The artist formerly known as Evening Star has returned under his real name, Marcus Warner. As a thank you to the fans who’ve been there for him since day one as well as a tribute to the show itself, he’s put together Reprise, an EP full of ES tracks from way back then, remastered and reimagined in an epic orchestral style. Along with him are a number of guest vocalists and musicians, such as Brione Jackson, who provides live cello to the tracks Octavia and To Build an Army, and Rory Sherman, who in addition to taking part in choir vocals across the EP, also shows off his skills with the flute. In terms of stand out tracks, Starswirl the Bearded definitely hits a high note with its strong atmosphere crafted by a dark choir alongside a viola before building up to add punchy drums and plenty of epic string progressions to top it off. Land of Equestria – the EP’s closer and sole lyrical track – was originally produced a year ago and features fandom musicians Silver Note and Sterling Fusion on vocals. Now it’s back, and with a new beautiful orchestral coat of paint. This EP is nothing short of amazing, and a beautiful way to pay tribute to the show that brought us all together and will continue to inspire. Thanks for the memories, Marcus!
Misc
Tw3Lv3 – Release | Album | Lo-fi
The debut album from the fandom’s lo-fi giant Tw3Lv3 is finally here! It has 20 tracks, some of which will be familiar if you follow his channel, such as Old Vibes, Starlight’s Dream, Canterlot Suburb, Tsukimi and so on. Quite a few of the songs are collabs with other producers, such as TheTaze, Steryotype, Power Note and Astral. A couple guest vocalists also appear, such as ShobieShy on the vocal version of Starlight’s Dream, and MC Arch on the closing track I Will Still Think About You. Standout tracks are Memorias for its catchiness, Autumn Breeze (featuring The Empty Tomb) because of the chilled out nature, as well as the aforementioned Tsukimi, Under the Rain and I Will Still Think About You, which displays Arch’s singing abilities really well! Overall, this album is nothing short of fantastic, and an amazing debut that’s well worth the wait. Pick it up when you can!
Night Blaze – Free Again | Orchestral
For whatever reason, this track feels inspiring. Maybe it’s the up-beat instrumental, or maybe it’s the fact that, even with the show being over, the community will never stop making masterpieces like this one. Or hey, maybe it’s both. This track’s pretty relaxing to listen to with it’s incredible instrumental music, complete with drums and a whole bunch of other stuff!
Jyc Row – The Changeling Queen (feat. Maria Grigoryeva) | Orchestral
Jyc Row’s latest EP Legion is finally here, and this is just the beginning. Joining him on this track is violinist Maria Grigoryeva, whose musicianship really helps complete this epic piece about the changeling queen herself. Jyc is known for his orchestral mastery, but when joined with another musician in this field, whatever comes out is guaranteed to be amazing. Be sure to check out Legion on Bandcamp and buy a CD if you can!
Tw3Lv3 – Under the Rain | Lo-Fi
Tw3Lv3 never stops, does he? Track 6 from Release, this 5 minute long number sets off with a chilled out lo-fi vibe as we’ve come to expect from him. A melodic bassline carries the song along with soft yet erratic drums in front of orchestral-esque synths and the sound of falling rain. Grab yourself a blanket and some hot chocolate, because the rain is coming. Stay warm!
strigidae – pink horse plays trombone | Indie Dance
The elusive strigidae has returned yet again. He rarely posts music (his channel has only 5 tracks from late 2016 onward, for example), but when he does, it’s a real treat. This track showcases his usual indie style as a tribute to Pinkie’s wind instrument skills from the trombone to the yovidaphone, even going as far as to feature riffs from a trumpet towards the end. strigidae’s voice is a unique one in the fandom, which cuts through this song like a knife. Don’t miss out on this one!
General Mumble & Koa – BBDFF | Indie Dance
It wouldn’t be a General Mumble track without something creepy. In the same vein as Couldn’t You Just Simply Die? from way back, this collab between Mumble and Koa is a creepy electronic beat with edited vocal samples from the show – specifically Twilight’s BBBFF song – to add new lyrics, adding a dark twist to Twilight’s relationship with her older brother. Nightmare Night may be over, but the creepiness isn’t ending anytime soon.
[ASOS] Cynifree & Reverbrony – Void Walker | Synth Rock
Another Cynifree track? I’ll take it. Track 35 from ASOS: Waffle is a collab between the aforementioned Cynifree and Reverbrony. What follows is a six minute long 80s style electronic piece with the addition of a distorted guitar provided by Reverb as the finishing touch to an already great piece. If these two were to work together in the future after this, I’d be down to see it!
Alexey Kotlyar – Twidance | Orchestral / Soundtrack
A very cute track from Alexey, this Twilight-themed Orchestral beauty also has some Soundtrack vibes, as it would make such a fine BGM to have playing during a light-hearted, “Twilight being cute” scene in some RPG game. The various instruments and the melodies are paying much tribute to Twilight and “Twidance” is such an apt name for this song!
Frozen Night – Thorn of The Frozen Star | Album | Orchestral / Metal
Breathtaking, astonishing, mesmerizing. The superlatives are lacking to describe this majestic album.
If you decide to embark on this journey Frozen Night has crafted for us, you will be hearing the incredible fusion of orchestral and metal we know and love him for. Half of the tracks include gorgeous lyrics sung by the equally gorgeous voice of Velvet R. Wings.
Each piece is a chapter of a well thought-out story which you will be able to discover in the document that comes with the album, along artwork accompanying every track and detailed explanations. It tells the tale of a kirin trying to save her kin from a looming threat of olden times. Zenith is about an epic fight between the protagonist and her nemesis, told with creative sound design exploring different electronic elements, all while empowering Velvet’s extraordinary operatic singing. Thorn of The Frozen Star creates spellbinding soundscapes throughout the track which has multiple phases including ones of respite with heartbreaking melodic percussion and the absolutely stunning climax with the guitars and strings working in unison to create a memorable experience. The album closes on a beautifully emotional ethereal piece centered around a piano and strings.
Together with Radiarc they coordinated their respective album releases to be simultaneous, and you should check out Radiarc’s album too, and remember physical copies of Thorn of The Frozen Star are available!
Horse Music Herald 