Today’s Track: Ivy Sole (feat. Topaz Jones) – ‘One More Night’

February 7, 2022 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘Candid’ (LP) (Released on February 2nd, 2022) (via Les Fleurs Records)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, as usual, and it is time for me to get you acquainted with some fresh new music to start off the glorious week with yet another daily track on the blog, given that it’s always been my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Cited by a crop of popular culture publications like Complex and DJ Booth as a leading example of an all new wave of a growing movement of non-binary artists, Ivy Sole is a Philadelphia-born rapper, producer, singer and songwriter who you may remember as a member of the line-up’s for Liberal Art, Indigold and Third Eye Optik’s across the last half-decade or so. The manager of Les Fleurs Records, Sole has released three solo albums so far including 2016’s ‘Eden’ and 2018’s ‘Overgrown’ and Sole has earned as degree in business as recently as 2015, and their career began when Sole (whose real name is Taylor C. McLendon) attended a concert by Mac Millar featuring Rapsody and Nicki Minaj on the week after their 18th birthday in 2013, who Sole cites as their main inspirations for pursuing a musical career. Promoted by their own ‘Candid Film Festival’ featuring multiple short films by various creatives, Sole released their third studio album – ‘CANDID’ – last Wednesday. They noted “CANDID explores the many ways I find myself endeavouring towards truth and clarity, and ‘One More Night’ is no different. It’s a song that speaks directly to the woman I had in mind, but still gives room for the listener’s imagination”, in an interview with Stereofox. One of the leading singles from the new record, ‘One More Night’ also finds Sole linking up with the New York-based rapper Topaz Jones for his featured verse. Let’s press play on ‘One More Night’ below.

Speaking about the process behind writing and recording ‘One More Night’, Sole continued in their interview with Stereofox, “The song itself came out of the essence of someone appearing in your mind without you actively deciding to invite them there, and the longing that ends up dictating how you act upon the memories, images and feelings that are brought out from that initial spark”, concluding, “Topaz and I produced it together, which makes it even more special to me”, in the discussion. It can therefore be seen that ‘One More Night’ is dealing with the demise of an ill-fated romantic encounter with a resolute determination, and they deliver some stellar bars with the assistance of Jones. Lyrics like “Say my name if you need it/Take a breath and repeat it” detail the scene of spending one final night of passion with an old interest that you shouldn’t be giving the time of day, while contemplative lyrics like “I wonder if you’re dreaming about me/Thinking about the last time that we couldn’t sleep” come across as more sensual, as our narrator falls victim to their desires. The instrumentation represents a Synth-heavy Soul jam, as Sole adepts to bridging R&B and Neo-Soul together with a Funk-driven backing. A crescendo of gospel-filled harmonies provides a smooth backing to the chorus, while the featured verse from Jones increases the pace of the record and it provides for a slick counteraction to the perspective that Sole explores in their lyrics. It feels like a polished package overall, and I could definitely see ‘One More Night’ getting airplay from a station like BBC Radio 1 Xtra if it crosses the shores and gains traction from audiences in the UK as the instrumentation is fairly broad and the lyrics have an air of accessibility in how relatable they are to a fair share of audiences. A solid offering that becomes intimate, as the title of the new LP implies in contextualizing a ‘Candid’ look at Sole as an artist.

Pictured: Ivy Sole in an official promotional photoshoot for the ‘Overgrown’ LP (2018) (Photo via Facebook.com/PR)

That leaves me with little else to say, other than to gratefully thank you for sparing a moment out of your busy schedule for the day to check out what I’ve just had to say about Ivy Sole’s ‘One More Night’. I’ll be back tomorrow with a debut appearance on the blog from an up-and-coming Glam Rock trio from Cardiff who have proclaimed that ‘John Lennon Is My Jesus Christ’ since forming out of Tom Rees bedroom in 2016.

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Today’s Track: Earl Sweatshirt (feat. Armand Hammer) – ‘Tabula Rasa’

January 31, 2022 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘SICK’ (LP) (Released on January 14th, 2022) (via Tan Cressida/Warner Records)

Good Morning to you! You’re tuned in to One Track At A Time with your regular writer Jacob Braybrooke, and you are right on time for yet another daily track on the blog, given that it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! We finally move into February shortly, as we complete our various ‘First Month Of The Year’ challenges, but one of the albums that really seemed to strike a chord with critics and audiences alike in January was ‘SICK’, the new 10-track mixtape-style LP offering by Chicago-born and Los Angeles-based Hip Hop artist Earl Sweatshirt, who began his rap career as Sly Tendencies in 2008 and later joined the alternative Hip-Hop collective Odd Futures – led by Tyler, The Creator – to cause a name change in 2009. ‘SICK’ had an enigmatic promotional campaign heading in to release, despite a few singles being unveiled prior to release, and it has garnered an impressive score of 86/100 on Metacritic. Kitty Empire wrote that it was “a musically rich reset” in her four-star review for The Guardian, while a perfect review by Marcus Shorter for Consequence In Sound hails it up with “The rapping is impeccable, and the project doesn’t overstay its welcome” in his rave assessment. Sweatshirt has also recently performed a single taken off the ‘SICK’ LP – ‘2010’ – live on ‘The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon’ in the US, and so the appeal of the record isn’t incredibly far outside of the mainstream. One of the singles – ‘Tabula Rasa’ – features the critically acclaimed New York-based duo of Armand Hammer (ELUCID & Billy Woods) who wax poetic lyrics while politely taking their turn above the ethereal Piano melody and some fragmented sampling that create a dense backdrop for their individual truths to lethargically spit over their collective public manifesto. It also comes with a uniquely unpolished music video that finds the three producers make their Lo-Fi magic happen in the recording studio, or – in the case of Woods – grilling some ribs, by the look of it.

“Sick is my humble offering of 10 songs recorded in the wake of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic and its subsequent lockdowns”, Earl Sweatshirt tells the music press, explaining, “Before the virus, I had been working on an album I named after a book I used to read with my mother (‘The People Could Fly’). Once the lockdowns hit, people couldn’t fly anymore. A wise man said art imitates life. People were sick. The People were angry and isolated and restless. I leaned into the chaos ’cause it was apparent that it wasn’t going anywhere. These songs are what happened when I would come up for air”, in his press release for the ‘SICK’ record. In the case of ‘Tabula Rasa’, it is vital to note that this Latin phrase roughly translates to ‘Blank Slate’ in English, and so it is believable that Sweatshirt and his two partners are rapping about how we are all born without any mental knowledge on the ambiguous minimalist rap jam, with the two outfits trading sequences like “This game of telephone massive/I do what I have to with the fragments” that each convey feelings of urgency and calming processes as the rappers reflect on how the dread of the Covid-19 pandemic affected their lyrical musings of truth as the remedy for the problems that arise. Challenging lyrics like “I have to write to find balance” and “I watch re-runs in the dark, fingers and lips glistening” also simplify the matters of mental health issues and how we find our humanity through mundane tasks that we still enjoy doing, like how “I made chicken late night in my boxers/Burning up the kitchen” nearly ends the final verse on a slightly witty note and how the small details of this action convey something more profound about how we treat ourselves to small luxuries when we’re all alone to remind ourselves of how important that we are. While there’s a lot that we could discuss lyrically, the instrumentation is noticeably more restrained and subdued. The sampling is psychedelic and smart, with mere teasers of voice clips and broken-sounding Vinyl cracks that briefly divert the groove away from the scattered, soulful sample of a 70’s Jazz Club performance setting, giving off the effect that we’re listening to a broken record as the audience. The intricate wordplay is the emphasis of the beat, with the three rappers creating some subtle verses with an interchanged dynamic between the three of them where lessons of finding wisdom and ruminating upon remedies with a grit-laced but positively weighty sense of resolution. Overall, while this is a challenging listen, at first, because the structure is created by a few straightforward stream-of-consciousness rap verses instead of a melodic series of hooks, Sweatshirt still manages to pull off a richly rewarding feel with the cerebral style of production because it feels personal and laidback, and he works towards achieving this dense balance of wordsmith lyricism and minimalist instrumentals by leaning into a hypnotic delivery, rather than simply acting as a purveyor of clear tone.

Pictured: Earl Sweatshirt in a recent promotional photoshoot for ‘SICK’ (2021) (Photo Credit: Ryosuke Tanzawa)

That’s all that I currently have lined up for you today, and thank you very much for taking the time to look at an interesting piece of new art with me today. I’ll be back tomorrow to bring some music from 2021 back to your attention, and it comes from a London-born singer-songwriter, DJ, radio presenter, model and actress who has run a popular monthly night called ‘Soul Box’ in East London with fashion photographer Dean Chalkley and the British DJ Eddie Piller, who is the founder of Acid Jazz Records.

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Today’s Track: Abiodun Oyewole – ‘Harlem’

January 18, 2022 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Vinyl Bundle for ‘GRATITUDE’ (LP) (Available from February 4th, 2022) (via Fire Records)

Good Morning to you! You are reading the words of Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for me to whisk you away to an idyllic setting with yet another daily track on the blog, since it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Known to many of his followers as ‘Harlem’s Last Poet’, Abiodun Oyewole played a crucial part in the pioneering stages of early Hip-Hop as one of the founding members of late-60’s group The Last Poets, a Spoken Word group that were widely considered to be the first Hip-Hop act. Jason Ankeny, a critic for AllMusic, once wrote that “With their politically charged raps, taut rhythms and dedication to raising African-American consciousness, The Last Poets almost single-handedly laid the groundwork for the emergence of Hip-Hop” in an essay. Oyewole’s renowned career traces back to one day in 1968 when he read poetry in Harlem’s Mount Morris Park with David Nelson and Gylan Kain in honor of Malcolm X’s birthday. The wordsmith has set a new full-length album for a release date titled ‘Gratitude’, which you can find in local record shops from February 4th via the Fire Records label. Having released essays like ‘The Beauty Of Being – A Collection Of Fables, Short Stories & Essays’ and published books like ‘Branches Of The Tree Of Life’ through the years, Oyewole gets reflective for the new full-length album with politically charged singles like ‘Harlem’, where he simply expresses his sincere appreciation for his beloved home town and all the people that touched his life from there. Let’s take a dream detour with him below.

Oyewole says, “You gotta realize, Harlem was the place I wanted. It was like a desire, a dream. I was raised in Queens, New York. I would see Harlem every Sunday of my life because we went to church in Harlem. The energy of Harlem was exciting, electric”, in a recent interview about the brand new album with Pat Thomas, adding, “Harlem was where everything was going to happen. When we set up our home base in Harlem, I spent all my time in Harlem, I got an apartment in Harlem – Harlem became everything to me”, when he talked about The Last Poets’ uprising there. Starting off with a triumphant call for the track’s title neighborhood near Manhattan, Oyewole croons poetically-driven refrains like “Harlem is the black spirit, pulsating in the air” as an energetic sample flutters in the background that contains plenty of glistening Keyboard riffs and chopped Drum loops, as Oyewole establishes a near-seven minute groove that offers a slick sequence of twinkling Synths and some processed Drum beats that give the traditional Hip-Hop style an uplifting flair. Lyrically, Oyewole muses poetically on the memorable stories that have given him a feel of pride and nostalgia about his time there. Stories about boxing matches featuring Sugar Ray Leonard, shopping on the 125th, hanging out at the Jazzmobile with his friends and shout-outs to eating soul food at Sylvia’s are all memorable waxings throughout his beat-driven salute to the area. The backing singers are a lovely addition, too, with female vocalists crooning lyrics like “Harlem is a place where you can go, Harlem is a place of real soul” that provide more variety to the thought-provoking Spoken Word sections. They meditatively coo hooks like “Harlem, sweet Harlem’ continuously as Oyewole balances his low-pitched voice between poetic declaration and half-sung speech with his narration-based commentary through his love-letter to his beloved community. While the projects made by The Last Poets were a bit angrier in building ramps for later Hip-Hop artists to launch their stories from, Oyewole’s new solo work cements him as more of the ‘old wise man’ type where he takes a spiritual journey through his personal legacy, and this plays with convention in many refreshing ways. Given that the physical copies of the new record includes an extensive interview with the man himself about how the album was written, we’re certain to hear more witty anecdotes of his life there as well as thoughtful commentary on his experiences of gaining his knowledge. A careful love-letter to simply living amongst your community.

Pictured: Copy of ‘Branches Of The Tree Of Life’ (Published in September, 2014) (Distributed from 2Leaf Press)

That’s all for now! Thank you for giving me your attention for a few moments today, and I’ll be back to revisit some of the seminal sounds from the past with a new entry of ‘Way Back Wednesdays’ tomorrow. This week’s post also ties into new releases in one way, as the featured band have recently released a 20th Anniversary edition of one of their most critically-acclaimed albums. The band’s name comes from a track written by Neil Innes and Vivian Stanshell to be performed by their group ‘The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band’ for film productions like The Beatles’ film ‘Magical Mystery Tour’.

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Today’s Track: Nia Archives – ’18 & Over’

January 17, 2022 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Cover Artwork for ’18 & Over’ (Single) (Released on November 25th, 2021) (via HIJINXX)

Good Morning to you! You’re tuned into the text of Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for us to dive headfirst into a new week of January with yet another daily track on the blog, given that it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! A 21-year-old musician who was born in Leeds and raised in Manchester, Nia Archives is a London-based singer-songwriter, producer and visual artist who you may remember from the ‘Headz Gone West’ EP that she released last April that we discussed a few times on the blog. Nia Archives is an exciting new artist who fuses a range of Hip-Hop, Neo-Soul, Dubstep, Drum and Bass, Drill and Techno, House and Jungle elements into her melting pot of sounds. She is also the founder of the ‘HIJINX’ label, which is also the name of her visual archive of short DIY-style film documentaries which was a side project that she started before producing any music. Her influences includes names like Burial, J Dilla and Roots Manuva. She has recently released the follow-up track to her ‘Forbidden Feelingz’ single that she released last October with a heavier-than-usual dance recording that she implores us, lyrically, was designed for ’18 and Over’. She digs into her Carribean heritage for her new single that samples one of her favourite classic Reggae cuts – ‘Young Lover’ by Cocoa Tea from 1987. The Taliable-directed music video pays homage to London’s sound-system culture and references ‘Yardie’ films like ‘The Harder They Come’ and ‘Babylon’ from the 60’s and 70’s. She comments, “For the ’18 and Over’ video, I knew that the visuals had to be iconic as the song is an absolute banger. Working with Taliable who was the director and editor was super fun, I feel we creatively gelled really well to create this vibrant piece”, in her press statement. Let’s check it out if you are ’18 and Over’ below.

Nia continues, “The actual video was shot in my warehouse yard, I thought it would be sick to use that space as no one has ever shot a music video there – meaning it is unique to me. We kept things even more local by asking Hackney native Mark Solution if he could set up his wicked ‘Solution Soundsystem’ – it was an honour to feature it in my video”, adding, “There are also some references to the original record that I sampled for viewers to spot”, in her press notes. Starting off with chirping bird sounds that remind me of the sweetness of Aphex Twin’s ‘Syro’ from 2014 in the classic Jungle template, paired up to a steady breakbeat instrumental, Nia develops the soundscape further with a driving bass line and some twinkling Synths as she layers her vocals above the main hook of the focused sample of “Now, this one was designed for 18 and over” with a psychedelic Neo-Soul backing as the breakbeats get continually more fragmented throughout the progress of adding her own lyrics. The glistening synths soon augment into a booming bass beat that feels like a nuanced representation of Dub-rooted texture that she playfully gives a UK drum & bass twist as the ethereal mix warps into a Jungle aesthetic, eventually leaving behind a central emphasis on the early 90’s rave melodies that give us a spellbinding symphony of breakbeats, as the lyrics promise to give us. While the ‘Headz Gone West’ EP leaned into her anxieties on entering a relationship and overthinking her intimate emotions, ’18 & Over’ is a purer exploration of the Post-Garage and Jungle-driven feel that has always existed within her sound. It all feels very exciting and gripping as a result, creating very surprising shifts in production and fusing her early sound with a flipside of some traditional Reggae to pay homage to her Jamaican heritage and the country’s creative output. A heavy and engrossing evolution of her artistry that is unique to her.

Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘Headz Gone West’ (EP) (Released on April 29th, 2021) (via HIJINXX)

If you also think that Nia Archives is one of the most engaging new artists to follow in 2022, check out my previous post about ‘Headz Gone West’ here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2021/05/03/todays-track-nia-archives-headz-gone-west/

Pictured: Nia Archives in a still from the ‘Headz Gone West’ music video (2021) (Photo by Delphino Productions)

That brings us to a pretty thrilling end to today’s track on the blog. Many blessings for showing your support and I’ll be back tomorrow as we continue to hear some of the most important voices in the industry with the next post that arrives tomorrow. It will come your way by a Harlem-based poet, teacher and founding member of the Spoken Word band The Last Poets, who were widely considered to be the first Hip-Hop group.

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Way Back Wednesdays: Massive Attack – ‘Karmacoma’

January 5, 2022 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Robert “3D” Del Naja, Grant “Daddy D” Marshall & Andrew “Mushroom” Vowles (Date n/a) (Photo via Classical Album Sundays)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke and, of course, it’s time for the return of ‘Way Back Wednesdays’ on the blog as we remember some seminal (or simply hidden) gems of yore to help me fulfill my goal of writing up about a different piece of music every day! Massive Attack are recognised as one of the most important and influential acts in 90’s British Music history as the original Trip Hop trio of Bristol, and so they are a great choice to kick off our regular throwback fixture again. Having won two Q Awards, two MTV Europe Music Awards, a BRIT Award for Best British Dance Act, as well as placements on greatest-of-all-time lists compiled by NME and Rolling Stone, Massive Attack were also a really successful commercial crossover act having sold their way to over 13 million records worldwide. ‘Karmacoma’ is one of their signature closing tracks during live performances and it was originally issued as the final single off their second LP – ‘Protection’ – that earned critical acclaim in 1994. ‘Protection’ saw the group lean into the Dub and Trance aspects of their pre-established sound, as well as seeing Tricky joining 3D and Grant Marshall on their musical journey by joining their ranks. DJ Mad Professor created a remixed version of the album that was released one year later, and ‘Protection’ was included in the book ‘1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die’ in 2011. 3D and Tricky say that most of the lyrics for ‘Karmacoma’ were written while high on a drug trip while backstage at a music festival somewhere in England and the music video saw the debut of British film director Jonathan Glazer – who went on to direct 2013’s ‘Under The Skin’ as well as music videos for Radiohead and Jamiroquai. Let’s remember ‘Karmacoma’ below.

‘Karmacoma’ – known for a wild and experimental music video that probably freaked a few poor children out during the mid-90’s – was so popular that Tricky later recorded his own solo version of the track that he renamed as ‘Overcome’ for his debut solo album ‘Maxinquaye’ that he created in 1995. Full of bizzare cinematic references to ‘The Shining’ and ‘Reservoir Dogs’ among other titles, Massive Attack have also name-checked Patrick Swayze in the lyrics for the enigmatic track and they say it was dedicated to him. I find it difficult to believe that the bass-heavy, middle eastern Drum beat that runs throughout the track was entirely manufactured at the hands of the Bristolian group because it sounds so authentic, and yet, it creates a catchy but cerebral groove that understandably gained some mainstream attention for the band at the time. The lyrics are very discreet and give next to nothing away, but powerful lyrics like “I won’t lie and say this love is best, leave us in emotional peace” and “Your troubles must be seen to see through money” that seemingly form a social commentary comparing the interests of lovers to the authorities of the world in some way or another, to the best of my guesswork. Either way, the instrumentation was quite spellbinding as the thunderous snare sample sounds very realistic and the group keep introducing more elements, such as the alluring Bass melodies and the loping rhythm, that maintain an unpredictable feel to the record although the main loop gets very hypnotic as the duration progresses. The most alluring line of all comes when “I must be crazy/see I’m swazy” as the key cinematic reference comes to light. The lyrics, with hooks like “Karmacoma, Jamaican aroma” and “You’re sure you wanna be with me I’ve nothing to give/Take a walk, take a rest, taste the rest” are almost erratic at times, complementing the psychedelic oscillation of the unique pacing. The dynamic between Tricky and 3D, however, still feels new, as they recite their sequences with a mild Spoken Word feel that delves into a gently Poetic flair while the trippy instrumentals keep the proverbial room spinning. They form the important adhesive to the track that melds the laced looping of the relentlessly spiraling Drums and the adventurous songwriting, for the lack of a better term, together thematically. While reclusive and challenging, ‘Karmacoma’ was an off-kilter anthem that gives you just enough time to get used to the ongoing melodies before another strange, but key, element flips the switch halfway again. A chilling spectacle.

Pictured: Cover Art for ‘Protection’ (LP) (Released on 26th September, 1994) (via Circa/Wild Bunch Records)

That’s all for now! Thank you for spending the beginnings of your new year with me, and I’ll be back again tomorrow for some more unique music from a Canadian Ethnotronica group who blend Instrumental Hip Hop, Reggaeton, post-00’s Dubstep and Moombahton together with elements of First Nations music for their own brand of “Stadium Pow-Wow” sounds. Their earlier name was a nod to A Tribe Called Quest.

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Today’s Track: Terry Presume – ‘Act Up’

December 17, 2021 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Terry Presume in a recent photoshoot for a Q&A feature with Notion (2021) (Photo by Grant Spainier)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for you to read all about yet another track on the blog as we swoop in for a refreshing change of pace away from the Christmas-themed coverage, not forgetting that it’s always been my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! A self-described “walking question mark”, the 26-year-old Nashville-based rapper-songwriter Terry Presume is an artist who simply refuses to box his music into any one genre and he’s been open as such with this mission statement in several interviews. Raised in the neighborhood of Golden Gate by a single Haitian mother, he first made waves as part of the South Florida Hip-Hop scene, which he’s even published his own guide about for Acclaim. Praised by MTV News, New York Times and Fader – Terry has a wide range of influences including Andre 3000 and Robert Johnson and he began writing poetry at the age of 8, eventually doubling down on his talents as a solo artist and creating bodies of work that were led by his personal emotions and lived experiences – instead of genres. His latest release is ‘What Box?’, a 6-track EP that follows his tumultous escape to Los Angeles with only high risk ambitions and less than $200 in his wallet. Released on July 29th via September Recordings – the short-form release was co-produced and also mixed by his longtime friends Alessandro Buccelati and Giancula Buccellati and, once again, he draws from a wide array of inspiration and he refuses to restrict himself to conventional genre molds. Lyrically, Terry explores deeply universal emotions and pushes up against social norms with an impact that forges new spaces for people who don’t quite fit into pre-existing labels. Three weeks ago, a new music video for the lead single – ‘Act Up’ – which was created by Overcast. This animated visualizer perfectly matches the Funk-oriented single with a narrative that follows the vibrant journey of a woman unable to get Terry out of her mind. Give it a watch below.

Talking to Amplify about the recent release, Terry Presume says, “Never allow yourself to be repressed by any societal borders, whether that be emotions, thought patterns, way of life or anything that intrigues you that may be deemed abnormal for your ‘standard’. Escaping the limiting stereotypes this world has provided is what ‘What Box?’ embodies”, in his press notes. Terry taught himself to write and produce his music when he was just 11 years of age, and he always used music – as the medium – to navigate the world and the different cultures he encountered as he straddled it. ‘Act Up’ feels like another pretty solid encapsulation of his ideas as an artist, matching poetic lyrics like “Love the lesson though I hate the pain/My hearts investment surely left a strain” and “You choose your weapon, nearly hit a vain/But I can see sadness in you” to match a voice of strength found by his admission of vulnerability over the top of a zany, psychedelic and soulful backdrop. Later lyrics like “I won’t be the reason why your heart broke/Even though my love is icy that’s cold” tackle heartbreak and vengeance as topics, while the proud declaration of “I’m gonna make you act up today/I’m going to make you wish you never left” during the chorus is a more hook-based affair, introducing some catchy Pop flair into the fray. The emotions that he writes this track about are all very human and relatable ones, and the production is bolstered by a light white noise hum that crafts up an illusion that the music is being heard through a crackling Vinyl, which also brings a retro style to the fold. The guitar melodies are full of late 80’s Funk licks, and the light distortion of the riffs during the bridges have a distinctly Post-Punk feel to them. There is a lot of different influences and varied styles going into this, but it’s held together by Presume’s charisma as a performer and the easily accessible material that he writes his lyrics about. The vocals feel energetic and the drums are met with a two-step garage beat feel which give them a Punchy rhythm underneath the stretching samples and the sparse R&B delivery. Overall, the likes of sorrow and spite through heartbreak aren’t topics that anyone finds very cheerful, but they are feelings worth honoring and anticipating for Terry Presume, an exciting artist who likes to keep his music as a diverse listening experience for his audiences. His music isn’t perfect by typical Top 40 radio genre standards, but his concept is that life isn’t always fair and comes lunging at you with problems fairly fast, which is still something that we can all relate to. I like this artistic side to him and his music appeals across a broad spectrum.

Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘What Box?’ (EP) (Released on July 29th, 2021) (via September Recordings)

That’s all for now! Thank you for checking out my latest post on the blog, and I’ll be back tomorrow to continue our ‘Countdown To Christmas’ for the year as the big day draws near with a late-90’s Brit-Pop number that appeals more to the novelty side of music. They weren’t really a group per-say, but more of a media project including a trained musician, a visual artist and a comedic actor who are all pretty famous. They were probably best known for recording an unofficial theme tune for the 1998 FIFA World Cup that reached #2 on the UK Singles Chart due to its memorable music video.

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New Album Release Fridays: Arca (feat. Planningtorock) – ‘Queer’

December 3, 2021 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘Kick iiii’ (LP) (Released on 3rd December, 2021) (via XL Recordings)

Good Morning to you! You are reading the words of Jacob Braybrooke and, for the final time until 2022 rolls around, it is time for us to take a deep dive into one of this weekend’s biggest new album releases, since it’s always been my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! It all comes down to this. As the curtain draws the year of exceptional new music to a close, we are left with a final notable release. Or two. Or three. Or – in the case of Venezeulan experimental pop producer Arca – four. Last summer, she released ‘Kick i’ to an interesting reception and this week, she has completed the ‘Kick’ quintet with the release of ‘Kick ii’, ‘Kick iii’, ‘Kick iiii’ and ‘Kick iiiii’ all on the same day via XL Recordings, boasting a total of 43 tracks of wild Glitch Pop experimentation. I loved her track ‘Time’ on the blog last year, but a follow-up single – ‘Mequetrefe’ – received a more negative reception from me, so it will be interesting to see where ‘Queer’ from ‘Kick iiii’ (featuring the Estonia-based English DJ Planningtorock) lands with me. The critics seem to be liking the ambitious bible of projects, however, with The Guardian writing, “A wild ride to the dark, daring side of Pop” in their four-star write up. The Times added, “Pop that’s a pleasure to be confused by” in their appraisal. I mostly know Arca, also a transgender icon, for her friendship and a few collaborations with the Icelandic role model Bjork. However, Arca has also produced work for Kanye West, Rosalia and FKA Twigs (Who famously used to date Robert Pattinson for quite a while, I believe). ‘Kick iiii’ also features Garbage’s Shirley Manson, Oliver Coates & No Bra. Give ‘Queer’ a whirl below.

Pitching the fourth part of her ‘Kick’ series of augmented records as “an entry in the sensual charge in the cycle; my own faith made into song, a posthuman celestial sparkle, psychosexual pulsewidth modulation, queering the void, abyss alchemically transmuted into a deconstruction of what is beautiful” in her partial LP’s product description, Arca continues to explore the themes of alienation from the inside and a bursting apart of old skin with the glitch-driven lead single from her ‘Kick iiii’ album – ‘Queer’. Built up to be an anthem that is celebrating courage in the face of prejudice and encouraging queer romance in all of its forms, this is a dramatically exploratory single that establishes Arca in the ilk of a ‘true artist’ like Kate Bush or David Bowie where commercial accessibility is primarily not a target and expression with an almost ‘alien’ quality, where traditionally catchy genre traits are simply disregarded in favour of a creative approach. Therefore, I can definitely see why this track may not play ever so well to casual listeners and it, even for me, was a little bit overwhelming to fully grasp on a first listen. It has a vague resemblance to the Eurovision flavour of Pop, however, that gives us somewhere to start with her. Set against the backdrop of a Witch House trap beat that has an air of Latin Hip-Hop about it, calling to my mind names like 100 Gecs and Bad Bunny anyways, Arca and Planningtorock (her actual name is Jam Rostram) exchange a series of Spanish and English lyrics between each other in a trade, with anthemic lyrics like “Tears will shower in my time/Like a queer life/Queer fire” as the Synthpop textures and the science fiction soundtrack feel of the music dives along at a brisk pace that doesn’t ever quite let up entirely. Full of processed vocals and some more interchangeable genre influences that are buried underneath the broad instrumentals, ‘Queer’ finds itself preoccupied with swelling Synth arrangements and rattling percussive arrangements that each function as a mimicry of non-heterosexual forms of love in their diverse nature. The opening of the track is a highlight for me, where a screeching sequence of samples almost act as haunting strings that get the beats off to an unrelented start. Overall, while I can certainly agree that ‘Queer’ is a lot to take in at once and it takes some hard work to get the most out of, I felt rewarded by the emotive soundscape that becomes more vibrant and expansive in scope with my repeated listening. I can also appreciate the thought that goes into the visual aspects of her art too. A tsunami of seismic material.

Pictured: Arca in an official photoshoot to promote the release of “Kick i” (2020) (Photo Credit: Hart Leshkina)

As aforementioned, Arca has gained a little bit of attention from my blog before. If you found ‘Queer’ to be interesting, you can see what I made of ‘Time’ here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/05/28/todays-track-arca-time/. You can also gain your own opinion of ‘Mequetrefe’ by visiting my take on it here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/06/30/todays-track-arca-mequetrefe/

Pictured: Arca (Alejandra Ghersi) in a shot from the ‘Time’ music video (2020) (Photo Credit: Rolling Stone)

That’s all for now! Thank you for finding out what music that I had to share with you today, and we will be going back to our ‘Countdown To Christmas’ in glorious style tomorrow. Join me then for an in-depth look at a new holiday-themed album release by an American Acapella group from Arlington, Texas who won the third season of NBC’s ‘The Sing-Off’ in 2011 and they have won three Grammy awards following that time. If you are a fan of the three ‘Pitch Perfect’ movies, you may find it Aca-awesome.

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Today’s Track: Nightmares On Wax (feat. OSHUN) – “Breathe In”

November 6, 2021 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Cover Art for ‘Shout Out! To Freedom’ (Released on October 29th, 2021) (via Warp Records)

Good Morning to you! I’m Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time to indulge your senses into yet another daily track on the blog, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! ‘Shout Out! To Freedom’ is the latest LP to come from the legendary Leeds-born and Ibiza-based electronic Trip Hop producer Nightmares On Wax – the now solo project of George Evelyn that used to be a trio with Kevin Harper and John Halnon up until the early 90’s – who has scored multiple crossover hits like ’70’s/80’s’, ‘Aftermath’, ‘Finer’, ‘Know My Name’ and ‘I’m For Real’ in the UK Singles Charts. He is the longest serving signee to the iconic forward-thinking experimental label Warp Records, and the critical acclaim of classic albums such as 2006’s ‘In A Space Outta Sound’, 1995’s ‘Smokers Delight’ and 2008’s ‘Thought So’ have led to his projects being highly anticipated among electronic music fans as some of the genre’s most important offerings. Sadly, he became more like ‘Nightmares No Vax’ in some Twitter posts leading up to the marketing machine of the new record, but, luckily, none of these controversial opinions have really cropped up on-record or became too preachy, and he opted to explore the general themes of freedom and meditation on his new album, and so it’s quite nice to see that he’s supporting freedom of speech without bringing any harm to others, and I could see his perspective as a creative coming from a non-white background. ‘Shout Out To Freedom’ has instead been released to pretty positive reviews, and it features a solid guest list of names including Greentea Peng, King Shabaka Hutchings of The Comet Is Coming fame, Mara TK, Pip Millett, Haile Supreme and others – each of which have been asked by Hill to collaborate on songs exploring what freedom means to them. The only single taken from the record with a music video attached is ‘Breathe In’, a mid-album track which includes vocals from the NYC duo OSHUN. Check it out below.

“I feel like I’ve been set free of something and I am now becoming who I really am”, says Evelyn of Nightmares On Wax fame, adding, “I’ve been gigging non-stop for 10 years, and that experience has been beautiful but it also drained me emotionally. As a creative, you’re always questioning everything. So, having the time and the space has meant that I could do a proper deep dive into this stuff. So it was all about this journey of going back to myself, and realizing being at home with my wife and my daughter that I’ve not really been here properly. It’s like I’ve just woken back up to what I actually have – and it’s already here”, when writing all about his new album – ‘Shout Out! To Freedom’. ‘Breathe In’ still contains the influences of Curtis Mayfield and Quincy Jones that have all shaped his typical concoction of Funk, Soul, Jazz, Downtempo Electronica, Dub and Techno that have kept his project alive for many decades and have characterized his sound, while putting a more modern spin on these styles predominantly within the lyrics, which discuss the simple act of staying off your phone and meditating instead. ‘Breathe In’ takes a slinky and psychedelic groove, embedded with the lyrical themes of nature and mindfulness, and Evelyn arranges some 90’s Trip Hop beats and a playful 90’s ploy on old-fashioned Dancehall melodies that have a weightlessness and an airy sense of production to them, mixing nicely with the deep and spiritual vocals from OSHUN that echo Dub all over the track. Some interesting String samples and subtle Keyboard loops make up the rest of the instrumentation, and there seems to be a lush 70’s Black Exploitation vibe to things where the usual elements of Jazz, Funk and Soul come together from Hill, some genres that he’s well known for exploring. A mix of darker Piano chords and punchier beats differentiate this track from some of his familiar 90’s and 00’s chilled out House offerings, and the more spacious parts of the vocals build to some longer harmonies and some sustained notes in the latter half of the track. While there aren’t any lyrics that specifically stick out to me, it seems like a variety of ideas are being conveyed through the balance of Urban and Nature that OSHUN evoked here. Overall, ‘Breathe In’ was a track which I enjoyed from the new album, which really strikes me as a good headphones-in-bed type of listening experience. While not as essential as other recent Warp Records efforts from the likes of Yves Tumor or Jockstrap, due to some of the melodies feeling as though they meander along a little bit, I still have a pretty positive perception of it. I like how it manages to not quite sound like any other track that I have heard from Evelyn to date, as the tribalistic drum loops and the psychedelic Soul feel manage to sound interesting. Whereas most of his tracks gives me a warm and comforting feel inside, this one feels more urgent in taking action, which is different to the way that most of his other singles make me feel. While there’s a general sense of positivity, it seems slightly more alarming. A great-sounding return.

Pictured: Nightmares On Wax (aka George Evelyn) performing at Wire (2016) (Photo by Justin Gardner)

That’s all for now and thank you for continuing to support the site. ‘Scuzz Sundays’ is set for tomorrow, and we’ll be focusing our attention to an English rock band who got their big break in 2006 when their Platinum certified debut album won the ‘Indie Album Of The Year’ gong at the 2006 PLUG Awards and each member of the band have continued to work on their own solo side projects in more recent times. Whilst together, the London band have sold over three million albums worldwide as of 2012.

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Today’s Track: Vanishing Twin – “Phase One Million”

October 19, 2021 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Blue Vinyl Copy of ‘Ookii Gekkou’ (LP) (Released on October 15th, 2021) (via Fire Records)

Good Morning to you! You are reading the words of Jacob Braybrooke, and now is the time for me to get typing up for yet another daily track on the blog, because it has always been my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! I hadn’t heard of Vanishing Twin at all until I spotted ‘Phase One Million’ during a recent episode of The New Music Fix, but my research tells me that the Cathy Lucas-led London-based Psychedelic Pop Quintet are one of the few successful groups from the dwindling UK Psych market over the last half decade or so. Although based in London, their line-up features members from across the globe – from Italy to Japan – and this inspired them to explore their global influences when writing their fourth studio album – ‘Ookii Gekkou’ – during the worldwide lockdown months last year, by exploring shifting strands of Afro-Jazz and blending a melting pot of Afro-Jazz and Shoegaze to create a veritable concoction of sounds for the new record, which is the follow-up to 2019’s ‘The Age Of Immunology’, and it was finally released over the past weekend on Fire Records. The quintet’s sound instantly strikes the ears as a blissful combination between Khruangbin and Stereolab, and, according to Pitchfork, “The group’s cosmopolitan membership initially reflected its mission to synthesize psychedelic traditions around the globe, from Tropicalia to Kosmische Rock”, in their approach to non-traditional Pop-Jazz songwriting. Drummer Valentina Magaletti has previously worked with Bat For Lashes and Gruff Rhys on their Neon Neon project, while you might also know leading lady Lucas as a previous member of Fanfarlo. To promote the new record, Vanishing Twin will also be performing gigs in locations like Birkinhead, Edinburgh and Bristol in the coming weeks. Let’s spin ‘Phase One Million’.

The new album has been described by the group as “The sound of ordinary life under a different set of rules, in a place where it’s always night” in a press release, and the imaginative title of ‘Ookii Gekkou’ translates simply to ‘Big Moonlight’ in Japanese, an imaginative title for a record that is determined not to come across as fanciful, instead opting to go down the Stargazing Jazz route that may also draw comparisons to Air and The Comet Is Coming in terms of detailed sonic composition. ‘Phase One Million’ is a soft and rich single that builds up swiftly from an understated groove into something altogether more assured, with lyrics that glide smoothly between intrigue and meanderings. There’s a clear air of Trip-Hop about it throughout the laidback near 5-minute duration, which finds Afrobeat sparring with Electro-Soul in a way that finds the two wrapping up neatly like a comforting blanket, with ambience and Synths that dip into a slightly 80’s Synth Pop feel at very particular points. The percussion fits the visual theme vividly too, with some woozy Synth sequences and a hushed Cowbell melody that gently pulls us through to the end of the track with a confident ease. A set of poetic lyrics like “Lightning striking in the same place twice” and “We are looking for a sign” are contemplating brief ideas of nature and discovery with a light meander, as if we’re travelling through different locales at a brisk, yet otherwise relaxed, pace. It feels accessible in a peculiar way, and it certainly makes me think of acts like Portishead and the type of bands that Oklahoma label Colemine Records would usually promote in how the soothing elements of Disco and Afrobeat mould together in a generous Jazz dressing. In conclusion, ‘Phase One Million’ is an excellent single because it sounds laidback and easy to listen to, while never quite feeling bland due to the slightly more psychedelic and haunting tones that hold the different influences together tidily, and so there is a decent amount of variety to keep the repetitive soundscape from outstaying its welcome. An eclectic, cute, soft Pop hit.

That brings us to the bottom of the page for another day, and thank you for joining me on this journey. I’ll be back for a slice of something retro tomorrow with our weekly ‘Way Back Wednesdays’ selection, where we’ll be rediscovering a 70’s British Folk star who I came across on a recent installment of Cherry Red Records Radio. Her debut album was produced by the famous late BBC Radio 1 host John Peel, and she performed alongside other Art-Folk and Alternative Rock luminaries of the time like David Bowie and Nick Drake in her time on the festival circuit too. In 1974, she was voted as the fifth most popular female singer in that year’s Melody Maker readers poll.

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New Album Release Fridays: Remi Wolf – “Quiet On Set”

October 15, 2021 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘Juno’ (LP) (Released on October 15th, 2021) (via Island Records)

Good Morning to you! You are reading the words of Jacob Braybrooke, and you are joining me for another daily track on the blog, which is the platform for my mission of writing up about a different piece of music every day! We’ve reached the third Friday of October, and the competition is heating up in time for the end-of year lists that will be rolling in by various music publications and YouTube channels shortly. This week – new albums from the likes of London-based, Art Pop-driven Psychedelic Jazz quintet Vanishing Twin, Swedish Electronic Pop producer and blog alumni Sir Was, Cumbria-born Wild Beasts multi-instrumentalist Hayden Thorpe, Billie Eilish’s beloved brother FINNEAS and retro international DJ Purple Disco Machine are all vying for a place on said lists. My pick for this week – however – is possibly the most vibrant one of the pack, and it comes from the California-born Alternative R&B and Synth-Funk singer Remi Wolf, who appeared as a contestant on ‘American Idol’ in 2014 and completed her studies at USC Thornton School Of Music in 2018. Earlier in the year, she made an appearance on a major US talk show – ‘The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon’ – to perform a medley of her hits. The follow-up to 2019’s self-released ‘You’re A Dog’ EP and 2020’s ‘I’m Allergic To Dogs’ major label debut EP, ‘Juno’ continues Wolf’s running trend of pooch titles since it was named after her adorable pet dog. The album was announced with two singles, including a catchy Pop number titled after a phrase that your favourite actress – mine are Kathryn Newton and Natalia Dyer – might mutter while shooting on location if they weren’t such sweet people. Be ‘Quiet On Set’ below.

Telling us about her debut full-length LP, Wolf states, “Every song on this record is a vivid snapshot into what was going on in my life and mindset the day I wrote each one”, adding, “The album is named ‘Juno’ after my beautiful dog I adopted during lockdown. He ended up being in every single writing session for this album and I consider him my partner, witness and support in the making of this record”, to her press release while explaining how Juno was her true companion when mastering her material.’Quiet On Set’ has a 00’s sound that reminds me of R. Kelly and Usher in tone, and her vocals feel very quippy, with one-liner lyrics like “I’ve been stealing Corvettes, stunting” and “Eating my ass like the human centipede” that have a playful Hip-Hop delivery on top of a Pop-oriented drum groove and some funk-oriented guitar licks that form a smooth, polished bassline. The lyrics veer strongly into over-the-top territory, providing a quirky and comedic dramatization of Wolf’s issues with ADHD and overworking, themes that my otherwise feel bleak or mundane. Wolf, however, uses lyrics like “I ain’t leaving my bed/The work be killing me dead” to spin the typical emotions into something more bouncy and quirky, with a hilarious refrain of “I don’t want to be a debbie downer” being played out right across the middle of the track. The overall package feels marvelously Beck-like and it reminds me of his 90’s LP, ‘Hollywood Freaks’ in its muddled pastiche of commercial Pop-Funk music. Pitch-shifted narration ends the track, where Wolf goes into a bizzare tangent reminagining herself as a baby, while earlier lyrics like “Wait, there ain’t no steeze if there ain’t no grease/Unless you order that sugarfish sushi” feel directly taken out of Beck’s late-90’s playbook by combining strange and obscure hooks with a false rhyme delivery. Overall, ‘Quiet On Set’ was a fun tune that makes me imagine what may happen if Beck and Brockhampton had a love child together, with Wolf displaying a frivolous personality while discussing the ruminations of her mental health. Some of these retro, Chiptune-like Synth melodies and unique lyricism could come across as irritable to some, but I feel that she would definitely appeal quite well to children and teenagers if she went a little bit easier on the bad language. She probably doesn’t want to target this mass audience, however, and that’s a really good thing because it allows her peculiar lyric elements and her throwback Synth Funk sounds to resonate without any restriction. Overall, this is mental health stigma represented in a fun way.

Pictured: Remi Wolf at a LA Drive-In Benefit Gig (2021) (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images/TNS)

On that note, that’s all I’ve got time for today. Thank you for heading to the blog for your daily fix today, and I’ll be back tomorrow to rave on about some brand new music from a UK electronic house producer who I honestly think is one of the most underrated musicians in the whole of history. I’ll be thrilled to present my post about the technological wizard, who is pretty prehistoric in his fashion and approach. Last year, he collaborated on a tune with Bonobo to signal the arrival of the ‘Outlier’ label. He’s also known for the launch of the Nice Age cross-platform label in 2014. The first release was a collaboration with gifted Aussie DJ and Apple Music 1 host, Anna Lunoe.

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