acaplaya-musings

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The Dragonborn Comes — VoicePlay music video

Oh, good. You're awake. And if you're not, this video is sure to do the trick. VoicePlay got their geek on to immerse themselves in the world of Skyrim. Let the sights and sounds transport you to a cozy tavern somewhere in Tamriel, and listen to these esteemed bards tell a tale of legendary warriors.

Details:

title: The Dragonborn Comes (feat. Omar Cardona)

original songs: "The Dragonborn Comes" and "Dragonborn" from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011)

written by: both composed by Jeremy Soule, with lyrics by Emil Pagliarulo

arranged by: Geoff Castellucci

release date: 4 February 2022

My favorite bits:

the environmental sound effects of the crackling fire and Layne's whetstone to set the mood

Geoff emerging from the depths with that draconic rumble

the backing vocals alternating between sharp "plucked" sounds and gentle legato chords

the rich tone of Cesar's lower register and their contemplative harmony with Geoff's continuing bass line

Omar's clear, angelic falsetto on ♫ "It's an end to the evil…" ♫

Eli adding a touch of grit with ♫ "For the darkness has passed…" ♫

finally reaching full unison on ♫ "You'll know, you'll know" ♫

the mist effect emerging from Layne's mouth to accompany the breathy sighing sound

the ebb and flow of the choral canon as they gather at the front

Layne kicking in the beat with militaristic precision

the contrast between Eli's delicate stacato vocals and Cesar and Omar's abrupt battle cries

the hardcore nerdery of singing in a constructed language and making it sound natural

the cavernous space between Eli and Omar's soaring tenor lines and the rhythm section

Geoff just casually running two-octave arpeggios in his bass line

Cesar and Layne shifting over to the ♫ "dum-dum-dum" ♫ instrumentation before going back to their previous parts

"Fus Ro Dah!" 🌬 (They did the thing!)

the airy cymbal hit Layne holds to bridge the transition between sections

returning to sparse bell chords as they ease into the ending

Omar's final deft riff over a long anticipatory inhalation

that deep drum hit and cut to black as they step forward (The prepartations are complete. Time to fight.)

Trivia:

○ Eli requested that they record this song after hearing it in the game. Fellow gamer Omar was very enthusiastic when they invited him to join them for it.

○ "The Dragonborn Comes" can be requested from bards in the game after the player has completed a quest called "A Blade in the Dark".

○ VoicePlay had previously included a more "instrumental" rendition of the "Dragonborn" main theme in their "Aca Top 10 – Video Games" countdown.

○ For my fellow language nerds, the Dovahzul lyrics are:

Dovahkiin, Dovahkiin, naal ok zin los vahriin / wah dein vokul mahfaeraak ahst vaal! / Ahrk fin norok paal graan fod nust hon zindro zaan / Dovahkiin, fah hin kogaan mu draal!

translation: "Dragonborn, Dragonborn, by his honor is sworn / To keep evil forever at bay! / And the fiercest foes rout when they hear triumph's shout / Dragonborn, for your blessing we pray!"

They were intentionally written by the game designers to rhyme in both languages. (Though the English translation doesn't have quite the same metrical scansion.)

○ Geoff admitted that he went a bit overboard on the costuming. Cesar was wearing 20 pounds of actual chainmail, which got pretty heavy after several hours of filming, and he eventually had to lie on the floor between takes. It took a while to slow him down, though.

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○ The character makeup was designed by their regular collaborator Rick Underwood. On the day of filming, he looked after Geoff and Cesar, while Renette Feren saw to Eli, Layne, and Omar. (They cleverly split the elf ear duties so that each makeup artist only had to handle one set.)

○ Each of the guys represents a distinct combination of character races and classes from the game. The fan consensus seems to be:

Geoff — Imperial Barbarian

Cesar — Dunmer (dark elf) Battlemage

Omar — Bosmer (wood elf) Archer

Eli — Breton Necromancer

Layne — Nord Jarl

○ There are a few other visual references to Skyrim in the video:

Omar holding an arrow to his knee at the beginning

the misty breath visual effects as a dragonborn indicator

the dragon shout of "Fus Ro Dah!" that unleashes a shockwave of force energy to stun and push enemies

○ Omar joined the YouTube premiere chat and was deservedly showered with praise for his performance. When the Dovahzul section began he gushed, "​​Im nerding out so hard right now!!!!"

○ Although the YouTube description always includes the singers' names and vocal parts, this one was particularly effusive.

Eli Jacobson — Tenor Extraordinaire

Cesar De La Rosa — Tenor Fabuloso

Geoff Castellucci — Bass Bass Bass Bass

Layne Stein — Drums and Shenanigans

featuring Omar Cardona — Awe Inspiring

○ Bethesda game studio hasn't released an official recording of this song, but many other singers have put their own spin on it. One of the best known is by Malukah. She is also feaured on Peter Hollens's version.

[acaplaya-musings]

Voiceplay Visuals - We All Lift Together

So I'm making this a bit later than I was initially planning to, but it's been a busy past 6 days for me, and these posts require me to set aside no less than an hour to make them! But anyway, we're here now!

VoicePlay's cover of We All Lift Together was released on the 11th of July, 2025 (or the 12th of July in my case), and features Jose Rosario Jr. Digital Extremes, the creators of the videogame Warframe, once again commissioned VoicePlay to cover a song from the game, and this time it's coinciding with the game's 10th anniversary, as well as the annual Warframe convention, Tennocon (which is the upcoming weekend as I post this). Layne was in charge of the creative direction and video, and he co-arranged the song cover together with Rob Dietz. If you missed my post talking about the vocals/music itself, you can find it HERE.

As I may have mentioned in posts for Sleeping In The Cold Below and/or Party Of Your Lifetime, I'm very much not a Warframe player (and I haven't even watched any reaction videos from people who do play it, at least not yet). So I'm just gonna take the video for what it is, and leave the more specific Warframe references to other folks. Now finally, let's get into this!

This was filmed at Oviedo Mall, in the old loading dock of an old abandoned Sears store!

The contrasting blue and orange lights give a cool effect, and now that I think of it, they low-key remind me of the Hellfire video.

Speaking of lights, the neon pink sign on the right of screen is fake - it was added in post-production!

See look, now the neon sign isn't there! But anyway, time for some clothing talk!

The overall vibe is more or less "mining workers with some vague steampunk-ness" (as far as the guys' outfits go, I mean), which is pretty easy for Geoff! He's basically just wearing the same stuff that he did for his cover of Sixteen Tons (which was also one of his outfits for Big Bad John), just with a couple extra accessories (which I'll touch on when I get better shots of them). Also I'm pretty sure this is the first time this year we've seen Geoff sleeveless, on either VoicePlay's channel or his!

(Actually fun fact: Jose, Cesar, and Layne are all also wearing tank tops underneath their jackets, not t-shirts!)

The harness thing that Jose has is very cool, and it goes well with his plaid flannel jacket! I also like the goggles that he and Eli both have (though they have different pairs).

Funnily enough, this is the same positioning order as Sleeping In The Cold Below: Geoff-Eli-[collab]-Cesar-Layne

No contact lenses this time (luckily for the guys), the eye glow effects were done in post! (And apparently it's likely some sort of Warframe lore thing, based on a comment I read).

I love how the soundscape and the video work hand-in-hand here to depict each individual "powering up", like they're being switched on! Geoff and Eli especially do well with the movements, like Eli lifting up his goggles as he raises his head from its previously bowed position.

(I genuinely can't tell what's around Geoff's neck. Goggles? I guess?)

(Also I spy the glint of Geoff's necklace chain!)

Maybe it's just me, but Layne looks especially good in this video. Idk whether it's something he did with his hair, or his outfit, or a bit of both or what, but man I am Looking 👀

But also, it was kinda cool to see shots of Layne whistling and doing a bit of vocal percussion while being otherwise totally motionless! (As if he hasn't yet been fully powered up yet or something?)

Aka the moment where I wish I knew how to make gifs, because screenshots don't get the point across for this one!

But like if you've seen the video (of course you have), then you know what I'm referring to. The little "glitch effects", where Cesar's movement briefly rewinds itself, and then slightly goes "fast-forward", just within a few short seconds! (At least one Patron said they had a moment of thinking their device was acting up when they first watched this video 😄)

See the thing on Geoff's right arm? That was part of his outfit from Sleeping In The Cold Below!

Also I only just properly noticed during this rewatch that Layne has some sort of fingerless glove(?) thing that goes halfway up his right forearm. (And Cesar seems to have some pair of yellow gloves hanging off his belt or something).

Kinda amusing that Eli just has a big helmet clipped up to his belt for the whole video and it doesn't even get worn (though there's a moment in the BTS for this video where he wears it, and it's a funny little scene 😁).

I wanna know where they got the tools from! (The BTS didn't say). Did Geoff get some stuff from his dad's shed like he did for Sixteen Tons? Did one of the other guys have a garden shed of their own that they grabbed stuff from?

I'm always a fan of Cesar's painted nails <3

(Also this is just a good screencap ngl)

THIS... is a very random thing but Geoff's hand movement here rung a bell in my mind, just a little moment of "I've seen him do that sort of movement before!" I believe he did it in Heavy Is The Crown, though I still haven't gone back to check, and I believe it's also a "c'mon"-accompanying gesture in Sixteen Tons and/or Seven Nation Army

On a different note, some Patrons have expressed amusement and/or befuddlement over how VP are meant to be portraying workers (or if you wanna be game-lore-accurate, wage slaves), but they're clean as a whistle in this video! (And it's not like we haven't seen them dirtied up before, and it's not like they don't still look incredibly good in such cases!). But they definitely didn't spare much effort in acquring literal tools to help sell the concept! 😄

I like the little moment of Layne and Cesar turning to look at each other here, still keeping the slightly robotic/animatronic movement style!

Hologram Layne! Hologram Layne!!

(VoicePlay really aren't beating the "nonhuman" allegations after this video /lh)

Voiceplay really aren't beating the "nonhuman" allegations after this video!!

But seriously, I really love this little moment of Geoff appearing to fix/adjust part of his own arm; like it's clear that the handlebar thing he's wearing is meant to actually be part of his actual arm in this video, as part of his 'character'! (Oh and there's another very brief "glitch effect" as he does this motion, and there are exactly 2 frames where it's noticeable!)

(Also holy muscles Batman!!! Like my god sir how have you somehow become even more jacked? (I say with much affection and adoration))

This little "power-off" "fakeout" moment is an interesting touch for the video, and when I eventually get around to watching reaction videos for this, I'm sure I'll be seeing at least a few (or more) people wondering if the song is finished already at this point! (Also I haven't listened to the audio streaming track for this, but I have been informed in the Discord that the track on Spotify and other music platforms doesn't have this pause moment, and is an uninterrupted moment).

(Also this reminds me of being in drama club in high school. I have my reasons!)

Am I going insane or does this shot look slightly less saturated and/or slightly "colder" in temperature compared to the opening shot? Is it just the shot angle and how much of the background is being shown? Like showing more of the left-hand side?

And now they've been put back on Sleep Mode! 😝

And there you have it! Not a hugely massive post (not as big as my last one, certainly), but definitely still enough to make this worthwhile! Hope you enjoyed, and hopefully I shall see you for at least a couple more of these sort of posts before the year is done! Until next time!

[acaplaya-musings]

Feeling Good - thoughts/commentary

That was brilliant! Thoroughly enjoyable, as I knew it would be! Nice thing to come home to after a long day of shopping! (It dropped to Patreon in the late morning as my parents and I were heading out the door, darnit. I chose to wait till I got home so I could use my laptop and headphones instead of phone and bluetooth earphones.)

First watch done, now I shall get some lyrics up on my phone, and let's go back and break this down!

Some notes on the visuals first, since I'm not doing a Voiceplay-adjacent visuals for this one. Apparently this was filmed in a furniture store? (Hoping the YouTube video description will specify it, but I'm just going off the little outtro Geoff did for Patrons). I didn't even know that was a thing that was possible, like hiring/renting a store to film a music video in? Depends on the store, I guess, but still, I wanna know where Geoff got the idea for the filming location! (Hopefully someone asks either in the premiere chat or during the next Patreon monthly webchat).

All the Geoffs have different clothes on! (I also like the extra touch of even having some of the shoes be different). On my 2025 Geoff bingo I had "Clones Being Distinct/Individual Characters", and so I'm like does this count? Does this half count??

I'm not gonna go over each outfit as there's not really much to talk about, but I do gotta acknowledge the first Clone on the far left, who made me do a double-take as I was scanning over the clothing of each 'Geoff', because oh my lord that is a very open shirt! Like four undone buttons! (Bit of a shame the camera never zooms in on the left side, but hey, I'm watching the Patreon preview, there's still time to edit!)

Geoff said in the Patreon preview intro thing that there's a vamp in this cover that he basically yoinked straight from one of his other song covers, and I didn't really pick up on it on my first listen (even though I know Geoff's stuff inside out and backwards), but I'll try to spot it on my second listen now. (EDIT: still couldn't be sure - maybe the intro bit is the same as Carol Of The Bells? I shall go check with other Patrons).

Okay we already have a difference in song structure, in that he repeats the "you know how I feel" line at the very end of the intro a couple more times, and then, instead of going straight to the chorus ("it's a new dawn, it's a new day..."), he instead has a section of hums, clicks, and background "ooh"s, and then goes to the first verse.

(Also we love a Geoff video where he's smiling for a lot of it <3 )

Tenor Geoff! :D (Or baritone Geoff? Idk it sounds like tenor in comparison, don't @ me) (I also thought that Keith David was a baritone until quite recently. I blame Geoff for skewing my perceptions)

Oh man these freaking harmonies! I don't quite know how to describe them. Crunchy? Wide? They're interesting, anyway. Need someone like Jennifer Glatzhofer to talk to them. But I do know that this song is in minor key, because Geoff told us Patrons that he lowered the song down to the key of C minor. (From that, I also went in not expecting any subharmonics, as usually he does them for the root/main(?) key (not always, but often), and obviously doing a C1 subharmonic is Not Easy! But hey, still plenty of low notes!)

Also extending/repeating the final chorus! And yay for a bit of Geoff belting out some higher notes! (I also really liked when he turned a belt into a quick descending riff on "for me", it was really well done!)

Great cover! Has a very cool/chill vibe, like something performed at a jazz lounge or something, but it still found ways to build up in energy/intensity, before bringing itself back down to earth. I shall have to do some thinking about whether this beats Turn The Page for me or not in terms of top favourite for this year (I might have a direct answer by the time this goes public). Hope you all liked it too!

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A new song cover from Geoff always has me Feeling Good! 😁 (sorry, couldn't resist!)

I did a bit of googling, and it seems like this song wasn't originally written for Nina Simone, (Wikipedia is kinda vague on whether anyone did actually perform it before Nina did), but regardless, Nina's version is what Geoff is basing his cover off of. I think I've heard the 'original' before, but the version I'm most familiar with is the cover by Michael Buble (I think it was used in a TV advert several years back, and my memory for music surprises even myself sometimes). So it'll be interesting to see whether Geoff also goes for a kind of "crooning" approach to the singing, or puts some other kind of spin on it. Whatever he does, I'm sure it'll be great, and I'll have a thoughts/commentary post ready for just after the premiere as per usual!

[acaplaya-musings]

We All Lift Together - thoughts/commentary

Oh heck yeah that was really freaking cool! Still maybe doesn't beat Hunt The Sky for me (and maybe also I'm just biased), but absolutely this is a solid second place favourite for the year!

Me as the video began: Hm, I'm not quite sure if there's enough here for a Voiceplay Visuals post... Me, about 2 and a half minutes later into the video: Okay nevermind I'm definitely making a Voiceplay Visuals post for this.

So yeah, this post is strictly for talking about the song itself and the vocals and all that - all the onscreen stuff will be left for its own post! So yeah, I now have the lyrics up on my phone, and it's time for a relisten, with me typing my thoughts as I go!

Rather than having Omar Cardona this time around, like with the last two Warframe songs, this cover features Jose Rosario Jr! (Which means I can finally cross off a square on my VoicePlay 2025 bingo!)

Genius Lyrics actually specifies that the original song starts with "whistling, then humming". VoicePlay goes one better and starts with whistling and humming, with some extra percussive sounds as well (claps? Or like the sound of one thing hitting another thing? Hard to tell).

Then, the whistling drops out and the humming stays, and now there's sounds of metal striking metal in the background, while Geoff does some sort of bass vocal technique, and honestly I might talk about this bit more in my Voiceplay Visuals post because words are hard right now and this bit really has the visuals going hand-in-hand with the soundscape (there's a lot to focus on in the first 25 seconds!)

Anyway, lyrics time.

Jose Rosario Jr, killing it as always. Dude has such a presence about him, and a great voice of course, like he totally is perfect for this song!

I like that the lead vocals starts jumping from person to person on the second verse, when they're singing about "this, the song of sons and daughters", and "strong, united", like it's kind of proving to you that this is a song meant to be sung by multiple people together!

"...working till we FALL" Always gotta love when Geoff does some low bass vocals on a line with a word like "fall" or "drop" or "down" (or "below"!) 😁

Okay so apparently the "first verse" is actually the chorus, and the "second verse" is actually the post-chorus, and both of them repeat in that order, and then the song has a short outtro verse, and that's it! Mr Brightside vibes ngl. But VoicePlay is of course no stranger to messing around with song structures, as well as making repetitive songs sound not-so-repetitive! (I wonder who arranged this one? Layne? Layne + Eli?)

So VoicePlay has brought in the outro verse at an earlier point than in the original song, and in a way, you could even argue that in their version, it's actually the chorus!

Man I can feel some of these harmonies in my stomach! (It's because of Geoff, of course)

I like how you have really tight harmonies, and then Geoff drops out for "the land we call our home", so it's just the higher voices (Eli, Jose, and Cesar) singing, before coming back in for the next line, but the harmonies are a bit wider now I think? Like you can hear Geoff's voice a bit more distinctly.

Speaking of Geoff, he then gets the next verse all to himself (in terms of lead vocals), and goes from upper-mid range to lower range and back again ever so casually like it's a piece of cake (love him <3)

A quick bit of bell tones(?) from Layne and Cesar, or something like that?

Back to the feel-it-in-my-stomach harmonies!

CESAR! Damn that riff was wild! Was that phrygian cadence or something? I remember one or two reactors talking about it in reaction videos for If I Was A Rich Man/Girl, where VoicePlay did something similar at one point in the song

Was that Layne's voice in the background with some crazy techno post production effects on it? I missed that the first time around!

I absolutely love it when VoicePlay does a quickfire one-by-one vocal build, where one person sings something and holds on the last note, while another person does the same thing, and then another, and another! They did it towards the end of Sleeping In The Cold Below and it was great!

Wait hang on a minute, there's a new section that VoicePlay added in! "Cold, air. Hard, land. Strong, together. Still. We. Stand!" (and repeat). It's based off the pre-existing lyrics (other than the "still we stand" bit, but it's definitely not a section I can find on Genius or the Wiki! See this is why I check lyrics of the original song! Because I wouldn't catch stuff like this otherwise!

Seriously Geoff's background rumbles are insane in this one; I keep being like "what the heck is Geoff doing back there?"

And as is typical of many VoicePlay covers (not all, but many), the ending brings us back down to more or less where we started!

I'm typing this up on Thursday afternoon, the 10th of July, because us Patrons only got this video about 36 hours before the general public did, due to the client agreement/contract VoicePlay had with the Warframe team. I can't say for sure when I'll have a Voiceplay Visuals post ready to go for this video, but definitely no later than Thursday. See y'all then!

[acaplaya-musings]

Another new VoicePlay video? Only a month after the previous one? Oh, praise be!

So this is the third time VoicePlay have covered a song from Warframe, and the second time they've done so as an official collaboration with the creators/developers themselves!

I haven't heard this song before, but I do remember people suggesting it in the comments of Sleeping In The Cold Below, and saying that they'd love to hear VoicePlay's take on it. And I really enjoyed Party Of Your Lifetime and loved Sleeping In The Cold Below, so I've got high hopes for this one!

As always, I'll have a thoughts/commentary post ready to go for just after the YouTube release, and this video might be worth a Voiceplay Visuals post as well? See you there!

[acaplaya-musings]

Bonus fun fact: Rachel had no choice but to fully lip-sync her part during video filming, because she got a bad case of laryngitis (and/or a sore throat, can't exactly recall) in between her recording her vocal parts and her participating in the video shoot. She still looked great though!

Wicked medley — VoicePlay music video

Wicked is one of the biggest Broadway hits of the 21st century, so it was only a matter of time before the theater kids of the a cappella world took its songs for a spin. They brought back two of their most prolific guests as the witchy pair at the center of the story, and worked their vocal magic. Get ready to laugh, cry, and fly along.

Details:

title: A Chance to Fly – Wicked medley (feat. Rachel Potter & Emoni Wilkins)

original songs / performers: "No One Mourns the Wicked"; [1:14] "The Wizard and I"; [1:41] "Dancing Through Life"; [2:20] "Popular"; [2:52] "One Short Day"; [3:14] "Wonderful"; [3:37] "March of the Witch Hunters"; [4:12] "For Good"; and [5:45] "Defying Gravity" by the cast of Wicked (2003)

written by: Stephen Schwartz

arranged by: Geoff Castellucci

release date: 25 November 2021

My favorite bits:

Cesar's smooth, somber tone on the opening lyrics

the ebb and flow of the backing vocals

Emoni taking the lead being accompanied by warmer lighting and a cymbal crash from Layne

the subtle fall-off at the end of Geoff's descending ♫ "what they sow" ♫

the tag-team riffing of ♫ "good news" ♫ from Cesar and Eli

Rachel's exuberant performance during "The Wizard and I", enhanced by Layne's anticipatory percussion sounds and bright green lighting

Eli's nimble riff leading into "Dancing Through Life"

the continuing ♫ "when I meet the wizard" ♫ in counterpoint

Layne adding a more driving disco beat under the section that becomes a dance party in the musical

Bubbles! 🫧 👈 ::pop::

using "One Short Day" as a counterpoint line

Emoni's incredible descending riff on that ♫ "yeaaah" ♫

Geoff crooning the lead of "Wonderful", and tenor Eli just casually taking over the bass line for a couple bars

😠 "Kill the witch!" 😨 "Dude, calm down."

the decelerating steam train sounds Layne uses to ease everyone into a new tempo and quieter mood

Emoni's delicate, breathy delivery of ♫ "I don't know" ♫ that highlights the character's uncertainty

the little affectionate looks they all exchange during "For Good" 🥺

unison breaking into that gorgeous dissonant chord at the end of the final repeated ♫ "because I knew you" ♫

Layne's heartbeat rhythm under the transition into "Defying Gravity"

that beautiful homophony on ♫ "my friend" ♫

Geoff hitting a note with its own gravitational pull then immediately going quiet as the others soar upward

everything else dropping out for Rachel and Emoni's parallel ascent on ♫ "defy-y-y-ing" ♫

all the callbacks to earlier songs leading into the big ending

Rachel putting her stamp on that big iconic belt

the breadth of sound all six of them create with the movement in those final chords

Trivia:

The overall video concept was a "live in concert" visual experience, something a little more elaborate than they could achieve with their usual projections on the rear curtain or screen of a theater's stage. In addition to the enormous clock backdrop, they incorporated lighting effects, fog machines, and bubble machines to enhance the music.

Apparently it was one of their more expensive projects, as Geoff joked in the YouTube premiere chat that they'd "been eating Top Ramen since we shot this vid!" Between flying in two guests, a large custom backdrop, and using a bit more equipment than usual… yeah, that probably added up.

It was filmed at Full Sail University, and was their first time working with the student crew since "Oogie Boogie's Song" two years earlier. They had also filmed their "1-Minute Musicals" series there, as well as their videos for "My Shot", "Something Just Like This", "Mr. Blue Sky", and "Any Way You Want It".

VoicePlay had previously included "Popular" in their "Aca Top 10 – Broadway" countdown, which they then performed on the 2015 Sing-Off tour.

Some fans have surmised that part of Geoff's alarm at Cesar shouting "Kill the witch!" stems from the fact that he had portrayed the sea witch Ursula in their "Little Mermaid medley" the year before.

Cesar also has an Ursula on his other side, as Emoni first played the dastardly mer-diva in PattyCake's "Grande Mermaid" music video, and has reprised the role for their "Girls Like You" music video, two episodes of the Villains Lair series, and their first Descendants video, "No Rest for the Wicked".

Geoff has referred to this arrangement as his "white whale" because it took him years to complete. This is at least in part due to his ethos to "arrange for the voices you have", and the fact that VoicePlay's lineup had changed quite a bit during the previous two years. They were originally planning to record an earlier version in the spring of 2020 when Earl and J.None were still in the group, before it was derailed by the quarantine.

As is usually the case, the streaming audio version is broken into multiple tracks due to licensing restrictions.

VoicePlay eventually released their demo tracks to Patreon patrons at the end of December 2024 to coincide with the release of the first installment of the big screen adaptation.

Rachel gave a sneak peek of her makeup and outfit on Instagram. They're even more vibrant than they appeared under the colored lighting.

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She was eager to sing Elphaba's songs, because she had auditioned for the role several times before being cast as Glinda in the "Munchkinland" company of the Wicked national tour in 2009.

Rachel had the opportunity to sing Elphaba's part of "For Good" opposite Kristin Chenoweth (the original Glinda on Broadway) during the latter's three-night concert series with the Nashville Symphony in the fall of 2018.

Previous VoicePlay collaborator Shoshana Bean was the first understudy for Elphaba in the Broadway production of Wicked, and took over the role for most of 2005 after Idina Menzel suffered an injury at the beginning of the year. She later joined the "Emerald City" touring company for the last few months of 2006.

Future PattyCake collaborator Jessica Vosk played Elphaba in the national tour's "Munchkinland" company from September 2016 to September 2017, then joined the Broadway cast from July 2018 to May 2019 (a stretch that included the show's 15th anniversary). Layne and Tony invited her back into the green makeup for PattyCake's "Into the Storm" music video in late 2024.

[acaplaya-musings]

PEAK SONG PEAK SONG PEAK SONG. Not necessarily their best, because there is no "best" whne it comes to VoicePlay, but man they're so good at doing Disney covers!

"the spirits of Geoff and Layne emerging from the dark corners as the rhythm begins to flank their summoner's chair" I love this phrasing - Jules, you have such a way with words! 😄 And honestly it's so freaking genius to have the "rhythm section" be a couple of spirits/"friends on the other side", especially when they're two folks who are great at sounding totally inhuman! (Also I'm putting my own bit of appreciation here for "the caaardsss, the caaarrdsss, the caarrdss willl teeeeell!" and Geoff's face in the video as he does this line is 10/10 great 👌😂

Also appreciation for Geoff's sly grin of anticipation/expectation during the "shake my hand..." bit, because it's a great little detail no one ever talks about.

I am a bit of a Swiftie, and I was once listening to Ready For It? and it got to that hard-hitting beat part at the chorus and I was like "I bet Geoff and Layne together would be able to do this bit easily!", and then I was like "...hang on a minute, they have already done this before, kinda!"

Friends on the Other Side — VoicePlay music video

VoicePlay have always delighted in collaborating with friends, and tend to bring the same folks back again and again. Before he was a full-time member of the group, J.None was a featured guest in their live shows and videos for more than a year. So after he left for the Navy, the remaining guys were eager to have him return for a visit as soon as possible. This bouncy Disney villain song was the perfect way to welcome him back into that familiar space, as well as kicking off their Halloween content for the year.

Details:

title: Friends on the Other Side (feat. J.None)

original performer: Keith David as Doctor Facilier in The Princess and the Frog (2009)

written by: Randy Newman

arranged by: Layne Stein

release date: 15 October 2021

My favorite bits:

Eli, Cesar, and J.None's fantastic acting in the intro section, particularly Eli's startled yelp

the spirits of Geoff and Layne emerging from the dark corners as the rhythm begins to flank their summoner's chair

Cesar's little placating hand gesture as they sing ♫ "Re-lax." ♫

passing the lead melody around more by having Facilier enchant Lawrence and Naveen so he can speak through them

J's big old descending riff on ♫ "things I ain't even triiiiied" ♫

the constrast between Cesar's sweet, airy timbre and J's deep, gravely tone as they duet ♫ "I got friends on the other side" ♫

the light, jaunty ♫ "doot-doo-doo" ♫ harmonies

all the breathy sounds Layne put into his percussion, representing both the spirit world and the living characters' anticipation

turning the languid singspiel in the fortune telling section into more of a brisk rap

everything cutting out for Cesar's chuckle and Eli's affronted glare

that smooth scoop at the end of ♫ "poor sinnner's ha-aaand" ♫

Layne and Geoff dropping a snippet of the beat from Taylor Swift's "…Ready for It?" in advance of J asking ♫ "Are you ready?" ♫ (I see what you did there, Layne. Very clever.)

J.None's deep, satisfied ♫ "Yeeees." ♫

the lighting on the back curtain and around the proscenium arch shifting in time with the beat as Facilier gets his way

Geoff's subtle descending slide under the trio's wailing ♫ "transmografication central" ♫

Eli's powerful belt of ♫ "Can you FEEEEL it?" ♫

the high, plaintive cries of ♫ "You got what you wanted" ♫

J deftly navigating through his break into that soaring falsetto

giving the final ♫ "I've got friends on the other side" ♫ to Geoff for maximum spookiness

replacing the chorus's ending "Hush" with J.None "blowing out" the lights to leave just his glowing eyes

Trivia:

This is the first video featuring J.None as a guest singer since he'd retired from full-time membership in the spring. When they promised in their farewell video that he'd be back, they weren't kidding.

They had included an excerpt of this song in their "Aca Top 10 – Disney Villains" countdown two and a half years before, and fans had been asking for a full version ever since.

J.None wore the Facilier costume from the first season of PattyCake's Villains Lair series.

The bone necklaces made another appearance in VoicePlay's video for "Be Prepared" three years later.

Layne took a fair bit of amusement from the clip-on bone piercing in his nose, as did J.None.

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Layne's initial plan was for Geoff to play Facilier, since he's their usual villain voice, but Geoff insisted that it should remain J.None's song. Fortunately, they were able to coordinate the filming with J's scheduled leave from his Navy Band duties.

Geoff did eventually record a solo short three years later as part of his own Halloween roster for 2024.

During the YouTube premiere chat Eli complained about having to have Geoff looming into his personal space and rumbling in his ear about cards all day. (Which, yeah, would probably get annoying after a few takes.)

Layne had previously included a portion of "…Ready for It?" by Taylor Swift in PattyCake's "Look What You Made Me Brew" music video for Halloween four years earlier.

[acaplaya-musings]

Get yourself a coat with this much versatility honestly

[acaplaya-musings]

Monster Mash — Geoff Castellucci music video

Halloween can be truly terrifying or spectacularly silly. This classic novelty song definitely leans into the latter mood, but Geoff made sure to incorporate a few tastes of horror movie spookiness among the more cheerful entertainment. All his years of theme park experience gave him the skills to strike just the right balance of moods while updating a very fun oldie.

Details:

title: The Monster Mash (low bass singer cover)

original songs / performers: "The Monster Mash" by Bobby "Boris" Pickett; "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" by Johann Sebastian Bach; "Für Elise" by Ludwig van Beethoven

written by: "The Monster Mash" by Bobby Pickett & Leonard Capizzi; "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" by Johann Sebastian Bach; "Für Elise" by Ludwig van Beethoven

arranged by: Geoff Castellucci

release date: 8 October 2021

My favorite bits:

lead Geoff's mild annoyance at the monsters' singing interrupting his quiet reading time

the calm singspiel narration that only sounds a little sinister

the dance moves for the choruses reflecting all the classic Universal movie monsters — Frankenstein, Wolfman, Dracula, and The Mummy

each monster's more freeform dancing starting from a different body part — Dracula's head bopping, Wolfman's hip wiggles, and Frankie's shoulder shakes 🕺🕺🕺

narrator Geoff's delay in ♫ "The zombies were having… fun." ♫

the high harmonized ♫ "He did the monster ooo" ♫

each monster doing a different gesture to signify ♫ "Dracula and his son" ♫ 🧛 🦇

the doowop-y backing vocals and dance moves as lead Geoff sings about the musical entertainment

the choreography getting more elaborate with each repetition

narrator Geoff cringing away from Dracula's intrusion

slow motion Charleston-ing

😱 Hi, Kathy! Are you okay…?

substituting an invitation for his lady to dance for the original's chastisement of Igor

Frankie casually flossing as the other two point out the slightly out-of-tune piano note

that excellent villain laugh as the happy couple waltz out of frame

the farewell waves being sidetracked by Wolfman's scratching and Dracula's gentlemanly bow

Trivia:

This video was filmed twice. The first version had a darker set and more elaborate makeup from horror master Rick Underwood on the dancing trio, but when Geoff reviewed the footage, didn't like the results. On the second round, they went with brighter lighting and simpler makeup — done by Kathy since Rick wasn't available on the additional shoot day — that fit the tone of the song better.

This wasn't the first time Geoff and Kathy had played classic movie monsters. They spent many years as Frankenstein's monster and the Bride in the Beetlejuice Rock 'n' Roll Graveyard Revue at Universal Studios alongside Tony Wakim's Dracula and many other folks who have since become VoicePlay and PattyCake collaborators.

More recently, Kathy was featured as the "floor zombie" in VoicePlay's "Thriller" video for Halloween 2024.

Geoff had previously portrayed a vampire in VoicePlay's "This Is Halloween" video, and a zombie in their "Survivor" collaboration with Home Free. He'd also used the same ear scratching gesure in VP's "The Fox" video while wearing a dog-ear headpiece.

The slightly jerky stop-motion effect on the dancing monster trio was achieved by filming at half speed, then ramping up the footage to match the tempo of the music during editing. Geoff had used a similar technique for VoicePlay's "Grim Grinning Ghosts" video five years earlier.

The choreography was created by Matthew "Bucky" Buckner, former 4:2:Five baritone (2004-06) and Wolfie in the Beetlejuice show at Universal Studios. He has appeared in several PattyCake and VoicePlay videos in recent years.

Wanting to get his monster moves just right, Geoff practiced around the house, particularly when he was cooking and had a bit of time to kill.

The "la la la" sections reinterpreting "Toccata and Fugue" are very appropriate to the horror movie theme. That song has been used extensively since the silent film era to convey spookiness and villainy. Its first appearance in a film with sound was the 1931 adaptation of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and it was chosen for the introductory section of Fantasia.

Geoff's VoicePlay bandmates are also fond of the famous Bach tune. Eli had mixed "Toccata and Fugue" into his arrangement of "Eleanor Rigby" earlier in the year, and Layne later used it as the opening section in their "Classical Chaos" medley.

"Für Elise" is a very common student piece, and young Geoff almost certainly had to practice it during his classical piano lessons in middle school.

[acaplaya-musings]

My Mother Told Me: You descend a ladder into a pool, starting from the shallow end and wading towards the deep end. Before too long you step off a ledge on the pool floor that you didn't notice, and sink considerably, but it's manageable, and you can stay on your feet (just)

Valhalla Calling: You sit on the side of the pool, and drop into the middle section, somewhere between the deep side and shallow side. Your vision is impaired, so you can't see much of what or who might be coming towards you, but you got this, surely.

Hunt The Sky: Somebody picks you up, swings you, and just freaking chucks you into the deep end. Lol good luck

[acaplaya-musings]

Voiceplay Visuals - Hunt The Sky

Hello friends! It's been a Hot Minute since I've done one of these (6 months, in fact), but finally we're back with a super cool and complex video to talk about!

(If you wanna see my other Voiceplay Visuals posts, go HERE, and if you missed my musical breakdown of Hunt The Sky, go HERE)

Hunt The Sky was released on the 13th of June, 2025 (or the 14th of June if you live in Australia or New Zealand, like myself), and was not only arranged by Layne, but also co-written by him! He and Tony Wakim (former VoicePlay member and co-owner of Pattycake Productions, together with Layne) wrote Hunt The Sky as VoicePlay's first ever original song! (Well, I'm pretty sure they have at least one original Christmas song, and they had some originals back when they were 4:2:Five, but this is their first proper original in many years, and the first to get a music video!). And who else could they invite to collab for their first proper original than J None, who's basically still an honorary member anyway? (And hopefully, one day, might join the group permanently again?)

There are some other credits in the description to acknowledge - Layne, for example, is also credited with creative direction and editing - but I shall leave the rest for within the post itself! So without further ado, Let's Get Into This!!!

Dragon Counter: 1 (Yes, I've decided to count how many dragons are seen in this video, because while not).

Shoutout to Eli for once again being the tech wizard that he is, and creating all the cool visual effects for this video! He used Unreal Engine, which is the same computer program that he used for My Mother Told Me and for Valhalla Calling, but honestly this is some of his best work yet imo. Like damn, he can do all this, and do lighting design/lighting tech, and sing????

I love that it even got the detail right of the dragon's pupil contracting/getting thinner as it opens its eye, before then dilating slightly.

(More below cut!)

Dragon Counter: three 2

What a freaking CHOICE it was to have Geoff be the very first person we see and hear in this song. Like goddamn they're pulling no punches!

Behind Geoff, we have a body of water illuminated by an Aurora Borealis, (certainly nicer than the background he had for My Mother Told Me!), and off to the right, there's a viking ship, which maybe has a fire on it, so either a viking funeral ship, or simply a ship which has caught on fire from a dragon attack.

Dragon Counter: 4

Also in regards to the dragon flying in the background behind Geoff in the previous shot, I like that the video also adds in the sound effect of the dragon flapping its wings as it comes closer to the foreground, just to make it that extra bit immersive!

Well there's definitely some fire in Cesar's shot!

In the background is a small village, and behind that I believe is a fjord? I can see some mountains and a bit of water where some ships are.

Does that coat look familiar? It should! It's now been worn by every current permanent member of VoicePlay! (Yes, I am in fact going to make a post dedicated to it at some point). Layne wore this coat (with the embroided arm cuff and the thin fluffy grey trim going down) in both My Mother Told Me and Valhalla Calling, as his appearance was pretty much identical between those two videos, but now the coat has been handed off to Cesar! (But he does also appear to be wearing an extra fur cloak thing on top of it)

Additionally, the dark grey glossy "chestplate" thing is I think something that J wore in Valhalla Calling and My Mother Told Me?

(If you want side-by-side comparisons of everyone's appearances in the three VoicePlay viking videos, see my photo collage HERE!)

Lots of water in the background here! In fact it even kinda looks like it could be the same body of water as seen in Cesar's background, but just further down the way.

Dragon Counter: 5

Dragon Counter: 6 (I like this one as it gives me Night Fury vibes (yes I'm a HTTYD fan, and an animation loyalist/purist specifically!))

And again you can hear sounds of the dragon flying through the air! (Pretty sure it's not on the main audio track, and thus I'm talking about it here instead).

Also I just realized now that these shots (dragon-Layne-dragon) are fully on beat, which is cool!

No water to be found here, but there's fire both in the foreground and in the background!

I like the blue colour of Eli's tunic(?) - immediately made me think of Astrid ngl

(Shoutout to Tony for costuming btw)

I also actually kinda like how Eli's left foot is partially obscured by a small rock, and his right foot is hidden entirely by a large one that he's standing behind! It adds a bit of extra "depth" to the scene!

Fun fact: 11 days before Patrons received Hunt The Sky, we were given a sneak peek image, but the screenshot only showed close-up images (head to torso) of J, Cesar, and Eli. No backgrounds were shown, and no shot of Geoff or Layne either. Honestly it was probably for the best - we would have lost our dang minds had we seen what Geoff looked like ahead of time 😂

Us Patrons who get to watch monthly webchats did know that there was an arm tattoo involved (Geoff told us how much of a pain it was to fully remove), and so I was excited to see what it was, and boy it didn't disappoint! It's an incredible design, but man oh man it would be such a pain if somebody were planning to make fanart based on this video! (*cough cough*)

Also this is the most facial hair we've seen Geoff have in a VoicePlay video, and the most natural facial hair he's had for any video! (i.e., that ain't fake!) It makes sense - of course a fearsome, rugged viking man wouldn't be clean-shaven! (As much as I think Geoff looks very nice in Valhalla Calling ^^;) (Geoff was quite keen to shave as soon as he could after he was done filming his parts though - the beard was apparently driving him a little crazy, lol)

Dragon Counter: 7 (and again, a bit of dragon noises here!)

You can't see any water in the background here, but you can see a boat, so I'm assuming that there is in fact water back there (and hey! no fire!). But another cool thing about his background is that in some shots, there are flashes of lightning in the top right area where the clouds are!

I just realised that J's shoes are actually just regular black boots (and very shiny ones at that), but they're just partially covered by the furry leg warmer thingies (which kinda look like the same ones that Eli also wears in this video, and in fact absolutely could be the same pair, as everyone's parts were done one-by-one, so no two people were in full costume at one time).

Also goddamn how many different fur coats/cloaks have VoicePlay worn for different videos? Excluding That Specific Coat(tm), I'm not sure if there's any fur thing that has ever been reworn by anyone!

I'm not really sure what the proper term is, but I love the design at the front of the wide "belt" thing that J's wearing. It's got dragons (or at least some sort of serpent creatures) on it, and then Nordic runes around the border of it!

In terms of appearances, the thing that's remained most consistent with the guys across the three videos (or two, in Cesar's case), is their makeup, but particularly for J and Cesar. As usual, Rick Underwood was credited with makeup design, but he wasn't actually the one applying the makeup on set this time! That credit goes to a woman by the name of Alexis Rios, according to the video description. I was surprised to not see him at all in the BTS video for this, and to see someone else doing the makeup instead, but I think I've heard that he's been employed by Universal Studios to help with the new Epic Universe theme park? So that's definitely pretty cool. And hey, Alexis did a great job! Totally nailed the assignment!

I can't really capture it in still images, but this is a cool moment that I wanna talk about regardless. On the first "no rest till we hunt the sky" There's a shot of Cesar, starting to raise his left hand, and then there's a shot of Geoff, raising his left hand from a slightly higher position, like continuing the same motion!

(56 seconds in and already at 13 pictures!)

Dragon Counter: 7 (I also quite like this shot!)

Dragon Counter: 8 (and a fire-breathing one this time!)

Oh and yes, elephant in the room: Layne has long hair extensions in this video! Somehow it has not changed Layne's appearance whatsover, at least not to my brain/eyes 😅

Dragon Counter: 9

I'm no weapons expert, but it's probably not the safest or the most effective method to hold an axe so close to the blade, right? Also I've heard of dual-wielding swords, but dual-wielding axes? Is that actually a thing? It doesn't seem very practical, but I guess it looks cool, if nothing else (though there've definitely been Patrons joking about how most of guys look like they've never handled a weapon in their life 😂)

I wanted at least one shot of all five of them together in this post, and I like how in this video, the order that they're all shown in doesn't always stay the same! And usually the person who's doing the lead vocals at the current moment is put in the middle if they have all 5 of them on screen!

(And by sheer luck/coincidence, this positioning/lineup order is identical to the thumbnail for My Mother Told Me, except with Cesar instead of Jose of course)

The first time I saw this, the reaction my brain had was basically just "!!!!!!!"

I think back to my Voiceplay Visuals for Seven Nation Army, where I said that I would've loved to see Geoff swinging his sledgehammer at stuff (well I called it a bat, but y'know). This is a totally different vibe, and totally different look for Geoff, but hey, I'll certainly take it!

(Fun fact: he actually threw his axe at Layne! (Layne was holding up like a pillow I think? (or a board) to protect his face, so he was fine, and it's just a prop axe, obviously)

Oh and the sound in the video of Geoff throwing the axe is not actually a stock sound effect! Layne couldn't find a sound that suited what he was looking for, so he just... did it himself! Y'know, as you do! (He also did a couple of the sound effects in Valhalla Calling)

Imo, a world where dragons exist is a world where a B0 subharmonic is fully audible to the human ear*, and in that world, if I heard something like that come out of someone looking like this, I'd probably start running away very quickly, or at least hope to gods that I wasn't an enemy of his!

*(very low subharmonics are often very quiet sounding without any microphone usage and/or post-production editing. It's not really a skill issue or anything like that, it's just physics of sound waves and stuff, combined with our hearing limitations).

Dragon Counter: 12

Eli: "Hey Layne how many dragons do you want in this video?" Layne: "Yes."

Dragon Counter: 13

Shoutout to Layne btw - of course everyone killed it with the acting in this, and Layne's always been great at doing "crazy eyes", but I reckon he really stepped up the fearsome-ness vibe for himself in this video compared to MMTM and Valhalla Calling 😁

Fabulous cloak toss!

(Cesar was also brilliant with the character acting in this - 10/10 no notes 👌)

Cesar doesn't just have red on his forehead btw; it's also partially on his ears! (And apparently it took quite some time and effort to fully be removed!) (It's kinda funny because red is also Cesar's "Grundel" colour!)

(Oh and I like the use of "shaky cam" during parts of this video for extra impact!)

Final Dragon Count: 14

A great ending shot honestly

And that's Hunt The Sky! Y'know this year I've been thinking about how I've just been waiting for a 2025 VoicePlay cover to really come and fully blow me away and knock me off my feet, and well, I got one! I found it! Boy did they ever deliver!

Honestly this is gonna be hard to beat in terms of my favourite VoicePlay cover for 2025. Like unless they do another Disney song cover this year (*cough* Gaston *cough*), this might easily remain in my top spot for the rest of the year. And hey, I'll let you in on a little secret: this is not the last VoicePlay original planned! We might not get another till like 2026 maybe. idk, but we will definitely get at least one or two more at some point!

Anyway, here's hoping I get to do at least one more Voiceplay Visuals post before the year is out, because these take A While to make, sure, but they're also really fun to do! So until next time! 👋

[acaplaya-musings]

My Mother Told Me (2021) // Valhalla Calling (2023) // Hunt The Sky (2025)

(With only two images for Cesar for obvious reasons)

[acaplaya-musings]

Hunt The Sky - thoughts/commentary

Oh good lord almighty that was freaking incredible! Man, I know it's a good one when I can't even look directly at any of their faces for most of the time because it's just so overwhelming!!! In a good way!!! But I don't need to think too much about the actual video right now anyway, because this video is absolutely getting its own Voiceplay Visuals post! (And note that I write my thoughts/commentary posts on the day the video hits Patreon, but if I choose to also make a visual analysis post, I wait until it hits YouTube, so there's a definite time gap!) So just to fully confirm: This post is just about the musical and lyrical elements - I will make a separate post for the video itself

Now obviously I can't pull up lyrics from the internet like I usually do for my second watch, and Patreon videos don't have proper subtitles/closed captions like YouTube does, but Huldra Draco (one of the Patrons who also has her on YouTube channel posting lots of fan content for VoicePlay/Geoff) has already transcribed the video to the best of her ability and posted the lyrics in the Patrons Discord server, so I'll be using those!

Analysis below the cut!

Right off the bat, I have to remind myself that this is all acapella, and so that opening chord/note (idk) that kinda sounds like it's from one or more low-pitched string instruments is actually coming from a person? Probably? Like one or more of the guys humming, but maybe with a bit of post-production editing on it?

And then there's a rumbling dragon-like sound, which is almost definitely just an added-in sound effect, like the little lion sound in Be Prepared.

Geoff starts the song right down in the basement, and you can pretty much guarantee that he's not gonna go any higher for the whole song (just like in Valhalla Calling, and also My Mother Told Me, to an extent)

I'm going through these lyrics bit by bit, so I'm not gonna scan through the full thing right now (though I might come back to this dot point at the end), but just based off my memory of my first viewing, I don't think they actually say/sing the word "dragon/s" at all? (UPDATE: okay nevermind, there is a line a bit later, at about the 1:15 mark, where it goes "the dragons fall and we stake our claim")

Just like with My Mother Told Me and Valhalla Calling, Layne gives himself a little lead vocal part, and We Love To See It <3 (or hear it, I guess)

Oooh that change in the harmonised humming in the background! Right before "the fires roar, the night grows near", like it sounds kinda discordant? dissonant? Idk I really am not great at music theory, maybe it's just in minor key and that's it, but yeah the humming becomes more kind of eerie in a way, like it puts you on edge!

Oh wow the harmonies on the actual lyrics are doing a lot as well! So much variety! And although Geoff stays down in the basement for his lead vocal lines, I think there's at least one point where he goes a bit higher than usual in the backing harmonies, on the lyric "from cliff to cloud", specifically on the word "cloud" it's the most noticeable. It makes sense, as it fits with the lyrics - they're singing about cliffs and clouds, things high up, and so the vocals raise up a little as well.

I went through all of what I wrote here and was like "oh I don't think I entioned Cesar or J at all, whoops". Of course I'll give all five of them shoutouts in my VoicePlay visuals, but definitely kudos to them musically as well! All brilliant as ever! I also like the bit of accent Cesar puts on "the dragons fall and we stake our claim"!

This song is so good and captivating that both on my first watch and on this second watch I completely didn't even think about beatboxing/vocal percussion, until Layne actually started doing it, and I was like "oh right, that's what Layne usually does in VoicePlay songs". They're getting freaking strategic lately with choosing when to bring the vocal percussion in honestly!

Of course if you're gonna have Geoff down in depths, you might as well 'balance it out' with Eli soaring up into the sky!

"Through strength and unbroken W I L L L L L" hey Geoff what the HECK was that?!!? Damn, we haven't been totally devoid of subharmonics from either channel so far this year, but it's been a hot minute since there's been a new song with a "Geoffquake" so low and so thick that it gets me all tense and hunched up! And he sustains it for a little bit just into the next vocal line! Good lord! Like are we sure that he isn't secretly just a dragon in disguise?

UPDATE: That was a freaking B0!!!! Like y'know, what he did in Valhalla Calling (and Halo Theme), but even thicker sounding! MAN!

Ooh that was a cool use of sound effects (like swords slicing against each other?) behind the "shield wall strong" lyric, and in time as well! And then everything in the background drops out for just a moment as Eli keeps singing, and then it comes back again!

"We fear no beast at all" the start of that lyric is about the highest Geoff goes on a lead vocal line for like the whole song, and even then it's like probably still only 2nd octave at highest, and he descends down at the end of the line again.

"No rest till we hunt the skyyyYYYYYYYY!!!!" HOLY- ! ELI! I think I might have been so overwhelmed the first time around that I didn't fully process this bit! My god! We get Geoff descending into the deepest bowels of hell, and then like 30 seconds later we get Eli rocketing up into the heavens and beyond! (UPDATE: it's a F#5 apparently). (If any group wants to cover this - good freaking luck!)

Despite all this talking I have done about the song, as I listen through bit by bit, I am still left speechless by the end of it! I mean like yeah, god, wow, it's incredible! Man I can't wait to watch some reaction videos to this! But anyway, me typing this has to wait three weeks until it even hits YouTube, but you reading this only have to wait a couple of days or so (give or take, we'll see), before you get a new Voiceplay Visuals post where I delve into everything the video itself had on display! See you then!

[acaplaya-musings]

This video dropped to Patreon on the 17th of May, coming a whole two months after the Patreon release of Human. And finally, after another excruciating four weeks of waiting, we are less than 24 hours away from it hitting YouTube!

But fortunately, this new VoicePlay thing is VERY MUCH WORTH THE WAIT! A VoicePlay original song was very much not on my bingo card for this year but BOY am I excited for it!!! And just like with the previous video, this one is also kinda-sorta trying to get in on some of the hype for a new media release, as this is being released not long after the live action How To Train Your Dragon hit cinemas (personally I'd like to pretend that that movie just doesn't exist, but I respect VoicePlay finding a way to post this at an "extra relevant" time).

But back to the me who was typing this before watching the Patreon release:

This is gonna be the best thing I have ever seen, it's probably gonna be my favourite VP thing of 2025 and I don't know how anything else is going to beat it (unless they still find time later in the year to do Gaston, in which case maybe), and I can't wait to watch it! See y'all tomorrow for my musical analysis, and then see you a couple days or so after that for a brand new Voiceplay Visuals post!! (Though if you're gonna be at the live premiere for this on YouTube, I'll see you there also!) We're!! So!! Back!!!!

[acaplaya-musings]

We're almost there folks!!!

Time to start getting excited folks!!!

The video doesn't say when this'll drop to YouTube, but I'll do y'all a solid and tell you that the planned release date (pending no difficulties with music distributors) is June 6th (or June 7th if you're Australian like me). I will of course have more to say about this once the premiere thing appears, but this is 100% a teaser worth talking about!

[acaplaya-musings]

Hoist the Colours — VoicePlay music video

Dirges aren't generally intended to be entertaining, but the opening scene to the third Pirates movie included a surprisingly compelling one. When VoicePlay got their hands on it, they turned it into an even more dramatic experience, emphasizing the defiance of the moment when the crew have nothing left to lose. Lash yourself to the mast and hang on for an exciting voyage.

Details:

title: Hoist the Colours (feat. Jose Rosario Jr.)

original performers: cast of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)

written by: lyrics by Ted Elliot & Terry Rossio; music by Hans Zimmer & Gore Verbinski

arranged by: Geoff Castellucci

release date: 17 September 2021

My favorite bits:

passing the opening verse between Jose, Cesar, and Eli with everyone providing soft, mournful harmonies

the dramatic red lighting during moments of silence

the group swaying in unison during the first chorus as though they're on the deck of a ship

that first big subharmonic drop to the seafloor from Geoff, appropriately on ♫ "diiie" ♫

Cesar's unblinking stare into the camera during ♫ "some men have died and some are alive" ♫

Eli putting a little extra grit into ♫ "the devil to pay" ♫ 😈

the vertiginous scene transition of Layne's sword wiping the screen and the camera tilting up from a dutch angle

Layne using gasping sounds and shuffling fricatives in his percussion to evoke the prisoners' procession toward the gallows

shifting into an eerily major key for ♫ "hear its sepulchral tone" ♫

Jose and Cesar's delicate descending riff of ♫ "colours oh" ♫ under Eli's powerful belted ♫ "hiiigh" ♫

the slow layering of the repeated ♫ "Yo ho" ♫ section that then turns into polyphony

Geoff leaping up two octaves to kick off the ♫ "never die" ♫ canon

just the standing trio soaring into the clouds with ♫ "hoist the cooo-ooo-loours" ♫ punctuated by Jose's dramatic sword thrust and the bright flash of cannon fire

Eli's sustained belt of ♫ "diiie" ♫ as everyone else keeps moving

all five voices creating such a lush sound on the last line

the reverberation of that final chord over the silhouetted tableau

Trivia:

Among the scar makeup put on the guys was a raised "VP" on each of their hands / forearms. It reflects a real late 17th-century practice in which captured pirates were branded with a "P". It mostly occured in the Indian Ocean under the auspices of the British East India Company, and was the inspiration for the mark on Jack Sparrow's arm in the Pirates movies.

Jose was not the group's original featured guest for this song. When Anthony Gargiula was unable to fly to Florida due to Covid travel restrictions, the guys reached out to find a local replacement and did some quick re-recording. Eli took on the higher part, and Jose stepped into the tenor 2 spot.

They did eventually record a simpler, more somber version with Anthony as a short four years later.

The guys indulged in some thematically appropriate snacks when they wrapped, and the official Pirates Booty™ social media manager was suitably impressed.

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Pirate captain Jose returned a couple years later for a very silly rendition of "Drunken Sailor".

The gold coin medalion around Jose's neck in this was subsequently claimed by Layne for their "Yo Ho (A Pirates Life for Me" short and "Drunken Sailor" video.

The arrangement process for this song likely started in the spring, as evidenced by the excerpt Geoff put on TikTok in late April. The fall release date seems to have been timed to line up with International Talk Like a Pirate Day, and also provided an early start to the group's annual spooky season offerings.

Jose joined the chat for the YouTube premiere and was delighted by everyone's lovely comments.

Several of their musical colleagues have also taken a stab at this song, including The Bass Singers of TikTok, Colm McGuinness, Malinda and friends, and Lauren Paley. Many of those folks appear as collaborators in each other's recordings.