Today’s Track: Ela Minus – “They Told Us It Was Hard, But They Were Wrong”

February 9, 2021 — Leave a comment

A fresh discovery – ready for you to give either a Plus or a ‘Minus’. Time for a new post.

Pictured: Ela Minus at Moogfest in Durham, North Carolina (2019) (Photo via Novationmusic.com)

Good Morning to you – my name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for me to get typing up on the blog for your daily track because, as I’m constantly reminding you, it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Ela Minus is a name that previously eluded me for a while, as I had sifted through sparklers of her material through some support on BBC Radio 6Music and through some bits-and-pieces sent to me by my cohorts from the Student Music Network over the past few months, but it was when I saw her fantastic live performance for KEXP’s Live At Home series that my ears finally paid her the notice she deserved. Currently based in Brooklyn – but born and raised in Bogotá, Columbia – this Techno wizard fell in love with the drums when she attended the Berklee College Of Music when she was 18. Her debut album, “Acts Of Rebellion” was released in late October by Domino Recordings – the same label where you will find more familiar names like Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand, Hot Chip and Anna Calvi. The 10-track LP received positive reviews, and she cements herself as an effective One-Woman orchestra with a love for exploring Witch-House, Techno, Art Rock and Dream Pop. She also uses the slogan of “Bright Music For Dark Times” to describe her own style, and it is ironic because her music sounds generally pretty moody despite the twinkling keyboards. “They Told Us It Was Hard, But They Were Wrong” is my favourite track of her’s. Check it out below.

Her real name is Gabriela Jimino – and in an ideal world, she would have supported Caribou on tour and then played a euphoric live set at the gigantic Coachella festival last summer, but we all know how that plan turned out. Nonetheless, she summed up her music in an interview with WODJ Magazine, by saying that her overall message of her work is that “I want to give people an alternative. An alternative to everything, another path, another way forward” within her textures. She is as much of a hardware tinkerer as an educated composer, and each of Minus’ mantras feel precisely reflected in the above track. Set off by slowly bubbling sequences that lead into stroking Synth blips, Minus’ voice flows into the chilling grooves created by the Staccato synths and the sonar-like pulse of the airy, gently breathing chord progression. It never quite feels like club music by the direct opening, but the pacing of the sequences gradually intensify and the Drums work in tandem with a provocative Keyboard riff to create a more cooling atmosphere to the darker tones in the towering synth beat. The vocals, meanwhile, create a moodier variation of tones where refrains like “We always know in the first minute or so/If something’s worth staying for” and “If you have to go to the bottom of a hole, To find what’s wrong, just let it go” feel as though they are mildly provoking a resistance. The sequences are broken up by a slower bridge, where Minus’ half-spoken and half-sung voice adds further intrigue. It takes a little while for a big beat to drop, but when it does, it’s paired with an oddly motivational set of lyrics, and the crescendo of the built synths release the tension with a more rhythmic undertone, where looping sonics and meandering keys riff on the more hopeful ambience. What I really love about this track is that there’s a real spirit of DIY Post Punk hidden in the execution though it bears no resemblance to the shouting and guitars of that genre. It really gradually becomes about freedom and independence, and defiance against the corporate. I love to picture this being played at some artsy elaborate French fashion show of modern art, but it also sounds like it could be directly taken from a high-budget Spy flick or a John Wick-like action sequence. It draws on the cinematc, while keeping the underground roots of the ideas intact, sounding like Billie Eilish goes Kraftwerk in the provoctive textures. The underlying theme of her music is an idea that resistance grows from everyday practices, and this feels harsh yet inspired. This is phenomenal and she’s going to do remarkable things.

Pictured: Cover Art for “Acts Of Rebellion” (LP) (Released on October 23, 2020) (via Domino Records)

There’s enough rave-reviewing from me for today! Yet, we’re shifting away from the relatively new releases to the comparatively vintage offerings tomorrow as the “Way Back Wednesdays” series once again takes the floor. In tomorrow’s new entry to the growing library of the feature, we’re going to take a detour back in to 1999 for an in-depth listen back to what is presumed to be the first-ever recording put out by one of Warp Records’ highly prolific electronic dance music producers – Who used to previously self-release his own material for his very own independent label which he famously named “Mute Recordings”. 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 Sleaford Mods (feat. Billy No Mates) – “Mork ‘N’ Mindy”

January 30, 2021 — Leave a comment

It’s just what the Skeleton ordered at the restaurant – Spare Ribs. Time for a new post.

Pictured: Cover Art for “Spare Ribs” (LP) (Released on January 15, 2021) (via Rough Trade Records)

Good morning to you – my name is Jacob Braybrooke and, as per usual, it’s time for me to get typing up on the blog about your daily track – and that’s because it’s always been my day-today pleasure to write up here about a different piece of music every day! You might be used to the good old Chinese takeaway on a Saturday – Spare Ribs, perhaps? In this case – “Spare Ribs” has a totally different meaning, and it is also the title of the latest album by Sleaford Mods. Since they formed in Nottingham in 2007 – the Electronic Post-Punk-meets-Rap-meets-New Wave duo have released one album after the other, pretty much every year or so. Known for their abrasive, multilayered electronic instrumentals of DJ Andrew Fearn and the strong East Midlands accent of vocalist Jason Williamson, the duo usually voice their bitter inquiries of Austerity-era, low-class Britain through the harsh musicality of their work. Although this is certainly not a mainstream release, the duo have been enjoying a large spread of commercial success and critical acclaim in recent times. “Spare Ribs” reached #4 on the UK Albums Chart last week, and the lead single of “Mork ‘N’ Mindy” was a #1 hit – but for the UK Vinyl Singles Chart. Many critics have also cited “Spare Ribs” as being the first truly great album of 2021 since it was released via Rough Trade Records on January 15th. The LP’s title refers to “the idea of the amount of people that died from the first wave of Coronavirus: human lives are always expendable to the elites. We’re in a constant state of being spare ribs”, according to Williamson. “Mork ‘N’ Mindy” features Billy No Mates – a standout new artist of last year – and you’ll also find Amy Taylor, of Amyl and The Sniffers’ fame, on the album too. Let’s sample “Mork ‘N’ Mindy” below.

Williamson states: “Mork ‘N’ Mindy is the sound of central heating and the dying smells of Sunday dinner in a house on an estate in 1982. Concrete, dinted garages, nicotine”, in the press notes for the duo’s recent release, adding: “Where beauty mainly exists in small cracks on the shell of your imagination. Captured perfectly in Ben Wheatley’s video for the song”, as he confirms our suspicions that “Mork ‘N’ Mindy” is lyrically touching on the unromantic view of Britian – where grubby council estates and illegal gambling shots are the UK that some of our nation know. Fearn lays a trap beat, as Williamson spits mannerisms like “Action Man ‘n’ Cindy, I make ’em kiss each other when my mum ‘n’ dad go out” and “I live on a really depressing cul de sac, Where couples get divorced and people come up that you’d never seen before” as he latches onto themes of neglected childhood and troubled upbringing. The lyrics don’t beat around the bush at all, but small and sly lines like: “Wi-Fi’s gone all lo-fi, my arse is feeling too dry” and the odd “just hanging about” adding a very slight crackle of black humor to the verses. The guest spot from Billy No Mates adds new dimensions to their sound, with a New Wave tingle of “You’re not from round here, crash landed about a week ago” and “The furniture’s the same, but the menu’s rearranged” trending towards a slightly more melodic direction. The beat isn’t veering into Disco synths or anything, but the instrumental beats and the rhyme scheme of the lyrics mirror Trance, and it becomes slightly danceable. The ending of “I looked out of the throw, outside of my window” and “Outside there wasn’t anything nice to see” is another hard-hitting affair verbally, but the electronics add a pace that feels melodic enough for the foul-mouthed wordplay to mirror gentle Hip-Hop and a slightly dancey vibe. It feels structured very evenly, with the female vocals of Billy No Mates becoming my favourite part of the track. That said, I probably wouldn’t want to listen to a whole album of this – just because I feel that some of the political messages may wash over me, and the more aggressive sound of the remaining tracks may not sustain my interest. The production, overall, though – is good, and the single gets a thumbs up from me. It does not fall within my wheelhouse for longer listening, but the single attains enough appeal for me to score my approval.

Pictured: Jason Williamson (Vocals) & Andrew Fearn (DJ/Synths) (2017) (Photo via Stereogum.com)

Back in September, we joined Billy No Mates in the “Hippy Elite” on the blog. Check out the titular single and hear a sample of Billy No Mates’ solo work on the blog here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/09/08/todays-track-billy-no-mates-hippy-elite/

Pictured: Cover Art for “Billy Nomates” (LP) (Released on August 7th, 2020) (via Invada Records UK)

Thank you very much for checking up on the blog today! As always, it’s time for a brand new entry into the library of our long-running Scuzz Sundays feature on the blog tomorrow, as we take an in-depth look back at one of the Emo-Rock and Pop-Punk classics of the late-90’s until the mid-00’s that influenced the sounds of the present – or may be better off left in the past. Tomorrow’s track comes from a California-born Nu Metal group who have two double platinum certified albums in the US, and they have won two MTV Music Video Awards out of a possible eleven nominations. 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: Meadow Meadow – “Fireworks”

January 26, 2021 — Leave a comment

The Electro-Rock duo who may prove to be the Meadow in your court. New post time!

Pictured: James Green performing a synth part for “Bonzo” last year (2019) (Photo via Facebook.com)

Good Morning to you – My name is Jacob Braybrooke. You know the drill by now, it’s time for me to get typing up for your daily track on the blog, and that’s because it is always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Here’s one that I wanted to get around to spotlighting here earlier – and I have nearly reached the end of 2020’s backlog. Meadow Meadow is the recently formed duo of two producers, Peter Darlington and James Green, who are based in London – here in the UK. This collaboration was formed after a break-up with their previous band-mates of Spring King, a Garage-Rock quartet that were together for over half a decade. Although I don’t have any familiarity with their work as part of Spring King, the demise of that project probably came as a shock to many, because I hear their sophomore LP release – 2018’s “A Better Life” – did well with critics and fans alike. To heal from the wounds of that split, Darlington and Green began to write their own music remotely across their studios in London and Manchester, where the Pop-Punk and Art-Punk ashes of Spring King have been replaced by the Lo-Fi, Psych-Pop and Prog-Pop of Meadow Meadow. Their self-titled debut EP was released in late August via Practice Music. Let’s hear a sample of their recent project, with “Fireworks” below.

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic is to blame for the fact that Darlington & Green have not performed together, as Meadow Meadow, yet. Speaking on”Fireworks”, James Green noted: “With music, I feel that we’re creating a parallel universe where both of our experiences come together to form a new perspective or story. This began with Fireworks, as it was the first time that we both sang the lead vocal, which has since become an important element for us”, before he states, “It can be nice to write a set of lyrics and hear the other person singing them. It can offer insight and add a new dynamic to the intended message, bringing the words and the experience that lead to the words to life in a new way”. Wrapped in layers of swirling keyboard rhythms and nylon-string guitar recordings that push backwards and forwards at a continually mid-tempo pace, Darlington and Green both sing: “I keep waking up on the wrong side, I can’t get out of it” as sonic loops provide a warming backing vocal. The synth beats feel more textured in the bridge, where “Nervous, Beautifal” strike out above a precise, neatly layered electronic drums section. A swelling breakdown of field recordings lead to an absorbing finish, where “Clear pain, dull misery” provides the cue for a fluttering synthesized string section and a slow fade of keys to take us to the end. Overall, the soundscape has a gently psychedelic sound – with the electronic sounds feeling bright and pretty. The guitar element goes for a Dream-Folk element, and the keyboards clear the way for a more dynamic progression of emotive qualities. Darlington and Green have done a great job of making the production of the track feel like a journey, and these reflections make up for the relatively low, DIY sound quality. It feels renewing, with a “Breath of fresh air” style. Space-age music for the rural land.

Pictured: Cover Art for “Meadow Meadow” (EP) (Released on 25th August, 2020) (via Practise Music)

Well, there’s another day quickly finished on the blog! Of course, I will be up to the daily task again tomorrow, and I’m going to add a new entry into our “Way Back Wednesdays” series, where we take a look back at some of the sounds of the past that inspired the present, before the 2000’s. Tomorrow’s track is a niche favourite of popular singer-songwriter Angel Olsen’s tastes – and it comes from an English musician from Liverpool who, along with releasing three solo albums, was previously a member of three Merseybeat groups: The Kirkby’s, The 23rd Turnoff and Rockin’ Horse. 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: Common (feat. Black Thought) – “Say Peace”

January 16, 2021 — Leave a comment

Here’s a chum who wants to sleep with the Common people, like you. New post time!

Pictured: Cover Art for “A Beautifal Revolution” (Pt. 1) (LP) (Released on Oct 30, 2020) (via Loma Vista)

Good morning to you – my name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s now time for me to, yet again, get typing up about your daily track on the blog, because it is always my day-to-day pleasure to get writing up about a different piece of music every day! Lately, I’ve been continuing to work through my backlog of 2020 releases, and one of the most high-profile names who were left in the pile was the surprise release of “A Beautifal Revolution (Pt. 1)” from the 90’s rap icon Common. You’ll probably know Common from his following through the 1990’s, after he gained mainstream success from his work with The Soulquarians. Since that point, he’s appeared in Hollywood blockbuster films including “Wanted”, “Date Night”, “John Wick: Chapter 2”, “Suicide Squad” and…erm…that crap “New Year’s Eve” film. Nevertheless, he’s done loads of work in the media. Common announced his latest album, which he’s considered to be the first entry of two-part project, just a few days before it was released on October 30th, via Loma Vista Recordings. The lead single was “Say Peace”, a track which saw the Chicago native working with PJ and The Roots’ Black Thought. Check it out below.

Common said he wanted the LP collection to “uplift, heal and inspire listeners dealing with racial injustices as well as other social injustices”, before deducing, “A Beautifal Revolution, Pt. 1 is affirmation. It’s recognition. It’s elevation. It’s music to go with a movement. Because the truth is, there is still so much work to do”, when the album was given a full-fledged physical release to celebrate Black History Month in the United States. This track captures your attention with it’s funky, snare-like rhythm, which feels as unusual as it is upbeat. Paired with a Dub-esque instrumental backing track, Common and his collaborators in PJ & Black Thought manage to flex the different meanings behind Peace, as well as the altering pathways to it. The repeating, earthly guitar sounds have an almost African world feel to them, while bars like “And some find their peace through praisin and shouting/and some find their peace through pulling the shades like Malcom/I found my peace through making these albums” and “If you concentrate/You could find your faith, where the higher conscious takes you, That’s peace” come thick and fast above the African-supported instrumentation. The vocal delivery is at a breakneck pace, and it’s almost difficult to follow the lyrics because of the speedy wordplay. Meanwhile, PJ’s sample of “Say peace, we don’t really want no trouble” and “All they really wanna do is cuff you/They don’t love you” continues to permeate through the tracks, reminding us about the discussions of police brutality and righteous serenity that caused a media storm over the summer, in particular. The vocals of this track are taking these commentaries up to another notch, with Common rapping about the importance that Hip-Hop, as an art form, holds in maintaining a positive Black identity – a genre that can be perceived as reliant of the old cultural stereotypes of Black culture. The bars are characteristically motivational though, with shuffling drums and fragmented Bhangra basslines making for unconventional production work. The sitar interlude off the end. Overall, I really like the activist themes on the record, and it’s a rare example of music set on the purpose to teach. Certainly not stuff of the lowest “Common” denominator.

Pictured: Common at a “Let Love Have The Last Word” book signing (2019) (Photo via Getty Images)

Thank you for checking out my latest blog post – High praise for this track. Don’t forget that we’re taking a turn, for better or worse, with a new entry into our long-running Scuzz Sundays series tomorrow, where we revisit a childhood classic from the Emo-Rock/Pop-Punk era of the late 90’s until the mid 00’s. Tomorrow’s post comes from another pretty big name – a Sacramento-formed Heavy Metal band who have been referred to, by some journalists, as “The Radiohead Of Metal”, for their experimentation. They’ve since gone on to sell over ten million albums worldwide. 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: Tycho – “Outer Sunset”

January 9, 2021 — 1 Comment

Better keep my grammar in check on this one. Nobody wants a ‘Typo’. New Post time!

Pictured: Tycho (aka Scott Hansen) at Greek Theatre, Los Angeles (in 2019) (Photo Credit: Jon Bauer)

Good Morning to you – my name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for me to – once again – fulfill my daily duties of typing up your daily track on the blog, because it is always my day-to-day pleasure to write to you about a different piece of music every day! A little bit like Boards Of Canada, Tycho is an ambient electronic music producer (currently based in San Francisco) who loves to blend multiple aspects of media tools within his disposal to fully realize vital themes of Nature and Environment within his compositions. From taking samples of weather broadcasts and pre-recorded dialogue, Scott Hansen usually creates a luscious set of rural soundscapes to allow his elements of downtempo guitar and analogue production to breathe. In fact, you may also know his work already – as the graphic designer ISO50. “Outer Sunset” was the lead single from his most recent album, “Simulcast”, which was released back in last February as a co-distribution between Ninja Tune and Mom + Pop Records. This work is connected to “Weather”, Hansen’s previous LP record, of which Hansen has removed the vocal sections, and Hansen had decided to expand upon the ambient instrumentation instead. It’s a very timely record to hear during Lockdown – a time where one of the few positives has been the re-positioning of nature and birdsong as one of the world’s beauties outside of our windows – and it sadly fell under my radar a bit beforehand. That’s about to change. Let’s have a listen to “Outer Sunset” below.

Many critics have attributed that “Simulcast” finds Hansen strip down his futuristic technology for a dip back into the dreamy, lo-fi electronica that originally bought him to the dance. Hansen said of the LP: “A Simulcast is the transmission of a program across two different mediums and two different languages”, expanding with, “With these two albums, I wanted to present the same ideas in two languages, one more literal, and the other more open to interpretation”, before explaining, “Simulcast expands on the concepts laid out in ‘Weather’, but shifts into the abstract, with instrumental soundscapes in place of lyrics, opening up a visual space and translating the message into a new language”, in his press notes. “Outer Sunset” fuses hazy guitar lines with a chilled-out electronic synth loop, although I feel the melodies are beat-driven enough to sustain an indie, ‘pop’ flair. The beats aren’t entirely off-kilter, but they feel serene and simple. There is a palpable sense of stillness about it, with some sun-licked guitar tones to add a fair rumble of bass, and a merticulously layered sequence of shuffle beats that are carefully plucked beneath them, to an almost DJ Shadow-ish degree of subtle Hip-Hop breakbeat influences. The melodies present a feeling of coming-of-age and nostalgia to me, and this leaves me cutting off from the outside world for a few minutes and delving into my own thoughts for a little while, this showing a visual effect of the mellow Indietronica stylings. These elements of Synthwave, modern Chillout and 10’s Vaporwave are upbeat enough to carry the airy Pop beats all of the way through, although the tone is still fairly laidback, and the chord progression remains simple. It shapes up to be perfect “In The Bathtub” music.

Pictured: Cover Artwork for "Simulcast" (Released on February 28th, 2020) (via Mom + Pop Records) — Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Simulcast” (Released on February 28th, 2020) (via Mom + Pop Records)

Thank you for checking out today’s post – It was better late than never, eh? It’s already going to be time for a new entry in our Scuzz Sundays series tomorrow, and we’re going to be making up for the lack of notable new releases with a “big name” post from the past instead. It’s a less obvious pick from the band in question though, even if it is that legendary Grunge trio who used to feature now-Foo Fighter Dave Grohl in the drumming seat amongst the famous line-up. 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/

New Album Release Friday: Dante Elephante – “Las Vegas”

January 8, 2021 — 1 Comment

What happens in Vegas – stays in… Ohh heck no, I’m telling everyone. New Post time!

Pictured: Cover for “Mid-Century Modern Romance” (Released on Jan 8, 2021) (via Born Losers Records)

Guess who’s back? Back again! Of course, it’s Jacob Braybrooke – and I’m here, once again, to type up about the daily track on the blog, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write to you about a different piece of music every day! Firstly, apologies for missing out yesterday – I had a panicking crisis going on with my laptop and the battery, and so I obviously needed to prioritize using what I could to save ALL of the sheer volume of University work that I’ve been doing, as opposed to the blog. However, things are back to normal now – and I can start off our new weekly feature. Since it’s Friday, there’s always a handful of new album releases, and so we’re going to pick one to review each week. This is the artist who stuck out to me the most when I was doing my research on artists with a new album out this weekend, and so I have only just heard of him myself. “Mid-Century Romance” is the fourth album release to come from Dante Elephante (the pseudonym of Ruben Zarate), an Alternative Surf-Pop singer-songwriter currently based in Los Angeles, California. The new album was released today via Born Losers Records. Produced by Paul Cherry, the new LP is the follow-up to 2018’s “Rare Attractions”, and it finds Zarate drifting away from his roots as a Stoner rock musician into a more R&B, disco Synth-Pop sound. He also hosts his own self-titled podcast, with new episodes hitting streaming services (such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.) each Tuesday. Let’s check out the new single “Las Vegas” below.

His latest single sees Zarate take us on a Synth-drenched, R&B-lite road trip through the desert of Las Vegas, as he noted “Las Vegas holds a special place in my heart”, on the Jack Campise-directed music video. Elaborating on his creative process behind the track, he explained: “Living in Santa Barbara, the idea of driving five hours to Las Vegas was a no-brainer. So we went every weekend. Of course, during a pandemic made it ten times more difficult, and I learned Vegas is a crazy place” – oh, the luxuries of leaving the house in this day and age. “Las Vegas” is polished off by a nostalgic set of quirky keyboard riffs and the occasional String melody, with a central theme of 1979 being now. Zarate asks: “Could you tell me if I’m good enough?” and “So, am I always going to feel this way?” over the top of a flickering Synth beat and a mid-tempo, 80’s drum rhythm. The refrain in the chorus is more reflective, with Zarate singing: “We’re driving through grand canyons” and “We’re flying to Las Vegas” to a romantic partner or a close friend, to the beat of a light acid synth line and the mid-tempo, 80’s drum groove that continues permeating through the track. It touches on 90’s house sounds, with Zarate breaking it down with: “Dream, a little dream of me” in the bridge towards the conclusion, as we hurtle to the end point of the track with a little Disco fever. Overall, there seems to be masses of artists going for a rather similar style these days, with nostalgia for the 80’s playing a key role in people’s functions for listening to lots of music in the first place, and so the group doesn’t really need any new members. However, I still think that “Las Vegas” is rather nice. The throwback vocal harmonies make it stand out enough among the pack, and the Disco influences are clearly here with a good heart. I don’t think the sound is anything revolutionary, but the soulful vocals and the mild chord progression give it a certain punch. Overall, I feel that it is unoriginal, if effective. Enough love has clearly gone into the creative aspects, even if it’s a little light on viscerality to take the “catchy” feel up another peg.

Pictured: Ruben Zarate (aka Dante Elephante) in a photoshoot (2020) (Photo by Tommy McDermott)

Thank you for checking out the first edition of our new weekly feature – it was something that I was sort-of doing already, so we may as well make it official. I’m going to be picking up from where I left off yesterday, as we switch our gears to a more ambient/electronic sound from a producer who is often compared to Boards Of Canada for his nature-based production methods, and you may also know him as the graphic designer ISO50. 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: Baba Stiltz – “Running To Chad”

December 21, 2020 — Leave a comment

This is it – A chance to take! Nightlife scene, all the plans you’ve made. New post time!

Pictured: Cover Art for “Running To Chad” (LP) (Released on September 25, 2020) (via Self-Released)

Good Morning to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time again for me to get typing up about your daily track on the blog, because it has always been my day-to-day pleasure to get writing to you about a different piece of music every day! Although his name makes him sound like he’s a French mime artist, Baba Siltz is an upcoming, 27-year-old Experimental Electronic Dance musician from Stockholm, Sweden. He started making electronic dance music at the age of 15, releasing quirky and experimental Alternative Pop records under the mantra of the “Bethlehem Beard Corporation”. That was 10 years ago, however. Fast-Forward to 2020, where his artist biography on Spotify reads as simply “No one puts Baba in the corner”. That, and he has also released his latest solo album – titled “Running To Chad”. This follows Baba’s unconventional songwriting through the explorations of Surf-Rock, Soft-Funk and Psychedelic Rock, and it plays out mostly like a Swedish artists’ take on the beach-ready California rock sounds of the 1960’s and the 1970’s. The EP was released back in September, which he self-released. Let’s check out the title single of the record below.

https://youtu.be/A8q_JCJ_ndY

The “Running To Chad” EP also features remixes of the titular single from DJ Python and Jesse, the first being a minimalist Techno cut that slowly builds to a warmer, more pulsing House track, and the second remix cut – from Jesse – is a deeper and more meditative, ambient take on Baba Stiltz’s track. As for the original itself, the track feels like a love letter to the classic, summer-geared Rock sounds of The Beach Boys and The Surfaris, as Baba whips up a lighthearted, melodic track where he comedically drops in one-liners like “San Diego dreams, California love” with a slightly cerebral and ethereal, low-pitched croon delivery. He plays the sense of quirky humor very cool, and he wears it’s heart on his sleeve while keeping a straight face through the entire length of the track – an almost 6-minute fusion of percussive drum beats, laidback bass guitar grooves and a soft Techno acid section gradually forming in the centre. The lyrics of “What you running from? Indigo dreams and a pocket full of ones” and “Took a trip, It’s an easy out/Bleach-stained hair on a Bus down south” are whimsical and darkly rhythmic, as we build to the killer hook of “It’s your favourite game, Now you’re on a roll/No return, gonna lose control”, with a distinct and flat dance-not-dance form of vocal pitch. Everything builds up to an interlude of fluttering Acid synths and percussive, Tango-esque backing beats. The instrumental has a very light-hearted and warm texture, and it feels excellent for the grim weather that we’re currently receiving here in England, as my friend pointed out to me on the phone today when we had a quick chat about this one. I think this is a track that may take longer for some people, most likely the more casual listenership, to truly connect with – in fact, I didn’t really get it at first, probably because I wasn’t really born in the Surf-Rock era that the track is borrowing from. However, it’s very worth the time and the effort, because this track feels really ‘cool’, in the way that it walks the line between a Dance tempo and a Cerebral vocal, and it is unlike anything else that I’ve been hearing recently. Now I can’t stop playing it – and it doesn’t get old!

Pictured: Baba Stiltz in a photoshoot for a Inverted Audio feature (2014) (Photo via inverted-audio.com)

Thank you for checking out my latest blog post! I’ve got more music tomorrow – a last-minute addition to our schedule on the blog for this week, with a track that came out in 2010, and I think that it’s now super relevant again given the recent news about the Christmas season, especially here in the UK. The track, never released as a single, comes from one of my “Jacob Classics” – a poetic Swedish singer-songwriter from Gothenburg who once wrote an anecdotal track about the famous movie actress, Kirsten Dunst. 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: Robin Kester – “Sweat and Fright”

December 9, 2020 — Leave a comment

That title is reflective of my two reactions for an exam deadline date. New post time!

Pictured: Robin Kester in a publicity shot to promote “Sweat and Fright” (2020) (Photo via Podcart.co)

Good Afternoon to you – I am Jacob Braybrooke, and it is time for me to deliver yet another daily post on the blog, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! This single – “Sweat and Fright” – is a track that I set up for a review earlier, but I sadly never quite got around to covering it yet. I look forward to jogging my memory about it, since it sadly fell down the wayside of my mind a little bit ever since. Nevertheless, it comes from Robin Kester, who is an Experimental Electronic Folk singer, songwriter and producer, who is from Utrecht in The Netherlands. “Sweat and Fright” was the final single from her “This Is Not A Democracy” EP, which she released in September on the AT EASE indie label. Having previously recorded some work in a vacant psychiatric institution with retro guitars and vintage synthesizers to draw on 70’s pop and Shoegaze-influenced compositions, Kester decided to explore a dark variation of dream-filled tones for the EP, which she calls her “ode to Nightmares”. Let’s try not to fall asleep to “Sweat and Fright” below.

Kester’s “This Is Not A Democracy” EP was co-recorded and co-produced with Marien Dorlejn in his studio and it plays on the abstract themes of nightmares and shifting mental states – along with a glimmer of hope in it’s explorations of escapism and free voice. It’s an intriguing new direction for the up-and-coming Netherlander, who has previously toured with the likes of Villagers, Aleila Diane and Laura Gibson. Evoking a hint of Weyes Blood-like folk idioms, Kester cries out: “Woke up/Sweat and Fright/Dreams more violent with each night” as a textured synth line slowly flickers in-and-out of the centre. It becomes surprisingly Blues-inspired, with a line of steady bass guitar riffs and an up-tempo Drum signature gently pushing a melodic undercurrent to the forefront of the hypnotic, slow-building atmosphere. As if the track were a dream, these elements feel surreal, but structured enough to convey some semblance of a narrative and theme on needing self-empowerment in a waking life, as Kester calls out: “All my days, start with the same idea” and “Poisoned with an appetite/Carry on so carelessly/Singing haunted melodies” as if she is a dreamer within the lyrical framework. Her vocals are slightly distorted and never feel quite so clear, but the laidback instrumental beats and the accompanied sonic loops feel dramatic and theatrical to a point, enough to display the dream-laden thematically of the track. It feels psychedelic to a certain extent, but internalized due to the miniature synth beats that imply closed space and intimacy. Overall, it’s great to hear these moods coming across so vividly. Though it may be an over-used word in music press – it feels very ethereal. An interesting narrative and detailed production contribute to it.

Pictured: Cover Art for “This Is Not A Democracy” (Released on September 11th, 2020) (via AT EASE)

Thank you very much for reading my new post – I’m sure you might agree that this was a great winter track to listen to. We’ll be getting back in the Christmas spirit tomorrow, for an in-depth look at a slightly more widely appealing indie pop/rock track that references the old 80’s Nostalgia of the season, coming from a British band who were formed in Sunderland. Their band name derives from the title of The Flaming Lips’ “Hit To Death In The Future Head” album, that was released back in 1992. 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: Sufjan Stevens – “Christmas Unicorn”

December 5, 2020 — Leave a comment

In our latest episode of random christmas songs that really exist! Time for a new post!

Pictured: Cover Art for “Silver & Gold” (Released on November 13th, 2012) (via Asthmatic Kitty Records)

Season’s Greetings! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for me to get writing up about your daily track on the blog, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to type up right here a different piece of music every day! Sufjan Stevens is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and composer from Detroit, Michigan – and a very prolific one. There’s plenty of albums, mixtapes, EP’s and more for you to stick your teeth into, and he’s never the type of artist who really sticks to one genre. There’s the downtempo, symphonic instrumentation of 2005’s “Illinois”, the lo-fi and minimalist Acoustic Folk style of 2004’s “Seven Swans”, and the swooping electronic textures of 2001’s Zodiac-inspired “Enjoy Your Rabbit”. It also seems to be, however, that he loves Christmas. “Songs For Christmas” was a box set of five seperate EP’s worth of Festive-themed music recorded between 2001 and 2006 that he released in 2006, and if that wasn’t enough, six years later, he released “Silver & Gold”, another box set of five EP’s worth of Christmas-related songs and carols, all of which were recorded between 2006 and 2012, and it was the spiritual successor to the previous Seasonal themed release. “Christmas Unicorn” seems to be one of the most beloved tracks from the release, and it’s 12 minutes long. Make a cuppa and take a listen to it, with me, below.

Stevens’ latest regular release was “The Ascension”, which he released in September this year, a high-concept Electronica album which looked at the human nature of finding active purpose and escaping emotional crisis in a technologically dominated world. A fun fact about Stevens is that his name “Sufjan” is a Persian one, and it most famously belonged to Abu Sufyan, a figure who predates early Islamic history, and the name was given to him by an inter-faith spiritual community which his parents belonged to when he was born – So he happens to really know about these things. “Christmas Unicorn” is admittedly not one of his most accessible tracks, due to the sheer length of the product, but it is widely loved by the critics and his fans alike. I would argue that it has a three-act structure though. Sufjan immediately cries out: “I’m a Christmas unicorn/In a uniform of gold” and compares the majestic, enigmatic character of a Unicorn to a metaphor of religious holiday and festive consumerism, over the top of a harmonious backing vocal and an Acoustic guitar rhythm that evokes the 70’s Art-Pop Psychedelia of David Bowie. A long vocal note leads into an off-kilter, electronic transition into Sleigh Bell percussion as the second third of the track morphs into a leftfield call-and-response ballad of Dream-Pop melodies and experimental synth textures, as Sufjan chants: “You are the Christmas Unicorn, too/It’s alright/I love you” to a more immediate and quirky Synth pattern. The closing act of the segmented track is an inviting cover of Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart”, where the 80’s New-Wave Synthpop classic is given a lease of new life through the intersection of Sufjan’s consistenly repeated hook, mixed in with jingle bells and a slowly depleting suite of electronic beats as we finally move through the gradual fade out at the end. There is a lot of depth, and it’s very long indeed. However, it’s the Electronic synth instrumentation and the track’s ability of gradually adding new elements that keeps it from lacking in cohesion and getting too tiresome. All-around, it does strike me as a track that probably should not really “work”, but it does. While I can’t see it being added to every single Christmas-related playlist on every music streaming service due to it’s alternative style and it’s sheer length, it manages to balance a comical quality with a more emotional feeling pretty nicely, and the “Christmas Unicorn” title of the track and it’s lyrical hook is an implication of multiple aspects of Christmas – like the consumerism, the religion and the celebration which goes with it – being rolled into one manifestation or being. Santa is on his way, but it could also be the ‘Christmas Unicorn’ that’s destined to pay your ears a visit this year!

Pictured: Sufjan Stevens playing “Christmas Unicorn” at Granada Theater, TX (in 2012) (via MTC MAG)

Thank you for checking out my latest blog post! Normal service resumes tomorrow, and it’s our final regular entry in the Scuzz Sundays series before we take a look at some more Seasonal-themed tracks that also fit the brief of the year-running feature. 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: Lost Horizons (feat. The Hempolics) – “I Woke Up With An Open Heart”

October 28, 2020 — Leave a comment

Likewise, I hope that I didn’t wake up on the wrong side of the bed. It’s new post time!

Pictured: Cover Artwork for "In Quiet Moments" (Available from February 26, 2021) (via Bella Union) — Pictured: Cover Artwork for “In Quiet Moments” (Available from February 26, 2021) (via Bella Union)

Good Morning to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and, as per usual, I’ve arrived to fulfill my duties of typing up your daily post on the blog, because it is always my day-to-day pleasure to get writing up about a different piece of music every day! Lost Horizons marks the collaboration between Simon Raymonde, the former Bass Guitarist of Cocteau Twins and the founder of the Bella Union record label, and Richie Thomas (best known for his alias of Dif Juz), who have been writing and producing music together in a capacity ever since the 1980’s, and decided to officially form the collaborative project a few years ago. “Ojalá” was their debut album as Lost Horizons, released back in 2017, and it saw the duo collaborate with guest artists including Ghostpoet, Liela Moss and Marissa Nadler, along with a few more of Raymonde’s and Thomas’ friends from over the decades of their time in the music industry. Three years have passed, and it’s time for the follow-up. “In Quiet Moments” is the title of their second album as Lost Horizons, and it’s being released in two parts. The first 8 tracks will be shared digitally on December 4th, whilst the next 8 tracks will be available from February 26th, and you can buy the whole collection of these tracks on physical formats like Vinyl on that same date. This time around, Raymonde and Thomas have included a star-studded list of guests including Porridge Radio, John Grant, Penelope Isles and Karen Peris (from The Innocence Mission). “I Woke Up With An Open Heart” is the lead single, and it features vocals from the South London-based Gospel Soul group, The Hempolics. Let’s have a listen to their new track below.

“I think In Quiet Moments is more in the direction of where we’re going”, is what Raymonde told the media in the press release for the new album, with the duo adding: “People have retreated into their lives, and in those quiet moments, reflected on the world, how we fit in and who we trust” to tease the themes of the new record. “I Woke Up With An Open Heart” is reflective of the central themes, and it’s not too difficult to notice how it unashamedly goes back to the Birmingham sound of the 1980’s, with further similarities to Bristol’s Massive Attack and the 1970’s Reggae-Ska pioneers The Specials. Mixing old elements of Dubplate and Ska-Punk, with a connected Trip-Hop style, the track manages to encompass a dazzling array of moods and tones. The Reggae sensibility may not be abundantly clear in the beginning, but it develops progressively with Thomas’ deceptively lo-fi drum beats, with the addition of the whistling Horn sections and the Brass-driven Jazz sounds. It also feels rooted firmly in the “London Soul” sound, a quality that is created through The Hempolics’ soulful vocal delivery. Grippa Laybourne croons: “Must have been in the night, where you stole my time, rolled right over me” and “In my apple tree, you’ll find just what you’ll need/In my apple tree, you’ll find all the care you’ll need” over melodic shards of smoky Brass interludes and Dub-like guitar work. The lyrics feel contemplative, and they gradually build to a Ska-led instrumental of downbeat Saxophone melodies and a very subtle, woozy synth line. I like how the vocals feel quite enigmatic, and a very Urban texture connects these broad elements together. It feels directly in the lineage of old-school, grim British music that perhaps doesn’t see much vibrancy or colour. It’s a huge success, and it feels as diverse as the Lost Horizons name suggests.

Pictured: Ritchie Thomas & Simon Raymonde in a press shoot to promote "Ojala" (in 2017) (via PR) — Pictured: Ritchie Thomas & Simon Raymonde in a press shoot to promote “Ojala” (in 2017) (via PR)

Thank you very much for reading my new blog post! As per usual, I will be back on the proverbial case again tomorrow. You can join me then for an in-depth listen to a soulful new single from a Canadian Alternative R&B singer who was featured as the vocalist of the Kaytranada single “What You Need”, which was previously covered on the blog. She is identified as Queer. 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/

One Track At A Time

Modern Prog.