hsmusic-wiki/data/album/xenoplanetarium.txt

Album: Xenoplanetarium
Date: December 8, 2017
FG: #d790ca
Cover Art: nights
Groups:
- Unofficial MSPA Fans
- Fandom
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/album/xenoplanetarium
- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2E1aOkERtLWw6sipk5O3dpsYZryDtrNR
Art Tags:
- Aradia
- Tavros
- Sollux
- Karkat
- Nepeta
- Kanaya
- Terezi
- Vriska
- Equius
- Gamzee
- Eridan
- Feferi
- Angels
- Lil Cal
Commentary:
    <i>Circlejourney:</i>
    <center>XENOPLANETARIUM</center>
    <b>Organization:</b><br>Lambda Bledsoe<br>Makin<br>SplitSuns<br>Veritas Unae
    <b>Booklet:</b><br>Circlejourney<br>Interrobang
    <b>Cover Illustration:</b><br>nights
    <b>Additional Thanks:</b><br>The Homestuck Music Team<br>Andrew Hussie and What Pumpkin
    <i>nights:</i>
    I've redrawn this piece 3 times, two were sketches and the third was completed, but I felt it didn't make for a good cover. (Shown <s>on facing page</s> below - It makes for a pretty bangin' wallpaper though!) I tried to stuff as much symbolism in this piece as possible. This is also full of new experiences for me, 'cause it was pretty much the first time I've drawn this many varied characters all in one canvas. It's also the first time I've drawn some of the trolls, too. All in all, it was an absolute delight to work on it and see everything come together, I'm raelly happy for the chance to help with this album.
    <img src="media/misc/xenoplanetarium-alt.jpg" width="1400" height="1400">
    <i>Quasar Nebula:</i>
    (per [[LoFaM 4 standard:jungle-3]], ive highlighted commentary from people besides the original musicians or cover artists in bold!)
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Track: Calming Quartz
Artist: PoisonedElite
Track Art: Elanor Pam
Art Tags: Aradia, cw: body horror
Duration: 2:05
References: Calming Quartz (Beta)
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/calming-quartz
- https://youtu.be/i_rH12hll8A
Commentary:
    <i>PoisonedElite:</i>
    So, uh, hi, I'm PoisonedElite, or Poize.
    This is actually the second version of Calming Quartz.
    The first version (which can be found <a href="https://soundcloud.com/poisonedelite/calming-quartz-beta/s-2FvRp">here</a>) I wasn't very happy with, so I ended up redoing the entire song, and now I like it!
    I started the first version in June and then made the revision over the course of October in about 1-2 weeks.
    The atmosphere of sounds echoing off of the quartz all over Aradia's land informed how I wrote the entire song.
    I want to thank ndividedbyzero, Grace Medley, and everyone else for all of their help and advice on the song, as well as thanks to Nuclear for naming the song.
    (p.s. special thanks to psithurist for being so cool.)
    <b><i>SplitSuns:</i></b>
    LOQAM has a very eerie atmosphere to it that is captured to amazing effect in this artwork. The jagged textures of quartz crystals provide a nice backdrop when paired with the howling, almost glowing sky. There's a ton of detail put into every area of this piece, and that's especially noticable in the Aradiabot occupying the left of the composition. Her damaged and decaying appearance helps to add to the unsettling nature of the piece. Aradia herself is also visible in the art as well. Isn't it a little weird that these two different versions of Aradia are in the same piece...? Then again, if there was ever to be a troll that showed up in two places at the same time, it's her.
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Track: Sandy Skyline
Artist: Aris Martinian
Track Art: Roxy Scarf
Duration: 2:53
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/sandy-skyline
- https://youtu.be/vjMeokNP2E4
Commentary:
    <b><i>WHATISLOSTINTHEMINES:</i></b>
    Decisions must be made. Onward the world must turn. No one can truly understand how the wind blows its way into your heart. King you are not, young page. Even though she might try to be your queen, her manipulations will bring you only misery. Yes, you must attempt to carve your own path instead of having one make a path for you.
    Of course, you cannot do this. Love, though you possess it not, will be your undoing. Likely it is that you shall be utterly destroyed by your "queen". Inopportune this fate is, but do not let yourself become dejected. Embrace the breeze, and you will become greater than even she could have expected, far in both the past and the future.
    <b><i>WHATISLOSTINTHEMINES:</i></b>
    This piece by Roxy Scarf paints the scenery of Tavros's planet in very, very warm hues, capturing the desert-y atmosphere of the place quite well in this ghostwriter's opinion. You can also see one of the seven gates above Tavros's hive.
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Track: Deep Fried
Artist: M3l0m4ni4c
Track Art: artisticallyCrafty
Duration: 4:00
References: The La2t Frontiier
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/deep-fried
- https://youtu.be/VL-k3TDTxSA
Commentary:
    <i>M3l0m4ni4c:</i>
    I'm not entirely sure whether it was a good idea to make something so intense and hectic, seeing as XP follows the same theme as [[album:medium]].
    I tried to draw inspiration from the Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble and Lorn at some point, but it didn't exactly work out, so I kinda just... gave up on maing an ambient track and went on to convey atmosphere of a hostile sweltering place that is Land of Brans and Fire through a more upbeat song?
    Well, I guess Deep Fried still does its job somewhat decently, despite being a hot mess and having a horrid name I already regret coming up with.
    P.S. Can't help but thank umspaf folk (especially Split) for all the feedback.
    P.P.S. Track art by artisticallyCrafty kicks ass, and I found it really inspiring while working on the song.
    <i>artisticallyCrafty:</i>
    Deep Fried is my first time collaborating with the many amazing musicians and artists of LOFAM. I was ecstatic to be able to create something for a planet we only see twice and have very little knowledge about other than BRAINS and FIRE, so I went with essentially the first thing that popped into my head when I heard the preview of the song: a view of the vastness of the Medium from one of the tendrils of the many brains cooking near the flames.
    This piece has kind of evolved as the music has been reworked so there is an emphasis on the planet of fire and the multitude of neurons firing to send thoughts, actions, and commands across the span of the brain field.
    <s>(look mom! i'm using my medical knowledge for something dear to my heart!)</s>
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Track: Red Pulse
Artist: ehlsea
Track Art: Elanor Pam
Art Tags: cw: blood (abstract)
Duration: 3:25
References: Karkat's Theme
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/red-pulse
- https://youtu.be/uZrnoad2yUQ
Commentary:
    <i>ehlsea:</i>
    As I was writing this song, I wanted it to sound like a video game styled theme for the land. A pulsing beat drives the song with hazy pads and synths.
    <b><i>SplitSuns:</i></b>
    LOPAH is home to an oppressive and bloody landscape, quite literally so. I mean, the oceans are legitimately made of blood. If that isn't metal I don't know what is. Anyway, this artwork conveys the hostility of stepping foot in such an environment masterfully, with the moody skies, foreboding architecture, and blood-rivers that cut into the terrain and seem to take up the entire canvas. There's great care taken into even the most minor aspects of the lighting so that the piece as a whole feels truly complete. The end result: a pretty cool-looking place, all things considered. Just try not to lose your footing; no one should have to experience being submerged in blood.
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Track: Oolongcat
Artist: Ucklin
Track Art: TheChaoMaster
Duration: 2:43
References: Nepeta's Theme, Horschestra, Rex Duodecim Angelus
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/oolongcat
- https://youtu.be/bQBkjUo9q10
Commentary:
    <i>Ucklin:</i>
    This song was created in less than a week after another artist left the project and took their LOLCAT song with them. (I never heard that one!) I started composing it with the little kalimba riff and added from there. I was excited to create a song using instruments that I actually play, and most of the song is acoustic - but time constraints proved to stop me from getting good ocarina takes for the lead, so I scrambled at the last minute to find a replacement and ended up using touch control erhu on my iPad! I wasn't and still am not completely satisfied with the melody, but I felt better about it after I incorporated a version mostly in the pentatonic scale along with the original version, which was then used as a development. I think my main inspirations for this song were the tea and Asian-looking mountains of Nepeta's land, as well as the "snowy" landscape.
    <i>TheChaoMaster:</i>
    This is painted in acrylic, as I was inspired to paint more after finishing my high school major work which also focused on backgrounds and landscapes. I thought it would be good to try my hand at a fantasy setting. Lolcat is a very cute land and is very bright so I incorporated both of those aspects into my piece. The acrylic paints also match the acoustic song.
    <b><i>WHATISLOSTINTHEMINES:</i></b>
    huzzah the nine kettle pots we<br>on sugar we rest on you see<br>friends of the cat<br>nothing wrong with that<br>now shut up and have some damn tea
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Track: Light Like Raindrops
Artist: Grace Medley
Track Art: Circlejourney
Duration: 3:15
References: Frog Forager, track:theotokos
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/light-like-raindrops
- https://youtu.be/7at_By7l078
Commentary:
    <i>Grace Medley:</i>
    I made this really touching piano piece a fwe months ago, then I realised that it was just an unintentional cover of Magicant from Mother. So I started again (Sorry CJ!!). By that time CJ had more or less finished their cover art for this track though, so I decided to take inspiration from that, and wrote a piece supposed to sound like a string quintet playing by the ocean at night. I had an idea for a viola line, which I built as the main melody, and later realising how well [[track:frog-forager]] would work with it (especially, you know, because of all the frogs), I had the second violin play that melody while the first follows it as sort of a canon. Then I got writer's block. Then [[album:ancestral]] happened, and I instantly came to love Skip's track [[track:theotokos]], so I built a section around that, too. The title was suggested by Kal-la-kal-la around the same time I finished it.
    <i>Circlejourney:</i>
    The Land of Rays and Frogs is, to me, one of the most aesthetically pleasing lands in Homestuck, with everything submerged underwater and beams of light ascending like infinitely tall pillars from the sea. That, coupled with the incomplete version of the track that Grace had shared at the time, made this an easy pick for me.
    I did my best to capture the grandeur (as I picture it) of the Land of Rays and Frogs in my illustration for this wonderfully serene piece of music, focusing on reflections of the light rays in the water, which this track brings to mind.*
    *This is only accurate assuming Power doesn't completely rework it considering it's an unintentional Magicant arrangement.
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Track: Delta Divination
Artist: ndividedbyzero
Track Art: Chumi
Duration: 3:27
References: Retconjuration, Terezi's Theme
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/delta-divination
- https://youtu.be/GcXi5JoU_94
Commentary:
    <i>ndividedbyzero:</i>
    "Time is like a river that splits into creeks or pools into lakes or careens down waterfalls. I have the map, and I steer the ship." -Garnet, Steven Universe
    The above quote is a pretty succinct summary of why I decided to name this track Delta Divination. River deltas are where the flow of water exits into a (generally) larger body of water, whether an ocean, sea, lake, or something else - just like the narrow path of the present branches and exits into endless streams of choices and possibilities. As the planet of the mind player, LOTAF facilitates thinking about each and every direction as its own river delta. Also, LOTAF has rivers too! There's a non-abstract justification for ya!
    This track let me do a bunch of things I'm always happy to experiment with, like using 80s synths with radical pitch bends, smooth guitars and bitcrushed drums, so I'm glad I got the opportunity to work on it. I made certain parts of this track represent "clearing the mind", in a sense - note how the drums get far less bitcrushy after a certain point, for instance. Also, what kind of loser references their own song??? Pshh, I know, right. [[track:retconjuration]] gave me an opportunity to narratively represent the idea of "making your own luck" though, relevant to the apotheosis of Terezi's journey as a mind player, so that's what counts in the end.
    <i>Chumi:</i>
    It was super fun drawnig for Delta Divination, thank you to the music and management team for putting this together!
    I love Terezi, as much as I never draw her... and I also love drawing landscapes! Two dragonmoms with one meteor!
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Track: Acquiesce
Artist: psithurist
Track Art: Jas
Art Tags: Denizens
Duration: 4:25
References: Killed by BR8K Spider!!!!!!!!, Spider's Claw
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/acquiesce
- https://youtu.be/TS5ibctqo5U
Lyrics:
    what's in the water<br>whose voice in the waves<br>they cry for their daughter<br>the siren of rays
    on battered rocks<br>follow the compass
    these high tides are heartless<br>and taller than gods<br>and when comes the darkness<br>you'll be lost to the flood
    x marks the spot<br>right through the iris
Commentary:
    <i>psithurist:</i>
    Originally I was aiming for a sea shanty, with an accordian and a more upbeat vibe, but I really wanted to play up the feelings of desolation and loneliness that all the Homestuck lands present. I guess the pirate influence comes through in this too, though, as they're not without their fair share of ghostly myths and tales, which I tried to express with eerie lyrics and lots of reverb, like you're standing in a big spooky cave or something. Also, it's kind of funky for some reason? Thanks to the managers for being patient with me on this one and Courtney Valentine for naming it love you all mwah
    <i>Jas:</i>
    In the waves of LOMAT Cetus lurks awaiting the child of light.
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Track: Depths and Water
Artist: Blackhole
Track Art: Cosmic
Duration: 7:15
References: Indigo Heir
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/depths-and-water
- https://youtu.be/Y6N6qPUberY
Commentary:
    <i>Blackhole:</i>
    Selecting LoCaS for my track presented me with a challenge of how to compose a track for a land that has silence as one of its elements. Thankfully, the theme of caves gave me something to work with, and I decided to lean into the soft, echoing quality of underground spaces. I decided that the best way to convey the "silence" would be to have a slowly building intro defined by subtle sounds and silent breaks, with the melody coming in as a subtle echo that slowly builds to crescendo. I tried to give the lead instruments a diffuse, echoing quality to carry on the theme. I'm hoping the builds and silent breaks give the desired effect without ultimately being too minimal and drawn-out. I felt that dripping water was another strong but subtle scene-setting sound element. It also gave me a sound concept that I used for the glass bells, which I tried to give the same feel while building to an arpeggio-style melody to give the track some velocity. Most of the time I spent on the track probably went into arranging the bells, as a lot of thought had to go into the note placement, and I ended up having to compose the part twice after I realized too late that the first version didn't sound correct alongside the main melody. In terms of influences, I think the piece takes some cues from one of the slower pieces from the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack, particularly for what became the cello section. Oh, and of course I couldn't write a Homestuck track without including at least a nod to the OST, so I snuck in a little bit of Indigo Heir at the end for Equius during the final contemplative fadeout. Overall I'm pretty proud of this track, and I hope you enjoy it!
    <i>Cosmic:</i>
    I had lots of fun working on this piece, and the input from others really helped me learn new ways to do things and helped the piece come together to what it is now. I feel that the hardest part was making all the pieces of the art meld together into one cohesive and nice to look at image. I hope everyone listening enjoys the song and the art, and I hope they like the album as a whole as it was put together with help from all sorts of talented musicians and artists whom I respect greatly.
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Track: Carnival of Nescience
Artist: WHATISLOSTINTHEMINES
Track Art: genericDragon
Duration: 2:05
References: Miracles
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/carnival-of-nescience
- https://youtu.be/Bjwg6RjvTzI
Commentary:
    <i>WHATISLOSTINTHEMINES:</i>
    Gosh, I started this song way back in March, when I was starting to get some dim idea of how the fuck music works. At the time, when I was tossing around ideas for what a theme for LOTAM might sound like, I happened to keep going back to the same thing. Magical stoner guitar, baby. Zilly as it must sound, I thought it would make for a neat song. Entreated by this concept, I started work. Enter me doing something a little more different from what I made at the time.
    Issue: I needed to shoehorn in an ICP reference.
    Solution: I would ask Cait for an ICP clip to shoehorn in, which she assisted by sending me clips of Miracles that were flanged beyond belief, thanks.
    After adding on several horn samples over an actual clip, I automated the tempo, so I could have a lurching vibe to that section, and I could get started on the song proper.
    Basically, I wanted to create something that had a slight uneasy vibe to it, but was otherwise an easy listen. As it happened, I thought guitars run through many, many flangers would be a nice way of achieving that. Doped up sounding instruments would sound fairly not-high-Gamzee-y, I thought.
    Can't say I had much of a plan beyond that. Hate to plan out absolutely everything in advance to be quite honest. As I first added drums, I thought of using noise channels, but was too lazy to actually find good settings, so I bit-crushed normal sounding drums as a placeholder. Rather than change it later on however, I found that the drums already worked quite well as normal fucking drums, so I kept them as is. After that, I added a synth arpeggiation, which much much later at the suggestion of SplitSuns I put an automated pitchbend over, which might be a <i>little</i> hard to hear in the final mix, but eh. Can't particularly say anything that more interesting about the production. That about wraps it I'd say. Even though this song is fairly old by now, I'm still fairly happy with it. Rather works well for the subject matter, not to toot my own horn.
    <i>genericDragon:</i>
    This piece was a bit of a challenge for me, since landscapes aren't really my strong suit. This was also my first contribution to unofficialmspafans. To me, the song had a kind of dreamy, hazy feel to it, and I tried to reflect that the best I could in the artwork. LOTAM is an interesting land, and I had a lot of fun drawing this. I hope that you guys will all enjoy this song as much as I did!
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Track: Round Perdition's Flames
Artist: Kal-la-kal-la
Track Art: Caitlin Beamer
Art Tags: Angels
Duration: 3:44
References: Eridan's Theme
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/round-perditions-flames
- https://youtu.be/331ZPNLIdZo
Commentary:
    <i>Kal-la-kal-la:</i>
    "I'll chase him round Good Hope, and round the Horn, and round the Norway Malestrom, and round perdition's flames before I give him up"
    Wrath and angels. The title of Eridan's land makes no mention of the actual <i>structure</i> of it. There's a curious contrast between these vast, looming cathedrals, that I like to imagine full of immeasurable stillness and silence, and the destructive war behind the violet-blooded seadweller and the wrathful angels that dwell upon the planet. This piece is intended to represent something of that duality. Title arising from the movement for solidarity between mariners hunting great white perfectly harmless monsters. Big ups to SGM cello and whatever Serum present I used for the wobble bass. Obnoxious bro-step approximated roughly 4 lyfe.
    <i>Caitlin Beamer:</i>
    LOWAA is my favourite land, so I was very excited to get to draw this piece. My collabs have almost always been written ones, never involving music, so this was an interesting way for me to try that out - especially when Kal-la-kal-la surprised me with exactly the type of music I love!
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Track: The Hyaline
Artist: Circlejourney
Track Art: allyssinian
Art Tags: Feferi
Duration: 4:13
References: Fuchsia Moonrise, Love You (Feferi's Theme)
URLs:
- https://unofficialmspafans.bandcamp.com/track/the-hyaline
- https://youtu.be/dDbC9VpsMtc
Commentary:
    <i>Circlejourney:</i>
    I started creating The Hyaline in March 2017. At the point when I was deliberating over which land to make a track for, I'd already composed music for both Meenah and the Condesce, and I thought it'd be cool to complete the fuchsia troll set.
    For me, oceanic (or more generally watery) scenes bring to mind a classic piano + string ensemble setup, with the strings laying down a serene backdrop and the piano's broken chords calling to mind the refraction of light through waves. I had a flute play the melody becaus I relate flutes to glass (y'know, wine flutes...) and also because they're fantastic at carrying slow melodies over more hectic instrumentation.
    This piece was a real pleasure to compose; it came very naturally and took me about three days in total. Back when Ver iwas still planning on doing a dream bubble medley to close the album, he asked that we give our tracks distinct melodies, and I promised that mine would be heartbreakingly beautiful; I'm not sure I delivered on that promise but I do think it sounds pretty sweet at least.
    As for the title, "hyaline" has two meanings - "resembling glass" and "clear sky/sea" - in other worsd, the perfect fit for Feferi's aquarium-themed land. It's also a fairly simple but uncommon word that I figure would make it easy to remember.
    <i>allyssinian:</i>
    I wanted to show off the feel and personality that Feferi and her planet share, to go with the light music. In particular I wanted to reference 'Sing Sweet Nightingale' from Disney's Cinderlla, to reflect the watery, bubbly, dreamy feel of Feferi's planet.