New Album Release Fridays: Lala Lala – “DIVER”

October 8, 2021 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Cover Art for ‘I Want The Door To Open’ (LP) (Released on October 8, 2021) (via Hardly Art)

Good Morning to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it is time for us to enjoy a deeper dive into one of the weekend’s zestiest new album releases, since it’s always been my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! October 8th. It also happens to be a Friday, and so that means new albums from the likes of the Canadian Experimental marvels BadBadNotGood, LA-based Bedroom Pop prodigies Magdalena Bay, one half of Warwick-based Alt-Pop duo Cash+David in the form of Liz Lawrence, the criminally underrated Louisa Roach-led Wirral-formed Post-Punk group She Drew The Gun and former Feels member Shannon Lay all hitting the shelves of your nearest record shop today. However, ‘DIVER’ is a gorgeous track that’s been issued as a single from ‘I Want The Door To Open’, the third solo album in the discography of Lala Lala, which is the Indie Rock project of the Chicago-based singer-songwriter Lillie West. She began making music when she attended the School Of The Art Institute in Chicago and became involved in the city’s local music scene after being encouraged by a close friend to buy a guitar from Craigslist, after she was raised up in Los Angeles and London. Since then, West has been heard on ‘Siren 042’, a collaboration with Yoni Wolf, the frontman of the Alternative Hip-Hop band WHY?, and she performed at the Pitchfork Music Festival in 2019. She has also toured the US with Death Cab For Cutie and Better Oblivion Community Center, and she has received praised for her “ability to offset sharp lyricism with shimmering guitar and singalong-worthy vocal refrains” by Adelaide Sandstrom, a respected writer for NPR Music. Her new LP is the follow-up to 2016’s self-released ‘Sleepyheads’ and her critically-acclaimed 2018 follow-up record ‘The Lamb’, with the album’s themes being inspired by a novel ‘Manhattan Beach’ by Jennifer Egan. Take ‘DIVER’ for a spin below.

The new album boasts numerous guests like Death Cab For Cutie’s Ben Gibbard, poet Kara Jackson, Adam Schatz from Landlady, fellow Chicago scene musician Christian Lee Hutson, and a few others, and West has described the project herself as “I Want The Door To Open’s a musical quest undertaken with the knowledge that the titular door may open; but is is through falling in love with the quest itself that one may find the next closest thing”, adding, “It’s a bold exploration of persona and presence from an artist questioning how to be herself fully in a world where the self is in constant negotiation”, in her own words. The sound of ‘DIVER’ certainly fits the glacial warmth of the arctic landscapes of the music video and the icy white visuals of the LP’s cover artwork, with some Baroque instrumentation and the slowly ascending backing vocals that evoke a theatrical, choir-like sound. Lyrics like “I’m Sisyphus/You’re the witness/It’s intimate, the violence/It’s palpable to want it all” feel visual and poetic too, and these sequences are tidily set against the backdrop of a lo-fi distortion and some layered, wide open drumming. There are moments of orchestral and ethereal musicality here, especially in the chorus where she uses lyrics like “Your face distorted in the window/Swimming out towards my new life” to sing about discovering a new era in your life and recognizing the swooping thematic tides of change, but later lyrics like “All my time I have is diamonds/Rolling around my head” acknowledge a struggle of developing yourself to meet your goals as one that never truly ends. It feels like a warm introduction to the rest of the ideas that West has likened to exploring on the new record, with an Avant-Pop air of Kate Bush or Tom Waites to connect the abstract musicality together, and so this is a very nice and easily consumable track overall. It’s not necessarily a criticism of her music itself, but I think that a better stage name than ‘Lala Lala’ would make me a bit more likely to take her as seriously as she would like me to as a musician, as it sounds more like she’s one of the younger siblings of the Teletubbies currently. That nitpick aside, I enjoyed the heartfelt personal reflection and the winter sound of the track and the critics seem to love her, and so I’m sure the new record will make for a fascinating listen – although she cannot stare directly at it.

Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘The Lamb’ (LP) (Released on September 28th, 2018) (via Hardly Art)

That brings us to the end of today’s musical musing, and thank you a lot for your continued support with the blog. On a related note, please subscribe to my new podcast – ‘The Subculture Sessions’ – on Spotify for more regular content like this post. I’ll be back tomorrow with an in-depth look at a big new collaboration from a 00’s indie pop staple who have remixed the likes of Kate Nash and Sebastien Teller, and a rising star who sings in Spanish and English – and has signed with RCA Records.

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Today’s Track: Meadow Meadow – “Silhouettes”

September 6, 2021 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Cover Art for ‘Silhouettes’ (EP) (Available from September 17th, 2021) (via Practice Music)

Good Morning to you! You are reading the words of Jacob Braybrooke and, as per usual, the time has finally come for me to get the new week off to a flying start with another daily track on the blog, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Meadow Meadow previously made an appearance on the blog in January with ‘Fireworks’ when I was writing about some of my holdovers from the year before, and I’ve been keeping a close eye on their work since then. This Manchester-based Avant-Garde duo is comprised of James Green and Peter Darlington, who were previously two members of Spring King, a Garage Rock quartet from Macclesfield who were once the cover stars of Dork Magazine. Since the breakup of Spring King, Green and Darlington have both enjoyed continuing to write new material together as Meadow Meadow, a process of creativity they find to be as “a constant source of peace and catharsis”. Green and Darlington cite the likes of Beck, 808 State and Neil Young as their influences behind Meadow Meadow, and the pair of producers also share a love for The Microphones and Animal Collective. The work they create now is self-described as “Music for walking, cycling and camping” because the two musicians have bonded together over their shared experience in growing up near reservoirs, forests and canals. The follow-up to their self-titled debut EP released last year, ‘Silhouettes’ is their new EP, which arrives on September 17th via Practice Music. Check out the Phone-optimized video for the EP’s title track below.

Their new EP also includes the previously released single ‘DNO’, which was mixed by Mike Lindasy of Lump and Tunng. Green explained about the new EP release, “We wrote ‘Silhouettes’ just after completing our first EP, and we both felt it set the tone of what we wanted to do for our next collection of songs. It was inspired by a drawing that was uncovered behind the wallpaper in my childhood bedroom” via his press release. Set to the fan footage visuals of fan footage from different nature spots, ‘Silhouettes’ feels like home for fans of Darkside, where Folk-oriented nylon guitar chords and playfully synthetic sounds mix with a more organic theme to create a strangely endearing equation. The vocals feel much less polished than some of the duo’s previous tunes, and this feels more akin to their roots in DIY Post-Punk as a part of Spring King. Lyrics like “I’m hoping to find peace in sorrow/A black sparrow sitting on the wall” and “I jump into bliss/I fell through the wall/Thick paint on my hands” create a visual picture of the lyrical themes of painting a picture of yourself to reflect quietly upon. We’re led to a more hushed finale, where the refrain of “Truth is beauty/And I see that now/At 3am, I’m always spinning out” is squeakily crooned to the tune of a slower musical palette. Some elements of field recordings and psychedelic textures give the experimental sounds a strange mix of a cosy campfire feeling and a more disturbing undertone where the loose Piano keys and the rolling Drums create a more percussive style. There’s a warmth to these sounds, but the more meditative anchoring process also reminds me of the more collage-based style of Art-Rock bands like Django Django, while the life-affirming brightness of the more sonic sounds harkens back to Moon Duo for me. Overall, this is a weighted mixture of Avant-Rock and Dream-Folk that feels like a well developed mish-mash of other alternative groups, and so it feels original enough by weaving these wide influences together with a warm personality that suits the visual feel of the psychedelic themes.

Pictured: Meadow Meadow (Peter Darlington & James Green) (2020) (Photo via Facebook.com)

As I mentioned, I also checked out a greener Meadow Meadow (See what I did there?) for the blog early in the year, and so if you liked the sound of ‘Silhouettes’, why not check out ‘Fireworks’ here?: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2021/01/26/todays-track-meadow-meadow-fireworks/

Pictured: James Green performing a synth part for “Bonzo” last year (2019) (Photo via Facebook.com)

Thank you for reaching the end of the page with me today, and I can’t wait to add another entry to the blog tomorrow as we take an in-depth look at another emerging British independent music act that comes from Wrexham, North Wales this time and she will be releasing her debut album on Fiction Records later in the week. Having drawn comparisons to Ex:Re and The XX, she is now based in Margate and previously led the Transgressive-signed Shoegaze band Deaf Club before starting her solo career.

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Today’s Track: Hannah Peel – “Ecovocative”

April 22, 2021 — Leave a comment

You better not slip over a Banana ‘Peel’ on your way to work after this. New post time!

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Fir Wave” (LP) (Released on March 26th, 2021) (via My Own Pleasure)

Good Afternoon to you – I’m Jacob Braybrooke and since I’ve got my radio show for this week queued up (That’s 7pm on OMG Radio if you fancy tuning in), it’s time for me to quickly get typing up for your daily track on the blog, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! ‘Ecovocative’ comes to you from the Northern Irish electronic composer Hannah Peel, who is known for blending Classical instrumentation with the latest high-tech Synth gear. She has also composed scores and soundtracks for numerous film and TV productions as well as some theater and dance stage shows, including work on a documentary about ‘Game Of Thrones’. Her sixth album is called ‘Fir Wave’ and it looks at the different cyles of life through a sound design lens. She was inspired to create the work by Delia Derbyshire, who lived on until 2001 as a bit of an unsung hero. She deserved more credit for carrying out the BBC’s Radiophonic Workshop during the 1960’s and creating the iconic theme tune for ‘Doctor Who’. The likes of Aphex Twin, The Chemical Brothers and Orbital have all cited her as a major influence during interviews in the past. For her latest record, which was released on March 26th via My Own Pleasure, Peel was allowed the permission to access the database of Derbyshire and the Radiophonic Workshop by the specialist library organisation KPM, allowing Peel to re-interpret the ‘Electrosonic’ work of Derbyshire to create an Experimental Electronic Ambient album that is thematically based around climate change and sustainability. Let’s check out the puntastic track – ‘Ecovocative’ – below.

Hannah said: “I’m finding it harder to express all those huge feelings and lyrics in words like I used to” in an interview for the new album recording, elaborating, “Instrumental Music can conjure so much more with this new track, I wanted to evoke those patterns in nature, celebrate the detail, the changes in light, play with primal shimmering energy, using obscure bells and the bubbling beats of electronic music” when she mentioned her recent single, following up on a stint when she curated BBC Radio 3’s ‘Night Tracks’ programme. While the publicity chatter drums up music influences of 70’s early Ambient and the Hauntology sub-genre, ‘Ecovocative’ brings up imagery of East Asian biomes and outer Tokyo, feudal Japan aesthetics for me. With no lyrics to construct a meaning from, the context radiates from the clicky Bass sounds and the swelling Synth melodies instead for me. While the heavily electronic instrumentation has not been discarded entirely and dubbed over with natural instrumentation, there’s still something that feels almost ritualistic and pure about the sequences of sound. The opening sounds a little unsettling and evokes a theme of paranoia with slowly glimmering depth, but the tone feels like it’s becoming progressively more hopeful, with a rhythmic drum beat which twinkles and forms a chorus of-sorts in the early going. The chord progression continues to change keys slowly, as the low-lit, gurgling undercurrrent lingers in the background beneath the tolling, Bell-like synths. To me, it feels relaxing and it seems visually broad, but the direct meanings feel unexplored and vague. On the whole, it sounds infinitely tinkered with and merticulously layered, but the slow-burning movements pay off with the gradual introduction of new beats. It dances around your ears and radiates with a circling effect, and so it achieves the explorations of life cycles with a nice level of vibrancy. I feel like I might need to be in a certain frame of mind to enjoy the album as a whole, but the three minute duration of the track glides by very smoothly overall.

Pictured: Hannah Peel before a “First Cut Interview” feature (2017) (Photo via MusicTech.net)

The bell tolls for another day – and you can join me again tomorrow for a new entry in our “New Album Release Friday” series, as we shine the spotlight upon one of this week’s most promising new releases. We’re going to be looking at the much-anticipated new album from one of the leading figures behind the young scene of the UK’s Jazz circuit. Signed to Anti- Records, this male producer taught himself to produce beasts in East Ham, London – inspired by his hip-hop sampler heroes Madlib and J Dilla. 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: Fimber Bravo – “Hiyah Man”

April 20, 2021 — Leave a comment

The African experimenter proving he’s not to be just a flash in the Pan. New post time!

Pictured: Cover Art for “Lunar Tredd” (Released on March 19th, 2021) (via Moshi Moshi Records)

Good Morning to you – I’m Jacob Braybrooke, and I’m going to try to lift your spirits with another daily entry on the blog, since it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Currently based in South London, Fimber Bravo is a Trinidad-born composer and producer with his origins set as a Steel Plan player and founder of the Twentieth Century Steel Band. Bravo’s been around since the 70’s, and his music has been sampled in plenty of modern Hip-Hop records, such as tracks from Doug E. Fresh, Soul II Soul, and even Jennifer Lopez, of all people. He has also built a following around his unique collaborations with Western artists, such as the likes of Blur, Morcheeba and also Hot Chip. Hearing ‘Hiyah Man’ being supported on the A-list rotation of BBC Radio 6 Music was my first introduction to his work, and the track is the latest single from his new album, ‘Lunar Tredd’, which is only just over a month old now, and is the follow-up LP to his critically-acclaimed 2013 release, ‘Con-Fusion’ (Do you see what he did there?), releasing on Moshi Moshi Records. You may not have heard anything like it before. Let’s take a listen to it below.

Bravo has been establishing himself as a collaborative creator in the gaps since the years between his solo LP releases and his desire to produce another solo recording came about from the inspiration of the Black Lives Matter protests. When releasing ‘Hiyah Man’, he wrote: “Songs come to you in different ways, Hiyah Man was like a voice from my ancestors guiding me and giving me the power for a deeper celebration of the Pan with percussive rhythms that inspired us all to improvise a live first take in one go”, in his press release, concluding “We all felt so high on it” while referring to his free-spirited practices. Although I can’t claim to know everything regarding the instruments and deeper production of the track, I still think that ‘Hiyah Man’ caught my attention because there is a clear influence of dance music. The opening vocal of “A long time ago” is kept short and sweet, but the low-pitched delivery gives it an edge. It gets accentuated by upbeat, melodic Steel Pan beats which build slowly to the introduction of higher drum signatures and new layers of instrumentation. He continues to build a psychedelic dance beat and a festival setting, as elements of Afrobeat and Prog-Jazz make the cut. A slightly distorted synth beat quietly weaves it’s way through the percussion, and the eclectic bass line comes to the forefront towards the end with more electronic synth beats that have an acidic quality. The tone of the track and it’s mood feels more joyful and celebratory than it’s opening, with lyrical hooks about connecting with your ancestors and modernizing your family’s traditions remaining at the centerpiece of the singing sections. Overall, it’s over six minutes of very colourful and funk-influenced chord progression, with a nicely balanced mix of both African and electronic instrumentation. Although it’s not a track that I’ve repeatedly listened to over time and time again, there’s nothing about it that I can really fault. Despite being quite a newcomer to this style of music, I find it to make me feel refuelled and uplifted. An excellently crafted means of escape.

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Con-Fusion” (LP) (Released in January, 2013) (via Moshi Moshi Records)

That’s all for now – But feel free to join me again tomorrow for a new entry in our weekly “Way Back Wednesdays” blog feature, where we revisit the sounds of the past that have influenced the present, or a look at an absurd rarity that shall not be left as forgotten. The former is the case this week, as we recover a beloved single from the Gold-certified debut album of an East Coast Hip-Hop pioneer who serves time as the associate publisher of Mass Appeal magazine and the co-founder of Mass Appeal Records. 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: Postdata – “Twin Flames”

March 23, 2021 — Leave a comment

It’s like a hard drive filled with sorted data – Information in formation. New post time!

Pictured: POSTDATA (aka Paul Murphy) in a PR shoot (2021) (Photo via GodIsInTheTVZine.co.uk)

Good Morning to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and, once again, it’s time for me to get typing up for your daily music musing on the blog, since it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! You might know Paul Murphy better as a part of the Polaris Music Prize-nominated Canadian indie folk outfit Wintersleep, but when he is not busy scraping up the Juno Award – like in 2008 – with that band, You’ll find him working on his own solo side project, POSTDATA. The project features a rotating collective of supporting musicians who work with Murphy on typically Acoustic-oriented tracks, albeit with some vital elements of Electronica music stirred into the mix. His fourth album to be released under the moniker, ‘Twin Flames’ saw the light of day on March 5th via Paper Bag Records. This body of work looks at the weathering of storms – both physically and symbolically – with intricately detailed soundscapes, and it features some guest work from Frightened Rabbit’s Andy Monaghan and Murphy’s Wintersleep bandmate Tim D’Eon, with co-production work from Ali Chant (Perfume Genuis, Portishead). Let’s sample the titular cut down below.

“This was initially an instrumental track”, Murphy said of the single release, before co-producer Ali Chant suggested he slowed it down and added a small bit of Spoken Word vocals over the top to enhance it, and Murphy added: “It’s a love song but also felt really poignant personally during full pandemic lockdown this idea of weathering storms. Enduring them. Inhabiting them. Becoming them.” for more context. In the end, what may have started out as a simple ode to love has been transformed into a carefully layered piece crafted with diverse instrumentation, where Murphy’s vocals are wrapped up in some poetic delivery accompanied by a sumptuous melody that feels sorrowful, but intimate and gentle. Lyrics like “To the blink of a moment, For a fraction of a second” are beautifally matched with samples of children singing about the weather, while lines like “In the motionless night, At the speed of light, We were never really here” feel more romantic. The chorus raises the variety up a notch, as an acidic synth beat gets added to the mix, which symbolizes the strikes of Thunder as the conversation between two partners takes place amidst the stormy night. A brief, introspective set of more verses come in to the frame, where the repeated riff of “Until there was nothing left, to say or be afraid of, Only love and death” reflects the feel of navigating the complexity of an obtrusive, overwhelming situation. It goes for a whimsical quality, as the Folk-led vocals dip in and out of the fragmented Spoken Word delivery. The brief Brass section at the end is a stand-out, while the main bulk of the track feels softer, as various sequences of layered instrumentals slowly build the tension of the track. Overall, it makes for an interesting listen, where the vocals feel internal and expressive, with the instrumentation working to create a narrative for the proverbial storm, which is weighed down by tonal shifts. A stillness after the Thunder.

Pictured: Cover Art for “Twin Flames” (LP) (Released on March 5th, 2021) (via Paper Bag Records)

Thank you for checking out my latest blog post – But that’s all I have time for today! We’re going to be dialing back the time machine tomorrow, however, for a new entry in our weekly ‘Way Back Wednesdays’ feature. The track comes from one of the centerpieces of English Electronic music, who used to be the flagship act for the Manchester-based indie label Factory Records and the North Western club The Hacienda, and the band are also known for their collaborations with long-term graphic designer Peter Saville over the decades. I’ve got some ‘True Faith’ in this lesser-known single for the group to deliver the goods. 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/

New Album Release Friday: Julien Baker – “Hardline”

February 26, 2021 — Leave a comment

Could this Baker’s dozen have done with a bit more time in the oven? New Post Time!

Pictured: Julien Baker performing in an Isol-Aid livestream (2020) (Photo via TheLineOfBestFit.com)

Good Morning to you! I’m Jacob Braybrooke and, as per usual, it’s time for me to get typing up for your daily track on the blog, as it’s routinely my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of new music every day! It’s New Release Friday – and this week’s line-up looks pretty stacked. On paper, we’ve got the return of underrated Geordie’s Maximo Park (More on that tomorrow!), the first new album release in a decade from Instrumental Jazz ensemble Menahan Street Band, a bright new EP from Deap Vally, a neat new collection from Acoustic Singer-Songwriter Lucy Spraggan, and a few others. To many music lovers, however, the most anticipated new LP release this week comes from the Tennessee-born Alternative Folk singer-songwriter Julien Baker, whose third studio record, “Little Oblivions”, is out today via Matador Records. This 12-track production has been absolutely hyped to the hills since “Hardline” was released as the lead single by the internet music community, and Baker is really tipped to be one of 2021’s biggest break-out artists after showing promise in her earlier material – similarly to the way that Phoebe Bridgers found huge success with “Punisher” last year, which may be no coincidence seeing that Baker and Bridgers, along with Lucy Dacus, used to be a part of the trio Boygenuis. The stop-motion video for “Hardline” was directed by Joe Baughman. Let’s see what the fuss is about below.

An LGBT artist, Baker is known for her somber and emotional work, which has been informed by her run-in’s with Christianity in the time of her upbringing, and the new album deals with themes of spirituality, addiction, mental health and human interaction. It is also her first album to have a full “backing bound” sound, with Baker touching on the inspirations behind the “Hardline” and it’s video by noting: “I don’t know why I have the impulse to write songs or make tiny sculptures out of plane tickets. But here it is anyway: A bunch of things I’ve collected and carried with me that I’ve re-organized into a new shape” in the earlier press notes for the track. These ideas of re-shaping an experience into something more useful is a common thread for “Hardline” to bounce off, as the bass-led opening feels violent to a point, before the track feels more soothed when Baker’s vocals enter the fray. The lyrics are very plentiful, with long verses that frequently touch on questioning yourself and contemplating the trust you have for others. The most striking lyric, for me, is when Baker croons: “For all the future things I will destroy” under a light bed of electronics, before the arrival of a more restrained bridge, leading into “Til then I split the difference/Between medicine and poison” until the tempo increases and the crackling Synth melodies begin to monitor a sound reminiscent of a heart monitor in a hospital. “I can see where this is going, But I can’t find the brake” seems to be the cue point for the heavy instrumentals to become more aggressive, before we slowly build to the end where Baker sings “Took it farther/Draw a hardline/When I cross it/It’s the third time” as the softer and more acoustic guitar instrumentation trades places with the crying qualities of the synths. It becomes quite a stressful experience to listen to at times, with hard subject matter of intoxicating themes of alcohol complementing the avalanche nature of the drums and the rumbling of the Organ-like instrumentals. It never really feels like these elements are battling for control, however, as the lyrics feel expansive and internalized, and I think it’s good overall. This is really one of my first experiences with Baker, but I think she connects with modern LGBT culture in a way that feels authentic. Although it sounds very cliche to write, it is very powerful. The production feels expressive and unsullied by auto-tune. Maybe a bit intense for some, but there’s a chance it may really grow on me over time.

Pictured: Cover Art for “Little Oblivions” (Released on February 26th, 2021) (via Matador Records)

Well, that’s the end of another week! “Scuzz Sunday” takes place in a mere 48 hours or so, but, before then, as hinted towards earlier in the post, we’re going to be taking a look at some brand new stuff from Maximo Park’s new album tomorrow. The Geordie Alternative Rock band were nominated for the Mercury Prize with their debut album, “A Certain Trigger”, in 2005. Since then, the now-trio have recorded six more albums – two of which have achieved Gold certified sales here in the UK. 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: Falle Nioke (feat. Ghost Culture) – “Barké”

August 31, 2020 — Leave a comment

If your pet dog likes this music, they will probably Barké at it. It’s time for a new post!

Pictured: Outer case for Falle Nioke & Ghost Culture’s “Youkounkoun” EP (Physical CD available from Bandcamp.com)

Yeah… You can tell I struggled a bit to come up with the tagline for this one. Good Afternoon, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and, as per usual, I’m writing about your daily track on the blog, because it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! “Barké” is a recent release which I sadly didn’t quite get around to taking a spin earlier. It comes from the EP, “Youkounkoun”, a collaborative EP mixed together by Falle Nioke and Ghost Culture. Nioke is a singer-songwriter from Guinea Conakry, West Africa. He sings in both French and English, and in some traditional African languages like Susu, Falani, Malinke and Conagui. He is also a percussionist who plays cultural African instruments like the Gongoma, Bolon and Cassi. The latter, Ghost Culture, is the alias of London-based Electronic composer James Greenwood. He has always been a producer in the UK’s underground dance scene, but he turned heads with the release of his self-titled LP back in 2015, which was named as Rough Trade’s “Record Of The Month” in January 2015. Let’s have a gander to “Barké” below.

Falle Nioke was, reportedly, quickly inspired to link up with Ghost Culture, as his first electronically-focused project, soon after he moved to the UK and signed up with PRAH Recordings. “Barké” was the first sampler they shared from their recent EP, and it’s title roughly translates to “Blessing” in English. The sound of which they craft together comes off as quite intriguing. Nioke recites African chants over a luscious Lute melody, before Greenwood adds a synergistic range of syncopated beat melodies, with a kinetic bassline that melodically whistles over the top of a stuttering, glitched-out strobe rhythm that continually dips and weaves over the top of Nioke’s tribal vocals. These vocals feel upbeat, yet grounded, paired with a sensibility of Drum and Bass that clashes the two musical roots of London and Conkary together, with a decent flow that doesn’t feel too jarring, although it takes some co-operation for you to become accustomed to it. The electronic influences aren’t heavy, with a minimalist drum pattern and a simple, hand-clapped beat that keeps the track feeling poppy and beat-driven enough to access on a first listen. It provides for a good introduction to Nioke’s distinct vocal style, as he bases a large emphasis on high notes and a mid-tempo pitch, before the electronic beats gradually decrease in frequency, and the ongoing groove makes a key change, for a soulful outro that evokes a well-rounded finish. The style feels raw and D.I.Y, with an interesting style of lyricism that probably takes a bit of interaction or perseverance for a casual listener to get the most out of it. I think it makes for some superb diversity, and it’s addictive as a grower. A great palette cleanser for a year where, sadly, nothing has gone to plan.

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Youkounkoun” (EP) (Released on July 10th, 2020) (via PRAH Recordings)

Thank you very much for reading this post! Don’t worry, as I will be kicking off the new month tomorrow with a new track from a talented independant artist who has really burst onto the UK Indie Rock scene with her new track, which has been curated for an A-list slot on BBC Radio 6Music, along with a strong airplay from X-Posure, John Kennedy’s evening show, on Radio X. It’s named after a popular lunchtime meal that you would probably enjoy as a comfort food while feeling poorly. 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 Flaming Lips – “My Religion Is You”

July 4, 2020 — 1 Comment

The Flaming Lips are back! Will they leave you burning with desire? It’s new post time!

Pictured: Wayne Coyne (Lead Vocals/Writer), Michael Ivins (Bass Guitar/Backing Vocals), Steven Drozd (Lead Guitar/Kick Drums), Derek Brown (Rhythm Guitar/Percussion), Jake Ingalls (Keyboard/Synths), Matt Duckworth-Kirksey (Drums/Percussion) and Nick Ley (Sampling/Occasional Backing Vocals) (in 2020) (via DIYMag.com)

Top O’ The Weekend to you, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing about your daily track on the blog, because it is always my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! Always a band to make a meaningful statement, The Flaming Lips have decided to go patriotic for the sixteenth album of their established, storied career. “American Head” is set for release on September 11, 2020, via Warner Bros. Records in the US and via Bella Union Records in the UK. This upcoming full-length release from the experimental art rock project, who were placed on Q Magazine’s list of the “50 Bands You Need To See Before You Die” poll in 2002, is “based on a feeling”, according to the 7-piece group’s front-man Wayne Coyne, who says: “A feeling that, I think, can only be expressed through music and songs”. He continues: “Mother’s sacrifice, Father’s intensity, Brother’s insanity, Sister’s rebellion… I can’t quite put it into words”… I’ll leave the meaning of that down to you for interpretation. Let’s have a listen to the latest single – “My Religion Is You” – below.

Paired with the chilling music video that sees Wayne Coyne clutching giant Roses next to a prairie bonfire, the band largely explore God above Country as Coyne murmurs through a series of lyrics about religions, in a psych-folk ballad sense, shrugging them off as the downbeat acoustic folk instrumental slowly increases into an Acid-shaded falsetto that slightly resembles Pop. He hums: “Yeah Budda’s cool and you’re no fool, To believe anything, You need” and “If Hari Krishna, Maybe it’s the thing for you, it’s cool”, over the top of sampled string melodies that form in the centre of a psychedelic swing that’s led by a synthesized bass drums, with warm acoustic guitar strums that shape the two verses, but they fade away in the electronic-led chorus. I can detect a sense of unity despite differing beliefs in the post-bridge, where Coyne adds: “If being a Christian is your thing/Then own it, friend”, before a sweeping chorus section where he sings: “I don’t need no religion/You’re all I need/You’re the thing I believe in/Nothing else is true”, layered above soft bass guitar strums, before he concludes: “My religion is you”, repeating the line over the three-line sequence. The track has a mournful, yet warm, tone, and the fairly off-kilter psych-pop instrumentals blend well with the lighter, acoustic guitar-driven opening sections to create a track which, lyrically, is a plea for focused universal love, which is suitable for a time where loads of political groups feel divided, and most of us are still effectively under house arrest. There’s an element of humor to it, with the quirky lyrics to balance the brutality out. Although The Flaming Lips are taking the similar creative approach to The Killers’ “Caution”, where it sounds more like a classic Flaming Lips track than an innovative creative breakthrough for the band, their messages are heartwarming on this track, and it’s a well-structured piece that artfully discusses what it means to believe in love.

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “American Head” (Available to buy from September 11th, 2020) (via Bella Union)

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