Today’s Track: Jitwam – ‘Brooklyn Ballers’

May 5, 2022 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Chalo co-founder Jitwam in a promotional photoshoot for ‘Brooklyn Ballers’ (2022) (Photo via PR)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, and the time has come for me to give a shout-out to the Broolyn Ballers and each of the readers from elsewhere as we get prepared for yet another 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 self-described “Psychedelic Soul Savant” who was born in North-East India, now based between New York and Sydney, moved to New Zealand and Australia to spend his formative years there, later living in monasteries in Thailand and washed-out apartments in London, Jitwam is the co-founder of Chalo, an ambitious creative project alongside Dhruva Balram that supports up-and-coming Indian, Pakistani and Kashmiri artists, with a full-length self-titled album being released via The Jazz Diaries in 2020 that had its proceeds donated to the Human Rights Law Network and the Zindagi Trust. As a solo artist, however, he’s released a string of EP’s and a few albums, with 2019’s ‘Honeycomb’ serving as his latest LP. Jitwam has also collaborated with numerous artists including Dam Swindle, Mike Bloom and renowned Broken Beat maestro Kaidi Tatham. Other career highlights include his placements on Moodyman’s DJ-Kicks compilation series, embarking on a national NTS Radio tour in India, touring across the US and Europe, and opening a show for the acclaimed Funk virtuoso Roy Ayers with his full live backing band. His brand new single – ‘Brooklyn Ballers’ – is a one-off release from what I gather, but it offers an energetic ode to his passion for (just) one of the area’s that he has lived in throughout his eventful lifetime. Give it a spin below.

“Brooklyn Ballers is a homage to the city in all its hustle and bustle“, Jitwam explains about the far-reaching notes of the track which are delivered below the soulful and radiant instrumentation, adding, “The magic in the air, that can make dreams come true and can turn your fears into your worst nightmares“, in his own single’s product description on the Bleep website. The opening reminds me of one of Skule Toyama or Night Tempo’s modern Chillwave records, where the summer atmosphere shines right through thanks to the raucous sampled guitar hook that induce the nostalgia of the 70’s Disco-Rock era, before the track soon evolves into more of a Detroit House style of record with additional elements of Hip-Hop and World Fusion music. The lead vocals have a spoken, but catchy and rhythmic, delivery to them where subtle nods to Guns ‘N’ Roses ‘Paradise City’ and Joe Smooth’s ‘Promised Land’ creep in due to the lyrics and the key song structure. A myriad of styles, including Psychedelic Soul and Vaporwave, make their way into the instrumental-driven sections of the track. Jitwam melds together the Gospel-esque backing vocals, some Madlib-style sampling and some Maribou State-style cues of World-Funk and Dub into the mix too to finalise the package, which plays out as a chilled soundtrack to his simple love for the location and a very deep, percussive groover that acts as an ode to some of New York’s most respected producers. The area’s energy is almost embodied by the Jazz inflections and the Detroit House influences, creating a laid back shuffle that gradually builds and draws upon various elements to expand it beyond the original state. A chef’s kiss.

Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘Brooklyn Ballers’ (Single) (Released on March 23rd, 2022) (via Roya Records)

That’s all for now! Thank you for checking out my latest blog post, and I’ll be ready to take you through a new entry of ‘New Album Release Fridays’ tomorrow as we take a quick preview of one of the weekend’s new and notable album releases. The record in question comes from the Prog-Jazz and Electronica sides of the Alternative Music spectrum by a duo made up of two members from The Comet Is Coming. The duo’s drummer has also toured with Sons Of Kemet, Melt Yourself Down, and Yussef Kamal.

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Today’s Track: Bob Vylan – ‘Health Is Wealth’

March 17, 2022 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Vinyl copy of ‘BV Presents: The Price Of Life’ (LP) (Available from April 22nd, 2022) (via Ghost Theatre)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, and Grime meets Punk today on One Track At A Time as we begin to digest yet another daily track on the blog into our ear holes, because it’s always been my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! ‘Health Is Wealth’ is the new eco-friendly single from East London-based Rap-Punk act Bob Vylan, a duo comprised of Bobby Vylan and his confusingly named partner in crime… Bobbie Vylan. Not to worry, as it seems clearly obvious that these are not their real names, and it is an evident mick take of the legendary Minnesota-born Blues icon Bob Dylan instead. Throughout their life span together, the two Vylan’s have toured with hardcore rapper Nascar Aloe and they are known for their energetic live shows that have reportedly resulted in them being banned from London’s The Crobar venue for their on-stage antics. They have opened for Nova Twins, MC Lars and Bill $aber, and they have collaborated with Tricky for a track from the Massive Attack alumni’s ‘The Test Of Time’ compilation LP. They also recently collaborated with Kid Kapichi for their track ‘New England’ in January, and they have also performed at festivals including Afropunk Festival in 2018. Having supported high profile acts like The Offspring and Biffy Clyro in recent times, Bob Vylan have just unveiled a string of headline solo tour dates set to take place across the UK in May and June, including a gig near me at The Portland Arms in Cambridge in June. They will be releasing a new album – ‘Bob Vylan Presents: The Price Of Life’ – on April 22nd via Ghost Theatre. Check out their latest single ‘Health Is Wealth’ below.

Bobby Vylan directed the companion video for ‘Health Is Wealth’ with assistance in shooting from Leon Wavey, and, commenting on the integral themes of the track, the ethical duo say, “We want to encourage people to eat and live as healthy as they possibly can and remind people that, when living with a government that is poisoning you with the food that is affordable, lack of investment into the mental health sector and is actively killing the planet with their agricultural and environmental practices, eating healthy and looking after yourself both mentally and physically, is an act of revolution”, in a press release. While not entirely representative of Bob Vylan’s discography as a whole because it feels less heavy and more old-school Hip Hop driven, ‘Health Is Wealth’ re-sets the duo’s sound with more of a Jazz influence and a quirky rhythm section led by upbeat Horn samples. Lyrics like “The killing of kids with £2 chicken and chips/Is a tactic of war, Waged on the poor” and “Just like fizzy wreaks havoc on the gums/And my old man said diabetes ain’t fun” discusses the effects of processed meat and the fast food sector with a light personal touch, while lifestyle-oriented refrains like “Plenty lentils and chick pea curry/20 minute meal for a man in a hurry/That’s real fast food that won’t break the bank/With enough nutrients t fill the tank” offer alternatives to the convenience and affordability of unhealthy ready meal foods. Other lyrics feel more politically driven, with sharp hooks like “Earth getting hotter while the sea levels rise/All because you want burger with those fries” and “Cattle farming still killing off the planet/And it tells us everyday that it can’t stand it” look at sustainable meal planning and hearty lifestyle choices from a wider perspective, and imply how the government’s lack of tackling these problems in favour of other sectors contributes to the issues. There’s enough socio-economically charged lyrics in ‘Health Is Wealth’ to fill a regular blog post twice over with analysis, but Bob Vylan add enough Brass samples to give the track a rhythmic flow and the Hip-Hop delivery feels upfront as to complement the diplomatic tone of the vocals nicely. Your mileage may vary a little on ‘Health Is Wealth’ depending if you think it is too preachy or not, but, for me, I enjoyed how it disassembles the flaws of industrialized food and drink business and looks at the way that the government affects society in terms of lifestyle habits as a whole from a DIY perspective. It feels old school in terms of Hip Hop direction while spreading very informed commentary.

Pictured: Bobby Vylan (Vocals/Production) and Bobbie Vylan (Samples/Production) (2022) (Photo via PR)

That brings us to the end of the day! Thank you for checking out my latest blog post, as your support is always highly appreciated, and I will be back tomorrow for ‘New Album Release Fridays’ as we take an in-depth look at one of the week’s essential new LP releases. This time, we’re spinning a single from the highly-anticipated fifth studio album to come from a Cambridge-born singer-songwriter who strutted her skills to the alternative music community with her lockdown EP ‘How I’m Feeling Now’ that she released in 2020. This household name has also wrote and produced material for a varied list of other acts such as Selena Gomez, Camila Cabello, Icona Pop and more.

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International Women’s Day 2022 Special: Little Simz (feat. Cleo Sol) – ‘Woman’

March 8, 2022 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Little Simz with the ‘Best British Album’ award at the NME Awards 2019 (Photo by Dean Chalkley)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, and I would like to give a shout-out to all of the heroic heroines of the world as we celebrate International’s Women’s Day on this fine morning, with a themed track on the blog, given how it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! ‘Woman’ is perfect for this occasion, and it comes from the British-Nigerian rapper Little Simz, who continues to become an icon of contemporary popular culture and her music keeps veering into the consciousness of the mainstream. Simz is a real talent who knows how to say it how it is lyrically, she certainly knows how to make an impression without auto-tune, she knows how to work a crowd, plus her flow and production is both effortless and diverse. Also, she raps candidly about a wide diversity of topics, both social and political, with a hyper-personal touch on every subsequent release. She has been around since 2015, and since that time, she’s won both NME Awards and Ivor Novello Awards. She has also performed acting roles in series like Netflix’s ‘Top Boy’ and E4’s ‘Youngers’, as well as appearing in and recording the theme track for the recent comic book blockbuster sci-fi film ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’, and, most recently, she took home the BRIT Award for ‘Best New Artist’ for this year. ‘Woman’ is one of the strong singles from her latest full-length record – ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’ – that she released last September via Age 101 (her own label). The album appeared on year-end best lists from the likes of Exclaim, Clash, The Telegraph, The Independent and The Line Of Best Fit. The single finds Simz just paying tribute to all of the women who have inspired her during her life. Check out the lavish video below.

Simz enlisted the help of Joy Crookes, Denai Moore, Sienna King, Zeze Millz and more to star in her video, and each of these ladies look as glamorous and fashionable as something straight out of a fashion show. She says, “I love it when I see women doing their thing and looking flawless; I’m here for that”, in a press statement, adding, “It’s empowering; it’s inspiring; I wanted to say thank you and I wanted to celebrate them”, about the track ‘Woman’ at the time of release last year. We start off with a soulful and Jazz-oriented string of instrumentation, where soulful backing vocals that sound golden and retro collide with mellow Keys and slow percussion, but Simz recites lyrics like “Bajan honeys/Know you reppin for your country/Sun kissing your brown skin, looking like money” with a fast flow to give the pacing an uplift, and she summarizes topics like racial identity and personal identity with a gently wisecracking tone that feels like she is almost telling a narrative or story. Throughout the verses, she recites bars like “Miss sierra leone, looking like a gem/Works hard in the week/Party on the weekend” and “Brooklyn ladies/Know you hustle on the daily/Innovative, just like Donna Summer in the 80’s” that shouts out the different role models who have played a role in Simz’ life as a fellow woman and selects a wide variety of name-drops of icons from around the whole world, while highlighting their strengths with a smartly intimate touch. It has a clear Neo-Soul and Psychedelic Jazz vibe throughout, with a mellow style of vocal delivery and Simz makes her lyricism feel wholesome with her unsullied sense of honesty. The backing vocals by Cleo Sol – who worked nicely with Simz on earlier tracks like ‘Selfish’ during previous albums – complements Simz’s warmth neatly because her harmonies feel luscious and smooth, so the two work cohesively again and make a decent pair together because Sol adds even more radiance to the richness of the Soul, Gospel and Jazz fusion of the backing instrumentals. Overall, ‘Woman’ is absolutely the definitive single for us to celebrate International Women’s Day along to, because it is a captivating take on saluting female gender in the media from a songwriting perspective, yet it never feels like it does so in a way that feels ruthlessly marketed or conformed to a particular formula. Instead, it boasts a message of self-confidence and connects with Simz’ own story of finding personal success and creative fulfillment despite gender politics in the mine-field of the industry, before ending on the witty plea of a voicemall call from a family member – who is very lucky, honestly, to be talking to such a fantastic talent in Simbi.

Pictured: Little Simz in an official promotional photoshoot for the ‘Drop 6’ EP (2020) (Photo Credit: TAMIYM)

I’m a huge fan of Little Simz, so she’s no stranger to these parts. If you loved hearing all about ‘Woman’, you can check out some of my other features regarding Simz here:

‘I Love You, I Hate You’ (2021) – https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2021/09/03/new-album-release-fridays-little-simz-i-love-you-i-hate-you/

‘Introvert’ (2021) – https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2021/04/27/todays-track-little-simz-introvert/

‘Where’s My Lighter?’ (2020) – https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/05/15/little-simz-feat-alewya-wheres-my-lighter/

‘God Bless Mary’ (2015) – https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2019/09/04/todays-track-little-simz-god-bless-mary/

Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’ (LP) (Released on September 3rd, 2021) (via Age 101)

That brings us to the end of today’s celebrations! Thank you very much for joining me today, and I’ll be back tomorrow as we go retro for another weekly iteration of ‘Way Back Wednesdays’. We’re going truly old school this week, as we celebrate a British Ska revival and 2 Tone band who have been around ever since they were formed in Coventry during 1977. They famously recorded hits like ‘Ghost Town’ and re-created ‘A Message To You, Rudy’ with Dandy Livingstone. This act last released an LP in 2019.

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Today’s Track: Mykki Blanco (feat. Blood Orange) – “It’s Not My Choice”

September 16, 2021 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘Broken Hearts & Beauty Sleep’ (Mixtape) (Released on June 18th, 2021) (via Transgressive Records)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke and, as you’ve probably figured out already by this point, it is time for me to get typing up about yet another track for today’s post on the blog, because it is always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of new music every day! An Alternative Hip-Hop and Psych-Soul rapper and solo singer-songwriter – as well as being an activist, poet and visual performance artist – Mykki Blanco has enjoyed a steady ride to fame, having worked with such lucrative mainstream mega stars like Taylor Swift and Kanye West. Blanco was first born in Orange County, California as the daughter of an IT specialist and a Paralegal at the North Carolina Patent and Trademark Office, before Blanco began hormone therapy for her transgender transition in 2019, having used different gender pronouns throughout their career to this point. They also published a manuscript of poems – ‘From The Silence Of Duchamp To The Noise Of Boys’ – in 2011. Having since contributed to works with Teyana Taylor, Blanco is now one of the leading figures in New York City’s LGBT popular culture scene. In June, they released a new mixtape, ‘Broken Hearts & Beauty Sleep’ on the Transgressive Records label, the first of two short-form albums that Blanco is set to release this year and, technically, it marks their first proper studio music release since 2016’s ‘Mykki’. The new record sees them join forces with several guests like God Colony, Jamila Woods and Bruno Ribiero, and a physical release of the project is set to hit record shop shelves next month. ‘It’s Not My Choice’ finds Blanco working with the famous Soul mega producer Dev Hynes, who was previously a member of Test Icicles and he has since produced music with artists like Harry Styles, Blondie, Carly Rae Jepsen and Jazmine Sullivan, and he has released several critically acclaimed albums under the moniker of Blood Orange. He’s also directed the music video for this collaboration with Blanco. Give it a listen below.

“Creating with Dev Hynes [Blood Orange] as director of this video was as effortless as creating the song together”, Mykki Blanco said in a press statement, later explaining, “This video was carefree and captured what I feel to be some quintessential summer moments. Being with friends, being in nature, and having a sense of poise no matter your own personal thunderstorm” in their assessment of the collaboration’s process and influences. ‘It’s Not My Choice’ seems to find Blanco pondering the pro’s and con’s against deciding to end a relationship that has become dysfunctional. There are no sour regrets to this one, so to speak, but it finds them torn on whether to keep the romance afloat or to allow a natural change of heart to take precedence. These mournful lyrics are given a clean polish from Hynes’ production that, for my liking, has long taken cues from Prince and Janet Jackson in 80’s Synth-Pop flair. There is a soulful female vocal sample that adds radiant and long harmonies to the forlorn sounds, and Dev Hynes uses the strength of a catchy Piano beat and a smoky Trumpet backbeat to complement the Hip-Hop melodicism of Blanco’s lyrical delivery, as the two provide a tense and punchy soundtrack to the deliberation of a potential break up. The bassline feels understated and a little basic, but it’s given plenty of fresh energy from the explosive Synth pads, the ruminating Keys and the wistful Horn sections, while the more plaintive Percussion gives a more optimistic outlook to the emotional tug of war being evoked by the vocals, which Hynes also adds to with a crooning refrain towards the beginning of the tune, leading to a nice and apologetic vocal section that gives us some closure of the pre-built narrative when we reach the finale of the joint venture. Overall, this was pretty good. One of my minor gripes is how the album itself is only around the 30 minute mark in length, and so I think it could have done with two or three more tracks to flesh out the interesting ideas that Blanco has a little more thoroughly. Their sense of self-awareness mixed with the melodic production of the track is right on the cutting edge of rap-inspired Pop, however, and the contemporary twist gives fresh life to the 80’s influences. There is a bit of a niche here, and I would not say that I’m really the ‘target audience’ for this music, as such, but it does certainly feel like the right time to get some more diverse voices, that are worth hearing, into my ear plugs and Blanco is included in that for the good chemistry they exhibit with Hynes here. A crowd pleasing, infectious Pop record.

Pictured: Mykki Blanco performing at a fashion event (2020) (Photo by Getty Images/Edward Berthelot)

That brings us to the end of the page for another day, and so all that’s left for me to say is thank you for supporting the blog once again. I’ll be back tomorrow for ‘New Album Release Fridays’ as you would expect, and I’m going for a pick that feels more left-field this week, as we’re going to be taking a closer look at the Footwork movement that was developed in 2010’s Chicago. It’s tied in with the new release from a pioneer of the genre, who has released a series of well-reviewed records on Planet Mu Records. In his earlier times, he made mixtapes for the Bud Billiken Parade.

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Way Back Wednesdays: Definition Of Sound – “Wear Your Love Like Heaven”

July 21, 2021 — 2 Comments

If you’d asked in 1991 – I would not know the meaning of the word. Let’s go Way Back!

Pictured: Cover Art for ‘Moira Jane’s Cafe’ (Single) (Released in 1994) (via Circa Records)

Good Morning to you! It’s Jacob Braybrooke, and I hope that you are ready to take things down a notch for your daily track on the blog, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! For ‘Way Back Wednesdays’, we revisit one of the sounds from the past that influenced those of the present, or an oddball rarity that may have slipped by the radar. ‘Wear Your Love Like Heaven’, however, was something that I swiftly noticed on an old repeat of ‘TOTP 1991’ on BBC Four, and so you know what we’re probably getting into here. The tune seems a little forgotten, and I admittedly couldn’t find out a great amount about it on the internet. It was released in 1991 by Definition Of Sound, a London-based Soul and Dance duo made up of Kevin Clark and Don Weekes, who collaborated with musicians including ‘The Red King’ Rex Brough and, eventually, Michael Spencer. The single performed decently, reaching the #17 spot in the UK Singles Chart at its peak, and reaching the #28 position of the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. Another notable hit of theirs was 1992’s ‘Moira Jones Café’, which also reached the UK Top 40 and later hit #1 on that specialist chart in the US. Let’s get a blast from the past below.

Despite sharing the same title, Definition Of Sound’s ‘Wear Your Love Like Heaven’ was not a cover of Donovan’s 1967 Psych-Funk classic, but, if you listen closely to the chorus, the duo obviously used a key sample from that track. I also read that it was used in an episode of The Simpsons where Homer goes on an acid-filled psychedelic trip in his mind. This sounds like the sort of obscure 70’s record that The Avalanches could have used for a sample on ‘Wildflower’, as quick sample work and the pastiche House structure with playfully pitched vocals call back to the upbeat, laidback Hip-Hop sounds of De La Soul and the old-school Trip-Hop beats reminiscent of Mos Def. There’s a call back to A Tribe Called Quest in terms of the vaguely Jazz elements, and although I’m not certain that I would categorize the whole recording as Hip-Hop, as such, it’s more of an energetic Psych-Soul tune with a knack for rapping. More or less, it’s a connected thread of breakbeat elements from a selection of styles. It’s not an entirely derivative collage of past sounds, however, because there’s a hint of Fat Boy Slim to the easygoing, roughly Disco sound, and the kooky vocal samples add a nice level of individual personality to the mix. The lyrics aren’t much to write home about, with rapped verses about uniting the world around ourselves and working together to create a sense of heaven creating an optimistic mood that, while a slightly generic effort, fulfills its purpose and refrains from overstaying it’s welcome too much. For me, the lead vocals work pretty decently almost 30 years later, with an early flair of Chicago House and the brightness of the Sunshine Pop style giving the relaxed tempo enough good material to bounce off. It certainly nodded appreciatively to the East Coast for their hip-hop scene, and the combo of the Bass and Drums hardens the melodies up just a slight bit. On the whole, this was surprisingly better than I had expected. There’s nothing about it that feels incredibly unique on paper, but it’s an eclectic mix of clear influences which jangle together effectively. It’s inspired enough. The production is very early-90’s, but it never felt too outdated, as such. It may not have rewritten the dictionary, but it is water-tight when the parts are pieced together.

Pictured: Cover Art for ‘Love And Life: A Journey With The Chameleons’ (LP) (1991) (via Circa Records)

That’s all the ‘love’ that I have to give to you today, but, please feel free to join me yet again tomorrow for some more music. Tomorrow’s pick brings some female voices to our week, as we review a recent track from a rising-star female-led Psychedelic Rock 4-piece band who met while attending Tufts University on the borders of Medford and Somerville in the US where the members had all lived and played together until 2016.

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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: All Cats Are Beautiful – “Thought I Saw U In The Shop Last Nite”

June 29, 2021 — Leave a comment

The perfect pair of indie musicians to send off LGBT Pride month with. New post time!

Pictured: Cover Art for “The Things We Made” (Available from August 6, 2021) (via Moshi Moshi Music)

Good Morning to you! It’s Jacob Braybrooke here – and it’s time for you to read your daily track on the blog, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Steve Lamacq has been loving ‘Thought I Saw U In The Shop Last Nite’ on recent BBC Radio 6 Music shows, and I have subsequently been loving it too. It comes from the new duo of All Cats Are Beautiful, an Indie Soul and Chamber Pop pair of best friends Elena and Kyle (I couldn’t find out what their surnames are, sorry) who are residing in Hackney, the Eastern district of London. The two producers are queer and non-binary best friends releasing their music on Moshi Moshi Records (of Hot Chip fame). This single is the follow-up to April’s ‘(U Know) U Mean A Long Minute 2 Me’, and both are taken from the duo’s upcoming first EP, ‘The Things We Made’, which releases in a handful of weeks on 6th August. Prior to that, the two have released cover versions of Daniel Johnston’s ‘True Love Will Find You In The End’ and Arthur Russell’s ‘Lucky Cloud’. Check out their latest offering here below.

“When you miss someone you think you see them everywhere. You find yourself turning around to check if the person that just walked past you was them, even if you know it’s impossible, even if they look nothing like the other person but for a split second you were absolutely sure it was them”, the East London pair spoke of the track’s concept, adding, “We wanted to use the city as a sort of third character in the video and decided to use locations particularly familiar to us both to give the feeling of being comfortable in a given space”, to their press notes. You’re perhaps thinking of The XX when you listen to this, and I think that’s a fair comparison to make. The drum loops aren’t too sparse, yet the lyrics have a small scope. Elena focuses squarely on capturing the moment with lyrics like “Even though we’re miles apart, my mind is playing tricks on my heart” and “I wanna circle back into that place/Where we listened to Frank Ocean on the fire escape” that turn a small situation into a deeper, more psychological space, where a sexual tension remains intact. I also noticed how the instrumentation is kept fairly pop-oriented, with lo-fi basslines and R&B sonics weaving in and out of the frame to create depth for the dense chill-hop grooves. A change is teased when Elena sings “You can come around any time/Now would be a good time” in the bridge, before we go back to the more intricate guitar progressions which create a catchy, laid-back tempo. The shifting Drum patterns feel percussive, as the pair blend Experimental Pop with a 00’s Singer-Songwriter sound. The credits also list the use of a Nylon String Guitar, Keys and Drum Programming, each of which add a Woodwind-like effect to the later verses, keeping the instrumentation vibrant and detailed. Overall, the pair do a great job of capturing a snapshot, or a moment, with the music. It’s small-scale, yet evokes a deep sense of emotional nostalgia with the layered percussion, their soulful voices, the focused lyrics and the melodic backdrop.

Pictured: Elena (Vocals/Guitar/Percussion) & Kyle (Keys/Synths/Drum Machine) (2021) (Photo via PR)

That’s all I had planned for today! Feel free to join me again tomorrow, however, as we trend towards a completely different direction as we go ‘Way Back’ for Wednesday. We’re going for a Country classic tomorrow, who owns a star on the Hollywood Hall Of Fame, and, before a Stroke sadly left him unable to continue his music career in 2013, made acting appearances in Film and Television productions like ‘National Treasure 2: Book Of Secrets’ (2007), ‘The Rainmaker’ (1997) and seven episodes of the ‘Touched By An Angel’ US television series. 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: 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: Porij – “Nobody Scared”

June 15, 2021 — Leave a comment

This Ready Brek-themed 4-piece are not a real mixed bowl of Porij. It’s new post time!

Pictured: Cover Art for “Nobody Scared” (Single) (Released on April 21, 2021) (via Oat Gang Records)

Good Morning to you! I’m Jacob Braybrooke – and it’s time to lift your spirits again with another daily track on the blog, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of new music every day! ‘Nobody Scared’ is a recent favourite of mine from the BBC Radio 6 Music playlist, and the track comes from the Manchester Art-Rock quartet Porij. The band’s current line-up met while staying in halls and studying together at the Royal Northern College Of Music, and they were officially formed after a friend was forced to pull out of an ‘original Porij’ live gig in Leeds the week before – meaning they had to re-write the entire set in a week’s notice. According to the band, Porij was picked at random and has “no meaning”, despite the mildly amusing ring to it. So far, Porij have released a small batch of singles and a mixtape – which includes a cover of Disclosure’s chart hit ‘White Noise’. I think this is a good one for any fans of Alt-J, Everything Everything or KAWALA, with a vivid mix of R&B, northern Soul and 00’s Indie elements, and the lyrics were inspired by a Netflix documentary on the Yorkshire Ripper. Give ‘Nobody Scared’ a trial below.

A socially conscious track about an important topic, Porij’s ‘Eggy’ did his homework when it came to the concept for ‘Nobody Scared’, writing, “It’s crazy that people force the narrative that women aren’t being careful when, in reality, they shouldn’t be in danger just because of their gender and no matter how many precautions they take it doesn’t seem to matter”, in his press release, in response to the events of the Reclaim The Night marches that he was struck by after watching the documentary, adding, “Gender-based violence affects women from all countries, backgrounds and social statuses. The fact that 97% of women say they had been sexually harassed is astounding but sadly not a surprising statistic to those who have been through it”, to his research. It may be easy to expect then, before listening to ‘Nobody Scared’, that it’s going to be a heavy and aggressive track filled with hooks about empowerment and unity, but, it’s clever for Porij to subvert these tropes. That’s not to say that the core refrain of ‘Nobody Scared’ isn’t hopeful and optimistic, however, as the beats build to the little climax similarly to a dance track. It starts off blissful, with a softly strobing bass guitar riff that gives the melodies an Urban feel. The chorus of “Walking around/With your red coat falling down/Nobody scared” is sung with a mid-tempo delivery that feels blissful and content in mood. The verses have a quicker, more rhythmic delivery, almost resembling Hip-Hop, with lines like “Feel our heart when we let go/Beating fast from the get-go” and “Tiptoe down these streets/Chilled to the bone/But we’ve found” that talk about how it should be safe to walk home alone in an Urban environment. The line of “Nobody’s Scared” unleashes a cooling sequence of Drums and Keyboard melodies that give everything a more soulful and woozy feel, with an earthly air to the patterns, as “Nobody’s Scared” represents the scenario in an ideal world. It’s a fantastic encapsulation of peaceful protest in a tune, with a lush and chilled sound that builds to a more involved finish. The core topical message remains intact, and it’s nice to see the band refusing to pin themselves down to any specific genre, and also deciding not to fuss around with an auto-tune machine, so that the backing harmonies can fill the space much more naturally instead. Very good indeed.

Pictured: ‘Eggy’ (Lead Vocals/Keyboard), ‘Tommy’ (Rhythm Guitar/Occasional Backing Vocals), ‘Jammo’ (Bass Guitar/Percussion) and ‘Tom’ (Drums/Backing Vocals) (in 2021) (Photo via PR/DIYMag.com)

That’s it for today’s recommended listening – but don’t be afraid to pop back here again tomorrow as we shift our ears’ attention from brand new music to the seminal sounds of the past for ‘Way Back Wednesdays’. This week’s selection is a novelty effort that was suggested by one of my most loyal readers (my mother). It was a hit for a British comedian, playwright and actor who played the character of Neil in ‘The Young Ones’ and has been nominated for Olivier, BAFTA and TMA awards – including a BRIT Award win in 1985. 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: 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/