Today’s Track: Maximo Park – “All Of Me”

February 27, 2021 — Leave a comment

It ain’t gonna be no Walk In The Park for this established Geordie trio. New post time!

Pictured: Paul Smith (Lead Vocals/Keyboard/Producer/Rhythm Guitar), Duncan Lloyd (Lead Guitar/Bass Guitar/Occasional Backing Vocals) & Tom English (Drums/Percussion) (2020) (Photo via readdork.com)

Good Morning to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time, like always, for me to get writing up for your daily track on the blog, since it’s routinely my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Now consisting of lead vocalist Paul Smith, guitar wizard Duncan Lloyd and drummer Tom English, Maximo Park are an established Alternative Rock trio from Newcastle who a few may dismiss as part of the “indie landfill” of the 00’s along with bands like The Kooks and The Futureheads. It’s impressive that, unlike some bands of the 00’s heyday, they are still going, however, and it’s important to remind ourselves that Paul & Pals have had a few hits, they have two certified Gold-selling albums to their name and their debut LP was nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2005. This weekend, they’re back with their seventh album, “Nature Always Wins”, which was co-produced by Ben Allen (Deerhunter, Gnarls Barkley), and it was distributed by Prolifica Inc. I took a listen to it last night in bed as I liked the singles, and I was really suprised by how much I enjoyed it. While the musical blueprint of the group remains the same, the songwriting is very socially conscious, and the package has more synths, with some great experiments with 80’s stylings, although it is predominantly still a Pop record. I think my favourite tracks on there were the sprawling Future Islands-like “Meeting Up”, the Pulp-inspired “Feelings I’m Supposed To Feel” and the child-like “Versions Of You”. The new single is “All Of Me”, and we’ll give a shot below. Check out the Bruce Lee-esque video below.

Filmed in a Hall-Of-Mirrors setting inspired by the filmography of Arthur Russell and Bruce Lee, frontman Paul Smith conceives the band’s latest track as “a love song about the power of song itself, buoyed by the uplifting music in the chorus”, elaborating further on the themes saying, “It’s also about domesticality and family life being valid subject matter for a pop song”, in a recent interview with the press. The track starts off with a slick 80’s synth rhythm from the offset, and a quickly paced drum beat gives a hyper-melodic feel, before we’re left with a simple guitar line throughout the verses with a more acoustic sound, with Smith giving haste to catchy lyrics like “Change happens incrementally, Though the embers of ambition burn” and “I’ve been collecting perspectives, there’s so much that I want to share” before the swirling guitars dramatically build to the return of the driving 80’s-ish Synth riff. The chorus is immediate, with Smith making the themes clear on lines like “If I can’t include you, If art is apart, Well then I disagree” that have a personal quality to them, while the Killers-like synth line really drives the instrumentation forwards. I also noticed quick observations on society, with lines like “I turn the radio on, To find someone who tells me what I need to hear” and “Construct a personality, Though your instinct has a role to learn” feeling reflective of the world we’re living in today, and the music we’re usually being exposed to by the media. The chorus of “This song is where you belong/This is all of me” glistens over the top of the memorable synth hook nicely, with a glistening use of electronic instrumentation. This is a more radio-oriented track than some of the other cuts found on the new record, but I think there’s plenty to enjoy here. For starters, I really feel that Paul Smith is an excellent frontman for the band. His words feel clever and poignant, and I love how he writes about his child on the album with an honest heart, never feeling too inspired by a particular commercial aspiration. This track also reflects another great thing about the new work, where none of the two songs sound quite the same, but the synths on “All Of Me” are vibrant and feel inspired, reminding me a little of Visage and Erasure from the 80’s. I’m not quite sure who’s listening to them in 2021, and I think that’s a shame. I’d argue that Maximo Park are a super underrated band now. I think this is a successful evolution for the band, a very pleasant surprise and I think it’s exceptional, reminding me of my good affection for Gaz Coombes. Who knew they were so good?

Pictured: Cover Art for “Nature Always Wins” (LP) (Released on February 26th, 2021) (via Prolifica Inc.)

If you thought that one was right up your street, I was also quite impressed by what I heard from Maximo Park when they released an earlier single, “Baby, Sleep”, back in November. Check out what I said back then: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/11/30/todays-track-maximo-park-baby-sleep/

Pictured: Maximo Park at The Roundhouse, London (2015) (Photo via DIYMag.com/Carolina Faruolo)

That’s all for today – I know it’s your Saturday as well, so I’ll let you go and keep enjoying it now. Join me once again for “Scuzz Sundays” tomorrow, where we cast our minds back to the Pop-Punk and Emo crowd releases from the late-90’s up to the mid-00’s.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: Oneohtrix Point Never (feat. The Weeknd) – “No Nightmares”

February 20, 2021 — Leave a comment

The star of 2020’s Super Bowl half-time show makes a 180° point turn. New post time!

Pictured: Daniel Lopatin at an MOMA screening of “Good Time” (2017) (Photo by Rob Kim/Getty)

Good Morning to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke and – like always – it’s time again for me to get typing up for your daily track on the blog, and that’s because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! A veteran of the Experimental Electronic music genre and a mainstay of the iconic Warp Records label since 2013, Oneohtrix Point Never – aka Daniel Lopatin – has been in the game for the long haul. Exploring the vivid styles of kitschy MIDI production and pushing the boundaries of sample-based music cliches, his ninth studio album, “Magic Oneohtrix Point Never”, was released last October, and it draws from the psychedelic aesthetics inspired by the Magic 106.7 radio station. It’s an ambitious project for the well-reviewed Brooklyn-based producer, who has worked with artists such as FKA Twigs, Anonhi and Ishmael Butler previously. One of his most frequent collaborators, however, is the “Man Of The Moment” in the media – The Weeknd. Joining the contributions of Arca and Caroline Polachek for the recent album, The Weeknd (aka Abel Tesfaye) and Lopatin’s history goes way back. Lopatin and Tesfaye have traded in the favours for numerous guest spots on each other’s records in the past, and Tesfaye also appeared in 2017’s “Uncut Gems”, a critically acclaimed film that Lopatin scored, and it became the highest-grossing film at the box office for it’s distributor, A24. Paired by a hallucinogenic video, check out “No Nightmares” below.

Lopatin’s latest long-player reached the best-of-year end lists from a breadth of reputable publications, and the cinematic-inspired video was also conceived by Tesfaye and the madcap producer as a trilogy of short clips – The “Midday Suite” – that are influenced by postmodern art and film, and if you hadn’t been sold on their friendship yet, it also turns out that Lopatin was also the musical director of The Weeknd’s huge performance at the Super Bowl Halftime Show, which millions turned in droves to watch on their TV sets just a short while ago. Paired by a fictional universe of CGI monkeys and trippy Avatar visuals of the two musicians, “No Nightmares” sits between the multiverse of retro and futuristic in it’s approach. Opening with highly processed vocals and a thick layer of slowly dissipating synths, the production feels oddly comforting. The gradually dropping drum beats and the thick reverb of the synths give off a soothing feel, which are accompanied by the gradual revealing of the backing vocals and the chirping bird sounds. The vocals are almost unintelligible in most cases, with lines like “I’ve been missing from my own dream” and “It’s what happens so close” feeling artificial and otherworldly. The most recurring line is “Wait, in time, no nightmares”, which glides softly below the unsullied, experimental percussion of the nifty synth work. The arrangement seems suitably animated, with robotic vocal harmonies and long vocal notes from Tesfaye, who also shares a co-production credit for Lopatin’s latest album. His performance is good here, with an intriguing blend of vocal tones that suit the methodical synths and the Psych-Pop feel of the overall package. As far as mainstream artists go, I quite like The Weeknd and I think he’s a good stage presence in the role of his fame. Through his collaborations with Lopatin, such as “No Nightmares”, I think it gives him the platform to show some credibility as a true artist. “No Nightmares” is a decent example of this, with a good synergy between the two artists, where either man doesn’t feel like they are outshining the other. When all is said and done, I dig this track. Not necessarily everyone would “get it” – but it’s a unique spin on the heavy synth sounds of the 80’s, and it feels well-suited for the mantra of Warp Records, and with growth through repeated listens, it could potentially join the essential suite of Lopatin in becoming another of his most innovative productions of electronic work within the past decade.

Pictured: Cover Art for “Magic Oneohtrix Point Never” (Released on Oct 30, 2020) (via Warp Records)

Whew – time for a breather! There’s another day promptly catered for, but I’ll be back tomorrow, to add yet another entry into our long-running “Scuzz Sundays” series of featured posts tomorrow, where I’ll be throwing you back to the stuff of the lost Scuzz TV channel yet again. Tomorrow’s artist is pretty difficult to guess because it was a fairly short-lived burst of fame for it’s Norweigan Rock quartet. However, they still managed to upsell 55,000 albums worldwide for their two LP releases after being formed out of the ashes of two former outfits: Explicit Lyrics and Squid. 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: Cut Copy – “Like Breaking Glass”

February 13, 2021 — Leave a comment

Still got a lot to give – or becoming a carbon ‘copy’ of prior greatness? New post time.

Pictured: Dan Whitford (Lead Vocals/Keyboard/Rhythm Guitar), Tim Hoey (Samples/Lead Guitar), Ben Browning (Bass Guitar/Occasional Backing Vocals) and Mitchell Scott (Drums) (2020) (via Twitter.com)

Good Morning to you – I am Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s finally time again for me to get typing up on the blog for your daily diary entry of record sifting, because it is routinely my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! As like many of you probably were, I was introduced to Australian Synth-Pop 4-piece Cut Copy by “Zonoscope”, their beloved third LP record that won the awards for “Best Dance Release” and “Artisan Award for Best Cover Art” at the ARIA Awards in 2011, when it was released, although I know their second LP effort, “In Ghost Colours”, also earned critical acclaim and commercial success back in 2008. Their latest album release, “Freeze, Melt” saw the light of day back in August, and this sadly went to my backlog of-sorts after gaining a mixed reception. I’m caught up on this release now, however, and I found it to be interesting. The tracks were written over the span of three years in Denmark by Dan Whitford, and the recent project was conceived to be a departure from Cut Copy’s previous ventures into Psych-Pop and into Ambient music instead, with Whitford claiming the more introspective style of sound to reflect his experience of life in Scandanavia. Check out their single, “Like Breaking Glass”, below.

“In the beginning ‘Like Breaking Glass’ started out as a completely different track”, said Cut Copy’s front-man Dan Whitford on this specific track, who later added, “I never managed to finish it, but when I came back to it the next week there was something about that beat that felt compelling” after Whitford saw himself “mucking around in the studio with just a drum beat and an acid bassline” in the week prior. He wrote the track on top of this melody, and the single was born. It certainly feels different to the pop-oriented percussion of the band’s recent output, with lighter drum melodies and delay effects to the guitar which give proceedings a noticeable difference, with a more textured sound that reflects some of the sounds explored on their earlier material. An established act now, Cut Copy are headed in a fresh direction that, thankfully, doesn’t feel very predictable or formulaic, even if it’s lacking a slight punch of visceral qualities. The soundscape makes me think of Depeche Mode, with Whitford calling lines like “With the light, there is darkness/That runs right through” and “Every violent breath hurts, so I know I’m still in love” above whimsical synth sequences and crashing sets of drum machine beats. The chorus represents the cue point for a choir-like sequence of assorted, light synths to crash through the scene, with Whitford’s vocals of “Every heart beats now, It beats like the sound of breaking glass” splicing these reverb effects into a slick arrangement. The vocals evoke a slight edge of Post-Punk revival music to me, with a low-pitched croon that reminds me of Editors and White Lies. These feel a little at odds with the rather upbeat moods, but they also suit the unsuspected layering of the electronic instrumentation as a whole. While a little short on memorability, my attention was captured by the slight veering into Cut Copy’s past, while the larger emphasis on the songwriting keeps their flair relatively exciting, and, at points, I honestly think this is a very stunning piece of work.

Pictured: Cover Art for “Freeze Melt” (LP) (Released on 21st August, 2020) (via Cutters/The Orchard)

That’s all for now – I’ll leave you to enjoy the rest of your weekend in peace and quiet… As if! I’m referring to a new entry of my weekly Scuzz Sundays post making it’s way to the web tomorrow, as per usual, and this week we’re going loosely with the Valentine’s Day theme with a track that feels like an ode to the happy singletons out there! It comes from a fine Finnish gothic rock band who had a successful run during the 1990’s, and they played their final live show on New Year’s Eve in 2017 as a part of their annual Helldone 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/

New Album Release Friday: Django Django – “Glowing In The Dark”

February 12, 2021 — Leave a comment

…and I’ve got a name proposal for the follow-up – Django Unchained! New post time.

Pictured: David McLean (Acoustic Drum Kit/Producer), Vincent Jeff (Lead Singer/Rhythm Guitar), Jimmy Dixon (Bass Guitar) and Tommy Grace (Synthesizers/Drum Machine) (in 2013) (Photo by Sonic)

Good Afternoon – and I wish a happy half-term to any teachers reading this! I’m Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for me to get typing up on the blog for your daily dosage of recommended music listening, because it is always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Of course, it’s Friday – and we traditionally have another crop of new releases to sift through. This week feels a little quieter than the last few instances. I’m suddenly looking forward to hearing Claud’s debut full-length release after discovering them basically just days ago, there’s also a return LP from mid-00’s childhood favourites The Pretty Reckless, there’s daytime-friendly Country from Florida Georgia Line, and Pale Waves are adding to the ‘Indie’ genre. As I went down the obvious route last week with a peak at the new album from Dave Grohl’s group of megastars, I felt that a more leftfield and not so familiar choice would suit us nicely this week. “Glowing In The Dark” is the fourth studio LP to come from Django Django, an Art-Rock quartet who formed together in London after the four producers met each other through their studies at the Edinburgh College Of Art in 2009. Their material has previously been handpicked for video game soundtracks including Grand Theft Auto V and FIFA 13, and the band’s self-titled debut album was nominated for the Mercury Prize following it’s release in 2012. Signed to the Because Music label, Django Django have made waves in the Dance Music scene through collaborations with Hot Chip and Roisin Murphy. Their new album, “Glowing In The Dark”, is rooted in the themes of escaping from despair, from constraints, from small-town life, from dreams, and just living on Earth. Let’s give the title track a stab below.

One of the band’s co-founders – lead vocalist Vincent Jeff – has billed the new record as “a creative rebirth for the band of sorts” and the track listing includes a collaboration with Charlotte Gainsbourg. In addition to this, the 4-piece Alternative Rock band have enlisted the help of New York-based graphic designer Braulio Amadio, who created the animations for the technicolor-themed music video that you’ve just watched. So far, the new album is a critical win, and their plethora of electronic sounds manage to sound just as vibrant as the colours of Amadio’s visual work. “Glowing In The Dark”, the title track, matches the lively images nicely. Most notably, it goes back to the electronic 90’s sounds of bands like OMD and New Order, with a half-spoken and half-sung series of vocals ascending above a slick, polished bassline and a propulsive set of drum loops that control the push-and-pull tempo of the sonic Synths. A harmonic backing vocal and a UK Garage-inflicted bass beat seem to propel the electronic beats forward at an emerging, and then retreating, pattern. The lyrics touch on a need to find escapism, and a search for adventure in life. Vincent Jeff delivers the refrains of “Give me a remedy, a hand, a guide, and now we see” and “My senses taken leave, I need a space to breathe” with a catchy rhythm, and the accompanying Synth loops seem clean and clear. A simple “Now we’re glowing in the dark” leads the repeating chorus, as a punchy set of two-step drum beats put the pedal to the medal, and gradually layered electronic keyboard riffs punctually enter the fray, shuffling the mixing and adding a glitched quality to the sound that makes Jeff’s vocals stutter, and add a quirky set of wonky production to the soundscape. Overall, I really enjoyed this. It’s the first time that I’ve properly taken note of Django Django’s work, and I’m walking away impressed. This would have been a solid fit for music festivals, with a euphoric sound that crosses a range of genres with a decent amount of depth, and on the whole, it shows the band to be a solid class of tinkerers.

Pictured: Cover Art for “Glowing In The Dark” (LP) (Released on Feb 12th, 2021) (via Because Music)

That’s all for now – Take care of yourself, and get digging through that backlog of yours. Scuzz Sundays is our next weekly feature, and a new addition to that library is set to arrive at the usual time. Before then, why not reconvene with me tomorrow? I’ll be taking a deep dive into the most recent album release to come from a well-established Synthpop group from Australia. The band are probably best known for their third album that came out in 2011 – which ultimately earned the awards for “Best Dance Release” and “Artisan Award for Best Cover Art” at the ARIA Music Awards of the same 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: Bullion – “Thirty Two”

February 1, 2021 — Leave a comment

A Bullion of silver – let’s see if this music is worth it’s weight in gold! New post time!

Pictured: Cover Art for “Heaven Is Over” (Released on September 25, 2020) (via Jagjaguwar Records)

Good Afternoon – I’ve just seen the Royal Rumble, and that means it’s time for me to get typing up for 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! We’re kicking off the new month with a familiar face to the blog – and one of the releases that you might have missed in 2020. We’ve covered Bullion’s work once before – and this is the electronic music alias for NTS Radio host Nathan Jenkins, who largely self-produces his own material from his studio in West London. The follow up to the “We Had A Good Time” EP, which released at the very beginning of last year, was the “Heaven Is Over” EP, a little release that I would really recommend for it’s subversive, Warp Records-esque production tools. Under his pseudonym, Jenkins has released a multitude of work for the Young Turks, R&S, The Trilogy Tapes and Jagjaguwar Records companies. During his time-frame, Jenkins has also established himself in the European dance scene, where he’s lived in Lisbon, Portugal for a number of years. My eyes were really drawn to this beautiful fan-made video to his track, “Thirty Two”, which was uploaded onto YouTube last October by TRUTH CRAB, with the Japenese anime’ visuals being taken from Ai Monogatari’s 90’s mini-series, “9 Love Stories”. Let’s take the beauty in below.

“Thirty Two” was, indeed, taken from the “Heaven Is Over” EP from Bullion – which got it’s digital release last September, and a physical 12″ vinyl release followed that December. I’d say it would have made for a brilliant Stocking filler at yuletide time – and the five-track EP was also released as a part of the “Friends Of” project – which was launched, then, as a joint initiative between the Jagjaguwar Records, Secretly Canadian and Dead Oceans label to provide financial support for independent artists affected by the difficulties of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Jenkins also kept himself busy throughout the year by producing Westerman’s debut solo album, “Your Hero Is Not Dead”, along with collaborating with Sampha and Talking Heads’ David Byrne. Even though “Thirty Two” was never officially released as a single, I think it’s still a solid reflection of the 80’s euphemisms and the self–quoted “Pop, Not Slop” attitudes that Jenkins brings to the table. Some might find the lack of any vocals to turn them away, but we’re instead treated to a richly detailed atmosphere that evokes a nostalgic, child-like emotion that would be fairly difficult to replicate with real words. The odd hum, or two, from Jenkins is enough to create a Shoegazed, dream-like backing track to the instrumental sounds. Speaking of those, we get a more electronic style of sound than some of the more piano-based compositions you would find on the EP, with shuffling drum beats and slightly grooving guitar licks evoking a gently propelling sound, while 80’s New Wave-inspired synth lines glide slowly beneath the organic instrumentation to blend these soft instrumentals with a more child-like ambience. It reminds me slightly of Boards Of Canada – with toy Organ chords and mid-tempo Synth lines creating a lightly psychedelic haze to the overall sound. Together, these soft instrumentals gently ascend in tempo, while the odd rumble of bass brings the celestial Synths back down to Earth. I know that some listeners really don’t like the lack of vocals in their music, but I really liked this little release. “Thirty Two” feels very relaxed and quite child-like, but there’s still a light melancholy to the sound with it’s mid-tempo pacing and the push-and-pull bassline. Overall, it is a very nicely laid out little track, and the possible flaws are easy to shake.

Pictured: Bullion (a.k.a. Nathan Jenkins) in a photoshoot for his NTS Radio Show (2017) (via NTS)

If you liked “Thirty Two”, I get the feeling that you will also like the title track from Jenkins’ “We Had A Good Time” EP release last February. Check it out right here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/05/27/todays-track-bullion-we-had-a-good-time/

Pictured: Cover Art for “We Had A Good Time” (Released on February 28, 2020) (via DEEK Recordings)

That’s all I’ve got to share with you today – and so I’m going to move on with my shorter working day. Join me again tomorrow for an in-depth look at one of my favourite singles in quite a long time, and this next one is currently really blowing up online with the 6Music crowd of listeners. The track comes from a London-based, female-led Post-Punk group who have recently signed up to the well-known 4AD indie music label, and they were inspired to write and perform their own music by bands including The Feelies, The Necessaries, Pylon and even The B-52’s of wide “Love Shack” fame. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every new daily post is up and why not like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

New Album Release Friday: Bicep (feat. Clara La Sun) – “Saku”

January 22, 2021 — Leave a comment

I know it’s January – but let’s not give this one the Cold Shoulder. It’s new post time…

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Isles” (Album/LP) (Released on 22nd January, 2020) (via Ninja Tune)

Good Morning to you – I’m Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s now time for me to get typing up about your daily track on the blog, since it is routinely my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day. It’s New Album Release Friday – which means it’s time for me to lead you into an in-depth look at one of the artists behind this weekend’s new album releases. This week’s selection includes the fourth album from the Canadian R&B outfit RHYE, as well as new outings from UK Grime rapper Bugzy Malone and US cult rockers Moon Taxi – along with the new EP release from Venezuelan Art-Pop enigma, Arca. However, the most high-profile new release in a while has arrived today from Bicep. The duo – which is made up of the Northern Irish electronic dance music producers Andrew Ferguson and Matthew McBriar – have been gaining a lot of traction in the UK Club scene, and rock-solid airplay from BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 6Music, in recent weeks, has exposed more casual ears to their layer-building sound. Bicep was formed in 2009 as a blog called “Feel My Bicep” where the two DJ’s used to post lost tracks of the Chicago House and Detroit Techno variety, along with forgotten Disco Pop and Italo Disco remixes. “Isles” is the title for the new LP, and it’s just been released via Ninja Tune. It represents a “snapshot in time” for the duo, and the guest list includes Julie Kent, Machina and Clara La Sun. The latter features on the new single “Saku” – and you can check out it’s video below.

So far, the reviews for “Isles” have been rather kind. Bicep said of the hotly anticipated new album, “We aim to pull influences from a broad range of inspiration when we write music, our tracks often go through many iterations and directions before we settle on the final ingredients”. The duo added that “Saku feels like a good example of a hybrid for us” to their press notes. “Saku” feels like an encapsulation of Bicep’s global influences, with 90’s IDM and 00’s Garage sounds creating a textured, dreamy vision. The drum programming evokes a light Hip-Hop breakbeat, while Clara La Sun’s vocals feel melancholic. She sings: “Can’t say the feeling was strong, Know you’re thinking of me” and “I just need to feel what I felt before, Can you help me feel what I’m waiting for?” with a minimalist delivery, as a whispered vocal unfolds below an animated percussion. Subtle layers of timbres and polished production glides above La Sun’s vocals, as she sings: “I just need to feel everything before, Can you help me feel what I’m searching for?” with a vagueness that feels provocative and ethereal. It isn’t immediately danceable, with abstract drum beats and hypnotic sonic loops building layers on layers of synth sounds. The slow-building soundscape builds to a crescendo, where the vocals are cut out, and we’re left with a vigorous backing vocal loop that faints softly in the background. Meanwhile, the sound gets more intimate and synth-driven, with a bright stream of hazy synth effects invoking an emotive atmosphere. The repetitive percussion sounds and the honeyed synth production retains a cinematic element. The vocals evoke a 00’s R&B aesthetic, before the flourishing synths take hold of the pacing. Although I’m a little bit less familiar with Bicep’s work – in comparison to Aphex Twin or The Chemical Brothers – I think that I can see the appeal to them. The layers build up to convey a dream-like aural environment – with polished synth instrumentals and tranquil vocals that hint at a science-fiction soundtrack feel. The idea of a home-listening trance record from the duo is a rather bold move – and I feel the album would have benefited more from the sweeping euphoria of a live summer stage – but I realise that is not viable right now given our current situation with COVID-19. All in all, I think there’s much to enjoy here.

Pictured: Andrew Ferguson (DJ/Producer) and Matthew McBriar (DJ/Synths) (2019) (via Facebook.com)

Ages ago – I posted an in-depth review of one of Bicep’s earlier offerings – “Atlas” – which was released last year. If you want to catch the euphoria of that track, be my guest here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/05/19/todays-track-bicep-atlas/

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Atlas” (Single/EP) (Released on April 3rd, 2020) (via Ninja Tune)

That’s all for today – Don’t forget that we’ve got a new addition to our Scuzz Sundays catalogue dropping in two days time! Before then, why not join me again tomorrow? Unusually for me, I’ll be going a little bit more mainstream tomorrow. We’re going to be taking an in-depth look at the sizzling new single from a US Rock band, which is comprised up of three brothers and their cousin, who have 12 Grammy Award nominations to their name – including 4 wins. You could say, then, that they are “Royalty” of the stadium Rock scene. 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/

Way Back Wednesdays: AIR – “Kelly Watch The Stars”

January 20, 2021 — Leave a comment

Stephen Hawking is great at Air Guitar – he has solid String theory. Let’s go Way Back!

Pictured: Nicolas Godin (Vocals/Guitar) & Jean-Benoît Dunckel (Synths/Drums) (2012) (via FanArt.TV)

Good Afternoon to you – my name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for me to get typing up about this week’s pre-2000’s track for “Way Back Wednesdays”, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to get writing to you about a different piece of music every day! This week, I’m going to take you ‘Way Back’ to 1998… with “Kelly Watch The Stars”, the second highest-charting UK single to come from the French ambient pop duo, Air. This French electronic music duo are perhaps best known for “Sexy Boy”, which really managed to cross the lines between mainstream-friendly and alternative music appeal rather well, and the album that spawned both of these tracks – “Moon Safari” – went down as a classic of the downtempo music style when it was released back in 1998, via Virgin Records. These days, the Versailles-based duo of Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel are still going strong, with festival appearances and rumors of a retirement circulating for within the new year. I believe that Air were heavily influenced by David Bowie, Lou Reed and Iggy Pop – and this track in particular reminds me of Daft Punk in it’s robotic electronic textures, and it’s strangely accessible Pop sounds. Air are a quietly very successful act, and I’ve only recently tucked into their discography – with reported sales of 386,000 copies for “Moon Safari” in the US – at time of writing. Check out “Kelly Watch The Stars” below.

“Moon Safari” went down as a classic album for the duo – with lush space-pop explorations and a heartening range of instrumental tracks garnering praise for the producers – and, in 2008, to mark the 10th anniversary of the record’s original release, it was re-packaged with a re-release that included a printed book, a DVD short film documentary about the duo, and an extra CD of live performances, along with some remixes of their old, classic tunes. For me, “Kelly Watch The Stars” sets up a Chic and Shiny theme, where visions of surreal fashion imagery and retro car drives with sunglasses in a Cadillac on a hot summer’s 70’s day flood to my mind – these imaginary pictures being supported by the dream-like sequences of the music video. The single manages to sound created in a time period between 80’s retro electronics and future, robotically enhanced instrumentals, with the two ideas feeling bizarrely commonplace. The four lyrics of “Kelly Watch The Stars” are continually layered above repetitive French synth grooves and the use of a Vocoder to give the music a strutting Funk feel. Combined, the mixing of the laidback bass guitar riffs and the syncopated keyboard riffs feel playful and have a bright tone, while the scatterings of Acoustically driven sounds give things a more Cosmic and sophisticated setting. Just over 20 years later – it still manages to sound original, high-tech and old-school at the same time. I think the Synth grooves may get tedious after a while, but I really enjoy the European dance touches and the surrealist, robotic vocals. It’s certainly more of a head-nodder, with a just-about-Pop style that is just pleasant – and free of nonsense.

Pictured: Air performing at the We Love Green festival in Paris, France (2016) (Photo via Redferns)

Thank you for joining me – on the “Moon Safari” to Way Back When. Meet me down the road again tomorrow, as we look to the future instead, with an in-depth look at a recent single from an up-and-coming Australian Folk/Country singer-songwriter who I can see huge potential within. You may know her for her work as a part of the band Phantastic Ferniture, and she’s released two solo albums following this period of her career. 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/

Way Back Wednesdays: Visage – “Fade To Grey”

January 13, 2021 — Leave a comment

A melancholic classic from a band who you could say were… Strange. New post time!

Pictured: Steve Strange (Lead Vocals/Producer/Writer), Steve Barnacle (Bass Guitar), Robin Simon (Rhythm Guitar/Synths) and Lauren Duvall (Backing Vocals) (in 2013) (Photo Credit: David Levine)

Good Morning to you – My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for a brand new installment of our weekly Way Back Wednesdays feature, where we recover a gem that holds up today, yet pre-dated the 2000’s. This is just the second edition of the feature, and so if you could give me a like and a follow, I would really appreciate it – because it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! “Fade To Grey” was released way back in 1980 by the English Synthpop act Visage, via Polydor Records, and it’s still one of the few Non-Pet Shop Boys or Non-Erasure 80’s Synth-Dance tracks to have really survived in the mainstream public’s conscience since that era of futuristic Pop and Kraftwerk-inspired Electronica. Although it failed to make too much of an impression the first time around, it became much more popular when it was re-released in 1991, a time which saw it reach #8 on the UK Singles Chart. As well as making a huge impact for the group in the 80’s LGBT culture, it saw extended success on the European club circuit, reaching #1 in Germany and Switzerland. Steve Strange was the lead vocalist, who kept the act going until 2015, where he tragically passed away from a heart attack. Looking upwards, Visage were significant to the blossoming New Romantic fashion movement, which I wish that I was born to see, during the 1980’s. On “Fade To Black”, Strange wrote the lyrics, while the French vocal sections were written and composed by Rusty Egan’s Belgian love interest – Brigitte Arens. You could still check out the original music video below.

“Fade To Grey” was certified as Silver in UK sales in 1981, and the music video was particularly significant for another key reason, in that it was one of the first music videos to be directed by the team of Kevin Godley and Lol Creme, who went on to direct very famous videos for The Police, Duran Duran, Herbie Hancock, Ultravox, Yes, and several others of 80’s fame in popular culture. It starts off as soft and gentle, before a sweeping Synth line and French backing vocals set the scene. Strange croons: “One man on a lonely platform, One case sitting by his side, Two eyes staring cold and silent, Shows fear as he turns to hide” on top of off-kilter keyboard keys, and the repeating Synth groove. The electronic beats feel flat in a sense, heavily inspired by the technological views of Kraftwerk and David Bowie as a potentially tyrannical force. The lyrics of the refrain, where Strange sings: “We fade to grey”, create a fairly uneasy atmosphere, whilst the verses play on introversion and Gothic themes. The mood is enigmatic and hostile, yet it’s sold with the calm tones of it’s cinematic quality. The synth instrumentation is cerebral, yet melodic enough for the Post-Disco sounds and the industrial pop elements to create a danceable atmosphere. Although I can’t understand the French vocal interludes because I’m a roast beef dinner, as the Frenchfolk may say, they add a suited sophistication to the methodical, artsy style. Pretentious in the best way, I still feel that the track manages to sound contemporary and futuristic. The Synth riff is iconic, and the detailed production goes a long step in the way of exuding an atmosphere to fill a dim-lit dancefloor with mascara-running teens. Yet, it’s exotic. For a minute, it feels like the gloom of the AI-age future to come.

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Visage” (Self-Titled LP) (Released in 1980) (via Polydor Records)

That’s all for today! I’ll be back again tomorrow, and wouldn’t you know it, I have finally got some brand new music to share with you. Tomorrow’s track comes from a Hertfordshire-based English indie folk trio of three sisters who began their musical journey by performing together at open mic nights in Watford hosted by their local pub, and they were scheduled to perform a live set at Glastonbury festival last year before, well, you know what, to mark the end of a four-year hiatus. 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: Tycho – “Outer Sunset”

January 9, 2021 — 1 Comment

Better keep my grammar in check on this one. Nobody wants a ‘Typo’. New Post time!

Pictured: Tycho (aka Scott Hansen) at Greek Theatre, Los Angeles (in 2019) (Photo Credit: Jon Bauer)

Good Morning to you – my name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for me to – once again – fulfill my daily duties of typing up your daily track on the blog, because it is always my day-to-day pleasure to write to you about a different piece of music every day! A little bit like Boards Of Canada, Tycho is an ambient electronic music producer (currently based in San Francisco) who loves to blend multiple aspects of media tools within his disposal to fully realize vital themes of Nature and Environment within his compositions. From taking samples of weather broadcasts and pre-recorded dialogue, Scott Hansen usually creates a luscious set of rural soundscapes to allow his elements of downtempo guitar and analogue production to breathe. In fact, you may also know his work already – as the graphic designer ISO50. “Outer Sunset” was the lead single from his most recent album, “Simulcast”, which was released back in last February as a co-distribution between Ninja Tune and Mom + Pop Records. This work is connected to “Weather”, Hansen’s previous LP record, of which Hansen has removed the vocal sections, and Hansen had decided to expand upon the ambient instrumentation instead. It’s a very timely record to hear during Lockdown – a time where one of the few positives has been the re-positioning of nature and birdsong as one of the world’s beauties outside of our windows – and it sadly fell under my radar a bit beforehand. That’s about to change. Let’s have a listen to “Outer Sunset” below.

Many critics have attributed that “Simulcast” finds Hansen strip down his futuristic technology for a dip back into the dreamy, lo-fi electronica that originally bought him to the dance. Hansen said of the LP: “A Simulcast is the transmission of a program across two different mediums and two different languages”, expanding with, “With these two albums, I wanted to present the same ideas in two languages, one more literal, and the other more open to interpretation”, before explaining, “Simulcast expands on the concepts laid out in ‘Weather’, but shifts into the abstract, with instrumental soundscapes in place of lyrics, opening up a visual space and translating the message into a new language”, in his press notes. “Outer Sunset” fuses hazy guitar lines with a chilled-out electronic synth loop, although I feel the melodies are beat-driven enough to sustain an indie, ‘pop’ flair. The beats aren’t entirely off-kilter, but they feel serene and simple. There is a palpable sense of stillness about it, with some sun-licked guitar tones to add a fair rumble of bass, and a merticulously layered sequence of shuffle beats that are carefully plucked beneath them, to an almost DJ Shadow-ish degree of subtle Hip-Hop breakbeat influences. The melodies present a feeling of coming-of-age and nostalgia to me, and this leaves me cutting off from the outside world for a few minutes and delving into my own thoughts for a little while, this showing a visual effect of the mellow Indietronica stylings. These elements of Synthwave, modern Chillout and 10’s Vaporwave are upbeat enough to carry the airy Pop beats all of the way through, although the tone is still fairly laidback, and the chord progression remains simple. It shapes up to be perfect “In The Bathtub” music.

Pictured: Cover Artwork for "Simulcast" (Released on February 28th, 2020) (via Mom + Pop Records) — Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Simulcast” (Released on February 28th, 2020) (via Mom + Pop Records)

Thank you for checking out today’s post – It was better late than never, eh? It’s already going to be time for a new entry in our Scuzz Sundays series tomorrow, and we’re going to be making up for the lack of notable new releases with a “big name” post from the past instead. It’s a less obvious pick from the band in question though, even if it is that legendary Grunge trio who used to feature now-Foo Fighter Dave Grohl in the drumming seat amongst the famous line-up. 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: Dent May – “I’ll Be Stoned For Christmas”

December 16, 2020 — Leave a comment

Fair enough. It’s been a pretty tough year, after àll. It’s time for a new post!

Pictured: Dent May recording music in his home studio (in 2017) (Photo via WeirdoMusicForever.com)

Good Afternoon! I’m Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for me to get writing up about your daily track on the blog, since it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to get writing up about a different piece of music every day! Truth be told – I’m writing this on my smartphone toay because my laptop charger decided to cop out yesterday, and so I naturally fiddled around with it to try and fix it until my battery went flat, so you may have to bear with me, if the format isn’t quire right today, but that’s not going to stop me from sharing more Alternative festive music with you as Christmas time quickly approaches. “I’ll Be Stoned For Christmas” is a modern, red-eyed take on the seasonal ballad “I Will Be Home For Christmas” that comes from Dent May, a Los-Angeles based singer-songwriter signed to Carpark Records – where you’ll also find Toro Y Moi, The Beths and Skylar Spence. He loves to explore Psych-Pop, Prog-Rock, New Wave and Indie Folk tones in his music, and he started out his music career as a member of The Rockwells – a Power-Pop group from Missisipi. May’s most recent album is “Late Checkout” – which he released in August this year. The Christmas track, however, is six years old now – releasing on his Cat Purring self-release label – back in 2014. Let’s check out the festive music video for the track – which was directed by Robbie Hillyer Barnett – down below.

“I’ll Be Stoned For Christmas” was released on December 12th of that year, “Just in time to soundtrack your own disillusionment with Christmas week”, according to a press release from May, at the time of it’s release. It seems to be that May was a little ahead of the ball game of the current “Bedroom Pop” trend of indie music at the time, as he mixes the excitement of coming home to his family for Christmas with the mental isolation that could sometimes string along with that. May sings on about visiting his childhood friends over the top of an 80’s-influenced Synth bed which adds a hint of melancholy to the soft, Acoustic guitar strums. He later sings, above a slightly off-kilter Soprano production tool, “I’ve been chilling with my parents, they’re driving me mad, So I’m trying to get lifted with you now” and “We roll up my Cousin’s stash, and go wild at the party, yeah, we’re having a blast” to convey the slacker Rock sensibilities that come with the mild Psychedelic electronic loops. The chorus is a slightly less downbeat affair, as May adds a gently propulsive Guitar and Drums combo to the vocals, as he chants “I’ll Be Stoned For Christmas, this year” above the Psych-Folk mixture of sounds, before adding an “I’m sorry, Momma” for good measure. The hook feels heavily inspired by Mac DeMarco, as a mid-tempo Psychedelia adds some emotive lyricism to the noticeable Folk inflictions. It isn’t a bad thing though, as it’s still a decent sound that conveys May’s range of emotions pretty nicely, despite obvious similarities, as it’s also encalsulated under the same genre umbrella. In any case, May will be getting stoned for Christmas and, in a year of some absolute turmoil, I have a feeling that he will not be the only one this year.

Pictured: Dent May in a promotional shoot for “Across The Multiverse” (2017) (Photo via Tidal.com)

Thank you very much for checking out my latest blog post – and for bearing with me for today! I’ll be back tomorrow, as usual, for an in-depth look at another Alternative festive tune – This time from a legendary Japanese D.I.Y. Post-Punk female group who once used to perform as The Osaka Ramones – a tribute band to The Ramones. 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/

One Track At A Time

Progressive Synthpop