Today’s Track: Pet Shop Boys – “It Doesn’t Often Snow At Christmas” (2009 Version)

December 14, 2020 — Leave a comment

Everything I’ve ever done. Every place I’ve ever been. Every place I’m going to. A Sin!

Pictured: Neil Tennant (Lead Vocals/Producer) and Chris Lowe (Keyboards/Synths) (2016) (via PR)

Season’s Greetings to you! I am Jacob Braybrooke – and it’s now time for me to fulfill my daily duties of typing up today’s track on the music blog, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to get writing up all about a different piece of music every day! I have had a lot of fun seeking out some Alternative festive tunes to share with you via my daily means, and I have got a lot more of them in store for you this week as we build up to a very different Christmas. Pet Shop Boys, the English Synth-Pop duo of Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, probably doesn’t need any real introductions to you, but aside from their obvious hits of “West End Girls” and “Go West”, I’m not too sure if you knew they recorded their own Christmas electronic dance track. “It Doesn’t Often Snow At Christmas” is the title of the tune, and it’s actually been recorded in two versions. The track was first released back in 1997 to their exclusive Fan club at the time, and it was later re-released, and re-recorded, as a new version of the track in 2009, and so the remastered work is still fairly recent. This version appeared on an EP, “Christmas”, which they released in 2009, as the B-side to “All Around The World”, a brand new single. The EP, which bundled the two tracks together, was also available in a Physical format. The cover artwork is nice, since it calls back to the balloon trademark of the Brazillian compilation, “Party”, which the duo also released in 2009. The EP just managed to crack the Top 40 of the UK Singles Chart in 2009 – having reached the spot of #40. Let’s watch them perform it at the 02 Arena in London below.

Tennant and Lowe, as Pet Shop Boys, are officially the UK’s best-selling duo in music history… Sorry, Chemical Brothers… and the “Christmas” EP, which they released in 2009, also featured a remix of Madness’ “My Girl”, and a cover version of Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida”, along with a re-worked version of “All Over The World”. The track in question today, “It Doesn’t Often Snow At Christmas”, is a sharper and slightly more pessimistic affair, as Tennant sings about the British national identity of Christmas and of taking a well-needed break from the commercial distractions that come along with the festive season. The synth-led instrumentation and properly “Flat” electronic sound of Kraftwerk come across as classic Pet Shop Boys, as Lowe combines vintage keyboard riffs with Choral backing vocals mixed with percussive Sleigh Bell melodies. The vocals border into Scrooge territory, as Tennant sings the likes of: “Christmas is not all it’s cracked up to be” and “Nothing on the TV that you’d want to see”, before a White Christmas lyrical reference, singing: “Bing Crosby, Are you listening to me?” before the chorus kicks in, where Tennant chants: “But, I’ll still have a glow at Christmas/Because I’ll be with you” in a quick, rhythmic fashion. He also sings: “Now, it’s all about shopping and how much things cost”, a small songwriting motif of melancholy that feels briefly profound. The tones are upbeat, and it plays up to the more melodic stance of the ultra-pop Synth dance beats and the social-realist vocals. Overall, it plays out most like you would expect a Christmas-themed Pet Shop Boys track to sound like, with Tennant using a Falsetto to give the perverse pop a more neo-futuristic vibe in light of the unashamedly 80’s style. There’s little new here, but that’s not a bad thing. What you get is two of the all-time greats sticking to their roots, but with all of the trimmings of a Festive theme. I don’t feel it’s quite as fun as 2020’s “Monkey Business” as a result, but it still sees the beloved national treasures making a fair point on the modern Christmas and it feels timely for our circumstance this year.

Pictured: Pet Shop Boys at the London Olympic Games Opening Ceremony (2012) (Photo via BBC.com)

It’s quite difficult not to recognize Pet Shop Boys for all they have done for British Pop music, and that means we’ve previously reviewed some of their other tracks right here on the blog. Don’t forget to peruse my feelings on 2016’s “The Pop Kids” here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2019/11/04/todays-track-the-pet-shop-boys-the-pop-kids/, and 2020’s “Monkey Business”, here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/01/27/todays-track-pet-shop-boys-monkey-business/

Pictured: Cover Art for “Monkey Business” (Single) (Released on January 3, 2020) (via x2 Records)

Thank you for reading my latest Seasonal sprinkling on the blog! We’ll be taking a break from the Christmas music tomorrow as we return back to some usual output on the blog. Tomorrow’s track comes from an British indie folk singer-songwriter, who is currently based in Paris, who released her fifth studio album earlier on in the year. Her band, which she fronts, have once appeared on an episode of BBC One’s “Wanderlust”, with the group playing in a night club where Joy, a character who is played by Toni Colette in the television series, attended. 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 Avalanches – “Music Makes Me High”

December 11, 2020 — Leave a comment

The light in my life is going out tonight without a flicker of regret. Time for a new post!

Pictured: Cover Art for “We Will Always Love You” (Released on Dec 11th, 2020) (via Universal Music)

Good Morning to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s now time for me to get typing up all about your daily track on the blog, because it is always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! It’s New Release Friday – and although there’s a new EP out today by Foster The People, which you should also check out – since you’re reading my words, we’re going to take a look at the third LP collection to come from The Avalanches, “We Will Always Love You”, who are one of my TOP tier favourite artists. The album is full of 25 sample-delia and plunderphonics tracks that explore cosmic themes, spirituality and what it means to be human. The narrative of the album was inspired by an idea that voices of lost records and lost artists are floating around in space to send out transmissions – with the concept also being inspired by the romantic tale of Ann Druyan, creative director of the Golden Voyager project, whose heartbeat was captured for the Golden Record on the day after Carl Sagan proposed to her, whose image is imposed on the cover artwork of the record after the sound waves were processed through a Spectogram, and turned into the image. Now comprised of Robbie Chater and Tony Di Biasi, the duo are most famous for 2000’s “Since I Left You”, a debut record that, no pressure to the two, really changed the way that we make music. “Wildflower” followed a lengthy 16 years later, and seemed to get a more mixed general reception, but I felt it was an excellent album in it’s own right. Let’s sample the track “Music Makes Me High” below.

At least it only took them four years this time… Along with some help, of course. Released today via Modular Recordings, the new long-player features a staggering guest line-up including MGMT, Johnny Marr, Kurt Vile, Tricky, Sampa The Great and more – alongside guests such as Neneh Cherry, Blood Orange, Rivers Cuomo and Sananda Maitreya (formerly Terrence Trent D’Arby) who have already appeared on the singles. It’s staggering to think how it was back in February that we heard our first tease of their new effort, but it’s now finally here. In an interview with NME, I can recall Robbie and Tony explaining how “Music Makes Me High”, their new promotional single of the time, was largely a throwback to the style of music which they grew up listening to. There are definitely prominent elements of Detroit House and Chicago Soul here, with a very vintage genre of sound which, you could argue, inhabits the qualities and values that Robbie and Tony are all about as artists – Scavengers of an endless record collection – that harken back to the roots of their sample-based production flair. Sampling hallucinogenic beats from Salty Miller’s track of the same title, and The Devoted Souls 80’s anthem “Keep On (Holding On)”, the vocals retain a lighthearted feel of a wild, drug-induced night out, while the short and snappy synth loops give the track an upbeat, funky feel. The short samples of cheering crowds remind me of the adventurous, earthly vibes of “Since I Left You”, and the brief Gospel backing vocals add some weight to the track’s cooling effects of it’s hook. While the track probably might not be for everybody’s cup of tea due to it’s lack of the sonic qualities found on their more hip-hop oriented work, I think the layout is very impressive, as the central sample pulls together with the push-and-pull production to form a clean, unified sound. The gift of The Avalanches’ work of repurposing old samples into a format that feels imaginative, and this track really emphasizes those abilities of the duo’s ever-present desire to uplift – and renew, in the face of adversity.

Pictured: The Avalanches (Robbie Chater & Tony Di Blasi) in a press shot for “Wildflower” (2016) (via PR)

It’s been a long singles run for the duo in the lead-up to today’s album release, and we’ve covered some of the bases already here on the blog. Check out my review for the first teaser, from way back in February – and the titular track – here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/02/21/todays-track-the-avalanches-feat-blood-orange-we-will-always-love-you/, followed by the second single, “Running Red Lights”, here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/03/20/todays-track-the-avalanches-feat-rivers-cuomo-pink-siifu-running-red-lights/, and finally, we also took a look at “Wherever You Go”, of which you can read up on my feelings on here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/07/23/todays-track-the-avalanches-feat-jamie-xx-neneh-cherry-clypso-wherever-you-go/

Pictured: Mural promoting “We Will Always Love You” in Melbourne, Australia (2020) (via Stereogum)

Thank you for putting up with my latest love letter to The Avalanches. Happy Listening! Wherever You Go, don’t miss out tomorrow’s post on the blog, which highlights some more alternative Festive music, this time being a comedic single that came in the 1960’s from a Country and R&B singer-songwriter who has been inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall Of Fame and the Christian Music Hall Of Fame. 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: High Contrast (feat. LOWES) – “Rhythm Is Changing”

December 4, 2020 — Leave a comment

I can play this every night – but the beat don’t feel the same! It is time for a new post!

Pictured: High Contrast (Lincoln Barrett) at Let It Roll Open Air Festival (2015) (via Hospital Records)

Good Morning to you – It’s perhaps a bit early for this one, but that’s the way that my schedule goes! I’m 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 get typing away up here about a different piece of music every day! Grammy-nominee High Contrast, the project of Welsh Drum-and-Bass artist Lincoln Barrett, is a name with a long resume – including remixed treatments for the likes of Kanye West, The White Stripes and, even, Adele. He also curated some music for the 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony in London. He is an artist who I have a little deal of familiarity with – I liked the throwback feel of “The Beat Don’t Feel The Same” and the semi-soulful vibe of “Remind Me”, two singles which have added a good share of variety to his back catalogue in recent years, but he is not really a guy who I’ve personally ever sat down and listened to a full-length album, front to back, from. “Rhythm Is Changing” was sent to me by a music plugger, of all sources. “Notes From The Underground” is out today – his ninth studio album release which features guest spots from the likes of Kae Tempest, Anita Blay and Ady Suleiman by the 3Beat Productions record label. He explores 90’s Dance revival, especially on “Rhythm Is Changing”. Let’s stream it below.

Barrett strikes me as a producer who always wants to engage with his instincts, whether that takes him down an experimental or pop-based approach, as he detailed in the making of his new record: “I used to think you could be more prescriptive making an album”, explaining, “I realized you can’t control it all in advance, you’re better off just following your heart and not overthinking it. Music is an escape from linearity and language and from a whole lot else”, per a statement on Primary Talent’s artist biography. “Rhythm Is Changing” takes a spontaneous route, with a series of electronic beats that unpredictably change every time the hook comes in, delivered by Northern Soul 4-piece group, LOWES. It starts off with a 90’s-centric Piano piece, before a sweep of Horn samples lead to a crescendo of Jungle beats and strobe effects that come into play when the vocal loop of “An I feel like the rhythm is changing” builds momentum for the bassline to kick in. There are some robotic, glitched Horn samples that come in at the next vocal intersection, before a Heavier tempo of drum beats and looped male vocals provide the next turn. You end up with a track that unashamedly takes cues from the Big Beat rave era of the late 90’s that housed names like The Chemical Brothers and The Prodigy. The production feels notably subversive however, and it adds a sequenced layer of complexity beneath the surface. This is quite interesting because the music at the time was often dismissed as “cheap” and “disposable” fare to make for a “fun night in the club” and not much else, but it was later being established as an art form of music in it’s own right, and deservedly so. With “Rhythm Is Changing”, you get a cool track which sounds really impressive and appealing because it manages to consistently re-invent itself with it’s instrumentation and production. It’s also a gutsy move to be releasing this style of music when the government have actually closed the settings where you’re supposed to take it in and enjoy it more fully – but Barrett has still created a full-on club banger.

Pictured: Cover Art for “Notes From The Underground” (Album/LP) (Released on December 4th, 2020) (via 3Beat Productions)

Thank you for reading my new post! As always, I’ll be back tomorrow – and we are going to be getting festive again for the Christmas season now that we are officially into Advent! This is an older track from a collection of five EP’s worth of Christmas carols and Festive-themed tracks, all of which were recorded by an established American singer/multi-instrumentalist who has received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song for “Mystery Of Love” from the 2017 film, “Call Me By Your Name”. 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: PVA – “Talks”

November 21, 2020 — Leave a comment

Been non-stop listening to a new EP by a band named after Glue… I can’t put it down!

Pictured: Josh Baxter, Ella Harris & Louis Satchell in a recent press shot (2020) (Photo via DIYMag.com)

The very history of Glue is a sticky one…Good Lord! Good Morning to you, I am Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s finally my turn again to get writing up about your daily track on the blog, since it is always my day-to-day pleasure to do so! I’m not actually certain if this new South London-based trio have named themselves after a type of Glue we all used in primary schools, but they are still turning heads nevertheless. Comprised of Josh Baxter, Ella Harris and Louis Satchell, PVA are a new genre-pushing Synth-Punk trio who originally established themselves as an enigmatic force when they started out in 2019. At the time, PVA decided to release just a half-length snippet of one of their tracks onto the wide internet – instead deciding to win over their fans based on the euphoric feel of their live gigs alone. It is an interesting management practice to say the least, especially these days. Yesterday, they released their debut EP, “Toner”, on Big Dada, an imprint of the larger Ninja Tune label, although I originally discovered the lead single, “Talks”, about six weeks ago. Dominic Haley wrote, in an interview feature for the Loud and Quiet website, “Their music mutates around an array of genres”, later adding, “They’re both brutal, and dripping in underground cool, but accessible and totally danceable”. Let’s have a listen to the new single, “Talks”, below.

Filled with 80’s New Wave guitar sweeps which evoke Prefab Sprout and New Order, Balaeric synth work that evokes LCD Soundsystem and Battles, and even a Big Beat-inspired EDM interlude, that evokes Propellerheads and Basement Jaxx, “Talks” is a solid track to get your foot in the door of the diverse music industry with. It feels hard to pinpoint down into a specific term of genre – and I like how it feels quite unconventional and obscure in doing so. The band said, in a press release, that lyrically “Talks is about how we invent games in order to avoid expressing our true feelings or take the risk of being hurt”, explaining, “The song also takes inspiration from real relationships and the fictional relationship between John and Abigail Marston (who are the main characters of video game, Red Dead Redemption). I’m afraid that latter reference hits a blank with me – but I can certainly see some expressive emotions coming through the vocals. Baxter sings, “Even in the furthest reaches, I’ve searched for forgiveness” above the euphoric synth line, which evokes a choppy 80’s rock sound. Baxter croons: “Bound to the heart you gave me” and “Confess about what I thought” in the second verse, duelling over some neat backing vocals from Harris, with an intriguing lyrical wordplay, layered above the New Wave guitar sensibility, which reminds me of Baxter Dury. The hook-led chorus carries along a slick hi-hat rhythm, where off-key Organ patterns evoke Nu-Jazz, and they meet with syncopated drum machine beats reminiscent of Nu-Disco, which even cross paths with warm Post-Punk backing vocals that have an anxious tonal delivery. You end up with a sound that feels quite immediate, and the intricate Funk patterns really end up creating a rather confident formula as the 80’s-leaning Pop sound struts along with the Disco-esque song structure. The vocal delivery feels deadpan too, and this elicits a small touch of humour and Motorik sounds, so I could see some more mainstream eyes looking at this 3-piece for their eclectic style. It all “Sticks” together!

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Toner” (EP) (Available to buy from November 20th, 2020) (via Big Dada)

Thank you very much for tuning into the blog for today’s post! Don’t forget that tomorrow, we will be taking an in-depth look at an ancient classic from Pop-Punk past and Emo-Rock history – as part of our new entry in the Scuzz Sundays series – where we will be looking at a popular band led by a female singer-songwriter who has led a famous solo career in recent years, having since collaborated with B.O.B. and CHVRCHES for a few more mainstream radio hits! 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 (feat. Jarvis Cocker) – “Straight To The Morning”

November 14, 2020 — Leave a comment

Forget Endgame – this is the biggest crossover event in media history! New post time!

Pictured: Alexis Taylor (Lead Vocals), Joe Goddard (Synths/Keyboard), Owen Clarke (Lead Guitar), Al Doyle (Bass Guitar/Percussion), and Felix Martin (Drum Machine/Programming) (in 2019) (via PR)

Good Morning to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for you to have a listen to today’s track on the blog, because it is always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! We’re going to round off the week with a slice of Disco-Pop euphoria, which comes courtesy of the new collaboration between the established English Synth-Pop 5-piece band Hot Chip and Pulp’s famous frontman, Jarvis Cocker. The single, “Straight To The Morning”, should appeal to a broad range of tastes. To link themselves up for the collaboration that we didn’t know we needed, Hot Chip had approached Cocker after performing some DJ sets together in Paris because “Somehow he seems an unlikely figure in this all, and we like it that way”, per Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor in a press release. Cocker added: “This was the very last musical session I was involved in before Lockdown.” and commenting that although the track is about going for a night out when you’re not allowed to do so for now, Cocker said: “We danced around in the studio quite a lot in the meantime though. It was fun to be a member of the Straight Through Crew for a day”. You can buy a physical 10″ vinyl copy of the new single from January 29, 2021 via Domino Recordings. It also comes with a Mighty Mouse remix and a deck of playing cards illustrated by Rami Afifi – to keep you busy on a long Winter night. Check it out below.

It’s not quite like Hot Chip and Jarvis Cocker have been out of the public eye for a while, because it has only been one year since Hot Chip released their critically acclaimed LP “A Bath Full Of Ecstasy”, whereas Jarvis Cocker went on a venture into Art-Rock with his critically lauded “Beyond The Pale” LP from his JARV IS project, in July. Starting off with a swooping Violin section, Alexis Taylor sings: “Well, there’s a ringing in my ears/But, there’s a devil in my tongue” over the top of a fluctuating drum machine riff that feels typical to the Electronic 90’s dance sound that we’re used to hearing from them. It gets followed up by a sharp burst of slight distortion vocal effects and very upbeat, melodic Synth patterns in the chorus, as Taylor sings: “Straight to the morning, The fever will never end”, aided by the ongoing Violin chords. The track slows down to a nice, fragmented section of off-kilter Synth lines and deeper, cerebral vocals from Cocker, who croons: ” I feel the heat, let’s cut the lights/It’s a small slice of heaven” to a surprisingly quirky delivery. He lurks in the background throughout the man bulk of the track, giving off a dueling backing vocal to Taylor’s hooks and thus adding a slightly wonky, offbeat effect with his colder, more calculated delivery that feels slightly melodic enough to conjoin to the quick pacing of the track. Lyrically, it’s just about going out and having fun, so there isn’t really a lot of depth here – but I think that themes of nightlife and socializing in dance music are bringing in a light sense of normal life to us at this time. Overall, I like Hot Chip and I like Jarvis Cocker, and so this is a fun tune to dance along in the Kitchen to.

Pictured: Jarvis Cocker at the Primavera Sound Festival, Barcelona (2019) (Photo Credit: Adela Loconte)

Thank you for reading my new post! As always, I’ll be back tomorrow for a new weekly addition to our year-long Scuzz Sundays series, where we take a look back at a rather cheesy and trashy Pop-Punk or Emo-Rock classic that was originally released between the late-1990’s and the mid-2000’s, to see if they can hold up to a valuable slice of quality in our current times. 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: Romy – “Lifetime”

November 5, 2020 — Leave a comment

A big departure in sound for this XX-rated female indie songwriter. It’s new post time!

Pictured: Romy Madley Croft performing with The XX on-stage (2018) (Photo Credit: Phillip Cosores)

Good Morning to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for me to get typing up about today’s track on the blog, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Romy Madley Croft is perhaps best known for being one third of The XX’s line-up, but she’s decided to embark on a solo project in recent months. Although a new album from one of the UK’s biggest indie rock bands is being hinted at, as Croft reassured fans by saying: “There’s more XX music to come for sure” in a new interview, she’s also just had the pleasure of releasing her debut single as a solo artist, “Lifetime”, a single that has gained support from BBC Radio 1 and was released on the Young Turks record label. The track’s lyrics touch on the connection of embracing meeting up with loved ones in a way that we haven’t exactly done before. It’s unclear whether Romy is working on her own debut solo album to follow up on the single, but it’s nice to see the trio of members from The XX keeping active with their own passion projects. Let’s stream “Lifetime” below.

“Lifetime” really suprised me because it is a huge departure from the duo vocal setup of the XX, and the more ethereal electronic textures that the trio explored on their latest album, 2017’s “I See You”. Gone are the slick guitar bushings that feel emotionally driven and downbeat, and instead we have a pandemic-inspired, melodic Synthpop beat and a sparse disco influence. It gets off to a very “poppy” start, as Romy sings: “This must be a love from a higher place/Closing my eyes and I still know the taste” over the top of a big synth line which fluctuates with glitches and pulsating drum machine beats to the pace of a sonic vocal loop which calls out “You’ll be right be” as the sweeping bassline gathers the steam to build towards a crescendo of warm, uplifting textures. The style may be wildly different to her work as a part of The XX, but I would argue that the songwriting has a familiarity to The XX’s established sound, as Romy touches on romanticism when she sings: “The touch of your skin when the sun hits your face” and offers a hand in unity when she sings: “If this world comes to an end, I wanna be there with you”, again being recited above the dance-pop instrumental. I’m always all up for an artist evolving their style and putting a fresh spin on our expectations, but I think that Romy’s change of sound comes to a mixed result on this one. I’ve seen some glowing reviews for the track, and it might just be me being sniffy. However, I am struggling to see much in the single that feels original. I think that the dance-pop layout will appeal to a large group of people, but that’s kind of the issue for me, it feels very mainstream and done a hundred times before. The lyrics solve their purpose, if a little bit shallow. The synth work is also palatable, but too sugar-coated for my liking. The vocal loop works well, but it gets a bit over-used by the end of the track. Overall, the track is ‘fine’ but I am left to be quite underwhelmed by my overall feeling that in doing something different, she’s doing something that feels less interesting than the sound we know. I hope that she keeps taking risks, and this departure in sound is why I wanted to share this single with you.

Pictured: Cover Art for "Lifetime" (12" Single) (Released on September 29th, 2020) (via Young Turks) — Pictured: Cover Art for “Lifetime” (12″ Single) (Released on September 29th, 2020) (via Young Turks)

Thank you for reading my new post! Covid-19 has had ramifications on the new music release schedule, and there is not really anything coming out tomorrow that I am aware of. Instead, we’re going to take a look at a superb recent-ish Alternative R&B/Experimental Hip-Hop single from a Ghanian-Australian songwriter from Canberra who performed as an opening act for 5 Seconds Of Summer’s charity gig in Sydney last year and is the brother of Citizen Kay…I just wish I’d found the time to cover it a bit sooner! 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: Confidence Man – “First Class B***h”

October 20, 2020 — Leave a comment

You’d think this single is all about my Bachelor Of Arts degree. It’s time for a new post!

Pictured: Cover Art for “First Class B***h” (Released on October 16th, 2020) (via Heavenly Recordings)

Good Afternoon to you, my name is Jacob Braybrooke and I’m here to fulfill my daily duties of typing up your daily track on the blog, as per usual, since it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! Confidence Man are an Australian Indie Electronic dance group from Brisbane, Australia who I’ve been following closely since my regional college years at Cambridge. Made up of Sugar Bones, Janet Planet, Clarence McGuffie and Reggie Goodchild, the band have never been afraid of taking a quirky and comedic route in their career to inject some vibrancy into the European and American club music scenes, and they’ve just released a new, one-off single “First Class B***h” on the Heavenly Recordings indie label. It’s also a possibility of a tease for a full-length follow-up LP to their 2018 debut, “Confident Music For Confident People”, which won the AIR award for “Best Independant Dance/Electronica Album” that year. Confidence Man have also performed at several popular Australian music festivals, including Falls Festival and Splendour In The Grass Festival. Their debut album really was a ton of fun, but their last single “Does It Make You Feel Good?” left me quite underwhelmed due to it’s more commercial, chart-oriented sound. You may say I’m more “Confident” about the results this time around, with the track receiving airplay from Jack Saunders’ Indie Show on BBC Radio 1, X-Posure with John Kennedy on Radio X, and a recent episode of BBC Radio 6Music Recommends, curated by Lauren Laverne. Give it a listen below!

Janet Planet, the first class b***h herself, found her inspiration for the tune when travelling to London: “I’d been thinking about this for a while now… It all started in London, when I saw a pair of socks with the words “first class b***h” embroidered on them, hanging in a shop front window. I suddenly realized, I too was a first class b***h. I rushed back to the penthouse and penned this hit. Ever wondered what you hear when you die? This is it.”, via press release from Heavenly Recordings. I feel releasing a tongue-in-cheek and feel-good, “dorky” dance single at a time like this is a nice idea, even though nobody can dance to it in clubs right now. But, it’s up to the talents of Janet that she still manages to sell it pretty well. Her vocals are dripping in narcissism and enthusiasm as she inhabits the character of Janet Planet, along to the beat of unashamedly pop-driven EDM production and bouncy drum beats. Her delivery is rhythmic, as she quips: “I’ve got the looks, I’ve got the brains, I’m in the spotlight” and “Yeah, I’m the best and all my friends say I’m sexy/I told you once, I told you twice, you won’t forget me” before claiming: “I’m on a boat with Leonardo DiCaprio” and leading us into a more involving, chant-driven breakdown as she claps along to “I get what I want, I don’t care”, before we’re led to a gentle tempo increase of the upbeat synth melodies and the percussive hip-hop-inspired backing beats. It feels like more-or-less a return to form for the Aussie favourites to me, with a fun and eclectic variety of pop-driven hip-hop elements and entertaining lyricism to boot. The male vocals are drowned in reverb, and Planet’s vocal performance makes the track work nicely due to her humour and energy. It doesn’t quite have the same smart humour that made their debut album an exceptional listen for me, and I think that a little bit more could have been done with Planet’s male counterparts of the band, but this is just a minor constructive criticism in regards to hearing the band make semi-interesting dance music again. Oh, and yeah, Janet Planet really is dead cool actually.

Pictured: Janet Planet (Vocals/Producer), Sugar Bones (Vocals/Guitar), Reggie Goodchild (Synths) and Clarence McGuffie (Drums) at Rock En Seine, Paris (in 2018) (Photo via Kitty Callaghan/RUSSH.com)

If you’re in the mood for checking out some of the band’s other work, you’re in a good place. You can check out their groovy festive tune “Santa’s Comin’ Down The Chimney” here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2019/12/04/todays-track-confidence-man-santas-comin-down-the-chimney/. You can also peruse the link to my post about their single “Does It Make You Feel Good?” here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/02/26/todays-track-confidence-man-does-it-make-you-feel-good/

Pictured: Janet Planet and Sugar Bones in a promotional photoshoot (in 2019) (Photo Credit: Zac Bayly)

Thank you for reading my new post! I hope that you’re still in the mood for a spot of new indie electronic dance releases tomorrow, because I will be listening to the very surprising new release from the electronic dance alias of an American movie and television actor who is most famous for playing the role of Steve Harrington in the Netflix original hit streaming TV series “Stranger Things”. 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: Bonobo & Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs – “Heartbreak”

October 6, 2020 — Leave a comment

You’d better not break my heart – My achey, breaky heart! It is time for your new post!

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Heartbreak” (Single) (Released on September 23rd, 2020) (via OUTLIER)

Good Morning! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and I’ve just arrived to write up about your daily track on the blog since, in case you hadn’t figured it out by now, it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to get typing up about a different piece of music every day! “Heartbreak” is a new collaborative single created by two exceptional talents within the International EDM club scene. In one corner, we have Bonobo – aka Brighton-born but Los Angeles-based dance music composer Simon Green – who has attained a cult following, with his material being performed by a full-scale touring band during his live DJ sets. In the second corner, we have Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs – a London-born dance music producer best known for his UK Top 40-charting album “Trouble” from 2012, and we covered his work on the blog just recently due to the release of his incredible “I Can Hear The Birds” EP during Lockdown. Although the single is available to download or stream digitally right now, it is also set to come out on a physical 12″ vinyl format, come November 13th. The release of “Heartbreak” is also very notable because it marks Bonobo’s first material to be released on Bonobo’s new independent label, OUTLIER. These two producers have been friends since 2015, collaborating both behind-the-scenes and by regularly supporting each other on-tour. Bonobo elaborated on their work together, via press release, saying: “Orlando (Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs) was playing me a fairly stripped back idea he had for something last year,” later adding, “We spent a few afternoons in his studio trying ideas out and eventually, ‘Heartbreak’ was the end result.”. Their new single comes accompanied by an official visualizer music video – and it includes a heavy STROBE warning. You have been warned! Let’s take a listen to their collaborative single below.

“Heartbreak” mainly plays out as a tribute to the heavy disco scene in New York City during the 1970’s and the 1980’s, with the main sample being used from “Weekend”, a track by Class Action. The liner notes that will come with the 12″ physical single will feature an essay by author Tim Lawrence on the lasting impact of the original track. You’re getting some more bang for your buck, then. “Heartbreak” was reportedly also the catalyst for Bonobo’s indie label, as he explained: “[It] seemed like a good starting point and was the track that became the catalyst to start the label. One for the dance floors in a time when they’re dearly missed”, via a press statement. A light New-Rave element proves to be the modern twist to bring the old sample up to a bit of a contemporary speed. It also sounds quite breakbeat-driven, with a heavy acid strobe line that wraps around Christine Wiltshire’s original vocal hook of “I can’t take the heartbreak” from the sampled 1983 dance anthem. The introspective, but rumbling, synth melodies feel noticeably Higginbottom, a comforting element that sounds a lot like his previous work, but they never feel simplistic, as Higginbottom takes inspiration from the 90’s street rave scene in the UK to create some rolling percussion beats and some fluttering synthesizers that feel vibrant and emotionally-driven, if a little bit safe. The other side of the sonic palette sees Bonobo experimenting with a decadent, spiraling bass melody that permeates through the duration of the track with a solid cohesion and weaving the drum parts throughout the interchanging textures of Higginbottom’s Nu-Disco synth work. Together, they make up for a very fluid listening experience overall. I think that just a little bit more variety in the vocal sample could have taken things up to a slightly higher level, but those are just my two cents. You’ve got to remember that, at the time of the NYC dance scene of the 70’s and 80’s that the sound is harkening back to, no-one had mobile phones and people were truly on the dancefloor, in a club, to connect, socially and without much technology, with inclusivity and fun. So, I feel that Green and Higginbottom have done a fantastic job in pulling this track together with the resources that they had. A great throwback.

Pictured: Bonobo (a.k.a. Simon Green) in a live set (2017) (Photo Credit: Jason Kempin/Getty Images)

As I’ve mentioned just now, I have also covered a track (“Los Angeles”) taken from Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs’ recent EP, “I Can Hear The Birds”, which he pulled together using collaged field recordings of birdsong sounds that was gathered, and sent, to him by some of his friends across the world. Make sure that you take a listen to the track here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/08/05/todays-track-totally-enormous-extinct-dinosaurs-los-angeles/

Pictured: Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs in an official photoshoot (in 2020) (Photo by Pia Riverola)

Thank you very much for reading my new post! Tomorrow, I’ll be listening to a new track from a North London-born experimental electronic producer who was recently featured on KEXP’s Song Of The Day podcast, and played on a recent episode of 6Music Recommends by John Ravenscroft. The artist has just released a new EP on the innovative Hyperdub music label, and she has previously released her music on the New York Haunted record 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/

Today’s Track: Róisín Murphy – “Something More”

October 2, 2020 — Leave a comment

Engineering of clear precision – or a mechanical malfunction? It’s time for a new post!

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Róisín Murphy” (Available from October 2nd, 2020) (via Skint Records)

Good Morning to you! I am Jacob Braybrooke and it’s my usual duty to get typing up about a different track on the blog each day, because it’s still routinely my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! Just when we all probaby thought she had reached the top of her game when she decreed “Murphy’s Law” back in early March (“pre-Covid”, just about), Murphy threw us another bombshell a few weeks later: she had been working on her first solo album release since 2016, “Róisín Machine”, which released today, October 2nd, via Skint Records (a subsidiary of BMG Rights Management). The female alternative musician known for chart hits including “Sing It Back” and “The Time Is Now” as one half of the Irish Trip-Hop duo Moloko with her partner Mark Brydon, has been collecting up her previously unreleased singles, dating back to 2012, to make up the track-list of her new album, alongside new material. I think Róisín Murphy is great, and so I’ve been really looking forward to hearing the new release, which was delayed from an intended release date of September 25th, due to Covid-19 manufacturing issues. Alas, it was only another week, and here we are now. The record has received a very healthy 86/100 on review aggregate site Metacritic, with Alexis Petridis, of The Guardian, writing in his four-star review that “Róisín Machine” is “a sharper, more focused album than 2016’s ‘Take Her Up to Monto’; one which reins in some, but not all, of its author’s eccentricities […] Certainly, it allows Róisín Murphy’s talents to shine far more clearly than its sprawling predecessor”. Let’s have a listen to the single, “Something More”, for ourselves below.

The Irish Disco-House pioneer turned to her longtime collaborator Richard Barratt to help her produce the album, while five of the new tracks from the track-listing were penned with the NYC-based songwriter, Amy Douglass. A more emotionally-driven follow-up to the uptempo, groovy “Murphy’s Law” single, Murphy opens with a soulful croon of “I want Something More”, and a two-step drum beat begins to creep in to form the core basis of the groove, before a hazy set of Synth riffs and a swirling, percussive drum beat creates a mid-tempo and seductive effect. The post-bridge seems to mark the cue to a key change, as the synthesized instrumentation briefly tones down and it allows for a more downtempo side of Murphy to shine through, as she adds: “Gotta give me something more/I want something more”, to a washing, soft ambience that gives the body-twirling drum grooves a leeway to breathe, butstill retaining those elements of Nu-Funk and Italo Disco, with the dance-led melodicism. The rest of the lyrics play on searching for renewal in your life, and the representation of an overall wider search for identity within your spiritual or mental well-being, as Murphy recites polished little hooks such as “I want it all, yes all the cake” and “A crown upon my head, two lovers in my bed, but I want something more” on top of the mature direction of the deeper, more mysterious vocals than we’ve heard from Murphy’s tracks in recent months. Overall, I think the new single establishes a clear element of Deep House into her formula, with the layered and percussive drum beats. I feel that Disco throwbacks has been a staple of the mainstream trends this year, with Dua Lipa and Jessie Ware taking clear influence in recent months, but Murphy does it with more sophistication and credibility, yet without losing very much of the accessibility elements. On “Something More”, she sounds strong and confident in wandering down whatever path of Euro-Pop or Nu-Disco which interests her, without much specific thought of the commercial ramifications that may come with this, and I think this should be respected. Although I don’t feel that “Something More” has quite as much of an impact as “Narcissus” or “Murphy’s Law”, it is still an excellent showing from one of the best comeback stories of the last few years. A lack of disappointment.

Pictured: Róisín Murphy in a “Take Her Up To Monto” publicity shoot (2016) (Photo via Nicole Nodland)

If you want to hear something more from Róisín Murphy (Pun intended, of course), you can also per-use my write-up of her track “Narcissus” here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/01/09/todays-track-roisin-murphy-narcissus/ and also my glowing review for “Murphy’s Law” below: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/03/10/todays-track-roisin-murphy-murphys-law/.

Pictured: Róisín Murphy at the Sonar Festival, Istanbul (2017) (Photo from https://sonaristanbul.com/)

Thank you for taking a look at the blog today! Sunday marks the time of the week where we take an in-depth look at an Emo-Rock/Pop-Punk relic from the childhood decades past, with a new weekly installment of the year-long Scuzz Sundays series! In the meantime, I will be back tomorrow, for an in-depth look at a recent track from an English Art-Rock/Math-Rock band from Greater Manchester who released seven UK Top 10 Independent chart hits as a pioneer of Factory Records between the late-1970’s and the early 1990’s. Recently, they have reformed to release their first new album since 2008. 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: Groove Armada – “Lover4Now”

October 1, 2020 — Leave a comment

The Electronic Dance duo back to prove the old ways are the best! It’s new post time!

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Edge On The Horizon” (Available on October 2nd, 2020) (via BMG Rights)

Good Morning to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke and, as usual, I’m back on the daily blogging round again today, because it’s still always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! This Friday, tomorrow even, sees the release of “Edge Of The Horizon”, the first new album from Groove Armada, the London-based 1990’s Electronic “Big Beat” duo of Tom Findlay and Andy Cato, to come from the classic duo in exactly ten years. “At The River”, “I See You Baby” and “Superstylin'” are just three of the ten UK Top 40-charting singles to come from the duo’s output over their established 30-year career. They have also released eight studio albums, four of which have charted within the Top 50 of the UK Albums Chart. Prolific as the duo’s decent chart success would suggest, the two producers have crossed over in genres and styles, since meeting in the mid-1990’s, where the duo began the project by setting up their own series of club nights in London (Remember those?) named “Captain Sensual at the Helm of the Groove Armada”, and it was inspired by 1970’s discotheque, which impressed local pioneer “Tummy Touch” to help them get their break, and kick-start their crossover appeal to the mainstream. “Edge Of The Horizon” was very much inspired by the classic 80’s Synth-Funk sounds which Cato and Findlay grew up listening to, and the current Covid-19 restrictions seemed like the right moment for this, as Cato said, in a press release, “During those studio days, the rest of the world shuts down. There’s an intensity, anyone looking in might say madness, that kicks in when we’re totally lost amongst the instruments, synths and records day and night.”, adding, “But that shared, unspoken feeling that comes when we both know we’ve got it right cuts through as clear as ever”. “Edge Of The Horizon” features collaborative tracks with Nick Littlemore (of Empire Of The Sun and Pnau band fame) and the Chicago House producer, Paris Brightledge. The lead single, “Lover4Now”, features guest vocals from Todd Edwards. Let’s listen to it below.

“Lover4Now” feels very much like Cato and Findlay’s ode to 80’s Italo disco, and it, of course, comes accompanied by that cutesy animated music video which sees Mio (the Dog) and Cosmos (the Cat) on their adorable search for love following an online dating session. The rhythms and 1970’s-driven lead vocals immediately call back to Rick James’ “Super Freak” from 1981 to me, as vocalist Tom Edwards delivers his lyrics playing on deceitful romance and alluring lust with a vintage, somewhat fearful, yet still with a playful and upbeat touch, with a mid-1970’s Funk croon. The whirling synthesizers beats in between the vocal sections, where Edwards recites, “Her words are like a song on the radio, Stuck in your head with nothing meaningful” seem bright and intelligent, with catchy pop hooks which feel like a love letter to the vintage style of pop and R&B that seem to have inspired the new track greatly. It has a very “old-fashioned” and “European” disco sound/feel to it, with a light-hearted element of production and subtle elements of early Garage and Detroit House creeping in from the visuals of Ibiza sunsets and cheeky, short-lived Summer romances. The up-tempo backing vocals and the stop-and-start nature of the keyboard synths in the bridge, as Edwards recites: “You need a little sympathy, you’ve had enough wasting your time”, over the top of a brisk ambience. Lines in the chorus feel more rhythmic, as Edwards sings the likes of “There you go looking for her again, and how many before you have there been?” and “She’ll only say what she thinks you wanna hear/You think that she will notice, but she won’t” to put across the ideas of the initial physical thrill of passionate romance, and the mental dangers to come from this. There is never really a “drop” here in terms of the synths raising their intensity up to another level, but the beat feels punchy enough and it’s kept at a relaxed pace to catch your ears nicely. Overall, it skews a bit more poppy than what I would normally choose to listen to, but I feel it’s still a cool record. It has a hugely “old” feel to it, yet I find it to be refreshing in today’s era of very auto-tuned hip-hop/pop-hybrids and business-driven releases aimed at the Teenage girl market. Overall, I really like this. Much better than expected.

Pictured: Groove Armada (Andy Cato & Tom Findlay) in a press shoot (2020) (Photo via BMG Rights UK)

Thank you very much for reading my new post! As per usual, I will be back tomorrow for an in-depth listen to a recent single from another one of the week’s new album releases. I am very fond of this artist, so I have covered her work on the blog once or twice before. This comes from a contemporary Disco-Pop female artist who was once a member of Moloko, a duo with her partner Mark Brydon, who had a few mainstream chart hits in the 80’s with tracks like “Sing It Back” and “The Time Is Now”. 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/