The Round Stable

(?) · by **XX55XX** (?) » Sun Apr 22, 2012 11:17 pm

So far, we've seen only two different genres of vocal music featured in the show:

1. Musical numbers (Find a Pet, The Flim Flam Brothers)
2. Pop (more or less the rest of it)

Personally, I am not too fond of either genre in general, but I'll listen if it's tied to another good piece of media and not just standing by itself. Pop music and musical numbers are the most technically shallow genres of music, and people often listen to them not just because they necessarily sound good - but rather, because they offer some sentimental value or are being played in conjunction with something else (like a music video, play, etc.)

For example, if I listened to Rarity's "Becoming Popular" by itself without having being acquainted with the show, I would have gagged and muted it. But, since I am a fan of the show, and Rarity is my second most favorite pony, I am ready to loop it for hours on end under certain conditions.

I would love to see a jazz score in the future, if it is within Mr. Ingram's capability to score one. MLP: FiM needs to move beyond Broadway inspired musical numbers and bubblegum pop.

(?) · by **anniie** (?) » Sun Apr 22, 2012 11:30 pm

I think Ingram should fan out a bit, maybe look into more diverse musical genres, like Black metal, Doom metal, Gothic metal, Industrial metal, etc

(?) · by **Opposing Farce** (?) » Sun Apr 22, 2012 11:32 pm

Bring back Rarity's parents and give them a country/western tune.

(?) · by **XX55XX** (?) » Sun Apr 22, 2012 11:36 pm

Needs moar jazz, I think.

Metal wouldn't be bad either.

(?) · by **Grilox** (?) » Sun Apr 22, 2012 11:37 pm

*Ingram reads the thread*

"He's right!!!"

*Season 3 is nothing but dubstep*

(?) · by **Frosthawk** (?) » Sun Apr 22, 2012 11:37 pm

If Fluttershy doesn't get a black metal solo in S3 I will be pissed.

(?) · by **DasNasty** (?) » Sun Apr 22, 2012 11:40 pm

We had the rock ballad in Show Stoppers. Calm down now.

(?) · by **Nissl** (?) » Sun Apr 22, 2012 11:41 pm

I'd like to see some classical or jazz worked in. Maybe another episode about artistry... with an Octavia cameo... ok, too much fanboy there.

(?) · by **Skyelan** (?) » Sun Apr 22, 2012 11:44 pm

XX55XX wrote:So far, we've seen only two different genres of vocal music featured in the show:

1. Musical numbers (Find a Pet, The Flim Flam Brothers)
2. Pop (more or less the rest of it)

I would love to see a jazz score in the future, if it is within Mr. Ingram's capability to score one. MLP: FiM needs to move beyond Broadway inspired musical numbers and bubblegum pop.

Not that even more experimentation wouldn't be nice, but it's not at all like we've only seen those two things since the start of the show. You Gotta Share can't be shoved into either box, CMC's cheesey rock song, or the carol. And the 'musical numbers' thing wasn't around from the start, it was itself introduced to experiment with things after basically a full season. :pinkieshrug:

(?) · by **XX55XX** (?) » Sun Apr 22, 2012 11:46 pm

Okay, so we've had some glam rock as well. Three genres.

If there is jazz next season, I'll squee.

(?) · by **Frosthawk** (?) » Mon Apr 23, 2012 12:00 am

In all seriousness something jazzy definitely seems possible, but I guess it would also depend on the context of the episode it appears in.

So far I've basically loved all the musical number songs, so if they just continue doing that I'll be happy enough.

(?) · by **HuffyTheMagicDragon** (?) » Mon Apr 23, 2012 12:07 am

Also, Sweetie Belle's version of "Hush Now, Quiet Now" was kind of Gospel.

I want an Applejack country style song so bad. :wantitneedit:

But I'm more than happy with the music as is, really. It's the kind of music that fits best with a cartoon like this.

(?) · by **MetalSonic** (?) » Mon Apr 23, 2012 12:24 am

I am fine with musical style music as well, it really fits the character of the show in my opinion.
Also you can experiment in those genres as well. You can´t tell me the Find a Pet song is like [Spoilers] Song #2.

(?) · by **All Out Of Nickels** (?) » Mon Apr 23, 2012 12:26 am

"If fits than thats fine you can't just bring out an Metal rock punk theme if it has nothing to do with the episode itself just for sheer fact you want to, its like screaming "Tissue boxes are great" at a sports game although iy might be fun its the best thing you could of done" Just a quote I read off an catoon review once. :pinkieshrug:

(?) · by **Highbrow Dash** (?) » Mon Apr 23, 2012 12:39 am

anniie wrote:I think Ingram should fan out a bit, maybe look into more diverse musical genres, like Black metal, Doom metal, Gothic metal, Industrial metal, etc

Didn't somebody say season 3 had a song every episode? Or was that an exageration? Either way I'd expect more variety in future episodes, but most of the songs are still going to be musical/pop stuff since that's just what fits best.

(?) · by **machchunk** (?) » Mon Apr 23, 2012 1:24 am

I bet Fluttershy could pull off a New Age-style solo, like this:

Click here to view video.

Actually let's just have Janet English replace Daniel Ingram at the songwriting helm

(?) · by **Colton, M.D.** (?) » Mon Apr 23, 2012 1:29 am

If I remember correct, I think the writers pick what genre of music they want in an episode. From what we've heard from two seasons, it seems that the writers listen to a lot of pop and musical theater type songs, feel more comfortable writing lyrics to those types of songs, and feel they fit particular episodes (and the show overall) better than other genres.

I'd love more musical genres in the show, even as BGM, but only if done appropriately.

(?) · by **Pocket** (?) » Mon Apr 23, 2012 1:32 am

I would say the songs you're lumping together as "pop" could be broken down further: Show tunes, kids'-show songs (most of Pinkie Pie's little ditties), and what could actually be called pop. And even that covers a pretty wide variety of styles, both on the show and in real life; someone said that "Smile Smile Smile" sounded like Barenaked Ladies, an alternative rock band, and I thought the song at the end of the season finale sounded like "Last Friday Night" by Katy Perry, of all things.

We're still in desperate need of a country-western song by Applejack (with, dare I dream, some of her extended family on backup) and some sort of rock song by Rainbow Dash, though. Plenty of time for that, though.

Highbrow Dash wrote:Didn't somebody say season 3 had a song every episode? Or was that an exageration?

Michelle Creber brought that up in her interview with Everfree Radio, yeah. No one knows yet if she was exaggerating or not.

(?) · by **Stuntwoman** (?) » Mon Apr 23, 2012 1:46 am

I wanna see Pinkie do an 80s style awful cartoon rap.

(?) · by **Whitenoise Poster** (?) » Mon Apr 23, 2012 3:06 am

Ever since sonic rainboom where rarity changed the song I want to hear the pony rock and roll dash listens to.

Season three Dash cheers up Scoots by taking her to a concert of their favorite band.

(?) · by **Artificer** (?) » Mon Apr 23, 2012 4:48 am

Whitenoise Poster wrote:Ever since sonic rainboom where rarity changed the song I want to hear the pony rock and roll dash listens to.

Season three Dash cheers up Scoots by taking her to a concert of their favorite band.

I would legitimately want this episode to be created as soon as possible, with the highest quality possible.

(?) · by **Whitenoise Poster** (?) » Mon Apr 23, 2012 4:52 am

Artificer wrote:
I would legitimately want this episode to be created as soon as possible, with the highest quality possible.

Well your in luck it's the season three three part final.

The middle part is just Scoots and Dash rocking out to the bands entire show for 22 minuets.

(?) · by **Ashenai** (?) » Mon Apr 23, 2012 4:56 am

Whitenoise Poster wrote:22 minuets.

I would have figured they'd be more the headbangin' types, but fuck that, this is way better.

(?) · by **Grue** (?) » Mon Apr 23, 2012 5:43 am

What, no mention of "Evil Enchantress"? Flutterguy's version was kinda jazzy...

A non-ironic rock song would be nice. Maybe even with a long guitar solo while something awesome happens on screen. Like an epic battle.

(?) · by **Lazy** (?) » Mon Apr 23, 2012 6:03 am

You guys forgetting the BGM? Gilda's theme was straight-up metal.

(?) · by **Ragnar** (?) » Mon Apr 23, 2012 6:09 am

Lazy wrote:You guys forgetting the BGM? Gilda's theme was straight-up metal.

And respectably brutal, too :yay:

(?) · by **Aramek** (?) » Mon Apr 23, 2012 3:23 pm

All music that is popular is "pop". Big Band/Swing/Jazz Crooners like Sinatra were all "pop" music.

(?) · by **ROBOT B9** (?) » Mon Apr 23, 2012 4:41 pm

I think there should be an episode where it turns out that Big Mac has a beautiful singing voice and becomes Johnny Bit, a country singer throughout all of Equestria. v:
(Basically, I want a Pony version of Johnny Cash. Especially if they find a way to spoof the Folsom Prison album.)

(?) · by **XX55XX** (?) » Mon Apr 23, 2012 4:49 pm

Aramek wrote:All music that is popular is "pop". Big Band/Swing/Jazz Crooners like Sinatra were all "pop" music.

That's true, but they aren't considered pop today, right?

(?) · by **Opposing Farce** (?) » Mon Apr 23, 2012 5:31 pm

Aramek wrote:All music that is popular is "pop". Big Band/Swing/Jazz Crooners like Sinatra were all "pop" music.

Nah, now you're confusing "popular music" and "pop music." Pop music is a genre in and of itself, although admittedly a very loosely defined one (even moreso than rock these days).

(?) · by **Aramek** (?) » Mon Apr 23, 2012 6:14 pm

Second point, as much as I love Jazz, you know how hard it is to write a legitimately good song for a kid's show, and have it not be an obvious song for a kid's show? I'm honestly thinking hard, trying to think of a song that was made for a kid's show any show that was critically good outside of the medium.
As much as I love the songs from the show, none of them would be on the radio. :pinkieshrug:

If they do make a jazz song, even a great one, I fear it would be a hollow mockery of the genre by the very nature that it is being made for a show.

(?) · by **numsOic** (?) » Mon Apr 23, 2012 7:59 pm

Define "jazz". I believe Ingram could pull a jazzy showtune kinda deal and it'd be legitimately nice and catchy.

(?) · by **Aramek** (?) » Mon Apr 23, 2012 9:29 pm

I could see it working if purely instrumental, but the moment you try to add vocals, to me, it quickly becomes a kid's show song.
Like what they tried to do with that show Class of 3000, it was pretty good music, but I couldn't fathom hearing any of those on a CD, or the radio, or anything other than a cartoon. :pinkieshrug:

(?) · by **Opposing Farce** (?) » Mon Apr 23, 2012 9:38 pm

I think it's because part of the point of having songs in your show is that the songs themselves directly reference the events of the episode, which kind of inevitably adds this layer of cheese to it, you know? Like, even if it's a really good song and the lyrics reference a really good show, that aspect of it is never going to not be corny.

You can go the other way around, of course, which happens a lot with shows based on bands, but then instead of the music being cheesy you end up making the show be cheesy. (See: literally every show based on a band ever.) It can work for some things, of course, but I'm pretty sure that's only if the thing in question is Yellow Submarine.

(?) · by **Xavier Genisi** (?) » Mon Apr 23, 2012 10:00 pm

I am very disappointed that there wasn't some kind of "gangsta" rap by one of the characters (I don't know jack shit about rap and I don't care), or that there wasn't some death metal song being played either. I want my money back.

In all seriousness, the songs seem varied enough in their own way, and they fit the episodes they play in. It would be neat to see more broader genres of music in the musical numbers, but the background music does well enough on it's own in that regard.

(?) · by **numsOic** (?) » Mon Apr 23, 2012 10:17 pm

Hell, I think Ingram has already shown talent at varied styles. I think he'll continue to surprise us. And of course Anderson will keep doing marvelous things without people singing over them.