Today’s Track: Automatic – ‘New Beginning’

April 28, 2022 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Izzy Glaudini (Vocals/Synths), Lola Dompé (Drums) and Halle Saxon (Bass Guitar) (2019) (Photo via PR)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, and the time is now to fill up your electric car as we take a trip of futuristic Motorik proportions to outer space as we get invested in yet another daily track on the blog, because it is always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! I don’t think that a fortnight ever goes by where we don’t cover an artist signed by Stones Throw Records – known for artists like MNDSGN, Maylee Todd, Kiefer, Sudan Archives and John Carroll Kirby – but the truth is that the California-based soul specialist label has been churning out loads of great material lately, and I am about to add Automatic to the aforementioned list of their all-star acts. A Synth-Punk trio comprised of Izzy Glaudini (Vocals/Synths), Halle Saxon (Bass/Vocals) & Lola Dompe (Drums/Vocals), Automatic became a mainstay on the L.A. dance club circuit after forming in 2017. Their biggest influence is The Go-Go’s – an 80’s New Wave band who are the only all-female band to have written and played every instrument on a #1 album in the US as of 2017 – who have also provided the three-piece’s namesake. Glaudini and Saxon have played in other Los Angeles-based bands like Mega Bog and The Black Windmill, while Dompe is the daughter of Bauhaus’ Kevin Haskins who – as a teenager – played in Blackblack alongside her sister, Diva Dompe. Automatic will be releasing their second studio album ‘Excess’ on June 24th and they will be touring alongside Tame Impala, Parquet Courts and Osees throughout 2022. Check out the lead single ‘New Beginning’ below.

The music video for ‘New Beginning’ was pitched by director Ambar Navarro as an homage to the Swedish sci-f film ‘Aniara’ – and the band have continued to tease the album’s explorations of the edge of the 70’s club underground and the industrial side of the 80’s by writing that it aims to capture “That fleeting moment when what was once cool quickly turned and became mainstream, all for the sake of consumerism“, adding, “The record is about what happens to our psyches when we’re conditioned to certain values, the consequences of those values and a desire to resist them“, in a press statement. Starting off with more of a Dream Pop-like sound set to the tune of fairly deadpan vocals that recalls many retro female vocal groups like The Ronettes, as Glaudini contemplates the idea of leaving behind a dilapidated Earth in solace of false hope created by the ultra-wealthy who are eyeing manned space travel with piercing lyrics like “In the service of desire/We will travel far away” and “Heard the final echo/It’s almost time to go” as the beats behind her gain traction with a stomping bassline and thudding drums. Once these melodies up the ante a little bit, later lyrics like “Falling through the distance/The stars will light the way” and “Endless service of desire/Every night and every day” are recited more energetically, as Glaudini weighs up some pro’s and con’s of attempting to escape the planet when it gets scorched – with a fair quality of inevitability in her rather unphased voice – as unchecked consumerism continues to reach its logical outcome. While a bit bleak, the lyrics are given more flair by the instrumentation which is undoubtedly more optimistic and colourful. The early insistent Bass groove and her intentionally ‘flat’ vocals slowly morph into heavy Synth stabs and lockstep Motorik drums that give ‘New Beginning’ its distinctly Industrial character, topped off by handclaps in tandem with the percussive combo of an atmospheric Keyboard section and fuzzed-out Snare effects. ‘New Beginning’ ultimately adds a splash of colour and imagination to an otherwise bleak topic, plus it replicates the Disco vibe and the 80’s influences with a modern twist due to the more current social commentary of their lyricism. Overall, this is another eclectic, exciting song being supported by a label who are killing it right now.

Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘Excess’ (LP/Album) (Available from June 24th, 2022) (via Stones Throw Records)

That’s all for now! Thank you for checking out my latest post on the blog, and I will be back tomorrow for ‘New Album Release Fridays’ as we preview the new album by an established urban Indie Rock band from London who were formed through an NME advert in the early 00’s. They won NME’s Album Of The Year award in 2007 for ‘Silent Alarm’ and, in addition, they have roughly sold over three million records worldwide.

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Today’s Track: Lucius – ‘Next To Normal’

March 31, 2022 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘Second Nature’ (LP/Album) (Available from April 8th, 2022) (via Mom + Pop Records)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for a fairly occasional slice of Pop Pleasure for yet another daily track on the blog, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! A track that can appeal equally to a mature audience and the typical Eurovision enthusiast, ‘Next To Normal’ is a retro-futurist Dance-Pop track that celebrates eccentricity and quirks, and it comes to you from the Nashville-based project of Lucius, whose line-up appears to include only Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig this time around, although the line-up has included Coco’s Dan Molad and lead guitarist Peter Lalish, alongside the touring musicians Casey Foubert (Guitar) and Josh Dion (Drums) in the past. Lucius have received acclaim from publications such as The New York Times, Paste, Rolling Stone, NPR and The Village Voice over the years. They have contributed to the work of numerous other artists including Harry Styles, The War On Drugs, John Legend, Mavis Staples, Sheryl Crow and several others. The duo’s previous album, ‘Good Grief’, was released some time ago, in 2016, but that track record is set to shift with the release of their fourth studio album – ‘Second Nature’ – and that takes place in just a handful of days away, releasing on the Mom + Pop label on April 8th. The album was recorded in Nashville’s RCA Studio A with Brandi Carlile and Dave Cobb. Check out the lead single.

“It is a record that begs you not to sit in the difficult moments, but to dance through them”, Lucius say about their upcoming album collectively, explaining, “It touches upon all these stages of grief – and some of that is breakthrough, by the way. Being able to have the full spectrum of the experience that we have had, or that I’ve had in my divorce, or that we had in lockdown, having our careers come to a halt, so to speak. I think you can really hear and feel the spectrum of emotion and hopefully find the joy in the darkness”, in a press release. ‘Next To Normal’ starts off with a disco-esque exchange between the lead and bass guitar, before steady drums and a psychedelic, Funk-driven bass guitar line escalate the ethereal quality of the electronic soundscape, before the two Berklee College Of Music graduates begin crooning with a confident yet laidback tone. Their lyrics speak about having the power to stand out instead of just fitting in, losing friendships as a consequence of bad mental health, and finding someone who could love your vulnerabilities, with lyrics like “Laughing at the wrong times/Saying things too straight” and “All of this translation/I was over-compensating” that feel defiant and headstrong in texture, but they are still acknowledging the grief that a difficult emotional time can bring to your life in a straightforward way. It continues to evolve in terms of instrumentation, with scattered breakbeats and sharp guitar accents that are held together by a consistent drum groove. The chorus feels more celebratory and anthemic than the punchy verses, with declarative Pop hooks like “When I’m close to you, I’m next to normal” and “I feel immortal/I’m high without the paranoia” that perfectly suit the Disco theme of the rhythm while suiting the more confessional lyricism and slightly slower beats of the verses. Overall, ‘Next To Normal’ works well because the hooks and rhythms are eminently listenable and their catchy melodies grow on you in many listens, yet there’s a subtle hint of a darker theme lurking in the background that gives it larger depth. As a wise follower of the BBC Radio 6 Music community group on Facebook noted a few days ago, if you don’t like just a little bit of Pop, you are a snob.

Pictured: Jess Wolfe (Co-Vocals/Bass Synth) & Holly Laessig (Co-Vocals/Keyboard) (2022) (Photo via TheBoot.com)

That brings us to the bottom of the page for another day! Thank you for supporting the site for the first time or the hundredth time, as it really means a lot to share this music with the world using the platform. I will be back tomorrow for ‘New Album Release Fridays’ as we take a glimpse into the new LP record by a charming London-based Post-Punk group currently signed to Bella Union with an uncharacteristically German name. Their previous LP – 2019’s ‘Tainted Lunch’ – got a 9/10 from The Line Of Best Fit and they have always been supported kindly by BBC Radio 6 Music. They also released the three-track ‘European Cowboy’ remix EP for Record Store Day, 2020.

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Today’s Track: Maylee Todd – ‘Show Me’

March 10, 2022 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Toronto’s Maylee Todd in a recent photoshoot to promote ‘Maloo’ (2022) (Photo via TheStar.com)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, and the time has arrived for me to guide you through yet another exciting daily track on the blog from a very brave and ambitious singer-songwriter, given how it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! ‘Brave’ and ‘Ambitious’ are just two words that describe the Toronto-based Art Pop musician Maylee Todd, who is new to this young writer’s eardrums, who has experimented with instruments as obscure as the Paraguayan Harp and the Tenori-on in her career since she began recording material in the 00’s. Todd has played across numerous festivals including the Crossover Jazz Fest and the Billboard Live Stage, she has performed alongside the likes of Janelle Monae, The Budos Band, Aloe Blacc and Thundercat on stage throughout the years, and she contributed her vocals to Bob Wiseman’s collaborative LP release ‘Giuletta Masina At The Oscars Crying’ in 2012. Todd was also the creator of Virtual Womb, a practical art exhibition where the audience walks through an enlarged CGI image of a Vagina and lies on the floor, awaiting the vibrant projections that float across on the ceiling, in 2017. Maylee Todd’s music seems just as visual and provoking, as a wide assortment of Indie Pop, Prog Jazz, Psych Funk, Bossa Nova and more have been incorporated into the sounds of her musical projects. Her latest full-length album – ‘Maloo’ – was released on March 4th via Stones Throw Records – an eclectic Funk, Jazz and Soul specialist label based in Los Angeles, California that has introduced several amazing artists like MNDSGN, John Carroll Kirby and Kiefer to my streaming libraries throughout the last few years of my work. Let’s give ‘Show Me’ a listen below.

To produce her latest artsy-craftsy LP project, Maylee Todd spent a lot of time researching VR throughout the pandemic, which led to some ideas on utopian, futuristic technology. The result is ‘Maloo’, a fictional character that she has designed in virtual reality that she created while working on the story and setting of a prototype VR video game, as she learned the skills of 3D modelling and body tracking to bring her vision to life. Dubbed as ‘The Age Of Energy’, a virtual space where the character is based, the concept album and the ‘Maloo’ avatar are influenced by intimate, personal origins. As Todd writes, “We participate in the digital landscape and our digital life has real-life implications”, in her press statement. Musically, she wrote and recorded ‘Show Me’ as the introductory single with the Yamaha Tenori-on – a discontinued electronic sequencer that was built by Toshio Iwai, a Japanese interactive media and installation artist. Her single begins with some glitched keyboard chords that convey visuals of futuristic cyberspace and post-modern technology immediately. The bass grooves grow deeper as her downtempo vocals become more hypnotic, and she allures you in to ‘Show Me’ with a noticeably Soulful skew that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Sly & The Family Stone or a Toro Y Moi record in it’s nostalgic, but free-form, nature. Lyrics like “Watch the birds, take their form/Icy hands, blood is warm” complement the peaceful and tranquil vibes, while the minimalist chorus of “Show me, your heart” is deep and intimate in it’s Lo-Fi textures. ‘Maloo’ may be conceptually driven and visually influenced at large, but the single is accessible enough to a fairly mainstream because it feels simple yet not simplistic. I also really admire the work that Todd has put into ‘giving the project her all’ by focusing on how the audio-visual aspects of the piece were written in tandem with her vocals. It reminds me of Bjork and St. Vincent, who are undoubtedly driven artists that have similar characteristics of boldness and communicating an idea through all aspects of the media at their disposal. In conclusion, it seems clear that Maylee Todd has a lot more to ‘Show Me’ – and I look forwards to seeing the rest of it.

Pictured: Vinyl Copy of ‘Maloo’ (LP/Album) (Released on March 4th, 2022) (via Stones Throw Records)

(That brings us to the end of the page for another day! Thank you very much for reading what I had to say about Maylee Todd for a few moments today, and I’ll be back tomorrow to guide you through a sneek peek at one of the weekend’s notable and new album releases. This week’s post involves the debut LP release from an emerging Alternative Rock 4-piece Post-Rock band who have been supported by the daytime playlist of BBC Radio 6 Music and they have been praised by NME. If you’re a fan of hard rock outfits such as Coach Party and Kid Kapichi – you’re going to enjoy it!

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Today’s Track: Trunky Juno – “Serial Killer Vibes”

July 29, 2021 — Leave a comment

Newcastle’s own “Lo-Fi Pop Noodler” bringing Silence To The Lambs. New post time!

Pictured: Cover Art for ‘Good Dog’ (EP) (Released on July 2nd, 2021) (via Young Poet Records)

Good Morning to you! It’s Jacob Braybrooke here, and it’s time for yet another daily track on the blog, seeing as it has always been my day-to-day pleasure to write up to you about a different piece of music every day! I’ve got something nice and perhaps a little more accessible than usual to share with you today. ‘Serial Killer Vibes’ is the latest single from the hot-on-the-scene Bedroom Pop singer-songwriter Trunky Juno from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. Juno describes himself as a “Lo-Fi Pop Noodler” with his stylistic influences ranging from MGMT and Mac DeMarco, to The Flaming Lips and Father John Misty. With a melting pot of DIY sounds, Juno says that his new EP, ‘Good Dog’, which is out now on Young Poet Records, features four quirky tracks, which cover a variety of oddball topics including controversial toppings for Pizza, Patrick Swayze references, and defunct TV game shows. He recorded the four tracks with Summer Heart (aka David Alexander), and, this November, he will be taking these home-crafted songs on the road in the UK with performances in all of the usual locations – including Bristol, Manchester and Brighton. ‘Serial Killer Vibes’ is not actually a modern update of Nick Cave’s ‘Murder Ballads’ from the mid-90s as the title may lead you on, it just tackles social anxiety and replicates those common feelings of “Meeting a fist bump with a handshake”, as the artist says. Let’s give it a spin below.

The ‘Lo-Fi Pop Noodler’ says: “Serial Killer Vibes is a track that haunted me for a long time because I knew there was a good song in there, but I just couldn’t figure out how to present it in a way that allowed anyone else to see it too”, and added, “It’s about perspective, living inside your own head, and trying your hardest not to be weird when you just are. It’s an ode to painfully awkward exchanges, which is going to become very relatable once we all start trying to interact with each other again”, to his press notes. Led by chopped-up Drum sequences and blissful Synth tones, Juno sings the likes of “You take my jacket ’cause I wanna be/Turning blue on New Year’s Eve” with a deeper voice for the chorus, and he interchanges this deadpan mood with catchier melodies for the chorus, singing the likes of “Just play it cool around your friends/You’ve dressed to impress/Now you’ve messed up your lines” to the tune of warm, digital Bass production and Vibrato Pedal effects that evoke a gentle Surf-Rock influence. There’s a ‘Slacker Rock’ and a ‘Stoner Rock’ quality to the overall package, with a clear influence from associated artists like Mac DeMarco and Chicano Batman in the ways that Juno plays with mild Psychedelic tones and light, jangled Sunshine Pop sounds. The guitar riffs have a hazy feel to them, while lyrics like “Music’s so boring I’d rather be/getting to know you personally” and “Freaking her out with your serial killer vibes” add a touch of humour and wit that maintains the refreshing hooks of the vocals. The post-bridge adds some low-key female backing vocals to the fray, while the guitar briefly goes into ‘Solo’ mode before the finale. It is a catchy tune that touches upon how we, as humans, have a ‘Serial killer’ tendency to achieve the dreams of others, and how this can make us feel superficial inside as we don’t show our true selves. It’s admittedly a track that grew on me with repeated listens, though, as opposed to something that grabbed me on a first whim, since I’ve heard the core sound being done elsewhere. That said, there’s nothing better than when a new track continues to warm up to you and there’s certainly nothing wrong with that, it’s just that since the four tracks on the new EP are all done with a similar style, you already know what you’re getting there. On the whole, a pleasant and breezy Alt-Pop track with a lot to say about human interaction and social nature, and it all comes across in a thoroughly entertaining way because the personality of the artist is kept in tow, and the chilled melodies suit a vibe unlike a Serial Killer with a knack for catchy melodies.

Pictured: Trunky Juno enjoying a pleasant Baguette for lunch on his Bandcamp page (2020) (via PR)

That brings us to the end of the page for today, and thank you for jumping down the rabbit’s hole with me again. I will be back tomorrow for ‘New Album Release Fridays’ as we unpack some of the weekend’s biggest album releases and we taste one. It’s quite uncommon for me to cover a ‘Mainstream Artist’ as such, but tomorrow’s highly anticipated new album release simply feels too big for me to ignore. Therefore, we’re going to sample the new record from the vocalist of the ‘No Time To Die’ theme track.

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Today’s Track: Rachel Lime – “Voyager 3”

June 17, 2021 — Leave a comment

Hello – from the children of the planet Earth. Time to get intergalactic for a new post!

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “A.U.” (LP) (Released on June 11th, 2021) (via Inside Voices)

Greetings and good evening to you, it’s Jacob Braybrooke here, and it’s time for me to get typing up for your daily track on the blog, as per usual, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! We are going cosmic today – with ‘Voyager 3’ from the fresh new Minnesota-based singer-songwriter Rachel Lime, who makes sample-enhanced music in the wheelhouse of Alternative Pop, Chamber-Pop and Electronic Rock, and her PR’s artist biography on Bandcamp and Spotify simply reads as “Music in search of other worlds”. She released her debut solo album, ‘A.U.’, last week through Inside Voices, the new label managed by the Big Bld founder and High Pulp drummer Rob Granfett. It follows a span of her career where she has dropped music on her Soundcloud account quietly for the last decade or so, and her own musical journey began when she decided to learn how to play the Piano at the age of 7. The influences for the record go beyond music, with Lime noting the work of astronomer and author Carl Sagan, especially on his 1985 novel ‘Contact’, as her inspirations. Like The Avalanches have explored on their latest material, Lime also looked to NASA’s Golden Voyager record for her theme, a record put into space in the hopes of extraterrestrial life learning about humanity by unveiling it. Let’s check out Alan De Lean-Taverna’s music video for ‘Voyager 3’ below.

“I wrote this song inspired by the tradition of space disco, and the Voyager golden record, sent into space with Voyager 1 and 2 by NASA”, Rachel Lime told Jasmine Albertson in a recent interview with KEXP, adding, “This interstellar message in a bottle has always really moved me. This idea of humanity trying desperately to communicate itself to Someone Out There, to attempt to connect, to prove that we have created beautiful things”, when expanding on the driving forces behind her process of writing the tune and co-producing the storyboards for the music video. It opens with the iconic sample from the Golden Voyager record, and the greeting of ‘Annyeonghaseyo’ in Korean where Lime has her heritage. A soulful keyboard riff that feels woozy and off-key sets the scene, as lyrics like “I sing a song in a bottle, I give it to the interstellar waves” and “The future’s nice/In the starlight” permeate through the synth-led beats with disorienting vocal effects. The vocals feel almost sensual and flirtatious, or alien and unusual, with interludes which see Congo drums and guitar instrumentals fill the space. The production feels merticulous and tinkered away at, with a slower bridge that finds Lime wishing, “We want to make contact/We gave you a code to break” as the rhythm slowly builds it’s way back to the retro-futurist Keys and the virtuosic Drums that scatter along the undeniably 80’s bassline. It feels paced similarly to a dance track, with different instruments and effects that have their turns, and are each built to gradually. This works really nicely because it gives the total aesthetic a quirky edge, and this makes Lime feel memorable amongst her peers. I’m certain that an alien would love a jive in the kitchen to this. If they ever find it. That is.

Pictured: Rachel Lime in the music video for “Voyager 3” (in 2021) (Photo by Alan De Leon Taverna)

That’s it for today’s trip! Don’t forget to join me again tomorrow where, as it’s Friday, we’ll be looking at one of the most notable new album releases of the weekend. We’ll be giving the opportunity to a 20-year-old singer-songwriter making her own Art-Pop music from the suburb of Little Ferry, New Jersey. Born to a Mexican father and a Dominican mother, her new album is based on her love for 80’s-era Michael 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: Public Service Broadcasting (feat. EERA) – “People, Let’s Dance”

June 12, 2021 — Leave a comment

Don’t adjust your TV sets – this isn’t British Broadcasting Corporation. New post time!

Pictured: Cover Art for “Bright Magic” (LP) (Available from September 24, 2021) (via Play It Again Sam)

Good Morning to you! It’s Jacob Braybrooke here, and it’s finally time again for me to get typing up for your daily track on the blog, as per usual, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! The oddball London cult band of experimental Art-Rock archival samplers Public Service Broadcasting are back to follow-up on their standout BBC Proms 2019 performance of ‘The Race For Space’ with details of a new album. Having composed music about the Welsh coal mining industry and the White Star Line shipping company on their last two records, ‘Bright Magic’ is a depiction of Berlin as a European metropolis. The band’s J. Willgoose says their new LP record aims to capture the city’s essence, both figuratively and literally, with the use of an electromagnetic receiver on one track to record the pulses of street lamps and electrical cables. It releases on September 24th through Play it Again Sam. A UK tour has also been confirmed for the autumn, starting at Cardiff’s University Great Hall on October 24th and finishing at The Cambridge Corn Exchange on November 11th. Listen to the EERA-featured ‘People, Let’s Dance’ below.

J. Willgoose says that ‘Bright Magic’ is split into three acts of ‘Building A City’, ‘Building A Myth’ and ‘Bright Magic’, and the record even features guest vocals from Einstürzende Neubauten leader Blixa Bargeld on one track. According to J. Willgoose, “I knew the album was going to be about the city, and it’s history and it’s myths, and I was going to move there. So, it’s quite a personal story. It’s become an album about moving to Berlin to write an album about people who move to Berlin to write an album”, in his tongue-twister of a publicity statement. ‘People, Let’s Dance’, the lead single, is a dance-oriented electronic recording that veers it’s head in two directions. For the most part, it calls back fondly to the Motorik synth sounds of Kraftwerk and Visage from the past eras of metropolitan sci-fi music tech. For the second part, however, there are clear echoes to playful 80’s Synthpop and 90’s club anthems, particularly with the lead guitar riff that was sampled from Depeche Mode’s ‘People Are People’. It’s a rare instance for PSB to feature a guest vocalist, but the use of German vocals from Ninja Tune-signee EERA add a perceived sense of authenticity to the multicultural and European-inspired Electronica sound. It’s a surprisingly groovy and deliberately mechanical sound, with the weird absence of archival voice samples for PSB being replaced by more multi-layered instrumentation, where driving Drum melodies and evolving Keyboard patterns gradually adding new layers to the Bass-driven soundscape. EERA’s sections, a mix of Spoken Word lyrics and overlapped singing keep warping themselves around the 80’s guitar interventions and the glacial warmth of the vocals. I could bet you money that a car manufacturer will license the track for an advert in the near-future, and it sounds a lot like The Chemical Brothers in it’s sample work and the guest spot from EERA. It’s an evolution of sound for PSB that takes clear influence from other acts, and that had left me a little lukewarm about it initially. However, I do think that it’s more of a grower, and there’s certainly nothing wrong with that. Five or six listens in, it gets clearer and clearer that PSB know exactly what they are doing. EERA eventually feels like another instrument in their orchestral style, and PSB have admittedly quietly been one of my favourite UK bands because, whatever the topic, they find something interesting to do in how they make their music. Overall, it’s a very effective warm-up for the new body of work that lies ahead.

Pictured: J. Willgoose Esq, Wrigglesworth & JF Abraham pictured for ‘Every Valley’ (2017) (via PR)

That’s all for today! Come and dance with me again tomorrow for a new entry in our ‘Scuzz Sundays’ library, as we take a listen back to the Pop-Punk of the past. It’s admittedly a rather obvious choice for this week, as we continue to find hits that we haven’t discussed yet. It comes from a very famous Rap-infused Alternative Rock band who have strayed down the path of Electronic Pop music in recent times. They always received heavy airplay from MTV in the late-90s and during the 2000’s, and, in 2014, Kerrang declared them as “The Biggest Rock Band In The World Right Now”. 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: James Righton – “Release Party”

May 17, 2021 — Leave a comment

Following last year’s debut LP, it’s certainly not time yet for a Right-off. New post time!

Pictured: Cover for “Deewee 050 – Foundations” (Compilation) (Released on May 7, 2021) (via Deewee)

Good Morning to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time to make a start to the new week with Monday’s daily track on the blog, as always, since it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Last Saturday, we looked at Charlotte Adigery’s new single from the ‘Foundations’ compilation album that was put together by the DEEWEE label owned by Soulwax & 2 Many DJ’s for release on May 7th. Stratford-born singer-songwriter James Righton has followed in her footsteps, by releasing an exclusive new track for the project of his own. In case you are not familiar, Righton used to be the lead Vocalist and Keyboard player of Klaxons, a ‘New Rave’ band who scored a Mercury Prize win and a few hits in the charts during the mid-2000’s. Since then, he recorded under the ‘Shock Machine’ project that saw him work with director Saam Farahmand. He released his debut album, ‘The Performer’, last March on the DEEWEE label. It’s an album that received generally positive reviews, and an album which I rather really liked too. It looks at the guise of being a ‘Performer’ where one minute you’re playing pop star and the next you’re fathering two children. It does so under an engaging 70’s Neo-Psychedelic Pop sound mixed with delightful String sections and Baroque influences. Righton posted on social media, “Release Party was written in my garage during Lockdown before, completed at DEEWEE studio with Dave & Steph [Dewaele] of Soulwax and 2 Many DJ’s, working together remotely”, about this latest single. Give it a taster down below.

One fun fact about James Righton that you may never guess is that, of all people, he is married to Keira Knightley. The two began dating back in 2011, and were married in the south of France in 2016. Now living in the Islington district of London, they have two children together. Back to the subject at hand, the new bassline-grooving single makes commentary on “tension and release, and the dreams and fantasies we make”, according to Righton, who added that said “Party” is to be confirmed at a later date, hinting that a disco following the easing of Covid-19 restrictions was crucial to his concept of the euphoric Nu-Disco offering. Starting off with a fragmented 80’s Synth line and a propulsive Disco drum machine sequence that wavers and meanders to create a polished electronic groove that feels ready for a retro-futurist dance, his familiar voice greets us with lines like “I wanna see you honey/I wanna meet you on the street” and “There’s no time for us to waste/The precious/Let’s move to the beat now” which add a very instructive vocal to the soundtrack of the party you could be having. Righton’s vocals carry some essence of George Michael in the 80’s, as there’s a sense of flirtation to his mid-tempo tone and spacious breaths, while the chord progression of the track struts and sways it’s way along it’s near five-minute duration. The key hook of “I can feel the release” is kept basic and vague, but a bobbing Keyboard bass creates a slick build and drop-in that adds a lot of shine to the main section. While it may be easy to dismiss compilation-exclusive singles as throwaway efforts or quick promotions, the recent tracks from James Righton and Charlotte Adigery are simultaneously proving otherwise. On Righton’s latest, he continues to establish his name as one of UK Pop’s most criminally underlooked of the scene. He does what he does very well on ‘Release Party’ in making undeniable Pop that has something to it, as opposed to sounding generic and too safe. The smaller touches harken back to Prince of the 90s in the funky Synth undertones, while the erotic quality of his vocals make me think of Lou Hayter. Inspired Pop that’s distinctive and sounds great, and just has something about it, rather than just begging for a quick hit.

Pictured: James Righton in Paris, France to promote “The Performer” (2020) (Photo via DEEWEE)

That may be all that I have to say for now. However, if you liked the sound of this, or if you’re new to James Righton and you’re interested in hearing more of him, why not start with my analysis of his single ‘Edie’ from last year’s solo LP, ‘The Performer’? Check it out right here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/04/02/todays-track-james-righton-edie/

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “The Performer” (LP) (Released on 20th March, 2020) (via DEEWEE)

That’s it for now! I’ll be back tomorrow to introduce you to a recent discovery of mine, who described himself as “A guy called Joey from Michigan who makes music for your emotions” in his own artist biography. His latest album, ‘Old Time Radio’, releases this Friday on the Los Angeles-based independent label Alpha Pup 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/

Today’s Track: Field Music – “Orion From The Street”

May 6, 2021 — Leave a comment

A spherical far cry from the time where we thought the Earth was flat. New post time!

Pictured: Peter & David Brewis (Vocals/Synths/Keys/Guitars) (2021) (Photo by Memphis Industries)

Good Afternoon to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and, as you’ve likely realized already by now, it’s time for 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! A now-pair of London Art Rocker veterans, Field Music have released nine albums in the last 16 years, scoring a Mercury Prize nomination and three UK Albums Chart top 40 entries in that time. Members of Maximo Park and The Futureheads have been featured as a part of their line-up over the last few decades, but the core members are Sunderland brothers David & Peter Brewis. Their latest release is ‘Flat White Moon’, which has gained critical acclaim since getting released last weekend on Memphis Industries. There’s usually a two-year gap to their cycle, on the exact day of their prior album, but ‘Flat White Moon’ is an outlier of that Easter Egg because we only heard from them last year on ‘Making A New World’, a concept album about World War 1 with eerie parallels to the time. Named after a constellation of stars, ‘Orion From The Sun’ was the lead single of the release, which was seemingly inspired by the 70’s Glam Pop of David Bowie, Led Zeppelin and Talking Heads. It’s fair to say that professor Brian Cox would be having a ‘Field Day’ with this. Check out the brilliant music video below.

Writing new material quicker than usual with the release of ‘Orion From The Street’, Peter Brewis writes: “It’s full of accidental quotes and allusions – the first couple of lines I overheard in a Cary Grant documentary, but they sum up the whole song – how intense impressions of love, hate, grief and guilt can be an almost hallucinatory experience” in Field Music’s recent press statements after penning that he wrote the promotional tune in a daze. Kicking off with a pack of twinkling keyboard melodies that gets a low-key groove of dramatic synths and colourful guitar riffs shimmering from that point onwards, permeating with a high radiance during the chorus, we get a propulsive and buoyant musing on stargazing and astronomy with uptight bass rhythms and wholly positive electronic tones in the familiar, yet nostalgic, Field Music mould. The vocals complement the brief pokings at Prog-Funk nicely, with Brewis imagining a world where “Death is but a dream” and “Memories that fall like rain are spirited away” over a wistful, psych-hinting background. It’s refreshing to hear a track which isn’t really addressing heavy and modern topics like race, femininity or LGBT circles, as the lyrics ponder gentle philosophy and cosmic themes instead with a vivid synth palette. I feel that it makes for a very nice change from the typical “indie” sound of the 2020’s, as the vocals signal for a means of escape from reality. A vivid set of instrumentation and cascading music production make proceedings feel fresh and the hooks are quite memorable. The odd guitar licks and the cymbal crashes give it an off-kilter flair, and a nice Horn section provides a fluttering highlight towards the middle. Overall, I like it because it’s just a pretty song that does something different to it’s peer contemporaries. While the meaning isn’t particularly definable, it provides an intricate moment for you to stop and nod your head along to. The hard effort clearly shows, with a solid update on the Alternative Rock sound of the mid-2010’s, as a retro nuance adds more depth to the package than it may first appear on the Lunar surface.

Pictured: Cover Art for “Flat White Moon” (LP) (Released on April 23, 2021) (via Memphis Industries)

That’s all for today, but we’re going back to the basics on the blog tomorrow, as we delve into one of the weekend’s biggest new album releases. This week’s pick marks the much-anticipated release of the debut album from Brighton’s promising Post-Punk prodigies who are one of Warp Records latest signings and appeared on the Independent Venue Week documentary ‘On The Road’ where they were seen playing a dustbin lid with an asparagus! If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every new daily post is up and why not like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

New Album Release Friday: Raf Rundell (feat. Terri Walker) – “Always Fly”

April 9, 2021 — Leave a comment

OM Days – It’s Friday, so there’s a crop of new releases to sift through. New post time!

Pictured: Cover Art for “O.M. Days” (LP) (Available from April 9th, 2021) (via Heavenly Recordings)

Good Morning to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for me to get typing up for your daily track on the blog, since it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Somehow it’s been an entire week since the bank holiday weekend for Easter began, but, luckily, we’ve got some new music to listen to. The wider industry has, no doubt, their eyes on the latest album from London Grammar to enthrall the masses, but new offerings from The Walking Dead star Emily Kinney, the first of two albums to come this year from the twilight career of popular US hip-hop collective Brockhampton, and the two-time Native American Music Award winner Samantha Crain also arrive today. However, one of the week’s new album releases that I think you should keep tabs on is ‘O.M. Days’ – the second solo LP from Raf Rundell, who rose to prominence as a former one of The 2 Bears with Joe Goddard, of Hot Chip, in the 2010’s. This is Rundell’s first album to release on the ever-reliable Heavenly Recordings label – Home to the acclaimed UK alternative acts like Baxter Dury and The Orielles – and it’s theme sees Raf Rundell emerging from his Forest Hill bunker with a joyful, larger-than-life, good times party record mixing styles including Dub, 2-Step, Soul and New Wave. One of the album’s centerpieces is ‘Always Fly’ – a new single featuring 90’s R&B and Neo-Soul icon Terri Walker as the two deliver soulful vocals with an accompanying music video that pays homage to George Michael and Aretha Franklin’s ‘I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)’ collaborative tune from back in 1987. Let’s sample the record with ‘Always Fly’ below.

The follow-up to 2018’s ‘Stop Lying’ – ‘O.M. Days’ continues to establish Rundell’s resume as a collaborative one, with guest appearances from Chas Jankel, Lias Saoudi, Man & The Echo and Andy Jenkins waiting to be heard on the album. Describing his link-up with Walker, Rundell says: “Here, my dears, is a piece of Grown and Sexy R&B for the 20’s”, “Lady Terri Walker, a true treasure of London’s music scene, is ALWAYS FLY”, in his press notes. The resulting sound is a retro-disco and club wind-down affair, as futurist keyboard loops and soul-strutting hip-hop breakbeats bounce away in the background. Rundell and Walker sing lyrics like “Let go, you can trust us, lose control” and “Carry us to places still unknown” that feel like peculiar references and may hint towards something darker. The tone is very joyful, however, as a hint of romance meets it’s cue point in the middle, as the punchy refrain of “I’ve got so many things I’ve got to do/A hundred ways to try and be with you now” hits the sweet spot. Instrumentally, the mild Gospel infusions and the slight scratches of the turntables pulls further on the 80’s Disco thread, but the House music-based melodicism and the very chirpy drum beats have something of the 70’s about them. The first time I heard this on BBC Radio 6Music – it failed to particularly grab me. The 3rd or 4th time, I started to get it. We must be on more like the 13th or 14th time now – and I simply can’t get enough of it, and this one has been a favourite of mine while making dinner in the kitchen lately. What keeps me coming back to this track is the mish-mash of a classic Soul sound with a modern lick of paint that comes via the synths. The rhythms are simply very catchy, but there’s a playful personality being evoked through the sounds. The sounds of the dog barking are quirky, and the synth interlude at the end gets a bit wonky in the best way possible. Yet, it’s not necessarily ‘Weird’ music, but it’s just fresh and sounds good. That makes it one of the year’s strongest Pop releases so far for me, if not my favourite overall. Very addictive, laidback, catchy sound – and I can’t wait to see Rundell soar to greatness as, even on-repeat, this one is ALWAYS FLY.

Pictured: Raf Rundell visitng Lauren Laverne at the BBC Radio 6 Music studio (2020) (via BBC.com)

Back in January, I started to briefly crawl my way into an introduction to Rundell’s work for my take on the album’s lead single, “Monsterpiece”, which goes for a more Ian Dury-inspired style. If you liked this, why not see what I thought of it back then here?: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2021/01/19/todays-track-raf-rundell-monsterpiece/

Pictured: Raf Rundell in an online interview with The AU Review (2015) (Photo via YouTube.com)

That’s all for now! There’s no Scuzz Sundays post this week.. You can blame whoever decides when Easter is for that, as, for the second year-running, we’re going to be promoting a special sports entertainment event on the blog with some songs inspired by the spectacle of professional wrestling! That’s right – the WrestleMania Weekend is back! As it’s being broadcast in two nightly installments again this year, there will be a themed post going out on both Saturday and Sunday a-piece. 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: CHAI (feat. Ric Wilson) – “Maybe Chocolate Chips”

March 16, 2021 — Leave a comment

Seven days without any chocolate consumption makes one weak. It’s new post time!

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “WINK” (LP) (Available from May 21st, 2021) (via Sub-Pop Records)

A good Morning to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s now time for me to get typing up for your daily track on the blog, as per usual, because it’s routinely my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of new music every day! An all-female Alternative Pop 4-piece group from Nayoga, Japan – CHAI have never shied away from a playful pun or edgy reference or two, in their lyrics and track titles, to different types of food. ‘Donuts Mind If I Do’ is a particular favourite of mine. That trend continues with ‘Maybe Chocolate Chips’, which is the latest single taken from their upcoming third studio album, ‘Wink’, which is currently set for release on May 21st. That feels like ages away, but the Alt-Rock creatives have been building a steady stream of anticipation for the new full-length release with their fun, wonky blend of shape-shifting R&B influences and sugar-sweet (if you mind the pun) DIY Post-Rock aesthetics. Signed to the Sub-Pop Records label, the girls have drawn their influences from CHVRCHES and Justice. A recent collaboration with Gorillaz and a support tour run for Superorganism has also developed their cult following. The new track features Ric Wilson, who met CHAI at the Pitchfork Music Festival in 2019. Check it out below.

Bassist and lyricist Yuuki spoke of the meaning of the track, penning: “Things that we want to hold on to, things that we wished went away. A lot of things happen as we age and with that for me, is new moles! But I love them! My moles are like the chocolate chips on a cookie, the more you have, the happier you become! and before you know it, you’re an original.” in their latest press release. Of course, the subject matter may sounds interesting and rather bizzare upon your initial instinct, but the lyrics of the track soon actually take the form of a unique ode to self-love, and a little social commentary on the quirks that make us all individuals, and how we can perceive our own physical appearance. Led by a synth-inflected backing that feels ambient and polished, with mellow synth grooves that softly wash over the layered vocals, which are more high-pitched and slightly downtempo. The vocals are quirky, but they feel lightly catchy, with a whirring beat that evokes a laidback, gentle tone. The rap section from Ric Wilson beautifally flows above the crooning backing vocals of the main artists, with lines like “Come and stroll in the park with me” and “They can’t define you with beauty myths” giving off a more introspective and understated mood. The chorus is a little more involved, but still kept relatively restrained and with a sugar-coated Soul style, as hooks comparing skin moles to the delicacies of a cookie with gooey chocolate chips gradually move more towards the forefront, while the instrumentation is kept pretty minimalist. All in all, this channels a sleek and synth-led R&B sound, but the hip-hop sections and the quirky lyricism give it a subversive, fun character. The result, for me, is a track which grows on you very effectively with repeated listens. The track showcases the band’s USP for the lyrically creative, with a sound that I find quite ‘undefinable’ overall, but it’s gorgeous. I love this one. Brilliant.

Pictured: KANA (Lead Vocals/Rhythm Guitar), Yuuki (Bass Guitar/Backing Vocals), MANA (Keyboard and Yuna (Acoustic Drum Kit) in a promo shoot for “WINK” (2021) (via Conversationsabouther.net)

Thank you for checking out my latest blog post! We’re taking a break from the new music reviews tomorrow for our weekly ‘Way Back Wednesdays’ as we revisit one of the most enjoyable rarities that became available before the 2000’s. Tomorrow’s artists have been featured on the blog before, and they are a well-liked (especially on the internet, and not so known in terms of the mainstream) Scottish electronic duo who were known for pulling off possibly the best ‘Easter Egg Hunt’ in music marketing history prior to the release of their fourth main album in 2013, which was their first new album in seven years, and still stands as their most recent release to this 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/