Way Back Wednesdays: Jason Donovan – “Too Many Broken Hearts”

February 24, 2021 — Leave a comment

Wouldn’t you have liked to been Neighbours with Scott Robinson? Let’s go Way Back!

Pictured: Cover Art for “Ten Good Reasons” (Released on May 2nd, 1989) (via PWL/Mushroom Records)

Good Morning, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and it’s time for this week’s Blast From The Past as part of our “Way Back Wednesdays” series, where we celebrate the sounds from before 2000 – not forgetting that it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! My mother is a massive fan of James Donovan, the Australian star who has graced our screens and the stage since the 80’s. Whether it’s playing the titular role in ‘Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’ throughout the 1990’s, or singing with his fellow Neigbours soap star alumni Kylie Minogue on ‘Top Of The Pops’, Donovan is never the kind of guy to give up the fight for anything – except ITV’s latest series of entertainment show ‘Dancing On Ice’ – where back injuries led to his very unfortunate exit from the competition. Not gonna lie, that threw a wrench in my plans a tiny bit when I heard the news yesterday because I planned to write this post over a week ago as a pick-me-up for Donovan’s luck in the contest. Nevertheless, he’s pulled out to Fight another day – I guess. Donovan’s had a very successful Pop career too, although arguably little may remember “Ten Good Reasons”, his debut album, it was still the best-selling album in the UK of 1989, and Jason’s had four UK #1 Singles along with a figure of 3 million records sold in the UK. On that note, I’m going to revisit ‘Too Many Broken Hearts’, Especially For You, below.

Released in May, 1989 by PWL and Mushroom Records, ‘Ten Good Reasons’ would go on to spawn three UK #1 singles for Jason Donovan, including this track, the Kylie Minogue duet track that I slipped in as a pun above and “Sealed With A Kiss”, with their commercial success making history for Donovan, who became the first Australian-born male solo artist to hold the pole position spots for both the UK Single and UK Album Charts simultaneously, at one point, back in the heyday. This is a simple, high energy and uplifting pop love song from the 80’s, and so it arguably plays out exactly how you would expect. Led by a recognizable guitar riff and a grooving drum opening with a few splashings of Brass instrumentation thrown in to give it a punchy feeling, Donovan starts to sing: “Last night you talked about leaving/I said I can’t let you go” to set the scene. The bridge puts the steering wheels in motion, with lines like “You give me one good reason to leave me/I’ll give you ten good reasons to stay” and “You’re the only one I believe in” being sung over the top of a mildly odd Xylophone dynamic and the trundling, light string section. The vocal delivery is a little strained, but the backing track is catchy and the rhythm is very upbeat. The chorus of “Too many broken hearts in the world, there’s too many dreams can be broken in two” and the final line of “I won’t give up the fight for you” makes things even more upbeat and melodic. I suppose it’s fair to say the crooning here is a little flat, in the original recording, but he has obviously sharpened up his skills in the decades since, and it would make for a fun live performance by today’s standards. I find the dated feel quite charming, however, and I think Donovan is a likeable vocal prescence here. The chorus is a bit karaoke – but it’s a catchy ear-worm and I find the lyrics to be mildly amusing, although I’m not sure why. Although auto-tune wasn’t really a thing back then, it’s still nice to hear his real voice being used. Overall, the label were clearly looking for a hit here, but I feel it’s perfectly fine and pleasant to listen to because it’s catchy and it doesn’t feel like it’s been over-played in the modern times. It’s not the most deep and meaningful songwriting I’ve ever heard, but it’s a pop career vehicle from the 1980’s, so I know what grain of salt to take it with and it’s not meant to be taken too seriously. Pretty good overall, I think the song deserves more credit than it may get nowadays and that Jason’s still got plenty of Fight in him left. *Picks up Kylie*

Pictured: Jason Donovon at the stage door of The London Palladium (2018) (Photo by Irene Cecilia)

That’s all for today – Thanks for your support in checking out what I had to share today! Please join me again tomorrow for more of the same, where I’ve got brand new music to review from a Lo-Fi/Indie Pop non-binary singer-songwriter based in the suburbs of Chicago who just released their debut album on Saddest Factory – the new record label owned by the woman of the moment, Phoebe Bridgers. 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 Year’s Day Special: Cee Lo Green & The Muppets – “All I Need Is Love”

January 1, 2021 — Leave a comment

To have any dislike for The Muppets would be a big crime to Kermit. Happy New Year!

Pictured: Cover Art for “Cee Lo’s Magic Moment” (LP) (Released on October 29, 2012) (via WB Records)

Let’s add in an extra HOOTENANNNNNY!!!!! Good Morning to you, it is the first day of January, and I’ll tell you what, this is the best that I have felt all year… I’m Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for me to get writing up about your special New Year’s Day post on the blog – because it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! If you know me, I’m not really one to celebrate Novelty tracks or commercial tie-in’s here on the blog – but I would be lying if I said that I didn’t have a soft spot for The Muppets, the most famous TV creation of Jim Henson… or, rather depressingly, Disney’s The Muppets now. Nevertheless, here’s an odd little Festive track that was released around this time of Christmas and New Year’s a whopping eight years ago now. “All I Need Is Love” is the handiwork of Cee Lo Green, a pop culture icon and coach of The Voice in the US, who is also known for being one half of the Southwestern Alternative Hip-Hop duo Gnarls Barkley, who had an enormously huge international chart hit with “Crazy” back in 2006. In 2012, it seemed that Sufjan Stevens wasn’t the only artist to be overjoyed with the thought of the festive season. “Cee Lo’s Magic Moment” was a full-length Christmas album which came from Green in October 2012, and the album managed to sell a total of 181,000 copies in the US at the time. Interestingly enough, it was also Green’s first album release not to feature one of those Parental Advisory stickers that you used to get on physical records – on a CD. Without further ado, let’s watch Green perform the track with The Muppets below.

Come to think of it… That last fact may suprise you, but it turns out that if you search for the “Explicit” version of Cee Lo Green’s international chart hit, “Forget You”, on the internet, then you will get what’s recognizably a completely different meaning to the old track. Nevertheless, The Muppets collaboration of “All I Need Is Love” is still a perfectly safe tune for the little ones to tune into today. As you can tell – and as you would have likely predicted – the style of the track borrows heavily from the “Mah Nà Mah Nà” theme tune which The Muppets have popularized over the years. Not many people probably know, however, that according to my research, it was borrowed from Piero Umiliani, an Italian composer of film scores. The Muppets get in on the action with a comedic sample of the old theme, and a selection mini-narratives in the music video. Green’s voice isn’t bad at all, and he soulfully croons the likes of “Watches, car, the agent sent me/A sixty inch in every room/But all I wanna see is you” and “Santa don’t know what to get me, I just want to see my baby” along to the beat of The Muppets giving him interruptions and an upbeat, soaring set of Brass-based arrangements. The second verse sees Green perform duelling vocals with Miss Piggy and pals, before we get to the hook-led chorus where the gang come together for a cheerful, festive sing-a-long, on top of a Motown style of Jazz instrumentation. Sleigh bell melodies and little guitar licks evoke a happy, jovial feeling. I feel the use of The Muppets adds a good bit of character to the track, although the mash-up also lends to some very uneven cohesion, and I think the tune struggles to really flow together in some areas of the track. Yet, it’s an engaging mix of mismatch pudding and the assembling of the weird, gibberish voices just adds a sense of quirk and humor that would have made it a bit flat and forgettable otherwise, and it simply wouldn’t be as much fun without the bizzare collaboration of The Muppets being involved. Overall, I can’t deny that it’s a bit of a train-wreck and it’s probably more suited to Christmas than New Year’s to my error, but I still think it’s superbly good fun and entertaining to listen to. If The Muppets are getting some work, what’s not to like? All I’ve left to do is wish you a Happy New Year – and thank you so much for supporting me throughout the year. Here’s to an excellent 2021 – and let’s try our best to give this virus the boot!

Pictured: Cee Lo Green at the premiere of Marriage Boot Camp (2020) (via Jemal Countess/Getty)

Thank you for ringing in the New Year with me on the blog today. As with every day, duty will continue across the new year, and that starts off tomorrow with our first regular post of the New Year. This single was a collaboration between a Japanese electronic dance producer who has a love affair with Funk, Latin and Jazz – and a Barbadian-born singer-songwriter who is now based in Los Angeles, and she was mentored by Patrice Rushen. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every new daily post is up and why not like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Scuzz Sundays: Blink-182 – “I Won’t Be Home For Christmas”

December 20, 2020 — 1 Comment

They are just interested in All The Small Things – nothing too big. It’s Scuzz Sunday…

Pictured: Mark Hoppus (Vocals/Bass Guitar), Travis Barker (Drums) and Matt Skiba (Lead Guitar) (2019) (Photo Credit: Noam Galai/Getty Images)

You know what Day it is – but then I just told you, didn’t I? I’m Jacob Braybrooke and it’s time for a Christmas edition of our weekly Scuzz Sundays feature, where we take a look back at one of the ghosts of Emo-Rock and Pop-Punk past, first released between the late-1990’s and the mid-2000’s, to see how it holds up today! Well, if there was ever a time where the whole British public – and our friends across the globe – needed cheering up, it’s now. I’m going to try my best to do exactly that with this – “I Won’t Be Home For Christmas” from Blink-182. Following yesterday’s news in the UK, the title of the track feels like it’s weirdly taken on another context now, which is bizarrely fitting of our living situation since I’d chosen it about a week ago now. Nevertheless, originally, it was titled as a parody of “I Will Be Home For Christmas”, the vintage Walter Kent and Kim Gannon classic. It was released in 2001 by the US Pop-Punk megastars Blink-182, but you can also find it on their “Greatest Hits” compilation LP. I’ve yet to do a Scuzz Sundays post on Blink-182, which is a little strange considering how they were cornerstones of the era, but then, I wasn’t ever really that keen on them, to be honest. This single was a huge commercial success for them, however, and it became the band’s biggest hit in Canada, reaching the #1 spot on the charts there. Fill up your stocking with ‘I Won’t Be Home For Christmas’ below.

This was originally recorded in 1997 as a Radio Promo/Jingle – and Alex Robert Ross, of Vice.com, described it as “It is the Family guy of Christmas songs, the New Jersey boardwalk T-shirt of Holiday jams, the gurning, half-stoned brat of Yuletide anti-merriment”, and, even though it usually takes me some convincing to agree with the critics at most times, I think he’s got it pretty spot-on there. A cacophony of toilet humor, penis jokes, American loathing, and Power-Pop guitar chords, make for a prodigal mixture of Tinsel Torment. The vocalist, Mark Hoppus, exclaims: “Outside the Carolers start to sing/I can’t describe the joy they bring/’Cause Joy is something they don’t bring me” in the opening verse, to show a spot of Sass, and later sings: “Well, I guess it’s not cool to freak on Christmas Eve/’Cause the Cops came and arrested me/They had an unfair advantage” in a heavier second chorus. The song structure is a fairly conventional pop one, but the very “Indie”-sounding bass guitar riffs are adorned with ringing Church bells and percussive little Sleigh bell melodies to sell the rather brash frustration of our lead narrator. The chorus plays out with: “It’s Christmas time again/It’s time to be nice to the people you can’t stand all year/I’m growing tired of all this Christmas cheer” above the frantically paced blend of Pop-driven lyricism and the Skate-Punk driven guitar instrumentation. The vocals are admittedly just a bit rough around the edges, but the chorus is perfectly fine, because the overall sound is a fairly catchy and enjoyable one. The lyrics stumble down that fine path between teen rebel and sociopath a little, but the vocal delivery is quite sharp, and I found the Grinch-esque little rhymes to be mildly amusing. This is not a masterpiece, but I enjoyed it. It doesn’t sound too outdated on most accounts – and it fits our times. Before we raise our spirits again, let’s wallow in the sadness a little first.

Pictured: Cover Art for “I Won’t Be Home For Christmas” (Released on Oct 16, 2001) (via MCA Records)

Thank you for reading my latest blog post – and hang in there! Join me again tomorrow as we take our minds off the season for a bit of California love from a Swedish Experimental Electronic music composer who really dares to be different, with the title track from an album which he released back in September. He’s set to play Club shows, in Sydney and Adelaide, over in Australia, in March next 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/

Scuzz Sundays: Paramore – “Misery Business”

November 22, 2020 — Leave a comment

Let’s see if this one still leaves us wanting more, more, Para-More! It’s Scuzz Sunday!

Pictured: Cover Art for “Riot!” (Album/LP) (Released on June 12th, 2007) (via Fueled By Ramen)

Good Morning to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and we’ve reached the time of the week where I dig out an ancient gem of the Pop-Punk and Emo-Rock boom of the late-1990’s through to the mid-2000’s, to see whether they can hold up to value and quality in our more modern times. Led by singer and multi-instrumentalist Hayley Williams, Paramore is a Tennessee-based Pop-Punk band who fall on the latter end of the time spectrum, who usually get compared to the sounds of No Doubt, Kelly Clarkson and Avril Lavigne. I can remember how the band broke into the mainstream particularly easily, with hit singles in the charts like “The Only Exception”, “Crushcrushcrush” and “That’s What You Get”, all three of which have been certified platinum, across the UK and the US sales. In recent times, the band – although going through line-up changes – have undertaken a really mainstream Pop sound with “Hard Times” and “Still Into You”, but the band are currently working on a sixth album release, which they said will go back to exploring their more Punk-skewing roots. In recent years, Hayley Williams has been embarking on a well-received solo career, having become a frequent collaborator with B.O.B. and CHVRCHES. “Misery Business” is the lead single for “Riot!”, Paramore’s commercially successful second album – and it got to #17 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming their first single to hit the charts in the UK. It’s time for a throwback! Let’s watch the music video to “Misery Business” below.

The musical influences behind “Misery Business” – I think you could say – are pretty abundant and blatant. For one thing, the cover artwork for the “Riot” album clearly resembles the cover art of No Doubt’s “Rock Steady”, just to give you an indication of it Interestingly enough, however, Williams has decided that, as of March 2020, Paramore won’t play the track anymore at live shows because she feels the lyrics are controversial and she does not relate to them anymore. She is talking about the second verse, which goes: “Once a w***e, you’re nothing more, I’m sorry, that will never change” in a light of more feminist views, so it makes it intriguing for us to re-evaluate in our day of current affairs. I have noticed that the Pop-Punk era of Scuzz TV has often bordered on the misogynistic, and it’s healthy that artists are now looking back on this, in a self-reflective light. Honestly, I don’t think the s**t-shaming lyrics on “Misery Business” aren’t really that noticeable, and that’s because the pacing is very quick and you’re too focused on the guitar work instead, but it’s clear. Williams sings: “Whoa, I never meant to brag, But I got him where I want him now” as she relieves a breath of teenage angst on taking a boyfriend away from another girl. It feels very emo, and driven by big pop hooks. The verses are a little more Baroque-Pop driven, as Williams speedily recites Goth-oriented lines, on top of a bubbling bass guitar riffs. A bridge is placed towards the end, where the instrumentation is slowed in the mathematical “record label hit” which builds up to the sharp guitar solo, and a final repeat of the verse. Honestly, I’m not too keen on the track since I feel that it follows the typical commercial Pop single formula really closely and it feels derivative as a result – sounding too much like Avril Lavigne and No Doubt instead of sounding inspired by them. The guitar riffs are dowsed in fuzzing Pop instrumentation and the vocals are fairly strong actually, so I can see why it was a big hit, but it feels like they – or the label – were clearly trying hard to make it a hit. It’s easy to see the appeal, however, because it’s very accessible and feels produced. The lyrics seem to be very dated, but it’s really admirable that Williams has taken an honest approach with these in retrospect. Overall, it’s nothing that grips me, but I could see why it was very successful because it has been produced that way. I always think that a band should never just try to have a hit because – why would you want to just sound like someone else? Don’t be the next No Doubt – be the first “you” – that’s my advice. Sadly, this is the crucial point, in which, the powers that be clearly overlook – now more than ever.

Pictured: Hayley Williams (Lead Vocals/Acoustic Guitar/Keyboard), Josh Farro (Lead Guitar), Taylor York (Bass Guitar) and Zac Farro (Drums/Occasional Backing Vocals) (in 2007) (Photo via Billboard.com)

Thank you for reading this week’s Scuzz Sunday throwback! This was a fun one – and I hope that you enjoyed reading it half as much as I liked writing it. If so, why not check back in with me tomorrow? I’ll be taking a look at a fun new Jazz track with about 7 different musicians on the credit…The main two being a Canadian hip-hop lyricist/electronic music producer duo – who are currently signed up to B*****d Jazz Recordings. Their sounds have been endorsed by the likes of Kaytranada, Nightmares On Wax and Phife Dawg. 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 – “Christmas Eve (Soul Purpose)”

November 18, 2020 — Leave a comment

Yes, it’s the C word – the one related to the 25th of December. It’s time for a new post!

Pictured: Cover Art for "Christmas Eve (Soul Purpose)" (Released on 5 November, 2020) (via Virgin/EMI) — Pictured: Cover Art for “Christmas Eve (Soul Purpose)” (Released on 5 November, 2020) (via Virgin/EMI)

Good Morning, Afternoon or Evening – I have finally made it to my laptop to discuss today’s track of the day on the blog with you, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to get writing up about a different piece of music every day! Yes… I know what’s you’re thinking. Look, the Aldi shelves are stacked with Stollen bites and Chocolate Reindeers, and the TV is mostly filled with typically commercial Festive advertisements, so it’s time for me to sprinkle in a few seasonal tracks into the daily routine as the next few weeks ramp up to the first ever “Covid-Christmas”. Blossoms – or “The Blossoms” as my Mum likes to call them (I like it when she says that because it really makes me smile on the inside) are a Stockport-based Pop/Soft-Rock band. Classed as “Indie” but they’re signed to Virgin’s EMI Records, so they’re not really. They are known for a few UK chart hits including “Charlemagne”, “Your Girlfriend” and “If You Think This Is Real Life”, each of which I’m quite familiar with – and we even took a look at the latter track right here on the blog over the Summer, which I gave a positive review. It seems they got their Santa hats out earlier than me this year, with the release of a new christmas single, “Christmas Eve (Soul Purpose)” back at the very beginning of the month, which comes bundled with the B-side “It’s Going To Be A Cold Winter” on the physical 7″ vinyl, which is available from December 11th on the band’s official website. Most recently, they released the “Foolish Loving Spaces” album back in the end of January on Virgin/EMI, which had reached the top of the UK Albums Chart in it’s debut week on sale. Let’s fill our stockings with their single below.

The new track, “Christmas Eve (Soul Purpose), also features their local vocal group – Stockport Junior Voices Choir – and it was produced by James Skelly, of The Coral fame, along with Rich Turvey, and the band recorded it back in June between Parr Street Studios in Liverpool and Hitsville in Stockport. It plays out mostly how you’d expect a modern Yuletide offering to sound, as Tom Ogden sings: “I had a dream last night/I think I fell in love” over the top of festive sleigh bells and warm guitar-based rhythms. The chorus is hook-driven and involved, as Ogden sings: “It was Christmas Eve/I found my soul purpose, Peace on Earth is three words, The road is so long” to an entwined backing vocal from the children’s choir, who come to Ogden’s aid by adding a light, pop-oriented element of Soul to the proceedings. The lyrics touch on togetherness and open love, as Ogden chimes in with “The season of good cheer/Pictures old and new/Collected through the years/That I’ve spent with you” above the cheerful, Acoustic-backed percussion. The choir harmonizes with the band’s backing vocals, and the track draws to a close with a sample of a crowd cheering, and joyous clapping from some type of audience – who I can only assume were all socially distanced in the recording process. It is all very lighthearted and mainstream-sounding, with nothing that feels really out of the ordinary or like the band are dramatically shaking anything much up. This comes across as sweet and cutesy, but I don’t think there’s really anything in bad execution about this. The children’s voices are quite a nice touch, and it’s not really overstaying it’s welcome in any major way. While there’s absolutely nothing that sticks out as surprising or particularly imaginative, this sounds quite nice to listen to, and it wouldn’t anger me if I heard it around my family’s house at a Christmas-themed dinner, because the children’s vocal choir are at least adding something quite soft and Soulful enough to the ears musically. I’ve heard much worse from Shaggy – but more on that next week!

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

As mentioned above, we also covered the standard single “If You Think This Is Real Life” previously on the blog – and it was rather decent. Please take a look here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/05/04/todays-track-blossoms-if-you-think-this-is-real-life/

Pictured: Cover Art for "Foolish Loving Spaces" (Released on January 31, 2020) (via Virgin/EMI Records) — Pictured: Cover Art for “Foolish Loving Spaces” (Released on January 31, 2020) (via Virgin/EMI Records)

Thank you for sticking with my first Seasonal post of the erm… Season. I’ll be back tomorrow as we try to squeeze in another talented band before the festive tidings ramp up further. I’ve been really loving this new band from Minnesota, who are now currently based in Chicago, who have just released their debut album on the Winspear Records label, so please tune in to hear more on that tomorrow. Please like the Facebook page for the blog to receive all my updates here: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Halloween Special 2020: Rockwell – “Somebody’s Watching Me”

October 31, 2020 — Leave a comment

Why did the Ghost walk into the pub? For the Boo’s. It’s time for your Halloween post!

Pictured: Cover Art for "Somebody's Watching Me" (Single) (Released in 1984) (via Motown Records) — Pictured: Cover Art for “Somebody’s Watching Me” (Single) (Released in 1984) (via Motown Records)

Spooky Dooky! I’m Jacob “The Howling Beast” Braybrooke, and I felt obliged to write your new daily blog post about something at least loosely related to the holiday formerly known as All Hallows Eve, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! If I’m honest with you, I’m an Ebeneezer Scrooge when it comes to Halloween. For one thing, what actually is it that we are even celebrating? For another, it’s not exactly like we’re able to dress up in silly costumes and go to parties, or beg strangers for sweets at their doorstep, in the first place, this year really. However, at the very least, it does give us the chance to take an in-depth look at a fun track that we can associate with all things Spooky Dooky. It’s a track that many people often mistakenly believe was performed by Michael Jackson. I give you – Rockwell’s “Somebody’s Watching Me” from 1984. This track was a Paranoia-themed radio hit that managed to reach #6 in the UK Top 40 Singles Chart. It was released on the world-renowned Motown label, and it was the lead single from Rockwell’s debut studio album of the exact same title. People often believe the track was credited solely to “The King Of Pop” because of vocal similarities to Rockwell – and Rockwell is the alias of Kennedy William Gordy, who is the son of Motown CEO and founder Berry Gordy. Kennedy was close friends with the Jackson family when he was growing up in the music industry, and so he enlisted the aid of Michael and Jermaine Jackson to perform backing vocals on the track. So, it’s technically true that Michael Jackson was a credited performer on the track – However, he is not the main credited artist to it. Ironically, let’s watch Rockwell perform his global radio hit below.

“Somebody’s Watching Me” also made a very memorable appearance in the Pilot episode of US crime drama TV staple “Miami Vice”, where undercover police officer “Rico” Tubbs performs a striptease routine to it in a nightclub. As you can see from the Twilight Zone-inspired music video, the track had a decent impact on popular culture of it’s time in the 80’s. It turned out to be a one-hit wonder for Gordy though, unfortunately, and so you could say it’s a pity that nobody was listening to him, rather than watching him. Musically, it’s a punchy and humorous take on the 80’s-Schlock B-movie horror film in mainstream pop music form, with Gordy fearfully crooning: “I’m just an average man with an average life” and “I just want to be left alone, in my average home” with a delightfully screeched delivery. Jackson comes in on the chorus, singing: “I always feel like somebody’s watching me” and Gordy chimes in with “And I have no privacy” and “Who’s playing tricks on me” on top of a catchy Synth-Funk instrumental with a tinge of polished New-Wave guitar riffs. A few cascading backing vocal effects are present in the chorus, and the breakdown sees further questioning of paranoia for Gordy when he sings: “When I’m in the shower/I’m afraid to wash my hair” and “But, can people see me on the TV, or am I just paranoid” with a bizarrely old-English sounding accent, over the top of the jovial toy keyboard notes and the tingling little Synth riffs that permeate through the track on top of a typical two-step drum beat. There is a very clear emphasis on the Rock instrumentals for the song’s instrumental backing beat, but the very contemporary 80’s synth and keyboard combination is done quite well. The lyrics perhaps don’t show a lot of progression in the narrative, but the chorus is catchy and memorable. I think that most people would probably agree that Rockwell’s abilities were limited, but it’s still a fun novelty single that was nudged towards the public eye (or ear) by the guest inclusion from one of the world’s most instantly recognizable voices in music. It also shows how far surveillance has come in a way. It’s charming and good enough for me.

Pictured: Rockwell (Kennedy William Gordy) with Michael Jackson (1984) (Photo via RollingStone.com)

Thank you for reading my melodically devilish new blog post! I’ll be back tomorrow with another special post – as it marks the time for a new entry in our Scuzz Sunday series, where we dig out an ancient relic of the Emo-Rock or Pop-Punk genres, from between the late-1990’s until the mid-2000’s. Let me tell you – It may just be The Best Song In The World! 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: Erasure – “Nerves Of Steel”

September 21, 2020 — Leave a comment

The 80’s duo who seemingly never want to Erase their sound. It’s time for a new post!

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “The Neon” (Released on August 21st, 2020) (via Mute Artists Ltd.)

Good Morning to you! I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m typing up your first post of the new week because, as per usual, it’s still my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Of all of the groups from the New Wave of British Synth-Pop to emerge during the 80’s, Erasure are one of the few still active. The duo have written over 200 songs in their library, and they have sold an estimation of over 28 million albums globally, according to Official Charts Company’s data. Some of their biggest chart hits include “A Little Respect”, “Chains Of Love” and “Always”, and the duo have remained to be a fixture of the LGBT Community, particularly in European territories, with lead vocalist Andy Bell having an androgynous look as part of his openly gay sexuality. Recently, I saw Erasure perform a half-hour set for BBC Radio 2’s Live At Home virtual festival. This comes accompanied by their eighteenth studio album “The Neon”, which was released on August 21 by Mute Records. The new album is Erasure’s most commercially successful album in a while, as it debuted at #4 on the UK Albums Chart with first-week sales of 8,394 copies in the country, making “The Neon” the duo’s highest-charting album since 1994’s “I Say I Say I Say”. Bell described the sound of the new album as “going back to the beginning” with older synth use and it was self-produced. Let’s hear the new single “Nerves Of Steel” below.

Fitting of the current Covid-dominated times, the duo aim for “The Neon” to be “a place that lives in the imagination”, according to their press release. It becomes clear that Erasure wanted to bring back their feel-good New Wave sounds of the 80’s to fit our problematic current affairs on “Nerves Of Steel”, the lead single of their most recent project. Bell opens, layered above a very buoyant Synth riff, “Are you gonna make your way back here?, Who rattled your cage?”, with the analogue synth work reading between the lines of a Glam Rock-infliction that lurks in the corner from the LGBT themes and the echoing syncopated keyboard riffs that provide a flamboyant, 1980’s visual. The second verse is more based around rhythm, with a slightly rougher 80’s synth riff intertwining with the familiar keyboard instrumental backing. It opens the window of opportunity up for an energetic and more Power-Pop based chorus, as Bell repeats: “You’re the object who owns my affection/Nerves Of Steel, turn in my direction” over a bustling synth riff and a glossy Drum Machine riff sequence that blips along to the continuous keyboard backing track. The vocals feel lustful and romantic, if without an explicit intimacy, as Bell recites: “Come and find me in the Motor hotel”, as a subtle keyboard riff twinkles in the background. Overall, I think that it’s perfectly fine. It’s probably not going to be the best track that you’re going to hear all week, or even all day truly, from a technical standpoint at least, but it does have a growing effect on you with repeated listens and it has it’s loyal audience. So, as long as they continue to develop a semblance of culture within music, I’m happy with it. It simply sees this duo stick to what they know – with a Catwalk-like strut of confidence.

Pictured: Andy Bell (Vocals/Writer) & Vince Clarke (Keyboard/Synths) (2020) (via SynthpopFanatic.com)

Thank you very much for reading my new post! As per usual, I will be back at it again tomorrow. We’re going to take an in-depth look at a recent single from a Swedish singer-songwriter and producer of French origin. She was nominated for “Best Newcomer” at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards in 2012 following the release of her debut EP, “The Flower’s Bed”, in that year. She has since collaborated with artists including The Bear Quartet, Camera Obscura, David Lindh and Jonathan Johansson. 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 Magic Gang – “(The World) Outside My Door”

August 21, 2020 — Leave a comment

Alaka-Kazoo and Shaza-Khazam – it’s my favourite 7/10 band! It’s time for a new post!

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Death Of The Party” (Available from August 28th, 2020) (via Warner Bros. Records)

Good Morning! I am Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing about your daily track on the blog, as usual, because it is always my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! Friday means it’s time for a couple of new album releases, if August is a little bit lacking on higher-profile selections. Next week, The Magic Gang are back with “Death Of The Party”, their second studio LP record release, which is the follow-up to their self-titled debut album which came out, many moons ago, in March 2018. It’s been a longer road than the fans were anticipating, as it was delayed due to COVID-19 from a May 15th spot. In case you’re not familiar, The Magic Gang are a 4-piece Pop group from Brighton and they are signed up to the major label, Warner Bros Records, meaning they’re part of my self-titled “Indie Bollocks” category that includes bands like The 1975 and Pale Waves, who are not really independent artists but they are called “Indie” in terms of their sound. Don’t get me wrong, I have a positive relationship with The Magic Gang as a listener, and I thought the first LP captured a strong sense of adolescence and nostalgia which made them stand out amongst the crowded market – if a little commercial and basic for my liking. They’re very likeable gents though, and they’re full of good personality on their social media accounts, which is one of the reasons why I think they’re a top-notch 7/10 band, as it’s also very easy to listen to them if you can’t think what really tickles your fancy. Their latest single, “(The World) Outside My Door” takes on a more Acoustic approach, with Jack Kaye taking the reigns on the lead vocals from Kristian Smith, who performed lead vocals for “Think” and “Take Back The Track”. Let’s stream their new track below.

“(The World) Outside My Door” sees the Brighton-based Pop Quartet moving towards a more mature direction, with the inspiration behind the new track coming from a personal experience where Jack Kaye was writing music in his bedroom at the time where the Extinction Rebellion protests raided the streets outside. The lyrics are obviously very self-reflective, as the lyricism explores Kaye’s guilt at the time as he sat idly while “everybody else around me was taking part in history”, as he explained to NME in his own words. It gets padded out, as a concept, by light instrumentation and very minimalist production which makes these lyrics feel actually quite personal and rewarding. Kaye recites: “First thing in the morning/I’m gonna make a change”, over a very slight auto-tune effect and a set of softly rumbling bass guitar riffs that add a slight tinge of aggression. He puts it bluntly: “The world is gathered outside of my door/And they’re telling me I oughta do more”, while the rest of the band back him up with slightly distorting guitar riffs and a fluttering Piano part. We build to a more dramatic conclusion, where a female choir backs Kaye’s vocals up, and Paeris Giles smashes the drums to a razor-sharp signature. I bet it’s the closing track of the album, as it gives you a reflective thought to hold on to. It does sound a little bit like the kind of music that a 12 year old would listen to, and they seem to be catering nicely towards a 14-aged Teen market who would share his similar beliefs, and are still developing their ear for great music. As always, you can do a lot worse than The Magic Gang, and I think this is the strongest single from their new LP so far. The guitar hooks may be a little twee and the lyrics themselves a touch shallow, but the minimalist production style and the acoustic instrumentation works very nicely. Above all, the songwriting is genuinely quite affecting, it has a simplistic nature that manages to hit me where it wants to. To conclude, I don’t love it, but I like it. It has an honesty and an expression that hints of better material to come from the group as they continue to hone their sound as a new, emerging talent. I would like to hear a bit more of an experimental sound in the future, and I may even suggest cutting ties with the label to achieve this, which is risky, but I truly feel the major label’s executives are holding them back from true greatness. They’re one of, if not, the UK’s best 7/10 band though.

Pictured: Jack Kaye (Lead Vocals/Rhythm Guitar), Kristian Smith (Lead Guitar/Backing Vocals), Angus Taylor (Bass Guitar/Percussion) and Paeris Giles (Drums) in a Surf’s Up! Photoshoot for DIYMag.com (2018) (Photo Credit: Jenn Five)

I’ve actually been tracking some of The Magic Gang’s other singles during the build to their sophomore LP effort. You can check out “Think”, although this has now grown on me a bit, here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/03/04/todays-track-the-magic-gang-think/, and their decent second single, “Take Back The Track”, here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/06/20/todays-track-the-magic-gang-take-back-the-track/

Pictured: The Magic Gang in their self-titled debut LP era in official shoot (2018) (via WB Records)

Thank you very much for reading my new post! I will be back tomorrow, as always, with an in-depth look at the new track from a Dublin-based Alt-Rock band who have been making waves internationally. However, don’t forget to check out the blog in two days time, where it will be time for your weekly edition of Scuzz Sundays, where we revisit an Emo-Rock or Pop-Punk relic from the past. We’re celebrating the 1-year anniversary of the feature with a silly little track that was absolutely predominant on the Scuzz TV 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: The Go! Team – “Cookie Scene”

July 27, 2020 — Leave a comment

Go Outdoors must be eager to use this in their next TV advert. It’s time for a new post!

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Cookie Scene” (Single) (Released on July 13th, 2020) (via Memphis Industries)

Good Morning to you, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m looking to liven up your wet Monday morning by typing up your daily track on the blog, since it is routinely my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! For The Go-Team, “Cookie Scene” marks their first new music release following the release of their fifth LP, “Semicircle”, released in 2018. A five-piece Indie Pop group from Brighton, England – the band subvert the conventions of Indie Rock and Garage-Rock with a fusing of Blaxploitation and Bollywood Soundtracks as their inspiration, using double dutch chants and distorted guitar lines to mesh with noticeably old-school hip-hop beats. It’s quite tricky to describe how The Go! Team really works as a project, but the basic gist is their studio recordings are a blend of live instrumentation and samples, while their live performances are fronted by “Ninja” (Nkechi Ka Egenamba), using various samples and guest vocals. “Cookie Scene” features Ian Parton as the producer, with guest vocals from Detroit-based rapper and songwriter IndigoYaj. Parton elaborated on the track’s Bollywood influence, saying in an interview: ““The stripped back swinging percussion of ‘Iko Iko’ by the Dixie Cups and the loud crunchy shaker in Salt-n-Pepa’s ‘Push It’ were both inspirations,” continuing: “And I’ve always loved the way Bollywood or William Onyeabor songs would have random laser beams and electro toms popping up. I wanted to mix the street corner with the intergalactic, to take Detroit to outer space.” – Let’s stream the lullaby below.

“Well, I’m feeling kinda funny ’cause life is like a game/Feeling like an enemy, but that’s OK”, is the opening hook of the track, recited energetically by Ninja. She continues: “That’s just who I, that’s just who I am” over the top of a very multi-cultural, globally-inspired sound. It’s very percussive, with Ninja rapping one-liners like: “Who’s gonna stop me from causing this commotion?, I want everybody to feel like me, broken, yeah” and “Taking over Michigan, then going outta state/Corrupting Hollywood, all the way to the UK”, with various endings like: “That’s the way to, that’s the way to go” and “It’s a thing we, It’s a thing we do”, over the top of a Flute-driven groove and World-based percussion from snare licks, Cabasa twists and easy-going Tambourine flourishes. The chorus is motivational and care-free, as Ninja recites over a slightly lowered tempo: “Heartbreak, but I’m OK, Imma wipe my tears, no fear this way”, declaring that she’s “Phenomenal” and “Unstoppable”, to the melodic tune of the Horn arrangement and the breezy Flute melodies, with Space-Pop effects scattered throughout the rest of the track. One lyrical interpretation is the track may be about keeping a healthy mental attitude at a time of civil unrest and political protests, but it dabbles only slightly into this, instead opting for a basic and generally uplifting sound. The track is vibrant and colourful, however, and there’s always lots going on, production-wise, as the track goes on, such as the bursts of Flute melodies warping their way around the electronic effects that zoom across the anchored lead vocals by Ninja. The lyrics feel a tad generic and under-developed in a few places, for me, but it would work nicely on a daytime radio slot since it has a predominantly modern electro-pop sound and light, motivational lyrics – but the non-violent and melodic Hip-Hop beats harken back to the likes of A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul in entertaining ways. This is a playful, tropical respite for a wet Monday morning.

Pictured: Ian Parton (Producer/Rhythm Guitar/Harmonica), “Ninja” Nkechi Ka Egenamba (Lead Vocals/Percussion), Sam Dook (Lead Guitar/Bass Guitar/Banjo), Niadzi Muzira (Flute) & Simone Odaranile (Drums) (2020) (via Muzplay.net)

Thank you very much for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as always, with an in-depth review of the new single from an Alternative Soul band who…. well, no-one seems to know who they really are. But, as Alexis Petridis of The Guardian puts it: “One thing is sure: {They} make hooky, dubby, funky music with echoes of ESG and Can”. They flew straight to a good spot on my radar with the release of two albums last year, named “5” and “7”. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when each new post is up and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime

Today’s Track: The Magic Gang – “Take Back The Track”

June 20, 2020 — 1 Comment

An abra cadabra and an ala kazam, look – it’s The Magic Gang! It’s time for a new post!

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Death Of The Party” (Available from August 21st, 2020) (via Warner Group Records)

Is this Majestic Sorcery or is it just Infantile Trickery? I am Jacob Braybrooke and I’m conjuring up a spell with the writing of a new blog post to give you the answer to that question, as It is my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! The Magic Gang are a Pop/Rock four-piece bunch of lads from Brighton, comprised of frontman Jack Kaye, guitarist Kristian Smith, bassist Angus Taylor and drummer Peris Giles. The ‘gang’ have been slowly building up a fan following since they were formed in 2013. In March 2018, they released their self-titled debut album on Warner Bros. Records, which garnered mixed critical acclaim, but it reached the #12 spot on the UK Albums Chart. The group worked with Joylon Thomas (a producer for U2 and Daughter) on the record, which I actually rather enjoyed. I recognize it’s shortcomings since it does have a pretty commercial look and feel to it, but for me, the songwriting had a sense of carefree adolescence which set it apart from the hundreds of other guitar-driven bands of the “Indie Bollocks” category. Their next release is “Death Of The Party”, a sophomore LP effort that was originally supposed to release this month, but it has since moved to 21st August due to Covid-19 related delays. “Think” was the lead single released in March, a track which I was sadly very disappointed by, as I felt it was nothingless and badly written. Let’s hope the new one redeems it. Watch the band get hacked by fans in the video for “Take Back The Track”.

This time harnessing collective production work from Ben H. Allen (Gnarls Barkley, Deerhunter) for their second LP effort “Death Of The Party”, The Magic Gang are now trending to a more mature direction, while keeping an ounce of their upbeat, fun guitar-pop sound in the overall picture. The song begins with a mid-tempo bass guitar riff, mixed with a static drum pattern. Kaye paints a romantic picture on vocals: “Evening/At a bar on Northside/It’s where we were all last night” followed by “And just then/I heard something in transcend/I couldn’t stop myself from dancing/To a sound that went just like this”, with a slightly Smoky vocal delivery that captures the Disco vibe the band are aiming for and, in turn, creates a soft Guitar groove that feels inspired by Funk. The chorus: “Take Back The Track/I wanna hear it again”, is matched by a heavier intensity of drum chords, along with a crooning female backing vocals and repeated sequences of programmed hand-claps, before it settles into the funk-led pattern for the next verse, and this layout is repeated. Lyrically, it’s just about going out for a drink or two with your friends and having a good time. Compared to the catastrophic “Think” – I’m delighted to say that this is leagues ahead. It actually feels quite inspired, and the band have managed to ground it into Funk, Soul and Jazz influences. The verses are a bit better than the chorus, for me, as the chorus puts across a slightly too commercial feel with the child-like backing vocals and the overall songwriting is fertile ground, but the guitar hooks are rather melodic and catchy, and the vocal performance from Kaye is strong. I’d give it a 7/10, which marks a huge step-up from “Think”, that I’d give a 2/10. Although I think their label are holding them back in terms of artistic expression, Their first album was always a fun, if flawed, outing for me – but I quite liked that about it. If you’re looking for a dance around your bedroom or a decent little pop record that won’t challenge you much, but it’s great to unwind to, you could do a LOT worse – and that’s what this music is for. It’s “Indie Bollocks – as I call these types of not really “Indie” bands – but the song works.

I have also covered the previous single, “Think”, from the new album “Death Of The Party”, previously on the blog – way back in March! Have a read of it below: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/03/04/todays-track-the-magic-gang-think/

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “The Magic Gang” (Deluxe) (Released on 16th March 2018) (via Warner Group Records)

Thank you for reading this post! In regards to #BlackLivesMatter, we endorse the peaceful protests on One Track At A Time. Please go and check your local area for good charity causes that help those directly affected by racism and injustice. Please make sure that you check back with the blog tomorrow for your new weekly Scuzz Sundays post, where we take a look back at an emo-punk or pop-punk classic from between the late-1990s and the mid-2000’s to reassess whether it holds up! 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