GLITTER

In the nineteenth year in which Zelda Lexie Lulamoon occupies this current bodymind. Alter-ego Vylet Pony is exploring both the misinformation that their media and school miseducation has inundated (tried to brainwashed) them with as well some Stevie Wonder-like funk/R&B musical styles. There's a lot of the pensiveness of Zelda's contemporary artists like Alicia Keys in Pony's lyrical musings, but it's the instrumental experimentations that I'm amused by: all sorts of new sounds being explored here that I've not heard Pony explore to this degree (especially the new variety of guitar and synth sounds and styles). She's not great at any of them but they are all tastefully appropriate in both their location and use--and effective! Her Fiona Apple-like singing voice is quite enjoyable--even when she goes Tracey Thorn / Everything But The Girl monotone. 1. "Voyages" (2:23) is quite powerful with its recorded interview with a child social psychologist. 2. "Keepsakes" (4:49) really introduces the new Stevie Wonder sound palette but it's the funk of 3. "Deerbats" (3:56) that really convinced me to give this album the attention it deserves. (9.75/10)The next four songs are good, culminating in the album's Yuki Kajiura/Eiffel 65-sounding title song. (9/10) 8. "The Magic of Mischief" (4:01) sounds like a Freddy Mercury-Joss Stone (or Christina Aguilera) collaboration. 9. "Squid Galaxy" (3:21) follows the style made famous by Owl City's "Fireflies." 10. "True Beauty" (3:48) is a masterpiece of ambient mood soundscapes providing support to koto and singer Myles Vice with Vylet's two-part Alicia Keys-like vocal performance. It's absolutely gorgeous--and heart-breaking. Definitely another favorite. (10/10) 11. "Back to Love" (4:00) is where Zelda's deep longing is felt strongest. Unfortunately the supplemental instrumentation used in the soundscape here takes away from the vocal and lyrics. I can, however, still feel her deeply-felt draw to the imaginary/fantasy world represented by the My Little Pony Equestria world. This theme and feeling is continued through the final two songs. Longing for a better place; longing for love to take away her pain and disappointment.

I feel as if the music of Glitter may perhaps be a sign of the sadness of being hurt and damaged that Zelda is repressing--the loss of youth and innocence and the realization that events and circumstances have really messed with her. This will, of course, lead to the therapeutic catharsis of future albums, especially 2024's Monarch of Monsters. Would that all humans could find similarly creative outlets to use for the processing of their issues.

While I consider this album a masterpiece of musical expression, it does not qualify as a true, middle-of-the-road prog album.