Today’s Track: Ciel – ‘Fine Everything’

May 3, 2022 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Michelle Hindriks (Lead Vocals/Bass Guitar), Jorge Bella Jimenez (Lead Guitar/Rhythm Guitar/Backing Vocals) and Tim Spencer (Drums/Percussion/Occasional Backing Vocals) (2022) (Photo Credit: ReadDork.com/PR)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, and the time has come for you to perk up your ears in preparation for yet 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! If I told you on the radio that I was going to play you a new track by an artist with a name (Ciel – Pronounced: Ceal) just like that, you’d be forgiven for expecting to hear some kind of 00’s-leaning Pop, R&B and Soul record. However, you’d be confusing them for Seal. On the other hand, Ciel are an emerging indie rock trio led by vocalist-guitarist Michelle Hindriks drawing from diverse influences such as Sheogaze, Dream-Pop, Prog-Rock, 90’s Grunge, Symphonic Rock and Psychedelic Rock. With members hailing from The Netherlands and Spain in addition to the UK, Ciel have recently captured my imagination when ‘Fine Everything’ gained positive reviews from the panel on last week’s episode of Steve Lamacq’s Roundtable on BBC Radio 6 Music. Ciel have also been praised by sites like KEXP, WFW, BBC Introducing, Amazing Radio, Clash Magazine, Earmilk and Under The Radar too. In recent times, Ciel have been preparing for their upcoming EP by working with Steven Ansell (of Blood Red Shoes fame) as their producer and mixer. The trio have also been supporting She Drew The Gun, Sasami and Penelope Isles across sold out live shows in London and Brighton (Where they are currently based) too. I also read that Ciel have been long-listed for this year’s Emerging Talent Competition at Glastonbury Festival as well, which should continue to shine a spotlight on the band as a valuable commodity within the music industry. On that note, let’s check out their fresh new single, ‘Fine Everything’, below.

Talking passionately about the melodic new offering of Shoegaze-inflicted Indie Rock, frontwoman Michelle Hindriks notes, “It’s about coming of age, and not really knowing how to navigate life. The doubts and difficulties that involve life-changing decisions, yet maybe not being ready growing up, when all your friends are. I was thinking of how so many people lost touch with their inner gut feeling and instincts, and how all the possibilities in life can feel so overwhelming sometimes. It’s almost kind of easier to stay oblivious to it instead of digging deep into your mind“, in her own words. The single oozes charisma with an insistent groove created by the fuzzy walls of anthemic guitar sound and driving drums from the get-go, while lyrics like “Ignorant to the shame, It evoked/Threatened by the drought, caught up in doubt” and “Don’t you know, I am longing for/To be told how to live my life” break down the decision making processes that we all face, punctuated by the Shoegaze guitars and the angsty, classic Punk attitude that gives the tempo a more brooding personality. They unleash a fun and chaotic guitar solo towards the end, while the chorus introduces a more accessible Pop sensibility into the mix due to its rhythmic pulse, while the verses feel more gritty and determined in texture. There’s some hook-filled melodies in here, but it retains a sharp Post-Punk feel overall because the Brighton-based band aren’t afraid to hit you with a distorted wall of sound, but they tie it in with a melodic style and some familiar Pop-driven songwriting. It doesn’t feel shrouded in borderline territory between Dream-Pop and Post-Rock, but it instead feels like it has a more direct punch to its sound that makes it feel memorable when it digs into your brain. It works nicely as a companion for the lyrics, which are all about tacking the uncertainty of thoughts that linger in your brain about your future as a young adult and how these unsettling noises in our minds invade our lifestyle, backed by an edgy Garage feel that resonates with the modern indie production clearly. While it is nothing too innovative and I’ve probably heard most of their ideas before, it is still a solid track that is very catchy and noisy, in the best way possible, that still leaves me thirsting for more content from Ciel soon. It is not re-inventing the wheel, but the wheel keeps spinning without fault.

Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘Fine Everything’ (Single) (Released on March 24th, 2022) (via Self-Released)

That’s all for me today, but I hope that your day turns out to go just fine. I’ll be back for a new edition of ‘Way Back Wednesdays’ tomorrow where will be remembering the work of a Lancashire-born R&B and Pop singer who was a member of groups like Shotgun Express, The She Trinity, Sinbad and Gambler in the 1970’s, and she has been described as “undeservedly neglected” by Bruce Eder, a respected writer for AllMusic.

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Today’s Track: Röyksopp (feat. Alison Goldfrapp) – ‘Impossible’

March 22, 2022 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Röyksopp (Svein Berge & Torbjørn Brundtland) (DJ’s/Producers) (2022) (Photo via SynthpopFanatic.com)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for us to raise our spirits above from the depths of despair with yet 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! Weaving between Progressive Synthpop, Acid Techno and Dark Ambient across the last two decades, the Norwegian electronic dance duo of Svein Berge and Torbjørn Brundtland have decided to tear up the rule book in retiring the traditional album release format with their upcoming sixth LP release – ‘Profound Mysteries’ – that hits store shelves on April 29th via Dog Triumph Records. To date, the duo – who were formed in Tromsø in 1998 – have been nominated for two Grammy Awards, won seven Spellemannprisen Awards, performed globally on tours, had four consecutive #1 albums in Norway, and collaborated with huge names like Robyn. Therefore, it’s somewhat strange that, aside from a vague familiarity with their name, they have largely slipped my radar in their time. However, I heard ‘Impossible’ on The Current’s Song Of The Day podcast and its deep, dark grooves were enough for me to keep listening on rather than just hitting the skip button like I sometimes do. ‘Impossible’ features the vocal abilities of Alison Goldfrapp, the lead singer of 00’s commercial euro-disco heavyweights Goldfrapp, and Röyksopp are pitching their imminent full-length new release as “an expanded creative universe and a prodigious conceptual project” in their press release. One of these projects is ‘The Conversation’, a recent short film uploaded to their YouTube channel last month that was directed by Danish filmmaker Martin De Thurah. To give you some more context about what they actually mean, the duo say, “As human beings, what we don’t know vastly overshadows what we do know. As teenagers, we would discuss our own fascination with the infinite and the impossible. The most profound mysteries of life”. Check out the lead single below.

It has been a long time since we’ve heard from the duo since their last LP release – 2014’s ‘The Inevitable End’ – launched almost eight years ago. Commenting on the collaboration for ‘Impossible’, guest vocalist Alison Goldfrapp says, “It’s been great working with the wonderful Svein and Torbjørn from Røyksopp. I’ve been a fan of their music for years and it was a fascinating joy creating ‘Impossible’ together. I truly hope everyone enjoys the track as there’s more to come”, in her press notes. Mimicking the visual of a glittery disco ball slowly fading to a liquid ink black in terms of sound, ‘Impossible’ starts off with a smooth set of Synths that recall a clear Disco influence before slowly growing into a barrage of assaulting textures as the bassline becomes more crunchy in style and the percussive Drum melodies contribute to the shimmering delivery. Goldfrapp’s lyrics feel hypnotic and alluring, with vague and enigmatic, in terms of mood, lyrics like “You’re the world ablaze/You’re the space between/Impossible/The perfect dream” and “I can touch the sky/Hear your lion heart/Feel the inside” that reveal little in the way of clear-cut details, but they carry a sensual yet not overtly sexual tone that floats above the more relentless pace of the instrumental parts to give the thumping concoction of downtempo electronica and progressive disco music an ethereal, polished feel. It builds to a neat closing stretch where the same lyrics are repeated amongst a more silk-like texture of electronic beats, where it feels like high-stakes tension has been relieved in favour of more operatic thrills. It sounds far from overly commercial, but it sounds melodic enough to feel like a natural selection for a single rather than purely an album track, and the vocals from Goldfrapp’s vocalist seem musically upbeat in the vein of their more well-known cuts in the mainstream while retaining an experimental, high-pitched finish. The production feels delicate overall, where a diversity of textures and genre ideas have been put together in a meticulous way that makes them feel coherent together when the sum of each part is added in unison. The spaced-out synths grow a little bit tiresome by the track’s end for me, but the pacing feels sublime and the chemistry between the two acts is excellent too, making the disillusioned grooves feel addictive while rewarding and challenging to keep listening to. Overall, although I feel that ‘Impossible’ is more of a “good track” than a “truly special” one due to it’s tendency to grow just a tad tedious by the end, it features an intriguing array of sounds that indicate subtle hints of different dance-related genres that are whipped together in a blender to conjure up a pretty well-textured smoothie. One for a long night ride home.

Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘Profound Mysteries’ (LP) (Available from April 29th, 2022) (via Dog Triumph Records)

That brings us to the end of a fairly cryptic new post on the blog today, and I’ll be taking a break from my recent recommendations tomorrow as we go retro for ‘Way Back Wednesdays’. Thank you for supporting me today, and please feel free to join me again then for a look back at an early 00’s UK Hip-Hop classic by a British rapper and producer who has produced numerous singles and albums for the Big Dada label since 1994. His track in question was memorable for it’s intentionally similar melody to the ‘Doctor Who’ TV theme track and it reached the top spot of the UK Dance chart.

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Today’s Track: Maia Friedman – ‘First To Love’

March 21, 2022 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘Under The New Light’ (LP) (Released on 11th March 2022) (via Last Gang Records)

Good Morning to you! This is hard-working writer and aspiring radio producer Jacob Braybrooke, and the time has finally come for me to keep your ears entertained by yet 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! Maia Friedman was already a skilled vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter before she even embarked on a solo career, as you may already know Friedman from her roles in the Brooklyn-based indie rock bands Dirty Projectors and Coco. Growing up in the Sierra national forest region of the Central California area with her father (a film editor) and her mother (a Jungian Psychoanalyst), Friedman began learning how to play instruments at a very young age and she has since become a big part of her local music scenes for her various roles in musical projects including Toebow, Bobby and Uki Ika Ai – as she joked to Melody Maker in an interview, “Collaborating gives me the juice”, a few weeks ago. Her latest full-length album – ‘Under The New Light’ – finds Friedman undertaking the role of a spiritual comforter and a serene healer for the listener, where she tackles the deep contrast between topics such as intimacy and growth, and light and darkness, throughout the duration of the long-awaited solo record. She began working on the material four years ago as she balanced putting the track listing together with her duties of being a music teacher in New York. Dan Molad, her fellow band-mate from Coco, helped her to produce the album. Additional work also came by way of her collaborators Tom Deis and Peter Lalish. Check out the single – ‘First To Love’ – below.

‘First To Love’ is given even deeper meanings by the aid of the Joshua Kilcoyne-directed music video, and Maia Friedman says of the new cut, “It is a humbling privilege to love someone in all their humanness and imperfection, to not only support but celebrate them through their journey of growth and exploration, to be by their side as they evolve into new versions of themselves”, adding that her lyrics roughly translate to, “I will love even the deepest layers of who and what you are. A question I pose to myself is, what if this person were me?”, in her press statement. Her ethereal track starts off with glitched Synths that replicate the sound of a heart monitor of a hospital to my mind, a polished sequence which runs throughout the track, and they are softly set against the backdrop of a warmly acoustic guitar melody and a soft bassline. Lyrics like “Look as the clouds pass overhead/I will count them until the daylight ends” and “Wait as the roots find their way/They’ll grow deeper with each passing day” are softly spoken and they carry the verses with a low-lit and wide-eyed tone. The chorus features more swooping and direct refrains like “Peel away/Keeping me up through the night” and “Escape/Be whatever you like” that position Friedman in a unique sense of directly addressing you as her audience, with the details of her personal situations feeling a little enigmatic in favour of giving you a space of reflection and free-wheeling tranquility as a listener. I feel like these more Folk-inspired sections recalls the cinematic soundtrack style of her work in Coco, but it goes quite far beyond an ‘Expansion Pack’ mentality of that sound as the intriguing electronic textures and the whimsical Classical influences of the serene vocals feel different enough to her material with those other projects. Overall, ‘First To Love’ is a bit of a slow burn, but it builds up to a nice sense of energy and it has a strong emotive core that is filled with wistfully produced Strings and warm Dream-Pop instrumentation that placed an emphasis on the most smallest and profound aspects of what it means to be a human and the details of subjects like sensuality and touch with an in-depth contrast that finds her striking out sturdily, as a relatable songwriter.

Pictured: Maia Friedman in Coco (along with Dan Molad & Oliver Hill) (2021) (Photo Credit: Stella Hartmann)

If you’d like to hear some of the magic that Maia has created in Coco – look no further.

‘Last Of The Loving’ (2020) – https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/10/22/todays-track-coco-last-of-the-loving/

‘Come Along’ (2021) – https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2021/12/06/todays-track-coco-come-along/

Pictured: Cover Art for Coco’s ‘Last of The Loving” (Single) (Released on 4th August, 2020) (via FCA Records)

That brings me to the end of the page for another day! I have little else to say, other than to thank you for checking out what I had to share with you for today, as your support is always highly appreciated by me. I’ll be back tomorrow to review one of the promotional singles from an imminent album being put out by a TrumsØ-formed Progressive House and Dark Ambient duo whose achievements include two Grammy Awards nominations, some worldwide tour performances, and a Robyn collaboration.

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Today’s Track: Maylee Todd – ‘Show Me’

March 10, 2022 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Toronto’s Maylee Todd in a recent photoshoot to promote ‘Maloo’ (2022) (Photo via TheStar.com)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, and the time has arrived for me to guide you through yet another exciting daily track on the blog from a very brave and ambitious singer-songwriter, given how it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! ‘Brave’ and ‘Ambitious’ are just two words that describe the Toronto-based Art Pop musician Maylee Todd, who is new to this young writer’s eardrums, who has experimented with instruments as obscure as the Paraguayan Harp and the Tenori-on in her career since she began recording material in the 00’s. Todd has played across numerous festivals including the Crossover Jazz Fest and the Billboard Live Stage, she has performed alongside the likes of Janelle Monae, The Budos Band, Aloe Blacc and Thundercat on stage throughout the years, and she contributed her vocals to Bob Wiseman’s collaborative LP release ‘Giuletta Masina At The Oscars Crying’ in 2012. Todd was also the creator of Virtual Womb, a practical art exhibition where the audience walks through an enlarged CGI image of a Vagina and lies on the floor, awaiting the vibrant projections that float across on the ceiling, in 2017. Maylee Todd’s music seems just as visual and provoking, as a wide assortment of Indie Pop, Prog Jazz, Psych Funk, Bossa Nova and more have been incorporated into the sounds of her musical projects. Her latest full-length album – ‘Maloo’ – was released on March 4th via Stones Throw Records – an eclectic Funk, Jazz and Soul specialist label based in Los Angeles, California that has introduced several amazing artists like MNDSGN, John Carroll Kirby and Kiefer to my streaming libraries throughout the last few years of my work. Let’s give ‘Show Me’ a listen below.

To produce her latest artsy-craftsy LP project, Maylee Todd spent a lot of time researching VR throughout the pandemic, which led to some ideas on utopian, futuristic technology. The result is ‘Maloo’, a fictional character that she has designed in virtual reality that she created while working on the story and setting of a prototype VR video game, as she learned the skills of 3D modelling and body tracking to bring her vision to life. Dubbed as ‘The Age Of Energy’, a virtual space where the character is based, the concept album and the ‘Maloo’ avatar are influenced by intimate, personal origins. As Todd writes, “We participate in the digital landscape and our digital life has real-life implications”, in her press statement. Musically, she wrote and recorded ‘Show Me’ as the introductory single with the Yamaha Tenori-on – a discontinued electronic sequencer that was built by Toshio Iwai, a Japanese interactive media and installation artist. Her single begins with some glitched keyboard chords that convey visuals of futuristic cyberspace and post-modern technology immediately. The bass grooves grow deeper as her downtempo vocals become more hypnotic, and she allures you in to ‘Show Me’ with a noticeably Soulful skew that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Sly & The Family Stone or a Toro Y Moi record in it’s nostalgic, but free-form, nature. Lyrics like “Watch the birds, take their form/Icy hands, blood is warm” complement the peaceful and tranquil vibes, while the minimalist chorus of “Show me, your heart” is deep and intimate in it’s Lo-Fi textures. ‘Maloo’ may be conceptually driven and visually influenced at large, but the single is accessible enough to a fairly mainstream because it feels simple yet not simplistic. I also really admire the work that Todd has put into ‘giving the project her all’ by focusing on how the audio-visual aspects of the piece were written in tandem with her vocals. It reminds me of Bjork and St. Vincent, who are undoubtedly driven artists that have similar characteristics of boldness and communicating an idea through all aspects of the media at their disposal. In conclusion, it seems clear that Maylee Todd has a lot more to ‘Show Me’ – and I look forwards to seeing the rest of it.

Pictured: Vinyl Copy of ‘Maloo’ (LP/Album) (Released on March 4th, 2022) (via Stones Throw Records)

(That brings us to the end of the page for another day! Thank you very much for reading what I had to say about Maylee Todd for a few moments today, and I’ll be back tomorrow to guide you through a sneek peek at one of the weekend’s notable and new album releases. This week’s post involves the debut LP release from an emerging Alternative Rock 4-piece Post-Rock band who have been supported by the daytime playlist of BBC Radio 6 Music and they have been praised by NME. If you’re a fan of hard rock outfits such as Coach Party and Kid Kapichi – you’re going to enjoy it!

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Today’s Track: Warpaint – ‘Champion’

March 5, 2022 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Emily Kokal (Co-Lead Vocals/Backing Vocals/Guitar/Keyboard/Synths), Jenny Lee Lindberg (Bass Guitar/Co-Lead Vocals/Backing Vocals), Theresa Wayman (Co-Lead Vocals/Backing Vocals/Guitar/Electronics) & Stella Mozgawa (Drums) (2022) (Photo via MuzPlay.net)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, and it is time for me to get typing up for yet 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! Warpaint – the Los Angeles, California native indie rock band comprised of Emily Kokal, Stella Mozgawa, Theresa Wayman and Jenny Lee Lindberg – have just announced their first new full-length album in six years, finally confirming ‘Radiate Like This’ as the long-awaited follow-up to 2016’s ‘Heads Up’, which they will be releasing through Heirlooms and Virgin Records on May 6th. It has been a long time, but in their original run, they released three critically acclaimed studio albums including 2010’s ‘The Fool’, which included their essential track ‘Undertow’, as well as their 2014 self-titled LP outing. Warpaint supported Harry Styles for some live tour dates in Asia during 2018, and they also supported Foals on tour in Australia during 2019. They have performed at a wide variety of festivals including Glastonbury Festival, Coachella and Reading & Leeds Festival, and the beloved band have also performed at the prestigious Hollywood Bowl amphitheater. You will have also heard their track ‘Lilys’ if you’ve seen the HBO-produced TV series ‘Made For Love’ too. Details for ‘Radiate Like This’ are a little scarce, but given how we are picking up where we left off with ‘Heads Up’ from over a half-decade ago, the results are exciting. Check out the lead single ‘Champion’ below.

‘Champion’ promises that Warpaint will explore the concept of intimacy and energy more passionately than ever before. The new single is about “being a champion to one-self and for others”, according to the 4-piece in a new press release, who explain, “We are all in this together, life is too short not to strive for excellence in all that we do”, together, in their collective statement. A little more Dream Rock-influenced than some of the other material from Warpaint that I’ve heard, ‘Champion’ finds Theresa crooning some poetic lyrics like “I’m a million years old/I’m a champion” and “I’m an ocean/breathing in and out” to the soulful tune of their typically harmony-driven vocal style, which they perfected on rough-edged singles like 2010’s ‘Undertow’, but they are met with a more hypnotic and gloomy style than before, while they also deliver stern lyrics like “I hope you figure out/Everything you’re on about” that feel smooth and quite intuitive. There’s less of an emphasis on a ‘live feel’ and it is more driven towards putting their in-studio techniques to use, as the band retain their moody undercurrents that characterize some of their prior work while drifting towards some richer and more detailed dream-pop production, where the synths are calling across the horizon and the guitars keep stretching beyond the tropes of guitar rock. This reminds me of The XX, but there was a hint of Post-Punk towards the home stretch where the guitar briefly revved up before we abruptly went back to the modulated vocals and the reverb-assisted percussion that had a strange affinity for grooves during the verse. The track sounds well-produced, without feeling like it was over-produced at any point to me. The lyrics tap into inner strength and the faults of high levity, while the electronic enhancements make the instrumentation feel rich and atmospheric. Overall, ‘Champion’ is a well put together and cohesive comeback single that shows some progression and evolution for Warpaint as we move forwards.

Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘Radiate Like This’ (LP) (Available from May 6th, 2022) (via Heirlooms/Virgin Records)

That brings us to the end of the page for today! Thank you lots for your continued support, but I’ve got to be off now because I’m hopefully visiting my sister (and leaving the village in the process, which is a fairly rare occasion for me), and so I’ll be catching up with you tomorrow. Join me then for a new entry of the ‘Scuzz Sundays’ feature, where we’ll be remembering a Karaoke favourite from a Canadian rock band led by vocalist Chad Kroeger who, despite becoming something of a punching bag for the snobbish ones in the 00’s, have recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of their third full-length LP record ‘Silver Side Up’ that was certified as 8x-Platinum in Canada.

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Today’s Track: Melody’s Echo Chamber – ‘Looking Backward’

February 19, 2022 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘Emotional Eternal’ (LP) (Available from April 29th, 2022) (via Domino Recordings)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, and I’m here to provide a soothing start to your Saturday with a huge new single by a returning artist for yet another daily track on the blog, given how it’s always been my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! I hope you enjoyed my post about Beach House yesterday – and if you love your Dream-Pop and your Chamber-Pop music of the Shoegaze-esque style, we’ve also got a new album from Melody’s Echo Chamber to look forwards to. This is the lush solo project from French songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Melody Prochet, who recorded her early work with then-boyfriend Kevin Parker of Tame Impala fame, who recorded her debut album in his makeshift studio in Perth, Australia for a release date in late 2012 – and she supported his band on a European tour in 2010. Another album followed since then – 2018’s ‘Bon Boyage’ – which was delayed by a brain aneurysm and a broken vertebrae following a serious accident, and so it’s amazing that nothing has hindered her ahead of ‘Emotional Eternal’, a new album that she will be releasing on April 29th via Domino Recordings. She has released material on Fat Possum Records previously, and her associated projects include My Bee’s Garden and The Narcoleptic Dancers. She is also known for her frequent collaborations with the Stockholm-based Alternative Rock band Dungen. Her music has gained acclaim by sources like Drowned In Sound, Q Magazine, Uncut and AllMusic, and Prochet has a sublime melting pot of influences including Cocteau Twins, Stereolab and Broadcast. Speaking of her upcoming album, she says, “I made some big and impactful decisions and changes to my life. It took me to where it is peaceful, and I think the record reflects this. It’s more direct”, in a press release. Check out the 3D-animated video by Hyoyon Paik for lead single, ‘Looking Backward’, below.

It is clear that creating ‘Looking Backward’ came from a mind-set of finding clarity after spending some time away from making music and enjoying a regular pace of life – given how the gauzy sounds represent a far more grounded and mindful creative process for Melody Prochet – and she also adds, “I wrote the lyrics on my way to Stockholm, in transit at the airport, there was a man creating light reflections with his watch and playing with light on the floors and walls. It felt like an act coming from a source of pure creativity, it made me happy to catch it and inspired me to write the song”, in her press release about the comeback track. Going straight back to the Psych-Pop and the Synth-based work that has made her a big name in music, Prochet begins with the wide-eyed and gauzy lyrics of “I’m reflecting light/Play it on the wall” and “Did you see me looking?/I’m not interested” that make her intentions clear as multi-layered vocals and a firm backing beat push her melodies forwards, creating a driving arrangement of luxuriating Synths and glistening guitar riffs. Lyrics like “Constellation of love/I know that dream/It can’t be real” and “I need the space of time/And you’re running out of time” bask in the shimmering sounds of the highly psychedelic Synth sequences and the Harp-like sound effects, set against the soothing backdrop that has a light Funk influence to it. Lyrically introspective, Prochet neatly matches some gently playful drums and synths with an intimate arrangement that makes heartfelt lyrics like “No, I didn’t need your light” and “You’re not alone/On this lonesome road” sound that little bit more brutal and, most importantly, human. In conclusion, ‘Looking Backward’ is a very welcome return from a clearly talented artist who is honestly experimenting with the concept of providing a more stripped back response to the dense arrangements of her previous work to explore elements of her own social life and a perception of her actual identity at a brisk pace, yet with careful consideration. This is fantastic work for any fans of MGMT, Tame Impala or Miami Horror – yet it has that vital ability to stand out on it’s own too.

Pictured: Melody Prophet performing a live set at FYF Fest (2015) (Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat)

That brings us, swiftly, to the end of another daily post on the blog today. Thank you for spending a few moments of your day to lend me your nifty pair of eyelids and eardrums, and I’ll be back tomorrow as we remember the past of the Pop-Punk genre for another weekly iteration of ‘Scuzz Sundays’ on the site. We’ll be revisiting a progressive anthem from a well-known Alternative Metal band from Huntington Beach, California who currently boast the former Bad Religion drummer of Brooks Wackerman among their line-up. They will make their debut appearance on the blog.

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New Album Release Fridays: Beach House – ‘Once Twice Melody’

February 18, 2022 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘Once Twice Melody’ (LP) (Released on February 18th, 2022) (via Sub-Pop Records)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, and the time has come for me to give you a sneak peek at one of the weekend’s most exciting new album releases, given that it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! In most typical weeks, my choice for ‘New Album Release Fridays’ on the blog is a highly anticipated affair that we’ve only got two or three singles from at most prior to the big moment of release, however, in the case of ‘Once Twice Melody’ – you can hear three quarters of it already. The latest LP project from the Baltimore, Maryland duo of Victoria LeGrand and Alex Scally, otherwise known as Beach House, a Chamber Pop duo who have been nominated for a GAFFA Award in Sweden, ‘Once Twice Melody’ is effectively a double album that contains 18 tracks that have all been presented in four chapters of four tracks that have seen staggered releases since November 2021, a risky move that notably finds music contributing to the streaming algorithm more closely than ever before. In aid of supporting the behemoth of a record, Beach House will be touring the UK and Europe in May and June 2022, as well as performing alongside fellow Psychedelic acts like Tame Impala and Lorde at this summer’s Primavera Sound Festival. ‘Part 1’ was released on November 10th, 2021 followed by ‘Part 2’ on December 8th, 2021, followed by ‘Part 3’ on January 19th, 2022 and, finally, the final chapter releases today alongside a full release of the project on Vinyl and Streaming. The duo have also recently provided the soundtrack to ‘Marin’s Dreams’, a short film. With their drawing and expansive sound that has been focused on conveying an abstract reflection of a message that idyllic moments are never quite as fruitful as fantasy, I have a lot of faith in LeGrand and Scally to pull out all of the stops with this mammoth of a release. For a sampler, let’s revisit the title track below.

Self-produced entirely by themselves, the ambitious LP project by Beach House was mixed by Alan Moulder, Dave Fridmann, Caesar Edmunds and Trevor Spencer, and it has been recorded over the past two years in a handful of studios spanning across Los Angeles, Baltimore and Cannon Falls. The lyrics for the title track speak of a girl that is placated by her own eccentric imagination, an unnamed character with an enigmatic narrative that we experience with refrains like “Nights fly by in her mind/All along the boulevard” and “She tries to understand/A never, never land” that find LeGrand focusing on the finer details of her mindset and they play out above a gorgeous sequence of looping synths and live drums on the title track. Guitar arpeggios continue to conjure up a sweeping and decorated soundscape that evoke sinking into the grass or the sand from an hourglass slipping through your fingers while LeGrand croons about the sensual slow pace of a hot, gauzy summer’s day. Lyrics like “Days go by/In her eyes/Belle De Jour in front of me” and “The purple on the vine/The velvet deep tree line” find the prismatic mood of the vocals basking in the far-away lands that have been constructed by our shy character’s wandering mind. It feels lush and vibrant as a complete package, with LeGrand and Scally telling a mysterious yet intriguing tale of the illusion of a crystal clear universe of fiction that are polished carefully with intimate Strings and a symphony of creative backing vocals, and yet the idealizations of our leading lady are never truly filled in. The sound simply takes you back to the very core of Shoegaze and Dream Pop music, which is all about filling a simple few melodies with meticulous details and an atmosphere that is simply designed for you to get lost in – and the kicking drums/synths combo of the vivid instrumentation escalate their own levels of intensity as the sprawling sounds move up to a higher scope. Therefore, I have a lot of faith that despite the sheer length of ‘Once Twice Melody’ as a full release, LeGrand and Scally will give the project plenty of depth and variety as to not grow tiresome and justify the length in creating music that doesn’t lose it’s intimacy over a run time. I concur that Beach House are brilliant!

Pictured: Victoria LeGrand and Alex Scally (2018) (Photo Credit: Robert Johannson/InterviewMagazine.com)

I’m off to visit my sister in Kent today, and so I haven’t got any longer to chat about all things music with you for today, but thank you very much for checking out the blog and your support is highly appreciated! If you deeply love your Dream-Pop and your Shoegaze styles of music, you’re also going to enjoy tomorrow’s post, which is why I decided to cover these two tracks so tightly together. It comes from the main solo project of the French multi-instrumentalist and producer Melody Prochet who got a 9/10 score from Drowned In Sound’s Dom Gourlay for her debut studio album in 2013.

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Today’s Track: Iraina Mancini – ‘Do It (You Stole The Rhythm)’

February 1, 2022 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Cover Art for ‘Do It (U Stole The Rhythm)’ (Single) (Released on September 24, 2021) (via Self-Released)

Good Morning to you! It’s the first of the month, meaning that I have completed my challenge of the month to get through the month, and it’s time to get the next month off to a joyous start with yet 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! Taking her inspiration from many sources as varied as French cinema and 60’s Psychedelia, the London-born singer, songwriter, DJ, actress, model and radio presenter Iraina Mancini has only released a handful of solo singles so far, but she has still been doing the rounds of the industry for an impressive number of years. Born into a musical family, her father was Warren Peace, a childhood friend of David Bowie, who provided backing vocals and songwriting assistance while touring with Bowie from 1973’s ‘Aladdin Sane’ through to 1976’s ‘Station To Station’. Iraina began modelling and writing music herself at the age of 15, with her first band being Mancini, an Electronic Pop outfit who appeared on Channel 4’s ‘Mobile Act Unsigned’. Since then, Mancini has been acting in films directed by the likes of Richard Jobson and Duncan Ward, and she went on to become a DJ who has played all over London and some cultural festivals like Glastonbury and The Toronto Film Festival. Mancini presents her own show on Soho Radio and she has also run a monthly event – ‘Soul Box’ – in East London with fashion photographer Dean Chalkley and Acid Jazz Records founder Eddie Piller. Therefore, she has really been busy through a relatively short span of time, and if a new album should be arriving in 2022, then I could definitely see the likes of BBC Radio 1 picking up on her career. Today, we are catching up with her single ‘Do It (You Stole The Rhythm)’ that she released last September. It was co-produced by Jagz Kooner, who has become a top name on the UK’s mash-up scene, where he has produced critically acclaimed music by Manic Street Preachers, Primal Scream, Reverend And The Makers, Kasabian, Garbage and others. Let’s give it a spin.

“I wrote this about that feeling of pure joy when you are surrounded by people you care about and there is music, sunshine, laughter and great energy.”, the former United Agents talent agency member Iraina Mancini has spoken about her BBC Radio 6 Music playlisted track, adding, “There is almost a magic in the air when all those things are combined, an electricity that makes you feel truly alive. I tried to capture that in this song as I thought now more than ever we are craving togetherness and joy”, to her straightforward press release. Drawing from the era where late great DJ Andrew Weatherhall was always at his knob-twiddling best for his legendary records such as 1991’s ‘Screamadelica’ as she mixes classic Soul influences with ruminating Gospel sounds and vintage Psychedelia callbacks. The opening is palpable and light-hearted, as the twinkling waves of eminent Synths and an inviting beat of layered percussion create an enchanting backdrop for Iraina’s iridescently performed vocals to plunge us neatly into her sun-soaked setting of euphoria. The vocals feel a little reminiscent of tracks like George Michael’s ‘Freedom’ and The Avalanches ‘The Divine Chord’ as nostalgic elements of Post-Disco take a controlling hold on the rhythm. The lyrics contribute to the hazy and joyously Psychedelic Pop vibe of the recording by accelerating the happy tone of the instrumentation and creating some false rhyming schemes that give her beats a punchy knack for melody. It also feels a little cinematic, and I truly could envision the track being licensed to get played during a flashback sequence of a care-free romantic comedy movie where the two lead characters are partaking in a fun travelling montage, yet the souffle-light chorus and the late 60’s psychedelia-influenced melodies fill up the background of the setting very nicely. There’s nothing about the lyrics that feel truly memorable, but they still contribute to the overall scene well because they simply fulfill the track’s feelings of untroubled contentment by echoing us back to a more simpler time alongside the funk-laden Gospel influence of the glistening synths and the ruminating keys in the fray. A solid, naturally progressive follow-up to her two previous singles, ‘Deep End’ and ‘Shotgun’.

Pictured: Iraina Mancini in an official promotional photoshoot for ‘Deep End’ (2021) (Photo via Clashmusic.com)

That brings us to the bottom of the page for another day! Thank you for checking out my latest post, and I will be back tomorrow to start up the engine for my throwback time machine as we go ‘Way Back’ for Wednesday once again. On the radar this time is a Scottish 80’s Synth-Pop singer often credited simply as ‘Natasha’ whose popular single of ‘Iko Iko’ experienced a resurgence in popularity when it was notably used during the soundtrack of the highest-grossing Italian film of 2014, ‘Un Boss In Salotto’.

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Today’s Track: NewDad – ‘Say It’

January 24, 2022 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Julie Dawson (Lead Vocals/Rhythm Guitar), Áindle O’Beirn (Bass Guitar/Backing Vocals), Sean O’Dowd (Lead Guitar/Backing Vocals) and Fiachra Parslow (Drums/Percussion) (2020) (Photo via PR/Fair Youth Records)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke – of course – and its time to dive headfast into another week’s worth of work and pleasure with yet another daily track on the blog to start it off, since it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! A 4-piece indie rock band from Galway, Ireland who can always be relied upon to create a charming blend of melodic Dream-Pop and ethereal 90’s Shoegaze, NewDad have already received support from BBC Radio 6 Music – with ‘Blue’ gaining a spot on their daytime A-list last year – and BBC Radio 1 Indie Show presenter Jack Saunders to consistent results. Led by vocalist/rhythm guitarist Julie Dawson, the quartet are also comprised of bassist Áindle O’Beirn, lead guitarist Sean O’Dowd and drummer Fiachra Parslow. An 80’s-leaning group, they have cited Alt-Rock heroes like The Cure, The Pixies, The Smashing Pumpkins and Just Mustard in some interviews and, in an article with DIY Magazine, they expressed that Charli XCX would be a dream for them to work with, a fantasy link-up that I’d certainly like to see materialize. Last March, they released the marvellous ‘Waves’ EP via Fair Youth Records and they are due to follow it up on 9th February with their second EP – ‘Banshee’ – which is also due to arrive via the same label. It was co-produced with Chris W. Ryan and mixed by John Congleton (Phoebe Bridgers, Lana Del Rey) in Belfast. Later this year, they will be performing at All Points East, London and SXSW. They also have regular tour dates set for the UK, the US and Ireland in March and April. Let’s check out the opener and first single from the EP, ‘Say It’, below.

“Say It is about unrequited love, about when someone is with you but not really, it’s supposed to capture that frustration you feel when you’re giving someone your all and they’re giving you nothing in return”, Dawson says about the simple but relatable themes behind their latest single, adding about the EP, “This EP is definitely bigger, having more time in the studio definitely meant we got to experiment more and layer more into each track so there’s an overall bigger sound” in their press release. ‘Say It’ is yet another indie gem with a whimsical atmosphere that starts off with some guttural deep breaths before the guitars and the drums kick in for the opening verse, where Dawson recites lyrics like “You only want to make things right at night/But it’s not the same” and “Today you didn’t even look at me in the hallway/I know you saw me” as she taps into the rushing tensions that you feel emotionally in the midst of an unrequited affair. The chorus is also strong, with the simple hook of “So I don’t want to say it, ‘Cause you don’t want to say it back” that feels piercing in it’s clear cut nature. The pacing is quite upbeat, and it comes across like Dawson is venting her complications about her irritation and bitterness about her own handling of the situation and her romantic dreams that won’t pull their own weight either. She strikes a perfect balance between feeling whimsical and forceful, with ragged lyrics like “You just look down at your laces like your f***ing famous” amongst softer spoken refrains like “You just want to see me fall for you” that capture the mildly psychedelic warmth of the emotive guitar riffs that surround her vocals. The angular drum beats have a stark mood to them, while the more textured guitars give off a calming vibe that contrasts the restless frustrations felt about the topical one-sided relationship with a lighter ambient energy that becomes an endearing hint of what will be explored on the forthcoming EP project. Overall, ‘Say It’ is another solid single from NewDad that really showcases Dawson’s abilities of mixing strength and warmth together in her vocals and her bandmates’ abilities of blending anxious emotions with remaining feelings of hurt from their textured instrumental work. It’s also a track that appeals equally to lovesick teens or young adults as much as the parents who will hear the bands they used to love during a similar snap shot from their lives. Simply great stuff.

Pictured: NewDad performing a live gig at the Yes Basement, Manchester (2021) (Photo via EvenTheStars.co.uk)

If you liked the latest single from NewDad and you want to hear more, don’t feel ‘Blue’ here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/11/07/todays-track-newdad-blue/

Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘Waves’ (EP) (Released on March 26th, 2021) (via Fair Youth Records)

That brings us to the end of the page and, just for your reassurance, NewDad have said that none of them are actually Dad’s before. Anyhow, thank you for showing your support as always for the site, and I’ll be back tomorrow to muse over some more melancholic music due to arrive on a larger project in February. This time, it comes from a Los Angeles-based Psych-Rock band whose guitarist is the son of David A. Stewart from Eurythmics and Siobhan Fahey of Bananarama. It is a very small world!

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New Album Release Fridays: Orlando Weeks – ‘Big Skies, Silly Faces’

January 14, 2022 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘Hop Up’ (LP) (Released on January 14th, 2022) (via PIAS Recordings)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for the long-awaited return of ‘New Album Release Fridays’ for the first time since the new year got off to a natural start as we start to celebrate the year’s strongest new releases as they arrive, not forgetting that it is tied in with my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! This week sees new album releases from the likes of OUTLIER label founder Bonobo (More on that tomorrow), Odd Future collective rapper Earl Sweatshirt, Liverpool indie dancefloor fillers The Wombats, a new album of refreshing covers by Cat Power and more. Our subject for this week, however, is ‘Hop Up’, the brand new album by Orlando Weeks that has been released via PIAS Recordings today, and it has already been gaining a positive reception from critics. You may know that Weeks was the frontman of The Maccabees, a soulful indie rock band that earned a cult following that seemed to grow steadily with each of their releases throughout the mid-2000’s and 2010’s. The Maccabees won the Ivor Novello Award for 2013’s ‘Pelican’ and their 2015 album ‘Marks To Prove It’ went straight to the top of the UK Album charts. He also wrote and published a book, ‘The Gritterman’, in 2017. It has only been two years since the release of ‘A Quickening’, his first full-length solo album release that tackled the emotions and anticipation that he had experienced during imminent parenthood as his first child was born. Weeks notes this weekend’s follow-up LP – ‘Hop Up’ aims to fill in the gaps of where we left off on the previous record as he writes about the anxieties and excitement of his new-found fatherhood. The album also features a hearty stew of good-sounding collaborators, as ‘Hop Up’ was produced by familiar blog favourite Bullion and it features artists like Willie J. Healey and Ben Reed too. Our first taster of the album, ‘Big Skies, Happy Faces’, also includes additional vocals from Katy J Pearson. Let’s put on a smile below.

Giving us more context into ‘Hop Up’, Weeks explains about the new LP by penning “It started with the idea of wanting to fill in some of the blanks that I felt I had left with ‘A Quickening’, but quite quickly it turned into something broader. The choice was always to take the more positive and uplifting sounding step. Perhaps it shouldn’t have, but as an approach it felt surprisingly novel to me”, in his press release. After his tour was halted in 2020, Weeks decided to go straight back into the studio and found himself in a reflective mood while co-producing Lo-Fi pop singles like ‘Big Skies, Happy Faces’ from the new album in question. Building on the themes that ran through his last LP effort while alleviating the tension that pervaded his last solo release, ‘Big Skies, Happy Faces’ allows us to see the brighter side of parenthood as he ponders lyrics like “No stopping the sky/High as it’s wide” that finds Weeks experiencing new ways to navigate his own way to the light despite the subject matter still feeling a bit cynical and self-loathing to Weeks. Lyrics like “My mind against my better thinking/Know the feeling but wonder why” stretches his voice to optimistic heights as his tale of being self-exultant when the inevitable tensions creep in. Feeling ostensibly late-80’s in the Synth Pop instrumentation and the shimmering keyboard sequences that blend with his vocals, Weeks layers up some elements of Dream-Pop that productively glorify his vocals while he lyrically captures the feelings that he wrote about in the specific time period and complex emotional state with a sense of soulful radiance and moral-driven positivity that still manage to feel ethereal while feeling breezier than Weeks’ previous output. Pearson’s backing vocals are subtle, but they feel warm and contrast the melancholy of Weeks’ slightly eerie pitch quite nicely. While it isn’t super melodic, it manages to feel quite cheerful in tone as the electronic textures feel neatly woven into the fabric of the moods. All in all, it is a positive assessment of burgeoning parenting that acknowledges the anxieties of the scenario while feeling upbeat enough to convey the strong sense of love that Weeks’ felt in the moment. It works better if you have the context of ‘A Quickening’ in your mind, based on my assumptions, but it feels like a natural step-up from the sound he founded on that record. A successful follow-up that denies the dominance of distress.

Pictured: Orlando Weeks in a photoshoot for a DIY Magazine feature (2018) (Photo Credit: Emma Swann)

If you’re looking for high quality with the rule of comparison, then you need to look no further. Look back at my thoughts on ‘Safe In Sound’ from 2020’s ‘A Quickening’ here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/05/18/todays-track-orlando-weeks-safe-in-sound/

Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘A Quickening’ (LP) (Released on June 12th, 2020) (via PIAS Recordings)

That brings us to the end of the page for another day! Thank you for sticking with me on the blog today, and I’ll be back tomorrow, as aforementioned, to test out a recent single release from the new LP also being released today by Brighton-born electronic trip hop producer Simon Green (Who you may know as Bonobo) who has worked with an exhaustive pack of guest vocalists including RHYE, Nick Murphy and Jamila Woods.

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