Folk

WWE Wrestlemania 36 Weekend Special: The Mountain Goats – “The Legend Of Chavo Guerrero”

April 5, 2020 — 8 Comments

There’s just one more day left to go of the biggest Sports Entertainment Extravaganza of the PPV calendar year – but there’s always going to be time for your daily blog post!

  • Pictured: Vinyl Artwork for “Beat The Champ” (Released on April 7th, 2015 via Merge Records) (via Amoeba Music)

One night of WrestleMania 36 down and one more to go! Good afternoon to you, I’m Jacob Braybrooke, coming off the back of my late-nighter to deliver my daily post on the blog, as it’s my day-to-day pleasure to do so! This is the last post in my trilogy of wrestling-themed posts to coincide with WWE’s no-crowd WrestleMania, which is the biggest wrestling PPV of the calendar year, but I feel like I’ve certainly saved one of – if not – the best for last! For me, the best pro wrestling-related track ever recorded is “The Legend Of Chavo Guerrero” by John Danielle’s American indie folk-rock outfit The Mountain Goats. The Mountain Goats are an incredible band formed in Claremont in 1991 who really deserve to be credited more highly than I think they are. It was released on “Beat The Champ”, the group’s fifteenth (!) studio album, in 2015 via the Merge Records label. The entire record is a concept album based around professional wrestling characters and referenced events in the sport’s history, although Danielle ignites it’s spark with a human touch and an instrumental tenuity that makes it about more personal stories than just predominantly about professional wrestling and I think it’s easy for anybody to enjoy the album regardless of their professional wrestling know-how. The track was one of the album’s biggest singles and it received praise from the song’s titular Mexican hero, Chavo Guerrero Sr, as well as his son Chavo Guerrero Jr, who notably wrestled for WWE at one time. Chavo Guerrero Sr. appears as himself in the track’s music video, which you can see in all it’s glory below.

The track was obviously written as a very personal expression of Danielle’s, and the video marks such an occasion with cameo appearances from indie wrestling stalwarts like Impact’s Joey Ryan, Rob Corddry, Ryan Nemeth and Sarah Walker, as to name a few. Danielle demands your attention with his CM Punk tribute, as well as his captivating songwriting talents, as he tells a tale of his childhood hero: “Born down in El Paso/Where the tumble-weeds grow/It’s the middleweight champ of All Mexico”, paired with a quick, sharp acoustic guitar riff and an organic kick drum section. He sings about the fact that he had a difficult family life and that he viewed Guerrero Sr. as a surrogate father figure when his father wasn’t by his side: “He was my hero back when I was a kid/You let me down but Chavo never once did” and, in a neat reprise, sings: “Red Shoes Dougan/Holding his arm high all out of breath/I hated all of Chavo’s enemies/I would pray nightly for their death/Descending like fire, on the people who deserved it most/Outside of Texas and on the West Coast”, before resuming the uplifting qualities of the singular guitar melody. There’s catchy references to Guerrero’s wrestling accolades: “Defender of the downtrodden/King Of The Hill/Tag Team champion with Al Madril” and personal memoirs of watching Guerrero in action: “I’m lying on the floor, I’m bathed in blue light/With the telecast in Spanish/I can understand some”, followed by: “And I need justice in my life/Here it comes”, a line which signifies Guerrero as a symbol of joy for a child who needed the escapism that professional wrestling offered to him. It’s a love letter to a childhood hero, but it’s also a catchy, singalong anthem simply about a child who received a spark in his life, but it just happens to be told through the lens of professional wrestling rather than specifically about it! Danielle has a real gift for his music, and in this – it really shines!

  • Pictured: John Darnielle (Lead Vocals/Acoustic Guitar/Piano), Peter Hughes (Bass Guitar/Backing Vocals), Matt Douglas (Flute/Saxophone/Clarinet/Cowbell/Backing Vocals) and Jon Wurster (Drums/Percussion) (2017) (via Bandcamp)

That’s the end of my WWE WrestleMania 36 Weekend Special! The event is streaming tonight, but a first batch of matches streamed last night as well – and you’ll have access to both nights by signing up to WWE Network! Catch up on “El Santo: The Silver Masked Avenger” by The Nick Atoms here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/04/03/wwe-wrestlemania-36-weekend-special-the-nick-atoms-el-santo-the-silver-masked-avenger/! and Bruce Springsteen’s “The Wrestler” here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/04/04/wwe-wrestlemania-36-weekend-special-bruce-springsteen-the-wrestler/! If that’s not enough to satisfy your pro-wrestling needs, I’ve also covered Reverend & The Makers’ “The Wrestler” here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/03/11/todays-track-reverend-and-the-makers-the-wrestler/ and Bowling For Soup’s new single, “Alexa Bliss”, here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/02/12/todays-track-bowling-for-soup-alexa-bliss/

  • Pictured: John Darnielle with his childhood hero, Chavo Guerrero Sr. (Still from “The Legend Of Chavo Guerrero” video)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be resuming normal service on the blog tomorrow… Or will I? To give you a clue on what track I’ll be covering, it’s by a Los Angeles-born producer who told Voyage LA that he’s been playing his guitar since the age of 11 and the track in question, his latest release, was produced by Sarah Tudzin of Illuminati Hotties! 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/

WWE Wrestlemania 36 Weekend Special – Bruce Springsteen – “The Wrestler”

April 4, 2020 — 7 Comments

He is Dancing In The Dark at The Showcase Of The Immortals! It’s time for a new post!

  • Pictured: Bruce Springsteen performing “London Calling” at a concert in Hyde Park, London (2009) (via Rolling Stone)

Tonight is the night where no-fan WrestleMania hits the Big Time! (mid-00’s WWE fans, that one’s for you!) and since it’s an event built on spectacle and nostalgia, what better way to signal it’s arrival than covering a single from the legendary voice of Bruce Springsteen?, who had particularly touched the heart of Javed, a Pakistani teenager, in “Blinded By The Light”, a 2019 biopic film! Another film which Springsteen played a big part of is “The Wrestler”, a film starring Mickey Rourke as Randy “The Ram” Robinson, which was released back in a limited capacity in 2008 and then expanded to a nationwide release in January 2009 in the US. It’s an excellent film about a retiring wrestler struggling to make a living while he tries to recapture the glory days of his 80’s heyday and tries to reconnect with his estranged daughter. It was an awards contender for the Oscars, the BAFTA’s and the Golden Globes. Springsteen penned the title song for the film after he was contacted by Rourke, a lifelong friend of Springsteen, who wrote a letter of persuasion. The track appeared as a bonus track on “Working On A Dream”, a Springsteen album released in 2009. I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing about your daily track on the blog, which – for today – is Bruce Springsteen’s “The Wrestler”. Let’s have a listen with the video below!

An acoustic rock piece which sounds downcast and solemn, “The Wrestler” is in no way a compromise of Springsteen’s beloved songwriting principles, yet it’s also a good fit for the dark subject matter of the film it was written for. Springsteen laments artistic themes of a final shot at stardom: “This place is the home that I cannot stay/My only faith’s in the broken bones and bruises I display”, under a quiet arrangement of sparse bass guitar licks and a light synthesizer display. Springsteen strums his acoustic guitar and croons: “If you’ve ever seen a one-trick pony in the field so happy and free?/If you’ve ever seen a one-trick pony, then you’ve seen me”, a sad refrain Springsteen repeats with variations like Scarecrow, Dog and finally… man! Springsteen is narrating from the viewpoint of “The Wrestler” himself and he’s admitting that he’s past his prime and that his body cannot take the physical cost of his bodies toll any more, but it’s his passion for the career and it’s the memories that he’s made with it that keeps him going and drives him forward as much as his steering wheel will allow him to control. It’s a track which journalist David Marchese of Spin reviewed as: “‘The Wrestler;. from the film of the same name, has an intensely affecting emotional specificity that the aforementioned nominees lack”, a riff on the Oscar Awards which I agree with. The track has the classic Springsteen lyrical motifs that his fanbase love him for and it goes beyond the limits of professional wrestling as a topic. The vocals are repetitious, but not tedious and the instrumentation is simple, but it’s emotive and well-structured. The end result is a minimalist and poetic, Blues-inspired Americana track which is cerebral and brooding, but heartfelt and affecting!

  • Pictured: Mickey Rourke starring as “Randy “The Ram” Robinson” in “The Wrestler” (dir. Darren Aronofsky) (2008)

Thank you for reading this post! I kicked off my WWE WrestleMania 36 Weekend Special yesterday with The Nick Atoms’ “El Santo: The Silver Masked Avenger”, it has a very fascinating story of Mexican heritage behind it, so check out here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/04/03/wwe-wrestlemania-36-weekend-special-the-nick-atoms-el-santo-the-silver-masked-avenger/! To get more of your wrestling fix, I’ve also written about Reverend & The Makers “The Wrestler” here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/03/11/todays-track-reverend-and-the-makers-the-wrestler/ and Bowling For Soup’s “Alexa Bliss” here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/02/12/todays-track-bowling-for-soup-alexa-bliss/! I’ll be back tomorrow, with the final entry of our trilogy of wrestling-based posts! WWE WrestleMania 36 streams tonight and tomorrow on WWE Network!

Today’s Track: Cataldo – “Ding Dong Scrambled Eggs”

March 3, 2020 — Leave a comment

Fried, Poached, Boiled or Ding Dong Scrambled – It’s time for an egg-selent new post!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Literally Main Street” (Independently released in September 2019)

Whew! Another busy day for me, but that also means it’s time for relaxation and a bit of Cataldo will help with that! Hello, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing about your daily track on the blog, as it’s my day-to-day pleasure to do so! Cataldo is new to my ears, but he’s an indie folk singer-songwriter who’s had 6 albums worth of experience – as well as plenty of material that he wrote as part of a project where he wrote 20 songs in 24 hours, a writing experience he completed as part of a group of New York-based songwriters. Some of this material was included on his latest LP record, “Literally Main Street”, which he released independently in September 2019. Praised by KEXP as “a perfect example of master songwriting”, the recent album functions as a portrait of Cataldo’s personal life. Cataldo, whose real name is Eric Anderson, has been working with producer John Vanderslice on his new album, with the artwork being photographed by Rachel Demy. Let’s hear “Ding Dong Scrambled Eggs” below.

One of the main singles from his recent LP, the amusingly titled “Ding Dong Scrambled Eggs”, serves up a gentle and witty soft-rock commentary on the mundanity of work and going straight to a party afterwards, revelling in the pride that he’ll be making some “ding dong scrambled eggs in the morning”. Anderson croons: “I came here straight from work/With my work friends/Talking work talk, it’s the worst”, before he pokes comedic remarks at the characters around him at the party: “‘Cuz there was nothing wrong with Walter/He was an ok man and we had ok friends/Well he loved me like a father”, a line he smartly finishes off: “Well not my father/Let’s not take that any further”, as Anderson expresses a feeling of isolation and he teases a family dynamic with his colleague. The main hook goes: “I learned to fuck from a magazine/And to be honest, it’s been a short parth from that/To here dancing to The Edge Of Seventeen”, as a twinkling piano chord adds a light charm to the mostly wry proceedings. There’s a little bit of The Fall’s Mark E. Smith sprinkled in here, and the track reminds me of Swedish songwriter Jens Lekman due to Anderson’s wry vocal delivery and introverted style of storytelling. He talks about his social life: “There’s that guy who wears only sandals… I guess his face isn’t so bad though”, over the layers of a mild horn arrangement and a mid-tempo drumming signature, which is established from the very offset of the monologue. Most of the instrumentation is acoustic, as an ambient guitar strum creates a melodic hook. I don’t feel the sound of the track is massively experimental, but Anderson seems to have a knack for well-informed songwriting which takes the listener on a journey. It’s as solid as a fully shaped omelette. He knows what he is doing and he is doing it well.

  • Pictured: Cataldo in a photoshoot for his own Facebook page (August 2019) (Photo Credit: Kendall Rock)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow with an in-depth look at a new track from a Brighton 4-piece pop/rock group, who are signed to Warner Music Group UK, who have been influenced by the likes of Weezer, The Beach Boys and Ultimate Painting and they have ended up working with U2’s producer Joylon Thomas on their 2018 self-titled debut record! If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when each new post is up and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime

Today’s Track: Greg Dulli – “Pantomima”

February 15, 2020 — Leave a comment

Believe it or not, I used to act in a lot of Pantomines! Those days are behind me now…

  • Pictured: Greg Dulli performing with The Afghan Whigs in the Current studio (2014) (Photo Credit: Leah Garaas)

That was a joke, although I did take GCSE Drama and I also took part in my school’s drama production of James and The Giant Peach, so there is a little nugget of truth to that claim! Jacob Braybrooke here, as usual, writing about your daily track on the blog. This is a song which I recently heard on John Kenndy’s X-Posure evening show on Radio X. “Pantomima” (not to be confused by the similarly named low-rate form of comedy stage acting) is written and performed by Greg Dulli, who you may remember as the frontman of The Afghan Whigs and The Twilight Singers, which started as a spin-off project of the former. Dulli plays most of the instruments on his new solo album “Random Desire”, which is set for release on February 21st via the Royal Cream/BMG labels. There is an official music video, but it’s 6 minutes long and the actual track doesn’t start until halfway through, so for the sake of making this article easier for you to read, I’ve attached the audio edit below, running up to 3:25, instead.

A soft-rock/lo-fi track that has a vocal switch between a Falsetto and a wail, Greg Dulli’s “Pantomina” opens with a strong electric guitar riff and a hand-clapped jive, before Dulli sings: “Desolated/Come and get it/Broken hearted/I don’t regret it”, tapping along to a pop-driven guitar lick and and a tense, if controlled, sense of internal drama. Dulli continues to deliver a high-octane summertime breeze with: “Follow scent/I’m alone/Pull the trigger/Now your mind is blown” and touches on themes of physical disguise and the images we see on social media: “How revealing is the feeling/But there’s more than meets the eye/And it’s easy come and easy go/You’re waving me goodbye”, before Dulli releases the upbeat tension with a burst of stabbing bass guitar chords and settled keyboard notes, as the track draws to a close. Over and done with in the space of just over 3 minutes, “Pantomima” does sound radio-friendly and it feels quite accessible to a casual audience. Although it’s been produced with electronic instruments, it does have a distinguished acoustic style to it, as the production work is fairly minimalist and it sounds inspired by Bob Dylan at first glance. As for how it makes me feel, I think it’s solid and well-structured, although it whizzes by at a fairly forgettable pace. It sounds commercial to a certain extent, but I feel that Dulli’s vocals are nicely varied and I’m curious to hear what direction he takes the subtle lo-fi style in the new album. Indie rock, with a pinch of indie pop. It doesn’t stand out too distinctively, but I think it’s perfectly listenable and the lyrics are left open to interpretation. It’s not Gaz Coombes, but it’s decent enough.

  • Pictured: Greg Dulli in a live interview with Kennedy for iHeart Radio at the Lollapalooza Music Festival (2012)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as usual, with a new weekly installment of my Scuzz Sundays series, where I’ll be revisiting one of the late 90’s-mid 00’s emo/punk/pop-rock demons of my nostalgic childhood past! If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when each new post is up and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Today’s Track: The Innocence Mission – “On Your Side”

January 16, 2020 — Leave a comment

In my case, I’m always on your side by being always on my laptop writing these analytical music posts on the blog every day! It’s finally time for your daily blog post!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “See You Tomorrow” (Available on January 17th, 2020)

Good afternoon to you! Jacob Braybrooke is here with your daily musing on the blog! It’s a lovely piece of artwork you can see above here, which is the album cover art for “See You Tomorrow”, the new LP record from American indie folk band The Innocence Mission, which is helmed by Karen Peris and her husband Don Peris, with lifelong friend Mike Bitts as the Bass guitarist. I’ve only recently discovered this band and I played the song “On Your Side” on my radio show this week. The forthcoming album is actually the band’s eleventh full-length release, with the band having been producing music since their self-titled debut record was released just over 30 years ago – in 1989! The new album, “See You Tomorrow” comes out tomorrow, January 17th, coincidentally. This is the band’s second album release on the Bella Union indie music label. Why not take a look at the wonderfully hand-painted music video below?

A beautifally produced video to match a single equally as stunning, “On Your Side” is a rather lo-fi and sentimental slow-dance jive with a lust for shoegaze and dream-pop. Karen croons: “Some days we are not sure where we’re going/how we will arrive” and “Some days we don’t know where we have gone…But I’m always on your side” over a synth-glazed composition of simple bass guitar lines and an orchestral string-based arrangement. Karen continues to sing about dealing with the grief which comes from the loss of family and how those who have passed on remain alive in our hearts: “In my dream/I would be Paris with my mum/In cafe’s she would sip coffee/she would be smiling on”, before Karen lyrically expresses her ways of holding her chin up and never looking back: “Going on, Going on for a very long time”. The sound of the track is tantalizingly light and complements the soft and introspective lyricism very well. The acoustic-based guitar sounds and Karen’s angelic vocals make the writing very impactful, while the backdrop has a light and ethereal mood. This makes the lyrics feel discernibly powerful, while the quiet and classical sound creates a delicate fragility which emotionally manages to drive the overall package forward. Overall, this is a lovely track which highlights the beauty often found within the bleak.

  • Pictured: Karen Peris (Vocals/Guitar), Don Peris (Guitar) and Mike Bitts (Bass Guitar) (NPR Tiny Desk Concert 2018)

Thank you for reading this post! Tomorrow, I’ll be taking an in-depth look at another new track – this time from an English electronic dance trio – who were a regular collaborator alongside Maribou State for their latest record, “Kingdoms In Colour”, released in September 2018! 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: Eels – “Christmas Is Going To The Dogs”

December 12, 2019 — Leave a comment

Bah Humbug, as Scrooge or The Eels would say! It’s time for your election day post!

  • Pictured: Official Promotional Poster for “How The Grinch Stole Christmas” (2000) (Film)

Before I start, I just want to encourage you to head out into the cold weather to your nearest polling station to vote in today’s General Election if you are reading this in the UK! I’m not interested in telling you who to vote for, nor am I interested in debating who you’re going to vote for, but the important thing is that you have a say and make your voice heard! You still have three hours, at time of publishing, to do so and it couldn’t be any more important to vote this time around! It is SO important! Anyways, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing about “Christmas Is Going To The Dogs” by The Eels today, a 2000 alternative-folk record that adds a festive twist to the bleak lyricism that we’ve come to expect from the talent of this very influential band!

A single that was used in the 2000 Jim Carrey Christmas classic “How The Grinch Stole Christmas”, “Christmas Is Going To The Dogs” is an obscure alternative rock track written from the point of view of a… dog? Yes, it’s a perfect fit for Max in the film! It starts off with sleigh bells and church bells ringing, as well as a folktronica guitar groove, before Mark Everett sets the scene with the lead vocals: “Get off your sled and go to bed/Don’t you ever tire?/Throw a bone I’m finally home/Curled up by the fire/Snow is falling from the sky”, before the canine twist becomes more prominent when he leads the chorus: “Well Christmas is going to the dogs/We’d rather have chew toys than yule logs/And things aren’t looking very good it’s true/So I’ll just lay here and chew”, with a down tempo pitch that creates a sarcastic comment on the over commercialisation of this time of year, suggesting that it should, literally, go to the dogs who are not being celebrated very much at Christmas. The sound creates a warmer atmosphere, with a melodic Banjo arrangement and an embossed folk sensibility which guides the rhythmic composition along. The track almost asks the question of: “Are you having a holly, jolly Christmas?” with a resounding no for an answer, despite the key strengths of the track being the comedic effect created by the combined elements of folk-rock and acoustic-rock which adds a serious dynamic to the sound pulling the track together. Overall, it’s funny and it’s something a little bit different – but it is, first and foremost, a piece of art which reminds us that Christmas is not the nicest time in the world for absolutely everyone out there. This is a track that deserves to be given some love this Christmas!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Useless Trinkets – B-Sides, Soundtracks, Rarities and Unreleased (1996-2006)” (2008) (Compilation LP Release)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as usual, to complete this week’s hat trick of unknown festive anthems, with an in-depth look at a seasonal track by a band from Texas who are known for their West African sound, which is created by matching portions of world influences with Dub, Neo-Soul and Psychedelic Jazz! 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: Angel Olsen – “All Mirrors”

September 19, 2019 — Leave a comment

After being named as the “Best New Track” by Pitchfork, I felt very inclined to explore the new single from Angel Olsen, an American singer-songwriter based in Asheville, North Carolina. “All Mirrors” is the new dark and anthemic single from Olsen, which is the lead single from her forthcoming fourth LP release of the same title. This is a track which we’ve placed on the A-list of the student radio station I’m part of, as we feel that it has a very exciting and interesting sound, which is very appealing to young people. It’s a little bit alternative, but it’s fresh and very cool, which is the main thing!

“All Mirrors” starts off with a very somber tone, with the track only using a little slice of electronic instrumentation at any time. There are a light bed of synths, but Olsen’s focus is almost entirely on the emphasis on her voice and the orchestral style of the piano chords and violin arrangements on the track. Olsen croons: “See you standin’, a million moments landin’/On your smile, buried alive, I could have/Die to stay there, never have to leave there” in poetic fashion as she expresses her vulnerability of reflecting on drama in her past. In the halfway point of the track, Olsen’s production gets beefed up with a sweeping chorus of “Standing, facin’, all mirrors are erasin’/Losin’ beauty, at least at times it knew me” as the track draws influence from the synthpop genre with a set of dramatically composed guitar parts and synth melodies. The sound of the chorus resembles Olsen rising out of the ashes like a phoenix, as she reflects on the woman she’s become on a hopeful note of improving her optimism in the future. It’s a bit of an underdog story, but it’s told in a way which is effective in mirroring (pun intended) extremism and feminism in the post-modern society of the modern world. I like each of the different layers in the track, which merge together in the end to tell a solid narrative of transformation and changing of imagery, with an acoustic production that feels deceptively complex and stark in comparison to the typical formula of mainstream pop chart music. I’m excited to hear the full album as I feel Olsen has more down her sleeves to offer music nerds like me!

  • Pictured: Angel Olsen in a recording session for WFUV.com in 2016!
  • Pictured: Angel Olsen performing a show at the Union chapel in London (2018)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow with a look at a track from an American hip-hop artist who used to be a member of Jurassic-5. It’s a collaboration with an Amercian DJ who is also the producer and manager of Instant Vibes Records. If you 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/