Today’s Track: Keith & Tex – “Stop That Train”

April 23, 2020 — Leave a comment

To keep in shape, I wonder if they have a Personal Train…er! It’s time for a new post!

Pictured: Keith Rowe and Texas Dixon in a photoshoot to promote a tour with The Steadytones (2018) (via 4 Ecluses)

Good morning to you on this sunny Thursday! I’ve been looking forward to the hot weather and planning accordingly in the hopes of whisking you away to the even brighter and warmer shoals of Kingston, Jamaica for this Jamaican Rocksteady classic from Keith & Tex! I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing about your daily track on the blog, since it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to do so! Keith Rowe and Phillip Texas Dixon are some of the late guardians of the 60’s Rocksteady and Dub genres from Jamaica. Rowe and Dixon were introduced to each other by a mutual friend after both growing up near the Pembroke Hall area, before finding little success in a 5-piece vocal group, but more so later when Rowe and Dixon continued their act as a duo. The two are still going strong to this day, having released the entirely acoustic Rocksteady album “Same Old Story” via Liquidator in 2017, a return to their early Reggae roots following years of more experimental endeavors. It led to tours around the UK, Hong Kong and Brazil last year as their musical journey carries on. Arguably their biggest hit is “Stop That Train”, a single which they released back in 1967. It’s been covered and sampled several times since. Let’s have a listen to the single below.

A timeless, mellow dubbed single which feels like a precursor to the Reggae Roots sound of the mid-70’s in a few ways, Keith & Tex’s “Stop That Train” is a stand-out track from the output of the Trojan Records label in the late 60’s, although I feel the slightly melancholic texture adds a low-key strength in comparison to some of their contemporary peers from their time. Built around a mid-tempo steel drum groove, Keith sings: “Stop that train/I want to get on/My baby, she is leaving me now” and “She said, my dear, I do love you/No matter what they say or do/I keep shouting” above a shimmering cymbal rhythm that keeps going and going. A slight precursor to the “Funk” boom of the 1970’s, repetition in sound in order to control a flowing groove is key. At a mid-way point, the track leads us to a beautiful guitar solo which twangs and shakes as all of the instrumentation in the background slowly dissipates, leaving the guitar riff as the sole layer. Tex joins for the chorus, as well as adding some neat, calming backing vocals to support Keith’s pace. The consistent, mid-tempo drum riff makes its return as Keith & Tex repeat the chorus with a strong male harmony and a thick Jamaican accent which emphasize the traditional reggae sound amongst a gentle keyboard riff. The rhythm is a little bit harder and deeper, with the lyricism more rough-edged, than your average 60’s Rocksteady track. The loops are catchy, but the focus on voice is the draw. A golden oldie that should not be forgotten.

Keith & Tex (Keith Rowe & Phillip Texas Dixon) performing “Party Night” live for KCRW (December 2017) (via YouTube)

Thank you for reading this post! I hope that you enjoyed it! I’ll be carrying on with the warm vibes tomorrow for an in-depth look at a fairly recent-ish single from a Haitian electronic music producer who began to produce his own material at the teen age of 15 and he’s part of the hip-hop fusion duo The Celestics! 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: Greentea Peng – “Ghost Town”

April 16, 2020 — Leave a comment

Do you remember the good old days before the Ghost Town? All the clubs have been closed down! Not the same song as The Specials’ classic – but it’s time for a new post!

Pictured: Greentea Peng (Aria Wells) in an early press photoshoot (September 2019) (Photo Credit: Emma Williams)

Given our current circumstances, “Ghost Town” sounds like it has an even bleaker meaning behind it now! Not to fear though, as I am Jacob Braybrooke and I’m here to put a smile on your face by writing about a different track each day on the blog, as it’s my day-to-day pleasure to do so! “Ghost Town” is the latest single from Aria Wells, a Neo-Soul and alternative R&B singer-songwriter from South-East London, who writes under the alias of Greentea Peng. Yep… There’s no deeper meaning to that name, it’s been simply made from her love of Green Tea and “peng” being a London slang word for “cool”. Honestly, I prefer Herbal! She’s known for her fashion style, which is very distinctive, as she’s covered in full-body art tattoos and lots of piercings. Adidas, a sportswear brand, spotted her distinct taste and they used her as one of the models for their promotional campaign last year. The brand were spotlighting emerging musical artists during this marketing campaign. “Ghost Town” is about the ongoing gentrification of council housing in London and her experiences of worsening inequality towards the working class. It’s a call for action, where she asserts that she isn’t going to let London become… a Ghost Town. Let’s listen to “Ghost Town” below! Make sure you stay tuned after the song ends to see the stories that inspired the track.

A poignant video which features Wells roaming around Aylesbury Estate, an area seen to be particularly affected at the detriment of the political and sociological powers that be is a fitting tribute to the folks who are victims of gentrification in London, as well as an immediate showcase of the issue that Wells is, lyrically, raising awareness through the form of “Ghost Town”. She matches a Baritone vocal delivery with a 2-Tone, Dubplate technique, which doesn’t feel aggressive, as it instead feels bright and radiant. Wells croons: “London bridge is falling down/All my mates walkin’ round with frowns”, as a gentle stream of Jazz instrumentation infiltrates the Soulful, smokey style of the sound. A light infusion of Trumpet chords become a major factor in play, which fuses with Wells’ lyrics of struggle and despair, to create an R&B soundscape which feels both organic and electronic at the same time. Wells comes close to rapping in some verses, as a polished Spoken Word delivery begins to command the presence of the vocal hooks. “Heavy on my mind/Every single day, trying to take the vibe of my city away” are melodic, deeply contextual lines which call for warning and alert, but the synthetic elements of the sonic, Dub-based instrumental feel calm and reassuring due to the laidback Ska elements and the mellow cries of “But you can’t take my city from me” releasing the tension from the slow pacing, low tempo and subtle Reggae groove. A bit too clever for the masses, I reckon – but I know that it’s a track which deserves to be heard! She is an exciting artist and I can’t wait to see more.

Pictured: Greentea Peng (Aria Wells) in a recent cover shoot for Crack Magazine (2020) (Photo Credit: Getty Images)

It was quite a long time ago now – but I have also covered one of Greentea Peng’s earlier tracks, “Mr. Sun (Miss Da Sun)” on the blog, read all about it here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2019/11/12/todays-track-greentea-peng-mr-sun-miss-da-sun/

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Ghost Town” (Single/EP) (Released on 4th March 2020) (via Melody Maker)

Thank you for reading this post! I hope that you enjoyed it, I’ll be back tomorrow with an in-depth look at a viral track from a Canadian rapper who has been working with BBC Sound Of 2020 finalist Beabadoobee on a track which has received over 150 million plays on Spotify and it has been featured in over 3 million videos on the social media app TikTok. The track also reached #43 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US and #8 in the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart after a lengthy sample clearance delay! 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: The Melodians – “I Will Get Along Without You”

February 17, 2020 — Leave a comment

I won’t get along without your likes, follows and support! It’s time for your new post!

Pictured: Tony Brevett (Vocals), Brent Dowe (Vocals), Trevor McNaughton (Vocals) (Photo Credit: Darren Farnsworth)

Good evening to you, I’m Jacob Braybrooke, writing about your daily track on the blog, as promised! It’s a wet, frosty and in most places, icy, February where I’m situated in the UK, with my local area of Stoke-On-Trent being hit by snow storms especially. As they say, Jack Frost’s been nipping at my toes. So, rather than moan about the weather, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to whisk you away to a bright, sunshine-glazed destination to start off your week, and I’m going to do so with an old Jamaican Rocksteady classic from 1967. A little known fact is that “I Will Get Along Without You”, by classic Jamaican vocal trio The Melodians, is actually a reworked cover of a song published by Milton Kellem all of the way back in 1951, originally titled: “Gonna Get Along Without Ya Now”. There have been many versions since, with The Melodians being credited for influencing the likes of UB40 and She & Him to produce their own versions in more recent times. Formed by Tony Brevett, Brent Dowe and Trevor McNaughton, The Melodians went on to receive the coveted “Iconic Award” from the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (JaRIA) in 2017, although the trio had a few line-up changes and different producers over the years, with Bramwell Brown, Renford Cogle and Vin joining the ranks later on. Cogle was involved from the off, writing and arranging material for the vocalists. I discovered “I Will Get Along Without You” through the “This Is Trojan: Rock Steady” compilation album, released in April 2018, where the individual tracks are comfortably sitting on the system of my student radio station’s playout software. Let’s hear the track below!

The track immediately begins with a Vintage Jazz sound, which gets created by a nestled solo from trumpets courtesy of backing group The Supersonics. The vocals sink in: “You had a heart that I used to share/And then you went away, girl/Now you come back, telling me to forgive you/But I won’t change my mind”, Brevett takes the lead as he sends his ex-girlfriend packing: “I’ve found someone who loves me more than you do/And she will never, break my heart”, with Dowe and McNaughton tweeting and whistling in perfect harmony. Brevett continues to play up the lyrical theme of joyful break-up from a romantic partner: “So don’t you ever try to change my mind/Cause’ I won’t take you back”, with Dowe and McNaughton adding: “You gotta tell her one more time”, over a light, hazy and sun-dripped acoustic guitar riff and the effortlessly smooth use of Vibraphones and Saxophones. Simplicity is key, with minimalist production work and a jaunty, swayable dance beat which reminds me of the undeniable influence that classic Jamaican music has carved into the pop sensibilities of today, even if it isn’t noticed at once. The brass instrumentation is the musical stand-out, as it adds the signature groove which carries the slow-paced harmonies along. The lyrics are fairly interesting, with a slight implication that the narrator may have cheated on his ex-partner, who cheated on him prior to this, which adds a darker tone to contrast the light-hearted quality of the traditional Dub sound. By using elements of Ska, Jazz and Soul – The Melodians have created a thoroughly enjoyable classic which holds up on it’s own two feet decades after it was originally released. It precisely hits the sweet spot of the traditional Reggae sound on the head!

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “This Is Trojan: Rock Steady) (Compilation Album Box-Set) (April 2018)

Thank you for reading this post! Make sure that you check back with the blog tomorrow, as I’ll be back with an in-depth look at another old classic! However, this time – it’s a classic ambient dance anthem, released in 1991, by a London-formed dance group who collaborated with Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour on their tenth studio album, released in 2010! They’re also set to play this year’s All Points East Festival at Victoria Park in London this May! 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/https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Today’s Track: The Specials – “A Message To You, Rudy”

February 6, 2020 — Leave a comment

Give it a listen and you might find something Special about it! It’s time for a new post!

Pictured: Lynval Golding (Lead Guitar), Horace Panter (Bass Guitar), Terry Hall (Vocals), Jerry Dammers (Keyboard), Silverton Hutchinson (Drums), Roddy Radiation (Lead Guitar) and Neville Staple (Vocals, Percussion) in the cover artwork for “The Specials” (1979) (Original Line-Up)

It’s Thursday and I’m sitting at my desk, accompanied by a bright array of sunshine outside of my window in Stoke-On-Trent, as the nights are getting longer and the cold frost is momentarily disappearing. It seems like a great day to listen to a little bit of 2-tone or ska, so I thought it would be a perfect opportunity for me, Jacob Braybrooke, to write about the 1979 track, “A Message To You, Rudy” by underrated British band The Specials, although it was originally performed as a slow Jamaican Rocksteady ballad by Dandy Livingstone back in 1967. Interestingly, the trombone parts of the original track were recorded by Cuban Jazz icon Rico Rodriquez, who also recorded the trombone parts for The Specials’ cover version of the track, which reached the #10 spot of the UK Singles Chart in 1967. Let’s bob our heads along to the track below.

A band who have become iconic for challenging the political and social barriers surrounding their native country of the UK, The Specials manage to recreate a classic Rocksteady track by conveying upbeat Ska tones and a 2-step Dub rhythm, infused by punk’s attitude and energy, to create a fairly safe but love-able new take on a vintage Jamaican classic. The lyrics remain unchanged, as then-vocalist Terry Hall croons: “Stop your messing around/Better think of your future”, which is layered above Rodriquez’s euphoric trombone and a light drum pattern which bounces along to the beat of the vocal harmonies. There is also the use of a Harmonica at the beginning, as the instrumentation gets established to have a highly organic heart. Hall continues on: “Rudy, a message to you Rudy”, as a Trumpet solo unfurls with the pure Ska sound and the old-school Rocksteady center. The original version was an ode to the youth of Kingston in the late 60’s, and it seems like The Specials’ cover version has been morphed to address a wider British audience, but it doesn’t seem to miss it’s roots with it’s bass-led impact. Overall, it’s still a very uplifting ska number which, although not wholly original, feels distanced enough from the original track to say something new. There’s no wonder it’s still used in films and TV shows fairly regularly.

Pictured: A LEGO recreation of the “A Message To You Rudy” music video (Photo Credit: Musical Brick) (2018)

Thank you for reading this post! As always, I’ll be back tomorrow and I will be celebrating the release of La Roux’s “Supervision” album with an in-depth overview of the latest single to be released from the album, “Automatic Driver”! If you’ve read the blog before, you’ll know that I’m very, very excited for the release of this one, as it’s been six years since the release of her previous LP record, 2014’s “Trouble In Paradise”! 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: Less Than Jake – “All My Best Friends Are Metalheads”

January 26, 2020 — Leave a comment

In the case of some of my fellow university students, all of my best friends are… Gobble heads! If you know, you know! It’s time for your weekly Scuzz Sundays post!

Pictured: Chris DeMakes (Lead Vocals/Lead Guitar), Roger Lima (Bass Guitar), Buddy “Goldfinger” Schaub (Trombone), Peter “JR” Wasilewski (Tenor/Backing Vocals) and Matt Yonker (Drums) (November 2019) (Photo Credit: Kerrang.com)

Happy Scuzz Sunday and if you’re reading this as a fellow pro wrestling fan, I hope you enjoy the Royal Rumble tonight! I’m Jacob Braybrooke and this week’s throwback emo-pop/punk/rock track from the late 90’s to the early 00’s is the punk, Jamaican ska-inflected track “All My Best Friends Are Metalheads” by Less Than Jake, a track from their third LP, “Hello Rockview”, released in October 1998. It was the Gainesville ska-punk band’s final release as part of Capitol Records and the final album to feature Pete Anna as the trombonist. The album reached #80 on the Billboard US 200 charts, with the lead single “All My Best Friends Are Metalheads” reaching the #51 spot on the UK Singles Chart. Let’s have a listen to the single below.

With “Hello Rockview”, the album, telling the story of four years in the life of a former drummer who was imprisoned at Rockview State Correctional Institution in a comic book stylised format, “All My Best Friends Are Metalheads” is, quite literally and very musically, a late-night stoner-rock filled party filled with chaotic guitar riffs, frenetic bass guitar lines and bombastically delivered vocal hooks. DeMakes starts: “You will constantly remind yourself that some of my generation judges people by their race” over a fast-paced composition of youthful, decapitalized energy. It’s a story of Punk popularity under the oppression of the local authorities, told from the point of view of a teenager, as DeMakes chants: “You think it’s strange/that there’s a way of how you looked, and how you act, and how you think”, before imploring the listener to: “Pretend they’re not the same as you”, with DeMakes rapping about the importance of dressing your own way and the power of individualism within your bubble of friends. There are trombone-filled horn intersections and chant-led arrangements of quick vocal hooks. It sounds like the theme of a kids’ cartoon from the 1990’s and it isn’t exactly the most polished record that I’ve ever heard, as the pacing is speedy, although abrupt. The overall frivolous style adds a witty element of comedy and the lyrics are sharp, if not preachy. In my views, this is a track which rolls along far too quickly to a point where the lyrics aren’t given any time or space to have an effect. The jazz-based instrumentation adds a nice dynamic, but the overall package is quite rowdy and it doesn’t quite manage to drop the heavy baggage of it’s lyrical subject matter. A weird one to analyse, this is a ska-punk preach that feels like mess on a kid’s bedroom floor, as there’s some fun nostalgia, but it mostly sounds cobbled together.

Pictured: Art designs for “Less Than Jake” band T-Shirts & Merchandise (2019) (Photo Credit: edithboucher.com)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as usual, with a look at a new track from a British electronic dance duo, mainly known for their 80’s hits, who have just released a new album to a positive critical reception and recently performed the single on an episode of BBC 1’s “The One Show”. 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: Hi Grade Hi-Fi (feat. Kes D’ Jordan) – “Turn Up The Heat”

January 23, 2020 — Leave a comment

We should turn down the fog and turn up the heat in the UK! Time for your new post!

Pictured: Hi-Grade Hi-Fi performing a live set at the Soundsystem Culture Festival (2019) (Credit: Stalingrad O’ Neill)

Jacob Braybrooke here! Here’s an up-tempo Reggae jive that I played on my most recent radio show, which comes courtesy of underground Birmingham dub-plate group High Grade Hi-Fi, a band who describe their sound as a “Reggae Sound System like no other”, as they cohesively incorporate the different elements across old-school Dub-plate production techniques with the raw sound of Jamaican carnival and the beat-driven influences of Ska. I have previously covered “Warrior, a more politically infused hip-hop track, on the blog. Have a listen to “Turn Up The Heat” below, a more breezy and feel-good ska track, which also features the vocal talents of Kes D’ Jordan.

“Turn Up The Heat” is, comparatively, very different to “Warrior” – with a lighter emphasis on the hip-hop and a heavier focus on the influences of Disco and a warmer, more light-hearted tone. Jordan quips: “Turn up the heat/rock to the beat/living in a moment”, over the top of a golden line of sun-dripped synth pad beats and a vintage, dub-tinged kick drum beat. Jordan sings: “got to be ready/for anything that comes your way” as the underlying Ska tone welcomes a new mix of beach-glazed guitar riffs and honeyed two-step bass guitar melodies. Jordan puts the cherry on top of the cake, as: “you’ve been frozen in time” and “free the shackles from your regimented life/it’s a sterile component” ushers in a chorus of trumpets and more jazz-oriented instrumentation which kicks the pacing up to another notch, resulting in a more kinetic and slightly old-school rocksteady-tinged, effect of sequencing. The dub-plate melodies are very rhythmic and the lyrics have a very upbeat and positive message of leaving your worries behind and enjoying yourself, which is very relevant in today’s digitally-connected society. The lyrics encourage you to, for example, enjoy a swift jive to a track at a gig rather than spend the whole 3-4 minutes filming clips of it for your social media accounts. Turn up your stereo to this!

Pictured: Still image from the music video for “Doggies Dem (feat. Juggernaut”)” (November 2019)

For the purposes of making a comparison between “Turn Up The Heat” and their brilliant track “Warrior”, why not read my thoughts on “Warrior” down below?: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2019/11/13/todays-track-hi-grade-hi-fi-feat-richie-culture-warrior/

Pictured: Behind-the-scenes image of High Grade Hi-Fi filming the “Warrior” music video (June 2019)

Thank you for reading this post! As usual, I’ll be back tomorrow with a look at a track, released in support of their third LP released in 2016, from an Australian electronic pop duo who are comprised between one member of Pnau and one member of The Sleepy Jackson! 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: The Techniques – “Queen Majesty”

January 20, 2020 — Leave a comment

Here’s a ticket to a sunny paradise on Blue Monday! Tell me now, how does that feel?

Pictured: Cover Art for “Winston Riley’s Rock Steady & Early Reggae 1968-1969” (2017) (available at Bandcamp.com)

Good evening (or night, in my case) to you, Jacob Braybrooke here, as usual, it’s been one of the busiest days of my life today, but I’m glad that I’ve finally made it to my desk to write to you about today’s musing, which is going to be a quick overview of the classic Rocksteady track “Queen Majesty” by The Techniques, released back in 1967 on the “3-Prong Push Out” compilation. This track can also be found on the “This Is Trojan: Rock Steady” compilation album, along with many other vintage Jamaican tracks from the likes of The Ethiopians, The Three Tops and The Melodians.

I specifically picked this track as it’s “Blue Monday” – which is known as the gloomiest day of the year, but I didn’t want to go down the straightforward New Order route, even if their 1986 classic is an absolute foot-tapping tune! “Queen Majesty” is a track which I picked as a way of transporting you to a blissful Jamaican paradise on a cold January day – which is an effect created by the track in perfect harmony! The vocals, mostly from the core lineup of Winstron Riley, Slim Smith, Franklyn White and Frederick Waite, are highly satisfying as the group of vocalists croon: “Queen majesty/may I speak to thee?”, although there is a darker tone to contrast the hopeful melodies of the light, upbeat drum melodies which shimmers along to the vocal rhythm of the track. The racial slur, “True, I agree, I’m not of your society/I’m not a king, just a minstrel” evokes a more somber feeling, which blends with the contrasting hopefulness and melancholy of the love-laden line: “As long as you love me/And it won’t be so hard/as long as I see love in your eyes”, as it becomes apparent that the male protagonist is leaving the community of his lover behind, but hopes to keep a long-distance relationship going. I may be reading far too much into the lyrics, but that’s the subtle beauty of the track. A will to keep going, but a power to move on!

Pictured: Full Track Listing for the “This Is Trojan: Rock Steady” compilation LP (CD Outer Casing) (April 2018)

Thank you for reading this post! As usual, I’ll be back tomorrow, with a look at the new track from a Spanish indie rock band, which is currently on the B-list of the BBC Radio 6Music playlist, who changed their name of “Deers” in 2014 following a legal dispute with an existing band who are called “The Dears”! Oh dear… 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: Khruangbin (feat. Leon Bridges) – “Texas Sun”

January 6, 2020 — 3 Comments

Don’t you worry, Summer will be here again in no time! It’s time for your new musing!

Pictured: Khruangbin (Laura Lee, Mark Speer & Donald “DJ” Johnson) and Leon Bridges in a photoshoot (2019)

As per usual, Jacob Braybrooke here! Two texas powerhouses from the indie scene in the US, world-inspired neo-soul band Khruangbin and contemporary Jazz vocalist Leon Bridges, have recently announced a new collaboration from both artists. “Texas Sun” is the title of the EP and it’s set to release on February 7th on the Dead Oceans label. Drawing from the long history of Thai music over the 60’s, “Texas Sun” is also set to be released in partnership with Columbia Records and Night Time Stories. In a statement to the press, Laura Lee, the frontwoman of Khruangbin, said on the record: “We try not to have too much of an intention, because it gets in the way of what the music wants to do,” before elaborating: “If you just let the music do what it’s supposed to do, it will reveal itself. We tried to take that same approach with Leon. For us, it was opening up our world to have another person in it. But all of it feels like Texas to me.”. The title track of the EP has been released to drum up a bit of hype, which was recorded after the two acts undertook a joint tour together, following Khruangbin opening for Leon Bridges for his tour in 2018. They’re the best of friends!

The title of the track, “Texas Sun” does sound a bit like a low-rate Country folk song with a wild addiction to cheese overload. To a certain extent, it is. But, make no mistake, this is a vibrant and sun-dripped trip through a wide diversity of neo-soul, Jamaican dub-esque melodies, with Bridges adding the expected Jazz twist to Khruangbin’s original and unique sound. Bridges compliments: “Say you wanna hit the highway/While the engine roars/Well come on, roll with me till the sun goes down/That Texas sun”, following it up with: ” When I’m far from home/And them cold winds blow/Stuck out somewhere with folks I don’t know/’Cause you keep me nice and you keep me warm/Wanna feel you on me” and delivering a swift ending to the track with the post-chorus: “Take a ride with me baby/You by my side/How does it sound/You and I”, as the luscious soundscape of colourful bass melodies and the rhythmic crescendo section fades out, which leaves a lasting impression of progressive jazz influences and instrumental psych-funk chords. It’s an easy and accessible track to listen to, helped by a relaxing backbeat climax and flamenco string arrangements, paired with Briges’ rusty vocals. At the end of the day, us Brits won’t be complaining about the weather after this plays on the radio on a tantalizingly hot day!

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Texas Sun” (EP) (Available on 7th February, 2020)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as usual, with a look at a 90’s Murder Ballad from a world-famous icon who famously writes his material on a Typewriter, joined on a track by an Australian pop queen who played the legends slot at last year’s Glastonbury festival! 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: The Jamaicans – “Things You Say You Love”

January 2, 2020 — Leave a comment

Here are the things I say that I love: Pyjamas, Bed, Cake, Alcoholic Drinks, Books, Art, Tea, Coffee, Chocolate and most importantly… Music! It’s time for your daily musing!

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “This Is Trojan: Rock Steady” (Compilation LP Box-Set) (April 2018)

If I’m honest, it’s been a strangely difficult task for me, Jacob Braybrooke, to find a song to write to you about on such a peculiar day as January 2nd, so I ultimately decided to take you decades back for a Jamaican Rocksteady classic originally performed by The Jamaicans, a Ska/Rockfteady outfit that was formed in 1967. Not very much is known about their origin, besides the fact that it had three founding members: Derrick Brown, Martin Williams and Norris Weir, who tragically passed away at his home in Port Lucile in November 2018, following a lucrative career where he went on to release ten successful gospel albums. It still feels fairly recent, in my books. Later in the 60’s, Tommy Cowan joined the ranks of the line-up to form a quartet. At one point, it was a quintet with Flats Hylto and I Kong, with the group calling themselves “The Jamaicans” at the behest of Jamaican shipping agent Aston McKeaachron, as the studio felt it would increase their international appeal. “Things You Say You Love” is one of their most essential and well-received tracks, which recently had a re-release on their label’s compilation boxset, “This Is Trojan: Rock Steady”, in April 2018. The compilation album features golden classics from the likes of Desmond Dekker & The Aces, Phyllis Dixon, Alton Ellis & The Flames and Keith & Tex! I think it’s definitely well worth seeking out if you can find it in the January sales!

A shuffling horn-based arrangement and a low-tempo kick drum beat is the catalyst for the super-smooth harmonies and the jangly dancebeat tone. It provides the basis for a jazz-inspired tune and a two-step pace which makes it accessible to shuffle your body along to. The quartet vocally express the bluntness of happiness not always coming to pass and the theme is that, in life, you can’t win them all and you need to keep your chin up in acceptance that moving forward is always the best direction to go forwards. The verses are chronologically muffled, with the track being vocally performed in very tedious fragments, which come across as our way of thinking. “Things You Say You Love/You’re gonna lose” and “Can’t last too long” are repeated over quiet, down-beat soul melodies. It’s a highlight of a very truthful lesson in life which is still relevant decades beyond the original release of the track, as it’s a peaceful comment on the way that we, as humans, organise the good and the bad of our lives and the way that we, quite simply, do things. Along with the slick and soulful vocal harmonies, it sits very proudly amongst the other Jamaican classics of it’s time.

Pictured: The Jamaicans in 1967 – Derrick Brown, Norris Weir, Martin Williams and Tommy Cowan (All Lead Vocals)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as usual, with an in-depth look at the new track from a Slovakian polyphonic vocal singer and songwriter who specialises in Dark Polyphonic Vocal music from the region of “Horehronle”, combined with light and breezy elements of neo-psychedelia and synthpop. 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: Massive Attack (feat. Shara Nelson) – “Unfinished Sympathy”

December 2, 2019 — Leave a comment

Robert “3D” Del Naja, Grant “Daddy D” Marshall and formerly “Mush” (Andy Vowles) comprised the original lineup of Massive, a Trip Hop group from Bristol. Later renamed as Massive Attack, the name which stuck, the band have become Massive-ly (sorry!) influential force in the history of British dance and alternative music. “Unfinished Sympathy”, one of the lead singles from their 1991 debut LP, “Blue Lines” was later voted on many end-of-year and best-of-all-time lists, particularly since the track was named as the 63rd best song of all-time by NME in 2014. The single also reached #13 in the UK Singles Chart upon it’s original release. It came accompanied with a music video directed by Baillie Walsh, , which saw Shara Nelson, the guest vocalist, walking through a grimy street in a neighbourhood in Los Angeles, California – oblivious to the events going on around her in the surrounding area. Recently, Massive Attack have been featured in the news, as they have announced a study into the effects of climate change on live tours. As a result, the band, in their press release, have commented on making a pledge to: “map thoroughly the carbon footprint of band tour cycles, and to present options that can be implemented quickly”. In respect of this brave move, I’ve decided to take a look back at “Unfinished Sympathy” and discuss why the track, nearly 30 years on, still manages to hold up in this day and age!

“Unfinished Sympathy” was one of the group’s earliest recordings and it has become a huge cornerstone in the career of an, arguably, underrated group who have gone on to sell over 13 million copies worldwide in their career. Even now, when you revisit the sound of the track, there’s actually a grand variation of different styles here. There are plenty of vocal and percussion samples, there is an acid house influence created by the drum machine programming and even an orchestral influence being created by the string-based arrangement, which was an effort composed by Will Malone. Some of these elements were created digitally, while other elements were composed by natural instruments. The orchestral composition was later sampled for The Verve’s later hit, “Bitter Sweet Symphony”. A fun fact! Back to the task at hand, it also has a soul-ska vibe created by the tribal backing vocals and the bleakness of the tone. Nelson lyricises about the ubiquity of unrequited love, over a slow-paced bassline and a sumptous melody created by the light elements of House and Techno. It’s not really a song that you would get up and dance to, but it was one of the first electronic tracks written with the people who prefer to sit down in mind, as one of the first examples of Deep Listening subgenres. Towards the end of the track, hip-hop disc scratches are present, which leads to the Violin and Cello becoming the main melody of the track, in a direction that is fearless and smart. It allows the impact of the ambient textures to shine through and for the cerebral bass melody to sink into the psyche of the listener. Overall, this is a track which deserves the universal acclaim it received at the time of release. When looking back at the reflection of the track through an audible mirror, it’s a track that will always have an audience and it should be recognised by a generation who are only given the sexually immature dance records being churned out by the system. This is coming from a 21-year-old student…

Pictured (original lineup): Robert “3D” Del Naja, Grant “Daddy D” Marshall and Andrew “Mushroom” Vowles

You can read up on more info about Massive Attack’s music study into the environmental impacts of touring here: https://pitchfork.com/news/massive-attack-launch-major-study-of-music-industry-carbon-emissions/

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Blue Lines” (1991) (Physical CD Format)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow with an in-depth look at a recent track from a lesser-known British punk band formed in 2010 in Exeter, who have previously been featured twice on KEXP’s Song of The Day podcast! 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/