Progressive Synthpop

Today’s Track: Arca – “Mequetrefe”

June 30, 2020 — Leave a comment

The Venezuelan producer breaking all musical boundaries is back. It’s new post time!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “KiCk i” (Released on June 26th, 2020) (via XL Recordings)

Good Morning to you, 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! Last month, I had a look at “Time”, the new single of-the-time by Venezuelan music producer Arca, who identifies as a Transgender Woman. Arca was building up to the release of her fourth studio album, “Kick I”, set for release on June 26th via the XL Recordings label. Lo and behold, the date has come and gone, so “Kick I” was unleashed into the world over the last weekend. I remember writing that “Time” left me wanting more, so I’ve decided to stream the album and cover the follow-up single, “Mequetrefe”, on the blog. I first discovered Arca through her work on Bjork’s “Vulnicura” and “Utopia” albums, from 2015 and 2017, respectively. She has also produced for the likes of Kanye West, FKA Twigs and Rosalia. Let’s hear her unique brand of shapeshifting europop on “Mequetrefe” below.

“Mequetrefe” derives from a derogatory term, roughly translating to “lazy”, used to describe men in Spanish, as explained by Arca in a press statement, a term she heard in Venezuela while she was growing up – it’s an exploration of gender identity that she tackles to a distorted effect on her strange Euro-Pop dance track. “Mequetrefe” sees Arca croon often unintelligible Spanish lyrics over the top of a mildly danceable and constantly shifting soundscape. Armed with a relentless delivery that never truly sees the track settle into a consistent rhythm, Arca drenches pounding drum beats in a stuttering, percussive shatter effect, completed with heavy Squarepusher-esque retro video game-style acid lines, and cut-up splicing effects mixed with disembodied vocal chanting which sound like a lovechild made between the likes of Aphex Twin and A Tribe Called RED. An underlying Techno and IDM direction creates a fairly tense and uneasy atmosphere for the most part, as Arca builds a commanding presence from the experimental dance-led production, but there is a brief interval when a tranquil synth-line relaxes the tempo down a notch, interrupted by a strobe effect which deforms the synth refrain, before repeating the sequence. Arca uses her vocals to dispose the glitchy Europop-dance vibe, but it sounds more nuanced than your typical Eurovision novelty affair. I really like the ambition on display, and Arca carries an air of self-assurance that intrigues, but it’s a mixed bag for me personally, as the heavy use of distortion effects make it feel jarring and a bit violent to listen to, to a point where it sounds uneven and a bit incohesive due to the sparse use of a pop melodicism. The production shows good attention to detail, but it simply sounds a little too aggressive for my liking. Furthermore, I don’t feel the vocals add very much to the topics of gender at hand. I really enjoyed the downbeat and intricate synth sounds on “Time”, and I ultimately prefer that track for it’s futuristic sci-fi approach. There’s decent creativity here, but it is a disappointing step down from “Time” for me.

  • Pictured: Arca in a press photoshoot to promote the release of “KiCk i” (2020) (Photo Credit: Hart Leshkina)

As I mentioned beforehand, I have also covered the previous single from “Kick I”, the new album by Arca, on the blog beforehand. Why not have a read of it here?: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/05/28/todays-track-arca-time/

  • Pictured: Arca (Alejandra Ghersi) in a still image from the “Time” music video (2020) (Photo Credit: Rolling Stone)

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. After a weekend of various big releases, I will be switching things up on the blog tomorrow, as we’re going back to 1986 for a look at a club classic which is named after the same profession that the fictional film character Magic Mike occupies. 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: Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith – “The Steady Heart”

June 2, 2020 — Leave a comment

It may well be steady, but it’s a Total Eclipse of the Heart! It’s time for your daily post!

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “The Mosaic Of Transformation” (Released on May 15th, 2020) (via Ghostly International)

Good Afternoon! I’m Jacob Braybrooke – excuse my awful Bonnie Tyler joke – 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! My latest Bandcamp discovery is “The Mosaic Of Transformation”, a new album by Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith. This is a record full of deep Synth tones and fluid pacing that creates a dense, experimental ambient sound. Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith is an electronic composer who grew up in the Orcas Island, found in the northwestern region of Washington State. Smith has, thus far, released various albums and compilation mixtapes of ambient soundtracks. She was first a part of an indie-rock group called Ever Isles before she was signed to Western Vinyl in 2015, but she’s moved to the Ghostly International label for her new album. Get a sample of her new style with the album track “The Steady Heart” below!

“The Steady Heart” breezes forward with a very spiritual feeling, with each of the different ambient layers interweaving into each other to create a soft sound that feels alike to a meditative, religious experience. Smith loops the gentle, drifting harmonics as she begins: “I believe”, slowly building a large frequency of crescendos with “I trust” before serenely laying them down to rest with her radiant glow of “Open up your heart”. The structure narrowly converges into a synthetic, beat-driven symphony as the mellow vocals drift away, but the polyphonic melodies remain contained within the laidback rhythm, almost in the same way of which a tide slowly reaches the shore on a beach. It never quite delves into an electronic dance territory in any form, but the crescendo of sounds slowly build to create a more tense atmosphere before lulling you into a bittersweet lullaby. Towards the end, Smith adds in an organic piano section which adds more eclectic instrumentation and it closes the track on a peaceful note. If you are not really used to listening to ambient music, it might fall on death ears on a first try. However, if you just keep persevering, you’ll shortly find that it’s a lovely crescendo of ambient synths and calm sounds which gradually develop in interesting ways, but it never quite piles into the wreckage, leaving you to guess what comes next and to interpret the aesthetics of the sound for yourself. A bright, fluid orchestration that merges between the organic and electronic.

  • Pictured: Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith being a synth aueteur for an interview (January 2020) (via Native Instruments Blog)

Thank you for reading this post! As usual, I encourage you to look after yourself and others in these difficult times by staying safe inside, don’t do anything silly and please keep washing those hands! Tomorrow on the blog, I’ll be looking at a track from another emerging artist. From Ireland, this artist goes by an unusual pseudonym and she played her first gig at The Bar With No Name in 2015 as the supporting act for a rock band called Silences! 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 Streets (feat. Tame Impala) – “Call My Phone Thinking I’m Doing Nothing Better”

May 8, 2020 — 1 Comment

The word on The Streets is… Mike Skinner is finally back! It’s time for your daily post!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “None Of US Are Getting Out Of This Alive” (Available on July 10, 2020) (via Island Records)

Sweet Victory! Good morning to you, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing about your daily track on the blog because it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! Mike Skinner is the brain behind the brawns of The Streets, his English rap act, who created his iconic debut album “Original Pirate Material” from 2002 on just his laptop in his bedroom. The album was a huge hit and Skinner has become a force to be reckoned with, releasing hit singles like “Dry Your Eyes” and “Fit But You Know It”. Known for his Garage sound and his anecdotal tracks storytelling the lives of working class British life, Skinner’s credited to be one of the best UK hip hop artists of all-time. I’ve always found his style to be a bit dull and monotonous for my tastes, but he’s decided to enlist the help of Tame Impala, who I really like, for a new single entitled “Call My Phone Thinking I’m Doing Nothing Better”. The single will be released on Skinner’s mixtape “None Of Us Are Getting Out Of This Alive”, which comes out on July 10th on Island Records. Let’s listen to it below.

Directed by Mike Skinner, the social-distancing inspired video for “Call My Phone Thinking I’m Doing Nothing Better” lets us see Skinner trapped in the mountains and calling his friend, Kevin Parker of Tame Impala, for help. It lyrically encapsulates with Skinner and Parker rapping and singing about their social distance with missed opportunities. Skinner raps: “The phone is ringing/Can’t use it till’ it stops/I moan and listen, the tone emits/The only man in black/hi-viz jackets in the Cab”, over a shuffling synth backing beat at a rhythmic pace that feels reminiscent of old-school Streets. Tame Impala comes in at a breakneck pace as the rap bars draw out to a hazy synth line wash and a reverberated vocal delivery: “I was gonna call you back, I swear/Just as soon as I felt up to it/It just hasn’t happened yet/And I’m still gonna call you back one day” with the electronic instrumentation creating a slight tinge of Psychedelia, as you’d come to expect from Tame Impala. The lyricism is strong and immediate with plenty of references to the Covid-19 situation. The funky, experimental rap verses are catchy and the drumming sequences give it more depth. Weirdly, I would usually not like The Streets and like Tame Impala but oddly enough, it’s the other way around with this. Skinner’s rap verses feel melodic and traditional, whereas the Tame Impala sections feel strange and out-of-place, as Skinner creates Baritone Garage melodies whereas Parker creates a vocal sample that sounds processed and clunky as if he’s going back to his music. It makes the track feel uneven and disjointed in the execution of the genres that it explores. Overall, there are good elements in the track, but it just doesn’t quite work. Skinner’s vocals are quite good, but the Tame Impala sections sound bizzare. Let’s hope this track doesn’t keep “ringing” about in my head.

  • Pictured: Mike Skinner (The Streets) in a press shoot (2020) (Photo Credit: http://www.diymag.com)
  • Pictured: Tame Impala (Kevin Parker) in the video for “Call My Phone Thinking I’m Doing Nothing Better” (2020)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as usual, with an in-depth look at a brand new single from an emerging punk band who are from New York and released their debut EP “Distance Is A Mirror” on Wharf Cat Records last November. Please stay inside, don’t do anything silly and keep washing your hands! If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when each new post is up and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime

Today’s Track: Baxter Dury – “I’m Not Your Dog”

April 30, 2020 — Leave a comment

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

April 13, 2020 — 2 Comments

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

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

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

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

Thank you very much for reading this post! I hope you enjoyed it! It’s back to normal tomorrow as Easter Tuesday isn’t a thing, but as I’ve been writing about a lot of new music lately – we’ll look at a vintage delight instead! This track comes from an American 5-piece family group who began their own, monumental, sampling legacy with their fifth album, “There’s A Riot Going On”, released in 1971! If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when each new post is up and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime

Today's Track: Yumi Zouma – "Cool For A Second"

April 9, 2020 — Leave a comment

Keeping it as cool as a cucumber – for more than a second – with your daily blog post!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Truth Or Consequences” (Released on 13th March, 2020) (via Polyvinyl Records Ltd.)

Top of the morning to you – I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m typing the words for my daily track on the blog – as it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write to you about a different track every day! As you can see in in the beautifal, pale art work above, “Truth Or Consequences” is an album released by Yumi Zouma, a 4-piece Alternative Dream-Pop band. Hailing from Christchurch in New Zealand, Yumi Zouma had a recent formation in 2014, with the band’s name being a basic amalgamation of the two friends that encouraged the group to start writing together, later signing to the Cascine label – of which the group released two of their albums with. Their new LP marks a shift to Polyvinyl Records, with “Cool For A Second” representing the band’s progression of their evolved sound, as the lead single. It had originally been scrapped, but guitarist Josh Burgess insisted for it to be included on the new record due to receiving a “spark of inspiration” about it. Let’s have a listen to the track below.

Calm and collected, Yumi Zouma’s “Cool For A Second” is a soft, pristine mix of mellow vocal layering and long-winding, echoed synth loops. This isn’t a synth-pop sound by it’s traditional standards, but the billowed electronic production work plays a big part in the mellow and refined evocation of the teen-oriented, ambient textures. Christie Simpson comments on her ideas of romantic disillusion in the track’s airy chorus: “Omissions never flare/they go out if you let them/Changing every year, I was cool for a second”, a gentle rhyme that’s delivered with a modern and upbeat electro-pop tinge. A few of the verses sound slightly angrier: “Four months and a day/What other sucker would wait?/For someone else to take advantage/When all you give is taken for granted”, with a more self-reflective vocal bridge to follow: “It was a bad hesitation, A little stumble in the back of your soul/Another hard time alone in yourself, It was a step too far to know”, before the stuttering keyboard riffs and the sharp, sparkling synth chords offer a dreamier look at the break-up, as well as a more optimistic emotional tonality. The sound is hugely 80’s – and unashamedly so, I feel – with clear nods to The Breakfast Club and other old-school, coming-of-age flicks being pictured in my head as the spacious drum beats and reserved melodies construct a very laidback rhythm. I feel the cheesy nature of the motivational sound is intended and although it’s not wholly original, with a clear comparison to Christine & The Queens or Saint Etienne that you could make, it’s effective in layering out a catchy and pleasant, if not groundbreaking, tempo. Overall, I feel the sonic direction is rich enough to complement the atmospheric lyricism concerning personal growth with a warm heart – although I get the sense it might be too coated in sugar for some.

  • Pictured: Christie Simpson (Lead Vocals/Sampling), Josh Burgess (Lead Guitar/Drum Machine Programming), Charlie Ryder (Bass Guitar/Keyboard/Synths) and Olivia Campion (Drums/Cowbell) (2020) (via official press shoot)

Don’t forget to catch up with my WWE WrestleMania 36 Weekend Special if you missed out – Friday’s post, “El Santo: The Silver Masked Avenger” by The Nick Atoms, is here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/04/03/wwe-wrestlemania-36-weekend-special-the-nick-atoms-el-santo-the-silver-masked-avenger/. Saturday’s post on Bruce Springsteen’s “The Wrestler”, is here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/04/04/wwe-wrestlemania-36-weekend-special-bruce-springsteen-the-wrestler/. The weekend’s final post on “The Legend Of Chavo Guerrero” by The Mountain Goats can be perused here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/04/05/wwe-wrestlemania-36-weekend-special-the-mountain-goats-the-legend-of-chavo-guerrero/!

  • Pictured: Yumi Zouma in a shoot for Albumism’s interview with Christie Simpson (2020) (Photo by Jack Sheppard)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as per usual, with an in-depth look at a heavy drum-and-bass track released in 2018 – maybe a bit of a drastic shift then – by a DJ from Croatia who has been trained to play the violin, keyboard and drums and took many early influences, such as The Beatles and Frank Sinatra with him, before exploding on the UK Garage scene and remixing SNBRN’s “Caifornia” with Chris Lake in 2015 to receive his first #2 spot on the BeatPort charts. 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: Chicano Batman – “Pink Elephant”

April 8, 2020 — 1 Comment

It’s time to address the “Pink Elephant” in the room! Read your daily blog post below!

  • Pictured: Bardo Martinez (Lead Vocals/Keyboard/Rhythm Guitar), Carlos Arévalo (Lead Guitar), Eduardo Arenas (Bass Guitar/Backing Vocals) and Gabriel Villa (Drums/Percussion) (April 2020) (Official press shoot via ATO Records)

Good morning! I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing about your daily track on the blog, as it’s my day-to-day pleasure to do so! “Pink Elephant” is a new single by Chicano Batman, a group which I have been introduced to recently due to their previous single, “Color My Life”, turning my brain on full alert! Both of these singles are taken from their upcoming fourth LP record, “Invisible People”, which is set for release on May 1st, via ATO Records. The band draw their music from a wide range of influences, with a psychedelic rock overtone, comedically mixed with Tropicalia, Electronic Rock, Dub and Jazz-Punk, roots which pave the way for the California four-piece’s distinct aesthetic. The band once appeared on a TV commercial for Johnnie Walker Scotch Whisky and they made their late-night TV debut on Conan in 2017. It’s safe to say they don’t take themselves very seriously! They have filmed a live session for “Pink Elephant” on their YouTube channel. Let’s have a listen to the track below…

It’s all about the groove and I think Nellie The Elephant would agree that it has vibrancy by the trunk loads! The percussive bass guitar riff is primarily the focal point of the sound on “Pink Elephant”, with a repetitive three-note structure, which aims to put your ears in a euphoric trance. Bardo Martinez sings about a dangerous lust for a party girl, over a refreshing blend of neo-soul and Latin rock, concluding that: “She’s the pink elephant in the room/A mercenary with perfume/Just like in the movies/She kills for fun”, a refrain that he ends with an airy: “Yeah…”, a recurring line throughout the track. It carries on with Gabriel Villa delivering a punchy, off-kilter drum technique and Eduardo Anera’s funk-drenched guitar riff, backed up by Carlos Arévalo’s constant lead guitar drill. The melodies pause for Martinez’s slow bridge: “Everyone is nervous/No one says a thing” and “That will make them vibe right/The way it should be/I don’t really give a f*** no more/I’m out the door”, led to a crashing synth breakdown, before Arévalo’s bass guitar groove leads us back into more peaceful territory. There’s a certain Mad Max-style aesthetic to the band’s sense of humor, which complement the rock-driven staccato style very nicely. I think the pre-shot, “live-lounge” video manages to accomplish more than a full-on music video would in getting their funny vibes across to new listeners because it’s all a show – with Arenas looking sad and contemplative to the silly, crass music being played around him. It becomes a densely layered soundscape of twisted psych-pop, Latino rock and trippy, lick-driven psychedelic funk over the course of the three minute duration. I love it! It’s full of personality, it sounds diverse and it’s easy to keep on listening again and again! If there’s one thing I could suggest to improve on – Bardo – please put a shirt on mate!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Invisible People” (Available from May 1st, 2020) (via ATO Records)

I have previously covered “Color My Life” by Chicano Batman on the blog – take a read here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/03/12/todays-track-chicano-batman-color-my-life/! Also, Don’t forget to catch up with my WWE WrestleMania 36 Weekend Special if you missed out – Friday’s post, “El Santo: The Silver Masked Avenger” by The Nick Atoms, is here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/04/03/wwe-wrestlemania-36-weekend-special-the-nick-atoms-el-santo-the-silver-masked-avenger/. Saturday’s post on Bruce Springsteen’s “The Wrestler”, is here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/04/04/wwe-wrestlemania-36-weekend-special-bruce-springsteen-the-wrestler/. The weekend’s final post on “The Legend Of Chavo Guerrero” by The Mountain Goats can be perused here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/04/05/wwe-wrestlemania-36-weekend-special-the-mountain-goats-the-legend-of-chavo-guerrero/!

  • Pictured: Chicano Batman pictured in a still image from the “Color My Life” music video (2020) (via YouTube)

Thank you for reading my new post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as always, with an in-depth listen to a brand new single by an Alternative Pop group from New Zealand whose name is an amalgamation of the two friends that encouraged the group to start writing together! If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when each new post is up and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime

Today’s Track: Working Men’s Club – “White Rooms and People”

April 1, 2020 — 1 Comment

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

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

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

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

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

Thank you for reading this post! Don’t go outside, but I hope that you enjoyed it! I’ll be back tomorrow, as always, with my in-depth thoughts on a recent single from a Warwickshire-born musician who used to be part of an English Mercury Prize-winning new-rave group. Also, he is married to Pirates Of The Caribbean actress Keira Knightley! Stay tuned to this section tomorrow for a big announcement… we’re doing things a little differently on the blog over the next weekend! If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when each new post is up and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime

Today’s Track: Men I Trust – “Show Me How”

March 19, 2020 — Leave a comment

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

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

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

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

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

Thank you for reading this post! I hope you enjoyed it! Please don’t forget to check out the blog tomorrow, where I’ll be sharing my thoughts on a brand new single from one of my personal favourites – along with a video starring a former contestant from Season 11 of America’s Got Talent who said he’s “on a mission to prove that dance is for everybody and anybody who wants to do it” on the biography of his own YouTube channel! If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every new daily post is up and why not like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Today’s Track: FVLCRVM -“Words”

March 16, 2020 — Leave a comment

The name’s like an LOL or YOLO – There’s my attempt to cheer you up! New post time!

  • Pictured: FVLCRVM in a press photoshoot to promote the release of “Loose” (2018) (Photo Credit: New Noise Magazine)

Fear thee not, We haven’t reached the age of meme-ified, internet text-based stage titling- FVLCRVM is actually a name taken from a “mad Russian jet fighter” according to this DJ! Good evening, I’m Jacob Braybrooke, writing about your daily track on the blog, as it’s still my day-to-day pleasure to do so! I couldn’t find the real name of FVLCRVM, but he’s a Slovakian electronic music producer who I discovered through listening to NTS Radio last week. He played a live set at this year’s Eurosonic Festival at Groningen in The Netherlands, being described as one of the “stand-out” artists from the festival by radio presenter Kevin Cole. He began his career by playing the funk guitar in his church band before he formed a math-rock band with some friends from church, before he broke into the international dance club scene with “Hi!” in May 2017, a viral hit on YouTube, which gained support from Mixmag and Resident Advisor and has amassed over 42k views at time of writing. “Words” was released in 2018, but a new EP is due to arrive later this year. Let’s have a listen to “Words” below.

I could have left “Words” to speak for itself – but that would be lazy of me! The most recognizable element of the track, for me, after my first listen, was the similarity in voice to Damon Albarn, of Blur and Gorillaz fame, although the tone is more dance-centric and the synth-based instrumentation has a fairly post-apocalyptic texture. However, there’s a melodic bassline that feels ‘pop’ enough to add a decent level of accessibility and a gentle theme of hope. It’s matched by FVLCRVM’s smoothly filtered vocals, where he calls for action environmentally, singing: “The bitter/the pleasant/the status/the class wars” over a layered EDM stab which bubbles under the surface. The chorus is a simply delivered, minimalist vocal line: “It’s all just words to me”, which is layered underneath a gentle breath of treble and a skittering, sci-fi-ish acid strobe. FVLCRVM continues: “The sandstorm/The beaches/The bottom line/The human kind”, a repetitious hook he signs off: “I wish I understood you better”, before the developing composition falls off-kilter and goes into a chaotic state of frenzy, playing off the regular theme of inconsistency, due to the sudden tempo shifts and glitching progressions during the track. A slight gospel influence adds depth behind the track, lyrically, as FVLCRVM continues to recite his vocals and convey an important ecological message. Overall, it’s a track which caught me off-guard with it’s hidden complexities underneath it’s pop-driven dance melody, leaving us with a fairly strong interweaving of artistic expression, with an accessibility. This one’s a good ‘un!

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as per usual – with an in-depth look at an album-only track from a British, London-based Indie Rock band who have returned from a six-year hiatus, after working on solo projects – and have dabbled in experimenting with genres like Folk, World, Electronica and Jazz Fusion in their career, as well as being the Sunday night headliners of this year’s BBC Radio 6Music Festival in Camden two weekends ago. 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/