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Posts with single songs, fresh from YouTube

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Toby Macarony – Still Unclear To Me | Smooth Jazz

(Check out Toby’s Album Shenanigans II)

You know purity when you hear it. Pure authentic jazz is something magical. It has the ability to sweep you off your feet or reflect in the moments of truth. Leave it to this man to take one of Twilight Sparkle’s crucial character moments and turn them into something so emotionally deep and smooth.

Toby has a distinct reputation of being one of the most original musicians and frankly unappreciated for this talent for music making in the Brony fandom. That might be up for debate depending on who you talk to, however. He has a reputation of making incredibly unique pieces of music, and this track is right on par with those, or even more special. Incredibly smooth piano and saxophone playing, even jazzy drum beats with a dash of Lo-Fi for the electronic flavor. The manipulation of Twilight’s vocals from “You’ll Play Your Part” into more jazz-styled vocals is stunning. Interestingly enough, the music is purely original, created from the ground up from Toby’s craft. Credit to him for making the vocals flow with it!

The most amazing thing about this track is that even without Twilight’s vocals, this song is still good. All the melodies and magic of jazz music is super smooth and fluid.

Imagine this for a moment. The newly crowned princess of Equestria is standing on her balcony with Spike, and these vocals are going through her head with this glorious melody. It really puts into perspective how important that moment in season 4 was for her character growth. As always, this Qilin asks you to judge for yourself.

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Djohn Mema – EYES (feat. Sable Symphony) | Metal

 

I know after listening to this song you will have questions. It’s understandable. Eyes represent something that’s been done in music for centuries.

Heavy metal is such an amazing genre to use as a conduit to send a strong message to get you to think really hard. Djohn here has produced a fine use of those elements of anger and frustration, amped right up with a message that should ring into your heart. The guitars, Djohn’s masterful drumming and Sable’s orchestration gives this track its legs. But is the voice of Djohn that is the heart of this track. The message in those lyrics… It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what he’s talking about and he is so good at letting that emotion just come right out.

Now the message in those lyrics is probably going to be controversial to some who hear it; we as Bronies don’t like to hear the truth sometimes. But what Djohn has done is nothing new in music. Bands like System of a Down. Slipknot, Korn, Rage Against the Machine, Linkin Park and Korn are examples. Rappers like Public Enemy, NWA and Eminem are also known for it, and even classic artists like Bob Dylan and Phil Collins.

Every single one of these groups caused controversy to some degree and some people were not happy. But the public curious took a closer look and found those messages and understood.

Take a step back and listen. There is wisdom in those lyrics. Very relatable ones that not only talk about our fandom, but people as a whole. The episode in My Little Pony. “The talk of the town” moral this song is the same as that episode about Zecora; it’s just a lot more blunt and honest in this songTake an honest listen of this song and think about it. This Qilin more than ever asks you to really judge for yourself.

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DoTheDaringDew – We Were Here | Acoustic

 

“An embrace that time cannot erase.”

The whole song is centered around this very line, and the moment in this video with it. Music is such a conduit for putting such raw and powerful feelings or even memories into a flow or output with the right elements and ingredients. Dewie uses all the powerful and natural feeling of folk music, with the epic acoustic guitars being the focal element of the journey. The piano is a seasoning for the happy and bliss, the drum beats for emotional building up in song, and semi orchestral tones for making this song feel like it is telling a tale of legends, those being the legends of thousands of bronies at pony conventions. It brings out the true emotion of Dewie’s songwriting with some really refined production. Everything sounds very vibrant and emotional. Vocally, Dewie sings with his absolute best harmony and power, giving the performance of a lifetime in this track.

These words ring out with profound truth of bronies withstanding the test of time and public opinion. The song hits you right in the personal core of these bounds and memories being in a state of unbreakable legend. From my personal standpoint as I write this, the lyrics with the moments played in the video brings this sense of being overjoyed with a fandom that saved my well being. The feelings of being at a pony con and nothing else matters in the world, that the pure fun, laughter and warm and life changing fellowships that happen in those halls. Many, many bronies have found life saving happiness and renewed passion learning new skills and learning new things about themselves. The kinship you form at these cons are magical, standing in panels and in unity singing a song from the show, dancing with the person next to you, reacting to special moments that only happen at these pony cons. Watching a friend that worked so hard for years to get there do and living a dream, and you getting to be there share the moment with them! Standing arm and arm at the brony music concerts emotionally crying as a song that means so much to you and others is being played to you live, right in that moment. Or something as simple as playing a game or having lunch with someone that means a lot to you and you becoming closer. This song hits all of those buttons. I can honestly say that this song is so heartfelt to me and a lot of other bronies who found a place where they could find real friends in such a harsh world that is not fair. But for a special weekend at a pony con, the world is right. Not bad for such a niche fandom.

If you shed a few tears listening to this song, then you know. The song has an amazing sax solo with this super emotional melody about never forgetting what Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Fluttershy have done for us. Never let the brony spirit go out. Remember that feeling and never forget that “We Were Here”. Please check out Dewie’s album Reflection, where you get this song and history of his journey as a musician. As always, this Qilin asks you to judge for yourself.

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PrinceWhateverer – This Party Never Ends (Ft. Blackened) | Metalcore

Oh boy it’s a Pony Life track! From the reigning kings of brony metal, PrinceWhateverer and Blackened bring us this high-octane bop as a great reminder that This Party Never Ends! The sound design is tight as you should expect from PW by now and the music falls somewhere between metal and pop-punk with heavy hitting drums and riffs mixed in with catchy and upbeat lyrics and guitar rhythms. Add some bells on top to keep things fun and lighthearted and you’ve got a great collaboration that will energize any listener! For those who have been around a while, you might catch some the nifty references to Pinkie’s Brew as well!

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Jyc Row – Before the Infinite Eclipse (feat. Velvet R. Wings & Maria Grigoryeva) | Epic Orchestral

Jyc Row has proven once again that not only is he capable of writing outstanding music, but to tell captivating stories with it too. Before the Infinite Eclispe is the next installement in the Infinite Eclispe series. Most of the information about the story and links to all chapters are found in this document, essential to a proper understanding of the alternate universe crafted by the composer. This piece is a call back to what happened before and builds up to the next turning point in the series. It does so by using the themes of Sun of the Night and Night Queen, the movements belonging to each of the sisters’ tragic peripeteia, and the theme of Together, Against the Sisters. Jyc Row gathered the help of Maria Grigoryeva on the viola and plenty of fandom talents, including Velvet R. Wings‘ beautiful operatic voice and Wubcake‘s voice acting skills to create this piece not parsimonious in terms of goosebumps and leaving but thirsty for more.

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MrMehster & Tw3Lv3 – Work In Progress (BeatSpark Remix) | Dubstep

Track 4 from the WIP Remix EP is BeatSpark’s bouncy take on the MrMehster and Tw3Lv3 track! After a speedy and peppy intro, we’re treated to a phone conversation in front of a drop before launching into a powerful dubstep section that gradually picks up in speed. My favourite part personally is the little break before the end where the synths are muffled-sounding before becoming clear once again, keeping its heavenly sound. BeatSpark deserves more recognition!

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Jyc Row – Sunset Shimmer | Orchestral

This song was crafted in two hours. Would you believe it? Regardless, this song stands up as a powerful orchestral piece in spite of how long it took, showcasing an unforgettable melody performed by strong orchestral strings, choirs and drums. The song even slows down towards the end with a key change which only further strengthens the powerful feeling it gives off. Click here to see Jyc Row make the song in action!

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[Equinity] LaunchSix – Death Grip | Dubstep

Both the title track of Death Grip EP and one of the features of the upcoming compilation album Equinity 03 Breach, this hard-hitting banger from LaunchSix is not just blowing us away with mad wubs, it also depicts the death grip that Celestia and Luna’s evil alter egos are having over them, as explained in the description!

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iblank2apples – Horse D’oeuvres (Tw3Lv3 Remix) | Drum & Bass

Showcasing such tasteful choices of songs to remix, Tw3Lv3 sent some love to Blankie’s way with this smooth DnB remix following up on the distinct musical vibes from the original. And always with the “best sample ever” in Tw3Lv3’s words! Also check out Tw3Lv3’s other recent release In Mind’s Sight from the Fluid album!

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Toby Macarony – Califoalnia Road | World Music

Part of the album Shenanigans Two, Toby’s Califoalnia Road is almost taking you in the dance of a flamenco, with such rare musical style in the community! The choice of artwork to be featrued in the video is just perfect along the music, and I can’t help wanting to imagine a scene like this at some place in Equestria!