Today’s Track: Clipping – “Say The Name”

March 4, 2021 — Leave a comment

…and whatever you do – Don’t fall asleep! It is time for a frightening new blog post…

Pictured: Cover Art for “Visions Of Bodies Being Burned” (Released on Oct 23rd, 2020) (via Sub-Pop)

Good Afternoon to you – my name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for me to get typing up for your daily track on the blog, since it is always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of new music every day! In retrospect, I think this track may have been a more suitable fit for Halloween. Never mind, though, because it’s a fairly grey, cloudy and grizzly day outside here in Cambridgeshire and so this might prove to be some good “Mood Music” for you, if you’re finding yourself to be in a similar frame of mind today. Clipping are an Experimental Hip-Hop group consisting of rapper Daveed Diggs, and the two producers Jonathan Snipes & William Hutson. They relish in the samples of scary Slasher flicks of old, with a ‘Rapcore’ sound that evokes a cinematic scope and a dark variation of tones that wouldn’t feel out of place in a vintage Wes Craven or John Carpenter Horror soundtrack. It goes without saying the results are pretty disturbing and intriguing, with the band describing their latest album, “Visions Of Bodies Being Burned” as a movie-like sequel to their 2019 release, “There Existed In An Addiction To Blood”. Released back in October, their latest album lifted it’s name from a Scarface line from the Geto Boys’ ancient 1991 single, “Mind Playing Tricks On Me”, and “Say The Name” turns this quote into a hook, and builds a dark fantasy influenced by ‘Candyman’ to it. Let’s get spooked with the results below.

The recent album, “Visions Of Being Burned” was acclaimed by critics when it was released on October 23rd via the ever-reliable Sub-Pop records label – with the record also featuring collaborations with musicians like rap duo Cam & China, the EVP research artist Michael Esposito, the Improvisational Jazz creator Jeff Parker, and a handful of others. As a matter of fact, the closing track “Secret Piece”, is a Spoken Word performance of a text-based “event score” that Yoko Ono wrote back 1953. It really is music for fine artists, and created by serious performers where commercial accessibility seemingly isn’t near the top of their list of priorities. I like that it sounds different to many of the other Alt Hip-Hop groups that have come before though, with stereotypical Jazz-Funk sensibilities being replaced by throbbing basslines and strobing synth melodies. This alternative production is clear on “Say The Name”, where visions of “The hook gon’ be the coldest pimp slap/Coat rack for man skin/Let it air dry” and “Swiss cheesed a brother, already half dead/Brain leaking out a hole in his forehead” are conjured up. These striking and graphic images are evoked by the Industrial clatter of the hip-hop samples, with rustic drum patterns that are integrated with a strong viscerality. The chorus is relatively simplistic in comparison, with “Candlesticks in the dark, Visions of bodies being burned” being repeated above the top of a Synth-heavy outro, matched by the gory sentiments and slightly demonic aesthetics being used throughout the verses. Vibrant, clattering drum machine loops are woven into the fabric of the mature, adult-oriented content with a sense of mystery and a lack of warmth. The concept works well because it feels very unique, although there’s fairly little substance in here for me. Overall, to me, it’s a strong success, however, and although I’d probably need to be in a certain frame of mind to enjoy it fully, it has a decent sense of originality and a well-inspired backstory for me to sink my teeth into, with the 80’s-ish gothic Horror aesthetics being pulled off nicely.

Pictured: Daveed Diggs (Rapper/Lyricist), William Hutson (Producer/Keyboard/Samples) and Jonathan Snipes (Multi-Instrumentalist/Producer) (in 2016) (Photo by Katie Falkenberg/The Los Angeles Times)

With that – You can stop hiding your face under the cushion of your sofa now. Can you believe that it’s nearly already time for the weekend again? Join me for an in-depth look at one of this week’s new album releases tomorrow, as we sample one of the new cuts taken from the ninth main addition to the discography of a prolific female singer-songwriter. This Liverpool-based artist owns the record label Bird, and you may know her as a former member of the Brit-Pop girl group Kill Laura, and previously a member of the Folktronica project Misty Dixon too. 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: Ela Minus – “They Told Us It Was Hard, But They Were Wrong”

February 9, 2021 — Leave a comment

A fresh discovery – ready for you to give either a Plus or a ‘Minus’. Time for a new post.

Pictured: Ela Minus at Moogfest in Durham, North Carolina (2019) (Photo via Novationmusic.com)

Good Morning to you – my name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for me to get typing up on the blog for your daily track because, as I’m constantly reminding you, it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Ela Minus is a name that previously eluded me for a while, as I had sifted through sparklers of her material through some support on BBC Radio 6Music and through some bits-and-pieces sent to me by my cohorts from the Student Music Network over the past few months, but it was when I saw her fantastic live performance for KEXP’s Live At Home series that my ears finally paid her the notice she deserved. Currently based in Brooklyn – but born and raised in Bogotá, Columbia – this Techno wizard fell in love with the drums when she attended the Berklee College Of Music when she was 18. Her debut album, “Acts Of Rebellion” was released in late October by Domino Recordings – the same label where you will find more familiar names like Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand, Hot Chip and Anna Calvi. The 10-track LP received positive reviews, and she cements herself as an effective One-Woman orchestra with a love for exploring Witch-House, Techno, Art Rock and Dream Pop. She also uses the slogan of “Bright Music For Dark Times” to describe her own style, and it is ironic because her music sounds generally pretty moody despite the twinkling keyboards. “They Told Us It Was Hard, But They Were Wrong” is my favourite track of her’s. Check it out below.

Her real name is Gabriela Jimino – and in an ideal world, she would have supported Caribou on tour and then played a euphoric live set at the gigantic Coachella festival last summer, but we all know how that plan turned out. Nonetheless, she summed up her music in an interview with WODJ Magazine, by saying that her overall message of her work is that “I want to give people an alternative. An alternative to everything, another path, another way forward” within her textures. She is as much of a hardware tinkerer as an educated composer, and each of Minus’ mantras feel precisely reflected in the above track. Set off by slowly bubbling sequences that lead into stroking Synth blips, Minus’ voice flows into the chilling grooves created by the Staccato synths and the sonar-like pulse of the airy, gently breathing chord progression. It never quite feels like club music by the direct opening, but the pacing of the sequences gradually intensify and the Drums work in tandem with a provocative Keyboard riff to create a more cooling atmosphere to the darker tones in the towering synth beat. The vocals, meanwhile, create a moodier variation of tones where refrains like “We always know in the first minute or so/If something’s worth staying for” and “If you have to go to the bottom of a hole, To find what’s wrong, just let it go” feel as though they are mildly provoking a resistance. The sequences are broken up by a slower bridge, where Minus’ half-spoken and half-sung voice adds further intrigue. It takes a little while for a big beat to drop, but when it does, it’s paired with an oddly motivational set of lyrics, and the crescendo of the built synths release the tension with a more rhythmic undertone, where looping sonics and meandering keys riff on the more hopeful ambience. What I really love about this track is that there’s a real spirit of DIY Post Punk hidden in the execution though it bears no resemblance to the shouting and guitars of that genre. It really gradually becomes about freedom and independence, and defiance against the corporate. I love to picture this being played at some artsy elaborate French fashion show of modern art, but it also sounds like it could be directly taken from a high-budget Spy flick or a John Wick-like action sequence. It draws on the cinematc, while keeping the underground roots of the ideas intact, sounding like Billie Eilish goes Kraftwerk in the provoctive textures. The underlying theme of her music is an idea that resistance grows from everyday practices, and this feels harsh yet inspired. This is phenomenal and she’s going to do remarkable things.

Pictured: Cover Art for “Acts Of Rebellion” (LP) (Released on October 23, 2020) (via Domino Records)

There’s enough rave-reviewing from me for today! Yet, we’re shifting away from the relatively new releases to the comparatively vintage offerings tomorrow as the “Way Back Wednesdays” series once again takes the floor. In tomorrow’s new entry to the growing library of the feature, we’re going to take a detour back in to 1999 for an in-depth listen back to what is presumed to be the first-ever recording put out by one of Warp Records’ highly prolific electronic dance music producers – Who used to previously self-release his own material for his very own independent label which he famously named “Mute Recordings”. 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: The Yeah Yeah Yeah’s – “Y-Control”

January 24, 2021 — Leave a comment

Are we still giving this a yeah yeah yeah – or will it be a no no no?… It’s Scuzz Sunday!

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Fever To Tell” (Released on April 19th, 2003) (via Interscope Records)

Another week, another Scuzz Sunday! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and we’ve reached the end of the week, and that means it’s time to pay tribute to the late-great Scuzz TV channel with an in-depth listen back to one of the genre-defining Emo-Rock or Goth-Rock relics from between the late-1990’s and the mid-2000’s, to see how they sustain their weight in our more modern times. Formed in New York City in 2000, The Yeah Yeah Yeah’s have maintained a decent popularity with alternative music fans since the years of their peak heyday. Taking their name from the slang language of modern New York City, the Garage-Punk revivalist trio – led by Karen O – have earned nominations for the Grammy Award of Best Alternative Music Album for each of their three subsequent albums. “Y-Control” was the final single to be released from 2003’s “Fever To Tell”, their debut LP, which was produced by Dave Sitek (TV On The Radio, Little Dragon, Celebration) and mixed by Alan Moulder. I remember the group being popular enough to take the stage of BBC’s Top Of The Pops when that still existed, and “Fever To Tell” has sold over one million units worldwide. “Y-Control” was also used for the soundtrack for the video game – “Dirt 2”. Let’s ‘Dial D for Devotion’ below.

The title of “Y-Control” refers to the emotional control of a female, referring to the Y male chromosone, but it could also be read as a reference to “P-Control”, an abbreviation for the name of the track “Pussy Control”, by Prince. That explains why the music video was controversial for it’s disturbing imagery, and it received rather muted MTV airplay at the time, due to these haunting pictures of children carrying the corpse of a dog. The single was still highly acclaimed by critics, and Pitchfork listed the track as the 213th best song of the decade regardless. The most glaring sound of the track is the bass guitar chords, which are absolutely drenched in the heavy feedback and high reverberation effects. Karen O opens with: “Oh so, all my loving goes, Under the fog, and I will leave them all, Well I’m just a poor little baby, Cause, well, I believe them all” with a downtempo and gritty pitch, while a juxtaposition can be spotted between the squelching, high-pitched New-Wave synths and the discordant, heavy guitar instrumentation. The bridge of “I wish I could buy back, The woman you stole” precedes the bombastic echoes of the static noises. The lyrics are vague, especially in the chorus, where Karen O chants: “Why-control, Why-control/You walk, walk, walk, walk, my winners” above the fast-paced, frenetic element of the drum riffs that evoke an ‘Indie floor-filler’ style to counteract the somber vocal delivery. In the process, the aggressive qualities of Karen O’s vocals are taut, methodical and controlled. It somewhat echoes the chilling sentimentality of The Pixies, with grammatically incorrect sentences and gargled syncopation, in the lead guitar performance, adding to the ‘broken’ and ‘disturbed’ sub-meaning of the track. All in all, I don’t think the abrasive lead guitar work and the distorted synth instrumentation are going to be within the wheelhouse of every listener, but I don’t think that commercial accessibility is at the top of the band’s list of priorities. We are left with a sad, earnest track instead that cleverly echoes the work of past Garage-Rock bands and early Indie Punk bands to a clever degree, while distorting these elements to bring a fresh twist to the formats – I’m still giving this a ‘Yeah, Yeah, Yeah’.

Pictured: Karen O (Vocals/Piano/Songwriter/Producer), Nick Zinner (Lead Guitar/Keyboard/Rhythm Guitar/Backing Vocals) and Brian Chase (Drums/Percussion) (2003) (Photo Credit: Max Knies)

There’s all the murder she wrote today! Of course, I’m not willing to let you down tomorrow. Check back in with me again then – where we’re going to be going for a similar style of distorted guitar riffs and emotionally driven, harsh songwriting – albeit from an emerging, hot-off-the-press act. This single comes from an indie trio from Worthing who like describe their own sound as “mosh-pit worthy noise for the paranoid age”, and their single, “So What”, was featured on the soundtrack for the recent Ubisoft open-world video game “Watch Dogs Legion”. 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/

Today’s Track: Nicolás Jaar – “Faith Made Of Silk”

September 10, 2020 — Leave a comment

Christina Perri may be collecting up a new ‘Jaar’ of hearts. It’s time for your new post!

Pictured: Nicolás Jaar busy making new music in his studio (2019) (Photo by Timothy Norris/Getty)

Good Morning! I am Jacob Braybrooke and, as per usual, I’m writing about your daily track on the blog, because it’s still routinely my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! One musician who has certainly been keeping himself very busy, when confined to Lockdown, is Nicolas Jaar, a Chilean-American electronic music composer, who released two whole albums this year. “Cenizas” was released in late-March, and “Telas” followed up in mid-July. It marked the end of a 4-year gap since the release of both of his last two albums in 2016, but the odd release strategy is fairly atypical of Jaar’s work, as this is a recording artist who has very much become well-known for releasing an enormous number of ambient experimental compositions via his own independent label, Other People. Some of Jaar’s most experimental endeavors include a five-hour live improvisational concert at MoMA PS1 in 2011, and his score for the Palme d’Or-winning feature film, Dheepan, which was directed by Jacques Audiard and released in 2015. He’s kept prolific over the years for being one half of Darkside (a duo with Dave Harrington) and performing two album’s worth of material under the moniker of Against All Logic. “Cenizas” was released in late-March, and it gained a unanimously positive critical reception, scoring 86/100 on review aggregation website Metacritic to signal for “Universal Acclaim”. One of the most popular tracks from that record was “Faith Made Of Silk” – Let’s stream it below!

The climactic conclusion to an almost hour-long album, “Faith Made Of Silk” tends to lean deeper into contextual themes and atmospheric tones than his more immediate work on 2011’s “Space Is The Only Noise and 2016’s “Sirens”, despite it still qualifying to be one of the most beat-driven and lyrically decipherable compositions on the recent record. This provides the rare instance of a song for the Drum riff-age to lead the way, with chiming melodies and fragmented sequencing effects creating a darkly harmonious, chiming ambience. Jaar’s specific lyrics are also the clearest on the record, as Jarr vocally layers a cautionary tale of finding weakness in the descent to uncertainty, which feels very timely of the rougher Covid-19 situation at the time of the album’s release at the end of March. He desperately adds: “Look around, and not ahead/You have nowhere to look/A peak is just the way towards, A descent” to remind listeners of his philosophy in how the act of leaving an emotional hardship or darkness behind, is not necessarily about refusing to acknowledge that it may not ever return, as the grief is still left behind. Somewhere within the ethereal qualities, however, is a contextual glimmer of hope. A gasp of relief can be audibly heard in Jarr’s voice, and a slightly more melodic and beat-driven instrumental points towards a future of peace. I hate to use the word “Grounded” to describe the qualities of the atmosphere, because the term feels to have become dramatically over-used in media reviews and promotional interviews in recent times. Albeit, in this case, I think it’s true. The Drums provide the only real sense of melodicism, but these sections, in the texture, feel harmonious and optimistic enough to carry the rhythms and patterns forward with a driving force. I understand that it can pften be very hard work to really “get into” such a richly layered and enigmatically ambient record such as this at times, and I think a lot of perseverance and co-operation may be required from a more passive or casual audience to fully understand what Jaar is melodically toying around with, but I think it makes for a rewarding payoff in the end, and the energy of trying to “crack the mind” of a melodious tinkerer such as Jaar is often a part of the enjoyment. It’s not typically my kind of bag when it comes down to personal preference, but it’s well-developed and intriguing technically, with intricate layers of Bass and quiet elements of Power-Electronics lurking around every corner of the soundscape. I will be repeat listening in my own efforts to “crack the mind” for myself.

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Cenizas” (Album/LP) (Released on March 27th, 2020) (via Other People)

Thank you very much for reading my new post! As always, I’ll be back for another daily musing tomorrow. We’ll be continuing to catch up with some of the under-the-radar releases of the year so far, as we take an in-depth look at the, unfortunately, overlooked new album from a female-led British lo-fi indie punk 4-piece outfit who formed in Brighton in 2015, and describe their own sound as “Slacker Indie”. The band’s frontwoman appeared on an episode of Steve Lamacq’s Roundtable on BBC Radio 6Music as a panelist and their latest album has recently been shortlisted for this year’s Mercury Prize. 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: Beckie Margaret – “God”

August 19, 2020 — Leave a comment

Potential deity of Avant-Pop, or apprentice to the Cool Thing Guys? It’s new post time!

Pictured: Beckie Margaret being interviewed backstage at Village Green Festival (in 2019) (via Gateway978.com)

Good Morning! I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing about your daily track on the blog, as per usual, because it is my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! Beckie Margaret is a singer-songwriter and producer based in Southend-On-Sea who began writing music at the age of 5, and then 7. She is an emerging artist who is signed up to Cool Thing Records, the indie label set up by Luke Branch and Jazz Miel of UK indie puck group, Asylums. “God” is a bit of a deep dive, and I sadly could not find much information about Margaret around on the internet. However, she originally found inspiration to write her own music through Poetry and Classic Literature. She also cites Jeff Buckley, Bon Iver and James Blake as her main influences. She is currently working on a new EP and her debut full-length album release with Rees Bromfield of Youth Club as her producer. Explaining the lyrics behind “God”, she wrote on social media: “God”s lyrics are laced with the obsessive thoughts that come with the slow, painful realisation that someone you loved, only saw you as “a bit on the side”. She also wanted to capture the standstill feel of our current COVID-19 situation, writing: “I wanted to release something during this uncertain time that outlined the foundations of a dysfunctional love, one that lingers in the deprivation of what could’ve been,” she shared, “Complete and utter inner chaos whilst realizing your own reality.” – Let’s have a listen to her track,”God”, below!

Beckie Margaret displays a resolute confidence and a strong vulnerability on “God”, using cerebral Dark-Wave Synth melodies and Alt-Pop production to pave the way for her future development as an independent artist. She is authoritative and brooding, using a Gothic-Pop inversion, while opening: “I like the Roses on your body, you never bought me flowers” as she plays with irony and regret. The contextual themes of obsessively romantic behavior feel intimate and suggestive, as she croons: “Boy, it was fun loving you when you were God”, to play on how lust can often consume people, and it becomes an obsession that takes hold of your faith and sexuality. She offers a glimmer of hope and a notion of moving-on later in the chorus, crooning: “You make me want to believe in God”, before holding a long note to air the chorus out with a radiant breeze. The instrumentation throughout is rooted in Americana and Desert-Rock, with plucking bass guitar riffs and ambient washings of Synth tones which create a very honest and downbeat tone, if a little painful and sarcastic in emphasis. This forms an emotive and angered soundscape that reminds me a little bit of Alexandra Savior’s “The Archer”, a record which was released earlier this year and is one of the year’s best to me personally, with a shattered influence of Lana Del Rey and Florence & The Machine, but with a more Blues-driven sound and a cooler aesthetic. “God” feels a touch more influenced by Post-Grunge and Art-Pop than Savior’s record, but it also goes for a volatile emotion and a similarly deep, plodding melodicism. Overall, I think that she has a beautiful voice and I feel the melodic components are as cold as ice, but in a good way as it rains down on it’s intended effect, given by the theatrical style. It, maybe, doesn’t stand Margaret out among her contemporary peers that much, but it does stand out a little, and her brooding instrumentation nails her objective of capturing the fine difference between strength and vulnerability. This is an artist who I am surely looking forward to keeping tabs on.

Pictured: Beckie Margaret pictured before recording a live episode of “Get In Her Ears” (2018) (via Hoxton Radio)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as always promised, with an in-depth look at a recent, but slightly old, track from another artist of an emerging status. This time, it’s coming from an Alternative Punk duo, originally based in Los Angeles, who has just released their debut album on the Bella Union label, with a sound that calls back to 90’s Trip-Hop and 60’s Punk, with the likes of Portishead and Broadcast as their inspirations. 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: Jónsi – “Swill”

August 15, 2020 — Leave a comment

If you’re a Sigur Ros fan, you’ll be happier than a Hoppipolla with this. New post time!

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Shiver” (Available to buy from 2nd October, 2020) (via Krunk Records)

Good Morning, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing up your daily post on the blog, since it is always my routinely day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! “Swill” marks an exciting announcement of a new project from Jónsi Birgisson, who is the frontman of Icelandic post-rock alternative crossover stars, Sigur Rós. The band are currently on hiatus as several members of the band are busy looking after their recent children. However, Jónsi is pushing forward with the release of “Shiver”, which marks his first solo album release in a full decade, since 2010’s “Go”, via the Krunk Records indie label. The new solo record will be exploring an ethereal, Synth-driven sound, using Jónsi’s signature use of the cello and the Falsetto vocal delivery to create Dark-Pop textures, balanced with the use of the Bowed guitar to form a lighter contrast and incorporating the Classical and Minimal production efforts which Sigur Rós have become known for. If your a huge fan of Sigur Rós, “Swill” will probably leave you feeling right at home. In the press release, Jónsi explained: “It’s basically about when you get too drunk and do something stupid,” he laughs, “And you make a fool of yourself.” to Rolling Stone in an interview. “Shiver” releases on October 2nd, and it features work with Robyn, Liz Fraser (of The Cocteau Twins) and A.G. Cook. “Swill” is accompanied by an unearthly animated music video directed by Barnaby Roper & Pandagunda. Let’s have a listen to the new single below!

Using Avant-Garde experimentation, Jónsi crafts one of his most accessible – although that’s not necessary to say mainstream or commercial – sounds on “Swill”, a track which blends the organic with the synthesized in ways that remind me of Björk’s “Homogenic” from 1997 and Arca’s “Kick i”, released earlier in the year. Using his signature Falsetto vocals of the Sigur Rós style, crooning: “You say, I did something wrong yesterday/You’re right, I’m making a fool of myself in every way” in the post-bridge refrain over a light bed of flickering Cello effects and a gentle, soothing Violin line, before the peace is interrupted by a clashing, electronic Drum beat that explodes as we build to the chorus. They retain a dream-like quality as CGI bodies warp and twist Jónsi’s face in the video, but the mood replaces a warmth with an abrasive, often mythic, sequence of punchy Synth drums. Throughout, these electronic elements flutter between moods, dynamically changing between an unpleasant note of chaos and a calmer effect of respite, which alter based on Jónsi’s vocals, while a vibe that sits between Post-Industrial Pop and Art-Folk is created by the glitchy Synth instrumentals. Overall, I’m quite excited to see in which direction Jónsi takes the Avant-Pop direction as the new album takes shape, and finally launches in October. I feel that the auto-tune effects are used a touch bit excessively in the later sections of the track, but the instrumentation seems fresh and diversified, while in-keeping with a Contemporary Pop structure. It pays off well. Colour me intrigued about the new LP.

Pictured: Jónsi (frontman of Sigur Ros) performing at an undisclosed live concert (2020) (Photo Credit: Phillip Cosores)

Thank you very much for reading this post! Tomorrow is, of course, Scuzz Sundays, the time of the week where we take a leisurely stroll down memory lane and we dig out either a Pop-Punk or Emo-Rock classic from between the late-1990’s to the mid-2000’s to see if it can hold a candle to the modern quality standards! 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: Leila Moss – “Atoms At Me”

July 21, 2020 — Leave a comment

You’ll have a hard time studying her Particle-ular theories! It’s time for your new post!

Pictured: Liela Moss in an official press photoshoot to promote “Who Got Power?” (2020) (via Bella Union)

It’s an Atomic Bombshell! Good Morning to you, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and, as always, I’m writing about your daily track on the blog because it’s routinely my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! “Atoms At Me” marks the beginning of an exciting spread of new music from Leila Moss, a London-based musician and songwriter who is a key member of English indie rock band The Duke Spirit, along with her electro-rock side-project Roman Realms, a duo with Duke Spirit bassist Tony Butler. Liela Moss has confirmed the news of “Who Got Power?”, a new solo LP, due for the release date of August 7th via Bella Union. To go along with the announcement of the new album, Moss has dropped the music video for it’s lead single, “Atoms At Me”. It was directed and filmed by her neighbor, who is IYEARA vocalist Paul O’ Keefe. Not a completely random favour, then. Moss explains: “I am dancing with the walls and grooving in the recesses. Preparing – but hesitating – to reveal more of myself. The visual quality softly distorts and abstracts me, hinting at the way we keep old emotional patterns at bay; a bit too afraid to bring them to surface, to witness your needs and fears with clarity.”, with an electronic sound that deviates from the acoustic, serene sound of 2018’s “My Name Is Safe In Your Mouth”, her personal debut solo release. Let’s hear the results of the beautiful concept below!

The beginning of the track evokes Folk and Blues, as we find Moss delving deeper into Dark-Wave and New-Wave, while lyrically searching for a fiery immediacy, calling for her senses to find a new passion for modern society. A raspy, but not harsh, acoustic guitar line paves the way for the first verse, Moss croons: “Be a beginner when you’re older/Can I climb back into my bed?” and “Everybody’s buried into my shoulders, everyone that I’ve ever met”, before she layers a Gospel-driven, aired backing vocal above a bridge: “Wake my senses up right now, you know I can’t be right this time”, before a chorus that bursts with disquiet Bass Guitar riffs and harsh Keyboard lines. Moss recites: “Say whatever you mean, Atoms coming at me/”Say whatever you want, I’m just following me”, before interrupting proceedings with a softly distorting synth bed, teasing an Acid-Pop element that never quite goes to the forefront. The guitar work is Industrial and contorted, but the overall tone remains to feel uplifting amidst the self-reflective lyricism. The lead guitar and bass guitar melodies create a tense atmosphere, but they feel hopeful and open as Moss holds onto each chord for as long as possible, opening the contextual meanings out, and making the fantastical aesthetics sound spacious, but grounded in reality. The addition of the short Acid lines feel intriguing, layering a simmering Dark-Wave throb on top of the acoustic instrumentation to make the synths evoke 1980’s-era New-Wave. A Marimba is briefly used to complement the breathy, summer feeling of the vocal sections. It basically sounds like a Bluesier, more alternative Florence & The Machine, with a decent vocal performance, which teases the album effectively. It’s good music – not rocket science!

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Who The Power?” (Available to buy from 7th August, 2020) (via Bella Union)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, with an in-depth look at a track that was brought to my attention yesterday, but the new album of the project was released in April earlier in the year. The track comes from an American Alternative Hip-Hop duo from Seattle, Washington who produce rap music that never stops experimenting, having released four studio albums on the Sub-Pop Records label. The duo curated part of the programme for the Dutch music festival “Le Guess Who?”. 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: Ghostpoet – “Concrete Pony”

July 20, 2020 — Leave a comment

Give up the Ghost – For this London rapper has a chilling presence! It’s new post time!

Pictured: Ghostpoet (a.k.a. Obaro Ejimiwe) at the NME Awards (2012) (Photo via The Independent/Getty Images)

Good Morning to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing 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! “Concrete Pony” is a recent track that I sadly didn’t get around to covering on the blog nearer to when it was a brand new release. It comes from Ghostpoet, the alias for black South London-based rapper, songwriter and producer Obaro Ejimiwe. Ejimiwe burst onto the scene in 2011 with his debut album, “Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam”, which was nominated for the Mercury Prize that year. Ejimiwe also earned a second Mercury Prize nomination for his third LP record, “Shedding Skin”, which was released in 2015. His style is difficult to box into a specific genre, but it’s predominantly a mix of dark Folktronica and Alternative Hip-Hop, although Ejimiwe used the tagline “I am not Hip-Hop” to promote a live tour in 2018. His latest album, his fifth overall, was released on May 1st, under the title of “I Grow Tired But Dare Not Fall Asleep”, by the PIAS Recordings indie label. It gained positive critical acclaim and it reached #8 on the UK Independent Albums chart. Let’s have a listen to the album’s lead single, “Concrete Pony”, below.

Ejimiwe explained, via a press statement, that “Concrete Pony” is a reflective piece which deals with how, as a society, “We seem to have everything and nothing at all. Infinite possibilities and choices galore, but we seem set in stone”, finishing: “Oblivious to the storm clouds in the distance”, conveying an observational style to the lyrics, and allowing potential for a diverse pattern of music influences. Ejimiwe uses a repeating “Ohh, yeah” refrain to build a somewhat melodic structure around the brooding, cold core sound. A shifting, distorted synth intro leads into cerebral keyboard melodies, and he croons: “Thoughts on a cigarette pack, oh yeah, oh yeah” and “Don’t text me nothing I’m gone, oh yeah, oh yeah” over a sublime piano section, with keys that twinkle and sparkle, contrasting the cerebral and bleak lyricism. There is a slight raise of tempo in the chorus, where Ejimiwe recites: “Fade to black and credits roll, Find the financers” and “Whispers on Twitter feed, no lie, no die”, before a “There Is Nothing” refrain which runs through each line of the chorus. These vocal sections are delivered other the top of whistling Harmonica arrangements, fluttering string sections and dark synth work. A cowbell comes into play in the Post-Bridge, adding a light sense of wit and irony because it sounds more upbeat and driven by melody. “Concrete Pony” isn’t likely to get mainstream attention, but it was doing the rounds on BBC Radio 6Music a little bit earlier in the year, however. The sound is challenging, but intellectually stimulating. There is an overarching Spoken Word format that interests me, with the very slight hip-hop beats in tow. The lyrics are poetic, and the themes are complex, yet relevant. All in all, I think it’s more suited to cosy winter listening rather than a summer release. However, it’s excellent. Deep and ironic, but it feels percussive enough to hook casual listeners in. This is a piece of art. If nothing else, the name alone warrants some good exposure – That’s Concrete Pony!

Pictured: Cover Art for “I Grow Tired, But Dare Not Fall Asleep” (Released on 1st May, 2020) (via PIAS Recordings)

Thank you very much for reading this post! As usual, I’ll be back tomorrow, with an in-depth look at the latest single from a recent signing to the Bella Union record label. It comes from a female rock songwriter and musician, also from London, who is also the lead vocalist of the British indie band The Duke Spirit! 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: Nadine Shah – “Kitchen Sink”

June 29, 2020 — 1 Comment

Does it belong away from the kitchen or on the cutting room floor? It’s new post time!

Pictured: Nadine Shah in a photoshoot to promote “Ladies For Babies (Goats For Love)” (2020) (Photo by Fraser Taylor)

Good Morning, Afternoon, Evening – or Whenever you are reading this! I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing about your daily track on the blog, since it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! A British Muslim of Norwegian-Pakistani descent, Nadine Shah is an English songwriter, musician and producer – born in Whitburn, South Tyne and Wear – with a lot of interesting thoughts to get off her chest using the power of music as expression. This has led to her becoming a very critically acclaimed figure who regularly pops up on the British indie music circuit. She’s got four full-length albums to her belt, with her third LP effort “Holiday Destination”, released in 2017, bagging her the “Independent Album Of The Year Award” at the AIM Awards in 2018. It’s been a big week for new releases, and her follow-up to her AIM award-winning LP record came out on Friday. Titled “Kitchen Sink”, the album tackles the role of women in their 30’s in the sense of domestic gender politics, with the album’s tracks chronicling multiple anthology tales of women with the desire to end up anywhere but the kitchen sink. Let’s see her perform “Kitchen Sink” at the Moth Club in Hackney, in front of no live crowd, below.

On the titular track, “Kitchen Sink”, Shah uses a very serious vocal delivery and a haunting post-punk backing track to discuss the expectations that she feels burdened with, referencing her multicultural ethnic background as a literal device to evoke pressure given by her neighbors and onlookers. Shah sings: “Don’t you worry about what the neighbors think/They’re characters from kitchen sink” and “All they see is just a strange face/Whose heritage they cannot trace”, referring to the adversaries as ‘Curtain Twitchers’ during an early verse, over a minimalist bass guitar loop that commands her presence with it’s quiet effect. Shah uses a single line for a chorus: “And, I just let them pass me by”, with the guitar riff increasingly becoming more bitter and aggressive as the track progresses. A stuttering lead guitar solo slowly begins to implode, and a range of distortion effects and mild synth lines end up creating an irregular pattern which implodes at the later points in the track. The vocals are deliberately low-pitched and evoke a very bleak emotion, with a harsh throbbing bass sound meshing with the vocals to craft a Shakespearean style, playing off her snarky remarks. The concept of the album sounds a bit dull and typical of our modern time on paper, but it’s more fun than it sounds. She invokes humor with a bizzare tale of a farmer husband dismissing his wife for his farm on “Ladies For Babies (Goats For Love)” and evokes elements of Samba on the opener “Club Cougar”, about a riotius “Cougar” who dates a much younger man. This adds some accessibility, although she takes herself more seriously on the title track, with low and moody guitar lines conveying a melancholic emotional state. Shah gets lauded by critics, but she doesn’t seem to be that popular in the general public eye. That has the chance to change with “Kitchen Sink” and I hope that it does. It sounds thought-provoking and original, whilst harkening back to the Murder Ballads that Nick Cave bought in the 1990’s as inspiration for her narrated storytelling. Anyone can get something out of it.

Pictured: Front Cover Artwork for “Kitchen Sink” (Released on June 26th, 2020) (via Infectious Music)

Back in February, I also covered the lead single “Ladies For Babies (Goats For Love)” from the new album “Kitchen Sink” on the blog. Why not have a read of it here?: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/02/27/todays-track-nadine-shah-ladies-for-babies-goats-for-love/

Pictured: Nadine Shah wins “Independent Album Of The Year” the AIM Awards (2018) (Photo Credit: Callum Baker)

Thank you for reading this post! In regards to #BlackLivesMatter, we endorse the peaceful protests on One Track At A Time. Please go and check your local area for good charity causes that help those directly affected by racism and injustice. As I mentioned, it’s been a big weekend for new album releases and so tomorrow, I’m going to be taking a look at another track from “Kick I”, the new album to be released by Venezuelan euro-pop upstart Arca! 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