Tw3lv3’s had a string of releases this month, but I wanted to feature this one in particular as it’s always nice to see a bit of ambient music. Over its course, time flies ebbs and flows like the tide between deep bass with cinematic drums and ethereal pads, interspersed with birdsong. It’s incredibly relaxing, and BL1NKY sums it up better than me in a simple comment on the video: “song for make me sleep”. Go listen if you want it for make sleep too…
Ambient
Tw3Lv3 – Aura | Electronic
Tw3Lv3 has been prolific with her releases over the last few years, with plenty of wonderful album experiences and collaborations to her name, with plenty more sure to come. The culmination of some of that work is on show here in her latest offering, Aura. Featuring 14 different tracks, two of which were initially released as part of P@D’s last compilation album, there’s a lovely mixture of solo and collaborative work, and some cool album art from BL1NKY as well. With plenty to vibe to from d&b rollers to more future bass-oriented dance tunes, there’s also the helping of chill you’d expect from Tw3Lv3 too.
(Some song recaps after the break)
Continue readingSkyshard – 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!
Whirlwind – Skybound | Chillout / Dubstep
This one is quite an airy one! Inspired by ‘Tanks For The Memories’, there’s quite a bit of interesting mixes and mashes here. Ambient flowing pianos and rising and falling ambiance with crystal clear melodies really give off an ethereal feel to the choppy and glitched vocals that adorn this track! Whirlwind even incorporates some old-school dubstep growls halfway through to breakup the relative calm with a burst of unexpected, yet not unwelcome energy. A fun track not afraid to experiment, Whirlwind’s first song of 2022 starts the year on a high note!
Cosmic Fox – Our Legacy (feat. Soundnix) | Ambient/Melodic Dubstep
Cosmic Fox and Soundnix are an exceptional team when they work together, with multiple past examples of their combined quality. For Ponies At Dawn’s Aurora album, Soundnix provided some help to Cosmic once again as he created this lovely piece of two halves. The first has a beautiful ambient atmospheric feel before growing into some soaring melodic vibes during the second half, which also includes a little of the fresh colour bass vibes present in much of the modern bass music coming out lately.
GhostXb – Dreaming | Ambient Orchestral
Ok, so people who know me know that I am a sucker for two things in this world: EDM of the House/Bounce variety and Orchestral, and of the latter this is a perfect example of why I love the genre! “Dreaming” starts out with this wonderful arrangement of strings that perfectly captures this dramatic feeling. Soon the strings are joined by an electric guitar, giving a nice accent to the song. Every now and again we get a really high note on the strings that almost sounds like a cry for someone. Then a bit later on out of nowhere these heavenly choirs appear to bring joy to your ears! Near the ending we get more epic orchestral sounding string parts as the guitar leaves, leaving us with only the strings, something I love hearing that really accents this piece nicely. At the end the strings simply fade out.
I’ve often talked about how much I enjoy longer songs that don’t go out of their way to be some flashy firework, and this song embodies exactly that. It clocks in at a bit more than six minutes and stays very consistent throughout, which makes it a perfect song for a perma loop, having exactly the right amount of variation so that it doesn’t get boring!
Proofread by theCANderson, big thanks to him!
Koron Korak – Missing Heart | Dark Ambient
This track may surprise those only familiar with Koron Korak’s more recent fare, which has been a joyful exploration of pony goodness, but the artist has long been adept at channeling any emotion into their music. The description of this song as an outlet for the artist’s darkest feelings at their lowest point makes a lot of sense, and the image of Cadence literally missing her heart perfectly embodies this sentiment. The distorted, synth-driven opening growls fair warning at you, and the echoey percussion, ambient rumbles, screeches, haunting vocal effects, and dark keys are perfect accompaniments. The percussion simulates a misfiring heart before unsteadying effects herald an actual, faint heart beat, creeping into the song before dying out. It’s dark stuff, but it’s incredibly well-done, and we can all be thankful both for this incredible encapsulation of despair and that the artist is in a better space now.
Whirlwind – Colorless | Dark Ambient
Well, have we got another masterpiece for you about one of our favorite celebrations of the year, this time courtesy of Whirlwind! We start this one out with a bone chilling, echoey melody that will make your skin crawl your every muscle shudder! This is followed by a bone chilling sound that words fail to describe as we get a beat mostly consisting of heavy heartbeats with a few other sounds slowly joining in and forming this eerie, creepshow-like melody. This is interrupted once more by an unidentifiable sound followed closely by a siren in the distance. We then set back in with the prior instruments and ambience of the song a and add some new ones, creating a cacophony of different sounds and emotions that is so fitting for this scary, spooky time of the year. For the end the sounds change up ever so slightly, and the song ends with this very creepy tune that I can’t even describe.
Proofread by theCANderson, big big thanks to him!
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.
Cynifree – Sunspot | Glitch-Hop
Let me tell you, I’m always thrilled to cover anything Cynifree does, Not because he is one of my buddies, But he takes the complex and intricate and makes compositions like this! We see Luna here in her realm of dreams looking over how everything threads together as she closely observes. That speaks into what this track is about. We have ambient layered with this gritty bass that has this fantastic pop of energy. It’s ethereal and the wavy effects and mysterious vibe with the beat, I dare say a little bit of lo-fi sprinkled in. It’s all mixed, and it’s well produced. This is Cynifree’s MO, my friends; no one like him does this style. As always, this Qilin asks you to judge for yourself.
Horse Music Herald 