Today’s Track: Phoebe Bridgers – “I See You”

June 23, 2020 — Leave a comment

I spy with my little eye, something beginning with New Music! It’s time for a new post!

Pictured: Phoebe Bridgers in a promotional artwork photoshoot for “Punisher” (in 2020 (via PR/Dead Oceans)

Good Morning, Afternoon or Evening – My name is Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing about your daily track on the blog because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! One of the most highly-anticipated album releases in recent weeks has been “Punisher”, the new album from visionary emo-folk independent rock singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers. Based in Los Angeles, California – but born and raised in Ukiah, California – Bridgers made a name for herself as a part of two groups: Boygenuis and Better Oblivion Community Center. She has built up a promising solo career and a loyal fan following with the help of her universally acclaimed debut solo LP, “Stranger In The Alps”, released in 2017. Her music has been described as “exquisitely raw and revealing” by Sam Sodomsky, the staff writer of Pitchfork, and as “wise beyond her years” by Josh Modell of The AV Club. “Punisher”, her second solo LP, was released on June 18th by Dead Oceans – brought a day forward from the original date of release to encourage donations for racial injustice in response to the #BlackLivesMatter movement. “I See You”, stylized by Bridgers as “ICU” on the album, is her most recent single. Let’s have a listen below.

Based on her breakup with ex-boyfriend/drummer Michael Vore, who co-wrote the track and plays the drum parts on it, Phoebe Bridgers’ “I See You” feels more radio-ready than some of her darker tracks from her new album, but it’s still by no means a compromise of decent quality in favor of commercial viability. “I See You” begins with a backdrop of throbbing drum patterns, before Bridgers’ vocals eerily creep in: “I’ve been playing dead my whole life/and I get this feeling whenever I feel good, it will be the last time” are recited over the top of minimalist guitar riffs and skittering synth beats, but a fiery sense of aggression keeps bubbling underneath the pop-friendly instrumentals. A percussive break leads into a later verse, where Bridgers wails, over a Mellotron beat,:”I used to light you up/Now, I can’t even get you to play the drums/Cause’ I don’t know what you want/Until I f**k it up” above a steady stream of idiosyncratic lyrics and tired guitar riffs mixed in with peppered synthesizer washes. As she documents the exhaustion of leaving her anger behind, she also busts out funny lines about hating her ex’s mother, sections which contrast the punk-fueled rage with sad moments of self-reflection. The vocal delivery reminds me of the bleak low-tempo of The National, but her reliance on using synth-led refrains make her feel original. To conclude, it all comes together to form an infectiously solid folk-ballad that takes cues from Blues and Dream-Pop to illustrate her strength and vulnerability. This is a well-structured, mature showing from one of the tip-top popular new talents.

Pictured: Vinyl Copy of “Punisher” (Released on June 18th, 2020) (via Dead Oceans) (Photo via Eel Pie 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. Don’t forget to join me tomorrow, where we’ll be marking the release of Khruangbin’s highly-anticipated new album “Mortdechai” with an in-depth listen to “Pelota”, the latest single to be released from their new, third LP record. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when each new post is up and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime

Today's Track: Brittany Howard – “He Loves Me”

March 30, 2020 — Leave a comment

What better way to kick off a new week than with “The Real Deal”? It’s new post time!

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Jaime” (Released on 20th September, 2019) (via ATO Records)

She truly is “The Real Deal”! I’m talking about four-time Grammy winner Brittany Howard, of course! I’m Jacob Braybrooke, writing about your daily track on the blog, as it’s my day-to-day pleasure to do so! Brittany Howard is an alternative R&B/Soul singer, with Gospel influences, from Athens in Alabama, in the the US! Hence the name of her former band, Alabama Shakes, whom Howard has been producing records with since 2009. She’s also the lead vocalist and songwriter for the aptly-named Thunderbitch! It sounds like a joke name, but Howard is actually a highly credible and gifted talent, hence why I think she’s “The Real Deal!”. With her powerful voice and her artistic writing flair, it’s easy for you to forget that she’s also done the production work behind most of her music. In most recent times, she’s been getting a little bit of mainstream attention, having performed on last New Year’s Eve’s Hootennany with Jools Holland and she also headlined the BBC Radio 6Music Festival in Camden earlier this year, replacing an unwell Michael Kiwanuka, in the Friday night headliner slot. “He Loves Me” is a single taken from her first solo record, “Jaime”, which was released last year by ATO Records. Let’s watch her perform the track below.

“He Loves Me” is a funk-rooted tour de force in contemplative, soulful R&B and personal, faith-based songwriting. Howard emotionally croons about a long-awaited, spiritual re-connection with God after a time where she was brought up away from her family church due to the passing of her older sister putting a damper on her religious values, but she’s found her voice as a result of finding God again. Howard uses a sample from a pastor’s sermon that she found on YouTube, which proclaims: “But we Christians ought not ever intentionally miss church”, a sample-based opening which leads to an upbeat performance from Howard, singing: “He loves me when I do what I want/He loves me, he doesn’t judge me” over a soulful, steady drum melody, which gets layered above an explosive bass guitar riff and a Trumpet chord. Howard sings: “I don’t need to know why/’Cause I know what love means/I don’t need forgivin'”, before repeating her main vocal hook: “He loves me when I’m smoking blunts/He loves me when I’m drinking too much”, as the sample of Rev. Terry K. Anderson’s service exclaims: “Somebodiness does not come from your opinion of God” in the background of the guitar-driven chorus and the knock-out vocal performance from Howard. I’d be intrigued to see what different Christian denominations would make of the lyrical content of the tune, as her blunt portrayal of God’s unconditional love is a thought-provoking theme. I really like the use of varied instrumentation on the track as well, with an eclectic mix of Jazz-based percussion, a late 1960’s rock-and-roll guitar sensibility and the robust, electric sample use within the vocal textures of the track. I think she really is “The Real Deal”!

Pictured: Brittany Howard performing her Friday headline set at the BBC Radio 6Music Festival in 2020 (via BBC)

Thank you very much for reading this post! Don’t forget to check back with the blog tomorrow, where I’ll be posting an in-depth review of a single from a collaborative album produced and recorded by a Florida-based musician who started rapping while in his sixth grade at school and released his first mixtape in 2011 – who’s been working with a Connecticut-based songwriter who’s produced records for the likes of Vince Staples, Gucci Mane and Zack Fox, among others! 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: Khruangbin (feat. Leon Bridges) – “Texas Sun”

January 6, 2020 — 3 Comments

Don’t you worry, Summer will be here again in no time! It’s time for your new musing!

Pictured: Khruangbin (Laura Lee, Mark Speer & Donald “DJ” Johnson) and Leon Bridges in a photoshoot (2019)

As per usual, Jacob Braybrooke here! Two texas powerhouses from the indie scene in the US, world-inspired neo-soul band Khruangbin and contemporary Jazz vocalist Leon Bridges, have recently announced a new collaboration from both artists. “Texas Sun” is the title of the EP and it’s set to release on February 7th on the Dead Oceans label. Drawing from the long history of Thai music over the 60’s, “Texas Sun” is also set to be released in partnership with Columbia Records and Night Time Stories. In a statement to the press, Laura Lee, the frontwoman of Khruangbin, said on the record: “We try not to have too much of an intention, because it gets in the way of what the music wants to do,” before elaborating: “If you just let the music do what it’s supposed to do, it will reveal itself. We tried to take that same approach with Leon. For us, it was opening up our world to have another person in it. But all of it feels like Texas to me.”. The title track of the EP has been released to drum up a bit of hype, which was recorded after the two acts undertook a joint tour together, following Khruangbin opening for Leon Bridges for his tour in 2018. They’re the best of friends!

The title of the track, “Texas Sun” does sound a bit like a low-rate Country folk song with a wild addiction to cheese overload. To a certain extent, it is. But, make no mistake, this is a vibrant and sun-dripped trip through a wide diversity of neo-soul, Jamaican dub-esque melodies, with Bridges adding the expected Jazz twist to Khruangbin’s original and unique sound. Bridges compliments: “Say you wanna hit the highway/While the engine roars/Well come on, roll with me till the sun goes down/That Texas sun”, following it up with: ” When I’m far from home/And them cold winds blow/Stuck out somewhere with folks I don’t know/’Cause you keep me nice and you keep me warm/Wanna feel you on me” and delivering a swift ending to the track with the post-chorus: “Take a ride with me baby/You by my side/How does it sound/You and I”, as the luscious soundscape of colourful bass melodies and the rhythmic crescendo section fades out, which leaves a lasting impression of progressive jazz influences and instrumental psych-funk chords. It’s an easy and accessible track to listen to, helped by a relaxing backbeat climax and flamenco string arrangements, paired with Briges’ rusty vocals. At the end of the day, us Brits won’t be complaining about the weather after this plays on the radio on a tantalizingly hot day!

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Texas Sun” (EP) (Available on 7th February, 2020)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as usual, with a look at a 90’s Murder Ballad from a world-famous icon who famously writes his material on a Typewriter, joined on a track by an Australian pop queen who played the legends slot at last year’s Glastonbury festival! 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: Katarína Máliková – “Vodník”

January 3, 2020 — Leave a comment

Here’s a new track for you to hear while you’re taking down those Christmas decorations before heading back to work next week, if you haven’t done so already…

Pictured: Katarína Máliková at the Radio Head Awards (2016)

Jacob Braybrooke here! Since it’s the 3rd January, a rather nothingless day since we all haven’t quite got back into the swing of returning to our normal working lives. Have you eaten all your Christmas chocolates yet?, I thought it would be a great chance for me to showcase something truly unique and different on the blog. Today’s musing is on “Vodník” by Katarína Máliková, a track which I discovered from KEXP’s Song Of The Day podcast a few weeks ago. Máliková is a Singer-Songwriter from Slovakia, who has been causing a lot of positive buzz in Slovakian indie circles. On “Vodník”, she wisely dodges any-and-all comparisons to the Eurovision Song Contest. Instead, she opts for an intriguing mix of Orchestral folk and dark synthpop melodies!

On “Vodník”, Máliková displays a wonderful prowess of emotionally moving lyricism with dark new-wave synths that stutter and crash into each other, with the track sounding like music made in the magic hour throughout. The lyrics are Slovakian, which evokes a distinct ambiguity for English-speaking listeners. It sounds orchestral and theatrical, with a folklore vibe which is comparable to Björk’s style of vocal performance and electronic production on 2001’s “Vespertine”, with an industrial beat-driven backdrop full of IDM-eque distortions and reverb-drenched drum snares, often comparable to the 80’s-influenced soundscapes found on Bat For Lashes “Lost Girls”, which was released last year. It isn’t such a far cry from Peel-branded acts such as Joy Division and New Order, but it does definitely have a unique flavour of Polyphonic and experimental sounds that makes it feel unlike anything else in direct comparison, although the evocative, Scandonavian-inspired synthpop falls between the category of Grimes and KKA Twigs in equal measure. Overall, I feel the vocals work harmoniously with Máliková’s bold sense of electronic instrumentation to complete a brave and intimate track. The track is available to buy or stream from her sophomore LP, “Postalgia”, which was released in November via the Sinko Records label. Judging from how fresh and powerful she sounds, combined with a strong layout, on “Vodník”, I really hope that 2020 is going to be absolutely massive for her!

Pictured: Katarína Máliková performing a live set at Pohoda Music Festival (August 2017)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as usual, with an in-depth look at the new track from an English synth-pop/dance group who, in an interview in 2010, told the press that none of them knew how to drive, as the band got around the old fashioned way – on their own two feet, instead! Also, don’t forget to check out the blog on Sunday, as it’s almost time for my first Scuzz Sunday post of the new year! If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every new daily post is up and why not like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Today’s Track: Beck – “See Through”

November 28, 2019 — 1 Comment

The colour-shifting Chameleon of pop/rock music is back! It’s time for a Cosmic post!

Pictured: Beck Hansen in a promotional photoshoot for “Hyperspace” (2019)

Beck is back! The art-pop legend, who is responsible for some of the most influential records of all-time in the forms of “Odelay” (1996) and “Mellow Gold” (1994), as well as Grammy winning albums “Morning Phase” (2015) and “Colours” (2017), has just reinvented himself, yet again, with the release of “Hyperspace” on November 22nd, a space-themed jolt through different pop genres with a theme of spaciousness. The album features mainstream star Pharrell Williams in the producer seat, as well as guest appearances from Chris Martin of Coldplay, Sky Ferreira and Terrell Hines. It’s an intriguing mix of new-wave synth-work and minimalist production. I rather like it and I would absolutely LOVE to go on a night-out with Beck! It would be SO much fun!

“See Through” is the sixth track on the new record and it hasn’t even been released as a single, but I feel the track would fit that mold very well. The track has the qualities of a Neapolitan Ice Cream, as it effortlessly combines the elements of a stripped-back R&B sound, with a subversive hint of chill wave and a tinge of nostalgic trip-hop, creating a unique Cosmopolitan style which makes the slowed-pace format work very well. It’s a lyrical ballad on the desperation of seeing a lover and a burning desire to keep a dissolving relationship going. The lyrics provide a stylish, but admittedly quite forgettable, backdrop to the cohesive electronic production, as the synths bash against the waves of each other, to an effect that is both psychedelic and joyful in execution. It’s a shame that the lyrics lack a certain quality of playfulness to make them stand out more, as the vocals take a backseat to the instrumentation, which is in fine form at the forefront, but it would be a little nicer if the vocal hooks were slightly catchier and more light-hearted. It builds up gradually to become a slow-jam, which creates a spacious break between the more thunderous and funk-oriented tracks on the record, such as “Saw Lightning” and “Die Waiting”, as well as feeling consistent in tone with the two spiritually-related interlude tracks on the album, “Hyperlife” and “Hyperspace. On “See Through”, Beck puts a relaxed style and calming atmosphere behind a visually-pleasing image on a breezy track, which is a bright spot on a record which, for me, is a massive improvement over 2017’s “Colors”.

Pictured: Beck Hansen in a promotional photoshoot for “Mellow Gold” (1994)

Since I’m a big fan of Beck, you can also read my thoughts on two other Beck tracks that I have previously covered on the blog. Why not click here to read my thoughts on “Uneventful Days”: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2019/10/29/todays-track-beck-uneventful-days/? Or, you can click here to read my write-up for 1998’s “Tropicalia”: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2019/08/20/todays-track-beck-tropicalia/!

Pictured: Art Collage showing the many faces of Beck over the decades (Credit: Sarita Schaffer)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as usual, with an in-depth look at a 1996 track from an alternative rock group, which has a title that will remind you of a certain Hanna-Barbera cartoon that started airing in 1969, although it’s actually a reference to a chemical, Valium! 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: Björk – “Hidden Place”

November 19, 2019 — Leave a comment

I keep all of my ideas for these daily musings in a hidden place, as well as all of my darkest secrets, fears and regrets! On a much lighter note, your daily post has arrived!

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Vespertine” (2001) (Physical CD)

VESPERTINE!!! WHAT AN ALBUM!!! It’s so wildly different and dauntlessly ambitious to anything that not just Björk, but any solo artist had attempted prior to the record’s original release in August 2001. It has a darkly intimate style, which borders on explicit references to making love and embracing the inner beauty of a partner, which is created by an intriguing combination of organic and electronic instrumentation. The album went down a storm with critics and audiences alike when it was released, with a huge amount of praise being aimed at the compelling lyricism, the bold vocal performances from Björk and the overall themes of love and sex being explored very comprehensively. It’s since been named on several “best album of all-time” polls and it’s still widely considered to be Björk’s best work by several publications and Björk’s fanbase. “Hidden Place” was the leading single from the album and it eventually reached #21 on the UK Singles Chart in August 2001, preceding “Pagan Poetry” and “Cocoon”, which also peaked inside the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart, despite the music videos receiving little airplay on MTV’s channel due to their suggestive material. Now that dark-pop is a bit more common, does “Hidden Place” still hold up?

The answer to that question is a resounding yes, with the track sounding as exciting and fascinating, if not more so, than it would have upon it’s release in 2001. The track features beautifal violin loops, an operatic backing choir and a pristine harp arrangement, which adds a majestic emotion of fantasy to the provocative lyricism. Bjork contemplates her heartfelt, although slightly disturbing, feelings of being desperate to see the one she loves: “Through the warmest cord of care/Your love was sent to me/I’m not sure what to do with it/Or where to put it” and contemplates the ideas of making love to him: “I’m so close to tears/And so close to/Simply calling you up/I’m simply suggesting” before she projects the powerfully written chorus onto the listener by suggesting that she goes to a Hidden Place with the partner. It continues with further intimacy, as “to almost have allowed/one’s fingers to stroke” and “there lies my love/I’ll hide it under a blanket”, which can be suggestive of our narrator performing sexual actions with her partner. The lyrical content is raunchy and evocative of pleasure in a dark position, but it never feels shocking or distasteful for the sake of shocking listeners. This is due to the combination of organic sounds and each of the musical influences being pulled from different genres. There are thumping synth lines, which convey the sound of a heartbeat by quickly swirling around the string-arranged composition, which conveys the themes of a dark fairy tale and it plays on the vulnerability of Björk as a witch-like character in a fable context. If you pardon this use of vocabulary – it is a very pleasurable song to listen to.

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Hidden Place” (2001) (Single)

You can read my thoughts on Bjork’s 2017 track “Arisen My Senses” here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2019/10/14/todays-track-bjork-arisen-my-senses/

Pictured: Björk wearing her infamous swan dress at the 71st Oscars in March 2001

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as usual, with an in-depth look at a mid-80’s track from a San Francisco-based US Rock band which was later covered by Korn in September 2016! 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/