Molly’s Wake Song – Drake Meed

 

Say it once, say it
twice, say it so you won’t forget
Live a life, live it
hard, live each day without regret

“Molly’s Wake Song,” written and performed by Drake Meed (@makingcosplay on Twitter) at the Hour of Honor Critical Role meetup at GenCon 2019.  A touching tribute to a fallen friend, and Drake left an equally poignant comment on the video:

“Thank you all, so incredibly much, for listening and allowing me to
share this. And, more importantly, sing this. Share it. Pass it forward
with anyone who will listen, if you feel so compelled. It was written as
a bardic and in the spirit of being carried on.”

In the spirit of that, full lyrics are under the cut, as are the chords Alvaro Alemparte figured out and put in the YouTube comments.  The transcription is mine, so take it with some salt.

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Critical Role fan music compilation

kimabutch:

Unless you’ve spent hours trawling through YouTube in a desperate search for more Critical Role content, you may not be aware of the sheer amount of music that’s been inspired by the show. I’ve put together a list of my favourite CR fan music creators — some of them well-known, and some of them underviewed.

Colm McGuinness

You’ll recognize Welcome to Wildemount from the campaign 2 art reel, but his two other Critical Role-inspired songs, Trost and Ashkeeper, are both gorgeously atmospheric.

darling-gypsum

I have a special place in my heart for The List [spoilers c1e24-26], a song about what’s going through Percy’s head after the feast with the Briarwoods — because it’s what convinced me to watch campaign 1. Say [spoilers c1e77] is also a wonderful Kimallura duet.

The Cantata Pansophical

If you weren’t already aware that a group of amazing Critters rewrote the entirety of Hamilton to fit Vox Machina’s Chroma Conclave Arc, consider listening to Vox Machina: An Exandrian Musical immediately. Special shout-out also to their song In the Cobalt Soul, a cheesy monk training-montage song.

ShortOneGaming

willing [spoilers c1e44] a song from Vax’s perspective in the Sunken Tomb, and Hell and Back [spoilers c1e72], a Perc’ahlia song, both have the potential to leave me in a puddle of tears.

Aidan Chan

This composer has created a ton of orchestral Critical Role songs, including themes for every member of Vox Machina. Personal favourites include Sonata for Whitestone Castle (Percy’s Theme) and A New Kind of Hero (The Mighty Nein’s Theme).

Ian Fischer

I’m in love with his creepy and tender theme for one of my favourite c2 locations, The Blooming Grove [spoilers c2e28]. Also check out The Road to Zadash [c2e30].

Malirot

This pianist has written a handful of themes for c1 characters, including Wonder for Keyleth, The Tinkerer for Percy, and (my favourite!) an Anna Ripley theme. Her pieces are intricate and capture the characters perfectly.

Noah Pacheco

I’ve linked to this guy before because he’s created the only Critical Role lo-fi beats that I know of. My favourite might be Mask [spoilers c2e18], but honestly, they’re all pretty amazing.

Hollaback Nerds

It would be a goddamn travesty if I didn’t link the Mollymauk vs Caleb Ultimate Rap Battle [spoilers c2e26], right?

theRISEundaunted

This channel has inspiring and emotional musical themes for Yasha, Molly [spoilers c2e26], Fjord, and (personal favourite) Caleb. Again, they fit the characters absolutely beautifully and I’m kind of in love.

Edgar Allan Joe

Oh shit, another song about Vax that’s making me want to cry? Hell yeah. Premature Requiem [spoilers c1e103] is a heartbreaking song about how Vax’s choices affect those closest to him. The same artist wrote a sweet Thank You song to Vox Machina.

Captain Obvious

If you’re like me and love when important objects get their own soundtracks, check out this theme for the Beacon, A Fragment of Possibility, with a weird and sometimes disturbing techno ambience that’s entirely appropriate. The same creator has also written themes for Caleb and Fjord.

Gojimusic

Another composer working on themes for the Mighty Nein! My favourite of these is Fjord’s theme, Ballad of the Sea, which is the perfect accompaniment to his arc. Check out all the Ballads so far as well as the early versions of all the themes.

Ginny Di

I think Ginny is pretty well-known for her amazing Jester cosplay videos, some of which include her singing, but my favourite song of hers will probably always be her Ruby of the Sea song (even though she didn’t manage to work in “the best lay ever”).

There are a bunch of other artists whose stuff I love, but this post is long enough as it is! I hope you enjoy 🙂

Ruby of the Sea – Ginny Di

Since I heard of this siren bright
I’m thinking about her from dawn until night
And though I’ll never be in her spell
I’m falling in love on the stories they tell

“Ruby of the Sea,” by Ginny Di, featuring StarLeigh as the title character, filmed by MoonDust Photography.  This is Ginny’s first original song!  And it’s available on iTunes, Amazon, and Spotify.

M is for Magic Missile – Dr. Mary Crowell

‘A’ is Antimagic Field and
‘B’ for Bigby’s Hands
‘C’ will charm a person, so
You’ll be in high demand…

“M is for Magic Missile,” a Dungeons & Dragons alphabet for all of us who keep forgetting that darn spell name.

Written by Dr. Mary Crowell and recorded with Michelle “Vixy” Dockrey and Jeff and Maya Bohnhoff. Lyrics are available on Bandcamp.

Back Soon (Ukulele) – Jack Larus


thedeadfairy:

(Soundcloud)
Spoilers for The Adventure Zone, up to episode 67!
I debated posting this here vs. waiting until I finished the full version but I’m trying to ride the wave of being psyched about actually writing something so here’s an acoustic version with just my voice, a ukulele, and words.
So many incredible moments in this episode. I got chills at basically every turn.
Lyrics under the cut!
Keep reading

Filksong Genealogy: Bashing the Balrog


(Series: Filksong Genealogy)
Firstly, above: Leslie Fish’s setting of Rudyard Kipling’s poem “Dane-Geld,” about the dubious wisdom of paying tribute to avoid being conquered by a neighboring country with less portable wealth but better armies.
Secondly, as previously seen on this blog, a classic filksong to the tune of “Waltzing Matilda”: Lee Gold’s “You Bash the Balrog,” a cheerful little ditty about an ill-fated set of D&D adventurers.  (If you’ve never heard “Waltzing Matilda,” have a listen here and maybe check out the wikipedia page.)
And finally, below: Bob Kanefsky’s synthesis “Bashing the Balrog,” performed by Leslie Fish.