Way Back Wednesdays: Bridget St. John – “Autumn Lullaby”

October 20, 2021 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Bridget St. John performing in ‘The Schoolhouse’ in Brooklyn (2016) (Photo by NYCTaper.com)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, and since the leaves are all looking fully browned and the rainy nights have been drawing in earlier, now marks the time for a rather seasonally themed edition of ‘Way Back Wednesdays’ as we look back at some of the influential sounds of the past, since it has always been my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Hailed up as “The best lady singer-songwriter in the country” by soon-to-be BBC Radio 1 host John Peel, who produced her material and released it on his folded Dandelion label during the 1960’s and 1970’s, Bridget St. John is a Surrey-born Alternative Folk singer-songwriter and guitarist who is now approaching 76 years of age, but she has achieved many accomplishments during her career of writing and recording music despite remaining in relative obscurity. Sadly, the industry was more male-dominated at the time and she never quite received the type of recognition that she now gets in her time, but she still has recorded a large number of BBC Radio and Peel Sessions, as well as toured regularly on the British college and live festival circuit. Known for her “rich cello-like” vocal style, St. John has appeared at leading folk venues across the globe and she has performed alongside similar luminaries of her time like David Bowie, Nick Drake and Paul Simon throughout her storied history. ‘Autumn Lullaby’ serves as great mood music for a month like this, and it was the second track on the listing for her debut album, ‘Ask Me No Questions’, which was originally issued for release in 1969 and it featured guest spots from John Martyn and Nigel Cross, who played guitar and helped her to produce the music. It got a remastered release from cult favourite label Cherry Red Records in 2010, and the album received decent reviews at the time from the music press, although it found little commercial success due to a lack of promotion relating to the budgetary constraints of Peel’s Dandelion label, with AllMusic’s Richie Unterberger calling the record “Music for wandering through meadows on overcast days” in his favorable review for it. Soothe your stresses with ‘Autumn Lullaby’ below.

Some copies of ‘Ask Me No Questions’ changed hands for up to £100 before it was remastered by revival specialists Cherry Red Records, and, in 1974, she was voted as the fifth most popular female singer in that year’s Melody Maker readers poll. In modern times, St. John continues to perform live, including shows as recently as an intimate gig at Birmingham’s Moseley Folk Festival in 2018, and she still records some new music from time to time, including the cut ‘Fly’ for Mojo Magazine’s Nick Drake compilation album ‘Green Leaves: Nick Drake Covered’, issued that same year. The theme of ‘Ask Me No Questions’ was to produce autumnal-sounding songs that simply speak for themselves, and her rather woeful lyrics like “October, standing on Primrose hill, feeling the wind breathe in and out” and “As Autumn comes, I stay behind and gather sounds she leaves for me” set the scene very blissfully, with more personal lyrics like “Through water whispers, grokking weeds/I sing her autumn lullaby” and “The evergreen is ever free/I hear her, I remember this” follow up on the steam that she has built up shortly. She simply sings about the tides of change and what the changing of the seasons reveals to her intimately, but her voice is stunning and she has a whimsical power of making things just stop for a moment when you hear the vocals. The warm, low-pitched croon and the gently philosophical, story-driven brand of songwriting definitely remind me of Jens Lekman, and the subtle images of pastoral melancholy and emphasis on soft emotions feel hugely influential to the likes of Fleet Foxes and Father John Misty for my ears. The instrumentation is a wholly acoustic and nearly self-produced Folk affair, with brief washings of the guitar that are low-key and introspective whilst slightly sad and understated in tone. There are hints of comfort and inner warmth, but the sound also resembles one of longing and pining. Overall, this is a lovely no-holds-barred and divinely autumnal effort that really captures the duplicitous essence of our current season, and it really makes me want to hear the full album in a single sitting. It is a shame that chart success never followed her through these seasons and that BBC disc jockeys failed to play her work much in her time, and it is easy to wonder why. However, she doesn’t truly need it to make a strong impression because, as she aimed for, her songs speak for themselves.

Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘Ask Me No Questions’ (LP) (Released in 1969) (via Dandelion Records)

That brings us to the end of the page for another day! Thank you for spending a few minutes with me today, and I’ll be back again tomorrow with an in-depth review of some new music from a London-born electronic music producer, studio engineer and DJ who is a modern icon of the LGBTQ+ community. She has released plenty of music using her side project alias of Nocturnal Sunshine and she was previously a part of the Electro-Dub duo ‘She Is In Danger’ with Lena Cullen. Her new LP is out next Friday.

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Way Back Wednesdays: Randy Travis – “Forever and Ever, Amen”

June 30, 2021 — Leave a comment

His son said “Mommy, I’m gonna love you forever and ever, Amen’. Let’s go Way Back!

Pictured: Randy Travis with his wife Mary Travis (2020) (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)

Good Morning to you! You’re reading the words of Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for me to get typing up for your daily track on the blog, since it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! We’re looking at the sounds of the past that have influenced the present today, and that translates to a scarce Country music appearance from Marshville’s Randy Travis. Travis was a huge star in the 80’s, a pivotal figure in the development of Country music, who had sixteen #1 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart. Very tragically, he suffered a Stroke in 2013 that has left him unable to continue singing, but, in his peak time, Travis branched out into other media as a crossover star, appearing in films like the ‘National Treasure’ series and seven episodes of ‘Touched By An Angel’ on TV. He now owns a star on the Hollywood Hall Of Fame, and, in 2016, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall Of Fame. Known as one of the pioneers of the Neo-Traditionalist movement, Travis is highly revered for helping to bring traditional Country music back to mainstream attention. One of his signature tracks is ‘Forever and Ever, Amen’, which sold 5 million copies following it’s release in 1987. Check it out on Vimeo below.

Although Travis’s stroke has severely limited his abilities, since 2017, he’s occasionally been known to add the final ‘Amen’ to live performances or cover versions from other artists, and ‘Forever And Ever, Amen’, remains popular to this day. As recently as February of this year, Ronan Keating and Shania Twain released their own duet version of the classic track for Keating’s eleventh studio album, ‘Twenty Twenty’. It”s impact continues to be felt, then, by it’s romantic and sweet melodies. The vocals find Travis harkening back to his distinctive Baritone vocals that he was known for, where he croons sequences like “As long as old men sit and talk about the weather/As long as old women sit and talk about old men” with his low-pitched harmony. The guitars are the twangiest of twangs, as you would expect, with a melodic rhythm and an upbeat mood that absorbs you deep into the Country genre. Deep to it’s core, the songwriting is about joy in constancy, with platonic verses about loving a woman regardless of changes to their appearance, citing her hair as the main reference, and smooth flirtations where he uses the song itself as back up evidence for reassuring his faithfulness to his wife. The family Wedding scenario of the music video is a picture-esque complement to this. Country music is really not my bread-and-butter pudding by usual standards, and so I think it’s a testament to Travis’s career that he manages to get me quite on-board with this. It’s cheesy and it’s of it’s time, but it’s catchy and uplifting, with lyrics that feel smart and deliver enough substance to click. Overall, it is one of the VERY few tracks that make me interested to explore 80’s Country further.

Pictured: Cover Art for “Forever & Always” (LP) (Released on May 4, 1987) (via Warner Bros Records)

That’s all I have for today – but I’ll be thanking you for reading my text forever and ever, amen! Tomorrow, we’re going Electronic, with an in-depth look at one of the strongest IDM album releases of the year so far. The artist has made an appearance on the blog before, and is one of the most important new signings to the highly influential Hyperdub club music label that was founded by Kode9 in 2000, originally as a webzine, before it became a label in 2004.

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Today’s Track: Allison Ponthier – “Harshest Critic”

June 10, 2021 — Leave a comment

Whoever said we are our own critics never auditioned for Big Brother. New post time!

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Cowboy” (Single) (Released on March 8th, 2021) (via Interscope Records)

Good Evening to you! It’s Jacob Braybrooke here, and it’s time for me to get typing up for your daily track on the blog (Now that my million other tasks for the day have finally been completed), because it’s always been my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of new music every day! I’m going to introduce you to a brand new artist today – and that indie folk/country singer-songwriter goes by the name of Allison Ponthier – who describes herself as “a wide-eyed misfit” from the outskirts of Dallas, Texas. She’s recently caught the ears of the major Sony-owned label Columbia Records, following a stint of meeting Lord Huron and collaborating with them, with the two acts going on a tour in the US later this year. She appeared on ‘I Lied’ from Lord Huron’s new album ‘Long Lost’, which is what exposed me to her, and she’s also performed on the major US late-night TV talk show ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’ with them. The self-confessed ‘Jazz School Dropout’ has also been undergoing strange activities to pass the time when in quarantine last year, telling The Guardian in a brand new interview, “I’ve started making sculptures of little alien people”. Whatever floats your boat. ‘Harshest Critic’ is just her second single – and the follow-up to March’s Claymation-inspired ‘Cowboy’. Check out the music video below.

Allison Ponthier has been adding more friends to the feathers in her industry cap by collaborating with Jordan Bahat on the music video for ‘Harshest Critic’ and co-writing her material with frequent collaborator Adam Melchor, but the lyrics of ‘Harshest Critic’ are about the pressures that Ponthier feels to meet audience’s expectations – and her own – in being a music artist, as she explains in her press release, “I wrote ‘Harshest Critic around the time when labels were knocking on my door”, adding, “It ended up being a song about how, when you’re an artist, everything feels like life and death. But, in reality, it’s your happiness and who you are, as a person, that really matter. You might as well enjoy the ride, because no-one’s ever going to be as hard on you as you are”, when describing her songwriting approach and practices. Comparisons to Julia Jacklin or Alice Phoebe Lou could be made on ‘Harshest Critic’, with a crooner style that feels decorated by little sprinklings of Grunge and sparsely placed Americana elements. Lyrics like “What if all my fears were on display/Right in front of all of the world/Under a spotlight/Would they be on my side” and “I’m terrified/Of the way I look when it’s through strangers eyes/Wish I had a way to peak inside their minds” are very reflective and always place Ponthier’s own insecurities at the centre of the concept. The chorus finds her crooning, “If I’m being honest, don’t know if I can tell you/Who’s the harshest critic in the room?” and “It could be the studio audience/But they’re just payin for admission/And I’m the one with everything to lose” as Ponthier opens up about her stress and pressures in a highly confessional manner. The instrumentation takes a backseat to the vocals, with a tender guitar ballad and a soft, steady percussive trail of drum beats that mirror the beating of her heart as the vocals unfold. Overall, it’s difficult to be overly critical of Ponthier’s performance here, despite her own harsh judgments, in this track. I don’t think the sound was that terribly exciting, and I’m a little concerned that the label might fast-track her to become the next Lana Del Rey instead of the first Allison Ponthier, but, overall, she’s a very likeable presence because she feels very human. The words feel very poetic and expressive, with a simple theme that doesn’t run it’s course, because the sophisticated guitar chord changes and the heartfelt moods keep proceedings fresh enough, and her voice may conjure no critical panning of any form.

Pictured: Cover Art for “Harshest Critic” (Single) (Released on May 13th, 2021) (via Interscope Records)

Thank you for reaching the end of today’s blog post – your support means a lot. We’ve already reached Friday by the time that 24 hours rolls past again, and so we’ll be sifting through this week’s notable new releases. We’ll be focusing our minds on the return of a pack of Post-Punk veterans, well-known for several crossover chart hits in the 1980’s and 1990’s from Madison, Wisconsin. Their name was reportedly inspired by a conversation with a friend, who frequently told them that their early material sounded “like Garbage”. 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: Kirsty MacColl – “There’s A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He’s Elvis”

June 12, 2020 — Leave a comment

Did you know that Elvis is not dead? I heard him on the radio! It’s time for a new post!

Pictured: Kirsty MacColl in a photoshoot to promote “Desperate Character” (1981) (Photo Credit: Smooth Radio/Getty)

That guy better get spiking his hair and get a-rocking-and-a-rolling then! I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing about your daily track on the blog because it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day, even on my Dad’s birthday! You would probably know Kirsty MacColl best from her collaboration with The Pogues on the 1987 Christmas hit “Fairytale Of New York”, but she also struck out on her own as a successful solo artist. MacColl was born on October 10th, 1959 and she grew up with her mother and brother Hamish in Croydon. Unfortunately, her life was cut short by a tragic accident while on holiday in 2000, where she was deep sea diving with her sons in the Chankanaab reef and a powerboat was speeding towards them. MacColl saw it coming, but the boat ran over her after she moved her 15-year-old son out of its way. MacColl was originally signed by Stiff Records, and she had a few hits in the 1980’s and 1990’s. This includes “They Don’t Know”, which was famously covered by Tracy Chapman in 1983. “There’s A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He’s Elvis” was released back in 1981. It was one of her highest-charting singles, and it reached #14 in the UK Singles Chart, where it stayed for nine weeks. It reached #9 in the Irish Singles Charts. An interesting fact about the track is that, in the promotional version for the US, the very British “Chip Shop” line is replaced by “Truck Stop”, but this was only handed out to the Radio DJ’s version and it wasn’t given a full CD release. Take a listen back to the track with a title far too long to write again below.

MacColl deserves a few bonus points, just for that title. “There’s A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He’s Elvis” sees her gallop confidently through Western, Country and Blues sensibilities, but it largely comes across as just a Novelty effort and not a lot more. MacColl croons about resisting flirty talk from a guy, who, as you’d guess, works down the chip shop and swears he’s Elvis, adding: “Just like you swore to me that you’d be true” and “But he’s a liar, and I’m not sure about you” to add a poetic effect to the chorus’ refrain. She also shows a pessimism and sarcastic tone in the guy’s teases, singing in the second verse: “News is you changed your pickup for a Seville” and “Cos’ you’re out there on the phone to some star in New York” before showing her attitude: “I can hear you laughing now/And I can’t help feeling that somehow/You don’t mean anything you say at all” before a guitar solo and a longer version of the chorus ends it. The acoustic instrumentation is simple throughout, with a three-note guitar groove in the verses, and an added line of piano notes in the chorus, with an upbeat lead guitar solo near the end. It sounds energetic enough to get a crowd jiggling around for a bit, but it rolls along for three minutes without doing anything very interesting, and it doesn’t innovate or experiment in any real ways. The novelty factor would provide a small burst of fun and the title is a great one for a Zoom quiz, but the music itself leaves room to be desired, and it seems forgettable overall. But, just who is the guy who works down the chip shop, if he’s not really Elvis?

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Desperate Character” (Original Album Release in July 1981) (via Polydor Records)

Thank you for reading this post! As a reminder, at One Track At A Time, we endorse the #BlackLivesMatter movement. Please go and check your local area for good charity causes that help those directly affected by racism and injustice. I’ll be back tomorrow with an in-depth look at a recent single from a female solo artist, who is the lead vocalist of the popular French-English indie punk band Savages, to mark the release of her new album! 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: Hazel English – “Five and Dime”

June 4, 2020 — Leave a comment

Looks like a secret spy, but of no relation to Johnny English – It’s time for a new post!

Pictured: Hazel English in a photoshoot to promote the release of “Shaking” (2019) (Photo Credit: Son Of Marketing)

Good Afternoon! I’m Jacob Braybrooke and – You Guessed It! – I’m writing up your daily track on the blog because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! Another emerging artist who I want to spotlight on the blog this week is Hazel English, an Australian Indie Dream-Pop singer-songwriter who is based in Oakland, California. She really caught my eye on KEXP’s Song Of The Day podcast feed with her 60’s-esque, colourful aesthetics – with the artwork looking like a modern Spy caper set in a period-era setting like the Marvel’s Agent Carter TV series. Hazel English has just released her debut full-length album, “Wake UP!”, on Polyvinyl Records in the US and by Marathon Artists in the UK. After a string of successful EP releases and support slots for Lord Huron and Death Cab For Cutie tours in 2017, English enlisted the help of producers Justin Raisen (Charli XCX, Angel Olsen) and Ben H. Allen (MIA, Deerhunter) to fulfill her vision for her album to “make people more aware and mindful” in their lives. Have a listen to “Five And Dime” down below!

An old slang term for the area code of 510 which covers the East Bay of Berkley in the US, English uses the term of “Five and Dime” as an analogy of finding desire for a relationship in a world where we’re constantly looking for entertainment as an escapist distraction. English sings, over a folk-led guitar riff and a finger click, “Oh you bring me down/Caught my stride but you follow me around/Almost figured it out, but you cut me off” as she builds her mid-tempo Synthpop melodies over a woozy, hazy soundscape of melodic, neo-psychedelic 60’s-inspired pop. The chorus is gradual, but it’s smoothly paced and melodic. English croons: “Gotta get away/Cause’ your taking up all of my time/You know I need my space so I’m heading to the Five and Dime”, a hook that has a slick rhyme to it. The textures are varied, with a slight feeling of Jazz being created by the finger clicks and bubbling bass guitar chord in the bridge. The lightly guitar-driven verses, along with the lyrical themes of travel, also harken back to a nostalgic Country sound. It feels ostensibly American, with an old-fashioned aesthetic that makes me feel soothed and relieved. I like how it’s Pop – but the instrumentation feels varied enough to add something more to it, instead of it just feeling like she is just trying to have a big commercial hit. Overall, it’s a track that sounds fashionable and refreshing. I’d like to give it some more time to grow on me. That shall be my own undercover spy mission – and it’s one I should choose to accept.

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Wake UP!” (Released on April 24th, 2020) (via Polyvinyl Records/Marathon Artists)

Thank you for reading this post! At this difficult time, I ask you to please stay safe at home, don’t do anything silly and please keep on washing your hands! I will be back tomorrow, as per usual, with a digital single released by Sub-Pop Records earlier this year, from a male solo artist who is a pioneer of the Chillwave genre and he released the video for the track using footage sent in from fans, as he had originally planned an expensive music video shoot for the track with an international team of filmmakers beforehand! 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: Laura Marling – “Held Down”

May 6, 2020 — Leave a comment

I honestly can’t think of any jokes for this one, so there’s that! It’s time for a new post!

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Song For Our Daughter” (Released on April 10th, 2020) (via Chrysalis/Partisan)

Good morning, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing about your daily track on the blog, as always, because it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! “Song For Our Daughter” is a figurative title, since the album has been written about a fictional daughter, by Laura Marling. Marling is a British folk singer-songwriter from Berkshire who has received a lot of critical acclaim over the years. Her sixth album, “Semper Femina”, was nominated for “Best Folk Album” at the Grammy Awards in 2018. In addition to this, Marling has been nominated for Best British Female Solo Artist at the BRIT Awards four times. Therefore, I’ve heard her name swirling around indie circuits and in my head before, but I’ve yet to properly listen to one of her albums. “Song For Our Daughter” was going to be released in August, but she brought the release date forward in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Could this be the album that hooks me on to her? Let’s start with “Held Down” below.

While many artists have been delaying their albums and postponing their tours due to the pandemic, Marling bucked this trend, saying: “I saw no reason to hold back on something that, at the very least, might entertain and, at its best, provide some sense of union”. It’s a solace and an intimacy displayed throughout the lavish acoustic guitar melodies on “Held Down”, an open and honest letter to an ex-lover about moving on from their break-up. Marling sings: “I woke up, it was four in the morning/Clear as hell that you’d already gone” and “And I just meant to tell you, that I don’t want to get you wrong” over an ascending acoustic guitar riff and a rich backing vocal that echoes through the light harmonies of Marling. Marling evokes a light Gospel element through the interweaving of it’s vocal layers, before she cuts to the core with a more ethereal, rougher guitar rhytmn: “It’s a cruel kind of twist that you’d leave me like this/Just drop my wrist and say, that’s us done”, before she hypnotically repeats the opening verse and calls out with an emotional line: “Cause we all want to be here now/And we all want to be held down”. Marling leaves the track on a peaceful note that feels right for the world that we’re living in now. It’s a track that, upon initially hearing on the radio, I didn’t find very appealing to my personal tastes because it has a Country sensibility, which I found to be cheesy and a bit pretentious. After a few listens though, it started to really grow on me. The sound is very warm and calming, with reflective lyricism that feels personal and easy to connect with. Her voice is soft and gentle, but it’s powerful because she has a direct sense of writing that makes her feel original and more artistic than the range of acoustic-driven artists out there who just want to sound like Ed Sheeran, even though he just makes generic and overproduced pop these days. She reminds me of Sara Groves and Christina Wells in her expressive and folk-ridden, although ultimately pop-leaning, sound. It’s a solid track, by all accounts, that will appeal. I’ll have to give the new album a fair shot.

Pictured: Laura Marling in a photoshoot to promote the release of “Super Femina” (2017) (Photo Credit: Sonic PR)

Thank you for reading this post! I hope that you enjoyed it! Stay safe, wash your hands and a massive thank you to our key workers! It’s not just Death Cab For Cutie’s Benjamin Gibbard writing songs about the situation, as I’ll be looking at a track tomorrow from a Danish Punk Rock band who have also been doing their bit for charity by self-releasing a new single inspired by their thoughts on the effects of the lockdown. 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: La Roux – “Automatic Driver”

February 7, 2020 — Leave a comment

La Roux’s “Supervision”, after six years, is finally here!… and so is your new blog post!

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Supervision” (2019)

Like a giddy six year old on Christmas morning, I’m absolutely thrilled to be able to say that one of my all-time favourites, La Roux, finally has a new LP record that you can buy in your local record stores, or stream I guess – in this day and age, right now as I type! “Supervision”, which was released today on Elly Jackson’s own new independent record label Supercolour Records, is the follow-up to my favourite pop album of all-time, “Trouble In Paradise”, released way back in 2014. Mainly known for the mainstream chart hits spawned by her Grammy-winning debut album, “La Roux”, which was released way back in 2009, “Supervision” is the first La Roux record to be completely written and recorded as a solo act for Elly Jackson. She’s been selling it as the culmination of the ongoing flying solo saga and the record she’s always been wanting to make. I, for one, absolutely can’t wait to hear the results later today… When all of my day-to-day jobs are done, since I know that I can relax at that point. In the meantime, you can obtain a sample with the video for “Automatic Driver” below.

It looks like Tiger Woods has a new opponent for the Golfing season! A new wave synth-pop track with a strange resemblance to old country influences, “Automatic Driver” is an electro-pop break-up anthem which lyrically explores the feeling of unrequited goods in a long-term relationship and finding the “auto-pilot” who controls the steering of a relation-ship. That’s a bad pun, but at least I tried. Nonetheless, Jackson croons in her trademark Falsetto voice: “We can fight till it’s light/Doesn’t mend it/Do you still dream we’re alright/and we’ll find it”, over a fizzing keyboard strobe. She croons: “I wanted to manage information/Find the automatic driver”, as a stream of sultry techno flares sneak their way into the track to the melody of Jackson whistling. It’s later followed up by a groove-laden vocal rhyme: “I wanted to make a contribution, baby/I wanted to start a revolution with you”, topped off by a more reflective texture: “After I waited so long to find you/Why did I let myself run and hide from you?”, as Jackson laments the possibility of definitively breaking up with her one true romantic partner. Lyrically, it’s a little bit different to the feisty attitude of lead single “International Women Of Leisure” and the moving-up spirit of “Gullible Fool”, with a slightly light opening compared to the former, matched with the sentimentality of the latter. It still retains the maturity and the old-fashioned pop sound that I’ve loved hearing from the sound of her new tracks, but it’s also very progressive in adding more country-tinged strings to her bows. It’s another terrific release from Jackson which I’ve avoided listening for too much as to control my exposure to the new album before it came out. Now, I’m off to try on my Supervision long sleeve t-shirt and hear the new album, in full, for the very first time. I hope that you give the new record a chance too, as you might end up loving it as much as I shall!

Pictured: “Supervision” Amazon.co.uk Bundle (2020)

If you somehow still haven’t quite got your La Roux fix for today, you can still read my glowing reviews for her other two singles from “Supervision”, “International Woman Of Leisure”here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2019/11/01/todays-track-la-roux-international-woman-of-leisure/ and “Gullible Fool” here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2019/12/06/todays-track-la-roux-gullible-fool/

Pictured: La Roux (Elly Jackson) in a press photoshoot for “Supervision” interviews (February 2020) (Via PR)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow and I’ll hopefully have calmed down a little bit then, as I’m going to be writing about the new track from a French pop artist whose second album was named the “Album Of The Year” in 2018 by The Guardian! Don’t forget that it’s also nearly time for another Scuzz Sunday! 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: Penelope Isles – “Gnarbone”

January 10, 2020 — Leave a comment

I could have inserted a Gnarly joke to break your Jaw bone, but I’ve decided to just listen to the relaxing melodies of Penelope Isles instead! It’s time for your Friday post!

Pictured: Lily Wolter (Vocals), Jack Wolter (Vocals/Drums), Jack Sowton (Lead Guitar) and Becky Redford (Bass Guitar)

As always, Jacob Braybrooke here! Currently signed to Bella Union Records, Penelope Isles are a forced to be reckoned with on their native Brighton music scene. Having impressed me, surprisingly so, with their dream-pop influenced gem “Leipzeig” in October, the 4-piece have got two huge dates coming up on their latest tour: a Jan 30th gig at the University Of Manchester and a special performance at Saint James Wine Vaults in Bath the following day. “Gnarbone” is one of the new singles taken from their debut LP, “Until The Tide Comes In”, which was released back in July 2019!

“Gnarbone” is yet another lo-fi, stone-faced display of this fresh new band doing what they’re doing best! Comparatively to “Leipzeig”, “Gnarbone” has a much denser environment of lush bass guitar riffs and punk-driven drum steps. It has a long duration of 7 minutes, but it feels as though the band did not waste any minute, or second, of it. The long length is justified by a very cohesive narration on the growth of another’s soul, as vocalist Jack Wolter loosely reflects on the heart of another: “You never learnt to crawl / You didn’t have to” and “It looks like you’ve made it/I didn’t see you fall in love”, as the fragile, DIY-heavy assortment of light rock sounds swell into a collage of sun-soaked Britpop sounds, most of which are intelligble, with a brief repeat of the main vocal hook: “It looks like you’ve made it/I didn’t see you fall in love”, this time delivered by sister Lily Wolter, before the distortions creep in and take the track on a bigger, warping turn. The track takes the undecidedly bright melodies of indie shoegaze and keeps the familiarity in check, while adding some crowd-pleasing guitar riffs and sample-led vocals, to deliver a track which highlights the darker moments of the sound and makes the reflective songwriting even more hypnotic. This is destined to be a favourite of the band’s crowd at festival performances – and rightly so, as the criss-crossing dynamic of the two siblings is ace!

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Until The Tide Creeps In” (July 2019) (Bella Union Records)

To follow the comparisons which I made between “Gnarbone” and “Leipzig” throughout my post for today, you can still read my thoughts on the latter track here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2019/10/22/todays-track-penelope-isles-leipzig/

Pictured: Tour date poster for Penelope Isles’ recent Autumn UK Tour with a Hand-drawn Painting (October 2019)

Thank you for reading this post! I hope you’re in the mood for a rave during your day tomorrow, as I’ll be back to it with an in-depth look at a new track which marks the return of a legendary English IDM DJ who made a huge name for himself in the underground music scene in the late 90’s with several releases on the iconic Warp Records label! 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: Penelope Isles – “Leipzig”

January 10, 2020 — Leave a comment

Isles hope your ready for your Tuesday blog post!

Penelope Isles are a new independent soft-rock band from Brighton, they are signed to the Bella Union record label, where they released their debut LP record, “Until The Tide Creeps In” in July 2019. “Leipzig” is their newest single.

The opening guitar riff has a very buzzed-out quality, which evokes the feelings of mundane summer days and daydreaming about having a more exciting life in your head. The vocals are very soft and light, as an overall texture of euphoria and warmth dampens over the glitched-out pop melody created by the gentle shoegaze influences, reminding me, a little bit, of My Bloody Valentine’s 1981 LP, “Loveless”, seen as an essential record in the history of shoegaze and dream-pop. The production work seems very clean and polished, which creates tones of comfort and a playfulness that echoes a magnetic effect through the song as Lily Wolter, on vocals, whispfully draws in the listener with: “What was it even like before?”, before the track shifts focus onto a chorus filled with a little more fast-paced, but ultimately, hazy guitar hook that releases the dream-like tension built up through the verses of the track. Overall, I don’t think it necessarily innovates much, but the track is an impressive single from a new band which shows a lot of potential for them and establishes a unique palette of sonic influences.

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as promised, with a track from a British DJ and producer who began his career as a keyboard producer for actress Imogen Heap, before soon going on to produce 5 LP records, on his own accord, so far in his music career. Why not follow the blog to get notified when every daily new post is up and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/ https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Today’s Track: Dropkick Murphy’s -“The Season’s Upon Us”

December 23, 2019 — 1 Comment

It is indeed on this Eve to Christmas Eve, Tis’ the time for yet another festive new post!

Pictured: Ken Casey (Lead Vocals, Bass Guitar), Matt Kelly (Bodhran), Al Barr (Backing Vocals), James Lynch (Lead Guitar), Tim Brennan (Accordion, Mandolin, Tin Whistle), Scruffy Wallace (Bagpipes) and Mark Geanakakis (Drums)

Released in January 2013 on their eighth overall LP record, “Signed and Sealed In Blood” contains the festive single “The Season’s Upon Us”, with the track seemingly arriving a month late to the Christmas party, although it’s accompanying music video was released on YouTube in November 2012, it comes from Dropkick Murphy’s, a Celtic Punk band formed in Boston in ’96, a group who became pioneers within the small fandom community of the niche genre, releasing a consecutive string of five well-loved albums for the Hellcat Records label between ’98 and ’05, significantly expanding the success perimeters of the label, before later signing for Born & Bred, their current record label. I’m Jacob Braybrooke and it’s been my mission, over the last month, to find you some alternative festive tracks to consider adding to your Christmas dinner-making playlists for your Kitchen this year! Today’s festive track on One Track At A Time is “The Season’s Upon Us” – by Celtic rockers, Dropkick Murphy’s.

“The Season’s Upon Us” is yet another fun addition to the alternative festive canon that we’ve been covering on the blog throughout the recent weeks. This is a track that just happens to come courtesy from the pioneering spirit of Dropkick Murphy’s. It’s full of anecdotal wit, chant-led chorus sections and the distinctive Celtic sound which the group have become revered for. The lyrics, often bouncy and quirky, have an offbeat down-tempo style, as conveyed through the lead performance of Ken Casey, who leads exclaims with: “Some families are messed up while others are fine/If you think yours is crazy, well you should see mine” and “The table’s set, we raise a toast/The Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost/I’m so glad this day only comes once a year” over a horn arrangement, composition from an accordian and an interlaced Caelic expression. I’m sure that more than a fair few can relate to the lyrics and the track is oddly very ambitious, as it boldly mixes an organic musical dexterity with a folk-based sense of comedic relief that can be hit-or-miss to stick the landing correctly upon. But, on the track, the band manage to do it with a brash confidence in their path! So, where’s that Brandy and Eggnog? I’ve got a stonking hangover to relief!

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Signed And Sealed In Blood” (January 2013) (LP Record)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as usual, for an in-depth look at a Christmas track that’s as much of a Christmas song as “Die Hard” is a christmas film, as it’s time for our second foray into the mind of electronic maverick Richard D. James! 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/