Sounds of 2012: No. 1!

Here we are at the end of "Sounds of 2012", and I did – just – get the series completed before year's end after all! Not that it matters by this stage in proceedings, but here are the usual inclusion rules:

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

01: The Living Tombstone – Discord (Remix)

Come on, were any of you surprised? Let's get right on to the waffly bit:

01: The Living Tombstone – Discord (Remix)

Rule 1: uploaded to YouTube 21 Jan 2012
People who don't listen to much brony music know about The Living Tombstone's remix of "Discord". There are people who barely know the fandom exists who can sing it. These days, some people even believe it's about the chat app, despite this remix having been released several years before the app existed! It's closing in on 35 million views on YouTube, but even that doesn't really get across just how massive this track became, and to a considerable extent still is. It has seven times the views of Eurobeat Brony's original, so it's unsurprising that many fans even in 2019 are surprised to find that Tombstone didn't do this first. (This misconception has been both a source of slight irritation to EB and a source of slight embarrassment to TLT.) The remix itself is classic Tombstone electronica, but however many times you hear it, it's hard to deny its staying power. The chorus is perhaps a bit dull compared with the original version, but as a dancefloor number it hits all the right notes. There's a 320k MP3 download in the video description.

And there you are! "Sounds of 2012" is a wrap! In answer to the question so many of you are desperate to know the answer to: yes, I do plan on doing "Sounds of 2013" during 2020. I won't get going on that immediately – I have to make up some ground with my S1 rewatch, for a start! – but I hope it won't be too long. Meanwhile, thank you to everyone who stuck with this series right from the beginning. :)

Worcester Shires quiz – answers!

I hope a few people had fun with this quiz, even those who didn't post comments attempting any of the questions. Here are the official answers:

Worcester Shires Hearth's Warming Quiz 2019

Q1: Whose voice was the first ever heard in Friendship is Magic?
Nicole Oliver

Q2: In "Hearth's Warming Eve", who were the three assistants to the pony tribal rulers? (1 mark for each)
Clover the Clever, Private Pansy, Smart Cookie

Q3: Who was the main interior artist on the first IDW MLP comic?
Andy Price

Q4: What is the name of Tirek's estranged brother?
Scorpan

Q5: In "Slice of Life", what do Celestia and Luna bicker about?
Whose turn it was to bring the present

Q6: Complete the song line: "Cupcakes, so sweet and tasty…"
"...cupcakes, don't be too hasty!"

Q7: In the 2017 film, what is the name of Queen Novo's octopus servant?
Jamal

Q8: What was the name of the large convention held for a few years in France?
BronyDays

Q9: In the popular [Worcester meet] card game "Chase the Ace", which family are said to be cursed?
The Cakes (both the decks we use have Cakes as low-ranking cards)

Q10: Which is the only G1 pony to be included in Friendship is Magic's Mane Six with her name and design largely unchanged?
Applejack

Q11: What is the name of the toy line that includes Cheese Sandwich's party tank cannon?
Guardians of Harmony

Q12: Who wrote the official MLP chapter books?
G. M. (Gillian) Berrow

Q13: In "Hurricane Fluttershy", what wing power number is required to produce a tornado?
800

Q14: Who are the four officially-named Our Town residents with speaking parts in "The Cutie Map", not including Starlight? (1 mark for each)
Double Diamond, Night Glider, Sugar Belle, Party Favor

Q15: Which pony was the first figure to be given away with the [UK] monthly magazine?
Pinkie Pie

Q16: After the parasprites have finally been run out of town by Pinkie's polka performance, which city does Princess Celestia say has been hit by an infestation?
Fillydelphia

Q17: Another movie question: who voices Capper?
Taye Diggs

Q18: Which School of Friendship student is terrified of confined spaces?
Gallus

Q19: In the song "Pinkie's Present" from "A Hearth's Warming Tail", which character is seen operating a gramophone?
DJ-Pon3 / Vinyl Scratch

Q20: What is the very last word spoken (not sung) in Friendship is Magic?
"You." ("I know just where to send you.")

Tie-breaker! (We didn't need this, but I'll include it anyway.)

QTB: How many words are there in the fanfic My Little Dashie?
12,524

Sounds of 2012: Nos. 3 and 2

Here we go with the penultimate post of "Sounds of 2012", a series counting down the tracks voted by Everfree Radio's listeners back at the end of 2012 as being their fandom favourites of that year. For form's sake, here are the usual inclusion criteria, though anything that ranks in the top three is damn well going in anyway!

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

03: Bronyfied – Brony Metal Medley
02: AcoustiMandoBrony – Loyalty

I normally put a page break here, but I won't bother with that for this post or for the final one, as they won't end up all that long. Here we go...

03: Bronyfied – Brony Metal Medley

Rule 1: uploaded to YouTube 1 Apr 2012
This seven-minute extravaganza from Bronyfied is pretty much what it says on the tin: a collection of fandom hits, all played in an orchestral metal style. Bronyfied called it "a sort of love letter to all the musicians in the community", and it's accompanied in the video by a collection of art pieces made specifically for this project. The eight or so songs chosen are all well known even today, ranging as they do from Eurobeat Brony's "Luna" to The Living Tombstone's "September". I'm not sure this really deserves to be number three, but it's enjoyable listening for sure. Almost inevitably, the Dropbox link given to download the song is long dead. It's interesting that Mediafire links are nearly always still working years later, whereas Dropbox links are pretty much universally not. Oh well.

02: AcoustiMandoBrony – Loyalty

Rule 1: uploaded to YouTube 24 Jan 2012
This is still, almost eight years after it was released, AcoustiMandoBrony's biggest hit by far. That may be slightly irritating to both MandoPony and Acoustic Brony (now Re:Make), who both released heaps of music after this, but I doubt it's going to change now. The first of the "Elements" series (which still lacks "Magic" to finish it off, but apparently that's coming), this is very much a paean to Rainbow Dash. The production quality here isn't all that amazing, but the song has a tremendous energy that not many other tracks can match. I can vouch for the fact that it sounds very fine live, though I've only experienced it all through once. (BUCK 2014. At UK PonyCon 2019 I had to leave after one verse to make the Pub Quiz!) There's a 320k MP3 download link (a direct one, too) in the video description.

My Little Repeats 15: "Feeling Pinkie Keen"

"Er, Twi? You sure about this new spell o' yours?"

S1E15: "Feeling Pinkie Keen"
Written by Dave Polsky
11 Feb 2011

My original rating: N/A
IMDB score: 7.2

The one with Pinkieus Pieicus

Thoughts: Dave Polsky makes his debut, completing the S1 lineup, and he does so with an episode that was an early source of significant brony controversy. You can see why some fans felt Pinkie's eventual convincing of Twilight over Pinkie Sense felt a bit like a "faith beats science" moment, though I've softened a little on that since Polsky's BUCK 2014 panel inluded a spirited defence of the episode. (I was at that talk, and a lot of attendees were impressed.) It still doesn't quite feel right, though at least we get plenty of good ol' Snarky!Twi first. We also get the series' first out-and-out fandom nod, with Derpy – now with deliberately derped eyes! – prominent in the aerial removals squad; the ep also sees Gummy's debut. Plus a good, fun – that fourth head – and dangerous monster in the hydra, though it was barely seen again. (Fluttershy didn't know how to calm it, either, though at least she remembered how to hop, skip and jump later.) We didn't see much more of Twi's basement lab, for that matter. Oh, and the episode also featured Twilight's well-remembered Rapidash moment. Plus she did charge the hydra, consciously channelling Rainbow Dash's bravery/stupidity, something worthy of note. While the episode does still rub me up just slightly the wrong way at times, there's a good deal of fun to be had here. Enough for three stars, when once I'd probably only have given it two.

Choice quote: Spike: "Can you do that? Can you explode twice?"

New rating: ★★★

Next up is "Sonic Rainboom", an episode I like – after all, it gave this blog its name! – but not one I adore as much as some of the fandom. Will that change this time? Wait and see!

Ponyfic Roundup 277

Read it Later story count: 230 (-3)

As I've mentioned before, there will be no Ponyfic Roundup on New Year's Day. Instead, I plan on posting PR 278 on 8th January. You can find an idea of what will be in that edition at the end of this edition. And talking of this edition, I've managed to get through five stories for a change – and I'm pleased to say that I enjoyed reading every one of them. Here's the list of what's under review today:

Apple Cider Caramels by iisaw
A Faded Touch of Blue by Tofazz
Calendar Chaos by Impossible Numbers
Conversations with Eternity by Sunchaser
It Doesn't Have to End Here by Soothing Stone

★: 0 | ★★: 0 | ★★★: 2 | ★★★★: 3 | ★★★★★: 0

Sounds of 2012: Nos. 6 to 4

And we're back! It's getting very near the end, as the Beatles once sang. There are no Beatles songs in Everfree Radio's fan-voted Top 100 tracks from 2012, but the bronies of seven years ago did vote for some numbers that have very much stood the test of time. Just three of them in today's post, then two next time and the Number One song in the last of all. A quick reminder of the inclusion rules:

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

06: ponyphonic – Lullaby for a Princess
05: Tsyolin Befriends WoodenToaster – WoodenOverture
04: Forest Rain – Join the Herd

As usual, there's a bit more on each song, including an embedded YouTube video containing the track, after the break. Come with me!

My audio review of Season 9 of FiM

There will be no post tomorrow. I hope to have a "Sounds of 2012" instalment for you on Boxing Day, and then Ponyfic Roundup 277 will appear on Friday 27th December. Note that there will not be a PR the week after that; all being well it will return on 8th January 2020. Now, on to today's business...

( Text link )

Here's your Christmas treat! (Or possibly Christmas trick, depending.) My review of Season 9 of Friendship is Magic, touching briefly on the usual stuff: which episodes I liked, which I didn't, how Fluttershy got on... you get the idea. The video takes a little under a quarter of an hour all told. It was recorded on my phone and only given very basic editing, so I do ask for your indulgence there. Even so, I hope you will find at least some of it interesting.

For those who find it easier or preferable to read, the script I used when making the video is given past the cut. Happy Hearth's Warming!