Dark-Cabaret

Today’s Track: Glüme – “Get Low”

July 27, 2021 — Leave a comment

Just like a Tree, this Las Vegas native has been ‘Logging’ in to her PC. New post time!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘The Internet’ (LP) (Released on April 30, 2021) (via Italians Do It Better)

Good Morning to you! It’s Jacob Braybrooke, and I’m heading towards your screen with another daily track on the blog, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! I’ve got a very interesting one today from a Los Angeles native, Glüme Harlow, who has just released her debut solo LP, ‘The Internet’ on Johnny Jewel’s (from Chromatics) label Italians Do It Better. A simple Google search reveals a ton of very fascinating details about her, from playing Shirley Temple on a Broadway stage, to being a professionally trained Tap dancer influenced by Ginger Rogers. She proclaims herself as the “Wal-Mart Marilyn Monroe” and she’s been a part of the Arts industry since a very early age. She was a child star, with credits for the ‘101 Dalmations’ and ‘Kingdom Hearts’ IP’s, and credits for an acting role in one of Japanese anime icon Hayao Mizaki’s films, according to her IMDB profile. Tragically, she has also been diagnosed with Prinzemetal, a rare heart disease where a coronary artery supplying blood and oxygen to the heart goes into Spasm and suddenly narrows. The writing process of her new record saw her confined into a restricted space due to the effects of her illness, and it pairs her intimate experiences at the time with a homage to old-time Italo cinema. Get a taster with ‘Get Low’ below.

“I didn’t like the vision of myself as a sick person. So I went on The Internet”, Harlow told KEXP in a press release when the title track from her new LP was featured on their ‘Song Of The Day’ podcast, adding, “My online presence was my truth even though it was a lie. I have this self at home who is sick, & then this self on the Internet that’s doing amazing. The world wasn’t looking for me. But online, I could live the life I wanted to live”, to her explanation of the album’s idea and concept. On ‘Get Low’, Harlow sings about falling in love, and how this affects your brain chemistry and nervous system, but, since she suffers from a heart condition, lyrics like “You light up my nervous system/Save me from this autonomic prison” come across more literally, with an accessible Avant-Garde arrangement being conveyed through her personal experiences of dating with autonomic dysfunction, and it reflects how her feelings conveyed can be a literal, cascading time for her. It feels wonderfully inventive, with lyrics like “I could drown in your mind/Careful, I’ll undress your mind” feeling both raunchy and sincere in nature, as these harsh observations permeate through the 80’s, New-Wave Synths and the prominent Bass stabs. The arrangement combines melodic digital Drum beats with some vintage, screeching Keyboard riffs, often feeling harsh and cerebral, yet oddly intimate, in reflection. She also goes to the end of the world with her visuals, veering into Art-Pop styles with her organized imagery of an out-of-time tap-dancing misfit, or a Baby Jane-type child star with an unknown maturity, and she uses this gently developed character as a cover for her to speak her mind with an innocence and honesty. Although her real name isn’t exactly a secret, it feels irrelevant to the work at hand because it never feels significant to her image itself. Overall, this is a well-inspired and a thoroughly enjoyable listen, and I’d highly recommend checking out the track ‘What Is A Feeling?’ from the debut record as well.

  • Pictured: Glüme in a PR shoot for a Q&A interview with Weirdo Music Forever (2021) (Photo via PR)

That’s all I’ve got to share with you for now, but please feel free to join me again for ‘Way Back Wednesdays’ tomorrow, where we revisit one of the sounds of the past that has been influential to the sounds of the present. This week’s pick comes from a 90’s US Hip-Hop duo from Queens, New York who spent six years together before they disbanded in 1995. In that time, they were a credible asset to the ‘Native Tongues’ collective comprised of East Coast Hip-Hop groups A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul & The Jungle Brothers. The rap duo cited creative differences as their reason to split up.

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New Album Release Fridays: Ambar Lucid – “Get Lost In The Music”

June 18, 2021 — Leave a comment

Witches can tell the time by looking across to their witch watch. Time for a new post!

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Get Lost In The Music” (LP) (Released on June 18, 2021) (via 300 Entertainment)

Good Morning to you! It’s Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s already time again for me to get typing up all about 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! I know that we’ve made it to Friday and, this week, it seems the hot weather is keeping the bigger releases at bay a little. There’s still plenty to be enjoyed, however, including the 20th go-around from the incomparable 50 year-plus veteran Joan Armatrading. Radio 1 favourite BERWYN gets his shot at fame with his debut solo album, Deap Vally follow up on their recent ‘Digital Dream’ EP with their new ‘American Cockroach’ EP and BRIT Awards Rising Star winner Griff looks to get her foot in the door with…. er… ‘One Foot In Front Of The Other’. KEXP introduced me to Ambar Lucid, however, a Pop, Alternative and Indie R&B singer-songwriter based in the suburb of Little Ferry, New Jersey, who is releasing her second solo album, ‘Get Lost In The Music’, through 300 Entertainment today – which is June 18th. Lucid’s real name is Ambar Cruz, who was born to a Mexican father and a Dominican mother, and she was the subject of the ‘Llegaron Las Flores’ documentary that saw her reunite with her father and sister, who she had not been able to see since the age of 8 due to deportation, that was produced in 2019. Cruz’s new album explores radical self-love, conceptualized over her love for Michael Jackson in the 1980’s, with lyrics that are sung in both English and Spanish. This follows 2020’s ‘Garden Of Eden’. Let’s ‘Get Lost In The Music’ below.

The Latin Soul songstress has gained over 600k monthly followers on Spotify, and she told Vice, “A lot of people have their own insecurities and their own battles that they’re dealing with, and sometimes they project them onto other people, maybe not even on purpose” in an interview last year, adding, “It’s so important to define yourself, and to be true and honest to yourself. That is the only way I think we end up on the path that is most authentic to ourselves, and brings us the most happiness”, as she continues to don the Día de Muertos painted mask in her videos to reference her Latin heritage. The opening of ‘Get Lost In The Music’ wants to transport you fully into the 60’s Classical aesthetics with the muted horn and organ riff sample, before Lucid croons: “I got a visit from the Mushroom god/He said it’s time to say goodbye to your ego” to delve into the 60’s Psych-influences. She continues to sing about letting go of your own negativity and getting swept up into the sounds of music with lyrics like “Revival of beauty is insanity” and “What’s the point of living if you’re already dead/” in the chorus. The vocals are given a lot of clean production, with a disorienting mix of neo-soul and modern Psychedelia that gives her delivery a harsh, piercing effect. Meanwhile, the instrumentals continue to draw you in with vibrant guitar licks and a two-step drum beat that urgently kicks into gear and permeates a sense of darkness throughout the track. Moreover, the opening sequence dips in and out of the track, inviting the listener to explore nostalgia and imagination. These arrangements, overall, feel hypnotic and immersive. The main reason why I just don’t like a lot of ‘mainstream’ pop nowadays and dislike Ariana Grande or Camila Cabello is because their production makes them sound much the same, and the reliance on auto-tune distances me away from the artists for this reason, instead of getting me interested to learn more. In the case of Lucid, she’s bringing a Latin tinge and a vintage mystical element to things, and ‘Get Lost In The Music’ is shaping up to be the ‘Off The Wall’ for the younger generation. One thing I’d say is that I did find the vocal effects to be a little over-done, making her tone a little too robust and, in turn, a tad artificial. That said, I like that it’s just undeniably Pop and I feel that Lucid’s “Modern Urban Witch” costumes are rather interesting. I also like it’s message and how that connects with me as a lover of music, and this is kept simple but effective. On the whole, this is an entrancing mix of Pop that shows me that Lucid can be bothered, since a lot of effort clearly went into the visuals and the artwork too. A bewitching twist on modern Pop.

  • Pictured: Ambar Lucid in a press photoshoot for “Garden Of Lucid” (2019) (Photo via Complex.com)

That’s all for now! Have a Wicked Witch of a weekend! Make sure to reconvene with me right here again tomorrow, as we delve into one of the most popular new releases from one of Britain’s current biggest groups, who are building up to their next album release in August with a notable single that sees the Scottish Synth-Pop trio enlist the help of none other than Robert Smith, from The Cure, to add a fresh dimension to their existing formula. 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/

Scuzz Sundays: Coal Chamber – “Loco”

February 7, 2021 — Leave a comment

A bizarre delight, or nothing but a lump of Coal in St. Nick’s sack? It’s Scuzz Sunday…

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Coal Chamber” (Self-Titled LP) (Released in 1997) (via Roadrunner Records)

Well, here’s another addition to the Lunacy series. It’s Scuzz Sunday – and that means it’s the time of the week where I – Jacob Braybrooke – dig out an ancient relic from the Emo-Rock and Pop-Punk genres between the late 1990’s to the mid 2000’s, to see if they can hold up to quality and value in the current climate – because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! We’ve been riding up a stream of surprisingly decent old Nu-Metal singles over the past few weeks – and Coal Chamber were another group of that same ilk. Formed by Dez Fafara in Los Angeles, California during 1993, the band have had a very on-and-off creative relationship, with the band active from 1993 – 2003, and reuniting from 2011 to 2016, and disbanding again in 2018. Although I wouldn’t say they became a household name like Korn, Evanescence or Nightwish did – their first album still performed very well. Despite some brutal reviews, their self-titled debut LP – released in 1997 via Roadrunner Records – has been certified as Gold in US sales by the RIAA with figures above 500,000 units sold. It was also numbered at #15 on Kerrang’s list of “The 21 Greatest Nu-Metal Albums Of All-Time”, and each of the singles were compiled onto a Greatest Hits album that was issued in 2004. The co-founders, Fafara and Meegs Rascón, would also find moderate success in side projects. Strangely, Ozzy Osbourne used the music video for “Loco” as a starring vehicle. Take a gander below.

Just to clear a few things up, I can inform you that I’m writing this post just before I got to Church like I do on a Sunday morning and, when you come to think of it, I can’t say this is a very appropriate type of art form to be consuming just before that scenario, but, you know, when there’s a job – it needs doing. The band’s primary influences included The Cure, Metallica and Jane’s Addiction. “Loco” shows a few spades of these ideas – both visually and lyrically – but it’s mostly known for it’s two-note guitar riff. A sweeping and dramatic opening riff leads to the mosh-pit drawing refrain of “Pull” as the bass guitars start to chug along. Lines like “Steamroller rollin’ through my haid said/Attached to Loco, Power up Coal” are delivered in a low-pitch grumble, that sells qualities of rage and darkness. The chorus is relatively basic, with “Mi Loco” being repeated over the top of a brooding and whammy-assisted lead guitar melody. A slight breakdown comes near the two-thirds mark, as a hazing line of washing riffs and a slowed vocal delivery, before the dark riffs settle back into their mid-tempo focus again. The chorus can get a little annoying and it lacks substance, but there’s a doofy and not-so serious feeling to the tune that are charmingly endearing. All of the usual tropes of the Nu-Metal genre are here, with slight rap inflictions being created by the slightly melodic nature of the growling, and some guitar riffs that just chug along at a rhythmic pace, as you would expect. The guitar riffs, while not inherently bad, come across as rather dull and uninteresting to me, however. While Nu-Metal music often thrived on the very slight melodicism to the dark toned instrumentation, they weren’t exactly energetic – and “Loco” sadly didn’t manage to pull any of those moves while doing anything interesting. Although I’ve heard worse, ” Loco” fails because of it’s lack of substance, and much of the track just felt “off” to me – with attempts of humor that don’t spark an effortless feeling. In other words, it’s just trying a little too hard, and it felt too abstract. It’s more of an awareness from a band whose music they knew were only filling a gap in the market.

  • Pictured: Dez Fafara (Lead Vocals), Miguel Rascon (Keyboard/Rhythm Guitar/Backing Vocals), Nadja Peulen (Bass Guitar) and Mike Cox (Drums/Percussion) (2015) (Photo via Dom Lawson/Metal Hammer)

They can’t all be good! Scuzz Sundays is scheduled to be back at roughly the same time, but on the same day, next week. Until then, we’re going to be kicking off another week of new posts tomorrow. The week stars off with relatively fresh Hip-Hop from a British-Gambian producer who gained exposure from BBC Radio 1, 1Xtra and 6Music for his debut album, “Take Me To Coventry”, which got to the Top 40 of the UK Albums Chart. He is known for his use of Afrobeat and Drill elements in his Grime music, and his debut single “Frontline” was the most-played track on 1Xtra in 2020. 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/

Scuzz Sundays: Korn – “Freak On A Leash”

January 31, 2021 — Leave a comment

All I have got to say to you is: Da-boom-na-da-noom-na-na-me-na. It’s Scuzz Sunday!

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Follow The Leader” (LP) (Released on August 18th, 1998) (via Epic Records)

Good Morning to you – my name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for another entry into our weekly Scuzz Sundays feature on the blog, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! The last seven days have really flown by, and it’s already time for us to revisit a classic from the Emo-Rock and Pop-Punk genres from the late-90’s to the mid 00’s to see how they hold up, named in honor of the long-lost Scuzz TV channel. Korn’s “Freak On A Leash” was released over 20 years ago, and the track had got to #24 in the UK Singles Chart. Released from the California-bred Nu Metal band Korn, this was the lead single from their third studio LP, “Follow The Leader”, which has been certified as 5X Platinum by the RIAA of the US. Although the album was their first not to be produced by Ross Robinson, with that mantle being taken up by the duo of Steve Thompson and Toby Wright instead, it peaked at the #1 spot on four charts, and it sold over 14 million units worldwide, thus remaining to be Korn’s most commercially-oriented album. In fact, this single is most notable for it’s music video in particular, where the lines between computer animation and live performance were blurred. The video itself garnered wins and nominations for both the Grammy Awards and the MTV Video Music Awards, and it’s twinned to the ‘Family Values Tour’ of the LP. Let’s mosh to “Freak On A Leash” below.

One fact that you might not know about Korn’s “Freak On A Leash” is that Korn once included an instrumental section of the track which they used to call the “noisy guitar break”, but this interlude had been edited out by Korn, as per their fans request of removal, yet it had still managed to hit #6 on the Billboard Alternative Songs Chart and #10 on the Mainstream Rock Songs chart in the US. With a simple “Boom-na-da-noom-na-na-ne-ma”, a crossover hit was born. Don’t get them wrong, “Freak On A Leash” is still a distorted and aggressive track, as dissonant guitar breaks mesh with rapid drum beats to craft the heavy, angry tone. The lyrics are opened by a grunge-driven Synth line and a delayed pedal effect to the bass guitar, as “Something takes a part of me” and “Every time I start to believe/Something’s raped and taken from me” are crooned in a low pitched delivery by vocalist Jonathan Davies. The harsh distortion of his voice, later on, leads to a more anthemic guitar riff and a line of static noise, which is submerged under heavy reverb effects. The structure is quite well-narrated, with the distortion effects signaling for stadium-sized rock instrumentation, and the lighter verses implying a more internalized quality. The iconic refrain is screeched by Williamson, and it is met by an unusual mix of scatting and psychedelia. The breakdown has a more darker and melodic feel to it, and the chorus is your typical state of Nu-Metal affairs, as the high guitar notes in the build-up lead to an explosive lead guitar hook that pays off nicely. The vocals are pretty nonsensical and the experimentation is daft, but the backing track is creative and the unusual vocal breakdown is still memorable – whether that is for better or worse. To conclude, although the track is undeniably dated, you could get a lot worse. The vocals break the immersion for me a little too much for me, but the instrumentation is well-paced. Silly – but it is heavy, it’s crazy, and it’s a bit catchy. Boom-na-da-noom-na-na-ne-ma!

  • Pictured: Jonathan Davis (Lead Vocals/Bagpipes/Programming), James Schaffer (Lead Guitar), Reginald Arvizu (Bass Guitar), Brian Welch (Rhythm Guitar/Backing Vocals) and Ray Luzier (Drums) (2015) (Photo Credit: Theo Wargo/Getty Images)

That’s all I have got for your Alternative Metal wrap-up for this week! Scuzz Sundays will be back at the usual time again next week. Before we get to that point – we need to ring in the new month. Join me again tomorrow as we turn to a familiar face – who we have previously covered on the blog – to review a piece of his work from his latest EP, which was released back in September via Friends Of Jagjaguwar. This electronic producer has been played on 168 episodes of programmes on NTS Radio, where he used to host a weekly radio show. 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: Visage – “Fade To Grey”

January 13, 2021 — Leave a comment

A melancholic classic from a band who you could say were… Strange. New post time!

  • Pictured: Steve Strange (Lead Vocals/Producer/Writer), Steve Barnacle (Bass Guitar), Robin Simon (Rhythm Guitar/Synths) and Lauren Duvall (Backing Vocals) (in 2013) (Photo Credit: David Levine)

Good Morning to you – My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for a brand new installment of our weekly Way Back Wednesdays feature, where we recover a gem that holds up today, yet pre-dated the 2000’s. This is just the second edition of the feature, and so if you could give me a like and a follow, I would really appreciate it – because it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! “Fade To Grey” was released way back in 1980 by the English Synthpop act Visage, via Polydor Records, and it’s still one of the few Non-Pet Shop Boys or Non-Erasure 80’s Synth-Dance tracks to have really survived in the mainstream public’s conscience since that era of futuristic Pop and Kraftwerk-inspired Electronica. Although it failed to make too much of an impression the first time around, it became much more popular when it was re-released in 1991, a time which saw it reach #8 on the UK Singles Chart. As well as making a huge impact for the group in the 80’s LGBT culture, it saw extended success on the European club circuit, reaching #1 in Germany and Switzerland. Steve Strange was the lead vocalist, who kept the act going until 2015, where he tragically passed away from a heart attack. Looking upwards, Visage were significant to the blossoming New Romantic fashion movement, which I wish that I was born to see, during the 1980’s. On “Fade To Black”, Strange wrote the lyrics, while the French vocal sections were written and composed by Rusty Egan’s Belgian love interest – Brigitte Arens. You could still check out the original music video below.

“Fade To Grey” was certified as Silver in UK sales in 1981, and the music video was particularly significant for another key reason, in that it was one of the first music videos to be directed by the team of Kevin Godley and Lol Creme, who went on to direct very famous videos for The Police, Duran Duran, Herbie Hancock, Ultravox, Yes, and several others of 80’s fame in popular culture. It starts off as soft and gentle, before a sweeping Synth line and French backing vocals set the scene. Strange croons: “One man on a lonely platform, One case sitting by his side, Two eyes staring cold and silent, Shows fear as he turns to hide” on top of off-kilter keyboard keys, and the repeating Synth groove. The electronic beats feel flat in a sense, heavily inspired by the technological views of Kraftwerk and David Bowie as a potentially tyrannical force. The lyrics of the refrain, where Strange sings: “We fade to grey”, create a fairly uneasy atmosphere, whilst the verses play on introversion and Gothic themes. The mood is enigmatic and hostile, yet it’s sold with the calm tones of it’s cinematic quality. The synth instrumentation is cerebral, yet melodic enough for the Post-Disco sounds and the industrial pop elements to create a danceable atmosphere. Although I can’t understand the French vocal interludes because I’m a roast beef dinner, as the Frenchfolk may say, they add a suited sophistication to the methodical, artsy style. Pretentious in the best way, I still feel that the track manages to sound contemporary and futuristic. The Synth riff is iconic, and the detailed production goes a long step in the way of exuding an atmosphere to fill a dim-lit dancefloor with mascara-running teens. Yet, it’s exotic. For a minute, it feels like the gloom of the AI-age future to come.

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Visage” (Self-Titled LP) (Released in 1980) (via Polydor Records)

That’s all for today! I’ll be back again tomorrow, and wouldn’t you know it, I have finally got some brand new music to share with you. Tomorrow’s track comes from a Hertfordshire-based English indie folk trio of three sisters who began their musical journey by performing together at open mic nights in Watford hosted by their local pub, and they were scheduled to perform a live set at Glastonbury festival last year before, well, you know what, to mark the end of a four-year hiatus. 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/

Scuzz Sundays: Panic! At The Disco – “But It’s Better If You Do…”

December 21, 2020 — Leave a comment

A Panic! At The Disco would be better than 5 Seconds Of Summer. It’s Scuzz Sunday…

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out” (Released on Sept 27, 2005) (via Fueled By Ramen)

It’s finally back to business, as usual, on the last day of the week! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and this is the post of the week that we like to call “Scuzz Sundays” – the weekly feature where we revisit an ancient gemstone buried in the mine (or rubbish skip…) of the Emo-Rock and the Pop-Punk genre movements from between the late-1990’s, up to until the mid-2000’s. Of course, named in tribute to the defunct “Scuzz” TV music video channel. We previously took a look at the cult classic era of “Pretty Odd”, a time of the US Emo-Punk group Panic! At The Disco’s career that was wildly fascinating, and has sadly been rejected by the band now. Today, we’re going to dive even earlier than that, with one of the singles from their debut album, “A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out”, which was released in 2005, and it remains to be the first full-length album that I can remember buying for myself. “I Write Sins, Not Tragedies” was the obvious hit single from the record, but I always preferred “But It’s Better If You Do…”, a lesser-known single that reached the #23 position on the UK Singles Chart in 2006. It was recorded in a stylistic two halves, with the first part of the album exploring some catchy Pop-Punk and New-Wave sounds, while the second half of the album – divided by a Piano interlude – was a much darker play-out of Moulin Rouge, with traditional instrumentation that explored a Baroque sound. This track is an exhibition of these themes – with this single almost playing out like a short-form story or narrative, as a naive teenager sneaks into an adult Strip Club – and becomes horrified by the results of his curiosity. Let’s revisit the Shane Drake-directed music video for the track below.

“A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out” received mixed reviews from critics at the time – and yet it struck a chord with audiences. In fact, Panic! are easily more famous and mainstream-friendly now than they’ve ever been before as Brendan Urie essentially carries on with the project as a solo act – sadly to my dismay, and I sadly wouldn’t consider myself to be a fan anymore. The title of “But It’s Better If You Do..” was spoken by Natalie Portman in Closer, a film released in 2004, with “Lying Is The Most Fun A Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off…” completing the first half of the quote, which is coincidentally the title of the preceding track on the album, and it results in a seamless experience of the two tracks, followed by “I Write Sins Not Tragedies” on the album, as the beat slowly changes throughout the endings of each of the three tracks on the recording. As I mentioned, “But It’s Better If You Do…” sees an underage teenager enter a masquerade-style strip club, and not enjoying it. Urie speedily establishes the scene with: “Now, I’m of consenting age, to be forgetting you in a cabaret/Somewhere downtown, where a Burlesque queen, may even ask my name” above the quickly paced, jangling Organ chords. Urie manages to sell the (Pun-Intended) Panic of the character in the scene, crooning refrains like: “As she sheds her skin on age/I’m seated and sweating to a dance song on the club’s P.A.”, and “I may have faked it/And I wouldn’t be caught dead in this place”, adding a few harmonies to that last lyric. The tone is grim and ill-fated, and the story of the teenage boy trying to impress a girl through jealousy, aided by a scene at the Strip Club, unfolds when Urie sings: “I’m exactly where you’d like me, you know” and “Praying for love in a lap dance, and paying in naivety” in the chorus, which has a retro 80’s electro-pop twang to it. Urie’s vocals are obviously pretty bratty and unseasoned, but I think the band managed to do a great job with the variety of instrumentation on show. There’s some interesting moods of Dark Cabaret and Classical music here, which isn’t grossly auto-tuned and relies on a theatrical narrative instead. Overall, it feels cinematic and vivid – and I love how Panic! were so keen to experiment with bold ideas at this very early stage of their career. The style manages to stand out for them, although, come to think of it – I probably shouldn’t have been buying this at 7/8 years old. That feeling of daring to be different is a major part of the appeal, however. For my money, it remains to be one of Panic’s most underrated cuts, and it represents an era of Pop-Punk and Panic themselves which, whether they worked or failed, tried different ideas. Sadly, it’s a step above the commercial dross that we’re exposed to nowadays – where Urie is recording brutally irritating Frozen covers, of all items, so my unpopular opinion on them remains. Yeah, it’s really not the same band.

  • Pictured: Brendan Urie (Lead Vocals/Writer/Multi-Instrumentalist), Ryan Ross (Lead Guitar/Backing Vocals), Jon Walker (Bass Guitar/Backing Vocals) and Spencer Smith (Drums) (in 2008) (Photo via PR)

As aforementioned, I also took an in-depth look at the “Pretty Odd” era that followed for the band – a wholly inventive, highly divisive and truly fascinating one. I would suggest that you check out my review for “That Green Gentleman (Things Have Changed)” here to find out more: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/05/31/scuzz-sundays-panic-at-the-disco-that-green-gentleman-things-have-changed/

  • Pictured: Vinyl of Pretty Odd” (2008) (via Fueled By Ramen) (Photo by The Underworld Mansfield)

Thank you for checking out my new blog post – I hope that you had a happy New Year’s period! I’ll be back tomorrow for an in-depth look at a track which was originally released back in 2018 – and it comes from one of the most powerful new voices in Blues and Desert Rock – a Canadian recording artist who was previously a member of the Electronica group – Stop Die Resusicate. That hits a blank with me as well, but you should come and join me anyways – it’s rather good! 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/