GutterPutter

SPOILER ALERT FOR PLOT – TAKE CAUTION IN READING THIS

Prolific in her discography already, Vylet Pony has always used an electronic palette of sounds and beats to construct a lot of concept albums. Her previous release, can opener’s notebook: fish whisperer, is among the surprise albums that I enjoyed from last year for its upbeat focus on pursuing your dreams. As much detraction as she receives for being a part of the one fanbase that many would find cringy, her love for the show My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic serves as a useful source material for many of her narratives. It’s not hard to blame her for her interest when she proves herself to be a gifted musician with each record that she drops in her Bandcamp profile.

Carousel (An Examination of the Shadow, Creekflow, and its Life as an Afterthought) is her most recent outing – another concept album where its premise is more based on a character study. Released with some of the most positive reactions from the very community she grew up with all her life, its surrounding hype is so domineering that it shot up to the top list of albums at RateYourMusic with divisive responses. Based around the artist’s self-titled protagonist who spends a day out in the carnival which leads to her interacting with her shadow as noted in ‘How to Talk to Your Shadow?’. The chief idea is that of the conflict between the two sides as they clash over their shared past, their differing directions, and their contrasting personalities.

The album’s genre of choice has always been around Vylet Pony’s electro-pop, yet the biggest selling point around it is on its diverse array of influences. This ranges from electro house in the second track ‘Pony Rock’ with its catchy, uplifting chorus on inheriting the world to full-on industrial metal in ‘The Carrion Child’. If you love the idea of a studio as an instrument, then this is going to be a treasure to behold in how it can be used. There’s a lot of reverberating effects as found in ‘Crush Kill Destroy Swag’, abrupt cuts between dubstep and a tingle of piano playing in ‘Bass Cannon’, and even a sample of an introspective elder in ‘Examining the Afterthought’. There’s a lot of careful attention being given over to the sound palettes to help make the album turn out to be a very dense experience with each subsequent listen revealing new details within each track.

However, there’s some concerns that I would like to raise about the album as while the instrumentation is charming, there’s a lot of moments lyrically that could come off as ‘corny’. I do get that given the show which helps to inspire the artist, it’s justifiable if the tracks do feel childish in its theme. The issue is that the barrage of female pejoratives and profanities can hurt the emotional resonance of the album. Especially with the attempts made in foreshadowing like in ‘Constellation Cradle’, there are much props to be given about the cohesive efforts being made even as the other parts of writing might not be all what it’s worked up to be.

It can feel jarring to compare the glitchy interpretation of the new jack swing in ‘Brohoof’ to ‘Hush!’. The dissonant feeling between the groovy backing music in the former and the reveal that our protagonist is possessed by her shadow works well as it distracts us from what could’ve been a gut-punch of revelations around her. Comparatively with the latter, its post-industrial innovations feel neutered by the pity attempt through the intrusive thoughts laid out by Vylet Pony’s shadow. 

There are highlights to be had which can be found near the end. ‘Carousel’ feels like a rewarding scene in contrapuntalism. While Vylet Pony (the character, not the artist for clarification) bemoans her traumas and anxieties, the swelling piano and choral backing distracts you from how the titular ride is just a distraction from her long-faded goals. ‘Futura’ takes us back to the usual blend of indietronica as our protagonist accepts that her shadow, however much of her resentments and regrets she hoards with her, will always be a part of her. With its soaring atmospheric feeling, there’s a sense of reconciliation to be found here. Lastly, ‘Creekflow’ sees the same refrain from ‘Pony Rock’ being used to put Vylet Pony in a spot where life will go on even as there’s a possibility that she will break down to her past problems. Compared with the optimism in her last album, the ending here is far more bittersweet.

Carousel might not have the most amazing potency in drawing emotional reactions to its storytelling. However, there’s a clear charm to be felt about how the artist herself is technically proficient in making the album herself. It can go from abrasive to lush and again from soothing to harsh in such a smooth transition that you won’t feel too disoriented. The amount of influences is vast, but they’re all organised in a way that doesn’t make the whole project feel all over the place. I have my doubts on the lyricisms, but the fact remains that it’s not every day that you get to listen to own-characters be portrayed with a lot of depth that is comparable to that of the more acclaimed cartoon shows. That is an achievement to be had especially given that the music artist is also good at illustrating. Maybe she can give herself a shot at making an animated musical one day.

People will continue to make fun of fan content creators as part of the ‘cringe culture’ need of mockery for drawing from their favourite shows, films, or games rather than straight from their heart. Yet, this shouldn’t mean to say that Vylet Pony, the music artist, will get the same treatment. I may find this album to be a bit more inconsistent and more susceptible to worn-out heartstrings tugging than can opener’s notebook. However, this is still a technical treasure to behold and she should still feel proud of what she manages to accomplish. I’m sure that the rest of the fandom agrees with her on that as well.