MirroredReality’s penchant for blending classical instrumentation with electronic elements has created another masterpiece! This particular tune, featured on the “P@D: Aurora” album, is inspired in parts by the song “Alpine Skyline” from the game “A Hat in Time” and MLP’s Yakyakistan, and those respective inspirations are melded fantastically herein. An echoey percussive melody opens the track, and it is soon joined by a synth line that climbs with it through a beautiful melody while light percussion supports the arrangement. Things really take off with the introduction of strings, which add a lovely texture to the melody before the psytrance pulses to the fore backed by a choir melody, a shift that pumps up the energy without losing the flavor of the track. The shifts in pitch on the synth melody give it a world music vibe, the past melding with the new, before the arrangement fades. Another shift brings a whole world-music-flavored electronic arrangement, and the sound design is so good on the synths and chimes that they sound organic, machinery mimicking life. The climb into the psytrance drop and progression to the end have more little shifts that add dynamic flavor. I hope that you will enjoy as much as I did this beautiful track that is a credit to the artist’s imagination and skilled production.
Orchestral
[P@D] Wandering Artist – You have friends in Maretime Bay | Soundtrack
Wandering Artist constructed this song with the intention of mimicking the G5 movie’s structure with a predominantly light and carefree feeling, and they were unquestionably successful! The track opens with a fantastic, jazzy arrangement with a classic feel that is supported by the rest of the orchestral instrumentation. The interplay of the instruments that comprise the melody is delightful, and the addition of accordion was a great choice (there’s just something about accordion that contributes an intimate and grounded feeling to an arrangement). The brass, woodwinds, and keys dance with the plucked strings, and then the instruments take their turns at the fore, at times and swell together in glorious unison. The sombre piano interlude in the middle fits the song perfectly, and the ebbs and flows of the progression are lively and engaging as it morphs through multiple styles, even taking on an electric guitar lead towards the end. The song has an amazing balance of powerful and delicate moments throughout, and it’s no wonder that it earned a spot on the “P@D: Aurora” album!
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.
[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!
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.
Thunder Dash – Never Stop Pushing | Piano Solo
“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.
EveryDayDashie – The My Little Pony Symphony | Orchestral
EveryDayDashie heralds the 40th anniversary of My Little Pony with this glorious orchestral piece! The artist makes frequent references to the show’s theme while splitting the song into different sections and varying the arrangement in each one in wonderful ways. The track opens with Overture, which has a classic, cinematic feel; the arrangement then takes on a more acoustic angle before becoming more brass-driven in Beginning of Friendship. A small piano interlude gives way to a marching drum section which ramps up into a full band arrangement in Marching Into Ponyville. Another piano guides the listener into a sparkling field of joyous instruments and urges them to Smile. Friendship Feud carries a delightful tension and intensity featuring some awesome electric guitar. A True True Friend is a blissful return to harmonious friendship, and the Finale is the sweet icing on this musical cake. Taken as a whole, it’s a wonderfully constructed tribute to the show that delights at every turn. Take a bow, EveryDayDashie!
Wooshy – Fit Right In (Cover) | Orchestral / Electro Swing
Okay, this is cool. Wooshy (better known for making slick PMVs) has taken this great song and made it sound like it’s playing out of the orchestra pit at a Broadway adaptation of the film (please, oh please make this a reality). The video plays through the original song followed by the adaptation as it runs through the sheet music score, and it’s a great way to see how Wooshy constructed their version. The energy from this arrangement is so uplifting, and it’s great to hear all the supporting percussive instruments add their depth and nuance to this piece. Kudos to the artist–I am super thankful that they decided to follow their muse on this journey!
Thunder Dash – Together In Unity | Piano Solo
In a beautiful call for a unified, loving Equestria and Earth, Thunder Dash, one of the fandom’s absolute champions of positivity, has composed this wonderful piano piece. It’s a touching tribute to the spirit of G5 and the MLP values, and I got some nice Bill Withers vibes while listening, recalling for me another great song about love and solidarity. This song is definitely its own thing, though, and Thunder Dash’s piano work has some really nice melodic progressions that seem to acknowledge the complexities of the world and the difficulty of unifying it even if it would create an obviously better world. In the end, the beautiful hope and heart of this song shines through, urging the listener to work towards a better future no matter the difficulties.
Horse Music Herald 