Sounds of 2013, Nos. 100 to 96

Back in February, I said I was going to get cracking with "Sounds of 2013", but of course that seems very long ago now. Nevertheless, I think I'd like to set off anyway, since at the very least it should give folks something enjoyable to read. So, here we go! A quick run-down of my inclusion rules, which are the same as the 2012 criteria:

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

I'm featuring just the four tracks on this first day as unfortunately no. 100 doesn't meet my inclusion criteria. You can see the ones that do listed below. Past the page break, you'll get videos and a bit of info about each piece.

100: skipped
99: The Living Tombstone – Nightmare Night (remix)
98: TheDashDub ft. Feather – Never Alone
97: Joaftheloaf ft. Feather – The Hardest Thing
96: Evening Star – Land of Equestria

Please keep reading if you'd like to know more about these songs!

100: skipped

99: The Living Tombstone – Nightmare Night (remix)

Rule 1: uploaded to YouTube 29 Mar 2013
A surprise right off the bat! I was astonished when I discovered that The Living Tombstone's remix of this WoodenToaster/Mic the Microphone classic had barely scraped into the top 100. I really don't know why, as it's a very solid Tombstone track and gets plenty of play to this day. Okay, if pushed I would say I did prefer the original – but with over five million views on YouTube, you'd think this version would have ended up much higher up the chart. You can download this free as part of Tombstone Remixes, available from Mega via the YouTube video description. The 227-meg download takes a while, though.

98: TheDashDub ft. Feather – Never Alone

Rules 1 (uploaded to YouTube 7 Feb 2013) and 4 (unlisted)
Were I choosing my top 100 for 2013, "Never Alone" by the artist now known as Chris Heron would be much, much higher. It's one of the greatest Scootalove tracks of all time, and I'm so grateful to the artist for keeping it available – unlisted, yes, but still there. Feather's stunningly beautiful, emotional vocals help show the caring, sensitive side to Rainbow Dash that we saw in "Sleepless in Ponyville", the episode that directly inspired this song. For fans of the honorary sisters, this is pretty much essential listening. WillisNinety-Six drew the lovely cover art. You can get a 192k MP3 via Mediafire from the video description.

97: Joaftheloaf ft. Feather – The Hardest Thing

Rule 1: uploaded to YouTube 25 Jan 2013
Along with (as he's now known) Joafie, Feather's vocal talents feature again here, and I'm not going to complain about that. Anyway, remember when FlutterMac was a thing? This is a really soft, gentle love song that suits the pair very nicely. It's probably not going to stick in your head for ever and a day, but it makes excellent background music. There's even an EileMonty cover if you feel so inclined. There's a Mediafire download for the MP3, but if you want it in higher quality, it's $1 on Joaftheloaf's Bandcamp.

96: Evening Star – Land of Equestria

Rules 1 (uploaded to YouTube 23 Feb 2013) and 4 (unlisted – but see below)
Evening Star, who these days operates as Marcus Warner, won a stellar reputation many years ago for his orchestral pieces, of which this is one of the best known. A swelling, stirring piece written with the thought "Equestria's national anthem" in mind, it's a collaboration with the artist's friend Rory Sherman, who plays the flute and contributes backing vocals. As many will know, this track was "reimagined" in late 2019, and the newer version is undoubtedly more accomplished and is strongly recommended. As ever with this series, though, I link above to the version that got the votes in 2013. You can still purchase this older version in HQ for £1 on Marcus Warner's Bandcamp.