Psychedelic Jazz

Today’s Track: PVA – “Talks”

November 21, 2020 — Leave a comment

Been non-stop listening to a new EP by a band named after Glue… I can’t put it down!

  • Pictured: Josh Baxter, Ella Harris & Louis Satchell in a recent press shot (2020) (Photo via DIYMag.com)

The very history of Glue is a sticky one…Good Lord! Good Morning to you, I am Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s finally my turn again to get writing up about your daily track on the blog, since it is always my day-to-day pleasure to do so! I’m not actually certain if this new South London-based trio have named themselves after a type of Glue we all used in primary schools, but they are still turning heads nevertheless. Comprised of Josh Baxter, Ella Harris and Louis Satchell, PVA are a new genre-pushing Synth-Punk trio who originally established themselves as an enigmatic force when they started out in 2019. At the time, PVA decided to release just a half-length snippet of one of their tracks onto the wide internet – instead deciding to win over their fans based on the euphoric feel of their live gigs alone. It is an interesting management practice to say the least, especially these days. Yesterday, they released their debut EP, “Toner”, on Big Dada, an imprint of the larger Ninja Tune label, although I originally discovered the lead single, “Talks”, about six weeks ago. Dominic Haley wrote, in an interview feature for the Loud and Quiet website, “Their music mutates around an array of genres”, later adding, “They’re both brutal, and dripping in underground cool, but accessible and totally danceable”. Let’s have a listen to the new single, “Talks”, below.

Filled with 80’s New Wave guitar sweeps which evoke Prefab Sprout and New Order, Balaeric synth work that evokes LCD Soundsystem and Battles, and even a Big Beat-inspired EDM interlude, that evokes Propellerheads and Basement Jaxx, “Talks” is a solid track to get your foot in the door of the diverse music industry with. It feels hard to pinpoint down into a specific term of genre – and I like how it feels quite unconventional and obscure in doing so. The band said, in a press release, that lyrically “Talks is about how we invent games in order to avoid expressing our true feelings or take the risk of being hurt”, explaining, “The song also takes inspiration from real relationships and the fictional relationship between John and Abigail Marston (who are the main characters of video game, Red Dead Redemption). I’m afraid that latter reference hits a blank with me – but I can certainly see some expressive emotions coming through the vocals. Baxter sings, “Even in the furthest reaches, I’ve searched for forgiveness” above the euphoric synth line, which evokes a choppy 80’s rock sound. Baxter croons: “Bound to the heart you gave me” and “Confess about what I thought” in the second verse, duelling over some neat backing vocals from Harris, with an intriguing lyrical wordplay, layered above the New Wave guitar sensibility, which reminds me of Baxter Dury. The hook-led chorus carries along a slick hi-hat rhythm, where off-key Organ patterns evoke Nu-Jazz, and they meet with syncopated drum machine beats reminiscent of Nu-Disco, which even cross paths with warm Post-Punk backing vocals that have an anxious tonal delivery. You end up with a sound that feels quite immediate, and the intricate Funk patterns really end up creating a rather confident formula as the 80’s-leaning Pop sound struts along with the Disco-esque song structure. The vocal delivery feels deadpan too, and this elicits a small touch of humour and Motorik sounds, so I could see some more mainstream eyes looking at this 3-piece for their eclectic style. It all “Sticks” together!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Toner” (EP) (Available to buy from November 20th, 2020) (via Big Dada)

Thank you very much for tuning into the blog for today’s post! Don’t forget that tomorrow, we will be taking an in-depth look at an ancient classic from Pop-Punk past and Emo-Rock history – as part of our new entry in the Scuzz Sundays series – where we will be looking at a popular band led by a female singer-songwriter who has led a famous solo career in recent years, having since collaborated with B.O.B. and CHVRCHES for a few more mainstream radio hits! 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: Djo – “Keep Your Head Up”

October 21, 2020 — Leave a comment

You may think this release is a bit weird, but I’ve seen Stranger Things. New post time!

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Keep Your Head Up” (Single) (Released: September 9, 2020) (via Self-Released)

Good Morning to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and I’m here to fulfill my daily duties of writing up about your daily track on the blog, because it’s routinely always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! A track that prickled my ears a little on a recent episode of 6Music Recommends, curated by Lauren Laverne, is the funky jam “Keep Your Head Up”, and what prickled my ears even more was her introduction of the new track, as it was produced and recorded by Joe Keery, who is best known for playing the role of Steve Harrington in the Netflix flagship series, “Stranger Things”, which I also really like. He records his own music under the side-project of Djo, and it turns out that he even put out a debut album, “Twenty Two”, last year, which was a success, despite releasing with hardly any promotion or fanfare beforehand. If you’re anything like the cynic that is me, the whole endeavor probably sounds rather random to you. However, Keery has actually been pursuing music for a long time, and, he is a former touring member, and a current contributing musician, of the Chicago-based Psychedelic Surf-Rock group, Post Animal. He debuted “Keep Your Head Up”, his first music material since last year, in a conversation with Wayne Coyne, of The Flaming Lips, on Talkhouse’s Instagram, and Keery later promoted it as part of a Reddit AMA on the r/indieheads subreddit. It is expected that more music will follow up soon. Let’s have a listen to the track below.

Keery was planning to embark on a solo tour as Djo throughout 2020, but the Covid-19 pandemic obviously hit, and here we are now. But, in his press release, he commented that his new single represents “a much-needed bolt of positivity in an otherwise dark time”, and he has been enlisting the aid of producer Adam Thein as a collaborator on his new music. “Keep Your Head Up” represents an output from Keery that goes back to 80’s Soul, with a hint of Prince stemming from the glossy production and the sensual elements of Glam-Pop, with lyrics that feel suggestive and provocative, as Keery pleads: “Got to love yourself/Go ahead, touch yourself” to bring a feel of irreverent humour into the fold. The beat gradually becomes heavier and more synth-oriented as the first verse rolls along to “Take that time alone, before your heart belongs to someone else”, before the chorus introduces some robotic backing vocals to the scene, and Keery throws in a George Clinton-inspired Funk sensibility for the chorus, with a joyous set of percussion and a vivid series of piano notes that mix with the jaunting electronics to craft a well-rounded percussion section. The breakdown at the end feels chaotic, with a glitzy set of Funk-laden instrumentals and a heavy use of synthesized vocal effects, before a brief and swinging Horn section enters the picture and the Saxophone solo gives the overly electronic vocals a rest. The production is a flashy and polished affair, while the overall sound is blending elements of 70’s Psych-Funk and 80’s Synth-Pop together with a current EDM undertone, similarly to his contempories like Jacob Collier. I feel there is perhaps a bit of an over-use of the auto-tune effects here, but that’s probably down to my personal preference because it also works well as a stylistic choice with the drowning synth sequences and the experimental layout of the sequencing, but there is a clear love for Nu-Jazz in here, and it feels sophisticated in it’s approach, so it turns out to be a pleasant surprise overall, although I think my heart is set on Natalia Dyer always being my favourite from Djo’s Netflix series – I think she is just wonderful!

  • Pictured: Djo (Joe Keery) visiting the AOL Build series studio in New York (2019) (via J.Kempin/Getty)

Thank you very much for reading my new post! As usual, please feel free to join me again tomorrow. I will be taking an in-depth listen to a recent single from a British Dream-Pop trio, who nobody seems to really know anything at all about, and they’ve been building up their following with a big sense of mystery, following their delightfully warm singles “Empty Beach” and “One Time Villain”. 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: Emma Jean Thackray (feat. Blu) – “Open (Remix)”

August 27, 2020 — Leave a comment

Listen up, here’s a story about a little guy that lives in a Blu world. It’s new post time…

  • Pictured: Emma Jean Thackray in a recent promotional interview feature (in 2020) (Photo Credit: Luis Muñoz)

Good Morning! I am Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing up about your daily track on the blog, just like always, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! I hope that you’re in the mood for a spot of Jazz today, because Emma Jean Thackray mixes up the Trumpet with the Drums. Thackray is a composer, producer, DJ, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist from Yorkshire who has set up Movementt, her own independent record label, to “move the body, move the mind and move the soul”. Associated with the iconic UK label Warp Records, Movementt is a showcase for emerging Jazz artists from the wide, exploratory Jazz scene in the UK, and across the pond to the states. Thackray has performed as part of the London Symphony Orchestra, and she has hosted her own radio show on Giles Peterson’s Worldwide FM, as well as gaining notoriety as part of the daytime playlist on BBC Radio 6Music, with a few tracks from her recent string of EP’s being featured on the nationwide station’s main curated list. It includes further success for her latest single, “Open (Remix)”, a remix of the earlier track of the same title from Thackray’s EP “Rain Dance”, featuring a guest collaboration spot from the Los Angeles-based rapper and singer, Blu. Let’s see what all the fuss is about with “Open (Remix)” below.

On the new remix of her track, “Open”, Thackray commented: “I took a drums and Rhodes loop from a session with my band and layered the other instruments myself – using the studio as an instrument alongside live elements to get a perfectly balanced sound. The tune has a real wonk to it and it is in 6, so I needed a rapper with not only deep words but a sophisticated flow. Blu goes against the grain and makes it look easy.” to ebb the flows and the direction of the project. Conclusively, the sound feels really kinetic, and the contemporary Alternative Jazz production methods of each corner of the sound equates to a good quality of mellow, warm Hip-Hop and poetic, symphonic Psych-Jazz. Blu lays out a motivational rap ballad, adding “My mind is open/My time is open, Juice pours out as if the mind is open”, to a virtuous chorus of Brass synths and ephemeral stabs of Drum samples to shift up the tone, creating a Percussive groove which shifts in pitch and tempo to comfortably alter the course over the course of the track. The presence of Thackray is just as important, as she delivers a Soulful backing vocal on top of the Jazz-heavy, grounded sonic loops and she blasts out a whimsical solo with her Saxophone towards the end of the track. There’s a slow-moving, if constant, theme of evolution within the sound, such as with Thackray’s solo, as it changes up the Trumpet chords for a nimble Saxophone section, and I really like this. Blu’s lyrics are a little bit generic and don’t quite feel that highly unique to him for me personally, but he still does a fine job with the material he’s given and his 1990’s-style vocal sound still works for the track. The production feels ultimately more crucial, however, and this is the area in which the track stands out. Thackray’s instrumental qualities feel smoky and old-school, while pushing some exciting melodicism forward with contemporary beats. But, the question is – Has it moved your body, moved your mind, and moved your soul? For me, this certainly has.

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Open (Remix)” (feat. Blu) (Single/EP) (Released on June 30th, 2020) (via Movement)

Thank you very much for reading today’s blog post! As promised, I’ll be back at it tomorrow with a slightly more mainstream, but still fresh and very cool, track. The post will mark the long-awaited release of the third LP for the Surrey-born DJ duo. Their first studio album was nominated for Best Dance/Electronica Album at the Grammy Awards in 2014, and their second album was nominated again for the same award, at the Grammy’s in 2016. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every new daily post is up and why not like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Today’s Track: Darkstar – “Blurred”

August 26, 2020 — Leave a comment

Darth Vader would be thrilled.. Oh wait, that is the Death Star! It’s time for a new post!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Civic Jams” (Released on June 19th, 2020) (via Warp Records)

Good Morning, I am Jacob Braybrooke and I’m typing up about your daily track on the blog as, like always, it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! Darkstar is the English Electronic duo of James Young and Aiden Whalley, who began making music together in London during the late-2000’s. Although they have, thankfully, never troubled the mainstream in any real form, they’ve remained to be a hit with hardcore music fans and maintained a solid critical reception in their years of activity. Currently signed to one of the world’s most groundbreaking labels, Warp Records, Darkstar released their fourth studio LP, “Civic Jams”, in June of this year. The duo draw their influential sound from UK Grime, Ambient House, IDM, Acid Techno, Alternative Blues and Progressive Synthpop, and are probably best known for their 2009 single, “Aidy’s Girl Is A Computer”, a track which was used in a TV advertising campaign for Colette, an accessory retailer. The closing track of their new record is “Blurred”, an Ambient track which was released as a single last week, alongside a self-produced video. It pays tribute to the British music venues that have been forced to shut their doors due to COVID-19, via a Google Earth satellite feed. This is also a plea to appeal for the government to acknowledge the circling online petitions that have been asking for them to help out with funding the survival of Grassroots venues. It’s a sad and hard-hitting, but intriguing, music video, and it’s the reason why I wanted to share the track with you today. Check it out below.

Darkstar’s James Young said, on the video, “I think I’ve been going to nightclubs since I was 16, buying records from 15 and tape packs from 14 all housed and cultivated in places either in this video or not too far.”, later adding: “It’s a stark reminder at how hard it can be to keep these places going particularly now – so massive props to the people involved in working to keep that dream alive. It can’t be ignored to see just how many of these places fell. It’s hard not to correlate that to the political landscape and how the value of independent music is weighed up by these people even before a pandemic.”, as images of closed venues matches their themes of memory together with the melancholic Synth textures and emotive Choir effects of “Blurred”, the track. The instrumentation is minimalist and gentle, as a smooth underlayer of tranquil, opaque Vocal loops shapes up to an edifying flicker of Drum Machine blips and sensitive, delicate ambience. It feels timely for the uncertain atmosphere that has been created by Covid-19 and it crafts a mellow semblance of a dream-like, almost Shoegaze-inspired atmosphere. The production never quite seems to position itself into a particular genre though, and the tone remains downtempo and psychedelic, while flickers of light created by the push-and-pull Synth structure and the slightly distorting, yet woozy and peaceful, Choir-esque vocal loops signal a glimmer of hope. Overall, the track is very quiet and will likely have several different emotional effects on it’s listeners, but I think it’s impressive, and the music video adds a level of context that makes the instrumental quality feel richer, making it seem just that little sweeter.

  • Pictured: James Young (Producer/Engineer/Drums) and Aiden Whalley (Keyboard/Synths) (2020) (Photo via PR)

Thank you very much for reading this post! As usual, I’ll be back tomorrow, for an in-depth look at an emerging electronic dance music producer based in Yorkshire who is becoming a prominent figure in the UK’s Electronic Jazz club scene, and she has previously played for the London Symphony Orchestra, as well as performing live DJ sets on Giles Peterson’s Worldwide FM. 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: Funkadelic – “Who Says A Funk Band Can’t Play Rock?”

July 30, 2020 — Leave a comment

By that logic, Who says a Music Writer can’t write about Steam trains? New Post Time!

  • Pictured: George Clinton and the numerous recurring members of Funkadelic in a press shot (1976) (via CBC Radio)

I don’t think I’d be fully qualified for the job… although I do love the oily and noisy old things. Good Morning, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing up 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! Today, we’re going back to the essential unity sound of the late-1970’s to cheer us up in these distressing times! “Who Says A Funk Band Can’t Play Rock?” is the B-Side to Funkadelic’s “One Nation Under A Groove”, an album which is regarded by many critics as the greatest funk album of all-time, and it always goes near the top of “Best Album” lists and polls for it’s related genres. Fronted by George Clinton, a true icon of the business, Funkadelic explored a heavier, more psychedelic sound compared to Clinton’s sister act, Parliament. Funkadelic was very significant in the development of Pop and Rock music, and it’s one of the most celebrated ethnic Black bands in the history of musical culture. On “One Nation Under A Groove”, the Funk collective used themes of unity and acceptance as a thorough-line to creating a “party album” that anybody could enjoy, regardless of sexuality, ethnicity or gender. As the title implies, “Who Says A Funk Band Can’t Play Rock?” blurs the lines between Funk, Jazz and Rock, underneath a slightly political undercurrent, and it pursues further influence of Soul. Let’s have a listen down below!

The 2015 vinyl reissue (above) provides crisper quality to an anthem that has always gone down as a classic. Many different members of the band take the lead for the different vocal sections throughout the track, layered below a guitar workout that evokes Heavy pop riffs and the P-Funk of the album’s title track “One Nation Under A Groove”. The vocalists sway to “Who says a Funk band can’t play Rock?” and “Who says a Jazz band can’t play Dance music?” over the top of R&B-inflicted guitar riffs which gradually add layers of new elements of Blues and Soft-Punk as the track’s duration goes on. The verses evoke a hip-hop beat as the vocals go: “We’ve been around for such a while/Be kinda hart not to have a style” and “When times get slower by the mile/We relax and wear a great big smile” as the simmering bass guitar riffs and the roaring kick drum sections create a crescendo and manipulate the ongoing groove as the textures gradually become rougher and smokier. The feedback effects and slightly distorted guitar lines in the later sections could be comparable to a “Funk version of Nirvana”, with a 1960’s Blues “Parade” that struts past the various elements of Funk, Rock, Art-Pop and a slight Grunge sensibility. Most notably, the track came out at a time where “Rock” was often identified as a traditionally “White” genre, while “Hip-Hop” and “Disco” may be dismissed as categorically “Black” music. Along with Jimi Hendrix, they changed the game and they re-wrote the rule book, because Clinton would not play that, instead drawing a live crowd with sounds of politically-driven, but positive and ambitious, Rock and Funk. To conclude, this may be quintessentially “not” the significant Black music sound of the 70’s… Which organically made it become so. That’s totally worth celebrating now more than ever…

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “One Nation Under A Groove” (Released in September 1978) (via Warner Bros. Records)

Previously, I have also covered the album’s main attraction, “One Nation Under A Groove”, as part of my daily post series on the blog. Please take a moment to spread the love and show your support by reading the older blog post here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/04/28/todays-track-funkadelic-one-nation-under-a-groove/

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Motor City Madness: The Ultimate Funkadelic Westbound Compilation” (Released in 2006) (via Westbound Records)

Thank you very much for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow for an in-depth look at the brand new project from Natalie Rose Findlay, who is a UK-based indie singer-songwriter from Stockport who has famously supported the likes of The Courteeners, Brandon Flowers, Jake Bugg and Miles Kane on tour. 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: SAULT – “Wildfires”

July 28, 2020 — Leave a comment

Well… this is gonna make my image gallery for today really boring. It’s new post time!

  • Pictured: Cover Artworks for “5” and “7” (Albums) (Released in 2019) (via Forever Living Originals)

Is this an Enigmatic treat, or just an aa-SAULT on the ears? Good Morning, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing about 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! What is there to write about SAULT? Not much, as there’s little to no information on them. All we know is they’re a trio. They are based in London. They are signed to Forever Living Originals, and they drew high acclaim from NME, The Quietus and NPR for the release of two albums in 2019, titled “5” and “7”. As Alexis Petridis, of The Guardian, put it: “No one seems to know who they are, but one thing is for sure: SAULT make hooky, dubby, funky music with echoes of ESG and Can”. In response to the #BlackLivesMatter movement and political protests, SAULT have uploaded a brand new full-length album, “UNTITLED (Black Is…)” to their Bandcamp page, explaining: “We present our first ‘Untitled’ album to mark a moment in time where we, as Black people, and of Black origin, are fighting for our lives”. They’ve clearly been working very hard, with the rapid turnaround. Let’s listen to the lead single, “Wildfires”, below.

Their Spotify biography mysteriously reads: “Add a little SAULT to your life”, and it’s a simple plea that anybody could follow up on pretty easily. on “Wildfires”, SAULT demonstrate now, more than ever, how their music is firmly rooted in dense Black musical traditions, with the sound drawing from the likes of Afrobeat, Soft-Funk and R&B, but predominantly remaining to be a Neo-Soul record. A smoky, but vulnerable, female lyricist recites: “You should be ashamed”, pointing a finger at the US law and order system, before singing: “The bloodshed on your hands… Take off your badge, we all know it was murder”, as a gauzy and meditative synth line glosses over a hand-clapped drum beat and a calming bass guitar riff. The verses also address systemic racism in the US, but it’s more directed closely to SAULT’s personal thoughts and opinions on police brutality, as the female vocalist pines for a better future, and expresses a desire to escape from the political issues, adding: “We are dying, it’s the reason we are crying” to the emotionally-driven core of the heart in the lyrics. A call-to-arms: “But we will never show fear/Even in my eyes/I will rise, In Wildfires”, is used as the narrative thread, to string the anthemic and Ballard-like ideas together. It’s got a hefty amount of depth to the songwriting, and the lyrics can be painful and heavy to process in your head, but it never feels desperate or as though it’s deliberately seeking attention for the group, as instead, the Soul-driven backdrop and the elements of the Blues influence, created through the soft piano section and the mellow guitar-based instrumentation, convey a soothing and light texture. It’s also very refreshing to see a band make a name for themselves in secrecy and mystery, at a time where imagery can often be an over-saturated part of the multi-media music industry. Overall, this is another solid hit for the band. You should definitely check out “Why Why Why” and “Let It Go”, from the two previous albums, while you still can too.

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “UNTITLED (Black Is…)” (Released on June 19th, 2020) (via Forever Living Originals)

Thank you for reading this post! Tomorrow, I’ll be switching things up with an in-depth review of the lead single from the new album created by an act which isn’t really a “band” per-say, but it is more described as a collective of various musicians, film producers, street artists and costume designers from Vancouver who contribute to fresh music which straddles between Art-Rock and Post-Punk. 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: Moses Boyd (feat. Poppy Ajudha) – “Shades Of You”

June 27, 2020 — Leave a comment

A South London Jazz/Grime blender with 50 shades of influences! It’s new post time!

  • Pictured: Moses Boyd in a press shoot for an interview feature with TRENCH (2018) (Photo Credit: Hyperfrank)

Good Morning to you, I am Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing about your daily track on the blog, because, as you know, it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! Moses Boyd is an artist who is difficult to box into one category, since he does a bit of Jazz Fusion and a touch of Electronic Rock, along with a wider Grime influence. Boyd started playing the drums at the age of 13, taking as much inspiration from Jazz legend Miles Davis as 00’s British Grime pioneer Dizzee Rascal. Boyd was born in South London, and he graduated from Trinity College with a BMus (Hons) Jazz Drums in 2016. Since being one half of sax-and-drums duo Binker & Moses and fronting his own band, Exodus, Boyd has worked with the likes of Experimental Electronic Ambient artists Four Tet and Floating Points, and Jazz-and-Soul songwriters Lonnie Liston-Smith and Zara McFarlene to expand his role as a collaborator in 2017. Boyd released his debut solo album, “Dark Matter”, on February 14th, 2020. It’s a diverse record, which explores a variety of Jazz Fusion sounds, which also shows his abilities in Electronica, Neo-Soul and Industrial Hip-Hop. It features the likes of Poppy Ajudha, Obongjayar and Joe Armon-Jones. Let’s have a listen to the breakout single “Shades Of You”, which features the R&B singer Poppy Ajudha, below.

The South London-based award-winning drummer, composer and producer enlists the help of talented R&B/Neo-Soul voice Poppy Ajudha to draw from a melting pot of influences on “Shades Of You”. Their collaborative track has a gloomy, but stylistic, aesthetic, as Ajudha sings about self-acceptance in the beginning verse: “Don’t hide from yourself/There is beauty in your darkness/So much colour in your soul”, which gets layered above a bright bass-synth groove. The pre-chorus is affecting when Ajudha asks: “Are you afraid of the dark?/Could you bathe in my darkest?” and reaffirms: “You’re not alone” over the top of bright, percussive splicing effects and a central Techno melody which drops small drum beats at a regular pattern. Ajudha’s chorus goes: “I gave away all my colours/I’m left with shades of blue/I Can’t handle your darkness/But they all want the shades of you”, paired with the input of a Tuba that’s played by Theon Cross, whilst the ethereal drum-led groove carries the key melodies along. The second verse is much the same, while the repeated choruses end it on a high note, with the consistent drum notes and melodic Vibraphone sections creating a Kaleidoscopic effect, which feels dancefloor-primed. The complex Soul influences have the usual South London Soul sound, with an effective blending of Neo-Soul, Electro-Pop, Jazz and Grime elements fusing and pulling-in-and-out of each other together. To me, It manages to stand out on a typical daytime playlist of BBC Radio 6Music, and it feels both catchy and pop-friendly enough for you to hear it in a large-chain clothing shop. Meanwhile, it doesn’t lose it’s lush experimentation, and the overall sound points towards club culture with it’s soulful artistry and dance flair. It’s very engaging. The Neo-Soul, Dance and subtle Hip-Hop production is at the heart of the music, and this is a dazzling Jazz banger that was built for the dancefloor.

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Dark Matter” (Released on February 14th, 2020) (via Exodus 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 your new weekly edition of Scuzz Sundays, the time of the week where we revisit an emo-rock or a pop-punk classic from between the late-1990’s to the mid-00’s to see whether it still holds up! This week, it’s a track from the US-Christian rock band who famously composed the theme song for legendary Mexican pro wrestler Rey Mysterio! 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: Orion Sun – “Ne Me Quitte Pas (Don’t Leave Me)”

June 22, 2020 — Leave a comment

Tiffany Majette wanted to be an astronaut but she turned to music. It’s new post time!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Hold Space For Me” (Released on March 27th, 2020) (via Mom +Pop Records)

Good Morning, I am Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing about your daily track on the blog because it is my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! We’re going to kick off the new week with a track by talented up-and-comer Tiffany Majette – who performs under the alias of Orion Sun – a Philadelphia-born contemporary R&B/Neo-Soul artist who had a viral hit with 2017’s “Antidote”, off her self-produced compilation LP “A Collection Of Fleeting Moments and Daydreams” released that same year, which has amassed over 6.6 million streams on Spotify. Her latest album is “Hold Space For Me”, and it was released to positive reviews by Mom + Pop Records at the end of March, earlier in this year. Majette has a very confessional, heart-on-your sleeve vocal style, with Funk-led Drum grooves warping around radiant Synth-based instrumentation to create a fruitful blend of Neo-Soul, modern R&B and pop-based Electronica. Her single, “Ne Me Quitte Pas (Don’t Leave Me)” is based on Nina Simone’s cover of Jacques Brel’s track of the same title. However, Majette strips the sadness away and focuses on the joyous elements instead, stating that it’s about: “falling in love unexpectedly & feeling like its too good to be true but actually it’s good and true. This feeling was proof to me that good things can happen to people that feel ugly inside.”. Let’s watch the video for “Ne Me Quitte Pas (Don’t Leave Me)” below.

A music video with a hand-crafted look that matches the D.I.Y. mentality of the track’s production process, “Ne Me Quitte Pas (Don’t Leave Me” starts off with a flipped sample of Simone’s rendition, before washing waves of small guitar loops and Reggae-like drum beats create a sun-dripped vibe. Majette croons: “Swear you came down like a comet/You’ll be all in my dreams like I’m f***ing haunted” over the sparse keyboard riffs and ambient synths to produce the first verse. The chorus feels similarly nuanced and vulnerable, as Majette sings: “It feels so good to know you” and “it feels so damn good”, placed above gentle guitar string plucks and Soul/R&B-instrumental breaks that also create a wider Folk influence in the slow-paced narration. The end continues the poignant blend of the three genres, but it’s noticeably relaxed by an instrumental section that carries the synth-led crescendo of spaced guitar licks and mid-tempo drum grooves along well, before she uses “Love me, forever” to bring the ambient piece to a close. It feels ripe for Summer listening despite the March release, with attentive production that provides meshes R&B-led and Electronica-driven synths with slow instrumentals that bring elements of Jazz Fusion and Folktronica to the table. I think the best is yet to come from Majette since I guess that it gets a tad repetitive, but it’s otherwise a welcoming offering that feels melodic enough for the mainstream to get, but the vibrancy makes it more appealing.

  • Pictured: Tiffany Majette in a photoshoot for a Q&A feature with Flaunt.com (2020) (Photographed by Sandy Ismail)

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. As per usual, I’ll be back tomorrow with a new post. I will be looking at another recent track, this time coming from an Italian experimental electronic music producer who is currently signed to Warp Records and he is also the co-founder of Presto!? Records. 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: Orlando Weeks – “Safe In Sound”

May 18, 2020 — Leave a comment

It may not be safe outside, but we’ll always be Safe In Sound! It’s time for a new post!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “A Quickening” (Available to buy from June 12th, 2020) (via PIAS Recordings)

Good evening, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and you’re reading your daily track on the blog because it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! Orlando Weeks’ “Safe In Sound” is another one of these tracks which I haven’t quite got around to writing up about before, despite it being a few months old. However, late certainly doesn’t mean least in this case – although you could say that I’ve been waiting to type about this one for “Weeks” – Pun intended! Orlando Weeks is the leading man of the fairly well-known English alternative rock band The Maccabees, who have had a share of minor UK hits, such as “Pelican” and “Toothpaste Kisses”. Since the band parted their seperate ways in 2016, Orlando Weeks has begun to work on launching his solo career. His solo debut album “A Quickening” is set for release on 12th June via the PIAS Recordings indie label. I don’t want to give much away, so let’s just have a listen to the single “Safe In Sound” below.

“Safe In Sound” serves up as a Pristine and Smooth-Jazz like introduction to his cuts on the new album which document the birth of Weeks’ first son. It’s a fresh-sounding and naturally sonic track that re-introduces us to Weeks’ mellow vocal delivery, but a re-positioning of his guitar work. Weeks sings: “I would wait forever to hear the sound that you’ll make” over the top of constructed brass sounds and sparse, Brian Eno-like synth loops. The beats are infused with slight Jazz sensibilities and ethereal qualities that capture the essence of anticipation within his feelings of anxiety and excitement during the monumental, albeit scary, life moment. Weeks also sings: “Cut to pieces/Torn to ribbons/Caustic in your critics” , a closing lyrical hook which enhances the warm and nervous emotions of the layered piano arrangement, topped off by kaleidoscopic sampling effects that blends with the jittery horn sections, the Blues-ish guitar elements and Weeks’ laidback vocals to create an art-style collage of Shoegaze-esque rhythmns that, for a lack of a better word, constantly fidget and itch to the restrained vocals. It’s admittedly similar to The Maccabees’ in it’s opening and it sounds quite a lot like Bombay Bicycle Club, but it feels very inspired and it captures the emotions of it’s subject matter very fluently. It sounds like an instant influence point for other bands to follow, potentially in bigger releases, which is a very good thing in the case of establishing Weeks in his beginning solo career – Bravo!

  • Pictured: Orlando Weeks in a photoshoot for an interview with DIY Mag (2018) (Photo Credit: Emma Swann)

Thank you very much for reading this post! Please stay safe (In Sound), don’t do anything silly and keep on washing those hands! As always, I’ll be back tomorrow, with an in-depth review of a newer single from a Northern Irish electronic duo, signed to the Ninja Tune label, who used to run a blog called “Feel My Bicep” that specialized in posting lost and forgotten edits of Chicago House, Detroit Techno and Latino Disco mixes. 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: Sly & The Family Stone – “I Want To Take You Higher”

April 14, 2020 — Leave a comment

A band who truly got up and stood up for their rights! It’s time for your new blog post!

  • Pictured: Sly Stone (Vocals, Percussion), Freddie Stone (Guitar), Cynthia Robinson (Backing Vocals/Trumpet), Jerry Martini (Saxophone), “Little Sister” (Backing Vocals), Larry Graham (Bass Guitar) and Gerry Gibson (Drums) (1972)

Well, That’s Easter all over and done with! Lucky for me, Jacob Braybrooke, I managed to seek out two Creme Eggs for me and my Mum today…. at 30p each! It’s not all bad then! “I Wanna Take You Higher” by the legendary 60’s alternative funk outfit Sly & The Family Stone is your daily track on the blog, which I’m writing about because it’s my day-to-day pleasure to do so! I am rather fond of Sly Stone’s work in the San Francisco area in the golden age of the 60’s and 70’s Jazz movement, particularly on his band’s fifth album, “There’s A Riot Going On”, a more psychedelic-based affair released in 1971. However, the precursor of the band’s fourth LP, “Stand!” also hits the mark nicely. The album ushered in a new wave of Soul and it managed to outpace it’s sales targets, becoming the band’s most commercially successful album at the time, as well as being loaded with such high praise that it appeared on many year-end lists, best albums of the decade polls and even best albums of all-time lists curated by publications like Rolling Stone. In 2015, “Stand!” was deemed “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant” by the Library Of Congress and it was selected for preservation by the National Recording Registry. Stone is credited as the sole songwriter of “I Want To Take You Higher”, the track which I’m going to discuss below.

A fairly generic title aside, “I Want To Take You Higher” is a subliminal funk anthem which doesn’t have an energetic political message as we’d come to expect from Stone, but it was instead opting to be an uplifting precursor to disco-pop that reminds you, lyrically, about the uplifting effects of hearing the music that we love – and the thrill that it never fails to give you! Stone is highlighting the family element of his group, with each of the four vocalists getting their own verse as sole vocalists before they combine together in the chorus: “C’mon light my fire/I want to take you higher/Baby, baby, baby, light my fire”, which is delivered over a staggering line of trumpets mixed with a dwindling line of a Harmonica solo. The vocals continue to highlight the “stoner” funk-soul arrangement of the mid-tempo drum grooves and the synthesized guitar riffs: “Feelings that should make you move/Sounds are there to help you groove/Music still flashin’ me, Take your places” expands on the psychedelic elements of the Swinging 1960’s with a Jazz-inflicted fusion of R&B-soul and rock ‘n’ roll pop with a fast-paced and immediate effect of Blues and Psychedelic Soul. Although it’s one of the tracks which is connected to the creative differences the band would later have and begin to struggle working under, the group’s chemistry is solid within this palette and the funk-rock direction feels smartly composed under the slightly electronic underlayer of the track. I think it may show it’s age a little bit, but there’s no doubt that it was an innovative funk sound being explored and the moral behind it remains as relevant, thematically, as much now as it must have done in the time of it’s release. The result is a powerful, funk-driven fusion of different old-school genres that isn’t quick to lose it’s energy or the cultural perspective of time and place!

  • Pictured: Vinyl Artwork for “Stand!” (Released in May 1969) (via Epic Records) (buy from http://www.popsike.com)

I have previously covered “Running Away” by Sly & The Family Stone on the blog before, an iconic single taken from their fifth studio album, “There’s A Riot Goin’ On”, a legendary record which was released in 1971! You can read it here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2019/10/12/todays-track-sly-the-family-stone-running-away/

  • Pictured: Sly & The Family Stone in a black-and-white press shoot in 1970 (Photo Credit: William Grimes/The NY Times)

Thank you for reading this post! I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for the lovely comments! I’ll be back to writing new posts on the blog tomorrow, as usual, with an in-depth look at a recent track from an Australian producer of Danish and Lebanese descent who has collaborated with Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, presents a live weekly show on Apple Music’s Beats 1 Radio and, of upmost importance, was the first female DJ to mix for Ministry Of Sound Australia in 2012! 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