Thursday 17 January 2019

Sounds of 2011: Nos. 39 to 35

Time we got the time machine out for a trip back to the early days of our fandom – and, in particular, its musical output.


If you need an introduction to this one, then you're either new to the fandom or someone with very odd musical tastes! Although later eclipsed in popularity by The Living Tombstone's remix, it's the artist now known as Odyssey Eurobeat who brought us "Discord" in early October 2011. When this song appeared, "The Return of Harmony" was the most recent show episode, so it's impressive that the artist got such a catchy and memorable tune together so quickly. It's slightly slower-paced than that remix, but perhaps actually more coherent as a result. It certainly deserves its proper place rather than being overshadowed by you-know-what. If you fancy owning an HQ copy, head for the artist's Bandcamp and name your price!


Ah, Friendship is Witchcraft. Its star has perhaps faded a little in recent years, but I stubbornly continue to love it. And even those less enamoured of this abridged series than I am tend to appreciate two things: one is Sweetie Bot, who originated in FiW. The other is its original music. This one by Sherclop Pones (Griffin Lewis and Jenny Nicholson) was the series' first fully original song, and it's fantastic. Pinkie's singing is deceptively cheery and light-hearted in tone. But listen to the words and you'll realise it's a tale of gypsy magic and heartbreak. Sadly, the Dropbox download links provided are now dead. Just like Pinkie's parents.

37: MIU – WANT IT NEED IT

Yes, all caps. This track by MIU, only a small portion of whose music is Pony, is a very creepy one. That's not surprising, as it's inspired by Twilight's descent into madness in "Lesson Zero". This is actually a remix of Jeffthestrider's original, which is a bit harder-edged. The style of MIU's remix is apparently inspired by When They Cry visual novels, about which I know nothing. Still, I like the song anyway; unsurprising, as I like the episode and have a soft spot for piano-heavy tracks. You can pick up an HQ version on a name-your-price basis on MIU's Bandcamp.


"Flutterwonder" is the track most people will name when they think of "So Many Wonders" remixes, but Jackle App produced this nice alternative. It was made in just four hours, which says a fair bit about the guy's abilities. The song sounds very suitable for Fluttershy, with a relaxing feel that speaks of nature and the calmness of the quiet countryside. Don't be fooled by the "HQ Download" Mediafire link – it's just a 128k MP3. That's a shame, as Jackle App's Bandcamp doesn't stock this song either, so you'll be stuck with YouTube quality. Still worth it, though.

No. 35 gets skipped for not meeting the inclusion criteria.

Next time: several songs I know absolutely nothing about! That'll be fun.

5 comments:

  1. It's always been kind of odd to think about Eurobeat's output. He came out strong with Luna and Discord, which were both amazing. And then his next pony track was... Diamond Dogs? Which was good. And then Batty, which was okay. And that's about it, I think. He's done other originals and remixes which were good to great over the years (see also his remix of "Spectrum" by Zedd), but it's like he blew his load early with the show, cementing his legacy but never quite being able to match it again.

    It's ironic that the original version of Pinkie's Brew isn't even the best one. <.< In fact, I'm pretty sure I know the Russian lyrics better than the English ones. Gotta love the word play in that song though.

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    1. Dunno if it counts, but I really like Eurobeat's version of "Call Upon the Sea Ponies" too. I need to re-listen to the Super Ponybeat albums to see if there are any I've missed.

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    2. I also quite like his remix of "This Day Aria", even if there are a bunch of better remixes of that song out there.

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    3. Also, the writing on Pinkie Brew is still top notch, even if the execution itself is... flawed. Jenny may be a great Youtuber, but she isn't really that good of a singer.

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    4. Oddly enough, I don't think iI' like it as much of the singing were perfect. It might sound too much like Show Pinkie.

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