“We are the Cutie Mark Crusaders… and we’ll never stop the journey…” ~Cutie Mark Crusaders, 2011.
This quote captures the inspirational spark for Thunder Dash’s “Never Stop Pushing” – a tender, CMC-inspired lullaby. The CMC’s long journey to obtain their cutie-marks and find their destinies is one of the most inspiring storylines in MLP. No matter how long it took, no matter how many obstacles they had to face or what trials they had to overcome, the CMCs carried on in the face of adversity to find their true calling and help others along the way. In fact, it turns out that their destiny was, in fact, to help others. Isn’t that the shared destiny of us all? Although Thunder Dash’s gentle lullaby may seem incongruent with the forged-in-the-fire theme of perseverance, the idea of peaceful slumber does convey the idea of peace in the midst of life’s journey towards discovery. Soft piano and gentle ambient instrumentation in this piece send the clear message that perseverance is well worth the prize that comes at the end. When you refuse to quit even though you feel small and insignificant, you may one day discover that your light became the candle that sparked a bonfire for many.
Sofia Carson – Glowin’ Up (Valoria Remix) | Future House
Valoria is back to flipping! Here she brings us a wonderful Future House remix of a song that doesn’t quite get the love it deserves. The track starts with just the vocals and a bit of background beat that slowly builds up until we get to the actual build up. The build up plays with the melody a lot, something I haven’t seen much but certainly enjoyed. The drop–oh, the drop is absolutely wonderful! I’ve talked a lot about different drops in different genres in my articles, and I can confidently say that this is the greatest Future House drop I have ever heard! The melody is amazing and fits perfectly with the vocals, the vocal chops are utilized beautifully, and a second beat is added that gets you hyped, jumping, and just partying! The drop ends abruptly, and we get back into a simpler beat while letting the vocals shine through some more before going straight back into the build up and another iteration of the wonderful drop. We end this fantastic track on just the drop’s secondary beat.
Proofread by theCANderson, all the thanks to him!
Vanessa Hudgens – Gonna Be My Day (Childlike Wonder Remix) | Future Bass / Future Pop
It’s another G5 remix, and this time we have a wonderful track by Childlike Wonder! The track starts out right away with this lovely beat that pulls you right into the cheery atmosphere of the song. Then, as the vocals set in, we get an awesome melody that supports them really well. As we enter the build up, the vocals of Vanessa Hudgens are joined by the stunning voice of Childlike Wonder himself! Said build up is also supported by some vocal chops that really spice up the mix, and it’s mostly driven by the vocals similarly to the original song. The drop consists of two main parts: the first part showcases a perfect combination of Future Bass and Future Pop thanks to a beautiful instrumental section, while the second part combines the instrumental with more wonderful vocals by both Ms. Hudgens and Childlike Wonder. For the “Aaaaah”, which made the original really memorable, we actually don’t get much of a beat, which is a really fitting variation for the song. Right after that the beat comes back in full swing for another build up and a slightly different drop, which again works with some vocals from Childlike Wonder himself. We end this wonderful piece on a soothing piano melody.
Proofread by theCANderson, all the thanks to him!
L-Train – Unicorn Strut | Electro Swing
This song explains how to be a unicorn….in a funky way! L-Train has produced a lot of Electro Swing bangers lately, and this song is no exception! It uses vocal chops from the movie song “Fit Right in”, but it isn’t actually a remix–this is an original piece! The track starts out (as you might have expected) with a gorgeous melody, and then we quickly get the synth bass. As in L-Train’s last song, “Mi Amore”, the synth bass is very present in the track. After a bit of the amazing instrumental we get the first vocals, and at first the bass is the only thing accompanying them before other elements gradually join in. After concluding this part on some more of the amazing instrumental we come to my favourite part of the song: while the beat stays the same, we get a loop of the chops “a unicorn trots” and “our unicorn butts”, as the vocals move from one ear to the other. When they’re in the right ear, you hear “A unicorn trots”, and while they’re in your left ear you hear “our unicorn butts”. This is soon followed by an amazing guitar solo. We end on some more vocal parts followed closely by some more of the lovely instrumental.
This was proofread by theCANderson, big thanks to him!
Sofia Carson – Glowin’ Up (Yellow Tune Remix) | Electro House
Kimiko Glenn – Fit Right In (Simonat Remix) | Electro
Alright, hehe, I always look forward to remixes of this song. Just from a pure style standpoint, the structure of this track plays with vocals chops little with the placement, especially with Hitch’s to give this bit more charm. Oh, and the slow down of the lyrics and the slow up and down of the buzz of those nodes and melodies, very lovely going with the positive energy of Izzy’s and Sunnies vocals, will have you moving for sure. The critical thing is that this remix builds on the message of this song. You hear the lyrics more profound. The wholesome message of looking past your nose and worldview, discovering the things you hear about others is just that a story. The joys of finding there’s more than meets the eye (yes, I when there, LOL) learning new cultures that are strange to you. Now you add this Electro smooth and groove beat to this song, and it not only becomes fun but downright addictive to not listen to more than once; oh, and the slight change to Izzy’s rap lyric was done well, did not miss a beat! As always, this Qilin asks you to judge for yourself.
SpinScissor – drawing near | Ambient
SpinScissor is no stranger to exploring characters’ psyches with their music, and this song is another fine example of what they can achieve when thus inspired! This amazing ambient track examines Twilight’s mental state when Principal Cinch forces her to join the school team in My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Friendship Games. It must have been devastating for Twilight to have her academic future threatened, and you can hear her wrestling to keep things mentally compartmentalized here. The pulsing beat lends a wonderful “heart in the throat” vibe complimented by bits of vocal chops and distorted synths and ambience that swirls around the listener. There are also wonderful breaks with ambience and keys that give calm moments before the arrangement pulls the listener back into Twilight’s doubts. SpinScissor really nailed the ambient effects–they have a delightfully unsettling nature as they tinkle, buzz, and percolate through the song. The vocal chop melody toward the end of the song is so well done as well, and adding that more concrete element and then taking it away is a perfect touch.
Koron Korak – Applejack is so Busy at the Farm | Country Rock
Ok, first of all, before I get into the music, This video is fantastic. Green Screening yourself in the video to perform the song with an overlapping clip of the show! Koron, that was cool with a double image of yourself playing along!
As for the music, you may hear some Applejack Stage music vibes from Fighting is Magic with the banjo and hard rock guitar combo inspiration. It fits due to what this song is about the Episode “AJ’s day off” how she can’t seem to pull herself away from her work. This song is fast with how the melodies work with each other. Oh, that excellent violin of Koron’s gives this song just the correct country energy to fit everything else. The song is short but packs a lot going on in that time frame for a busy mare with too much to do! The video presentation was charming and only added to how fun this track is! As always, this Qilin asks you to judge for yourself.
Snow Swirl – City in the Sky | Future Garage
So do you guys remember the song Dreamy Sky by Snow Swirl? Meet its sister track city in the Sky! Man, you ever really wanted to hear and feel like you’re a Pegasi over the clouded skylines of Cloudsdale. You’ve found the right track here. This very airly and ambiance theme glides right over you. The same could be said in busy skies over Zephyr heights in G5! it fits the same theme. Just close you’re eyes and feel these melodies in your wings as you can feel the other Pegasi around you, flying and these soft keyboard tones with the breath of Sky with this slight mythical hum to the baseline. You think the energy of both cities in G4 and G5 is hustling along, with a taste of ethereal as it is heavily in the Sky above. It’s a beautiful, even freeing experience as I believe you had intended it to be Snow Swirl! As always, this Qilin asks you to judge for yourself.
[ASOS] GLIMM – Change | Deep House
Oh god, this track will touch your heart. Deep House seems to be an excellent genre for this. As described
Deep House: Deep house is a subgenre of house music that originated in the 1980s, initially fusing elements of Chicago house with 1980s jazz-funk and touches of soul music.
ASOS: Eclair, the group 9th album motto, is “musical treats to feed your soul.” This track is by A musician; you should be checking out! GLIMM just made not only ASOS but also the upcoming P@D: Aurora! Listen to this song and your honesty; hear why. The episode “The Times They Are Changeling” was one of Spike’s best moments in the whole series, changing the narrative about Thorax and the emotions and morals of this moment. With its timely vocal chops that feed into the song’s sentiment, this song has a rich old-school soul music vibe that listens to your feelings. You find yourself losing in the funk and friendship of this track and maybe some tears because it hits you with the feels from the start of this song. The build and drops are so lovely, heartfelt, and man, A funky banger with a classic disco theme in the baseline is a nice touch, GLIMM you just made a beautiful tribute to Throax’s. Character, and well deserved and produced! As always, this Qilin asks you to judge for yourself.
Horse Music Herald 