brambleshadow4 and SpinScissor have teamed up to create this super sweet tune that bridges the gap between G4 and G5! Argyle (SpinScissor) shares Equestrian lore and lessons in friendship with Sunny, and it’s nice to have this moment where the importance of the G4 heroes is passed along. The story is musically driven by light arrangements that echo the love between the characters and the love that is present in the stories they share. The strings at the opening help set the emotional hook, and then the string melody, and light percussion pull your heart into the song. When the arrangement fills out with punchy bass and synth keys it has a “small band at a summer festival” vibe. The vocals match perfectly to the arrangement, delivered with a tender confidence throughout, and the little harmony at the end of the song is a nice touch. This song is a big ol’ hug for your ears and your heart, and I hope that you enjoy this sweet story as much as I did!
Misc
RedSpark – Dragon Magic | Epic Orchestral
RedSpark brings us this truly incredible piece, an epic orchestral song about one of the most dangerous yet majestic creatures in all of Equestria, you guessed it, the Dragons! (and about Ember the dragon, more precisely). The track begins with a really deep and eerie bass, that is gradually getting accompanied by a gentle shakuhachi (that RedSpark played himself!), it’s as if both instruments were exploring harmonies with a delicate melody. Very slowly, but with all the determination, the piece grows, an agile string instrument and a heavy drum kick can be heard, the instruments are building tension through this introduction, but like a shocking blaze, all the instruments arrive at a first climax. Some Horns build the terrain for the next section, the strings and the shakuhachi make a great sound landscape. But little by little, the strings are striking harder, and the horns are getting louder, moreover, you can feel more tension, the harmonies and the melodies are going higher and higher, until a drum fill make them release, only for a few seconds, when another climax appears, it’s monumentally awesome (man, I got goosebumps when I heard that part), all gets more imposing and majestic, no words can describe how epic it sounds. So please, listen to it out! And I’m completely sure you will find a pleasant surprise.
Maddie Tourmaline – Princess Tiffany | Progressive Rock
Nyancat380 – Sixty Twenty Twelve (feat. SpinScissor) | Latin / Electronic
Nyancat380 continues building their “Methodic Ways to Break a Mind” album with this fantastic track! The song has an AMAZING groove thanks to its fusion of Latin instrumentation and EDM elements. It kicks off with the sounds of a crowded club before launching into a brisk beat and horns melody. Then it jumps into the main bass groove and the vocals (heck yeah for the awesome lyric video!), and all the accompanying percussion and effects build the arrangement beautifully. The call and response between the vocals and horns heading into the chorus really reinforces the awesome club vibe. Then a breakdown after the second verse pares the arrangement down to a bit of melody and spare percussion which sets up the eventual resumption of the vocals and horns beautifully. The “Cool AF Spin Scissor Solo!” (love the description) adds another dynamic element to the track, and Spin Scissor’s guitar supports the track to the end. The song is ridiculously groovy, dynamic, and polished, and I can’t wait for the rest of the album and pieces of the story! Bonus: there’s also an acapella version of the track if you want to get your remix on!
[ASOS] Heartsong – Aria in Violet | Orchestral
This song was inspired in part by the love of the ASoS community and Heartsong’s appreciation for the support that they have received through its members, and that love shines beautifully throughout this song! The opening strings, brass, and xylophone meld together so sweetly as Heartsong’s OC, Violet Aria, sings to plants to help them grow. It pairs wonderfully with the lovely background art, which glows with sunny brilliance. The lyrical nature of the song allows the listener to drift along on the combined voice of the instruments as the progression takes you on a life-affirming stroll through the fields. It’s so sweet and satisfying and a wonderful contribution to the ASoS: Eclair album!
[P@D] L-Train – Books And Branches | Electro Swing
L-Train has recently made quite a splash in our community with his recent forays into electro swing, with many fun and colorful releases in this modernization of the swing genre. His newest track, “Books and Branches” comes to us hot off the press, courtesy of the newest Ponies at Dawn compilation album, “Aurora.” Making creative use of Twilight’s vocals from her “Morning in Ponyville” song from the season 3 finale, “Books and Branches” gets us up and moving to an upbeat melody, catchy chorus, bouncy bassline, and epic drum and guitar solos punctuated by lively horns and woodwinds. All in all, I think it’s safe to say that L-Train, this electro swing king has done it again with “Books and Branches” – a vibrant track that’s sure to make you feel that “Everything is certainly fine!”
Synthis – Floating | Future Pop / Chillout
Ever felt like you’re in a void – hovering uneasily in the clouds, separated from a world below that you can’t quite see or reach? You’ve no idea where you’re going or, even worse, if you’re heading anywhere at all. These emotions are familiar to me, and, apparently, I’m not the only one. Sam Synthis, one of the most talented singer/songwriters in the fandom, has skillfully captured this caught-in-the-clouds feeling with his latest release, “Floating.” Powerful lyrics highlight the reality we humans face as we all struggle to make sense of the world we live in and bring it under some semblance of our own control – a goal that inevitably eludes us and often leaves us feeling “empty and broken,” with “loose ends” scattered around the seams of our lives along with the realization that we’re all “floating towards forever.” Such deep reflections might lend themselves to dark or heavy musical rendering, but Synthis’ smooth vocals combined with a chill melody and instrumentation carry hope and positivity, making the lyrical message reflective and relatable rather than dark and heavy. I ended up feeling that although we sometimes find ourselves in a “Ground Hog Day” that never seems to end, though we sometimes feel empty and broken, we’re not alone in this. There’s not something wrong with us. It’s part of the human experience. And maybe it causes us to stop looking so much at the clouds around us or the world below us for answers. I, for one, have learned to look up.
Steely Hooves – Magic Mayonnaise | Electro
Yep, yep, this is exactly what you think it is, and it is amazing! This is a giant joke track if you haven’t figured it out yet, and the lyrics make that clear as day, but let’s start at the beginning. The track starts out with “Bing Bong” vocal chops and the melody slowly rising up from muffled to full-on pumping. As we get a melody change the amazing vocals by Steely Hooves set in telling of how unicorns once were and how powerless they are now. We get a hilarious chorus all about the four forbidden words, and right after that we get yet another fun bit of melody accompanied by some fun vocal chops and then some instrumental parts. After the wonderfully funny chorus we get straight back into another verse, this time focused on the judgement that ponies are passing because of what the unicorns used to be followed once again by the hilarious chorus. We end this wonderful piece on some more awesome melodies and vocal chops, providing a fun bit of variety from beginning to end!
Proofread by theCANderson, all the thanks to him!
Harmonic Six – Nightmare Night, What a fright! | Orchestral
Here’s a fun bit of music that could have come straight from your local creepshow, and it delivers the creepy-yet-fun aura of Nightmare Night in a really fitting way setting a great tone early on. However, after a bit, the creepshow goes silent, and in its place comes an eerie piano melody accompanied first by ghostly voices and then also by some stunning strings that really fill out the song well. We ride on in chilling style until we get a slight change of melody that pumps the creepiness up to 120% before the song suddenly comes to an end.
Proofread by theCANderson, all the thanks to him!
[ASOS] Zythiria – Far North (Skyshard Remix) | Orchestral
(Listen to the original here!)
I was speechless when I listened to this remix, ASOS: Eclair is known for its rich and deep Orchestra tracks, but WOW! this is glorious. Zythiria track that was pretty in the first place, has transformed the telling of Winter Storm’s quest to save her home. The build-up with that piano’s, strings, the beat of those war drums! That blow of those woodwinds in the background synth. It grows in pure instance power, making you want to give a war cry that you will succeed! As always, this qilin asks you to judge for yourself! Into a melody fitting for a fantasy epic movie.
Horse Music Herald 