First up, welcome to anyone reading this via BritBronies. It was a nice surprise to see these posts mentioned there, so thank you! I hope you – and indeed everyone else – enjoy these little retrospectives of what was popular in Pony music a decade ago. As ever, a reminder of the criteria required for me to include a track here:
Rule 1: Still available in the same or (1b) similar form direct from the/an original 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.
It's been several editions now since I've had to exclude a song for not meeting any of the above criteria, and you know what? I don't have to do so this time around either! Huzzah! So, here are today's five:
30: Forest Rain – Fluttershy
29: Sand Josieph ft. Amelia Bedelia and other changelings – Mother Changeling
28: dBPony ft. MicTheMicrophone – No Chance
27: PrinceWhateverer ft. Scrambles & Dreamchan – Destabilize
26: Makkon – Dregs of a Bitter Cup
As usual, past this point there's a jump break (if that works on your device) and then the YouTube embeds, brief notes and thoughts from me. Off we go!
Anyone who knows me will know that Forest Rain is one of my all-time favourite fandom musicians. They will also know that Fluttershy is my favourite pony. Combine the two and you get... well, this! A lovely, warm-hearted piece in which the narrator thanks Fluttershy for bringing her out of her shell. "Every day becomes better than the last" when you can find the words to speak your heart. Forest Rain says in the YouTube video description that the song gives her "all the warm and fuzzies", and it's pretty hard for me to argue with that! You can buy this in HQ for $1 on Forest Rain's Bandcamp.
Rule 1: uploaded to YouTube 18 Nov 2013
Described by the apparently still musically active Sand Josieph as "hip-hopera", this is a very distinctive Chrysalis track. Amelia Bedelia provides the vocals, with a bunch of other folks playing minor roles. There's strong influence from the "Habanera" from Carmen, and it works brilliantly. It's sometimes said that Chryssy is one of the most devoted mothers in My Little Pony, regardless of evilness or indeed species, and that comes through here. It's quite a long song at over six minutes, but it doesn't outstay its welcome. It's a name-your-price track on Sand Josieph's Bandcamp.
Rule 1: uploaded to Mic's YouTube 24 Jul 2014
A no-nonsense rocker of a song now, and there's nothing at all wrong with that! This is a collaboration between two Pony music big names in dBPony and MicTheMicrophone, and in fact another layer is added by a third fandom legend – Lavender Harmony – being in charge of the mix'n' master. It all produces a very satisfying result. The song itself is about Trixie, and in particular her rivalry with Twilight Sparkle. Trixie's attitude here is very similar to that canonised in Rainbow Rocks' "Tricks Up My Sleeve" – "Oh I know you'll have to fold your cards cause I've got the better hand" – but "No Chance" was published first! It's available for $1 on dBPony's Bandcamp.
Rock harder, you say? Well, here's PrinceWhateverer to scratch that itch, and after all it's suitable that a Corrupted Sweetie Bot song should be metal! If you know the more recent "Enemy Undefined", well, that track wouldn't exist without this one! I must admit I find "Destabilize" a little too heavy for my taste, and the 2018 reimagining featuring Brittney Ackerman is rather smoother and better produced, but the original here does have a rawness that suits its harsh subject matter. Screaming by Scrambles and harmonies by Dreamchan. Both this original and the 2018 update are on PrinceWhateverer's Bandcamp; they cost £1 each.
You may well be wondering, as I did at first, why a song from early 2012 made it so high up this chart. Great as the still-around-but-not-in-Pony Makkon's instrumentals are, that does seem odd. However, there is an answer! This track was used as the music for "Guardian", a hugely popular animation (over 11 million views) by kanashiipanda that premiered at BronyCon 2014. The PMV is worth watching and features Derpy fighting the changeling invasion of Canterlot. The tune itself is exciting and somewhat reminiscent of a game fight theme. You can pick up the song in HQ only as part of the free-to-download 100% No Feeble Cheering album by Balloon Party.
ahhh, that's a top-tier Forest Rain track :D
ReplyDeleteSand Josieph is a musician I never really looked deeply into, even though I really liked the Carnival Cat song. I think this one leans far too hard on the Habanera, though, and I find that distracting from any other merits it might have.
Dregs is a good'n though :)
I find thinking of the Sand Josieph song as a mashup sorts that, since then you expect the heavy use of the inspiration. YMMV as usual.
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