Jazz

Way Back Wednesdays: Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five – ‘Friendship’

June 9, 2021 — Leave a comment

Keep your friends close and keep your close friends closer to you. Let’s go Way Back!

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Disc D: 1947-1949) (Released on July 18, 2006) (via JSP Records)

Good Morning to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for you to read your daily track on the blog, since it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! When writing about the sounds of the past that have influenced those of the present for ‘Way Back Wednesdays’, Louis Jordan and his 6-piece accompaniment Tympany Five certainly qualify for such an equation. An inductee of the Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall Of Fame, Louis Jordan was an Arkansas-based Saxophonist who was a seminal figure in the development of R&B and Rock ‘N’ Roll in the 1940’s and 50’s. His witty lyrics, his interactive stage presence and the jolting, engaging rhythms of his music aided him to become one of the first African-American artists to enjoy a crossover popularity with the predominantly White audience of his time. It’s tricky to pinpoint exactly when and where today’s recording, ‘Friendship’, was issued for release in it’s first form. You can hear it on the 1984 Vinyl re-issue of ‘Louis Jordan & Friends’, a double single release in 1952 as the b-side to ‘You’re Much Too Fat’, a 2006 reissue of ‘Disc D; 1947-1949’ on streaming platforms and CD, or, like me, as a part of the ‘Mafia 2’ video game soundtrack of 2010. Either way, give it a spin.

Louis Jordan took on the honorific nickname of ‘The King Of The Jukebox’ due to his exposure in the media, and he went on to continually refine his qualities in duetting with most of the other stalwarts of the time, such as Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, and, although comprehensive sales figures are not available, trajectories suggest that he shifted up to four million-selling units of his singles during the Swing era of his heyday. ‘Friendship’ was one of his many leading recordings during his career, before we sadly lost him due to a heart attack in Los Angeles in 1975. It was most famous for it’s refrain of ‘You ain’t friend of mine’ that he delivers at the end of the track. The talkative, near-duetting backing vocals from his Tympany Five feel very conversational, with the vocals being delivered in a Spoken Word section where Louis arguably never sings. He talks about the trials and tribulations of friendships, and how people used to treat each other during his time, using a character called Zeke as a muse for this. Anecdotes like “And what about that night I came home and caught lipstick on your face” and “But when she feeds you chicken and steak, and gives me Irish stew/You’s a little lizard in the bushes, that’s what you are” as his band members react to the little stories that have fractured Jordan’s connection with Zeke. It soon becomes clear that Zeke was just using Jordan as a way to get to his wife, an implication of cheating and abusing of trust. Sequences like “And even when we went on our Honeymoon/The bellboy told me you rented the very next room/I know you’re my friend, but I didn’t want to see you that soon” make this narrative clear, before the famous closing section of “Do you call that friendship?/You ain’t no friend of mine” closes things off. However, the bitter resentment in Jordan’s voice and the confrontational style of songwriting also makes him look like a ‘lost boy’ in some aspects, an angry character that has a certain viewpoint that takes us along the narrative. It’s possible to consider that his wife wasn’t happy with him, or Zeke was getting payback for a past activity, and so Jordan’s feelings may consume him. Therefore, there’s a lot of complexity underneath the hood, which Jordan carries along in his stride as his Tympany Five quibble in the background. The instrumentation is obviously dated, with a light Alto Saxophone melody and a classical Piano riff being the only real elements in play to really speak of. Limited technology aside, it’s tremendous to remember what Jordan has achieved in his time and through the tools that he had in his disposal. The gentle embrace of an old friend.

  • Pictured: Louis Jordan (Lead Vocals/Saxophone), Courtney Williams (Trumpet), Lem Johnson (Tenor Sax), Clarence Johnson (Piano), Charlie Drayton (Bass Guitar/Occasional Backing Vocals) and Walter Martin (Drums/Percussion) in New York City between 1946 and 1948 (Photo by William P. Gottilieb)

That’s all for now! Please feel free to join me again tomorrow, as we go down the route of Country and Folk with an in-depth look at an emerging female solo artist who was born in Texas and is now based in Brooklyn, and has inked a new deal with Columbia Records. She recently collaborated with Lord Huron on ‘I Lied’ from their new album ‘Long Lost’, and she tells The Guardian that she has started making her own sculptures of little alien people in her bathroom… If that’s what floats your boat. 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: Lou Hayter – “Telephone”

May 29, 2021 — Leave a comment

I’ll be working in a Call Centre if my MA degree fails. That’s my calling. New post time!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Private Sunshine” (LP) (Released on May 18, 2021) (via Skint Records)

Good Morning to you! It’s Jacob Braybrooke here, as always, with your daily track on the blog. Don’t forget that it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! It’s been a long time coming, but yesterday saw the release of the first full-length solo record from Lou Hayter. I loved ‘My Baby Just Cares For Me’ on the blog last November, and the London house scene figurehead has been building up to the release of her retro-futurist Pop delight ‘Private Sunshine’ with a steady stream of singles up to this point. Hayter’s not a newcomer to the business, and she’s already built up an imposing list of credits to her profile. These include her time as the keyboardist of New Young Pony Club, and her time collaborating with Jean Benoit-Dunckel from Air on the experimental Dance-Punk project Tomorrow’s World, which led to their self-titled debut album in 2013. One of her most notable single offerings was ‘Telephone’, a slinky 80’s-esque Synth-Funk jam that fits together with the slow burn promotion of Hayter’s latest LP. Let’s take a ‘Telephone’ call below.

“I started making Pop tunes in a hip-hop kind of way by sampling and looping, and then it opened up a whole new world of making music for me”, Hayter said on the ‘Telephone’ single in it’s respective press notes, before she added, “Telephone is one of the first ones I made like this. I love the vibe it has, it’s a nice laid-back summery tune. The Sax solo was the cherry on top”, to expand on it’s development and post-production. The vocals come in quickly after the repetitious guitar hook, with Hayter crooning: “If it was right, you wouldn’t have to think twice/I know it’s hard but you were just my type/When there were two hearts in this house but one broke” over the top of retro, late-70’s Funky bass guitar licks and strutting Drums which get a slowly bumping bassline moving along. Lines like “Remember when you used to hold me tight/It doesn’t matter if the sun shines bright/’Cause there are raindrops falling on my head without you” that are delivered more poetically. The bridge of “Now, I’m walking in the rain without you” continues to peel back the layers, as Hayter’s lyrical themes of lamenting some missed opportunities to kick-start a relationship come to the forefront of the soundscape. Speaking of the soundscape, it’s decorated with intriguing samples of telephone blips and sultry rhythms of distorting Synths that weave in and out of the fray, while a more involved chorus places the focus on the glossy production choices of Hayter’s vocals. She delivers these lines with a charming and flashy delivery, before it’s all rounded off by the bustling Saxophone solo that adds an unexpected Jazz element to the sound. There’s not any real emphasis on modernity here, and although the well-produced vocals don’t quite feel dynamic enough to entirely hit deep in emotional heft, the sashaying rhythms of the Funky instrumentation and the unexpected Jazz touches cut it. A well-inspired affair that reminded me strongly of La Roux, with a 00’s House feel that reminds me of some of the music that I used to hear around me, and in the charts, when growing up. It’s a sexy, summery and sentimental Pop sound with enough creative flair to hit the mark.

  • Pictured: Lou Hayter DJ-ing with Henri at a BAFTA-Netflix party (2016) (Photo courtesy of Twitter.com)

There was your ‘Pure Pop’ moment of the weekend here on the blog. If that isn’t enough for you, however, then you can still ‘Pop’ along to my other Lou Hayter-featured post on the site to discover what ‘My Baby Just Cares For Me’ has to offer. Check it out here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/11/17/todays-track-lou-hayter-my-baby-just-cares-for-me/

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “My Baby Just Cares For Me” (Single) (Released on August 25, 2020) (via Loaded Records)

That’s all for today. ‘Scuzz Sundays’ is on track for tomorrow morning, as per usual, as we turn our attention back to the very cheesy Pop-Punk throwbacks from the late-1990’s through to the mid-2000’s, that will most definitely take you back to THAT phase of your Emo teenhood. This week’s pick comes from one of the scene’s final big acts that we have yet to cover on the site so far. It comes from an American Heavy Metal band from Los Angeles, who, other than the guitarist Dino Cazares, no longer have any of the original members as a part of their line-up. The track is a cover of Gary Numan’s original, with the cult UK music icon pulling a guest appearance on the reworking. 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 Year’s Day Special: Cee Lo Green & The Muppets – “All I Need Is Love”

January 1, 2021 — Leave a comment

To have any dislike for The Muppets would be a big crime to Kermit. Happy New Year!

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Cee Lo’s Magic Moment” (LP) (Released on October 29, 2012) (via WB Records)

Let’s add in an extra HOOTENANNNNNY!!!!! Good Morning to you, it is the first day of January, and I’ll tell you what, this is the best that I have felt all year… I’m Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for me to get writing up about your special New Year’s Day post on the blog – because it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! If you know me, I’m not really one to celebrate Novelty tracks or commercial tie-in’s here on the blog – but I would be lying if I said that I didn’t have a soft spot for The Muppets, the most famous TV creation of Jim Henson… or, rather depressingly, Disney’s The Muppets now. Nevertheless, here’s an odd little Festive track that was released around this time of Christmas and New Year’s a whopping eight years ago now. “All I Need Is Love” is the handiwork of Cee Lo Green, a pop culture icon and coach of The Voice in the US, who is also known for being one half of the Southwestern Alternative Hip-Hop duo Gnarls Barkley, who had an enormously huge international chart hit with “Crazy” back in 2006. In 2012, it seemed that Sufjan Stevens wasn’t the only artist to be overjoyed with the thought of the festive season. “Cee Lo’s Magic Moment” was a full-length Christmas album which came from Green in October 2012, and the album managed to sell a total of 181,000 copies in the US at the time. Interestingly enough, it was also Green’s first album release not to feature one of those Parental Advisory stickers that you used to get on physical records – on a CD. Without further ado, let’s watch Green perform the track with The Muppets below.

Come to think of it… That last fact may suprise you, but it turns out that if you search for the “Explicit” version of Cee Lo Green’s international chart hit, “Forget You”, on the internet, then you will get what’s recognizably a completely different meaning to the old track. Nevertheless, The Muppets collaboration of “All I Need Is Love” is still a perfectly safe tune for the little ones to tune into today. As you can tell – and as you would have likely predicted – the style of the track borrows heavily from the “Mah Nà Mah Nà” theme tune which The Muppets have popularized over the years. Not many people probably know, however, that according to my research, it was borrowed from Piero Umiliani, an Italian composer of film scores. The Muppets get in on the action with a comedic sample of the old theme, and a selection mini-narratives in the music video. Green’s voice isn’t bad at all, and he soulfully croons the likes of “Watches, car, the agent sent me/A sixty inch in every room/But all I wanna see is you” and “Santa don’t know what to get me, I just want to see my baby” along to the beat of The Muppets giving him interruptions and an upbeat, soaring set of Brass-based arrangements. The second verse sees Green perform duelling vocals with Miss Piggy and pals, before we get to the hook-led chorus where the gang come together for a cheerful, festive sing-a-long, on top of a Motown style of Jazz instrumentation. Sleigh bell melodies and little guitar licks evoke a happy, jovial feeling. I feel the use of The Muppets adds a good bit of character to the track, although the mash-up also lends to some very uneven cohesion, and I think the tune struggles to really flow together in some areas of the track. Yet, it’s an engaging mix of mismatch pudding and the assembling of the weird, gibberish voices just adds a sense of quirk and humor that would have made it a bit flat and forgettable otherwise, and it simply wouldn’t be as much fun without the bizzare collaboration of The Muppets being involved. Overall, I can’t deny that it’s a bit of a train-wreck and it’s probably more suited to Christmas than New Year’s to my error, but I still think it’s superbly good fun and entertaining to listen to. If The Muppets are getting some work, what’s not to like? All I’ve left to do is wish you a Happy New Year – and thank you so much for supporting me throughout the year. Here’s to an excellent 2021 – and let’s try our best to give this virus the boot!

  • Pictured: Cee Lo Green at the premiere of Marriage Boot Camp (2020) (via Jemal Countess/Getty)

Thank you for ringing in the New Year with me on the blog today. As with every day, duty will continue across the new year, and that starts off tomorrow with our first regular post of the New Year. This single was a collaboration between a Japanese electronic dance producer who has a love affair with Funk, Latin and Jazz – and a Barbadian-born singer-songwriter who is now based in Los Angeles, and she was mentored by Patrice Rushen. 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: Michelle Lally – “Rascal You”

June 10, 2020 — Leave a comment

Her ex-lover is such a Rascal, but she’s not a Dizzee Rascal! It’s time for your new post!

  • Pictured: Michelle Lally performing in Salt Restaurant and Bar, Salthill (in 2017) (via artist’s Facebook page)

Good Morning! I am Jacob Braybrooke and, as like always, I’m here to write about your daily track on the blog because it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! A reader has got in touch, David Lyons, with a request for me to have a look at Michelle Lally, who is a Jazz singer born in Limerick, Ireland. Don’t forget that all reader requests are very welcome, just read the details at the bottom of the post to find out how you can get in touch! Back on-topic, there is a lot of information about Michelle Lally on the internet and she is quite an interesting lady. She was a member of Irish Folk band De Dannon, as well as working with big names of Irish Jazz and Folk like Jimmy MacCarthy and John Spillane on “If This Be Love”, her debut solo record, which was released in 2008. On top of this, she has performed at The White House in Washington, D.C. on two separate occasions for George Bush and Barack Obama, respectively. Her latest record is “A Moment In Time”, which she self-released in April 2019. I have also been informed by Lyons that six of the tracks from “A Moment In Time” have been play-listed for RTE Radio 1 by RTE, which is Ireland’s lead national broadcaster. Have a listen to “Rascal You” below.

Gosh, that sounds very upper-class, right? “Rascal You” definitely has a very old-school and brass-based sound which can quite easily transport you right back to a 1960’s Las Vegas setting. Michelle Lally hints at a lost eroticism and a sad end to a long romance on the opening verse: “You filled my head with dreams and now my eyes are weeping/You left me behind, with just a broken heart to cling to”, before a bridge towards the chorus takes a more direct address viewpoint as she questions the faithfulness of the ex-lover: “Don’t it make you wonder? What kisses in the moonlight can do?”, before a chorus refrain: “You should have let me be/You Rascal, you”, paves the way for subtle Brass melodies, before Lally begins to ponder the possibilities of what could have been: “You took my hand and said/I’d be yours forever/and nothing in this world can ever change a thing between us two”, before the next section becomes, lyrically, a little bit more pessimistic: “Too late for the notice/You took my love to run it right through/You never wanted me, you Rascal, you” before a swing-laden conclusion built up of a gentle Saxophone solo, with well-spaced horn melodies between, and a daydream atmosphere created by the slow-paced, but satisfyingly sweet and soothed, structure. I would usually prefer Jazz of a more contemporary and youthful sound, as a massive fan of The Comet Is Coming and Kate Tempest, but I’ve enjoyed the relaxing sound and cinematic narrative on “Rascal You” as you’d be forgiven for thinking she’s a Hollywood hotel singer straight from a 1950’s gangster flick instead of a contemporary Irish artist. The instrumentation is subtle, but it feels bright, with a light mid-tempo drum melody that sounds like a Cuica running throughout the track, pulling a soft influence from the Tropicalia genre. It’s a sublime slice of calming old-school Jazz, with a good cinematic sense of songwriting which feels light and reflective, but there is a memorable sense of sad contemplation.

  • Pictured: Concert poster for “A Moment In Time” Dublin launch (Hampton Hotel in Donnybrook) (June 8, 2019)

Thank you for reading this post! As a reminder, at One Track At A Time, we endorse the #BlackLivesMatter movement. Please go and check your local area for good charity causes that help those directly affected by racism and injustice. I’ll be back tomorrow with a look at another Jazz track, this time created by a trio based in Manchester, who are named after a well-known arctic bird animal, who blend influences of Techno, Trip Hop and Ambient Synth-Wave with their traditional Jazz String instrumentation to compose a modern sound that has declared them to be “The Radiohead of British Jazz”, according to their own biography on Spotify. 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/

Boxing Day Special: Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans – “The Bells Of St. Mary’s”

December 26, 2019 — Leave a comment

Put down the Turkey sandwiches, finish cleaning up the crumbs from the Christmas dinner table and eat up the leftover cakes, it’s time for a special Boxing Day blog post!

  • Pictured: Bobby Sheen “Bob B. Soxx” (Vocals), Darlene Love (Backing Vocals) and Fanita James (Backing Vocals)

A vintage track that jumped out to me during my radio show planning like The Polar Express skids on ice – “The Bells Of St. Mary’s” by Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans, an early 1960’s vocal trio comprised of Bobby Sheen, Fanita James and Darlene Love, is a vocal version of a traditional 1917 classic that was originally written by A. Emmett Adams after seeing St. Mary’s Church in Southampton. The lyrics actually have no direct correlation with the festive season, but the track has since been considered a more traditional Christmas song due to being used in a scene of a Christmas Pageant in a 1945 Bing Crosby film with the same title, as well as being used in a scene for “Monty Python’s Flying Circus”. The Drifters also performed a cover for the 1990 film, “Goodfellas”. Later cover versions include a 1965 version by Andy Williams and a 2008 version by Sheryl Crow. In fact, you could probably say that it’s a Hollywood treasure!

“The Bells Of St. Mary’s” by Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans is a winter warmer of a vintage track, which is destined to get you in the festive feeling for this celebratory time of year. A lesser-known christmas song, it’s filled up, like a Stocking on Christmas Eve night, with solid and feel-good male harmonies and an orchestral arrangement of strings and backing vocals behind it. Sheen pours out the joy and love with: “The young loves, the true loves/That come from the sea/And so my beloved when red leaves are falling” before he proclaims: “Love bells shall ring out/For you and me”, aided by James and Love, in a call-and-response manner. It has a very traditional feeling to it, as the bells ring in the background of the track and the percussive instruments shake with the roll of a sleigh sound. The track was later released in 1963 on Phil Spector’s “A Christmas Gift For You” compilation of festive carols and it fits right in with all of the seasonal hymns we usually sing year-on-year. The album in question was a huge favourite of Glasvegas Frontman James Allen, who said in an interview for NME, “I used to listen to it every day, even in summer. I think my neighbours thought I was mental”. It’s a bit of an old one and it might come off a bit fuddy-duddy for some listeners, but it’s a timeless tune that is deserving of some more love than it usually gets for Christmas and I don’t think that Allen’s mental at all.

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for Phil Spector’s “A Christmas Gift For You” compilation album (1963)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as usual, with a look at a track from a UK-based Bassist and Producer who found success as part of progressive rock bands King Crimson and Emerson, Lake & Palmer! It’s a festive track, which reached #2 in the UK Singles Charts, so it isn’t quite time for you to start looking into the new year ahead just yet!  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: Bakar – “Hell N’ Back”

November 9, 2019 — Leave a comment

Life can sometimes feel like a big trip to Hell N’ Back, so here’s a post to cheer you up!

  • Pictured: Still image from the “Hell N’ Back” music video (2019)

Bakar is a hip-hop songwriter from Camden, who likes to describe his own music as: “schizophrenic”. This is because he incorporates a multitude of different elements of genres into his music to create his own unique sound, be it funk or soul, jazz or trip-hop, garage or alternative rock, drawing on his influences like Gorillaz, James Blake, Aaliyah and Foals, to create a very exciting and inviting mix of effervescent genre-hopping monikers to his own stock. In a recent interview with Complex, Bakar explained his sound with: “If people saw me and presumed the kind of music I make, 90% of them would say rap or hip-hop. I could be on every single playlist on Spotify and feel at home there.”, growing his confidence and finding his feet as a new artist who wants to shapeshift like a Chameleon and shatter preconceptions people may have of him. “Hell N’ Back” is his latest single. It was released by Black Butter Limited.

“Hell N’ Back” is taken from his latest EP release, “Will You Be My Yellow”, which was released on September 13th, 2019. The track opens with a whistling vocal tune, which builds up to a delayed trumpet solo which sounds ripe for a lazy stoner tune that sounds easy like Sunday morning! As Bakar’s vocals kick in: “Could you tell where my head was at when you found me?/Me and you went to hell and back just to find peace”, before he proceeds to tell an upbeat story of finding peace with a close friend or lover with: “I mixed a lot of love with a lot of drugs, then I found you/She liked petty crimes, she had green eyes like Mountain Dew”, with the track evoking feelings of an early 00’s jazz record from Curtis Mayfield or Leon Bridges, although it’s also ripe with hip-hop elements due to a spoken word chorus which interlinks the different contextual themes together: “Could you tell where my head was at when you found me?/Me and you went to hell and back just to find peace/Man, I thought I had everything, I was lonely/Now you’re my everything, I was lonely”, with a slight chill pop vibe being added to make the production work on the track sound cleaner and a little bit more polished than his earlier tracks like “Big Dreams” and “Chill”. The track definitely has a vintage and old-school tinge of soul to it, due to the jazz percussion, such as the horns, which is paired with the pop-ballad style of writing. Overall, it’s a solid track that reminds me of vintage classics, while pushing Bakar forwards into his future as an artist and each of the different elements flow together pretty cohesively.

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Will You Be My Yellow?” (EP) (2019)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow with another weekly installment of my Scuzz Sundays, late 90’s to 00’s punk anthems, blog posts, which will take you on a trip down memory lane and back to the history of the Scuzz TV channel! 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: Sunset Gun – “Be Thankful For What You’ve Got”

November 7, 2019 — Leave a comment

That is a great motto for us all to live by! Good evening, it’s time for your new musing!

  • Pictured: Vinyl Artwork for “Be Thankful For What You’ve Got” (1984)

Sunset Gun were an indie pop/jazz group comprised of two sisters: Louise and Deirdre Rutowski, as well as Ross Campbell, who worked as a producer and a percussionist with the two sisters. It was later expanded to include a backing group, which was comprised of Jim Williams (lead guitar), Graham Brierton (bass guitar) and Gordon Wilson (drums). They released a couple of singles and an album for CBS Records in 1984, before becoming one of the first acts to sign with 4AD, an indie record label which is still strong to this day, with acts such as The National, Beirut and Future Islands signed up. “Be Thankful For What You’ve Got” is a track from 1984.

“Be Thankful For What You’ve Got” is a consistent staple of the lost 80’s time capsule list on my student radio station. In itself, it’s a poppier cover version of the track of the same name, originally written and composed by William DeVaughn from 1974, which is exactly a decade before the “Sunset Gun” cover version was released. This version of the track has a more electronic style, which is different to the grounded jazz and funk roots of the original. Louise and Deirdre open the track with: “Though you may not drive a great big Cadillac/Gangsta whitewalls/TV antennas in the back” over a bed of 80’s synth-guitar lines and an undeniable loyalty of funk, with the chorus hook of: “Diamond in the back, sunroof top/Diggin’ the scene/with a gangsta lean” adding a more choral arrangement, with the core message being delivered over a layer of soul-like keyboard chords: “But remember brothers and sisters/You can still stand tall/Just be thankful for what you got”, which has a fun and infectious groove to it. The lyrical themes of the track are a social comment on the materialism of greed and how having everything you may want isn’t what you actually need. I think the instrumentation is basic and simple to a point, but the vocals are gorgeous and it’s the unique take on the original’s soul influences that gives this a step in it’s own right!

  • Pictured: Louise Rutowski (Vocals), Ross Campbell (Percussion) and Deirdre Rutowski (Vocals)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow with a track from a very niche experimental rock group who currently have a YouTube channel with only 72 subscribers! Yes, that’s right! 7-2! 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: Jurassic 5 – “What’s Golden”

October 10, 2019 — Leave a comment

Jurassic 5 may be What’s Golden! You know what else is: A blanket and a warm mug of cocoa! I hope you’re having a lovely week, it’s time for your Thursday blog post!

  • Pictured: Cover Art For “Power In Numbers” (2002)

I thought it would spice things up a little bit to have a look at an old gem from the wide discography of Jurassic 5, an alternative hip hop group from Los Angeles, California that were very well-acclaimed in the 1990’s and early 00’s, although they have actually been producing records until 2006, which isn’t terribly far ago, where the band split up, citing creative difficulties in the group, until they re-formed on-stage in 2014, later releasing a new single, “Customèr Service”, in 2016. An interesting fact about the group is how their material was reportedly burnt, along with a load of other records from the Universal Music group of labels, in 2008! “What’s Golden” is a track from their third LP record, “Power In Numbers”, which was released in 2003. It’s a more electronically composed endeavour than their second LP, 2000’s “Quality Control”, but it literally picks up from where that record left off, as the first track on the third album, “This Is”, opening with the exact same guitar riff and a sample from “Swing Set”, the final track on the previous album, “Quality Control”. “What’s Golden” was built from samples of a track by Public Enemy, “Prophets Of Rage” and, Clive Hick’s track, “Look Hear”. Needless to say, the LP record is highly sample-oriented and it has become one of the group’s most influential and iconic works to date!

“What’s Golden” has a very immediate start, as it quickly establishes a fast rhythm with the sound of a crowd chanting and a huge bass drop. The underlayer is a subtle jazz melody aided by the Clive Hicks sample and the lyrics of the chorus have an old-school vibe: “”We’re not ballin’ or shot callin’/ We take it back to the day of yes y’allin'”, which makes it feel a bit too much like a product of it’s time, but the uptempo production on the track does a good job of not over-exploiting the themes of nostalgia. The use of the brass instrumentation, such as the saxophone cords and the electronic bleeps borrowed from the Public Enemy sample create a vibrating beat that really swells around your ears and creates an atmosphere that is weirdly calming. The chorus is crowd-pleasing and soothing, but a few funky guitar lines would have beefed up the experience a little bit more. Overall, it’s a strong track that really showcases the clever sampling tactics and the variation of styles that have made the group very loved and respected by their fans over the years. It feels like the most obvious choice for a lead single and it’s difficult for me to say that I have much of an emotional attachment to it, as it does not transcend it’s time very much, but it’s still a fun, funky blast and it’s a classic from its genre!

  • Pictured: Jurassic 5 – Charli 2na, Akil, Marc 7, Zaakir, DJ Nu-Mark, Cut Chemist (Vocalists)

As a side note, Charli 2na recently started a new superhero-themed project with DJ Krafty Kuts, which I have also quite recently covered on the blog! You can read my thoughts on “Guard The Fort” here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2019/09/20/todays-track-charli-2na-krafty-kuts-guard-the-fort/

  • Pictured: Still from the “What’s Golden” video

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as usual, with a look at another track from Metronomy’s new electro pop LP, “Metronomy Forever”, which was released on September 13th by the Because Music label! If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Today’s Track: The Comet Is Coming – “Lifeforce (Part II)”

September 28, 2019 — 1 Comment

Welcome to the blog! I hope that your Saturday, like this group, is out of this world…

  • Pictured: Shabaka Hutchings (Saxophone), Dan Leavers (Keyboard, Synths) and Max Hallett (Drummer)

The Comet Is Coming are a new Jazz band from London who I’ve grown increasingly fond over in the last few months since the release of their first full-length LP, “Trust In The Lifeforce Of The Deep Mystery” in March, via the Impulse Records label. They consist of King Shabaka on the Saxophone, Danalogue on the Keyboard/Synths and Betamax on the drums. Their sound is incredibly exciting and they have the power of inspiring the youth to get down with the Brass Instruments with their wonderful synth melodies and the breathtaking (literally) performance from Shabaka on the Saxophone. It is a shame they haven’t seemed to really take off on BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra, but at the same time, my friend has convinced me they are a little too good for that and a little bit too clever for the brainwashed masses. I’ve heard the live performances are absolutely glorious and I’m in love with their take on the Jazz genre, infusing it with a burst of fresh air and new life as a result of their fast-paced Saxophone pieces and the elements of psychedelia which elevate the overall space theme to another frontier entirely. The Comet Is Coming are a true gift to their planet.

Over the weekend (at time of writing), The Comet Is Coming released “The Afterlife”, a 6-track EP which acts as a companion piece of the full-length LP. It’s a similar sound to their LP, but it sounds more infused with reggae and ska elements this time around. “Lifeforce (Part II)” is the promotional single, a track which, like an expansion pack to a computer game or dessert after a main course on a meal out, doesn’t stray very far from the sound of the LP, but it still expands on the original output in a few meaningful ways. I think the synth background creates somewhat of an ethereal and atmospheric sci-fi landscape, which becomes a good vehicle for the gorgeously paced drum melodies to really sink into the psyche of the listener. Shabaka is fantastic, as usual, on the Saxophone as he enthralled me with the high-octane pacing of the Saxophone and he manages to transport you to another dimension (pun intended) with a single click of a key on his Saxophone. However, it’s the queieter moments which also have the power to shine, a key reason why the band are so unique and very good at what they’re doing. If the LP wasn’t really your style, it likely won’t convert you very much as a newbie. On the other hand, if you’re a massive fan of the band and you really catch their drift, you’re going to absolutely love how the percussion, both organic and electronic, mesh together to create a shape-shifting, winding sci-fi beat. It’s a good teaser of more to come from a highly underrated band.

  • Pictured: Cover Art For “The Afterlife” EP (2019)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow with the latest of my “Scuzz Sundays” series of themed posts! If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every new daily post is up and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Today’s Track: Ian Dury & The Blockheads – “Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick”

September 11, 2019 — Leave a comment

Hit me with your rhythm stick, then hit me up with a like and a follow on the blog! It’s time to look at a timeless classic in your Wednesday post!

A #1 hit in the UK Singles Chart for Ian Dury & The Blockheads in January 1979, “Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick” is a tune that has endured in many music lovers hearts for many decades since it’s original release in November 1978. Dury rose to a big height of fame and prominence in the roots of the Punk and New Wave genres in the 1970’s, which influences his vocals and experimentation on this track. There are loads of stories behind the composition of this track, as Dury reportedly jammed most of the sound in recording studios with Chaz Jankel, a frequent collaborator and his co-writer, in the town of Rolvenden, Kent. It’s also been reported that Dury wrote all of the lyrics for the song three years earlier, but he waited for the track to maximise it’s quality before he recorded and released it. A lot of work was put into the composition of this track, which is very reflective of the sublime quality of the final track.

The funky Jazz influences, the delicously comical pop basslines and the use of French words that poetically blend with the mix of quirky English lyrics ensure this is a stone-cold classic of the pop genre. The track is also very notable for the cultural significance which it held back in the day, as it injected a colourful burst of energy and aural sunshine into a time where the public were troubled by the collapse of UK trade unions, the aftermath of political events and severe weather impacts. It’s a very unique track which has a very surreal, cerebral style. The groovy nature of the saxophones and the uplifting mood created by the eclectic hooks and the fun melodies. It’s unorthodox, yet it struck a huge chord with the general public because it was so refreshing and it has a proper good sense of fun. This must have been an inescapable tune at the time, but I would not have had it any other way if I was around at the time. I’m proud that I can appreciate this classic banger without feeling any bad irony at all because it doesn’t hit ever me slowly, it always hits me quick!

  • Pictured: Vinyl Cover Art For “Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick” (1978, Stiff Records)

Thanks for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow with an in-depth look at a new track from a French Electro Swing group who became a viral hit with a music video for a single that has gained over 218 million views on YouTube. If you really liked what you just read, please follow the blog to get notified when every daily new post is up and like the Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/