New Year’s Eve Special: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – “Christmas All Over Again”

December 31, 2019 — Leave a comment

The hyperbolic Eagle, that is 1st January, has almost landed! Christmas is… All Over Again! Here’s the New Years Eve post to help ring in the new year and the new decade!

Pictured: Tom Petty (Lead Vocals, Multi-Instrumentalist), Mike Campbell (Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals), Benmont Tench (Keyboard), Ron Blair (Bass Guitar), Scott Thurton (Rhythm Guitar, Percussion) and Steve Ferrone (Drums) (in 2017)

I, Jacob Braybrooke, don’t tend to really “do” New Year’s! It’s a bit silly. The way I see it, it’s just a day like any other and there’s nothing very exciting or special about it. You wouldn’t stay up for the 1st of March every year, so why is staying up for 1st of January every new year such a big celebration? It does, however, give me an excuse to look back at the music I’ve loved and cherished each year. So, watch this space on the blog. In the meantime, I’m going to be covering “Christmas All Over Again”, a 1992 by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, which was used on the soundtrack of the 2008 Hollywood film: “Four Christmases”. We tragically lost Petty in a medical incident in 2017. It sent shock-waves throughout the music world, as we couldn’t believe that we’d lost a singer, guitarist, writer and producer who was so renowned and talented, not to mention very influential, as he created a long and prosperous career for himself which encompassed decades of music, as he built legions upon his fanbase throughout the different generations of his career. It’s fair to say he’s missed by us all!

“Christmas All Over Again” was first performed in The White House, by a clean-shaven Petty, airing from the “A Very Special Christmas” TV special in 2000. I don’t think it’s the hardest-rocking entry of Petty’s discography, but it’s still a quickly paced and concisely written track about the excitement of the festive season and the routines that we do year-on-year in preparation for the shenanigans. Petty recites, over whistled sleigh bells and triumphant kick drumming beats, “Everybody’s singing/All the bells are ringing out/And it’s Christmas all over again, yeah again”, with short and sharp displays of humour throughout the track: “Long distance relatives/Haven’t seen them in a long, long time/Yeah, I kind of missed them/I just don’t want to kiss them, no” and a slight delivery of mumled sarcasm in the main vocal hook: “It’s Christmas All Over Again”. Petty pleads over a line of rhythm guitar chords and infectious church bells that help to ring in (boom*boom*tiss*) a joyful chorus of symphonic rock melodies and soulful bass guitar melodies , as the festive track dips into it’s influences from Blues and Lo-Fi rock. This is a great little indie rock tune, as far as Christmas tracks of it’s genre go, and it’s easy to see why it’s remained very popular over the decades. It has a wide appeal and it subverts your expectations a little bit, but not enough to alienate it’s ability to cross over into mainstream success.

Pictured: Tom Petty and Mike Campbell performing a live track at the KAABOO Music Festival (September 2017)

Thank you for reading this post! As Christmas is All Over Again, that’s the last of this year’s Christmas posts! However, there will be a special post tomorrow to commemorate the New Year, as we look back on an old-school track from a world-famous Swedish Eurovision-winning vocal group who have the “Mamma Mia!” 2008 musical film and Broadway show modeled after them! Make sure you check back with the blog tomorrow so you don’t miss out! 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/

Today’s Track: Saint Etienne – “My Christmas Prayer”

December 20, 2019 — Leave a comment

As I’ve grown up, I’ve found that My Christmas Prayer is for well… nothing. It’s time for you to take a trip back down to 1994 and kick off your evening with your new post!

Pictured: Sarah Cracknell (Lead Vocals), Bob Stanley (Keyboard, Percussion) and Pete Wiggs (Keyboard, Percussion)

A beloved British dream-pop trio named after the AS Saint-Etienne Football Club, Saint Etienne have become a very well-established name on the international indie music scene since they released their debut LP, “Foxbase Alpha”, in 1991. The band have been described as significant in uniting 90’s club counter-culture together with early, pioneering 60’s influences. Within their discography, the band released a christmas track on their 1994 album, their third overall LP release, “Tiger Bay”. It wasn’t included on the standard listing, however, as the track was released as a b-side on the bonus disc of the UK release of the album. The track is called “My Christmas Prayer” and it acts as a breather between the techno-pop sound explored on the album released in June 1994. I recently heard the track on late-night radio and since I’ve been covering a wide range of lesser-known festive tracks on the blog leading up to Christmas and New Year’s, I thought it’d be a perfect little track to cover for you! I’m Jacob Braybrooke, wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year over the festive season, and today’s track is – “My Christmas Prayer” by Saint Etienne!

I think it’s fair to say it’s one of the least conventional Christmas songs ever written, as it has a very down-tempo and laidback style that will either come across as traditional and heartwarming for some, or bleak and melancholic for others. This will depend on who you ask! I wonder what Saint Nick would make of it! Vocally, Cracknell displays a careful prowess as she poetically recites: “Oh Lord, will you please help me//For my baby’s gone astray?/Bring him back, / ’cause I’m so lonesome, and tomorrow’s Christmas Day” over a soothing, somewhat exhausting, underlayer of 90’s electropop synthesizers and ringing bells, which culminates with a solo riff of keyboard lines that dance towards the natural conclusion of the track. It’s the festive equivalent of Marmite on toast, as I think you’re either going to love it or hate it! For me, personally, it’s bubbly and there’s a cheesiness to an extent, but I find the pacing of this cover version to be very slow and the layout to be dull compared the original classic recorded by Billy Fury. I feel there is fun to be had, however, as the vocal performance from Cracknell is angelic and the material from Stanley and Wiggs on the keyboards is decent enough. Overall, it’s a bit of a throwaway seasonal offering which sounds a bit flat in places, but I feel it ends up being a decent little tune overall!

Pictured: Saint Etienne performing “Nothing Can Stop Us” live at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn (2017)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be offering more great tidings on the blog tomorrow as part of my weekly Scuzz Sundays (90’s-00’s emo/punk/rock-themed) posts! However, this week, it’s a track from a modern classic UK indie-rock band with a seasonal twist! 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: Rage Against The Machine – “Killing In The Name”

December 15, 2019 — Leave a comment

Rage Against The Machine? Put me in front of any computer past 10pm and that’s what the recipe will brew up! Another week, another weekly Scuzz Sunday blog post!

Pictured: Zack De La Rocha (Lead Vocals), Tom Morello (Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar), Tim Commerford (Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals) and Brad Wilk (Drums, Percussion) (Photo Credits: Niels Van Iperen/Getty Images) (1996)

Well, it’s no happy-clappy Christmas song, but it still hit #1 on the UK Singles Chart for Christmas in 2009. Yes, that’s right, the track sold 50,000 copies on downloads alone (which was a big thing in those days, believe it or not) in a campaign to stop the X-Factor winner from getting the #1 spot for the fifth year in a row. Joe McElderry with a cover of Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb” was the victim, after a string of christmas #1 hits from Shayne Ward, Leona Lewis, Leon Jackson and Alexandra Burke. Well, if you want to completely disappear from the world without a trace, the way to do it is by going on The X-Factor and winning it! I do have a soft spot for Leona Lewis though, she has a gorgeous voice! Seasons greetings to you, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m blogging about “Killing In The Name” by Rage Against The Machine, originally released in November 1992, as a single from the self-titled debut LP from Tom Morello’s old band.

I think it’s more Season’s Beatings to you in this case! This is an Alternative Metal classic that doesn’t let up in much of a sentimental context, making it a great fit for the protest that got it to the #1 spot in Christmas 2009. Chosen as it was a protest track about institutional racism and police brutality in the 1990’s, “Killing In The Name” has remained an early 90’s classic because it has a signature guitar riff and a vocal style of lyricism which is raw and aggressive. There are also 17 profantities of the word “fuck”, although this is a surprisingly easy track to cut into a radio edit. The hard rock power of the track is boosted by the frantically-paced drumming and the bass-driven punk chords which put a stamp on the immediate impact of the politically charged sound. Zack De La Rocha gears up for the explosive chorus “and now you do what they told ya”, before he conjures up a storm of heavy lead guitar chords and fast-paced rock production with the chorus: “Those who died are justified, for wearing the badge, they’re the chosen whites/You justify those that died by wearing the badge, they’re the chosen whites” and he leads a mosh pit into a live crowd with: ” Yeah! Come on! ” to create an overwhelming sense of protest and emotions of miserable anger. It’s cold and brooding, but I think it still qualifies as a credible piece of art because it’s managed to live on in the years since and the lyrical messages are still relevant in the world we’re living our society within today. Overall, it’s one of, if not, the most unconventional Christmas #1 song of all-time, even though it faces very hard competition from Mr. Blobby and Bob The Builder. Yep, it still bangs!

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Rage Against The Machine” (Self-Titled debut LP record) (1992)

Thank you very much for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as usual, with an in-depth look at a new track from a US indie singer-songwriter who has recently started her own solo project after being well-known as the lead member of the Philadelphia-born indie rock band, Hop Along! 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/

Today’s Track: Massive Attack (feat. Shara Nelson) – “Unfinished Sympathy”

December 2, 2019 — Leave a comment

Robert “3D” Del Naja, Grant “Daddy D” Marshall and formerly “Mush” (Andy Vowles) comprised the original lineup of Massive, a Trip Hop group from Bristol. Later renamed as Massive Attack, the name which stuck, the band have become Massive-ly (sorry!) influential force in the history of British dance and alternative music. “Unfinished Sympathy”, one of the lead singles from their 1991 debut LP, “Blue Lines” was later voted on many end-of-year and best-of-all-time lists, particularly since the track was named as the 63rd best song of all-time by NME in 2014. The single also reached #13 in the UK Singles Chart upon it’s original release. It came accompanied with a music video directed by Baillie Walsh, , which saw Shara Nelson, the guest vocalist, walking through a grimy street in a neighbourhood in Los Angeles, California – oblivious to the events going on around her in the surrounding area. Recently, Massive Attack have been featured in the news, as they have announced a study into the effects of climate change on live tours. As a result, the band, in their press release, have commented on making a pledge to: “map thoroughly the carbon footprint of band tour cycles, and to present options that can be implemented quickly”. In respect of this brave move, I’ve decided to take a look back at “Unfinished Sympathy” and discuss why the track, nearly 30 years on, still manages to hold up in this day and age!

“Unfinished Sympathy” was one of the group’s earliest recordings and it has become a huge cornerstone in the career of an, arguably, underrated group who have gone on to sell over 13 million copies worldwide in their career. Even now, when you revisit the sound of the track, there’s actually a grand variation of different styles here. There are plenty of vocal and percussion samples, there is an acid house influence created by the drum machine programming and even an orchestral influence being created by the string-based arrangement, which was an effort composed by Will Malone. Some of these elements were created digitally, while other elements were composed by natural instruments. The orchestral composition was later sampled for The Verve’s later hit, “Bitter Sweet Symphony”. A fun fact! Back to the task at hand, it also has a soul-ska vibe created by the tribal backing vocals and the bleakness of the tone. Nelson lyricises about the ubiquity of unrequited love, over a slow-paced bassline and a sumptous melody created by the light elements of House and Techno. It’s not really a song that you would get up and dance to, but it was one of the first electronic tracks written with the people who prefer to sit down in mind, as one of the first examples of Deep Listening subgenres. Towards the end of the track, hip-hop disc scratches are present, which leads to the Violin and Cello becoming the main melody of the track, in a direction that is fearless and smart. It allows the impact of the ambient textures to shine through and for the cerebral bass melody to sink into the psyche of the listener. Overall, this is a track which deserves the universal acclaim it received at the time of release. When looking back at the reflection of the track through an audible mirror, it’s a track that will always have an audience and it should be recognised by a generation who are only given the sexually immature dance records being churned out by the system. This is coming from a 21-year-old student…

Pictured (original lineup): Robert “3D” Del Naja, Grant “Daddy D” Marshall and Andrew “Mushroom” Vowles

You can read up on more info about Massive Attack’s music study into the environmental impacts of touring here: https://pitchfork.com/news/massive-attack-launch-major-study-of-music-industry-carbon-emissions/

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Blue Lines” (1991) (Physical CD Format)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow with an in-depth look at a recent track from a lesser-known British punk band formed in 2010 in Exeter, who have previously been featured twice on KEXP’s Song of The Day podcast! 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/

Today’s Track: Fun Lovin’ Criminals – “Scooby Snacks”

November 29, 2019 — Leave a comment

SCOOOBY-DOOOBY-D…OHHHH! It’s time to kick off your weekend with a Friday post!

Despite the familiar title, it turns out the song is actually linked to a form of drug/medication created by Valium and it has nothing to do with a certain sleuthing cartoon dog and his team of ghost-busting chums that we all know from a long-running TV series created by The Hanna Barbera Company. I guess that’s one mystery solved! Instead, “Scooby Snacks” is a track written and recorded by Fun’ Lovin Criminals, which also includes a sample taken from Quentin Tarantio films, namely “Pulp Fiction” (1994) and “Reservoir Dogs” (1992). It’s an eclectic mix of intriguing styles, as it fuses together elements of Hip-Hop, Blues, Alternative Rock, Post-Punk, R&B and Jazz-Funk. The track didn’t receive much commercial attention when it was first released in August 1996, reaching the #22 spot on the UK Singles Chart, but it was later reissued, along with a cover of 10cc’s hit track “I’m Not In Love”, leading to the track faring a little bit better, reaching #12 on the UK Singles Chart in June 1997. It was taken from the group’s debut LP record, “Come Find Yourself” and it remains to be the group’s biggest and most famous hit, from a commercial standpoint. I first heard the track on the second or third disc of a “100 Hits… Alternative” compilation album, which I can remember buying from a HMV. It was very nifty for my radio work.

This is a track that will take you a few listens to really sink into your psyche, as almost the entirety of the multiple verses are delivered in a soft-rap style. This creates an undeniable stoner rock effect, which feels reminiscent, both in texture and stylistic convention, to the Quentin Tarantino films which it’s sampled composition was inspired by. Huey Morgan, the lead vocalist, raps “Runnin’ around, robbin’ banks” while “All wacked off the Scooby Snacks” over a rhythmic funk melody created by Brian Leiser and a two-step drum rhythm created by Frank Benbini, with the three having great chemistry as a band, with no member outshining the other on this particular track. It’s a rare feat, for many bands, to have this ability to work off the effects of each other, but Fun Lovin’ Criminals manage it with good execution. The track plays off it’s wacky lyricism with a thumping set of slide guitar chords and a well-paced sequence of alternative rock-based sections. I feel the main vocal hook does falter the overall experience a little bit, but the psychedelic elements are captured in good shape. It sounds very 00’s, but the intended tongue-in-cheek spirit and the blues vibes are also groovy. Overall, the track succeeds – and holds up – in creating a drug-fuelled thrill through a shifting variety of styles, although some of the polish is a little outdated compared to later, more contemporary, examples. Nevertheless, it’s a fun track to listen to and a nice way of layering several different elements of hip-hop, alternative rock, blues, and jazz with – mostly – cohesive results.

Pictured: Huey Morgan (Lead Vocals, Slide Guitar), Brian Leiser (Rhytmn Guitar) and Frank Benbini (Drums)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as usual, with an in-depth look at a 1996 track from a new track from a London-based Post-Punk group who have just released a new album on The Leaf Label, which also has guest appearances from Iggy Pop and Kool Keith! 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/

Today’s Track: The Chemical Brothers (feat. Noel Gallagher) – “Let Forever Be”

November 11, 2019 — Leave a comment

How does it feel like to be a full-time student in a British university? Tiring and low on money! On a much lighter note, it’s time for your daily musing on the blog!

The Chemical Brothers’ legendary third LP “Surrender” is getting reissued for it’s 20th anniversary on November 22nd via UME, Capitol and Astralwerks. It comes with two bonus tracks “The Secret Psychedelic Mix” and “Kink Extended Remix” and three new remixes of “Hey Boy Hey Girl”. The album saw the duo explore genres outside of the Big Beat dance genre – such as house, EDM, trance and techno. It remains to have a passionate fanbase and a significant legacy as the album which saw The Chems show what they’re really capable of producing, as they really went outside of their comfort zone to record a consistently solid list of tracks. “Let Forever Be” features the vocal talents of former Oasis icon Noel Gallagher and it reached #9 on the UK Singles Chart in August 1999.

As you may expect with one of the Gallagher brothers involved, the sound of the track dips into influences from the big britpop/britrock movement from a couple of years prior. The voice of Noel Gallagher is easily recognisable as he delivers the line of “and how does it feel like to wake up in the sun? as he transports you to a realm of beaches and holidays with a psychedelic tinge, under a dizzying bassline of vibrant guitar lines and a sinking wormhole vibe of electro-pop synths. The track fixes as it proceeds, adding more colourful layers of acid house-themed ambient textures and a subdued sense of ease that makes it sound contemplative and reflective. You won’t necesarily find a massive drop or an energy equal to a thrash metal chorus, but it’s an effective slice of disco heaven and it’s as close to a rock record as The Chemical Brothers get, which is a direction and an influence that was wildly fresh and completely different to the remainder of their discography at the time.

You can also read my thoughts on The Chemical Brothers “Star Guitar” by following the link below: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2019/08/31/todays-track-the-chemical-brothers-star-guitar/

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow with an in-depth look a track from a 24-year-old psychedelic soul writer from South London! 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 Smashing Pumpkins – “Tonight Tonight”

October 27, 2019 — Leave a comment

It’s time for another Scuzz Sundays blog post! I hope you’ve had a “smashing” week!

Did you know that Billy Corgan, the famous lead member of The Smashing Pumpkins, is also famous for dipping his toes into the wrestling industry? He was the sole promoter of NWA (National Wrestling Alliance), after he left TNA Wrestling in 2006, which led to Corgan gaining ownership of NWA from October 2017. However, as this is a Music blog, I can’t bore you with the details of his professional wrestling musings, although they are actually really interesting, not to mention, very funny and worth reading up on! I’m here to write about “Tonight, Tonight”, an underrated 1996 indie rock single by The Smashing Pumpkins, as a track that I used to catch the video for in the early hours on Scuzz TV, as I used to have a tendency to get up early. It’s obviously a habit that I grew out of, now that I’m a student at University, eh! It’s taken from the third studio LP record by The Smashing Pumpkins, “Mellan Collie and The Infinite Sadness”, which was released in 1995 by the band. It featured a very wide array of styles, as well as more creative input from D’arcy Wretzky and James Iha, the bassist and second guitarist of the band, respectively. The album was one of the band’s most experimental, but it was commercially successful and it was later nominated for seven Grammy Awards. It has recently seen a reissue on Spotify, a deluxe edition with more tracks and live recordings, which lasts for nearly 6 hours long in total! Good luck spending your whole afternoon on that! Nevertheless, the success of the album saw the band brushing the mainstream a bit, with some songs receiving pop radio airplay.

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Mellan Collie and the Infinite Sadness” (1995)

The music video famously takes the idea of Georges Méliès 1902 short film, “A Trip To The Moon”, which was the first example of a sci-fi feature film. It takes the visuals up a notch with the music, a gentle art-rock ballad about the loss of adolescence and the pain of saying goodbye to a very important friend/lover when you, as a young adult, have to move on to a new phase in your life. This thematic narrative spoke to me through one of the verses, as Corgan wails: “Time is never time at all/You can never ever leave/Without leaving a piece of youth/And our lives are forever changed/We will never be the same/The more you change the less you feel” over a bed of piano chords that sound light and euphoric in texture, adding a sense of hope to the bleak lyricism. The track also has a noticeably diverse Shoegaze tendency, created by the distortion of the synths and the awe-inspiring drumroll from Jimmy Chamberlain. The baroque rock influences, later inspiring the first record by Panic! At The Disco back in 2007, and the urgently romantic delivery of vocals make this a cinematic treat for the ears, with the music video adding more layers of fantastical texture and adventurous imagery that creates an overall symphonic rock atmosphere. Overall, I still feel it’s a brilliant track due to the whimsical and sparkling notion evoked by the track, aided by the visuals of the music video. There’s a reason why the album got a 9.2 on Pitchfork and, in my honest opinion, it sits very proudly among the likes of “Today” and “Cherub Rock”, some of the group’s better known tracks, as a highlight of their back catalogue!

Pictured: Still Image from the “Tonight, Tonight” Music Video (April 1996)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as usual, with a look at a new track from a Canadian composer and recording artist who has released music under several different alias, including Manitoba and Daphni! 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/

Today’s Track: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds (feat. PJ Harvey) – “Henry Lee”

October 1, 2019 — 1 Comment

I’ve been writing this blog every day! I’m not a tall handsome man in a dusty rain coat with a ‘Red Right Hand’, but I’m a crazy lover of music! It’s time for your Tuesday post!

Pictured: Nick Cave in a photoshoot for The New York Times (2014)

“I’ve always had an obligation to creation, above all” is a very passionate quote from the triumphant legend that is Nick Cave himself, who teamed up with the equally brilliant PJ Harvey to create a track called “Henry Lee” for his 1996 LP, his ninth LP release with The Bad Seeds! The two reportedly formed a relationship in the late 90’s bolstered by the time they spend when working on the production of this track together. It was assumed to be a very passionate, albeit brief, little slice of puppy love between them, which Cave claims that PJ Harvey broke off, which left him heartbroken and very saddened. It’s a shame as they are two incredibly fascinating artists, but it’s very easy to see their chemistry and innovative concepts coming into play as a huge factor on “Henry Lee”, which reached #36 on the UK Singles Chart in March 1996. A single from “Murder Ballads”, a defining Bad Seeds record, with a notable Kylie Minogue collaboration that was successful in the mainstream, which comprises of gothic horror stories and woeful fables of serial killers being narrated in a ballad format, so the title of the record was “Murder Ballads”! Call a spade a spade?

Thus, “Henry Lee” was born, a dark love story that is romantic and sweet as it is melancholic, but it’s absolutely gorgeous all the same! It’s a privilege to be able to experience art of this quality! It’s probably not a love song that you could get away with playing as the first dance of your wedding, as it’s eery and antagonistic in nature, but the lyrics are written and the vocals are delivered with a sense of purity. They are sincere, heartfelt and honest. The piano chords aren’t flashy and the one-two punch of the guitar-focused arrangement isn’t glossy, but the simplicity of the acoustic instrumentation really hits me and the track is quietly experimental, as it feels influenced by the older Blues records and the folk sounds of the 1960’s and 1970’s. Since we’d mostly experienced Cave as a solo narrator on his records at this point, it adds a dynamic layer to the song when he brings the vocal talents of Harvey onboard, adding a little bit more to the overall sound of the track. It’s heavy-handed as it deals with dark subject matter, as the story revolves around a girl murdering a lover who stole her heart and unwittingly gave it away to another lover, but there are themes of lust and infatuation which are delivered in a very effective and provocative manner. The story, above all, is two legends of true music coming together, bringing all the different elements of their sound, to create a very compelling fragment of art-rock. The video (I’ve attached a link to it above) is also well worth checking out. Like the track itself, it’s easy to get your head around and it’s formatted in a very simplistic nature. It’s romantic and the chemistry between Cave and Harvey is chilling and ghostly, but it’s also brilliant and it’s a true snapshot of their lives at the time. It’s not really a big surprise that they dated for a short time, as it’s easy to tell from the video! It’s an underrated tune from the prolific discographies of both Nick Cave and PJ Harvey, which is made all the more gut-wrenching by the context behind the record!

Pictured: Cover Art For “Murder Ballads” (1996)

Thank you very much for reading this post! As we looked at a rather depressing, if wonderful, piece of work today, I’m going to be taking a much more light-hearted approach on tomorrow’s post by looking at a chart-topping pop hit which the rhythmn got back in 1987! If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every daily new post is up and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/