Mobius Trip and Hadron Kaleido
May 31, 2011
Track List
- Forever
- Dawn of Man
- Beta Version
- No Release
- Fly
- Lies With The Sea
- Chain of Prospit
- Pumpkin Tide
- The Deeper You Go
Credits
Written, produced, and performed by Michael Guy Bowman
Cover art by Tavia Morra
About
My first solo album, Mobius Trip and Hadron Kaleido is a Homestuck side project featuring two new characters portrayed by myself and artist Tavia Morra respectively. In the context of the web comic, Mobius and Hadron are citizens of twin planets called Prospit and Derse which are locked in an endless war. In a revelation from the clouds over their battlefield, they see a vision of their own war endlessly repeating across the cycle of chaos and creation. They trade their lives as soldiers to become dual prophets of peace, hoping to change the course of history.
The album weaves images from across Homestuck, not as a telling of the comic, but as proverbs from the perspective of its titular characters. Homestuck author Andrew Hussie's long-gestating plan was to create many virtual bands that would inhabit the world of Homestuck who, each with an album performed in-character from their perspective. This album saw through with that concept, even if Mobius and Hadron themselves never made an appearance in the comic itself.
I wove together my theme from "Sburban Jungle" as the motif that unites this album to further entrench its sound into the world Homestuck. At the same time, I adventured into unusual territory for the typical output of the Homestuck soundtrack - my original songs took themselves more seriously than the handful of comedic vocal tracks that we had published up until this point. Andrew requested a "rock" album and he certainly got that and more.
The instrumental introduction "Forever" paints an image of infinity from which "Dawn of Man" weaves together three timelines into a psychedelic vision of having lived multiple lives. The pulsing rhythm of "Beta Version" gives way to "No Release" which is a ballad using the troll romance concepts from Homestuck. "Fly" weaves the images from Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff into a contemplation of the meaning of dreams. "Lies With The Sea" dives into the underwater world of characters like Eridan and Feferi, while "Chain of Prospit" embraces life's journey. "Pumpkin Tide" uses Problem Sleuth to question reality itself, punctuated by a massive question mark from "The Deeper You Go" as the album closes.
The costumes were integral in illustrating the characters, and Tavia was bold in her design and construction of our military-esque outfits, her first sewing project. The touch of glam including eye makeup, painted nails, and high-heeled boots visually brought us to the world of David Bowie, Queen, and Kiss. Mobius Trip and Hadron Kaleido was the bridge from being a composer into being a performer through the vessel of a web comic that had already changed the world.
The original description is as follows:
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.