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Today’s Track: Namy & Ayoni – “Disco Dancing”

January 2, 2021 — Leave a comment

The Usos. The Dudley Boyz. Demolition – all of the great tag-teams… New Post Time!

  • Pictured: Namy (DJ/Producer) in a photoshoot for an interview feature (2018) (via Tokyophonic.com)

The Road Warriors. The New Age Outlaws. The Young Bucks – and, yes, I’ve realized that if you are not a fan of pro wrestling like me, then, those references are probably falling onto deaf ears for you. Anyways, I am Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for me to get typing up about your daily track on the blog, because it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write to you about a different piece of music every day! Today’s team-up marks the collaboration the Japanese electronic music producer Namy, who has a love affair with Funk, Latino and Jazz music, and the vocalist is Ayoni, a Barbadian-born singer, songwriter and model who was mentored by Patrice Rushen. Their track is “Disco Dancing”, and although this is the first track that I’ve heard from either of the two musicians to be honest with you, I think their stars are on the rise. “Disco Dancing” was released as a one-off single back in October, but I wasn’t honestly too sure what tracks to pick on a “Nothing” day such as the 2nd of January, and so it’s nice to be able to take a look back at some of the missed gems – perhaps – that 2020 had to offer, as we wait for releases. Take a look at the Hanaé Sanchez-directed video below.

Ayoni described her link-up with Namy as a spontaneous, impulsive kind of deal, posting: “I was listening on the Spotify app and came across one of Namy’s collaborators. I loved the energy in his tracks, his production style and how his music really lends itself to movement” in the press notes, explaining: “We decided to work and create while he was in Japan, and I was in Houston, and it ended up being a very fun, collaborative experience”, said the currently Los-Angeles based Pop-Soul singer. It’s a tricky move to release such a dance-oriented track in these harsh times, but I also think they bring a sense of normalcy and warmth to a time that is awaiting the glorious re-opening of nightclubs and live music bars. For me, “Disco Dancing” serves as a very satisfactory contrast to the more hard-hitting experiences that we have been having throughout the last year. Opened by a groovy set of funk guitar licks and a two-step synth beat, Ayoni sings: “We don’t need no metrics, Just your hand will do” over the top of a hyper-melodic, sugar-coated 80’s snare beat. A soulful undertone is a large factor of the verses, before the bridge takes it up a notch with “Sparkling in Cosmic, Saccharine right through” bringing a Sci-Fi, virtual feel to the record. The chorus raises up the tempo, as Ayoni chants: “Just for tonight, Send me, send me higher love” and “How did you make me fall for you, When we’re disco dancing?” over the top of a syncopated drum beat and a mid-tempo bass groove that briefly starts and stops. An upbeat, anthemic Power-Pop chorus rings through the multicultural influences of the track, and a fragmented set of drum claps and light Acid synths add some percussive sounds to the mix. It’s got a slick, super-polished Funk style that reminds me of Skylar Spence, Tomo Nakayama and Skule Toyama, in the way that it refuses to deny indulgent Pop in being a key drive behind the melodies. On the flip side, the lyrics don’t particularly grab me, as they don’t seem to have anything particularly interesting to say. However, Ayoni does a nice job with what she has to work with, as a powerful voice commands the Pop elements of the track without bordering into too much auto-tune, and the structure of the track is a bit overly reliant on the mainstream Pop ballad layout for me, but the production still manages to sound well-inspired. There’s a lot of things that I like about this track, along with a few nitpicks that I don’t like so much, but it feels recent enough, and it makes for a decent listen overall, due to some solid electronic synth production that feels vibrant.

  • Pictured: Ayoni (Singer/Songwriter) in a photoshoot for a Get To Know Q&A (2019) (via DailyTrojan.com)

Thank you for checking out my latest blog post. As always, join me again tomorrow – When it will be time for the first regular weekly entry of Scuzz Sundays of the New Year, right here in 2021. We’re going to be kicking off, potentially, the next 52 weeks worth of the feature with one of the biggest singles that we’ve yet to revisit. It is one of my childhood classics, and it comes from a band who have had several line-up changes throughout the years – along with once recording one of the most divisive cult classics in pop-punk history, with an album that was heavily inspired by… The Beatles! 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/

New Year’s Eve Special: The Ramones – “Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want To Fight Tonight)”

December 31, 2020 — Leave a comment

Medicine to get us all through the end of this dumpster fire of a year. New post time!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Brain Drain” (LP) (Released on March 23rd, 1989) (via Sire Records)

Top ‘O’ The Morning to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for me to get writing up about today’s track of the day on the blog, since it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to spotlight a different piece of music every day! As we wave goodbye to 2020, and we look to the future that 2021 holds, we’re going to take a listen back to 1989 for our latest festive track on the blog. Legendary rockers The Ramones are the band in question for today, a group who have been credited for being the first, if not one of the first, true Punk music bands. An amusing story about The Ramones is how they were inspired to record music by their love of The Beatles, and they used to check into hotels under the name of “Paul Ramon” – as a tie-in reference to Sir Paul McCartney. A seasonal offering that was included as a Bonus Track for their eleventh studio album, “Brain Drain”, released in 1989, “Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want To Fight)” was later used on the soundtrack of “Christmas With The Kranks” in 2004. “Brain Drain” was a tough album for every member of the band to partake in, with financial issues and personal issues a-plenty. However, it still contained some of their trademark material, like the huge radio hit “Pet Sematary”, which was used in the film adaptation of the Stephen King novel of the same title. It was also their first album to feature the return of Marky Ramone, their last one to feature Dee Dee Ramone as the bassist and their last to be distributed through Sire Records. Sadly, “Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want To Fight Tonight)” failed to chart in the UK. Let’s take a listen to it below.

Despite having relatively limited commercial success at times – The Ramones still remain to be one of the most influential groups in music of all-time, and they are still well-known in the public eye. Their achievements get merited as such by countless journalists and publications, including being named the second-greatest band of all-time by Spin in 2013, along with being awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011, and getting inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame back in 2002. The festive track was originally released as the B-side to “I Wanna Live” in 1987, and a bunch of slightly different versions have been recorded ever since. A slow intro is quickly proceeded by a sharp-edged lead guitar riff, and Joey chants: “Merry Christmas, I Don’t Want To Fight Tonight with you” in a primitive and yearning tone. This cues for the sleigh bells to get jingling, and Joey laments lines like: “Where is Santa and his sleigh? Tell me why, is it always this way?” and “I love you and you love me, And that’s the way it’s got to be” over the top of delayed pedal effects and suspended chords. An electric Drum melody is briefly noticeable, while the chorus feels more ballard-driven and hook-led, with Joey singing: “Merry Christmas, I Don’t Want To Fight Tonight with you” while the bass guitar lines continue to amble in and out of the seasonal sounds. The lyrics are written with a witty middle-aged marriage theme, and lines like “All the children are tucked in their beds/Sugarplum fairies dancing in their heads” emphasize these reflections on youth, and the vocals remain Christmassy enough to qualify as an Alternative Christmas single. In fact, it even sounds like an ode to the Phil Spector-produced Christmas tracks for the most part, but with an off-kilter hard rock/soft metal style that includes guitars being played a small fraction out of tune, giving off a Post-Punk facelift to proceedings. The moment may have passed a little, but it is still a robust and solid effort from one of the classics.

  • Pictured; Joey Ramone (Lead Vocals/Rhythm Guitar), Johnny Ramone (Lead Guitar/Percussion), Dee Dee Ramone (Bass Guitar) & Tommy Ramone (Drums) (1976) (Photo by Roberta Bayley/NYTimes.com)

Thank you for spending some of your New Years Eve right here! Why not ring in the New Year with me again tomorrow? – Where we are going to be taking an in-depth look at a slight hidden gem of a festive track which promises some crowd-pleasing results. It comes from an American Soul singer and businessman who has won five Grammy Awards, and he was once a half of the Southwestern Alternative Hip-Hop duo Gnarls Barkley. It also features a cameo appearance from an ensemble cast of Muppets – the most famous Jim Hension creation of all-time.  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: HONNE – “Warm On A Christmas Night”

December 29, 2020 — Leave a comment

The Alt-Soul duo who do not resist to show their ‘True Feelings’! Time for a new post!

  • Pictured: HONNE (Andy and James) in an interview with Alicia Atout (in 2016) (via A Music Blog, Yea)

I note ‘True Feelings’ because that’s what their official name of HONNE, a Japanese phrase, means in English! I hope you are having a nice Festive season – allow me, Jacob Braybrooke, to freshen up your day with a new post on the blog, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! One of our recurring favourites on the blog are HONNE – a London-based Electronic Soul duo comprising of former teachers Andy Clutterback and James Hatcher – who write and produce their own material for their own indie imprint of Atlantic Records, Tatamae Recordings. I’ve been following them since 2014, where it all began – and I’ve written about their music a bunch of times here on the blog. So far, they have two full-length albums to their name, one mixtape, and five earlier EP’s to their name too. To reignite some cosy festive spirit for our very different Christmas, which has just passed in 2020, the duo decided to share a new reworking of the fan-favourite 2014 single, “Warm On A Cold Night”, which trades in intimate babymaking sounds for a warmer, more cocooned, but romantic, sound. Let’s check out the music video below.

It’s always nice to see the HONNE boys make a return – and although it’s just a few changes of the lyrics and a slight tonal change in style compared to the original version of the track from a shocking six years ago now, as opposed to something a bit more substantial, there’s still plenty of solid craftsmanship and indulgent romance for you to feast your ears upon here. Pioneered by a soft Piano section, Clutterback croons: “Like a reindeer in headlights/They’re stunned by all your charm/And I feel so damn lucky/To have you, on my arm” following a splendid String section of orchestral Cello strings and swelling Violin lines. The classic chorus comes in when Clutterback sings: “Oh, you can keep me warm on a cold night, Warm on a christmas night” while the mellow String instrumentation repels back into the fray, aided by a percussive set of festive sleigh bells. The lyrics are still touching on a romantic night in and an embrace of spending the night with a loved one, although it sounds lighter and less moody than the shimmering vocals of the original track. Lines like “I wanna take you to paradise, In a 1950’s merc” and “I wanna treat you to something special, Give you what you deserve” are all slowed down a little, extending the spotlight on lyrics that perhaps felt more filler in the original version, with the slight bleakness of the original being replaced by a feeling of gentle comfort. It’s a little too slow in places, and it’s still just a Festive-upped version of the original track instead of something that feels more original for them, but it’s calm and relaxing to listen to, and it’s different to the cheesy melodies of your typical Pop christmas tune. Now – where’s that Turkey gone?

  • Pictured: HONNE at the album launch party of “Love Me/Love Me Not” (2018) (Photo via Getty Images)

As mentioned beforehand, we have covered quite a few of HONNE’s tracks by this point. If you liked this – why not seek out my post on “Free Love”, their most recent regular single, here?: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/11/11/todays-track-honne-free-love/. You can also check out my post on “Warm On A Cold Night”, the original tune, here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2019/12/17/todays-track-honne-warm-on-a-cold-night/, and finally, my post on this past summer’s “No Song Without You” here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/06/15/todays-track-honne-no-song-without-you/, for more further reading. There is always plenty more!

  • Pictured: HONNE in the official music video for “Free Love” (2020) (Photo via YouTube.com)

Thank you for checking back with me on the blog today! I’m not really feeling very Christmassy anymore for now, I’m afraid, so I’ve just got a regular post on the way tomorrow to keep the usual output going. This will be an in-depth look at a recently released single from a female-fronted Canadian Indie Folk group whose leading lady was once a nominee for the SOCAN Songwriting Prize in 2013 with a track which she co-wrote with Steve Lambke. 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: Beverley Knight – “A Christmas Wish” (Theme from The Loss Adjuster)

December 28, 2020 — Leave a comment

Out of the ashes of Christmas week arrives a Knight in shining armor. New post time!

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “A Christmas Wish” (Released on Nov 13, 2020) (via Pink Flamingo Recordings)

Good Afternoon to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and I’m here to get typing up about 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! New from Beverley Knight – who is often labelled as the Queen of British soul music by the media – is “A Christmas Wish” – which is the soundtrack to your bank holiday Monday right here on the blog. It’s also the theme track for “The Loss Adjuster” – a new festive Comedy Drama film starring Luke Goss, Lorna Fitzgerald and Joan Collins, and directed by Jayney Mackie – which is now available wherever you buy your digital films in these harsh times for Cinema. This track is also a soundtrack of another kind too, then. Beverley Knight is an MBE, and she has recently celebrated her 25th year of her musical career by releasing a live album, “BK25”, which was recorded with the Leo Green Orchestra, in 2019. Her career has seen her release several UK chart hits and Gold-selling albums, as well as receiving an Olivier Award nomination for her on-stage and off-stage career for Musical Theatre. Let’s watch the official music video for “A Christmas Wish” below.

The new single, “A Christmas Wish”, has gained national radio airplay on BBC Radio 2, and Knight explains it’s themes as “It is wonderful to release a Christmas song, spread some holiday cheer and put a smile on people’s faces. I have said in many interviews that music has the power to heal, and that we, in entertainment, are the nation’s cheerleaders, helping people through these challenging times” upon describing that she had not been moved to record a festive-themed track in her solo career up until this troubling point of 2020. A typically strong and soulfully-driven vocal performance from Knight leads the way, as she radiantly croons hooks such as “I’ve been hoping he would see the sign/Let him see that I can be his valentine” and “Santa must have read my Christmas list/Under the Mistletoe, just waiting to be kissed” over the top of a jovial, percussive Sleigh Bell and a catchy, Power-Pop driven style of production. Her vocal presence is quite commanding, and it moves to the upbeat pace of the 1960’s-inspired Piano rhythms and the Motown-esque Jazz subtleties powerfully. A big chorus comes in at the midway point, with Knight singing: “Take my hand, and I’ll take care of you” and “Baby, I’ll make all of your dreams come true” above the intensely melodic instrumentation and the polished feel. It’s admittedly pretty cheesy, especially lyrically, and so I think your mileage could vary on this. Although this is a very radio-friendly little tune, I think the callbacks to Motown Soul flair and 60’s Pop adds a bit of style to it, as opposed to a use of auto-tune. Is it experimental? No. Is it disposable? Yes, rather. But, do I like it? Yes. Knight is not missing a step in her vocals, and it’s full of a positive energy that is pretty listenable and easy to indulge in.

  • Pictured: Beverley Knight with her blue Audi RS-7 car (2018) (Photo via The Sunday Times Driving)

Thank you for checking out my latest post! Have you managed to get any snow where you are? Let me know in the comments section below – and please feel free to join me again tomorrow, as I try to keep you warm on a cold Christmas night with a new Festive canon entry from one of our recurring favourites on the blog – a soulful British indie duo whose Japanese name translates roughly to “True Feelings” in English! 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: Sum 41 vs. Tenacious D – “Things I Want”

December 27, 2020 — Leave a comment

Like the Justice League – here is another collaboration for the ages! It’s Scuzz Sunday!

  • Pictured: Deryck Whibley (Lead Vocals/Multi-Instrumentalist), Dave Baksh (Lead Guitar), Jason McCaslin (Bass Guitar/Occasional Backing Vocals), Tom Thacker (Keyboard/Rhythm Guitar) and Frank Zummo (Drums/Synths/Percussion) (in Oct. 2016) (Photo Credit: Jonathan Weiner/Rolling Stone)

The New Mutants. The Young Avengers. Take up your pick as we get obscurer and obscurer – but Tenacious D vs. Sum 41 are shaping up to be the superhero team for trashy Emo-Punk. I’m Jacob Braybrooke, and it is time for a festive edition of Scuzz Sundays, the weekly feature where we get in touch with one of the ghosts of Pop-Punk Christmas past, to see whether the sounds from the late-90’s until the mid-00’s can hold up to quality and value today – in 2020! “Things I Want” is a rare find for either fanbase of the Rap-Rock heavyweights Sum 41 or the Hollywood-famous Alt-Metal duo Tenacious D, because it’s tricky to find on any album these days. It was once shared on MySpace (Remember that? No… neither do I…) by both groups back in the 00’s, but it was originally included on “Kevin & Bean Present: Swallow My Eggnogg”, a Def Jam Records compilation of festive-themed Skate-Punk singles and other Hard Rock/Pop-Grunge rarities. The true release date of this LP is pretty unclear to me – as I have three sources of research saying different years to me. However, the most reliable of these sources is Discogs.com, which lists the CD package as a 2001 release. Thankfully, the rare single has been lifted and restored by some lucky users on the video sharing platforms YouTube and DailyMotion. According to the Fandom wiki of Tenacious D, Epic Records once produced a few not-for-public-sales release promos for this track, before it was recorded in 1999. Let’s hear the results of it below.

When you come to think of it – it’s odd that “Things I Want” was doomed to be published on an obscure festive Pop-Punk compilation album, since both parties of Tenacious D and Sum 41 had gained fame and star power within the genre at the time, and they would have had the pushing power of A&R and label representatives to score a quick hit with the novelty of the track, but perhaps it was more of a passion project than an interest in easy commerce which drove the project forward for the two tribes. In whatever case, “Things I Want” still saw the light of day. It is quite surprising, given the circumstances – if not totally unexpected – “Things I Want” does still sound much like you would expect a Sum 41 and Tenacious D collaboration to sound like. Teenage humor and brash guitar lines mix with the quirky Jack Black vocals and the festive intro to create an alternative to your bog-standard Christmas music fare, one which sounds more rooted in classic Metal from Black’s part and the quick, shredding bass guitar lines are produced by Sum 41’s line-up. Lines like: “I wanna see-through jump suit that fits me tight/I want all of the Beatles copyrights” and “I wanna chop Florida off the map/I want Pamela Anderson’s speedo top” bring the Emo-Rock subculture to the forefront, with Black declaring: “There’s a lot of cool s**t I want” over the top of soaring electric guitar solos and melodic, quick Drum time signatures. The lyrics don’t go beyond the basic humorous list of items shtick a great deal, but the fast-paced guitar chords and the generally fast instrumentation keeps the flowing pace going. Overall, I didn’t expect to like this much – just because it was dumped onto a random compilation LP that I had not heard of prior to this, but it certainly exceeded my predictions for it. While I think the jokes ware thinner a little towards the end and it’s not the most Chrismassy festive track out there, it’s still some good fun and it doesn’t take itself very seriously at all – and that’s for it’s own benefits. The instrumentation is also quite entertaining, and that frantic pacing takes a bit of skill. It’s pretty decent, although it’s all about the giving and not the receiving.

  • Pictured: Jack Black & Kyle Gass of Tenacious D (in 2018) (Photo by Ricardo DeAratanha/LA Times)

Thank you for checking out my latest Festive post! I have got more tricks from up my sleeve of my Christmas jumper tomorrow – where we’re going to be taking an in-depth look at a festive track that was released brand new for this year. It comes from a popular English singer-songwriter and theater performer who has released eight studio albums to date, and she has been commonly known as one of Britain’s greatest soul singers. She’s recently celebrated 25 years of her career in music. 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: ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic – “Christmas At Ground Zero”

December 26, 2020 — Leave a comment

Believe it or not – I will be in Tiers by the time that this is all over with. It’s Boxing Day!

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Greatest Hits Volume II” (Released on October 25, 1994) (via Scotti Brothers)

Stuffed yourself with all of the trimmings yet? Good Morning, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and it’s time for me to get writing up about your daily track on the blog, because it is always my day-to-day pleasure to write to you about a different piece of music every day! That means… Boxing day, since there is no rest for the weary-eyed. “Christmas At Ground Zero” is a rather bizzare and obscure Christmas-themed track from 1986. It was written and performed by the Comedy Rock singer “Weird Al” Yankovic – who was one of the original viral favourites. A track that is essentially about Nuclear Omnicide, the title of “Ground Zero” refers to the area where the Twin Towers stood, prior to the terrifying events of 9/11, once in New York City. Before this, however, it was a reference to the spot where a Nuclear Missle was targeted to hit, and since it was recorded in 1986, that’s what Yankovic is playing around with here. He wrote it in a parody style of a Phil Spector-produced Christmas track – so just think about The Ronnetes, Darlene Love and The Crystals – and you’re there. It’s pretty mind-bending to think about just how successful that Yankovic has been for a Comedy artist writing music about niche subject areas. He’s been going since 1976 and since that time, he’s managed to sell over 12 million albums, performed more than 1,000 live shows, and he’s also won 5 Grammy Awards, along with a further 11 award nominations. In more recent years – Yankovic has written two children’s books. Let’s stream the track below.

With his trusty Accordion at hand – Yankovic has managed to perform many viral hits in Comedy parodies for the likes of Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, Coolio, Madonna, The Backstreet Boys, The Rolling Stones, Nirvana and loads more, mostly within his signature Polka style. “Christmas At Ground Zero” is no different for hitting the consistent running gags and eliciting some belly laughs in the process. Juxtaposing uplifting Sleigh bells to shots of disastrous nuclear explosions from the music video, Yankovic sets up the scene with: “It’s Christmas at Ground Zero/There’s music in the air” over the top of typically melodic Saxophone samples, before he adds: “The sleigh bells are ringing/The carolers are singing/While the air-raid sirens blare” as the tone shifts. Festive Trumpet melodies contrast with Macabre scenarios as Yankovic happily sings daft lyrics like: “We can dodge debris while we trim the tree, Underneath the Mushroom cloud” and “Just seconds left to go, I’ll duck and cover with my Yuletide lover” above the saccharine, 50’s sounds of Jazz instrumentation that conveys a jolly yet psychotic beat, while a subtle pair of Air Raid sirens sound blare quietly in the background. It’s the bridge at the end that spells it out for us, as Yankovic sends us off with: “What a crazy fluke, we’re gonna get nuked” as the depressing reminder that it’s the Ground Zero settlement that we’re dealing with springs to mind once again. It feels very child-like and silly, yet it struck a chord with audiences. I think that’s because Yankovic manages to subvert the standard Christmas track in terms of the musicality and lyrics with the darker, but still comedic and quirky, undercurrents. It’s a fun alternative to your bog-standard Band Aid or your obvious Cliff Richard fare, albeit probably not one that is suitable for the whole family. How very festive indeed.

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Polka Party!” (Released on October 21, 1996) (via Scotti Brothers)

That’s it for Boxing Day! On another note – join me again tomorrow for a festive edition of our Scuzz Sundays feature – where we take a look back at one of the Pop-Punk or Emo-Rock ghosts of Christmas past to see if they can still deliver the goods to us in the present times… and this next one was a collaboration for the ages! 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: The Boy Least Likely To – “It Will Still Be Christmas”

December 23, 2020 — Leave a comment

I’d tell you I produced an album for these two once. A ‘likely’ story. It’s new post time!

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “It Will Still Be Christmas” (Released on November 6, 2020) (via Self-Released)

Season’s Greetings to you! I’m Jacob Braybrooke, and I’m here to complete my task of typing up about today’s track on the blog, because it is always my pleasure to write to you about a different piece of music every day – and that means there ain’t no rest for the wicked (i.e. me) this festive season. I’ve always thought of this day as “Christmas Eve Eve” ever since I was younger, and, for me, the 23rd of December doesn’t really exist, despite it traditionally being a normal working day for the Nation. We’re gearing up to the (not-so) big day for this year, and I’ve got a brand-new-for-2020 Christmas track to share with you – which is all about celebrating Christmas in the situation we’re in. “It Will Still Be Christmas” comes courtesy of The Boy Least Likely To – an Alternative Pop duo from Wendover, in the UK – who are best known for their hit albums, “The Best Party Ever” and “Law Of The Playground”, both of which were released throughout the mid-2000’s. As a matter of fact, the duo are no strangers to Christmas-themed releases, who kicked off a yearly tradition with their “Christmas Special” EP from 2010. Since then, the Bedroom Pop duo have released at least one Festive track since 2010, and “It Will Still Be Christmas” is merely just their effort for this year – and this is all about reflecting on the ways in which we are all going to be spending Christmas in 2020, amid the global pandemic. Let’s take a listen to it below.

The duo have confirmed that all of the proceeds from this single will not go to their bank accounts and piggy banks, but they will instead be going to be donated charitably to the Refuge organisation – “To help them to continue providing life-saving and life-changing services to women and children escaping domestic abuse and other forms of gender-based violence” – as the band put it – so it may be a good idea to seek this one out on Bandcamp to ensure the Charity can receive their funds securely. Opening with a fluttering Piano line and a frequently Chiming Glockenspiel melody to add a literal percussive ding to proceedings, Jof Owen croons: “It’s getting darker, earlier and earlier now” and “It’s almost starting to feel like Christmas again, and I think it’s going to be a happy one” above a relentless Glockenspiel ting, and a soft Keyboard riffs. The vocals feel rather harmonic in the chorus, where Owen gently layers: “All we have to do is look into our hearts” and “It’ll still be Christmas, after all” above the subtly repeating Keyboard melodies and the simple, yet comforting tones of the Piano riffs – although it’s the Glockenspiel ding that steals the show here. There is a downtempo quality to the vocals, especially with lyrics like: “And I know, This year, has been hard on us all” and “Let the Christmas bells ring, even if we have to spend it apart” that are quite blatant in showing the themes of current affairs within the track, and it manages to hit a little bit harder close to home than I think maybe even the duo could expect, but it feels minimalist and upbeat enough, particularly with the Choral backing harmonies, to work out as a more traditional Festive track, with a typically uplifting mood to it. There isn’t really anything about it that is really surprising me, but the way that Covid-19 directly influences the songwriting and the composition gives it a unique point to make, and, in turn, it stands out a little. Rather than bold, it feels small, yet profound – an indication of what it could be like this year.

  • Pictured: Jof Owen (Vocals) and Pete Hobbs (Multi-Instrumentalist) (2020) (via LondonInStereo.com)

Thank you for checking out my Christmas Eve Eve post – Whether I’m the only person in the world that calls it that, or not! Obviously, it’s the actual Eve of Christmas tomorrow, and so we’ll be kicking off a fresh trilogy of three different and wholesome Christmas tracks. The first of which, coming up on the blog tomorrow, is a Hip-Hop classic to do with the Yuletide festival, which comes from one of the most influential rap groups of our time – who were named as The Greatest Hip-Hop group of all-time by MTV in 2007, and they were also the second hip-hop group to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame in 2009. 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: Panic! At The Disco – “But It’s Better If You Do…”

December 21, 2020 — Leave a comment

A Panic! At The Disco would be better than 5 Seconds Of Summer. It’s Scuzz Sunday…

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out” (Released on Sept 27, 2005) (via Fueled By Ramen)

It’s finally back to business, as usual, on the last day of the week! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and this is the post of the week that we like to call “Scuzz Sundays” – the weekly feature where we revisit an ancient gemstone buried in the mine (or rubbish skip…) of the Emo-Rock and the Pop-Punk genre movements from between the late-1990’s, up to until the mid-2000’s. Of course, named in tribute to the defunct “Scuzz” TV music video channel. We previously took a look at the cult classic era of “Pretty Odd”, a time of the US Emo-Punk group Panic! At The Disco’s career that was wildly fascinating, and has sadly been rejected by the band now. Today, we’re going to dive even earlier than that, with one of the singles from their debut album, “A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out”, which was released in 2005, and it remains to be the first full-length album that I can remember buying for myself. “I Write Sins, Not Tragedies” was the obvious hit single from the record, but I always preferred “But It’s Better If You Do…”, a lesser-known single that reached the #23 position on the UK Singles Chart in 2006. It was recorded in a stylistic two halves, with the first part of the album exploring some catchy Pop-Punk and New-Wave sounds, while the second half of the album – divided by a Piano interlude – was a much darker play-out of Moulin Rouge, with traditional instrumentation that explored a Baroque sound. This track is an exhibition of these themes – with this single almost playing out like a short-form story or narrative, as a naive teenager sneaks into an adult Strip Club – and becomes horrified by the results of his curiosity. Let’s revisit the Shane Drake-directed music video for the track below.

“A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out” received mixed reviews from critics at the time – and yet it struck a chord with audiences. In fact, Panic! are easily more famous and mainstream-friendly now than they’ve ever been before as Brendan Urie essentially carries on with the project as a solo act – sadly to my dismay, and I sadly wouldn’t consider myself to be a fan anymore. The title of “But It’s Better If You Do..” was spoken by Natalie Portman in Closer, a film released in 2004, with “Lying Is The Most Fun A Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off…” completing the first half of the quote, which is coincidentally the title of the preceding track on the album, and it results in a seamless experience of the two tracks, followed by “I Write Sins Not Tragedies” on the album, as the beat slowly changes throughout the endings of each of the three tracks on the recording. As I mentioned, “But It’s Better If You Do…” sees an underage teenager enter a masquerade-style strip club, and not enjoying it. Urie speedily establishes the scene with: “Now, I’m of consenting age, to be forgetting you in a cabaret/Somewhere downtown, where a Burlesque queen, may even ask my name” above the quickly paced, jangling Organ chords. Urie manages to sell the (Pun-Intended) Panic of the character in the scene, crooning refrains like: “As she sheds her skin on age/I’m seated and sweating to a dance song on the club’s P.A.”, and “I may have faked it/And I wouldn’t be caught dead in this place”, adding a few harmonies to that last lyric. The tone is grim and ill-fated, and the story of the teenage boy trying to impress a girl through jealousy, aided by a scene at the Strip Club, unfolds when Urie sings: “I’m exactly where you’d like me, you know” and “Praying for love in a lap dance, and paying in naivety” in the chorus, which has a retro 80’s electro-pop twang to it. Urie’s vocals are obviously pretty bratty and unseasoned, but I think the band managed to do a great job with the variety of instrumentation on show. There’s some interesting moods of Dark Cabaret and Classical music here, which isn’t grossly auto-tuned and relies on a theatrical narrative instead. Overall, it feels cinematic and vivid – and I love how Panic! were so keen to experiment with bold ideas at this very early stage of their career. The style manages to stand out for them, although, come to think of it – I probably shouldn’t have been buying this at 7/8 years old. That feeling of daring to be different is a major part of the appeal, however. For my money, it remains to be one of Panic’s most underrated cuts, and it represents an era of Pop-Punk and Panic themselves which, whether they worked or failed, tried different ideas. Sadly, it’s a step above the commercial dross that we’re exposed to nowadays – where Urie is recording brutally irritating Frozen covers, of all items, so my unpopular opinion on them remains. Yeah, it’s really not the same band.

  • Pictured: Brendan Urie (Lead Vocals/Writer/Multi-Instrumentalist), Ryan Ross (Lead Guitar/Backing Vocals), Jon Walker (Bass Guitar/Backing Vocals) and Spencer Smith (Drums) (in 2008) (Photo via PR)

As aforementioned, I also took an in-depth look at the “Pretty Odd” era that followed for the band – a wholly inventive, highly divisive and truly fascinating one. I would suggest that you check out my review for “That Green Gentleman (Things Have Changed)” here to find out more: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/05/31/scuzz-sundays-panic-at-the-disco-that-green-gentleman-things-have-changed/

  • Pictured: Vinyl of Pretty Odd” (2008) (via Fueled By Ramen) (Photo by The Underworld Mansfield)

Thank you for checking out my new blog post – I hope that you had a happy New Year’s period! I’ll be back tomorrow for an in-depth look at a track which was originally released back in 2018 – and it comes from one of the most powerful new voices in Blues and Desert Rock – a Canadian recording artist who was previously a member of the Electronica group – Stop Die Resusicate. That hits a blank with me as well, but you should come and join me anyways – it’s rather good! 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: Blink-182 – “I Won’t Be Home For Christmas”

December 20, 2020 — 1 Comment

They are just interested in All The Small Things – nothing too big. It’s Scuzz Sunday…

  • Pictured: Mark Hoppus (Vocals/Bass Guitar), Travis Barker (Drums) and Matt Skiba (Lead Guitar) (2019) (Photo Credit: Noam Galai/Getty Images)

You know what Day it is – but then I just told you, didn’t I? I’m Jacob Braybrooke and it’s time for a Christmas edition of our weekly Scuzz Sundays feature, where we take a look back at one of the ghosts of Emo-Rock and Pop-Punk past, first released between the late-1990’s and the mid-2000’s, to see how it holds up today! Well, if there was ever a time where the whole British public – and our friends across the globe – needed cheering up, it’s now. I’m going to try my best to do exactly that with this – “I Won’t Be Home For Christmas” from Blink-182. Following yesterday’s news in the UK, the title of the track feels like it’s weirdly taken on another context now, which is bizarrely fitting of our living situation since I’d chosen it about a week ago now. Nevertheless, originally, it was titled as a parody of “I Will Be Home For Christmas”, the vintage Walter Kent and Kim Gannon classic. It was released in 2001 by the US Pop-Punk megastars Blink-182, but you can also find it on their “Greatest Hits” compilation LP. I’ve yet to do a Scuzz Sundays post on Blink-182, which is a little strange considering how they were cornerstones of the era, but then, I wasn’t ever really that keen on them, to be honest. This single was a huge commercial success for them, however, and it became the band’s biggest hit in Canada, reaching the #1 spot on the charts there. Fill up your stocking with ‘I Won’t Be Home For Christmas’ below.

This was originally recorded in 1997 as a Radio Promo/Jingle – and Alex Robert Ross, of Vice.com, described it as “It is the Family guy of Christmas songs, the New Jersey boardwalk T-shirt of Holiday jams, the gurning, half-stoned brat of Yuletide anti-merriment”, and, even though it usually takes me some convincing to agree with the critics at most times, I think he’s got it pretty spot-on there. A cacophony of toilet humor, penis jokes, American loathing, and Power-Pop guitar chords, make for a prodigal mixture of Tinsel Torment. The vocalist, Mark Hoppus, exclaims: “Outside the Carolers start to sing/I can’t describe the joy they bring/’Cause Joy is something they don’t bring me” in the opening verse, to show a spot of Sass, and later sings: “Well, I guess it’s not cool to freak on Christmas Eve/’Cause the Cops came and arrested me/They had an unfair advantage” in a heavier second chorus. The song structure is a fairly conventional pop one, but the very “Indie”-sounding bass guitar riffs are adorned with ringing Church bells and percussive little Sleigh bell melodies to sell the rather brash frustration of our lead narrator. The chorus plays out with: “It’s Christmas time again/It’s time to be nice to the people you can’t stand all year/I’m growing tired of all this Christmas cheer” above the frantically paced blend of Pop-driven lyricism and the Skate-Punk driven guitar instrumentation. The vocals are admittedly just a bit rough around the edges, but the chorus is perfectly fine, because the overall sound is a fairly catchy and enjoyable one. The lyrics stumble down that fine path between teen rebel and sociopath a little, but the vocal delivery is quite sharp, and I found the Grinch-esque little rhymes to be mildly amusing. This is not a masterpiece, but I enjoyed it. It doesn’t sound too outdated on most accounts – and it fits our times. Before we raise our spirits again, let’s wallow in the sadness a little first.

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “I Won’t Be Home For Christmas” (Released on Oct 16, 2001) (via MCA Records)

Thank you for reading my latest blog post – and hang in there! Join me again tomorrow as we take our minds off the season for a bit of California love from a Swedish Experimental Electronic music composer who really dares to be different, with the title track from an album which he released back in September. He’s set to play Club shows, in Sydney and Adelaide, over in Australia, in March next 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/