Km35fIHiw?list=OLAK5uy_kT4A-zOvA1ht-UCuwStN-uoVIdxS7S7Qw
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Track: No Release
Duration: 4:28
URLs:
- https://bowman.bandcamp.com/track/no-release
- https://youtu.be/ZO_ile-Mdsw?list=OLAK5uy_kT4A-zOvA1ht-UCuwStN-uoVIdxS7S7Qw
Lyrics:
    She's changed, she's new now<br>She's moved on somehow<br>The pain is gone now<br>But she still needs room to breathe
    You've changed you're silent<br>For all those years spent<br>Explaining what it was that you really meant
    Now you won't say it aloud<br>You'd rather be silent and proud<br>But down inside you still lies the beast<br>If she's the reason you live<br>You'll only get what you give<br>And what you've given is no release
    You've changed, you've grown up<br>Your wounds have sewn up<br>Your time has shown up<br>Yet you still can't find your way
    No lies, no secrets<br>This is your life, now keep it<br>In time you'll see it
    The faces you have put on<br>Have held you back all along<br>You're a king, not a pawn, so cease<br>To be so loyally fake<br>You'll only get what you take<br>And what you've taken is no release
    And one day, everyone will smile again<br>We'll feel like a child again<br>And look behind us<br>And think of all the stuff that's going on<br>The stuff we're growing on
    It's an ashen quadrant affair<br>Except you just don't care<br>Your only aim has been to appease<br>Lay down your pride and your gun<br>You're not the only one<br>Who's still looking for some release
    And if the rules they can bend<br>You know you still could be friends<br>But it doesn't rely on me<br>This is as far as I go<br>I only say what I know<br>And what I know is you need release
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Track: Fly
Duration: 5:01
URLs:
- https://bowman.bandcamp.com/track/fly
- https://youtu.be/CUDkBTYWtGk?list=OLAK5uy_kT4A-zOvA1ht-UCuwStN-uoVIdxS7S7Qw
Lyrics:
    Fly fly fly whatcha say<br>Whatcha gonna do<br>Change your ways change your life<br>Change your point of view<br>Been so long since your feet<br>Felt the open air<br>So far back down the line<br>Were you even there?
    It's so cold the rain blows in your eyes<br>It's so cold the days go flashing by<br>It's so cold you've lost all track of time<br>It's so cold you turn back into slime
    Dream dream dream dream your life<br>Make it up from scratch<br>In your dream you're the star<br>It's you who makes that catch<br>Can't hold on, cannot grope<br>Your fingers will not clasp<br>Measurements fall apart<br>The tools you cannot grasp
    It's insane you must be high on pot<br>It's insane the air this man has got<br>It's insane the stuff you must be on<br>It's insane you wake up and it's gone
    And you're on your way to work<br>And you still can't work it out<br>And you can't recall the details<br>Or what it was about<br>So you read a bunch of websites<br>And you study archetypes<br>But you throw away the answers<br>'Cause it's all a bunch of hype
    And you're on your way of work<br>But you just can't work it out<br>And you can't recall the details<br>Or what it was about<br>So you hustle through your morning<br>And you waste your afternoon<br>And at night you still are wondering<br>If you'll dream again so soon<br>And you lay awake and wonder<br>And you never get your sleep<br>'Cause you're still waiting for the answers<br>But you never hear a peep<br>And you die alone and angry<br>And you're wrapped up in a shroud<br>And the world's far below you<br>And your feet are in the clouds
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Track: Lies With The Sea
Duration: 4:46
References: Sburban Jungle
URLs:
- https://bowman.bandcamp.com/track/lies-with-the-sea
- https://youtu.be/LH_tBygClwg?list=OLAK5uy_kT4A-zOvA1ht-UCuwStN-uoVIdxS7S7Qw
Lyrics:
    Lonely submarine in murky shades of blue and green<br>A silent knock on Davy Jones' door<br>Octopi and hydronauts explore unsalvaged shipwrecks caught<br>In coral reeves that span the ocean floor
    The geothermal chemistry<br>Of vents below the deep blue sea<br>Burning on and on<br>The winking of an angler's light<br>You make this underwater flight<br>Down where there is no sun
    My heart lies with the sea<br>My heart lies with the ocean
    My heart lies with the sea<br>My heart lies with the ocean
    My, the continental shelf and all its sunken wealth<br>Bones of those who walked the plank<br>The depth to which these pirates sank<br>Crushed by pressures great
    The submarine has lost its way<br>Shall we ever make it to the bay<br>From where we once did leave?<br>A sonar ping still rings for help<br>Diffused amongst a cloud of kelp<br>Where mermaid kingdoms breathe
    My heart lies with the sea<br>My heart lies with the ocean
    My heart lies with the sea<br>My heart lies with the ocean
    My heart lies with the sea<br>My heart lies with the ocean
    My heart lies with the sea<br>My heart lies with the ocean
    My heart lies with the sea<br>My heart lies with the ocean
    My heart lies with the sea<br>My heart lies with the ocean
    ...
Commentary:
    <i>Michael Guy Bowman:</i>
    “Lies With the Sea” is one of two songs based on sketches from dreams that I put on Mobius Trip and Hadron Kaleido - the other, aptly enough, is “Dawn of Man”.
    During the time I was initially formulating a concept for a fake band during the summer of 2010, I thought it would be interesting to do something with a nautical theme. One night as I was falling asleep, I very vividly imagined a melody and accompanying refrain “my heart so full of love”, which I sketched and eventually transformed into “my heart lies with the sea” to fit the concept. Ultimately I ditched the nautical theme for the band after Squiddles! Sing-along came out and resolved to develop the concept that became Mobius Trip and Hadron Kaleido with Tavia. However, the song was already well-developed by that point and I opted to keep it around.
    My first sketch for that piece was actually a lot heavier - I produced a version over that summer as a demo for Andrew that featured a slow, dirge-like drum beat and an incredibly loud guitar riff that somewhat resembled the song “Grease” from the way-overrated musical of the same name. Perhaps later I’ll do some touch-ups to this “heavy” version of the song and share it, but until then I’d rather keep it to myself, being so primitively produced.
     One thing it has in common with the quicker, more lightly-produced version of the track I put out in May was a fairly strong inspiration from modern electronic acts. I drew farily heavily from the sensibilities of Gorillaz in chosing synthesizer sounds on tracks like “Rhinestone Eyes” and “El Ma&ntilde;ana” and also pretty closely studied the mix on Daft Punk’s “Something About Us”, a down tempo track I greatly admire.
     The thing that most strongly made me feel comfortable using this track on Mobius Trip and Hadron Kaleido was its inspiration from dreams and the sense that it generally echoed the thought of being swept away in a wave as mentioned in “Dawn of Man” earlier on the album. Originally I even recorded an alternate lyric to the melody of “Sburban Jungle” to open the second verse which I ditched that went as follows:
     “Down, down far below, somewhere safe/ Lost in the wave once again.”
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Track: Chain Of Prospit
Duration: 4:37
URLs:
- https://bowman.bandcamp.com/track/chain-of-prospit
- https://youtu.be/c9XA_P5g_4w?list=OLAK5uy_kT4A-zOvA1ht-UCuwStN-uoVIdxS7S7Qw
Lyrics:
    Hold up<br>Before your hopes and dreams are sold up<br>You haven't failed yet don't hold up<br>Don't cut the tape before it's rolled up<br>You've always got a chance
    Rock it<br>And if the picture isn't clear just shop it<br>You're swinging by the chain of Prospit<br>The future's always there so pop it<br>Back into its place
    You've got a reason to live<br>Got a reason to live<br>No matter what you say<br>No matter what you take away<br>There's always something you can give<br>And buddy that's the reason<br>That you've got a reason to live<br>Got a reason to live<br>Don't care what you've been through<br>Don't care what people think of you<br>There's always something you can do<br>And no one knows it better than you
    Praise you<br>The absence in your life delays you<br>The note that desolation plays you<br>You know you mustn't let it phase you<br>If something's in the way
    Own up<br>There's data structures you can bone up<br>You might be feeling like you're Homestuck<br>But you can make it by your own luck<br>Snap it into place
    And if the wind should blow<br>I will know<br>I will go
    Reversal, all matter and its great dispersal<br>The secrets of the universal<br>This isn't just a dry rehearsal<br>We're living for today
    You've got a reason to live<br>Got a reason to live<br>No matter what you say<br>No matter what you take away<br>There's always something you can give<br>And buddy that's the reason<br>That you've got a reason to live<br>Got a reason to live<br>Don't care what you've been through<br>Don't care what people think of you<br>There's always something you can do<br>And no one knows it better than-
    You've got a reason to live<br>Got a reason to live<br>No matter what you say<br>No matter what you take away<br>There's always something you can give<br>And buddy that's the reason<br>That you've got a reason to live got a reason to live<br>Don't care what you've been through<br>Don't care what people think of you<br>There's always something you can do<br>And no one knows it better than you<br>And no one knows it better than you<br>And no one knows it better than you
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Track: Pumpkin Tide
Duration: 3:31
URLs:
- https://bowman.bandcamp.com/track/pumpkin-tide
- https://youtu.be/lyxw3e3RvzE?list=OLAK5uy_kT4A-zOvA1ht-UCuwStN-uoVIdxS7S7Qw
Lyrics:
    Destroy your desk, it's useless now<br>Build yourself a fort to hide<br>Close your eyes and crawl inside<br>You're sailing on the pumpkin tide
    The ship you're on is yours alone<br>The wind will push your sweet sweet ride<br>But this foreign wave just appearified<br>You're sailing on the pumpkin tide
    Focus on the sound of my voice<br>You are under my control<br>Obey my will or I'll bury you alive<br>And it's you who'll dig your own damn hole
    Forget your friends, what good are they<br>Suckers filled with words that chide<br>Heads green with envy but orange with pride<br>Screaming at that pumpkin tide
    Listen to their whispering voice<br>The current where the pumpkins roam<br>You never saw a thing<br>Never saw the thing you think you saw<br>Just shadows looking for a home
    The door into your heart is locked<br>Its [gun] is buried in your mind<br>Too heavy to carry but too huge to leave behind<br>Without it you will surely die<br>But even that's just another lie<br>Sailing on the pumpkin tide
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Track: The Deeper You Go
Duration: 3:36
References: Sburban Jungle
URLs:
- https://bowman.bandcamp.com/track/the-deeper-you-go
- https://youtu.be/IMpM4xKg9vU?list=OLAK5uy_kT4A-zOvA1ht-UCuwStN-uoVIdxS7S7Qw