Psychedelic Rap

22nd Birthday Special Edition: Beck – “Hollywood Freaks”

September 2, 2020 — Leave a comment

It’s hard to think someone ever actually designed that…thing. It’s time for a new post!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Midnite Vultures” (Released on November 23rd, 1999) (via DGC Records/Bang Bang)

But, that’s why… I LOVE it! Good Morning to you, I am 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 get typing up about a different piece of music every day! I’m 22 today, not that it really changes anybody’s lives or anything, so I thought it’d be cool to spotlight one of my all-time favourites, since this is similar to what I did last year, where I introduced you to the first track that I ever played on the radio. A consistent repeat of my streaming library is Beck’s “Midnite Vultures”, the seventh LP record that was released by the multi-BRIT and multi-Grammy winning producer, back in 1999. This is probably the biggest outlier in Beck’s shape-shifting discography, as it was the last album he produced before going into his more acoustic-driven, Folk sound that has since become popular with his fans. I present to you… An Experimental Funk album! The critical response was divisive, as it parodied and satirized the pastiche of late-70’s US R&B/Soul and 80’s Neo-Psychedelic Vegas aesthetics with Beck’s typically obscure hook-driven songwriting, the abrupt changes in instrumentation, and the sleek G-Funk influences it pays homage to. I can understand the common criticism that the novelty factor puffs out of steam and energy a little bit towards the end, but it’s still one of the most fun and engaging albums that you could ever possibly listen to and it was wholly different to 96’s “Odelay” and more tonally original than 98’s “Mutations”. Simply put, it stands out as a breath of fresh air in his discography, and the unique sound has never fully been revisited by Beck since. I prefer “Hollywood Freaks” to any of the other tracks you would find here – so give it a fair chance to grow on you below.

Had a few listens? Good. For me, “Hollywood Freaks” works perfectly as the White teen aged male’s pastiche to postmodern R&B, with a satirical jab to any R&B-based “booty call” track ever written, as Beck valiantly hangs out with: “The Hollywood freaks on the hollywood scene”, with distractedly low rate workings of sexual activity (“Hot milk, mmm tweak my nipple”) and a care-free mimicry of political correction, and elitism. Beck isn’t making fun of rap or even of people who shop at Old Navy, inherently doing so. Beck’s vocals sound upbeat and dynamic, twisting-and-turning between different textures and breaking stylistic conventions at each turn, before layering out a wailing rap background vocal of: “Jockin’ my mercedes/Probably have my baby/Shop at Old Navy/You wish you was an old lady”, following interludes of funk-laden breaks, as a Brass melody wraps itself around the hook: “Touch it real good if you want a peace/How do people know I’m that type of freak?”, before we go back to those fragmented, deep Synth rhythms and infectiously melodic rap verses. Explicit lyricism (“I wanna know what makes you scream/Be your twenty million dollar fantasy)” and mocking the upper-class (“My sales go triple/We drop lobotomy beats) makes for the icing on the cake, with nonsensical songwriting that shines with an affectionate grin. The entire vibe of the record is Prince goes doo-lally, and “Hollywood Freaks” asserts this, with it’s clever spoken-word delivery and a rebellious tinge of Punk melodicism that drives the humor forward. It ends with a child’s backing vocal, and a gentle stream of Synths that marks a key change, as we lean more heavily into dance-led territory. The erotic nature of the lyrics makes for a knowing nod to white postmodernists, with vocals and instrumentation that toys around with the R&B genre’s conventions of money, fame and power. Overall, I feel these themes still work brilliantly 20 years on, and it’s still difficult to find anything else that sounds entirely like this. Well – they do say that truly good music never ages!

  • Pictured: Beck Hansen in a promotional photoshoot for “Mellow Gold” (1994) (Photo via DGC/Bang Bang)

I have previously covered a brief selection of Beck’s other work on the blog. Last year, he released a new album, “Hyperspace”, and you can read up on my thoughts on the lead single “Uneventful Days” here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2019/10/29/todays-track-beck-uneventful-days/ and the album track “See Through” here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2019/11/28/todays-track-beck-see-through/. I have also previously looked at another classic track from his older discography, “Tropicalia”, which you can explore here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2019/08/20/todays-track-beck-tropicalia/

  • Pictured: Art Collage showing the many faces of Beck over the decades (2018) (Photo Credit: Sarita Schaffer)

Thank you for reading my new post! I’ll be back tomorrow with an in-depth look at an Irish Alternative Punk poet who is an emerging artist on the Chess Club Records indie label. She has often been likened to Mark E. Smith, Nick Cave and The Slits, and she has performed with John Cooper-Clarke and The Brian Jonestown Massacre at sold-out theater shows across the UK, as well as gaining traction from outlets like The Guardian, The Quietus and Stereogum. 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: Princess Nokia- “Gemini”

August 8, 2020 — Leave a comment

I’ve just deleted all the German names on my phone, It’s Hans free! It’s new post time!

  • Pictured: Still image from the official music video for “Gemini” (2020) (Uploaded to YouTube by MASSHENDRIX)

It’s the weekend! I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing your daily post on the blog, because it is always routinely my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! Having presented her own radio podcast show on Apple Music and acted in the lead role of a 2019 indie film, “Angelfish”, Destiny Frasqueri – better known by her stage alias of Princess Nokia – has been a very busy rapper-songwriter in recent months, and that’s not all! She has also self-produced and self-released two brand new albums, on February 26th, this year – “Everything Is Beautiful” and “Everything Sucks” – related albums that show a contrast between the sensitive and feminime angst of her as a gender-fluid artist. The albums were recorded across New York, Puerto Rico and Los Angeles between a period of two years. “Gemini” was lifted from the former LP collection, a record that she describes as “a brash, ruthless and insistent collection”. Let’s watch her perform “Gemini” on COLORS via YouTube below.

“I am Gemini/Super fly” and “Two heads/One eye” make up a soulful opening verse for “Gemini”, a Neo-Rap single which lyrically riffs off astrology and horoscopes. A mellow, smooth and laidback Trap-Hop backing track lets her name-drop a list of role models who coincidentally share the same star sign as her, as she recites: “I am Gemini / Like Pac, André, Lauren / and Kanye, Boy George, and Anne Frank,”, of which Ms. Lauryn Hill is also based in New York City like her, a West-Coast legend of the global Hip-Hop climate. An intriguing vocal direction sees Nokia further discussing her horoscope connections with famous rappers and legendary names, as she raps: “And all the famous rappers got a sign like me/And all the famous rappers got a heart like me” before she poetically concludes the chorus with an expression of self-individuality and the creative freedom that she allows to herself as an independent artist, bellowing: “But I know that I’m different and they’re not quite me”. Later on, she refers to her androgynous looks and she murmurs a “Riders On The Storm” refrain taken from the titular track by The Doors, alongside more comedic and quirky hooks like “I am Gryffindor, but I don’t move like Snape” that adds a bouncy mood to the soft, but directly addressed, songwriting tones. The sum of it’s parts create an intriguing atmosphere, despite the instrumental bed seeming a little generic. That’s not to say that it doesn’t suit the song well, however, as this backing track has a very wistful and honeyed texture that adds a melodic layer to the clear-cut lyricism which boldly explores gender identity and self-contained individuality. The sound itself may not be pushing as many boundaries, but Nokia fuses lo-fi Hip-Hop, Latin R&B and Psychedelic Neo-Soul at slick ease. This is powerful listening for a summer afternoon.

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Everything Is Beautiful” (Released on February 26th, 2020) (via Self-Released)

Thanks a bunch for reading your daily post! Tomorrow marks the arrival of a new weekly edition of my Scuzz Sundays series – the time of the week when we revisit either a Pop-Punk or Emo-Rock from between the late-90’s to the mid-00’s to see if it can hold a candle to modern quality standards – This week’s track is an absolute classic of that category! 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: The Go! Team – “Cookie Scene”

July 27, 2020 — Leave a comment

Go Outdoors must be eager to use this in their next TV advert. It’s time for a new post!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Cookie Scene” (Single) (Released on July 13th, 2020) (via Memphis Industries)

Good Morning to you, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m looking to liven up your wet Monday morning by typing up your daily track on the blog, since it is routinely my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! For The Go-Team, “Cookie Scene” marks their first new music release following the release of their fifth LP, “Semicircle”, released in 2018. A five-piece Indie Pop group from Brighton, England – the band subvert the conventions of Indie Rock and Garage-Rock with a fusing of Blaxploitation and Bollywood Soundtracks as their inspiration, using double dutch chants and distorted guitar lines to mesh with noticeably old-school hip-hop beats. It’s quite tricky to describe how The Go! Team really works as a project, but the basic gist is their studio recordings are a blend of live instrumentation and samples, while their live performances are fronted by “Ninja” (Nkechi Ka Egenamba), using various samples and guest vocals. “Cookie Scene” features Ian Parton as the producer, with guest vocals from Detroit-based rapper and songwriter IndigoYaj. Parton elaborated on the track’s Bollywood influence, saying in an interview: ““The stripped back swinging percussion of ‘Iko Iko’ by the Dixie Cups and the loud crunchy shaker in Salt-n-Pepa’s ‘Push It’ were both inspirations,” continuing: “And I’ve always loved the way Bollywood or William Onyeabor songs would have random laser beams and electro toms popping up. I wanted to mix the street corner with the intergalactic, to take Detroit to outer space.” – Let’s stream the lullaby below.

“Well, I’m feeling kinda funny ’cause life is like a game/Feeling like an enemy, but that’s OK”, is the opening hook of the track, recited energetically by Ninja. She continues: “That’s just who I, that’s just who I am” over the top of a very multi-cultural, globally-inspired sound. It’s very percussive, with Ninja rapping one-liners like: “Who’s gonna stop me from causing this commotion?, I want everybody to feel like me, broken, yeah” and “Taking over Michigan, then going outta state/Corrupting Hollywood, all the way to the UK”, with various endings like: “That’s the way to, that’s the way to go” and “It’s a thing we, It’s a thing we do”, over the top of a Flute-driven groove and World-based percussion from snare licks, Cabasa twists and easy-going Tambourine flourishes. The chorus is motivational and care-free, as Ninja recites over a slightly lowered tempo: “Heartbreak, but I’m OK, Imma wipe my tears, no fear this way”, declaring that she’s “Phenomenal” and “Unstoppable”, to the melodic tune of the Horn arrangement and the breezy Flute melodies, with Space-Pop effects scattered throughout the rest of the track. One lyrical interpretation is the track may be about keeping a healthy mental attitude at a time of civil unrest and political protests, but it dabbles only slightly into this, instead opting for a basic and generally uplifting sound. The track is vibrant and colourful, however, and there’s always lots going on, production-wise, as the track goes on, such as the bursts of Flute melodies warping their way around the electronic effects that zoom across the anchored lead vocals by Ninja. The lyrics feel a tad generic and under-developed in a few places, for me, but it would work nicely on a daytime radio slot since it has a predominantly modern electro-pop sound and light, motivational lyrics – but the non-violent and melodic Hip-Hop beats harken back to the likes of A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul in entertaining ways. This is a playful, tropical respite for a wet Monday morning.

  • Pictured: Ian Parton (Producer/Rhythm Guitar/Harmonica), “Ninja” Nkechi Ka Egenamba (Lead Vocals/Percussion), Sam Dook (Lead Guitar/Bass Guitar/Banjo), Niadzi Muzira (Flute) & Simone Odaranile (Drums) (2020) (via Muzplay.net)

Thank you very much for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as always, with an in-depth review of the new single from an Alternative Soul band who…. well, no-one seems to know who they really are. But, as Alexis Petridis of The Guardian puts it: “One thing is sure: {They} make hooky, dubby, funky music with echoes of ESG and Can”. They flew straight to a good spot on my radar with the release of two albums last year, named “5” and “7”. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when each new post is up and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime

Today’s Track: The Avalanches (feat. Jamie XX, Neneh Cherry & CLYPSO) – “Wherever You Go”

July 23, 2020 — Leave a comment

E.T. – Phone home! You’re Hype-O-Ray has switched on again. It’s time for a new post!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Wherever You Go” (Double Single) (Released on July 22nd, 2020) (via Modular Recordings)

We’re continuing to build up to a new album of truly Astronomical proportions! Good Morning, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m typing up your daily track on the blog, since it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! If you’ve been following the blog since it’s inception last summer, you’ll be very easily aware that I’m a HUGE fan of The Avalanches, a Plunderphonics duo from Australia (A six-piece, at one point) who produced “Since I Left You”, a classic record made from loads of curated samples, which was released in early 2000. “Wildflower”, also an exceptional record in my book, followed up a bizzare 16 years later on. That brings us to 2020, where Robbie Chater and Tony Di Biasi have sporadically released new singles under the name throughout the year to build hype for an upcoming third record, which the duo finished mastering last month. It’s been a bumpy road, with the band debunking rumors of the new album at a few turns, despite us all knowing that it exists. It’s actually been since March that we’ve had a new single, “Running Red Lights” (feat. Rivers Cuomo & Pink Siifu), from the duo. However, it’s probable that the chaos of Covid-19 has bumped their schedule around. It makes sense, as the type of music the duo makes is highly reliant on exciting collaborations with other artists. “Wherever You Go” was released yesterday morning, along with a B-side entitled “Reflecting Light”. The former features big names Jamie XX and Neneh Cherry, with additional work from CLYPSO. The Avalanches’ description reads: “Why do we send music to the stars?” the band’s accompanying statement asks. “Is it because we want our voices to live forever?” and “How else should we become pure spirits, singing forever in the dark?”, with the band also hoping that the anthem will bring hope at the face of “the whole damn world incinerating”. Let’s have a listen to the track below.

To create their own sample-fueled Space odyssey, The Avalanches enlisted the assistance of Mick Jones, of The Clash, to play the piano part in the intro. Moreover, Chater & Di Biasi experimented with samples taken from 1997’s The Voyager Golden Record, a mix-tape used by NASA to contact aliens. This Extra-Terrestrial theme feels enigmatic, and adds deeper exploration to the cosmic ideas that Chater & Di Biasi explored on “We Will Always Love You” and “Running Red Lights”. The intro of the track begins with a man talking about what humans do here on Earth, before a diverse crescendo of synths, made to sound like broken transmissions, fizzles in to get the club melodies rolling. This contrasts the tense feeling of the intro’s atmosphere, before the intensity gradually explodes and layers of voice samples are added into the background. West African chants are next, leading to a heavy synth line and the introduction of Jamie XX’s section, as very dance-laden Acid strobes are pushed to the forefront. Later, Neneh Cherry recites: “So much badness, so much anger, too much war, it’s all so frightening”, ending with the refrain: “On the radio, we can love”, before an interval that harkens back to the soft, gentle piano melodies heard at the beginning of the track. It feels disjointed, deliberately, before we go back to the club-driven, drum-and-bass bulk of the track. At this point, The Avalanches’ production work is impressive, as to be expected, with flickering radio frequency effects and distorted repeats of the different layered sections of the track. The finale bursts with a joyous, meditative backing vocal, with Jamie XX adding: “You go, you go, too” and Neneh Cherry spitting bars: “1, 2, 3, 4, On the dancefloor, that’s where you get yours”, while Sydney-based Troptronica producer CLYPSO adds ethereal and hallucinatory backing vocals, along with tribal chants and subtle Bongo drum sections, to the ongoing track. It’s always a gutsy move to release a dance record at a time where clubs are banned, and it’s a shame that Covid has ruined what they were likely planning. However, I feel The Avalanches have really knocked it out of the park, with this one. The six-minute duration is long and extensive, but the track always feels interesting, thanks to the gradual arrangement of new layers being added throughout the track. Jamie XX adds a profound and psychedelic essence to the sample effects, and Neneh Cherry adds a Gorillaz-esque hip-hop undercurrent to the track, making it sound melodic and intriguing. CLYPSO fits suitably too, with his world-influenced instrumentation blending with the overarching feelings of meditation and space exploration. The production gives a blockbuster feel, with meticulously layered NASA samples that makes it feel fun, with hidden samples and effects that add detail to each corner of the track’s soundscape. There’s a touch of humour here too, with the amusing refrain: “The Whole damn world’s been incinerated” delivered enthusiastically by Cherry at the very end. Combined, all of the collaborations make it feel very psychedelic, groovy and inspired, although it gets to a point where you think: “How many people does it take to make one song”! It’s got more of a Club sound than we usually hear from them. The best of their recent bunch.

  • Pictured: Mural promoting the release of “We Will Always Love You” in Melbourne, Australia (2020) (via Stereogum)

As previously mentioned, I’ve been closely tracking the new releases from The Avalanches as we build to the upcoming third LP. Click here to read my thoughts on “Running Red Lights” (feat. Rivers Cuomo & Pink Siifu) here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/03/20/todays-track-the-avalanches-feat-rivers-cuomo-pink-siifu-running-red-lights/, and you can also read my review for the comeback single “We Will Always Love You” (feat. Blood Orange) here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/02/21/todays-track-the-avalanches-feat-blood-orange-we-will-always-love-you/

  • Pictured: Robbie Chater (Mixing/Production/Guitar) and Tony Di Biasi (Keyboard/Synths/Bass) (2020) (via press shot)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as promised, with a break from the new music releases to wind the clock back to 2005 for this week’s retro track. The single became a well-known Top 40 chart hit, in the mid-00’s, for an American rock band, formed in New York City, who split up in 2014. 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: Shabazz Palaces – “Chocolate Souffle”

July 22, 2020 — Leave a comment

This guy wouldn’t Dessert you at the time you need him the most – It’s new post time!

  • Pictured: Ishmael Butler in a photoshoot for “The Don Of Diamond Dreams” (2020) (Photo by Patrick O’ Brien-Smith)

Hey, Hey right back at ‘Cha! Good Morning to you, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and, as per usual, I’m writing about your daily track on the blog because it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! I only caught wind of “Chocolate Souffle” on Monday. It’s the leading single from Shabazz Palaces’ latest album, “The Don Of Diamond Dreams”, released in April, of this year, by Sub-Pop Records. Shabazz Palaces used to be an Experimental Hip-Hop duo from Seattle, Washington in the US, made up of “Palaceer Lazaro” Ishmael Butler and Tendai “Baba” Maraire, who have been active since 2005, and they have released five albums for the Sub-Pop Records label. They also curated part of the programme for the Dutch “Le Guess Who?” music festival. Butler has since continued the project as a solo act, with the new LP marking the first canonical Shabazz Palaces release since Maraire left the band in 2018. As part of the duo, Butler has worked in the past with George Clinton, Theesatisfaction and Porter Ray as collaborators, but Butler’s now enlisted the help of his own son, emo MC rapper Lil’ Tracey, to produce the new album, which attributes the use of African percussion and Jazz overtones to their family’s musical preferences. Let’s have a listen to futurist Hip-Hop anthem “Chocolate Souffle” below.

Butler proclaims: “You are now in tune” to mark the beginning of his witty, reliably experimental synth-based hip-hop track that feels caught in a thick smog of 1970’s-era Funk, with razor sharp poetic delivery and hallucinatory panning that often obscures the vocals. The verses shuffle with Acid-Funk, a heavy element that adds surreal humor and charming off-kilter effects to the daft songwriting. Butler recites the likes of “Trying to catch mermaids with no hook” and “I’m at the zenith of slick demeanors”, capturing a spirit of woozy synth-funk and strange, unworldly tones. Butler uses hooks like: “I’m a movie, She want a part” and “Nigerian space queens sing the chorus like a row of sirens” to hold an upbeat, sly rap mastery over the top of flowing stream-of-consciousness raps and strong, interweaving currents of drum machine loops. The vocals get even less comprehensible and cohesive as the trap-snares accumulate over the Blues-driven guitar licks, on top of a club-ready drum pattern and a stuttering bassline that lacks sobriety. There is a slower section, leading to the killer refrain of: “My phone’s really not that smart”. The lyrics are delightfully nonsensical, and over the course of the long six-minute duration, the sound gradually increases in distortion. It draws back, very far, into the history of Black rap music in the 1960’s, and the old-school sounds of Funk and Soul combinations in the 1970’s, but the experimental electronic instrumentation gives it a new coat of paint. It’s a similar approach that widely regarded 2020 standout Thundercat used for “It Is What It Is” at the same time, but it feels more drug-infused. This sounds like Will.I.Am (of The Black Eyed Peas) with the volume turned up to eleven, with an undeniably “wonky” appeal that keeps the silly vocals and constant grooves from getting tedious. All in all, I think it’s great fun, although it has very little to do with a Chocolate Souffle!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “The Don Of Diamond Dreams) (Released on April 17th, 2020) (via Sub-Pop Records)

Thank you for reading this post! The Avalanches, one of our recurring personal favourites on the blog, are releasing two brand new tracks today…. well, they’re already out now! 40 minutes ago, at the time of writing this. Therefore, I’m going to check in with the Aussie Sample-Delia duo, with an in-depth review of their brand new single “Wherever You Will Go”, which teases collaborations with Neneh Cherry and Jamie XX, with additional production work from CLYPSO. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when each new post is up and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime

Today’s Track: Thundercat – “Funny Thing”

July 2, 2020 — Leave a comment

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

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

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

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

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

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

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: Run The Jewels – “Yankee and The Brave (Ep. 4)”

June 9, 2020 — Leave a comment

Yankee Doodle dandy, a download of this will come in handy! It’s time for a new post!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “RTJ 4” (Released for free on June 3rd, 2020) (via Jewel Runners/RBC/BMG)

Another morning, Another new post! My name is Jacob Braybrooke and, as you know, I’m here to write about your daily track on the blog because it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! Run The Jewels are the US Industrial Hip-Hop duo of rapper-producer Killer Mike and fellow hip-hop rapper El-P. Run The Jewels have been garnering a steady stream of popularity since the release of their debut mixtape “RTJ” in 2013, as a free digital download. “RTJ2” followed in 2014 and “RTJ3” saw it’s release in late 2016, both of which albums garnered huge critical acclaim, and they built up an online following for the duo. We’ve made it to “RTJ4” and, in the wake of the #BlakeLivesMatter movement that has become widespread international news, Run The Jewels have released the album early, two days before the intended release date, as well as offering the new album as a free digital download on their website. The option to pay for it is still available via third-party digital providers, with physical copies set for a release in September. They prompt fans to donate to the National Lawyers Guild Mass Defense Fund instead. It features collaborations with the likes of DJ Premier, Pharrell Williams, Mavis Staples, Josh Homme of Queens Of The Stone Age, 2 Chainz and fan favourite Zack de la Rocha, a frequent collaborator. Have a listen to “Yankee and The Brave (Ep. 4)” below.

A title that refers to a mock-up TV cop drama about two hustlers on the run after being framed and hunted by forceful police officers, “Yankee and The Brave (Ep. 4)” is the rap duo’s imaginative way of taking aim at systematic oppression, effectively predictive of the global events. The duo boast about their return throughout the track: “Back at it like a crack addict, Mr. Black Magic” and “Stack addict, I mack with the blackest fabric, I’m back” over a crashing sequence of bold drum machine effects and powerful electronic synths. A recurring whirlwind of sublime, menacing strobe effects break up the vocals. The lyrics are bold and expletive, with the duo not holding back at all in the use of their explicit language. It feels engaging and moving, with clever reworkings of their typical style of anger towards the political elite, such as “All of us targeted/All we doin’ is arguing/Part of them isn’t workin’ ’til every pockets been picked” and “Sold and harvested/I’m ready to mob on these f*****g Charlatans”, bitter lines that are melodically poetic, and they are heightened by the polished production style and the cinematic delivery of the dissonant electronic beats, an atmosphere that is intensified by the vocal samples in the opening intro and the bombastic outro, which is given a short synthetic fade to let the tensions dissipate a small touch. This is youthful and power-driven hip-hop that isn’t for the faint-hearted, but it feels cultured and affectionate, a sense created by the duo’s smart writing and careful attention to detail production-wise. They seem to be positioning themselves as the artists of the now and the potential icons of the protests. Since they’re both very good, I can’t argue with that. The album would be worth a tenner a pop, but since you can get this album for free, there is no reason not to support them!

  • Pictured: Run The Jewels (Killer Mike & El-P) posing for a photo portrait backstage at Fortress Fest in Fort Worth, Texas – 2017 (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

Thank you for reading this post! As a reminder, at One Track At A Time, we endorse the #BlackLivesMatter movement. Please check your local area for good charity causes that help those directly affected by racism and injustice. I’ll be back tomorrow with an in-depth look at a new track from a Jazz artist as a special request of blog reader David Lyons! Get in touch with me if you have any of your own requests for artists you’d like me to spotlight on the blog! 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/