Countdown To Christmas 2021: The Lathums – ‘Krampus’

December 15, 2021 — Leave a comment

Pictured: The Lathums in a still image taken from the ‘I’ll Get By’ music video (2021) (Photo by James Slater)

Good Morning to you! You’re reading the words of Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time that you make sure to reach Santa’s nice list this year so you don’t anger the mean streak of our titular villain, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! The title of ‘Krampus’ does not sound like very cheerful inspiration for a festive track at first glance, given that it was named after the ancient folklore of a Satanic version of Santa Claus who leaves children with lumps of Coal (or even worse, in some stories) on Christmas Eve night. However, it is an alternative addition to the Christmas canon that has been tackled by Wigan native indie rock band The Lathums, who earned a shout on the blog just two months ago ahead of the release of their debut album, ‘How Beautiful Life Can Be’, which went straight to the top of the UK Albums Chart in September, and it is currently amongst the likes of LadBaby, Elton John & Ed Sheeran and George Ezra in the running to become the 70th Christmas #1 entry on the UK Singles Chart. Since meeting at The Music College in their local district of Pemberton, The Lathums have signed up to Island Records and recently finished a run of UK dates including The Lemon Tree in Aberdeen. They have also been selected as Radio X’s ‘Record Of The Week’ with ‘Krampus’, giving them national mainstream airplay in the UK. American audiences can find out what they’ve missed when the band play at South By Southwest Festival in Texas next March. Let’s listen before we get caught in the claws of ‘Krampus’ below.

Talking about writing the horror-themed Christmas track in the blistering heat during summer 2020, the frontman Alex Moore said, “It was about halfway through the first lockdown when Johnny played the bass line in rehearsals and I thought it sounded like a Christmas song”, explaining, “Scott and I had been round at his house watching the ‘Inside No. 9’ christmas special, which is where I found out about the horror of Krampus. If we were to do a Christmas song, I wanted to do it with that dark side”, to the press. The band have been an unexpected hit with mainstream audiences this year, and so ‘Krampus’ feels like their final ‘Thank You’ to all of the fans who have supported the 4-piece through the period of breakthrough while also adding another feather or two to their cap. Beginning with a jaunting guitar line with a Brit-Pop vibe that reminds me of Supergrass and The Charlatans, the band sour the sherry trifle of Santa with lyrics like “No one can hear my call/Consuming all the voices” and “You’d better not cheat and you’d better not cry/and you’d better not lie, I’m telling you why/Santa ain’t coming this year” as they establish the tone as a track written from the perspective of the mythological character that ruins the season. Later lyrics like “Cause we live in Wigan where the carolers will be singing/And they’re sheltered by the rain” switches this viewpoint for something more sentimental and uplifting. Meanwhile, there’s a Baroque influence in how Moore performs his own backing vocals that reminded me of Panic! At The Disco, a comparison also made clear by the fast and rhythmic poetry of the lead vocals in most areas. Lyrics like “Your Christmas will be cancelled anyway/You might as well enjoy your time today” take small jabs at how Covid-19 has impacted the season too. As a complete package, it feels like The Lathums have got into the spirit of the season enough despite the faintly dark atmosphere of the subject matter, with some quick skiffle beats and some Jangle-Pop influences where the Acoustic guitars feel heightened and the drums were speedily produced. For me, It didn’t really capture the horror-centric essence of the ‘Krampus’ character as such, but it is pulled together by some neat guitar riffs and the nimble creativity of Moore’s quick and quintessentially British vocals and, lyrically, this is competent. I actually felt as though I enjoyed it more than some of the band’s more standard material because it stood apart from other popular UK indie acts more with the wordplay vocals and the old-school 60’s instrumentals. While associated with the darker side of Christmas, ‘Krampus’ is a fun and fast alternative to the light-hearted and commercial Christmas fare that we’re more used to that could be filed alongside ‘Sleigh Ride’ or ‘White Christmas’ with no trouble on UK radio. I just hope I won’t be hiding under the sofa from Krampus after pressing play on it, as to summon his wrath.

Pictured: Alex Moore (Lead Vocals/Chief Songwriter), Scott Concepcion (Multi-Instrumentalist), Johnny Cunliffe (Bass Guitar/Backing Vocals) and Ryan Durrans (Drums/Percussion) (2021) (Photo Credit: XSNoise.com)

If you liked reading about ‘Krampus’, here’s another track on the blog by The Lathums to tide you over by: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2021/09/09/todays-track-the-lathums-ill-get-by/

Pictured: Cover Art for ‘How Beautiful Life Can Be’ (LP) (Available from September 24, 2021) (via Island Records)

That’s all for today! I hope that you receive a nice card and not a lump of coal from Krampus this year, and I’ll be back tomorrow to squeeze in another ‘Countdown To Christmas’ post before the moment has gone. My next pick was a great recent discovery, as the song comes from a multi-talented musician who is also a film and TV actress. You may have seen her in the role of Snakebite Andi in the recent ‘Doctor Sleep’ adaptation based on the book by Stephen King. She’s also appeared in Hulu’s ‘Future Man’ and ‘The Babysitter’ duology of films found on Netflix – as well as acting in the recent reboot of HBO’s ‘Gossip Girl’. She has two sisters who are also actresses.

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Countdown To Christmas 2021: Norah Jones – ‘A Holiday With You’

November 17, 2021 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Cover Art for ‘I Dream Of Christmas’ (Released on October 15, 2021) (via Blue Note Records)

Good Morning to you! I’m Jacob Braybrooke, and I’m asking you to allow me to be the elf on your musical shelf for yet another festive 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! As I was researching new Christmas music for exposure on the blog, I was prioritizing in finding something original to show you, rather than going for cover versions. The wish has been partially met by the Manhattan-born Jazz vocalist, songwriter and pianist Norah Jones, who has seemingly got into the seasonal spirit pretty early this year, as she released her new holiday album, ‘I Dream Of Christmas’, in October via the iconic Jazz label Blue Note Records. I was also suprised that I hadn’t previously heard of Norah Jones, who has won nine Grammy Awards and she was named as Billboard’s top Jazz artist of the 2000’s in 2013. She has sold over 50 million albums worldwide, and she made her feature film debut as an actress in 2007’s ‘My Blueberry Nights’, a film that was directed by Wong Kar-Wai. What is wrong with me, then? Anyhow, Jones is also the daughter of the Indian sitar legend Ravi Shankar and the concert producer Sue Jones, and so she is also technically a member of the rich Shankar heritage of musicians. She has yet to release a holiday album until this point, and the record features a mix of cover versions and original material. Renditions of ‘Winter Wonderland’ and The Chipmunks’ ‘Christmas Don’t Be Late’ are therefore joined by native festive tunes like the album’s opening single, ‘Christmas Calling (Jolly Jones)’ and prior single ‘Christmas Glow’. Another original ballad that meets your ears on Jones’ eighth LP is ‘A Holiday With You’ – which you can check out below.

Jones began to draft ideas for ‘I Dream Of Christmas’ together when she was listening to Christmas albums by Elvis Presley and James Brown last year, and Jones began writing her original material as soon as the period ended in January 2021, which she says gave her something fun to work on and look forwards to. She also says, “When I was trying to figure out which direction to take, the original songs started popping in my head. They were all about trying to find the joys of Christmas, catching that spark, that feeling of love and inclusion that I was longing for during the rest of the year” in her album’s description. Opening with a gentle Piano melody that changes chords, Jones uses expressive vocals like “Winter isn’t easy when you’re holding back the tears” and “Just you and I, a starry sky/And nothing else to do” to set the scene, giving the rhythm guitar melodies a languid feeling and then introducing some mellow Horn sections into the mix. Later lyrics, like “Would you be happy with a holiday in bed/With covers over head” and “Your heart is lost, inside a frost/I’ll give you mine instead” are veering more towards romantic and wistful, even occasionally flirtatious and ever so slightly sensual, suggestions. The chorus finds Jones continuing to express a deep desire for a sense of companionship in the season atop some muted percussion and chiming Piano chords, while the overall production is very stripped back and intimate, revealing some light emotions more alike to a perennial roasted Chestnut within the season instead of one that reveals upmost joy, necessarily. Overall, Jones does an excellent job of using her classical Jazz origins to immediately put her own Christmas stamp on this rare original recording, which feels a little subdued and restrained in comparison to your most typical Christmas songs. It feels warm yet bright, and it makes for a pleasant alternative to your usual festive playlists.

Pictured: Norah Jones performing at the Alte Oper Opera House (2012) (Photo Credit: Paolo Gianti)

That’s all for now! Thank you for snuggling up to the fire in tune to another festive track with me today, and I’ll be back tomorrow with an in-depth review of some exciting new music from a Brisbane-formed dorky group who explore the genres of Dance, Acid Pop and Indietronica in their music. They have performed at festivals including Splendour In The Grass Festival. They have also received nominations at the Queensland Music Awards, National Live Music Awards, J Awards and the AIR Awards.

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Way Back Wednesdays: Jimmy Cliff – ‘The Harder They Come’

November 3, 2021 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Jimmy Cliff in a PR shoot for a Rolling Stone interview feature (2021) (Photo via Vision Addict)

Good Afternoon to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, and you’ve come to the right place for a seminal selection of my weekly ‘Way Back Wednesday’ series of classic appraisals, because it’s always been my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Even the most casual audiences of music would have heard some material from Jamaican Ska and Rocksteady multi-instrumentalist, producer, actor and composer Jimmy Cliff before, since he composed iconic tracks like ‘Hakuna Matata’ and ‘Reggae Night’ that have been etched deeply into popular culture. Also known for hits like ‘You Can Get It If You Really Want’ and his cover version of Johnny Nash’s ‘I Can See Clearly Now’ that was used in Disney’s classic ‘Cool Runnings’ film about the first ever Bobsleigh team from Jamaica to enter the Olympic games, Cliff is a crucial component in popularizing genres such as Reggae and Alternative Soul across the world. One of five performers inducted into the ‘Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame’ in 2010, the St. James-born vocalist is the only living reggae musician to hold the Jamaican government’s Order Of Merit, the highest honour that can be granted for his services to performing arts and sciences. ‘The Harder They Come’, the soundtrack album and its titular lead single from the Perry Henzel-directed motion picture of the same name released in 1972, is widely considered to be one of Cliff’s greatest releases. The record peaked at #140 on the US Billboard 200, and, in 2021, the album was deemed to be “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant” by the Library Of Congress and so it has been selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry. Let’s remind ourselves of the iconic title track below.

Voted as the 73rd greatest album of all time by Entertainment Weekly’s editors in July 2013, the soundtrack was a true celebration of Reggae globalization with prominent guest spots from 60’s Jamaican Rocksteady icons like Desmond Dekker, The Maytals and The Melodians. Speaking of the hit title track, Jimmy Cliff recalled in an interview conducted for the Wall Street Journal in 2013, saying, “The lyrics came from my past. I grew up in the church and had always questioned what they were telling me. Like the promise of a Pie in the sky when you die”, elaborating, “I wanted the song to have a church feel and to reflect the environment I grew up in – the underdog fighting all kinds of trickery”, in the text. Like some other songs on the album, ‘The Harder They Come’ appears twice, paralleling both the movie’s core themes and the autobiographical essence of Cliff’s career. It’s placement during the middle of the album gives it an entirely different feel than when it appears as the uplifting, positive closer, and this works well as it is sandwiched between the nostalgic sweetness of The Maytals’ guest track and just prior to the more alarmed warnings of ‘Johnny Too Bad’ shortly afterwards. Following a simple story of a character who is proving his naysayers wrong and overcoming the odds stacked against him, Cliff recites motivational lyrics like “As sure as the sun will shine/I’m gonna get my sure now, what’s mine” and “Between the day you’re born and when you die/They never seem to hear your cry” and acknowledges realistic expectations in sequences like “I keep on fighting for the things I want/Though I know that when you’re dead you can’t” that bring his ambitions to earth at brief intervals. The second verse is a standout, and the vocals emphasize the power of religion and ignoring bad influence upon your personality from the people who doubt your potential. The track still manages to stand out nicely in this modern time by feeling relatively grounded yet still upbeat and cheerful, boasting some optimistic lyrics that don’t shy away from recognizing fault in setting unrealistic targets for yourself. There are a few shades of Calypso, Tropicalia and Belefonte in the Gospel-leaning sounds of the recording, where a collective sequence of backing vocals from a choir lends some assistance to the cinematic atmosphere of the single’s filmic roots. The percussion has some smooth, breezily flowing instrumentation and the inherent excitement of the key Soulful harmonies gets a positive message across. In conclusion, ‘The Harder They Come’ is a down-to-earth, but nonetheless still interesting, Reggae classic that still works well in the present day. The odd Organ chords and the gently quickening Reggae beats are great at supporting Cliff’s optimistic lyrics about his life, but the bleaker moments never feel glossed or sugar-coated over too much. A solid, universal Ska crossover hit.

That brings us to the end of yet another daily post on the blog! Thank you for your support, and I’ll be back tomorrow to review a relaxing, new and entirely Ambient Electronica project from an English-born experimental electronic music producer who has contributed to albums for Brian Eno and Coldplay in his career so far, and he has appeared twice on the blog in different capacities before. His new album, ‘Music For Psychedelic Therapy’, shall finally be releasing on Domino Records next weekend.

Pictured: Cover Art for ‘The Harder They Come’ (OST) (Released on July 7th, 1972) (via Island Records)

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Today’s Track: The Lathums – “I’ll Get By”

September 9, 2021 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Alex Moore (Lead Vocals/Songwriter), Scott Concepcion (Multi-Instrumentalist), Johnny Cunliffe (Bass Guitar/Backing Vocals) and Ryan Durrans (Drums) (2021) (Photo Credit: XSNoise.com)

Good Morning to you! You are reading the typeface of Jacob Braybrooke, and the time has finally come for me to get typing up for today’s daily track on the blog, because it is always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Led by multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Alex Moore, The Lathums are a 4-piece indie Pop/Rock band from Wigan who have supported Blossoms on tour in Europe, and they have been gaining a hefty share of steam in recent years of their very own, crowding out Wigan’s local market with their fans at a weekend signing. This band seem to be true local celebrities of their area because they helped to save Wigan’s football club by giving their fans a chance to win a one-off ‘Holy Grail’ vinyl with a competition that raised £4,000 for their home’s team. Gearing up to release their debut studio album, ‘How Beautiful Life Can Be’, on September 24th through the Universal-owned Island Records label, The Lathums have been gaining national radio airplay from Radio X, with the title track from the album being a former ‘Record Of The Week’ on the commercial station, and The Lathums have appeared on The Chris Moyles Breakfast Show for a performance and interview. They have also landed a C-list spot on BBC Radio 6 Music’s daytime playlist with ‘I’ll Get By’. Give it a spin below.

The Lathums enlisted the help of Baby Queen and Inhaler collaborator James Slater to direct the video for ‘I’ll Get By’, who explained in a press statement: “I wanted the video to be a celebration of the different passions and personalities in the area where the band are from. A journey through a magical North”, as he comments on the colorful cast of characters that appear in the video, which includes some Alpacas, a vaudeville wrestler and an Elvis impersonator, among others in the celebratory video for embracing cultural diversity. The smile-wide optimism of the visuals feel like a neat combination when paired to the joyful lyrics and earnest vocals from Moore, who happily croons cheerful lyrics like “The road is long, But I’ve got you and you’ve got me/We belong anywhere we roam” and “You are the one thing I believe/That will save me from the pain” to the sound of a chugging rhythm section that introduces some warm Desert Rock-esque guitar riffs and some Folk-oriented Drums to the mix as we harken back to the Jangle-Pop of the mid-60’s. It feels fit for a summery outdoors music festival, with a rhythmic refrain of “Maybe you’re the sculpture or you’re the statue / maybe you’re a king or maybe you’re my queen or maybe you are something in between” rounding us off with a clean, acoustic finale. The meaning of ‘Indie’ feels far from undisputed and well-defined in the modern day and age, as I’ve complained about on the blog in the past, and so, since The Lathums are signed to a major label, I personally would not consider them to truly be an Indie band. I can still see the label angling for a chart hit here, which doesn’t quite sit that well with me, due to the pop-influenced style and the high level of accessibility, however, I did still find this mix of soothing Magic Numbers-esque Sunshine Pop revival and 90’s Brit-Pop archetypes to make for a pleasant listen overall. There’s nothing that feels particularly memorable nor terrible here, but it’s a nicely crafted tune where the band don’t use any auto-tuning effects and simply rely on their natural likability and their clear influences to maintain your interest, and that part of the equation pays off well. The calm melodies and the sweet instrumentation says nothing of the unrest that clouds many young adult artists’ music, and makes for a refreshing change because it talks about finding peace through safety and conciliation instead, and that felt like a breath of fresh air. On the whole, this was a nice little Pop jangler that rolled along at an engaging speed and it did something different to some of their contemporary peers. A nice reminder to be kind to yourself made from the use of the band’s fairly mature musical direction.

Pictured: Cover Art for ‘How Beautiful Life Can Be’ (Available from Sept. 24th, 2021) (via Island Records)

That brings us to the end of the page for another day, and thank you, as always, for reaching the bottom of the post with me. It’s ‘New Album Release Fridays’ tomorrow, and we’ll be catching up with a fairly familiar face from the blog as they launch their debut full-length album on Ninja Tune. She is a South Korea-born and Melbourne-based DJ whose EP, ‘How Can I?’, appeared on my year-end best Albums list from 2020. The new record features guest spots from Take A Daytrip, Clams Casino and Nosaj Thing, and she’s gained further support from stations like SiriusXMU and KCRW.

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Way Back Wednesdays: The Free Design – “Kites Are Fun”

September 1, 2021 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Cover Art for ‘Kites Are Fun’ (LP) (Released in 1967) (via Light In The Attic Records)

Good Morning to you! You are reading the words of Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for us to enjoy an in-depth revisit of a pre-00’s sound of the past that has become very influential for the present for ‘Way Back Wednesdays’, which is in-keeping with my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of new music every day! Having caught an old episode of Cherry Red Radio on a whim two or three weeks ago, I quickly learned about The Free Design, an early 60’s to mid 70’s family pop group who were formed in Delevan, New York and went on to become huge influences for the likes of The Beach Boys, Beck, Stereolab and Belle & Sebastian, despite receiving relatively little attention during their earlier stages of their career. Comprised of three of four Dedrick siblings, this “harmony group” – of many from the time – speedily recorded a two song demo and subsequently found a home with the independent easy listening record label Project 3, a platform that allowed more creative freedom for them than most competitors. The band dabbled in Neo-Psychedelia, Jangle-Pop, Sunshine Pop and soft Funk, but failed to land a hit because their label suffered from their low resources to promote their artists very aggressively. Almost four decades later, however, Light In The Attic Records had re-issued most of the quintet’s back catalog of albums and singles, revealing a band that were unfairly slept on to a new generation of new-found fans. 1967’s ‘Kites Are Fun’ was cited as a huge influence for Japanese percussionist Cornelius, and the title track was the only real single release from it, having reached #33 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Charts in the US, thus becoming their only single to chart. Unveil the mysteries of ‘Kites Are Fun’ below.

Indie acts such as The High Llamas and Pizzicato Five have all cited The Free Design’s music as influences for their own for their happy-go-lucky brand of late-60’s Baroque Pop and pastoral Soft-Folk, and the critics have always seemed to be in agreement with this level of praise, and the title cut of 1967’s ‘Kites Are Fun’ earned single status on Billboard’s ‘Bubbling Under The Top 100’ and ‘Top 40 Easy Listening’ surveys in the US. The sounds on the title track are so 60’s that you might want a pair of sunglasses and a convertible Cadillac to complement your easy listening experience. It is a lovely mix of sophisticated Pop music and chilled Folk melodies, however, with the hushed croon delivering lyrics like “We’d like to be a zillion miles away from everyone/’Cause Mum and Dad and Uncle Bill don’t realize Kites Are Fun” as they celebrate child-like innocence with the gentle thump of a Tambourine and a whimsical Horn section carrying us to a peaceful chorus. The lyrical themes follow the typical embrace of peace and love that strangely didn’t resonate with the ‘Hipster’ crowd of the time due to its lack of commercial success, but the band deliver plenty of high notes when the intimate lyrics such as “See my kite, it’s green and white” that use gentle rhyming schemes to emphasize the nostalgic atmosphere of the cheerful sounds. It’s not massively upbeat however, and what strikes me most about their choice of instrumentation is how they emphasize sophisticated chords that are more often associated with Chamber Folk or Classical Jazz music to blur the lines between psychedelic pop, folk music and lounge Jazz in a way that gives them an individual edge over their peer groups of the time. This renders ‘Kites Are Fun’ as a lovely listen throughout, where a subtle sense of melancholy and a strong pushing of Sunshine Pop boundaries make for a mix of late-60’s and early 70’s music that was not quite done by another band in the same way since their time. Lyrics like “But we like each other more than anything” have a somewhat comic effect, while the orchestral instrumentation, especially the Flute sounds that all get peppered throughout the choral melodies, slot the track into a relaxed Easy Listening vibe that feels emotive enough, but expands the vocabulary of the writing. Just like Kites – this is a lot of fun!

Pictured: Chris Dedrick (Lead Vocals/Acoustic Guitar), Bruce Dedrick (Lead Guitar), Ellen Dedrick (Tambourine), Stefanie Dedrick (Percussion) & Sandy Dedrick (Drums) (1967) (Photo by TVTropes.org)

That brings us to the end of the page for another day! Thank you for ringing in the new month with me, and it is my birthday tomorrow, but I look forward to finding some time to talk about some new music regardless. Tomorrow’s pick comes from an American Bedroom Pop singer-songwriter who began making music at the age of 13 and he grew up in Moraga, California situated in the San Francisco Bay area. He’s become prolific in a short span of time, and IQ says that his music is “genre-bending”.

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Way Back Wednesdays: Book Of Love – “Book Of Love”

August 25, 2021 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Susan Ottaviano (Lead Vocals/Chief Songwriter), Ted Ottaviano (Keyboards/Sampling/Programming/Piano/Melodica/Tubular Bells/Occasional Lead Vocals), Lauren Johnson (Synths) and Jade Lee (Percussion) (1985) (Photo via PostPunkMonk.com)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, and this is ‘Way Back Wednesdays’ – the part of the week where we take a good, hard look at the sounds of the past that have become influential to the present, and that fits in with my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Book Of Love were a Synthpop band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who were releasing their own innocent brand of New Wave and sultry Dream-Pop during the height of those genres’ popularity in the 1980’s, and they were later based in New York. Comprised of lead vocalist Susan Ottaviano, keyboardist Ted Ottaviano (bizarrely – of no biological relation to Susan), Synths programmer and other keyboardist Lauren Johnson, and percussionist Jade Lee. The quartet gained exposure in the 80’s as the support act for Depeche Mode on tour in 1985 and 1986, and the band have been praised by the Houston Press as “forward thinking” for lyrics dealing with gender politics and sexual orientation. Book Of Love released four reasonable successful albums before the band decided to move on with their solo projects in 1994, but they scored a massive club hit with ‘Boy Pop’ in 1993, a track that reached the top five of the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play Chart. Their self-titled debut album, released in 1986, was a huge hit with the critics. Four singles were released from the LP, including the title track named after the band, and each of them gained a place on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play and the Hot Dance Singles Sales charts in the US. Let’s give their signature title track a spin below.

The band seemingly didn’t want to become a parody of themselves, and I can understand their decision of gradually getting out of the game when the fangs of the 1990’s bit deep into the neck of sweetness through synthesizers. There was simply limited demand for dreamers in a musical landscape that was dominated by Hip-Hop, Grunge and Dance music, and their final album – 1993’s ‘Lovebubble’ – sold poorly and had little promotion to reflect this. However, most of the band’s members found new success with side projects like The Myrmidons. Book Of Love’s images were notably murky and low-lit, and this could potentially be down to cost-cutting production or simply a reality of printing graphics on their type of cardboard, but it still nicely reflects the slightly Gothic aesthetics that can be seen with an act like Book Of Love, a band who aimed to harness the energy of all the summers expired and the past of children playing freely in the playground for the nostalgic sound of singles like their self-titled signature cut. Built on some simple and strong melodies, ‘Book Of Love’ is a Hypnagogic Pop anthem that becomes more catchy with subsequent listens. Twinkling Keyboard melodies get the child-like atmosohere across, while lyrics like “Pages from my book of love” and “If you should ever happen to leave/I’ll add your book to my lovelorn library” feel poetic and gentle, delivered with a cheerful vocal pitch over the top of forlorn Drum jolts and soulful Synth sequences. The sprawling Horn section and the dreamy use of a Glockenspiel bring an aura of Shoegaze to the table in the later stages, adding some beautiful sounds to the track as it naturally draws to a close. The track’s verses remind me of The National, where strangely ebullient vocals match the slowed quality of the joyous instrumentation. Overall, ‘Book Of Love’ is rather of-its-time, but that time seems to have been an irrepressible one for the band. The band play with simplicity to perfection, and the honesty of their throwback feel to their songs is what puts them over effectively, not affectedly. A bookmark for an essence that could no longer quite be recaptured fully.

Pictured: Cover Art for ‘Book Of Love’ (Self-Titled LP) (Released on April 1st, 1986) (via Sire Records)

That’s all I’ve got lined up for you today, and thank you for reaching the end of the page with me! As I have already mentioned before, I will be taking a few days away from the blog to celebrate my sister’s wedding. Also, when it really is your day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day, it can sometimes feel like a lot of work, so I’m looking forward to resting and refueling. I will see you on Sunday!

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New Album Release Fridays: Villagers – “So Simpatico”

August 20, 2021 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Cover Art for “Fever Dreams” (LP) (Released on August 20th, 2021) (via Domino Recordings)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke and, as per usual, it’s time for me to get typing up on the blog 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! This is, of course, Friday – so that means a new crop of LP’s are available today via physical and streaming. New offerings from the likes of Lorde, Orla Gartland, Holy Holy, Jake Bugg, Angel Olsen and Deafheaven are making up a reasonably busy week for fresh music. The record that I’m looking forward to hearing, however, is ‘Fever Dreams’, the 5th studio album from Dublin’s indie folk favourites Villagers. I’m not very familiar with this quintet, at all, but I’m rather optimistic for it because of possibly the most old-fashioned reason of all – I really liked the singles, including the 7-minute epic ‘So Simpatico’, which BBC Radio 6 Music seems to have been hammering the life out of during the daytimes. The group will be playing in my nearest city, at The Junction in Cambridge, in October – and they have been known for winning the Choice Music prize in 2010, and scoring a pair of Mercury Prize nominations. ‘Fever Dreams’ was written and recorded over the space of two years, and it was mixed in the studio by David Wrench (The XX, FKA Twigs). The band’s leader, Conor O’Brien, says “I had an urge to write something that was as generous to the listener as it was to myself. Sometimes, the most delirious states can produce the most ecstatic, euphoric and escapist dreams” about the new record, which is performing well with critics. There’s currently an 84/100 score on Metacritic for this release. Check out the sampler below.

‘So Simpatico’ is “a song of devotion, whether to a person, the self, or the art of being” with a “struggle for authenticity is at its core”, according to O’Brien in his newest press release, and the sprawling Folk ballad comes accompanied by a visual narrative video which was directed by Rosie Barrett, which is matches the lush lyrics with a tale about a sad clown that learns to love himself again. A slow-burner with a story about rekindling a zest for life that has become mundane, ‘So Simpatico’ is a sumptuous combination of a Pop song about the essence of love, and a more cinematic affair which takes some Jazz-oriented cues from Kamasi Washington and Curtis Harding. The lyrics start softly, with a romantic set of sequences like “In the garden you’d lie/In the depths of my mind” that repeat throughout the tune with a dream-like nature. There’s some light percussion and organic strings added to the mix when the beat takes flight, with the use of a Glockenspiel and some floating Piano melodies giving the rich textures a deeper intimacy. The second half of the track uses an extended Saxophone solo and a more subdued mood to swell into an honest refrain from O’Brien, who sings, “The more I know” and “The more I care” as the airy sounds and the emotive instrumentation slows the pace down to a relaxing grind. The majority of the lyrics feel very blissful and light-hearted, designed to uplift the audience, but, to me, a few of the lyrical sequences feel a touch more sinister. There’s an eerie sense of discontent to O’Brien’s voice in the slower sections, but it helps to take his little character on more of a journey by the time that his track’s duration is up. A lovely track that never feels like it has dragged on, despite a long running time, ‘So Simpatico’ has some catchy lyrics and a fantastically emotive core that gives its, at times, “mushy”, songwriting some deeper substance. A blissful listen.

Pictured: Conor O’Brien (Lead Vocals), Tommy McLaughlin (Lead Guitar/Backing Vocals), Danny Snow (Bass Guitar), Cormac Curran (Keyboard) and James Byrne (Drums) (2013) (Photo by Mark Nixon)

If you enjoyed the calm style of ‘So Simpatico’, there’s a good chance that you might like the other lead single from the band’s new album, which you can revisit on the blog here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2021/06/03/todays-track-villagers-the-first-day/

Pictured: Villagers in promotional artwork for ‘Becoming A Jackal’ (2010) (Photo by Rich Gilligan)

That brings us to the very end of the page for another 24 hour period! Thank you for getting this far with me, and I’ll be back tomorrow to add a little bit of spice to your Saturday with an in-depth review of some sparkling new music from a rather high-profile name and a critically-acclaimed one at that. This Sydney-born female indie rock singer-songwriter burst onto the scene in 2015, earned a nomination for ‘Best International Female Artist’ at the BRIT Awards in 2016 and released a collaborative album with Kurt Vile in 2017. A new solo album follows this November via Mom + Pop.

Way Back Wednesdays: Neil Innes – “How Sweet To Be An Idiot”

August 18, 2021 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Cover Art for ‘How Sweet To Be An Idiot’ (LP) (Released in 1973) (via United Artists Records)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, and the time has come around again for us to revisit the sounds of the past that have become influential for the sounds of the present for ‘Way Back Wednesdays’, not forgetting that it’s always been my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Neil Innes was a Danbury-born musician, comedian and author who was born in 1974 and sadly passed away from a heart attack in 2019. During his time, however, he was famous for collaborating with Monty Python frequently, playing in the cult Beatles tribute act The Rutles, and he was a member of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, a collective of art school students, in the 1960’s. In his absence, many screen and stage stars like Mark Gatiss, Diane Morgan and John Cleese have all paid tribute to him gracefully and named him as a great influence on their careers. A famous work was ‘How Sweet To Be An Idiot’, a solo album that was released in 1973, and clearly became an incredibly significant influence for Oasis. It saw limited success back in the day, but a loyal cult audience developed over time for it, and it enjoyed a moment in the sun when Cherry Red Records re-issued the album on Vinyl shortly after he had passed away. Stewart Mason, when reviewing the record for AllMusic, described it as “split between tongue-in-cheek parody and straight pop songs”. It is also very important to note that the ‘Expanded DigiPack’ reissue includes two different versions of the seminal title track, with one featuring Innes playing with just his voice and a Piano, and the other having an orchestral arrangement to it. Check out the first – and best known – version below.

‘How Sweet To Be An Idiot’ was successful enough for a release in the US, which was handled by United Artists in 1980, and the LP was re-titled as ‘Neil Innes A-Go-Go’ for that overseas re-issue. Innes spoke of this time, “United Artists had been very kind to me. In my own way, I wanted to repay them – by making a bunch of silly singles at a time when the music industry still seemed to have a sense of humour. Wrong again”, in his own particularly satirical manner. ‘How Sweet To Be An Idiot’ takes the common true statement of ‘Ignorance Is Bliss’ to a literal extent, with surrealist lyrics like “Children laughing at my back, With no fear of attack, As much retaliation as a toy” that paint him as a ‘weirdo’ sort of figure, and he takes jabs at British human nature and London life with quirky shots like “I tiptoe down the street, I smile at everyone I meet” that also increases the tempo of the tuneful Piano melodies. The repeating hook of “How sweet to be an idiot/As harmless as a cloud” is as sharp as a knife, while rhyming ‘Pedant’ with ‘Dead Ant’, at one point, works better than it initially sounds on paper. The tone is mostly light-hearted and cheerful, but a slightly more serious side emerges when Innes recites the final line with a more melancholic, dream-like feel of reminiscence in his voice. He simply doesn’t need much instrumentation for the witty comedy to shine through, but the chord progression of the overall arrangement feels structured very nicely, as the minimalist guitar notes give the opening stages a more dull, plaintive feel and the more melodic drums, in the later stages, increases the intensity of the middle-eight section to a cohesive enough, yet more heightened, level. Overall, it’s a fantastic little piece that mixes The Beatles with Monty Python to a mastered level, and the lushly melodic instrumentation also makes sure that the arrangement is diverse enough to create a more emotive underlayer to play off the emphasis on Innes’ comedy. It feels comically meaningful indeed. A great little piece.

Pictured: Rutles’ musician Neil Innes (2015) (Photo via Jarrod Valliere/The San Diego Union-Tribune)

That’s all for now! Thank you very much for reaching the bottom of the page with me, and I’ll be back again tomorrow to do it all over again as we turn our heads to some of the off-the-radar recent music from recent months. My next pick is going to be a stand out for my mother because it is based on one of her favourite movie franchises. It comes to you from a Taiwanese-US electronic producer whose recordings have been released on several labels such as Peace Off, and he is the owner of Daly City Records.

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Way Back Wednesdays: Phyllis Dillon – “Don’t Stay Away”

August 4, 2021 — Leave a comment

Prepare for the warmer summer heat with a sweet soul from Jamaica. New post time!

Pictured: Cover Art for ‘One Life To Live’ (LP) (Released in 1972) (Reissued by Cherry Red Records)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, and, as we do every week, it’s time to go ‘Way Back’ to the sounds of the past which have been influential to those of the present, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music each day! An OD in Jamaica, Phyllis Dillon was one of the very few vocalists of the late-1960’s Jamaican Rocksteady scene to be female in an otherwise highly male-dominated genre. She recorded a very large number of singles for Duke Reid’s lucrative label, Treasure Isle, during the late-60’s to the mid-1970’s. At the time, the Jamaican music market was nearly entirely driven by recording tracks as standalone singles, and Dillon, like most others, was another vocalist who went for years before joining the album racks in the country. Although she only made a little impact outside of her home market, Dillon was well remembered for recording vintage tunes like 1966’s ‘Don’t Stay Away’, her lucrative first release, which was heralded by Jamaica Gleaner as “perhaps the finest female performance in Jamaican music” in 2014. The self-penned song featured Tommy Cook & The Supersonics as her backing band, and, in 2012, it was sampled by Kes for ‘Tuesday On The Rocks’. After moving to the US and living a double life, Dillon initially quit her recording career in 1978, but she would return to touring and recording in the 1990’s in territories like the UK and Germany, inspired by a rekindled interest in American Ska. ‘Don’t Stay Away’ from Dillon below.

Although she had returned to the recording studio with Lynn Tatt in 1998, she only remained active in creating new projects until an illness eventually took hold of her wellbeing, and, in 2004, she tragically passed away in New York due to her battles with cancer, but she was later awarded the ‘Order Of Distinction’ by the Jamaican government in 2009. Although you probably know exactly what we’re getting here from my descriptions alone, and you would be correct, this track was a pivotal moment in black female music for her domestic market because it was a huge hit in the country. It’s not tricky to see why, as it mostly conformed to the tropes of the Dub scene at the time, but her voice certainly gave her the skill to stand out from the pack, at the same time. The lyrics are a direct and object lesson in telling her lover that he would not keep his distance if he knew how much she loved him. It doesn’t feel as sentimental as most of the similar Reggae cuts of the time, but her upbeat delivery has a great sense of honesty, rather than jealousy or scorn. Her vocals are very clear and need no distortion trickery whatsoever to get the crystal clear sincerity and the general lyrical themes of the single along to the more casual types of listeners nicely enough. The instrumentation is varied enough to prickle your ears up and take good notice too, and I especially like the smoky solo that sounds like a Harmonica towards the home stretch because it feels on-point and distinctive for the time, marking one memorable moment for the otherwise Soul-oriented melodies. The backing band pull in a deceptively simple performance that complements her tone with good cohesion, and the embellishments of Brass and Strings throughout the track give the rhythms a detailed and concise soundscape for Dillon’s pure vocals to work with effectively. On the whole, there are no surprises here, but there doesn’t need to be. A simple master-class in writing and performing easy, steady Reggae music that appeals to everybody.

Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘This Is Trojan: Rocksteady’ (Compilation LP) (Released in April 2018)

Many thanks to you for not staying away from the blog today, and please feel free to join me again tomorrow as we shift our attention to the potentially seminal sounds of the present! This choice in question marks, surprisingly, the first appearance on the blog from a South Korean DJ who I am a little fond of already. Now based in Berlin, she has started up her own label, Gudu Records, in 2019, and she has toured across the planet, including a time where she had studied at the London College Of Fashion.

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Today’s Track: Trunky Juno – “Serial Killer Vibes”

July 29, 2021 — Leave a comment

Newcastle’s own “Lo-Fi Pop Noodler” bringing Silence To The Lambs. New post time!

Pictured: Cover Art for ‘Good Dog’ (EP) (Released on July 2nd, 2021) (via Young Poet Records)

Good Morning to you! It’s Jacob Braybrooke here, and it’s time for yet another daily track on the blog, seeing as it has always been my day-to-day pleasure to write up to you about a different piece of music every day! I’ve got something nice and perhaps a little more accessible than usual to share with you today. ‘Serial Killer Vibes’ is the latest single from the hot-on-the-scene Bedroom Pop singer-songwriter Trunky Juno from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. Juno describes himself as a “Lo-Fi Pop Noodler” with his stylistic influences ranging from MGMT and Mac DeMarco, to The Flaming Lips and Father John Misty. With a melting pot of DIY sounds, Juno says that his new EP, ‘Good Dog’, which is out now on Young Poet Records, features four quirky tracks, which cover a variety of oddball topics including controversial toppings for Pizza, Patrick Swayze references, and defunct TV game shows. He recorded the four tracks with Summer Heart (aka David Alexander), and, this November, he will be taking these home-crafted songs on the road in the UK with performances in all of the usual locations – including Bristol, Manchester and Brighton. ‘Serial Killer Vibes’ is not actually a modern update of Nick Cave’s ‘Murder Ballads’ from the mid-90s as the title may lead you on, it just tackles social anxiety and replicates those common feelings of “Meeting a fist bump with a handshake”, as the artist says. Let’s give it a spin below.

The ‘Lo-Fi Pop Noodler’ says: “Serial Killer Vibes is a track that haunted me for a long time because I knew there was a good song in there, but I just couldn’t figure out how to present it in a way that allowed anyone else to see it too”, and added, “It’s about perspective, living inside your own head, and trying your hardest not to be weird when you just are. It’s an ode to painfully awkward exchanges, which is going to become very relatable once we all start trying to interact with each other again”, to his press notes. Led by chopped-up Drum sequences and blissful Synth tones, Juno sings the likes of “You take my jacket ’cause I wanna be/Turning blue on New Year’s Eve” with a deeper voice for the chorus, and he interchanges this deadpan mood with catchier melodies for the chorus, singing the likes of “Just play it cool around your friends/You’ve dressed to impress/Now you’ve messed up your lines” to the tune of warm, digital Bass production and Vibrato Pedal effects that evoke a gentle Surf-Rock influence. There’s a ‘Slacker Rock’ and a ‘Stoner Rock’ quality to the overall package, with a clear influence from associated artists like Mac DeMarco and Chicano Batman in the ways that Juno plays with mild Psychedelic tones and light, jangled Sunshine Pop sounds. The guitar riffs have a hazy feel to them, while lyrics like “Music’s so boring I’d rather be/getting to know you personally” and “Freaking her out with your serial killer vibes” add a touch of humour and wit that maintains the refreshing hooks of the vocals. The post-bridge adds some low-key female backing vocals to the fray, while the guitar briefly goes into ‘Solo’ mode before the finale. It is a catchy tune that touches upon how we, as humans, have a ‘Serial killer’ tendency to achieve the dreams of others, and how this can make us feel superficial inside as we don’t show our true selves. It’s admittedly a track that grew on me with repeated listens, though, as opposed to something that grabbed me on a first whim, since I’ve heard the core sound being done elsewhere. That said, there’s nothing better than when a new track continues to warm up to you and there’s certainly nothing wrong with that, it’s just that since the four tracks on the new EP are all done with a similar style, you already know what you’re getting there. On the whole, a pleasant and breezy Alt-Pop track with a lot to say about human interaction and social nature, and it all comes across in a thoroughly entertaining way because the personality of the artist is kept in tow, and the chilled melodies suit a vibe unlike a Serial Killer with a knack for catchy melodies.

Pictured: Trunky Juno enjoying a pleasant Baguette for lunch on his Bandcamp page (2020) (via PR)

That brings us to the end of the page for today, and thank you for jumping down the rabbit’s hole with me again. I will be back tomorrow for ‘New Album Release Fridays’ as we unpack some of the weekend’s biggest album releases and we taste one. It’s quite uncommon for me to cover a ‘Mainstream Artist’ as such, but tomorrow’s highly anticipated new album release simply feels too big for me to ignore. Therefore, we’re going to sample the new record from the vocalist of the ‘No Time To Die’ theme track.

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