Scuzz Sundays: Ocean Colour Scene – “Hundred Mile High City”

June 7, 2020 — Leave a comment

This indie scene is not fit for a Beauty Queen – It’s time for a new Scuzz Sundays post!

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Marchin’ Already” (Released on 15th September, 2007) (via Island Records)

Good Morning! I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing up your weekly Scuzz Sundays post on the blog following up on my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! It’s the time of the week where we revisit an old Pop-Punk or Emo-Rock track from the late-1990’s to the mid-2000’s, the likes of which would have been played on the defunct Scuzz TV rock video channel, to see if it holds up to this day! Ocean Colour Scene are a 4-piece Indie Punk band from Birmingham who formed in 1989. After steadily rising up the ranks due to their support slots for Paul Weller, Ocean Colour Scene became very commercially successful in their own right. Their third LP record, “Marchin’ Already”, shot straight up to #1 in the UK Albums Chart and became one of the highest-selling albums of the year in 1997. The band have had 4 more top ten albums, with 17 top 40 UK Singles, including 6 Top 10 singles, to date. “Hundred Mile High City” was one of their biggest hits, reaching #4 in the UK Singles Chart, as a single from their third album. The track was certified platinum. The songs from the album were made up of previous material the group had recorded since forming years earlier. It famously knocked Oasis’ “Be Here Now” off the top spot to achieve it’s No. 1 status, of which Noel Gallagher responded by sending them a golden plaque declaring them “The Second Best Band In Britain” – after The Beatles, of course. Let’s take a listen back at their top mainstream hit below.

A nodded reference to Northern Soul, “Hundred Mile High City”, the Britpop Brummies craft a guitar-tactic retro rock anthem that gives them a sense of vigour and potency to stand them apart a bit from the likes of Oasis, Weezer and Jimmy Eat World. However, the soulful edge struggles not to fade away, due to the commercial feel of the songwriting, making the lyricism feel like a much less interesting part of the track. The visceral chords provide fun, so it’s not without it’s merits. Simon Fowler leads: “So I said I’m on the roam so I need a car/And I know that I’m getting alive” over a well-honed guitar riff that peaks and boroughs throughout the track. The chorus is chant-led, with the band exclaiming: “I get a need and I’m wanting to please it/I gotta face and I’m wanting to feel it” and “The more I feel it, is the more that I need it/The more I need it, is the less that I believe it”, a rhythmically positioned refrain which keeps getting repeated over a three-note guitar-note structure for maximum layering effect. Steve Cradock contributes a resonant guitar solo, before the high-pitched blast of a whistle being blown closes the track out. There is an underlying Funk influence that keeps it refreshing and the guitar-oriented rock beats have a good sense of energy that would appeal to live crowds. The songwriting feels dull, however, with a laddish tone which makes the tedious chorus section start to get quite tiresome near the end. It isn’t bad overall, though, it just struggles to maintain it’s consistency a little. Look past these gripes and you get a youthful-sounding, fairly inspired punk track which sounds radio friendly, without sounding too overly produced. I wouldn’t say they’re “The Second Best Band In Britian” – but they’re far from the second worst!

Pictured: Simon Fowler (Vocals), Steve Cradock (Lead Guitar), Raymond Meade (Bass Guitar) and Oscar Harrison (Drum Kit) (Current band line-up as of rescheduled December 2020 & January 2021 UK tour dates) (Photo via press shot)

Thank you for reading this post! Just to remind you, at One Track At A Time, we endorse the #BlackLivesMatter movement. Please check your local area for good charity causes that help those directly affected by racism and injustice. I’ll be kicking off the new week tomorrow with another brand new single from an Austalian indie-rock outfit with a lot of buzz to their name who just released “Sideways To New Italy” last weekend on Sub-Pop Records, the highly-anticipated follow-up to their breakout debut album from 2018. 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 Killers – “Caution”

June 1, 2020 — Leave a comment

They’re throwing “Caution” to the wind with a new LP record! It’s time for a new post!

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Imploding The Mirage” (Expected To Release in July 2020) (via Island Records)

Good Afternoon! It’s the start of a new week and a new month! I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing about your daily track on the blog because it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day. Everybody knows The Killers. A 4-piece rags-to-riches Pop-Rock group from Las Vegas, Nevada who have sold over 28 million albums, as of 2020. Led by Brandon Flowers, the rockers have crafted a huge fan following with best-selling albums like “Hot Fuss” (2004), “Sam’s Town” (2006), “Day & Age” (2008) and, most recently, “Wonderful Wonderful”. They’ve packed out huge stadiums like Wembley and Madison Square Garden, as well as headlining the Saturday night slot on The Main Stage at Glastonbury Festival last year. The Killers are coming back with a sixth studio album, “Imploding The Mirage” – which is set for an expected release in July, originally delayed due to Covid-19. A new single, “Caution”, has been dropped alongside a new music video. Is it any good? Or, should we approach the new record with a bit of “Caution”? Let’s have a listen below.

A glistening synth-led opening advances into an anthemic first verse where Flowers sings about a “featherweight queen” with “hollywood eyes” who is trying to find fame as a dancer, despite facing the obstacles of her mother’s disapproval. The sound becomes very electronic, with uptempo bass guitar riffs and loud, anthemic drum notes which complement the carefree, poppy escapism of the narrative. The chorus is just as substantial, providing a soaring feeling, when Flowers sings: “I’m throwing caution/What’s it gonna be?/Tonight, the winds of change are coming over me/If I don’t get out of this town, I just might be the one who finally burns it down” over the top of a cheerful, stadium-sound combination of towering lead guitar riffs, hefty bass percussion and synth-rock drum melodies, creating a sound that feels very anthemic and large-scale. The chorus is sung passionately above the euphoric tone of the synths and the drums. The track ends with an immense lead guitar solo which closes out the vast rock sound of the track appropriately. Overall, they lean less towards the slightly experimental electronic sound of their previous album and more towards their classic, stadium-rock Killers sound. The narrative, lyrically, is very typical of The Killers and the structure is widely hook-based. I think your mileage would vary depending on your tastes as it is very familiar, but it provides the sound that fans of The Killers love. I hesitate to give it many marks for innovation, but it’s a beloved sound – and I can understand that people will like it because it just sounds like The Killers. For me personally, I wouldn’t say that I love it due to it’s familiarity, but I find it entertaining and I feel it hits the marks of why I quite like The Killers, although it is completely what you’d expect to hear from them. It does the trick – if not much more.

Pictured: Brandon Flowers (Lead Vocals/Synths), Dave Keuning (Lead Guitar/Occasional Backing Vocals), Mark Stoermer (Bass Guitar/Rhythm Guitar) and Ronnie Vanucci Jr. (Drums) (in 2018) (Via Official Press Shoot)

Thank you very much for reading this post! In these difficult times, I ask that you please stay safe inside, don’t do anything silly and please keep washing those hands! I would love for you to join me again tomorrow, where I’ll be listening to a brand new track from my lastest Bandcamp artist – a mellow ambient Experimental Electronic track from a female composer who grew up in the serene home-educated isles of Orcas Island, previously formed an indie-folk band called Ever Isles and was signed to independent label Western Vinyl in 2015. She’s now signed to Ghostly International. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every new daily post is up and why not like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Scuzz Sundays: Panic! At The Disco – “That Green Gentleman (Things Have Changed)”

May 31, 2020 — Leave a comment

Was it really as bad as some of the fans reactions made it out? It’s time for a new post!

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

Good morning, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and it’s time for your weekly edition of Scuzz Sundays, the weekly feature on the blog where we take a leisurely stroll down the memory lane of late 90s-mid 00’s emo/punk records to pick one and see if it holds up today, the likes of which would have been played on the now-defunct Scuzz TV freeview rock music video channel. Panic! At The Disco were one of my first little musical favourites when I was a child. In fact, I think their 2007 debut “A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out Of” was the first album that I ever bought with my own pocket money, unless I’ve been mistaken. The band continues as effectively a solo act of frontman Brendan Urie and this has led to total mainstream success for Urie, even covering songs that I absolutely hate from Frozen and The Greatest Showman. I’m of the unpopular opinion that I loved Panic! At The Disco when they were that – a band. Urie has impressive vocal range, but it just feels too much like The Brendan Urie Show rather than Panic! At The Disco, for me, these days. Their second album, released in 2008, was a very interesting and divisive one. It’s effectively been removed from the canon of Panic! At The Disco’s library and Urie never performs any of the tracks from the album in any of his live sets now. That’s down to the polarized response of “Pretty Odd” because, unpredictably, this upstart baroque-punk band decided to instead go in the direction of… The Beatles! The record echoed shades of The Beatles’ 1967 classic “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” in numerous elements of the record’s sound, artwork, costumes and promotional material. A few of the singles made the Top 40 charts, but slipped out quickly. The bassist left the band, and was replaced, during it’s production. Co-founder Ross left the band shortly after it’s release. However, it wasn’t a flop at all, because some fans loved it. It has a very dedicated cult following, the album earned very positive reviews and, in 2019, it actually went Platinum, despite slow sales in it’s initial release (although their prior debut went double-platinum, so it still wasn’t quite as successful). That’s enough of the trivia. For me, it simply remains to be one of the most fascinating albums from the career of a (technically) band who are so popular and beloved in the mainstream. So – we are going to revisit it today! Take a listen to “That Green Gentleman” with its video below.

It’s fair to us to agree that “Things Have Changed” for me! I remember when I saw the video for “Northern Downpour”, another single from the album, at 6am-ish as a 10-year-old and thinking along the lines of “What have they done?”, but as I grew up listening to the album in bus rides from college at the age of 14, I really liked it. At 21, I’m getting it even more. The group had really matured their sound, and it’s fascinating to see a mainstream band try to do something so different to their established sound. However, I also feel the album has an adolescence to it, and a youthful texture, that makes it feel like it does have a bit of old Panic! buried deep beneath it. “That Green Gentleman” starts off: “Things are shaping up to be Pretty Odd”, with Urie nodding to the album’s title as an acoustic guitar strums along to a spacious bass guitar line. The lyrics continue to narrate the end of a schlocked-up geeky teen romance drama over the top of bittersweet, chanting backing vocals and a melodically sussed, cutesy pop sound. It never feels derivative, though. Urie chants: “Everybody gets there and everybody gets their way/I never said I missed her when everybody kissed her/Now I’m the only one to blame” and “I never said I’d leave the city/I never said I’d leave this town/A falling out we won’t tiptoe about”, over a very jolly, child-like and nostalgically guitar-driven sound. I’m interested in truly knowing if the new direction was imagined by the band or the label, because it feels like pop that is hook-driven and emotionally upbeat enough to be a big hit, but at the end of the day, it wasn’t. There seems to be a level of intellect which the pop-punk hungry teens may not have been getting at the time of it’s release. Overall, it’s a track that was sure to divide opinions of the band’s fanbase. I can still see why. However, for me personally in 2020 – although I may not have seen it in it’s heyday – I think it’s smart, I feel the band managed to get most of their blueprints in there with great subtlety, and the sound was an old-school breath of fresh air in a market burdened by overly auto-tuned monstrosities. Let me know how you feel in the comments section below!

Pictured: Brendan Urie (Lead Vocals/Writer/Multi-Instrumentalist), Ryan Ross (Lead Guitar/Backing Vocals), Jon Walker (Bass Guitar/Backing Vocals) and Spencer Smith (Drums) (2008) (Photo taken from Pinterest.com)

Thank you for reading this post! Given our unfortunate circumstances, I ask that you please stay safe inside, don’t do anything silly and keep washing your hands! I wish good health amongst you! I’ll be kicking off the new week tomorrow with an in-depth review of the brand new single from a beloved Las Vegas rock band who were one of the headliners of last year’s Glastonbury Music Festival, with their showcase performance taking place on the Saturday evening slot of The Main Stage! 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/

Bank Holiday Monday Special: The Stone Roses – “I Am The Resurrection”

May 25, 2020 — Leave a comment

Roses are red, Violets are blue, It’s bank holiday – I’ve got a special blog post for you!

Pictured: Ian Brown (Lead Vocals/Percussion) John Squire (Lead Guitar/Backing Vocals), Gary “Mani” Mounfield (Bass Guitar/Unclean Vocals) and Alan Wren (Drums/Bongos) (no date) (Photo Credit: Dave J. Hogan/Getty Images)

It’s Bank Holiday! I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m typing up your daily post on the blog because it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! “I Am The Resurrection” is the closer track of The Stone Roses’ self-titled debut album, which was released in 1989. “I Am The Resurrection” was also the second of two singles which estranged the band from Silvertone, their original record label. The self-titled debut album was only initially a cult success, but it grew popular over time with the group’s energetic live performances. Eventually, it has sold over four million copies worldwide and several critics have voted it highly in “Best Album” lists and polls. A significant development in the “Madchester” indie rock movement, The Stone Roses have built up a storied legacy throughout the decades since their formation, despite only actually having two full records to their name. Disagreements between the group, line-up changes and eventual public indifference, despite a maintained popularity, has also led to several on-and-off reunion tours and rumors concerning production of new music circling around between these tours, although it’s not come to pass. Let’s take a listen back at the 8-minute classic “I Am The Resurrection” below.

Running for a hefty 8-minute long duration, “I Am The Resurrection” is split into a familiar indie rock structure for it’s first four minutes, and then an instrumental outro-ballad for it’s second 4-minute half. Ian Brown sings: “Don’t waste your words, I don’t need anything from you/I don’t care where you’ve been or what you plan to do”, layered on the top of urgent drumming chords and jangling guitar rhythms. A somewhat poppy hook is created when Brown chimes in with: “I am the resurrection and I am the life/I couldn’t bring myself to hate you as I’d like”, a lyrical melody that feels displaced with a sense of arrogance and a quality of renewal. After this call, the chords progress to an instrumental ballad, which demands for your full attention, with free-form guitar solos and licked bass guitar riffs which are impactful in connecting with the damaged youth as a slight pre-cursor to the “British Big Beat Boom” of The Prodigy and The Chemical Brothers during the mid 1990’s. Throughout the long section, the tone wavers between light, acoustic melodies and darker textures created by the more rough-edged, electronic instrumentation. The end of the section sounds like an effective lo-fi fusion of Brit-Rock and Electronic Dance, with a noticeable Funk inspiration heard by the Bongos at the end and the warmth of the light rhythm guitar strums. “Fool’s Gold” is still my personal favourite Stone Roses’ track due to it’s sampling legacy, but “I Am The Resurrection” is also an indelible classic – one that holds up above the brand-like nature of ‘Indie’ in the modern times.

Pictured: Cover Art for “The Very Best Of The Stone Roses” (Released in November 2002) (via Silvertone Records)

Thank you for reading this post! In these current circumstances – I ask that you please stay safe inside, don’t do anything silly and you keep on washing those hands! Since the weather’s been hot lately, I’m going to whisk you away to the warm beaches of Jamaica tomorrow with a 1960’s Rocksteady classic track from a Reggae staple who still releases music today. As of 2019, his music has been featured on over 20 compilation releases. 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: Fall Out Boy – “Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down”

May 24, 2020 — Leave a comment

This is as much of a surprise for me as it is for you! It’s time for another Scuzz Sunday!

Pictured: Patrick Stump (Lead Vocals/Piano/Keyboard), Joe Trohman (Lead Guitar/Backing Vocals), Pete Wentz (Bass Guitar/Unclean Vocals) and Andy Hurley (Drums/Occasional Backing Vocals) (2018) (Photo Credit: Upset Magazine)

Scuzz Sunday is here! I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing your weekly trip down the memory lane of late 1990’s-mid 2000’s pop-punk or emo-punk records, the likes of which would have been played on the now-defunct Scuzz TV freeview music video channel. The image you see above is, in fact, my own physical copy of “Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down”, which is a CD single that I bought in Woolworths when I was a child. Man, I feel ANCIENT. It was a big hit commercially, reaching #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart in the US and also #8 on the UK Singles Chart, transitioning the band to a mainstream success story. In the US, the track spent 5 weeks in the top 10 and 20 weeks in the top 20 of it’s 42 chart weeks before it slipped out. Fall Out Boy are a very well-known band, so I won’t bore you with too many rich details, but I liked them as a kid and I remember crying when they split up in 2009. This didn’t last forever though, as they made a comeback in 2011. Notice I write “used to” though. It’s because their latest release was “Mania” in 2018, a horrendous record which saw them make a very cynically constructed and artificially synth-saturated stadium rock change to their pop-punk roots, an album which felt baffling, confusing and terribly noisy. It was not good. At all. I did find “Save Rock & Roll” from 2013 to be pleasant and less derivative though. Their pop-punk roots have gone down to be influential and the mainstream exposure of “Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down” played a huge role in the progression of emo-rock as a commercial viability to major labels like Island and WB. Let’s revisit it below.

I haven’t heard that one for years – and I can’t believe how well I remember the music video too. Patrick Stump starts: “Am I more than you bargained for yet? I’ve been dying to tell you anything you want to hear, Cuz that’s just who I am this week”, over sickly-sweet guitar riffs and an obvious mixing of 00’s pop with bouncy guitar hooks. The chorus is more punk-inspired, with Stump shouting: “We’re goin’ down, in an earlier round/And sugar, we’re goin’ down swinging/I’ll be your number one with a bullet/A loaded god complex, cock it and pull it” over rickety bass guitar riffs and indie-sounding crashing drum riffs. Stump narrates a geeky teen drama: “Drop a heart/Break a name, We’re always sleeping in, sleeping for the wrong team”, a vibe that also comes across in the cheesy pop-driven hooks and the theatrical grandeur of the enormous scope in every sense of the word. It’s always had a highly radio, pop-friendly style and it is by no accident that it was a clear hit with the mainstream masses. Upon revision of the track, the direction has a real banality to it – it’s trashy. However, I do find myself more engaged in it than I thought I would be. I think the band did struggle to get their punk blueprints in the mainstream machine a little bit too much, but they’re there. The rock-heavy focus is also progressive, although in a commercialism way, within it’s genre. It holds up better than I expected it to. It’s by no means brilliant due to the candy coating and uneven coherence, but it’s catchy and it’s notable for it’s historical significance, if a cynical one, for the genre it exists within.

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Under The Cork Tree” (Released on May 3rd, 2005) (via Island Records)

Thank you for reading this post! At this time, please make sure that you stay safe, don’t do anything silly and you keep on washing those hands! Since it’s a Bank Holiday tomorrow, I’ll be turning my writing attention to a classic rock gem from a legendary 80’s-90’s Brit-Rock band of the “Madchester” genre movement! The band’s two leading members eventually dissolved the remains of the group after their performance at Reading Festival in 1996. 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: Foster The People – “Lamb’s Wool”

May 23, 2020 — 1 Comment

Just cause’ you’re thirsty doesn’t mean you drink the poison! It’s time for a new post!

Pictured: Mark Foster (Lead Vocals/Lead Guitar/Multi-Instrumentalist), Sean Cimino (Bass Guitar/Backing Vocals), Mark Pontius (Keyboard/Synths) and Isom Innis (Drums/Percussion) (2020) (Photo Credit: http://www.JustJared.com)

Good morning and a happy weekend to you, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing up your daily track on the blog because it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! Foster The People are an excellent band who just specialise in making good pop music. I feel this band doesn’t really get the credit they deserve for their catchy hooks, groovy synth work, honest lyricism and their experimentation, as this group are consistently evolving their sound with every subsequent release. Foster The People have been releasing one-off singles once every 7-8 weeks (or so) over the better half of a year, with “Pick U Up” and “Imagination” being the stronger ones. There’s also a lovely lockdown ballad from Mark Foster called “It’s Ok To Be Human” which I’d recommend checking out too. “Lamb’s Wool” is the latest one-off single release and it’s brand new since it only came out yesterday. The beat was developed during a jam session by Isom Innis. Let’s have a listen below.

Their critical reception never seems to be great, but I don’t understand why. I think the critics are likely looking for another “Pumped Up Kicks”, and I think they seem to be missing the point with this band. Mark Foster is a talented songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, a notion which gets re-inforced in the “Just because you’re thirsty, doesn’t mean you should drink the poison” story of “Lamb’s Wool”. Innis crafts an introspective synth beat that crashes and wavers across an organic piano section. Mark Foster sings: “It’s hard to look into your eyes/Knowing it might be the last time/The paces in between our breaths/They’re singing to the infinite”. Foster seems to be reminiscing the end of a break-up, with a Tame Impala-esque psych-pop bridge, where he declares: “Sudden changes make the air uncomfortable/I’ll hold you so you’re not alone”, before he sings “I’m so in love with loving you/I keep loving you/Where things will change but I will always be the same”, before a buzzing synth production and a quiet string section top off the closing bridge and outro. The track seems to explore a darker undertone than their other recent output, with lyrics that remind me of the creepy “I Would Do Anything For You” from way back on 2011’s Torches. The vocals and structure may get just a tad too repetitive, but I’m loving the callbacks to classic indie, with an influence of The Flaming Lips buried underneath the synth melodies. The instrumentation is a good mixture of acoustic, classical and electronic. I also really like the artwork and it shows that, quite simply, the band really can be bothered. Not one of their best, but it’s an accessible pop ballad that has been arranged beautifally, hasn’t been drenched in overpowered auto-tune and it has been produced with thoughtful consideration of the pop music genre. I really dig this!

Pictured: Foster The People with Foster’s pet dog at the Teen Choice Awards (2018) (Photo Credit: Ace Showbiz)

Thank you for reading this post! Wishing good health on you – Please stay safe, don’t do anything silly and keep on washing those hands! Make sure you join me tomorrow for your weekly edition of Scuzz Sundays. I haven’t actually decided which exact track it’s going to be yet, so it’s going to be as much of a suprise to me as it is for you! That will make for a nice change! 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: Wajatta – “Don’t Let Get You Down”

May 21, 2020 — Leave a comment

Sticks and Stones may break my bones, but they won’t let get me down. It’s time for a new post!

Pictured: Wajatta (Reggie Watts & John Tejada) in a press shot to promote “Don’t Let Get You Down” (2020) (via PR)

Good afternoon, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and – you guessed it! – I’m typing up about your daily track on the blog because it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! Even bank holidays! “Don’t Let Get You Down” is another one of the recent tracks that I never quite got around to writing about before, but it’s worth a listen. It’s the titular single of the sophomore LP from American Electronic Dance duo Wajatta, which is comprised of Reggie Watts and John Trejada. They’re signed to Brainfeeder, an imprint of the Ninja Tune label. Wajatta (wa-Ha-ta) are influenced by the Chicago House sounds of the 1970’s, with their roots in Detroit Techno, 70’s funk and New York Hip-Hop. Watts describes “Don’t Let Get You Down” as “The poppiest song we’ve ever done”. Believe it or not – and I didn’t actually know this until just a couple of days ago – Watts is an on-air personality and drummer for The Late Late Show with James Corden, an American late-night TV talk show. He did a bit of cross-promoting by performing this track live on the show. Let’s watch it below!

I LOVE the support of the crowd on this one – who cheer for almost everything that Watts does. It’s clear that he’s got quite the following and it could lead to some major commercial success for the duo. “Don’t Let Get You Down” – poor grammar aside – seems to play off his character-driven personality in the sense that his vocal delivery is fairly quirky and strange. The track is very hook-based, with a light whistling melody running during the track, and brightly pulsating synth sounds. Watts sings: “Don’t let get you down, I know how love can feel” over the top of metallic drum beats and a minimally looping bassline. There’s a light techno sensibility within the instrumental sections, with a synth-heavy focus on acidic strobe effects, but the overall mixing remains mellow and calming. Watts’ voice is unique and silky, with nonsensical mutters and a Falsetto production style which can get a tad annoying, but it also comes off as groove-led and comedic with decent range. The overall sound has a real 00’s throwback to it, which makes me think of Eric Prydz and Bob Sinclair on repeated listens. This is because the melodic structure is slowly paced, but the deep house qualities feel very prominent. All in all, it’s not a bad track at all – and the sense of character comes across strongly. However, I don’t feel that it’s quite there. The synths bubble under the surface to build a sense of tension, but there’s little payoff. The track does have a bit of an overly commercial undertone to it in the lack of innovation. However, it’s a pleasant and smooth-sailing house track that has a good vocal range. So, the flaws “Don’t Let Get It Down” to a point that detracts it too highly.

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Don’t Let Get You Down” (Released on 28th February 2020) (via Brainfeeder)

Thank you for reading this post! Please make sure that you stay safe, don’t do anything silly and keep on washing those hands. As always, please join me tomorrow – Where i’ll be giving an in-depth look (or listen, rather) at the new track from an American hip-hop producer from Nanuet, New York who directs and edits his own music videos. He opened for Wu-Tang Clan on their 20th Anniversary Tour in Europe as a “dream gig”! 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: Weezer – “My Name Is Jonas”

May 17, 2020 — Leave a comment

His name is not Jonas, it’s actually Rivers Cuomo! It’s time for another Scuzz Sunday!

Pictured: Rivers Cuomo (Lead Vocals), Brian Bell (Lead Guitar), Mikey Welsh (Bass Guitar) and Patrick Wilson (Drums/Percussion) (in March 2016) (Photo Credit: Michael Czerwonka for The New York Times)

What’s in a name? I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing about your daily track on the blog because it’s my day-to-day pleasure to do so! It seems we have slowly reached another Scuzz Sunday, the time of the week where we look back on an Emo-Rock or Pop-Punk classic from the mid-1990’s to late-2000’s time capsule which would have been played on the now-defunct TV channel, Scuzz! Weezer played a big role in the pre-teen phase of my life and my journey in music, although they are a band which are admittedly a hit-and-miss one. It all depends on the genre as Rivers Cuomo, the lead man, isn’t very good when it comes to trying new genres that he, to put it bluntly, can’t do. Such as that hideous “Magic” song with B.O.B.! However, when it comes down to classic teenager rock, Weezer are the best pop-punk band on the whole planet! MCR fans, get your pitchforks ready! “My Name Is Jonas” was released from their self-titled debut album, later to be known as “The Blue Album” in ancient Weezer mythology. The album went on to sell over 15 million copies worldwide, by 2019. “My Name Is Jonas” is a highlight from this classic pop-punk record about extroversion and familial upbringing. See Weezer perform “My Name Is Jonas” below!

A key track that’s opened up many of Weezer live sets throughout the years, “My Name Is Jonas” is one of the most diverse and embodying examples of Weezer’s punk-rock style of the mid-90’s. A light acoustic guitar strum opens the core melody, recurring throughout Rivers Cuomo’s vocals. A loud blast of theatrical, frantically-paced drumming chords and powerful guitar riffs provide a twisting turn to the lighter opening. Cuomo sings: “Things were better then, Once but never again” and “The choo-choo train left on time, a ticket costs only your mind” over the tonal transitions and progressive bass guitar riffs. Later on, Weezer chants: “The workers are going home” over an over-the-top and dynamic set of quick drum notes, leading to a melodic lead guitar solo that is delivered very harshly. There’s a very theatrical presence to the recurring hooks where Cuomo declares: “My name is Jonas”, with the dramatic pacing shifts and the chanted backing vocals from his band-mates. However, the track also ends on it’s light acoustic guitar riff and twinkling style of production, making the character of Jonas feel defiant and brave in the process. Weirdly, it’s the gentle opening hook that makes the lyrics seem so memorable and not the frantic chord progression of the track in it’s more anthemic stages. The track represents a lovely display of musical awareness and the theatrical style reveals the mood of the transitional acoustic guitar strums and the change towards the heavy chords. The track still sounds excellent and it more than holds up. It’s all in the name!

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Weezer” (a.k.a. “The Blue Album”) (Released on May 10th, 1994) (via DGC)

Thank you for reading this post! I hope that you enjoyed it! Please stay safe, don’t do anything silly and keep on washing those hands! I’ll be kicking off the new week on the blog tomorrow with an in-depth look at another one of those recent-ish tracks that I never got around to writing about a bit earlier on. It’s a superb little track that comes out a solo release from the leading man of The Maccabees! 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: In Love With A Ghost – “We Were Friends”

May 14, 2020 — Leave a comment

I am not In Love With A Ghost, but I am in love with this soft sound. It’s new post time!

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Healing” (Single Release) (in 2017) (Cover design by @Salisart) (via Bandcamp)

Good afternoon to you! Indeed, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing about your daily track on the blog because, as always, it’s my day-to-day pleasure to do so! Yesterday, I wrote about Skule Toyama, a little-known Chillwave DJ from Mexico who only has a small following and he’s one of my latest little discoveries on Bandcamp. Another artist from the same genre who I’ve also recently found on Bandcamp is In Love With A Ghost. However, it turns out that In Love With A Ghost has a much larger following and has become a bit of a viral sensation. Nonetheless, their 2016 EP release “Let’s Go” was my first introduction to this artist. “Let’s Go” is classified as a digital album, but it’s only very short, at four tracks with a 12 minute run time. There’s an old-fashioned IDM-style aura of mystery around this French composer, as the artist tends to only give cryptic teases towards the production and meaning behind their music. Their name is unknown, so is their backstory, and most importantly, they never reveal their face! “Flowers” featuring Nori is their most popular track from “Let’s Go”, with over 9.6m views on YouTube – but my favourite track from the album is the low-key and sad keyboard-driven “We Were Friends”. Let’s give it a listen below!

So.. That was “We Were Friends”. I feel that In Love With A Ghost manages, through the spacious synth riffs and the embellishing keyboard sequences, to create vivid, emotive feelings of closure and finality on this short track. In comparison to Skule Toyama’s track yesterday, the pacing is a lot slower and the melodies, although sweet and heavily electronically-produced, are more downtempo and less free-form in their structure, creating a highly stripped back sound, despite achieving the same aims of soothing you down and putting your mind into a state of relaxation. There’s no lyrics at all, but the distorted effects of the looping synths and the glitched-out basslines, enveloped in a pure and intoxicating Piano melody, create a gentle ambient texture that acts as a comforting bed for the beat-driven electronic effects to sit under. This results in an ambient texture that feels vaguely melancholic and reminiscent of a more innocent time. Maybe it makes you think about seeing an old friend for the first in a very long time? To me, it does, bringing an emotion of meeting up with somebody who you feel you might not truly “know” anymore and coming to terms with the nervousness and the fun you used to have, but also the happiness that comes from soon recapturing these memories. In any case, it’s completely up to you what this track is about. I think that’s where the strength of the sound lies. There’s attention to detail in the slow rainfall effects and the crackles of twigs breaking in the background, creating a feeling that is overall somber and contemplative. It feels like it has a super-sleek production behind it, of which I can tell it was a more expensive album to be produced than some of the earlier work, but it doesn’t lose it’s artistic identity or forget the roots of the music in the first place, a criticism that I point towards mainstream acts like Ed Sheeran or Drake, who just make totally generic and VERY commercial pop now. A “ghostly” presence – but a rewarding and excellent one!

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Let’s Go” (Digital EP) (Released via Bandcamp on March 3, 2016) (via Z-Tapes Records)

Thank you very much for reading this post and I hope you enjoyed it! Please stay safe, “Stay Alert” and keep on washing those hands! I am really excited about tomorrow’s post because I’m going to be covering a brand new track that marks the return of one of my top favourite artists in the past couple of years! I still remember when she brought her mum on-stage to celebrate it when she won Best British Album at the NME Awards last night! Watch and learn BRIT Awards, that’s how you treat a real Best British Artist! 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: Doves – "Black and White Town"

May 12, 2020 — 1 Comment

Can this bird still fly or Does it sink and swim? It’s time to find out with your new post!

Pictured: Jez Williams (Lead Vocals/Lead Guitar), Jimi Goodwin (Bass Guitar/Keyboard/Backing Vocals) and Andy Williams (Drums/Percussion) (in January 2019) (Photo Credit: Peter Guy/www.getintothis.co.uk)

Good afternoon to you, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing about today’s daily track on the blog, as it’s my day-to-day pleasure to simply write about a different piece of music, new or old, every day! “Black and White Town” is a track, by Cheshire-based Indie Rock 4-piece Doves, which I can remember fondly from my childhood as my favourite track found on my Dad’s “NME: The Essential Bands 2005” compilation album, documenting the “indie rock” boom featuring artists like Bloc Party, Goldfrapp and Hard-Fi. Aside from this compilation CD release, “Black and White Town” was the lead single of Doves’ third studio album, “Some Cities”, released in February 2005 by the Heavenly Recordings indie label. “Black and White Town” reached #6 in the UK Singles Charts and it went a long way in solidifying this band as one of the most underrated bands to come from this commercial indie movement. The band re-formed last year for a charity concert for Teenage Cancer Trust and it’s unclear as to whether they are writing and producing any new material or not, but rumors seem to suggest so. Let’s take a listen back at “Black and White Towns” below.

A percussive Drum intro leads into a sparkling 3-chord keyboard riff, which keeps getting repeated for maximum effect, matched by synth experimentation and stoic vocals on the shoo-in for an indie single, “Black and White Town”. Jez Williams sings: “In satellite towns/There’s no colour and no sound/I’ve been ten feet underground” before a soaring guitar solo and a slightly off-kilter synth effect provides a decidedly Northern-sounding look at social alienation within city life, especially exploring the daily grind. Williams continues to the bridge: “Whether you live alone/Or you’re trying to find a way in this world/You better make sure that you don’t crack your head on a pavement” before his vocals distort under static guitar noises and a washing bass synth line, drowning him out as he mutters: “It’s been praying on me and mine, This is a dangerous place/There’s nothing here”, as the repetitious keyboard riffs and the central vocal hooks on grim Northern life take us to the end. It sounds like more of the same when you compare it to bands of a similar era/aesthetic like Editors, White Lies and Hard-Fi, but the vocals sound meaner, with angsty and pessimistic lyricism, and the overall sound is a tad more progressive with the slight experimentation in sonic design, such as the brooding Synth lines washing over Williams’ vocal delivery, leading to neat electronic instrumentation of an Urban indie feel, although it keeps coming back to the same keyboard riff. It isn’t anything that feels truly groundbreaking, but there is a darkness to the aesthetic and enough of an alternative edge to it, to make it feel like something different in a very crowded market. I liked it in 2005 and I still like it now because it holds up for it’s progression of it’s genre. It still sounds as though it could have only just come out – so it’s possible I like it even more!

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Some Cities” (Released on 21st February, 2015) (via Heavenly Recordings)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as always, with an in-depth look at a track from one of my recent deep dives on Bandcamp. He is a Mexican electronic dance producer of the Chillwave genre who was inspired by disco and funk music from the 1960’s – he has Anime style drawings of female cartoons on each of his album’s cover artworks! Until then, please stay safe inside and keep washing those hands! 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