Roots-Rock

Today’s Track: Mighty Mystic (feat. Tyler Loyal & Sizzla) – ‘Far From Jamaica’

February 22, 2022 — Leave a comment
Pictured: Mighty Mystic performing at Winter Reggae Splash: A Bob Marley Celebration (2015) (Photo by David Alves)

Good Morning to you! You have tuned back into One Track At A Time and I’m Jacob Braybrooke, clocking in for the day as I take you through 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! Channeling traditional Reggae and Ska music elements with a Post-Punk twist, Mighty Mystic is the solo music project of the Massachusetts-based, but St. Elizabeth-born musician Kevin Mark Holness, who moved away from Jamaica and into Boston at the age of nine years old. He received a breakthrough when his 2006 single – ‘Riding On The Clouds’ – received radio airplay across the East Coast of the US, and he is also the younger brother of the current Jamaican prime minister, Andrew Holness. Since collaborating with peers like Shaggy and Lutan Fyah in his earlier days of creating music, he has performed on over 30 different tours and his career has spanned over two decades, with the veteran talent becoming a box office draw at live venues and a staple at national music festivals. He has released four studio albums, three of which have charted on the top 10 of the Billboard Album Charts in the US, and so he continues to find crossover success between genres and audiences on the global ‘World Music’ scene. Featuring Tyler Loyal and Sizzla, he’s decided to kick off 2022 with ‘Far From Jamaica’ – a new single that has gained over 50K streams across various digital music platforms so far. He will also be releasing his latest studio album – ‘Giant’ – on March 25th through VPAL Music. Give it a spin below.

Featuring in-house production by Holness and his backing band that was recorded at Surefire Studios in Boston, later being mastered by Tim Phillips at Mercury Sound Studios in New York City, the 13-track project of ‘Giant’ has been produced with guest contributors such as Jared Bonvino and his own fellow brother Stephen Holness. The development of ‘Far From Jamaica’ allowed Kevin Mark Holness to work with two legends of his national music scene, and he notes, “From when I was a kid growing up and listening to Reggae music I’ve always been a fan of Sizzla, so when I spoke to him about the idea of us doing a song together and him saying yes and actually doing it, it was a dream come true, and on top of it, the song came out even better than I had imagined”, in his press statement. Together, the three acts have conjured up a distinctive track boasting lyrics like “Got to get out from here, far from here/Lost in a foreign land” and “Ten thousand miles away, far from Jamaica” that bring a harsher quality to their catchy melodies under the surface. The lyrics discuss the deeper conversation of Jamaican people working away from home to provide for their families back at home, with half-rapped lyrics like “Well, if the snow no kill me/Then the stress a go do it” and “Freeze my finger, not to mention my feet” that talk about the harsh living conditions that the Jamaican immigrant community persevere through to make a living, and the physical toll that long hours take on your body and how these experiences drain you emotionally, with the vocals speaking openly about these issues with a candid outlook on the matter. Moving on, the vast instrumentation mixes a shimmering Drum beat and a traditional Reggae instrumental with some slightly aggressive guitar melodies and a wobbling groove of Bass to create catchy melodies that are sharp, and complement the very serious tone of the lyrics without diving head-first into entire ‘doom and gloom’ for the situation by making the overall message feel relatable and entertaining. Overall, ‘Far From Jamaica’ is a solid single that doesn’t whisk you away to the shoals of Kingston, but that is the point. Instead, it gives you the grit and realism of the daily grind with a very flavoursome Reggae twist.

Pictured: Mighty Mystic performing a live set at the Boston Freedom Rally (2017) (Photo by Jason Hanney)

Thank you for checking out the blog today, and I’ll be back tomorrow for another entry in our ‘Way Back Wednesday’ feature, where we’ll be reminding ourselves of one of the biggest rock ‘n’ roll hits from the early 1980’s, as it is sometimes important to do so. The track was recorded by a New York-born four-time Grammy Award winner who has had 15 Billboard Top 40 singles and she has had eight consecutive platinum albums in Canada. Married to guitarist Neil Giraldo, she recorded the track that is still her biggest hit in several countries with the writers Holly Knight and Mike Chapman.

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Way Back Wednesdays: Jimmy Cliff – ‘The Harder They Come’

November 3, 2021 — Leave a comment
  • Pictured: Jimmy Cliff in a PR shoot for a Rolling Stone interview feature (2021) (Photo via Vision Addict)

Good Afternoon to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, and you’ve come to the right place for a seminal selection of my weekly ‘Way Back Wednesday’ series of classic appraisals, because it’s always been my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Even the most casual audiences of music would have heard some material from Jamaican Ska and Rocksteady multi-instrumentalist, producer, actor and composer Jimmy Cliff before, since he composed iconic tracks like ‘Hakuna Matata’ and ‘Reggae Night’ that have been etched deeply into popular culture. Also known for hits like ‘You Can Get It If You Really Want’ and his cover version of Johnny Nash’s ‘I Can See Clearly Now’ that was used in Disney’s classic ‘Cool Runnings’ film about the first ever Bobsleigh team from Jamaica to enter the Olympic games, Cliff is a crucial component in popularizing genres such as Reggae and Alternative Soul across the world. One of five performers inducted into the ‘Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame’ in 2010, the St. James-born vocalist is the only living reggae musician to hold the Jamaican government’s Order Of Merit, the highest honour that can be granted for his services to performing arts and sciences. ‘The Harder They Come’, the soundtrack album and its titular lead single from the Perry Henzel-directed motion picture of the same name released in 1972, is widely considered to be one of Cliff’s greatest releases. The record peaked at #140 on the US Billboard 200, and, in 2021, the album was deemed to be “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant” by the Library Of Congress and so it has been selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry. Let’s remind ourselves of the iconic title track below.

Voted as the 73rd greatest album of all time by Entertainment Weekly’s editors in July 2013, the soundtrack was a true celebration of Reggae globalization with prominent guest spots from 60’s Jamaican Rocksteady icons like Desmond Dekker, The Maytals and The Melodians. Speaking of the hit title track, Jimmy Cliff recalled in an interview conducted for the Wall Street Journal in 2013, saying, “The lyrics came from my past. I grew up in the church and had always questioned what they were telling me. Like the promise of a Pie in the sky when you die”, elaborating, “I wanted the song to have a church feel and to reflect the environment I grew up in – the underdog fighting all kinds of trickery”, in the text. Like some other songs on the album, ‘The Harder They Come’ appears twice, paralleling both the movie’s core themes and the autobiographical essence of Cliff’s career. It’s placement during the middle of the album gives it an entirely different feel than when it appears as the uplifting, positive closer, and this works well as it is sandwiched between the nostalgic sweetness of The Maytals’ guest track and just prior to the more alarmed warnings of ‘Johnny Too Bad’ shortly afterwards. Following a simple story of a character who is proving his naysayers wrong and overcoming the odds stacked against him, Cliff recites motivational lyrics like “As sure as the sun will shine/I’m gonna get my sure now, what’s mine” and “Between the day you’re born and when you die/They never seem to hear your cry” and acknowledges realistic expectations in sequences like “I keep on fighting for the things I want/Though I know that when you’re dead you can’t” that bring his ambitions to earth at brief intervals. The second verse is a standout, and the vocals emphasize the power of religion and ignoring bad influence upon your personality from the people who doubt your potential. The track still manages to stand out nicely in this modern time by feeling relatively grounded yet still upbeat and cheerful, boasting some optimistic lyrics that don’t shy away from recognizing fault in setting unrealistic targets for yourself. There are a few shades of Calypso, Tropicalia and Belefonte in the Gospel-leaning sounds of the recording, where a collective sequence of backing vocals from a choir lends some assistance to the cinematic atmosphere of the single’s filmic roots. The percussion has some smooth, breezily flowing instrumentation and the inherent excitement of the key Soulful harmonies gets a positive message across. In conclusion, ‘The Harder They Come’ is a down-to-earth, but nonetheless still interesting, Reggae classic that still works well in the present day. The odd Organ chords and the gently quickening Reggae beats are great at supporting Cliff’s optimistic lyrics about his life, but the bleaker moments never feel glossed or sugar-coated over too much. A solid, universal Ska crossover hit.

That brings us to the end of yet another daily post on the blog! Thank you for your support, and I’ll be back tomorrow to review a relaxing, new and entirely Ambient Electronica project from an English-born experimental electronic music producer who has contributed to albums for Brian Eno and Coldplay in his career so far, and he has appeared twice on the blog in different capacities before. His new album, ‘Music For Psychedelic Therapy’, shall finally be releasing on Domino Records next weekend.

  • Pictured: Cover Art for ‘The Harder They Come’ (OST) (Released on July 7th, 1972) (via Island Records)

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Scuzz Sundays: Rancid – “Ruby Soho”

April 25, 2021 — Leave a comment

A butcher stocking Rancid sausages will just go from Bad to Wurst. It’s Scuzz Sunday!

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “And Out Come The Wolves” (Released on August 22, 1995) (via Epitath Records)

Good Morning – My name is Jacob Braybrooke and, as per usual, it’s time for me to get typing up for a new ‘Scuzz Sundays’ post where we enjoy a throwback to the Pop-Punk staples of the past, in the name of the defunct Scuzz TV rock music video channel. One notable name from the era was Rancid, the Berkeley-born goth Ska-Punkers who – over the course of their 30 year career, have always remained active as an Independent band, instead choosing to stick to their underground Metal roots. The band have released nine studio albums since then, and recorded sales of up to four million units worldwide. Their third – ‘…And Out Come The Wolves’ – was released in 1995, at a time when several major record labels wanted to capitalise on their potential following the success of similar groups like The Offspring and Less Than Jake, and a few labels proceeded to have a bidding war for them. Naturally, Rancid turned around and said ‘No’ – deciding to stick at home with independent label Epitath Records instead. The record featured several stylistic callbacks to vocalist Tim Armstrong and bassist Matt Freeman’s time in Operation Ivy, and every single got to the US Modern Rock Tracks chart. Let’s revisit the popular single, ‘Ruby Soho’, below.

‘Ruby Soho’ uses a sample of The Stingers 1971 track ‘Give Me Power’, and it’s been rewarded with cover versions from Vampire Weekend, The Dollyrats, Phish’s Mike Gordon and Rie Tanaka. Still active, Rancid have confirmed that they are now working on a follow-up record to 2017’s ‘Trouble Maker’ album, which is tentatively penciled in for a release in late 2021 or early 2022. Beginning with a somber viewpoint of lyrics sung from a man sitting alone while a party rages on next door, his imagery sounds like it should be conjuring up an eerie atmosphere, but the rhythms are filled with a percussive set of guitar licks and an undercurrent of Reggae or Roots-Rock that counteracts the angsty youth context to which the words have been written. The Punk Rock elements explode in on the chorus mark, where Armstrong sings “Destination unknown, Ruby Soho” with a repeating hook, while the verses seem to have a sense of isolation to them, as lines like “Her lover’s in the distance as she wipes a tear from her eye” and “Ruby’s fading out, She disappears, It’s time to say goodbye” almost skew a narrative thread. The vocals are backed up with a call-and-response format being used by the backing band, with an upbeat variation of the chorus that adds a more feel-good, sing-a-long feel into the picture. The experience being described in the songwriting is about observing the world from your apartment, and the opening lines of “Echoes of Reggae, Comin’ through my bedroom wall” and “Havin’ a party next door, but I’m sitting here all along” make the setting sound bleak and downbeat. The guitar work does not sacrifice intensity for this sense of playful diversity, though, as the melodic sounds make for a Dub instrumental that sounds relatively fun to listen to. I think it’s fair to say the abilities of the singing was rather limited here, however, and the balancing of the tones in the Pop-Punk ballad and the subversive Reggae undertones just about works. There’s some jangle and some cut-off issues here and there, but it never made me want to turn off. Overall, I think it’s quite flawed, but there are some fun hooks and intriguing rhythms that I enjoyed hearing here, and I admire how the band didn’t compromise on their creative sphere for the interests of a major record label, who probably wanted to make them the next big thing. Instead, we get a playful ballad where not everything sticks, but there’s a decent amount of freedom and experimentation in here. This is not something that I’d go out of my way to hear again, but I think that it’s pro’s barely edge the con’s and it’s decent in the end.

  • Pictured: Tim Armstrong (Lead Vocals/Rhythm Guitar), Matt Freeman (Bass Guitar/Backing Vocals), Lars Frederiksen (Guitars/Vocals) & Branden Steineckert (Drums/Percussion) (2019) (Photo via PR/NME.com)

That tolls the bell for another week – but it’s back to the regular routine tomorrow. I’ve got loads of important new recommended music to share with you over the next week or so, and we’re going to be starting off with an emerging name from the Los Angeles dance music scene. Originally from London, you might know this DJ and Graphic Designer from his production work on two of Frank Ocean’s albums, and his frequent collaborations with rappers like JPEGMafia, Retro X and Freddie Gibbs. 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/

New Album Release Friday: Serpentwithfeet – “Fellowship”

March 26, 2021 — Leave a comment

A true friend is one who remembers your birthday – and not your age. New post time.

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “DEACON” (LP) (Released on March 26, 2021) (via Secretly Canadian)

Good Morning! I’m Jacob Braybrooke – and it’s time for me to get typing up for your daily track on the blog, as per usual, because it is always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! It looks like plenty of artists are looking to capitalise on the new Spring-time weather, because there are loads of new releases out there today. Emerging Galway 4-piece NewDad have released their debut EP – and new full-length offerings from the likes of BRIT Awards darling Ben Howard, rising Israeli genre-blurrer Noga Erez, intimate Canadian indie folk singer Tate McRae, Northern Irish Electronic composer Hannah Peel, US Experimental cult favourites Xiu Xiu, intriguing ‘Cinematic Soul’ collective El Michels Affair, and more. However, I’ve been quickly getting excited about ‘DEACON’, the new record from the Balitmore-raised Experimental Soul artist Josiah Wise – aka Serpentwithfeet. I am a big fan of ‘Fellowship’ – the lead single, which I’ve been playing on my own radio show, because it makes me feel fuzzy and wholesome inside. The new LP follows 2018’s debut LP ‘Soil’, but he’s also known for the ‘Blisters’ EP from 2016, and the ‘Apparition’ EP that he put out last year. This album has been getting some very kind reviews, and so I’m really looking forward to starting to stick my teeth into it when I have a moment to. It was also co-produced by Sampha and Lil Silva, who sing the backing vocals on ‘Fellowship’, and so you’ve got three particularly talented creatives working on this. A loving ode to the bonds in that friendship provides – Check out the lead single below.

Much of the inspiration for Serpentwithfeet’s new album came from his R&B roots in black Churches, and speaking on the creative direction for the new LP collection, he wrote: “I wanted to create something that felt calm and restrained.”, he continued, “This was my way of tapping into the energy many deacons possess”, in a press release for the material. He is, of course, referring to the role of ‘Deacon’ within the ministry of Christian office for the album’s title. Starting off with a subtle Afrobeat backing beat made up of ethereal percussion and warm synth tones, Wise croons lines like “Our breezy Sunday afternoons, Christmas films in July with you” and “Our fascination with Prosecco, The silly face you make when I say Hello” to lyrically play on the dialect that we have with our companions, and the quirks that make our bonds feel strong and personal to ourselves. The songwriting gets a little more reflective later on, with nice lines like “This is the blessing of my 30’s, I’m spending less time worrying and more time recounting the love” that talk carefully about maturity and progressing through the cycles of our lives. The chorus is very lush too, with Wise singing “I’m thankful for the love I share with my friends” in unison with Sampha and Lil Silva – as lushly composed Sitar work and tinny, cute steel pan beats aid the scene. Overall, I can really get behind the message of the track – which is about realizing that you may still be in the ‘good times’ rather than having a need to reminisce about them. Paired with some warm Gospel influences and energetic psychedelia, it makes for a pretty absorbing experience, where the meanings are straightforward and the chords do not truly progress a great deal, but remain fresh from the start to the finish because it feels powerful and intimate. Overall, this is the literal definition of “lovely”.

  • Pictured: Josiah Wise (aka Serpentwithfeet) in a photoshoot for “Soil” (2018) (via PitchPerfectPR.com)

We’ve reached the end of another daily musical diary entry! Scuzz Sundays returns in two days time, like it always does, but, in the meantime, we’ve got another 24 hours worth of text to bust through tomorrow first. In that case, I would like to introduce you to another one of my recent favourites – with a track coming from an Australian-based, but originally Ghanian, fresh new Hip-Hop producer who has just released his debut album on his own independent OURNESS label to positive word of mouth earlier in the month. He is also the brother of the two-time ARIA-nominated Canberra rapper Citizen Kay. 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: Lord Huron – “Not Dead Yet”

February 22, 2021 — Leave a comment

The Michigan Folk outfit are back ‘Alive and Kicking’ after three years. New post time!

  • Pictured: Ben Schneider (Lead Vocals/Acoustic Guitar/Harmonica), Tom Renaud (Lead Guitar), Miguel Briseño (Bass Guitar/Keyboard/Theremin) & Mark Barry (Drums) (2018) (Photo via The Bona Venture)

Good Afternoon to you! I’m Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time to begin the new week’s round of daily entries on the blog, and that’s because it is routinely my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! The Los-Angeles based, but Michigan native, US Alternative Folk 4-piece band Lord Huron have been working on some brand new music, and “Not Dead Yet” has just been released as their first piece of new material in the three years following 2018’s “Vide Noir”, which was their first LP on a major studio label, Republic Records. The band gained some traction when “The Night We Met”, taken from their 2015 album, “Strange Trails”, surpassed over 680 million streams after being prominently used for the controversial Netflix Drama series, “13 Reasons Why”, in 2017. “Vide Noir” turned out to be their most critically acclaimed and commercially successful record yet, and it reached the top 10 of the US Billboard 200 Albums Chart after it’s warm acoustic tones were partly brought to life by mixer Dave Fridmann (The Flaming Lips, MGMT). Recently, the band have been teasing a new project with their series of “Alive From Whispering Pines” ticketed livestream performances, where the long-lost musicians who have previously occupied the Whispering Pines studio merge with the present day. There’s been no official word on a new full-length album yet, but since Lord Huron have made a habit of releasing a new album every three years, and they’re set to perform the new single on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in the US tomorrow night, it seems inevitable when you put the pieces together. On that note, let’s check out “Not Dead Yet” below.

At this point, I should probably mention that, I too, was on the little bandwagon for the hype of “Vide Noir” when it came out. It was a toss-up with Gaz Coombes for my own Album Of The Year in 2018, because the sound was a lot sharper than their previous releases, and the instrumentation was diverse and varied, leading to a gut-punch of powerful and exciting Folk compositions with a cool atmosphere. Lord Huron hasn’t quite seemed to stick on repeat on my digital libraries as much as Jacob Classics like La Roux, Jens Lekman and Foster The People though, and I can’t quite point my finger on why. Whether it’s the little less familiarity or the lack of more nostalgia with this act, though, I think that “Not Dead Yet” points to a compelling future for the band, especially now that mainstream eyes seem to have been drawn to their output in recent years. The instrumentals are a little more Acoustic, with the slight Power-Pop ferocity of “Never Ever” and “The Balancer’s Eye” from “Vide Noir” feeling slightly replaced with fuzzy, synth-less guitar tones and a warm influence of 70’s Rock ‘N’ Roll, even down to the Elvis references in the track. Hooks like “You got holes in your clothes/Booze on your breath/You look like hell, and you smell like death” feel a little comical, and there’s a soft flicker of Glam-Rock added to the mix too. The refrain of “There’s a stranger in my eyes again, I swear to God I Don’t know him” make it clear that Schneider is singing from the first-person perspective of a drifter reflecting on his personal issues, with lines like “If she asks about me, Tell her I’m not dead yet” paving the way for a silky instrumental of ascending little chords. The chorus of “But I ain’t dead yet, and I’ve got something to say” is a little more involved, but the gentle drums and the acoustic backing riff still keeps things at a nice, mid-tempo subtlety. One major critique that I have with this track is that, as my friend pointed out to me, it does sound A LOT like The Mountain Goats – with the referential songwriting and the simple Folk roots, and so I’m not certain about whether I think the sound is very unique. That said, the concept of unearthing forgotten musical relics in this Folk-led style of storytelling is not inherently uninteresting, and the fact that Lord Huron have always been a band who focus on their visuals and aesthetics as much as their music gives me more confidence. All in all, I feel that this new one plays out more like a “film trailer” for the sure-to-be new album instead of a conventional single. Overall, the results are slightly mixed on this one for me – but that’s not to say this might be the year for Lord Huron to properly shine for me. There’s a lot of potential, and so I’m watching them with my beady eyes.

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Not Dead Yet” (Single) (Released on Feb 19, 2021) (via Whispering Pines Studios)

That’s all for today – Thanks for checking out the blog today, and I’m very grateful for your time. Please join me again tomorrow for a detour. I’ve been feeling a little bored of just “indie” lately, so I’m going to switch up the styles with a new Jazz release from a retro Funk and Soul collective who formed in 2007, and have six members as part of their ensemble. Signed to Daptone Records, you may not know the group by name, but their original tracks have been sampled quite frequently – including from the likes of Kendrick Lamar and Kid Cudi. 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: Pa Salieu (feat. Mahalia) – “Energy”

February 8, 2021 — Leave a comment

Coventry Market – Although I’m not complaining, it could be draining. New post time!

  • Pictured: Pa Salieu and Mahalia in a recent PR shoot (in 2020) (Photo Credit: Warner Bros Records UK)

Good Morning to you! I am Jacob Braybrooke, and, as per usual, it’s time for me to get typing up for your daily track on the blog, because it is always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! A 23-year-old British-Gambian rapper from Coventry, Pa Salieu was born in to a life where he was surrounded by other musicians and performers, with his Auntie being a Folk singer-songwriter from Gambia. After spending his early life growing up in Slough, Salieu landed the most played track on BBC Radio 1Xtra of 2020 in his debut single, “Frontline”, which he released in January of last year. Since then, he has released his first full-length record (Which he calls a Mixtape, rather than a traditional Album release) titled “Send Them To Coventry”, which earned him tremendous acclaim. It received a Metacritic review aggregate score of 90, as critics cited his experimentation with genres like Dancehall and Afrobeat, within a diverse Grime and Afro-Swing hip-hop template, which critics felt reflected the sonic fluidity of “Black Music” genres in the past and present. After collaborating on tracks with FKA Twigs and SL, Salieu enlisted the help of artists including Ni Santora, Stizee, Kwes Darko and Felix Joseph. The most notable of which is probably “Energy”, in which the Jamaican-British singer and actress Mahalia assists Salieu, on the closing number of the 15-track project. Let’s give this one a shot below.

The music video for “Energy” was directed by Femi Ladi, and in an interview with NME before the release of his mixtape last November, Pa Salieu spoke of his aspirations for the times ahead, explaining: “I’m not coming from a good life. But my music will have very big meaning… I see a better life for me and my family now. I can see that life can change now, I don’t feel so trapped. I can see the view over the horizon”, in reaction to the new-found acclaim signifying a fresh start for his personal and creative life. This sense of peace comes across in “Energy”, where Salieu raps lines like “Crown on my head, I was born shining” and “They put us in the dirt so we keep dying, I’ve died a hundred times and I keep fighting” over the top of a looping instrumental where the 80’s soft-rock synths are mellow, and these lyrical notes of elevation and self-worth are padded out with a rumbling Bass backing and a straightforward Bedroom Pop production. Light elements of Afrobeat flesh out the soundscape with limbering drum beats and sparsely placed guitar licks that evoke a little Funk-Rock. The tones of the instrumentation fit nicely with Salieu’s reminders to “Protect your energy”, in an ode to broadly well-meaning positivity and self-belief. The hook of “They just want your fall ’cause of jealousy” cements these messages of motivation, and the guest spot with Mahalia adds a soulful touch to proceedings. Although brief, it adds a female dynamic to the track that gives it more optimism. It’s usually more difficult for me to connect truly with artists who have been hyped up to the hills by the media like Pa Salieu seems to be, but overall, I think this is a solid performance. Although I think there’s a slight over-reliance on the auto-tune effects here for me, the sound palette has a great range and the lyrics are easy to relate with. It also feels like a good direction for Pa Salieu going forward, as the non-violent and melodic nature of the instrumental beats work nicely to convey the tone. I also like that when you take a look at his guest list, it’s wonderfully inclusive. An exciting artist.

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Take Them To Coventry” (Released on November 13, 2020) (via Warner Records)

Well – That’s all I have for you to read today! My daily diary continues tomorrow as you would expect – where you can join me for an in-depth listen to a single from another very exciting emerging talent who I’ve heard about before, but I’ve only recently discovered for myself. She blew me away with her recent performance for KEXP’s Live At Home sessions, and this Colombian electronic music producer loves to describe her own sound as “Bright Music For Dark Times”, the direction of her debut solo LP, which she released last October from the well-known Domino Recordings label. 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: Common (feat. Black Thought) – “Say Peace”

January 16, 2021 — Leave a comment

Here’s a chum who wants to sleep with the Common people, like you. New post time!

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “A Beautifal Revolution” (Pt. 1) (LP) (Released on Oct 30, 2020) (via Loma Vista)

Good morning to you – my name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s now time for me to, yet again, get typing up about your daily track on the blog, because it is always my day-to-day pleasure to get writing up about a different piece of music every day! Lately, I’ve been continuing to work through my backlog of 2020 releases, and one of the most high-profile names who were left in the pile was the surprise release of “A Beautifal Revolution (Pt. 1)” from the 90’s rap icon Common. You’ll probably know Common from his following through the 1990’s, after he gained mainstream success from his work with The Soulquarians. Since that point, he’s appeared in Hollywood blockbuster films including “Wanted”, “Date Night”, “John Wick: Chapter 2”, “Suicide Squad” and…erm…that crap “New Year’s Eve” film. Nevertheless, he’s done loads of work in the media. Common announced his latest album, which he’s considered to be the first entry of two-part project, just a few days before it was released on October 30th, via Loma Vista Recordings. The lead single was “Say Peace”, a track which saw the Chicago native working with PJ and The Roots’ Black Thought. Check it out below.

Common said he wanted the LP collection to “uplift, heal and inspire listeners dealing with racial injustices as well as other social injustices”, before deducing, “A Beautifal Revolution, Pt. 1 is affirmation. It’s recognition. It’s elevation. It’s music to go with a movement. Because the truth is, there is still so much work to do”, when the album was given a full-fledged physical release to celebrate Black History Month in the United States. This track captures your attention with it’s funky, snare-like rhythm, which feels as unusual as it is upbeat. Paired with a Dub-esque instrumental backing track, Common and his collaborators in PJ & Black Thought manage to flex the different meanings behind Peace, as well as the altering pathways to it. The repeating, earthly guitar sounds have an almost African world feel to them, while bars like “And some find their peace through praisin and shouting/and some find their peace through pulling the shades like Malcom/I found my peace through making these albums” and “If you concentrate/You could find your faith, where the higher conscious takes you, That’s peace” come thick and fast above the African-supported instrumentation. The vocal delivery is at a breakneck pace, and it’s almost difficult to follow the lyrics because of the speedy wordplay. Meanwhile, PJ’s sample of “Say peace, we don’t really want no trouble” and “All they really wanna do is cuff you/They don’t love you” continues to permeate through the tracks, reminding us about the discussions of police brutality and righteous serenity that caused a media storm over the summer, in particular. The vocals of this track are taking these commentaries up to another notch, with Common rapping about the importance that Hip-Hop, as an art form, holds in maintaining a positive Black identity – a genre that can be perceived as reliant of the old cultural stereotypes of Black culture. The bars are characteristically motivational though, with shuffling drums and fragmented Bhangra basslines making for unconventional production work. The sitar interlude off the end. Overall, I really like the activist themes on the record, and it’s a rare example of music set on the purpose to teach. Certainly not stuff of the lowest “Common” denominator.

  • Pictured: Common at a “Let Love Have The Last Word” book signing (2019) (Photo via Getty Images)

Thank you for checking out my latest blog post – High praise for this track. Don’t forget that we’re taking a turn, for better or worse, with a new entry into our long-running Scuzz Sundays series tomorrow, where we revisit a childhood classic from the Emo-Rock/Pop-Punk era of the late 90’s until the mid 00’s. Tomorrow’s post comes from another pretty big name – a Sacramento-formed Heavy Metal band who have been referred to, by some journalists, as “The Radiohead Of Metal”, for their experimentation. They’ve since gone on to sell over ten million albums worldwide. 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: Jade Bird – “Headstart”

November 28, 2020 — 1 Comment

Give me all the extra time you want – Mo Farah would still out-run me! New post time!

  • Pictured: Jade Bird in a “Get To Know…” Interview Feature (in 2018) (Photo Credit: PR/DIYMag.com)

Good Morning to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and I’m here to fulfill my duties of writing up about your 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! Sometimes, it’s great to let the youngsters have a turn to show off their musical skills – and 21-year-old London-based singer-songwriter Jade Bird certainly has those. Bird grew up around the likes of Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Neil Young, which were introduced to her by a family friend, and she also enjoys reading – incorporating the influences of her literature hero Patti Smith into her music to create an Acoustic blend of Folk, Soft-Pop and rustic Americana. Her self-titled debut album was released in 2018, and I can remember that it gained her national radio airplay on Radio X. There’s no further details about it yet, but Bird has confirmed that her follow-up LP is on the way, likely seeing the light of day in 2021. “Headstart” is our first teaser of her sophomore album release, and it’s an offering that she wrote during a trip to Upstate New York at the beginning of the year before… well… the world went doo-lally. Let’s sample it below.

It’s quite crazy to think how successful she has been for someone who is a year younger than me… What have I done wrong? Jade Bird said in a press release that “Headstart” is “quite a light-hearted song, about liking someone who just can’t see the signs” adding that it “feels like community” to her and it’s release feels like it’s giving “a bit of joy to the end of the year”. It kicks off with a familiar sound, as Bird immediately chimes in with: “They say, I act around you/Different than I usually do” over the top of a simply composed, light acoustic guitar melody. It builds up to a more powerful chorus, as Bird asks: “Why is it so hard?” before adding: “I’ve given you a Headstart/I know us girls aren’t easy, but come on, what do you need to see?” as she delivers a more angry tone, but we continually dip in-and-out of the soft guitar beats. I quite like the handful of sass and feist that are noticeable in the track’s tone, and the combination of acoustic melodies build to some big, crowd-pleasing vocal harmonies – and I think that it’s really good. It sounds very “indie” and accessible, but she decides not to use any auto-tune and I quite like that Bird’s instrumentation is very simple, and that’s charming. I also think that there’s something about Jade Bird which feels very down-to-earth and human as a performer – her music simply makes me like her just as a person. This is because you can hear some personality coming throughout her songwriting, and it never feels very mechanical or one-dimensional because her voice is unique and commanding for her age. Maybe I’ve finally found a soulmate? I don’t know about that – but the song is a thumbs-up from me. Let’s hope she doesn’t do an Ed Sheeran and try to make Grime. We all know that was shocking!

  • Pictured: Jade Bird ‘Letting her hair down’ (in April 2019) (Photo Credit: Emma Swann/DIYMag.com)

Thank you for reading my new blog post! As per usual, tomorrow marks the time for another entry in our Scuzz Sundays series, where we take a look at an old Pop-Punk or Emo-Rock relic from the late 90’s to mid-00s. This week’s entry came just a little bit before that box, but it was the theme song for 91’s cinematic classic, “Terminator II: Judgment Day”. 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/

Mercury Prize 2020 Special: Michael Kiwanuka -“Hero”

September 26, 2020 — Leave a comment

Winner, Winner – Michael needs to eat his chicken dinner! It’s time for a special post…

  • Pictured: Michael Kiwanuka live in session for Annie Mac on BBC Radio 1 (2020) (Photo via BBC Sounds)

Good Morning to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and I’m writing up about your daily track on the blog because, as per usual, it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Another year has quickly rolled by ever since North London MC Dave won last year’s Mercury Prize with his controversial album “Psychodrama”, and that means it’s time for the judging panel (which actually includes one of my heroes, Supergrass member, Gaz Coombes) to crown a new winner for this year’s edition of the prestigious award, of which includes previous winners such as PJ Harvey (the only two-time winner ever to date), Skepta, Pulp, Elbow, Arctic Monkeys, and rather more forgettably, Klaxons. I breathed a sigh of relief as soon as I found out that the results had been announced, to find out that my predicted pick of Dua Lipa’s “Future Nostalgia” had not won. (I thought it would, since I guessed the media would want to ram her down our throats just that little bit more). It was actually Michael Kiwanuka who walked away with the award, for his third full-length LP effort “Kiwanuka”, which was released in November 2019, which is still within the annual eligibility period. To earn the award, Kiwanuka beat out the likes of Kano, Moses Boyd, Porridge Radio, Sports Team, Lanterns On The Lake, and Stormzy. I’m not very familiar with Kiwanuka’s work if I’m being truly transparent with you, but I know that he is very critically-acclaimed and he is very popular in the US, and I know this thanks to one certain presenter on KEXP who had played him three times in a row as a competition when I was listening into their show one afternoon. Kiwanuka won BBC’s Sound Of 2012 poll, along with receiving nominations for BRIT Awards, MTV Europe Awards and BBC Music Awards, and so I have definitely heard his name quite a lot! Anyhow, let’s hear what the fuss is about with the album’s single, “Hero”, below.

Jimi Hendrix would be the obvious comparison to make here. That’s a good thing, and I feel that “Hero” is also drenched in a post-60’s psychedelia that feels layered and embedded textually within the decadent guitar riffs. He is clearly taking a lot of influence from 70’s Soul for the track as well, and this adds more sumptuous detail to complement his defiant vocals, which have a contemporary, hard-hitting impact as he compares the murder of 1960’s activist Fred Hampton with the newsworthy shootings going on in the US as he sings: “It’s on the news again, I guess they killed another” in the opening verse. The first half of the track consists of simplistic, gentle acoustic guitar strums as he discusses racial issues across the pond. The instrumentation is diversified for the second verse, which marks a dramatic key change for the track, as Kiwanuka begins to hit his stride into a 70’s Psych-Rock groove, as he repeats: “Am I a hero now? To die a hero, is all that we know now” above a scratched vocal effect and also a reasonably distorted synth line that lingers in the background. The vocals never really develop into a further rhythm that takes the lyrical context beyond it’s initial meaning, but the progression of the chords and his expression of dissent add different moods and textures that flicker between guitar-driven pacing and more neo-psychedelic sounds at a swift fluidity. For me, this keeps the rather repetitive hook from getting too stale, with rousing guitar melodies that change between a 60’s Blues feel and a soulful 70’s aesthetic with a moment’s notice. Overall, I like it. For me, I probably wouldn’t rush out to the Piccadilly Records and just buy it, but I’m still looking forward to hearing more of it through streaming the record online. Personally, I feel as though more thematic progression of the lyrics may have kicked it up to another level, but it still feels intriguing and cool. I do think he is a decent pick to win the Mercury Prize though because it feels very expressive and nicely culturally diverse, while not seeming overly P.C. in the sense of it feeling “forced” or “preachy”, and the news-related lyricism mostly make it sound as though these themes are a natural part of this music. He receives a seal of approval from me.

  • Pictured: Michael Kiwanuka in a promotional photoshoot (in 2020) (Photo via Olivia Rose/BBC Music)

You can also still read my breakdown of last year’s Mercury Prize winner, Dave, here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2019/09/21/mercury-prize-2019-special-edition-dave-streatham/

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Kiwanuka” (Released on November 1st, 2019) (via Interscope Records)

Thank you very much for reading my Mercury Prize Special Edition post! It was a good one, right? Do not forget that I’ll be back for another special blog post tomorrow with a new weekly installment in our Scuzz Sundays series, where we have an in-depth listen back to an ancient relic of the Emo-Rock and the Pop-Punk genres, released between the late-1990’s and the mid-00’s, to see if it holds up in the present times! 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/

Scuzz Sundays: [Spunge] – “Jump On Demand”

August 16, 2020 — Leave a comment

It’s time for me to Scourer this cleaned [Spunge). It’s time for another Scuzz Sunday…

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “The Story So Far…” (Released on 26th August, 2002) (via B-Unique Records)

Good Morning, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m typing up your weekly edition of Scuzz Sundays, the time of the week where we look back at a Pop-Punk or Emo-Rock classic track from between the late-1990’s to the mid-2000’s, to see if it lives up to it’s stature, since it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! [Spunge] were never as well-known as bands like Weezer or Slipknot, but they had a few memorable hits during the era, including “Jump On Demand”, which has rubbed shoulders with the mainstream – landing at the VERY specific spot of #39 on the UK Singles Chart, in 2002. [Spunge] are actually a British group from Tewkesbury, with Alex Copeland (Vocals), Damon Robbins (Lead Guitar), Chris Murphy (Bass Guitar) and Jeremy King (Drums) making up the current lineup. They are currently still active, but it tends to just be the odd few singles here and there, as opposed to something more substantial, like a full album release. “Jump On Demand” is the best-known single from their third studio LP release, “The Story So Far”, which was also released in 2002. The record saw the band expanding on their Ska-Punk and Rap-Metal roots to a more commercial Pop-Grunge direction, with producer John Cornfield (Muse, Supergrass) and Chris Sheldon (Foo Fighters, Therapy?) on-board to help them out with the new project, and the B-Unique Records label took over the distribution reigns from Sucka-Punch Records. It is time to check out the music video for “Jump On Demand” below.

Having previously toured with Green Day and Dropkick Murphy’s, [Spunge] were ready to bring their Ska-Punk sound to mainstream soil at the time of “Jump On Demand” being released, but it sadly didn’t seem to make much of a cultural impact. The track starts off with the quirky, rebellious, lyrics that you would expect, as Copeland sings: “So, you’re sat there in first class, Well I’m not gonna kiss your a**, Cuz’ I don’t care”, as a Jovial electric Organ melody replaces the Post-Punk edge of the opening burst of bass guitar riffs. The first verse starts off in a more subdued, quiet manner, before it builds to a decent sense of pace, with Copeland stacking: “I’m not the kind of guy who likes to go to work, It’s just I need the money” on top of an upbeat Bass Guitar riff and a mid-tempo Lead Guitar riff that fuses aggressively with the quick Drum signatures. The chorus goes: “Jump! Jump! Jump!” to point to an enthusiastic Mosh Pit, before Copeland continues: “Why is it you seem to be looking down your nose at me?, Maybe we should take some time to prove your blood’s red like mine”, as the instrumentation mixes a Ska-Punk sound with a Nu-Metal blueprint in generous amounts. It sounds animated and it feels like a TV theme tune for a US sitcom, so it’s a good fit for the aesthetics of the album’s visuals. The Organ samples are catchy and the songwriting has a quirk to it, but it sadly feels quite forgettable. This is simply because the fusion between Ska and Punk had been done a few years before, and it had been done better, by 90’s groups like Less Than Jake and Operation Ivy, even The Specials to a lesser extent in the 70’s, but it sadly doesn’t do much to stand out as a unique or a considerably original idea. The production behind “Jump On Demand” is fine, but the use of Brass sections may have freshened it up a little better. As it stands, this is unfortunately just another one of those “Scuzz Sundays” tracks that we will have largely forgotten by the time next week rocks about, but the results of this track are still harmless, and it’s not likely at all to cause any real offense.

  • Pictured: Alex Copeland (Lead Vocals), Damon Robins (Lead Guitar), Chris Murphy (Bass Guitar) and Jeremy King (Drums) in a publicity shoot to promote their 2015 UK reunion tour with Phinius Gage (2015) (via Ents24.com)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as per usual, with an in-depth look at a solid new track from a relatively unknown artist, a local young musician and songwriter to Seattle, who is just 22 years of age and has been described by ‘SassyBlack’ of TomTomMag.com as “a young multi-instrumentalist and producer shaping the future of dance music”, to kick off the new week in style. 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