Today’s Track: Shaggy (feat. Junior Reid & Bounty Killer) – “Ragamuffin Christmas”

November 24, 2020 — Leave a comment

I once thought I saw Shaggy shoplifting the Pick and Mix in the cinema. It wasn’t him!

Pictured: Shaggy appearing on “Good Morning Britain” (2020) (Photo Credit: Ken McKay/ITV/REX)

Good Morning to you! I’m Jacob Braybrooke and it’s another day which means that it’s another time for me to get typing up 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! We’re almost exactly a month out from Christmas Day, and so Jamaican Reggae producer Shaggy, of all people, has been spreading the festive cheer with his new Christmas album, “Christmas In The Islands”, which came out last Friday via BMG Rights Management. It certainly is one of the most random new album releases of recent memory, and it’s tricky for me to comprehend why it exists in the first place, but here we are. Mind you, Mariah Carey has made $42,954 in royalties for ONE DAY of Spotify Streams alone for “All I Want For Christmas Is You”, so I can’t say I really blame him for wanting to get in on that big bucks action. It seems like a lengthy LP collection too – with 16 tracks featuring guests such as Ne-Yo and Joss Stone. The first single to come from the new yuletide album is titled “Ragamuffin Christmas”, and it features Shaggy’s pals Junior Reid and Bounty Killer. Let’s press play to the festive track below.

Shaggy tells us in the publicity release: “Since I was a child, I can remember seeing tourists flock to Jamaica during Christmas time for some sun, fun, rum and great parties”, adding that he hopes the new release will “transport listeners and share how we celebrate Christmas in the islands” as he hopes to embody the Jamaican culture into one Christmas-themed record, giving us another reason to believe that it’s a thing besides needing a bit of cash. It is quite difficult for me to know where to start with this one, to be honest. It seems like Shaggy has been throwing everything that he has on one of those Casio keyboards that you used to play around with in secondary school. The introduction is led by some kind of sonic loop that evokes the sound akin to a whining cat, with “It’s christmas time” being the only decipherable lyric, before Shaggy drenches the vocals of “It really feels like it’s a ragamuffin kind of Christmas” in heavy auto-tune effects. Junior Reid delivers the Hip-Hop verses with a fairly fine flow, while Bounty Killer lurks around in the background for much of the song, just to add the odd “Christmas” shout or “Shaggy” trademark with a high-pitched voice. The track is polished off by a Sleigh Bell melody towards the end, with a Rave honk intersecting each of the rap verses from Reid and Killer. I sadly couldn’t find any of the lyrics for “Ragamuffin Christmas” online, and I didn’t have much better luck in trying to decipher them for myself. Is it any good? Well… no. I think we could all agree that it’s absolutely terrible, with lyrics that are inaudible, production that is messy in all places, and sound effects that don’t give it a very modern feel. However, it’s not really awful in a way that angers me. Instead, I think it’s funny. It makes me snigger and giggle nearly the whole way through it. I find it absolutely hilarious that “Christmas” is the very basic outline to even justify why it exists, and the concept of “Ragamuffin Christmas” is passively amusing. The entire song seems to be built purely around the basis of this though, and I’m not really sure if I’m supposed to not take it seriously. Either way, It did really make me laugh. This has no credibility from a technical standpoint, but I had a a laugh at it. I quite like how completely random it is.

Pictured: Cover Art for “Christmas In The Islands” (LP) (Released on November 20th, 2020) (via BMG)

Thank you very much for reading my latest post! I’ll be back tomorrow – for an in-depth look at the brand new track from one of my personal favourites – to bring some good artistry back into things. It comes from a US band who had a big hit with an Alternative Pop track back in 2011 that sounds upbeat and cheerful, but the lyrics were actually hinting at a mass school shooting. 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: Paramore – “Misery Business”

November 22, 2020 — Leave a comment

Let’s see if this one still leaves us wanting more, more, Para-More! It’s Scuzz Sunday!

Pictured: Cover Art for “Riot!” (Album/LP) (Released on June 12th, 2007) (via Fueled By Ramen)

Good Morning to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and we’ve reached the time of the week where I dig out an ancient gem of the Pop-Punk and Emo-Rock boom of the late-1990’s through to the mid-2000’s, to see whether they can hold up to value and quality in our more modern times. Led by singer and multi-instrumentalist Hayley Williams, Paramore is a Tennessee-based Pop-Punk band who fall on the latter end of the time spectrum, who usually get compared to the sounds of No Doubt, Kelly Clarkson and Avril Lavigne. I can remember how the band broke into the mainstream particularly easily, with hit singles in the charts like “The Only Exception”, “Crushcrushcrush” and “That’s What You Get”, all three of which have been certified platinum, across the UK and the US sales. In recent times, the band – although going through line-up changes – have undertaken a really mainstream Pop sound with “Hard Times” and “Still Into You”, but the band are currently working on a sixth album release, which they said will go back to exploring their more Punk-skewing roots. In recent years, Hayley Williams has been embarking on a well-received solo career, having become a frequent collaborator with B.O.B. and CHVRCHES. “Misery Business” is the lead single for “Riot!”, Paramore’s commercially successful second album – and it got to #17 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming their first single to hit the charts in the UK. It’s time for a throwback! Let’s watch the music video to “Misery Business” below.

The musical influences behind “Misery Business” – I think you could say – are pretty abundant and blatant. For one thing, the cover artwork for the “Riot” album clearly resembles the cover art of No Doubt’s “Rock Steady”, just to give you an indication of it Interestingly enough, however, Williams has decided that, as of March 2020, Paramore won’t play the track anymore at live shows because she feels the lyrics are controversial and she does not relate to them anymore. She is talking about the second verse, which goes: “Once a w***e, you’re nothing more, I’m sorry, that will never change” in a light of more feminist views, so it makes it intriguing for us to re-evaluate in our day of current affairs. I have noticed that the Pop-Punk era of Scuzz TV has often bordered on the misogynistic, and it’s healthy that artists are now looking back on this, in a self-reflective light. Honestly, I don’t think the s**t-shaming lyrics on “Misery Business” aren’t really that noticeable, and that’s because the pacing is very quick and you’re too focused on the guitar work instead, but it’s clear. Williams sings: “Whoa, I never meant to brag, But I got him where I want him now” as she relieves a breath of teenage angst on taking a boyfriend away from another girl. It feels very emo, and driven by big pop hooks. The verses are a little more Baroque-Pop driven, as Williams speedily recites Goth-oriented lines, on top of a bubbling bass guitar riffs. A bridge is placed towards the end, where the instrumentation is slowed in the mathematical “record label hit” which builds up to the sharp guitar solo, and a final repeat of the verse. Honestly, I’m not too keen on the track since I feel that it follows the typical commercial Pop single formula really closely and it feels derivative as a result – sounding too much like Avril Lavigne and No Doubt instead of sounding inspired by them. The guitar riffs are dowsed in fuzzing Pop instrumentation and the vocals are fairly strong actually, so I can see why it was a big hit, but it feels like they – or the label – were clearly trying hard to make it a hit. It’s easy to see the appeal, however, because it’s very accessible and feels produced. The lyrics seem to be very dated, but it’s really admirable that Williams has taken an honest approach with these in retrospect. Overall, it’s nothing that grips me, but I could see why it was very successful because it has been produced that way. I always think that a band should never just try to have a hit because – why would you want to just sound like someone else? Don’t be the next No Doubt – be the first “you” – that’s my advice. Sadly, this is the crucial point, in which, the powers that be clearly overlook – now more than ever.

Pictured: Hayley Williams (Lead Vocals/Acoustic Guitar/Keyboard), Josh Farro (Lead Guitar), Taylor York (Bass Guitar) and Zac Farro (Drums/Occasional Backing Vocals) (in 2007) (Photo via Billboard.com)

Thank you for reading this week’s Scuzz Sunday throwback! This was a fun one – and I hope that you enjoyed reading it half as much as I liked writing it. If so, why not check back in with me tomorrow? I’ll be taking a look at a fun new Jazz track with about 7 different musicians on the credit…The main two being a Canadian hip-hop lyricist/electronic music producer duo – who are currently signed up to B*****d Jazz Recordings. Their sounds have been endorsed by the likes of Kaytranada, Nightmares On Wax and Phife Dawg. 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 Cribs – “Running Into You”

November 20, 2020 — Leave a comment

You’re tuned into One Track At At A Time – and this is my Crib! It’s time for a new post!

Pictured: Gary Jarman (Lead Vocals/Bass Guitar), Ryan Jarman (Lead Guitar/Backing Vocals) and Ross Jarman (Drums/Percussion) (Taken in August 2017) (Photo Credit: Phil Smithies for DIYmag.com)

I’m so glad that I could run into you! I’m Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for me to type up all about your daily track on the blog, since it is routinely my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! A new Friday tends to mean a new crop of new album releases – this week’s handful including the likes of King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Kali Uchis and erm… BTS…. for those fans of K-Pop who may be reading this. However, we also have “Night Network”, the eighth studio album to come from British indie rock trio The Cribs, who were once known for having The ex-Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr as a part of their line-up. It’s gained a score of 84 on Metacritic to symbolise “Universal Acclaim” so far, with NME calling it: “The Cribs’ best album in 11 years” in their 10/10 review, and it has also received very positive reviews from DIY Magazine, The Line Of Best Fit and Clash Music, among some others, too. It’s being praised for it’s sharp observations, it’s tight and focused songwriting, and it’s variation of tones following the band’s legal troubles. It is also the first album of which the band have fully produced themselves. Not bad at all, for a band whose last four albums had charted within the top 10 of the UK Albums Chart, and, in 2012, earned the annual NME Award for “Outstanding Contribution To Music”. Without further ado, let’s take a listen to the lead single – “Running Into You” – below.

I can’t emphatically say that I’m particularly familiar with The Cribs’ output for the most part – but I know how they’re one of the few British rock bands to properly hold up a “cult” status over the last 16 years. “Running Into You” is a track that aims to evoke a very nostalgic feeling, and embrace the feel of going to a crowd-pleasing gig at a time well, being brutally honest, we can’t. In fact, the band didn’t really know if there would be an eighth album on the cards for them, following a legal dispute with their management, and it was only when resident Foo Fighter Dave Grohl offered up his Studio 606 in Los Angeles to them, when these tables began to turn for them. Something about “Running Into You” felt unappealing and brash to me at first, with an unpolished series of guitar riffs and a Pop Punk-ish vocal pitch that made it feel more like a demo than a finished product to me at first. Meanwhile, the more that I listen, the more textures and the more qualities begin to show. It feels very anthemic throughout, with Ryan Jarman singing: “Find me on the balcony, the new owner’s tore down/Watching you in my memory/Waiting for me to come back around” and “I’m sitting on the swings/With the freedom that you gave to me/The clock stopped long ago, but life still went on” in the two verses, over the top of a sonic set of piercing bass guitar lines and heavy, slightly distorting drum beats. The chorus is a very simple one, as the Jarman boys chant: “They’re always running/They’re always running into you” above the weaving lead guitar riffs and the, for the lack of a better term, – ‘filthy’ instrumentation. The renowned punk-style guitar sound feels cutting and acute, with vocals that feel dignified and “laddish”, but it sounds as though The Cribs are really exposing some charm in that here. With the vocals playing with themes of memory and reminiscence, it manages to feel retro and antique, to an extent. In a nutshell, it feels unapologetically ‘indie’, but rooted in proper ‘indie’, due to it’s raw-edged feel and lack of auto-tune, rather than ‘indie bollocks’, as I like to call it. The band seem to elicit a sense of ’embracing the sub-culture of just screaming along at a gig, with a beer in one hand, while you’re left clutching onto your best mate, with a pop-driven and sun-soaked feel being replaced by a rain-filled rock of their live affinity. Catchy, but unashamedly unpolished – so I think the album just may be worth a listen for me.

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Night Network” (Released on November 20th, 2020) (via Sonic Blew)

As a part of our Scuzz Sundays feature, we previously took a look at “Men’s Needs” from The Cribs’ typically most well-known studio LP release, “Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever”, which was released back in 2007. Don’t forget to, if you enjoyed the style of the new material, trace them back here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/04/12/scuzz-sundays-the-cribs-mens-needs/

Pictured: The Cribs (Gary, Ryan, Ross Jarman) with Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr (2011) (Wegow.com)

Thank you for checking out your daily track on the blog! There ain’t no rest for the wicked, so I’ll be back at it again tomorrow, as we build up to Scuzz Sundays with an in-depth look at a new EP release that dropped today from a fairly mysterious UK Synth-Punk trio, who are seemingly named after a type of glue that I bet you used a lot in the primary school days. Please like the Facebook page for the blog to receive all my updates here: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Today’s Track: Blossoms – “Christmas Eve (Soul Purpose)”

November 18, 2020 — Leave a comment

Yes, it’s the C word – the one related to the 25th of December. It’s time for a new post!

Pictured: Cover Art for "Christmas Eve (Soul Purpose)" (Released on 5 November, 2020) (via Virgin/EMI) — Pictured: Cover Art for “Christmas Eve (Soul Purpose)” (Released on 5 November, 2020) (via Virgin/EMI)

Good Morning, Afternoon or Evening – I have finally made it to my laptop to discuss today’s track of the day on the blog with you, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to get writing up about a different piece of music every day! Yes… I know what’s you’re thinking. Look, the Aldi shelves are stacked with Stollen bites and Chocolate Reindeers, and the TV is mostly filled with typically commercial Festive advertisements, so it’s time for me to sprinkle in a few seasonal tracks into the daily routine as the next few weeks ramp up to the first ever “Covid-Christmas”. Blossoms – or “The Blossoms” as my Mum likes to call them (I like it when she says that because it really makes me smile on the inside) are a Stockport-based Pop/Soft-Rock band. Classed as “Indie” but they’re signed to Virgin’s EMI Records, so they’re not really. They are known for a few UK chart hits including “Charlemagne”, “Your Girlfriend” and “If You Think This Is Real Life”, each of which I’m quite familiar with – and we even took a look at the latter track right here on the blog over the Summer, which I gave a positive review. It seems they got their Santa hats out earlier than me this year, with the release of a new christmas single, “Christmas Eve (Soul Purpose)” back at the very beginning of the month, which comes bundled with the B-side “It’s Going To Be A Cold Winter” on the physical 7″ vinyl, which is available from December 11th on the band’s official website. Most recently, they released the “Foolish Loving Spaces” album back in the end of January on Virgin/EMI, which had reached the top of the UK Albums Chart in it’s debut week on sale. Let’s fill our stockings with their single below.

The new track, “Christmas Eve (Soul Purpose), also features their local vocal group – Stockport Junior Voices Choir – and it was produced by James Skelly, of The Coral fame, along with Rich Turvey, and the band recorded it back in June between Parr Street Studios in Liverpool and Hitsville in Stockport. It plays out mostly how you’d expect a modern Yuletide offering to sound, as Tom Ogden sings: “I had a dream last night/I think I fell in love” over the top of festive sleigh bells and warm guitar-based rhythms. The chorus is hook-driven and involved, as Ogden sings: “It was Christmas Eve/I found my soul purpose, Peace on Earth is three words, The road is so long” to an entwined backing vocal from the children’s choir, who come to Ogden’s aid by adding a light, pop-oriented element of Soul to the proceedings. The lyrics touch on togetherness and open love, as Ogden chimes in with “The season of good cheer/Pictures old and new/Collected through the years/That I’ve spent with you” above the cheerful, Acoustic-backed percussion. The choir harmonizes with the band’s backing vocals, and the track draws to a close with a sample of a crowd cheering, and joyous clapping from some type of audience – who I can only assume were all socially distanced in the recording process. It is all very lighthearted and mainstream-sounding, with nothing that feels really out of the ordinary or like the band are dramatically shaking anything much up. This comes across as sweet and cutesy, but I don’t think there’s really anything in bad execution about this. The children’s voices are quite a nice touch, and it’s not really overstaying it’s welcome in any major way. While there’s absolutely nothing that sticks out as surprising or particularly imaginative, this sounds quite nice to listen to, and it wouldn’t anger me if I heard it around my family’s house at a Christmas-themed dinner, because the children’s vocal choir are at least adding something quite soft and Soulful enough to the ears musically. I’ve heard much worse from Shaggy – but more on that next week!

Pictured: Tom Ogden (Lead Vocals/Songwriter), Josh Dewhurst (Lead Guitar), Charlie Salt (Bass Guitar), Myles Kellock (Keyboard/Synths) and Joe Donovan (Drums) at the 2017 BRIT Awards (Photo via PR)

As mentioned above, we also covered the standard single “If You Think This Is Real Life” previously on the blog – and it was rather decent. Please take a look here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/05/04/todays-track-blossoms-if-you-think-this-is-real-life/

Pictured: Cover Art for "Foolish Loving Spaces" (Released on January 31, 2020) (via Virgin/EMI Records) — Pictured: Cover Art for “Foolish Loving Spaces” (Released on January 31, 2020) (via Virgin/EMI Records)

Thank you for sticking with my first Seasonal post of the erm… Season. I’ll be back tomorrow as we try to squeeze in another talented band before the festive tidings ramp up further. I’ve been really loving this new band from Minnesota, who are now currently based in Chicago, who have just released their debut album on the Winspear Records label, so please tune in to hear more on that tomorrow. Please like the Facebook page for the blog to receive all my updates here: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Scuzz Sundays: The Bloodhound Gang – “The Ballad Of Chasey Lain”

November 17, 2020 — Leave a comment

Well…Here we are again! It really is a Dog Eat Dog world out there! It’s Scuzz Sunday!

Pictured: Jimmy Pop (Lead Vocals/Rhythm Guitar), Jared Hasslehoff (Bass Guitar/ Vocals), DJ Q-Ball (Keyboards/Synths/Turntables), Daniel P. Carter (Lead Guitar) & The Yin (Drums) (2015) (WeGow.com)

There goes your Sunday! Greetings to you, I am Jacob Braybrooke and it’s time for another weekly installment in our Scuzz Sundays series, where we take a listen back to an Emo-Rock or Pop-Punk relic released between the late-90’s and the mid-00’s, to see if they hold on to value and quality in our current times! We previously covered “The Bad Touch” in our series, and it’s a song that everybody is familiar with (Never Again!). However, generally, the public don’t seem to be very aware of their other material, but the band have actually been quite successful, commercially speaking, with sales of 6 million copies of their albums worldwide, and a particularly decent following in European territories. Today – that changes – as we take a listen to “The Ballad Of Chasey Lain” in retrospect. Much like their biggest hit, this track was released as a single from their debut album, “Hooray For Boobies” (Yeah….Seriously), which was released in 1999. The track was re-released as a single in 2000, with the single’s title alluding to Jimmy Pop (Yes, that is really the alias of the lead vocalist) seeing Chasey Lain, a pornographic film actress, in a clothing shop advertisement. He commented “No” when he was questioned if the infatuation was real…and this was an interview with BBC. This reached #15 in the UK Singles Chart. Let’s listen in below.

Of all places, the track has been frequently used as the bumper music for a lucrative US Texas-situated radio station, KRBE. Along with this, Jimmy Pop has confirmed in his interviews over the years that the core melody for the track was sampled from “Sea Of Sin” by Depeche Mode, of all bands. Writing from the viewpoint of a mock stalker, Pop recites lines like: “I just wanted to ask/Could I eat your a**?” and “You’ve had a lot of d**k Chasey, but you ain’t had mine” over the top of a jangled, heavy guitar riff and a harsh bass guitar riff. You’ve probably noticed – this is just incredibly, undeniably silly music, but I think that it’s important to remember that Bloodhound Gang have always been a Novelty group, and you’re not really supposed to take them seriously as a sub-contemporary piece of music. That doesn’t mean it’s really any good, though. Lines like “Now, show ’em them t***ies” and, in the end, “Would ya f**k me, for blow?” feel tired and ware very thin by the end, although I think the monotone delivery that Pop uses is quite amusing. This is much less Rap-Rock driven than a lot of their other work, with a skewed Punk instrumental giving off a low-fidelity Folk-Blues idiom instead. The lyrics are about the lowest common denominator nonsense you would expect, as a harsh and crude set of lines like “How could I ever eat your a**, when you treat, your biggest fan like that?” and “You’ve had a lotta d**k/I’ve had a lotta time” get repetitive and lose any charm they had, before you gradually get to the end-point of the track when you realise that you’ve just wasted 3 minutes of your life – I’m sorry for wasting yours. It’s a shame that Pop isn’t using enough variation to keep things, at least, mildly catchy here, as the Punk-Folk mismatch of instrumentation is more interesting. For what it’s worth though, it’s crap.

Pictured: "No reason to live but we like it that way" - Bloodhound Gang (2017) (Photo via Reddit.com) — Pictured: “No reason to live but we like it that way” – Bloodhound Gang (2017) (Photo via Reddit.com)

I’m not sure why you really would, but if you must – You can read up on my thoughts of “The Bad Touch”, of which we already covered as part of our 1st Anniversary Special of our long-running Scuzz Sundays weekly feature on the blog, here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/08/23/scuzz-sundays-1st-anniversary-special-the-bloodhound-gang-the-bad-touch/

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Hooray For Boobies” (Released on October 4th, 1999) (via Geffen Records)

Thank you very much for reading my new post! As always, I’ll be back at it all again tomorrow, as I hope to aid you through the daily grind again. We’ll be taking an in-depth look at the big return track from a UK hip-hop rapper, songwriter, lyricist and poet who previously appeared on a few episodes of Channel 4’s Celebrity Gogglebox with his mother – Jean Coyle-Larner. 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: Loyle Carner – “Yesterday”

November 16, 2020 — Leave a comment

Ay! You might say that the world is his. That scribble of a boy! It’s time for a new post!

Pictured: Loyle Carner in a press shoot to promote “Not Waving, But Drowning” (in 2019) (via PR)

Good Morning to you, my name is Jacob Braybrooke and we’ve reached the time for me to write all about your daily track on the blog today, because it’s still my day-to-day pleasure to get typing up about a different piece of music every day! I can’t believe how quickly the typical two-years-per-album turn-around has flown by for Loyle Carner, but over the last week, he finally released his first brand new music since 2019’s “Not Waving, But Drowning”. Carner is a Lambeth-born UK Hip Hop rapper, songwriter and poet who has two full-length albums to his name, including 2017’s BRIT Award-nominated debut “Yesterday’s Gone”, and the aforementioned follow-up LP from 2019, both of which were distributed by Virgin/EMI Records. Along with appearing on several episodes of Channel 4’s Celebrity Gogglebox with his mother, Jean Coyle-Larner, the promising rapper has been directing music videos with his brother and performing on The Other Stage at last year’s Glastonbury Festival over the last two years. There’s no details on a third full-length album yet, but I wouldn’t put it past Carner to roll it out in the early goings of 2021… That camera pan at the end is definitely seeming to tease something big. I’m quite a big fan of Carner because his style feels more laidback than most of his contemporary peer UK rappers, and he does seem like a very likeable person within his music, and outside of it. The use of his stage name is a spoonerism of his double-barreled actual surname and a reference to his ADHD and Dyslexia diagnoses. Produced by the famed figure Madlib, let’s listen to the big comeback single, “Yesterday”, with his self-directed video below.

Well… Loyle Carner is back, and he’s had a Baby? He has crossed over into the mainstream rather nicely over the last few years, and that’s especially true given how the track got it’s first play on BBC Radio 1 last Wednesday as the Hottest Record In The World on Annie Mac’s show. The most noticeable change in sound on “Yesterday” compared to most of his prior work is the production from Madlib, which is signaling towards a more Classic Hip-Hop element that calls back to acts like De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest. The style we typically hear from Carner is more mellow and gently textured, but “Yesterday” feels more immediate. It feels more melodic and bombastic. He raps: “Twenty four/Mixed race/Living twelve years a slave” and “I been in and out, to drag the pain out the house/Being brave, something proud, say my name I’m about” over the top of skewed, quickly cut-up samples and the dissonant, punchy Brass samples with a good flow and a light-hearted ease. It also feels slightly less personal lyrically, and more alternatively touching on the themes of black community and current affairs, as he raps: “Black and White, watching money leading men astray” and “We expand, like a grand in another hand” in the uncompromising verses. However, I think that the hallmarks of an established Carner sound are still enveloped wisely in here, as Carner raps: “There comes a time, In everyone’s life/When you have to fall in love, Once or twice” in the bridge, touching on a more intimate and retrospective sound. We’re also getting the humble voice from him, and the feelings come across that are confessional. Overall, the balance of the tones is well-weighted and it makes the collaboration feel very even. It’s certainly pointing towards a more observational and mature sound for Carner, with the lyrics playing on Carner making a big transition between Young Adult and Man as he grows up to understand the world around him more fully, yet it’s also imbued with the Jazz rhythms of Hip-Hop’s golden age to place a larger emphasis on adulthood and maturity, conceptually. It’s a clever departure in style which feels well-executed. He does like to say “Ay” a lot though – maybe he could say “Cor Blimey” to mix things up.

Pictured: Loyle Carner in a shot for Primary Talent International (2017) (Photo via primarytalent.com)

Don’t forget that you can also still check out my write-up on the track, “Ice Water”, from his previous LP record. I’m sure that he’s capturing plenty of Summer vibes on that track. Check it out here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/03/25/todays-track-loyle-carner-ice-water/

Pictured: Track list for “Not Waving, But Drowning” (Released in April 2019) (via Virgin/EMI Records)

That’s it for another day! Thanks for reading my latest post, and please join me again tomorrow, as we vary things up a bit with an in-depth listen to the recent-ish new 80’s-inspired Dance-Pop single from a London-based singer-songwriter who has performed DJ Sets for an extensive list of prestigious clients – like Chanel, Paul Smith, The VA, and even the Cannes Film Festival. 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: Hot Chip (feat. Jarvis Cocker) – “Straight To The Morning”

November 14, 2020 — Leave a comment

Forget Endgame – this is the biggest crossover event in media history! New post time!

Pictured: Alexis Taylor (Lead Vocals), Joe Goddard (Synths/Keyboard), Owen Clarke (Lead Guitar), Al Doyle (Bass Guitar/Percussion), and Felix Martin (Drum Machine/Programming) (in 2019) (via PR)

Good Morning to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for you to have a listen to today’s track on the blog, because it is always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! We’re going to round off the week with a slice of Disco-Pop euphoria, which comes courtesy of the new collaboration between the established English Synth-Pop 5-piece band Hot Chip and Pulp’s famous frontman, Jarvis Cocker. The single, “Straight To The Morning”, should appeal to a broad range of tastes. To link themselves up for the collaboration that we didn’t know we needed, Hot Chip had approached Cocker after performing some DJ sets together in Paris because “Somehow he seems an unlikely figure in this all, and we like it that way”, per Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor in a press release. Cocker added: “This was the very last musical session I was involved in before Lockdown.” and commenting that although the track is about going for a night out when you’re not allowed to do so for now, Cocker said: “We danced around in the studio quite a lot in the meantime though. It was fun to be a member of the Straight Through Crew for a day”. You can buy a physical 10″ vinyl copy of the new single from January 29, 2021 via Domino Recordings. It also comes with a Mighty Mouse remix and a deck of playing cards illustrated by Rami Afifi – to keep you busy on a long Winter night. Check it out below.

It’s not quite like Hot Chip and Jarvis Cocker have been out of the public eye for a while, because it has only been one year since Hot Chip released their critically acclaimed LP “A Bath Full Of Ecstasy”, whereas Jarvis Cocker went on a venture into Art-Rock with his critically lauded “Beyond The Pale” LP from his JARV IS project, in July. Starting off with a swooping Violin section, Alexis Taylor sings: “Well, there’s a ringing in my ears/But, there’s a devil in my tongue” over the top of a fluctuating drum machine riff that feels typical to the Electronic 90’s dance sound that we’re used to hearing from them. It gets followed up by a sharp burst of slight distortion vocal effects and very upbeat, melodic Synth patterns in the chorus, as Taylor sings: “Straight to the morning, The fever will never end”, aided by the ongoing Violin chords. The track slows down to a nice, fragmented section of off-kilter Synth lines and deeper, cerebral vocals from Cocker, who croons: ” I feel the heat, let’s cut the lights/It’s a small slice of heaven” to a surprisingly quirky delivery. He lurks in the background throughout the man bulk of the track, giving off a dueling backing vocal to Taylor’s hooks and thus adding a slightly wonky, offbeat effect with his colder, more calculated delivery that feels slightly melodic enough to conjoin to the quick pacing of the track. Lyrically, it’s just about going out and having fun, so there isn’t really a lot of depth here – but I think that themes of nightlife and socializing in dance music are bringing in a light sense of normal life to us at this time. Overall, I like Hot Chip and I like Jarvis Cocker, and so this is a fun tune to dance along in the Kitchen to.

Pictured: Jarvis Cocker at the Primavera Sound Festival, Barcelona (2019) (Photo Credit: Adela Loconte)

Thank you for reading my new post! As always, I’ll be back tomorrow for a new weekly addition to our year-long Scuzz Sundays series, where we take a look back at a rather cheesy and trashy Pop-Punk or Emo-Rock classic that was originally released between the late-1990’s and the mid-2000’s, to see if they can hold up to a valuable slice of quality in our current times. 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: System Of A Down – “Protect The Land”

November 9, 2020 — Leave a comment

Get your Chop Suey ready at the double – IT has finally happened! It’s new post time!

Pictured: Serj Tankian (Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar, Keyboard), Daron Malakian (Lead Guitar. Backing Vocals), Shavo Odadijian (Bass Guitar/Backing Vocals) & John Dolmayan (Drums) (2020) (Photo via PR)

Good Morning to you, I’m Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for me to type up about your daily track on the blog, because it’s always been my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! WELL! This took 15 years, and a war between Azerbaijan and Armenia to happen, but… IT HAS! SYSTEM OF A DOWN ARE BACK! The Alternative Metal icons played a major role in my upbringing – as with countless others – in getting me into the Alternative music scene for the rest of my life, and after the band fell out 15 years ago due to ideological and artistic creative conflict, they have bonded together in the studio once again in an effort to raise awareness of the war going down in their native country, as every member of the group is of an Armenian descent. The Nu Metal icons had crossover hits with the likes of “Chop Suey”, “Toxicity” and “B.Y.O.B.” back in their heyday, and it’s easy to argue that they are one of the most influential groups, not just of the metal genres, but of Rock music in general. As mentioned, the band have released their first new output, after years of rumors and speculation that seemingly was false. “Protect The Land” and “Genocidal Humanoidz”, both of which are available to purchase now on their Bandcamp page, with the proceeds from sales going towards the Armenia Fund, and it was recorded to raise awareness of the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict that started in September. “Protect The Land” has it’s own full music video. Let’s check it out below.

Shavo Odadijian, the band’s bassist, said the new music was “bigger than our ego’s” in relation to the band re-uniting after creative difficulties caused their original split in support of their country’s armed forces amidst a “dire and serious war being perpetrated upon [their] cultural homelands”, as the 4-piece dropped the two new tracks onto the unsuspecting public on Friday. Whereas “Genocidal Humanoidz” wouldn’t feel very out of place on their “Toxicity” output back in the day, “Protect The Land” feels more alike to the Prog-Metal style the Nu Metal icons explored on “Mezmerize”, back in 2005. Built on a towering bass guitar riff and a propulsive drum timing signature, “Protect The Land” sees the outspoken, Political Alternative Metal musicians go back to what they know, and seemingly reveling in that experience. Serj Tankian plays off a swaying lead guitar riff from Daron Malakian, as he sets big lyrical hooks like “The enemy of man is his own decay” and “Would you stay, and take a stand?” over the top of a concise bass guitar rhythm and a well-delivered, straightforward lead guitar riff that permeates through the track at a quick, sharp pace that doesn’t let up. The chorus is very anthemic, as Tankian chants: “Our history and victory and legacy we send” and “From scavengers and invaders, Those who protect the land” above a fragmented, but melodic, lead guitar riff and a climactic drum part. The instrumentation is heavy, but the vocals and the interplay between the members of the band manage to convey an emphatic sense of warmth – one that we haven’t quite heard in Metal for quite a while, I think. This just emphasizes what a great moment this really is for Metal and for Music in 2020, with vocals that feel expressive and political, just as we’re used to hearing from the band. There are some nice vocal harmonies throughout, and the switch-up of tone, with a more somber pace and a larger focus on the messages of the vocals, in the bridge are a good touch. The track is perhaps a bit reliant on repetition, but it mostly feels well-written and old-school. Does it represent their best ever work? Probably not – but it works really well overall because of the element of the suprise and the underlying warmth which expands the Heavy melodies well. For a first go in 15 years – The results are essential!

PIctured: System Of A Down at an awards ceremony (2014) (Photo Credit: Lester Cohen/Getty Images)

Thank you for reading my latest post! Please feel free to join me tomorrow, once again, where we’ll be taking an in-depth look at the brand new single from an emerging independent Dallas-based Dream-Pop singer-songwriter which REALLY made me think “Wow” – You will not forgive yourself if you decide to miss this next one out tomorrow! All will be revealed, then! 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: Genesis Owusu – “Don’t Need You”

November 6, 2020 — 1 Comment

I wonder what this Canberra-born rapper has in his bandage of tricks! New post time!

Pictured: Genesis Owusu in a press shot for the Red Bull House Party (in 2020) (Photo via RedBull.com)

Wow, I can’t believe it’s Friday again already. I’m Jacob Braybrooke, and It’s time for me to write to you about today’s anthem on the blog, because it has always been my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! This weekend seems very light on new album releases, so we’re going to take an in-depth look at a track from earlier in the year that I probably wish I’d got around to actually typing words about here sooner. I give you “Don’t Need You” by Genesis Owusu. I’m the Head Of Music at OMG Radio at Staffordshire University, and this is a track that I discovered back in September through The Current’s Song Of The Day podcast. I rather liked it on first impressions, so I gave it a spot on the C-List. It’s been climbing the rankings of our daytime rotation list, and I’d finally moved it up to the A-List yesterday for the next week or so. This is a real grower for Genesis Owusu – who is an Ghanian-Australian producer, rapper and lyricist from Canberra who once performed as the opening act for 5 Seconds Of Summer for their sold-out charity benefit concert in Sydney last year. He is also the brother of fellow Canberran songwriter Citizen Kay. This was just a one-off single release. Warm your ears up for “Don’t Need You” below.

Owusu’s earlier track, “WUTD”, was once used for a Bose Noice Cancelling Headphones advertising campaign last year, and Owusu’s track “Sideways” received national airplay on the Triple J radio station over in the States last year, so it’s fair to say that Owusu is no stranger to a little bit of mainstream attention here and there, despite sticking to his guns as an Alternative R&B and Trip-Hop artist. “Don’t Need You” really struck me with it’s hybridity of Funk-Rock, Trip-Hop, R&B and Neo-Soul influences, which taps into melodies and harmonies that seem very eclectic and dynamic. The tone shifts around all over the place, but in a good way. Owusu opens with a somber mood, as he sings: “Once I left your crazy a**, I took a therapy session” over the top of a washing ambience created by the gentle keyboard keys. A burst of energy leads into an off-kilter Funk instrumental as Owusu raps: “Said, I can’t leave my bed today/You tied me on my chest again” in the first verse. The bridge raises the intensity of the groove-driven melodies with a fragmented strobe effect that weaves through Owusu’s lyrics as he recites: “Wait, could this be true? I don’t like you, I don’t like you” with a slightly Falsetto-led delivery. It reminds me a little bit of David Byrne from Talking Heads and Jim Morison of Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine, but not too closely to either of them individually. That’s a really good thing, because this also allows to Owusu to add some humor to the lyrics about self-empowerment and independence, with laugh-out-loud hooks like: “I said your a** is stinky, and you built like a mole/And I’ll boot your a** to London if you can’t take a stroll” that land on the surface of the wonky production details. There’s also a subtle touch of melancholy in places, as Owusu raps: “Same tricks/How’d you do me like that?” in a rhythmic interlude that evokes a more 00’s-leaning fusion of R&B and Chicago Soul. I think that what Owusu manages to do is rather exciting, and it feels original. The wonky delivery of the synths and the instrumental sections appeal to me as a lover of Alternative music, whilst the chorus feels hook-oriented and melodic enough for some decent crossover appeal for the more mainstream types of listeners. All around, it’s very solid indeed. This is interesting, eclectic and, above all, a lot of fun. Can’t you see he’s rich?

Pictured: Cover Artwork for "Don't Need You" (Single) (Released on May 15, 2020) (via Ourness Pty Ltd.) — Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Don’t Need You” (Single) (Released on May 15, 2020) (via Ourness Pty Ltd.)

Thank you for reading my latest blog post! As always, I’ll be back tomorrow, for an in-depth look at some brand new music from a fresh Alternative Rock/Lo-Fi Punk band who come from Galway on the West Coast of Ireland, who performed a live session for Steve Lamacq’s Drivetime show on BBC Radio 6Music yesterday. 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: Romy – “Lifetime”

November 5, 2020 — Leave a comment

A big departure in sound for this XX-rated female indie songwriter. It’s new post time!

Pictured: Romy Madley Croft performing with The XX on-stage (2018) (Photo Credit: Phillip Cosores)

Good Morning to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for me to get typing up about today’s track on the blog, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Romy Madley Croft is perhaps best known for being one third of The XX’s line-up, but she’s decided to embark on a solo project in recent months. Although a new album from one of the UK’s biggest indie rock bands is being hinted at, as Croft reassured fans by saying: “There’s more XX music to come for sure” in a new interview, she’s also just had the pleasure of releasing her debut single as a solo artist, “Lifetime”, a single that has gained support from BBC Radio 1 and was released on the Young Turks record label. The track’s lyrics touch on the connection of embracing meeting up with loved ones in a way that we haven’t exactly done before. It’s unclear whether Romy is working on her own debut solo album to follow up on the single, but it’s nice to see the trio of members from The XX keeping active with their own passion projects. Let’s stream “Lifetime” below.

“Lifetime” really suprised me because it is a huge departure from the duo vocal setup of the XX, and the more ethereal electronic textures that the trio explored on their latest album, 2017’s “I See You”. Gone are the slick guitar bushings that feel emotionally driven and downbeat, and instead we have a pandemic-inspired, melodic Synthpop beat and a sparse disco influence. It gets off to a very “poppy” start, as Romy sings: “This must be a love from a higher place/Closing my eyes and I still know the taste” over the top of a big synth line which fluctuates with glitches and pulsating drum machine beats to the pace of a sonic vocal loop which calls out “You’ll be right be” as the sweeping bassline gathers the steam to build towards a crescendo of warm, uplifting textures. The style may be wildly different to her work as a part of The XX, but I would argue that the songwriting has a familiarity to The XX’s established sound, as Romy touches on romanticism when she sings: “The touch of your skin when the sun hits your face” and offers a hand in unity when she sings: “If this world comes to an end, I wanna be there with you”, again being recited above the dance-pop instrumental. I’m always all up for an artist evolving their style and putting a fresh spin on our expectations, but I think that Romy’s change of sound comes to a mixed result on this one. I’ve seen some glowing reviews for the track, and it might just be me being sniffy. However, I am struggling to see much in the single that feels original. I think that the dance-pop layout will appeal to a large group of people, but that’s kind of the issue for me, it feels very mainstream and done a hundred times before. The lyrics solve their purpose, if a little bit shallow. The synth work is also palatable, but too sugar-coated for my liking. The vocal loop works well, but it gets a bit over-used by the end of the track. Overall, the track is ‘fine’ but I am left to be quite underwhelmed by my overall feeling that in doing something different, she’s doing something that feels less interesting than the sound we know. I hope that she keeps taking risks, and this departure in sound is why I wanted to share this single with you.

Pictured: Cover Art for "Lifetime" (12" Single) (Released on September 29th, 2020) (via Young Turks) — Pictured: Cover Art for “Lifetime” (12″ Single) (Released on September 29th, 2020) (via Young Turks)

Thank you for reading my new post! Covid-19 has had ramifications on the new music release schedule, and there is not really anything coming out tomorrow that I am aware of. Instead, we’re going to take a look at a superb recent-ish Alternative R&B/Experimental Hip-Hop single from a Ghanian-Australian songwriter from Canberra who performed as an opening act for 5 Seconds Of Summer’s charity gig in Sydney last year and is the brother of Citizen Kay…I just wish I’d found the time to cover it a bit sooner! 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/

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