Today’s Track: Boards Of Canada – “An Eagle In Your Mind” (1998)

November 3, 2020 — 1 Comment

David Attenborough would be all over this bird of nature! It’s time for a new blog post!

Pictured: Marcus Eoin and Marcus Sandison in a vintage press shot (unknown date) (via Warp Records)

Good Morning to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for me to repay my promise of typing up about your daily track on the blog today, as it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! An interesting classic IDM record that I’ve been listening to over the last few weeks is “Music Has The Right To Children”, an ambient record from 1998 which was self-produced by Boards Of Canada, a Scottish electronic music duo, on the Warp Records label. The piece of material went down as a landmark in electronic music work, and it has appeared on many best-ever lists from music publications like Pitchfork and Mojo. While the bulk of electronic music sprawls from Industrial and futuristic technology from urban environments – the intriguing case of Boards Of Canada is that the duo grew up in a very small urban community in Scotland, where they have since remained very reclusive from their fanbase, hardly ever taking part in any press interviews or live performances. For “Music Has The Right To Children”, the brothers of Marcus Eoin and Mike Sandison decided to create experimental sounds from outdated analogue software and samples taken from 1970’s public broadcasting children’s programmes to invoke themes of early childhood, nostalgia and nature. The duo have shrouded themselves in secrecy, and started making music by sending Casettes of their work to their friends and family. Let’s see a fan-made video for “An Eagle In Your Mind” below.

Fan-made videos have played a significant factor in keeping the Boards Of Canada’s fanbase active over the years, with long gaps of years between the subsequent album releases, and the band managed to pull off an elaborate “Easter Egg Hunt” in the highly-anticipated marketing push towards 2013’s “Tomorrow’s Harvest”, but that’s another story for another day. “An Eagle In Your Mind” is the third cut on the track listing for “Music Has The Right To Children”, and it perfectly sums up the basic key elements of the album, for my two cents. As you’ve probably noticed, it’s not really a track that is very accessible from a dancing point-of-view – despite being labelled as an “IDM” release. Instead, we’re given some meditative textures and peculiar sounds that feel rooted in degraded synthesizer hardware and 1970’s-inspired Hip-Hop break-beats. The track begins with a slowly fading synth line that soon washes over the top of a scratching, downtempo turntable beat sample. The sound, although entirely instrumental, manages to feel very rich and fresh because it sounds emotionally mature and hallucinatory, to a degree. Ideas of early childhood memory and adolescent behaviour peek their head in at a midway mark, when the tempo of the Syncopated backing beat increases and a very abrupt vocal sample of “I Love You” cuts into the picture, and it signals for a whistled backing vocal sample and an emerging synth line that comes into full force later on, with a harsh ambience that seems very dense. There may not be very much going on here, melodically – but the lo-fi beats have been layered in a hugely calculated and meticulous manner. The ideas of early childhood memory develops very smoothly, as a result, with cut-off samples and resonating synth work managing to evoke emotions which are ever so slightly strange and peculiar – and – for me – this is what manages to make the record stand out as a truly fascinating and unique project. It feels as if you’re a child, sitting at the TV, watching old advertisements fly by, or like you’re riding a bike with your friends around the countryside as your mind wanders to an imaginative, fantastical place. In a nutshell, it plays out like an adult’s reflection of their nostalgia – as you’re left with fragments of memories at this stage of your life and it’s hard to filter what is real and what is fantasy as a child anyways – and the record is bizarrely accurate in doing so. An album that would take time and perseverance to connect with you, but – depending on your upbringing as I was a strange child myself – it will slowly reward you with a payment of nostalgic, intricate sounds which are unrivalled. Go and listen!

Pictured: Cover Art for "Music Has The Right To Children" (LP) (Released in 1998) (via Warp Records) — Pictured: Cover Art for “Music Has The Right To Children” (LP) (Released in 1998) (via Warp Records)

Thank you for reading my new post! Please feel free to join me tomorrow – where we’ll be making a change of pace with an in-depth look at the latest album from one of the most legendary African-American Hip-Hop groups of all-time, who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Fame in 2013, and critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine named them as “The most influential and radical band of their time” for AllMusic in 2017. 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: Rich Aucoin – “Dopamine”

September 16, 2020 — Leave a comment

You’d think that Rich has been cycling a marathon… Oh, wait! It’s time for a new post!

Pictured: Rich Aucoin publicity shoot in the “Ephemeral” era (in 2014) (Photo via newconstellations.ca)

Good Morning to you! I am Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing up about your daily track on the blog, because it’s routinely always my day-to-day pleasure to get typing up about a different piece of music every day! “Dopamine” is a seal of approval for Rich Aucoin, a Canadian Indie Rock singer-songwriter based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Rich Aucoin is probably best known for his frequent collaborations and guest work on Hyzologists, who are a highly prolific Canadian Instrumental Electronic Rock super-group founded by his older brother, Paul Aucoin. Personally, I know him best for his sublime 2012 LP, “We’re All Dying To Live”. of that I’ve grown to be very fond of over the years. He also has two more Experimental albums, 2014’s “Ephemeral” and 2019’s “Release”, in his portfolio too. “We’re All Dying To Live” was a largely high-concept record as it, lyrically and sonically, explored broad themes of finding optimism through death, and it included guest work from over 500 musicians in total, and was often likened to The Avalanches in it’s virtuosic, sample-based structure. His later work drew some comparisons to Arcade Fire, Daft Punk and The Flaming Lips. In a surprisingly quick turnaround for the intriguing producer, he’s back with another new album just a year removed from his previous. “United States” is set for release on Friday 18th September, via Haven Sounds. Aucoin wrote the album while observing at ground level, as he cycled across twelve states of the USA in a charity event in aid of Mental Health America, and he decided to write and produce a different track for each of these states, and he later decided to compile them together for his next full-length album project. Let’s take an in-depth look at his latest new track, “Dopamine”, below.

Along with being influenced by the photographer Robert Frank, who did a somewhat similar scrapbook of America premise on his literate project “The Americans”, Aucoin was also inspired by the Classic Mellotrons and Rhodes keyboards while recording the track with a voice cast of Kyla Carter, James Baley. Carleigh Aikins, Tarik Henry and Simone Denny at Old Confidence Lodge Studios at Riversport, Canada. Aucoin described to Paste Magazine, “I wrote this while riding each day alone across the country,” elaborating, “It was one that was started in Arizona, but took a while to decide on its lyrics. Riding for eight to 10 hours a day meant a lot of time to reflect which could be both happy and sad and always a returning to the present assured a renewed excitement to be alive.”, and it’s clear to see the very introspective mind-set and the sense of cultural perspective that went into the meticulous production efforts of the new track. “Dopamine” sounds calm and laid-back, with a dream-like quality being created by the curling synthesizers and the orchestral sections, as Aucoin reflects: “Every morning, I have this dream, where I am free from time” and “All of the things that have gone away and faded from my life” throughout the two key verses, over the top of a mostly upbeat and celebratory Drum kit beat and a honeyed, percussive riff from a Maraca section. For the chorus, the cluttering percussion beats swell into a String section, as a choir layers: “All there is right now is clear” and “All we have right now is here” on top of a glitched Synth rhythm and a patterned Viola bass melody that sits on the thorough-line. The melodies here are not particularly exciting, but they feel tonal and sumptuous. I also sense an element of Gospel from the use of a soulful backing choir. When you really concentrate on it, I don’t think it’s massively far off from the celebratory and theatrical style, if positive, emotions which Aucoin has explored on “We’re All Dying To Live” back in 2012. Overall, I think it’s more of the same, to be honest. However, depending on which angle you are coming at it from, this really isn’t a bad thing. A lot of effort has gone into the production values and the qualitative aesthetics. It’s become abundantly clear that Rich Aucoin loves to re-cycle.

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “United States” (Available from September 18th, 2020) (via Haven Sounds)

Thank you for reading your latest daily post! As per usual, I’ll be back again tomorrow, for an in-depth look at the brand new single from another indie Canadian artist who are making their return to a full-length album project. This is a Synth-Punk band, in a similar veign to the NYC Synth-Rock sound of LCD Soundsystem, who found their breakthrough in 2013 when they won the Juno Award for Breakthrough Group Of The Year…errmm… that year! 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: Marlowe – “Future Power Sources”

September 9, 2020 — 1 Comment

From my experience, I’ve learned that BBQ is a very reliable sauce. It’s new post time!

Pictured: Marlowe (L’Orange & Solemn Brigham) in a press shot to promote “Marlowe 2” (2020) (via PR)

Good Morning! I am Jacob Braybrooke and, just like always, I’m typing 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! If you have not heard of Marlowe before, this is a collaborative alternative rap project comprised from the duo of L’Orange, a Seattle-based producer, and Solemn Brigham, a rapper and lyricist based in North Carolina. L’Orange’s quickfire vinyl samples and experimental electronic beats conjoin with Brigham’s vocals, concerning social commentary and global poverty, to mark a neo-psychedelic take on the more old-fashioned, melodic Hip-Hop sounds that were being explored by the likes of A Tribe Called Quest and Public Enemy in the late-1980’s. This is still a rather green act, with the duo making their debut just two years ago with “Marlowe”, a self-titled album, which was released in July 2018. A full two years later, L’Orange and Solemn Brigham are now back with “Marlowe 2”, the direct sequel and follow-up to their self-titled album, which was released on August 7th, via Mello Music Group. Let’s take a gander to the sampler, “Future Power Sources”, below.

Looking to underground icon DJ Trackstar (the DJ and engineer for Run The Jewels) to help them co-produce the new track, “Future Power Sources” sees Solemn Brigham spin a surrealist spoken word rap about self-development, personal growth and reflective maturation over the top of an ever-flowing, scratched Industrial electronic beat that provides a zany and kinetic flow to the methodical, classic hip-hop sound being produced overall by the duo. It creates an authoritative and left-field backdrop to the evolving soundscape, and L’Orange fills the track with quick clips and fast samples to add a witty undertone to Brigham’s more serious vocals, while the latter recites: “Brand new day, put your face on” and “Better find another model/I’ve been holding on the bottle, like a new dad” at a breakneck speed. In fact, the vocals never really slow, except for the brief interval near the end, as Brigham concludes “I been putting up my hands, I just want to be Sovereign, but I’m still trying to get up, in the heart of it” and “Everything that I’m looking for, a part of me” with a gliding quality over L’Orange’s rapid and accurate sample work. There is a lot going on here within the space of three minutes, but I feel as though the melodic structure of the track seems repetitious enough and the lyricism is clear cut-enough for audiences to understand relatively lightly. It sounds as though a lot of effort has obviously gone into each of the sample clearances, the licensing needed to obtain the numerous quick clips used for this track, to help them re-purpose the futuristic and whimsical qualities they wanted to obtain for the track. Overall, I think it’s one of the strongest hip-hop releases of the last few months, and it pays off nicely, with an exciting sound.

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Marlowe 2” (LP) (Released on August 7th, 2020) (via Mello Music Group)

Thank you very much for reading my new post! As promised, I’ll be back tomorrow, and we’ll be switching gears with an in-depth look at a new track from earlier in the year, that I’ve been meaning to cover on the blog since then, but never quite had the time to. It comes from a Chilean-American ambient/classical electronic music composer who has Palestinian ancestry from Bethlehem. He is perhaps most notable for releasing a large volume of experimental recordings for his independent label, Other People. It includes a five-hour improvisational live performance concert at MoMA PS1 in 2012, and the release of two full albums this year. 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: Ginger Snaps – “Attention Seeker”

September 5, 2020 — Leave a comment

Delightfully zingy cocktail of Rock, or not worthy of your attention? It’s new post time!

Pictured: Jay Brook performing at The Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham (2018) (Photo Credit: Emilie Barbier)

Good Morning! As always, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing up about your daily track on the blog, because it is routinely my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! “Attention Seeker” is another one of those new tracks that I’ve caught wind of via X-Posure, John Kennedy’s evening Indie show on Radio X, although this singer has gained a little notice from journalistic publications, including Clash Magazine and DIY Mag, over the last few recent years. Ginger Snaps is the alias of Northamptonshire-based songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Jay Brook. From what I could gather per the internet, it began as a duo with guitarist Lee Irons, although Brook is seemingly now continuing this project as a solo artist. Brook was inspired to write music by The Beastie Boys, Beck and De La Soul, of which all three of these legendary acts are very audible influences within his sound. Brook’s crowning highlights, thus far, seems to have been the opportunity to play the BBC Introducing Stage at Reading & Leeds Festival in 2017, and his collaboration with BBC Radio 1’s Abbie McCarthy for a live show at the Good Karma Club in Islington in 2017. His latest single release, under his Ginger Snaps name, is “Attention Seeker”, which was released on July 3rd via Copper Top Records. Let’s have a listen to it down below.

Lyrically, “Attention Seeker” was influenced by the themes of role and value of that celebrities are associated within the hierarchy of modern society, as Brook explained to Readdork.com: “In the height of all the momentum ’round my last single, I took a year out. I had nothing to say and didn’t want to cheat any audience I’d built by faking it.”, later continuing,: “In ‘Attention Seeker’, I give my thoughts on this modern unquenchable thirst for social media attention and the impact of that on being an artist in 2020.”, and this expression feels very prominent within the hooks and chords of the single, and, as I mentioned beforehand, the pastiche style of Beck, Rap-Rock sound of Beastie Boys and soft late-1970’s Hip-Hop sensibilities reminiscent of De La Soul, are very audible and noticeable influences within his sound. This opens up with a harsh, distorted rhythm guitar line that distorts a sampled intro. Brook continues to lampoon the theme of being a performer on-stage, rapping: “If the record ain’t selling, you can’t make a boast” in the opening verse, and “I wish I was a little bit taller, was the first song I bought” in the second verse, intersecting these two rap verses with a cut-up Turntable clip, consisting of fast-paced cuts of samples that roll along at a speedy pace. The lyrics further continue to feel dripped and drowned in lyricism, with Brook parodying the ideas of label executives dropping you, “You’ll be smiling wide as they stab you in the back” and calling himself “A Dirty-mouthed, drunk, white trash MC” in Midnite Vultures-era fashion, with a joyous Funk backdrop and splashes of an old-school New-Wave rock sound, with quick clips and brief, cut samples layered along the way. The Rap-Rock elements feel very Beck-esque characteristically, with a collaged production of lyricism which flows through numerous quick hooks with absurdity and obscurity. Brook’s chorus feels a little more guitar-driven, as he chants: “Well I’ll be the same forever, and ever” over the top of a whistled backing vocal and a lustrous, polished lead guitar line. It certainly sounds well-inspired and conceptually well-developed, although I’m not personally as keen on the chorus because I feel he uses the Auto-Tune machinery just a little too heavily reliantly. While I think it’s not anything truly special, I feel it still makes for a fun listen.

Pictured: Ginger Snaps (a.k.a. Jay Brook) in a general publicity shoot (in 2020) (via Primary Talent International)

Thank you for reading this post! I hope that it satisfied your musical taste buds! If you join me tomorrow, you’ve got another weekly edition of Scuzz Sundays coming along to your way! This is our weekly listen back to a relic of the Emo-Rock and Pop-Punk genres from between the late-1990’s to the mid-2000’s, as we re-evaluate whether these classics hold up in the present 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/

Today’s Track: Severed Heads – “All Saints Day (2015 USA Tour)”

August 29, 2020 — Leave a comment

Basement Jazz would ask: Where’s Your (Severed) Head At? It’s time for a new post…

Pictured: Tom Ellard (Lead Vocals/Bass Guitar/Electronic Percussion) and Stewart Lawler (Synths/Keyboard/Engineer) (Current band lineup) at Unsound Festival 2016 (Photo Credit: Paulius Illius/www.SecretThirteen.org)

Good Morning, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I am writing about your daily track on the blog because, as like always, it is my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! “All Saints Day” has always gone down as a cult classic, from what I gather. It’s probably because of my age, but I just saw this track listed on the KEXP schedule, and I thought the artwork looked really amusing, but I’ve never actually listened to this record. So, it’s going to be as much as a new experience for you as it will be for me, for today. According to my research, this is one of the most popular tracks to ever be performed by Severed Heads, a cult favourite Australian Experimental Electronic Prog-House group, which has seen several line-up changes throughout the years. This track was taken from their eighth LP record, “Rotund For Success”, released in 1989. As with the bulk of the group’s discography, the album has been reissued several times over the years by different labels, in different formats and versions. This late-80’s iteration of the duo saw Tom Ellard work with Stephen Jones on Synths and Production, but the current line-up sees Jones getting replaced by Stewart Lawler on Engineering and Percussion. In any case, Severed Heads has become known for their off-kilter style of production, experimental pop-driven hooks, and twisted splicing effects. Let’s listen to their 2015 USA Tour dub of the track below.

With the history of Severed Heads in their career seeming almost as strange as the highly experimental, IDM-driven style of their music, “All Saints Day” incorporates a House-laden melodicism into a harsh, although not abrasive, electronic synth bassline and a groovy, but slightly distorted, snare effect. It often feels like some kind of “Wrong” or “Broken” auto-tune machine, with Cymbal samples being looped backwards and delayed pedal effects making the club-rolling dancefloor House beats sounding a little bit sideways. There is enough of a melodic Synthpop element to the track though, with a trendy late-80’s synth-oriented club sound and spoken word vocals that often feel comparable to Pet Shop Boys or Bernard Summer. The smooth synth-rock development replaces a grating percussion sample, sounding like a door loudly creaking, from the opening. The vocals flutter above a Disco-Rock layering, going: “For I am willing to believe/Wishing to be strong, Fighting on your side”, over the top of curiously appealing, monstrous vocal samples and the brassy, prominent Synth-Strobe stabs. An unintelligible female vocal loop, a manipulated jumble of celestial Drum blips, and an ethnological, almost tribal, backing vocal loop compete against each other in the bizzare cloud of experimentation. It’s very off-kilter, but it’s well-paced throughout and feels fairly cohesive, but it’s wonky enough to add a touch of charm and warmth. It somewhat feels like a product of it’s time, with innovative 80’s synth stabs and hefty use of the Analogue synth hardware that was new and exciting in it’s heyday, but it also feels very intentionally off-kilter and appealingly unstable enough to have a timeless effect. If it came out tomorrow, I don’t think that anybody would question it much, but you could point directly to its influence. To conclude, it does have “me” written all over it judging by my own personal tastes, and I think this is a really cool tune. I would love to see a revival of this niche dance scene.

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Rotund For Success” (Released on 31st October, 1989) (via Volition Records/Nettwerk)

Thank you very much for reading my daily music blog post! As per usual, I will be back tomorrow with your new weekly edition of Scuzz Sundays, the feature where I pick an Emo-Rock or a Pop-Punk relic from between the late-90’s and the mid-00’s to see if it can hold a candle to modern standards! If you are a fan of Burnout Paradise, the classic racer video game from 2008, you’ll be in for a blast from the past tomorrow, so make sure you don’t miss out on it! 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: Disclosure – “ENERGY”

August 28, 2020 — Leave a comment

If you thought The Chemical Brothers were the space and time of British electronic dance music – these two are actually brothers. It’s all relative! It’s time for a new post!

Pictured: Guy Lawrence (Programming/Engineer) and Howard Lawrence (Turntables/Effects) being interviewed backstage at the Roskilde Festival, Denmark (in June 2015) (Photo Credit: Marv Watson/Redbull.com)

Good Morning! I am Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing up about your daily track on the blog, as per usual, since it is always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Fittingly releasing on a Friday, which is today, in time for the underground raves you can’t go to, is “ENERGY”, the third studio album from the Surrey-raised real-life Brother DJ duo of Howard and Guy Lawrence, as Disclosure. It marks the end of a very long and grueling wait for their fans (Including my friend Grace, in particular), since this is their first proper album release in half a decade. They have kept their fans busy in the gap with a recent string of live mixes, new EP’s and the odd collaboration or two, along with mixtapes and regular live-streamed sessions, of which many of the obscure tracks appear on the deluxe version of their new album. It has a promising guest line-up, with the likes of Kelis, Slowthai, Fatoumata Diawara, Mick Jenkins, and several more involved. Disclosure have some mainstream hits under their belt with the likes of Sam Smith and Khalid, along with two Grammy Award nominations for Best Dance/Electronica Album for 2013’s debut “Settle” and for 2015’s follow-up LP “Caracal” too. Let’s stream the titular track below.

If I’m completely truthful with you, I’m not quite as familiar with Disclosure as more alternative British EDM acts like The Prodigy or Aphex Twin, because I’ve usually dismissed them a little bit as “Just Pop DJ’s”, seeing as they have worked with my current least-favourite Sam Smith for goodness sake. But, I’m now going to give up the cynicism and openly admit it. I LOVE ENERGY! I think this is a really, really, REALLY good track, and I’ve been streaming it on repeat a few times. Let’s start off with the opening, as a nice element of Deep House gets immediately established through the heavy West African drum melodies which the brothers borrowed from some samples they took from an album of Brazillian library music. These get layered out to the beat of a strong vocal performance that preaches mottos like “Right now, you should feel invincible, powerful, strong” and “If you are alive, I know you ain’t reached your best yet” with Acid synth sections and grooving Conga drum patterns. These vocals were recorded by Eric Thomas, who provided vocals for Disclosure’s early track “When The Fire Starts To Burn”. Thomas signals that “Now, we gon’ take it to another level” as the brothers unleash a cooled sequence of flickering Synth rhythms and light stabs of Acid Techno beats. They feel upbeat and moving, but they also have a calming effect. It leads up nicely to a startling finale of diverse, world-based instrumentation and Preacher-esque lead vocal sections from Eric Thomas, whilst the drum beats keep repeating and the Synth sections keep pushing-and-pulling the pacing up, with a polished sheen that stitches everything together with excellent flow and a faultless cohesion. The results make “ENERGY” feel vibrant and fresh, with a very exciting sound and a diverse sonic pallete that takes influence from a surprising range of Earthly sources. Based on what I have heard from Disclosure before, this is absolutely one of their best, and I cannot recommend it highly enough, and I’m glad it sounds as though Island Records, the major label of which they’re signed up to, hasn’t seemed to get their hands on the creative direction very much, at all. It just rocks my socks off.

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “ENERGY” (Released on 28th August, 2020) (Album/LP) (via Island Records)

Thank you very much for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as usual, with an in-depth look at a recent rework of a cult classic single recorded by an Australian Experimental Electronic Dance duo who have seen countless lineup changes throughout the years, and have performed many comeback gigs in recent years, including a gig at The State Library Of Victoria as part of Melbourne Music Week in 2016, and a one-off double gig with Snog at the Corner Hotel in Richmond, Victoria during 2017. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every new daily post is up and why not like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Today’s Track: Darkstar – “Blurred”

August 26, 2020 — Leave a comment

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

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

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

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

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

Thank you very much for reading this post! As usual, I’ll be back tomorrow, for an in-depth look at an emerging electronic dance music producer based in Yorkshire who is becoming a prominent figure in the UK’s Electronic Jazz club scene, and she has previously played for the London Symphony Orchestra, as well as performing live DJ sets on Giles Peterson’s Worldwide FM. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every new daily post is up and why not like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Today’s Track: Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs – “Los Angeles”

August 5, 2020 — 1 Comment

A here-and-now project which is anything BUT prehistoric. It’s time for your new post!

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “I Can Hear The Birds” (EP) (Released on May 27th, 2020) (via Self-Released)

Good Morning! I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing up your daily post on the blog, just like always, because it’s still my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! With a slightly amusing real name of Orlando Higginbottom, his pseudonym of Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs takes things up to a further extreme, a name he chose to inject some colour into the British club scene. He has only ever released one album, “Trouble”, a dance record that reached #34 on the UK Albums Chart in 2012. However, Higginbottom has become one of my favourite artists for his seamless abilities in shifting between vibrant dance tones and atmospheric, distinctively British bleakness at ease. “I Can Hear The Birds” is a five-track EP that marks a bold departure from the Club-oriented sounds of his previous material, a project that he self-produced and self-released during the lockdown period. The EP was created by real-life snippets of bird sounds sent to him by a group of his friends living in Australia, Canary Islands, Los Angeles, and London. He posted on social media: “Working on my existing musical projects was proving difficult and so this pattern of receiving bird recordings from friends and sending them back as songs emerged as a welcome practice.” Let’s listen to the second track “Los Angeles” below!

Birdsong is often seen as a meditative and relaxing genre of music, so it’s a nice change of pace to hear something quite different from an EDM producer who would usually probably prefer to DJ in exotic clubs across the globe. Higginbottom loops a light synth pad melody with a soft, twinkling Piano section to create a mellow intro, as the gentle Keyboard riff gradually increases the tempo of the track, and a reverberated rumble of Bass quickly proceeds a contemplative, deeply textured synth line. This isn’t entirely electronic, with the glimmering piano score remaining audible, forming a repeated fragment of a hopeful, but somewhat downbeat, quality. The field recordings of bird sounds also help in bringing the ambient textures to life. I wouldn’t say that it’s minimalist, due to the fragmented effects in various play, but it’s raw and mellow, while the Synthesizer loop adds more involvement. What really impresses me about this track is that it has a very enigmatic presence. The Synth textures feel downbeat and contemplative, but they are melodic enough to offer a reassuring feeling of warmth, hope and comfort. There is also a light evocation of Sci-Fi, due to the evocative nature of the electronic instrumentation, it makes me think of Ready Player One or Blade Runner. The textures also feel personal and affecting, and another interpretation of the vibe could be reminiscing over a failing relationship, and giving a fresh start to a former romantic partner. In any case, the main point is how the track feels very pure and natural, as a bustling Los Angeles night scene can also be pictured in my mind, with many different interpretations to relax your mind to. In short, this is unmissable! He is a very underrated artist, and I am a massive fan of him.

Pictured: Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs (Orlando Higginbottom) in a photoshoot (2020) (Photo by Pia Riverola)

Thank you very much for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as usual, with an in-depth listen to a recent single taken off a brand new album from a New Zealand-based Indie Punk band who met each other while studying at The University Of Auckland, starting out by performing Jazz and Swing as each of the band members performed under various monikers throughout the tenure. They are still well-known for their use of vocal harmonies. 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: TTRRUUCES – “I’m Alive”

July 31, 2020 — Leave a comment

A peaceful TTRRUUCE offering that you won’t intend to break! It’s time for a new post!

Pictured: Natalie Rose Findley (Lead Vocals/Guitars) and Jules Apollinaire (Producer/Keyboard) (2020) (via PR)

Good Morning to you on this boiling hot day, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing up your daily track on the blog, as usual, since it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! An Indie Pop singer-songwriter based in Stockport (in the UK), Natalie Rose Findlay is a famous face who has supported the likes of The Courteeners, Brandon Flowers, Jake Bugg and Miles Kane on tour, as well as having three critically-acclaimed solo LP’s to her name. A funny fact about her is that she is a Vegetarian and she is fluent in French. Her new project is TTRRUUCES, a duo that includes her debut album’s co-producer, Jules Apollinaire. A bit like La Roux back in 2009. Their new single is “I’m Alive”, the lead single of their self-titled LP that was released on June 26th, of this year, by All Points. She’s looking to burst new life into her creative career with a rare example of a “Concept Album” – which means it’s a record that tells a story from start to finish. The record is a “Rock Opera” of 11 tracks which document “Sad Girl” (Sadie) and “Lost Boy” (Syd) on their quest for “TTRRUUCES” – a psychedelic, mind-altering drug. Let’s have a listen below.

Gaining notoriety for a spot on the popular FIFA 20 video game soundtrack, the mysterious synth-pop duo stitch together a fun, if inconsequential, load of sunshine-soaked Dream-Pop elements and cheerful, overjoyed Pop-Punk vocals to make for an entertaining ride. The pun is, of course, intended. The first half of the track sees the duo use Space-Pop keyboard effects and gauzy, upbeat guitar instrumentation to create a summer-filled atmosphere. Findlay raps: “On days like these, you don’t think twice/Get up with the sun, feel fresh, light a cigarette” to paint the scene of waking up and going on a road trip to somewhere warm and comforting. The chorus is more melodic, with a sing-a-long delivery that aims to put a string in your step, as Findley bursts out with: “I’m Alive, To see your face it always makes it worthwhile to survive”, layered below a warm Indie Rock sound and cheerful textures. The second half of the song reminds me of The Avalanches’ “Wildflower”, as it plays on themes of nostalgia and childhood, coming-of-age on a teen-hood holiday, with cut-up sampling effects that add layered backing vocals and a psychedelic, aired tone. There is a lovely Brass section towards the end of the track, which expands the instrumental style while retaining the track’s roots in Summer-ready indie guitar fun and meditative, beach-like emotions. For me, the second half of the track is a bit more interesting than the first, with humorous lyrics and a wider sonic palette. The first half feels a bit more commercial, with guitar riffs that are solid but unspectacular and a honeyed indie guitar quality that doesn’t quite mesh with the more experimental elements as evenly. It’s not bad by any stretch of the imagination though, and I really think it’s quite difficult not to like. The cut-up sample effects add to the experience greatly, and the brief teasing of a Jazz direction keeps it fresh. Overall, it’s not quite fully there for me yet due to a few generic pop nitpicks, but only by just a little. Mostly, I think it’s very sweet, with a melodic second verse that feels easy to nod your head along to, and it reminds me of one of my all-time favourites, but it feels unique enough to set itself apart from that, and it makes me interested to hear more – That’s always a plus!

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “TTRRUUCES” (Self-Titled LP) (Released on June 26th, 2020) (via All Points Music)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as usual, to kick off the new month with a bang as we take an in-depth look at a vintage 1980’s classic track from a particularly significant 1980’s trio who were essential to the development of the Dream-Pop and Shoegaze sub-genres of Alternative Pop and Indie Rock. The band were pioneers, and a very hot commodity for 4AD in the late-80’s and early-90’s, one of the most critically-acclaimed indie record labels to this very day. 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

One Track At A Time

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