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New Album Release Fridays: Ambar Lucid – “Get Lost In The Music”

June 18, 2021 — Leave a comment

Witches can tell the time by looking across to their witch watch. Time for a new post!

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Get Lost In The Music” (LP) (Released on June 18, 2021) (via 300 Entertainment)

Good Morning to you! It’s Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s already time again for me to get typing up all about your 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! I know that we’ve made it to Friday and, this week, it seems the hot weather is keeping the bigger releases at bay a little. There’s still plenty to be enjoyed, however, including the 20th go-around from the incomparable 50 year-plus veteran Joan Armatrading. Radio 1 favourite BERWYN gets his shot at fame with his debut solo album, Deap Vally follow up on their recent ‘Digital Dream’ EP with their new ‘American Cockroach’ EP and BRIT Awards Rising Star winner Griff looks to get her foot in the door with…. er… ‘One Foot In Front Of The Other’. KEXP introduced me to Ambar Lucid, however, a Pop, Alternative and Indie R&B singer-songwriter based in the suburb of Little Ferry, New Jersey, who is releasing her second solo album, ‘Get Lost In The Music’, through 300 Entertainment today – which is June 18th. Lucid’s real name is Ambar Cruz, who was born to a Mexican father and a Dominican mother, and she was the subject of the ‘Llegaron Las Flores’ documentary that saw her reunite with her father and sister, who she had not been able to see since the age of 8 due to deportation, that was produced in 2019. Cruz’s new album explores radical self-love, conceptualized over her love for Michael Jackson in the 1980’s, with lyrics that are sung in both English and Spanish. This follows 2020’s ‘Garden Of Eden’. Let’s ‘Get Lost In The Music’ below.

The Latin Soul songstress has gained over 600k monthly followers on Spotify, and she told Vice, “A lot of people have their own insecurities and their own battles that they’re dealing with, and sometimes they project them onto other people, maybe not even on purpose” in an interview last year, adding, “It’s so important to define yourself, and to be true and honest to yourself. That is the only way I think we end up on the path that is most authentic to ourselves, and brings us the most happiness”, as she continues to don the Día de Muertos painted mask in her videos to reference her Latin heritage. The opening of ‘Get Lost In The Music’ wants to transport you fully into the 60’s Classical aesthetics with the muted horn and organ riff sample, before Lucid croons: “I got a visit from the Mushroom god/He said it’s time to say goodbye to your ego” to delve into the 60’s Psych-influences. She continues to sing about letting go of your own negativity and getting swept up into the sounds of music with lyrics like “Revival of beauty is insanity” and “What’s the point of living if you’re already dead/” in the chorus. The vocals are given a lot of clean production, with a disorienting mix of neo-soul and modern Psychedelia that gives her delivery a harsh, piercing effect. Meanwhile, the instrumentals continue to draw you in with vibrant guitar licks and a two-step drum beat that urgently kicks into gear and permeates a sense of darkness throughout the track. Moreover, the opening sequence dips in and out of the track, inviting the listener to explore nostalgia and imagination. These arrangements, overall, feel hypnotic and immersive. The main reason why I just don’t like a lot of ‘mainstream’ pop nowadays and dislike Ariana Grande or Camila Cabello is because their production makes them sound much the same, and the reliance on auto-tune distances me away from the artists for this reason, instead of getting me interested to learn more. In the case of Lucid, she’s bringing a Latin tinge and a vintage mystical element to things, and ‘Get Lost In The Music’ is shaping up to be the ‘Off The Wall’ for the younger generation. One thing I’d say is that I did find the vocal effects to be a little over-done, making her tone a little too robust and, in turn, a tad artificial. That said, I like that it’s just undeniably Pop and I feel that Lucid’s “Modern Urban Witch” costumes are rather interesting. I also like it’s message and how that connects with me as a lover of music, and this is kept simple but effective. On the whole, this is an entrancing mix of Pop that shows me that Lucid can be bothered, since a lot of effort clearly went into the visuals and the artwork too. A bewitching twist on modern Pop.

  • Pictured: Ambar Lucid in a press photoshoot for “Garden Of Lucid” (2019) (Photo via Complex.com)

That’s all for now! Have a Wicked Witch of a weekend! Make sure to reconvene with me right here again tomorrow, as we delve into one of the most popular new releases from one of Britain’s current biggest groups, who are building up to their next album release in August with a notable single that sees the Scottish Synth-Pop trio enlist the help of none other than Robert Smith, from The Cure, to add a fresh dimension to their existing formula. 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/

Way Back Wednesday: Neil Pye – “Hole In My Shoe”

June 16, 2021 — Leave a comment

All that I have left is the hole in my shoe which is letting in Water. Let’s go Way Back…

  • Pictured: Cover Art for ‘Neil’s Heavy Concept Album’ (LP) Released in 1984) (via WEA International)

Good Morning to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for us to get down to business with your daily track on the blog, as always, since it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! This week for ‘Way Back Wednesday’, we’re going to tear up the rule book of seminal sounds for a re-evaluation of ‘Hole In My Shoe’, a novelty comedy Pop track, sung by a sitcom character. This was suggested for the blog by one of my most loyal readers, my mother. ‘Hole In My Shoe’, released in 1984, followed in the footsteps of Benny Hill and Harry Enfield in being a foray into odd music for a British comedian, in this case being Nigel Planer, who is also famous for appearing in several West End musicals like Chicago, Wicked and Charlie & The Chocolate Factory. This practice is very much a thing of the past, as comedians nowadays tend to just appear on every single TV programme that you can think of, rather than trying to trouble the charts for a laugh. I’m looking at you, Rob Beckett – or Tom Allen for that matter. They are on EVERYTHING! I digress. Back on topic now, ‘Hole In My Shoe’ was performed by Planer in the character of Neil Pye from the hit BBC TV series, ‘The Young Ones’, which was popular in the 1980’s. In fact, it was the lead single from ‘Neil’s Heavy Concept Album’, which was, of course, taking the mickey out of high art progressive music and metal song structures. ‘Hole In My Shoe’ reached #2 on the UK Singles Chart, and it won the award for ‘Best Comedy Recording’ at the BRIT Awards in 1985, beating Alexei Sayle’s ‘Ullo John! Gotta New Motor?’. Let’s watch his performance on Top Of The Pops below.

Neil, one of the principal characters from ‘The Young Ones’, often sang a line from the track as a catchphrase, because it was actually a cover version of 1967’s ‘Hole In My Shoe’ by the Birmingham band Traffic, with the Spoken Word mid-section originally recited by Chris Blackwell’s stepdaughter, Francine Heimann, where she tells a surrealist story that has something to do with a giant Albatross – which was also a hit in the UK, Germany and Canada. For Nigel Planer, the tune, that was originally disliked by the other three members of Traffic for it’s deviation from their typical musical style, made for a brilliantly amusing addition to ‘Neil’s Heavy Concept Album’, which was a spoof parody of 70’s Prog-Rock Concept Albums in the sense that they started a trend of having “heavy concepts” attached to them, such as a narrative, yet Neil’s album did not, although that didn’t come from a lack of trying. Think of The Beatles ‘Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ from 1967 or The Rolling Stones ‘Their Satanic Majesty’s Request’ from 1967 too, and Neil’s effort is sat, rather intentionally uncomfortably, between those two. Neil’s ‘Hole In My Shoe’ unleashes the George Harrison-like Sitar sounds from the get-go, with the guitar grooves and the earthly Drum melodies giving everything a psychedelic and off-kilter feel. The lyrics of the verses are clear, with “I walked through a field/That just wasn’t real/With one hundred tin shoulders” and “I looked in the sky/Where an elephant’s eye/Was looking at me/From a bubblegum tree” trading fantastical elements for abstract comedy. The bridge of “I climbed on the back of a giant anchovy/And flew off through a gap in the clouds/To a land where music is playing” is interrupted with an “Except me” after a cheerful sentiment. Throughout the track, Planer plays his character with excellent timing, and Neil constantly brings us back to reality with his moaning quips like “Oh no, What a really heavy bummer” and goes through a literal ‘high’ with “Oh, what an amazingly beautiful vibe” to constantly toy around with the ideas of music and meaning. Was it good from a traditional standpoint? No, not really. The vocals are very flat, and the narrative makes no sense. Did it have me laughing for the whole way through? Yes, because it’s supposed to be pretty bad from a musical standpoint, and that’s part of the gag. Overall, it’s all hugely enjoyable. Listen to the lyrics, Paul Weller.

  • Pictured: Nigel Planer, an honorary Dr. Of Arts, Edinburgh Napier University (2011) (WikiCommons)

That’s all for now! Join me again tomorrow as we comb the cosmos for a cosmic track from a brand new Minnesota-based Art Pop singer-songwriter who got her inspiration for her debut studio album from the Golden Voyager record. She describes her craft as “Music In Search Of Other Worlds” in her biography. 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/

Scuzz Sundays: Linkin Park – “In The End”

June 13, 2021 — Leave a comment

It was just another walk in the park for Agoura Hill’s Metal youths. It’s Scuzz Sunday!

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Hybrid Theory” (LP) (Released on October 24th, 2020) (via Warner Bros Records)

Good Morning to you! It’s Jacob Braybrooke here – as always – for another entry in our ‘Scuzz Sundays’ catalogue, as we re-examine the output of our conduit for THAT phase of the late-1990’s through to the mid-2000’s, to see whether these heavy hits of yore still hold up to quality and value, not forgetting that it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! ‘In The End’ by California crossover staples Linkin Park is, if we are being honest, a basic choice for the feature. However, since we haven’t covered anything else close to it yet, here we are. Back in the day, Linkin Park’s music spanned a fusion of Rap-Rock and Nu-Metal before the band went much more mainstream, so to speak, with a sound that is really straight-up Pop music. A lot of their recent material isn’t exactly a creative endeavor, I’ll put it that way for you. There was a time, however, where, the controversy aside, Linkin Park were the ‘poster boys’ of the MTV Rock brand in the US, with significant exposure on the channels and selling their way to over 100 million albums worldwide. Kerrang named them ‘The Biggest Rock Band In The World Right Now’ in 2014, and the band are still working on new music to this day, despite a brief hiatus that began in 2017. ‘In The End’ was one of the main singles from 2000’s ‘Hybrid Theory’, which became certified as a rare Diamond by the RIAA. Just this year, it became the first-ever Nu-Metal classed track to surpass one billion streams on Spotify. Give it a whirl below.

The crown jewel of 2000’s ‘Hybrid Theory’, ‘In The End’ easily crossed over to the mainstream singles charts worldwide, reaching #2 on the US Billboard Hot 100, as a real sleeper hit, since it eventually reached the Top 40 two years following it’s release. It remains to be one of Linkin Park’s most recognisable tracks, despite a story which reports that the amusingly named lead vocalist Chester Bennington initially disliked ‘In The End’ and he didn’t want for it to make the cut of the track listing for ‘Hybrid Theory’, and so that would have been a mistake. A signature example of Linkin Park’s more popular and acclaimed sound, ‘In The End’ is known for it’s moody Piano riffs and it’s infusions of Rapcore elements, as Mike Shioda raps in the verses, before Bennington takes the lead for a melodramatic chorus. The lyrics are dealing with a break-up amongst Bennington’s constant struggle with drug abuse and the divorce of his two parents. Shioda’s Rap-Rock verses result in bars like “Time is a valuable thing/Watch it fly by as the pendulum swings” and “Watch it count down to the end of the day/The clock ticks life away” that combines the raw feel of Eminem with the hard-edged rock vibes of Evanescence. They come across as motivational, while the familiar chorus from Bennington is more bleak, depicting a conflict of emotions, chanting “I had to fall/To lose it all/But in the end/It doesn’t even matter” with a very heightened quality. The guitar riffs mix a wave of distortion with a catchy rhythm, and the glitched Drum shuffle which leads the verse adds some more depth. I feel this is a decent tune that is a victim of the ‘overexposure system’, so to speak, where it has been over-played to death to such a silly point now, and it’s difficult to invest in too emotionally. I quite like the moody aesthetics and the electronic Synth patterns, however, since I’m really not a “fan” of Linkin Park typically, it’s hard for me to judge. I find the rapping to be a little too much on the Corny side, and the overly angry chorus lacks range, with a flat, one-dimensional vocal delivery which downplays the emotion a little bit for me. That said, it was innovative for it’s time and a mismatch of different genre pieces, with a theatrical quality that appeals to a diversity of listeners, so I can easily see why it’s done, and it’s still doing in the decades since, big business for itself.

  • Pictured: Chester Bennington (Lead Vocals/Rhythm Guitar), Joe Hahn (Turntables/Sampling/Programming/Backing Vocals), Mike Shinoda (Rapping/Keyboard/Synths), Rob Bourdon (Drums/Percussion/Occasional Backing Vocals), Brad Delson (Lead Guitar/Backing Vocals) and Dave “Phoenix” Farrell (Bass Guitar/Backing Vocals) (2012) (Photography via National Geographic.com)

On that note – you’ve reached The End of another daily post here on the blog. We’re gunning for a transition into some smoother electronic music tomorrow, as we review some brand new music from a Bournemouth-born Ambient and IDM music producer who previously made an appearance on the site with his tribute track to the late-great DJ Andy Weatherhall, and he’s got a brand new album on the way for September. 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: Public Service Broadcasting (feat. EERA) – “People, Let’s Dance”

June 12, 2021 — Leave a comment

Don’t adjust your TV sets – this isn’t British Broadcasting Corporation. New post time!

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Bright Magic” (LP) (Available from September 24, 2021) (via Play It Again Sam)

Good Morning to you! It’s Jacob Braybrooke here, and it’s finally time again for me to get typing up for your daily track on the blog, as per usual, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! The oddball London cult band of experimental Art-Rock archival samplers Public Service Broadcasting are back to follow-up on their standout BBC Proms 2019 performance of ‘The Race For Space’ with details of a new album. Having composed music about the Welsh coal mining industry and the White Star Line shipping company on their last two records, ‘Bright Magic’ is a depiction of Berlin as a European metropolis. The band’s J. Willgoose says their new LP record aims to capture the city’s essence, both figuratively and literally, with the use of an electromagnetic receiver on one track to record the pulses of street lamps and electrical cables. It releases on September 24th through Play it Again Sam. A UK tour has also been confirmed for the autumn, starting at Cardiff’s University Great Hall on October 24th and finishing at The Cambridge Corn Exchange on November 11th. Listen to the EERA-featured ‘People, Let’s Dance’ below.

J. Willgoose says that ‘Bright Magic’ is split into three acts of ‘Building A City’, ‘Building A Myth’ and ‘Bright Magic’, and the record even features guest vocals from Einstürzende Neubauten leader Blixa Bargeld on one track. According to J. Willgoose, “I knew the album was going to be about the city, and it’s history and it’s myths, and I was going to move there. So, it’s quite a personal story. It’s become an album about moving to Berlin to write an album about people who move to Berlin to write an album”, in his tongue-twister of a publicity statement. ‘People, Let’s Dance’, the lead single, is a dance-oriented electronic recording that veers it’s head in two directions. For the most part, it calls back fondly to the Motorik synth sounds of Kraftwerk and Visage from the past eras of metropolitan sci-fi music tech. For the second part, however, there are clear echoes to playful 80’s Synthpop and 90’s club anthems, particularly with the lead guitar riff that was sampled from Depeche Mode’s ‘People Are People’. It’s a rare instance for PSB to feature a guest vocalist, but the use of German vocals from Ninja Tune-signee EERA add a perceived sense of authenticity to the multicultural and European-inspired Electronica sound. It’s a surprisingly groovy and deliberately mechanical sound, with the weird absence of archival voice samples for PSB being replaced by more multi-layered instrumentation, where driving Drum melodies and evolving Keyboard patterns gradually adding new layers to the Bass-driven soundscape. EERA’s sections, a mix of Spoken Word lyrics and overlapped singing keep warping themselves around the 80’s guitar interventions and the glacial warmth of the vocals. I could bet you money that a car manufacturer will license the track for an advert in the near-future, and it sounds a lot like The Chemical Brothers in it’s sample work and the guest spot from EERA. It’s an evolution of sound for PSB that takes clear influence from other acts, and that had left me a little lukewarm about it initially. However, I do think that it’s more of a grower, and there’s certainly nothing wrong with that. Five or six listens in, it gets clearer and clearer that PSB know exactly what they are doing. EERA eventually feels like another instrument in their orchestral style, and PSB have admittedly quietly been one of my favourite UK bands because, whatever the topic, they find something interesting to do in how they make their music. Overall, it’s a very effective warm-up for the new body of work that lies ahead.

  • Pictured: J. Willgoose Esq, Wrigglesworth & JF Abraham pictured for ‘Every Valley’ (2017) (via PR)

That’s all for today! Come and dance with me again tomorrow for a new entry in our ‘Scuzz Sundays’ library, as we take a listen back to the Pop-Punk of the past. It’s admittedly a rather obvious choice for this week, as we continue to find hits that we haven’t discussed yet. It comes from a very famous Rap-infused Alternative Rock band who have strayed down the path of Electronic Pop music in recent times. They always received heavy airplay from MTV in the late-90s and during the 2000’s, and, in 2014, Kerrang declared them as “The Biggest Rock Band In The World Right Now”. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every new daily post is up and why not like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

New Album Release Friday: Garbage – “No Gods, No Masters”

June 11, 2021 — Leave a comment

‘Taking Out The Trash’ now has a completely different meaning. Time for a new post!

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “No Gods, No Masters” (LP) (Released on June 11, 2021) (via Infectious Music)

Good Morning to you! It’s Jacob Braybrooke here, just like usual, with the lingo for your 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! It’s Friday – and this week’s notable new releases include the debut album from Cleopatrick (Canada’s answer to Royal Blood), the 18th LP release in nine years from the endearingly proactive cult Aussie Prog-Rock ensemble King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, a ‘joint’ collaborative album from US rapper KennyHoopla and Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, the latest long-player from the Post-Hardcore legends AFI and the new Minnesota musician Rachel Lime is taking things to an intergalactic level on ‘A.U.’, her debut LP offering. June 11th also marks the release date for ‘No Gods, No Masters’, the extensive seventh LP from 90’s Post-Punk pioneers Garbage. Formed out of the ashes of the bands Spooner and Fire Town, Shirley Manson’s band comfortably filled the void which a declining Grunge genre and a murky phase for Metal left for them, becoming highly significant for a female-fronted punk rock outfit of the time, and they have since sold over 17 million albums globally. The follow-up to 2016’s ‘Strange Little Birds’, Garbage’s new album has been pitched by Manson as “a critique of the rise of capitalist short-sightedness, racism, sexism and misogyny across the world”. Let’s sample the titular single below.

Paired with a music video directed by Scott Stuckey, Manson penned ‘No Gods, No Masters’ as her reaction to the Chilean protests against inequality and corruption when she took a trip to Santiago recently, and she was shocked at the sights of graffiti that had been painted over museums and monuments, until one of her guides checked her, asking her why she was more suprised by the damage being made to statues and the environment more than actual people, saying “That was like a slap in the face” in her press release. Built on Synth-infused guitar riffs and electric-soaked drum sequences, Manson chants refrains like “The future is mine, Just the same/No master or gods to obey” and “Nothing lasts and no one stays/The same forever, so accept the change” above the warmly melodic and Pop-oriented backdrop. Lyrics like “Save your prayers for yourself/’Cause they don’t work and they don’t help” touch on religious conflict, and further lyrics like “You want what’s mine/I want what’s yours” call out to those affected by gun violence. The finale, a final repeat of the chorus, comes after a slower bridge that takes us back to the 1990’s Alternative Rock scene, as Manson croons ” You want what’s mine/I want what’s yours” as the instrumentation crawls to a halt, with acidic Synth riffs and a heavy reverb effect. It feels very catchy and hook-led overall, despite touching on a wide variety of topical issues that carry weight, with a moody vocal performance that feels sub-cultural and an energetic guitar delivery which feels buoyant. It’s also very polished, with the rhythms and the candid vocals being mixed smoothly. Impressively, an underlying sense of warmth permeates throughout the track because it feels familiar and nostalgic to hear the group making a similar kind of music to their peak popularity, but the messages that lie underneath this ‘gentle hug from an old friend’ are moving and spoken carefully. I did think it was a little forgettable. However, I could certainly see it gaining airplay somewhere like BBC Radio 2 since it’s fairly light-hearted and recognizably Garbage overall. A visceral and cutting, but accessible and immediate, piece of nostalgic Punk.

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Version 2.0” (Released on May 11th, 1998) (via Mushroom Records/Almo)

If you think that someone’s watching you, then you might not want to check out my earlier blog post about Garbage’s ‘I Think I’m Paranoid’ from last year. If you’re a fan of Manson’s misadventures, however, simply be my guest. Catch up on that here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/09/18/todays-track-garbage-i-think-im-paranoid-1998/

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “I Think I’m Paranoid” (Single) (Released on July 6, 1998) (via Almo Sounds)

That’s all for now – today’s ‘Garbage’ has been collected, after all. ‘Scuzz Sundays’ returns in two days time, as always, but, before we get to that point, I’ve got some more brand new music to share amongst you tomorrow. It marks the big return of a cult London band known for compiling archived clips from old public information films along with their guitars, synths, banjo’s and drums – and even including a vibraslap – to create their wildly inventive music. The band also took part in a special performance for BBC Proms to mark the celebration of Neil Armstrong’s moon landings last year. 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: Allison Ponthier – “Harshest Critic”

June 10, 2021 — Leave a comment

Whoever said we are our own critics never auditioned for Big Brother. New post time!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Cowboy” (Single) (Released on March 8th, 2021) (via Interscope Records)

Good Evening to you! It’s Jacob Braybrooke here, and it’s time for me to get typing up for your daily track on the blog (Now that my million other tasks for the day have finally been completed), because it’s always been my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of new music every day! I’m going to introduce you to a brand new artist today – and that indie folk/country singer-songwriter goes by the name of Allison Ponthier – who describes herself as “a wide-eyed misfit” from the outskirts of Dallas, Texas. She’s recently caught the ears of the major Sony-owned label Columbia Records, following a stint of meeting Lord Huron and collaborating with them, with the two acts going on a tour in the US later this year. She appeared on ‘I Lied’ from Lord Huron’s new album ‘Long Lost’, which is what exposed me to her, and she’s also performed on the major US late-night TV talk show ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’ with them. The self-confessed ‘Jazz School Dropout’ has also been undergoing strange activities to pass the time when in quarantine last year, telling The Guardian in a brand new interview, “I’ve started making sculptures of little alien people”. Whatever floats your boat. ‘Harshest Critic’ is just her second single – and the follow-up to March’s Claymation-inspired ‘Cowboy’. Check out the music video below.

Allison Ponthier has been adding more friends to the feathers in her industry cap by collaborating with Jordan Bahat on the music video for ‘Harshest Critic’ and co-writing her material with frequent collaborator Adam Melchor, but the lyrics of ‘Harshest Critic’ are about the pressures that Ponthier feels to meet audience’s expectations – and her own – in being a music artist, as she explains in her press release, “I wrote ‘Harshest Critic around the time when labels were knocking on my door”, adding, “It ended up being a song about how, when you’re an artist, everything feels like life and death. But, in reality, it’s your happiness and who you are, as a person, that really matter. You might as well enjoy the ride, because no-one’s ever going to be as hard on you as you are”, when describing her songwriting approach and practices. Comparisons to Julia Jacklin or Alice Phoebe Lou could be made on ‘Harshest Critic’, with a crooner style that feels decorated by little sprinklings of Grunge and sparsely placed Americana elements. Lyrics like “What if all my fears were on display/Right in front of all of the world/Under a spotlight/Would they be on my side” and “I’m terrified/Of the way I look when it’s through strangers eyes/Wish I had a way to peak inside their minds” are very reflective and always place Ponthier’s own insecurities at the centre of the concept. The chorus finds her crooning, “If I’m being honest, don’t know if I can tell you/Who’s the harshest critic in the room?” and “It could be the studio audience/But they’re just payin for admission/And I’m the one with everything to lose” as Ponthier opens up about her stress and pressures in a highly confessional manner. The instrumentation takes a backseat to the vocals, with a tender guitar ballad and a soft, steady percussive trail of drum beats that mirror the beating of her heart as the vocals unfold. Overall, it’s difficult to be overly critical of Ponthier’s performance here, despite her own harsh judgments, in this track. I don’t think the sound was that terribly exciting, and I’m a little concerned that the label might fast-track her to become the next Lana Del Rey instead of the first Allison Ponthier, but, overall, she’s a very likeable presence because she feels very human. The words feel very poetic and expressive, with a simple theme that doesn’t run it’s course, because the sophisticated guitar chord changes and the heartfelt moods keep proceedings fresh enough, and her voice may conjure no critical panning of any form.

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Harshest Critic” (Single) (Released on May 13th, 2021) (via Interscope Records)

Thank you for reaching the end of today’s blog post – your support means a lot. We’ve already reached Friday by the time that 24 hours rolls past again, and so we’ll be sifting through this week’s notable new releases. We’ll be focusing our minds on the return of a pack of Post-Punk veterans, well-known for several crossover chart hits in the 1980’s and 1990’s from Madison, Wisconsin. Their name was reportedly inspired by a conversation with a friend, who frequently told them that their early material sounded “like Garbage”. 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/

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: Jade Bird – “Different Kinds of Light”

June 5, 2021 — Leave a comment

A ‘Light’ appetiser ahead of the new release of a 14-track project. Time for a new post!

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Different Kinds Of Light” (Released on August 13, 2021) (via Glassnote Records)

Good Morning to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for me to get typing up for your daily track on the blog, as per usual, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! I was delighted to read that Jade Bird has a new album coming out, a Northumberland-born indie folk singer-songwriter who attended the BRIT’s School in Croydon and got a management deal after sending a demo tape in her final year, before going on to win the award for ‘International Breakthrough Artist’ at the AIM Awards in 2019. She’s got such a unique voice for a 23-year-old youngster, and her music typically draws from Americana, Blues and Desert Rock. Her upcoming LP, ‘Different Kinds Of Light’, follows up on her self-titled debut album from 2019, and it includes the earlier singles ‘Open Up The Heavens’, ‘Houdini’ and ‘Headstart’, and it was co-produced by Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, John Prine). Releasing on August 13th via Glassnote Records – Bird says “This record started in Japan, a small getaway from a busy year. We took it to Mexico, to Nashville and to upstate New York adding pieces of songs along the way until it became the different phases of who I am, what my relationship is and what my relationship to other people has become”. Let’s check out the main title single below.

Bird is taking to the stage of the Victorious Festival in Portsmouth across August Bank Holiday weekend, in support of her latest full-length record, which “at it’s most basic is about falling in love, and at it’s most complex, is about the chaos of trying to get away from your past”, according to her label’s press statements. ‘Different Kinds Of Light’, as the title track, retains these ideas at it’s core. The lyrics speak about how a transitional period of a relationship in your life is a catalyst for the different phases of your life, what your relationship is and what your relationship to other people may become, marking an experience of clarity for Bird in her life as a young adult. Lyrics like “We’ve been surviving, not thriving, living on time that’s not ours” and “It’s a battle of will, not a contest, honey/You’ve made your moves/I’ve made mine” takes a breakup to a new level, as a dwindling romance leads to a change into a new era for Bird’s life. She sings, in the chorus, “Who’s gonna make you feel beautiful/Under different kinds of light”, as she takes gentle lyricism to signal a more bittersweet emotion. As always, there’s plenty of personality to Bird’s voice, her greatest asset, which is convincing in it’s swinging of different moods like a pendulum, and adding a unique Rock ‘N’ Roll 70’s feel or a mild Country croon to her sound. The track is a little slow to get going, but we neatly glide into tender guitar melodies and crystalline String arrangements that represent a more mature direction for Bird going into her new album, compared to her previous record. It’s very accessible and it’s definitely the radio-friendly single of the new album as the marketing machine kicks into gear, however, it feels very neat and well-produced without seeming over-produced at any one real time. It’s very stripped-back, with simple instrumentation and an emphasis on the vocals, which sell a deep emotional core in it’s heartfelt textures. On the whole, it’s yet another decent example of how Bird should probably be more famous in the mainstream than she is, with an intimate space to showcase her talent with her voice.

  • Pictured: Jade Bird ‘Letting her hair down’ (in April 2019) (Photo Credit: Emma Swann/DIYMag.com)

If you’re also very excited to hear what Jade Bird has been busy developing in recent times, you can get a ‘Headstart’ on another single from the upcoming album release here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/11/28/todays-track-jade-bird-headstart/

  • Pictured: Jade Bird in a self-titled album era cover shoot (in 2018) (Photo Credit: Alice Burnfield)

That’s all for folks! ‘Scuzz Sundays’ returns tomorrow if you’re up for that, as we revisit a fan-favourite radio hit from an American rock band staple who were formed after the dissension of their frontman’s previous Desert Punk band, Kyuss, and he worked with Mark Ronson on 2017’s ‘Villains’, later collaborating with Run The Jewels and Mavis Staples on a track from last year’s ‘RTJ 4’, and his respective band have scored seven Grammy Awards nominations. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every new daily post is up and why not like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

New Album Release Friday: Greentea Peng – “Nah, It Ain’t The Same”

June 4, 2021 — Leave a comment

It’s New Album Release Day – and it’s time to get this Par-Tea started! New post time!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “MAN-MADE” (LP) (Released on June 4th, 2021) (via Virgin/EMI Records)

Good Morning to you! It’s Jacob Braybrooke here – and I’m here to deliver your daily track on the blog, as always, since it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! It’s ‘New Album Release Friday’ on One Track At A Time – and this week’s notable releases come from James (Who are looking for their third consecutive UK Top 10 album), the rave-reviewed UK indie rock band Wolf Alice, the debut EP from the Hackney Punk trio Deep Tan and The Avalanches’ ‘Since I Left You’ receives a 20th Anniversary Deluxe re-issue. However, the spotlight deserves to go to the self-described ‘Psychedelic R&B’ South London-based Neo-Soul Singer-Songwriter Greentea Peng (aka Aria Wells) who has been slowly building up to the long-awaited release of ‘MAN-MADE’, her debut solo album, over the last handful of years with the Earbud-produced singles like ‘Ghost Town’, ‘Revolution’ and ‘Hu-Man’. The record arrives at shop shelves from today onwards on Virgin’s EMI label, and the long-player’s release date was previously shared along with ‘Nah, It Ain’t The Same’, as a promotional single. Fusing Dub, soft Hip-Hop and soulful Garage, Wells blends her influences of Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill and Ms. Dynamite with her love of Green Tea and the London slang word of ‘Peng’ – meaning cool or attractive. Debuted alongside a Machine Operated-produced music video, Wells says ‘Nah, It Ain’t The Same’ is “an expression and exploration of my utter confusion and inner conflicts amidst shifting paradigms”, as per her relevant press notes. Check it out down below.

Posting on Instagram, Wells writes of ‘MAN-MADE’, “Thank you to everyone who helped to bring this together. Its been a real process forming this album, a real trip. I’m so excited to begin this roll out.”, elaborating on it’s themes, “Deliberations of a (hu) man subject to the Pendulum swing, a reflection of my utter confusion and inner most conflicts/contradictions amidst these shifting paradigms. Always love. Always mushrooms. PEACE”, in her own wildly amusing words. Supported by her own backing band, Wells conjures up a very intriguing mix of Dub instrumentals and Neo-Soul rhythms as she expresses the modern life of men through a female perspective. Wells sings “Inner battles dwell like city kids beneath the poverty line/I’m feeding my senses” and “Food for thought is money well spent/Cause most of our so-called knowledge is rented” with her familiar, radiant croon, as she discusses female poverty in deprived areas of London with a calm and relaxed attitude. The backing beats keep bending and evolving, starting off with a soft Drum melody that permeates through the track, before a sequence of Garage-like electronic beats and a more hostile series of entrancing Jazz-like Hip-Hop rhythms ensues. An Upright Bass instrumental, the continually crackling Drum beats, spacious keyboard melodies and light Vinyl scratches make up the concoction. Imbued with the Punk-rooted assertion that we’ve come to expect from Wells, she tugs at the heart of her own personal matters by mixing Reggae-like melody with Spoken Word poetry that feels noticeably downcast, but quite natural and self-conscious, re-enforcing herself as a voice worthy of hearing.

  • Pictured: Greentea Peng (aka Aria Wells) in an early photoshoot (in 2019) (Photo Credit: Emma Williams)

If you think that Greentea is ‘Peng’ – you may want to seek joy in some of her other offerings. Still my favourite, ‘Ghost Town’, was previously covered on the blog here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/04/16/todays-track-greentea-peng-ghost-town/. In her early days, and my own early days on the blog, we also looked at ‘Mr. Sun (Miss Da Sun)’, when she was a younger upstart. Check it out here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2019/11/12/todays-track-greentea-peng-mr-sun-miss-da-sun/

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Ghost Town” (Single/EP) (Released on 4th March 2020) (via Melody Maker)

That’s everything for today! Thanks for sticking with me until the end, and be sure to check back with me at exactly the same place again tomorrow, as we cover the announcement of the sophomore album release later this summer from a young lady from Northumberland, who has previously made an appearance on the blog, who attended the BRIT’s School in Croydon. During the Covid-19 pandemic, she has kept herself busy as the first artist to appear on Microsoft’s virtual ‘RE:Surface’ live-streamed concerts. 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: Villagers – “The First Day”

June 3, 2021 — Leave a comment

Cudillero. Maribor. Shirakawa. Beautifal villages which nobody knows. New post time!

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Fever Dreams” (LP) (Available from August 20, 2021) (via Domino Recordings)

Good Morning to you! It’s Jacob Braybrooke here, and it’s time for you to read your daily track on the blog, as always, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! I’ve got some brand new music to share with you, and this one reminded me of Sigur Ros and Fleet Foxes. ‘The First Day’ is the new single from Villagers – an Irish indie folk band from Dublin who, although I’m not massively familiar with them besides from ‘Trick Of The Light’, have been critically acclaimed over the years. Their resume includes Mercury Prize, Ivor Novello Awards, Q Awards, Choice Music Awards and Digital Socket Awards wins and nominations. They have also been on the touring circuit with Tracy Chapman, Grizzly Bear and Elbow. Their fifth studio album, ‘Fever Dreams’, has been added to the album release schedule, with a confirmed release date of August 20th for the Domino-signed new release. It follows the 2018 effort, ‘The Art Of Pretending To Swim’, and Villagers will be taking themselves on a UK tour to locations like Brighton, Nottingham, Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham, and Cambridge in October. Check out ‘The First Day’ below.

“I had an urge to write something that was as generous to the listener as it was to myself”, the band’s leading vocalist Conor O’Brien said on the escape and journey themes of the new record, adding, “Sometimes, the most delirious states can produce the most ecstatic, euphoric and escapist dreams”, to his press release. Villagers also worked with director Daniel Brereton on the music video for ‘The First Day’, who were able to shoot the video with him on-set with casting and styling. The video is a great compliment to the track, with a black-and-grey filter matched by a disorienting mix of jumbled vocals soon paving the way for a ray of sunshine and light as soon as the warmer tones begin to emerge. The melodies are absorbing and kind, with a reflective Falsetto effect that gives the vocals a hand-painted quality. O’Brien is singing about “It’s like falling in love, on the first day of the rest of your life” as the cheerful hook is delivered over the top of a floating Brass instrumental and a choral backing vocal, after a pre-bridge that lets twinkling keyboard riffs and romanticized moods to carry the mood along. The verses are more psychedelic, with lines like “Feels like soft rain/feels like a sweet rhyme” and “Feels like a riverboat as it takes you to the sea/Feels like floating on the essence of a dream” that are delivered poetically, and with gentle chords, with a mix of Strings, and even an IDM-like synth line that crackles beneath the arrangement at spaced points, with an overall Folk-rooted song structure that keeps the band’s main genre explorations intact. Considering that I hadn’t heard much of Villagers before, I found myself very pleasantly suprised by this. The overall context and meaning is joyful, but vague, and so it’s easy for listeners to associate the bright emotions in different personal lights – like a wedding day, a graduation, or the jolly end of a tiresome pandemic, to name a few ideas. In any case, it’s lovely. The instrumentation is varied enough to keep the repetition of the hooks interesting, and it’s a brightly coloured adventure that celebrates the joys of living through a cinematic lens. It reminds me of American Authors ‘Best Day Of My Life’, but less one-note and more sonically developed. As Jim Carrey would say, its B-E-A-utifal.

  • 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 Rich Gilligan)

That’s all for now! Feel free to join me tomorrow as we delve deep into one of the weekend’s most notable new album releases. Head of the pack this time comes from a UK student radio favourite who makes her latest appearance on the blog to co-incide with the release day of her long-awaited new album. The self-described ‘Psychedelic R&B’ progressor who recently made her television debut in an episode of ‘Later… With Jools Holland’ on BBC Two. 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/