Alt-Dance

Today’s Track: Rachel Lime – “Voyager 3”

June 17, 2021 — Leave a comment

Hello – from the children of the planet Earth. Time to get intergalactic for a new post!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “A.U.” (LP) (Released on June 11th, 2021) (via Inside Voices)

Greetings and good evening to you, it’s Jacob Braybrooke here, and it’s time for me to get typing up for your daily track on the blog, as per usual, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! We are going cosmic today – with ‘Voyager 3’ from the fresh new Minnesota-based singer-songwriter Rachel Lime, who makes sample-enhanced music in the wheelhouse of Alternative Pop, Chamber-Pop and Electronic Rock, and her PR’s artist biography on Bandcamp and Spotify simply reads as “Music in search of other worlds”. She released her debut solo album, ‘A.U.’, last week through Inside Voices, the new label managed by the Big Bld founder and High Pulp drummer Rob Granfett. It follows a span of her career where she has dropped music on her Soundcloud account quietly for the last decade or so, and her own musical journey began when she decided to learn how to play the Piano at the age of 7. The influences for the record go beyond music, with Lime noting the work of astronomer and author Carl Sagan, especially on his 1985 novel ‘Contact’, as her inspirations. Like The Avalanches have explored on their latest material, Lime also looked to NASA’s Golden Voyager record for her theme, a record put into space in the hopes of extraterrestrial life learning about humanity by unveiling it. Let’s check out Alan De Lean-Taverna’s music video for ‘Voyager 3’ below.

“I wrote this song inspired by the tradition of space disco, and the Voyager golden record, sent into space with Voyager 1 and 2 by NASA”, Rachel Lime told Jasmine Albertson in a recent interview with KEXP, adding, “This interstellar message in a bottle has always really moved me. This idea of humanity trying desperately to communicate itself to Someone Out There, to attempt to connect, to prove that we have created beautiful things”, when expanding on the driving forces behind her process of writing the tune and co-producing the storyboards for the music video. It opens with the iconic sample from the Golden Voyager record, and the greeting of ‘Annyeonghaseyo’ in Korean where Lime has her heritage. A soulful keyboard riff that feels woozy and off-key sets the scene, as lyrics like “I sing a song in a bottle, I give it to the interstellar waves” and “The future’s nice/In the starlight” permeate through the synth-led beats with disorienting vocal effects. The vocals feel almost sensual and flirtatious, or alien and unusual, with interludes which see Congo drums and guitar instrumentals fill the space. The production feels merticulous and tinkered away at, with a slower bridge that finds Lime wishing, “We want to make contact/We gave you a code to break” as the rhythm slowly builds it’s way back to the retro-futurist Keys and the virtuosic Drums that scatter along the undeniably 80’s bassline. It feels paced similarly to a dance track, with different instruments and effects that have their turns, and are each built to gradually. This works really nicely because it gives the total aesthetic a quirky edge, and this makes Lime feel memorable amongst her peers. I’m certain that an alien would love a jive in the kitchen to this. If they ever find it. That is.

  • Pictured: Rachel Lime in the music video for “Voyager 3” (in 2021) (Photo by Alan De Leon Taverna)

That’s it for today’s trip! Don’t forget to join me again tomorrow where, as it’s Friday, we’ll be looking at one of the most notable new album releases of the weekend. We’ll be giving the opportunity to a 20-year-old singer-songwriter making her own Art-Pop music from the suburb of Little Ferry, New Jersey. Born to a Mexican father and a Dominican mother, her new album is based on her love for 80’s-era Michael Jackson. 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: Daniel Avery – “Hazel and Gold”

June 14, 2021 — Leave a comment

Texture as smooth as the layer of Salted Caramel on a Wispa Gold bar. New post time!

  • Pictured: Vinyl Copy of “Together In Static” (LP) (Released on June 24th, 2021) (via Phantasy Music)

Good Morning to you! It’s Jacob Braybrooke – getting proceedings off to a start for the new week – with your daily track on the blog, since it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! A DJ known for his Andy Weatherhall tribute track, ‘Lone Swordsman’, and his production work for the likes of Metronomy and Little Boots, the Bournemouth-based electronic music producer Daniel Avery has announced the follow-up album to 2020’s ‘Love + Light’, which he “surprise released” last June in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic, entitled ‘Together In Static’. A positive and relaxing ambient track, ‘Hazel and Gold’ is the new single from the upcoming album, which releases on June 24th via Phantasy Music and Mute Records. Avery’s new album was originally being composed specifically for a live performance which happened at Hackney Church in May, but, for those who could not get tickets for the socially-distanced show, Avery has a ticketed live-stream planned for June 23rd. Let’s give it a spin with the Tom Andrew-created visuals below.

Avery – who filled in for Mary Anne Hobbs on an episode of her BBC Radio 6 Music programme 6 Music Recommends in 2019 – spoke of the new LP release, “As with many things this past year, the project took on a power and a life of it’s own right in front of me”, adding, “I started to make music specifically for the shows yet, as plans continued to shift, I fell deeper into the waves”, concluding, “By the time I came up for air, I realized I had a complete record I wanted to share. I feel like it’s some of my best work and I’m gassed for you all to hear it”, in his publicity statements. His latest single, ‘Hazel and Gold’, reminds me fondly of ‘Lone Swordsman’ in the ways that it takes on a quite minimalist, honest approach. I wouldn’t say that it’s particularly basic or necessarily simplistic, but the formula remains intact. It’s different to many IDM or Techno tracks of the modern time in the way that it’s not hard, fast club music that aims to exploit the artifice of technology, but it rather embraces the electronic production to create a smooth and comforting tone in it’s soft, downtempo and lightly seasoned textures. We start off with a chiming, melodious Drum melody that eventually forms a smooth and relaxed bassline. The sound becomes more of a Techno-inducing trance during the midway point, as the warmth is stripped back, and the Synth melodies start to glisten. The atmosphere has an undoubtedly optimistic and emotionally-driven quality, with joyous Synth sequences and a whistling backing beat that conjures up a chilled, inviting atmosphere. The late stretch implores the listener to go down the rabbit hole, with a gently increased tempo that adds a dream-like tone to the mix, as the previously threatening drum melodies begin to mimic a bell-like percussion. It’s a short-and-sweet track which doesn’t overstay it’s welcome, and certainly fits the ideas of positive change and joy in attending physical shows that Avery is reflecting, and the cheer that comes from spending time in a crowd together.

  • Pictured: Daniel Avery photographed for Sonar Festival, Barcelona (2019) (Photo via Techno Archive)

If you haven’t heard enough of today’s ‘Golden’ artist yet – then you can also make sure to catch up on Daniel Avery’s Andy Weatherhall tribute track, ‘Lone Swordsman’, taken from his 2020 EP, ‘Dusting For Smoke’, which has been previously covered on the blog, here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/11/12/todays-track-daniel-avery-lone-swordsman/

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Dusting For Smoke” (EP) (Released on September 1, 2020) (via Phantasy Sound)

That has taken us to the end of your blog post for another day! Thank you for joining me – and please feel free to keep your eyes peeled for the site again tomorrow, for some brand new music from an emerging Art-Rock quartet formed in Manchester whose latest single has seen daytime airplay from BBC Radio 6 Music. They shared university halls together and studied popular music at the Royal Northern College Of Music in their hometurf, and they recorded a cover of Disclosure’s ‘White Noise’ for their debut mixtape. 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: Public Service Broadcasting (feat. EERA) – “People, Let’s Dance”

June 12, 2021 — Leave a comment

Don’t adjust your TV sets – this isn’t British Broadcasting Corporation. New post time!

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Bright Magic” (LP) (Available from September 24, 2021) (via Play It Again Sam)

Good Morning to you! It’s Jacob Braybrooke here, and it’s finally time again for me to get typing up for your daily track on the blog, as per usual, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! The oddball London cult band of experimental Art-Rock archival samplers Public Service Broadcasting are back to follow-up on their standout BBC Proms 2019 performance of ‘The Race For Space’ with details of a new album. Having composed music about the Welsh coal mining industry and the White Star Line shipping company on their last two records, ‘Bright Magic’ is a depiction of Berlin as a European metropolis. The band’s J. Willgoose says their new LP record aims to capture the city’s essence, both figuratively and literally, with the use of an electromagnetic receiver on one track to record the pulses of street lamps and electrical cables. It releases on September 24th through Play it Again Sam. A UK tour has also been confirmed for the autumn, starting at Cardiff’s University Great Hall on October 24th and finishing at The Cambridge Corn Exchange on November 11th. Listen to the EERA-featured ‘People, Let’s Dance’ below.

J. Willgoose says that ‘Bright Magic’ is split into three acts of ‘Building A City’, ‘Building A Myth’ and ‘Bright Magic’, and the record even features guest vocals from Einstürzende Neubauten leader Blixa Bargeld on one track. According to J. Willgoose, “I knew the album was going to be about the city, and it’s history and it’s myths, and I was going to move there. So, it’s quite a personal story. It’s become an album about moving to Berlin to write an album about people who move to Berlin to write an album”, in his tongue-twister of a publicity statement. ‘People, Let’s Dance’, the lead single, is a dance-oriented electronic recording that veers it’s head in two directions. For the most part, it calls back fondly to the Motorik synth sounds of Kraftwerk and Visage from the past eras of metropolitan sci-fi music tech. For the second part, however, there are clear echoes to playful 80’s Synthpop and 90’s club anthems, particularly with the lead guitar riff that was sampled from Depeche Mode’s ‘People Are People’. It’s a rare instance for PSB to feature a guest vocalist, but the use of German vocals from Ninja Tune-signee EERA add a perceived sense of authenticity to the multicultural and European-inspired Electronica sound. It’s a surprisingly groovy and deliberately mechanical sound, with the weird absence of archival voice samples for PSB being replaced by more multi-layered instrumentation, where driving Drum melodies and evolving Keyboard patterns gradually adding new layers to the Bass-driven soundscape. EERA’s sections, a mix of Spoken Word lyrics and overlapped singing keep warping themselves around the 80’s guitar interventions and the glacial warmth of the vocals. I could bet you money that a car manufacturer will license the track for an advert in the near-future, and it sounds a lot like The Chemical Brothers in it’s sample work and the guest spot from EERA. It’s an evolution of sound for PSB that takes clear influence from other acts, and that had left me a little lukewarm about it initially. However, I do think that it’s more of a grower, and there’s certainly nothing wrong with that. Five or six listens in, it gets clearer and clearer that PSB know exactly what they are doing. EERA eventually feels like another instrument in their orchestral style, and PSB have admittedly quietly been one of my favourite UK bands because, whatever the topic, they find something interesting to do in how they make their music. Overall, it’s a very effective warm-up for the new body of work that lies ahead.

  • Pictured: J. Willgoose Esq, Wrigglesworth & JF Abraham pictured for ‘Every Valley’ (2017) (via PR)

That’s all for today! Come and dance with me again tomorrow for a new entry in our ‘Scuzz Sundays’ library, as we take a listen back to the Pop-Punk of the past. It’s admittedly a rather obvious choice for this week, as we continue to find hits that we haven’t discussed yet. It comes from a very famous Rap-infused Alternative Rock band who have strayed down the path of Electronic Pop music in recent times. They always received heavy airplay from MTV in the late-90s and during the 2000’s, and, in 2014, Kerrang declared them as “The Biggest Rock Band In The World Right Now”. 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: Genesis Owusu – “Same Thing”

June 7, 2021 — Leave a comment

The Genesis of a futuristic mega-star of Hip-Hop music in the making. New post time!

  • Pictured: Genesis Owusu in a general promo press shoot (2020) (Photo Credit: Bec Parson/OURNESS)

Good Morning to you! It’s Jacob Braybrooke here, and it’s time for me to get typing up for your daily track on the blog, just like usual, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! One of my true standouts of the year so far has undoubtedly been ‘Smiling With No Teeth’ from the Australian-Ghanian Hip-Hop rising star Genesis Owusu, who is the brother of Citizen Kay, which was released in March. In that case, I was absolutely chomping at the bit to cover ‘Same Thing’ on the blog as soon as I was aware of it’s release. An outtake from Owusu’s masterpiece of Funk-drenched and deeply contextual debut solo LP release, which he sent out through his own label OURNESS, which he reportedly spent 60 hours jamming with his Black Dog backing band to conceive. It’s nice to see, therefore, Owusu releasing some of the material which didn’t make the cut on the side. He tells the press, “The songs chosen for the album conveyed a very specific narrative, but we also made a lot of great music that didn’t necessarily fit the album’s narrative points”, alongside the release of the colorful Byron Spencer-directed video for ‘Same Thing’, designed to reflect Owusu’s themes for the track. Check it out below.

“Same Thing was one of the tracks born from the seemingly limitless SWNT sessions”, Owusu added to his press notes for the unveiling of ‘Same Thing’, adding, “The track is still in the realm of the album’s themes of mental health (more specifically, the crazy s**t the mind makes up”, to accompany the trippy visuals conveyed by the music video. The track itself veers more towards the Thundercat or MNDSGN 70’s Funk revivalist sound of the present times than the more aggressively focused angles that ‘Smiling With No Teeth’ took as a body of work, and so I can probably see why Owusu decided to leave it on the cutting room floor originally from his latest long-player project. He opens, “It’s still the same thing you want from me/It’s the same thing I fear to see”, as a shimmering Synth riff buckles ahead of the Funk-rooted guitar licks. He flows together the danceable instrumentation with vocals touching on internal disarray and the push-and-pull dynamic of a mental health struggle, rapping lyrics like “See, I thought that I crawled out of the void” and “Back out the black to the laughs and joy” and “I remember the scent of a happiness/I still smell it most of the time” with a quick precision. The later lyrics hint at a hesitant decision to enter a new relationship despite the promise of new happy memories going unfulfilled to the unknown, with lyrics like “Smile in the teeth but my trusting is skewed/PTSD from my soul, black and blue” and “Dance on the line linking love and bruise/My heart is terrified when I’m thinking of you” before a female backing vocal comes in to potentially add her perspective to the dynamic. The rhythms, with the vibrant Synth chords and the minimal drum basslines, are reminiscent of Prince. It’s almost like Owusu is telling us all a narrative, which he did very nicely on his solo album. I think it would be nice for him to explore themes beyond mental health in the future, but, as for the here and now, I’m very convinced that he can do no wrong. I really admire Owusu’s sheer perseverance when it comes to making music, and the ways that he links his own personal character with the personality of the backing music. He’s an incredibly versatile performer, and the focus that he puts into both lyrics and melody. This is the scent of somebody who is clearly not just your average artist, as he also does things very differently to the average modern rap artist. I will swear by this artist.

  • Pictured: Genesis Owusu in a press shot for the Red Bull House Party (in 2020) (Photo via RedBull.com)

If you’re new to Genesis Owusu, which makes sense because he seems to be a little slept on generally despite the very positive reviews for his work, I’d really recommend getting yourself acquainted with the rest of his craft. You can get started with my review of ‘Don’t Need You’ here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/11/06/todays-track-genesis-owusu-dont-need-you/, and the more aggressive themes of racism on the energetic outburst of ‘Whip Cracker’ here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2021/03/27/todays-track-genesis-owusu-whip-cracker/

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Smiling With No Teeth” (LP) (Released on March 5th, 2021) (via OURNESS)

We’ve reached the end of my musical musings for Monday morning! Thank you for sticking with me to this point, and I will be here again tomorrow to share another track that marks the return of another favourite from recent times, as this certain Moshi Moshi-signed London indie girl pop/rock group return from a two-year hiatus with a new single that was co-produced in the studio with Joe Goddard & Al Doyle from Hot Chip fame. 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: Lou Hayter – “Telephone”

May 29, 2021 — Leave a comment

I’ll be working in a Call Centre if my MA degree fails. That’s my calling. New post time!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Private Sunshine” (LP) (Released on May 18, 2021) (via Skint Records)

Good Morning to you! It’s Jacob Braybrooke here, as always, with your daily track on the blog. Don’t forget that it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! It’s been a long time coming, but yesterday saw the release of the first full-length solo record from Lou Hayter. I loved ‘My Baby Just Cares For Me’ on the blog last November, and the London house scene figurehead has been building up to the release of her retro-futurist Pop delight ‘Private Sunshine’ with a steady stream of singles up to this point. Hayter’s not a newcomer to the business, and she’s already built up an imposing list of credits to her profile. These include her time as the keyboardist of New Young Pony Club, and her time collaborating with Jean Benoit-Dunckel from Air on the experimental Dance-Punk project Tomorrow’s World, which led to their self-titled debut album in 2013. One of her most notable single offerings was ‘Telephone’, a slinky 80’s-esque Synth-Funk jam that fits together with the slow burn promotion of Hayter’s latest LP. Let’s take a ‘Telephone’ call below.

“I started making Pop tunes in a hip-hop kind of way by sampling and looping, and then it opened up a whole new world of making music for me”, Hayter said on the ‘Telephone’ single in it’s respective press notes, before she added, “Telephone is one of the first ones I made like this. I love the vibe it has, it’s a nice laid-back summery tune. The Sax solo was the cherry on top”, to expand on it’s development and post-production. The vocals come in quickly after the repetitious guitar hook, with Hayter crooning: “If it was right, you wouldn’t have to think twice/I know it’s hard but you were just my type/When there were two hearts in this house but one broke” over the top of retro, late-70’s Funky bass guitar licks and strutting Drums which get a slowly bumping bassline moving along. Lines like “Remember when you used to hold me tight/It doesn’t matter if the sun shines bright/’Cause there are raindrops falling on my head without you” that are delivered more poetically. The bridge of “Now, I’m walking in the rain without you” continues to peel back the layers, as Hayter’s lyrical themes of lamenting some missed opportunities to kick-start a relationship come to the forefront of the soundscape. Speaking of the soundscape, it’s decorated with intriguing samples of telephone blips and sultry rhythms of distorting Synths that weave in and out of the fray, while a more involved chorus places the focus on the glossy production choices of Hayter’s vocals. She delivers these lines with a charming and flashy delivery, before it’s all rounded off by the bustling Saxophone solo that adds an unexpected Jazz element to the sound. There’s not any real emphasis on modernity here, and although the well-produced vocals don’t quite feel dynamic enough to entirely hit deep in emotional heft, the sashaying rhythms of the Funky instrumentation and the unexpected Jazz touches cut it. A well-inspired affair that reminded me strongly of La Roux, with a 00’s House feel that reminds me of some of the music that I used to hear around me, and in the charts, when growing up. It’s a sexy, summery and sentimental Pop sound with enough creative flair to hit the mark.

  • Pictured: Lou Hayter DJ-ing with Henri at a BAFTA-Netflix party (2016) (Photo courtesy of Twitter.com)

There was your ‘Pure Pop’ moment of the weekend here on the blog. If that isn’t enough for you, however, then you can still ‘Pop’ along to my other Lou Hayter-featured post on the site to discover what ‘My Baby Just Cares For Me’ has to offer. Check it out here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/11/17/todays-track-lou-hayter-my-baby-just-cares-for-me/

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “My Baby Just Cares For Me” (Single) (Released on August 25, 2020) (via Loaded Records)

That’s all for today. ‘Scuzz Sundays’ is on track for tomorrow morning, as per usual, as we turn our attention back to the very cheesy Pop-Punk throwbacks from the late-1990’s through to the mid-2000’s, that will most definitely take you back to THAT phase of your Emo teenhood. This week’s pick comes from one of the scene’s final big acts that we have yet to cover on the site so far. It comes from an American Heavy Metal band from Los Angeles, who, other than the guitarist Dino Cazares, no longer have any of the original members as a part of their line-up. The track is a cover of Gary Numan’s original, with the cult UK music icon pulling a guest appearance on the reworking. 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

Today’s Track: Elkka – “Burnt Orange”

May 25, 2021 — Leave a comment

Let’s get to the sweetened Pulp of our favourite Welsh Femme Fatale. New post time!

  • Pictured: Elkka showing off her pandemic studio set-up (2021) (Photo via TheVinylFactory.com)

Good Morning to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for me to get typing up for your daily track on the blog, just like usual, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of new music every day! ‘Burnt Orange’ has been B-listed on BBC Radio 6 Music, and it comes from Elkka – real name Emma Kirby – a DJ and electronic music producer from Cardiff, who is now based in London. Kirby originally grew up wanting to be a pop star, but she found her true calling in 2016, when she founded the Femme Culture with DJ Saint Ludo. Her label’s successes include Octo Octa and Lone, and it has expanded past club nights and fundraising compilations since winning the ‘Breakthrough Label’ nod at DJ Mag’s ‘Best Of British’ Awards in 2018. Her debut solo LP, ‘Every Body is Welcome’, was another success for her, in 2019, with more established names like Caribou, George FitzGerald and Floating Points sharing her music on their pages, and earning features on Crack and Mixmag. ‘Euphoric Melodies’ is her new EP, and it was released over the past weekend via Technicolour Records – an imprint of Ninja Tune. Check out ‘Burnt Orange’ below.

Elkka’s new five-track release is pitched as “Euphoric Melodies started out as an exploration of what pulls me in, what makes me feel those moments of elation when writing music or listening to it or just when living life”, according to her press notes on the new Extended Play. She adds, “The underlying theme seems to be warmth, euphoria and nostalgia… which is what plays out in this EP in different forms. Little did I know that, as the EP came together, nostalgia for euphoria would be so prevalent” to her address. A multi-faceted production, ‘Burnt Orange’ manages to vividly evoke the Acid Techno of 90’s Warp releases and the Funk/Soul fusion of the late-1970’s with charming flair. Starting off with bouncing Drum sequences and wide reverb to give the bass a danceable repetition, the melodies slowly evolve from a cinematic and quietly String-enhanced scope to a more playful and pop-friendly club atmosphere. A whirling, virtuosic Synth sequence paves the way for an entrancing bassline with bright, hypnotic Drum scatterings. It all feels percussive, before a seemingly wordless vocal riff from Elkka enters the fray. It’s almost like she has spontaneously began to mutter along to her own track during it’s post-production stages. It has an improvisational vibe, with a rhythmic stutter that evokes 00’s Garage tunes. The chorus of-sorts features a vocal breakdown that feels very much like a Jazz Scat, as the light humming and the dance-led textures all come together for the third act to convey optimism and happiness. It feels like a tune, overall, that 90’s film character Austin Powers would only describe as “Groovy Baby”. There’s a delicacy to the production that gives it a reflexive quality where it feels we’re breaking the fourth wall between artist and audience a little bit. It’s very enjoyable, overall, with a fairly distinctive style that creates a vibrant fantasy of a warm, night summer rooftop party.

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Euphoric Melodies” (EP) (Released on May 21, 2021) (via Technicolour Records)

That’s all for now! Join me again tomorrow for ‘Way Back Wednesdays’ as we mark the release of Moby’s ‘Reprise’ album on May 28th, this weekend, – a new project of re-imagined orchestral and acoustic versions of the most popular recordings over the course of his career – with a throwback to his highest-charting single in the UK from 1999. It got to the #5 spot in the UK Singles Chart, and every single track from it’s respective album was eventually licensed for use in a film, TV or commercial production of some form. 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: CHAI – “Action”

May 22, 2021 — Leave a comment

Stirred in a milky heritage, “Chai” is actually the Hindu word for “Tea”. New post time!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “WINK” (LP) (Released on May 21st, 2021) (via Sub-Pop Records)

Good Morning! It’s Jacob Braybrooke here, and it’s time for you to read all about your daily track on the blog, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! I played this one on my Thursday night radio show two weeks ago, and I still can’t get enough of it. ‘Action’ is one of the singles that was taken from CHAI’s new album, ‘Wink’, which is brand new out this weekend. The girls are a 4-piece Alternative Pop or Disco-Punk (It’s hard to pin them down to any one label, really) band from Nagoya, Japan – Who we previously explored on the blog with ‘Maybe Chocolate Chips’ featuring Ric Wilson, who they met at the Pitchfork Music Festival in 2019. For Western audiences, you’d probably more likely know CHAI from collaborating with Gorillaz and JPEGMafia on a track from Gorillaz’s ‘Song Machine: Season One – Strange Timez’ viral video series and compilation, and they toured with Superorganism as their support act in 2018. Take ‘Action’ by viewing the video below.

“A person who winks at a person is one who lives with a pure heart, who lives with flexibility, who does what they want” is what the CHAI girls of Kana, Mana, Yuuki and Yuna penned in a press statement to explain the at-first-glance random title of ‘Wink’ for their new LP release. They added, “A person who winks is a person who is free. With this album, we’re winking at you. We’re living freely and we hope that when you listen, you can wink an live freely, too”. The band were, although half the world away, inspired by the Black Lives Matter protests that took place across the US last June, and so they decided to put their assessments of it into words for ‘Action’. The refrain feels like a nod to Chemical Brothers’ ‘Hey Boy, Hey Girl’, before CHAI intersect these echoes with lines like “Action is more than words” and “It’s okay, it’s okay, everything is okay/Because I believe in you and me” that get the message across simply, but effectively. The instrumentation is buoyant and charming, as shiny Disco-House motifs and a rolling Electronic breakbeat helps to turn ‘Action’ from a title into a self-affirming mantra. The chorus mixes Asian vocals with a punchy, shimmering Synth riff that replaces the strutting drum machine of the verses, building to an instrumental that encourages you to get your groove on. Shadings of R&B, Hip-Hop and Acid House help CHAI to set the mellower mood, but it’s still undeniably Pop music with a highly electronic, danceable series of beats. The lyrics call for a better future and turn these ideas into a sense of cross-cultural encouragement made with their own irresistibly playful edge where the nods to Acid-House and the huge reverb effects widen the scope of the Synth melodies. It’s message continue to show relevancy as people take to the streets to show solidarity with the situation in Palestine, and, for a variety of reasons, this is one of the best singles that I’ve heard all year. Just absolutely brilliant.

  • Pictured: KANA (Lead Vocals/Rhythm Guitar), Yuuki (Bass Guitar/Backing Vocals), MANA (Keyboard and Yuna (Acoustic Drum Kit) in a promotional image shoot for “WINK” (2021) (via Music.Mxdwn.com)

If you’ve not had enough of CHAI yet, why not take some ‘Action’ on it by checking out what I had to share about ‘Maybe Chocolate Chips’, an earlier single from the new album, where the band sing about changing their perspectives and viewing moles on their faces like the enhancements of your favourite cookie treat. Catch up here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2021/03/16/todays-track-chai-feat-ric-wilson-maybe-chocolate-chips/

  • Pictured: CHAI performing at Ameoba, San Francisco (2017) (Photo Credit: Jeff Clayton/YouTube.com)

That’s all for now! However, ‘Scuzz Sundays’ returns tomorrow for an entry that will have any players of the old WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2007 Xbox 360 video game chomping at the bit. 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: James Righton – “Release Party”

May 17, 2021 — Leave a comment

Following last year’s debut LP, it’s certainly not time yet for a Right-off. New post time!

  • Pictured: Cover for “Deewee 050 – Foundations” (Compilation) (Released on May 7, 2021) (via Deewee)

Good Morning to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time to make a start to the new week with Monday’s daily track on the blog, as always, since it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Last Saturday, we looked at Charlotte Adigery’s new single from the ‘Foundations’ compilation album that was put together by the DEEWEE label owned by Soulwax & 2 Many DJ’s for release on May 7th. Stratford-born singer-songwriter James Righton has followed in her footsteps, by releasing an exclusive new track for the project of his own. In case you are not familiar, Righton used to be the lead Vocalist and Keyboard player of Klaxons, a ‘New Rave’ band who scored a Mercury Prize win and a few hits in the charts during the mid-2000’s. Since then, he recorded under the ‘Shock Machine’ project that saw him work with director Saam Farahmand. He released his debut album, ‘The Performer’, last March on the DEEWEE label. It’s an album that received generally positive reviews, and an album which I rather really liked too. It looks at the guise of being a ‘Performer’ where one minute you’re playing pop star and the next you’re fathering two children. It does so under an engaging 70’s Neo-Psychedelic Pop sound mixed with delightful String sections and Baroque influences. Righton posted on social media, “Release Party was written in my garage during Lockdown before, completed at DEEWEE studio with Dave & Steph [Dewaele] of Soulwax and 2 Many DJ’s, working together remotely”, about this latest single. Give it a taster down below.

One fun fact about James Righton that you may never guess is that, of all people, he is married to Keira Knightley. The two began dating back in 2011, and were married in the south of France in 2016. Now living in the Islington district of London, they have two children together. Back to the subject at hand, the new bassline-grooving single makes commentary on “tension and release, and the dreams and fantasies we make”, according to Righton, who added that said “Party” is to be confirmed at a later date, hinting that a disco following the easing of Covid-19 restrictions was crucial to his concept of the euphoric Nu-Disco offering. Starting off with a fragmented 80’s Synth line and a propulsive Disco drum machine sequence that wavers and meanders to create a polished electronic groove that feels ready for a retro-futurist dance, his familiar voice greets us with lines like “I wanna see you honey/I wanna meet you on the street” and “There’s no time for us to waste/The precious/Let’s move to the beat now” which add a very instructive vocal to the soundtrack of the party you could be having. Righton’s vocals carry some essence of George Michael in the 80’s, as there’s a sense of flirtation to his mid-tempo tone and spacious breaths, while the chord progression of the track struts and sways it’s way along it’s near five-minute duration. The key hook of “I can feel the release” is kept basic and vague, but a bobbing Keyboard bass creates a slick build and drop-in that adds a lot of shine to the main section. While it may be easy to dismiss compilation-exclusive singles as throwaway efforts or quick promotions, the recent tracks from James Righton and Charlotte Adigery are simultaneously proving otherwise. On Righton’s latest, he continues to establish his name as one of UK Pop’s most criminally underlooked of the scene. He does what he does very well on ‘Release Party’ in making undeniable Pop that has something to it, as opposed to sounding generic and too safe. The smaller touches harken back to Prince of the 90s in the funky Synth undertones, while the erotic quality of his vocals make me think of Lou Hayter. Inspired Pop that’s distinctive and sounds great, and just has something about it, rather than just begging for a quick hit.

  • Pictured: James Righton in Paris, France to promote “The Performer” (2020) (Photo via DEEWEE)

That may be all that I have to say for now. However, if you liked the sound of this, or if you’re new to James Righton and you’re interested in hearing more of him, why not start with my analysis of his single ‘Edie’ from last year’s solo LP, ‘The Performer’? Check it out right here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/04/02/todays-track-james-righton-edie/

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “The Performer” (LP) (Released on 20th March, 2020) (via DEEWEE)

That’s it for now! I’ll be back tomorrow to introduce you to a recent discovery of mine, who described himself as “A guy called Joey from Michigan who makes music for your emotions” in his own artist biography. His latest album, ‘Old Time Radio’, releases this Friday on the Los Angeles-based independent label Alpha Pup 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: Gilligan Moss – “Special Thing”

May 15, 2021 — Leave a comment

Here’s hoping future releases don’t turn out to be a Moss-ive letdown. New post time!

  • Pictured: Gilligan Moss (Evan Dorfman & Ben Cronin) (2021) (PR photography by Thatcher Keats)

Good Morning to you – it’s Jacob Braybrooke, and I’m back from a well-earned non-essential shopping trip, and so it’s time for me to get typing up for your daily track on the blog, since it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Introductions for your Saturay go out to Evan Dorfman and Ben Cronin, two funky House music producers from the rural parts of Chicago who have recently released their debut album on Foreign Family Collective as Gilligan Moss. It’s a self-titled affair, although the project originally began as a solo project for Evan a few years ago, before bringing his friend since the age of three along for the ride. This feels reflected in the child-like and freeform electronic dance recordings you’ll find on the record, which makes for a very enjoyable listen overall, and it’s an especially good ‘Cheering Up’ record or a joyful piece of fare for if you’re bored on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. One of the official singles was ‘Special Thing’ – check it out below.

According to the duo, “Special Thing was written as an ode to our French predecessors – Robots and monoliths alike”, elaborating on their inspiration and process by writing, “Simple songs are often the hardest, and in true collaborative fashion, it’s a tune that Ben rescued from Evan’s trash pile. We’re glad he did. Grab yourself an ice cold ‘Pfizer and head down to the beach to listen to this one”, for their press release. It’s a natural step forward for Evan, who started out by remixing Sia and Glass Animals on his own. ‘Special Thing’ feels mature and textured, with a hypnotic vocal sample that floats peacefully above some percussive, late-80’s World Music-like drum beats and the Disco elements created by the continous guitar riffs. The bassline is topped off by a lot of polish, with a slight French or European Nu-House feel that reminds me of bands like Air or Beth Hirsch. It’s clear that Evan and Ben love a bit of Daft Punk from this, but that kind of influence is done nicely here, with a filtered vocal loop that gives everything a vaguely Soulful coat of paint. A mid-tempo Synth breakdown comes in as we pass the halfway mark, presenting it’s ideas of chord progression carefully as we veer outside of it’s familiar grooves for a breather. The vocal sample feels chopped and screwed up, which, towards the end, creates a more Kaleidoscopic effect. This closing section honestly reminds me of MGMT’s ‘Oracular Spectacular’ era, as an overall psychedelic influence provides variation on the ‘Pure Pop’ moments of the repeating beats. The sight of chickens being embraced in the video also helps to give the track’s patterns an underlying sense of humor. It’s a very pleasant listen overall, which should accomodate a wide variety of listeners because it feels upbeat enough to dance to, but it never feels too heavy or it strays too far beyond it’s rather chilled mood tapestry. An engaging single that lives up to it’s name.

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Gilligan Moss” (LP) (Released on April 9, 2021) (via Foreign Family Collective)

Thanks for laying your eyes on my latest post! Scuzz Sundays is back tomorrow after an impromptu week off, as we pick up on where we left off last Saturday. It marks the second appearance on the blog from a group of Chicago-based Metal legends who scored a UK Top 20 hit in 2015 with a modern cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s 60’s seminal hit ‘The Sound Of Silence’. 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/