The Blog Where You See If Jordan's Posted Anything Lately

4 albums! 2 EPs! 2 secrets!

9 hours of music, and all of it bafflingly good!

11 years in the making!

1 brand-new creepy little horror story for you to find!

you have no idea how much effort this has taken!

if you're new to the Sunsetters Project, you'll find a thorough and very-readable summary on the website! welcome to the midi machine!!

if you're a returning listener, you'll find a whopping 32 of the 40 old songs are new again! plus the new stuff! and just look at that website, seriously!!

oh my GOD, that feels good, that boss is so damn brutal and I don't have to ever do it again

Chapter 5: Gaze into the abyss (part 1)

so I decided to go to the movies. watched Backrooms.

I have my opinions on the backrooms, uh, "property." I've always liked the idea of it, as it's like secretcity albeit a lot more limited for some reason. but every instance of an attempt to do anything with it-- the YouTube videos, the games-- falls flat for me. I am of the firm opinion that the backrooms do not need a monster, and they *do not* need the SCP-knockoff guys in hazmat suits. they certainly do not need these two elements to be the focus of every damn backrooms thing. just give me the fucking *rooms,* for a *long long time!* let me get lost!!!! literally!!! the disorientation and surreal awe *are the strength of the idea!!!* the anxious trains of thought that my brain, as the viewer/player, goes along as I'm lost in this space, *that* is the strength!!! stop *narrowing* my expectations by establishing the Structure of a monster, or the promise of meticulous scientific lore! at least use some *restraint*, have some *confidence* in yourself man!!!

but I had heard promising things about the movie. "it's not actually got anything to do with the YouTube videos, and definitely not any of the million games." "it's actually getting really good reviews."

so I was like, okay I will actually check this movie out then! I was pleasantly curious, I was mildly optimistic.

and then I watched it.

...

jesus fucking christ guys this is my favorite horror movie ever made and it's not even close.

it's hit my tastes. it's found my tastes and hit them. it's confident, it's restrained, it's interested in exploring the anxiety of awe. its visual pacing is impeccable, its sound design is on point, its story is goddamn *right.*

I came out of the cinema speechless and couldn't say a word for five entire minutes.

two thumbs up. the DJay seal of approval. a solid "Right Up My Alley" out of 10.

...

god no that was kinda ass.

The Dream Machine, chapter 4: Get out while you can

my personal favorite chapter in the whole damn game. it's worth playing through the game for yourself just to get to exist in the haunting vibes of this dream. in the official soundtrack, the music for this dream is 12 minutes long and it's fucking perfect. Nathan gets through it in a timely manner, because I as his co-host want to keep the videos going with expediency. but you still get to dwell in the impeccable vibes here.

Chapter 2: The little man who wasn't there! in which the actual premise of the game comes into play: "it's, y'know, it's like psychonauts, Mister Neff."

Chapter 3: A boat beneath a sunny sky! the first, like, proper chapter, a multi-hour thing. we're in a dream and gotta do a whole-ass little story in here. this is the first of my personal Favorite chapters.

awkward hotel selfie

It begins!

this is The Dream Machine, an indie game I played back when it was new (and followed as it was developed), one that I think is flat-out one of the best point-and-click games ever made. and the story in general, I think is one of the best stories in a video game, as it's just so damn solid, vivid, and.. fucking cool speculative... literary... sci-fi.

like. I love this damn game. absolutely love it. it left a hell of an impression on me.

but nobody else played it. I don't know if anybody else even really heard of it.

so, I've now got Nathan to play through it. I was there with him, to help where I could, and to enjoy his reactions. and, Nathan being Nathan, we recorded it all.