beyond the edge of the world - lookfar (dungeon synth EP)

forgotten spells, forgotten songs...
inspired by the earthsea book, the farthest shore

0:00 the far reaches
2:11 the old speech
4:16 astral invocation
6:53 entombed
8:23 dragon with no tongue
10:25 wall of stones
12:59 archmage, goatherd
14:24 doorkeeper of the grove
15:55 the inauguration of a new king
18:08 children of the sea

[ChrisTrenary]

louie zong is the only person i know that can go “i wanna make a dungeon synth ep” and actually release it a few days later

[FleurMarigold]

apocalyptic, mysterious and yet tinged with hope... I've never heard anything quite like this before!

[AlegoCarmadein]

holy shit these are some vibes my dnd players will adore

[Snickersnek]

First track feels like a Ghibli's Nausicaa or Laputa scene where the screen pans over vast, dilapidated arcane machinery and golems with overgrown plants. Awe-inspiring, faintly sinister, sombre, yet also peaceful and optimistic.
Actually a lot of this album has that fantasy Ghibli scene-setting segment vibe to me.

[nahnonawnoe]

This feels like exploring ruins with new life growing through the cracks. Finding mechanations beyond your understanding overtaken by plant and fungal life.

[FOtotal]

Louie getting into Dungeon Synth? :o
Louie Black Metal EP when?

[sylviat]

Louie always reading the vibes perfectly! Anyone else having a hot dungeonmaster summer?

[yungjose]

When will your name be a part of a huge game, coz your talent in music is incredible

[FelixHelix]

00:00 / "the far reaches"
moonlit, you rest by your fire
embers dance behind your eyes
and your mushroom stew.
it's cold here,
but you've been colder.

2:12 / "the old speech"
you can't sleep
the ice tickles your veins.
you serve yourself the stew...
it's hot, but you barely feel it.
fuck it, anyways. you like the cold and
you embrace it with a smile.

4:16 / "astral invocation"
something strange.
light breathes upon the damp rocks
the smoke swirls and spirals
in an ancient tongue of patterns.
you'd like to understand it
but you probably never will.

6:53 / "entombed"
you're losing control
hold on, ask questions
keep it together, ground yourself
you breathe
and the ground breathes with you.
has the forest always
been so alive?

8:24 / "the dragon with no tongue"
there is no evil
it exists your head, doesn't it?
but that's just an afterthought.
you wonder why the forest
is melting in the distance
but don't really care about that, either.

10:15 / wall of stones
you meditate into the gravel.
have your hands always
wobbled like this?
you think you picked
the wrong mushrooms.
it was the red caps... right?

12:59 / "archmage, goatherd"
the sun begins to glow
beyond the veins of trees.
a goat of rainbow horns
and three eyes
and fur of stars
and hooves of fire
chased by a pissed off bird.
that's hilarious

14:25 / "doorkeeper of the grove"
the world is the most
beautiful thing you've ever seen
a chaotic time connects you
to the thinnest layer of existence.
the smoke swirls and spirals
now speak a language you understand, but
haven't they always?

15:55 / "the inauguration of a new king"
stretching to your feet
you haven't slept,
that would be a waste of time.

18:09 / "children of the sea"
you run around the dew
and smile at the trees
and stare at the clouds
and feel the blue ocean of sky on your face
and place your warm cheeks on damp grass
and talk to a beetle
and breathe with the light and the trees and the rocks and the ground and the grass and the sun and the moon and the stars
and in the deepest sigh
the chaos that connected you
aligns your soul with the void.
you drift among the endless.
you've never been happier
to be right here.

you are a bit hungry, though...
good thing there's plenty of stew
could use some warmth, too.

you rekindle your fire.
would you like to save?
y / n

edit: thanks for the heart, Louie. i love your art ❤️

[alvarorubianes]

This year I read through the whole Earthsea cycle. Literally changed my life and how I approach fantasy stories. Le Guin sits right beside Tolkien as my top favourite writers of all time.

[craigpopiolek]

Next thing you know this man's going to make a harsh noise EP about the food pyramid

[darksentinel]

everyone out here all poetic and im just like "mmmm moosic"

[KathleenIllustrated]

okay okay i havent even listened to the song yet but this cover art is INCREDIBLE. the texture. that perspective. the muted palette. MY MY MY.

[AudrenDev]

“But when we crave power over life—endless wealth, unassailable safety, immortality—then desire becomes greed. And if knowledge allies itself to that greed, then comes evil. Then the balance of the world is swayed, and ruin weighs heavy in the scale.” - Sparrowhawk, the Farthest Shore

[emmat]

the first song brings tears to my eyes. i feel like i’m coming back to a home i’ve forgotten, everyone long gone. i went to battle far across the sea, thought i’d never return, and find that my village is abandoned.

[pannekook]

This beats you over the head with tritones and dissonant intervals in the absolute best way possible

[RootinTootinShootinBeingKind]

I'm not sure if it's the synth, but the music feels like it carries a distorted vibe. I feel like this would be perfect for a campaign where you have an "alternate universe area"

Very much like Link to the Past or like Delta Rune. It's very lovely and inspiring me to make a campaign :D

[aizab]

distorted synth in the far reaches reminds me of all the old puzzle / point and click games i used to play as a kid :)

[christopherharris]

I love this album so much, it's so evocative of the mystery and wonder I love to see in a fantasy setting. But it's also got these synthesizer 80s sounds that trigger such strong feelings of nostalgia, even if there's not anything in particular I'm actually nostalgic for. A perfect 10/10

[FabulousaAliya]

I just played my first session of DnD last Saturday and I'm so pumped to play again with this backing our first dungeon!