Progressive Synthpop

Today’s Track: Disclosure – “ENERGY”

August 28, 2020 — Leave a comment

If you thought The Chemical Brothers were the space and time of British electronic dance music – these two are actually brothers. It’s all relative! It’s time for a new post!

  • Pictured: Guy Lawrence (Programming/Engineer) and Howard Lawrence (Turntables/Effects) being interviewed backstage at the Roskilde Festival, Denmark (in June 2015) (Photo Credit: Marv Watson/Redbull.com)

Good Morning! I am Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing up about your daily track on the blog, as per usual, since it is always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Fittingly releasing on a Friday, which is today, in time for the underground raves you can’t go to, is “ENERGY”, the third studio album from the Surrey-raised real-life Brother DJ duo of Howard and Guy Lawrence, as Disclosure. It marks the end of a very long and grueling wait for their fans (Including my friend Grace, in particular), since this is their first proper album release in half a decade. They have kept their fans busy in the gap with a recent string of live mixes, new EP’s and the odd collaboration or two, along with mixtapes and regular live-streamed sessions, of which many of the obscure tracks appear on the deluxe version of their new album. It has a promising guest line-up, with the likes of Kelis, Slowthai, Fatoumata Diawara, Mick Jenkins, and several more involved. Disclosure have some mainstream hits under their belt with the likes of Sam Smith and Khalid, along with two Grammy Award nominations for Best Dance/Electronica Album for 2013’s debut “Settle” and for 2015’s follow-up LP “Caracal” too. Let’s stream the titular track below.

If I’m completely truthful with you, I’m not quite as familiar with Disclosure as more alternative British EDM acts like The Prodigy or Aphex Twin, because I’ve usually dismissed them a little bit as “Just Pop DJ’s”, seeing as they have worked with my current least-favourite Sam Smith for goodness sake. But, I’m now going to give up the cynicism and openly admit it. I LOVE ENERGY! I think this is a really, really, REALLY good track, and I’ve been streaming it on repeat a few times. Let’s start off with the opening, as a nice element of Deep House gets immediately established through the heavy West African drum melodies which the brothers borrowed from some samples they took from an album of Brazillian library music. These get layered out to the beat of a strong vocal performance that preaches mottos like “Right now, you should feel invincible, powerful, strong” and “If you are alive, I know you ain’t reached your best yet” with Acid synth sections and grooving Conga drum patterns. These vocals were recorded by Eric Thomas, who provided vocals for Disclosure’s early track “When The Fire Starts To Burn”. Thomas signals that “Now, we gon’ take it to another level” as the brothers unleash a cooled sequence of flickering Synth rhythms and light stabs of Acid Techno beats. They feel upbeat and moving, but they also have a calming effect. It leads up nicely to a startling finale of diverse, world-based instrumentation and Preacher-esque lead vocal sections from Eric Thomas, whilst the drum beats keep repeating and the Synth sections keep pushing-and-pulling the pacing up, with a polished sheen that stitches everything together with excellent flow and a faultless cohesion. The results make “ENERGY” feel vibrant and fresh, with a very exciting sound and a diverse sonic pallete that takes influence from a surprising range of Earthly sources. Based on what I have heard from Disclosure before, this is absolutely one of their best, and I cannot recommend it highly enough, and I’m glad it sounds as though Island Records, the major label of which they’re signed up to, hasn’t seemed to get their hands on the creative direction very much, at all. It just rocks my socks off.

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “ENERGY” (Released on 28th August, 2020) (Album/LP) (via Island Records)

Thank you very much for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as usual, with an in-depth look at a recent rework of a cult classic single recorded by an Australian Experimental Electronic Dance duo who have seen countless lineup changes throughout the years, and have performed many comeback gigs in recent years, including a gig at The State Library Of Victoria as part of Melbourne Music Week in 2016, and a one-off double gig with Snog at the Corner Hotel in Richmond, Victoria during 2017. 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: Future Islands – “For Sure”

August 25, 2020 — Leave a comment

Future Islands are back with a ‘Season’ of new music? ‘Surely’ not! It’s new post time!

  • Pictured: Samuel T. Herring (Lead Vocals/Writer/Producer), Gerrit Welmers (Keyboard/Synths), William Cashion (Bass Guitar/Rhythm Guitar) and Michael Lowry (Drums/Backing Vocals) (in 2020) (Photo Credit: Justin Flythe)

Good Morning! I am Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing about your daily track on the blog, as per usual, because it is my day-to-day pleasure to review a different piece of music every day! Samuel T. Herring is known for his deep, operatic croon as the frontman of Future Islands, a native band of Baltimore, Maryland, who have specialized in Prog-Synthpop for the adults for the best part of a decade. The band went viral with their performance of “Seasons (Waitin’ On You)” on an episode of US talk show The Late Show With David Letterman in 2014, and they’ve remained to have a strong and loyal fanbase since. Similarly to Sigur Rós, this is a crossover band who are popular, but not. “As Long As You Are” is their sixth album, set for its release on October 4th, and is their first to feature drummer Michael Lowry as a fourth member of the band’s official lineup. The band will also be playing a ticketed live-stream gig from Baltimore on the night of its release. The 4-piece have also taken a production credit for the first time in their 14-year career, collaborating with Steve Wright as an engineer in his Wrightway Studios in Balitmore. Let’s take a listen to “For Sure” below.

The music video for “For Sure” was directed by Sam Mason, and it finds a Knight Rider-style car drive through an idyllic sequence of post-apocalyptic landscapes, paired to the beat of rhythmic synth riffs and propulsive drum basslines, as T. Herring’s signature vocal delivery allows for raw emotions to create a feeling that tip-toes on the line between reminiscence and regret. He croons: “Perish the pain/I was impoverished/Those ties that wind”, as a retro, nostalgic 80’s keyboard aesthetic interlocks with an ascending backing vocal from Wye Oak’s Jenn Wasner. T. Herring croons away, at his retrospective pace, remembering: “Hot as the day/When we sat on stones”, and “Dove from the rocks/Scraping my knees and toes”, layered over a thick guitar groove and reverb-drenched Synth lines. The chorus is very melodic, as T. Herring declares: “I will never keep you from an open door, I know” and “That’s how much I feel in everything you are” after a post-bridge that grinds the pace to a slower fluidity, before the instrumentation leans into a more Psych-oriented visual, as the repeating Synth grooves mesh with the clashing drum pattern to create a cinematic, theatrical quality, as T. Herring signals the end with a gut punch, exclaiming: “I will never keep you from just who you are” as the Synths gradually fade out. It’s certainly a track that does what Future Islands have done solidly well for the best part of over a decade now. It’s true to say that it doesn’t sound much different to their last material, since they just continue to meddle around with the same formula and nurture their unique qualities, and it is a formula which seems to work, so it doesn’t make me feel particularly shortchanged as a result, although I’d like to see them experiment with some new ideas in the near-future. That said, it is the lead single, so it’s designed to be accessible to a wide audience, who are perhaps a little bit more casual. Overall, I really dig this. It sees the band continue to carve out a niche for themselves, with an enjoyable sound that encapsulates the fairly rare direction of Synthpop for the adults.

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “As Long As You Are” (Available to buy or stream from October 4th, 2020) (via 4AD)

Thank you very much for reading my daily blog post! Just like always, I will be back tomorrow for an in-depth review for another brand new single, this time coming from an English electronic duo who are currently signed up to Warp Records, who have steadily nurtured a unique style drawing from UK Grime, Dubstep, Electro-Rock and Ambient. One of their tracks was ranked on Pitchfork’s list of “Top 100 Tracks Of 2009” and it was used in a television advertising campaign for Colette, a fashion accessory retailer. 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: Beckie Margaret – “God”

August 19, 2020 — Leave a comment

Potential deity of Avant-Pop, or apprentice to the Cool Thing Guys? It’s new post time!

  • Pictured: Beckie Margaret being interviewed backstage at Village Green Festival (in 2019) (via Gateway978.com)

Good Morning! I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing about your daily track on the blog, as per usual, because it is my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! Beckie Margaret is a singer-songwriter and producer based in Southend-On-Sea who began writing music at the age of 5, and then 7. She is an emerging artist who is signed up to Cool Thing Records, the indie label set up by Luke Branch and Jazz Miel of UK indie puck group, Asylums. “God” is a bit of a deep dive, and I sadly could not find much information about Margaret around on the internet. However, she originally found inspiration to write her own music through Poetry and Classic Literature. She also cites Jeff Buckley, Bon Iver and James Blake as her main influences. She is currently working on a new EP and her debut full-length album release with Rees Bromfield of Youth Club as her producer. Explaining the lyrics behind “God”, she wrote on social media: “God”s lyrics are laced with the obsessive thoughts that come with the slow, painful realisation that someone you loved, only saw you as “a bit on the side”. She also wanted to capture the standstill feel of our current COVID-19 situation, writing: “I wanted to release something during this uncertain time that outlined the foundations of a dysfunctional love, one that lingers in the deprivation of what could’ve been,” she shared, “Complete and utter inner chaos whilst realizing your own reality.” – Let’s have a listen to her track,”God”, below!

Beckie Margaret displays a resolute confidence and a strong vulnerability on “God”, using cerebral Dark-Wave Synth melodies and Alt-Pop production to pave the way for her future development as an independent artist. She is authoritative and brooding, using a Gothic-Pop inversion, while opening: “I like the Roses on your body, you never bought me flowers” as she plays with irony and regret. The contextual themes of obsessively romantic behavior feel intimate and suggestive, as she croons: “Boy, it was fun loving you when you were God”, to play on how lust can often consume people, and it becomes an obsession that takes hold of your faith and sexuality. She offers a glimmer of hope and a notion of moving-on later in the chorus, crooning: “You make me want to believe in God”, before holding a long note to air the chorus out with a radiant breeze. The instrumentation throughout is rooted in Americana and Desert-Rock, with plucking bass guitar riffs and ambient washings of Synth tones which create a very honest and downbeat tone, if a little painful and sarcastic in emphasis. This forms an emotive and angered soundscape that reminds me a little bit of Alexandra Savior’s “The Archer”, a record which was released earlier this year and is one of the year’s best to me personally, with a shattered influence of Lana Del Rey and Florence & The Machine, but with a more Blues-driven sound and a cooler aesthetic. “God” feels a touch more influenced by Post-Grunge and Art-Pop than Savior’s record, but it also goes for a volatile emotion and a similarly deep, plodding melodicism. Overall, I think that she has a beautiful voice and I feel the melodic components are as cold as ice, but in a good way as it rains down on it’s intended effect, given by the theatrical style. It, maybe, doesn’t stand Margaret out among her contemporary peers that much, but it does stand out a little, and her brooding instrumentation nails her objective of capturing the fine difference between strength and vulnerability. This is an artist who I am surely looking forward to keeping tabs on.

  • Pictured: Beckie Margaret pictured before recording a live episode of “Get In Her Ears” (2018) (via Hoxton Radio)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as always promised, with an in-depth look at a recent, but slightly old, track from another artist of an emerging status. This time, it’s coming from an Alternative Punk duo, originally based in Los Angeles, who has just released their debut album on the Bella Union label, with a sound that calls back to 90’s Trip-Hop and 60’s Punk, with the likes of Portishead and Broadcast as their inspirations. 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: Jónsi – “Swill”

August 15, 2020 — Leave a comment

If you’re a Sigur Ros fan, you’ll be happier than a Hoppipolla with this. New post time!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Shiver” (Available to buy from 2nd October, 2020) (via Krunk Records)

Good Morning, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing up your daily post on the blog, since it is always my routinely day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! “Swill” marks an exciting announcement of a new project from Jónsi Birgisson, who is the frontman of Icelandic post-rock alternative crossover stars, Sigur Rós. The band are currently on hiatus as several members of the band are busy looking after their recent children. However, Jónsi is pushing forward with the release of “Shiver”, which marks his first solo album release in a full decade, since 2010’s “Go”, via the Krunk Records indie label. The new solo record will be exploring an ethereal, Synth-driven sound, using Jónsi’s signature use of the cello and the Falsetto vocal delivery to create Dark-Pop textures, balanced with the use of the Bowed guitar to form a lighter contrast and incorporating the Classical and Minimal production efforts which Sigur Rós have become known for. If your a huge fan of Sigur Rós, “Swill” will probably leave you feeling right at home. In the press release, Jónsi explained: “It’s basically about when you get too drunk and do something stupid,” he laughs, “And you make a fool of yourself.” to Rolling Stone in an interview. “Shiver” releases on October 2nd, and it features work with Robyn, Liz Fraser (of The Cocteau Twins) and A.G. Cook. “Swill” is accompanied by an unearthly animated music video directed by Barnaby Roper & Pandagunda. Let’s have a listen to the new single below!

Using Avant-Garde experimentation, Jónsi crafts one of his most accessible – although that’s not necessary to say mainstream or commercial – sounds on “Swill”, a track which blends the organic with the synthesized in ways that remind me of Björk’s “Homogenic” from 1997 and Arca’s “Kick i”, released earlier in the year. Using his signature Falsetto vocals of the Sigur Rós style, crooning: “You say, I did something wrong yesterday/You’re right, I’m making a fool of myself in every way” in the post-bridge refrain over a light bed of flickering Cello effects and a gentle, soothing Violin line, before the peace is interrupted by a clashing, electronic Drum beat that explodes as we build to the chorus. They retain a dream-like quality as CGI bodies warp and twist Jónsi’s face in the video, but the mood replaces a warmth with an abrasive, often mythic, sequence of punchy Synth drums. Throughout, these electronic elements flutter between moods, dynamically changing between an unpleasant note of chaos and a calmer effect of respite, which alter based on Jónsi’s vocals, while a vibe that sits between Post-Industrial Pop and Art-Folk is created by the glitchy Synth instrumentals. Overall, I’m quite excited to see in which direction Jónsi takes the Avant-Pop direction as the new album takes shape, and finally launches in October. I feel that the auto-tune effects are used a touch bit excessively in the later sections of the track, but the instrumentation seems fresh and diversified, while in-keeping with a Contemporary Pop structure. It pays off well. Colour me intrigued about the new LP.

  • Pictured: Jónsi (frontman of Sigur Ros) performing at an undisclosed live concert (2020) (Photo Credit: Phillip Cosores)

Thank you very much for reading this post! Tomorrow is, of course, Scuzz Sundays, the time of the week where we take a leisurely stroll down memory lane and we dig out either a Pop-Punk or Emo-Rock classic from between the late-1990’s to the mid-2000’s to see if it can hold a candle to the modern quality standards! If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when each new post is up and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime

Today’s Track: Joe Goddard & Hayden Thorpe – “Unknown Song”

August 3, 2020 — Leave a comment

What on Earth is this?, you might ask. I really couldn’t tell you. It’s time for a new post!

  • Pictured: Joe Goddard (Hot Chip) and Hayden Thorpe (ex-Wild Beasts) in a press image (2020) (via Pitchfork.com)

Good Morning, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing up your daily track on the blog, as per usual, because it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! Forgive me if you’ve never heard this one before, it seems to be a pretty “Unknown” song, apparently. Jokes aside, this one-off single is a collaboration between Joe Goddard, of Hot Chip, and Hayden Thorpe, the former frontman of Wild Beasts (an indie rock band who disbanded in 2018). This single was released a few months ago, and the collaboration came together after Goddard and Thorpe linked up following a shared career-long appreciation for each other’s work, and it marks the first time in which both of these UK-based musicians have worked together. “Unknown Song” was heavily inspired by the global closure of clubs and dancefloors, as Goddard & Thorpe reflect on a new-found sense of connectivity between society, and “a synchronicity with our fellow beings”. Goddard & Thorpe elaborated on this, on a press statement, posting: “In the absence of touch, music is that sensual meeting point”, with Goddard concluding: “We are in the midst of a crisis but gaining the new appreciation of dancing together is a small positive that I hope to hold onto after all of this”, positioning the collaborative track as a soundtrack for awaiting an energetic return to the dancefloor after the pandemic, at long last. Let’s stream the track below.

Joe Goddard and Hayden Thorpe are both signed to Domino Recordings, via their own respective acts, but it’s unclear whether this is a one-off deal, or if they plan to join forces again in the near future. It’s a mesh between their two established styles, as Thorpe’s Falsetto vocals get delivered on top of a thumping electronic beat that evokes Erasure and Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark. Thorpe recites: “Unknown Song, where all the lost chords belong” and “Unknown Song, how do the words go on this one?” over a synth groove that shimmers along to a hand-clapped drum machine loop. It rolls along to the bridge, where the beat violently trips as Thorpe adds: “Got no method, but I’ve killer intuition” before a more pop-oriented chorus that evokes a slick 80’s pop feel, and a warm Summer-primed feeling. A cut-up “Damn right” vocal effect accompanies Thorpe’s euphoric vocals in the chorus. The overall sound of the track evokes 80’s Prog-Synthpop and 90’s EDM in equal measure, and the lyrics have a slice of comedic quirk to them. A playful set of verses remind me of New Order, and the heavy-pop chorus feels like a love letter to the Pet Shop Boys. On the flip side, the structure gets a little flimsy towards the end, with a more commercial feeling to the chorus that marks a stark contrast to the House-oriented style of the verses, but it just about holds itself together due to the clear range of influences, that flow quite well together. In the end, I think it’s fair to write that – more people should know this song!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Unknown Song” (Single) (Released on 8th May, 2020) (via Domino Recordings)

Thank you for reading this post! As always, I’ll be back tomorrow. We’ll be taking an in-depth look at a recent single from an English indie rock group who were known for a similar time period to Hot Chip. The band used Star Trek voice samples to work the time-bending themes of one of their most popular albums, and the band have also been met with critical acclaim that includes earning a total of five nominations for The Ivor Novello awards. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when each new post is up and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime

Today’s Track: The Cocteau Twins – “Lorelei”

August 1, 2020 — Leave a comment

As if Double Trouble wasn’t enough, this band has Triple the Trouble! New Post Time!

  • Pictured: Elizabeth Fraser (Lead Vocals/Writer), Robin Guthrie (Lead Guitar/Producer/Drum Machine) and Simon Raymonde (Bass Guitar) in a photoshoot to promote “Head Over Heels” (1983) (via The Audiophile Man.com)

Good Morning to you on this unpleasantly warm weekend, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing about your first daily track on the blog of the new month, since it’s always my routinely day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! Yes, even on my Mother’s birthday (Happy birthday, I know you’re about the only one reading this…)! Here’s a classic for you… The Cocteau Twins! A Scottish Art-Rock trio who were one of the biggest pioneers of Dream-Pop and Shoegaze in the 80’s and 90’s comprised of vocalist Elizabeth Fraser, producer James Guthrie and bassist Simon Raymonde, The Cocteau Twins were a very hot commodity for 4AD, which is still one of the most successful indie music labels to this very day, housing popular current acts like The National and Future Islands. “Lorelei” was taken from Cocteau Twins’ third full-length album release, “Treasure”, the first of which to feature the band’s famous primary line-up. The sound of the record established the group’s sound development in very ethereal, downbeat moods. Some of the lyrics from the album were conceived as unrecognisable, and the dark synth instrumentation hid some intricate, melodic lines that helped them to capture the hearts of the millions, despite the LP really not being a mainstream, or accessible, release by any stretch of the imagination. It was critically acclaimed, and it’s considered to be the band’s finest work by a large portion of their fanbase, although the band themselves have reflected upon the album’s quality as “under-developed” in later interviews, which truly shows their dedication to their own craft. Let’s have a listen to their track – “Lorelei” – below.

Named after the legend of a siren that lures fishermen to their deaths upon the “Lorelei” rock, which exists in the Rhine River near Sankt Goarhausen in Germany, Cocteau Twins’ make sure the lyrics are difficult to understand, but the point is the lack of matter that it has. Fraser whirs: “Can’t look out, Can’t look in, you just might, get yourself kissed right” over a high-pitched bass guitar riff and delayed pedal effects that create a smooth and relaxing backdrop for the lo-fi indie rock beats to flourish. An emotional bridge: “We’re covered by the sacred fire/Then you cut me to, you cut me to the bone” glides along earthly moods and fantastical tones evoked by a calming synth buzz and an accentual swoop of whimsical lyricism. Fraser recites: “and we can go” above a pounding rhythm of delayed guitar licks, while the impending surge of guitar riffs add a harmonious melody to the dream-like personality. It’s a track that’s near-impossible to praise enough. The female vocals are tricky to understand, but they significantly add to the soft, introspective qualities by adding a honeyed, loving angelic feeling to it. You just don’t need to hear a polished section of clear vocals to feel the mood that it conveys. In a nutshell – it’s marvellous!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Treasure” (Released on 1st November, 1984) (via 4AD)

Thank you very much for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as usual, with your new weekly edition of our Scuzz Sunday series. It’s the time of the week where we revisit an Emo-Rock or a Pop-Punk classic from between the late-1990’s until the mid-2000’s to see if it can live up to quality in the present! It’s a celebration of the defunct Scuzz TV freeview music video channel. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when each new post is up and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime

Today’s Track: The Bravery – “An Honest Mistake”

July 24, 2020 — Leave a comment

Reforming this band would be a Courageous thing to do… It’s time for your new post!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “The Bravery” (Self-Titled LP) (Released on March 14th, 2005) (via Polydor Records)

I’m feeling quite Brave about this one! Good Morning, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and, as usual, I’m writing about your daily track on the music blog, because it is my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! A retro track, The Bravery’s “An Honest Mistake” was recorded in 2005 for the band’s self-titled debut album released that year. A 5-piece based in New York City, The Bravery was formed by lead vocalist Sam Endicott, lead guitarist Michael Zakarin, bassist Mike Hindert, keyboardist John Conway and drummer Anthony Burulcich. They released three studio albums before they went inactive in 2012, before confirming the band had disbanded in 2014 on the band’s website and social media pages by revealing that all members were pursuing different creative interests, and there was no plans for the band to resurface for the foreseeable future. A post-punk influenced indie dancefloor jam, “An Honest Mistake” was the band’s biggest commercial hit. It reached #7 on the UK Singles Chart, and their self-titled album peaked at #5 on the UK Albums Chart. It was also widely exposed to the media, being licensed for use in several video games including ‘Burnout: Revenge’, ‘Singstar Rocks’ and ‘True Crime: New York City’. It was also used in TV episodes for CSI: NY, Heroes and Grey’s Anatomy. Suffice to say, this was a true relic of mid-00’s “indie”-brand musical culture. Let’s revisit the track below.

The guitar pedal gets the drum machine whirring at the start of the video, and it seems The Bravery were just making the most use they could out of the untouched household objects left in Endicott’s Dads’ garage. To start off, a loud drum pattern leads into a hi-hat synth loop that gradually adds layers of electric guitar riffs and two-step keyboard beats, to form the basic melody that runs as a thorough line between the lo-fi, new-wave guitar instrumentation and the sauntering, Northern Soul-infused synth rhythms. Endicott croons, to a semi-Falsetto effect: “People/They don’t mean a thing to you, They move right through you/Just like your breath”, a brazen comment that adds a rebellious edge to the synth-heavy melodies. The bridge is led by an interlude of post-punk inflicted bass guitar riffs, before he proclaims: “My old friend/I swear I never meant for this”, with an assembly of reckless guitar notes, forming a short section, sandwiched between the two refrains. Endicott continues, in the chorus: “Don’t look at me that way/It was an honest mistake”, which gets delivered with a more intense Falsetto effect, as the tempo lowers slightly and the repeating synth hooks take a backseat to a pop-oriented line of melodic guitar lines. A more synth-heavy interlude can be found near the end, with the electro-pop sections distorting slightly with the guitar-driven sections. It sounds somewhere between The Killers and The Strokes, with self-deprecating lyrics and an obvious New-Millennium Revival sound that was all the rage in popular music at the time. The vocals are self-reflective, and they evoke Robert Smith of The Cure. The synth-led dance/rock fusion is highly 1980’s-inspired, evoking Depeche Mode and New Order. However, I feel there is a slight over-reliance on the auto-tune machine, especially in the later sections, and the overall sound doesn’t stand out among their peers, such as The Editors and LCD Soundsystem, very much. It’s a pity that it leans into tired tropes of the 00’s “indie boom” a little too closely, because most of what I’m hearing works quite nicely. The sonic direction provides some fun and likeable hooks, to the effects of the swelling synthesizer loops. Sadly, a lot of it comes across as mechanical, and as an economically-efficient product for the label. That said, I like how this single never denied the roots of its genre, and the vocal performance never makes Endicott comes across as contrived or dishonest. A decent effort, but I admit it could have been more.

  • Pictured: Sam Endicott (Lead Vocals), Michael Zakarin (Lead Guitar), Mike Hindert (Bass Guitar), John Conway (Keyboard/Synths) and Anthony Burulcich (Drums/Occasional Backing Vocals) (2012) (Photo via FanArt.TV)

Thank you very much for reading this post! Don’t forget that a new edition of Scuzz Sundays, a weekly look back at a pop-punk or emo-rock classic from the mid-90’s to the late-00’s, will be posted in just two days time! But, first, check back with the blog tomorrow for an in-depth look at something a bit different to our usual fare. It comes from an American ambient composer who has said that her music was inspired by her participation in a church choir while growing up in Louisiana. She composes with analogue hardware to create electronic synth loops built around her vocal sections. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when each new post is up and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime

Today’s Track: JARV IS… – “Save The Whale”

July 17, 2020 — Leave a comment

JARV IS… finally releasing a new full-length album today! It’s time for your daily post!

  • Pictured: Jarvis Cocker in a promotional photoshoot to promote a UK tour (2018) (Photo Credit: Roberto Ricciuti/Getty)

After raving to “House Music All Night Long” over the summer, Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker has managed to create something of a very memorable Lockdown anthem, with the single, which was released back in March, garnering huge popularity with the internet music community, universal acclaim with fans and critics alike, and gaining significant airplay on BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 6Music. Several interviews and in-depth articles featuring Cocker, as well as his Bedtime Stories podcast series on Facebook and YouTube, have drummed up the marketing machine while we waited for his new album, “Beyond The Pale”, which releases today on Rough Trade Records. JARV IS… is not a group per-say, but it’s the 90’s Brit-Pop icon and his touring band. I’m quite fond of Jarvis because he’s an eccentric character and I think that British pop-rock music would never be the same without him, since he’s also an influential figure. “Beyond The Pale” was originally set to release on May 1st, but it was delayed to July 17th due to complications amidst the Coronavirus pandemic. It seems to have definitely been worth the wait, as the album has been garnering widespread acclaim from critics, enough so to give it a 92/100 on Metacritic, a review aggregate site, with many critics categorizing it to be his strongest work since… Well, Pulp. I loved “House Music All Night Long”, as countless others did! Let’s listen to “Save The Whale” below!

Fate didn’t seem to want “Beyond The Pale” to exist in the way that it does, since Cocker only wanted the band to only perform live, releasing no albums, but Geoff Barrow (from Portishead) gave Cocker the nudge, and he used studio overdubs to live tapes they were recording for personal use to create their band’s self-dubbed “alive” album rather than a live one, after the COVID-19 pandemic threw a wrench in the way of the original concept. Many of the YouTube comments for the music video of “Save The Whale” tell you how the sound of the track was heavily influenced by the gritty jazz sensibilities of Leonard Cohen, but it’s a mature style of music that doesn’t get created often anymore. Cocker introduces: “Take your foot off the gas, because it’s all downhill from here”, breathily delivered over the top of a bubbling synth pad, and a pattern of mellow drum machine loops that blip along to a shimmering lo-fi synth beat. He adds witty remarks: “You are a manifestation of the universe, your form is unimportant” and “People daubing the walls with seamen and blood” over the top of a mellow Violin section. Backing vocals coo under his noticeably Baritone, in-tone delivery, and “Tell the truth/Take my hand” marks a shift in structure, as a reverb-drenched electronic beat comes into play. The unique songwriting reminds me of the cinematic flavor of Baxter Dury, as Cocker croons: “Me and you, we’ve gone and found a new civilization, now how much are we going to charge people for admission?”, an eccentric line that leads to a swelling string section and a light guitar groove. The key refrain: “We’ve got to move, Beyond The Pale” adds a calming, Zen-like meditation feeling to the ongoing Sci-Fi mannerisms. It’s strange and intriguing, with downbeat vocal hooks that feel meditative and ASMR-like, but there are crescendos of scheming synth patterns that evoke Depeche Mode, meaning there is enough of a 80’s new-wave pop melodicism to carry the deep and cerebral structure through. Unlike the endangered species of Whale, It’s not likely to get extinct too shortly, and it makes for excellent summer listening. It’s challenging and academic, but it’s melodic and witty enough to work. Just like many others, I feel that JARV IS… smashing it all over again!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Beyond The Pale” (Released on July 17th, 2020) (via Rough Trade Records)

As mentioned beforehand, I have also covered Jarvis Cocker’s lockdown hit “House Music All Night Long” on the blog, the lead single from the new album “Beyond The Pale”. You can peruse the link and take a look at it right here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/03/09/todays-track-jarv-is-house-music-all-night-long/

  • Pictured: Jarvis Cocker performing at the Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona (2019) (Photo Credit: Adela Loconte)

Tha you very much for reading this pos! Don’t forget that our weekly feature of Scuzz Sundays is right around the corner again, so you can expect a new entry in two days time! But, in the meantime, we’re going to take a look at a brand new track from one of my recent finds from the KEXP Song Of The Day podcast, from another band who have been getting creative during the lockdown crisis. An Italian 4-piece group, they describe their music as “Pajama music for Pajama people” in relation to their 1980’s-inspired Dream-Pop synth sound. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when each new post is up and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime

Today’s Track: AK/DK – “Shared Particles”

July 6, 2020 — Leave a comment

The hottest double act since Sam & Mark hit the C.B.B.-Scene! It’s time for a new post!

  • Pictured: Ed (Drums/Synths) and G (Drums/Synths) performing at an undisclosed gig (2019) (via Bandcamp)

Let’s kick off the next week with a big bang! Good Morning to you, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing about your daily track on the blog, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! I first caught wind of “Shared Particles” by listening to X-Posure, the weekend late-night show on Radio X, presented by John Kennedy, last week. AK/DK are, perhaps, sadly not very well-established at the time of writing, but this is an act who are all the better for that lack of commercial restriction, in my opinion. The duo of AK/DK is made up of Ed and Gee, who both play the drums and synths parts on their tracks, along with the help of some tidy, cut-up samples. The duo come from Brighton, here in the UK, and you can catch them playing live at the Islington Assembly Hall in London on the rescheduled date of November 11th, later this year. Ed and Gee are set to take their Kraftwerk-influenced sound of unique electronic splicing – mixed in with organic keys playing along to the percussive drums – to new heights later in the Summer, with the release of their third album “Shared Particles” on August 28th via Little Miss Echo Recordings. They’ve dropped its titlular track as a taster. Have a listen to “Shared Particles” below.

Noting that the songwriting and editing of the third LP were inspired by the habits of how the internet can be weaponized by humanity and how social media users can use their thoughts to easily manipulate or politically divide society, AK/DK look to carve out a niche for themselves on “Shared Particles” by creating an eclectic, electronically-driven sound that can appeal to the rave scene as much as the Brit-Punk community. The track starts off with a fairly distorted synth beat, before the tempo gets raised up a gear by an African backing chant, and some propulsive dream beats interweave with a stream of upbeat, filtrating strobe synths. The space-themed lyrics play at unity and ideas of coming together for a common purpose, starting off with hooks that paint the picture: “Space dust, deep inside our bones/Saturn’s rings inside your noise” and foretell a story of a party on a rocket ship in space: “Ever expanding into the unknown/Infinite space, but we are not alone”, before a neat refrain when the duo raise their delivery of intrinsic synths, mixed in with squelching feedback noises and percussive electronic drum melodies, down for a moment to make a toast, layering: “Cross time and space to get to you/Your heart is Iron, we are you” on top of a glowing, more pop-positioned keyboard interlude, and repeating the opening hook over the lowered pace. Conclusively, the band don’t hold back on the grand finale, mixing in their frenetic drum-oriented fluidity with buzzing synths and siren effects that fizzle in the mid-centre. It’s all been laid out quite impressively, and the underlying Dance-based flair harkens back to the “Big Beat” club culture of the 90’s, with influences from The Chemical Brothers and Propellerheads, but there is a further Punk-pleasing, Indie Rock sound embellished in the high-energy dance beats to update the style with a new coat of paint. The vocals are a bit daft, but they create an extra touch of humor that feels welcome, if a bit lacking in memorability. It’s a big thumbs up for me overall and the lyrics suit more than just a fun night out in the club.

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Shared Particles” (Available to buy from August 28th, 2020) (via Little Miss Echo Recordings)

Thank you for reading this post! As usual, I’ll be back tomorrow with an in-depth listen to the new track from another emerging independent band. This time, it’s a female punk 3-piece based in London who don’t take themselves very seriously – who have performed at Lollapalooza Festival in 2018 and they were called “inarguably one of the most exhilerating live rock bands to emerge within the last few years” by Joe Lynch of Billboard, in 2018. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when each new post is up and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime

Today’s Track: Thundercat – “Funny Thing”

July 2, 2020 — Leave a comment

The lady who shouts “Thundercat” on The Undateables would love it! New post time!

  • Pictured: Thundercat (Stephen Lee Bruner) performing at the 02 ABC, Glasgow (2017) (via WikiMedia Commons)

Good Morning, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I am writing about your daily track on the blog, since it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! For today’s track, Thundercat is obviously not their real name. It is, indeed, the stage name used by Stephen Lee Bruner – a Funk, R&B and Soul singer-songwriter from Los Angeles, California – who adopted the name as a tribute to his love for anything Geek culture-related, such as his love for 1980’s cartoons and the Japanese Manga/Anime franchise Dragonball. It’s all a part of his brand! His fourth studio album, “It Is What It Is”, was released earlier this year, and it is dedicated to rapper Mac Miller, who sadly died aged 26 in 2018, as you might know. Bruner produced his new record with Flying Lotus, and it features guest appearances from Childish Gambino, Kamasi Washington, Ty Dolla $ign, and many others. A single that grabbed my attention from the album, while listening to BBC Radio 6Music in the daytime, was “Funny Thing”. Let’s have a listen to “Funny Thing” with its video below.

Just shy of two minutes long, Thundercat could have a potentially big hit on his hands if he allows the bouncy electronic drum grooves and the celestial synths of “Funny Thing” to swell. Bruner uses a playful fusion of old-school Funk, Soul and R&B, with a modern synth-led instrumental twist, to detail a romantic moment as a dancehall-like, drug-infused love party nears toward it’s end. There’s a cheeky idiocy in all of his lyrics: “Someone hold my phone/Cause’ I can’t hold my tongue” and “Then I’m gonna ruin the fun/ that’s not your problem because I’ve seen to much baby, Sorry if I get a little PTSD”, as Bruner delivers the honeyed vocals, layered above the backdrop of a bouncy, stomping bass line and a skittering drum loop to create the wonky, synth-soul sensibility. In the chorus, he intonely warbles “I just want to party with you tonight, because you make everything alright” over a soft, lo-fi keyboard riff. The visual aesthetic is vintage Funk-Soul and animated, and the sonic direction is rickety and psychedelic, but I also find there to be a sadness to the track as well. The synth lines are mid-tempo and downbeat, with an expressive vocal delivery that makes me feel like Bruner could also be lamenting a failed relationship or an unstable life decision at the party. It sounds intimate, and the poignant Falsetto lyric delivery is what makes this track stand out for more than it’s playfulness and it’s quirky humour. It’s a very old-fashioned sound which harkens back to the thematic racial unity of Funk and Jazz in the 1960’s and 70’s, and it’s more appealing to mature listeners than a teenage audience. The contemporary lick of synth makes it compulsively listenable.

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “It Is What It Is” (Released on April 3rd, 2020) (via Brainfeeder Records)

Thank you for reading this post! In regards to #BlackLivesMatter, we endorse the peaceful protests on One Track At A Time. Please go and check your local area for good charity causes that help those directly affected by racism and injustice. I’ll be back tomorrow with an in-depth look at the new track from an emerging female solo artist, who I have covered and positively reviewed beforehand, whose last music video was co-directed by Loyle Carner, and she landed a spot on the BBC’s Sound Of 2020 poll. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when each new post is up and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime