Progressive Synthpop

Today’s Track: Rachel Lime – “Voyager 3”

June 17, 2021 — Leave a comment

Hello – from the children of the planet Earth. Time to get intergalactic for a new post!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “A.U.” (LP) (Released on June 11th, 2021) (via Inside Voices)

Greetings and good evening to you, it’s Jacob Braybrooke here, and it’s time for me to get typing up for your daily track on the blog, as per usual, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! We are going cosmic today – with ‘Voyager 3’ from the fresh new Minnesota-based singer-songwriter Rachel Lime, who makes sample-enhanced music in the wheelhouse of Alternative Pop, Chamber-Pop and Electronic Rock, and her PR’s artist biography on Bandcamp and Spotify simply reads as “Music in search of other worlds”. She released her debut solo album, ‘A.U.’, last week through Inside Voices, the new label managed by the Big Bld founder and High Pulp drummer Rob Granfett. It follows a span of her career where she has dropped music on her Soundcloud account quietly for the last decade or so, and her own musical journey began when she decided to learn how to play the Piano at the age of 7. The influences for the record go beyond music, with Lime noting the work of astronomer and author Carl Sagan, especially on his 1985 novel ‘Contact’, as her inspirations. Like The Avalanches have explored on their latest material, Lime also looked to NASA’s Golden Voyager record for her theme, a record put into space in the hopes of extraterrestrial life learning about humanity by unveiling it. Let’s check out Alan De Lean-Taverna’s music video for ‘Voyager 3’ below.

“I wrote this song inspired by the tradition of space disco, and the Voyager golden record, sent into space with Voyager 1 and 2 by NASA”, Rachel Lime told Jasmine Albertson in a recent interview with KEXP, adding, “This interstellar message in a bottle has always really moved me. This idea of humanity trying desperately to communicate itself to Someone Out There, to attempt to connect, to prove that we have created beautiful things”, when expanding on the driving forces behind her process of writing the tune and co-producing the storyboards for the music video. It opens with the iconic sample from the Golden Voyager record, and the greeting of ‘Annyeonghaseyo’ in Korean where Lime has her heritage. A soulful keyboard riff that feels woozy and off-key sets the scene, as lyrics like “I sing a song in a bottle, I give it to the interstellar waves” and “The future’s nice/In the starlight” permeate through the synth-led beats with disorienting vocal effects. The vocals feel almost sensual and flirtatious, or alien and unusual, with interludes which see Congo drums and guitar instrumentals fill the space. The production feels merticulous and tinkered away at, with a slower bridge that finds Lime wishing, “We want to make contact/We gave you a code to break” as the rhythm slowly builds it’s way back to the retro-futurist Keys and the virtuosic Drums that scatter along the undeniably 80’s bassline. It feels paced similarly to a dance track, with different instruments and effects that have their turns, and are each built to gradually. This works really nicely because it gives the total aesthetic a quirky edge, and this makes Lime feel memorable amongst her peers. I’m certain that an alien would love a jive in the kitchen to this. If they ever find it. That is.

  • Pictured: Rachel Lime in the music video for “Voyager 3” (in 2021) (Photo by Alan De Leon Taverna)

That’s it for today’s trip! Don’t forget to join me again tomorrow where, as it’s Friday, we’ll be looking at one of the most notable new album releases of the weekend. We’ll be giving the opportunity to a 20-year-old singer-songwriter making her own Art-Pop music from the suburb of Little Ferry, New Jersey. Born to a Mexican father and a Dominican mother, her new album is based on her love for 80’s-era Michael Jackson. 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: Daniel Avery – “Hazel and Gold”

June 14, 2021 — Leave a comment

Texture as smooth as the layer of Salted Caramel on a Wispa Gold bar. New post time!

  • Pictured: Vinyl Copy of “Together In Static” (LP) (Released on June 24th, 2021) (via Phantasy Music)

Good Morning to you! It’s Jacob Braybrooke – getting proceedings off to a start for the new week – with your daily track on the blog, since it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! A DJ known for his Andy Weatherhall tribute track, ‘Lone Swordsman’, and his production work for the likes of Metronomy and Little Boots, the Bournemouth-based electronic music producer Daniel Avery has announced the follow-up album to 2020’s ‘Love + Light’, which he “surprise released” last June in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic, entitled ‘Together In Static’. A positive and relaxing ambient track, ‘Hazel and Gold’ is the new single from the upcoming album, which releases on June 24th via Phantasy Music and Mute Records. Avery’s new album was originally being composed specifically for a live performance which happened at Hackney Church in May, but, for those who could not get tickets for the socially-distanced show, Avery has a ticketed live-stream planned for June 23rd. Let’s give it a spin with the Tom Andrew-created visuals below.

Avery – who filled in for Mary Anne Hobbs on an episode of her BBC Radio 6 Music programme 6 Music Recommends in 2019 – spoke of the new LP release, “As with many things this past year, the project took on a power and a life of it’s own right in front of me”, adding, “I started to make music specifically for the shows yet, as plans continued to shift, I fell deeper into the waves”, concluding, “By the time I came up for air, I realized I had a complete record I wanted to share. I feel like it’s some of my best work and I’m gassed for you all to hear it”, in his publicity statements. His latest single, ‘Hazel and Gold’, reminds me fondly of ‘Lone Swordsman’ in the ways that it takes on a quite minimalist, honest approach. I wouldn’t say that it’s particularly basic or necessarily simplistic, but the formula remains intact. It’s different to many IDM or Techno tracks of the modern time in the way that it’s not hard, fast club music that aims to exploit the artifice of technology, but it rather embraces the electronic production to create a smooth and comforting tone in it’s soft, downtempo and lightly seasoned textures. We start off with a chiming, melodious Drum melody that eventually forms a smooth and relaxed bassline. The sound becomes more of a Techno-inducing trance during the midway point, as the warmth is stripped back, and the Synth melodies start to glisten. The atmosphere has an undoubtedly optimistic and emotionally-driven quality, with joyous Synth sequences and a whistling backing beat that conjures up a chilled, inviting atmosphere. The late stretch implores the listener to go down the rabbit hole, with a gently increased tempo that adds a dream-like tone to the mix, as the previously threatening drum melodies begin to mimic a bell-like percussion. It’s a short-and-sweet track which doesn’t overstay it’s welcome, and certainly fits the ideas of positive change and joy in attending physical shows that Avery is reflecting, and the cheer that comes from spending time in a crowd together.

  • Pictured: Daniel Avery photographed for Sonar Festival, Barcelona (2019) (Photo via Techno Archive)

If you haven’t heard enough of today’s ‘Golden’ artist yet – then you can also make sure to catch up on Daniel Avery’s Andy Weatherhall tribute track, ‘Lone Swordsman’, taken from his 2020 EP, ‘Dusting For Smoke’, which has been previously covered on the blog, here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/11/12/todays-track-daniel-avery-lone-swordsman/

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Dusting For Smoke” (EP) (Released on September 1, 2020) (via Phantasy Sound)

That has taken us to the end of your blog post for another day! Thank you for joining me – and please feel free to keep your eyes peeled for the site again tomorrow, for some brand new music from an emerging Art-Rock quartet formed in Manchester whose latest single has seen daytime airplay from BBC Radio 6 Music. They shared university halls together and studied popular music at the Royal Northern College Of Music in their hometurf, and they recorded a cover of Disclosure’s ‘White Noise’ for their debut mixtape. 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: Fear Factory – “Cars – Remix”

May 30, 2021 — Leave a comment

A momentary flash in the Metal pan for the old Lightning McQueen. It’s Scuzz Sunday!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Obsolete” (LP) (Released on July 28, 1998) (via Roadrunner Records)

Good Morning to you – it’s Jacob Braybrooke here, and it’s time for your weekly Scuzz Sundays throwback – the time of the week where we mix it up with a re-evaluation of a Pop-Punk anthem from the late-1990’s up to the mid-2000’s. The LA-based US Heavy Metal band with no original members left in it’s line-up, apart from guitarist Dino Cazares, the million-selling band Fear Factory were highly influential on the global Metal scene in the mid-to-late 1990’s for the Groove Metal and the Industrial Metal sub-genres. Of course, their line-up woes haven’t really stopped them, despite a legal dispute between the original members and the current members over it’s legitimacy in a battle – with two albums still being released after the case was opened. ‘Cars’ was originally performed by Gary Numan in 1979, and Fear Factory would perform a cover of ‘Cars’ as an encore for their live tours. Then-frontman, Burton C. Bell, eventually got in touch with Numan’s management after word spread, who flew Numan out to the Vancouver studio for a three-day span to record a Spoken Word piece for the introduction of ‘Obsolete’, the associated album that ‘Cars – Remix’ was conceived for, in 1998. In this rendition, Numan performs a duet with Bell on the track. It was crucial in catapulting Fear Factory to attention in the mainstream eye, and it led to ‘Obsolete’ becoming Fear Factory’s highest-selling album, with over 750,000 units shifted, as of 2001. It also landed a place at #16 on the Mainstream Rock chart in the US. Let’s revisit the Stanley Kubrick-esque Sci-Fi music video down below.

“There was a chance that it could introduce me to a new generation of people who didn’t know my history” said the super-cult UK Synth-Pop spearhead Gary Numan, who originally felt apprehensive about working with Fear Factory at the time, because he perceived it as dated music. It proved to be a fruitful collaboration, with Numan telling the press: “And that can be useful, because my music’s got a lot heavier and darker anyway”, in the same interview. He also said the band were “brilliant, really easy to work with. They didn’t have a bad word to say about anyone” after recording the reworking of ‘Cars’ with them. It served to bring both parties to audiences that were wider than their fan followings, as the uncharacteristically bright Synth-led rendition contrasts with the metal progressives reputation for fast-moving and grinding Metal music. However, you could argue that the heavy use of the synthesizer and the other harsh, electronic blueprints correspond with the qualities of the band’s Industrial roots. The electronics are powerful, with the familiarity of the original track giving room for the more chant-led vocals to breathe. “Here in my car, I feel safest of all, I can lock all my doors” and “Here in my car, When the image breaks down, Will you visit me, please” are delivered melodically, as propulsive guitar riffs and lengthy, sustained Synth chords keep the psychedelic atmosphere rolling along. The rest feels simple, with light Dance music elements that keep the Heavy metal roots from getting too aggressive, and it still sounds predominantly like an 80’s Pop record, when you come to really think of it. Some Industrial-like riffing comes into play, and the drums have a slightly increased edge to them, but most of the original framework of Numan’s retro production remain intact. Overall, I quite enjoyed my time with this. The tempo is nice and the sound never feels overly produced at any one time. However, I did feel the band were playing it safe to a point. Their cover, although involving Numan, doesn’t really stray too far from the formula of Numan’s original, and so it didn’t do anything to suprise me. For the most part, however, the fusion of the electronic Synth-Pop original and the slight edge to the Metal-infused elements are definitely worth a spin. It’s also funny to think that re-workings like this are coming back into fashion too, with the recent Paul McCartney reimagining and Moby’s ‘Reprise’ album allowing artists to put a twist on their original work. It’s holding up fairly well in the present day, for that reason, too. Overall, it’s not brilliant, but it was a fun switch-off cover that should still appeal to a sizeable pool of listeners.

  • Pictured: Burton C. Bell (Lead Vocals/Keyboard), Dino Cazares (Guitars/Backing Vocals), Tony Campos (Bass Guitar/Backing Vocals) and Mike Heller (Drums/Percussion) (2015) (Photo by Stephanie Cabral)

That’s all for now! Tomorrow is Bank Holiday Monday, and so I’m going to take you back to 2005 with a rarity that fits neither ‘Way Back Wednesdays’ or ‘Scuzz Sundays’ in it’s theme – and so it should make for a refreshing change to my regular output. This single comes from Miles Tackett’s Funk collective project who covered The Mohawks ‘Champ’ in 2005 for the video game soundtrack of ‘Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland’ for the Gamecube, PS2, Nintendo DS and the original Xbox. 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: Lou Hayter – “Telephone”

May 29, 2021 — Leave a comment

I’ll be working in a Call Centre if my MA degree fails. That’s my calling. New post time!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Private Sunshine” (LP) (Released on May 18, 2021) (via Skint Records)

Good Morning to you! It’s Jacob Braybrooke here, as always, with your daily track on the blog. Don’t forget that it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! It’s been a long time coming, but yesterday saw the release of the first full-length solo record from Lou Hayter. I loved ‘My Baby Just Cares For Me’ on the blog last November, and the London house scene figurehead has been building up to the release of her retro-futurist Pop delight ‘Private Sunshine’ with a steady stream of singles up to this point. Hayter’s not a newcomer to the business, and she’s already built up an imposing list of credits to her profile. These include her time as the keyboardist of New Young Pony Club, and her time collaborating with Jean Benoit-Dunckel from Air on the experimental Dance-Punk project Tomorrow’s World, which led to their self-titled debut album in 2013. One of her most notable single offerings was ‘Telephone’, a slinky 80’s-esque Synth-Funk jam that fits together with the slow burn promotion of Hayter’s latest LP. Let’s take a ‘Telephone’ call below.

“I started making Pop tunes in a hip-hop kind of way by sampling and looping, and then it opened up a whole new world of making music for me”, Hayter said on the ‘Telephone’ single in it’s respective press notes, before she added, “Telephone is one of the first ones I made like this. I love the vibe it has, it’s a nice laid-back summery tune. The Sax solo was the cherry on top”, to expand on it’s development and post-production. The vocals come in quickly after the repetitious guitar hook, with Hayter crooning: “If it was right, you wouldn’t have to think twice/I know it’s hard but you were just my type/When there were two hearts in this house but one broke” over the top of retro, late-70’s Funky bass guitar licks and strutting Drums which get a slowly bumping bassline moving along. Lines like “Remember when you used to hold me tight/It doesn’t matter if the sun shines bright/’Cause there are raindrops falling on my head without you” that are delivered more poetically. The bridge of “Now, I’m walking in the rain without you” continues to peel back the layers, as Hayter’s lyrical themes of lamenting some missed opportunities to kick-start a relationship come to the forefront of the soundscape. Speaking of the soundscape, it’s decorated with intriguing samples of telephone blips and sultry rhythms of distorting Synths that weave in and out of the fray, while a more involved chorus places the focus on the glossy production choices of Hayter’s vocals. She delivers these lines with a charming and flashy delivery, before it’s all rounded off by the bustling Saxophone solo that adds an unexpected Jazz element to the sound. There’s not any real emphasis on modernity here, and although the well-produced vocals don’t quite feel dynamic enough to entirely hit deep in emotional heft, the sashaying rhythms of the Funky instrumentation and the unexpected Jazz touches cut it. A well-inspired affair that reminded me strongly of La Roux, with a 00’s House feel that reminds me of some of the music that I used to hear around me, and in the charts, when growing up. It’s a sexy, summery and sentimental Pop sound with enough creative flair to hit the mark.

  • Pictured: Lou Hayter DJ-ing with Henri at a BAFTA-Netflix party (2016) (Photo courtesy of Twitter.com)

There was your ‘Pure Pop’ moment of the weekend here on the blog. If that isn’t enough for you, however, then you can still ‘Pop’ along to my other Lou Hayter-featured post on the site to discover what ‘My Baby Just Cares For Me’ has to offer. Check it out here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/11/17/todays-track-lou-hayter-my-baby-just-cares-for-me/

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “My Baby Just Cares For Me” (Single) (Released on August 25, 2020) (via Loaded Records)

That’s all for today. ‘Scuzz Sundays’ is on track for tomorrow morning, as per usual, as we turn our attention back to the very cheesy Pop-Punk throwbacks from the late-1990’s through to the mid-2000’s, that will most definitely take you back to THAT phase of your Emo teenhood. This week’s pick comes from one of the scene’s final big acts that we have yet to cover on the site so far. It comes from an American Heavy Metal band from Los Angeles, who, other than the guitarist Dino Cazares, no longer have any of the original members as a part of their line-up. The track is a cover of Gary Numan’s original, with the cult UK music icon pulling a guest appearance on the reworking. 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: CHAI – “Action”

May 22, 2021 — Leave a comment

Stirred in a milky heritage, “Chai” is actually the Hindu word for “Tea”. New post time!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “WINK” (LP) (Released on May 21st, 2021) (via Sub-Pop Records)

Good Morning! It’s Jacob Braybrooke here, and it’s time for you to read all 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! I played this one on my Thursday night radio show two weeks ago, and I still can’t get enough of it. ‘Action’ is one of the singles that was taken from CHAI’s new album, ‘Wink’, which is brand new out this weekend. The girls are a 4-piece Alternative Pop or Disco-Punk (It’s hard to pin them down to any one label, really) band from Nagoya, Japan – Who we previously explored on the blog with ‘Maybe Chocolate Chips’ featuring Ric Wilson, who they met at the Pitchfork Music Festival in 2019. For Western audiences, you’d probably more likely know CHAI from collaborating with Gorillaz and JPEGMafia on a track from Gorillaz’s ‘Song Machine: Season One – Strange Timez’ viral video series and compilation, and they toured with Superorganism as their support act in 2018. Take ‘Action’ by viewing the video below.

“A person who winks at a person is one who lives with a pure heart, who lives with flexibility, who does what they want” is what the CHAI girls of Kana, Mana, Yuuki and Yuna penned in a press statement to explain the at-first-glance random title of ‘Wink’ for their new LP release. They added, “A person who winks is a person who is free. With this album, we’re winking at you. We’re living freely and we hope that when you listen, you can wink an live freely, too”. The band were, although half the world away, inspired by the Black Lives Matter protests that took place across the US last June, and so they decided to put their assessments of it into words for ‘Action’. The refrain feels like a nod to Chemical Brothers’ ‘Hey Boy, Hey Girl’, before CHAI intersect these echoes with lines like “Action is more than words” and “It’s okay, it’s okay, everything is okay/Because I believe in you and me” that get the message across simply, but effectively. The instrumentation is buoyant and charming, as shiny Disco-House motifs and a rolling Electronic breakbeat helps to turn ‘Action’ from a title into a self-affirming mantra. The chorus mixes Asian vocals with a punchy, shimmering Synth riff that replaces the strutting drum machine of the verses, building to an instrumental that encourages you to get your groove on. Shadings of R&B, Hip-Hop and Acid House help CHAI to set the mellower mood, but it’s still undeniably Pop music with a highly electronic, danceable series of beats. The lyrics call for a better future and turn these ideas into a sense of cross-cultural encouragement made with their own irresistibly playful edge where the nods to Acid-House and the huge reverb effects widen the scope of the Synth melodies. It’s message continue to show relevancy as people take to the streets to show solidarity with the situation in Palestine, and, for a variety of reasons, this is one of the best singles that I’ve heard all year. Just absolutely brilliant.

  • Pictured: KANA (Lead Vocals/Rhythm Guitar), Yuuki (Bass Guitar/Backing Vocals), MANA (Keyboard and Yuna (Acoustic Drum Kit) in a promotional image shoot for “WINK” (2021) (via Music.Mxdwn.com)

If you’ve not had enough of CHAI yet, why not take some ‘Action’ on it by checking out what I had to share about ‘Maybe Chocolate Chips’, an earlier single from the new album, where the band sing about changing their perspectives and viewing moles on their faces like the enhancements of your favourite cookie treat. Catch up here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2021/03/16/todays-track-chai-feat-ric-wilson-maybe-chocolate-chips/

  • Pictured: CHAI performing at Ameoba, San Francisco (2017) (Photo Credit: Jeff Clayton/YouTube.com)

That’s all for now! However, ‘Scuzz Sundays’ returns tomorrow for an entry that will have any players of the old WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2007 Xbox 360 video game chomping at the bit. 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: James Righton – “Release Party”

May 17, 2021 — Leave a comment

Following last year’s debut LP, it’s certainly not time yet for a Right-off. New post time!

  • Pictured: Cover for “Deewee 050 – Foundations” (Compilation) (Released on May 7, 2021) (via Deewee)

Good Morning to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time to make a start to the new week with Monday’s daily track on the blog, as always, since it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Last Saturday, we looked at Charlotte Adigery’s new single from the ‘Foundations’ compilation album that was put together by the DEEWEE label owned by Soulwax & 2 Many DJ’s for release on May 7th. Stratford-born singer-songwriter James Righton has followed in her footsteps, by releasing an exclusive new track for the project of his own. In case you are not familiar, Righton used to be the lead Vocalist and Keyboard player of Klaxons, a ‘New Rave’ band who scored a Mercury Prize win and a few hits in the charts during the mid-2000’s. Since then, he recorded under the ‘Shock Machine’ project that saw him work with director Saam Farahmand. He released his debut album, ‘The Performer’, last March on the DEEWEE label. It’s an album that received generally positive reviews, and an album which I rather really liked too. It looks at the guise of being a ‘Performer’ where one minute you’re playing pop star and the next you’re fathering two children. It does so under an engaging 70’s Neo-Psychedelic Pop sound mixed with delightful String sections and Baroque influences. Righton posted on social media, “Release Party was written in my garage during Lockdown before, completed at DEEWEE studio with Dave & Steph [Dewaele] of Soulwax and 2 Many DJ’s, working together remotely”, about this latest single. Give it a taster down below.

One fun fact about James Righton that you may never guess is that, of all people, he is married to Keira Knightley. The two began dating back in 2011, and were married in the south of France in 2016. Now living in the Islington district of London, they have two children together. Back to the subject at hand, the new bassline-grooving single makes commentary on “tension and release, and the dreams and fantasies we make”, according to Righton, who added that said “Party” is to be confirmed at a later date, hinting that a disco following the easing of Covid-19 restrictions was crucial to his concept of the euphoric Nu-Disco offering. Starting off with a fragmented 80’s Synth line and a propulsive Disco drum machine sequence that wavers and meanders to create a polished electronic groove that feels ready for a retro-futurist dance, his familiar voice greets us with lines like “I wanna see you honey/I wanna meet you on the street” and “There’s no time for us to waste/The precious/Let’s move to the beat now” which add a very instructive vocal to the soundtrack of the party you could be having. Righton’s vocals carry some essence of George Michael in the 80’s, as there’s a sense of flirtation to his mid-tempo tone and spacious breaths, while the chord progression of the track struts and sways it’s way along it’s near five-minute duration. The key hook of “I can feel the release” is kept basic and vague, but a bobbing Keyboard bass creates a slick build and drop-in that adds a lot of shine to the main section. While it may be easy to dismiss compilation-exclusive singles as throwaway efforts or quick promotions, the recent tracks from James Righton and Charlotte Adigery are simultaneously proving otherwise. On Righton’s latest, he continues to establish his name as one of UK Pop’s most criminally underlooked of the scene. He does what he does very well on ‘Release Party’ in making undeniable Pop that has something to it, as opposed to sounding generic and too safe. The smaller touches harken back to Prince of the 90s in the funky Synth undertones, while the erotic quality of his vocals make me think of Lou Hayter. Inspired Pop that’s distinctive and sounds great, and just has something about it, rather than just begging for a quick hit.

  • Pictured: James Righton in Paris, France to promote “The Performer” (2020) (Photo via DEEWEE)

That may be all that I have to say for now. However, if you liked the sound of this, or if you’re new to James Righton and you’re interested in hearing more of him, why not start with my analysis of his single ‘Edie’ from last year’s solo LP, ‘The Performer’? Check it out right here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/04/02/todays-track-james-righton-edie/

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “The Performer” (LP) (Released on 20th March, 2020) (via DEEWEE)

That’s it for now! I’ll be back tomorrow to introduce you to a recent discovery of mine, who described himself as “A guy called Joey from Michigan who makes music for your emotions” in his own artist biography. His latest album, ‘Old Time Radio’, releases this Friday on the Los Angeles-based independent label Alpha Pup Records. 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 Album Release Friday: St. Vincent – “The Melting Of The Sun”

May 14, 2021 — Leave a comment

Big Daddy Cool is finally home for his dollop of Daddie’s Ketchup. It’s new post time!

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Daddy’s Home” (LP) (Released on May 14, 2021) (via Loma Vista Recordings)

Good Morning to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for you to read your daily track on the blog, as per usual, and that’s because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! You could say I’ve gone for the obvious choice for our pseudo Album Of The Week choice this time – but that doesn’t mean it’s not the right one. ‘Daddy’s Home’ is the sixth album to come from St. Vincent – also known as Oklahoman Singer-Songwriter Annie Clark – who has continually established herself as a modern icon of Alternative music, including a win for ‘Best Alternative Album’ at the Grammy’s in 2015 that, rather shockingly, made her the first solo female artist to win in that category in two decades. It’s the long-awaited follow-up to 2017’s ‘Masseducation’, a record which continued to cement her as a highly valued talent, and it once again sees her co-producing it with Jack Antonoff, who worked with Clark on her prior release. Other than St. Vincent – this week, the actually-rather-good Jorja Smith provides some competition with her in the charts, mid-90’s Trip-Hop/Soul staples Morcheeba are back for another go-around which I might actually check out, The Black Keys are back for another timely summer release of theirs (I know my Uncle is a huge fan of them), and rapper J. Cole drops his swiftly announced latest. I’ve certainly been on the bandwagon for the hype towards Annie Clark’s latest, and we took an in-depth look into her work as part of our International Women’s Day post on the blog a few months ago. She appeared on ‘Saturday Night Live’ to perform ‘The Melting Of The Sun’ – a sampler for the LP – Check it out below.

It’s been well-documented in the press campaign for ‘Daddy’s Home’ that St. Vincent was inspired to create her latest body of work by the events of her father’s release from prison two years ago, for white-collar crime, as well as his Vinyl collection that she grew up hearing in the 1970’s, as Clark teased to NME, “One of the things about ‘Daddy’s Home’ is that there is a literal and autobiographical element to it, but also, I’m daddy now”, adding, “It’s hard for me to parcel out what is what. I just make the world. I don’t think too much about compartmentalizing it”, when referring to the New York City aesthetics of the early 1970’s that she built up the visual groundwork for her new record around. Clark is very much a visual artist, and she’s known for playing around with her image in subsequent releases, a trend that feels contextualized through her parallels to Prince and her Bowie-like reinvention on tracks like ‘The Melting Of The Sun’. It has a title which implies a chilled out and blissful tone. It’s a psychedelic wonder – with distorted vocals that stand out. Lyrically, she references cultural figures like Marilyn Monroe and Joni Mitchell, as she pays homage to female creatives who fought in a hostile or challenging environment, ultimately achieving some success by respecting their own core principles, despite meeting grizzly ends, with the sour in the sweetness being depicted in Clark’s song by trippy effects and long harmonies. The instrumentation blends soulful backing vocals and subdued Piano work with curved, warping Synth sequences and slow Electronic melodies that give the track a crooked, experimental feel. Overall, a kaleidoscopic and dream-like atmosphere is created, one which balances the nightmarish subtleties of the quiet, yet tense String sections and the deliberately perfectionist Drum beats that reveal a mysteriously blissful, yet relaxed angle to the narrative that Clark is continually shaping to meet her own ends of her artistry. There’s an excellent closing stretch to the single, and it feels paced out naturally, where the vintage Gospel influences begin to really shine through and the shout-out’s to her female icons finally comes across in a more celebratory light. I think it’s slightly stronger than her previous single – ‘Play Your Way In Pain’ – in the ways that it feels complex – yet human, and the discussions of female experience in the Golden age of the 70’s and the very different sound to the ‘Indie’ capabilities of her peers continue to single her out as a true artist of her craft. You can tell very easily from her live SNL performance that she loves embodying a character, and I can see many parallels between Clark and the likes of Kate Bush or Bjork in the ways that Clark simply makes music to express an honest creativity, and is never afraid to experiment with her musicality or her image to achieve her goals. It’s beautifully tireless, and I have nothing but positive things to say about Clark and her work at this point in her career. Sumptuous to a tee.

  • Pictured: St. Vincent at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards (2020) (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)

As aforementioned, St. Vincent was the featured artist of our International Women’s Day celebration post previously on the blog for this year, and if you missed the boat on that piece, why not take a minute to enjoy it? Follow the link here to read it: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2021/03/08/international-womens-day-2021-special-st-vincent-digital-witness-2014/

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “St. Vincent” (LP) (Released on Feb 24th, 2014) (via Loma Vista Recordings)

That’s enough rave reviewing for one day! If you want more content, however, meet me back here tomorrow for an in-depth introduction to a duo of Chicago funky house producers who have known each other since the age of three, a nostalgic realization of childhood that feels reflected very well in their debut LP, which was released a few weeks ago on the Foreign Family Collective label. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every new daily post is up and why not like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Today’s Track: Field Music – “Orion From The Street”

May 6, 2021 — Leave a comment

A spherical far cry from the time where we thought the Earth was flat. New post time!

  • Pictured: Peter & David Brewis (Vocals/Synths/Keys/Guitars) (2021) (Photo by Memphis Industries)

Good Afternoon to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and, as you’ve likely realized already by now, it’s time for your daily track on the blog, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! A now-pair of London Art Rocker veterans, Field Music have released nine albums in the last 16 years, scoring a Mercury Prize nomination and three UK Albums Chart top 40 entries in that time. Members of Maximo Park and The Futureheads have been featured as a part of their line-up over the last few decades, but the core members are Sunderland brothers David & Peter Brewis. Their latest release is ‘Flat White Moon’, which has gained critical acclaim since getting released last weekend on Memphis Industries. There’s usually a two-year gap to their cycle, on the exact day of their prior album, but ‘Flat White Moon’ is an outlier of that Easter Egg because we only heard from them last year on ‘Making A New World’, a concept album about World War 1 with eerie parallels to the time. Named after a constellation of stars, ‘Orion From The Sun’ was the lead single of the release, which was seemingly inspired by the 70’s Glam Pop of David Bowie, Led Zeppelin and Talking Heads. It’s fair to say that professor Brian Cox would be having a ‘Field Day’ with this. Check out the brilliant music video below.

Writing new material quicker than usual with the release of ‘Orion From The Street’, Peter Brewis writes: “It’s full of accidental quotes and allusions – the first couple of lines I overheard in a Cary Grant documentary, but they sum up the whole song – how intense impressions of love, hate, grief and guilt can be an almost hallucinatory experience” in Field Music’s recent press statements after penning that he wrote the promotional tune in a daze. Kicking off with a pack of twinkling keyboard melodies that gets a low-key groove of dramatic synths and colourful guitar riffs shimmering from that point onwards, permeating with a high radiance during the chorus, we get a propulsive and buoyant musing on stargazing and astronomy with uptight bass rhythms and wholly positive electronic tones in the familiar, yet nostalgic, Field Music mould. The vocals complement the brief pokings at Prog-Funk nicely, with Brewis imagining a world where “Death is but a dream” and “Memories that fall like rain are spirited away” over a wistful, psych-hinting background. It’s refreshing to hear a track which isn’t really addressing heavy and modern topics like race, femininity or LGBT circles, as the lyrics ponder gentle philosophy and cosmic themes instead with a vivid synth palette. I feel that it makes for a very nice change from the typical “indie” sound of the 2020’s, as the vocals signal for a means of escape from reality. A vivid set of instrumentation and cascading music production make proceedings feel fresh and the hooks are quite memorable. The odd guitar licks and the cymbal crashes give it an off-kilter flair, and a nice Horn section provides a fluttering highlight towards the middle. Overall, I like it because it’s just a pretty song that does something different to it’s peer contemporaries. While the meaning isn’t particularly definable, it provides an intricate moment for you to stop and nod your head along to. The hard effort clearly shows, with a solid update on the Alternative Rock sound of the mid-2010’s, as a retro nuance adds more depth to the package than it may first appear on the Lunar surface.

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Flat White Moon” (LP) (Released on April 23, 2021) (via Memphis Industries)

That’s all for today, but we’re going back to the basics on the blog tomorrow, as we delve into one of the weekend’s biggest new album releases. This week’s pick marks the much-anticipated release of the debut album from Brighton’s promising Post-Punk prodigies who are one of Warp Records latest signings and appeared on the Independent Venue Week documentary ‘On The Road’ where they were seen playing a dustbin lid with an asparagus! 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 Chemical Brothers – “The Darkness That You Fear”

May 1, 2021 — Leave a comment

Trust the Brothers – because the Brothers are gonna work it out. Time for a new post!

  • Pictured: The Chemical Brothers (Tom Rowlands & Ed Simmons) (2019) (Photo by EMI Records/Virgin)

Good Morning to you! I’m Jacob Braybrooke and, as per usual, it’s time for me to get typing up for your daily track on the blog, because it’s my day-to-day pleasure to do so! Fresh off the announcement that 90’s Big Beat dance crossover stars The Chemical Brothers will be performing at festivals like Creamfields and TRNSMT later this year, a surprising new single has already been released, ‘The Darkness That You Fear’, their first piece of new material since the critical success of 2019’s ‘No Geography’ LP which won Best Dance/Electronic Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards last year. It’s a little unclear as to whether a full-length follow-up to that excellent album is nearing completion, but it has been a fairly quick turn-around from the British music legends that sees them already getting back to work. The duo’s Tom Rowlands comments of the new track, “The Darkness That You Fear is a hopeful piece of music. When we found the combination of the different voices worked set to the flow of the music, it made us feel optimistic – like it was something we wanted to share” on the message of the new release, which is accompanied by a psychedelic, festival-themed music video from the Bristol-based director Ruffmercy, who has also worked with guys like DJ Shadow and Run The Jewels. Let’s wash ‘The Darkness That You Fear’ away below.

Previously signed to Astralwerks, Rowlands and Simmons have recently jumped ship to major label Republic Records, whose chief executive Glenn Mendlinger, who brought the duo’s new track to the dancefloor, comments “The Darkness That You Fear marks the return of the mighty Chemical Brothers. It is a classic Chemical Brothers opus that is psychedelic, lush and full of optimism. Tom and Ed prove they are pioneers of the genre with this uplifting track that is perfectly timed as the world comes out of darkness into light and colour” in their public statements. ‘Psychedelic’ and ‘Lush’ are similar to the words that I’d use to describe the new track, as a slightly eerie vocal sample leads the tone and atmosphere of the sprawling single. The recurring hook of “Let your heart see the colors all around you” comes across as more of a prayer than a reflective piece, leading to a more soulful undertone created by the vocal sample used in the bridge. Instrumentally, a Funk-inflicted backbeat takes the lead as the more shimmering synth melodies begin to overlap a shaky opening vocal sequence. The chorus of-sorts is a rhythmic, smooth section where the production goes for an old-school, 90’s dub party vibe of optimism and positivity. I particularly like the flickering synths break towards the final stretch of the track, before a final explosion of colour and energy points towards a brighter future. It feels like a solid tribute to the festivals that have all been cancelled and axed over the last year, with an accessible yet meticulous assortment of glowing and pretty sounds. A fantastic track that once again reminds us why The Chemical Brothers are so good at what they do, and boasts a simple message that holds cultural meaning and expression at it’s core. I’ll “Push The Button” on this – the one that’s labelled “Repeat” all summer long.

  • Pictured: The Chemical Brothers at Glastonbury Festival (2019) (Photo by Herbert P. Oczeret/EPA)

There’s ‘No Geography’ as to whether we’ve supported the ‘Block Rockin Beats’ of the Manchester icons, and so you can check out my retro review of UK #1 single ‘Let Forever Be’ featuring Liam Gallagher here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2019/11/11/todays-track-the-chemical-brothers-feat-liam-gallagher-let-forever-be/. Or, if you’re a fan of 2002’s ‘Star Guitar’ then ‘Hey Boy, Hey Girl’, here we go: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2019/08/31/todays-track-the-chemical-brothers-star-guitar/

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “No Geography” (LP) (Released on April 12, 2019) (via Virgin/EMI Records)

That’s all for today – But feel free to join me again tomorrow for another new addition to our ‘Scuzz Sundays’ library of the past Pop-Punk throwbacks to THAT phase from our younger years. Tomorrow’s entry comes from a Texas Nu-Metal project with only one major label album to their credits. In March 2002, one of their tracks was famously used for then-WWF’s (and now WWE’s) Raw weekly television programme theme tune until October 2006. If you 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/

Today’s Track: Vegyn – “B4 The Computer Crash”

April 26, 2021 — Leave a comment

Can I tell you a Vegan Dad joke? I promise you that it won’t be cheesy. New post time!

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Like A Good Old Friend” (EP) (Released on Mar 19, 2021) (via PLZ Make It Ruins)

Good Morning to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for me to get typing up for your daily track on the blog, as per usual, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! I have been playing ‘B4 The Computer Crash’ – twice, actually – on my little radio show, and it comes from an artist who I wasn’t familiar with at all before I caught wind of him on KEXP’s Song Of The Day podcast. Vegyn is the alias of Joe Thornalley, a British, but now Los Angeles-based, electronic IDM music producer known for his production work on two albums from Frank Ocean in the past. In 2019, he released his debut solo album which saw collaborations with Retro X, Jeshi and Freddie Gibbs making the rounds. This year, he’s back with a new EP ‘Like A Good Old Friend’, released last month on his own PLZ Make It Ruins label. As you may have guessed from the title of the new short form record, some of his friends make appearances, the likes of which include London rapper John Glacier, pianist Duval Timothy and the lapsteel guitarist Daniel Aged, all bringing unconventional sensibilities to his core sound. Check out the sampler below.

An episode of depression influenced the mental health struggles being explored in the ‘Like A Good Old Friend’ EP, as he told The Face, “A friend let me stay at their house and they happened to have a piano”, “I was like ‘cool’, OK, I’m just gonna try and figure this thing out”, before he broke it down with, “My chords are definitely weird, but to me they’re not weird. I’m really just playing with shapes and trying to lean into the emotive quality of the music”, in the interview. For me, a Jazz sensibility can be read between the lines of ‘B4 The Computer Crash’ with freestyle melodies and playful beats providing a slightly quirky, but emotionally driven, undertone to the table. The rest of the track swoops in for a 90’s Deep House or slightly Acid Techno feel, as trippy pacing and glitching effects are also commonplace. For my own interpretation of the track, it reminds me of the times when we’re pushing forwards after a bad situation, but whatever is troubling is, comes back and makes us sad again, before briefly being pushed to the back of our minds again, before making us grieve again later. It’s not depressive or anything like that, but it’s depicting a struggle with mental health in an accurate way. The push-and-pull pacing of the track is reminiscent of the push-and-pull nature of sadness, but that is not to say that we don’t find the positive within the negative. These warped beats are matched with a somehow slick, polished and smooth bassline that feels ambient and nostalgic, and so it contrasts the darker edges of the experience with some overlapping warmth. Before, of course, a brief meltdown comes into play once again. The lo-fi Hip Hop beat comes through nicely, and the retro internet dial-up effects play on memory. Familiar, but not too comfortable, Vegyn has released one of the most delightfully unique electronic singles of the year with an excellent balance between warmth and warped.

  • Pictured: Vegyn (aka Joe Thornally) in a recent publicity shoot (2021) (Photo Credit: i-d.vice.com)

That’s all for now – let’s hope the computer doesn’t crash again. Tomorrow’s track sees the triumphant return of one of my favourite modern artists, who has confirmed that her new album will be releasing in September. One day after my birthday, weirdly enough. It’s the follow-up to her breakout third studio album, which won awards for Best Album at the NME Awards and Ivor Novello Awards, as well as being nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2019. 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/