Today’s Track: Fontaines DC – ‘Jackie Down The Line’

April 2, 2022 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Grian Chatten (Lead Vocals/Tambourine), Carlos O’Connell (Lead Guitar/Backing Vocals), Conor Curley (Rhythm Guitar/Piano/Backing Vocals), Conor Deegan (Bass Guitar/Acoustic Guitar/Backing Vocals) and Tom Coll (Drums/Percussion/Occasional Guitar/Occasional Backing Vocals) (2019) (Photo Credit: TheIndependent.co.uk)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, and the time has come for us to sit comfortably and find our reading glasses as we prepare to get invested in 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! Since bonding over their shared passions for literature and poetry while attending college together at BIMM in The Liberties, Dublin – Fontaines D.C. have become renowned for their extensive live touring and the consistently upwards trajectory of their career, as their critical acclaim and public popularity veer closer towards the mainstream consciousness with every successful album release. They signed up to Partisan Records in 2019, before their debut album – ‘Dogrel’ – was released in 2019 to widespread acclaim since it was voted ‘Album Of The Year’ by BBC Radio 6 Music, as well as listed as ‘Album Of The Year’ on Rough Trade’s website. It was also nominated for the Mercury Prize and the Choice Music Prize. They quickly followed up these credits – to similar results – with 2021’s ‘A Hero’s Death’, a bleak but therapeutic record that was nominated for ‘Best Rock Album’ at the 2021 Grammy Awards. Known for writing and recording material in the midst of their touring duties, as well as their frequent collaborations with high in demand producer Dan Carey, they are set to release yet another album – ‘Skinty Fia’ – on April 22nd. The band have promised for their new LP to feel “much more expansive and cinematic” than the previous two aforementioned efforts in their press materials, and the group recently performed the lead single ‘Jackie Down The Line’ on ‘The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon’, bringing their confessional brand of taut Post-Punk and self-loathing spoken word lyricism to the US. The track’s title derives from ‘Jackeen’, a derogatory term used against the folk of their hometown of Dublin although they are currently based in London. Check out the Hugh Mulhern-directed music video below.

‘Skinty Fia’ is an Irish phrase that roughly translates to “The damnation of the deer” in English, and it is used to express annoyance or disappointment, and it resonates with vocalist Grian Chatten as a response to the “mutation” of Irish culture abroad. Speaking about the highly-anticipated new album and it’s main themes, Chatten has stated, “A large part of what Skinty Fia is about is the way Irishness becomes exaggerated and embellished when we’re abroad and how whether it’s parts in London, Boston or Vancouver, we still cling together for various reasons including the discomfort of being ‘othered’, which I’ve been feeling. It’s fertile soil for creativity”, in an interview with Hot Press. ‘Jackie Down The Line’ is an exploration of these ideas, with Chatten casually reciting lyrics like “My friend Sally says she knows ya, Got a funny point of view, Says you got away with murder, Maybe one time, maybe one time” that talk about cheating in a relationship, and the later refrain of “What good is happiness to me?, If I’ve to wield it carefully/For care I’ll always come up short, It’s only right” makes it more evidently clear that qualities of paranoia, alcohol abuse and drug abuse have led to the demise of the relationship. His vocals feel dark and brooding, but there’s an 80’s softness to the guitar rhythms that gives it a mature and very accessible approach, and the sing-along hook of “I don’t think we’d rhyme, I will wear you down in time, I will hurt you, I will desert you/I am Jackie down the line” addresses how his Irish culture just doesn’t gel with the former partner while the rhythmic structure creates something deceptively melodic about the otherwise dark, edgy Post-Punk anthem. The songwriting feels rather clever in this sense, yet the instrumentation feels quite simple. The chorus has a spoken-sung pace that glides across the subtle Grunge influence of the bassline, while the lead guitar and the drums add sparse, but gloomy, ripples of textures that add further intensity and drama to the proceedings. There’s nothing massively complicated about this, but it feels on-brand for the band and it sharpens the edge of the knife lyrically, so to speak. If you have ever heard anything from Fontaines DC before, even casually, I think ‘Jackie Down The Line’ will feel familiar because it feels like a continuation of their journey thus far rather than a re-invention of the wheel, and it offers the same unapologetic and thought-provoking fare that previous records have earned their strong reviews for, and I feel that ‘Jackie Down The Line’ has managed to catch my attention because it feels more exciting for them because it sounds more catchy while retaining the harsher, dissonant elements of their pre-existing sound in the process, although I’ve never been a huge fan of this style before. Jackie has her authority here.

Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘Skinty Fia’ (LP/Album) (Available from April 22nd, 2022) (via Partisan Records)

That brings us to the very end of yet another daily track post on the blog. I hope that you enjoyed reading it, and I will be back tomorrow for another weekly iteration of ‘Scuzz Sundays’ that is delivered on a somber and reflective note, as we take the chance to pay tribute to the recently deceased Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins.

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Way Back Wednesdays: Gossip – ‘Standing In The Way Of Control’

March 16, 2022 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Beth Ditto (Vocals/Piano), Nathan Howdeshell (Bass/Keyboard) & Hannah Billie (Drums) (2019) (via PR)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for us to start spreading the word on the street (or the internet) that there is another daily track on the blog in town as we go retro for ‘Way Back Wednesdays’, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Formerly known as ‘The Gossip’ – Gossip were a Beth Ditto-led punk rock band from Arkansas who were originally active between 1999 and 2016 who were another name in a fairly familiar string of Garage Rock Revival sub-genre bands like The Yeah Yeah Yeah’s and The Hives who were also popular in the contemporary mainstream of the time. Exploring a mixture of indie rock, post-punk revival and dance-rock influences, they gained some breakthrough in radio charts popularity with their 2006 track ‘Standing In The Control’, a glitzy Pop-Punk number that reached the top ten of the UK Singles Chart and it has appeared on decade-end lists like NME’s ‘150 Best Tracks Of The Past 15 Years’ at the #34 rank on the list in 2011 and at #429 on Pitchfork’s ‘Top 500 Greatest Tracks Of The 2000’s’ list in late 2009. It was the lead single of Gossip’s third studio album of the same name released in 2006, which reached #1 on the UK’s Indie Chart and it has reached Gold status in the territory. Produced by Ryan Hadlock and Guy Picciotto, it was Gossip’s first album to feature new drummer Hannah Billie, of Seattle’s Chromatics fame. If you used to watch the British TV drama ‘Skins’ on E4, you would also know the track as it was proclaimed to be the ‘unofficial’ theme track of the programme as it featured heavily in promotional materials and it would be played on the DVD main menu’s of the series’ home release. Let’s remember it below.

The yellow, black and red graffiti-style cover artwork for the physical single release was designed by none other than Kim Gordon, the bassist of Sonic Youth. Meanwhile, the track itself was written as a response to the Federal Marriage Amendment, a highly controversial code of law that would have outlawed gay marriage across the US. With this theme in mind, the impassioned instrumentation and the reasonably soft, yet minimal and pulsating, lead vocals by Beth Ditto hit harder as a battle cry for empowered liberation than anybody who has ever felt constrained or marginalized may have expected from Gossip. Bursting out of the gate energetically with the unforgettable refrain of “Your back’s against the wall/There’s no one home to call/You’re forgetting who to call/You can’t stop crying” that boasts the core sentiment of denying the authorities’ will to make same sex marriage illegal, a process that feels alien today, which paves the way for Billie to hit her metronomic hi-hat snares and four-on-the-floor bass kicks with her ragged Punk-infused Drum parts, while guitarist Brace Paine contributes some vigorous bass lines and high-energy guitar riffs, that chug along to the distortion-drenched production of the thin and treble-enhanced range of melodies, to the equation. Ditto’s vocals earn a distinction among the wealth of other talents in the Garage-Rock revival business of the mid-00’s as they feel rather Bluesy, yet propulsive, with a smoky delivery on mid-chorus hooks like “You’ll live your life/Survive the only way that you know” and a commanding presence above the instrumentation that recalls the vintage Motown acts of the 70’s like Diana Ross and Ann Wilson in her wailing notes and her lengthily sustained filler phrases. The track also fits squarely into the DIY ethics of an underground Punk feminist movement of the 1990’s called the ‘Riot grrrl’ era in the way that Ditto’s band combine Punk music with Politics on this, probably, best-known single from them. ‘Standing In The Way Of Control’ feels like a natural blend between the two styles, and it creates a noticeable Disco edge too, as it feels impossible not to mindlessly nod your head along to the groove. It was unapologetically brash, and Ditto’s band were transformed from a clan of Dance-Punk disruptors to Pop phenomena in the process.

Pictured: Cover Art for ‘Standing In The Way Of Control’ (LP/Album) (Released on January 24th, 2006) (via Back Yard Recordings/Kill Rock Stars)

That brings me to the end of another nostalgic throwback post on One Track At A Time, and I hope that you have a pleasant day, and thank you for showing your support for the site today. I’ll be diverting your attention back to brand new music tomorrow, as we review the latest single by a Grime-meets-Punk duo based in East London who have toured with hardcore rapper Nascar Aloe, supported Gallows at their comeback gig at House Of Vans in 2019 and were featured in a guest appearance on a BBC Radio 1 session by Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes presented by Annie Mac.

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Scuzz Sundays: Avril Lavigne – “When You’re Gone”

September 26, 2021 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Cover Art for ‘The Best Damn Thing’ (LP) (Released on April 11th, 2007) (via RCA Records)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for me to get typing up on the blog for yet another one of my daily posts, seeing that it has always been my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! ‘Scuzz Sundays’ marks the end point of the week where we take an in-depth look back at some Pop-Punk anthems released between the late-90’s and the mid-00’s, and the Canadian vocalist Avril Lavigne was one of the most famous female role models of the era. Best known for the multi-platinum selling singles ‘Sk8erboi’ and ‘Girlfriend’ and her nickname of ‘Pop Punk Queen’ from the music publications of the time, Lavigne still holds the title of having the best-selling album of the 21st century by a Canadian singer with her 2002 debut release, ‘Let Go’. She’s also dabbled in acting work, as she did voice work for 2006’s ‘Over The Hedge’ and she appeared in the comedy-drama film ‘Fast Food Nation’ that also opened in cinemas in 2006. ‘When You’re Gone’ was released as the second single from her third full-length album, ‘The Best Damn Thing’, which hit the shelves of Woolworths in 2007. This LP incorporated more elements of Post-Grunge into her recordings than before, and it has sold more than six million copies globally, topping some of the US Billboard charts along with reaching the top of the charts in twelve countries. ‘When You’re Gone’, as a single, peaked at #24 on the US Billboard 200 and it reached #3 on the UK Singles Chart. Refresh your mind below.

Lavigne wrote ‘When You’re Gone’ with Butch Walker (Panic! At The Disco, Dashboard Confessional) who also produced the track, and the subject matter was reportedly written about her marriage to Sum 41’s lead singer Deryck Whibley at the time and how she feels when the two of them are touring separately, but she has been quick to dispute this rumor during interviews with The Belfast Telegraph at the time. She also worked with the composer Rob Mathes to orchestrate the single. You may have noticed the genuine String section in the brief early goings, for example, when you just listened to the track via the video. She also incorporates a fluttering Piano line and a gentle Synthesizer to the mix too. The lyrics are simple, with universal themes like separation from a love interest and expressing how you feel when you’re apart from a special someone in your life, shining through brief sequences like “I always needed time on my own/I never thought I’d need you there when I cried” and “And the days feel like years when I’m alone/And the bed where you lie is made up on your side” that deal with internal conflict a little bit, and these words are matched by an anthology of cheesy love stories in the music video. The chorus makes these lyrics feel a bit more catchy, with some explosive Drum sequences and a lightly distorted guitar melody creating enough of a Hard Rock angle to the tune, reminding us that it is, indeed, a track by Avril Lavigne. Personally, I felt it was fine. This is superficially like any kind of Pop-Rock ballad though, with some contemplative songwriting and some touching instrumentation lending the record at least a little bit of emotional depth. My issue is that there’s absolutely no subtlety here, however, and it simply feels too straightforward for the vocals to really tug at my heart strings very much. There’s some nice Piano sequences and a lower tempo that gives the track a slightly poetic feel, but the bombastic drums and the basic themes feel a bit soulless and lacking in much of a distinctive character. Overall, this is a so-so effort that tackles themes of both loss and longing in a warming way, but not a poignant one due to the simplicity.

Pictured: Avril Lavigne at an undisclosed gig on tour (2012) (Photo via Zine Cultural/Getty Images)

That’s all for now! Thank you for checking out my new post on the blog today, and I’ll be back to do it all over again tomorrow by kicking off the new week of music with an in-depth look at the current LP from a Swedish House DJ who is the owner of the Young Ethics label and he has also been featured on KEXP’s Song Of The Day podcast.

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Scuzz Sundays: Limp Bizkit – “Rollin’ (Air Raid Vehicle)”

June 27, 2021 — Leave a comment

Get your bandannas, masks, the crew and motorbikes at the ready. It’s Scuzz Sunday!

Pictured: Fred Durst (Lead Vocals), John Otto (Drums), Sam Rivers (Bass Guitar/Occasional Backing Vocals), Wes Borland (Guitars/Vocals) and DJ Lethal (Turntables/Sampling/Programming) in a Covid-era promo (2020) (Photo by Kerrang.com)

Good Morning to you! It’s Jacob Braybrooke here – and we all know what time it is – as we revisit a heavy rock staple of the Emo period between the late-1990’s up to the mid-2000’s, all in the name of a little Scuzz TV, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! An unusual UK #1 Singles Chart hit for the controversial Florida-native Rap-Rock 5-piece group Limp Bizkit, ‘Rollin (Air Raid Vehicle)’ was a pop culture talking point when it appealed to the masses in 2000, taken from their third studio album ‘Chocolate Starfish and The Hot Dog Flavoured Water’, reaching the top 10 of several European countries and becoming their highest-charting single on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was everywhere – being used for The Undertaker’s entrance as the “American Badass” character in WWE for a few years. It was also made famous by ‘The Fast and The Furious’, ‘American Dad’, and by MLB player Scott Rolen. As of now, Limp Bizkit have just announced a UK Tour for next year and continue to work on their unreleased sixth album, ‘Stampede Of The Disco Elephants’. Despite troubles within the press and contentious live festival performances, Limp Bizkit have been nominated for three Grammy Awards, and they have sold over 40 million copies worldwide. Roll up below.

The chart success of ‘Rollin (Air Raid Vehicle)’ for Limp Bizkit in 2000 was bolstered by the memorable remix entitled ‘Rollin (Urban Assault Vehicle)’ which was put together by the quite popular hip-hop artists of the time DMX, Method Man and Redman. It was produced by Swizz Beats, and it was included as a bonus track for their ‘Chocolate Starfish and The Hot Dog Flavoured Water’ album. Of course, the leading actor of Ben Stiller appearing in the music video was a hot topic, too. As for the music without it’s branching tools, we’re given a fairly standard Nu-Metal rock tune built on bright melodicism and turntable scratching from DJ Lethal. Being the #1 hit they are predominantly known for, it’s exactly what you would come to expect from them. The verses come thick and fast, with a wall of huge-sounding guitar riffs that drive the aggression forwards at a brisk pace. I won’t even try to break the lyrics down because it’s so quick and nonsensical, but it’s mostly a rap-oriented delivery that constantly reminds you to put your hands up and just turn up the volume dial on your stereo to the max. There’s absolutely no substance to anything at all, with a vocal delivery that feels very squeaky and amateur. It’s still catchy though, with Fred Durst shouting a barrage of nonsense at a breakneck speed, chanting meaningless words like “Get it on, Every day and every night”, but with a flailing flow that just about lets him pull it off. I was never finding myself bored either, since there’s always enough going on within the jangled instrumentation to keep the speed gliding along. It’s an incoherent mess, with a cluttered soundscape, but there’s also plenty to smile at here. It’s not taking itself too seriously, and I think that’s both it’s greatest strength and it’s most unfortunate flipside. There’s unintentional comedy, but there’s also a delightful sense of silly to indulge into. On the whole, it’s pretty toxic, but also a strange sort of genius.

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Limp Bizkit Presents: Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water” (LP) (Released on October 17th, 2000) (via Interscope Records/Flip Records)

That’s all for now! Thank you for reaching the end of your daily blog post – and make sure to join me tomorrow for a brand new Punk full-blaster that I would pitch as an alternative anthem to a certain European football competition that is happening at the moment. 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: Linkin Park – “In The End”

June 13, 2021 — Leave a comment

It was just another walk in the park for Agoura Hill’s Metal youths. It’s Scuzz Sunday!

Pictured: Cover Art for “Hybrid Theory” (LP) (Released on October 24th, 2020) (via Warner Bros Records)

Good Morning to you! It’s Jacob Braybrooke here – as always – for another entry in our ‘Scuzz Sundays’ catalogue, as we re-examine the output of our conduit for THAT phase of the late-1990’s through to the mid-2000’s, to see whether these heavy hits of yore still hold up to quality and value, not forgetting that it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! ‘In The End’ by California crossover staples Linkin Park is, if we are being honest, a basic choice for the feature. However, since we haven’t covered anything else close to it yet, here we are. Back in the day, Linkin Park’s music spanned a fusion of Rap-Rock and Nu-Metal before the band went much more mainstream, so to speak, with a sound that is really straight-up Pop music. A lot of their recent material isn’t exactly a creative endeavor, I’ll put it that way for you. There was a time, however, where, the controversy aside, Linkin Park were the ‘poster boys’ of the MTV Rock brand in the US, with significant exposure on the channels and selling their way to over 100 million albums worldwide. Kerrang named them ‘The Biggest Rock Band In The World Right Now’ in 2014, and the band are still working on new music to this day, despite a brief hiatus that began in 2017. ‘In The End’ was one of the main singles from 2000’s ‘Hybrid Theory’, which became certified as a rare Diamond by the RIAA. Just this year, it became the first-ever Nu-Metal classed track to surpass one billion streams on Spotify. Give it a whirl below.

The crown jewel of 2000’s ‘Hybrid Theory’, ‘In The End’ easily crossed over to the mainstream singles charts worldwide, reaching #2 on the US Billboard Hot 100, as a real sleeper hit, since it eventually reached the Top 40 two years following it’s release. It remains to be one of Linkin Park’s most recognisable tracks, despite a story which reports that the amusingly named lead vocalist Chester Bennington initially disliked ‘In The End’ and he didn’t want for it to make the cut of the track listing for ‘Hybrid Theory’, and so that would have been a mistake. A signature example of Linkin Park’s more popular and acclaimed sound, ‘In The End’ is known for it’s moody Piano riffs and it’s infusions of Rapcore elements, as Mike Shioda raps in the verses, before Bennington takes the lead for a melodramatic chorus. The lyrics are dealing with a break-up amongst Bennington’s constant struggle with drug abuse and the divorce of his two parents. Shioda’s Rap-Rock verses result in bars like “Time is a valuable thing/Watch it fly by as the pendulum swings” and “Watch it count down to the end of the day/The clock ticks life away” that combines the raw feel of Eminem with the hard-edged rock vibes of Evanescence. They come across as motivational, while the familiar chorus from Bennington is more bleak, depicting a conflict of emotions, chanting “I had to fall/To lose it all/But in the end/It doesn’t even matter” with a very heightened quality. The guitar riffs mix a wave of distortion with a catchy rhythm, and the glitched Drum shuffle which leads the verse adds some more depth. I feel this is a decent tune that is a victim of the ‘overexposure system’, so to speak, where it has been over-played to death to such a silly point now, and it’s difficult to invest in too emotionally. I quite like the moody aesthetics and the electronic Synth patterns, however, since I’m really not a “fan” of Linkin Park typically, it’s hard for me to judge. I find the rapping to be a little too much on the Corny side, and the overly angry chorus lacks range, with a flat, one-dimensional vocal delivery which downplays the emotion a little bit for me. That said, it was innovative for it’s time and a mismatch of different genre pieces, with a theatrical quality that appeals to a diversity of listeners, so I can easily see why it’s done, and it’s still doing in the decades since, big business for itself.

Pictured: Chester Bennington (Lead Vocals/Rhythm Guitar), Joe Hahn (Turntables/Sampling/Programming/Backing Vocals), Mike Shinoda (Rapping/Keyboard/Synths), Rob Bourdon (Drums/Percussion/Occasional Backing Vocals), Brad Delson (Lead Guitar/Backing Vocals) and Dave “Phoenix” Farrell (Bass Guitar/Backing Vocals) (2012) (Photography via National Geographic.com)

On that note – you’ve reached The End of another daily post here on the blog. We’re gunning for a transition into some smoother electronic music tomorrow, as we review some brand new music from a Bournemouth-born Ambient and IDM music producer who previously made an appearance on the site with his tribute track to the late-great DJ Andy Weatherhall, and he’s got a brand new album on the way for September. 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: Wallice (feat. Marinelli) – “Hey Michael”

May 20, 2021 — Leave a comment

Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling… 23? On that note – It’s new post time!

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Hey Michael” (Single) (Released on April 6th, 2021) (via Self-Released)

Good Afternoon to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for you to read all about your daily track on the blog that I’ve designated especially for you, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! A 23-year-old self-described “Jazz School Dropout” from Los Angeles, California – Wallice Hana Watanabe made her first baby steps into becoming an indie rock artist when she started playing a Trumpet at the age of 7, before switching to the Cello at the age of 9, and later starting to write her own music at the age of 12. Now a young songstress turning heads with her own witty blend of sharp-pointed soft Punk and her observational lyricism about growing older, Wallice is set to release her debut EP, ‘Off The Rails’ on June 4th independently. It follows up the singles ’23’ and ‘Punching Bag’, which Wallice co-produced with her childhood friend, Marinelli, who gets an official co-featured artist credit on her latest offering, ‘Hey Michael’. She says the track is a “revenge anthem for anyone who has encountered a gaslighting, manipulative person” in her respective press notes for the track about toxic tendencies and how characters can manifest in our lives. Check out the Phil Stillwell-directed video below.

During an interview that I read with Wallice with Kieran Rogers for Clout, she cited some of her many influences as being Radiohead, Big Thief and Phoebe Bridgers, and she says that you can probably hear a few of their blueprints when you listen to her own music. For me, personally, Wallice makes me imagine what would happen if she was the lovechild between US music icon Beck and the hillariously deadpan US comedienne and actress Aubrey Plaza. In ‘Hey Michael’, you get an equal dosage of smarky remarks and bouncy, slightly off-beat, musicianship. I think it’s fair to say we’ve all known someone just like Wallice’s ‘Michael’ in our college years, and so her comical references to Mad Men and sharp stabs at pretentious characters who may rave on about Pulp Fiction feel relatable, but most importantly, they feel justified. The opening verse of “I heard you’re pretty good at Drums/I think that’s pretty cool/But if you try to f**k my pretty friend/I’ll push you in the pool” sets the scene perfectly, with a dry vocal delivery that allows the humor to feel just a tiny bit uncomfortable for decent effect. The chorus builds to a more melodic payoff, with lines like “You’re the life of the party/But the party is already over” and “I think I wanna start a fight/Which one is your girlfriend?” that lets the comedy shine, while simultaneously giving her Michael a hard time of humiliation and embarrassment. The vocal harmonies give us a solid singing performance, and the instrumentation is put together well. The guitar riffs get a little more abrasive in the chorus, and the mid-tempo pacing of the verses build nicely to a faster chorus. The guest spot from Marinelli trades out the electric guitar sounds for some subtle 80’s New Wave synths to keep things varied, and the somewhat abrupt ending adds an element of suprise to the package. Overall, it’s hard to find any fault in this one. It reminds me of the music that Pink used to make in the mid-00’s like ‘So What’ before she went more mellow in recent times, with lyrics that feel bitingly honest and sarcastically strong. I’d be interested to see how she expands upon her current sound to keep a full-length project, such as an album, entertaining. A very promising start for her overall and she looks very Suave in her suit. Just saying.

Pictured: Wallice in a promotional photoshoot for “23” (2021) (Photography by Jerry Maestas)

That’s all for today – Thanks for checking out what I had to share today! ‘New Album Release Fridays’ is on for tomorrow, as we discuss one of the weekend’s new album releases. Tomorrow’s spotlight sees the second apperance of a Michigan-native alternative folk band drawing from cinematic inspirations. The group have earned the distinction of performing on Jimmy Kimmel’s talk show in the US and, perhaps, their best known tune, ‘The Night We Met’ has been streamed over 735 million times online. 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 Fridays: Dropkick Murphys – “Queen Of Suffolk County”

April 30, 2021 — Leave a comment

Did you know The Stranglers used to be an 8-piece? The Suffolk Eight. New post time!

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Turn Up That Dial” (LP) (Released on April 30th, 2021) (via Born & Bred)

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, as per usual, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! A bundle of new releases arrive today – including the new fairground-inspired double album from The Coral, the debut LP from the modern LGBTQ+ icon Girl In Red, a new outing from Gojira (the French Metal band who hold the record for the loudest concert ever recorded at the Stade De France), and, if loudness is your thing, the new outing from the Brit Award winning rock duo Royal Blood may tip your fancy. It’s not a far cry from the ever-charismatic Dropkick Murphys either, who are releasing their tenth studio effort, ‘Turn Up That Dial’, today, as always, through their Born & Bred label. Since 1996, the Celtic Punk band from Massachusetts have earned three Top 10 albums on the Billboard Top 100 chart, generated half a billion streaming figures, and released a near double platinum hit in ‘I’m Shipping Up To Boston’, and so it’s not been shabby business for them at all. There’s some brilliant track titles on the new album, I must say, which Dropkick Murphys have confirmed goes for a lighter tone than previous offerings, including the likes of ‘Middle Finger’ and ‘Mick Jones Nicked My Pudding’ in the recording. There’s also ‘Queen Of Suffolk County’, which has a music video, below.

“When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and things were so down, more than ever, we thought, nobody wants to hear an album about how bad 2020 was in 2021” were the exact words that leader Ken Casey used to promote the new album, one which celebrates the importance of a good sing along in music, and the title of ‘Turn Up That Dial’ really embodies the style of the music in it’s namesake, with tracks like ‘Queen Of Suffolk County’ playing on the relief from worry that comes when you “turn up that dial” on the speakers and blast your phobia away. The playful personality of the group is on show as per usual, with lyrics that recollect stories about a knife-toting local femme fatale, with Casey advising “You best stay out of her way, You know she’s here to stay” and “She don’t joke, and she don’t play” over the top of a usual and traditional Celtic soundscape, with an ounce of rock coming in for the chorus. The verses are on the lighter side as Bagpipe melodies and a slower Banjo melody gives way to witty lyrics like “She had style, she had grace, She had a knife and she had a mace” and “She was fire, she was lust, she was the devil, with a bit of angel dust” that paint a vivid picture of this character hailing from their local area, who had a penchant for taking what was hers. It almost feels quite nostalgic in places, with the past tense of the vocals and the up-tempo pacing making for a cheerful, playful anthem. I like all the one-liners, and it’s ultimately not something that they’re relying on you to take too seriously. I don’t think I have ever listened to a full album from Dropkick Murphys front to back, but I’ve always enjoyed the odd tracks that I’ve heard from them before because they’re very charismatic as performers and the simplicity of their joyful sounds cheers you up when you’ve had a few bad days. Overall, while there’s nothing too experimental or unpredictable about this, it feels perfectly solid and it’s an enjoyable track to listen to. The humor is on-point, and the simple formula of the music is one that works and comforts. Also, to be frank, I think it’s fair to say that we’ve all known a wild character like the ‘Queen Of Suffolk County’.

Pictured: Ken Casey (Lead Vocals, Bass Guitar), Matt Kelly (Bodhran), Al Barr (Backing Vocals), James Lynch (Lead Guitar), Tim Brennan (Accordion, Mandolin, Tin Whistle), Scruffy Wallace (Bagpipes) and Mark Geanakakis (Drums) (2018) (Photo via PR)

Here’s one to save as a bookmark and come back to when the festive season rolls around again, it’s my post about the seasonal Dropkick Murphys single ‘The Season’s Upon Us’, and you can check it out here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2019/12/23/todays-track-dropkick-murphys-the-seasons-upon-us/

Pictured: Cover Art for “Signed And Sealed In Blood” (Released on January 8, 2013) (via Born & Bred)

That’s all for now – but tomorrow’s post comes by way of a household name. A famous electronic dance music duo who have just released a new track, and were originally called ‘The Dust Brothers’ when they started out in 1995 before they had to change this moniker due to the existence of a different musical act with that same name. They have also seen international success, winning six Grammy Awards in the US. 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/

Way Back Wednesdays: The Charlatans – “The Only One I Know”

April 28, 2021 — Leave a comment

Toast would say Tim bloody Burgess, oh wait. That’s Ray Purchess. Let’s go way back!

Pictured: Tim Burgess (Lead Vocals/Harmonica/Piano), Mark Collins (Pedal Steel Guitar), Martin Blunt (Bass Guitar) and Tony Rogers (Keyboard/Organ/Flute/Mellotron) (2017) (Photo by Andy Richardson)

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, as per usual, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of new music every day! Perhaps somewhat overplayed at the time, The Charlatans ‘The Only One I Know’ is certainly one of the sounds of the past that has influenced those of the present. It reached #9 in the UK Singles Chart, and it made Tim Burgess and Buds some important figures of the Madchester/Baggy ‘Indie’ era. Burgess has been a hero to many with his listening parties on Twitter ever since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, and now that seems to be finally reaching a visible end, The Charlatans have announced a special 30th Anniversary Tour of the UK and Ireland for this December. Like many, the group are acknowledging that a year has been lost for them due to the pandemic, and they’ve amusingly crossed out the “30th” on the publicity poster and replaced it with a “31st” label. Titled the ‘A Head Full Of Ideas’ tour, an accompanying box-set will be made available, featuring five albums and an exclusive bonus single. Released from their 1990 debut album, ‘Some Friendly’, Tim Burgess wrote in his memoir ‘Telling Stories’ that ‘The Only One I Know’ sold over 250,000 copies. Let’s revisit the old single below.

One fun fact about ‘The Only One I Know’ is that it’s continued to be memorable, and so it was used for an advert campaign for Cadbury’s chocolate in 2010. Two years later, it was also used in the Marshall Lewy-directed indie film ‘California Solo’ starring Robert Carlyle. You may also be familiar with a Funk-styled cover version with vocals by Robbie Williams which appeared on Mark Ronson’s LP, ‘Version’, in 2007 – and so The Charlatans’ traditional set wind-downer is still never many miles away from mainstream media exposure. Built from some lyrics that were directly lifted from The Byrds’ 1967 track ‘Everybody’s Been Burned’ and a Hammand Organ Riff that is a nod to Deep Purple’s rendition of ‘Hush’ from 1968, ‘The Only One I Know’ is a surprisingly funky look at romantic interests in the music scene. The lyrics of “The only one I know/Never cries, never opens her eyes” and “The only one I know, Wide awake and then she’s away” seems to imply that a romantic interest is the only one that our narrator feels a logical intimacy with, although a direct meaning is never made abundantly clear. Lines like “Everybody’s been burned before” and “Everyone knows the pain” feel more conclusive, however, and so the vague sentiment of our vocalist expressing his feelings as a victim of unrequited love makes it relatable enough to us as listeners. The instrumentation is relatively upbeat, with a frequent set of funk-inficted guitar licks and a highly baggy groove giving it a lick of danceability. The memorable, off-kilter keys riffs gives it just enough of a Garage beat to make things appeal to DJ’s, and so the crossover appeal feels welcome. The vocals and general production sound a little unpolished, with a slight DIY aesthetic that reminds me of the 60’s counter cultural sound that The Cribs explored on their latest album. The brief interlude towards the end provides for a “Pure Pop Moment” and the more dance-oriented coat of paint to the overall package makes it stand out among the likes of Ocean Colour Scene or Ash nicely enough. The sound is admittedly a bit commercial, and it’s definitely something that my least favourite radio station, Radio X, might overplay to the death like they do with Oasis or The Killers (or Noel or Liam Gallagher after playing Oasis), but, that little pet hate of an observation aside, it’s not a knock on the credibility of The Charlatans on the whole. Overall, it’s still a pleasant, solid track that sounds fresh enough for it’s time, and it crosses over to casuals nicely.

Pictured: Cover Art for “Some Friendly” (Released on September 8, 1990) (via Beggars Banquet Records)

That’s all for another week! – Time is flying past and I hope that it stops doing so because I’ve got important deadlines for my Masters degree to complete, you know. However, join me back here in roughly 24 hours time for some more brand new music, this time coming from an emerging indie Dream Rock trio from the sleepy town of Fleet, Hampshire. Signed to Fiction Records, the group were childhood friends who met at college in nearby Farnborough, bonding due to their love of 90’s Trip-Hop. They’ve made the ‘Hype List’ of Dork for 2021. 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: 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/