Sounds of 2012: Nos. 38 to 33

The YouTube concerns have, if not gone away, then at least calmed down for the moment, until everyone finds out what's actually going to happen in January. With that in mind, I might as well go back to "Sounds of 2012" and the Everfree Radio Top 100 for that year, and see how far I can get before everything falls apart – if, and it's a big if, that ends up happening at all. I'm going to be sticking to the same criteria for inclusion, so a quick reminder:

Rule 1: Still available in the same or (1b) similar form direct from the artist
Rule 2: Available from a third party, with reason to believe the artist is fine with this
Rule 3: So famous that it would be plain silly to leave it out
Rule 4: Being unlisted is not, on its own, grounds for exclusion

38: MandoPony – Shining Armor
37: Aviators – Loyalty (Aviators Remix)
36: Alex S. – Ultimate Sweetie Belle
35: Aviators – The Fear of Flight
34: All Levels at Once – Changeling
33: Forest Rain – Hay Ms. Derpy

Past the cut you'll find a YouTube video (oh yes!) of each of the half-dozen songs from this instalment, plus the usual waffle and info on how to get a better-quality version of each track.

38: MandoPony – Shining Armor

Rule 1: originally uploaded to YouTube 26 Apr 2012
The current version of MandoPony's song on YouTube dates from 2014, after he decided to change all songs with copyrighted artwork in their visuals. This is a rock song in which Shining Armor (surprise!) sings about how much Twilight means to him and how much he misses her, remembering the times when he was her greatest hero. He wistfully wishes she'd come back home to visit. Considering the original upload date was just five days after "A Canterlot Wedding" aired, it's a pretty impressive achievement: straightforward, yes, but pretty good all the same. There's a 320k MP3 download linked in the video description, or you can get it in lossless formats for 50 cents on MandoPony's Bandcamp.

37: Aviators – Loyalty (Aviators Remix)

Rule 1: uploaded to YouTube 6 May 2012
Unsurprisingly, AcoustiMandoBrony's hit "Loyalty" brought plenty of remixes, of which this one by Aviators proved among the most popular. It's a slightly softer, slower, shorter and synthier version of the original, with a funky style that Aviators described as an experiment and that isn't quite like his other songs of the era. I can't decide whether I like it or not, but it's certainly an interestingly different approach to a song pretty much the entire fandom knows by heart. There's a 320k MP3 available via a link in the video description. It's also available lossless on Aviators' Bandcamp as part of the Equestrian Revolution album. You can't get this song on its own there, but as the album is name-your-price it matters little.

36: Alex S. – Ultimate Sweetie Belle

Rule 2: hosted on an official archive channel
When you listen to an Alex S. track, you expect plenty of hard-edged electronica and well-judged show samples, and so it is here. Then there's Sweetie's "Come on!" (without the "Oh") and it's drop time. After that, this isn't quite so much to my liking, but it remains as well produced as you'd imagine. And I have to admit that when the thing winds up and up and up a bit after the three-minute mark, even I get a feeling of anticipation. Okay, it's more of the same thereafter, but I know many people will love it. Listen on headphones. You can pick up a 320k MP3 courtesy of the Mediafire link in the video description, or losslessly for a dollar at Alex S.'s Bandcamp. (You can also buy the much shorter 2017 VIP version there.)

35: Aviators – The Fear of Flight

Rule 1: uploaded 3 Apr 2012
It's a song by Aviators about Fluttershy, inspired by "Hurricane Fluttershy". How could I possibly not love it? It's a wonderful, inspirational song that hits all the right 2012-era Aviators notes and which I've always considered a little underrated. I'm glad it charted reasonably highly. Aviators did say it wasn't as good as he'd hoped due to his suffering from a cold-induced reduced vocal range. You can hear his slightly less clear vocals occasionally, but it's still a great song and the instrumentals are unaffected. 320k MP3 from the video description or lossless for whatever you want to pay on Aviators' Bandcamp.

34: All Levels at Once – Changeling

Rule 1: uploaded to YouTube 29 May 2012
This is an All Levels at Once song that I didn't know very well at all. Unsurprisingly, it's largely based on the S2 finale. It features plenty that's basically a remix of parts of "This Day Aria", though there are one or two other samples, even one from "Hurricane Fluttershy", so you could call it a mash-up if you wanted. It's classic ALaO in style, with the kind of distortion you'd expect from them. Probably not my favourite of their songs, but it's solid enough. There's a direct download from the artist's site (ie, not via Mediafire etc) in the video download.

33: Forest Rain – Hay Ms Derpy

Rule 1: uploaded to YouTube 12 Apr 2012
Okay, before we start: yes, this Forest Rain track was clearly inspired by the Plain White T's song "Hey There Delilah"; and yes, it is a bit disappointing that she didn't acknowledge that. With that out of the way... this is a really lovely song, a bouncy, happy song about how much the singer loves Derpy. Bear in mind that by the time the Everfree Top 100 was being voted for, the fandom was uncertain whether we'd ever see the Muffin Mare in the show again, so it felt like it was up to us to keep her flame alive. This song does that really, really well. Pick up a 320k MP3 for free via the video description or for a buck on Forest Rain's Bandcamp.