Psychedelic Jazz

Today’s Track: Chicano Batman – “Pink Elephant”

April 8, 2020 — 1 Comment

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Today’s Track: Jockstrap – “Acid”

March 21, 2020 — 1 Comment

Talk about Science – these two have wonderful Chemistry! It’s time for your new post!

  • Pictured: Georgia Ellery (Lead Vocals/Violin) and Taylor Skye (Backing Vocals/Producer/Flute) (2019) (via BBC News)

Good afternoon to you, I’m Jacob Braybrooke – making my trip back home to my family and sitting on the train as I write – writing about today’s track on the blog, as it’s my day-to-day pleasure to do so! “The music duo defying description” is a quote that Kev Geoghegan, a BBC News journalist, used to describe the subversive melodies of Jockstrap, a duo from Guidhall, London comprised of Georgia Ellery on the vocals and the violin, and Taylor Skye on the production, cello and flute, who met each other while studying at the Guildhall School Of Music and Drama in 2016. Interestingly, the duo are signed to Warp Records – the home staple of ambient electronic and techno artists such as Aphex Twin and Squarepusher, especially in the mid to late 1990’s! The latest release from the duo is “Acid” – a new single which oddly mixes a string-based arrangement from Ellery with a vibrant, experimental electronic pop production compostion formed by Skye. It’s weird, but it’s wonderful! Let’s listen to “Acid” below.

OK, let’s face it! Jockstrap’s “Acid” is a record which masses of people aren’t going to “get” – in a traditional context – but, I feel the curiosity of the string format and the wonky melodies of the track are what makes it sound really appealing to me! It’s a fantastic track to keep to yourself a little bit. Georgia Ellery is beautiful on the violin and she provides stunning vocals: “Smash some papers of acid/And I’ll smash it if you need something more to blame”, before Taylor Skye joins the equation with a buzzing synth-line, eventually forming a crescendo of metallic trickery and jarring electronic glitches. He also adds some solid, reflective male backing vocal harmonies, dueling with Ellery: “What am I to you?” – before the violin strings fade to a tripping-out, sharp line of soft-techno psychedelia: “Acid dream/My whole life”, a Damon Albarn-esque vocal that makes it sound a little like 2D from Gorillaz might enter the fray at any moment. Ellery’s vocals are heavily manipulated in one section: “Love forever, ever/Frankly never broken/Together, ether”, with the classical Cello sections of the track leading us to a gorgeous ending, as a elegant, analogue-produced line of electronica fizzles to a halt. I really enjoy how the classical mixes with the modern electronic in this track, which plays out as a washed-out, vintage love ballad under a strange influence of glazed folk-tronica. It wouldn’t feel out of place in the next Jordan Peele horror film and it would suit a horror-based, 1950’s-periodic cinematic environment very nicely due to it’s subversive, modulated production. Overall, I think it’s a very strong and inventive track. I would describe it as “imperfectly perfect pop”!

  • Pictured: Georgia Ellery & Taylor Skye in a press shoot to promote the release of “Acid” (2020) (via DIY Mag.com)

Thank you very much for reading this post! – Keep safe and healthy! It’s time for my weekly Scuzz Sundays feature tomorrow, which is the time of week where I take you on a leisurely stroll down a memory lane of late 90’s to mid 00’s emo, pop and punk tracks, as popularized by the defunct Scuzz TV freeview music video channel in my childhood days. 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: North Downs – “Nightlife Blues”

January 17, 2020 — Leave a comment

Meanwhile, I’m from Down the East Anglia! Good evening, it’s time for your new post!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Dad’s Old Tapes” (EP Release) (December 5th, 2019) (Dana Dama Records)

Jacob Braybrooke here! I’m wishing you a lovely Friday and a great… erm… January! Yeah it’s very cold and windy outside, isn’t it? In any case, here’s a brand new track for you to sink your teeth into! “Nightlife Blues” comes from the very mysterious British electronic dance trio North Downs, who I first came across through their collaboration on Maribou State’s “Kingdom” for the latter’s most recent album, “Kingdoms In Colour”. However, the trio of North Downs, who haven’t published much information at all about their members or backstories, have just produced their own release, a four-track EP titled “Dad’s Old Tapes”. An experimental little record which spotlights a knack for creative sounds, the single “Nightlife Blues” has been championed by BBC Radio 6Music presenter Mary Anne Hobbs, of whom I really look up to. This track can currently be found on the A-list of the John Peel-inspired station.

Although it remains a rock record, “Nightlife Blues” dabbles through a lot of different electronic production work and vibrant synthesized pop melodies, which adds discordant effects to the vocal harmonies and a slight ambience, adding a Walkman tape recorder dynamic to the overall sound of the track. “Nighlife Blues” has a very euphonious guitar riff, which creates the feeling of an avant-garde punk record being edited to a contemporary pop format, which reminds me of world-inspired artists like Khruangbin, The Comet Is Coming and Maritoba. The vocals chime in: “Born in the day/born to survive/faking away/chasing the night”, over a collage of synthetic bass riffs and thunderous jazz-fusion influences. This establishes a singular groove of indie rock elements, combined with small elements of funk and nu-disco. A psychedelic pop vibe is also created through the somber chord progression and the lightly tapping drum beat. This also reminds me a little bit of The Avalanches, due to the light funk beat and the repetitive vocal chorus. However, the Plunderphonics influences aren’t as virtuosic and meticulous. It’s a well-curated package of different genres which sounds primed for the daytime or early evening slots at festivals in the summer – with an overall quality of an old-school indie dance-rock outfit like LCD Soundsystem mixed with the makeshift ambience of Bonobo or Caribou. Overall, I think it’s a decent and original mix of different genres, with a soulful quality that seems ripe for evolution and development on full-length LP releases. Warm and solid!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Nightlife Blues” (Single Release) (December 5th, 2019)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as per usual, with a look at yet another new track – this time, it’s a collaboration between a DJ who is the first artist to be nominated as both a musician and producer for his album, alongside a Northampton-based hip-hop artist whose debut LP was nominated for last year’s Mercury Prize award! 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: Floating Points – “Anasickmodular”

January 8, 2020 — Leave a comment

Is it science, magic or great music? a combination of all three? Time for a new post!

  • Pictured: Sam Shepherd in a photoshoot for an interview on the RedBull.com website (January 2018)

Jacob Braybrooke here! It’s not Rocket Science! Well, for this guy, it’s Neuroscience! Seriously, he has a degree in it! I’ve been listening quite a bit to Floating Points recently, a DJ of all things acid techno whose real name is Sam Shepherd, the co-founder of the Eglo Records label. His recent album, “Crush”, was released last November on the Ninja Tune label. It’s an experimental piece of music which dynamically mixes a range of improvisational sounds and electronic ambient works recorded around the world. It’s January, so there isn’t going to be much out until the early Spring heats up. That gives you the perfect excuse for you to go and check it out!

“Anasickmodular” is one of the singles from the album, which has made the A-list of BBC Radio 6Music for several weeks. It was named after the team who did the visual projections, the fact that he was feeling poorly on the day and how he bought a modular out of the box to record it! For me, “Anasickmodular” draws a heavy comparison to the likes of Aphex Twin and Squarepusher. Since the genre of this single is of a similar tone and style, it reminds me of several Warp Records releases from around the mid-90’s, which partially contributes as to why I like it so much. The mixing and production of the track was created during Shepherd’s live improvised set at Dekmantel Festival in 2017, with other engineering stages completed during a tour date in Sydney. For me, this gives the track it’s freeform and carefree style, which echoes throughout the strange break-beat melodies and the ethereal, percussive garage beats. The texture, as a result, sounds very warm and euphoric, due to a hypnotic trance transition which feels like the music equivalent to a child’s drawing. A twitching, off-kilter drum pattern harkens back to Warp’s late-90’s IDM exports. The midway point is a real standout, as the assortment of ambient sounds swell up to form a synth tendril which forms the effect of an orchestral crescendo. It feels like Shepherd has definitely put his club sensibilities to the test and really pushed himself, as an artist, to deliver this track. He adds a layer of scientific IDM to make it essential!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Crush” (October 2019)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as usual, with a look at a new track from an Irish singer-songwriter and music producer who is known for being part of the Irish Trip Hop duo Moloko, who were responsible for the chart hits “The Time Is Now”, “Sing It Back” and “Familiar Feeling”! 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: Khruangbin (feat. Leon Bridges) – “Texas Sun”

January 6, 2020 — 3 Comments

Don’t you worry, Summer will be here again in no time! It’s time for your new musing!

  • Pictured: Khruangbin (Laura Lee, Mark Speer & Donald “DJ” Johnson) and Leon Bridges in a photoshoot (2019)

As per usual, Jacob Braybrooke here! Two texas powerhouses from the indie scene in the US, world-inspired neo-soul band Khruangbin and contemporary Jazz vocalist Leon Bridges, have recently announced a new collaboration from both artists. “Texas Sun” is the title of the EP and it’s set to release on February 7th on the Dead Oceans label. Drawing from the long history of Thai music over the 60’s, “Texas Sun” is also set to be released in partnership with Columbia Records and Night Time Stories. In a statement to the press, Laura Lee, the frontwoman of Khruangbin, said on the record: “We try not to have too much of an intention, because it gets in the way of what the music wants to do,” before elaborating: “If you just let the music do what it’s supposed to do, it will reveal itself. We tried to take that same approach with Leon. For us, it was opening up our world to have another person in it. But all of it feels like Texas to me.”. The title track of the EP has been released to drum up a bit of hype, which was recorded after the two acts undertook a joint tour together, following Khruangbin opening for Leon Bridges for his tour in 2018. They’re the best of friends!

The title of the track, “Texas Sun” does sound a bit like a low-rate Country folk song with a wild addiction to cheese overload. To a certain extent, it is. But, make no mistake, this is a vibrant and sun-dripped trip through a wide diversity of neo-soul, Jamaican dub-esque melodies, with Bridges adding the expected Jazz twist to Khruangbin’s original and unique sound. Bridges compliments: “Say you wanna hit the highway/While the engine roars/Well come on, roll with me till the sun goes down/That Texas sun”, following it up with: ” When I’m far from home/And them cold winds blow/Stuck out somewhere with folks I don’t know/’Cause you keep me nice and you keep me warm/Wanna feel you on me” and delivering a swift ending to the track with the post-chorus: “Take a ride with me baby/You by my side/How does it sound/You and I”, as the luscious soundscape of colourful bass melodies and the rhythmic crescendo section fades out, which leaves a lasting impression of progressive jazz influences and instrumental psych-funk chords. It’s an easy and accessible track to listen to, helped by a relaxing backbeat climax and flamenco string arrangements, paired with Briges’ rusty vocals. At the end of the day, us Brits won’t be complaining about the weather after this plays on the radio on a tantalizingly hot day!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Texas Sun” (EP) (Available on 7th February, 2020)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as usual, with a look at a 90’s Murder Ballad from a world-famous icon who famously writes his material on a Typewriter, joined on a track by an Australian pop queen who played the legends slot at last year’s Glastonbury 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/

Today’s Track: Biig Piig – “Roses and Gold”

December 14, 2019 — Leave a comment

I’m a Biig Piig when it comes to eating cakes for sure! It’s time for your Saturday post!

  • Pictured: Biig Piig (Jess Smith) in a photoshoot for New Sounds Mag (November 2019)

A 21 year-old Irish singer-songwriter from Cork, Biig Piig (whose real name is Jess Smith) is a remarkably fresh talent within the alternative soul genre. She made her debut on the Irish indie music scene in 2017 with a hat trick of gorgeous single and EP releases, “Crush’ n”, “24K” and Vice City”, electro-pop records which synthetically captured the irony and spiritual haze of an after-hours party. She’s since explored her sound in the West London scene after moving there from her childhood time spent in Spain and Iceland. She got the inspiration for her obscure stage name by looking at a Pizza menu – saying in an interview with Dazed that it “puts no pressure on me to be a certain way – I can be a mess, and I can also be cute and put together”. After another string of successful EP releases in 2018, Smith has made her highly anticipated return to electronic music production with “Roses and Gold”, a follow-up single to her promotional track “Sunny” released earlier in the year. The track has been playlisted by BBC Radio 6Music and Radio X, as well as late-night programming on BBC Radio 1!

A slow-burning jazz-influenced funk jam, “Roses and Gold” has the chill-out vibes that have sadly been absent since the 00’s, where you could purchase chillout compilation albums that you couldn’t buy in shops. It may remind you of Kinobe, Chungking or even a slice of pop-oriented Christine & The Queens on your first listen, as it blends a range of vocabulary from other dialects with an intimate neo-soul hypnosis of sounds which will intrigue, but also delight, you in an instant. Currently working on a new EP, Smith is very talented in evoking deep emotions and thoughts over a methodical bed of light-disco elements and a neo-psychedelia arrangement of synths and electronic production work. Meanwhile, Smith also has a clear passion for a sense of romanticism, which is communicated through her crisp delivery of the vocals: “When I looked at you/I saw Roses and Gold”, recited with a very low-tempo and stripped-back style. She continues to display an emotion of warmth in the Spanish-language sections of the track, which creates a deep atmosphere of romance and fiction. On the track, Smith told the press how the track explores our “obsession with the unattainable – whether material, psychological, or romantic – and the importance of holding onto what really matters in these tumultuous times”, which is different to the slightly dark tone that I can personally attain from listening to the track. Overall, “Roses and Gold” is the type of song that I haven’t heard in a long time – it’s a slow and methodically paced neo-soul track which calms and intrigues in equal measure and it’s a converging song to switch off and plug in your earphones to!

  • Pictured: Biig Piig (Jess Smith) in a photoshoot for an interview feature for Plec Picks (January 2019)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow with another weekly edition of my 90’s/00’s emo/rock/punk-themed Scuzz Sundays blog posts! If 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: Khruangbin – “Christmas Time Is Here”

December 13, 2019 — 3 Comments

It’s not here yet, but we’ve only got 12 days to go! It’s time for your festive Friday post!

  • Pictured: Laura Lee (Bass Guitar), Mark Speer (Lead Guitar) and Donald “DJ” Johnson (Drums, Percussion)

One day removed from a, let’s say, very eventful snap General Election poll in the UK, it seems like a very weird day for the nation where we’re all very slowly getting back to grips with reality and slowly beginning to resume our normal lives, but there are still loads of current affairs events happening in the background that can be difficult to escape from in the 24/7 and social media society we’re living in today. What better chance, then, than to sit down with a hot mug of cocoa, coffee or tea and listen to some chilled soul/world vibes from Khruangbin? A band from Houston, Texas who manage to blend elements of classic Soul, Neo-Psychedelia and Jamaican Dub/Rocksteady to create a very unique and earthly sound. A track that I really enjoy listening to from this band is “Maria Tambien”, an almost entirely instrumental funk rhythm that feels like a journey through several different West African countries at a frantic pace. I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m giving a listen of a festive offering from the band, “Christmas Time Is Here”, a single released in time for last year’s festive season.

“Christmas Time Is Here” is a very interesting and curiously appealing mix of classically composed ambient sweetness, organic instrumentation and a slow-paced funk groove which calls back to old-school soul and psychedelic lo-fi rock. It’s a cover version of a classic track written by Vince Guaraldi for “A Charlie Brown Christmas”, a TV film starring the Peanuts Gang released in 1965. There have been countless covers since, from the likes of Chicago, Jars Of Clay and Sam Sparro. However, it’s a testament to the unique sound of Khruangbin how they manage to adapt the original format and make it sound original to them. This cover is almost an instrumental jam session by the US trio, with a beat-driven style which encompasses the Jazz roots of the original track and marries it with a luscious acoustic direction. It evokes a hypnotic effect as a result, which is created by the gentle guitar chords and the quiet vocal arrangements, along with a natural simplicity to the lyrics. It is composed beautifully and it’s an effort that helps with relaxation at this hectic time of year. Overall, it’s a track which manages to pull genres from a Magician’s hat and the band successfully mixes them together with a sound that is ultimately vintage, classic and laidback, with a broad roughness and an edge that makes it sound fresh and inspired.

  • Pictured: Khruangbin performing a live set at the “Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival” (April 2019)

Thank you for reading this post! Tomorrow, I’ll be taking a break from the alternative Christmas vibes to shine a spotlight on a new R&B/Soul artist from Ireland who used to work as a dealer in Poker and got her name from a Pizza menu! 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: Fun Lovin’ Criminals – “Scooby Snacks”

November 29, 2019 — Leave a comment

SCOOOBY-DOOOBY-D…OHHHH! It’s time to kick off your weekend with a Friday post!

    Despite the familiar title, it turns out the song is actually linked to a form of drug/medication created by Valium and it has nothing to do with a certain sleuthing cartoon dog and his team of ghost-busting chums that we all know from a long-running TV series created by The Hanna Barbera Company. I guess that’s one mystery solved! Instead, “Scooby Snacks” is a track written and recorded by Fun’ Lovin Criminals, which also includes a sample taken from Quentin Tarantio films, namely “Pulp Fiction” (1994) and “Reservoir Dogs” (1992). It’s an eclectic mix of intriguing styles, as it fuses together elements of Hip-Hop, Blues, Alternative Rock, Post-Punk, R&B and Jazz-Funk. The track didn’t receive much commercial attention when it was first released in August 1996, reaching the #22 spot on the UK Singles Chart, but it was later reissued, along with a cover of 10cc’s hit track “I’m Not In Love”, leading to the track faring a little bit better, reaching #12 on the UK Singles Chart in June 1997. It was taken from the group’s debut LP record, “Come Find Yourself” and it remains to be the group’s biggest and most famous hit, from a commercial standpoint. I first heard the track on the second or third disc of a “100 Hits… Alternative” compilation album, which I can remember buying from a HMV. It was very nifty for my radio work.

    This is a track that will take you a few listens to really sink into your psyche, as almost the entirety of the multiple verses are delivered in a soft-rap style. This creates an undeniable stoner rock effect, which feels reminiscent, both in texture and stylistic convention, to the Quentin Tarantino films which it’s sampled composition was inspired by. Huey Morgan, the lead vocalist, raps “Runnin’ around, robbin’ banks” while “All wacked off the Scooby Snacks” over a rhythmic funk melody created by Brian Leiser and a two-step drum rhythm created by Frank Benbini, with the three having great chemistry as a band, with no member outshining the other on this particular track. It’s a rare feat, for many bands, to have this ability to work off the effects of each other, but Fun Lovin’ Criminals manage it with good execution. The track plays off it’s wacky lyricism with a thumping set of slide guitar chords and a well-paced sequence of alternative rock-based sections. I feel the main vocal hook does falter the overall experience a little bit, but the psychedelic elements are captured in good shape. It sounds very 00’s, but the intended tongue-in-cheek spirit and the blues vibes are also groovy. Overall, the track succeeds – and holds up – in creating a drug-fuelled thrill through a shifting variety of styles, although some of the polish is a little outdated compared to later, more contemporary, examples. Nevertheless, it’s a fun track to listen to and a nice way of layering several different elements of hip-hop, alternative rock, blues, and jazz with – mostly – cohesive results.

    • Pictured: Huey Morgan (Lead Vocals, Slide Guitar), Brian Leiser (Rhytmn Guitar) and Frank Benbini (Drums)

    Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as usual, with an in-depth look at a 1996 track from a new track from a London-based Post-Punk group who have just released a new album on The Leaf Label, which also has guest appearances from Iggy Pop and Kool Keith! 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: Sly & The Family Stone – “Running Away”

    October 12, 2019 — 1 Comment

    It’s the weekend! So, here is a timeless tune from 1971 that you can’t run away from!

    • Pictured: Vinyl Cover Artwork for “There’s A Riot Goin’ On” (Released on 20th November, 1971) (via Epic Records)

    Sly & The Family Stone were a psychedelic soul and funk band in the 1960’s, 1970’s and 1980’s. They were formed in San Francisco in 1966 by Sly Stone, a multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter and record producer, who formed the band with family members and close friends, a band who went down in history, not only as an early pioneer in the development of the funk, soul and psychedelic jazz genres, but also as the first racially integrated group from the US. “Running Away” is a track which was released in early 1972 as a single from the group’s fifth studio LP, “There’s A Riot Goin’ On”, which was recorded at Record Plant Studios, California in 1970 and 1971, later being released on November 20, 1971 by Epic Records. The record’s sound is dominated by soulful drum melodies, hard funk rhythms and overdubbing mixes, which makes it ripe for sampling by many artists who did so in later decades. “Running Away” has been covered by the likes of Paul Haig, The Raincoats and The Colourfield. The track was also a commercial success upon it’s original release, as it reached #17 on the UK Singles Chart and #23 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US.

    “Running Away” is about how “at a certain time, everybody runs away from something”, which Sly Stone told an interviewer for Mojo magazine back in March 2010. This meaning, to me, is perfectly communicated by the vocals and the horn-based instrumentation, which kicks in at a very early point in the track. The track is complemented by an upbeat funk and soul sound that is created by a very broad arrangement of production methods, which Stone famously doesn’t like to talk about during interviews. The track is full of trippy guitar licks, intertwined female vocals that are very intelligently layered and wickedly funny, especially created by the mocked laughing in each verse of the track, and the luminous tone created by the vibrant bass guitar chords. The track isn’t nauseous, but it’s very light and psychedelic, which is mainly down to the care-free lyrics which are easy to hum along with: “running away/to get away/you’re wearing out your shoes”. The brass-filled sections are also happy in emotion. The track is a combination of elements that fit together like a glove, which makes it hard to believe the age of the record. The result of the overall sound is a musical experience which feels surreal, if uplifting! Timeless!

    • 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)

    Thank you very much for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow with a new weekly edition of my themed punk Scuzz Sundays blog posts! If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every daily new post is up and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/