Mainstream

Today’s Track: Doves – “Prisoners”

August 10, 2020 — Leave a comment

Shock Horror! There is a mainstream (ish) tune that I’m really digging. New post time!

  • Pictured: Jez Williams (Lead Vocals/Lead Guitar), Jimi Goodwin (Bass Guitar/Keyboard/Synths/Percussion) and Andy Williams (Drums/Occasional Backing Vocals) in a photoshoot to promote their new return (in 2020) (via PR)

Who saw this coming? Good Morning to you, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m typing up your daily post on the blog because, as per usual, it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! Doves are back! A British indie rock trio from Cheshire, England – the band are made up of Jez Williams (Lead Vocals/Lead Guitar), Jimi Goodwin (Bass/Keyboard/Synths) and Andy Williams (Drums). The band have produced several UK Chart hits for themselves in their original run during the 00’s, most notably “Black and White Town”, “There Goes The Fear” and “KIngdom Of Rust”, including two #1 albums on the UK Albums Chart. The band remained quietly experimental while enjoying success in the mainstream at a simultaneous timeframe. We first heard an inkling of their reunion from their charity performance in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust last year, but a few weeks ago, the trio released their first new track in 11 years – “Carousels”. Since then, Doves have confirmed the release of their new comeback album “The Universal Want”, which is currently set for release on September 11th via Virgin/EMI Records. Did you know that Doves’ first ever gig was at The Wheatsheaf in Stoke? Let’s have a listen to their new single – “Prisoners” – below!

“Hello, old friend, it’s been a while” is the knowing nod to Doves’ 11-year hiatus on their latest single, “Prisoners”, a track that finds the band looking to begin anew, and refusing to simply let history repeat itself in terms of the sound, but that isn’t without retaining the original qualities that made them feel unique. The instrumentation feels much less processed and more eclectic than your bog-standard mainstream record here, with lyrics “about continually chasing something and not being satisfied when you eventually get it”, according to drummer Andy Williams. Jez Williams sings: “When the day is done, It’s just you and I/This is our last dance, One last fight” after an aired backing vocal and a swelling, Orchestral section of Violin chords and Cello strings. The sonic palette becomes more rock-oriented thereafter, with an uptempo Kick Drum beat and a continuous bassline of structured guitar riffs as Williams continues to vocally address an old friend, singing: “We’re just Prisoners of this life” in the chorus, with a rough bitterness in his voice, continuing on: “If you gotta believe in someone, Don’t make that person me” and “If you gotta let go of something, Then let go of me” as the beat gets very propulsive. This leaves a bit of space open for a good, old-fashioned Electric Guitar solo that spits shards of angry emotions, before the backing vocals bring the tone back down-to-earth once again. This sounds pretty well-developed, and it contains lyrical nods to their once-indefinite hiatus while capturing your attention with an intriguing sonic palette and the further experimentation of Art-Rock and Soft-Punk, with a hint of London Neo-Soul to express a grievance of hope, while dwelling on the melancholy of a long time passed. Doves have always come across as a band who feel underrated in the grand scheme of the mass market, and I hope their return injects a much-nedded oomph into a Pop-Rock market that’s been dominated by the likes of Coldplay for no good reason, other than for their name simply being Coldplay, over the recent years. That said, I also wouldn’t want the project to pull their artistic merit for an overly commercialized direction. Anyhow, as the saying goes, “They’re back – and they are better than ever”.

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “The Universal Want” (Set for release on 11th September, 2020) (via Virgin/EMI Records)

Funnily enough, quite a little while ago, I speculated on the potential return from Doves with an in-depth look at their gem “Black and White Town”. You can revisit the simpler times with my link here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/05/12/todays-track-doves-black-and-white-town/

  • Pictured: Doves in a photoshoot to promote a reunion tour (2019) (Photo Credit: Peter Guy/www.getintothis.co.uk)

Thank you very much for reading my new post! I’ll be back tomorrow for an in-depth look at the new track from an emerging artist, since we covered the return of long-time veterans today. This is a singer-songwriter from Belgium who released his debut album in 2016, and he now divides his time between Brussels and the Danish Islands of Samso. He writes and performs his music both in English and French. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when each new post is up and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime

Scuzz Sundays: X-Ecutioners (feat. Mike Shinoda & Mr. Hahn) – “It’s Goin’ Down”

August 2, 2020 — Leave a comment

A good idea, but will it stick the landing upon X-Ecution? It’s another Scuzz Sunday…

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Built From Scratch” (Released on February 26th, 2020) (via Loud Records/Columbia)

Good Morning, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m glad the hot weather has been cooling off a bit, as it makes it easier for me to type up your weekly edition of Scuzz Sundays. It’s the time of the week where we take a nice stroll down memory lane, and I pick either a classic Emo-Rock or Pop-Punk single from between the late-1990’s to mid-2000’s and re-evaluate whether it stands true to form by modern quality standards! “It’s Goin’ Down” is a track that often gets mistaken for a full-on Linkin Park track by a large chunk of people. But, it actually just features their frontman, Mike Shinoda, as the vocalist and Mr. Hahn, the DJ of Linkin Park. It was released in 2002 by New York-based DJ Turntable group X-Ecutioners as the only single of their second album, “Built From Scratch”, via Loud Records in association with Sony-owned label, Columbia Records. The album was built on collaborations, with the guest list including DJ Premier, Tina Weymouth, Sean Cane and several others – alongside an Executive Production credit for Peter King. The track peaked at #7 on the UK Singles Chart and at #85 on the US Billboard Chart. Let’s watch the official music video below.

X-Ecutioners refer to themselves, in a fun tidbit, as “X-Men”, their old name which they had to change, to avoid accusations of copyright infringement, obviously. Back to the matter at hand, X-Ecutioners decided they wanted to craft a more accessible sound from their underground roots on “It’s Goin’ Down”, a largely Rap-Rock track that also explored a Nu-Metal and Post-Grunge mix of sounds courtesy of the guest spots from Shinoda and Hahn of Linkin Park. Shinoda opens: “It’s Goin’ down, the rhythm projects ’round the next sound” and “Detect the mesh of many elements compressed down, The melting point of a super future-esque style” over the top of a drum intro that crackles and snaps to the pace of distorted bass guitar riffs and small inklings of voice samples. The beats are heavier in the chorus, as Shinoda recites: “Put it out for the world to see/LP and X-Men to the 10th degree” as he refers to the collaboration and simply raps about creating a phenomenal new sound, as crossovers of heavy guitar riffs and cut-up sample effects are taking center stage. The final bridge makes the lyrics almost unrecognizable under the splicing effects that mesh flickering voices of the chorus together, but the electric guitar instrumentation and the sequence of drum machine loops remain to be distinguishable. The sound is quite commercial, also due to a major label’s involvement, but I think there is something a bit more to it, with the Run DMC-esque Hip-Hop direction. The rapping from Shinoda is pretty average, but he manages to sell the lyricism reasonably well and his flow is consistently good, perhaps considering his low experience level at the time. The cut-up sampling effects are hugely prominent, but they don’t feel too repetitive, due to the instrumental guitar sections and the noisy drum beats forming a slight groove, but the lyrics feel a little bland and get a tad too tedious by the end. Overall, I don’t think there’s admittedly much substance here and the overall design is a bit outdated, but it serves as a fun throwback 20 years later with a sound that feels designed a little more towards live crowds. Also, the guitar and drum sections provide noisy fun. This absolutely screams 00’s but there’s enough here for a bit of enjoyment.

  • Pictured: Still Image from the official music video for “It’s Goin’ Down” (2002) (via Евгений Богатый/YouTube)

Thank you very much for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, just like usual, for an in-depth look at a fairly recent-ish track that I sadly didn’t get around to touching on beforehand. It marks a collaboration between Joe Goddard (of Hot Chip fame) and Hayden Thorpe (of ex-Wild Beasts fame). If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when each new post is up and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime

Today’s Track: Funkadelic – “Who Says A Funk Band Can’t Play Rock?”

July 30, 2020 — Leave a comment

By that logic, Who says a Music Writer can’t write about Steam trains? New Post Time!

  • Pictured: George Clinton and the numerous recurring members of Funkadelic in a press shot (1976) (via CBC Radio)

I don’t think I’d be fully qualified for the job… although I do love the oily and noisy old things. Good Morning, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing up your daily track on the blog, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! Today, we’re going back to the essential unity sound of the late-1970’s to cheer us up in these distressing times! “Who Says A Funk Band Can’t Play Rock?” is the B-Side to Funkadelic’s “One Nation Under A Groove”, an album which is regarded by many critics as the greatest funk album of all-time, and it always goes near the top of “Best Album” lists and polls for it’s related genres. Fronted by George Clinton, a true icon of the business, Funkadelic explored a heavier, more psychedelic sound compared to Clinton’s sister act, Parliament. Funkadelic was very significant in the development of Pop and Rock music, and it’s one of the most celebrated ethnic Black bands in the history of musical culture. On “One Nation Under A Groove”, the Funk collective used themes of unity and acceptance as a thorough-line to creating a “party album” that anybody could enjoy, regardless of sexuality, ethnicity or gender. As the title implies, “Who Says A Funk Band Can’t Play Rock?” blurs the lines between Funk, Jazz and Rock, underneath a slightly political undercurrent, and it pursues further influence of Soul. Let’s have a listen down below!

The 2015 vinyl reissue (above) provides crisper quality to an anthem that has always gone down as a classic. Many different members of the band take the lead for the different vocal sections throughout the track, layered below a guitar workout that evokes Heavy pop riffs and the P-Funk of the album’s title track “One Nation Under A Groove”. The vocalists sway to “Who says a Funk band can’t play Rock?” and “Who says a Jazz band can’t play Dance music?” over the top of R&B-inflicted guitar riffs which gradually add layers of new elements of Blues and Soft-Punk as the track’s duration goes on. The verses evoke a hip-hop beat as the vocals go: “We’ve been around for such a while/Be kinda hart not to have a style” and “When times get slower by the mile/We relax and wear a great big smile” as the simmering bass guitar riffs and the roaring kick drum sections create a crescendo and manipulate the ongoing groove as the textures gradually become rougher and smokier. The feedback effects and slightly distorted guitar lines in the later sections could be comparable to a “Funk version of Nirvana”, with a 1960’s Blues “Parade” that struts past the various elements of Funk, Rock, Art-Pop and a slight Grunge sensibility. Most notably, the track came out at a time where “Rock” was often identified as a traditionally “White” genre, while “Hip-Hop” and “Disco” may be dismissed as categorically “Black” music. Along with Jimi Hendrix, they changed the game and they re-wrote the rule book, because Clinton would not play that, instead drawing a live crowd with sounds of politically-driven, but positive and ambitious, Rock and Funk. To conclude, this may be quintessentially “not” the significant Black music sound of the 70’s… Which organically made it become so. That’s totally worth celebrating now more than ever…

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “One Nation Under A Groove” (Released in September 1978) (via Warner Bros. Records)

Previously, I have also covered the album’s main attraction, “One Nation Under A Groove”, as part of my daily post series on the blog. Please take a moment to spread the love and show your support by reading the older blog post here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/04/28/todays-track-funkadelic-one-nation-under-a-groove/

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Motor City Madness: The Ultimate Funkadelic Westbound Compilation” (Released in 2006) (via Westbound Records)

Thank you very much for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow for an in-depth look at the brand new project from Natalie Rose Findlay, who is a UK-based indie singer-songwriter from Stockport who has famously supported the likes of The Courteeners, Brandon Flowers, Jake Bugg and Miles Kane on tour. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when each new post is up and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime

Scuzz Sundays: Papa Roach – “Last Resort”

July 26, 2020 — Leave a comment

If your kids are growing older, Butlins may just be your Last Resort! It’s Scuzz Sunday!

Pictured: Papa Roach performing “Last Resort” at the Reading & Leeds Music Festival (2014) (Photo via BBC Music)

It’s that time of the week again! Good Morning, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing about this week’s edition of Scuzz Sundays on the blog, where we revisit an old pop-punk or emo-rock classic from the late-1990’s until the mid-2000’s to see if it can still hold up to modern quality! This time around, Papa Roach’s “Last Resort” is on the chopping block. The chances are very likely that you’ve heard this one before, even if you don’t recognize it by its name. The track came from the band’s second studio LP, “Infest”, which was released in April 2000 by DreamWorks (Yes, it’s the same company that made ‘Shrek’). “Last Resort” was the lead single from the record, a track that was a top-ten chart hit in many countries, including Germany, Portugal and, of course, the UK. The album itself was a mega-hit for the Californian band, as it has sold over seven million copies worldwide (at the time of writing), and it earned the band a Grammy nomination for “Best New Artist”. The track was prominently used on the 2000 film “Ready To Rumble” and it’s marketing materials, and Papa Roach notably went on to record the theme song for WWE’s Monday Night Raw programming. That’s mostly how come I’ve known about them. Let’s take a trip to the group’s “Last Resort” below.

A commercial hit that showed off the band’s hip-hop influences and pushed their pioneering Rap-Metal style to the confines of the mainstream rock audiences, Papa Roach’s “Last Resort” was played on major radio stations all over the world, and it was placed on heavy rotation on TV music video channels. Jacoby Shaddix proclaims: “Cut my life into pieces/This is my last resort” over the top of a heavy, energetic lead guitar riff and a scratchy bass guitar riff that evokes Progressive Rock sounds. The chorus explodes, with a punchy drum section and a raw, mastered sense of percussive guitar work, as Shaddix chants: “Losing my sight, Losing my mind/I wish somebody would tell me I’m fine”, seeking self-assurance and comfort in a time of need, layered above the brash, loud instrumentation. The verses lower the upbeat tempo slightly, whilst the lyrics feel very prominent and substantial. Shaddix raps: “I never realized I was spread too thin, ‘Til I was too late and I was empty within” and “Searching to find a love upon a higher level, finding nothing but questions and devils” as a fiery aggression surfaces up to the main melodies, waiting for the chorus to swell up during the chorus. I can’t really say that it’s my thing personally since I’ve never been a part of the hardcore punk world which the track was aiming towards, but there’s a pop melodicism that makes the beats feel catchy and radio-friendly enough for me to see why it had an impact. Personally, I find the sound to be a little bit too cliche’ and the lyrics to feel a tad derivative to really captivate me, but the rap-inflicted verses are quite good fun and the guitar/drum riffs are solid. I probably wouldn’t choose to listen intently to this – but it really is a proper Scuzz Sunday track!

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Infest” (Released on April 25th, 2000) (via DreamWorks/NPG Studios)

Thank you very much for reading this post! Tomorrow, I’m planning to kick off the new week in style with an in-depth review of some brand new music from an indie electro-pop 6-piece formed in Brighton, England who conjoin indie rock and garage rock with a mixture of Bollywood backing tracks, double Dutch chants and distorted guitar rhythms, combined with more elements that were heavily influenced by old-school hip-hop. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when each new post is up and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime

Today’s Track: The Bravery – “An Honest Mistake”

July 24, 2020 — Leave a comment

Reforming this band would be a Courageous thing to do… It’s time for your new post!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “The Bravery” (Self-Titled LP) (Released on March 14th, 2005) (via Polydor Records)

I’m feeling quite Brave about this one! Good Morning, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and, as usual, I’m writing about your daily track on the music blog, because it is my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! A retro track, The Bravery’s “An Honest Mistake” was recorded in 2005 for the band’s self-titled debut album released that year. A 5-piece based in New York City, The Bravery was formed by lead vocalist Sam Endicott, lead guitarist Michael Zakarin, bassist Mike Hindert, keyboardist John Conway and drummer Anthony Burulcich. They released three studio albums before they went inactive in 2012, before confirming the band had disbanded in 2014 on the band’s website and social media pages by revealing that all members were pursuing different creative interests, and there was no plans for the band to resurface for the foreseeable future. A post-punk influenced indie dancefloor jam, “An Honest Mistake” was the band’s biggest commercial hit. It reached #7 on the UK Singles Chart, and their self-titled album peaked at #5 on the UK Albums Chart. It was also widely exposed to the media, being licensed for use in several video games including ‘Burnout: Revenge’, ‘Singstar Rocks’ and ‘True Crime: New York City’. It was also used in TV episodes for CSI: NY, Heroes and Grey’s Anatomy. Suffice to say, this was a true relic of mid-00’s “indie”-brand musical culture. Let’s revisit the track below.

The guitar pedal gets the drum machine whirring at the start of the video, and it seems The Bravery were just making the most use they could out of the untouched household objects left in Endicott’s Dads’ garage. To start off, a loud drum pattern leads into a hi-hat synth loop that gradually adds layers of electric guitar riffs and two-step keyboard beats, to form the basic melody that runs as a thorough line between the lo-fi, new-wave guitar instrumentation and the sauntering, Northern Soul-infused synth rhythms. Endicott croons, to a semi-Falsetto effect: “People/They don’t mean a thing to you, They move right through you/Just like your breath”, a brazen comment that adds a rebellious edge to the synth-heavy melodies. The bridge is led by an interlude of post-punk inflicted bass guitar riffs, before he proclaims: “My old friend/I swear I never meant for this”, with an assembly of reckless guitar notes, forming a short section, sandwiched between the two refrains. Endicott continues, in the chorus: “Don’t look at me that way/It was an honest mistake”, which gets delivered with a more intense Falsetto effect, as the tempo lowers slightly and the repeating synth hooks take a backseat to a pop-oriented line of melodic guitar lines. A more synth-heavy interlude can be found near the end, with the electro-pop sections distorting slightly with the guitar-driven sections. It sounds somewhere between The Killers and The Strokes, with self-deprecating lyrics and an obvious New-Millennium Revival sound that was all the rage in popular music at the time. The vocals are self-reflective, and they evoke Robert Smith of The Cure. The synth-led dance/rock fusion is highly 1980’s-inspired, evoking Depeche Mode and New Order. However, I feel there is a slight over-reliance on the auto-tune machine, especially in the later sections, and the overall sound doesn’t stand out among their peers, such as The Editors and LCD Soundsystem, very much. It’s a pity that it leans into tired tropes of the 00’s “indie boom” a little too closely, because most of what I’m hearing works quite nicely. The sonic direction provides some fun and likeable hooks, to the effects of the swelling synthesizer loops. Sadly, a lot of it comes across as mechanical, and as an economically-efficient product for the label. That said, I like how this single never denied the roots of its genre, and the vocal performance never makes Endicott comes across as contrived or dishonest. A decent effort, but I admit it could have been more.

  • Pictured: Sam Endicott (Lead Vocals), Michael Zakarin (Lead Guitar), Mike Hindert (Bass Guitar), John Conway (Keyboard/Synths) and Anthony Burulcich (Drums/Occasional Backing Vocals) (2012) (Photo via FanArt.TV)

Thank you very much for reading this post! Don’t forget that a new edition of Scuzz Sundays, a weekly look back at a pop-punk or emo-rock classic from the mid-90’s to the late-00’s, will be posted in just two days time! But, first, check back with the blog tomorrow for an in-depth look at something a bit different to our usual fare. It comes from an American ambient composer who has said that her music was inspired by her participation in a church choir while growing up in Louisiana. She composes with analogue hardware to create electronic synth loops built around her vocal sections. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when each new post is up and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime

Scuzz Sundays: Terrorvision (feat. Mint Royale) – “Tequila (Mint Royale Shot)”

July 19, 2020 — Leave a comment

A caricature of the past? Or, does is it still sound in Mint condition? It’s Scuzz Sunday!

  • Pictured: Physical CD copy of “Regular Urban Survivors” (Released on 11th March, 1996) (via EMI/Total Vegas)

You know what day it is! Good Morning, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing about your daily track on the blog, as it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! Sunday is Scuzz Sunday, where we revisit an emo-rock or pop-punk classic from the late-1990’s until the mid-2000’s to see if it can live up to modern standards, named in honor of the now-defunct Scuzz TV freeview channel. Terrorvision were a successful British Alternative Rock band from Yorkshire who disbanded in 2001, before they re-united in 2011, with mainstream chart hits including “Perseverance”, “Bad Actress” and “Alice, What’s The Matter” over the years. For their fourth album, “Shaving Peaches”, released in 1998, Terrorvision decided to go in a more pop-oriented and chart-friendly direction, or rather, their label did. “Tequila”, a single from the album, was Terrorvision’s rework of the 1958 instrumental “Tequila (The Champs Song)” by Danny Flores and The Champs, a track which is widely recognizable. The instrumental was heavily sampled by Terrorvision, who used the tune of the main melody, to create their “Tequila” track. The album featured co-production from Edwyn Collins, and “Tequila” reached #2 in the UK Singles Charts after it had been remixed by Mint Royale, the alias of EDM producer Neil Claxton, who had a famous hit with “Singin’ In The Rain” that was released in 2005, and it re-entered the UK Singles Chart in 2008 at the #1 spot after Britain’s Got Talent winner George Sampson used it for his semi-final and final performances on the TV show. This one is a little different to our usual Scuzz Sundays fare. Let’s have a listen below.

A crossover hit for the band, “Tequila” was remixed by Mint Royale to a big success rate that Terrorvision were undoubtedly not very used to, but it’s a hit that their label wanted, with mainstream success and all the expectations that come with it being handled to the band on a silver plate, as the band was bound to a contract with EMI and had to release it, at their discretion, after Zoe Ball (the BBC Radio 1 breakfast presenter at the time) gave it significant airplay. “Just looking for a hit” is never something that sits well with me, but the quality of the remix alone is in reasonable shape. Claxton uses the modulated sample of a children’s choir to add a chaotic, witty upbeat effect to Tony Wright’s post-punk influenced vocals. The vocals are highly reminiscent of Gorillaz, with a low-tone Albarn-like croon that creates a cohesive “Chalk and Cheese” effect to the high-pitched gospel voices. The guitar riffs of the original track are still thrown in, but their tone is more cheerful and high-tempo due to the dance-heavy backing loops. Wright’s vocals repeat: “Con Tequila, when the doors are opened, and Con Tequila when they’re calling time”, layered above uptempo Vibraphone chords and Whistle sections, both of which have a spinning, Carousel effect. The arrangement still retains it’s post-punk elements by including the main rock instrumentation and keeping the original vocals intact, but the sound geers towards a Brit-Pop flavour that reminds me of Blur, with a short and sweet drum loop that sounds more akin to “Fly Life” by Basement Jaxx. The result is predominantly still a soft-rock record, but the presence of the Sun-soaked electronic beats and the sultry themes of having a cheeky alcoholic drink in the sun make the 50’s instrumental sound refreshed under a new guise. It’s just a matter of perspective!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Shaving Peaches” (Released on 5th October, 1998) (via EMI/Total Vegas)

Thank you very much for reading this post! Tomorrow, I’ll be kicking off the new week by covering a fairly recent track that I sadly didn’t get around to covering beforehand. It comes from a very talented Black singer, producer and songwriter who was shortlisted for his very first album for the Mercury Prize in 2011. His third album, released in 2015, was also shortlisted for the Mercury Prize that year. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when each new post is up and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime

Today’s Track: JARV IS… – “Save The Whale”

July 17, 2020 — Leave a comment

JARV IS… finally releasing a new full-length album today! It’s time for your daily post!

  • Pictured: Jarvis Cocker in a promotional photoshoot to promote a UK tour (2018) (Photo Credit: Roberto Ricciuti/Getty)

After raving to “House Music All Night Long” over the summer, Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker has managed to create something of a very memorable Lockdown anthem, with the single, which was released back in March, garnering huge popularity with the internet music community, universal acclaim with fans and critics alike, and gaining significant airplay on BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 6Music. Several interviews and in-depth articles featuring Cocker, as well as his Bedtime Stories podcast series on Facebook and YouTube, have drummed up the marketing machine while we waited for his new album, “Beyond The Pale”, which releases today on Rough Trade Records. JARV IS… is not a group per-say, but it’s the 90’s Brit-Pop icon and his touring band. I’m quite fond of Jarvis because he’s an eccentric character and I think that British pop-rock music would never be the same without him, since he’s also an influential figure. “Beyond The Pale” was originally set to release on May 1st, but it was delayed to July 17th due to complications amidst the Coronavirus pandemic. It seems to have definitely been worth the wait, as the album has been garnering widespread acclaim from critics, enough so to give it a 92/100 on Metacritic, a review aggregate site, with many critics categorizing it to be his strongest work since… Well, Pulp. I loved “House Music All Night Long”, as countless others did! Let’s listen to “Save The Whale” below!

Fate didn’t seem to want “Beyond The Pale” to exist in the way that it does, since Cocker only wanted the band to only perform live, releasing no albums, but Geoff Barrow (from Portishead) gave Cocker the nudge, and he used studio overdubs to live tapes they were recording for personal use to create their band’s self-dubbed “alive” album rather than a live one, after the COVID-19 pandemic threw a wrench in the way of the original concept. Many of the YouTube comments for the music video of “Save The Whale” tell you how the sound of the track was heavily influenced by the gritty jazz sensibilities of Leonard Cohen, but it’s a mature style of music that doesn’t get created often anymore. Cocker introduces: “Take your foot off the gas, because it’s all downhill from here”, breathily delivered over the top of a bubbling synth pad, and a pattern of mellow drum machine loops that blip along to a shimmering lo-fi synth beat. He adds witty remarks: “You are a manifestation of the universe, your form is unimportant” and “People daubing the walls with seamen and blood” over the top of a mellow Violin section. Backing vocals coo under his noticeably Baritone, in-tone delivery, and “Tell the truth/Take my hand” marks a shift in structure, as a reverb-drenched electronic beat comes into play. The unique songwriting reminds me of the cinematic flavor of Baxter Dury, as Cocker croons: “Me and you, we’ve gone and found a new civilization, now how much are we going to charge people for admission?”, an eccentric line that leads to a swelling string section and a light guitar groove. The key refrain: “We’ve got to move, Beyond The Pale” adds a calming, Zen-like meditation feeling to the ongoing Sci-Fi mannerisms. It’s strange and intriguing, with downbeat vocal hooks that feel meditative and ASMR-like, but there are crescendos of scheming synth patterns that evoke Depeche Mode, meaning there is enough of a 80’s new-wave pop melodicism to carry the deep and cerebral structure through. Unlike the endangered species of Whale, It’s not likely to get extinct too shortly, and it makes for excellent summer listening. It’s challenging and academic, but it’s melodic and witty enough to work. Just like many others, I feel that JARV IS… smashing it all over again!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Beyond The Pale” (Released on July 17th, 2020) (via Rough Trade Records)

As mentioned beforehand, I have also covered Jarvis Cocker’s lockdown hit “House Music All Night Long” on the blog, the lead single from the new album “Beyond The Pale”. You can peruse the link and take a look at it right here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/03/09/todays-track-jarv-is-house-music-all-night-long/

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

Tha you very much for reading this pos! Don’t forget that our weekly feature of Scuzz Sundays is right around the corner again, so you can expect a new entry in two days time! But, in the meantime, we’re going to take a look at a brand new track from one of my recent finds from the KEXP Song Of The Day podcast, from another band who have been getting creative during the lockdown crisis. An Italian 4-piece group, they describe their music as “Pajama music for Pajama people” in relation to their 1980’s-inspired Dream-Pop synth sound. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when each new post is up and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime

Scuzz Sundays: The Distillers – “City Of Angels”

July 12, 2020 — Leave a comment

Is this still a raucous rock banger, or has it been distilled to squash? It’s Scuzz Sunday!

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Sing Sing Death House” (Released on January 25th, 2002) (via Hellcat Records)

Well… It looks like we’ve quickly reached another Scuzz Sunday! It’s the time of the week where take a stroll down the memory lane of the emo-rock and pop-punk releases from the late-1990’s through to the mid-2000’s, to see if it can live up to modern quality! I’m Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! The Distillers – an American rock band from Los Angeles, California – have been a reliable force in the street punk world for the better part of two decades now, despite a lengthy hiatus that ran between 2006-2018. The 4-piece are led by female Vocalist and Rhythm Guitarist Brody Dalle, who has co-wrote and played vocals/guitar for nearly every track on The Distillers three albums. It goes without saying that Dalle’s continued to find moderate solo success, after spinning-off with lead guitarist Tony Bevilacqua for their side-project band, “Spinnerette”, in 2006. “City Of Angels”, which has nothing to do with a 1996 chick-flick Romance-Drama film starring Nicholas Cage and Meg Ryan of the same name, was a popular single from The Distillers’ second LP, “Sing Sing Death House”, released in 2002. It wasn’t a massive hit, only reaching #104 on the UK Singles Chart, but it gained popularity after being featured in the mid-2000’s video games “True Crime: Streets Of LA” and “Crash N’ Burn”. Let’s have a listen to “City Of Angels” below.

Andrew Bregman of AllMusic deduces the album, “Sing Sing Death House”, is “a story with an uncharacteristic ending that punks born of squalor can rise up and create music as impassioned and relatively positive as this”, and he’s got a point. Dalle used to co-write tracks about Urban Dystopia, School Shootings and her flawed upbringing at the time, and despite “City Of Angels” being a slightly more commercially-driven affair than some of the band’s other efforts, it still comes together as a deep and hard-hitting listening experience. Dalle opens: “It’s going down tonight in this town” and “I take a scar every time I cry”, after a double snare-flam intro, led over the top by a raspy double bass kick. The rest of the track feels a lot more guitar-driven, and it takes influence from Courtney Love’s “Hole” in it’s regressed power-pop direction. In the first bridge, Dalle sings: “Take this life and end this struggle/Los Angeles, come scam me, please” and “Stripped of the right to be a human in control” and begins the crowd-warming, chant-led chorus: “It’s warmer in hell, so down we go”, before the rest of the band joins her in backing vocals for the chorus, as Dalle wails: “They say, this is the city, The city of Angels, All I see is dead wings” over a tight line of wounded-up guitar melodies, and a frenetically kicked drum beat. Dalle goes for her knack for melody with the post-bridge refrain, crooning: “There’s a black moon tonight, Shining down on the western neon” over a toned-down moment of gentle drum beats and slow guitar chords, before the repeat of the line goes back to it’s fast-paced, pop-punk nature as the rhythm guitar kicks it back up a notch. Does it hold up?.. Well, it’s very much a product of it’s time. But, I feel it’s a fairly decent example of one. The writing makes the track sound catchy and melodic, and the chorus is a pure pop-moment. The guitar work is competent, but it sounds exactly like you would imagine. Dalle’s lead vocals don’t amount to much intrigue, but they’re serviceable and they suit the purpose of the emo, pop-punk sound nicely. To conclude, we’re left with a track that’s completely solid, but it’s nothing special. Dalle has a nice ear for pop, I’ll give her that.

  • Pictured: Brody Dalle (Lead Vocals/Rhythm Guitar/Writer/Producer), Tony “Bradley” Bevilacqua (Lead Guitar), Ryan Sinn (Bass Guitar) and Andy Granelli (Drums) at Reading & Leeds Festival (2019) (Photo Credit: Jenn Five/NME)

Thank you very much for reading this post! I’ll be back to business as usual tomorrow as we kick off a new weeks-round worth of daily music blog posts. Since we’re in the mood for a bit of interesting post-punk, I’m going to be writing about a brand new single from an emerging indie post-punk duo from Lancaster, England who dabble in Lo-Fi, Dark-Psychedelia elements. The two-piece’s band line-up features the former lead singer and vocalist from the popular all-female band, Angelica.  If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when each new post is up and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime

Today’s Track: Biffy Clyro – “Tiny Indoor Fireworks”

July 9, 2020 — Leave a comment

What do you call a guy with a seagull on his head? Cliffy Byro! It’s time for a new post!

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “A Celebration Of Endings” (Available to buy from August 14th, 2020) (via Warner Bros. Records)

Oh, Geez! A bit of a spoiler alert for you there, I guess. Good Morning to you, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing up about your daily track on the blog, as it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music each day! With crossover hits like: “Many Of Horror” (Famously covered as “When We Collide” by X-Factor’s Matt Cardle as the Christmas #1 UK Single back in 2010), “The Captain” and “Mountains”, along with dabbling in alternative styles in their early work on “Folding Stars” and “57”, Biffy Clyro have remained to be quietly one of Britain’s most well-known bands over the last two decades. The trio from East Ayrshire, Scotland have also been nominated for Best British Group at the BRIT’s in 2011 and 2017. The time has come for a new album release, and Biffy Clyro’s ninth studio album effort “A Celebration Of Endings” is due for release next month, on August 14th, bringing a little bit of star power to a month that seems to be a bit of a drought of high-profile releases, on paper. All tracks were written by the frontman, Simon Neil, in collaboration with producer Rich Costey (Muse, Sigur Rós, Frank Turner). Straight from the top of the BBC Radio 2 playlist, “Tiny Indoor Fireworks” is the new single. Let’s listen to it below.

“It’s the political and the personal, because it’s all one these days” is a quote that Simon Neil told NME, in representation of the sound being explored on their new album, and Biffy Clyro aim to get the marketing machine going off with a bang on “Tiny Indoor Fireworks”, sadly, I’d argue that the results are more like a long whimper than a loud bang. Starting off with the track, Neil belts: “Never contemplated a sad life/Since I found the medicine jar”, after a sequence of backing chants, concluding: “Now I can ignore all my troubles/I don’t think I have the heart” over a line of snappy drum beats and speedily played guitar riffs. The tempo lowers slightly for the bridge: “This weight is crippling me/It’s the same old story”, as a subtle keyboard riff joins the ongoing instrumentation, before the chorus goes for a loud and anthemic feel, as Neil shouts: “I fire it up, then blow it out/I build it up, then I tear down/Summit the ocean, scale the lake/And I’ll pray for the better days” as a powerful line of bass guitar riffs and heavy acoustic guitar lines prompt the motivational lyrical hooks to drive the chorus forward, over the top of the clashing drum notes. You get the drill for the rest of the track: It’s anthemic, power-pop stuff. Unfortunately, for me, it’s less of “A Celebration Of Endings” and more of an “I’m celebrating because the song has just ended”. I could ask: What the hell were they thinking?, but this is clearly a hugely corporate, label-driven product if I’ve ever seen one. This clearly isn’t the right style for the band, and that much is clear from the dreadful video – it’s laughable, and the band just look like a parody of themselves. I feel the songwriting is shockingly poor. I don’t think you could ever write a more generic chorus if you tried. Come on, you need to do a lot better than screaming “Hey, Hey, Hey” and “Woah, Woah, Woah” approximately 3,568,962 times over and over again, just to fill a gap. It’s lazy. The instrumentation is ruined by completely generic riffs and overproduced chords throughout the entirety of the track, and the overall power-pop punk melodicism feels horrendously dated – it sounds like one of my Scuzz Sunday tracks from 2004. One positive is that it may be more tolerable seeing it live, since the “Hey’s” and “Woah’s” seem geared towards the reaction of a live crowd. Sadly, I tire of it very quickly. Okay, I’ve had my good moan about it now. Still, it’s better than Sam Smith…

  • Pictured: Simon Neil (Lead Vocals/Lead Guitar/Piano/Keyboard/Co-Writer), James Johnston (Bass Guitar/Synths/Occasional Backing Vocals) and Ben Johnston (Drums/Backing Vocals/Percussion) (in 2020) (via PR)

Thank you very much for reading this post! Tomorrow’s will be a lot more positive, I promise you! We’ll be listening to a new track together from an emerging Asian rapper, DJ and producer from Seoul of just 26 years of age who has gained a wonderful reputation for her majestic, dream-like style of ambient minimalist dance music, and is one of the newest kids on the block for the well-regarded Ninja Tune label. You’re not going to want to miss out! If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when each new post is up and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime

Today’s Track: Enigma – “Sadeness (Part 1)”

July 8, 2020 — Leave a comment

This interesting German-Romanian electronic music producer managed to crack the “Enigma code” of the mainstream singles charts in the 1990’s. It’s time for a new post!

  • Pictured: Enigma (Michael Cretu) in a photoshoot to promote “The Fall Of A Rebel Angel” (2016) (via ParisMatch.com)

Remember this one? Good Morning to you, my name is Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing up about your daily track on the blog, since it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! It’s a strange sight to behold – a composer managing to have a big chart hit with an ambient chillout track that was built upon Gregorian Chants and tribal Flute sounds, but somehow… before I was even born…. It happened! Enter Enigma, the alias of German-Romanian music composer Micheal Cretu. The inspiration for his experimental project was a product of his desire to make a kind of music that did not obey “the old rules and habits” of commercial pop music, and presented a new form of artistic expression with mystic and experimental components, according to his interview with Melvyn J. Willin. Thus, he produced atmospheric intercultural soundscapes which dabbled in elements of New-Age and Worldbeat. He became a very successful artist for doing so, selling a total of over 70 million records worldwide, and receiving three Grammy Award nominations. He’s still going, having released his eighth ambient LP – “The Fall Of A Rebel Angel” – in 2016. He burst onto the scene with his international hit “Sadeness (Part 1)” in 1990, a track that somehow reached the #1 spot of the singles charts in 24 countries, which includes the UK. Let’s have a listen back to his breakout track below!

I’ve always wanted to join the Gregorian monks, but I never got the chants! There is no denying that Engima’s “Sadeness (Part 1)” is probably the most profoundly odd track to reach #1 in the UK, but I feel there is a nice amount of artistic merit to it, as opposed to it being a ‘fad’, and just a novelty. Starting off with an ominous line of Gregorian monk chants, Cretu gradually adds the layers up to combine the Gothic themes with ambient dance beats that were in the contemporary boom period of the time. Cretu repurposes a sample of the drums in Soul II Soul’s “Keep On Movin'” to create a gentle hip-hop beat, and Cretu combines them with a shimmering Pan-Pipe hook to get a downtempo, sultry groove going. It creates a very multicultural and strange ambient texture, and Cretu expands the idea out with the sound of a woman panting after a breathy line of odd foreign language vocals, paired up with the unexpected, short burst of a guitar solo in the middle. The climax (No pun intended) matches the ongoing Flute melodies with the sequence of more beat-driven synthesizer riffs, and the bizzare Gregorian monk chants bring a full-circle effect to the cerebral, trance-inducing 4-minute duration of ethereal, rich sound effects and dense, world-based instrumentation. The Peruvian flute melodies are the highlight for me, and the combination of strange sounds are quite appealing in a surprising number of ways, such as the seductive vibe of the light female backing vocals and the chemistry the different sections have in creating the visionary style that amounts up to an ambient fantasia. I’m probably just reading a bit too much into it, but it does still sound imaginative, and deeply sensual. The layering is quite solid. Sadly, I have a feeling that – much like the ancient customs of an old Gregorian tribe – it will sadly be forgotten as time wares on, and ‘Chart Pop’ gets more meme-oriented by the second!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “MCMXC a.D.” (Released on 10th December, 1990) (via Virgin/Charisma Records)

Thank you very much for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as always, with an in-depth listen to the (Pssssst… it’s really bad) brand new single from a Scottish folk-rock band who originally performed the track, “When We Collide”, that The X-Factor winner Matt Cardle had the UK’s Christmas #1 Single with in late 2010. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when each new post is up and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime