Today’s Track: Kozmodrum – “Wormhoooooooooole…”

August 23, 2021 — Leave a comment

Good Morning to you! You are reading the words of Jacob Braybrooke, and now is the time for me to pollute your ears with another daily track on the blog, because it’s always been my day-to-day pleasure to write to you about a different piece of music every day! This is a shortened week of project work for me on the blog this week, and so I’ll be going away for my sister’s wedding during the week, but I still wanted to sneak ‘Wormhole’ in, and this new one comes from a Croatian 5-piece group called Kozmodrum. Exploring Dub, Techno and House, the quintet have found success in their domestic market and they seem to be looking to gain new fans overseas with the release of their self-titled third full-length album, back in June, via Rika Muzika. Describing their sound as “Organic House Music”, the band use the framework of a DJ set by producing electronic compositions that were designed to be played openly, where they loop beats until a cue point is given to indicate a switch to another part. On Facebook, they pitch this as “Jazz-infused Post-Rock meets Ambient Electronica meets Tech House with a percussion twist”, and that sounds really good to me. A 5-piece led by a classically trained drummer – Janko Novoselić – Kozmodrum won a Porin Award (The Croatian equivalent to the BRIT’s) for their second LP, ‘Gravity’, released in 2017. I was really pleased that John Ravenscroft introduced me to this project on BBC Radio 6 Music a number of weeks ago because it’s been growing on me ever since. Check out the lead single of the band’s new album, ‘Wormhole’, below.

Kozmodrum cites Tycho and Elektro Guzzi as their stylistic influences for their new record, and they told Twisted Soul, “After our first two albums, that were each very different in their own way – the first one being an exploration of Jazz/Fusion moods and the second veering toward more electronic/ambient atmospheres – this album is the most truthful representation of how we really sound live” in their own promo message. ‘Wormhole’ is a tune that was being developed over the space of five years until it reached its final form that you can hear on the new LP, and this tireless dedication to their own craft clearly shows in the meticulous structuring and the layers that build throughout the track. The six-minute duration seems to be on the longer side of things, but the instrumentation is paced nicely and it feels packed neatly considering the various Drum, Synth, Keyboard and Bass sequences in play. There’s no vocals, just pretty guitar melodies and splashings of rumbling Bass that gets a light-hearted tone across, and the animated music video adds nicely to the hand-woven aesthetic of the overall proceedings. As you would expect for a mix between Jazz and non-traditional Dance music, there is a fairly minimalist start to things before the different layers keep building and then evolving to form new loops, creating some sublime electronic grooves that have a bright warmth to them in the process. More complex, fragmented and harmonic Synth sounds follow in the later stages and small elements of Prog-Jazz and Math-Rock are evoked through the specific timing schemes. I really like how the track takes cues from Nu-Jazz, non-traditional Punk and experimental Electronic music to do something unique with the instruments being used, and the resulting sound is a blissful and chilled affair that is never afraid to throw some rougher sounds into the mixture. Once established, the grooves bump and slither their way through a Psychedelic concoction of genres that just slips neatly into your ears and keeps you actively listening out for the chord changes at the same time because they feel interesting and carefully textured. In summary, it is a lovely listen and definitely worthy of more ears than it’s been getting.

Pictured: Cover Art for ‘Kozmodrum’ (Self-Titled LP) (Released on June 25th, 2021) (via Rika Muzika)

That brings us to the end of the page for another day! Thank you for reaching this historic part of the day for me, and please feel free to join me again tomorrow as we do it all over again. I’ll be supporting more music from a lesser-known artist in John Peel style again as we take a detour into some DIY Hip-Hop production. My next pick comes from a 30-year-old rapper from South East London who has based his new album, ‘Section 1’, on the tragedies that have all defined his twenties, such as mental health struggles and familial loss. It’s a hard-hitting listen that demands your hearing.

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Today’s Track: Loraine James (feat. Eden Samara) – “Running Like That”

July 1, 2021 — Leave a comment

For the log line – I would usually insert some form of a ‘Running’ gag. New post time!

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Reflection” (LP) (Released on June 4th, 2021) (via HYPERDUB)

Good Afternoon to you! It’s Jacob Braybrooke here – and it’s time for you to read all about today’s track on the blog, since it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of new music every day! We’re beginning a new month with an artist that you really should be plugging your ears into – Enfield’s Loraine James, who previously received high praise on the blog with ‘Don’t You See It Now’ from 2020’s ‘Nothing’ EP. A year later, we’ve been treated to her third studio album, ‘Reflection’, which is available now with a special Purple Vinyl edition through Kode9’s Hyperdub label. It’s a BRILLIANT new album that finds James reflecting on 2020 and the modern experience of being a queer black woman. BBC Radio 6 Music host John Ravenscroft is also a huge fan, and he says he’s bought the T-shirt. What a fanboy. It’s been a busy few years for her, however, with support slots for Holly Herndon and Jessy Lanza on tour. ‘Running Like That’ allows James to collaborate with the Canadian singer Eden Samara. A few days ago, a music video was released for it, which takes it’s inspiration from the photographer Richard Misrach and the painter Andrew Wyeth. Spin it below.

Speaking about the lyrics, singer Eden Samara writes “I was imagining a car chase between someone and their shadow self”, breaking it down that the elusive themes of ‘Running Like That’ are really about being chased by the voices in your head, adding, “First, you think it looks like hell, then you realise they based hell on places like that”, to the press release about the video’s two influencers. ‘Running Like That’ is a track that, much like the new album as a whole, tests the boundaries of electronic music for an expression of self-knowledge and a vehicle to examine vulnerability, not just for the sake of being experimental in an irreverent way. Throughout, we get an Urban feel littered with skittering Hip-Hop breakbeats, intelligent Jazz influences, a subversive Warp Records feel and a dark Grime vibe. Samara’s vocals add a new dimension to the sounds through the harmonies, adding a soulful garnish to the crackling beats with a subtle air of Pop about it. The lyrics remain vague, with lines like “I’m running from them all endlessly/They know I’m hiding” and “Shut up and just drive for me” peeking out of the background, layered merticulously over the top of the 80’s, trickling Synth riffs. I personally think there’s an air of Kate Bush about it all, and each of the instrumentals are all right at the cutting edge of progressive Dubstep. Despite the cold and calculated production, there’s a hopeful ambience found in the warmth of the background of tranquil noises. It works brilliantly when paired to the clashing intensity of Samara’s Spoken Word sequences, and it genuinely feels like James is primarily making this music for herself, and not necessarily to push any scene or to emphasize political commentary in particular, and for good reason. An absolute treat.

Pictured: Loraine James in a photoshoot for Bandcamp Daily (2021) (Photography by Jase Cooper)

As mentioned, Loraine James previously scored an appearance on the blog with ‘Don’t You See It’, which was taken from the ‘Nothing’ EP released last year. Check it out here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/10/07/todays-track-loraine-james-feat-jonnine-dont-you-see-it/

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Nothing” (EP) (Released on October 2nd, 2020) (via Hyperdub Music)

That’s all for now! It’s ‘New Album Release Friday’ tomorrow, and I’ve got a cracking tune to share with you that comes from the exciting collaboration between a 23-year-old East London rapper who first popped up in 2012 with his ‘BAEP’ EP and the frontman of 00’s UK indie veterans Bombay Bicycle Club.

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Today’s Track: Vegyn – “B4 The Computer Crash”

April 26, 2021 — Leave a comment

Can I tell you a Vegan Dad joke? I promise you that it won’t be cheesy. New post time!

Pictured: Cover Art for “Like A Good Old Friend” (EP) (Released on Mar 19, 2021) (via PLZ Make It Ruins)

Good Morning to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for me to get typing up for your daily track on the blog, as per usual, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! I have been playing ‘B4 The Computer Crash’ – twice, actually – on my little radio show, and it comes from an artist who I wasn’t familiar with at all before I caught wind of him on KEXP’s Song Of The Day podcast. Vegyn is the alias of Joe Thornalley, a British, but now Los Angeles-based, electronic IDM music producer known for his production work on two albums from Frank Ocean in the past. In 2019, he released his debut solo album which saw collaborations with Retro X, Jeshi and Freddie Gibbs making the rounds. This year, he’s back with a new EP ‘Like A Good Old Friend’, released last month on his own PLZ Make It Ruins label. As you may have guessed from the title of the new short form record, some of his friends make appearances, the likes of which include London rapper John Glacier, pianist Duval Timothy and the lapsteel guitarist Daniel Aged, all bringing unconventional sensibilities to his core sound. Check out the sampler below.

An episode of depression influenced the mental health struggles being explored in the ‘Like A Good Old Friend’ EP, as he told The Face, “A friend let me stay at their house and they happened to have a piano”, “I was like ‘cool’, OK, I’m just gonna try and figure this thing out”, before he broke it down with, “My chords are definitely weird, but to me they’re not weird. I’m really just playing with shapes and trying to lean into the emotive quality of the music”, in the interview. For me, a Jazz sensibility can be read between the lines of ‘B4 The Computer Crash’ with freestyle melodies and playful beats providing a slightly quirky, but emotionally driven, undertone to the table. The rest of the track swoops in for a 90’s Deep House or slightly Acid Techno feel, as trippy pacing and glitching effects are also commonplace. For my own interpretation of the track, it reminds me of the times when we’re pushing forwards after a bad situation, but whatever is troubling is, comes back and makes us sad again, before briefly being pushed to the back of our minds again, before making us grieve again later. It’s not depressive or anything like that, but it’s depicting a struggle with mental health in an accurate way. The push-and-pull pacing of the track is reminiscent of the push-and-pull nature of sadness, but that is not to say that we don’t find the positive within the negative. These warped beats are matched with a somehow slick, polished and smooth bassline that feels ambient and nostalgic, and so it contrasts the darker edges of the experience with some overlapping warmth. Before, of course, a brief meltdown comes into play once again. The lo-fi Hip Hop beat comes through nicely, and the retro internet dial-up effects play on memory. Familiar, but not too comfortable, Vegyn has released one of the most delightfully unique electronic singles of the year with an excellent balance between warmth and warped.

Pictured: Vegyn (aka Joe Thornally) in a recent publicity shoot (2021) (Photo Credit: i-d.vice.com)

That’s all for now – let’s hope the computer doesn’t crash again. Tomorrow’s track sees the triumphant return of one of my favourite modern artists, who has confirmed that her new album will be releasing in September. One day after my birthday, weirdly enough. It’s the follow-up to her breakout third studio album, which won awards for Best Album at the NME Awards and Ivor Novello Awards, as well as being nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2019. 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/

New Album Release Friday: Alfa Mist – “Run Outs”

April 23, 2021 — Leave a comment

If you love Jazz, you may end up kicking yourself if you ‘Mist’ this one. New post time!

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Bring Backs” (LP) (Released on April 23rd, 2021) (via Anti- Records)

Good Morning to you – I’m Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for me to get typing up for your daily track on the blog, like always, because it’s my day-to-day pleasure to do so! This week’s pack of long-player releases include the new albums from mainstream mega-stars Tom Jones and Rag ‘N’ Bone Man, who are both looking to keep troubling the charts, no doubt, along with a new deluxe edition of ‘Isles’ by the Belfast dance breakouts Bicep, and new offerings from underrated Art-Rock collective Field Music, and Grammy-nominated Chapel Hill-based DJ Porter Robinson falling not far behind. This time, we’re going to sample a piece from ‘Bring Backs’, the new LP from the rising London Nu-Jazz star Alfa Mist, which is the much-anticipated solo follow-up to 2017’s ‘Antiphon’ – releasing today via Anti- Records. Mist’s been showered with praise over the years, and I’ve heard a lot of good things about him from the ‘Deep Cuts’ channel on Discord which I spend roughly 30 seconds per day looking at. I just never have much time to look at it properly and I’m a hectically busy guy right now. His genres of Prog-Jazz and Electronic Jazz have been going under a renaissance in recent years, however, with the likes of Moses Boyd, Nubya Garcia and Nubiyan Twist being notable names for these scenes. Mist hails from East Ham, London where he taught himself to produce beats. The pianist wrote and self-produced the new body of work, which he recorded in London with a cast of collaborators including Jamie Houghton, Kaya Thomas-Dyke and Lex Amor. Let’s sample it with a recent single, “Bring Backs”, below.

“Bring Backs” brings together the disparate sounds of it’s guests, and gets topped off by a Spoken Word poem written by Hilary Thomas to tie things together. For Mist, it seems to be a document of who he was and who he has become, as he told the press “Run Outs is a street game I remember playing when I was younger. I used to think of making beats and playing with a band as separate worlds until I realized I was always trying to achieve the same thing”, adding, “Making the music I want to make. With the song Run Outs I’m bringing together the vibe of my earliest beats with where I am today” in his press notes. Another instrumental track to follow up on Hannah Peel’s ‘Ecovocotive’ from yesterday’s blog post – ‘Run Outs’ carries forwards it’s nostalgic qualities and intimate layers with it’s relative simplicity. The opening Piano groove feels light and mildly ethereal, before the off-kilter drumming signatures and the sparse rhythms of a more electronic nature push-and-pull the overall pacing of the track. Together, these elements act out as a continous layer of instrumentation that gradually adds layers of percussion, bass, Brass instrumentation and quiet string sections to the fray, although none of these elements stay in the picture for too long, as to overstay their welcome. It feels like a relaxing track that would sound great as part of the ambience of an Arts-based Coffee Shop or the ‘early doors’ section of a Jazz bar. The sounds are polished and intricate, with a slight touch of distortion that adds some unpredictability to the mix. It sounds like it’s coming from the heart and it’s clear that Mist is really giving everything his all here, and isn’t the kind of artist to walk into a studio and record over a pre-built track. I feel like, perhaps, it could have done with a little bit more ‘oomph’ for the lack of a better term, with more catchy progression to make it a bit more memorable. This is not bland, however, and it’s far from it, with an altogether rich and easy-flowing sound which can accommodate a diverse selection of it’s listeners. At-times stunning, the overall sum of it’s parts makes it seem a nice and enjoyable listen, with each small piece fitting neatly into the jigsaw.

Pictured: Alfa Mist performing live at the SWX in Bristol (in 2020) (Photo by Elliott Simpson)

That’s it for today – ‘Scuzz Sundays’ is penciled in for two days time, but, in the meantime, remember to check back in with me tomorrow for my review of the triumphant return track of a well-liked UK electronic soul/disco now-duo who were shortlisted for the Mercury Prize in 2014 following the release of their self-titled debut album that year. Their new single has been getting support across the dial, with airplay on BBC Radio 6 Music, BBC Radio 1, Radio X, NTS Radio and elsewhere. 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: Fimber Bravo – “Hiyah Man”

April 20, 2021 — Leave a comment

The African experimenter proving he’s not to be just a flash in the Pan. New post time!

Pictured: Cover Art for “Lunar Tredd” (Released on March 19th, 2021) (via Moshi Moshi Records)

Good Morning to you – I’m Jacob Braybrooke, and I’m going to try to lift your spirits with another daily entry on the blog, since it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Currently based in South London, Fimber Bravo is a Trinidad-born composer and producer with his origins set as a Steel Plan player and founder of the Twentieth Century Steel Band. Bravo’s been around since the 70’s, and his music has been sampled in plenty of modern Hip-Hop records, such as tracks from Doug E. Fresh, Soul II Soul, and even Jennifer Lopez, of all people. He has also built a following around his unique collaborations with Western artists, such as the likes of Blur, Morcheeba and also Hot Chip. Hearing ‘Hiyah Man’ being supported on the A-list rotation of BBC Radio 6 Music was my first introduction to his work, and the track is the latest single from his new album, ‘Lunar Tredd’, which is only just over a month old now, and is the follow-up LP to his critically-acclaimed 2013 release, ‘Con-Fusion’ (Do you see what he did there?), releasing on Moshi Moshi Records. You may not have heard anything like it before. Let’s take a listen to it below.

Bravo has been establishing himself as a collaborative creator in the gaps since the years between his solo LP releases and his desire to produce another solo recording came about from the inspiration of the Black Lives Matter protests. When releasing ‘Hiyah Man’, he wrote: “Songs come to you in different ways, Hiyah Man was like a voice from my ancestors guiding me and giving me the power for a deeper celebration of the Pan with percussive rhythms that inspired us all to improvise a live first take in one go”, in his press release, concluding “We all felt so high on it” while referring to his free-spirited practices. Although I can’t claim to know everything regarding the instruments and deeper production of the track, I still think that ‘Hiyah Man’ caught my attention because there is a clear influence of dance music. The opening vocal of “A long time ago” is kept short and sweet, but the low-pitched delivery gives it an edge. It gets accentuated by upbeat, melodic Steel Pan beats which build slowly to the introduction of higher drum signatures and new layers of instrumentation. He continues to build a psychedelic dance beat and a festival setting, as elements of Afrobeat and Prog-Jazz make the cut. A slightly distorted synth beat quietly weaves it’s way through the percussion, and the eclectic bass line comes to the forefront towards the end with more electronic synth beats that have an acidic quality. The tone of the track and it’s mood feels more joyful and celebratory than it’s opening, with lyrical hooks about connecting with your ancestors and modernizing your family’s traditions remaining at the centerpiece of the singing sections. Overall, it’s over six minutes of very colourful and funk-influenced chord progression, with a nicely balanced mix of both African and electronic instrumentation. Although it’s not a track that I’ve repeatedly listened to over time and time again, there’s nothing about it that I can really fault. Despite being quite a newcomer to this style of music, I find it to make me feel refuelled and uplifted. An excellently crafted means of escape.

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Con-Fusion” (LP) (Released in January, 2013) (via Moshi Moshi Records)

That’s all for now – But feel free to join me again tomorrow for a new entry in our weekly “Way Back Wednesdays” blog feature, where we revisit the sounds of the past that have influenced the present, or a look at an absurd rarity that shall not be left as forgotten. The former is the case this week, as we recover a beloved single from the Gold-certified debut album of an East Coast Hip-Hop pioneer who serves time as the associate publisher of Mass Appeal magazine and the co-founder of Mass Appeal Records. 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: Viagra Boys – “Girls and Boys”

April 19, 2021 — Leave a comment

A billboard said Niagra Falls is the tallest waterfall – Falls advertising. New post time!

Pictured: Sebastian Murphy, Benjamin Valle, Oskar Carls, Henrik Hockert, Tor Sjoden and Elias Jungqvist (aka Viagra Boys) at The Great Escape in Brighton, Sussex (2019) (Photo via DIYMag.com)

Good Morning to you! Jacob Braybrooke here, and I’m kicking off the new week with another daily entry on the blog, as always, because it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! ‘Girls & Boys’ is a Swedish cocktail of riotous Post-Punk and harsh Prog-Jazz from the ludicrously witty band Viagra Boys, who formed in Stockholm in 2015, as a collective of members originally from other local bands including Neu-Ronz, Les Big Byrd, Pig Eyes, Nine and Nitad from the local-ish music scene. They released their debut album, ‘Street Worms’ to decent reviews and cult success in 2018, with praise being directed towards the use of black comedy and satire within their lyrics. This long-player earned them IMPALA’s “Album Of The Year Award” in 2019. Fast forward to 2021, and the second full-length effort, ‘Welfare Jazz’, has arrived via their own label, YEAR0001. Lately, the band have also confirmed that a third album is on the way, telling us that it was largely self-produced and that it has already been recorded, according to the bassist Henrik ‘Benke’ Höckert. You can watch a live ‘Shrimp Session’ Viagra Boys recorded for the track, ‘Girls & Boys’, for free on their YouTube channel, but, for now, let’s take a listen to the studio version below.

‘Girls & Boys’ was co-produced by Matt Sweeney (Run The Jewels, Cat Power) and Justin & Jeremiah Raisen (Kim Gordon, Sky Ferreira), with additional work from past collaborators Pelle Gunnerfeldt & Daniel “Fagge” Fagerström (The Knife, The Hives), and you can also catch another track which sees Viagra Boys enlist the aid of Amy Taylor from Amyl & The Sniffers on their new record, entitled ‘In Spite Of Ourselves’, a cover version of the track of the same title by late-great John Prine released in 1999. ‘Girls & Boys’, however, is not a cover version of Blur’s classic, but a surreal and silly, Saxophone-smattered tour of outdated gender roles. It’s also ludicrously silly too, with a call-and-response format that sees a distorted voice sing “Drugs” and “Girls” as vocalist Sebastien Murphy pairs them up with one-liners like “The only way I can boogie down” and “They always wanna tie me down”. “Shrimps” is my favourite, and I believe this is an in-joke the band have with their fans, although I’m not familiar enough with the band to really say. I think the lack of context gives it a lick of abstract art themes, and makes these crazy hooks sound all the more random. The Brass instrumentation is abrasive and incendiary, as the clashing Post-Rock guitar riffs create a strange Disco beat of-sorts. The lyrics are all about partying at their most basic, with Murphy wailing about inability to socially connect, while the strength of the distorted guitar melodies and the overly aggressive qualities of the Jazz elements hint towards something that feels more psychotic and briefly unsettling. Whether this absurdist Noise-Punk disco roller is satirical or silliness is left quite ambiguous, but it certainly isn’t a particularly feel-good single by traditional means, despite the oddly danceable melodicism of the pace. Pure unadulterated mayhem. Chaotically sublime.

Pictured: Physical CD copy of ‘Welfare Jazz’ (LP) (Released on January 29th, 2021) (via YEAR001)

That’s all for now – I think we’re all going to need a little breather after that one. Join me again tomorrow, however, as we diversify things up with an in-depth look at a, perhaps less frantic, tune from a Trinidad-born composer and Steel Pan player who has been a founding member of Twentieth Century Steel Band, and has collaborated on projects with Blur and Morcheeba. His latest album has recently been released by Moshi Moshi Records. 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: Nils Frahm – “O I End”

April 13, 2021 — Leave a comment

The bold Hamburgian Piano virtuoso who is anti-NFT and All Melody. New post time!

Pictured: Nils Frahm (in 2015) (Photo Credit: Joseph Okpako/Redferns/Pitchfork.com)

Good Morning to you – I’m Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for me to get typing up on the blog for your track of the day, as per usual, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! A German composer who has gained wide critical acclaim and sizable global success since the mid-2010’s, Nils Frahm is known for combining sensibilities of electronic music and ambient Jazz with his distinct slice of self-composed Contemporary Classical music. His elaborate set-up kit of a grand piano, an upright piano, Roland Juno-60, Rhodes piano, drum machines and a Moog Taurus synth are the tools at his disposal to help him convey emotions and thoughts through his brand of mostly improvised work. He’s hugely prolific, with close ties to similarly inventive modern composers like Ólafur Arnalds, Anne Müller and F.S. Blumn, through frequent collaborations. He also performs with Frederic Gmeiner and Sebastien Singwald as Nonkeen. If I had to flip a coin, it would probably land on ‘All Melody’ as being my personal favourite album of his, and I’ve been an avid follower of Frahm’s recordings for the last four or five years. ‘O I End’ turned out to be a teaser single for ‘Graz’, an album which Frahm recorded in 2009 that never saw the light of day until this point. He ‘surprise dropped’ the nine-track recording in appreciation of World Piano Day on March 29, and you can also put your name down to pre-order the vinyl release of ‘Graz’ due on May 21st via Erased Tapes, and it was mixed by Thomas Geiger. Let your anxieties dissipate with ‘O I End’ below.

A fun fact about ‘World Piano Day’ is that actually happens specifically on the 88th day of the year – and that has been determined to represent the 88 total keys on a Piano. In a press statement on the belated release of ‘Graz’, Nils Frahm had an ambiguous comment to make, and all he had to say was this: “Sometimes, when you hear a Piano, you might think it’s a conversation between a man and a woman”, continuing, “At the same time, it can hint at the shapes of the universe, and describe how a black hole looks”, concluding, “You can make sounds that have no relation to anything we can measure”, in his gently philosophical musings. He’s also been in the news lately for his stance against the digital art format of the NFT which is generating a lot of buzz in the business, saying “Some of my heroes like Aphex Twin are selling, sorry, crap for 130,000 bucks… It’s unforgivable to participate in something which is so bleak and so wrong” in his take on the popular digital format, which he seems to feel is much more of a fad, although I still can’t get my head around what the platform even is. In any case, these comments were a reminder to me on what Nils Frahm is all about. What keeps us coming back to his work is the sense that, in the emotive qualities of his practices, he has an artistic gift of composing music that gives me the feeling of time slowly dissipating, and the more superficial worries of the world becoming much less important through these subtle melodies. It’s a staple from his old bag of tricks that he manages to pull off, once again, on ‘O I End’, a track which sounds contemplative and downbeat. While direct contextual meanings are open to interpretations based on your own feelings and daydreams when you listen to the track, it gives me a feeling of looking back on the fragmented memories of my life. Paired with the rather dark track title of ‘O I End’, it makes me imagine an elderly character reflecting on his life while playing an improvised sequence alone at a piano. The rhythms are deep and soulful, as the washing waves of rolling Piano melodies calmly ease their way from one moment through to the next. The downtempo keys feel isolated, but schooled in a vintage Classical music training that also meets the spontaneity of instrumental Jazz music. It’s gentle, but raw enough to make you feel as though you may be intruding on a more personal experience of the auteur’s soul. It doesn’t really “go anywhere” in the traditional sense, but you could argue that it just doesn’t need to. This is just a well-paced, but soothing and still, moment of reflection.

Pictured: Nils Frahm in Berlin, Germany (2018) (Photo by Mustafah Abdulaziz/The New York Times)

There’s my musical musing for the day – but please don’t forget to check back with me here tomorrow, for a new entry in our weekly ‘Way Back Wednesdays’ feature where we throw back to the sounds of the past that have influenced the recognizable sounds of the present – or sometimes look back at old rarities that are simply a bit bonkers. The mood strikes me for tomorrow for a flash back to an early recording from a Welsh rock band who are colloquially known as “The Manics” and were a key figurehead of the Welsh Cool Cymru cultural movement in the 1990’s. 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/

New Album Release Friday: Nubiyan Twist (feat. Soweto Kinch & Nick Richards) – “Buckle Up”

March 12, 2021 — Leave a comment

You may stop to ask, how many people does it take to make one song. New post time!

Pictured: Cover Art for “Freedom Fables” (Released on March 12th, 2021) (via Strut Records)

Good Morning to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke and, you guessed it, 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 music every day! Here we are again. New release day. This week’s offerings include a new solo LP from Cypress Hill’s DJ Muggs The Black Goat, a live album from North London’s Sorry and the return of German indie pop duo Haerts – who have had their music featured in numerous film & TV productions like ‘Carrie’, ’13 Reasons Why’ and ‘Love, Simon’. Tom Grennan is paving the way for the mainstream crowd, and Grouplove are back with a surprise new album. However, the record that’s earned the spotlight from me for this week comes from Nubiyan Twist. Born out of Leeds and currently based in London, they are a 10-piece Afro-Jazz collective comprised of a 4-piece Horn section, two vocalists and an electronics rhythms section. Orchestrated by guitarist/producer Tom Excell, the band have released their second album, ‘Freedom Fables’, today via Strut Records. The guest list includes CHERISE, KOG, Ria Moran and more – each of which “explores their own memoirs, a freedom of expression underpinning our belief that music is the ultimate narrative for unity” on the record. The group have seen rotational airplay from BBC Radio 6Music in recent weeks, among frequent performances on Jamie Cullum’s show on BBC Radio 2, with an appearance on ‘Later… With Jools Holland’ set to follow this month. So – let’s hit the gas pedal (Ya get it?…) on ‘Buckle Up’ below.

‘Buckle Up’ sees the London-based collective enlisting the help of saxophonist Soweto Kinch for a melodic solo, and a further call for help from vocalist Nick Richards, who sings about the mundanity of an unfulfilling life cycle. With Latin Jazz, Afrobeat and Trip-Hop callbacks, the single was an effective teaser for a record where “You can hear touches of broken beat, blunted hip hop, highlife, Latin, jazz and UK Soul running through the tracks” according to Tom Excell in a press statement for the album’s announcement. Although seeing a few Covid-related delays along the way, it’s here in the end. Predominantly, I feel that ‘Buckle Up’ references the sounds that the ensemble grew up becoming attached to, with a vintage tinge of Roy Hargrove-esque Brass melodies and undulating Organ polyrhythms blending with the more modern production allocated by the synth-inflected backing of the grooves and the bright horn lines which permeate the mostly Soulful qualities of the sound. The vocal section of “Sometimes I lean back in my chair, look up at the sky, Past these clouds and stars/To find new perspectives to loosen up my life” pads out the first half, while the second portion of the track goes for a more Hip Hop-inflicted beat. A speedy vocal delivery from Richards lowers the melodicism a tad, and the chorus allows the splashings of Trumpet melodies to shine with a more summery, energising mood, with vocal lines like “A journey to find a sense of peace and not desire” and “If I could catch a glimpse, Maybe this time find a door to the peace of my mind” feel much more self-reflective and self-developed. The Latin Jazz style feels at ease with the more melodic Hip-Hop influences though, with a little Dubplate and Reggae bursting through the Spoken Word outro. Overall, while the results are not a groundbreaking record, they are deeply satisfying and quite likeable. It feels relaxed, although not too restrained, and it feels nicely accessible – I’m glad that I could come along for the ride.

Pictured: Tom Excell (Lead Vocals/Producer), Nick Richards (Saxophone), Pilo Adami (Percussion), Oli Cadman (Keyboard), Denis Scully (Baritone Saxophone), Joe Henwood (Drum Machine), Finn Booth (Bass Guitar), Luke Wynter (Synths) and Jonny Enser (Horns/Woodwinds) (in 2021) (Photo via PR)

Thank you for reading my latest blog post! I’ll be rather busy making the trip back to my university term-time accommodation tomorrow, and so my entry tomorrow will probably be a little shorter and sweeter than usual. I can’t let the team down though, so I will be back with an in-depth look at the final track in my pre-Christmas backlog, at last. Tomorrow’s band emerged from a promising wave of early-2010’s British Hardcore Punk groups, with the line-up being a 5-piece super-group of musicians from bands like Arms Race, Vile Spirit and Gutter Knife. 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/

International Women’s Day 2021 Special: St. Vincent – “Digital Witness” (2014)

March 8, 2021 — 1 Comment

An alternative ode to just sitting in front of the TV! Happy International Women’s Day!

Pictured: St. Vincent performing “Digital Witness” on Later… With Jools Holland (2014) (via BBC.com)

Good Afternoon to you – and wishing very a happy International Women’s Day to all readers on the blog, thanks for continuing to stick with me in these harsh times! Or, if you’ve never been here before, Welcome – I’m Jacob Braybrooke, and this is the place where I get writing up about a different piece of music every single day! As noted, it has been declared as the annual International Women’s Day today, and so I thought it would be nice to feature a female artist who inspires me today. I would usually always pivot towards Bjork and I think she’s my favourite female music artist of all time for her socio-economic currency, but I know I’ve talked to death about her on the blog and on the radio, so let’s give someone else a well-deserved celebration instead. St. Vincent is the alias that Oklahoma-born Art-Pop singer songwriter Annie Clark uses to release music under, and she’s become an icon of the Alternative music genre ever since she began her career as a member of The Polyphonic Spree. She is of a similar ilk to Prince or Bowie in the ways that she’s going to release her raw, unedited material whether the industry cares or not, and she always pushes the boundaries and reinvents herself successfully between her releases. She’s currently gearing up to release her next album, “Daddy’s Home” on May 14th, and the internet music community seems to be super excited for that one. However, when I look to the archives, arguably none of her tracks stick out at me quite like “Digital Witness” does, which was released as a single in 2014 from her self-titled fourth album. The album received unanimously strong praise from critics, with publications like The Guardian, Slant and NME naming it their Album Of The Year at the time, along with winning the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Album in 2015 – also making Clark the first female artist to win the nod twice. One fun bit of pop culture trivia for you is that she dated supermodel and actress Cara Delevingne between 2014 and 2016. I think Clark was actually quite a bit older than Cara, not that it’s all that relevant, but it’s a solid Showbiz fact still. Nevertheless, St. Vincent is a much beloved female artist who is definitely paving the way for the industry and the ways in which high-caliber female creatives perform on the stage and on screen. Let’s delve into “Digital Witness” below.

St. Vincent (aka Annie Clark) has also been very significant for the representation of gender politics in her work, with St. Vincent telling Rolling Stone in a 2014 interview that “I don’t have anything to hide, but I’d rather the emphasis be on the music” when she was asked whether she identified as straight or homosexual, and she’s also worked with high-profile names like David Byrne and Swans, a collaboration of which Byrne commented: “Despite having toured with her for almost a year, I don’t think I know her much better, at least not on a personal level… mystery is not a bad thing for a beautiful, talented young woman (or man) to embrace. And she does it without seeming to be standoffish or distant.” in a profile for Village Voice. Clark just carries an aura of bold, vibrant focus on just her creativity itself, a natural sense of passion and determination that I hold dearest in “Digital Witness”. She immediately instructs us to “Get back to your seats” in the opening line of the track, before she builds her commentary on the social media addiction themes with a funky, squelching trumpet beat. It feels tense and sophisticated, while having a defiantly odd and lovingly strange sound. The Jazz elements feel idiosyncratic, with light Pop hooks like “People turn the TV on, it looks just like a window” and “Digital witnesses, what’s the point of even sleeping?” permeating through the angular grooves. Her vocals are balancing a slightly bitter tone with a more celebratory one, with the chorus lyrics of “If I can’t show it, If you can’t see me/What’s the point of even sleeping?” permeating over the top of a delayed pedal effect where the Synth-adjusted Brass instrumental feels a bit more raw and painful. There’s a sense of flirtation with the dissonance of the guitar work that characterizes the overall sound, as bright and pastoral textures are added to juxtapose the more angry, unsettling sections. The instrumental feels busy, but each of the different elements plays a detailed part, where the themes of viral media consumption and the wider implications of this – a wonky perception of personal image and the risks we pay to attain surveillance, are all hidden between the chords too. It’s really a brilliant tune – with smart wordplay and a layer of surrealist themes that feels as relentlessly likeable as it also feels cautionary. I also love the moments where she adds a “YAH” to the end of the chorus – as well as being purely adorable, it feels cryptic and manages to put you in a train of thought, almost hypnotically as the off-kilter Trumpet section continues raging on. It all feels a bit Prince, but it also feels culturally relevant and distinctively original. A very accomplished piece of truly great music that can never age and may yet evolve with the times. *Readjusts Neck* YAAAH!

Pictured: Cover Art for “St. Vincent” (LP) (Released on Feb 24th, 2014) (via Loma Vista Recordings)

Time to catch my breath – After I remind you that I’ll be back tomorrow, like always, with an in-depth look at some more music. It’s a brand new tune that I’ve been loving on my radio show tomorrow, as we keep up the positive energy. Indeed, tomorrow’s new track is a great find that comes from the solo project of one half of the sibling Chicago Psych-Rock duo Wild Belle, and the track was also featured on a recent episode of BBC Radio 6Music Recommends with Tom Ravenscroft. 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: Menahan Street Band – “The Duke”

February 23, 2021 — Leave a comment

Nearly a decade – but they’re gonna give us something to Taco about. New post time!

Pictured: Physical Vinyl copy of “The Exciting Sounds Of Menahan Street Band” (LP) (Released on February 26th, 2021) (via Daptone Records) (Available to buy from shopdaptonerecords.com)

My word… I do miss my street food. On that tangent, I’m Jacob Braybrooke – and it’s time for me to get typing up on the blog for your daily track on the blog, because it’s routinely my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! A now six-piece retro Funk and Soul collective encompassing a strong variety of musicians from The Budos Band, El Michels Affair, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings and Antibalas, Menahan Street Band are an Instrumental Jazz group who were founded in Brooklyn, New York in 2007 by Thomas Brenneck, who gave this project their moniker while living in an apartment on Menahan Street in the NY neighborhood of Bushwick. Even if you think you’ve never heard their music before, the chances are more likely that you probably have, and that’s because their original tracks have been sampled widely in Hip-Hop by contemporary artists like Kendrick Lamar, Kid Cudi and 50 Cent. Citing Ella Fitzgerald, Curtis Mayfield and Ennio Morricone as main influences, the collective are currently signed to Daptone Records. Now, after a ten-yer hiatus, “The Exciting Sounds Of Menahan Street Band”, the act’s third full-length album, is set to release this Friday on that label. Check out one of the new singles, “The Duke”, below.

Yes, you read that correctly. It’s been nearly a full decade, but Menahan Street Band are following up on 2012’s “The Crossing” this week. Entitled “The Duke”, their recent single was recorded at the old Dunham Studio in Brooklyn during the Charles Bradley “Victim Of Love” sessions. Shared in a statement from the artists on Instagram, the band said “Some turned into songs that made Charles’ album. We tried putting vocals on this track, but Charles could never get into it. Years later, while putting together ‘The Exciting Sounds Of…’ album, we thought this was the perfect place for The Duke”, when commenting on the track’s previous origins, with this cut being originally intended for Charles Bradley, before the Instrumental collective put their own fresh spin on the template. A classical-sounding and traditioanlly built Jazz instrumental, “The Duke” feels playful and joyous in it’s approach, with a vintage and nostalgic 80’s Soul Fusion sound that highly reminds me of Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, and a little of Khruangbin too with it’s light-hearted World Music elements. Starting off with a tinny Organ riff, “The Duke” evolves into a more hypnotic affair with the sweeping Trumpet sounds and the funk-laden guitar licks that are added into the chorus. It unveils more tone and timbre, with a two-step drum beat coming into the second verse, after we settle back into the groove created by the continous Organ melody. The final section of the piece feels more restrained, with an angular rhythm guitar solo briefly replacing the warmth of the toy-like and playful Keyboard instrumentation, but all three elements of the Jazz, Soul and R&B sound remain intact because of the push-and-pull nature of the Brass-based instrumentation. The chorus is reminiscent of a crescendo, while the verse acts as a small build-up for the groove to be unleashed into a more melodic explosion of sounds in the chorus. The mood and design is quite fascinating, but the focal Jazz sound is one full of comfort and warmth. Although the instrumental sound never really “goes anywhere” in the typical sense, we’re left with a delightfully old-school and vintage-feeling assortment of moods. Top marks for this.

Pictured: Thomas Brenneck (Lead Guitar), Nick Movshon (Bass Guitar), Mike Deller (Organ), Dave Guy (Trumpet), Leon Michaels (Saxophone) & Homer Steinwess (Drums) (2020) (via Frontview Magazine)

Thank you for reading this post – I’m very grateful for your support. That’s all for now, but please check back with me tomorrow for another episode in our “Way Back Wednesdays” weekly feature where we remember the pre-2000’s music sounds that should be remembered from time to time. In a rare look at a mainstream-oriented tune tomorrow, we’re going to treat my mother to one of her favourites. It comes from an Australian star of stage and screen who, despite suffering injuries to his back in the new series of ITV’s ‘Dancing On Ice’, he’s still not going to give up the fight for you! 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/