Scuzz Sundays: The Hives – “Hate To Say I Told You So”

March 8, 2020 — Leave a comment

There is a new post every day – just as I told you so! It’s time for a Scuzz Sunday post!

Pictured: Per Almqvist (Lead Vocals, Piano), Niklas Almqvist (Lead Guitar/Keyboard), Mikael Karlsson (Rhythm Guitar/Organ), Christian Grahn (Drums/Backing Vocals) and Johan Gustafsson (Bass Guitar) (2020) (via PR)

It’s hard to believe that another week has flown by and it’s time, yet again, for Scuzz Sundays – my weekly feature where I take you on a leisurely stroll down my adolescent punk phase and we revisit some of the popular tracks from the era of the Scuzz TV freeview rock music video channel together. I’m Jacob Braybrooke – writing about Swedish band The Hives’ garage-punk chart hit “Hate To Say I Told You So” for this week’s entry. The track reached #23 on the UK Singles Chart and it became well-loved from the likes of NME, who placed it at #84 on their list of the “150 Best Tracks Of The Past 15 Years” in 2011. Originally released as the lead single of the band’s second LP record, “Veni Vidi Vicious”, to little fanfare in 2010, the track saw a re-issue in 2012 in the US, to more critically lucrative and commercially successful results, leading to the track becoming the most well-known addition to The Hives’ discography. Let’s rediscover “Hate To Say I Told You So” with it’s official video below!

It’s been years, probably over a decade, since I’ve watched that! It takes me back to the era of American indie rock where The Strokes were pioneering their genre, a sound which The Hives seemed to take a lot of influence from during the recording process of “Hate To Say I Told You So” – a super-smooth track with a fast-paced opening, as a familiar guitar riff leads the way for a pounding drum rhythm and electronic synth work to beam it’s way around Per Almqvist’s energetic lead vocals: “Do what I want cause’ I can and if I don’t because I wanna be ignored by stiff and the bored”, a line possessive of teenage angst, bolstered by the recurrent vocal hook: “Because I’m gonna”, a straightforward rock-and-roll punk edge later brings a stylistic synth arrangement to the melodic closing verse: “Ask me once, I’ll answer twice cause what I know I’ll tell them, because I wanna”, and “Sound device and lots of ice, I’ll spell my name out loud because I wanna”, over a simple bass guitar riff and a minimalist keyboard chord. The sound is young and brash, with the band’s photography creating a visual artwork akin to punk bands of the 60’s, an obvious wink-and-nod to the rebellious music culture of the time. Cut down to just over three minutes in length, the track sounds like a passionate burst of 70’s rock-and-roll combined with a visual suavity inspired by The Sex Pistols and Ian Dury & The Blockheads, although it’s hit by a commercially-driven underpinning, as the track doesn’t experiment in it’s genre to a very alternative point and it has a short and packaged length, making it a conveniently good fit for a daytime radio station. Nevertheless, I think it’s an entertaining throwback to the styles which pioneered it’s own genre and it feels like a tribute to the likes of The Specials and The Ramones in a firmly tongue-in-cheek sense. If it came out tomorrow, it wouldn’t sound particularly out-of-place, as it rides a contemporary wave of youthful rock aesthetics. Overall, it’s a good spot of punk-pop that has an attitude and a style to it which makes it sound very modern, while it also provides light call backs to the 60’s punk movement and the 70’s rock-and-roll era. There’s a certain level of artistry which manages to hold up.

Pictured: The Hives perfoming “Hate To Say I Told You So” for Rolling Stone (2012) (Photo Credit: Dave Wood/YouTube)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as per usual, with an in-depth look at the brand new track from a very famous Brit-rock icon who once interrupted a staged performance of “Earth Song” by Michael Jackson, which famously took place at the Brit Awards in 1996! 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: Sports Team – “Here’s The Thing”

March 5, 2020 — Leave a comment

Here’s the thing, this band are about to drop their first album! It’s time for a new post!

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Deep Down Happy” (Available on April 3rd, 2020) (via Universal Music Operations)

Good afternoon to you, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and here’s the thing – I’m writing about your daily track on the blog because here’s the thing – it’s my day-to-day pleasure to do so! Here’s the thing – I just couldn’t stop myself from introducing today’s post like that! Sports Team are a new 6-piece punk band hailing from Cambridge. Locally to myself, Sports Team met while they were students at Cambridge University and they each graduated with a degree – before getting pre-production underway on their recording career. The band are set to release “Deep Down Happy”, their debut LP record, on April 3rd. My favourite track from Sports Team so far is “The Races”, a bombastic guitar rock anthem to rival that of the aggressive-punk resurgence of bands including Idles, The Murder Capital and Bambara. Set on a fine British day, which also happens to be a wedding, the video for that single takes a turn towards a more comedic, soap-opera style, culminating in fisticuffs, vomit and a wedding cake getting destroyed! Sports Team satirize the American high-school culture with the similarly directed video for “Here’s The Thing”, a rowdy parody of Disney products like High School Musical and Camp Rock. Let’s hear what’s the thing with the video below.

Obviously, “Here’s The Thing” is the rhetorical anchor that Rob Knaggs uses to string the different artistic components of the track together. With a bouncy and comedic tone, Knaggs shouts: “Here’s the thing”, followed by comical lines such as “Jesus loves you and the football’s coming home”, a quintessentially British line, with other lyrical factors including the likes of: “If you smile enough then everybody smiles” and “Working hard you know it’s better for your soul”, before the exuberant guitar riffs tease a refrain, as Knaggs proclaims: “It’s all just lies, lies, lies, lies”, before the drum sequence builds to a constant rhythmn and Knaggs starts whistling, building the fast pacing of the track to a raucous effect once again. The vocals are grounded to a halt when the drumming signatures are gradually slowed, leading to a bridge where Knaggs recites: “Hand me not this fiery sword and growing bored of condescending chit-chat”, before the brass instrumentation brings the pace to a fiery attitude once again as the end of the track nears. The tone is constructed playfully and although it’s predominantly a pop-punk record, I think there’s something about it which convinces me that the band aren’t just looking for a quick chart hit, although it does have a casual accessibility to it since the themes are very easy to understand and the frantic pacing of the vocals deems it as a sure-fire favourite at wild, albeit small, live venues. The trumpets are a quirky highlight and the sound doesn’t necessarily re-invent the wheel of independent punk bands in the current movement we’re in, but it’s still doing something melodic and infectiously catchy enough to grab your ear’s attention while eliciting a few giggles. A solid and entertaining track which grows after a few listens and lightly pushes the boundaries of the genre which it’s a part of the world of.

Pictured: Alex Rice (Lead Vocalist/Songwriter), Rob Knaggs (Guitarist/Co-Writer), Henry Young (Lead Guitar), Oli Dewdney (Bass Guitar), Ben Mac (Keyboard) and Al Greenwood (Drums) (2018) (Photo Credit: Lauren Maccabee)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow for another round of brand new music – as I’ll be looking at the new track from a Swedish dream-rock/electronica outfit who my friend describes as “Lund’s Finest”, who are currently signed to Labrador Records! It’s great to see yet another one of my personal favourites making their return to the industry! 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 Magic Gang – “Think”

March 4, 2020 — 2 Comments

Abra Cadabra! Alaka-Zam! It’s The Magic Gang! They’re featured in today’s blog post!

Pictured: Jack Kaye (Lead Vocals/Rhythm Guitar), Kristian Smith (Lead Guitar/Backing Vocals), Angus Taylor (Bass Guitar/Percussion) and Paeris Giles (Drums) (2018) (via PR)

Good morning to you, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and my own Wizarding spell is to conjure up a new blog post about a different track every day on the blog, as it’s my day-to-day pleasure to do so! The Magic Gang, a pop/rock 4-piece from Brighton in the UK, have just released a new track, “Think”, which is a promotional single for their rumored upcoming sophomore album. It’s the follow-up to their self-titled debut album released in 2018, so it’s a fairly quick turnaround to hearing new music from the band again. Although I wouldn’t put it on any year-end lists, their debut album was a record that I grew a little bit fond of – especially playing “How Can I Compete?” and “All This Way” on my drivetime radio show at the time of it’s release – as The Magic Gang had a fun, feel-good guitar rock sound that could be nicely developed in the future. The self-titled debut album also received positive reviews from the press, such as a 4-star review from The Guardian, where critic Laura Snapes called it: “amiably harmonic, lovelorn indie”. Having worked with U2 and Daughter’s producer Jolyon Thomas, along with Jessie Ware on an updated version of their track “Take Care”, it seems The Magic Gang have been finding new inspiration from a range of collaborators in an attempt to hone their gifted potential. Although they’re classed as “indie”, I’m not classing them as such – they’re not, since their signed to Warner Music Group UK. So, how does The Magic Gang expand their sound on “Think”? Let’s give it a listen below!

“Think” is the latest trick up their sleeve – a carefree pop ballad about feeling cheerful in the face of life’s adversity and making positive decisions in your life. Although it’s not clear exactly who Jack Kaye is addressing in a first-person tense, much of the track plays out like a modernised version of Dandy Livingstone’s 60’s Rocksteady classic “A Message To You, Rudy”. Kaye begins: “Hey kid, don’t you know running your mouth will get you nowhere?/So don’t go there”, over a layered rhythmic guitar melody and a horn-oriented arrangement, above a static drum kit beat. A trumpet kicks in, as Kaye leads a chant-along lyric: “All you have to do/Is keep your head cool/Keep your head strong/And think for a second”, matched by a dueling backing vocal “Think for a second”, over the top of an uplifting saxophone riff and a slight Soul sensibility. The second verse is much the same as the first, before the chorus repeats a few times to end the tune – maintaining an upbeat pop emotion throughout. For me, the track is a departure from their original sound – but in a bad way. While I don’t feel the track is inherently bad, there’s nothing inherently good about it either. The brass instrumentation adds a small burst of energy and the chorus is moderately catchy, but it feels repetitive by the end. With “Hey, Kid” being a particularly tedious line by the end. The writing is rather average, with the track failing to say anything beyond a “Keep calm and carry on” message. There is a slight cowboy theme being touched upon: “Hey kid, what are you doing around these parts again?”, but the psychedelic element isn’t developed enough for it to leave a lasting impression. The vocal performance fits the material well, but it sounds like a more laddish impression of Ricky Wilson from Kaiser Chiefs. I think this is the root of the problem here – it feels like the band are trying to sound like their influences a little too closely and the creative choices are at the expense of the band’s individual sound. The video is also rather lame. Overall, I personally feel this is a disappointing return from the band, with a track that has a few interesting elements that feel undercooked and not fleshed out with enough originality to make it work that well. Not so magical, but there’s potential in the Jazz sound. For now, it’s “indie” bollocks and not proper indie.

Pictured: Surf’s Up! The Magic Gang riding the long wave in a shoot for DIYmag.com (2018) (Photo Credit: Jenn Five)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as always, with an in-depth review of the brand new track from another English rock band, a track following similar themes, who are local to myself because they formed while studying at Cambridge University! They’ve graduated and they’re set to release their debut album in April! 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: Bowling For Soup – “Girl All The Bad Guys Want”

March 1, 2020 — Leave a comment

It sounds like The Joker and Harley Quinn! It’s time for your new Scuzz Sundays post!

Pictured: Physical CD copy of “Girl All The Bad Guys Want” (2002) (Single) (Available from eBay.com)

It’s Scuzz Sunday – which means it’s time for Jacob Braybrooke, your daily blog writer, to take you on a leisurely stroll down memory lane with a 90’s – 00’s emo/punk/pop/metal throwback track which you may remember from the days where the Scuzz TV freeview channel was an after school staple. I decided to revisit “Girl All The Bad Guys Want” for today’s edition of Scuzz Sundays because one of my friends played it on their student radio show! It struck me as one of those songs that you’ve definitely heard and remember hearing several times before, but it’s never one you can vividly recall when you see it’s name written down on paper, or as text on a laptop keyboard in this modern age. The track was recorded by Bowling For Soup, who secured a mainstream chart hit with the track back in 2002 – managing to reach the #8 spot on the UK Singles Chart shortly after it’s release. They included the track as part of their fourth LP record, “Drunk Enough To Dance”, which also saw the light of publishing day in 2002. Let’s revisit “Girl All The Bad Guys Want” with the video below.

“Drunk Enough To Dance” is the punk band’s most commercially successful album to date – and “Girl All The Bad Guys Want” is the first instance that I can remember hearing Bowling For Soup – oh, how Jaret Reddick’s pink hair is missed! Back on-topic, “Girl All The Bad Guys Want” is a very mainstream track – beginning with a simple guitar riff and a positively-pop, upbeat vocal opening, as Reddick exclaims: “8 0′ clock, Monday night and I’m waiting/To finally talk to a girl a little cooler than me”, later professing his internal, deep feelings for this young lady: “When she walks/All the wind blows and the angels sing/But she doesn’t notice me”, followed by the chorus: “‘Cause she is watching wrestling/Creamin’ over tough guys/Listening to rap metal/Turntable in her eyes”, later drawing to his conclusion, proclaiming: “Trying to get the girl all the bad guys want/She’s the girl all the bad guys want”, a chanting lyric which is led by a hook-filled lead guitar section and a soft-rock sensiblity which reminds me of The Offspring’s “Want You Bad”, but with a slightly more Teenage Kicks uptone. The guitar melodies aren’t even moderately complex, but they’re sharp and tight, even if there isn’t much surface beyond the commercially driven style. Although I think this emo-pop tune is likeable to a degree, with a touch of humor to be enjoyed here, I find the writing to be particularly weak and poor here – as I don’t see what makes her the “Girl All The Bad Guys Want”. She may watch wrestling and has a “CD Changer full of singers that are mad at their dad”, but that isn’t exactly hardcore – it’s not like she smokes 20 cigarettes a day and has 3 different kids with different fathers, for example. The track’s also filled with street-slang references that either feel outdated or weren’t ever used in the first place – “Creamin'”, Drivin'”, “Screamin'”, for instance. The positives are how the music video is funny and enjoyable, along with the artwork for the single eliciting a giggle out of me. It shows that Bowling For Soup could be a little bit bothered – but the restrictions of their genre’s mainstream popularity at the time seem to prevent the track from being a little more interesting. The track is a little over-indulgent in Disney-esque cheese and the nonsensical lyrics ensure that it doesn’t hold up for my personal preference. I think it’s rather bad – but it’s impressive to see how far the band have come since the peak pop-punk days, with their recent single – “Alexa Bliss” – being a sweet song that became a recent highlight.

Pictured: Jaret Reddick (Lead Vocals/Slide Guitar), Chris Burney (Lead Guitar/Backing Vocals), Rob Felicetti (Bass Guitar/Acoustic Guitar) and Gary Wiseman (Drums/Percussion/Backing Vocals) in a press shoot (2019) (via PR)

Bowling For Soup aren’t a new face on the blog, as I’ve also revisited “High School Never Ends” as part of the weekly Scuzz Sundays feature, and I also uploaded my in-depth thoughts on their most recent single, “Alexa Bliss”! I’d love for you to peruse both links here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2019/09/29/scuzz-sundays-bowling-for-soup-high-school-never-ends/ and https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/02/12/todays-track-bowling-for-soup-alexa-bliss/

Pictured: A still image from the official music video for “Girl All The Bad Guys Want” (2002) (Photo Credit: Vevo)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ve been championing a lot of brand new artists on the blog in recent days and that’s a trend that I hope to continue for you as we begin the weekly routine tomorrow – where I’ll be listening to an American Alternative Soul singer-songwriter from California who made a name for himself by supporting Sufjan Stevens on tour in 2016! 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 ORB – “Daze”

February 29, 2020 — Leave a comment

A track for you to vibe out to under the little fluffy clouds? It’s time for your new post!

Pictured: Alex Paterson (Programming) and Michael Rendall (Effects) (Photo Credit: http://www.theorb.com)

It’s quite the sunny Stoke day for me – which gives us the perfect excuse to stream the latest track from one of Britian’s most established Chillout acts – The Orb, an ambient electronic house duo originally set up by Alex Paterson and The KLF’s Jimmy Caulty in 1988 – which is now comprised of Paterson and Michael Rendall. The Orb are best known for their 1991 classic “Little Fluffy Clouds”, which led to the duo becoming known for their following inside drug-induced clubs where their fans would “wind down” by listening to their neo-psychedelic remixes of Dub and Chill sequences. Their new LP record, “Abolition Of The Royal Familia” is currently slated for release on March 27th via the Cooking Vinyl label – with the title seeming like one of the obscure science fiction references which The Orb have become very synonymous for, in their long career since the late 1980’s. The new LP, their sixteenth studio album release overall, features guest appearances from the likes of Roger Eno, Nick Burton (former rotating member of The Orb), Andy Cain, Gaudi, Violetta Vicci and more – who will all be bringing their talents in a collaborative effort with the British humor and the witty sample-based elements of The Orb’s old-school psych-funk sensibilities. The most vital of which, however, is… Leika The Dog! Let’s watch her go on a cosmic canine trip to the moon and back in the music video for “Daze (Missing & Messed Up Mix)” below.

Fairly low production vales aside – the video for “Daze (Missing and Messed Up Mix)” elicits a few decent chuckles out of me, and I feel like the single is reasonably good as well. I particularly enjoyed the opening, as a sample-led blast of vocals, drowned in echoed reverberation, proudly exclaims: “A soul sound sensation”, before a swirling strobe of Balearic synths take control of the melodic hook, leading to a slightly down-tempo affair of genre-blurring composition, as a soulful refrain leads the vocal part: “You’ve been missing for days/missing..”, a simple line which is given a little more depth through an unashamedly 70’s disco element, as a vintage sample adds enough ooh’s and wooh’s to also craft a dance-able pop rhythm. The track also contains a light hop-hop element under a 90’s ambience glaze, which is created from a subtle strings arrangement and a modulated Conga drum sound. It mostly sounds like an eclectic and meticulously engineered affair of The Orb doing their classic dub-psychedelia twang best. It’s business as normal for The Orb, with an uptempo groove put together by a jam-packed sample part, which reminds me of the nostalgic adventure sound of The Avalanches “Since I Left You”. However, I don’t think it’s engineered in as much detail and in a peculiar sense, I don’t feel it really goes anywhere else, the soulful melodies are consistent but lacking in a vigorous quality to push it forwards slightly more than it’s been presented, as I feel the vocal refrain gets a little too repetitious for it’s own good. This is more the style of track that I would sit down and have on during a long train journey, rather than before a big night-out, as it does have an upbeat, traditional Chillout pop texture, but it doesn’t veer so much into free-spirited dance territory. Although I do think the track is missing another element of sound to give the overall sound a touch more excitement and just a little bit more oomph, I think the track does what it sets out to do very adequately. The slight infliction of wit is a twinkling highlight and it’s very engaging how the sound mixes elements of hip-hop, dub, ambient house, psychedelic soul and good, old-fashioned pop without losing much of it’s cohesive structure. A likeable little anthem.

Pictured: Alex Paterson and Michael Rendall enjoying a garden day… in the bushes! (Orb-approved press shot)

You can also read my thoughts on The Orb’s 90’s classic “Little Fluffy Clouds” here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/02/18/todays-track-the-orb-little-fluffy-clouds/

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Abolition Of The Royal Familia” (Available on 27th March, 2020) (via Cooking Vinyl)

Thank you or reading this post! I’m writing a new installment of my weekly Scuzz Sundays series on the blog tomorrow – a weekly thowback to the late 90’s and early-mid 00’s punk or emo rock anthems of old that you might remember seeing on the defunct Scuzz TV Freeview music video channel. It will be a mainstream chart hit from a band who, as a running joke in their music videos, use their previous singles during the introductions of their videos! 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/https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Today’s Track: Caribou – “Never Come Back”

February 28, 2020 — Leave a comment

Suddenly… Dan Snaith has a brand new Caribou LP out! It’s time for your Friday post!

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Never Come Back” (2019)

It’s Friday, which means it’s the end of the week, but it also signals the release of a dozen new albums and singles, with Caribou’s “Suddenly” taking the spotlight on the blog this week! In case you’re unaware, Caribou is an electronic project set up by Canadian composer Dan Snaith, who also writes and records material as Daphni and Manitoba. It’s been a long time since we’ve heard from him, with 2014’s “Our Love” becoming a beloved LP record in the years since. “Suddenly”, released today on City Slang Records and Merge Records, is a photo album of a record where Snaith analyses the events in his life which surround him, such as his daughter being born in a Car on the way to the hospital. The album also deals with loss and memory, in the form of carefully textured soundscapes. I’ve recently been introduced to Snaith’s work with the release of “Home”, the lead single of the album, as Snaith has drummed up enough interest with me for me to own a physical copy for my record collection, which I’ve only just started. Let’s have a listen to the track “Never Come Back” below.

A sophisticated and enthralling track which veers into slightly commercial territory, but it confidently manages not to lose the vocally emotive trademark of Caribou’s sound, “Never Look Back” is a synthetic dance-pop delight that doesn’t miss a step in it’s stabbing EDM strobes and it’s uptempo pacing. With a sultry tone, Snaith repeats: “And you never come back to”, in sequenced timing with a consistent House trance, which is layered over the top of a 90’s-esque keyboard loop. The melodic stricture keeps stuttering, but Snaith adds the sound of a happy-go-lucky Cowbell and an unrelenting drum machine chord, which kicks into full-throttle mode near the end of the track. Before proceedings get too repetitious, Snaith refrains: “I can never forget it/Promise me you don’t regret it/You and I were together/even though we both knew better”, as the pop-filled rhythm begins to settle into a slower pace, before Snaith quickly pushes the makeshift-disco sound to the center of attention again. The track does sound a little poppier by his typical standards, but I feel that Snaith manages to cross over to a casual audience, who might be seeing him at festivals this summer, fairly wisely because he manages to effectively control the chaos by letting it sound familiar to his existing fans, while adding a crowd-pleasing, throwback dance sound to his existing repertoire. The single also translates the cohesive themes of the album, as the sultry vocal hook is kept consistent to contrast the breakneck changes of tempo and rhythm. It’s an ace track from an album which is set to deliver on it’s hype.

Pictured: Dan Snaith recording in his home studio

I’ve previously covered a few of Caribou’s other singles taken from the new record on the blog! Click here to read my thoughts on my discovery of “Home” (https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2019/10/28/todays-track-caribou-home/) and click here to read my thoughts on “You and I” (https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2019/12/09/todays-track-caribou-you-i/)

Pictured: Dan Snaith pictured in front of a mural to accompany the announcement of “Suddenly” (2020) (via PR)

Thank you for reading this post! It’s almost time for another weekly Scuzz Sundays post, but, before then – make sure that you check back with the blog tomorrow, where I’ll be writing an in-depth review, for you, on the new single from a legendary British electronic dance duo who are known for producing Dub and Chillout anthems which have been described by Alex Paterson as “ambient house for the E generation”! 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: Confidence Man – “Does It Make You Feel Good?”

February 26, 2020 — 1 Comment

Did it make me feel good? You’ll have to read my thoughts in today’s post to find out!

Pictured: Janet Planet (Vocals) and Sugar Bones (Vocals) in a photoshoot for “Does It Make You Feel Good? (2019) (Photo Credit: Zac Bayly)

Good evening – It’s Jacob Braybrooke here, writing about your daily track on the blog, as it’s my everyday duty and pleasure to do so! I’ve been very busy helping on the latest Staffs TV production, “Society Pub Quiz” at University today, so it’s another late-night post from me, which might be a blessing in disguise since I’m going to be introducing you to a chilled dance-pop anthem from the Australian EDM group Confidence Man, who were formed in Brisbane in 2016. The group made a huge name for themselves with their debut album, “Confident Music For Confident People”, which they released to critical acclaim and commercial success in April 2018, with the LP record earning the group the award for the “Best Independent Dance/Electronica Album” at the AIR Independent Music Awards last year. It was a very goofy, comical dance record which is very fun and entertaining to listen to! They’ve since returned with a one-off single, “Does It Make You Feel Good?”, which they released back in November 2019. The group are now signed to the Heavenly Recordings record label. Let’s have a little listen to “Does It Make You Feel Good?” with the music video below.

Did that make you feel good? The track is a slight departure from the sound of their full-length album, with a lighter emphasis on underlying darkness and humorous songwriting, with the group opting for a more feel-good and internationally appealing focus, with a light-hearted, old-school disco tone. The funnily named Janet Planet asks: “If something doesn’t make you right/Does it make you feel good?” above a mellow infusion of gentle house scratches and sentimental synth-line patterns. Planet croons: “I know you’re gonna do me wrong/But I got numbers in my telephone”, a verse she later ends with “It’s our love baby/our love, baby”, a line which carries itself to a soft-centered pop groove, through the use of a settled, mid-tempo snare and a hidden layer of synthetic Bongo drum patterns. The track ends on a very hopeful note, as Planet finishes: “Does it make you feel good?/Does it make you feel good?” over a pulsating drum machine riff, followed by a simplistic fade-out. Whilst I don’t think the track is necessarily bad, I couldn’t help but feel rather lukewarm towards this one, which is a shame. I really enjoyed their album because it was filled with invention and humor, with an overly tongue-in-cheek thread which connected each of the tracks together, which made it sound unique and inspiring with it’s unashamedly “dorky” context. In the case of this, I feel it’s following the influence of more mainstream pop acts, rather than doing it’s own thing. As for the positives, I like how it’s an accessible record for casual listeners to enjoy and I think it’s good how the band, lyrically, explore a more serious theme. However, the reason I’m not overly fond of this track is because of this evolution. With a less chaotic style and the removal of witty vocals, it just lacks the energy and rebellious spirit which made them a unique act to follow. While the subtle psychedelia is nice, it doesn’t match the fierce and sharp dance beats which made them stand out. It ultimately sounds like the band are just trying to have a hit, an aesthetic which doesn’t sit right with me. While I feel the 80’s disco style is entertaining to a point, the band lost one of their bigger strengths along the way, leading to a track which is chilled and laidback, but it feels quite dull and not inspired too fully. It’s alright, man – but it’s not my Confidence Man!

Pictured: Janet Planet (Vocals), Sugar Bones (Vocals), Reggie Goodchild (Synths) and Clarence McGuffie (Drums)

You can also read my thoughts on Confidence Man’s Christmas track, “Santa’s Comin’ Down The Chimney”, here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2019/12/04/todays-track-confidence-man-santas-comin-down-the-chimney/

Pictured: Confidence Man performing a live gig at “The Great Escape” (2017) (Photo Credit: Brighton & Hove news)

Thank you for reading this post! As always, I hope you enjoyed it! – please make sure that you check back with the blog tomorrow to read my in-depth review of the new track from a legendary English Alternative Rock singer-songwriter who recently contributed on the production of the recent independent venue week documentary film: “Long And Winding Road”. along with Phillip Selway, Gaz Coombes, Squid, Kele Okereke, Novelist, Fatboy Slim, Richard Hawley and many more! 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: Jimmy Eat World – “The Middle”

February 16, 2020 — Leave a comment

It’s the end, not “The Middle” of the week, so it’s time for a new Scuzz Sundays post!

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Bleed American” (Later retitled “Jimmy Eat World”) (2001) (DreamWorks Records)

Remember the good old days where you used to cool down on the sofa by watching some old pop-punk music videos every night after school? It’s the feeling that, I – Jacob Braybrooke, aim to recreate every sunday on the blog, as I revisit an old classic from the late 90’s or the mid 00’s that I grew up by watching on the Freeview rock channel Scuzz. This week, I’ve chosen “The Middle” by the Arizona-formed alternative rock band Jimmy Eat World. It was a top-five hit for the (at the time) young upstarts on the Billboard Charts in the US, while also charting in the Top 50 in other territories, such as the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There’s an interesting story going around considering the track, as it was reportedly self-financed after the band were dropped by Capitol Records in 1999, before the band signed up to DreamWorks instead and included the track on their fourth album, “Bleed American”, released in 2001. On top of this, it was reportedly written and recorded in about an hour through an improvised Jam session. Inspired by The Strokes, Jimmy Eat World ended up with a timeless classic that’s endured in the years ahead. But, how well does it hold up 19 years after it’s release? Why not watch the music video and read on to find out below?

The group are still “Surviving”, having released that titular album last year! One of the biggest crossover hits to the mainstream of it’s genre at it’s time, “The Middle” sounds instantly familiar from the off. Jim Adkins starts: “Hey, don’t write yourself off yet/It’s only in your head you feel left out or looked down on” as Rick Burch warms up his signature bass riff in the background. The teen angst later begins to shine through with: “You know you’re doing better on your own so don’t buy in” and “It doesn’t matter if it’s good enough for someone else”, as the guitar chords progress to a rawer style. It has a neat, cleanly produced lead guitar solo in the middle, as Adkins starts reciting the Earworm-style chorus: “It just takes some time/Little girl, you’re in the middle of the ride/Everything, everything will be just fine/Everything, everything will be alright”, with Adkins adding an “Alright” at the end of it for good measure. The lyrics are equivocally upbeat and although I think they’re a little overindulgent in cheese, Adkins delivers the vocals with a wisecracking energy that exudes genuine passion. It’s more of a power-pop track than an emo or punk one, as it mixes fast-paced guitar riffs with an inspirational message, rather than using an aggressive or intense tone. The lyrics are reflective of the band’s label issues at the time, as they had to fund it’s production themselves and it’s a passionate outburst of pop-rock about overcoming the odds in the face of adversity. It’s an important song as the track stuck out in the pop-world of the late 90’s where the alt-rock game had seen better days and it was the first time that Pop-Punk fused with the mainstream commercial radio stations in the US. An anthem for the high-school misfit, “The Middle” is a very enjoyable power-pop record with light elements of Punk and Emo, although I feel the repetition could irritate some listeners. The guitar work is nice and although it may be very commercial, I just have to hold my hands up and say that it is still a great record!

Pictured: Jim Adkins (Lead Guitar/Lead Vocals), Zach Lind (Drums/Percussion/Programming), Tom Linton (Rhythm Guitar/Backing Vocals) and Rick Burch (Bass Guitar) (Photo Credit: Fuse.tv) (Current Band Line-up) (May 2014)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back to the regular posts tomorrow – starting off with an in-depth look at an old Rocksteady classic from a Reggae vocal group formed in the Greenwich Town area of Kingston, Jamaica in 1963 – who received the “Iconic Award” by the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (often abbreviated or shortened down to JaRia) in 2017! 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/https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Today’s Track: Greg Dulli – “Pantomima”

February 15, 2020 — Leave a comment

Believe it or not, I used to act in a lot of Pantomines! Those days are behind me now…

Pictured: Greg Dulli performing with The Afghan Whigs in the Current studio (2014) (Photo Credit: Leah Garaas)

That was a joke, although I did take GCSE Drama and I also took part in my school’s drama production of James and The Giant Peach, so there is a little nugget of truth to that claim! Jacob Braybrooke here, as usual, writing about your daily track on the blog. This is a song which I recently heard on John Kenndy’s X-Posure evening show on Radio X. “Pantomima” (not to be confused by the similarly named low-rate form of comedy stage acting) is written and performed by Greg Dulli, who you may remember as the frontman of The Afghan Whigs and The Twilight Singers, which started as a spin-off project of the former. Dulli plays most of the instruments on his new solo album “Random Desire”, which is set for release on February 21st via the Royal Cream/BMG labels. There is an official music video, but it’s 6 minutes long and the actual track doesn’t start until halfway through, so for the sake of making this article easier for you to read, I’ve attached the audio edit below, running up to 3:25, instead.

A soft-rock/lo-fi track that has a vocal switch between a Falsetto and a wail, Greg Dulli’s “Pantomina” opens with a strong electric guitar riff and a hand-clapped jive, before Dulli sings: “Desolated/Come and get it/Broken hearted/I don’t regret it”, tapping along to a pop-driven guitar lick and and a tense, if controlled, sense of internal drama. Dulli continues to deliver a high-octane summertime breeze with: “Follow scent/I’m alone/Pull the trigger/Now your mind is blown” and touches on themes of physical disguise and the images we see on social media: “How revealing is the feeling/But there’s more than meets the eye/And it’s easy come and easy go/You’re waving me goodbye”, before Dulli releases the upbeat tension with a burst of stabbing bass guitar chords and settled keyboard notes, as the track draws to a close. Over and done with in the space of just over 3 minutes, “Pantomima” does sound radio-friendly and it feels quite accessible to a casual audience. Although it’s been produced with electronic instruments, it does have a distinguished acoustic style to it, as the production work is fairly minimalist and it sounds inspired by Bob Dylan at first glance. As for how it makes me feel, I think it’s solid and well-structured, although it whizzes by at a fairly forgettable pace. It sounds commercial to a certain extent, but I feel that Dulli’s vocals are nicely varied and I’m curious to hear what direction he takes the subtle lo-fi style in the new album. Indie rock, with a pinch of indie pop. It doesn’t stand out too distinctively, but I think it’s perfectly listenable and the lyrics are left open to interpretation. It’s not Gaz Coombes, but it’s decent enough.

Pictured: Greg Dulli in a live interview with Kennedy for iHeart Radio at the Lollapalooza Music Festival (2012)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as usual, with a new weekly installment of my Scuzz Sundays series, where I’ll be revisiting one of the late 90’s-mid 00’s emo/punk/pop-rock demons of my nostalgic childhood past! 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/https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Today’s Track: Tame Impala – “Lost In Yesterday”

February 14, 2020 — 1 Comment

It’s time to address the ‘Elephant’ in the room, there’s a new Tame Impala record out!

Pictured: Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker in a photoshoot for “The Slow Rush” (Photo Credit: Neil Krug)

We’ve finally made it! It’s the weekend and it’s the day typically known as “Big Release Friday” to cynical music lovers such as myself, Jacob Braybrooke! It’s a biggie today, as Tame Impala have released their fourth major LP record, “The Slow Rush”. Kevin Parker’s obviously at the helm, as the writer, vocalist and producer on the new record, with a range of touring members to form the band line-up. I’m a fairly big fan of Tame Impala, but I wasn’t very convinced by the singles “Borderline” and “It Might Be Time” to be completely honest with you, so I hoped the full record wouldn’t leave me cold because Tame Impala has established itself with a lot of popularity and mainstream appeal now. I’ve just streamed “The Slow Rush” and it was very good, thankfully – as the album fuses a nice variation of genres together to explosive results and I feel that Parker’s production work is outstanding, although I think it does feel like a summer release and we’re in February. I know it’s sunshine back at home to Parker in Australia, but it’s still a little more geared towards festival sets, as Parker balances a reflective style of songwriting and instrumentation with a pop sensibility that allows us to see Parker question his inner demons – The Less You Know The Better, eh? Let’s play spot-the-difference with the video for “Lost In Yesterday” below.

A much more satisfying single than “It Might Be Time”, I think that “Lost In Yesterday” is a decent track which shines in it’s colourful production work, it’s stop-and-start structure and it’s slightly nu-disco guitar riffs. On the track, Parker croons: “When we were living in ‘squalor, wasn’t it heaven?”, a vocal refrain which he tonally contrasts with: “Eventually terrible memories/Turn into great ones”, over a sun-soaked keyboard riff and a consistent guitar riff. The riffs burst with a psychedelic trip of pop-filled strobes as Parker continues: “So if they call you/Embrace them/If they hold you/Erase them”, before the repetitiously bass-grooved main chorus kicks in: “‘Cause it might have been something, who’s to say/Does it help to get lost in yesterday?”, a refrain which Parker slightly varies with each line, at a rhythmic pace, with Parker lyrically realising that keeping your chin up and moving on is often the best way to go forward, even if it’s easy to keep your hands clinging onto a distant daydream of hope. It’s slightly different to the slow-building “It Might Be Time” and the bland R&B tinged “Borderline”, but it still retains a uniformed lyrical theme of self-evaluation and progression. The production work is much stronger, with the formation of the synths and the guitar-licked bassline adding a symphonic sweep to the trip-laden movement of the 90’s rock influences. Overall – as with “The Slow Rush”, it’s probably not their strongest, but it’s a nicely varied track which continues to make Tame Impala a very interesting band to listen to! Let me know your thoughts on “The Slow Rush” below!

Pictured: Tame Impala performing a live set at Prospect Park (2016) (Photo Credit: Scott Legato/Getty Images)

If you want to read my thoughts on another single from the new album, “It Might Be Time” was previously covered on the blog last November! Read it below: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2019/11/16/todays-track-tame-impala-it-might-be-time/

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “The Slow Rush” (February 14th, 2020) (via Fiction Records in the UK)

Thank you for reading this post! We’ve almost reached Scuzz Sunday on the blog, but in the meantime, I’ll be back tomorrow – with an in-depth look at a new track from an Ohio-based indie rock songwriter who was famously the lead vocalist of The Afghan Wings and The Twilight Singers. 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/https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

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