Ska-Punk

Way Back Wednesdays: The Specials – ‘Gangsters’

March 9, 2022 — Leave a comment
Pictured: Cover Art for’The Best Of The Specials & Fun Boy Three’ (LP) (Released In 2006) (via Pegasus Records)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for us to go retro with another weekly blog entry of ‘Way Back Wednesdays’ on the site, since it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Today, we really are going ‘Way Back’ because we are talking about the British Ska revival band The Specials, who were part of the 2 Tone and Alternative Reggae movements all of the way back in the late-70’s and they have continued to represent these styles through to the present day. I was going to see a tribute band for The Specials in Stoke-On-Trent before the pandemic hit in 2020 – which I was very much looking forward to, in a way – but, unfortunately, we know how that turned out in the end. Known for combining uplifting Dub melodies with the ferocious spirit of Punk, The Specials were formed back in 1977 when they lived in Coventry – and that is way before my time. They used to wear mod-style 60’s period ‘rude boy’ outfits complete with pork pie hats, tonic & mohair suits, and loafers on-stage, likely performing their greatest hits like ‘Ghost Town’ and ‘Too Much Too Young’ that reached #1 in the UK’s singles chart. They continued their career throughout the 80’s and 90’s under a revised line-up with an alternate name of The Specials AKA, which represented their informed political stance and their wry social commentary on British society. Most impressively, The Specials are still recording new material today, and they most recently released ‘Encore’ in 2019 – an original album that re-introduced vocalist Terry Hall to their ranks, and it was a #1 entry on the UK Albums Chart. ‘Gangsters’ was another of their classics, which was recorded in Studio One of Horizon Studios in Coventry during 1979 to be released as their first track under The Specials AKA name, and it peaked at #6 in the UK Singles Chart following release. Let’s give it a spin below.

Terry Hall created the vocals for ‘Gangsters’ by mixing an “angry” recording and a “bored” recording that were cobbled together, while Horace Panter had to re-cut the Bass parts because they were originally so extreme that they “blew the needle out of the record’s grooves” and pianist Jerry Dammers overdubbed a treble-heavy Piano instrumental on to the track to compensate for the low-end of the Bass. Lyrically, ‘Gangsters’ was allegedly written about a real-life incident where The Specials had to pay for damage caused to a hotel by another band (rumored to be The Damned) as they were held responsible, and the track is also reportedly a re-working of Prince Buster’s 1964 ska track ‘Al Capone’ because ‘Gangsters’ samples the car sound effects which played at the beginning of Buster’s track. Moreover, The Specials changed the refrain in the opening line to “Bernie Rhodes knows, don’t argue” as an insult aimed at Bernie Rhodes, who was the band’s manager for a brief stint. Taking all of these different stories into account, The Specials telling a story of dis-establihment in a bizzare way as they reference incidents like a mis-step involving a guitar above a perky variety of gently Skanting Dubplate beats and odd Middle Eastern-sounding instrumentals, while the lead vocals retain an energetic – yet eeire – delivery. The guitar melodies sound different to Al Capone’s track, and so The Specials did an excellent job of re-writing that track in their own image, with the deadpan vocals conveying a feeling of self-awareness about them. Overall, ‘Gangsters’ was a vital step in introducing The Specials’ take on British Ska to wider audiences at large by paying tribute to some nice influences in clear, yet poignant ways. The vocals have a quality of vagueness which retains an aura of mystery throughout, and the danceable Rocksteady drums are likely to encourage weird great uncle’s to partake in some questionable “jerky dancing” at some family parties. Injected with humor, darkness and youth – The Specials had a big hit on their hands when they released ‘Gangsters’.

Pictured: A LEGO r-ecreation of the ‘A Message To You, Rudy’ music video (2018) (Photo Credit: Musical Brick)

That same year, The Specials also re-created ‘A Message To You, Rudy’ with the famous British-Jamaican saxophonist Dandy Livingstone. You can find out more about that here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/02/06/todays-track-the-specials-a-message-to-you-rudy/

Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘A Message To You, Rudy’ (Single) (Released in 1979) (via 2 Tone/Chrysallis)

That brings me to the end of another nostalgic breakdown of a beloved classic for another week on the blog, and I thank you for spending a moment of your day with me on the site today. I’ll be back to bringing some new music to your eardrums tomorrow, as we take a light gander on a downtempo soul track by an experimental Toronto-based performance artist and producer whose music encompasses Pop, Indie Rock, Jazz, Neo-Soul and Bossa Nova. She has learned to play several exotic instruments including the Harp, a Pairometer and the Tenori-on. She has shared the stage with the likes of Janelle Monae and Aloe Blacc, and she contributed her vocals to Bob Wiseman’s ‘Giulietta Masina At The Oscars Crying’ that was first issued in 2012.

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Scuzz Sundays: Goldfinger – ’99 Red Balloons’

January 23, 2022 — Leave a comment
Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘Stomping Ground’ (LP) (Released on March 28th, 2000) (via Mojo Records)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for us to pay another visit to one of the ghosts of Pop-Punk past with another weekly iteration of ‘Scuzz Sundays’ on the blog, given that it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! A fresh set of faces to our trashy feature, Goldfinger are a Ska-Punk band who were formed in Los Angeles, California during sometime in 1994, originally beginning as a contributor to the small movement of third-wave ska that was happening alongside peer acts such as No Doubt and The Toasters around the 1980’s and 1990’s by blending elements of Carribean monto and Calypso with more traditional Rock elements from the US mainstream, but by the time that 2002’s ‘Open Your Eyes’ and 2005’s ‘Disconnection Notice’ were released, the distinct act had shed most of their Dub & Reggae influences in favour of a more conventional pop and rock creative direction. They were mostly famous for their twisted covers of tracks like Joe Jackson’s ‘Is She Really Going Out With Him’, and in 2000, they decided to create a Metal-tinged cover of Nena’s ’99 Luft Balloons’ (Or also known as ’99 Red Balloons’ in terms of the English version, as the German version was actually more successful), a track that everybody and your grandmother knows that was an 80’s Synth-Pop classic written about the aftermath of the Cold War. It was taken from the band’s third studio album – 2000’s ‘Stomping Grounds’ – that was produced by Tim Palmer and John Feldmann and mixed by Tim Palmer. Give it a spin.

Reflecting on Goldfinger’s subject cover of ’99 Red Balloons’ in 2000, the band’s vocalist/guitarist John Feldmann said, “I don’t speak a word of German, but I had this coach that kind of helped me and I listened to it and go, “Wow, I speak German”, in a conversation with RealVideo, later adding, “At the time, I had no clue, but it’s definitely a war time song. It’s funny, ’cause when I was a kid and I heard the Nena version – and even when I heard the 7 Seconds version – it seemed more like a Pop song. I mean, it’s 99 air balloons – they’re talking about the end of World War II and stuff”, when discussing when he grasped the true meaning of the still well-liked original version from 1983. Goldfinger, meanwhile, had eventually set up sync deals for the track to appear in movies like ‘Not Another Teen Movie’ and ‘Our Lips Are Sealed’ among a few other productions. Musically, we take set for land off with a textured guitar riff that lightly ascends to the lyric of “You and I in a little toy shop/Buy a bag of balloons with the money we’ve got” before the bouncy Synth riff of the original is replaced by a lightly distorted guitar riff. The rest of the track leans into your typical Metal tropes, with heavy chords giving the falsely joyous hooks of “99 red balloons floating in the summer sky/Panic bells, it’s red alert” and “The war machine, it’s red alert/Opens up one eager eye” a more kinetic soundscape that feels more visceral in aggression than Nena’s original, yet the upbeat tone of the original version remains intact. It mixes a little bit of Megadeth and The Scorpions into a blender, while paying a faithful homage to Nena’s “You think this was an innocent and happy tune, didn’t you?” card by enhancing the “We know it’s daft but we’re just having a bit of fun” card that Goldfinger play in return. The melodies are still very recognisable when compared to Nena’s original, however, and a key point of the vocals see Feldmann reciting a verse in German. It definitely incorporates a lot of elements from both the English and German version of the classic recording, both lyrically and instrumentally, but there’s just a small hint of Rush in the opening arrangement and the more softly spoken final verse feels euphoric after the pudding-like mix of Black Sabbath and Queensryche during the main bulk of the track. Overall, I had a lot of fun with this and it was better than I expected it to be as it didn’t become uneven or overstay it’s welcome. I have to say that I didn’t hear the Ska roots of the band coming through strongly at all and it really isn’t anything more than just a fun ‘messing about’ style of cover version, but it brings a few new dimensions to the original track and it is technically competent, if not superb. All things considered, it was perfectly enjoyable.

Pictured: Goldfinger performing a live set in Philadelphia, Pensylvania (June 2008) (Photo via thisisbossi/flickr.com)

That’s all for now! Thank you for checking out my latest blog post, and I’ll be back tomorrow for an in-depth look at some brand new music from an Irish band who were formed in Galway and released the ‘Waves’ EP last March to critical acclaim. They pin down sweet 80’s and 90’s rock bands like The Cure and The Smashing Pumpkins as their influences, and their music has been played on the daytime A-list of BBC Radio 6 Music. Their next EP – ‘Banshee’ – is set for release in February via Fair Youth 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/

Today’s Track: Viagra Boys – “Girls and Boys”

April 19, 2021 — Leave a comment

A billboard said Niagra Falls is the tallest waterfall – Falls advertising. New post time!

  • Pictured: Sebastian Murphy, Benjamin Valle, Oskar Carls, Henrik Hockert, Tor Sjoden and Elias Jungqvist (aka Viagra Boys) at The Great Escape in Brighton, Sussex (2019) (Photo via DIYMag.com)

Good Morning to you! Jacob Braybrooke here, and I’m kicking off the new week with another daily entry on the blog, as always, because it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! ‘Girls & Boys’ is a Swedish cocktail of riotous Post-Punk and harsh Prog-Jazz from the ludicrously witty band Viagra Boys, who formed in Stockholm in 2015, as a collective of members originally from other local bands including Neu-Ronz, Les Big Byrd, Pig Eyes, Nine and Nitad from the local-ish music scene. They released their debut album, ‘Street Worms’ to decent reviews and cult success in 2018, with praise being directed towards the use of black comedy and satire within their lyrics. This long-player earned them IMPALA’s “Album Of The Year Award” in 2019. Fast forward to 2021, and the second full-length effort, ‘Welfare Jazz’, has arrived via their own label, YEAR0001. Lately, the band have also confirmed that a third album is on the way, telling us that it was largely self-produced and that it has already been recorded, according to the bassist Henrik ‘Benke’ Höckert. You can watch a live ‘Shrimp Session’ Viagra Boys recorded for the track, ‘Girls & Boys’, for free on their YouTube channel, but, for now, let’s take a listen to the studio version below.

‘Girls & Boys’ was co-produced by Matt Sweeney (Run The Jewels, Cat Power) and Justin & Jeremiah Raisen (Kim Gordon, Sky Ferreira), with additional work from past collaborators Pelle Gunnerfeldt & Daniel “Fagge” Fagerström (The Knife, The Hives), and you can also catch another track which sees Viagra Boys enlist the aid of Amy Taylor from Amyl & The Sniffers on their new record, entitled ‘In Spite Of Ourselves’, a cover version of the track of the same title by late-great John Prine released in 1999. ‘Girls & Boys’, however, is not a cover version of Blur’s classic, but a surreal and silly, Saxophone-smattered tour of outdated gender roles. It’s also ludicrously silly too, with a call-and-response format that sees a distorted voice sing “Drugs” and “Girls” as vocalist Sebastien Murphy pairs them up with one-liners like “The only way I can boogie down” and “They always wanna tie me down”. “Shrimps” is my favourite, and I believe this is an in-joke the band have with their fans, although I’m not familiar enough with the band to really say. I think the lack of context gives it a lick of abstract art themes, and makes these crazy hooks sound all the more random. The Brass instrumentation is abrasive and incendiary, as the clashing Post-Rock guitar riffs create a strange Disco beat of-sorts. The lyrics are all about partying at their most basic, with Murphy wailing about inability to socially connect, while the strength of the distorted guitar melodies and the overly aggressive qualities of the Jazz elements hint towards something that feels more psychotic and briefly unsettling. Whether this absurdist Noise-Punk disco roller is satirical or silliness is left quite ambiguous, but it certainly isn’t a particularly feel-good single by traditional means, despite the oddly danceable melodicism of the pace. Pure unadulterated mayhem. Chaotically sublime.

  • Pictured: Physical CD copy of ‘Welfare Jazz’ (LP) (Released on January 29th, 2021) (via YEAR001)

That’s all for now – I think we’re all going to need a little breather after that one. Join me again tomorrow, however, as we diversify things up with an in-depth look at a, perhaps less frantic, tune from a Trinidad-born composer and Steel Pan player who has been a founding member of Twentieth Century Steel Band, and has collaborated on projects with Blur and Morcheeba. His latest album has recently been released by Moshi Moshi Records. 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: The Offspring – “Want You Bad”

March 21, 2021 — Leave a comment

What do you call the successor of a royal’s bed? An heir mattress! It’s Scuzz Sunday…

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Conspiracy Of One” (Released on November 14, 2000) (via Columbia Records)

Apologies for that terrible pun – but I REALLY could not think of anything else to put there! It’s hard, you know? I’m Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s my self-imposed duty to publish your new weekly entry to the Scuzz Sundays feature – where we rediscover a Pop-Punk or Nu-Metal classic from between the Emo scene of the late-90’s until the mid-00’s to see if they can hold up to quality. After all, it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Cornerstones of my childhood phase – California-bred Pop/Rock band The Offspring are back – with their first new album in nine years, ‘Let The Bad Times Roll’, set for release on 16th April via Concord Records. To coincide with the announcement of their surprise tenth studio album, which is being co-produced with Bob Rock (The Tragically Hip, David Lee Roth, Ron Sexsmith), which actually pricks my ears up a little bit, we are going to revisit ‘Want You Bad’ this week – which was released back in 2000 on their sixth and arguably most popular studio album titled ‘Conspiracy Of One’. This track was released back in the band’s heyday, after their sophomore LP – ‘Smash’ – had sold over eleven million copies worldwide, which was staggering for an independent label release. This led to the band’s signing with major label, Columbia Records, and they continued to receive strong sales in the form of Gold certifications and acclaim from the critics since. ‘Want You Bad’ is actually a play on words, where the narrator of the lyrics is saying to his girlfriend that he wants her ‘to be bad’ in a Dominatrix way. You probably couldn’t get away with it now – but this is Scuzz TV music, and the times would have been very different back then. This reached #15 in the UK Singles Chart. Let’s take a listen below.

One rather interesting fact about ‘Conspiracy Of One’ is that it’s release was fueled by The Offspring’s support for peer-to-peer file sharing. For instance, Bryan Holland – the band’s lead – endorsed the practice because he claimed that it would not hurt album sales. As you may guess, Columbia Records was irate about this, threatening to sue their own band for their intentions to release this album directly on their website before it was available in the shops, and so the group reverted back to the traditional physical release strategy. It still reportedly sold around 125k copies in it’s first week, though, reaching the #9 spot on the US Billboard 200, and so the debate could still be made, with streams playing a vital role in consumption today. As for ‘Want You Bad’ itself though, I reckon this single is a little more driven for casual radio airplay than the band’s rebellious personality may let on. Built on a thread of Power-Pop guitar chords and memorable hooks, easy-to-sing-along lyrics like “Your one vice, is you’re too nice, Come around now, can’t you see?” and “I know your arms are open wide, But you’re a little on the straight side, I can’t lie” evoking a jovial Skate Punk vibe. The chorus is built on similar rhymes, with the sharp vocals of “Complete me, Mistreat me, Want you to be Bad” and “Complicated, X-rated, I want you really bad” permeating through the fast instrumentation and the upbeat melodies. The melodic style feels a little at odds with the darker connotations behind the songwriting, where a darker tone could have benefited the track a little more for me. It sounds a lot like the music that Busted and Blink-182 were making around the time, and there’s not much to say about it lyrically, and so I ultimately think the band did “Sell Out” a bit here. That said, I think there are still things to like about the track. The quick pacing works in it’s favours, the lyrics don’t divulge into some teen Porn-like comedy (akin to the awful Bloodhound Gang) that it could have easily self-indulged itself into, and I think the hooks are relatively fun too. Overall, I think that I can still see why the track appealed to the masses, although I just wanted it to be slightly better than it was. I look forward to seeing how band have matured in the gap to their new album though.

  • Pictured: Dexter Holland (Lead Vocals), Kevin “Noodles” Wasserman (Lead Guitar/Backing Vocals), Todd Morse (Bass Guitar/Backing Vocals) and Pete Parada (Drums/Percussion) (in 2012) (via PR)

There’s no denying that The Offspring were one of the most commercially successful projects from the Scuzz TV video era, and this isn’t the first time that the Californian mainstream mega-stars have appeared on our Scuzz Sundays list of throwbacks – and you can still check out my retrospective thoughts on ‘The Kids Aren’t Alright’ here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/01/12/scuzz-sundays-the-offspring-the-kids-arent-alright/

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Americana” (LP) (November 1998) (Via Columbia Records)

Thank you for checking out my latest blog post – but that’s all that I’ve got time for right now! Please join me again tomorrow, however, for an in-depth look at some brand new music from an emerging Dream-Rock band who are based in South London who self-released their debut EP collection over the past weekend. Originally hailing from Buckinghamshire, the 4-piece group have gained solid support from publications such as Gigwise, Under The Radar and Notion, and BBC Radio 6 Music presenter Shaun Keaveny is a big fan too. 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: OPM – “El Capitan”

February 28, 2021 — Leave a comment

Captain Hook never made it to Admiral – it didn’t Pan out for him. It’s Scuzz Sunday…

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Menace To Sobriety” (Released on August 15th, 2000) (via Atlantic Records)

Good Morning to you – I’m Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for another entry in our “Scuzz Sunday” series where we revisit one of the landmark releases of the Pop-Punk genre and Emo-Rock movement of my childhood, between the late-90’s and the mid-00’s, to see whether the final nail has been put in the coffin of credibility for these relics, a light modification of my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! This week’s pick is one that I didn’t even remember initially, meanwhile, it comes from a group with quite a few hits to their name. Although it sounds like the drug ‘Opium’, the Los-Angeles based Rap-Metal band OPM’s name actually stands for “Open People’s Minds”, and they were formed in 1996 by John E. Necro and Geoff Turney in a ‘chance’ meeting on a short bus ride through two mutual friends they were each dating. Although they had never played live together at this point, Atlantic Records still took a gamble and signed them up. They broke out with “Heaven Is A Halfpipe”, which saw chart success internationally and won the Kerrang! Award for ‘Best Single’ in 2000, along with getting to play the single live on an episode of Top Of The Pops. Their debut album, “Menace To Sobriety”, was released in 2000, and it also spawned popular singles in “El Capitan” and “Stash Up” – the former of which was written about the band’s favourite type of rum, although it sounds a lot like ‘Captain’. Later re-recorded in 2012 for the “Heaven Can Wait” EP, the track was originally a #20 hit on the UK Singles Chart. Let’s refresh our memories with it below.

OPM are still making music, and “Menace To Sobriety” was given a 15-year anniversary reissue in 2015. One interesting little fact about this record is that there is also a ‘Clean’ version of the album that exists – where most of the profanities and bad language, and the references to drugs as well, have been essentially edited out of the original recording from the explicit lyrics. Famously re-mixed by IDM producers SoulChild (the duo of Stuart Bradbury and Damien Mendis) in 2001, OPM have sadly fallen down into a fair amount of obscurity since their well-known three singles peaked for them, and their albums since haven’t left much of a mark on relevancy. “El Capitan” is one of their most beloved tracks for their fanbase though, with light sampling effects mixing with the gentle hip-hop production and the heavy reggae-ska influences to express their affections for a rum brand. It was high on product placements for certain, but they were falling within the same wheelhouse as Rap-Rock groups like Less Than Jake and Sum 41 around the time. Starting with an “La La La La La La La”, the track springs to life with a piano sample and a surprisingly light guitar melody. Lines like “I like it on Ice with a Coca Cola, I sip it from LA to Capitola” and “I’ve been rockin since the 1900’s, microphone and two 1200’s” are rapped by each member of the band, in turn, above a relaxed bass guitar riff and a summery vibe. The material becomes much darker in the second half of the track, where the narrative becomes about getting a girl pregnant while being under the influence of alcohol, a theme that you would probably never be allowed to do these days. The final verse goes for a slight “breath of fresh air” attitude, saying that the real Captain Morgan wasn’t much fun, but according to the band, “He sure made a good ass bottle of rum”, in their own lyrics. I think where the track stutters is that it doesn’t have anything creative to say to me, and I’m failing to see where much of the art lies here. It’s just pretty short on ideas overall. However, I still thought that parts of the track were good, particularly the first verse where the instrumentation feels quite funky and bright. Reggae was a very clear inspiration for the band, and I like how the music isn’t heavy. It’s far from a retread of what other bands were doing at the time, but I found the subject matter of teen pregnancy later in the track to be distasteful and unsettling, thus letting it down in the process. The rhyming is a little basic, but the sampling feels fresh. I just wish the band had gone a slightly different route with the lyrics, and simply not “gone there”. It is not a total failure, though, for what it’s worth. I liked it until the second verse, and if it was re-written, it would be a bit more likeable.

  • Pictured: John E. Necro (Lead Vocals), Geoff Turney (Lead Guitar), Jonathan Williams (Keyboard), Etienne Franc (Bass Guitar) & Gary P. Dean (Drums) (Date n/a) (Photo via The Moshville Times)

That’s it for another week, and we’ve also reached the end of another month too. Please feel free to join me again tomorrow, where I’ll be trying to kick off the new month of March in style with a recent floor filler from a Reading-born electronic music producer who has collaborated with many artists including Nile Rogers, JP Cooper, Clairo, Ray BLK, Frances and LANY – with the featured vocalist of tomorrow’s track being Canadian R&B project RHYE, who we covered just a short week ago on the blog as a solo artist. 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/

Boxing Day Special: ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic – “Christmas At Ground Zero”

December 26, 2020 — Leave a comment

Believe it or not – I will be in Tiers by the time that this is all over with. It’s Boxing Day!

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Greatest Hits Volume II” (Released on October 25, 1994) (via Scotti Brothers)

Stuffed yourself with all of the trimmings yet? Good Morning, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and it’s time for me to get writing up about your daily track on the blog, because it is always my day-to-day pleasure to write to you about a different piece of music every day! That means… Boxing day, since there is no rest for the weary-eyed. “Christmas At Ground Zero” is a rather bizzare and obscure Christmas-themed track from 1986. It was written and performed by the Comedy Rock singer “Weird Al” Yankovic – who was one of the original viral favourites. A track that is essentially about Nuclear Omnicide, the title of “Ground Zero” refers to the area where the Twin Towers stood, prior to the terrifying events of 9/11, once in New York City. Before this, however, it was a reference to the spot where a Nuclear Missle was targeted to hit, and since it was recorded in 1986, that’s what Yankovic is playing around with here. He wrote it in a parody style of a Phil Spector-produced Christmas track – so just think about The Ronnetes, Darlene Love and The Crystals – and you’re there. It’s pretty mind-bending to think about just how successful that Yankovic has been for a Comedy artist writing music about niche subject areas. He’s been going since 1976 and since that time, he’s managed to sell over 12 million albums, performed more than 1,000 live shows, and he’s also won 5 Grammy Awards, along with a further 11 award nominations. In more recent years – Yankovic has written two children’s books. Let’s stream the track below.

With his trusty Accordion at hand – Yankovic has managed to perform many viral hits in Comedy parodies for the likes of Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, Coolio, Madonna, The Backstreet Boys, The Rolling Stones, Nirvana and loads more, mostly within his signature Polka style. “Christmas At Ground Zero” is no different for hitting the consistent running gags and eliciting some belly laughs in the process. Juxtaposing uplifting Sleigh bells to shots of disastrous nuclear explosions from the music video, Yankovic sets up the scene with: “It’s Christmas at Ground Zero/There’s music in the air” over the top of typically melodic Saxophone samples, before he adds: “The sleigh bells are ringing/The carolers are singing/While the air-raid sirens blare” as the tone shifts. Festive Trumpet melodies contrast with Macabre scenarios as Yankovic happily sings daft lyrics like: “We can dodge debris while we trim the tree, Underneath the Mushroom cloud” and “Just seconds left to go, I’ll duck and cover with my Yuletide lover” above the saccharine, 50’s sounds of Jazz instrumentation that conveys a jolly yet psychotic beat, while a subtle pair of Air Raid sirens sound blare quietly in the background. It’s the bridge at the end that spells it out for us, as Yankovic sends us off with: “What a crazy fluke, we’re gonna get nuked” as the depressing reminder that it’s the Ground Zero settlement that we’re dealing with springs to mind once again. It feels very child-like and silly, yet it struck a chord with audiences. I think that’s because Yankovic manages to subvert the standard Christmas track in terms of the musicality and lyrics with the darker, but still comedic and quirky, undercurrents. It’s a fun alternative to your bog-standard Band Aid or your obvious Cliff Richard fare, albeit probably not one that is suitable for the whole family. How very festive indeed.

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Polka Party!” (Released on October 21, 1996) (via Scotti Brothers)

That’s it for Boxing Day! On another note – join me again tomorrow for a festive edition of our Scuzz Sundays feature – where we take a look back at one of the Pop-Punk or Emo-Rock ghosts of Christmas past to see if they can still deliver the goods to us in the present times… and this next one was a collaboration for the ages! 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: Songhoy Blues – “Worry”

September 14, 2020 — Leave a comment

Don’t Worry, Be Happy was actually sung by Bobby McFerrin! It’s time for a new post!

  • Pictured: Garba Touré (Lead Vocals/Writer), Aliou Touré (Lead Guitar/Ocassional Backing Vocals), Oumar Touré (Bass Guitar) and Nathanael Dembélé (Drums) (in 2020) (Photo via Fat Possum Records)

Good Morning! My name is Jacob Braybrooke and, like usual, I am writing up about your daily track on the blog, since it is still routinely my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Kicking us off this week, we have Songhoy Blues. Songhoy Blues are a 4-piece Indie Rock group from Mali who linked together in their native Malian capital city of Bamako in 2012. It’s a rather interesting backstory on how this quartet got together, as they relocated from Timbuktu, and lived in Bamako after being forced to leave their original homes during the Malian Civil War that began in early 2012 due to the imposition of Sharia Law. If you’d like to learn even more, their one of the principal subjects of a documentary film on the war, “They Will Have To Kill Us First”, which was released in 2015. For now, this is a group who specialise in Desert-Rock and Blues-Rock, and they got their band name after describing their music to journalists as “Desert Blues” during the early days of their time together. “Optimisme” is their third studio LP record, and it’s due for release on October 26th via Transgressive Records. Let’s cast our fears away with “Worry” below.

“Worry” is the group’s first song to be written and performed entirely in English, and vocalist Aliou Touré described the songwriting process on this track to Owen Murphy, in an interview with KEXP: “We need hope. We need to come together. And when we get worried, there’s no way to think positive. So we don’t have to be worried, we don’t need that bad energy around us. Otherwise, we’re not going to be able to go through this situation we are in. So that’s why we wrote this song. Who can talk to everybody to keep their self-control. To not get worried and then we can be optimists together.”, and it’s an optimistic (Or should I say… Optimisme?) outlook that fuels the melodic energy of “Worry”. The opening verse sees Touré reciting: “Nothing’s come for free, When you get it free – you will lose it freely” over a potent backing bass guitar riffs provided by his brother. Gradually, it becomes a notch more polyrhythmic, with the group’s duelling vocals “Keep your self-control/Keep your eyes open” being repeated over virtuosic guitar work and a throbbing drum signature pattern, as it begins to feel more rooted in 60’s Rock N’ Roll as we get blended Malian cross-rhythms and finger-shredded, riff-driven guitar patterns. The chorus bursts through: “Don’t worry, You’re gonna be happy/Keep fighting today”, with “That smile will come today” just permeating through a rapturous blend of Post-Punk and 70’s Blues-Rock, as a traditional African melodicism drives the positive lyricism forward. I will say that I don’t think the lyricism is anything to especially write home about, but I strongly feel that Songhoy Blues have done a great job in conveying their African musical culture to a Desert-Rock format very nicely, as well as to a global, more casual audience really suitably. Their guitar solo’s keep layering on top of energetic vocals with a steadfast and sharp ease, feeling suited to our modern times of Covid turmoil. It’s a thumbs-up!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Optimisme” (Available from October 23, 2020) (via Transgressive Records)

Thank you very much for reading my new post! As always promised, I will be back tomorrow, with an in-depth look at the brand new single from a new 4-piece act who simply describe themselves as “Minimalist Rock from Leeds” and have, thus far, only released two singles, and are signed to the Zen F.C. underground indie label. It comes highly recommended from me, however, and I hope that you will enjoy it as much as I always do! 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: Transplants – “Diamonds and Guns”

September 13, 2020 — Leave a comment

Diamonds Are Forever, or will they disappear with this 2002 tune? It’s Scuzz Sunday…

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Transplants” (Self-Titled) (Released on October 21st, 2002) (via Hellcat Records)

Good Morning! My name is Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing about your daily track on the blog, as per usual, because it’s my day-to-day pleasure to do so! We’ve reached yet another installment of Scuzz Sundays on the blog, which means that it’s time for our weekly look back at an Emo-Rock or Pop-Punk relic released between the late-1990’s and mid-2000’s, named as a way of tribute to the now-defunct rock music video TV channel Scuzz, to see if the classics haven’t lost their quality. “Diamonds and Guns” reached #27 on the UK Singles Chart in 2002, and it was performed by the US Pop-Punk/Rap-Metal 3-piece collective, Transplants. This was mainly a side project of Rancid’s Tim Armstrong and Death March’s Rob Aston (also known as ‘Skinhead Rob’), who later recruited Blink-182’s Travis Barker as their drummer, and they officially formed the trio and started the new project. This came with a self-titled LP that was released in the same year, via Hellcat Records. Since then, it hasn’t seen a great deal of longevity as Transplants have been on-and-off hiatus, once in 2003 and then again in 2010, but they’ve had three album releases under their wing in the time since. Most recently, the group released “In A Warzone”, in 2013. Their self-titled LP, however, reads like a who’s-who of the commercial pop-punk scene of their time, in terms of the guest list. It included contribution’s from AFI’s Davey Havok, The Distillers’ Brody Dalle, The Nerve Agents’ Eric Ozenne and several more, even including Armstrong’s Rancid bandmates Matt Freeman and Lars Fredricskon. Their biggest commercial hit, “Diamonds and Guns” features Funkdoobiest’s Son Doobie, and all four of these guys star in the official music video, which Epitath Records have thankfully preserved for your enjoyment below. Let’s have a listen back to “Diamonds and Guns”, down below.

With audio production of the self-titled LP being handled by Tim Armstrong and Dave Carlock in Armstrong’s basement, this came across slightly more as an independently written “passion project”, as opposed to a label-driven and manufactured release that some of Transplant’s members native bands were likely subject to. Surprisingly, the single opens with an insistent Piano melody that basically glides along the top of a rolling, cascading guitar loop, above a woozy, neo-psychedelic backing vocal. The lead vocals feel mellow at first, with Armstrong reciting: “Bombs going off in Sierra Leone/Taken more shots than Karl Malone” over the top of zany bass guitar hooks. As we get to the chorus, it begins to sound more tense and rickety. The band chant: “It’s a wicked world that we live in/It’s cruel and unforgiving” under a slick reverb effect, before pulsating lines of drum synths introduce a more sonic direction to the palette. Alas, it never goes full-throttle drum and bass, since we settle into the fluttering piano hook and the bitter guitar patterns again. The lyrics are hard-hitting and of a darkly political subject matter, with the lines: “From those who bust shots to those who stuff cops, To those who serve rocks on all the hard blocks” sticking out among the rest in particular. Overall, it feels like more a fusion of psychedelic rock and rap-rock than pop-punk and rap-metal, and I think it works pretty strongly, unexpectedly so. It sounds fairly experimental for the three guys involved, and I imagine the creative freedom that comes off, essentially, a side-project like this, does them a few favours for this. The rap interlude reminds me of Gorillaz’ “Clint Eastwood” (Which came out a year prior) with Doobie’s blunted delivery and stifling lyricism, with pleasantly dark classic rock sensibilities that evoke The Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy For The Devil” to me. These results feel quite inspired, and these characteristics give it it’s unique edge.

  • Pictured: Tim Armstrong (Lead Vocals/Lead Guitar), Robert Aston (Bass Guitar/Backing Vocals) and Travis Barker (Drums/Percussion/Sampling/Loops) (in 2013) (Photo Credit: Jason Tate/Chorus.fm)

Thank you for reading this post! As always, I’ll be back tomorrow to kick off another seven days worth of daily musings. We will be starting off the week with an in-depth look at a recent single from a Malian 4-piece rock group who have made the track their first to ever be sung entirely in English. This band were formed in Bamako after they were forced to leave their homes in response to the Malian Civil War in 2012 and the resulting imposition of Sharia law. 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