Sounds of 2016, nos. 15 to 11

We'll be into the top ten next time around! But for now, our look through the Equestrian Trot 100 chart from 2016 isn't quite there. As ever, here are the inclusion rules:

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. 

I had to skip one song last week. This week? Well... I don't! A pretty heavyweight line-up today, as you'll see:

15: Aviators – The Magic Inside (remix)
14: JoinedTheHerd – It's Gonna Work (remix)
13: Black Gryph0n & Michelle Creber – Here We Are
12: WoodenToaster – Prototype VIP
11: Michelle Creber & Black Gryph0n – Equality

Isn't that fascinating? Well, actually, it probably is if you're reading a post like this! So then... 

15: Aviators – The Magic Inside (remix)

Rule 1: uploaded to YouTube 6 Jan 2016
We start off this time with the enormously popular Aviators. By this time he was making significantly fewer MLP songs than had once been the case, but I'm so pleased he saw fit to remix Lena Hall's fantastic number from "The Mane Attraction". Of course, Aviators has the sense to leave the original vocals intact, adding the instrumentation for what he calls a "modern Broadway" sound. Apparently both Daniel Ingram and Lena Hall heard this remix and liked it. So do I, very much. The song is on the Equestrian Revolution 4: Uprising album, and it is a name-your-price download on Aviators' Bandcamp.

14: JoinedTheHerd – It's Gonna Work (remix)

 

Rule 1: Uploaded to YouTube 11 Jun 2016

Hay folks, it's yet another of JoinedTheHerd's bouncy, cheerful show song remixes! This isn't one of my favourite songs in its original form – I don't hate it, I just don't adore it – and I think this version is an improvement. JTH really leans hard into giving us a Western take on the Bollywood sound, and you can imagine dozens of dancers popping out of the wings at any minute! This track is also a name-your-price download: look on JoinedTheHerd's Bandcamp to find it.

 

13: Black Gryph0n & Michelle Creber – Here We Are

 

Rule 1: Re-uploaded to YouTube 24 Mar 2016
Fun fact: on this track she shares with Black Gryph0n, Michelle Creber is actually credited on the original YouTube upload as "Apple Bloom"! This song is the spiritual successor to the hugely successful earlier CMC song, "Are We There Yet?" By now, of course, the Crusaders had earned their cutie marks, and so the feel of this song is one of achievement as they look forward to helping others to find their way. It's notably well put together even in its YouTube form, but pick up the HQ version for 99 cents on Black Gryph0n's Bandcamp.

 

12: WoodenToaster – Prototype VIP

 

Rule 1: Uploaded to YouTube 31 May 2015

If you think you've heard this WoodenToaster (aka Glaze) track before around here, then you're dead right: it was number two in the 2015 chart! This song is apparently "sorta related" to "Awoken". As I said last year: it's the story of a damaged pony who embraces the vision of turning himself into a cyborg. I can't say I notice the Terraria references that some say are there, but as I don't play that game it's hardly surprising! WoodenToaster's songs are not on Bandcamp, which is annoying. They are available officially on various major streaming services, but the simplest place to find this track is on Glaze's Soundcloud.

 

11: Michelle Creber & Black Gryph0n – Equality

 

Rule 1: Uploaded to YouTube 30 Nov 2015
We round off today's post with a second song by Michelle Creber and Black Gryph0n, credited the other way around here for whatever reason. As you might imagine, it's a song about Starlight Glimmer. It's a tremendously well made piece of pop rock (more or less) that really will get stuck in your head after a listen or two. As with the other song this week by these folks, the high-quality audio version of this will set you back 99 cents on Black Gryph0n's Bandcamp.