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New Year’s Eve Special: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – “Christmas All Over Again”

December 31, 2019 — Leave a comment

The hyperbolic Eagle, that is 1st January, has almost landed! Christmas is… All Over Again! Here’s the New Years Eve post to help ring in the new year and the new decade!

  • Pictured: Tom Petty (Lead Vocals, Multi-Instrumentalist), Mike Campbell (Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals), Benmont Tench (Keyboard), Ron Blair (Bass Guitar), Scott Thurton (Rhythm Guitar, Percussion) and Steve Ferrone (Drums) (in 2017)

I, Jacob Braybrooke, don’t tend to really “do” New Year’s! It’s a bit silly. The way I see it, it’s just a day like any other and there’s nothing very exciting or special about it. You wouldn’t stay up for the 1st of March every year, so why is staying up for 1st of January every new year such a big celebration? It does, however, give me an excuse to look back at the music I’ve loved and cherished each year. So, watch this space on the blog. In the meantime, I’m going to be covering “Christmas All Over Again”, a 1992 by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, which was used on the soundtrack of the 2008 Hollywood film: “Four Christmases”. We tragically lost Petty in a medical incident in 2017. It sent shock-waves throughout the music world, as we couldn’t believe that we’d lost a singer, guitarist, writer and producer who was so renowned and talented, not to mention very influential, as he created a long and prosperous career for himself which encompassed decades of music, as he built legions upon his fanbase throughout the different generations of his career. It’s fair to say he’s missed by us all!

“Christmas All Over Again” was first performed in The White House, by a clean-shaven Petty, airing from the “A Very Special Christmas” TV special in 2000. I don’t think it’s the hardest-rocking entry of Petty’s discography, but it’s still a quickly paced and concisely written track about the excitement of the festive season and the routines that we do year-on-year in preparation for the shenanigans. Petty recites, over whistled sleigh bells and triumphant kick drumming beats, “Everybody’s singing/All the bells are ringing out/And it’s Christmas all over again, yeah again”, with short and sharp displays of humour throughout the track: “Long distance relatives/Haven’t seen them in a long, long time/Yeah, I kind of missed them/I just don’t want to kiss them, no” and a slight delivery of mumled sarcasm in the main vocal hook: “It’s Christmas All Over Again”. Petty pleads over a line of rhythm guitar chords and infectious church bells that help to ring in (boom*boom*tiss*) a joyful chorus of symphonic rock melodies and soulful bass guitar melodies , as the festive track dips into it’s influences from Blues and Lo-Fi rock. This is a great little indie rock tune, as far as Christmas tracks of it’s genre go, and it’s easy to see why it’s remained very popular over the decades. It has a wide appeal and it subverts your expectations a little bit, but not enough to alienate it’s ability to cross over into mainstream success.

  • Pictured: Tom Petty and Mike Campbell performing a live track at the KAABOO Music Festival (September 2017)

Thank you for reading this post! As Christmas is All Over Again, that’s the last of this year’s Christmas posts! However, there will be a special post tomorrow to commemorate the New Year, as we look back on an old-school track from a world-famous Swedish Eurovision-winning vocal group who have the “Mamma Mia!” 2008 musical film and Broadway show modeled after them! Make sure you check back with the blog tomorrow so you don’t miss out! 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 – “Yule Shoot Your Eye Out”

December 29, 2019 — Leave a comment

I hope Yule not want to after reading this! It’s time for a Scuzz Sunday post!

  • Pictured: Patrick Stump (Lead Vocals, Keyboard), Joe Trohman (Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals), Pete Wentz (Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals) and Andy Hurley (Drums, Percussion)

When I was just a little pipsqueak Jacob Braybrooke, Fall Out Boy were the very personification of Scuzz TV, with their mid-00’s hits “Sugar We’re Going Down” and “Dance Dance” always being placed at the top of Scuzz’s Chart Show and finding their success in the mainstream. Following the release of their fourth LP, “Folie à Deux”, in 2008, the once-king-of-punk band decided to split up for a while following a polarised response to the album and it’s failure to reach commercial expectations. As a child, it was my first experience of heartbreak. I left no time to dwell though, as Patrick and pals decided to reunite for 2013’s “Save Rock and Roll”, an album which I enjoyed. I haven’t been following the band much in recent years though, as their music keeps getting more poppier and more commercial with each passing day. The latest album, 2018’s “Mania”, was one of my worst of the year. It was filled with nonsensical writing and closely follows the typical conventions of today’s mainstream by incorporating in some very dreadful hip-hop elements and an uninspired overexposure of auto tune. I think it’s a massive shame considering how much I used to love the band in Ye Olde days. I was surprised to find the band have released a Christmas song, “Yule Shoot Your Eye Out” in 2017, which I’ve decided to put at the forefront of this week’s Scuzz Sunday! I think Yule want to after hearing “Mania”, I know that’s a fact for sure!

The track starts off with a similar intro to Jingle Bells, before Stump leads an acoustic-rock melody with a clear vocal parody to Jingle Bells: “The gifts you’re receiving from me/Will be:/One awkward silence/And two hopes you cry yourself to sleep” before he leads the chorus with an acoustic guitar riff from Trohman: “Don’t come home for Christmas/You’re the last thing I want to see/Underneath the tree/Merry Christmas, I could care less”, before the finale is a repeat of the chorus with unclean backing vocals from Wentz, who also provides the bass guitar instrumentation on the track. On the track, Stump’s vocal performance does sound awfully like Brendan Urie from Panic! At The Disco, with a decent vocal range and high-pitched, sharp harmonies. However, I wouldn’t say it’s exactly my glass of Mulled Wine. It doesn’t sound heavy enough to deal with the subject matter and I find the pessimistic lyrics to be constantly at odds with the lightness of the acoustic guitar chords. Why is he condemning somebody else’s festive season under a light-hearted bed of cheerful and warm acoustic guitar rock? Tonally, it’s all over the place. The redeeming factors are some decent vocal harmonies and the simplicity of the writing, but it all feels forgettable as the band stick to their tried-and-tested formula, which is a departure from their original sound which made them more likeable and different to similar bands from their “boom” period. The absence of Hurley on the drums is worrying and it doesn’t please the old fanbase very much. Overall, it’s not enough to make me want to shoot my eye out, but it’s enough to make me go “meh” and skip it to the next song of a Spotify playlist. There’s not much left of the Mince Pie for me to get my teeth into!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Island Records: This Is Christmas” (Compilation LP Record) (2017)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow with an in-depth look at the new track fron a one-person band, based in Washington, which consists of the sole founding member using an Electric Guitar and a Roland MC-505 drum machine! 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/

Christmas Day Special: Sir Paul McCartney – “Wonderful Christmas Time”

December 25, 2019 — Leave a comment

That’s Sir to us! A very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to each and every one of you, my dear readers! Thank you for continuing to follow and support my musings!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Wonderful Christmas Time” (1979) – Is it really the worst Christmas song of all-time?

Thank you for taking a moment to be anti-social and keeping your fingers off the party food for a few minutes to have a look at my blog today! As with every day, the support really does mean a lot to me! I’m Jacob Braybrooke and today, since it’s Christmas Day, I think it would be a great chance for us to briefly revisit a Christmas Classic from a man who is, simply, royalty! He’s got a knighthood from our Queen in the UK, after all! He’s recently been confirmed as one of the headliners for The Main Stage at Glastonbury between 24th-28th June. McCartney will be drawing up a crowd as the Saturday night (27th June) headline act. He’ll be joined by Taylor Swift on Sunday night (28th June), with Friday Night’ (26th)’s act yet to be confirmed. I’m personally hoping for a big rock band, such as Muse or Kasabian, to do it! We all know the song already, so I’m not going to introduce it in a lot of detail, but “Wonderful Christmas Time” is a seasonal track released by Sir Paul McCartney in November 1979, as the first solo single since he cut ties with his band following The Beatles, The Wings, back in 1979 after the release of their final album together, “Back To The Egg”! Many publications have given it scathing reviews and have called it “the worst christmas song of all-time”, so I’m here to give it a listen and decide whether it is or not!

The track, “Wonderful Christmas Time” is a light-hearted and settling yuletide anthem. To be fair, it hasn’t been written with a lot of complex depth and hidden purpose, but “The Moon is right/The Spirit’s up” has a rhythmic twang to it and the light Guitar chords have a nice simplicity to them, although I don’t really see what the Moon has to do with Christmas, but here we are. We later get the choir singing “Ding-Dong-Ding-Dong” under a Falsetto, which I find to be irritating and annoying. However, it’s a pop song from the 70’s performed by Paul McCartney and it’s very amusing to hear the electronic synthesizers begin to come creeping in. It’s a precursor to the biggest music craze of the 80’s. If I’m completely honest with you, there isn’t a lot that I like within this track. The lyrics: “The word is out/About the town/To lift a glass/Ah, don’t look down” are nonsensical and based on easy rhyming, as opposed to having thought behind them. What’s down there? Spiders? Trump? “The party’s on/The feelin’s here/That only comes/This time of year” is a 30-second verse that tells you nothing and the ” “The choir of children sing their song/they’ve practiced all year long”, followed by “Ding-Dong Ding-Dong, ooo-oooooo-oooo-oooo-oooo-OOOHHHH-oo-oo-oo” is excruciating and it feels like it’s obviously there to just fill in a gap, as it goes on seemingly forever. It juggles weirdly-placed Space Synths with Jingle Bells, which is mixed to a questionable effect. The pause always confuses me. Did the Children forget a ding dong? However, it’s Christmas, so a redeeming factor is the it’s very amusing to hear the electronic synthesizers begin to come creeping in. It’s a precursor to the biggest music craze of the 80’s and it’s a Paul McCartney pop song from the 70’s, so it’s accepted for what it is, even if Paul’s scraping up the millions from royalties for a crap song where he toys about with a music machine and enlists the help of a droning choir that he doesn’t actually use. Right, I need to get back to sitting in front of the TV and enjoying the company of the family around me! Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year again…

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “McCartney II” (1980) – “Archive Collection” (2011 Remastered Edition)

Thank you very much for reading this post! I’ll be celebrating Boxing Day on the blog tomorrow with a quick post on a lesser-known vintage Christmas tune which you might not have heard before! 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: The Wombats – “Is This Christmas?”

December 22, 2019 — Leave a comment

To answer their question, we’ve still got 4 days to go! Time for a Scuzz Sundays post!

  • Pictured: “Christmas Come Early” Sweatshirt from The Wombats’ official merchandise website (2019)

Well. Kind of. The Wombats aren’t really a band that was emo enough to be played on the Scuzz TV channel back in the day, but they were still a huge part of my childhood and one of the first rock bands that I truly loved a bit past THAT PHASE. So, forgive me. It’s Christmas. I particularly remember owning a copy of my sister’s copy of their debut album, “A Guide To Love, Loss & Desperation” and streamed the follow-up record “This Modern Glitch” repeatedly on my Dad’s old tiny iPod nano after it was released back in 2011. As you can tell, I never really bought any music in those days and that’s because I hadn’t fallen in love with music yet. “Is This Christmas?” is a lesser-known Crimbo tune that I’ve been playing on my student radio show over the last couple of weeks and it was a b-side released by the band in 2007, to raise money for the MENCHAP charity. It falls under the indie rock category, so I think it’s close enough for the high-demand weekly feature of the blog as it’s difficult to find Punk records which aren’t anti-christmas and I don’t really have the time to find them out right now, if I’m being honest. And so, this is christmas… Or Is It? Merry Christmas, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and this week’s rock belter is “Is This Christmas?” by The Wombats!

The tone and style of the record will be instantly familiar to anybody who is part of the band’s pre-existing fanbase. Matt Murphy’s vocals are sarcastic and have a unique tinge of British humour, with backing vocals from Dan Haggis and Tord Øverland Knudsen that are choral. The vocals sound as if they’re taking the piss out of spiritual christmas songs, basically, which is a signature component of the band’s sound. Murphy recites: “It’s about not extending to the overdraft/To scrape out what is left of the end of the year” to clearly appeal to a young, university-ridden target audience, like me. He also recites: “Turn “Back To The Future off” I’ve seen it before/Maybe every year and more it’s great but not again” and “And the ice burns up the hill until we all lose our feet/Though it never really snows it’s more like horizontal sleet” to poke fun at the typical formalities we get at christmas in little England, such as old christmas films being shown repeatedly on TV to the point where it drives you nuts and the white fluffly sheets of snow and frost that we get… Well, lack thereof. It’s pretty smartly-written and I think the overall sound is a bit commercial, but I feel it’s one of the better quality Christmas songs that we’ve gotten in recent-ish years, at least more polished than the crappy LadBaby parodies we get about Sausage Rolls which have topped the charts for the last two years… for some reason! The sound is very guitar-driven and easy for the fanbase to listen to and enjoy, but there is a lack of longevity here. Also, look out for the original edit of the single version, which features a 10-second cameo by British national treasure Les Dennis in the introductory sequence of the music video. It’s very hard to believe this is actually over 10 years old!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Is This Christmas?” (Single Release) (2007)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be spreading more festive cheer with tomorrow’s entry on the blog, with a look at another lesser-known seasonal song from a Celtic Punk Band, originally from Massachetus, who released 5 albums for the legendary independent punk label Hellcat Records, building up it’s legacy in a significant way between the years of 1998 and 2005! 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: Bad Sounds – “Sympathetic Vibrations”

December 19, 2019 — Leave a comment

To what extent is it bad though? You’re going to have to read my new post to find out!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Get Better” (2018) (LP Record)

While likely not the worst band of all time, Bad Sounds are an independent 5-piece dance-rock band from Bath who, for better or worse, have made a name for themselves over the last couple of years. “Sympathetic Vibrations” is their new tune, a 70’s inspired jolt through the history of Brit-pop, which was released on 6th November 2019 as a one-off single following the release of their debut LP record, “Get Better”, released in August 2018. Inspired by the jazz legends of past era’s, with the band citing Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield as their artistic influences, to create new music, Bad Sounds have been cooking up a storm at live festival sets and their local indie scene for a sound that, for many people, isn’t quite as bad as the name implies. I’m Jacob Braybrooke and today’s track is – “Sympathetic Vibrations” by Bad Sounds!

Providing an instant reminder of Hot Chip and Dropkick Murphy’s for me, “Sympathetic Vibrations” is a 4-minute woozy indie-pop number that has an energy designed for vibing out to the track at teenage house parties. Callum devises the vocals in a similar pitch to Ezra Koenig from Vampire Weekend, as he exclaims: “I bet you pull me over/I bet you pull me past the line/When you need me to feel you/And have your heart keep time for mine” over a line of distant whistles and substance-treated electronic snares which keep proceedings at a relatively mellow standpoint. Later, the chorus kicks in: “Sympathy Vibrations/I can be here for a feeling as it’s coming on/Sympathy Vibrations/Keeping you here while the ceilings keeping out the sun” as the band whisks you away to an escapist beach-like vacation setting. The track has a free-spirited energy and a laidback tone which is appealing for their fanbase. However, if I’m being completely honest with you, there are things about this track that I don’t like very much. The issue is that the sound isn’t bad (ha-ha-ha), but it sounds too laidback for me to a point where it sounds very generic, as there’s nothing exciting about the melodies or the lyrics that make me want to revisit the track. It’s not particularly memorable or catchy, it’s just quite flat and it’s not very compelling. The whistled vocals and the 80’s pop elements are okay, but that’s all. They fail to maintain my interest throughout the entirety of the duration because they start to feel repetitive. Overall, “Sympathetic Vibrations” isn’t a Bad sound (Ok, I’ll stop it now), but it’s a flat and tedious experience that, for me, doesn’t kick into a higher gear of any real form, which is a shame. It’s alright, but I’ve forgotten it already.

  • Pictured: Ewan Merrett (Keyboard), Callum Merrett (Vocals), Charlie Pitt (Bass Guitar), Olivia Dimery (Drums, Percussion) and Sam Hunt (Rhythm Guitar)

Thank you for reading this post! As per usual, I’ll be back tomorrow, with a look at a new track from a Halifax indie-rock 3-piece band who are signed to Heavenly Recordings and have been highly critically acclaimed by The Guardian and BBC Radio 6Music, among others! 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: Gecko – “That Time Of Year”

December 18, 2019 — Leave a comment

That Time Of Year where we sit in front of the TV and not move for hours, scoff an unnecessary amount of Tofifee and Walnut Whips down our gob, and stress over a roast meal that takes 10 minutes to eat. It’s finally time for your Wednesday blog post!

  • Pictured: Gecko standing outside of the BBC Radio Academy studio for an interview on BBC Radio Bristol (March 2018)

The next track in my seasonal sprinklings for Christmas on the blog, “That Time Of Year” is a track released by Gecko in December 2013, to mark That Time Of Year where we complain about the bad weather and we watch old films on the sofa like fruit sits in a bowl. Gecko is a playful, comedic talent who writes his own songs from his office in North London, with his content covering a wide variety of very important topics like iPhones, Libraries and Guanabana fruit juice. He’s previously appeared at Glastonbury, Bestival, BBC London and The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, with many fans around the BBC like Huw Edwards, Tom Robinson and Radio X’s legendary John Kennedy, to name a few. Seasons greetings, Jacob Braybrooke wishing you a merry christmas and a happy new year with another festive delight on my nerdy music blog.

“That Time Of Year” is a witty and subversive festive track that you may not have heard before with a distinctive British flavour that reminds me of The Streets and Scouting For Girls, with an acoustic rock melody at the forefront of the sound, as well as light elements of synth-pop and rap-rock creeping in like Santa climbs down a chimney! I can now picture you rolling your eyes at my expression, but it’s one of the best ways to describe this wry and dry seasonal parody. Gecko pokes fun at society around Christmas time with a sense of charm and style, making verbal jabs at people dressing up their pet dogs in christmas jumpers and exchanging pointless gifts like Maracas and advent calendars with pictures instead of little chocolates. These themes are warm, light-hearted and dealt with in a deeply mature way, although it’s not entirely original or unique. For me, The rhythm waters it down somewhat, as there’s nothing particularly memorable about the guitar melodies or the light keyboard synth riffs which scattle along the bed of the chorus like snowflakes flutter from the sky, if we ever actually get any in England, but it shines in it’s playful tone and the main vocal performance is good quality. It flirts with the mundane side of Christmas, but it glorifies the season with a large helping of style, charm and playfulness. You’re not laughing at Gecko’s expense, you’re instead laughing at the lyrics, which are cleverly written and very funny! This is a solid 8/10 track and I love it!

  • Pictured: Gecko, in the studio, finishing up the recording of his self-titled debut LP record (December 2016)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as usual, with a look at a new track from a 70’s-inspired 5-piece dance-rock indie band from Bath who were inspired to write and record their own music by Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield! 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: Rage Against The Machine – “Killing In The Name”

December 15, 2019 — Leave a comment

Rage Against The Machine? Put me in front of any computer past 10pm and that’s what the recipe will brew up! Another week, another weekly Scuzz Sunday blog post!

  • Pictured: Zack De La Rocha (Lead Vocals), Tom Morello (Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar), Tim Commerford (Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals) and Brad Wilk (Drums, Percussion) (Photo Credits: Niels Van Iperen/Getty Images) (1996)

Well, it’s no happy-clappy Christmas song, but it still hit #1 on the UK Singles Chart for Christmas in 2009. Yes, that’s right, the track sold 50,000 copies on downloads alone (which was a big thing in those days, believe it or not) in a campaign to stop the X-Factor winner from getting the #1 spot for the fifth year in a row. Joe McElderry with a cover of Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb” was the victim, after a string of christmas #1 hits from Shayne Ward, Leona Lewis, Leon Jackson and Alexandra Burke. Well, if you want to completely disappear from the world without a trace, the way to do it is by going on The X-Factor and winning it! I do have a soft spot for Leona Lewis though, she has a gorgeous voice! Seasons greetings to you, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m blogging about “Killing In The Name” by Rage Against The Machine, originally released in November 1992, as a single from the self-titled debut LP from Tom Morello’s old band.

I think it’s more Season’s Beatings to you in this case! This is an Alternative Metal classic that doesn’t let up in much of a sentimental context, making it a great fit for the protest that got it to the #1 spot in Christmas 2009. Chosen as it was a protest track about institutional racism and police brutality in the 1990’s, “Killing In The Name” has remained an early 90’s classic because it has a signature guitar riff and a vocal style of lyricism which is raw and aggressive. There are also 17 profantities of the word “fuck”, although this is a surprisingly easy track to cut into a radio edit. The hard rock power of the track is boosted by the frantically-paced drumming and the bass-driven punk chords which put a stamp on the immediate impact of the politically charged sound. Zack De La Rocha gears up for the explosive chorus “and now you do what they told ya”, before he conjures up a storm of heavy lead guitar chords and fast-paced rock production with the chorus: “Those who died are justified, for wearing the badge, they’re the chosen whites/You justify those that died by wearing the badge, they’re the chosen whites” and he leads a mosh pit into a live crowd with: ” Yeah! Come on! ” to create an overwhelming sense of protest and emotions of miserable anger. It’s cold and brooding, but I think it still qualifies as a credible piece of art because it’s managed to live on in the years since and the lyrical messages are still relevant in the world we’re living our society within today. Overall, it’s one of, if not, the most unconventional Christmas #1 song of all-time, even though it faces very hard competition from Mr. Blobby and Bob The Builder. Yep, it still bangs!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Rage Against The Machine” (Self-Titled debut LP record) (1992)

Thank you very much for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as usual, with an in-depth look at a new track from a US indie singer-songwriter who has recently started her own solo project after being well-known as the lead member of the Philadelphia-born indie rock band, Hop Along! 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: Crazy Town – “Butterfly”

December 1, 2019 — Leave a comment

Come my lady… and check out the blog! Yeah, that one sounded MUCH better in my head! It’s another Scuzz Sunday and, oh boy, do I have a train wreck for you this time!

  • Pictured: Seth Binzer (Vocals), Bret Mazur (Turntables, Beatboxing), Kraig Tyler (Backing Vocals), James Bradley Jr (Drums), Doug Miller (Bass), Antonio Valli (Lead Guitar)
  • Pictured: A still from the “Butterfly” music video (2000)

For all the great music that I came to discover and appreciate from the time of my youth by watching the now-defunct Scuzz channel on TV, there was a great stinking pile of absolute rubbish, in a few instances, along the way. To me, “Butterfly”, a 2000 radio hit for one-hit-wonder band Crazy Town, was a shining example of the less amongst the best! The band have gone through several line-up changes through the years, which shows through the cheap, low quality of their most famous hit track. However, “Butterfly” was still a huge hit for the rap-rock group, reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US. It also reached #3 on the UK Singles Chart, leading to the debut LP, “The Gift Of Game”, selling a total of over 2.5 million units, as of 2014. It was the very definition of a one-hit wonder, however, as none of the follow-up singles or albums charted very well. That’s a shame, but it’s not at all hard to see why.

The music video, above, treats you to an overexposure of men with no tops on, in a field that would look pretty nice if it wasn’t for the incredibly blurry visuals. It’s a formulaic rap-rock song that pushes sexual appeal down your throat like a tap runs water. Seth Binker and Bret Mazur recite the opening verse: “Such a sexy, sexy pretty little thin/Fierce nipple pierce you got me sprung with your tongue ring/And I ain’t gonna lie ’cause your loving gets me high/So to keep you by my side there’s nothing that I won’t try”, a stanza with the most basic rhythmic style you could ever imagine. The chorus isn’t much more refined: “Come come my lady/You’re my butterfly, sugar baby/Come my lady you’re my pretty baby/I’ll make your legs shake/You make me go crazy”, instead coming off as vulgar and unstylish rather than saucy and romantic. The lyrics proceed to be absolutely cringeworthy and lame: “Hey sugar momma, come and dance with me” and “Girl it’s you like Sid and Nancy”, come off like a dirty-minded 12-year-old unsuccessfully trying to pull school girls at a high school disco. It’s a wonder how a track so poor and low-rate could top the charts for a reason other than novelty. The pacing of the rap sections are decent, but the musical production is very flat and lacking. The rhytmn guitar lick is awkward and oddly placed with the uptempo Red Hot Chilli Peppers sample taken from their 1989 track: “Pretty Little Ditty”, confirming theories that the composition of the track itself has no imagination to overthrow the grotesque, badly written lyrics. I just can’t imagine anybody, even in 00′, properly choosing to sit down and listen to the album, seriously, from front to back. I didn’t even like this at the age of 8. so goodness knows how badly it’s aged. In conclusion, this is a toxic piece of 00’s nostalgia that’s best left avoided and forgotten.

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “The Gift Of Game” (November 1999)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow with a look at a dance classic from a duo who have been in the news recently for launching their own study on lowering carbon emissions with eco-friendly music tours! To give you a hint, they are Massive-ly belovedl! 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: Girl Ray – “Girl”

November 27, 2019 — 1 Comment

The girls of North London are finally back in town! It’s time for your Wednesday post!

  • Pictured: Poppy Franklin (Guitar, Vocals), Iris McConnell (Drums) and Sophie Moss (Bass Guitar)

Girl Ray, made up of Poppy Franklin (vocals, guitar), Iris McConnell (drums) and Sophie Moss (bass guitar), are an alternative pop group formed in their home of North London in 2015. They later released “Earl Grey”, their debut LP record, back in August 2017. The follow-up, “Girl”, was released on 22nd November via the Moshi Moshi label. No, not Moshi Monsters! The trio love to specialise in small-scale psychedelic punk, with the girls releasing their first track, “Ghostly”, on Soundcloud while studying for their A-levels. The girls have cited the likes of Cate Le Bon and Rundgren as influences for their new record, a sophomore lo-fi critical darling that gives you a sugary sweet texture with electro-synth hooks and ambitious songwriting. “Girl”, a staple of the daytime BBC Radio 6Music playlist, is the title track of the new LP record.

Naming themselves as a pun of low-key Avant-garde icon Man Ray, Girl Ray have since been headstrong in their pursuit of experimental pop vibes and a sonic juxtaposition between cool and receptively geeky. It’s a sentiment that can be found on “Girl”, a single which is full of glossy electronic production work and endearingly imperfect percussion. Lyrically, this is a wistful indie-pop metaphor of adolescent romance and subtle youtful angst. Franklin recites: “I’ve got a lot of love to give/You’ve got a lot of love to give/And we can have fun, play games/Or you can just hold my hand” and “Course of true love never did run smooth/I wanna move right up next to you/Wear my t-shirt by the pool/I love the way you work that room so cool”, establishing an indebted tone of playfulness and a sensual tone. It reminds me of Haim and The Beach Boys, but Girl Ray take a creative boldness to up the synth work, as Franklin croons: “Girl won’t you be my…” and conveying a rhythmic harmony with: “You’re my high school sweetheart prom-queen babe/And I’m the nerdy boy that the jocks all hate”, a playful R&B-like jive that feels instantly recognizable for a young audience. The lyrics are each delivered under the sounds of funk-laden guitars, 1980’s keyboard melodies and groove-ridden, new-wave percussion. Although the overall style is more polished than some of the band’s prior efforts, I feel this track doesn’t quite find it’s own identity and the cracks of the group still finding their feet as a new artist are still present. This is because, although the song isn’t afraid to pull electronic influences from a couple of different genres, I feel the lyrical content doesn’t quite reach into a higher gear, lacking a cohesive quality that blends the different styles into one package more neatly. I think it’s down to their work on the new record with Ash Workman, a producer who’s been credited to the likes of Christine & The Queens, Metronomy and Stealing Sheep. I get the sense that he’s not quite the right collaborator for Girl Ray, as the production work seems a little bit makeshift and they sound much like these other acts. However, “Girl” is still an overall enjoyable track that has a very charming pastiche style and an intoxicating combination of nostalgia and beauty. The group are very talented, but I think they are capable of a little better.

  • Pictured: Girl Ray in a promotional photoshoot for “Earl Grey” (November 2015)

Thank you very much for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as usual, with an in-depth look at one of the tracks from Beck’s new LP, “Hyperspace”, which was released on Friday! It has not been released as a single though! If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every new daily post is up and why not like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Scuzz Sundays: Sum 41 – “In Too Deep”

November 25, 2019 — Leave a comment

When it’s 11:30pm and I’ve only just got around to writing today’s musing for you, I know i’m In Too Deep with uni work and WWE wrestling shows. It’s time for your Scuzz Sunday post!

“In Too Deep” is one of the biggest Scuzz classics of all-time. The track, with the very famous video with a very large diving board, reached #13 on the UK Singles Chart upon the track’s release in September 2001. It was taken from “All Killer No Filler”, the band’s debut LP record, which got certified platinum in the UK. The track starts off as a fairly standard punk-pop track, but with an exciting little guitar line that turns into a big solo at the mid-point through the track. The vocals burst out of the guitar-driven production around 30 seconds in the track. The hook goes: “Cause I’m in too deep, and I’m trying to keep/Up above in my head, instead of going under”, which is layered over a charming rendition of bass sections and a dynamic chant-led vocal hook. It’s overtly cheesy and the mainstrean punk-pop sensibility makes the track show it’s age a little bit, but it’s still a charming slice of indie-punk fun that’s very catchy and easy to remember, as well as enjoy nodding your head along to. In his review for Sputnik Music, Superpeer wrote: “This song just puts a smile on your face, and you have to love the short solo in it.” For once, I couldn’t agree more.

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “All Killer No Filler” (2001)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow with an in-depth look at the new track from a 16-year-old singer-songwriter from Bedfordshire who writes, records and mixes his own music for the Chess Club Records label! 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/