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It's been more than a month since I added to the Pony Music Library, so let's induct a new song today! Well, not a new song, but you know what I mean. This is a track I didn't actually know anything about until I chanced upon it while flicking through the tracks I hadn't tried in My Little Karaoke some while back, but it really stuck in my head.
What? "Queen of Nightmares"
Who? Time Baby
Which? Original song
When? November 2013
Why? What drew me into this song was the long intro, with its deceptively twangy banjo. Then the main part of the song came in and I was truly hooked. You don't get many songs specifically about Nightmare Moon, but this one fixes that. The breathy vocals fit the subject really well, and the banjo (which almost sounds as if it's about to break into Journey of the Sorcerer) creates a fascinating contrast. There's a definite hint of Depeche Mode in there, though the bridge reminds me just a little of mid-era Talk Talk. The whole atmosphere is dark and unsettling, ideal for its subject. For this to have barely 5,000 views is a crying shame.
Ahh, Time Baby! :D Now there was a musician! This and "Blossom" are excellent.
ReplyDeleteI'd actually forgotten about "Blossom" -- thanks for reminding me! :)
DeleteOne of my favourite things about these Pony Music Library posts is that I get to hear styles of music I've never come across before :). I think this piece would be more the sort that I'd have on in the background while working on things, rather than listening to it on it's own. Mostly because of the length.
ReplyDeleteThat banjo riff certainly works its way into your head! And the synths from the beginning remind me of some of the 'My Little Portal' soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUcnE3bBveQ&list=PLZqreH6zfgdL25pedGUB8O1vX47NgtNZl&index=9
On a side note: it's interesting that you use the term 'bridge'; I tend to know them more as 'middle eights', although I guess they're both fairly interchangeable. Maybe one is used in a particularly region more than the other?
One of my long-standing complaints about fandom music is that many tracks are a bit too long. There are quite a few songs around that are 6-7 minutes that I think might have been tightened up a bit to be more like five. ("I'll Fly Higher"< much as I like it, is one such.) If I had one criticism about "Queen of Nightmares", it would be that.
DeleteI'm not very precise on musical terms sometimes, so I wouldn't read too much into my usage! But this forum discussion suggests that "middle eight" is more of a British term and "bridge" more of an American one. In my Googling, I found some people arguing that they were totally different things and some people arguing that they were synonymous. So it's a good question!
Wow, hadn't heard anyone talk about Time Baby in forever. Certainly one of the most underrated musicians in the fandom.
ReplyDeleteCertainly not a name you hear around much these days, and other than "Blossom" I don't think I recognise any of TB's other pony-related tracks. I'll have to do some investigating.
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