Blackened Blue is back again with a great theme about Twilight Sparkle having enough of Celestia’s non-stop badgering for weekly letters! Everything that flies has to fall, Like an animal in a cage I’m writing meaningless words down on every page – this song is filled with incredibly meaningful lyrics that tell a great, emotional story. The flips between styles from acoustic rock ballads to heavier metal riffs with subtle tone shifts are both seamless and convey Twilight’s emotions incredibly vividly!
Author: Cynifree
Maldecid – Changeling Plague | Deathstep
Changeling Plague is a fun one! Maldecid sets a dark tone right out of the gate with a myriad of voice lines from the Queen of Changelings during the Canterlot invasion. The slow and heavy percussion marches poignantly and delivers the rhythm to a hard-hitting drop with unique and eerie sound design, without overwhelming the listener with too much at once! The choir stabs work incredibly well as a foundation for the rest of the music, creating an experience to behold!
Various Artists – trīgintā [EP] | Electronic
“Trīgintā” is a word in Latin that means “Thirty”. This EP is a mix of old and new from Brilliant Venture and friends that reflects on the past thirty years of his life and this fandom, with optimism for what the future holds. Its a wonderful mixed bag of goods including an original piece, remix, and a mashup!
Continue readingSprocket – Redemptio Lunae | Hybrid Orchestral
Inspired by their piece, “Luna’s Redemption” releasing nearly a decade ago as well as the journey that this fandom has taken Sprocket on through all the years since, “Redemptio Lunae” may bare little resemblance to the former track, but it compliments it very well!
Mournful yet hopeful, this piece makes very good use of tension and has an atmosphere with plenty of intriguing instrumentation that compliment each other wonderfully. From sustained strings to brass folly, emotional and complex piano runs and choir chants there are also some well utilized e-pianos and synth arpeggios that really add to the mood. And don’t get me started on the crisp, low harpsichord in the opening act that’s subtly hypnotic! At six minutes, there’s plenty to unpack with this song and each section has a distinct, yet subtle shift in tone which all flow together seamlessly. Have I mentioned this is their first MLP related track in five years? Its a welcome return and I am excited to see where we go from here!
Midnight Wave – End Task | Dubstep
The second track from their ‘CTRL+V’ EP Midnight Wave breaks out a classic dubstep style melded with some synthwave-esque supporting instrumentation in a unique mix of sound signatures! ‘End Task’ does a great job at keeping things interesting with switch-ups in the drops while building a fairly cool atmosphere around it.
SpinScissor – no mates | Outsider House
SpinScissor is no stranger to experimentation an he is back with a minimalistic and spacey house track. ‘no mates’ is adorned with an array of different sound samples from conversations to ringing phones and detuned synths, coupled with a snappy bassline. It exudes a lo-fi aesthetic in its production and its visuals. A tale of the turbulence of life and past friendships and hopeful lasting friendships, this one is an interesting listen for sure!
[ASOS] FORSAKE & Paloris – Wishes (ft. PegasYs) | House
Exploring the desires of being in love with your best friend but knowing it can never be, ‘Wishes’ comes from A State of Sugar’s ‘Biscuit’ album and is a powerful track indeed. Soothing vocals, a powerful melody and a smooth progression that really sells the longing feeling this track gives me! If you’re a house music aficionado who likes meaning in their music, you’ve got the perfect track right here!
Skyshard – A Dawn for a New Destiny (Boutique of Rarities: The Demo Session Vol 1.) | Electronic/Orchestral
This release from Skyshard is a little different. Originally an unreleased track from two years prior, A Dawn for a New Destiny is now part of a “Demo Sessions” volume; The Boutique of Rarities: The Demo Session Vol 1. to be specific.
A Dawn for a New Destiny is a piece with a hauntingly clockwork feel to it with a music box taking the center stage followed with strong and tense crescendos and falls of strings and even some subtle crunchy noise to add some additional intrigue and flare. The climax has definitely given me a couple chills!
Another highlight from this collection would be the Dune 3 Sequences. The buttery Smoothness of the synths and constantly evolving nature really stands out to me and how the three of them feel connected in a sense is just a really cool feature of this volume that I HAD to point out.
‘Beneath The Sea’s’ early draft is a neat piece as well, very ambient in design with a strong yet subtle piano presence and a very mysterious, sci-fi feel. Constantly progressing and you can feel the darkness and wetness seeping everywhere!
Inspired by the good old days of getting the gang together to record a few tapes, ship it off to a label and cry over the wasted time and money when it gets rejected. Filled with a whopping fifty tracks of assorted origin! Ranging from everything from early concepts to live synthesis performances, memes, cancelled EPs, alternate versions or full rejected songs, this sessions volume has a bit of everything! There’s even a strange ambient piece called ‘Let your ears take it” which Skyshard can’t even deduce what its purpose is!
SOUND BANDIT – DIMENSIONAL (ft. NIKEDUNK & GULO) | Hyperpop
SOUND BANDIT never ceases to amaze me with their production and visuals. A slower, heavier tune, this one has a powerful trap influenced feeling and the occasional heavily processed MLP sample. The vocals have a lot going on. From distorted melodic riffs to the rhythmic pitch glides, ‘DIMENSIONAL’ is a short, yet powerful song.
Jyc Row – Ventae, Queen of Storms | Orchestral
Jyc is no stranger to orchestral music and world building. This track is their second of seven in their upcoming Primordial Pantheon EP, which is part of the ever-growing world of Infinite Eclipse, and is yet another powerful piece to add to their roster! The droning tagelharpa in the background carries significant and ominous weight followed by the accompanied chants, woodwinds, and strings, the soundstage is very wide and tight. Celtic vibes are strong in this one. focusing on the character it is named after.
Be sure to take a look at the video description of this one folks as it is overflowing with a TON of world lore and upcoming information on the series that I just can’t fit into this article and there is plenty more to come!
Horse Music Herald 