New Wave

Today’s Track: Kirsty MacColl – “There’s A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He’s Elvis”

June 12, 2020 — Leave a comment

Did you know that Elvis is not dead? I heard him on the radio! It’s time for a new post!

  • Pictured: Kirsty MacColl in a photoshoot to promote “Desperate Character” (1981) (Photo Credit: Smooth Radio/Getty)

That guy better get spiking his hair and get a-rocking-and-a-rolling then! I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing about your daily track on the blog because it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day, even on my Dad’s birthday! You would probably know Kirsty MacColl best from her collaboration with The Pogues on the 1987 Christmas hit “Fairytale Of New York”, but she also struck out on her own as a successful solo artist. MacColl was born on October 10th, 1959 and she grew up with her mother and brother Hamish in Croydon. Unfortunately, her life was cut short by a tragic accident while on holiday in 2000, where she was deep sea diving with her sons in the Chankanaab reef and a powerboat was speeding towards them. MacColl saw it coming, but the boat ran over her after she moved her 15-year-old son out of its way. MacColl was originally signed by Stiff Records, and she had a few hits in the 1980’s and 1990’s. This includes “They Don’t Know”, which was famously covered by Tracy Chapman in 1983. “There’s A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He’s Elvis” was released back in 1981. It was one of her highest-charting singles, and it reached #14 in the UK Singles Chart, where it stayed for nine weeks. It reached #9 in the Irish Singles Charts. An interesting fact about the track is that, in the promotional version for the US, the very British “Chip Shop” line is replaced by “Truck Stop”, but this was only handed out to the Radio DJ’s version and it wasn’t given a full CD release. Take a listen back to the track with a title far too long to write again below.

MacColl deserves a few bonus points, just for that title. “There’s A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He’s Elvis” sees her gallop confidently through Western, Country and Blues sensibilities, but it largely comes across as just a Novelty effort and not a lot more. MacColl croons about resisting flirty talk from a guy, who, as you’d guess, works down the chip shop and swears he’s Elvis, adding: “Just like you swore to me that you’d be true” and “But he’s a liar, and I’m not sure about you” to add a poetic effect to the chorus’ refrain. She also shows a pessimism and sarcastic tone in the guy’s teases, singing in the second verse: “News is you changed your pickup for a Seville” and “Cos’ you’re out there on the phone to some star in New York” before showing her attitude: “I can hear you laughing now/And I can’t help feeling that somehow/You don’t mean anything you say at all” before a guitar solo and a longer version of the chorus ends it. The acoustic instrumentation is simple throughout, with a three-note guitar groove in the verses, and an added line of piano notes in the chorus, with an upbeat lead guitar solo near the end. It sounds energetic enough to get a crowd jiggling around for a bit, but it rolls along for three minutes without doing anything very interesting, and it doesn’t innovate or experiment in any real ways. The novelty factor would provide a small burst of fun and the title is a great one for a Zoom quiz, but the music itself leaves room to be desired, and it seems forgettable overall. But, just who is the guy who works down the chip shop, if he’s not really Elvis?

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Desperate Character” (Original Album Release in July 1981) (via Polydor Records)

Thank you for reading this post! As a reminder, at One Track At A Time, we endorse the #BlackLivesMatter movement. Please go and check your local area for good charity causes that help those directly affected by racism and injustice. I’ll be back tomorrow with an in-depth look at a recent single from a female solo artist, who is the lead vocalist of the popular French-English indie punk band Savages, to mark the release of her new album! 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: Blossoms – “If You Think This Is Real Life”

May 4, 2020 — 1 Comment

These five have been “Blossoming” their musical friendship – It’s time for a new post!

  • Pictured: Tom Ogden (Lead Vocals/Songwriter), Josh Dewhurst (Lead Guitar), Charlie Salt (Bass Guitar/Backing Vocals), Myles Kellock (Keyboard/Synths) and Joe Donovan (Drums/Percussion) at the 2017 BRIT Awards (via PR)

May the Fourth be with you! Good morning to you, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing about your daily track on the blog because it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! Blossoms seem like a fairly well-known band because they’ve been getting airplay from BBC Radio 2 and Radio X over the last few years. Blossoms are a 5-piece Pop band from Stockport who had one of the best-selling debut albums of 2016 with “Blossoms”, obviously their self-titled first LP. They’ve spawned fairly big chart hits with “Your Girlfriend”, “Charlemagne” and “I Can’t Stand It”, the first of which I find to be fairly okay and the latter two of which I’m not very keen on. Blossoms are back with “Foolish Loving Spaces”, their third album, produced by The Coral’s James Skelley and released back in January. The record was a number one album on the UK Singles Charts. It’s interesting to note that although they are classified as “Indie” for their sound, they’re not proper indie because they’re signed to Virgin Records as opposed to making and releasing their music independently, so it’s an example of “Indie Bollocks” as you know I like to call it here. I’ve been singing “If You Think This Is Real Life” while pottering around the house a lot lately as BBC Radio 2 have caught on to it. Let’s have a groove with the video below…

Reading my description above, you were probably expecting for me to give it a scathing review, but that’s not actually the case! Although it is a very radio-friendly track, I actually feel that it’s pretty decent and that it’s a lot of fun. Tom Ogden chants: “If you think this is real life/Look and you may find/Run, son, it’s your sunlight, don’t act so uptight” over a triumphant, big synth riff. Rhythmically, he quickly chimes: “I made a mess of your heart/I think we’re falling apart/I made you wait in the rain” over a Technicoloured keyboard riff and a nostalgic, 90’s Pulp-like guitar riff. Ogden also recites: “I said that I would move on, I thought I’d see the world, But I stay in watching the news/At night I think about you” adding a recurring “It’s unacceptable” refrain before a very 80’s guitar interlude and a repeating chorus with the unashamedly 70’s electric instrumentation carrying the melodic formula. It has a tinny, almost makeshift, drum riff repeating throughout the track that oddly reminds me of Men At Work’s “Down Under” mixed with an aesthetic which screams ShowaddyWaddy to me. The lyricism is quite direct and it’s delivered over a sumptuous disco-pop groove, with soft guitar riffs adding to the keyboard-driven melodies that feel classic and game show-like. It’s a bit more mainstream than my usual standards and it’s no doubt an example of “Indie Bollocks” as they’re not independent artists, but, that aside, I find it to be very groovy, infectious, the hooks are catchy and it will appeal to an audience. It’s Pop, but I do think there’s something about it. Therefore, it manages to transcend my musical snobbery – but I will just try not to act “So Uptight” about that!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Foolish Loving Spaces” (Released on January 31st, 2020) (via Virgin/EMI Records)

Thank you for reading this post and I hope that you enjoyed it! Please make sure that you self-isolate with me again tomorrow where I’ll be covering the brand new single from one of 2019’s finest! It’s from an American Female Solo Artist who took a break from music to give birth to her lovely child and starred in both seasons of The OA, a Netflix Drama series, as Rachel. 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: Baxter Dury – “I’m Not Your Dog”

April 30, 2020 — Leave a comment

In times like this, here is one of the reasons to be cheerful! It’s time for your new post!

  • Pictured: Baxter Dury in promotional material artwork for “The Night Chancers” (2020) (via The Yorkshire Post)

Good afternoon, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and, as per usual, I’m writing about your daily track on the blog because it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write to you about a different piece of music every single day! Baxter Dury is another artist who I’ve been meaning to shine a spotlight on the blog for a while now. He is the son of the legendary British songwriter Ian Dury. The passing of Ian Dury is still deeply affecting to this day and Baxter Dury was very close to his father Ian, even appearing on the front cover of Ian’s debut album, “New Boots and Panties!”, released back in 1977. Baxter left school at just the young age of fourteen in order to pursue his musical interests. “The Night Chancers” is his sixth album, arriving after a four-year gap since he released his fifth album, “Prince Of Tears”. Baxter Dury follows a somewhat similar vein to the likes of his dad, Jona Lewie and Dave Kelly, writing 80’s-style pop music with a higher level of intellect than your typical pop release. Let’s have a listen to “I’m Not Your Dog” below.

One of the leading singles from his “The Night Chancers” new album release, it goes without saying that Dury’s really observing and looking into a past 70’s period of dark synthpop in order to craft his own cinematic sound that feels more revised than his father’s shadow or Jona Lewie in connecting with his modern, contemporary audience. This video depicts Dury walking across a beach in sadness and isolation as an odd-ball, French female backing vocal and a claustrophobic, Kubrick-esque keyboard riff that feels very ominous, almost demonic. Dury writhes: “I’m not your f***ing friend” over a moody synthesizer line, before Dury later continues: “But, I’ve followed you everywhere/Some people like to watch, Some people like to show”, over a sharp electronic beat, later adding: “And I watch a bit too much/You show too much”, layered above a filtered grand piano section that feels downbeat and simplistic – but it gets repeated, although sporadically and sparsely, for more dramatic heft. The lyrics are decidedly one-note and thinly scattered, but they feel powerful and moving due to their minimalist production and I feel the small dispersement makes them feel more important when they are used. The enigmatic lyrics are complemented by spacious synth riffs and the cerebral, gradually developing structure adds a perplexed and claustrophobic feel to it. Overall, it’s very character-driven and cinematically produced, with an underlying coldness to the stripped back guitar lines and the subtle string sections. It’s slow and methodical, but it’s told intelligently and it’s darkly melodic. He stands alone – but in a very good way!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “The Night Chancers” (Released on 20th March, 2020) (via Heavenly Recordings)

Thank you very much for reading this post! Stay at home, stay safe, keep on washing your hands and listen to all that advice! Please join me on the blog again tomorrow, where I’ll be having some fun by commemorating the big release of Chicano Batman’s new album “Invisible People” with a final look at “Blank Slate”, the last single to be released from the album! I look forward to it! If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every daily new post is up and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Easter Monday Special: Jona Lewie – “You’ll Always Find Me In The Kitchen At Parties”

April 13, 2020 — 2 Comments

A joke from comedian Sanjeev Kholi to start: Where does Jona Lewie do his Christmas shopping? – Debenebenhamnams, Debenemenhams, Debenhamnams, Debenhams, Debenemanhams! Happy Bank Holiday weekend to you – It’s time for your daily post!

Have you eaten enough chocolate yet? I’m Jacob Braybrooke, it’s Easter Monday, and I’m writing about your daily track on the blog, as it’s my day-to-day pleasure to do so! This Bank Holiday Monday, we’re going to take a look at Jona Lewie, a Southampton-born rock singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who is perhaps best known for his christmas classic, “Stop The Calvary”, which was released in 1980 to a lot of commercial success and it still receives plenty of airplay on the radio around the festive season each year. However, instead, we’re going to give one of his other tracks to spice things up a bit. After all, John Peel said: “The next record you play could be your favourite” and I LIVE BY THAT! It goes without saying that “You’ll Always Find Me In The Kitchen At Parties” also went down as a commercial hit, but it’s much more based around the Blues and New Wave genres than his Christmas Cracker. The single was taken from his “Bureaucrats” B-side, a double single release. The track reached #16 on the UK Singles Charts and it stayed on the chart for 11 weeks, but it actually found it’s greatest success in New Zealand, where it reached #3 in October 1980 and stayed on the chart for 17 weeks. The backing vocals were originally thought to be recorded by Kirsty MacColl, of “Fairytale Of New York” fame, but Lewie has since told us that they were recorded by the two wives of the co-owners of Stiff Records. But, MacColl would sing the backing vocals in live performances. Let’s have a listen below.

More or less seen as a one-hit wonder, Jona Lewie proves that he deserves a lot more recognition than that on “You’ll Always Find Me In The Kitchen At Parties”, a cerebral and methodical, Progressive Synth-Pop anthem that feels definitely early 1980’s. Delivered in a clear cut, dry talk-speech accent, Lewie warbles: “I’m no good at chatting up and always get rebuffed/Enough to drive a man to drink, I don’t do no washing up” over a studiously layered synth rhythm which stutters and washes over Lewie’s bemoaning of his bad luck with the ladies in a tuneful sense as the three-minute duration goes on. At a mid-way point, the synth lines breathe for a slick keyboard riff interlude, a short instrumental section that emphasizes on the humor of the lyrics, despite it’s barren, almost bleak, pitch. Lewie concludes: “At last I met a pretty girl, she laughed and talked with me/We both walked out of the kitchen and danced in a new way”, as the synthesized beats convey a more upbeat tone and the vocals seem a bit more melodic, though the production is still very minimalist. It sounds very alike to Ian Dury & The Blockheads in it’s tone and structure, with a smart and comedic, yet very alternative and calculated, sonic direction. The lyrics are cold, but the narration progresses to the vibe of an almost The Specials-esque British Ska-Reggae Skank, which adds a kinetic energy that makes the track feel melodic enough to count as a synth-pop record, although it feels slow-paced and a bit grim in a few ways. Overall, I think it’s all good fun, though. This track represents a wise level of individuality and intellectualism that has really been lost in pop music as the decades have gone on. If you’re lucky enough, you may find it playing in the kitchen at parties!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “On The Other Hand… There’s A Fist” (Released on 1st June, 1978) (via Stiff Records)

Thank you very much for reading this post! I hope you enjoyed it! It’s back to normal tomorrow as Easter Tuesday isn’t a thing, but as I’ve been writing about a lot of new music lately – we’ll look at a vintage delight instead! This track comes from an American 5-piece family group who began their own, monumental, sampling legacy with their fifth album, “There’s A Riot Going On”, released in 1971! 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: Working Men’s Club – “White Rooms and People”

April 1, 2020 — 1 Comment

I’d bet any white sheet of A4 paper has a blank space for this! It’s time for a new post!

  • Pictured: Sydney Minsky-Sargeant (Lead Vocals/Rhythm Guitar/Drum Machine), Liam Ogburn (Bass Guitar), Rob Graham (Lead Guitar/Synths), and Mairead O’ Conner (Keyboard/Backing Vocals) (2020) (Photo Credit: Rosie Butcher)

Good afternoon to you, I’m Jacob Braybrooke – writing about your daily track on the blog, as it’s my day-to-day pleasure to do so! Working Men’s Club are an indie rock band from Yorkshire who have recently played a gig in my city of Stoke-On-Trent (the place where I live, I mean – I’m not the Mayor of Stoke!), at The Sugar Mill, perhaps the biggest local independent venue in the city. I feel they’re one of the more unlikely acts to hop onto the BBC Radio 1’s Indie Show, presented by Jack Saunders, in recent weeks – given their low-brow, late-70’s New Wave rock sound, which resonates more with older listeners. I think they’re hip with the youth though – and they’re one of Heavenly Recordings’ latest signings, the label which is home to established indie acts like Saint Etienne, Metronomy and Cherry Ghost. “White Rooms and People” is their new single, a cheeky Brit-Rock number that would have felt right at home in the era of Soft Cell and Depeche Mode. The band have enjoyed recent success as part of DIY mag’s “Class Of 2020” and they have also announced the release of their debut album, “A.A.A.A.”, set for June 5th. Let’s have a listen to their synth-based track below.

Todmorden’s hottest new post-punk disco band (I don’t know what the competition of that would entail) bring their 80’s synthesized framework on “White Rooms and People”, a melodic and anthemic rock tune about finding positivity in the darkest, most unprecedented times. Liam Ogburn provides a funk-ridden, repeated bass guitar riff over an unashamedly late-70’s new wave synth influx, as Sydney Minsky-Sargeant drones: “Flowers blooming/People talking shit about you” and “White rooms and people/Me and you, or nothing” in a cold, brooding tone, which is given a more catchy and upbeat texture through a pop-driven, static keyboard riff. The lead guitar work is fast and quick-witted – while the electronic instrumentation, such as the mid-tempo drum machine rhythms and the quickly spliced sequencing effects, create an irresistibly 80’s backdrop of synth-based haze. The vocals from Sargent are predominantly downbeat, with a low-Baritone which doesn’t sound miles away from the recent Leonard Cohen output, as it’s mature, with a light sophistication behind it. The tone of the overall tune is grim and moody, with a frank and blunt delivery, but it’s contrasted with a refined disco-rock quality which sits somwhere between The Human League and Echo & The Bunnymen, with the vocals reminding me of Martin Fry’s buoyant croon. The overall package feels like the result of Joy Division, Interpol and Gang Of Four, with a pinch of contemporary punk-funk like The Orielles, being put in a blender, and the button being pushed. The style is varied and the mix of influences is broad, but it’s a little uneven at points, with neither post-punk or disco-rock getting the focused, dominant hand. It’s not quite up to A-list snuff, but I feel it deserves exposure because it’s diverse, virtuosic and interesting. A solid B-level track.

  • Pictured: Working Men’s Club in a photoshoot to promote the release of “A.A.A.A.” (2020) (via Heavenly Recordings)

Thank you for reading this post! Don’t go outside, but I hope that you enjoyed it! I’ll be back tomorrow, as always, with my in-depth thoughts on a recent single from a Warwickshire-born musician who used to be part of an English Mercury Prize-winning new-rave group. Also, he is married to Pirates Of The Caribbean actress Keira Knightley! Stay tuned to this section tomorrow for a big announcement… we’re doing things a little differently on the blog over the next weekend! 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: Men I Trust – “Show Me How”

March 19, 2020 — Leave a comment

Shakespeare once said: “Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none”! It’s daily post time!

  • Pictured: Men I Trust performing a gig at The Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood (2019) (Photo Credit: Justin Higuchi)

Like everybody and trust no one! – that’s a musical mantra which Canadian independent dream-pop group Men I Trust love to express in their whimsical guitar melodies and their evocative synthesizer hooks. I recently discovered this band through my friend Rebecca’s new independent radio show, Music In May (Here’s a link to Rebecca’s excellent International Women’s Day Special for Music In May: https://www.mixcloud.com/musicinmay/music-in-may-episode-4-international-womens-day-2020/), so it’s been a fresh experience for me as equally as you. Men I Trust is comprised of lead vocalist Emma Proulx, Jessy Caron (Bass Guitar) and Dragos Chiriac (Producer), who met each other in secondary school and went on to self-release all of their music since their self-titled debut album was recorded in 2014. Since then, Men I Trust have performed their own live sets at huge festivals like Lollapalooza and Coachella, with the band’s most recent output being “Oncle Jazz”, their fourth LP release, in 2019. “Show Me How” is a single the band released in 2018!

Proulx accompanies the smooth, reflective texture of “Show Me How” with a dream pop-glazed line of soft, fainted vocals: “Show me how you care/Tell me how you were loved before/Show me how you smile/Tell me why your hands are cold”, over a multi-instrumented layer of child-like qualities and comfortable self-confinement. The solid guitar riffs and the light drum parts add a warm, soulful R&B inflection. Proulx adds: “I’m turning around/I’m having visions of you/But then I understand/The friend I’m dreaming of is far away/But I’m here” with the Falsetto delivery adding a psychedelic line of two-step keyboard riffs and a reassured feeling of relaxation. Proulx continues: “Show me how you’re proud/Tell me how you reach the moon/My thoughts are away tonight/My heart fell to love again”, as the tempo settles into a slow-paced groove. Narratively based around the light at the end of a dark tunnel, “Show Me How” is a slickly produced and warm hand on your shoulder, with a slow pace which manages to become really easy to indulge within! I really enjoy the calm lyricism of the track and how it sounds somewhere between the 80’s disco influences of The Orilles and the emotional indie underbelly of The Japanese House, with it’s own dose of simplicity. It’s a nice mix of different little artists which I like, with good artistic merit!

  • Pictured: Emma Proulx (Lead Vocals/Guitar), Jessy Caron (Bass Guitar) and Dragos Chiriac (Producer) (2018) (via PR)

Thank you for reading this post! I hope you enjoyed it! Please don’t forget to check out the blog tomorrow, where I’ll be sharing my thoughts on a brand new single from one of my personal favourites – along with a video starring a former contestant from Season 11 of America’s Got Talent who said he’s “on a mission to prove that dance is for everybody and anybody who wants to do it” on the biography of his own YouTube channel! 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: Holy Fuck (feat. Nicholas Allbrook) – “Free Gloss”

February 13, 2020 — Leave a comment

It’s so R-Rated, they’ve already made me drop an F-bomb! It’s time for your daily post!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Deleter” (Released on January 17th, 2020) (Vinyl copy available from myshopify.co.uk)

I don’t think they take themselves very seriously…! A still-quite-tired Jacob Braybrooke here, getting your new post sorted for another day on the blog. “Free Gloss” is the new track from Progressive Electronic Pop pioneers Holy Fuck (I have to say Holy F on the radio…), who have returned after 4 years with the release of a new LP, “Deleter”, which was released last month via the Last Gang Records independent label. This is the follow-up LP to their comeback album, “Congrats”, which was released in 2016 after the band took a six-year hiatus to focus on their solo careers. Although the band have never crossed over into the mainstream before, they have built their career around their sizeable cult following and their unique live performance set-ups, which have seen the band use improvised instruments like toy lasers and 35mm film synchronizers to loop and splice their own sound effects into the format of their tracks, rather than using laptops or pre-produced backing tracks. They’ve recently been working alongside Nicholas Allbrook, who is the front-man of the Australian psychedelic rock band Pond and he used to go on tour with Tame Impala as their live bassist. Let’s have a listen to the radio edit of “Free Gloss” below.

With the “Deleter” LP also featuring the talents of Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor and Liars’ Angus Andrew, it seems to be that the Montreal electronic outfit are carving out a niche themselves in the “Electronic 90’s” style of genre. I feel that “Free Gloss” is sequenced distinctively enough to stand out though, as Pond’s Nicholas Allbrook delivers his faded-out vocals under a pummeling keyboard riff and a flickering guitar rhythm. With an undecipherable line of lyrics, Allbrook delivers the stuttering arrangement of half-crooned, 90’s dance stylized vocals layered above a dramatic template of vibrant, digitally-created melodies which drill against the light-hearted club energy of Allbrook’s vocals to create a push-and-pull effect, balancing an energetic synth bassline with the heavy guitar riffs, which have been mastered below the domineering keyboard effects, to sound futuristic and progressive. At the halfway mark, the complex sequence of electronic riffs drown to a quaint halt for a moment, before the amalgamation of keyboard melodies and drum sequences ascend back to their domineering position on the track, as it fades to a close. It’s ultimately a tricky song to write about due to the complex plethora of effects that it conveys in it’s sound, but I feel it’s ultimately an intriguing and satisfying journey through an experimental sonic soundscape, which reminds me of the Big Beat era of the late 90’s featuring British dance acts like The Chemical Brothers and Basement Jaxx. It would have been nicer to hear the lyrics more clearly, but the sophistication helps it to work.

  • Pictured: Brian Borcherdt (Lead Vocalist/Sequencing), Graham Walsh (Keyboard/Programming), Matt “Punchy” McQuaid (Bass Guitar/Effects) and Matt Schulz (Drum Kits) (Photo Credit: Fortitude Magazine) (2016)

Thank you for reading this post! Make sure you kick off your weekend with the blog tomorrow, as we’ll be celebrating the release of Tame Impala’s new album “The Slow Rush”, with an in-depth look at “Lost In Yesterday”, whch is the most recent single to be released in support of the record! 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: Gary Clail (On-U Sound System) (feat. Bim Sherman) – “Beef (Future Mix)”

February 10, 2020 — 1 Comment

I’ve got no issue with this beef! A new week, a new set of posts, starting with this one!

  • Pictured: A still image featuring Gary Clail in the official music video for “Another Hard Man” (1995)

I would usually be cooking a meatless meal in aid of the Meat Free Mondays campaign tonight, but since I’m covering a track with the title of “Beef”, it’s hard to know whether that’s necessarily gone out of the window this week! I’m Jacob Braybrooke, covering your daily track on the blog, as always. I’ve noticed that I’ve been covering a lot of new tracks on the blog lately and so I thought it would make a nice change to share a little 90’s house track which I’ve recently found out about, which comes courtesy of Gary Clail, An English DJ and recording producer who made a name for himself from the Bristol music scene in the 1990’s, a little before the late 1990’s IDM movement featuring the likes of Aphex Twin, Plaid and Boards Of Canada. The founder of On-U Sound Records and the producer of early 90’s club hits like “Human Nature” and “These Things Are Worth Fighting For”, Clail established himself as an important fixture of the underground electronic music side of the 90’s dance craze. “Beef” is an interesting old record which is taken from his second LP, “End Of The Century Party”, which he released as Gary Clail On-U Sound System in 1989. There was no music video, but the future mix audio of “Beef” is available on YouTube below.

Clail repeats: “Beef, how low would you go?” over a fluctuating snare line as he reminds me of the Limbo games that I used to play at the end-of-term party at Primary School. It’s an upbeat, groove-driven synth hook which is used to anchor the diverse arrangement of the track. The instrumental disco sound is heavily infused with light elements of nu-disco and dark-wave synthpop, with an overall Dub-plate format. The pacing is noticeably inflected with Reggae and Clail adds a sense of ambient techno vibes to proceedings with his gradually building layout of BPM rises and synthetic funk-tinged vibrations. The vocals float above a layer of politicized themes and minor-key drum-and-bass sensibilities which provide a catalyst for the propelling drum waves and the building tempo of the vibraphone riffs. I’ve heard a story that Clail nicked the lyrical refrain from an old Public Enemy classic, “Bring The Noize”, released in 1988. He reworks the phrase: “Bass, how low can you go” and he replaces the line of “Death row, what a brother knows” with the intercepting vocals of “Hear the cry/Cattle row”, led by a chant-based question of “Would you kill it yourself?”, a not-so subtle comment which supports the ideas of Vegetarianism. Overall, I believe it’s a cohesive house anthem which brings the best out of the different elements which it musically pulls it’s influences from, as the track sounds uniformly structured and it effectively pulls a wide array of talent together. Constructively, I find the vocal hooks to sound a little under-cooked, if you pardon the pun, as the slow build doesn’t necessarily lead to a fast payoff, but it sounds like Clail has some fascinating political views to express – which I’m inclined to explore further.

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “End Of The Century Party” (1989/On-U Sound Records) (Photo from eBay.com)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow with a look at the new track from the leading man of REM – I was in a curry shop when I heard the band had split up and I fell in the Korma! 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: La Roux – “Automatic Driver”

February 7, 2020 — Leave a comment

La Roux’s “Supervision”, after six years, is finally here!… and so is your new blog post!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Supervision” (2019)
  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Automatic Driver” (2019)

Like a giddy six year old on Christmas morning, I’m absolutely thrilled to be able to say that one of my all-time favourites, La Roux, finally has a new LP record that you can buy in your local record stores, or stream I guess – in this day and age, right now as I type! “Supervision”, which was released today on Elly Jackson’s own new independent record label Supercolour Records, is the follow-up to my favourite pop album of all-time, “Trouble In Paradise”, released way back in 2014. Mainly known for the mainstream chart hits spawned by her Grammy-winning debut album, “La Roux”, which was released way back in 2009, “Supervision” is the first La Roux record to be completely written and recorded as a solo act for Elly Jackson. She’s been selling it as the culmination of the ongoing flying solo saga and the record she’s always been wanting to make. I, for one, absolutely can’t wait to hear the results later today… When all of my day-to-day jobs are done, since I know that I can relax at that point. In the meantime, you can obtain a sample with the video for “Automatic Driver” below.

It looks like Tiger Woods has a new opponent for the Golfing season! A new wave synth-pop track with a strange resemblance to old country influences, “Automatic Driver” is an electro-pop break-up anthem which lyrically explores the feeling of unrequited goods in a long-term relationship and finding the “auto-pilot” who controls the steering of a relation-ship. That’s a bad pun, but at least I tried. Nonetheless, Jackson croons in her trademark Falsetto voice: “We can fight till it’s light/Doesn’t mend it/Do you still dream we’re alright/and we’ll find it”, over a fizzing keyboard strobe. She croons: “I wanted to manage information/Find the automatic driver”, as a stream of sultry techno flares sneak their way into the track to the melody of Jackson whistling. It’s later followed up by a groove-laden vocal rhyme: “I wanted to make a contribution, baby/I wanted to start a revolution with you”, topped off by a more reflective texture: “After I waited so long to find you/Why did I let myself run and hide from you?”, as Jackson laments the possibility of definitively breaking up with her one true romantic partner. Lyrically, it’s a little bit different to the feisty attitude of lead single “International Women Of Leisure” and the moving-up spirit of “Gullible Fool”, with a slightly light opening compared to the former, matched with the sentimentality of the latter. It still retains the maturity and the old-fashioned pop sound that I’ve loved hearing from the sound of her new tracks, but it’s also very progressive in adding more country-tinged strings to her bows. It’s another terrific release from Jackson which I’ve avoided listening for too much as to control my exposure to the new album before it came out. Now, I’m off to try on my Supervision long sleeve t-shirt and hear the new album, in full, for the very first time. I hope that you give the new record a chance too, as you might end up loving it as much as I shall!

  • Pictured: “Supervision” Amazon.co.uk Bundle (2020)
  • Pictured: La Roux (Elly Jackson) in a colourful press photoshoot for “Supervision” (2020) (Via PR)

If you somehow still haven’t quite got your La Roux fix for today, you can still read my glowing reviews for her other two singles from “Supervision”, “International Woman Of Leisure”here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2019/11/01/todays-track-la-roux-international-woman-of-leisure/ and “Gullible Fool” here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2019/12/06/todays-track-la-roux-gullible-fool/

  • Pictured: La Roux (Elly Jackson) in a press photoshoot for “Supervision” interviews (February 2020) (Via PR)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow and I’ll hopefully have calmed down a little bit then, as I’m going to be writing about the new track from a French pop artist whose second album was named the “Album Of The Year” in 2018 by The Guardian! Don’t forget that it’s also nearly time for another Scuzz Sunday! 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: Hot Chip – “Positive”

January 4, 2020 — Leave a comment

You could say that I may just have a “Hot Chip” on my shoulder! Saturday rave vibes!

  • Pictured: Alexis Taylor (Lead Vocals), Joe Goddard (Synths/Keyboard), Owen Clarke (Lead Guitar), Al Doyle (Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals, Percussion), and Felix Martin (Drum Machine/Programming)

A highly established Alternative Synthpop group on the UK indie circuit for just-about two decades now, as they formed in 2000, Hot Chip have been enthralling audiences on UK indie club dancefloors and club-oriented music festival environments with classic hits like 2007’s “Ready For The Floor” and 2008’s “Over and Over” since their breakthrough second LP record, “The Warning” was released in 2006. In June 2019, the group returned from a 4-year hiatus with “A Bath Full Of Ecstasy”, a commercially successful and well-received LP which housed indie resurgences such as “Hungry Child” and “Melody Of Love”, singles primed to liven up club environments with a technicolor paint of coat on the UK and international dance-rock circuits. A new single, “Positive”, has just been released and it’s been receiving significant airplay on both BBC Radio 6Music and Radio X, as well as being on the FIFA 20 soundtrack. I’m Jacob Braybrooke and today’s track on One Track At A Time is “Positive” by Hot Chip!

“Positive” has an immediate opening of Nu-disco channeling, with large measures of drum machine jolts and razor synth-rock snares. It’s never afraid to show the group’s trademark image of quirky energy and infectious new-wave disco, as Alexis Taylor proceeds to deliver a political and ecological message on the effects of Homelessness, as the track incorporates light hip-hop elements into it’s pop-heavy production. Taylor sings: “You’re washed up and you’re hated / You’ve lied, you’re berated”, before delivering a chorus that plays on the themes of euphoria and childhood: “We get together sometimes/Talk about how we used to get together sometimes/Of love/How we used to laugh together sometimes/Of something positive”, with a Pet Shop Boys-inspired talk-sing style of dialogue. What tune-age! Taylor goes for a vibe where the track is heartbreaking and quiet, with the soulful riffs on loneliness and isolation being disguised by 90’s electronic pop beats and care-free use of drum machine programming. The result is a track that goes for Dancefloor Bliss and more or less succeeds, if it wasn’t for the ideas of homelessness running on a little bit of an empty gas tank near the end of the track. It’s not specifically stepping the band out of their comfort zone, but it’s a solid and engrossing reminder of how the band play to their strengths and wrap up a sound that is compulsively listenable and weirdly poignant, more so than it might appear at first! My opinion is “Positive”…

  • Pictured: Hot Chip performing a live headline set at Mayfield Derby in Mannheim, Germany (2019)

Thank you for reading this post! Make sure that you check back with the blog tomorrow, as it will be time for my first Scuzz Sunday blog post of the New Year! 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/