Painters & Poets fly onto the scene with their debut song, Follow! P&P is a supergroup consisting of Acouste Wholenote and SlightlyAmiss, the former being the primary lyricist. Follow is a beautiful rock song that depicts a scenario between Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash, where the former sits about all upset about the fact that she can’t fly… yet. For a good chunk of the track, it’s lead by an acoustic guitar, with the occasional burst of distorted guitars in the chorus, though the song finally comes to life after the second chorus, where the guitars come in full force, even throwing in a couple admirable solos! The song closes out with some nice closure, showing that Scootaloo can, in fact, fly and chase her dreams. What a great first impression this group has left us!
Alt. Rock
4EverfreeBrony – Life Outside (A Fandom Anthem) (feat. BlackGryph0n, Aviators, dBPony, Luna Jax, MEMJ0123, Poni1Kenobi, MantaTsubasa & PrinceWhateverer) | Alternative Rock
Time for a big treat. Life Outside is 4EverfreeBrony’s love letter to the fandom, and he’s brought a slew of guest vocalists along with him! BlackGryph0n, Luna Jax, Aviators, P1K, MEMJ0123, dBPony, MantaTsubasa and PrinceWhateverer all contribute a few lines each, and all fit the song’s positive tone with flying colors. The song starts out with the ambient noise of crowd chatter followed by 4EFB’s voice accompanied with soft piano chords before the chords repeat and quickly transition into an acoustic guitar riff.
We’re then subjected to a heavier segment with orchestral instruments and distorted guitars. BlackGryph0n leads the chorus with his soaring vocals and PrinceWhateverer sings on the bridge after the second chorus, while all the guests have a couple bars each during the verses, with the first three singing about Equestria, and the other half about some of the mane 6.
After all’s said and done, the song ends with a guitar solo and simmers down with some piano, a final vocal line from 4EFB and the sound of nature. This track is honestly one of the finest he’s ever produced, and honestly rivals PW’s own Solidarity. Our fandom can still produce emotional music, and this is a prime example!
Maressey – Well I Wonder | Indie Rock
After a long wait, the final album in the Maressey tetralogy is here. Track 7 from The Twiluna Album is Well I Wonder, a parody of the Smiths song of the same name as well as the album’s central track. It depicts a scenario where Twilight encounters Luna on a visit to Canterlot, and the two form a large bond, making it a duet between the two. Faux Snyder and Metal Mare brilliantly play those roles, respectively, and Freewave‘s instrumental rendition of the original track is top notch!
Maressey – The Twiluna Album | Album | Jangle Pop
After a long 3 year wait, Maressey have delivered their fourth and final album, The Twiluna Album! As we’ve come to expect, Maressey is a tribute act that focuses on ponified versions of songs performed by The Smiths, a British indie pop/rock band that were around in the 80s. Freewave leads the Maressey project and has brought a large amount of guests on board to help with the music and vocals, such as FritzyBeat, Faux Snyder, Fire Frets and Sylverlining. Snyder’s vocal talents in particular are to be noted, and can be heard across songs such as Bigmouth Strikes Again, Luna in a Coma and Well I Wonder; her higher voice makes for a nice contrast in place of Morrissey’s deeper baritone range. Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want showcases Zatslol‘s vocal work, which is also noteworthy for featuring a striking resemblance to Morrissey’s own voice. Standout tracks include Some Mares…, Luna in a Coma and Back to the Old House, which stand as very faithful renditions to their original tracks.
4EverfreeBrony – The Way She Flies (feat. FritzyBeat and Brittney Ackerman) (Covering Phileo) – Alternative Rock
Classic time! 4everfreebrony teams up with FritzyBeat and Brittney Ackerman for a cover of Phileo’s sole original song from 2013, The Way She Flies! This new take on the song has a more modern flair to it while retaining the same feeling of flying across a summer skyline that the original once did. Sprinkled across certain points of the song are callbacks to Sonic Rainboom with new Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash voices performed by Brittney Ackerman, while the lead vocals are performed by the versatile Fritzy! The pure rock goodness has landed. Check out that wah lead towards the end!
Ampderg – Mindless (feat. Suskii) | Alternative Rock
Suskii‘s really branching out into the rock stratosphere lately. This track is a collab between the former and a fresher face, that being Ampderg. Suskii’s emotional vocals on top of Ampderg’s hard hitting rock background is an impressive combo with lyrics about pushing forward through an anxiety attack and not looking back. Raw emotions permeate through this track, and it’s clear there was a lot of love put in!
[P@D] Replacer – Pony Is Dead, Long Live Pony | Classic Pop / Alternative Rock
Replacer’s contribution to Ponies at Dawn Eternal is as unique as always, with that oldschool yet fresh musical style doing wonders to bring that brony spirit up front! Yes we shall keep singing in many colors for years to come! Such lovely vocals are so cute, and that jazzy instrumental is so tasteful! A masterpiece for sure!
Forest Rain – The End of the World | Punk Rock
Forest Rain has just put out her second album of the year: a 12 track concept album about an apocalyptic war breaking out in Equestria. It starts out with an eerie spoken word intro featuring the voice of actor Reagan Murdock followed by a dark organ melody along with the voice of a female leader addressing the nation to stay calm before the haunting sound of countless screams can be heard, which is then followed up with the first full track, The Fight. It’s a fast-paced punk rock track coupled with orchestral strings and bells along with Forest’s powerful vocals and amazing guitar work to set the mood for the entire album.
For the first half of the album, the album charges forward relentlessly with uptempo rock tracks with soaring choruses and the occasional guest spot; Borders Fall features guest vocals from Wubcake, Steel Chords and Cyril the Wolf to add character and freshen things up some, and We Stand features Whirlwind, performing live drums. The album’s halfway point – The War – brings things down quite a notch in intensity, turning somber as if to represent the dystopian aftermath of Equestria after the war. Following this track is Beacon in the Dark, one of the more unexpected tracks on the album. It has a more electronic backing, and also showcases Forest rapping with ferocity in each verse.
Overall, this album as a cohesive whole is undeniably excellent and powerful, and tells the story presented with precision. Standout tracks are The Fight, The Battle, We Stand, Beacon in the Dark and In Memoriam, but for the best experience, I highly recommend you listen from beginning to end. The album is fresh off the presses on Bandcamp, and also currently has a limited run of jewelcase CDs, so get them while they’re hot!
Przewalski’s Ponies – Winter Snow (feat. Velvet R. Wings) | Gothic Rock
Cutting through the snow as it pierces through our hearts, this new release from Przewalski’s Ponies is of pure beauty, showcasing much emotion from the rich soundscape and melodic aspect, Andy Feelin and Velvet R. Wings‘ duet, and the meaningful and deep lyrics. Definitely a shining collab!
Vivix – Princess of Intense Geekery | Alternative Rock
Let’s rock out in a garage filled with dusty amps and vintage guitars! That’s one of the things that Vivix’s delightful Alt Rock sound is evoking me! This new track and pony tribute is all about the princesses and the obsession of the latest one, or so we could imagine along listening to this!
Horse Music Herald 