Never Say Neigh just unveiled their newest album and as with the previous two compilations, this one hits hard and with fantastic quality! The eight-track album has a nice variety of producers and collaborations who all combine to show that NSN is a stand-out project within the fandom to continue paying attention to! Do not be afraid to turn NSN3 up and make it loud – that’s how it is meant to be played!
Flutty & Rainy doin’ Picnic is the opener of Toby Macarony’s new album, Shenanigans Two. This track lies among songs from a great variety of genres, just as expected from TM. It is a cute orchestral piece working as a conversation between a flute representing Fluttershy and an oboe for Rainbow Dash with each instrument playing a few phrases followed by the other’s response. The song ends on an ethereal note with a choir and strings.
Editor’s note: Find below an additional writeup by fellow writer Cynifree!
Start of Cynifree’s writeup
A nice heartwarming tale of two friends having a picnic together. Toby has released something a little different than I’m used to, however its a really cute and sweet soundtrack with happy woodwind melodies and soothing harmonizing strings of a wide variety. Things are placed very well through out the song from little chimes and choirs to harpsichords and harps. A very robust orchestral piece and this kind of stuff is my bread and butter! End of Cynifree’s writeup
The series finale feels continue with a melancholy-themed track from the new collaborative album, “The Rest of Our Lives”. Replacer has put on an interesting and unique performance to try to express some of the fandom’s struggles of the “Friendship is Magic” book being closed. The lyrics and vocals are eerie, and they reflect the struggles of many bronies after watching the finale (with the use of a vocoder) to give the message of bronies feeling lost with no more gen 4. The calm piano is so effective and gorgeous in telling this story. You really need to hear this for yourself. It may not be for everyone. Regardless, its message is powerful. As always, this Qilin asks you to judge for yourself.
Going back to Trance roots, Nicolas makes us dive into the Corrupted Mind of Twilight who, like anypony, is vulnerable to overwhelming dark thoughts… She lost control of the power of darkness, and that state of mind is represented here through an array of intricate sounds and melodies, going deeper and deeper…
A song about friends, parties, night clubs, bat ponies, and drinks? This hoof-stomping track is full of heavy duty, party-inducing bass and grind-like melodies, with some pretty slick usage of a keyboard for the more uplifting flavor. Plus some hard faceplaning drum beats to get those hooves moving. The setting and lyrics in this track tell the story of what Launch and his friends like to do during a night on the town. It gets quite insane! His friends are Cynifree, Chasing Dawn and Sailor. The concept and composition were inspired by the nonsense these four get themselves into during voice chats. It is such a blaster. Enjoy the Electro House goodness! As always, this Qilin asks you to judge for yourself!
PSFMer’s streak of concept-powered pony music accompanied by self-made SFM art continues! Ponies are now exploring space and I guess it was only a matter of time! It’s not 2001 but 2020 (reference intended) and they are lucky to have such a refined and deep DnB tune to celebrate the interstellar launch, perfectly reflecting the wonders and endless questions of space with that rich atmosphere fueled by pony vocal chops, enthralling rhythm, and space-y sound design!
The perfect BGM for strolling in forests (those who played The Elder Scrolls might know why), Celestium is showcasing such inspired melodies on a progression that definitely feels OST-like, and the two sisters got another much wonderful tribute!
Dandelion’s newest piece is a very reflective one, as suggested by the artwork chosen as video art. It has actually a whole concept around it, and you can read more from the description since Dandelion has written a poem about it from the perspective of Dashie! The gentle and hopeful instrumental is starring beautiful melodies painting the night sky wonderfully, and this is definitely a success!
Spikey Wikey’s contribution to Black Stable: Vol 3 from Never Say Neigh Records is not only an impressive foray into the hard-hitting wonders of Dubstep, it also samples Thorax vocals from S06E16 The Times They Are A Changeling to bring a unique concept to life! We can tell Spikey had fun with this one, not to mention it was Spike who was the hero of that episode, and it’s a real delight to have him in the album!
I absolutely love soundtrack-esque tracks and music, and this piece is no different! This track sounds like it came straight from an adventure movie, with the energetic orchestral music fitting with Daring Doo’s whole vibe. Basically, I’d say a good word for this song would be “EPIC.”