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.
Original
Koron Korak – Applejack is so Busy at the Farm | Country Rock
Ok, first of all, before I get into the music, This video is fantastic. Green Screening yourself in the video to perform the song with an overlapping clip of the show! Koron, that was cool with a double image of yourself playing along!
As for the music, you may hear some Applejack Stage music vibes from Fighting is Magic with the banjo and hard rock guitar combo inspiration. It fits due to what this song is about the Episode “AJ’s day off” how she can’t seem to pull herself away from her work. This song is fast with how the melodies work with each other. Oh, that excellent violin of Koron’s gives this song just the correct country energy to fit everything else. The song is short but packs a lot going on in that time frame for a busy mare with too much to do! The video presentation was charming and only added to how fun this track is! As always, this Qilin asks you to judge for yourself.
Snow Swirl – City in the Sky | Future Garage
So do you guys remember the song Dreamy Sky by Snow Swirl? Meet its sister track city in the Sky! Man, you ever really wanted to hear and feel like you’re a Pegasi over the clouded skylines of Cloudsdale. You’ve found the right track here. This very airly and ambiance theme glides right over you. The same could be said in busy skies over Zephyr heights in G5! it fits the same theme. Just close you’re eyes and feel these melodies in your wings as you can feel the other Pegasi around you, flying and these soft keyboard tones with the breath of Sky with this slight mythical hum to the baseline. You think the energy of both cities in G4 and G5 is hustling along, with a taste of ethereal as it is heavily in the Sky above. It’s a beautiful, even freeing experience as I believe you had intended it to be Snow Swirl! As always, this Qilin asks you to judge for yourself.
[ASOS] GLIMM – Change | Deep House
Oh god, this track will touch your heart. Deep House seems to be an excellent genre for this. As described
Deep House: Deep house is a subgenre of house music that originated in the 1980s, initially fusing elements of Chicago house with 1980s jazz-funk and touches of soul music.
ASOS: Eclair, the group 9th album motto, is “musical treats to feed your soul.” This track is by A musician; you should be checking out! GLIMM just made not only ASOS but also the upcoming P@D: Aurora! Listen to this song and your honesty; hear why. The episode “The Times They Are Changeling” was one of Spike’s best moments in the whole series, changing the narrative about Thorax and the emotions and morals of this moment. With its timely vocal chops that feed into the song’s sentiment, this song has a rich old-school soul music vibe that listens to your feelings. You find yourself losing in the funk and friendship of this track and maybe some tears because it hits you with the feels from the start of this song. The build and drops are so lovely, heartfelt, and man, A funky banger with a classic disco theme in the baseline is a nice touch, GLIMM you just made a beautiful tribute to Throax’s. Character, and well deserved and produced! As always, this Qilin asks you to judge for yourself.
[ASOS] SP1TF1R3 – Malicious Intent | Electro Swing / Bounce
ASOS: Eclair presents the little hellion and psychopath only known as Cozy Glow. Let me tell you, that’s the vibe you get from this dive into Electro Swing with some Melbourne bounce courtesy of SP1TF1R3. The vocal chops are only just the taste of this track. Give some props to SP1TF1R3 for trying a radio intro in his song. The beats and bumps of this track will have you swaying with a sick little smile as you hear Cozy’s sweet but little hellion-like laugh sound off in this track. But man, the composition is smooth, buzzing with melodies that take some inspiration from L-train work and blend it with some bounce! Holy crap is working with the energies of Cozy characters like a charm! A banger about Cozy Glow. I am sure a lot of her fans will be pleased with this gem. As always, this Qilin asks you to judge for yourself.
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.
Harmonic Six – On The Fringe | Alternative Electronic
Harmonic Six pays tribute to Babs Seed, the fourth Cutie Mark Crusader and founder of the CMC Manehattan branch, with this delightful tune! It opens with chops from the episode “One Bad Apple”, with Babs and the CMC’s reconciling after their differences during the episode. Gentle acoustic guitar accompanies the chops before a lovely bassline joins in, and the guitar shifts to a lively melody. The introduction of percussion, xylophone, and gentle keys and woodwinds in the second half fills out the arrangement and give this song a wonderful soundtrack quality. It really sounds like it could be from an episode! The tone of the track perfectly fits the heartfelt camaraderie and playfulness of the group, echoed by the video’s background, a screencap from the episode. It’s a beautiful tribute to the character and a burst of positive energy that would make the CMC’s proud!
TheHeatRush – Chromaticity | Pop Rock
chro·ma·tic·i·ty
/ˌkrōməˈtisədē/
- the quality of color, independent of brightness.
You want to talk to musicians ready and able to show their excitement about MLP G5. How about up and comer “The HeatRush” (I dig the OC from one dragon pony to another, LOL). Anyway, this song hits the ground running as you get the vibes that the pony bards and musicians of the modern Equestria are spreading stories already about Sunny Starscout’s feats. You could make the case that this song could be at the end G5 movie. Surprisingly enough, the song’s message is backed by a solid arrangement of positive and uplifting rock with lyrics inspired by G5’s mane 5, overcoming all of the lies, propaganda, racial stigma’s and conspiracy theories to bring back the magic for modern Equestria. Sometimes you need others that feel the way you do to inspire real change. As always, The Qilin asks you to judge for yourself. Let your colors burn bright like the title of this song!
BinExis – Distant Farewell | Progressive Rock
BinExis has gifted us a few wonderful Pony songs over the years (check out the innovative “New Old Beginning” with its awesome instrumentation (complete with flute) and the warm, dark sparkle of their first MLP musical foray, “The Night and Elements“), and now we get their most epic creation yet! This prog rock adventure launches quickly into full flight, a fantastically melodic combination of synths, guitars, and percussion. It combines with the amazing video art to set the table for some most excellent rock vocals (the full lyrics are in the video description! Woo!), which tell a tale of Celestia and Luna traveling through space in a search of a new home for all of the creatures of Equestria. The many parts of this composition feel so well-tuned to the others, calibrated and balanced for maximum narrative impact, which is highlighted nicely by the shift in tone midway through the song that is accompanied by a shift in the video’s artwork. I especially appreciated the great guitar work in the second half which was both accomplished and perfect for the story! This song feels like a snapshot from a sci-fi saga, and I hope that we get more of this story in the future!
PumpkinZ – Black Night | Drumfunk
PumpkinZ delivers a delightfully atmospheric and groovy track with this drumfunk effort! The shimmering opening synths pair with the background art to transport the listener into a night scene that feels alive and energizing like a summer night full of possibilities. A lively melody with a folky feel combines with a groovy bassline and quick percussion, and we’re off on an adventure! The rise into the drop has a cool “bottle filling to the top” vibe, and the chorus brings in some sweet chops at the perfect time. The quieter parts that follow have their own variation on the melody, bringing the percussion in and out, teasing at some as-yet intangible possibility. This is a really well-constructed song with a super catchy melody and delightful groove, so please check it out, and big thanks to the artist for seeing the creation of the song through to the end!
Horse Music Herald 