hiveswap & friendsim commentary + art

2 files changed, 349 insertions, 6 deletions

diff --git a/album/hiveswap-act-1-ost/album.txt b/album/hiveswap-act-1-ost/album.txt
index cebe8eb..4c11940 100644
--- a/album/hiveswap-act-1-ost/album.txt
+++ b/album/hiveswap-act-1-ost/album.txt
@@ -4,11 +4,17 @@ Cover Art: Homestuck
 Track Art: none
 Date: September 14, 2017 00:00:05
 FG: #33cc77
+Commentary:
+    <i>Cohen Edenfield:</i>
+    Hey, it’s Cohen. But more interestingly, it’s James and Toby, giving some commentary on the first half of the HIVESWAP: Act 1 soundtrack, available now on Bandcamp or bundled with HIVESWAP: Act 1 on Steam and Humble. We’ve got the first half of the discussion today, with the next half going up next Wednesday. Wait…did I say all this once before already? No. Impossible.
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: Definitely Safe Forever
 URLs: https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/definitely-safe-forever-2
 References:
 - Joey Claire, Extraordinaire
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    This is the track that has been rewritten the most. It’s so much better now than it used to be. This latest version is meant to tie in with the title screen music. It’s based around Joey and Jude’s theme, and has a few nods in there to some others if you’re listening.
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: Snake Escape
 URLs: https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/snake-escape-2
@@ -16,97 +22,245 @@ References:
 - Singular Peril
 - Joey Claire, Extraordinaire
 - Half-Harley Manor
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    In its current form, I think this is one of the best examples on this soundtrack of what Toby and I’s respective styles sound like mixed together. Toby doesn’t like to use a lot of percussion, so I wrote this based on what was originally a piano piece. It is one of the VERY first things written for the game. WOW. The original version of this sounds a lot more like “SINGULAR PERIL” without any drums and not sampled, so just like, straight 8ths.
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: Joey Claire, Extraordinaire
 URLs: https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/joey-claire-extraordinaire-2
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    When Toby sent me the original piano sketch for Joey’s theme it was real good but I thought since Joey dances, what if I made it sound like a dance recital? I used to take dance classes when I was a kid, and I have very distinct memories of a kindly old woman playing bouncy piano chords in ¾ time. One of the design choices Toby and I settled on really early on was that each character would have a “room” that be the purest form of their theme. Joey feels most at home in her bedroom, which is a sanctuary from the rest of the awful house she lives in.
+    <i>Toby Fox:</i>
+    I think my original version of this was like 40 seconds long or something… James did a really good job fleshing it out and making it something that’s listenable for long enough to look at the Bubsy poster 40 times in a row.
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: Half-Harley Manor
 URLs: https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/half-harley-manor-2
 References:
 - Joey Claire, Extraordinaire
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    This went through a bunch of revisions, too. It used a lot of harpsichord originally, which we then thought we’d use a little more sparingly. When we first came onto the project Andrew told us “it’s like a haunted house” so we really made it like… spooky but months down the line Andrew was like “ok lads reel it in it’s not actually haunted just lonely” so we switched it to piano and toned it down a bit. Toby ended up doing the final version of this one, though I think a piano version I did exists somewhere too.
+    <i>Toby Fox:</i>
+    This is one of the first tracks I did for the game. I’m pretty proud of how it turned out from a musical standpoint, though I guess it’s kind of serious given how goofy the house looks. Whoops…
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: Relatively Visible Darkness
 References: Half-Harley Manor
 URLs: https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/relatively-visible-darkness-2
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    Overall it felt like the mansion wasn’t dorky enough so I wrote this even MORE toned down version of it for when the lights go out. Stripping down Toby’s song in this way makes it sound kinda like Luigi’s Mansion, which rules so it all worked out. This was originally going to be the theme for just downstairs. In the time since then, though we decided to have music changes based more on “narrative” and less on just “location.” You don’t spend that much time upstairs so it would seem kinda silly to have the “MAIN THEME” of the mansion be heard for the two minutes you’re in the hallway. You will see more of these dynamic music changes in ACT 2.
+    <i>Toby Fox:</i>
+    It sounds kind of like Yoshi’s Story to me. This turned out to be a really tuba-heavy soundtrack somehow. Maybe that’s a good thing though.
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    We just kept telling each other to add Tuba to things. Like some sort of Will They/Won’t They Tuba standoff.
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: Bedroom for an Annoying Dog
 References: Half-Harley Manor
 URLs: https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/bedroom-for-an-annoying-dog-2
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    Cohen named this one this because it is the basement and Toby was living in Andrews basement at some point while he was working on Undertale. You may not have heard of it. There is no secret Undertale reference in this room. Checkmate, game theorists. Anyway Toby and I thought it would be really funny if we made the mansion theme sound like the Sephiroth song from Final Fantasy 7 and originally the directors hated it but I cried until I got my way.
+    <i>Toby Fox:</i>
+    I literally didn’t understand why it was called this until I read James’s comment on it.
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    Toby what the hell.
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: That's How I Beat Snake
 References: SERPENT GENESIS, Half-Harley Manor
 URLs: https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/thats-how-i-beat-snake-2
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    Originally all the strife song titles had the word STRIFE in them. This one was called “Why’d it have to be STRIFE” a reference to the classic line in Indiana Jones where Indy, a known pacifist, questions the violent tone of the film. It is an extremely important moment in american cinema AND meta comedy. I’m honestly so surprised you hadn’t heard of it. Anyway this is based off of “SNAKE GENESIS” which I wrote first. Movie Magic!
+    <i>Toby Fox:</i>
+    They probably should have also named the song that plays when you play the Snake minigame this. Just two songs with an identical name. That would be have been cool.
+    <i>Cohen Edenfield:</i>
+    (Hey Cohen here. several people have asked if the title is a reference to the aaron carter song. obviously it is, yes, that. James’ song titles were good but they were usually a very direct reference to what actually happened in the scene they were playing for. So I renamed them, because I didn’t want people poring over the tracklist to decode the entire plot before actually playing the game. because you would have. I know you.)
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: Jude Harley, Bizarrely
 URLs: https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/jude-harley-bizarrely-2
 References:
 - Half-Harley Manor
 - Joey Claire, Extraordinaire
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    Hey did you know Jude’s treehouse theme is just a slightly different “Joey Claire, Extraordinaire?” Anyway here is where I first accidentally discovered how fun it is to write a completely unlistenable synth sound that sounds like some hapless dweeb. I have truly realized my ultimate self.
+    <i>Toby Fox:</i>
+    Besides tubas, I think James’s weird voicey grubble synths that sound like they’re yelling are maybe the most defining instrument of this soundtrack.
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: Table for Tooth
 References: Half-Harley Manor
 URLs: https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/table-for-tooth-2
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    I wrote this in 2014 and I THINK the original monster you fought here was the proto version big monster with two mouths, from the Living Room STRIFE. I wanted the synth to sound like the monster singing because I didn’t know how the monsters sounded yet and I thought it’d be funny if they were like stupid idiots.
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: Final Spice
 References: Alternate Recipe:alternate-recipe
 URLs: https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/final-spice-2
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    Toby sent me <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGYu_epVxpo">this</a> as a piano sketch (as he often did) and then I sent him a semi chiptune (ALTERNATE RECIPE) version with drums and stuff and then he sent me back the final version this was actually an incredibly simple process what an absolute joy. This is the most purely Toby track on the whole album and I love it.
+    <i>Toby Fox:</i>
+    I thought it would be kind of funny if there was a JRPG battle theme mixed in with all the other ones. I think this is just what I make by default without any specific direction.
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    It is my favorite song on Vol. 1.
+    <i>Cohen Edenfield:</i>
+    (hi it’s Cohen I intentionally made this strife more convoluted and complex as a result of how much I love this song, sorry)
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: Living Legend
 URLs: https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/living-legend-2
 References:
 - Half-Harley Manor
 - Joey Claire, Extraordinaire
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    I wanted to write something very Final Fantasy Boss Battle™ and around the time I wrote this an article came out where Nobuo Uematsu says he just wrote phrases a few measures at a time and put them together so that’s what I did. (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvyE9AJoUCM">youtube.com/watch?v=mvyE9AJoUCM</a>)
+    <i>Toby Fox:</i>
+    Basically James is saying this is the One Winged Angel of the Hiveswap soundtrack.
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: Singular Peril
 References: Half-Harley Manor
 URLs: https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/singular-peril-2
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    This was written based off the extremely old original snake chase sketch Toby did. I wanted to put that throwback in for myself. Like an easter egg only I know or care about. I also wanted to try like… sampling stuff since I’m not super good at it yet and wanted to grow as a composer.
+    <i>Cohen Edenfield:</i>
+    (hey this is named Singular Peril because it plays during the only point in Act 1 when you can die. do you get the joke)
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: A More Defensible Position
 References: Half-Harley Manor
 URLs: https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/a-more-defensible-position-2
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    This is a Toby Track 100% he just goes ham with echo. If you ever look at his work files it’s like a thousand tracks and half of them are just echoes. This sounds so good toby is so good. I think this was originally a loop for… <a href="https://soundcloud.com/hiveswap/conversation-loops">in between conversations or something</a>?
+    <i>Toby Fox:</i>
+    I think it was just written for the attic in general.
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: Open The Door
 References: How it Could Have Gone:how-it-could-have-gone
 URLs: https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/open-the-door-2
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    This track has a really rich backstory, in the sense that it has had several complete versions each with their own revision process. You can check out one of those versions in the B-side “how it could have gone” available on bandcamp.
+    <i>Toby Fox:</i>
+    My main contribution to this track is the piano riff 10 seconds in… Hell yeah…
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: Keep Your Head Down
 References: Rustblood
 URLs: https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/keep-your-head-down-2
+Commentary:
+    <i>Toby Fox:</i>
+    I think I was asked to make this sound kind of 80’s back when the game was going to be in 3D. I mean, either that, or I made it sound kind of 80’s for no reason. Anyway, it’s just an arrangement of Xefros’s theme that I made for when tense stuff is happening.
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    It kinda sounds like blade runner I have always upheld this even though I’ve never seen blade runner.
+    <i>Toby Fox:</i>
+    Me neither.
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    We are frauds.
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: Oh Whoa, What's This
 References: Some Kind of Alien
 URLs: https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/oh-whoa-whats-this-2
+Commentary:
+    <i>Toby Fox:</i>
+    I made this track but I didn’t name it. I had nothing to do with the name here. James named this.
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    I can’t believe creator of hit webcomic homestuck and best friend of the pope, Toby Fox, would disown me in this way. Thrown under the bus! Left to die! A betrayal of the highest caliber. Owned in my own home. Absolutely destroyed.
+    Anyway yeah I named it. I feel like after “Oppa Toby Style” he would have learned to stop letting me name his tracks. How many times do I have to teach you this lesson.
+    <i>Cohen Edenfield:</i>
+    (hi it’s Cohen. When I renamed the album tracks this was one of only 2 or 3 that James really wanted to keep. He didn’t tell me that it was a furry meme. I don’t know about memes. I’m just a little bappy paws otter I don’t know shit)
+    <img src="misc/owo.png">
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: Some Kind of Alien
 References: Crustacean
 URLs: https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/some-kind-of-alien-2
+Commentary:
+    <i>Toby Fox:</i>
+    Another track I made really early on as one of the themes for the entire game/Alternia in general. It ended up being one of Dammek’s themes. It’s a pretty clear nod to Crustacean from Homestuck. LMAO I almost typed “Crustacean from UNDERTALE,”
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    Oh wow. Yet Another Betrayal At The Hands Of My Once Brother, Toby Fox.
+    <i>Toby Fox:</i>
+    Anyway because a few of my friends really liked that song and it seemed to feel really “Troll” to me, it seemed like a good idea to bring back that feeling for Hiveswap. And get some nostalgia in there as well. And to put more tubas on the soundtrack.
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    My contribution to this track is that I made <i>Toby</i> go in and add in more tuba. There is a disgusting tuba-less version of this song that will never see the light of day.
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Track: Rustbloot
+Track: Rustblood
 URLs: https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/rustblood-2
+Commentary:
+    <i>Toby Fox:</i>
+    Basically what I was told about Xefros before composing this track is that he’s kind of sad and pathetic and it makes you feel bad for him. Also him and Dammek are in a shitty rock band. So I tried to compose something that was kind of lumbering and morose-sounding, but also a bit like… a rock band? In the end maybe it’s a bit too heavy-sounding for Xefros, but I like the melody a lot. Also here’s more voluntary tubas from me. That’s all of my tuba contributions I think.
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    Cohen, I typed “Dobey Fox :)” up there and Toby deleted it. :(
+    <i>Cohen Edenfield:</i>
+    (fight your own battles James I can’t be there to protect you from Toby every day of your life)
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: Filthy Nuclear Bunker
 References: Rustblood
 URLs: https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/filthy-nuclear-bunker-2
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    James: This is the most James Roach™ track on the album and it’s extremely good. I wrote <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwXIB50mB3k">this melody</a> when I was 12 and I sneak it into every major project I’m in. I have rewritten and remixed and remastered this song about a thousand times. The melody is named “Nuclear” so I made sure that was somewhere in the title.
+    <i>Toby Fox:</i>
+    I actually think this is James’s best arrangement of the song that he wrote when he was 12 that he keeps putting into everything. I’m glad it could be used somewhere the player will be forced to listen to it for a really long time. It’s great.
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    I made it his hive theme just to force people to listen to it again.
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: SPORTS! Personally, I Love Them.
 References: Rustblood
 URLs: https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/sports-personally-i-love-them-2
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    This was another title I managed to slip in there. I love to name things in a stupid way. If somethings really bad it’s funny. It’s also funny if something’s really good too. Maybe I just like to laugh. I am a man of much nuance. Anyway here is the ska song you begged me for. I wanted it to be a cheery version of Xefros’s theme because it is the place in his house he probably feels most like himself. Surrounded by Anime and SPORTS! Quite possibly.. <a href="https://soundcloud.com/hiveswap/redacted-rumpus-room-refrain">the biggest mood imaginable</a>?
+    <i>Toby Fox:</i>
+    I couldn’t stop him from putting a ska song on the soundtrack sorry guys
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    I would love to see you try little man.
+    <i>Cohen Edenfield:</i>
+    (I don’t know what anime he’s talking about. I guess the paused Arena Stickball match on the TV is pretty anime-looking. But James also sees anime everywhere, wherever he goes. One time I saw him pick a rotten peach up off the ground, call it a “tsun-momo,” and take a huge bite. He bit right through the pit)
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: Lofted Gunpile
 References: Some Kind of Alien
 URLs: https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/lofted-gunpile-2
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    This was actually my pass at “Some Kind Of Alien” when I was trying to show Toby what I meant by “make it quiet……. THEN REAL LOUD!!!” and it ended up working out cool cause we needed an extra track for Dammek’s hive.
+    <img src="misc/lofted-gunpile.png">
+    <i>Toby Fox:</i>
+    Your advice didn’t work on me because I just like things to be really loud all the time.
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: SERPENT GENESIS
 URLs: https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/serpent-genesis-2
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    I actually wrote this one first, despite it basically being a chiptune version of “That’s How I Beat Snake” I tricked you guys into thinking THIS was a throwback to the snake strife. keep trying junior
+    <i>Toby Fox:</i>
+    This one really should have been called “HOW DO I BEAT SNAKE?” because I never found the clue to solving it and just did it by brute force. Also the drums kind of remind me of ska.
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    Fuck he got me
+    <i>Cohen Edenfield:</i>
+    (I am glad Toby had to brute-force this puzzle. When I played Undertale I got stuck on that stupid piano puzzle because the beta version he let me play didn’t cut you off after 8 notes or whatever. I was one note off, trying to play what I thought was this 32-note song. I also took a break for a week and was still stuck on it when I came back, so Toby thought I’d spent a week just beating my head against the wall on that one puzzle. Toby thinks everyone is a brilliant musician like him and his stupid piano puzzle was too hard the end)
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: We Shall Go Together
 URLs: https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/we-shall-go-together-2
 References:
 - Joey Claire, Extraordinaire
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    OK I know what you’re thinking, “This gets its own track on the OST, but OLD SECRET isn’t even here??” Hey look I love old secret too but <i>(COHEN: redacted)</i>. I only put it in that cutscene for you, the fans. Also it fit really well. Anyway, this track is inspired a lot by <a href="https://tobyfox.bandcamp.com/track/quiet-water">Quiet Water</a> by Toby Fox maybe you’ve heard of him. It is just a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwICiHW-Pyk">very slowed down</a> version of Joey’s theme.
+    <i>Cohen Edenfield:</i>
+    (if you want to know what the title of this song is from google it with quotes)
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: Wish You Were Here
 References: Intermission 1
 URLs: https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/wish-you-were-here-2
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    When Cohen asked me to write this song he was like “have you ever heard of transistor” and if making a smug face produced a sound we’d all be deaf. Then he asked me about rick and morty which is like.. a show I watch but never ever want to interact with anybody about ever. Anyway its that one scene you know the one.
+    <i>Toby Fox:</i>
+    This song is cool
+    <i>Cohen Edenfield:</i>
+    (James thought I wouldn’t <s>embed</s> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkBMXQ47d7s">link</a> this video! he underestimates me every single day of my life)
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: Intermission 1
 URLs: https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/intermission-1-2
@@ -114,19 +268,43 @@ References:
 - Rustblood
 - Joey Claire, Extraordinaire
 - Filthy Nuclear Bunker
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    This has a bunch of different themes but is mostly the Heiress’s theme, which is based off a <a href="https://soundcloud.com/hiveswap/original-heiress-piano-concept">really old really simple piano sketch toby sent me</a>. It’s got Nuclear in it too. also Joeys theme and Xefros’s theme. I am explicitly not saying the word “leitmotif” out of a sort of… <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0ySY6xyvf0">indignant disgust</a>.
+    <i>Toby Fox:</i>
+    There was a longer Heiress sketch too where it got really loud. Anyway I guess we’ll talk about that later when <i>(redacted)</i>
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    I absolutely refuse to wait another second.
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: B-SIDE: Old Steps
 Directory: old-steps
 URLs: https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/b-side-old-steps-2
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    Originally the game would have a jingle unique to each room when you did a tapdance/ballet but it ended up being too clunky so it got scrapped. Anyway here’s a few of them!
+    <i>Toby Fox:</i>
+    When I was listening to this on bandcamp the next song started playing and I was like “Oh shit when does Joey do THIS dance???”
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: B-SIDE: How it Could Have Gone
 References: Half-Harley Manor
 Directory: how-it-could-have-gone
 URLs: https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/b-side-how-it-could-have-gone-2
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    I <a href="track/open-the-door/index.html">already</a> talked about this one I guess??
+    <i>Toby Fox:</i>
+    This was basically James’s arrangement of MY arrangement of the cutscene where, spoilers, Joey gets HIVE-SWAPPED!!!!!! The part where the choirs are soft was going to be the part when her and Dammek look at each other.
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: B-SIDE: Alternate Recipe
 Directory: alternate-recipe
 URLs: https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/b-side-alternate-recipe-2
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    Toby sent me this as an mp3 of him playing a piano sketch, and then I sent him back this. we eventually settled on what became “Final Spice”
+    <i>Toby Fox:</i>
+    This is like listening to the early unreleased version of Chrono Trigger’s battle theme.
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    I think I’ve just been like.. Owned by proximity.
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: B-SIDE: Heavy Snaking
 Directory: heavy-snaking
@@ -134,9 +312,31 @@ URLs: https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/b-side-heavy-snaking-2
 References:
 - Half-Harley Manor
 - Table For Tooth
-- Joey CLaire, Extraordinaire
+- Joey Claire, Extraordinaire
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    When we first envisioned the basement/snake strife it was gonna be really moody like the basement music. I wrote this as a joke but it worked out really well. But later we decided that scene could use a little BEEFING UP in terms of… intensity and energy? Anyway that’s how a completely finished track ended up as a b-side. Could we re-use it later? Not really it’s literally the mansion theme and table for tooth so it cant go anywhere else!
+    <i>Cohen Edenfield:</i>
+    (I actually thought we could use this song somewhere else but James was really insistent it be a B-Side, so I guess when the time comes when we could have used it he will have to write a whole new song. haha owned again roach)
+    <i>Toby Fox:</i>
+    I don’t even remember if I’ve ever heard this one. It would have worked too I guess if the Snake was more chill.
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    like just an unbelievably chill snake.
+    <i>Toby Fox:</i>
+    Yeah like wearing sunglasses and its attack is to tell you to not do drugs.
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: B-SIDE: SPOOKTUNE
 References: Relatively Visible Darkness
 Directory: spooktune
 URLs: https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/b-side-spooktune-2
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    When Toby was working on undertale he’d send me little snippets here and there of music he was working on and when he sent me spooktune I fell in love with it. Instead of telling him I liked it, months later I sent him this like “haha nice song idiot” we are good friends who respect eachother but that doesn’t mean we cant own eachother on occasion or constantly.
+    <i>Toby Fox:</i>
+    I have to respect James for being the only fan of Spooktune in the entire world.
+    <i>Toby Fox:</i>
+    OK im done
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    Great job team
+    <i>Cohen Edenfield:</i>
+    OK everybody that’s it. We’ll be back next week with something else, which will also be good. Probably something about the art? Yeah. OK bye.
diff --git a/album/hiveswap-friendsim/album.txt b/album/hiveswap-friendsim/album.txt
index 8f45dab..40288fd 100644
--- a/album/hiveswap-friendsim/album.txt
+++ b/album/hiveswap-friendsim/album.txt
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 Album: Hiveswap Friendsim
 Artist: James Roach
 Cover Art: P-PAMda
-Track Art: none
+Track Art: Homestuck
 Date: December 15, 2018
 FG: #33aaff
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -9,73 +9,172 @@ Track: ARTCHOP (APPARENTLY)
 URLs:
 - https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/artchop-apparently
 - https://soundcloud.com/jamesroachmusic/i-guess-its-called-artchop-i-didnt-name-it-but-im-down
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    (Amisia's theme)
+    I wanted to call this one ":0" but apparently thats "fucking stupid" uhhh????????????????????????????????????? wrong
+    anyway heres the lore: andrew wanted something "UP" and "whimsical" because the first volume was really heavy handed on the music front. I had this laying around and thats basically how we are doing the music.
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: Ｍ Ｏ Ｉ Ｓ Ｔ
 Directory: moist
 URLs:
 - https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/-
 - https://soundcloud.com/jamesroachmusic/a-bunch-of-boxes-that-dont-translate-into-a-url
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    (Cirava's theme)
+    originally this was called Ｍ Ｏ Ｉ Ｓ Ｔ but w/e program trace was using didnt interpret them right but it was so much funnier to just leave it as boxes LMAO
+    anyway i said somethin ages ago about some of the trolls having themes i didnt get to finish all of them but ciravas is just a re-purposed early WIP of a grubbles song (get the horns) that i made vapor/moisturewave by slowing it down in the right way because thats literally all vaporwave is.
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: Call me Gor-Gor
 URLs:
 - https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/call-me-gor-gor
 - https://soundcloud.com/jamesroachmusic/call-me-gor-gor
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    (Tagora's theme)
+    i wrote this for tagora. i do these for free so if you liked it consider sending me some cash <a href="https://ko-fi.com/jamesroach">ko-fi.com/jamesroach</a>
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: &gt;tfw another james roach track
 Directory: tfw-another-james-roach-track
 URLs:
 - https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/tfw-another-james-roach-track
 - https://soundcloud.com/jamesroachmusic/tfw-another-james-roach-track
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    (Kuprum and Folykl's theme)
+    i suggested this name as a joke and they did it the absolute madmen
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: Piwates ',:^]
 URLs:
 - https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/piwates
 - https://soundcloud.com/jamesroachmusic/piwates
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    (Remele's theme)
+    once again i did not expect to get away with this name thanks for playing hiveswap friendly simulation i am gonna be gone all day so im just gonna post it now spoiler alert she's pirate themed if you couldn't guess
+    anyway i wrote this song when i was in like 7th grade because we could do something 'creative' instead of a book report. the book was sylvia plaths "the bell jar"
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: it be like that sometimes
 URLs:
 - https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/it-be-like-that-sometimes
 - https://soundcloud.com/jamesroachmusic/it-be-like-that-sometimes
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    (Chixie's Theme)
+    heres the "album version" of the loop from todays upcoming friendsim
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: take me to clown church
 URLs:
 - https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/take-me-to-clown-church
 - https://soundcloud.com/jamesroachmusic/take-me-to-clown-church
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    (Chahut's theme)
+    a little over three years ago i was in a sweaty conference room in manhattan visiting the now defunct WP NYC studio (which was in a shared space sort of... tech venture situation??) sitting in on what was usually a remote meeting. I nervously stood in front of andrew and my director at the time (whos name was also james come to think of it) as well as a handful of other people. Toby was conference calling in like we both usually did.
+    They said since i was visiting from out of town I didn't have to present anything at this weeks meeting like i usually did. I said I had something to show them anyway, since I didn't like to sit around idly and wanted to make the most of my studio visit. I stood there half-moist with gross air-dampness only new york in summer can really provide knowing I had one opportunity to wow them in person.
+    "alright. remember all those sound effects for that highblood minigame? like... seltzer water? light bulb? honks? squeaks? ok well, I made them into a beat and added some airhorns and tuba-"
+    "more tuba?" said toby over the call
+    "hell yeah brother more tuba"
+    anyway this was that song. It was going to be for a minigame sequence but i wanted to use it here. originally it didn't have a melody so i wrote a melody on banjo since you should definitely be reading all of chahuts lines in a very slow, methodical louisiana genteel southern accent. "SANGLE and ready tuh MANGLE"
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: fortnite funny moments epic fails episode 413
 URLs:
 - https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/fortnite-funny-moments-epic-fails-episode-413
 - https://soundcloud.com/jamesroachmusic/fortnite-funny-moments-epic-fails-episode-413
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    (Mallek's theme)
+    theres a channel that just re-uploads homestuck/hiveswap and now friendsim music to youtube so i named the track this so that a lot of confused kids show up in the comments. there isnt really anything i can do about people re-uploading music (and if it brings in a few more sales, then hell yeah) since if you take one down 9 others pop up and then people call you an asshole On-Line. at least we can both have a bit of a laugh when like fragman22 shows up in the comment section calling this song and whoever "james roach" is gay. well you got me there, kid. i am. i am gay.
+    for this one i really wanted to capture that LAD atmosphere. idk if mallek is a lad exactly... but he's got lad energy. maybe im just projecting. I have been saying saying "boyo" a lot lately. oh god is the lad.... me??? no probably not.
+    this song started off as a track for my best friend at the time Lexxy's fantroll very creatively named "Lexxer" back before homestuck fantrolls were "post-ironic" and still "sincere." I also put the melody to "nuclear" in here as a throwback to my old fantroll "Carcha." I have said fantroll more times today than I have in the last year. Fantroll.
+    this is the closest to ska that friendsim has got just because in its original iteration this is a weird like... electronica ska song.
+    anyway i say it "started off" as that but i literally wrote this track on like.. monday. thats how ya boy do. I borrowed from a song i wrote for a fantroll album i did. theres a whole fantroll album that... hasn't really stood up to the passing of time so I've mostly purged it from existence. I guess some chuckleheads found it but have been kind enough not to repost it.
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: Old Secret
 URLs:
 - https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/old-secret
 - https://soundcloud.com/jamesroachmusic/old-secret
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    (Boldir's theme)
+    here it is folks.
+    this was going to be in act 3, then i made it the EOA2 cutscene but it still cut off too early to be a full release and i just really liked it so i wanted you guys to hear it now instead of later.
+    i used it for boldir because it fit her whole aesthetic, but this song was originally wrote for a scene where joey and xefros are on the run. having been hardened by their journey they hit the streets. it was meant to be a really sort of somber realization.
+    I LOVE the mood of the transistor soundtrack and you might notice this drum beat and title are a very obvious nod to the song "Old Friends" (though someone else named it, years ago) I was specifically instructed "make it sound like this song" but since then I have worked to make it sound like more my own thing. you can see the influence of that soundtrack on all my work, though. the slow driving half-time beat. the airy reverb on chordal tones. the dirty bass. originally meant as a placeholder i never got over how the beat drops the backbeat on every other 4. I could dweeb out about this for hours.
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Track: imagine, if you will, a situation wherein i wrote the bulk of this song at 4 am and then woke up only to discover the monstrosity i had created in my fleeting hubris
+Track: IIYWASWIWTBOTSA4AATWUOTDTMIHCIMFH
 URLs:
 - https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/iiywaswiwtbotsa4aatwuotdtmihcimfh
 - https://soundcloud.com/jamesroachmusic/iiywaswiwtbotsa4aatwuotdtmihcimfh
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    (Stelsa's theme)
+    "imagine, if you will, a situation wherein i wrote the bulk of this song at 4 am and then woke up only to discover the monstrosity i had created in my fleeting hubris"
+    i wrote this to have really one of those melodies that don't really make any sense. you ever notice how vocal songs only have like 3 or 4 notes in the melody. anyway i also had to write lyrics. have you you ever tried to write a sitcom theme that incorporates harspichord? yikes. i love it when theme songs to sitcoms just outline the premise of the show so... i guess i don't have a great excuse i was just extremely drunk. its literally the chords to the theme song to "Family Matters" you know the show with Steve Urkel who is played by jaleel white who also voiced sonic the hedgehog.
+    anyway the lyrics that i definitely wrote at 6 this morning are:
+    its the 90s<br>and this is a show<br>about a female troll
+    she might have kids<br>or maybe a dog<br>the premise isnt clear
+    i like it when<br>songs just tell you<br>(what the shows about)
+    she practices the law<br>she wears a pink coat<br>and probly does some other shit too
+    this is the theme<br>to "Family Matters"<br>which I guess came out in the 80s
+    i checked<br>1989<br>but it ran until ' 98
+    oh cool<br>i finished the song
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: SERVICE CAR
 URLs:
 - https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/service-car
 - https://soundcloud.com/jamesroachmusic/service-car
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    (Marsti's theme)
+    marsti marsti marsti.... what can i say?
+    first of all, you're welcome. I didn't design her or draw her or write her but I will gladly take the credit from my esteemed colleagues and friends.
+    if you didn't listen to the podcast i was on this morning (pgenpod) or watch that youtube video i uploaded a few weeks ago this track was originally for an area that was scrapped. The important characters got more or less morphed into Marsti as we know her now.
+    There is a whole like section of the game where this melody is used a lot. Its in the old 3D hiveswap trailer, in the Homestuck 2.0 video. Wow. All the cursed ones. It is explicitly not a leitmotif because it is not meant to be "..indicative of a person or place" it is just a theme.
+    wait but... if i make it marsti's theme does that not mean it, however inadvertently, is now a person's theme and therefore IS a leitmotif? aw jeez guys i really beefed it this time.
+    this ones a bit older but this is, once again, just another example of me goin ham on bass for no good fuckin reason. i just think it sounds cool what do you want from me.
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: (an ascii image of bowsette)
 URLs:
 - https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/an-ascii-image-of-bowsette
 - https://soundcloud.com/jamesroachmusic/an-ascii-image-of-bowsette
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    (KARAKO's THEME)
+    <img src="misc/bowsette.png">
+    friendsim spoilers:
+    karako is a very young and very small child juggalo. on twitter i described karako as "the one clown you are not allowed to be horny for" and a bunch of chuckleheads tried to be funny and say like "hueuhuhe is that a challenge" and its like one why don't you just listen to me when i say things, two stop trying to one up me you will never ever win, and three i am eagerly waiting your apologies. my inbox is open.
+    i mean i get it. i was just on a podcast this morning talking about how the one thing that binds us all together is that we've all engaged in some clownery. i think i talk about regrettably hooking up with a juggalo as a teen for a solid 10 minutes. its hard being me.
+    i just moved and gave my old electric bass away to a friend who was interested in learning. i recorded this before giving it away. goodbye electric bass. dozens of children will miss how i used to just go ham on the bass in a bunch of songs for no reason. oh also im beatboxing for two seconds in this one. i ran it through a filter so it sounds less like "james roach making some sounds."
+    all in all, i wanted to make this one sound a little more whimsical so i borrowed the synth i made for my friends dnd character theme... where they're also a clown? its a really good synth. ok marsti is up next.
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: idk man you name it im tired
 URLs:
 - https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/idk-man-you-name-it-im-tired
 - https://soundcloud.com/jamesroachmusic/wanshis-theme-idk-man-you-name-it-im-tired
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    (Wanshi's theme)
+    the problem with these titles is like at what point do i take a step back and really evaluate what i've done- and i mean really look at it and think to myself
+    "Am I satisfied with what I have done?
+    Is this enough?
+    Do I deserve ANY of this praise?
+    Do you think my family is looking down on me with pride?
+    Is talking about things online just a bandage for years of silence about this project?
+    Am I going to open up online and some weirdo I don't know going to make a weird over familiar joke because they don't know how to really interact with people and its not really their fault but its the fifth one today and honestly I just have to kinda draw a line SOMEWHERE for my own mental well-being which probably comes off as kind of rude to people who have never really been in this position but I guess its not exactly my job to hold their hand through the difficult task of trying to be social in a semi-public space and its not like I'm really an expert anyway I mean cmon now
+    why are they talking about trolls lactating on twitter?"
+    at what point do i consider all of that and then look at what i've made and decide "ok time to name this one mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm motherfuckin uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh benjamin danklin" or whatever you know?
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: GRAVEYARD SHIFT
 URLs:
 - https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/graveyard-shift
 - https://soundcloud.com/jamesroachmusic/graveyard-shift-play-the-route-and-then-tweet-hamesatron-about-how-good-this-title-is
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    (Fozzer's theme)
+    this is literally the first track i wrote for the game. this piano motif a melody had been something i was kicking around back in like 2012 as a song for rose i think. when andrew originally talked to toby and i he gave us very specific marching orders about what songs to write. it was two songs. a haunted mansion and a "subway full of juggalos"
+    i mentioned before we went through a handful of "haunted mansion" ideas for HARLEHOUSE that were like too spooky and not campy enough. this was one of those spooky takes. we ended up using this theme for something of more... significance.
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: CLOWNFUCKER
 Artist: James Roach, Toby Fox
@@ -83,24 +182,56 @@ References: take me to clown church
 URLs:
 - https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/clownfucker
 - https://soundcloud.com/jamesroachmusic/clownfucker-by-james-roach-and-toby-fox
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    (Marvus's theme)
+    I think Toby actually named this one. The idea here is that you start with a normal song and slowly work your way to the weird clown shit. this is meant to reflect the real life struggle of finding someone hot and slowly but surely acclimating to the fact that they are a clown. we all been there. extremely relatable.
+    i got that weird laugh from toby as an mp3 and i THINK its from a spiderman game. it could just be toby's own impish laughter but probably not. toby has a hearty joy-filled laugh with exactly 0% in the vein of clownery department. i love toby so much.
+    so here we are. friendsim friday and i have to act like clownfuckery is just another aspect of my life akin to say a sweet tooth or psoriasis. like "yeah man we all done fugged a clown once am i right fellas" over here grasping at straws, desperation in my voice "r-right??? fellas???"
+    his name was daniel and he really loved ICP and i think now he works as a manager at a taco bell. yeah thats right daniel. i'm callin you out you nasty juggalo. my inherited army of teens are comin into your taco bell and taking all your fuego sauce. dont call me. that felt good. i feel better. what were we talkin about?
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Track: ▲trollkind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. to obtain something of equal value must be lost. that is alchemys first law of equivalent exchange. in those days, we really believed that to be the worlds one, and only, truth.▼
+Track: (this title was too long)
 URLs:
 - https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/this-title-was-too-long
 - https://soundcloud.com/jamesroachmusic/this-title-is-too-long-see-description-darayas-theme
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    (Daraya's theme)
+    ▲trollkind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. to obtain something of equal value must be lost. that is alchemys first law of equivalent exchange. in those days, we really believed that to be the worlds one, and only, truth.▼
+    i wrote the original track when i was a teenager in a shitty band called "the isotopes" which is a reference to the baseball team on the simpsons. yikes. i played drums. bigger yikes. i fixed it up for this because we... just didn't have anything that fit. the idea is that its.. a jade blood who is trying very hard not to be one.
+    you still have all the trappings of jade blood music: piano, bells, harps, arpeggios, some sort of.. ethereal moments.. but its like this weird bad rockabilly nonsense. you can hear how a like 11 year old me wrote what i considered to be "stride piano" there was a point this was gonna be a grubbles song but its like... well theres only two of them. so i kinda went buckwild on the drums a bit. remember dammek? i wonder what that guys up to. probably some stupid shit LMAO.
+    anyway a lot of you are wondering why trace put fucking lapras in the preview image and i guess the burden falls upon me to explain. on twitter there is an artist who predicted every single time it was gonna be daraya whether they had evidence or not and theres a whole like in-joke comic about daraya bringing a lapras plush (named SLAPRAS) to jade blood show and tell... look man i dont make this shit up theres a lot of lore. if you arent on homestuck twitter its about a thousand times better than anywhere else for that sort of... golden-age-homestuck fandom feel. nothing will ever come close to that but this feels very nostalgic to just joke and laugh with friends and shit. you guys have been really good to me. thanks.
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: turns out its like the shoe
-URLs: https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/turns-out-its-like-the-shoe
+URLs:
+- https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/turns-out-its-like-the-shoe
+- https://soundcloud.com/jamesroachmusic/lmao-i-still-dont-know-if-its-nicky-or-nike-like-the-shoe-not-like-the-name-mike
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    (Nihkee's theme)
+    i started streaming my work now since its less of a surprise who the characters are. i went through like... five different versions of this track. this was gonna be disco i dont know what i was thinking.
+    we ended up going with this one which is actually meant for a different part of ACT 2. In ACT 1, the song "Keep your head down" has a rhythmic motif that I use in the climax of this song. I wont tell you what its for but... think of whats happening during that song in ACT 1, and know that it will be a much bigger deal when you eventually see it. i don't have any information wrt "when" that would be helpful to you. its barely even helpful to me. a real "buddy, they dont even let ME fuck the flag" situation. this is a reference to a popular tweet. im not an insane person i swear.
+    anyway nihkees sprite is absolutely fucking ripped. the size of this lad. the A in LGBTQA+ stands for ABSOLUTE UNIT apparently.
+    I know it does not please do not @ me i am so fucking tired.
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: yall know i just do the music right
 Artist: James Roach, Toby Fox
+Track Art: none
 URLs: https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/yall-know-i-just-do-the-music-right
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    (Lanque's theme; no commentary)
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: the final clowntdown
 URLs: https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/the-final-clowntdown
+Track Art: none
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    (Soleil twins' theme; no commentary)
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: END OF FRIENDVANGELION
 URLs: https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/end-of-friendvangelion
+Track Art: none
 References:
 - Homestuck Anthem
 - Joey Claire, Extraordinaire
@@ -108,7 +239,19 @@ References:
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: VALID END
 URLs: https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/valid-end
+Track Art: none
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    (Lanque's other theme; no commentary)
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Track: WORST END
 References: English, Black, GRAVEYARD SHIFT
 URLs: https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/worst-end
+Commentary:
+    <i>James Roach:</i>
+    here it is. the end of an era. working on friendsim has been an absolutely wild ride. i honestly can’t tell you what its meant to me to be a part of something like this again. i’ve learned a lot about myself and what im capable of and what im willing to do to make it work. i guess this probably comes off as cryptic.
+    a lot happened. an absolutely bananas series of events that lead up to this project and the more baffling moments that have transpired since. its… one of those things that only homestuck could have produced, you know? It was an incredible opportunity with a lot of ups and downs and emotional significance. it will probably continue to be that. I had a lot of fun doing all of this for you. it also… ate up a LOT of my time, though. I have been on a nonstop homestuck train for like the last five years and only now that i’ve gotten into the groove of things its ending again. bittersweet. for now.
+    i don’t really know how to feel but i hope i at least wrote a song or two you liked along the way.
+    heres the one for MC/DOC SCRATCH that i think is my favorite from the whole thing. its based off a song from an old (bad) fantroll album i did in like 2011 (and the song was written even earlier than that) that i have since purged from the internet as best i can. thank you for not reposting it. i re-used a lot of assets from it for other stuff. i was in a real weird place when i made it so aside from it being kinda bad i just… don’t wanna see it ever LMAO.
+    that album made the homestuck music community real mad at me because they thought i was getting preferential treatment for being popular on-line and friendly with some WP staff on twitter. my unofficial album got approved for sale and at the same time, completely unknown to me someone on the music team’s album didn’t get approved. a handful of them used this incident to talk shit about me for several years. one of them made fun of me for my dad passing away?? yikes. most of us have made our peace (i understand how easy it is to get caught up in dog-piling on a common enemy or w/e) but theres still one or two that are like… still real mad at me for this percieved slight. they’ll say like “you were rude to us” and its like… you guys… literally made fun of me for not having a family i’m not sure what you want from me.
+    this one got away from me. anyway. thanks for listening. stop being weird to me on twitter. tip your waitstaff.