00’s

Scuzz Sundays: P.O.D. – “Youth Of The Nation”

July 4, 2021 — Leave a comment

This one was featured as DLC in ‘Guitar Hero 5’ and ‘Rock Band 3’. It’s Scuzz Sunday…

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Satellite” (Released on September 11th, 2001) (via Atlantic Records)

Good Morning to you! It’s Jacob Braybrooke here – and you know that it’s the time of the week where we delve back into one of the Pop-Punk hits of the past, all in the name of Scuzz TV, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! An interesting story surrounds ‘Youth Of A Nation’ by the Christian Nu-Metal band P.O.D. – as the track’s inspiration comes from a trip where the spiritual Rap-Rockers were on a trip to a recording studio to record it’s associated album, ‘Satellite’, and the quartet were caught in a traffic jam. The reason for it was a school shooting at Santana high-school where a 15-year-old boy, Charles Andrew Williams, killed two and wounded thirteen. The tragic events and the press coverage of the situation inspired vocalist Sonny Sandoval and the producers to write ‘Youth Of The Nation’ when the album was consequently delayed. Released in 2001, as a single, the tune reached the top spot of the Modern Rock Chart and #6 on the Mainstream Rock Chart in the US. To date, P.O.D. have sold over five million albums worldwide, and they composed the theme tune for WWE’s Rey Mysterio. Spin it below.

P.O.D.’s guitarist Marcos Curiel recalled in a 2008 interview, “We were rehearsing and writing ‘Satellite’ a couple of blocks away from the school. On the way to the studio, there were all these helicopters and cars speeding by. We really didn’t know what was going on. When we got to the studio, this guy had the news on, and he was like, “This kid just went and started blasting fools”, so we started jamming, and that rhythm just naturally came out, then Wuv put that drum beat on, and the song was born”, as he told the Juiced Sports blog. Sometimes, with a song, it becomes an alive and breathing entity once it has unleashed on the world, with continued relevance as new cultural events develop. The tune is also divided into three sections: The first tells the story of a teenager who was shot when skating to school, the next depicts a girl called “Little Suzie” who is “finding love in all the wrong places” after being abandoned by her father, and the third depicts a boy called “Johnny Boy” who fails to fit in with his peers and ultimately commit suicide after a string of mental health disorders, as the band explore an overarching narrative of misplaced youth and unloved teens. It’s heartbreaking and heavy, but it’s also bold as the band pose a question that demonized youth in the press can be instead seen as damaged souls who require help. Instrumentally, we’re looking at a Linkin Park-like mix of theatrical synths, a lightly distorted guitar rhythm, and drums that pay no attention to subtlety. There’s also a hip-hop flow to the lyrics, which reminds me of Hamilton for the most part. It’s also playing out quite similarly to Cypress Hill in the ways it addresses serious issues through a dramatic narrative. The lyrics would probably come across as controversial to many as it humanizes school shooters, particularly through it’s backing vocals comprised of children’s singing. On the other hand, I admire the bravery and their fresh approach to the topic. The band never hesitate to roll out the stadium sound of the electric drum kit for the chorus either, and the guitars/drums combo sound really nice here because they sound Blues-inspired and harsh. On the whole, it fumbles around a little towards the end with differing tones on the melodies that clash a little, but it’s pretty enjoyable stuff, all things considered. It has it’s core message, and it still brings unique ideas to the table with it’s lyrics. A hardened version of their 00’s peers.

  • Pictured: Sonny Sandoval (Lead Vocals), Traa Daniels (Bass Guitar/Unclean Vocals), Marcos Curiel (Lead Guitar/Programming/Backing Vocals) and Wuv Bernado (Drums/Rhythm Guitar) (2003) (via PR)

If you’re still feeling ‘Alive’ enough for some more P.O.D. on the blog, feel free to check out my previous review for the aforementioned hit here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/06/28/scuzz-sundays-p-o-d-alive/

  • Pictured: CD for ‘Youth Of The Nation’ (Single) (Released on November 27, 2001) (via Atlantic Records)

Well, you’ve reached the end of the page for today! Please feel free to join me again tomorrow for an in-depth look at some brand new music from a new all-female Post-Punk trio who are making their debut appearance on the blog. The three ladies will be supporting Yard Act on tour, along with Baba Ali, in the autumn of this year in the UK.

If you really liked what you just read, you can find us on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/. We’re also now on Twitter, so you can check it out and give us a follow here: https://twitter.com/OneTrackAtATim1?fbclid=IwAR2demHDssZESnHDMi6gzTGNZJvdS42Ot930CA9Rttw7n4CJ5nvB8VJbWxE

Scuzz Sundays: Limp Bizkit – “Rollin’ (Air Raid Vehicle)”

June 27, 2021 — Leave a comment

Get your bandannas, masks, the crew and motorbikes at the ready. It’s Scuzz Sunday!

  • Pictured: Fred Durst (Lead Vocals), John Otto (Drums), Sam Rivers (Bass Guitar/Occasional Backing Vocals), Wes Borland (Guitars/Vocals) and DJ Lethal (Turntables/Sampling/Programming) in a Covid-era promo (2020) (Photo by Kerrang.com)

Good Morning to you! It’s Jacob Braybrooke here – and we all know what time it is – as we revisit a heavy rock staple of the Emo period between the late-1990’s up to the mid-2000’s, all in the name of a little Scuzz TV, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! An unusual UK #1 Singles Chart hit for the controversial Florida-native Rap-Rock 5-piece group Limp Bizkit, ‘Rollin (Air Raid Vehicle)’ was a pop culture talking point when it appealed to the masses in 2000, taken from their third studio album ‘Chocolate Starfish and The Hot Dog Flavoured Water’, reaching the top 10 of several European countries and becoming their highest-charting single on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was everywhere – being used for The Undertaker’s entrance as the “American Badass” character in WWE for a few years. It was also made famous by ‘The Fast and The Furious’, ‘American Dad’, and by MLB player Scott Rolen. As of now, Limp Bizkit have just announced a UK Tour for next year and continue to work on their unreleased sixth album, ‘Stampede Of The Disco Elephants’. Despite troubles within the press and contentious live festival performances, Limp Bizkit have been nominated for three Grammy Awards, and they have sold over 40 million copies worldwide. Roll up below.

The chart success of ‘Rollin (Air Raid Vehicle)’ for Limp Bizkit in 2000 was bolstered by the memorable remix entitled ‘Rollin (Urban Assault Vehicle)’ which was put together by the quite popular hip-hop artists of the time DMX, Method Man and Redman. It was produced by Swizz Beats, and it was included as a bonus track for their ‘Chocolate Starfish and The Hot Dog Flavoured Water’ album. Of course, the leading actor of Ben Stiller appearing in the music video was a hot topic, too. As for the music without it’s branching tools, we’re given a fairly standard Nu-Metal rock tune built on bright melodicism and turntable scratching from DJ Lethal. Being the #1 hit they are predominantly known for, it’s exactly what you would come to expect from them. The verses come thick and fast, with a wall of huge-sounding guitar riffs that drive the aggression forwards at a brisk pace. I won’t even try to break the lyrics down because it’s so quick and nonsensical, but it’s mostly a rap-oriented delivery that constantly reminds you to put your hands up and just turn up the volume dial on your stereo to the max. There’s absolutely no substance to anything at all, with a vocal delivery that feels very squeaky and amateur. It’s still catchy though, with Fred Durst shouting a barrage of nonsense at a breakneck speed, chanting meaningless words like “Get it on, Every day and every night”, but with a flailing flow that just about lets him pull it off. I was never finding myself bored either, since there’s always enough going on within the jangled instrumentation to keep the speed gliding along. It’s an incoherent mess, with a cluttered soundscape, but there’s also plenty to smile at here. It’s not taking itself too seriously, and I think that’s both it’s greatest strength and it’s most unfortunate flipside. There’s unintentional comedy, but there’s also a delightful sense of silly to indulge into. On the whole, it’s pretty toxic, but also a strange sort of genius.

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Limp Bizkit Presents: Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water” (LP) (Released on October 17th, 2000) (via Interscope Records/Flip Records)

That’s all for now! Thank you for reaching the end of your daily blog post – and make sure to join me tomorrow for a brand new Punk full-blaster that I would pitch as an alternative anthem to a certain European football competition that is happening at the moment. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every new daily post is up and why not like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Scuzz Sundays: Wheatus – “Teenage Dirtbag”

June 20, 2021 — Leave a comment

A celebrity is next door. He lives on my block and he drives an I-Roc. It’s Scuzz Sunday!

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Teenage Dirtbag” (Single) (Released on June 20, 2000) (via Columbia Records)

Good Afternoon to you! It’s Jacob Braybrooke here – prepping you up for another ‘Scuzz Sunday’ as we enjoy a throw back to the rock music video channels of old, with tracks that were originally unleashed to the masses between the late-90’s and the mid-00’s, to find out whether they hold up to quality and value in our modern society. If you haven’t heard Wheatus ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ before, you’ve either been living under a rock for 20 years or you might need to get your local GP to examine your hearing. This tune was everywhere when it was released back in 2000, and it became the personal anthem of many adolescent teenagers going through a particular phase of their lives, questionable haircuts and all. Sadly, it was also Wheatus’ one and only hit, although the band are technically still active and the lead vocalist, Brendan B. Brown, was featured on the title track of Math The Band’s new album, ‘Flange Factory Five’, which came out last October. ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ never excited the professional music press much, but it was still a gigantic commercial success by selling five million units worldwide, as of 2014, and it stays continually relevant with licensing for film & TV productions like Netflix’s ‘The Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina’, ‘Girlboss’ and HBO’s ‘Generation Kill’. Come with me Friday and don’t say maybe with the old video below.

It’s quite surprising that we haven’t covered ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ on the ‘Scuzz Sundays’ feature before considering that it was such a memorable hit single from the peak era of MTV, and it’s success expanded beyond their domestic territory of the US. In Australia, it was certified three times platinum and it stayed at the #1 spot in the charts for four weeks. In the UK, it was certified as platinum twice in 2018. It also reached the top of the charts in Austria, and it also peaked at #2 in both Ireland and Germany, it’s burgeoning popularity inspired by a childhood experience of Brendan B. Brown’s. I think it’s fair to point out that it’s very much a Power-Pop record, and it doesn’t really qualify as Pop-Punk because it bears little resemblance to the core elements of that category. The instrumentation is almost dream-like, with a rickety acoustic guitar riff, hilariously dated record scratches and an angsty Drum part. Brown paints the picture of the scene with lines like “But she doesn’t know who I am/And she doesn’t give a damn about me” and “Her boyfriend’s a d**k, and he brings a gun to school” that are a funny, hook-led breakdown of an awkward adolescent teenage crush at high school. The production is a light Hip-Hop pastiche, there’s no distortion, and the chorus is the defining aspect of the tune. It finds the soft, coffee shop guitar riff unleashing the heavy weight of an overdrive pedal. The mightily quantized Drums, the melodic angst of the guitar melody, and the collision of sounds makes a coherent sort-of sense, and it’s easy to sing along to. The bridge is also very memorable, as Brown tries to emulate a female voice with a mild Falsetto effect, which isn’t very convincing, although I’m not sure that it’s supposed to be potent. The lyrics are pretty horrendous. Why is he a Teenage Dirtbag? Because he listens to Iron Maiden. This mixture is endearing, however, and you easily find yourself having a lot of fun with it, however dumb it is. I find it strange how the video has been censored too, since the teenage market was the target audience for buying it, but, on the whole, it’s still a lot of fun and it doesn’t feel like it’s been overplayed too heavily. It’s not brilliant, or even ‘good’ from an intellectual standpoint, but it was only ever trying to be a popcorn Pop song that you can blast to the full volume in your car and sing along to. Without guilt.

  • Pictured: Brendan B. Brown (Lead Vocals/Rhythm Guitar), Matthew Milligan (Electric Upright Bass), Brandon Ticer (Keyboard) and Leo Freire (Drums) (2020) (Photo by Martyn Goodacre/Getty Images)

Thank you for taking today’s trip down memory lane with me – and please make sure to join me again tomorrow for an in-depth look at some brand new music from an American indie folk singer-songwriter who is releasing her latest solo album next week. It marks her second appearance on the site, and you may know her as a previous member of the trio Boygenius with Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker, who have also found similar solo success in recent months. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every new daily post is up and why not like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Scuzz Sundays: Linkin Park – “In The End”

June 13, 2021 — Leave a comment

It was just another walk in the park for Agoura Hill’s Metal youths. It’s Scuzz Sunday!

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Hybrid Theory” (LP) (Released on October 24th, 2020) (via Warner Bros Records)

Good Morning to you! It’s Jacob Braybrooke here – as always – for another entry in our ‘Scuzz Sundays’ catalogue, as we re-examine the output of our conduit for THAT phase of the late-1990’s through to the mid-2000’s, to see whether these heavy hits of yore still hold up to quality and value, not forgetting that it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! ‘In The End’ by California crossover staples Linkin Park is, if we are being honest, a basic choice for the feature. However, since we haven’t covered anything else close to it yet, here we are. Back in the day, Linkin Park’s music spanned a fusion of Rap-Rock and Nu-Metal before the band went much more mainstream, so to speak, with a sound that is really straight-up Pop music. A lot of their recent material isn’t exactly a creative endeavor, I’ll put it that way for you. There was a time, however, where, the controversy aside, Linkin Park were the ‘poster boys’ of the MTV Rock brand in the US, with significant exposure on the channels and selling their way to over 100 million albums worldwide. Kerrang named them ‘The Biggest Rock Band In The World Right Now’ in 2014, and the band are still working on new music to this day, despite a brief hiatus that began in 2017. ‘In The End’ was one of the main singles from 2000’s ‘Hybrid Theory’, which became certified as a rare Diamond by the RIAA. Just this year, it became the first-ever Nu-Metal classed track to surpass one billion streams on Spotify. Give it a whirl below.

The crown jewel of 2000’s ‘Hybrid Theory’, ‘In The End’ easily crossed over to the mainstream singles charts worldwide, reaching #2 on the US Billboard Hot 100, as a real sleeper hit, since it eventually reached the Top 40 two years following it’s release. It remains to be one of Linkin Park’s most recognisable tracks, despite a story which reports that the amusingly named lead vocalist Chester Bennington initially disliked ‘In The End’ and he didn’t want for it to make the cut of the track listing for ‘Hybrid Theory’, and so that would have been a mistake. A signature example of Linkin Park’s more popular and acclaimed sound, ‘In The End’ is known for it’s moody Piano riffs and it’s infusions of Rapcore elements, as Mike Shioda raps in the verses, before Bennington takes the lead for a melodramatic chorus. The lyrics are dealing with a break-up amongst Bennington’s constant struggle with drug abuse and the divorce of his two parents. Shioda’s Rap-Rock verses result in bars like “Time is a valuable thing/Watch it fly by as the pendulum swings” and “Watch it count down to the end of the day/The clock ticks life away” that combines the raw feel of Eminem with the hard-edged rock vibes of Evanescence. They come across as motivational, while the familiar chorus from Bennington is more bleak, depicting a conflict of emotions, chanting “I had to fall/To lose it all/But in the end/It doesn’t even matter” with a very heightened quality. The guitar riffs mix a wave of distortion with a catchy rhythm, and the glitched Drum shuffle which leads the verse adds some more depth. I feel this is a decent tune that is a victim of the ‘overexposure system’, so to speak, where it has been over-played to death to such a silly point now, and it’s difficult to invest in too emotionally. I quite like the moody aesthetics and the electronic Synth patterns, however, since I’m really not a “fan” of Linkin Park typically, it’s hard for me to judge. I find the rapping to be a little too much on the Corny side, and the overly angry chorus lacks range, with a flat, one-dimensional vocal delivery which downplays the emotion a little bit for me. That said, it was innovative for it’s time and a mismatch of different genre pieces, with a theatrical quality that appeals to a diversity of listeners, so I can easily see why it’s done, and it’s still doing in the decades since, big business for itself.

  • Pictured: Chester Bennington (Lead Vocals/Rhythm Guitar), Joe Hahn (Turntables/Sampling/Programming/Backing Vocals), Mike Shinoda (Rapping/Keyboard/Synths), Rob Bourdon (Drums/Percussion/Occasional Backing Vocals), Brad Delson (Lead Guitar/Backing Vocals) and Dave “Phoenix” Farrell (Bass Guitar/Backing Vocals) (2012) (Photography via National Geographic.com)

On that note – you’ve reached The End of another daily post here on the blog. We’re gunning for a transition into some smoother electronic music tomorrow, as we review some brand new music from a Bournemouth-born Ambient and IDM music producer who previously made an appearance on the site with his tribute track to the late-great DJ Andy Weatherhall, and he’s got a brand new album on the way for September. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every new daily post is up and why not like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Scuzz Sundays: Queens Of The Stone Age – “No One Knows”

June 6, 2021 — Leave a comment

For the huge QOTSA enthusiasts – this voice is like Homme to them. It’s Scuzz Sunday!

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Songs For The Deaf” (Released on August 17th, 2002) (via Interscope Records)

Good Afternoon to you! I’m Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for yet another weekly addition to our ‘Scuzz Sunday’ catalog, where we revisit the Pop-Punk and the Emo phases ranging from the late-1990’s through to the mid-2000’s to see if they still rock our socks off, and hold up to value in the present day, not forgetting that it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! ‘No One Knows’ from Josh Homme’s stadium-famous rock outfit Queens Of The Stone Age is probably one of the most basic choices for the feature. However, we’ve yet to do it, and so, this week, it’s drawn it’s lucky straw. We all know it anyway – but the single (a rather head-scratching pick for one before we all had it saturated on the radio airwaves through the 2000’s) received a nomination for ‘Best Hard Rock Performance’ at the Grammy Awards in 2003, ultimately losing out to Foo Fighters ‘All My Life’. It was taken from their third studio LP release, ‘Songs For The Deaf’, which plays out by taking the listener on a drive through the deserts of California from Los Angeles to Joshua Tree. Becoming certified Platinum in Europe in 2008, the record garnered lots of critical acclaim and earned a Gold certification in sales in the US. Their only single to reach the top spot of the US Alternative charts, meanwhile, ‘No One Knows’ was almost five years old when it was finally released alongside notable other singles like ‘Go With The Flow’ and ‘First It Giveth’ from the album. I doubt that you are going to need to – but you can still remind yourself of ‘No One Knows’ below.

Of course, another very memorable part of ‘No One Knows’, alongside the chugging guitar thorough-line riff, was it’s associated music video that received heavy airplay on the Kerrang and Scuzz TV rock music video channels, which was directed by Dean Karr, and, most notably, Michael Gondry – who was a frequent collaborator with Bjork. Josh Homme said Gondry was his dream director because “he did all of those videos for Bjork, and we’re huge fans of Bjork, so we’re excited” in his own words. That makes you and me alike, Josh Homme. Speaking of Homme, he’s a threatening vocal presence on ‘No One Knows’, mixing ambiguous lyrics with a low-pitched croon. Lyrics like “We get these pills to swallow, How they stick in your throat” and “I journey through the desert/Of the mind with no hope” are delivered with a brisk pace above the continous six-chord guitar groove, giving the melodic sound a lively personality. Homme adds a series of new dimensions with good subtlety, as he continues adding more qualities of anger and jealousy to the harsh instrumentation. It leads into a more involved guitar solo and a tease of all-out mayhem, before the rhythms stall to a halt. Homme’s voice becomes theatrical and mirrors that of a lost soul wandering the cruel and dry environment of the desert, singing “Heaven smiles above me/What a gift here below” and “But no one knows, Gift that you give to me” at a slower tempo, as the crescendo fades away and the repetition sets in again. You didn’t really need my play-by-play as I’m sure you already know it well enough – and I think that’s a strong testament to who the band have now become. It may now be over-played, overall, but it was certainly a choice for a radio single that was very different to the others for the time, and that it’s an undeniably catchy single. Still not been deserted.

  • Pictured: Josh Homme (Lead Vocals/Lead Guitar/Piano), Troy Van Leeuwen (Lap Steel Guitar/Keyboard/Synths), Michael Shuman (Bass Guitar/Backing Vocals), Dean Fertila (Rhythm Guitar/Percussion) and Jon Theodore (Drums/Samples) (2016) (Photo via LOUDER/Getty Images)

That’s all for another day – but you can join me again tomorrow for some brand new music. One of 2021’s standout emerging talents has just released a new out-take from his debut album which arrived this March on his own OURNESS label, and so he gets his latest appearance on the blog tomorrow. This Australian-Ghanian Hip-Hop talent is delightfully difficult to categorize in any one box. He was born in Ghana before moving to Canberra at the age of 2 and he is the brother of Citizen Kay. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every new daily post is up and why not like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

May Bank Holiday Monday Special: Breakestra (feat. Charli 2na, Double K & Soup) – “Family Rap”

May 31, 2021 — Leave a comment

A ‘Family Affair’ to mix up the Funk flavour of your Bank Holiday. Time for a new post!

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Hit The Floor” (LP) (Released on October 25, 2005) (via Ubiquity Records)

Good Afternoon to you! It’s Jacob Braybrooke here – wishing you a healthy, happy Bank Holiday Monday! It’s time for today’s track, since it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! ‘Family Rap’ is a Funk track from 2005, and so it’s pretty niche. It also doesn’t really fit the timeframe of the pre-2000’s ‘Way Back Wednesday’ or the Emo phase theme of ‘Scuzz Sundays’, and so it’s something that’s nice and different to revisit on a bright day such as this. ‘Family Rap’ comes from Miles Tackett’s Breakestra music ensemble that started out as an ensemble playing live covers of Funk, Soul and Jazz breaks to the style of the pre-sampling 70’s. Since then, Breakestra has worked with a huge variety of different guests – such as the late DJ Dusk, Jurassic 5 rapper Charli 2na and the Soul vocalist Afrodeyte. ‘Family Rap’ was the promotional single taken from 2005’s ‘Hit The Floor’, which was their first full-length album, which they put out through Ubiquity Records in 2005. It was their first record to feature entirely original recordings of tracks that fused elements of Hip-Hop, Funk and Soul Fusion. It comes highly recommended for anyone who enjoys a good groove or have enjoyed Tackett’s live shows, along with the two ‘The Live Mix’ parts of LP releases which Breakestra released prior to this one. It’s time to kick back, relax – and simply ‘Hit The Floor’ with ‘Family Rap’ down below.

“While Hip-Hop DJ/medley inspired covers are the foundation of Breakestra, it is only natural we’d want to express our own soulful proclamations”, is what Miles Tackett posted on Bandcamp to explain the project’s transformation from a live covers band into one producing their own material for a new transition in 2005, adding “I’ve been releasing original Funk cuts before putting out The Live Mix, Part 2. The first Breakestra single was an original song called ‘Getcho Soul Togetha”, so this album is really just a part of the natural flow”, he added to the press statement. ‘Family Rap’ feels like a solid fit for the size and lively atmosphere of one of Breakestra’s critically acclaimed live shows, as lengthy Trumpet sequences and a shimmering bass groove rolls the Hip-Hop essence along. The rap vocals are pretty tricky to keep up with, adding an increasingly quick tempo to the clattering Drum instrumentation and the Swing-laden Saxophone melodies. There’s a particularly nice section of Tinny drums towards the middle stretch, before the second half of the track adds a more percussive breakbeat to the stylistic Funk revivalism. The track manages to feel rather old and classical in it’s approach to 60’s Soul and 70’s Jazz, with a healthy dose of Rap vocals that reminds me of the music that A Tribe Called Quest or De La Soul used to make in the development of West Coast Hip-Hop. Vocally, Charli 2na & Double K bring some forceful rapping to the mix, as the lyrics take us through an idyllic route of “The City of Angels”. There’s nothing that striking to the vocals, but it accompanies the dance-oriented rhythms nicely and it adds a melodic attitude to the fray. Overall, it’s a relentless barrage of old-school Funk and DLO3-esque Jazz sequences that conjure up pictures of Booker T & The MG’s or Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five, and a nice way to keep Funk music going until the likes of Thundercat arrived during the 2010’s.

  • Pictured: Miles Tackett, Davey Chegwidden, Mixmaster Wolf, Todd Simon & Carlos Guaico (2015) (via PR)

That’s it for now – I hope that you enjoy the rest of your Bank Holiday Monday! Join me back here tomorrow for some brand new music, as we delve deep into the brilliant new track from Sheffield’s finest experimental pop project. You may know her from her time as the drummer and occasional vocalist or guitarist of the Slow Club duo. She also went on to feature on vocals for Django Django’s ‘Surface To Air’, which appeared on that band’s third studio album, ‘Marble Skies’. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every new daily post is up and why not like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Way Back Wednesdays: Moby – “Porcelain”

May 26, 2021 — Leave a comment

I’d be horrified to hear what took place in his 2020 Quaran-Dreams. Let’s go Way Back!

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Play” (LP) (Released on May 17, 1999) (via Mute Records/V2 Records/Virgin)

Good Morning to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for me to get typing up for today’s track on the blog, just like always, because it’s still my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! Moby’s ‘Reprise’ comes out on Friday, the 19th studio album release from the 90’s EDM cornerstone Richard Melville Hall, which features new reworkings of orchestral and acoustic variations of some of his favourite tracks with numerous guest artists joining him. The guest list includes Gregory Porter, Kris Kristofferson, Skylar Grey, Jim James and others. So, to coincide with the release of that project later this week, I thought it would be a great time to revisit the original version of Moby’s highest-charting single for ‘Way Back Wednesdays’, as it was certainly one of the sounds of the past that influenced the present. ‘Porcelain’ reached #5 on the UK Singles Chart following it’s release as a single in June 2000. One of the few tracks on his 1999 breakthrough ‘Play’ to feature his own vocals, Hall wrote ‘Porcelain’ as a rather melancholic electronic/classical blend of production with lyrics reflecting on the recent break-up of a relationship. The album would have been exposed absolutely everywhere back in the day, and I read an interesting statistic online that each track from the album has been used in a film, TV series or advert of some kind. Check out the Jonas Åkerlund-directed video below.

In addition to his career writing and producing music, Hall is also a notable Vegan who heavily supports humanitarian aid and animal rights programmes. He’s drawn a fair share of criticism over the decades for his political views and thee different stories in the press concerning him, but he was, before July 2020, the owner of Little Pine, a Vegan restaurant in Los Angeles, and the Circle V non-meat food festival. You can read more about his life and career in the two memoir books that he’s authored: 2016’s ‘Porcelain: A Memoir’ and 2019’s ‘Then It Fell Apart’. The title track of his first memoir was a very important release in bringing electronic music to the mainstream eye. From this, you can hear a chilling and emotional atmosphere of experiencing the vigorous emotions of an ideal romantic scenario never quite materializing, as lines like “I never meant to hurt you/I never meant to lie/So, this is goodbye?/This is goodbye” start by questioning the flaws of the situation, before a light call-and-response form of vocal affirms the decision and mutually agrees with it. Dreams is also a common theme of the lyrics, with the two verses starting with lyrics like “In my dreams I’m jealous all the time/When I wake, I’m going out of my mind” and “In my dreams, I’m dying all the time/Then I wake, it’s kaleidoscopic mind” as the fragile mood of the fluttering String sections, evoking a cinematic affair, gradually turn into a more soothing affair, with twinkling Piano melodies that are more melodic. There’s also a Trip-Hop influence that flows very nicely throughout the moods, with the distorted vocals of “To tell the truth, you’ve never wanted me” being dressed up in a very soft Hip-Hop breakbeat production that reminds me of Boards Of Canada or Joey Pecoraro, and a soulful backing vocal created through a sample that I believe goes “Hey, Woman, It’s alright, go on” that gets looped over the top of the techno evolutionary sounds, and this part just emphasizes the themes of the vocals and the simple points of the personal reflection being made. The track may have got a little over-exposed over the day, including it’s notable use in a scene of 2000’s ‘The Beach’, and so I can definitely see why you may have grown tired of it, and some of the more radio-friendly cuts on ‘Play’ may have perhaps been a little too close to comfort to his contemporaries of the time. However, I do certainly think that ‘Porcelain’ is a more interesting track than it possibly appears on the surface. A fragility can be felt in both the shaky vocal delivery and the wavering moods of the instrumentals within the piece, and it’s surprisingly varied in it’s sampling that evokes diverse genres. It’s also important to remind ourselves sometimes, as well, that it was a big hit and that it did cross over to the charts of the mainstream. I’m not particularly a huge fan of Moby emotionally, but I’ve always found him to be an interesting chap who has made some fascinating music, although the consistency of it’s quality hasn’t always landed with me every time. As for ‘Porcelain’, it was definitely an influential example of how to framework some fragility with sympathetic musicality, and it’s partially made by the rather understated, sublime vocal performance from Hall himself. It’s pretty beautiful.

  • Pictured: Moby (aka Richard Melville Hall) in a promotional shoot (2019) (Photo Credit: Mo Kaufer)

Eons ago on the blog, we also looked at ‘Power Is Taken’ from Moby, a much more rave-oriented single that would eventually appear on last year’s album, ‘All Visible Objects’. If that sounds cool to you, why not give me a few views here?: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/03/07/todays-track-moby-power-is-taken/

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Power Is Taken” (Single) (Released on January 14, 2020) (via Mute Records)

That’s it for another throwback! As always, on Friday, we’re going to be sampling one of the weekend’s notable album releases. As for tomorrow, I’ve got some brand new music to share with you. It comes from an emerging Manchester-based indie rock singer-songwriter signed to Memphis Industries, where he will be releasing his forthcoming second LP, ‘Mircale’, next month. His 2019 debut album, ‘A Dream Is U’, garnered critical acclaim from global publications such as Uncut, Paste Magazine and The Line Of Best Fit. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when each new post is up and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime

Scuzz Sundays: Three Days Grace – “Riot”

May 23, 2021 — Leave a comment

You may want to read this before Neil Sanderson gets violent again. It’s Scuzz Sunday!

  • Pictured: Adam Gontier (Lead Vocals), Barry Stock (Lead Guitar/Rhythm Guitar), Brad Walst (Bass Guitar/Backing Vocals) and Neil Sanderson (Drums/Keyboards) (2013) (Photo by Michael Muller)

Happy Scuzz Sunday to you! It’s Jacob Braybrooke here, and, as always, it’s time for me to deliver your weekly Scuzz Sundays throwback, where we revisit the Pop-Punk and the Mascara-coloured Rock ‘N’ Roll of the late 90’s-mid-00’s, to see if they hold up to quality today. I now realise that I probably should have planned something to do with Eurovision for yesterday’s post. However, since I’m writing from the UK, perhaps nobody would have read it. WAYYYYY! I mean, James Newman. Poor bloke. I feel very sorry for him today. ‘Embers’ probably wasn’t the best song, but it certainly was not that bad either. Newman seemed to be having a whale of a time, bless him, and, on TV, it didn’t look like it negatively affected him too much. That was very unkind for him, and so I have a lot of respect for him in dealing with the situation in the chilled way he did. For me, I liked the Russian, Bulgarian, Lithuanian and Icelandic entries the most. I enjoyed Belgium’s entry too because it reminded me of Hole and Garbage.

As you’re quite rightly thinking, that’s not what we’re here for. We’re here to take a look back at ‘Riot’, the fourth single taken from ‘One-X’, the second studio album from the Neil Sanderson-led Canadian Hard Rock band Three Days Grace. I have probably heard this one (Well, the clean edited version) about a hundred times now because it was heavily featured on the ‘WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2007’ video game that I spent the large part of a year of my childhood with. Three Days Grace survived the guitar band explosion of the 00’s and their most recent release was 2018’s ‘Outsider’. When ‘Riot’ was released, the vocalist of the band was Adam Gontier, who helped to sell the band’s way to fifteen #1 songs on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in the US. ‘One-X’ was a huge success for them, being certified Platinum three times in both the US and in Canada. It’s time for a blast from the past. Let’s start a ‘Riot’ below.

‘Riot’ was actually one of the few singles that Three Days Grace have ever released to contain profanities, and I can still remember how the F-bombs had been noticeably cut out of the version that played in the menu screens of my old, long lost wrestling video game for the Xbox 360 – two console generations ago. It was still a financial and critical success, however, and it landed a place at #21 on the Modern Rock charts, as a single, in the US. Beginning with it’s very familiar chugging bass guitar riff, Gontier sings: “If you feel so empty/So used up/So let down” and “If you feel so angry, So ripped off, so stepped on” as he seems to directly address the listener, as if he’s conducting a million-person marching protest on a terrorized street. The lyrics on ‘Riot’, as well as ‘One-X’ on the whole, were written about Adam Gontier’s frustrating experiences and his initial anger when he was taken to rehabiliation for an addiction to OxyContin, and so the vocals of ‘Riot’ feel similarly angry and tired, with lyrics that feel bitter and unpleasant overall. For the track’s chorus, Gontier lets loose on all the negative little things in life as he belts out his rage to a chant along-suited chorus of “Let’s start a Riot” after he comforts us a little with the refrain of “You’re not the only one, refusing to back down” as the guitar work gets a little more melodic, as our composure begins to shake, ready for the release of tension for the hooks in the chorus… and that’s basically it. The lyrics aren’t complicated at all, and the sum of it’s parts feel very easy and simple to understand. There’s nothing hugely creative about the concept, it’s just a fun bit of Rock ‘N’ Roll for your enjoyment when you feel in the right mood for it. You may fault the track’s lyrics as encouraging physical violence a little bit, but the mood of the instrumentation and the sharp delivery of the vocals cut the mustard of it. It thrives on simple teenage angst a little over-reliably, but it’s certainly one of the heaviest tracks that I can remember hearing from Three Days Grace, and I think the tone fits the subject matter like a glove. There’s a bit of a nice twist on the ‘feeling good’ and self-care of rehab-related song tropes in here, and the melodies have some well-paced energy to them overall, despite never getting overly aggressive to the point of Death Metal, which works for the better in this case, I think. Such a vivid foray into a hyper-heavy style wouldn’t make much sense. Overall, I think this mid-00’s tune holds up nicely. It’s not a masterpiece, admittedly, but I certainly enjoyed hearing it again. There’s something catchy to it, and I feel that it’s a lot of fun.

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “One-X” (Album/LP) (Released on June 13, 2006) (via Jive Records)

That’s it for today! Thank you so much for the support. What were your favourite entries in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, or, how did the GM Mode go for you back then on ‘WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2007’? Simply let me know in the comments section below. Tomorrow, we are going to be watching the new music video for a recent-ish single from a California-born Soul singer-songwriter who has been A-listed before on BBC Radio 6 Music. One of nine children in a big musical family – She cites herself as a student of Nina Simone, Mary J. Blige, Anita Baker, Dionna Warwick and more. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every new daily post is up and why not like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Scuzz Sundays: Disturbed – “Land Of Confusion”

May 16, 2021 — Leave a comment

Can you feel that? Get ready. Say it with me now. OHWAHAHAHOH! It’s Scuzz Sunday!

  • Pictured: CD/Vinyl Bundle set for “The Sickness” (2X LP) (2000) (Photo by MetalKingdom.Net(

Good Afternoon to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for the return of our weekly throwback to the Pop-Punk of yore, that being from the late-90’s to the mid-00’s, to see what quality or value has been left behind, as we pop out of a brief hiatus. What better way to pick up where we left off than with a little Disturbed? Since getting ‘Down With The Sickness’ from 1994, the Chicago Heavy Metal veterans have released two live albums and sold their way to over 17 million copies of their albums worldwide, comfortably placing them among Slipknot or Metallica in Metal crossover success stories. In the UK, Disturbed are perhaps best known for conceiving their own unlikely Top 20 hit in the form of a 2015 cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s ‘The Sound Of Silence’ that was originally written between 1963 and 1964. Another notable cover from Disturbed was their 2006 rendition of ‘Land Of Confusion’, which was originally performed by Genesis for their album, ‘Invisible Touch’, in 1986. Disturbed’s version was a single taken from their 2005 album, ‘Ten Thousand Fists’, which became their second #1 debut atop the Billboard 200 in the US. Let’s revisit the music video below.

‘Ten Thousand Fists’ marked a catalyst for change on Disturbed’s part. It was their first album not to feature the former bassist, John Moyer, who was replaced by Steve Kmak, among their lineup. It was also their first album to feature their ‘The Guy’ mascot on it’s cover artwork, who popped up appearances in their music videos and accompanying art work in the years since, and, along with that, it was their first album release not to include a ‘Parental Advisory’ sticker on the front sleeve. Remember those? A metal cover of Genesis’s famous 80’s Rock tune that saw them parody Spitting Image in the music video, Disturbed’s version of ‘Land Of Confusion’ trades in the electronic enhancements for the loud Punk direction. The echo of Peter Gabriel’s vocals can still be somewhat heard, however, in the upbeat mood that Disturbed vocalist David Draiman uses. It’s not inherently too different to the Genesis version, but it just uses heavier chords and a more angry emotional tone. Draiman puts the memorable original’s hooks of “This is the world we live in/And these are the hands we’re given” and “Oh, Superman, where are you now?/When everything’s gone wrong somehow” into a more ferocious pitch. It wouldn’t be a Disturbed anthem without the croaking vocal delivery of choking sounds during the post-bridge section, and the guitar work feels more visceral than Genesis’s version. The chord progression feels less telegraphed, with sudden changes in tempo and Draiman sounds like a sort-of comic book Super-Villian instructing us all to make the world a better place as he matches the upbeat Drum beats. The guitar solo in the middle has a nice Classical Rock feel to it, reminding me of short-lived acts of the era like Angel Witch in the process. Although this one is a bit on the ‘corny’ side overall, it still feels much like the tune we all originally know that was composed by Genesis back in their heyday. Disturbed do a solid job of remaining faithful to the original version, and it makes for a fun time overall because the melodic remnants of the original version remain intact. A fun take that does it’s job and its short & sweet enough to not overstay it’s welcome.

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Immortalized” (LP) (Released on August 21st, 2015) (via Warner Bros. Records)

That’s all I have time to offer you today – but I’ve still got plenty of new music to get chatting about this week. It all starts off as we enter a new week tomorrow, as we follow-up on our recent Charlotte Adigery post with another one of the exclusive tracks to the DEEWEE label’s new ‘Foundations’ compilation album release. It comes from an equally gifted English singer-songwriter who was once the Keyboardist of the mid-00’s wonders Klaxons, and is married to, of all people, Keira Knightley! If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every new daily post is up and why not like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Scuzz Sundays: The Union Underground – “Turn Me On Mr. Deadman”

May 2, 2021 — Leave a comment

From Death Valley, weighing in at 309 pounds, it’s The Undertaker! It’s Scuzz Sunday!

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “…An Education In Rebellion) (Released on July 18, 2000) (via Columbia Records)

Good Evening to you! It’s been a deadline-filled weekend for me, but I have only just found the time for your weekly weekend throwback to the Scuzz TV days of old, as we take an in-depth look back at one of the old Pop-Punk staples from the late-1990’s through to the mid-00’s. The combination between Pop-Punk and Pro Wrestling has occasionally been a rather bizzare one, and nowhere has this been more exemplified than by the short-lived San Antonio Nu-Metal project The Union Underground, whose band members left an indelible mark on the promotional ties between the Pro Wrestling world and the mainstream music world, despite only actually releasing one album on a major label. A second LP has been teased by the Texas outfit since 2018, but we’re still waiting. If you’re familiar with the WWE product in the mid-2000’s, ‘Turn Me On Mr Deadman” will be instantly recognizable to you, since it was used as the theme tune for Raw between early 2002 and late 2006. It also did decent business commercially, landing a #11 spot on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in the US. The associated album, ‘An Education In Rebellion’ explored personal teenhood topics for the band’s members, and followed an entirely self-produced debut EP that sold them more than 5,000 copies. Prepare for nostalgia with “Turn Me On Mr. Deadman” below.

“I’d bet my bottom dollar this band will be around 10 years from now” were the famous last words about The Union Underground that then-Columbia A&R executive John Weakland used to describe Columbia’s acquisition of the group, hot on the tails of a first album which stayed on the American album charts somehow for four months. What happened? Well, the sister label that technically owned them, Portrait, an imprint of Columbia folded, and so each of the band’s members decided to go their seperate ways and pursue different projects, each to varying degrees of success. This leaves ‘Turn Me On Mr. Deadman’ to be the most glaring example of what they had to offer, at this point, with aggressive lyrics vaguely about rebellion living in a spirit of youthful angst and Power-Pop driven bass riffs to boot. Vocals like “Penetrate all the simple minds, They adore what a bore, how they stand in line” and “What;s my drug of choice/It’s okay, when they pay, they say I got the voice” float over the top of a push-and-pull lead guitar hook and the chorus explodes with viscerality and tension, with plenty of F-bombs for good measure. There’s shades of classic Metal bands like Megadeth and Judas Priest thrown in there, as a clear Pop influence drives the violent melodies and the most definitely loud vocals forwards with little regard for holding back. It remains unclear what exactly the lyrics are expressing, however, and the rhythms seem to be lacking in much variation. There’s some fun to be had here, but if you’re looking for innovative forays into unexplored territory here, it certainly isn’t the record you’re after. I thought the band had a surprisingly nice chemistry together though, and the producers certainly know how to create some effective build-up’s for the big riffs. It was quite catchy, overall. However, the “middle finger” sentiments of the lyrics feel half-baked, the rhythms feel too recycled and too often, and there’s just almost zero substance for me to latch onto. Pay up, Mr. Weakland – You made a bet…

  • Pictured: Bryan Scott (Lead Vocals/Rhythm Guitar), Patrick Kennison (Lead Guitar/Backing Vocals), John Moyer (Bass Guitar/Backing Vocals) and Josh Memelo (Drums) (2002) (Photo via Discogs.com)

That’s all I’ve got time for, and, besides, the four episodes of my two documentaries that I’ve got left to do are sadly not going to produce themselves. I’ll be sure to dedicate an hour or so from my hectic schedule to provide you some introductions to a new artist tomorrow, however, who mixes Drum ‘N’ Bass with Neo-Soul, and comes by way of Leeds and Manchester. Her latest EP has just been released on HIJINXX – which is also the name of the DIY youth street art side project that she operates. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every new daily post is up and why not like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/