Alternative R&B

Today’s Track: Pizzagirl – “Car Freshener Aftershave”

July 19, 2021 — Leave a comment

Love a bit of 80’s soft-Rock or 00’s Psych-Pop? You’ll want a Pizza this! New post time!

  • Pictured: Cover Art for ‘Softcore Mourn’ (LP) (Released on July 16th, 2021) (via Heist Or Hit Records)

A good afternoon to you! I’m Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for a brief respite away from the scorching heat 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! Monday’s music comes from Liverpool’s Liam Brown, who has recorded his material under different names over the years, but his current and most notable solo project is Pizzagirl. He goes all-in on that theme as well, recording his brand of Indie Pop and R&B-infused Psych-Rock from his bedroom, which he calls his “Beatzzeria”. His influences include The Orielles, Grimes, David Byrne, Ariel Pink, and he loves a bit of Kelly Clarkson too. The follow-up to 2019’s ‘First Timer’, his second album ‘Softcore Mourn’ was released over the past weekend via Manchester’s Heist Or Hit independent label. It finds him venting out his own lovelorn frustrations of 21st century dating and pulling in some elements of Vaporwave. Check out the lead single, ‘Car Freshener Aftershave’, below.

After being away from Liverpool’s scene for a short break, Liam Brown had this to say about the new album: “Over the last year or so I’ve been screaming, sighing, crying and lying at my computer, which has manifested itself into my aptly titled second album Softcore Mourn”, adding, “The first single ‘Car Freshener Aftershave’ is a cold reminder to the internet that I still exist and I still haven’t figured that out yet. I’d say this is a break-up song” to his press release notes. Likened to LCD Soundsystem and The Postal Service by Gaby Mawson of Clunkmag.com, the new tune goes for a hint of nostalgia with 90’s dial-up tones and Prog-Synth sounds that appear directly lifted from the 80’s by complementing the retro, teen-hood aesthetic of the self-referential lyrics. The Chiptune-leaning vocals contort themselves around different layers of instrumentation that are continuously adjoined to the soundscape, as the percussive finger clicks and fizzy Lo-Fi synths emerge in the cutting edge of the fray at elusive key changes. Quirky lyrics, like “Where are the cameras? I must be punk’d” call back to outdated popular culture, and lines like “Well, if you’re gonna cry, then at least make it snappy/Cause once in a while, well, I kind of feel happy” add subtle sentimentality to the mix with a vocalist who feels socially pessimistic leading us on the charge. The chorus, led by “The California motel vomit/It’s like a Jackson Pollock” and “The California motel vomit/It wasn’t me, I promise”, emphasizes the quirky sense of his own self’s inertia. The ambient electronica bulk of the track feels like it’s been lifted from a falsely futuristic 80’s infomercial. Constructively, I think the production space gets a little too busy at some points, and I would have liked for his voice to come out more naturally at times. There’s more here to enjoy than not, though, with a fun edge of Prog-Synth and hyperactive visuals that make his breaking point seem believable, and there is clearly a welcome personality to this track. A stuffed, but delicious, Crust.

  • Pictured: Liam Brown (aka Pizzagirl) in a ‘Softcore Mourn’ PR shoot (2021) (Photo by HeistOrHit.com)

That’s all for today, but please feel free to join me again tomorrow for another slice of action. BBC Radio 6 Music are a huge fan of my next artist, who makes his debut appearance on the site tomorrow. The London-via-NYC songwriter and producer previously found his footing in the Future-Soul duo Voices Of Black, and he’s set to support Yard Act later this year ahead of the release of his new album – due in August.

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Today’s Track: Loraine James (feat. Eden Samara) – “Running Like That”

July 1, 2021 — Leave a comment

For the log line – I would usually insert some form of a ‘Running’ gag. New post time!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Reflection” (LP) (Released on June 4th, 2021) (via HYPERDUB)

Good Afternoon to you! It’s Jacob Braybrooke here – and it’s time for you to read all about today’s track on the blog, since it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of new music every day! We’re beginning a new month with an artist that you really should be plugging your ears into – Enfield’s Loraine James, who previously received high praise on the blog with ‘Don’t You See It Now’ from 2020’s ‘Nothing’ EP. A year later, we’ve been treated to her third studio album, ‘Reflection’, which is available now with a special Purple Vinyl edition through Kode9’s Hyperdub label. It’s a BRILLIANT new album that finds James reflecting on 2020 and the modern experience of being a queer black woman. BBC Radio 6 Music host John Ravenscroft is also a huge fan, and he says he’s bought the T-shirt. What a fanboy. It’s been a busy few years for her, however, with support slots for Holly Herndon and Jessy Lanza on tour. ‘Running Like That’ allows James to collaborate with the Canadian singer Eden Samara. A few days ago, a music video was released for it, which takes it’s inspiration from the photographer Richard Misrach and the painter Andrew Wyeth. Spin it below.

Speaking about the lyrics, singer Eden Samara writes “I was imagining a car chase between someone and their shadow self”, breaking it down that the elusive themes of ‘Running Like That’ are really about being chased by the voices in your head, adding, “First, you think it looks like hell, then you realise they based hell on places like that”, to the press release about the video’s two influencers. ‘Running Like That’ is a track that, much like the new album as a whole, tests the boundaries of electronic music for an expression of self-knowledge and a vehicle to examine vulnerability, not just for the sake of being experimental in an irreverent way. Throughout, we get an Urban feel littered with skittering Hip-Hop breakbeats, intelligent Jazz influences, a subversive Warp Records feel and a dark Grime vibe. Samara’s vocals add a new dimension to the sounds through the harmonies, adding a soulful garnish to the crackling beats with a subtle air of Pop about it. The lyrics remain vague, with lines like “I’m running from them all endlessly/They know I’m hiding” and “Shut up and just drive for me” peeking out of the background, layered merticulously over the top of the 80’s, trickling Synth riffs. I personally think there’s an air of Kate Bush about it all, and each of the instrumentals are all right at the cutting edge of progressive Dubstep. Despite the cold and calculated production, there’s a hopeful ambience found in the warmth of the background of tranquil noises. It works brilliantly when paired to the clashing intensity of Samara’s Spoken Word sequences, and it genuinely feels like James is primarily making this music for herself, and not necessarily to push any scene or to emphasize political commentary in particular, and for good reason. An absolute treat.

  • Pictured: Loraine James in a photoshoot for Bandcamp Daily (2021) (Photography by Jase Cooper)

As mentioned, Loraine James previously scored an appearance on the blog with ‘Don’t You See It’, which was taken from the ‘Nothing’ EP released last year. Check it out here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/10/07/todays-track-loraine-james-feat-jonnine-dont-you-see-it/

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Nothing” (EP) (Released on October 2nd, 2020) (via Hyperdub Music)

That’s all for now! It’s ‘New Album Release Friday’ tomorrow, and I’ve got a cracking tune to share with you that comes from the exciting collaboration between a 23-year-old East London rapper who first popped up in 2012 with his ‘BAEP’ EP and the frontman of 00’s UK indie veterans Bombay Bicycle Club.

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Today’s Track: Easy Life – “Daydreams”

June 22, 2021 — Leave a comment

I think we’re all in agreement that nothing in life really is ever so easy. New post time!

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Life’s A Beach” (LP) (Released on May 28th, 2021) (via Island Records)

Good Morning to you! It’s Jacob Braybrooke here – I know that it’s bright and early, and so it’s time for today’s 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! I am taking the trek back home from university today, thus basically moving house in the process, and so I need to keep things quite brief for today since I’ve got a hundred other tasks to sort out, but we’ll sneak a quick one in. An Easy one, you could say, to throw a pun in. ‘Daydreams’ comes from the Leicester-formed indie pop band Easy Life, who have become known for blending R&B, Soul and Hip-Hop influences into their style. They have risen to prominence through BBC’s Sound Of 2020 poll, and they are currently a big favourite of the BBC Radio 1 playlist. Despite being around for quite a number of years now, having released a few mixtapes and a few EP’s, their formal debut studio album has only been a recent development. Entitled ‘Life’s A Beach’, it was released on May 28th, 2021 through Island Records, promoted by the singles ‘Nightmares’ (A previous post on the blog was written for this one), ‘A Message To Myself’, ‘Ocean View’, ‘Skeletons’, ‘Have A Great Day’ and ‘Daydreams’ – which you can stream below.

Easy Life’s ‘Daydreams’ is a re-imagining of Aretha Franklin’s 1972 fine wine of a soul single ‘Day Dreaming’, as the band have stated, “into a soundtrack of modern-day escapism”, as noted in the press release. A whimsical reflection on personal, young adult issue of battling with the overthinking that comes along with having too much time on your hands after a break-up or a hopeful relationship that never materialized, lead vocalist Murray Matravers contemplates looking back at every minute of the situation in the most excessive of details. ‘Daydreaming’ incorporates sampling to the mix, with a child-like backing sample that adds a dream-like trance to the hypnotic instrumentation that perfectly fits the theme and aesthetic of the tune. A chilled-out, blissful, almost Hip-Hop delivery is used to give the vocals a rhythmic flow. It sounds almost like a rap, reminding me of The Streets and Kate Nash in the process. The softly plucked rhythm guitar, a floating Piano riff and muffled synthesizer production works a treat on the relatable concept and the subtle blurring of reality and mind fiction that Matravers is striving for. The suburban formula of the vocal melodies contribute well to the wistful, slightly dark theme of the subject matter, giving an airy and sweetly radiant feel to the stoned-out, R&B-inflicted chill of the instrumentation. Constructively, I think the songwriting can do with a little more nuance. At one point, he’s found rhyming ‘Berocca’ with ‘Proper’, and the vocals feel a bit bland at points. Otherwise, I think it’s their strongest track and one that grows on you more and more with repeated listening. The lower tempo works rather nicely for the lo-fi production, leaving us with a constant gaze as we delve into the mind of the UK’s young creatives through Matravers as a case study. Not a perfect home run for me, but a band I like, with decent potential, and it seems the stars have been continually aligning for them.

  • Pictured: Murray Matravers (Lead Vocals/Synths/Trumpet), Lewis Alexander-Berry (Lead Guitar), Sam Hewitt (Keyboard/Saxophone/Occasional Backing Vocals), Jordan Birtles (Keyboard/Percussion) and Oliver Cassidy (Drums/Percussion/Unclean Vocals) (in 2017) (Photo Courtesy of PR/Island Records)

Easy Life have also been known to trade out ‘Daydreaming’ for ‘Nightmares’, as heard on another one of their popular singles. You can check it out on the blog right here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/10/16/todays-track-easy-life-nightmares/

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Who Gives A F**k?” (EP) (Released on July 10th, 2020) (via Universal Music)

That’s all for now! As mentioned, it’s been a busy few days for me to plan out my posts, but there will be a new entry in our ‘Way Back Wednesdays’ post as we enlighten the mood with a humbler, simpler and more well-known tune than, perhaps, usual. It was a bit of a one-hit wonder from 1991 that reached the #18 spot on the UK Singles Chart, and it was remixed by Fat Boy Slim and Simon Thornton, and still receives solid radio airplay to this day. 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/

New Album Release Friday: Greentea Peng – “Nah, It Ain’t The Same”

June 4, 2021 — Leave a comment

It’s New Album Release Day – and it’s time to get this Par-Tea started! New post time!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “MAN-MADE” (LP) (Released on June 4th, 2021) (via Virgin/EMI Records)

Good Morning to you! It’s Jacob Braybrooke here – and I’m here to deliver your 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! It’s ‘New Album Release Friday’ on One Track At A Time – and this week’s notable releases come from James (Who are looking for their third consecutive UK Top 10 album), the rave-reviewed UK indie rock band Wolf Alice, the debut EP from the Hackney Punk trio Deep Tan and The Avalanches’ ‘Since I Left You’ receives a 20th Anniversary Deluxe re-issue. However, the spotlight deserves to go to the self-described ‘Psychedelic R&B’ South London-based Neo-Soul Singer-Songwriter Greentea Peng (aka Aria Wells) who has been slowly building up to the long-awaited release of ‘MAN-MADE’, her debut solo album, over the last handful of years with the Earbud-produced singles like ‘Ghost Town’, ‘Revolution’ and ‘Hu-Man’. The record arrives at shop shelves from today onwards on Virgin’s EMI label, and the long-player’s release date was previously shared along with ‘Nah, It Ain’t The Same’, as a promotional single. Fusing Dub, soft Hip-Hop and soulful Garage, Wells blends her influences of Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill and Ms. Dynamite with her love of Green Tea and the London slang word of ‘Peng’ – meaning cool or attractive. Debuted alongside a Machine Operated-produced music video, Wells says ‘Nah, It Ain’t The Same’ is “an expression and exploration of my utter confusion and inner conflicts amidst shifting paradigms”, as per her relevant press notes. Check it out down below.

Posting on Instagram, Wells writes of ‘MAN-MADE’, “Thank you to everyone who helped to bring this together. Its been a real process forming this album, a real trip. I’m so excited to begin this roll out.”, elaborating on it’s themes, “Deliberations of a (hu) man subject to the Pendulum swing, a reflection of my utter confusion and inner most conflicts/contradictions amidst these shifting paradigms. Always love. Always mushrooms. PEACE”, in her own wildly amusing words. Supported by her own backing band, Wells conjures up a very intriguing mix of Dub instrumentals and Neo-Soul rhythms as she expresses the modern life of men through a female perspective. Wells sings “Inner battles dwell like city kids beneath the poverty line/I’m feeding my senses” and “Food for thought is money well spent/Cause most of our so-called knowledge is rented” with her familiar, radiant croon, as she discusses female poverty in deprived areas of London with a calm and relaxed attitude. The backing beats keep bending and evolving, starting off with a soft Drum melody that permeates through the track, before a sequence of Garage-like electronic beats and a more hostile series of entrancing Jazz-like Hip-Hop rhythms ensues. An Upright Bass instrumental, the continually crackling Drum beats, spacious keyboard melodies and light Vinyl scratches make up the concoction. Imbued with the Punk-rooted assertion that we’ve come to expect from Wells, she tugs at the heart of her own personal matters by mixing Reggae-like melody with Spoken Word poetry that feels noticeably downcast, but quite natural and self-conscious, re-enforcing herself as a voice worthy of hearing.

  • Pictured: Greentea Peng (aka Aria Wells) in an early photoshoot (in 2019) (Photo Credit: Emma Williams)

If you think that Greentea is ‘Peng’ – you may want to seek joy in some of her other offerings. Still my favourite, ‘Ghost Town’, was previously covered on the blog here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/04/16/todays-track-greentea-peng-ghost-town/. In her early days, and my own early days on the blog, we also looked at ‘Mr. Sun (Miss Da Sun)’, when she was a younger upstart. Check it out here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2019/11/12/todays-track-greentea-peng-mr-sun-miss-da-sun/

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Ghost Town” (Single/EP) (Released on 4th March 2020) (via Melody Maker)

That’s everything for today! Thanks for sticking with me until the end, and be sure to check back with me at exactly the same place again tomorrow, as we cover the announcement of the sophomore album release later this summer from a young lady from Northumberland, who has previously made an appearance on the blog, who attended the BRIT’s School in Croydon. During the Covid-19 pandemic, she has kept herself busy as the first artist to appear on Microsoft’s virtual ‘RE:Surface’ live-streamed concerts. 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: Nat King Cole (feat. Helen Forest & Lionel Hampton) – “I Don’t Stand A Ghost Of A Chance With You”

June 2, 2021 — Leave a comment

Where do baby ghosts play during the day? Dayscare Centres. It’s time for a new post.

  • Pictured: Nat King Cole in the Capital Records Recording Studio (Date n/a) (via Capital Photo Archives)

Good Morning to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time to read your latest entry of ‘Way Back Wednesdays’ posts where we take a look back at the sounds of the past that have influenced those of the present, not forgetting that it’s still my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of new music every day! A real golden oldie for you this week – ‘I Don’t Stand A Ghost Of A Chance With You’ was originally recorded in 1932 by Bing Crosby, who had recorded the song for his starring role in the 1933 film, ‘Please’, directed by Arvid E. Gillstrom, which Crosby later re-recorded in 1954 for his album, ‘Bing: A Musical Autobiography’. Since then, it has been covered by multiple different artists in multiple different styles. The long list includes Chet Baker, Stan Getz, The Solitaires, Bobby Hackett, Vaughn Monroe, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and more. One of the most famous reworkings came from Nat King Cole, who linked up with Lionel Hampton and Helen Forrest, somewhere between 1941 and 1945, with more of a subtle and soft Jazz style in comparison to the Orchestral arrangement of Crosby’s original version. Check out Nat King Cole’s spin on it below.

Nat King Cole – the singer, Jazz player, Pianist and actor – ended up recording over 100 tracks that became hits on the radio pop charts, and this led to his ‘Nat King Cole Trio’ becoming the blueprint for small ensembles that followed. As well as performing music and acting roles on Broadway. It’s also important to note that he was the first black African-American man to host a national TV series in US broadcasting. As the title may probably have you expecting, ‘I Don’t Stand A Ghost Of A Chance With You’, is a melancholic reflection of young love and clear infatuation. However, it’s all delivered quite sweetly, and it feels nostalgic or dream-like in it’s production, as opposed to bleak and depressive. The Organ melodies feel a little playful and tinny. Yet, with a hell of a voice, Helen Forrest croons out emotional lines such as “I need your love so badly, I love you, oh so badly” and “I thought at last I found you, but other lovers surround you” that have a rhyming scheme to give it a poetic uplift. The Piano sequences, especially at the start, is very long, and this sets up an atmosphere where you could easily imagine Forrest singing under a spotlight in front of a captive audience in a bar like The Cotton Club. The second half of the track puts lust and desire at the forefront, with lines like “If you’d surrender just for a tender kiss or two/You might discover, that I’m the lover meant to you” and “I’d be true, but what’s the good of scheming/I know I must be dreaming” that reveal more layers of unrequited romantic daydreams and the illusions of love, and things start to feel more hopeful. However, it’s crucial to remember that “I Don’t Stand A Ghost Of A Chance With You” is the common thread here. Overall, yes, this is granddad music. However, it was a very well-created take on a very influential recording. The refrain is very memorable, and it came from one of America’s most significant musical players.

  • Pictured: Chord Sheet for “I Don’t Stand A Ghost Of A Chance” (1932) (Image via Sheet Music Direct)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow with some brand new music to share with you, and it comes from an Irish indie folk band from Dublin who have been nominated for Mercury Prize and Choice Music Prize awards, and they have toured with the likes of Grizzly Bear, Bell X1, Tindersticks and Elbow in the past. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every new daily post is up and why not like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

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

May 31, 2021 — Leave a comment

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

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

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

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

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

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

New Album Release Friday: Mustafa – “Ali”

May 28, 2021 — Leave a comment

When Smoke Rises, we’re left with a “Brimful of Asha” on the 45. Time for a new post!

  • Pictured: Mustafa performing ‘Air Forces’ for a COLORS session (2021) (via COLORS/YouTube.com)

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, as per usual, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! I believe we’ve made it to Friday once again, meaning there’s a new batch of releases ready for you to buy, download or stream. Some of this week’s notable new releases come from UK indie favourites Easy Life and Sports Team, among the debut solo record from New Young Pony Club’s Lou Hayter (Watch this space for more on that). The obvious choice for me to have gone for would have probably been ‘Cavalcade’ from the cult influential Math-Rock group Black Midi, however, here’s something else that piqued my interest. ‘Ali’ was the lead single from ‘When Smoke Rises’, the debut solo album from Mustafa The Poet, a Canadian poet once known as a member of the Halal rap collective. Since then, he’s rubbed his shoulders with several celebrities. He once wrote a poem that popular actress Emilia Clarke wore on a dress to a Vogue fashion event. His poems have been shared by Drake on Instagram, and he was appointed to Justin Trudeau’s Youth Advisory Council to advise the Canadian government on youth muslim policies. Described as “Inner City folk music” by the Poet himself, Mustafa co-wrote the new album with James Blake, Sampha, Jamie XX, and a few others. Check out ‘Ali’ below.

‘When Smoke Rises’ arrives today on Mustafa’s own label, Regent Park Songs, as a tribute to Toronoto’s Regent Park community, and, in 2017, he started exploring the Canadian hip-hop communities with his own documentary. ‘Remember Me, Toronto’, which discusses the loss of artists through gun violence and systemic racism in his area over the past decade, was a documentary he created in 2019. ‘Ali’ serves as an expansion of these ideas, as a dedication to his friend, Ali Rizeig, who was devastatingly shot dead and killed four years ago outside of his house, and Mustafa feels a lot of regret for, in his perspective, failing to persuade his friend to depart from the home that sadly prompted the shocking event. Mustafa laments the life that Ali could have had, reciting poetry like “Ali, you know our hearts were at their fullest/Ali, there were no words to stop the bullets” and “Now it’s only me that needs to save himself/Feel like I can’t be here while you’re in that realm” and he raises the question of whether he grieved enough, or paid homage to Ali enough in his own life and actions, with further poetic readings like “I see you on your sisters shirt/And it’s hard to mask the hurt/And it’s hard to mask your worth” as he plagues the lyrics with prayers for his friend’s survival that will be left unanswered. The instrumentation is quite folk-tinged, as Ali chips away on an acoustic guitar with his wordplay, and spacious gaps in the guitar riffs add some pauses for emotional effect. The Drums mimic a heartbeat, the slow riffs on the Piano feel withdrawn, and the use of reverb on his voice for the refrain towards the end, followed by a sample of his friend speaking, really hammers the point home with a deep, convincing amount of weight. Looking at the good, I felt very moved by it. His voice is crisp and golden, and the songwriting gives me chills in it’s echoes of Joni Mitchell or Leonard Cohen. There’s an intimate space to the plucked guitar rhythms, and the light shavings of R&B is a suitable tone for the very serious lyrical matter. If I were to offer a little bit of constructive criticism, I found the instrumental to get slightly bland by the end, and it may have been improved by a little more oomph musically here or there. That said, I want to point out that I feel the cover artwork is very good. It depicts Mustafa very much as a secondary character or a piece of the ambience, and so that’s a brave reminder that Mustafa hasn’t really conceived the full-length project just for himself. On the whole, I think the pro’s are certainly enough to outweigh the con’s, and I enjoyed my time listening to ‘Ali’. It’s a very emotionally-driven piece of music, and Mustafa is representing his ethnic minority, to the wider press and in the media, in a way that sticks up for them, which is quite a significant thing to take away from it too.

  • Pictured: Cover Art for ‘When The Smoke Rises’ (Released on May 28, 2021) (via Regent Park Songs)

That’s all for now – Thanks, as always, for reaching the end and supporting content creators like myself. We’re going for a ‘Pure Pop moment’ to continue the Bank Holiday weekend in style tomorrow. I’ve kind-of already given the clue away, as we take a closer look at the debut solo album from a prominent figure in the London Nu-Disco and House music scene which has certainly been a long time coming. 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: Lava La Rue (feat. Karma Kid) – “Lift You Up”

May 13, 2021 — Leave a comment

You might Rue the day this one got stuck in your head tomorrow. It’s new post time!

  • Pictured: Lava La Rue (aka Ava Laurel) (2021) (Photo Credit: DazedDigital.com)

Good Morning to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for you to read your daily track on the blog, just like always, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Identifying as gender fluid, Lava La Rue is a Ladbroke Grove native whose stage name shares an uncanny resemblance to a certain “Bulletproof” UK Synthpop star who emerged in the mid-2000’s, and simultaneously, into my conscience. That’s more or less where the similarities largely end, however. La Rue only started producing their own music, mostly crafting their output at home, between the years of 2017-2019, but La Rue is also a visual artist and the founder of the NINE8 Collective in London, and so La Rue continues drumming up some buzz on the underground, with singles like ‘Magpie’ receiving airplay from BBC Radio 6Music. ‘Lift You Up’ is taken from La Rue’s newest EP, ‘Butter-Fly’, which was released in February via Marathon Artists. It sees them team up with Deb Never and, in this case, Derbyshire-born House producer Karma Kid, aka Samuel Knowles, for a five-track release that sees La Rue explore young romance and regional pride over the course of the EP project. Check out their testimony-turned-ballad, ‘Lift You Up’, below.

Lava La Rue counts ‘Lift You Up’ as one of their favourite tracks to be written to date, and they say “I feel like, in all of my songs, the delivery of lyrics are literal – in the way that even if I’m saying something super cryptic, it’s delivered not too differently to how I’d say it if I was sat in front of you, just speaking to your face”, adding, “Every song I’ve written has that level of intimacy”, upon opening up to American Songwriter about their vulnerabilities and direct approach. It conjures up a personal quality of confession that burns brightest in ‘Lift You Up’ for me. The vocal delivery sits between rapping and spoken word, with not quite enough of a lean towards one side over the other to make it a dominant trait, but it’s recited poetically. The opening lines of “Two nights, Split eye/I hold tight, speedin’ through lights” establish a melodic beat, but La Rue subverts a cheerful tone, at first, as they talk about going through foster care, having to go through the school system with little allies at their side, and tells an origin story of-sorts that contextualizes the mellow production on the track, and questions their homestead of being a misogynistic and largely Conservative one. There is never a moan or whinge in sight, so to speak though, as a proud declaration of “This world is for me, it’s my lava town” creates a more hopeful ambience, with a proclamation of personal identity and how focusing solely on producing their music in London with other creatives symbolises a fresh start and re-navigates who La Rue has become. While there’s not quite anything transcendentally brilliant, it’s a very engaging, and lovely listen. There’s a very intimate flair to the track, where the guitar beats are honeyed and the Falsetto use reveals a flush of beauty, both tonally and thematically. The small assistance of Karma Kid adds a swelling Male dynamic that sweetens the deal in it’s lack of over-reliance, and the mixture of catchy vocals and confessional lyricism gets the balance just right. This mostly reminds me of Loyle Carner’s high emotional IQ musings and Self-Esteem’s literary style, but the slight tinge of Garage and the very Urban feel adds a reasonably unique twist. If you’re a fan of artists like Arlo Parks or Greentea Peng, I think you’d love it. Very promising overall.

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Butter-Fly” (EP) (Released on February 12th, 2021) (via Marathon Artists)

There’s your lot for today! Don’t forget that tomorrow we’ll be sampling one of the weekend’s new album releases. It’s pretty obvious what we’re going to be marking the release for tomorrow, but if you really need a clue, it comes from the inspiring female alternative modern icon who we celebrated for International Women’s Day on the blog a handful of months ago, and she became the first solo woman to win the nod for ‘Best Alternative Album’ at the Grammy Awards for 20 years in 2015, which is quite a shocking statistic, when you really stop to consider it. 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: Gilberto Gil – “Aquele Abraço”

May 12, 2021 — Leave a comment

“Gil is Tropicalia’s rude essence” – Sasha Frere-Jones, 2020. Finally, let’s go Way Back!

  • Pictured: Gilberto Gil in Valencia, Spain (2021) (Photo by Gérard Giaume/Berklee College Of Music)

Good Morning to you! It’s a beautifal day outside, and so I’m here to sweeten it up with your daily track on the blog, as it’s still my day-to-day pleasure. First of all, my apologies for disappearing from the face of the Earth for the last couple of days. I ended up getting a small extension for my Masters work because my project wasn’t quite ready yet, and it’s been a busy road of traffic up in the head lately. I’m perfectly fine now, so don’t you worry. I’ve always set up this blog as a place of pleasure and enjoyment, and so I never wanted for it to feel like an obligation or a chore, so I just needed a minute to focus on the stress personally and the tasks at hand. It’s all good!

With those modules submitted, let me introduce you to our pick for today. For my project, I was researching ‘World Music’ and whether this term holds discriminatory context. One of the genres that I explored was Tropicalia, a movement that saw it’s artists – the likes of Gal Costa, Caetano Veloso and Bahian graphic designer Rogerio Duarte, express political protest through eclectic music styles and promote messages of defiance against the ruling military coup which took over Brazil in 1964. It was a moment, rather than a movement, with the protests winding down from around 1968 onwards. It was a very busy time for the likes of Gilberto Gil, however, who was also very much a key creative figure in the revolution. Gil and Veloso were threats to the military. They were imprisoned for two months, then deported, moving to London for a little bit. He returned to Bahia in 1972, and he’s continued to work as a musician, politician and environmental advocate. He also served as Brazil’s Minister Of Culture between 2003 to 2008. “Aquele Abraço” was issued in 1969 by Universal, but Gil would perform the track during marching protests during the time of Tropicalia. The title roughly translates to “The Hug” in English. Let’s reflect on the busy time for Gil below.

‘Aquele Abraço’ was written during a time of house arrest, where Gil developed the melodies and lyrics, before putting together the instrumentation for it’s recording. It became a major hit in the charts of Brazil during 1969, and it was performed at the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympic Games by Marisa Monte and Seu Jorge of the Bossa Nova corporation, MPB. Reaching iconic status in his home turf, Gil’s lyrics invoke themes of neighborhoods, Samba schools, national landmarks, and the popular musicians of Rio De Janeiro. I’m not entirely familiar with how the music was made, since it was well before my time, and I cannot understand the actual lyrics. However, it’s clear enough that it’s Latin-flavored Samba with a gentle guitar rhythm. The rest of the instrumentation is very percussive, with shuffling Maraca beats and a shimmering Cuica rhythm that creates a sultry, sentimental and celebratory tone. Gil whoops and hollers his way through soft, lounge Jazz influences and psychedelically driven drum parts that get some effects going within the backdrop. It mostly feels like a love letter to his nationality and his peers, and expresses a sound that overall feels ‘exotic’ or very ‘distant’ in it’s experimentation – where sentiments of Rock ‘N’ Roll and the use of electric guitars make the rhythms feel progressive for the time. On the whole, it’s an impressive combination of relaxed and joyful, and it was too edgy to be seen as lawful by the government. That’s a pretty big thing. I have probably got a different stance on it as a Western listener with a white British ethnicity compared to the purpose of the track for the society it was aimed at, and it’s worth considering that I’m only reviewing it in hindsight. However, it’s still evident that Gil is music at it’s core – expressing to the public of Brazil that arts and culture had a role in developing Brazil as a nation during his commercial peak and soaring to the heights of Tropicalia.

  • Pictured: Gilberto Gil in a PR image for NN North Sea Jazz Festival on July 12, 2019 (Photo via NSJ)

That’s all for now! Join me again tomorrow as we pick up right where we left off with some brand new music. Tomorrow’s talent is a gender fluid rapper, producer and visual street artist who is also the founder of the NiNE8 Collective in London, and they share an eerily similar stage name to a certain under-rated star who scored a huge UK and US hit with ‘Bulletproof’ in 2007. 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/