#tumbln.

On 10/7/2012, a 4th of the Australian BronyComms team, Shadrow released his debut solo EP entitled Tumbln.

The EP gets its namesake as it's a collection of song requests the physically fit member receives on Tumblr.

It's jam-packed with 4 original songs & 2 cover songs containing both serious & comedic lyrics set to rock music. Also included are instrumental versions of the 1st 4 tracks, a "skitless" version of the opening track & a text file containing chords to the 4th original song.

Is this worth any of your time/money?

TRACK-BY-TRACK

*NOTE: the instrumental songs & the "skitless" version of the 1st track won't be reviewed for obvious reasons; which is also why I'm calling it an "EP"*

This Zucchini The EP opens with a simple chattering audience. Shadrow then shows up to inform them (later revealed to be a bunch of him) to record the track. This song is "co-written" by MLP artist Nyerpy, who requested Shadrow to "write a limerick about zucchinis & record the song". It also features the other 3 4ths of BronyComms, Fertro, simply saying the line: "Yeah. Um, I'm not supposed to be here." This song's got great guitar riffs & cleverly written lyrics (e.g. "The future of this zucchini is looking leek") but lacks longevity & ends up being the least memorable for me.

Call Upon The Sea Ponies 1 of the 2 covers. This song was originally written for the MLP G1 series. With all words of honesty, I thought this was a brilliant cover. It contains amazing punk rock electric guitar riffs & hardcore drum beats. Shadrow takes this song to a new direction that I've never heard any other person attempt before & it works.

Equinomicon (Dusty Love) I'd definitely call this the "lead single" that convinces listeners to purchase this. The songs concept ("co-written" by some Tumblr anon) is based upon MLP character, Twilight Sparkle & her discovery of a book & falling madly in love with it. Little does she know that this book could doom all of Equestria. This concept is reminiscent to the Teen Titans episode "Spellbound". 1 of my personal favorites. Overall, this track's got very well-thought out wacky yet romantic lyrics, pleasant folky guitar riffs played on both acoustic & electric guitars, panty-dropping bass lines, smooth drum rhythm & harmonic Shadrow vocals. This definitely makes Equinomicon the most addictive track to listen to.

Little Old Man This song is based on a YouTube series called Spike & Barley. I had no clue what it was 'til I heard this. Back to the song; it has a very slow, dark & eerie feel that can truly intimidate listeners. The Australian musician's clever use of creepy tones, guitar tabs & backing vocals help contribute to this frightening feel. As a result, I believe that this song has the potential to be used for trailers of future horror games &/or horror/thriller movies. 

The Ballad Of Jack Kickmaster The concept originally started as a random inside joke that Shadrow made about a toaster beating up a lion with a chair. As more ideas for the toaster developed, Shadrow eventually decided to write a song about it for his music class. This is the only song on the EP where he doesn't provide any vocals at all. WWHHYY?!?! Shadrow's got an awesome voice!!! Instead, fellow brony TrotPilgrim sings (as well as plays the organ in...) this song. Goddamn it! This is the most adventurous track. It's got catchy verses & choruses with tragic, aggressive & gleeful yet zany lyrics set to a fast pace that can make you dance like crazy.

Code Monkey This is the 2nd cover as well as the closing track. It was originally composed by Jonathan Coulton, best known for his work on the Portal series. While this was a simple "test cover", it's a pretty cool attempt for the young Australian. This gave him the opportunity to experiment with his voice & know what his vocal range is capable of. Overall, it's a very fun cover to listen to despite the intention to be a "filler track".

OVERALL THOUGHTS

Distribution Method Like most independent artists, Shadrow released his debut EP through BandCamp. While it's not the most innovative way to get material out to the world, it's surely 1 of the most convenient.

Musical Production None of the production of Shadrow's vocals nor any of the musical instruments took place in a professional recording studio. It's all written, recorded & mixed the comfort of Shadrow's own home in Canberra, Australia. This makes the EP different to typical albums you would purchase in stores or online & results in taking a Gotye-esque approach. With that being said, Shadrow's excellent homemade musical compositions are truly enjoyable. A fine example was his ability to blend both punk rock & folk music together in Equinomicon.

Lyrical Production Lyrical wise, Shadrow implements various emotions while still maintaining the important comedic factor throughout the EP.

Vocal Styles / Influences Shadrow's voice is definitely 1 of the most pleasant I've ever heard, despite his constant denials of having a good singing voice. Shadrow gives a punk rock or pop punk vocal style throughout most of the EP. The only time he uses a different vocal style is in This Zucchini where he sings in what I'd define as a "pure pop" style. A singer that I could compare to Shadrow's style would probably be Noel Gallagher. The only thing that disappointed me as far as his voice goes is that he didn't get to use his falsetto voice. This particular voice is commonly used in his hilarious MLP Lost Episodes project alongside Fertro. It'd be great to see Shadrow experiment with more vocal styles like these in his future material.

Genre Definition? I'd easily define it as: "Comedic Rock"

A Must Buy? Definitely. If you enjoy comedic songs set to pleasant rock music or looking for new songs that give that innovative kick, I don't see why you'd hate this. You're gonna have the time of your life when listening to Tumbln.

Future Releases Shadrow's officially proclaimed that he may re-release Tumbln. for "improvement of sound quality" reasons. If this is the case, I'd love to hear a new version of The Ballad Of Jack Kickmaster with the use of his own vocals. As of this time, Shadrow's in the middle of writing new material while experimenting with new sounds. From what I've heard recently, it seems as if he's taking a departure from the notable rocky sounds of Tumbln. & heading towards a more electronic & dark direction (refer to Booting & Spook) with his possible new 2nd album. This also includes new incorporations of piano & keyboards as well as small uses of vulgarity. (refer to Traffic) Artists who have taken similar approaches include Jesse McCartney, Take That & recently 30 Seconds To Mars. All of the above artists ended up doing astounding work with such approaches & achieved success with flying colors. I believe that Shadrow will certainly be able to do the same.

OVERALL SCORE

4.7 / 5