11. Into The Magic Land

[Wildfire]

So just to nerd out on why it sounds Western to a lot of us (probably especially in the US) . The root-fifth pulse that begins this track is basically a Country and Western trope. It's the sound of clopping hooves.

Here's the most salient Morricone example:



And then the echoey guitars is very reminiscent of Morricone and 60s country generally. E.g. like Nancy's Sinatra/Lee Hazelwood's "Bang Bang" (which incidentally also is built on a root-fifth progression)



Johnny's Cash's Folsom Prison Blues is a perfect country example and is actually descending like Into the Magic Land.



Another classic example most may know (from Fallout at least) is Marty Robbins' "Big Iron" where the base line alternates between alternating and descending root-fifths.



I'm not an expert music theologian but what then makes this track special and pure BoC is how they build on the basic sequence and melody (and I believe it further delves into circle of fifths in terms of harmonic progression)

Just a left field masterpiece.

I love posts like this, I am always on a quest to understand their musical theory as much as I can, great job!

[Waterbagel]

Totally invokes something form my childhood (Gen X, born mid 70s) but I can't put my finger on it.

it's all that chorus pedal on the guitar! and the jilted intervals in it. real grungy. hell you could convince it was pulled from a Nirvana demo and i might believe you!

[Waterbagel]

i have NO fucking clue what's being hit on every 2 beat in the main hook

[Den]

Sounds like Rototoms in the section where the drums drop out.

[Moloch]

It's grown on me and now I really appreciate it. TCH vibes.

[Soul_Slip]

Totally invokes something form my childhood (Gen X, born mid 70s) but I can't put my finger on it.

it's all that chorus pedal on the guitar! and the jilted intervals in it. real grungy. hell you could convince it was pulled from a Nirvana demo and i might believe you!

Ha! I thought the same thing. I have thought about how they remind me of each other in terms of specific note structures and specific dynamics between the two for some time. Definitely in this track for sure. Maybe it’s the adherence to the abstract but pure melodies as prominence and dynamics. At least in some Nirvana material. I have a few Kurt demoes where he was dabbling in tape loops and audio collages as well as drum machines and old synths and feel he definitely could have gone that way.

[steeldancer-x]

Correct me if I’m wrong, healthily guessing here, but does it sound like they somehow combined the “string” sound along with the “synth” sound? Personally unsure if I am hearing that or just real rich strings. Beautiful sound either way

[dana]

Alex kidd in miracle world, is there a connection? Musically sounds similar.