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Today’s Track: Metronomy – “Salted Caramel Ice Cream”

August 26, 2019 — 1 Comment

Bank holiday! For hard workers, it’s like a dream. It’s like a Salted Caramel Ice Cream!

Metronomy are back with “Salted Caramel Ice Cream”, the lead single from their upcoming sixth LP, “Metronomy Forever”, which gets released by the ‘Because Music’ label on September 13, 2019. To be completely honest with you, I’m not very familiar with Metronomy’s work outside of a few singles in 2008, such as “Heartbreaker” and “Radio Ladio”, from their debut record, “Nights Out”. However, I know they started out as part of the new-wave of synth-pop artists in the late 00’s, along with the likes of La Roux, Klaxons and Empire Of The Sun. It’s also been a long time since we’ve heard much from them, as their previous LP, “Summer ’08”, was released back in July 2016.

“Salted Caramel Ice Cream” is a track that I’d describe as “cute”, as it has a lot of very bouncy keyboard riffs and a lot of lyrics that are French words, so it has a very playful and tongue-in-cheek style of songwriting. The vocal work reminds me of Yukon Blonde, a Canadian indie rock band, as they are delivered in a way that is raw and low-tempo, but it’s primed for dance-floors around the UK tour. The track has a very disco feel to it and it has a sense of self-aware humor to it because it’s a light-hearted and warm little anthem that exudes simplicity and tranquility. I’ve been hearing the track on BBC Radio 6Music and it’s one of the stand-out tracks on the current playlist for me. This is because, like a Salted Caramel Ice Cream, it’s a very indulgent and more-ish effort. I’m also a huge fan of the music video, which is about a business stand-off between two Ice Cream parlors, which are fronted by some of the band’s members. It really tickles me at the end, as Rodney, a blue monster, starts to grow drumsticks out of his eyes and plays a Xylophone with them. It could have been a site for sore eyes, but it’s very quirky and fits with the overall theme of the sound. The song is also pretty unique and it doesn’t directly sound like much else, but I’d most liken it to Hot Chip or Toro Y Moi as a comparison, both of which are alternative synthpop artists who are very playful and driven by electro-funk sounds. To conclude, I really like this track. It’s a very warm, light-hearted bundle of fun and I’m looking forward to checking out some of the band’s other work in the build to the new album.

  • Pictured: Joseph Mount (vocals, keyboard, guitar), Oscar Cash (guitar, keyboard, Anna Prior (Drums), Olugbenga Adelekan (vocals, bass guitar) and Michael Lovett (keyboard, guitar, synths and backing vocals)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow with an in-depth look at a track by an English electronic music duo from Hertfordshire who are currently signed to Counter Records, an imprint of the Ninja Tune record label! If you liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every daily new post is up and like the Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

SCUZZ Sundays: System Of A Down – “B.Y.O.B.”

August 25, 2019 — Leave a comment

Scuzz was a huge childhood favourite of mine, where I discovered loads of new bands and exciting sounds when I was a young-un going through THAT phase. In case you don’t know it, Scuzz was a free-to-view TV channel which specialised in the rock, punk and nu-metal genres. It was basically just Kerrang, but good. It became a huge after-school tradition of mine to sit and watch the incredible music videos on the channel. To this day, I can still memorize the typical Top 5 chart on the channel. RIP to Scuzz, as it was closed on 15 November 2018, due to the way the industry has been changed by how we consume music, which is mainly down to the rise of streaming sites like Spotify, Tidal and Deezer. I really wanted to write a new themed day on the blog which pays tribute to the output of Scuzz back in the day, so Sundays are now going to be “Scuzz Sundays”, a day where we reminisce over the rock and metal bands that we all saw and loved on Scuzz!

One of my absolute favourites were System Of A Down, an Armenian heavy metal band. They haven’t been around for a long while despite there being rumblings of a new record being written. However, at the time, they were a phenomenal band and they still are. I craved the raw energy, the political writing and the theatrical style of vocals. Their music videos are iconic and brilliant, to me, as well. “Chop Suey” is one of my favourite music videos of all-time. It sees the band performing in a car park as over 1,000 fans showed up to mosh for them and be filmed for the video, so it becomes a real joy to watch. You should definitely check it out below!

Wow! It’s still a banger, right? On with today’s track…

“B.Y.O.B.” is the lead single from their fourth LP, “Mezmerize”, which came out back in 2005! The track’s actual title is “Bring Your Own Bombs” and it’s a protest song to the Iraq War, which started in 2003 and then ended in 2011. Regardless of the political sub-text, this is just a damn great party Thrash anthem that still sounds as relevant today as it did over 15 years ago. It’s just a total explosion of heavy riffs, chords, bass and memorable vocal hooks. “Everybody’s going to the party/have a real good time” is a great pre-cursor to the theatrics and drama that ensues with “Where The Fuck Are You?” as Serj Tankien, the lead vocalist, invites an implosion of new layers of heavy riffs, drum beats and bass chords. The lyrics are brutal and calculated, but they still manage to raise questions that was reflected by the political and cultural anxieties behind the song. It’s one of their biggest commercial hits, but it’s not a mainstream track at all. It’s probably too obnoxious and a bit of an acquired taste for some, but not for me. I’m always going to just absolutely adore this record as it grows older, as it still sounds as insane now as it did 16 years ago. This is a track that I’m confident will go down as a purely timeless favourite for Thrash Metal fans and a signature track from a band that will always be very important to my own personal life.

  • Serj Tankien (Vocals), Daron Malakien (Guitar), Shavo Odadjian (Bass), John Dolmayan (Drummer)
  • Pictured: ‘System of a down’ in Austin, Texas, 2002

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow with a new track from a band who have remixed the likes of Gorillaz, Kate Nash and Young Knives! If you liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every daily new post is up and like the Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Today’s Track: LCD Soundsystem – “Get Innocuous!”

August 23, 2019 — Leave a comment

Did I ever tell you about the time that I saw James Murphy, Nancy Whang and Pat Mahoney from LCD Soundsystem in the barber shop? They were getting a trim and they were laughing one minute, crying the next! That must have been an “Emotional Haircut”! BOOM! That’s all the Dad jokes I have for you today – On with today’s post…

LCD Soundsystem have already reached deity status in the indie genre. The chances are that even if you only like the most mainstream of music, you’ve definitely heard their influence in many of today’s indie rock artists. The genre has evolved into a sound that pulls influence from Dance, Punk, Post-Punk, Funk, Neo-Soul and Electronica. That’s courtesy of LCD Soundsystem, as they were the first indie band to successfully create the indie dance-rock sound that is heard and promoted everywhere in today’s indie music scene. Many Indie bands, such as The 1975, Two Door Cinema Club and Walk The Moon are highly influenced by the 00’s garage-disco funk that LCD Soundsystem have pioneered. LCD Soundsystem are also very easy for music lovers to obsess over, due to the music production techniques used to create their energetic melodies. It’s full of production techniques, synthesizers, effects and re-purposed sequences. The group’s name is a distinct reference to the gear they use.

“Get Innocuous!” is an album track from their second LP, 2007’s “Sound Of Silver”, which is still one of the most critically acclaimed indie records of the 00’s and it’s still highly popular among hardcore fans of the Indie genre. The track starts off with a synthesized sequence of drum beats that bounce over the top of the track, which are joined by more synthesized harmonies as the track gradually adds layer upon layer. Murphy’s vocals kick in, which pulls a lot of influences from the art-rock style of David Bowie. They sound goth-like, dark and jittery: “Home, home in the late, night/And away, away in the half, life/Except Saturdays, crushed by the boring/And played and plagued by the tourists again”. The lyrics are open to interpretation, but I think it’s about the mundanity of everyday life and the vibrancy of nightlife at clubs. The track keeps adding layers upon layers of sequences as it slowly builds into an indie-pop dance-floor anthem. It’s the vocals from Nancy Whang which makes this track really stand out for me: “You can normalize, don’t it make you feel alive”, which repeats over and over, with a funky vocal delivery and it’s own bed of bass, which makes it sound really catchy and groovy. I like the vocal performances on this track, as they draw influence from the new-wave era of The Velvet Underground, New Order and Depeche Mode. It doesn’t sound like an exact copy of sounds from the past, but it just sounds like Murphy has fruitfully connected the dots of past and present in effortless fashion. “Get Innocuous” is a solid introduction to the rest of the LP, “Sound Of Silver”, a record which defined an era of the indie rock, pop and dance genres by pulling influences from underground styles that succeeds into mastering a sound that was fresh and exciting at the time. I feel it was definitely the right record for the right time.

Pictured: James Murphy (Vocals/Synths), Nancy Whang (Keyboard/Synths) & Pat Mahoney (Drums) (2017) (via PR)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow with a track that explores a brand new theme for the blog, but you’ll have to come back to find out what it is! ouch… retention! If you liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every daily new post is up and like the Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Today’s Track: Friendly Fires – “Can’t Wait Forever”

August 23, 2019 — 1 Comment

It may not have been forever, but they made us wait 8 years for the release of the new LP! That must have felt about long enough for some… It’s time for your Friday post!

Friendly Fires have just returned for “Inflorescent”, their first new LP since 2011’s “Pala”, which is regarded as a classic in the Indie Pop and Alternative Dance genres. “Can’t Wait Forever” is the opening track from the new record, which takes the classic Samba-Brazillian flavor of their signature sound to a slightly more psychedelic and 80’s-influenced level. Ed McFarlene, the lead vocalist and frontman of the band, comes across like a mix between George Michael and Morten Harket, to me. It’s never really been the lyrics that’s been excelled at, it’s the creativity and imagination of their sound within the crowded indie pop/rock scene. “Pala” is a truly brilliant album.

Moving on to today’s specific track, “Can’t Wait Forever” feels right at home between the experimental sound of their self-titled debut EP from 2008 and the world-like, stylistic instrumentation of the tropical anthems on 2011’s “Pala”. It’s very fun and entertaining to listen to, which I think is mostly down to the blend of hazy disco chords and the effervescently funk melodies. Props to Jack Savidge on the guitar, who really brings the 80’s style Samba format to the party with the light strums on his guitar. I also like the emphasis on breathing, a light “shake your body now” can be heard in the background, which adds a kinetic feel to the track and a passionate energy to Edd Gibson’s electro-soul production on the track. In my opinion, it’s a strong track and I’m really glad to have the group back in the public eye after a long wait. However, I get the sense it may feel a bit too sugary-sweet and candy-coloured for some. Overall, it’s a solid and enjoyable track that definitely has the potential to cross over into a mainstream hit for the band, as it’s very easy for newbies to listen to. It’s a track that feels influenced by the 80’s, yet it’s been evolved to sound fresh and appealing to an all-new generation of dancefloor lovers, be it Hawaii or the bedroom.

  • Pictured: Ed McFarlene (Vocals, Producer), Jack Savidge (Guitar) and Edd Gibson (Drums)

As a bonus note, I’ll give you my overall thoughts on “Inflorescent”, I like it. I don’t think it’s going to go down as a classic like “Pala” did because it’s not as cohesive overall and the single tracks don’t mesh as well with the album tracks in a few areas, but it’s still a great comeback record because the sound is very exciting and diverse, all working suitably within an Urban location. There are loads of vibrant tracks on the record and I think it’s worth a listen for existing fans of the group or newcomers alike!

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow with a track taken from a classic album of an iconic 00’s project that has always boiled down to one man, but it’s always had a revolving line-up of new band members over the years! If you liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every daily new post is up and like the Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Today’s Track: Dido – “Friends”

August 21, 2019 — 2 Comments

Hello, my friends! Unlike Dido, I’m going to call you that. Time for your Thursday post!

“Friends” is the new single from Dido’s latest and fifth LP, “Still On My Mind”, which was released in March. The album gears towards a groovier sound than her previous LP release, “The Girl Who Got Away”, which came out back in 2013. Several of the album’s tracks have received a lot of airplay on BBC Radio 2 and the album has done very well commercially for her, as it reached #3 on the UK Albums Chart. It’s good news for her as “The Girl Who Got Away” didn’t do very well at all, neither critically or commercially. I’m generally fond of Dido and I can easily see why she’s managed to sell 50 million records worldwide, although she’s not one of my personal favourites as she can be very mainstream and a little dull for me at times, due to her slow-paced and laidback style. This track was requested for me to cover on the site by one of the readers, Evelyn! So, I’d love to give her a huge shout-out for this post! Let’s get into it!

The track kicks off with a bed of synths that feel really 00’s to me, which provide the main drum beats for the song. They start off with a slow pace that feels warm and comforting, but I’ve noticed how they gradually build to the chorus, where the pace starts to increase. The dance beats are nested under the vocals, where Dido croons to an Ex-boyfriend or a former lover, “No matter how I feel, don’t call us friends”, before she retaliates with “I don’t remember anymore how we used to be, I don’t remember anymore how I used to feel” before there’s a little breakdown of auto-tuned male vocals in the bridge, where the synths draw to a conclusion of taking center stage over Dido’s vocals with a little breakdown as it becomes a pop ballad. Lyrically, it feels like Dido is sticking her middle finger up to a former lover, but she’s doing it in the most calm and relaxed way possible, by the use of drum beats which slowly build and make you want to lazily nod your head along to the chorus. I don’t think it’s a perfect song by any means. It does sound a little bit “safe” and I think the production work on it could have felt a bit more tinkered and remastered, as it feels a little bit unfinished and rough at points, but it’s still a good track that will please all of Dido’s fans and it’s very accessible for her target audience, although it probably won’t convert many potential newcomers very much. However, I like how the vocals stand out as Dido commands over the synths, which take a backseat at the start. Still, I think it’s okay and I wish her well as she embarks on her first tour in 15 years to promote the record.

  • Pictured: Promotional Artwork for “Still On My Mind” (2019)
  • Pictured: The icon herself, doing her thing with a live performance
  • Pictured: Tour Dates

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow with an in-depth look at a new track from a British alternative dance group who have just released their first new album in 8 years! If you liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every daily new post is up and like the Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Today’s Track: Beck – “Tropicalia”

August 20, 2019 — 2 Comments

Beck is a personal favourite of mine because he’s like a vivid Chameleon of music as he’s developed an ever-changing and shape-shifting sound since the 1990’s. None of his music sounds too similar. Art has also always been associated with his music, be it the rock sound on 1994’s “Mellow Gold”, the jazz-disco fusion of 1999’s “Midnite Vultures” and his most acclaimed record and masterpiece of an LP, 1996’s “Odelay”! He’s become a bit of a darling for the Grammy Awards in recent years, which he thoroughly deserves as the guy has practically changed what an artist is since the 1990’s, although I’m sadly not so fond of his latest work. He’s also 49 years of age and he’s still the coolest guy in the room. I’d really love to hang out with him! “Tropicalia” is a single from his sixth LP, 1998’s “Mutations”, which won an award for Best Alternative Music Album at the Grammy Awards of that year. However, it’s one of his lesser-known singles, so I thought it’d be an interesting choice for me to write about.

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow with a look at a new track from an iconic British female singer who was first signed to Arista Records by Clive Davis, who scouted Whitney Houston! If you liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every daily new post is up and like the Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Today’s Track: Billie Eilish – ‘Bad Guy’

August 19, 2019 — Leave a comment

She’s the Bad Guy. Duh. She is also the subject for our first track review on the blog!

“Bad Guy” is the hit single from Billie Eilish’s debut album “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” The track, along with her other singles like “Wish You Were Gay” and “Bury A Friend”, have propelled Eilish to a great deal of success in the mainstream charts ever since her debut album was released in March. It has reached #2 in the UK charts and #2 on the Billboard charts in the US. There’s also a remix of the song with Justin Bieber as a featured artist, of all people who you could work with. This post is dedicated to my housemate and big sister figure at Uni, who is already a big Billie fan – You know who you are! (*cough* Chels *cough*).

The track starts off with a pretty minimalist style of instrumentation. Apart from a settled synth line that floats under the vocals, there isn’t percussion to really speak of. Eilish delivers the vocals in a soft, quiet manner, where she is almost whispering, but the drum beats remain static and the lyrics begin to foreshadow what’s coming up, as the lyrics in the first verse, such as “Bruises on both my knees for you” and “Creeping around like nobody knows” aren’t exactly the most cheerful of thoughts. The chorus kicks in and you get this twisted, alien synth melody that sounds akin to an ambient beat from a 90’s IDM track. The track goes along at a fairly steady pace with the chilling vocals, which sound fairly threatening, from Eilish and the goth-like synth melody in the chorus. The track has been categorized in genre as “Emo pop” and “Dark Pop”, as well as “Trap Pop” and “Nu-Goth Rock” by many publications.

Overall, as far as today’s mainstream goes, I feel this is a pretty decent track! A lot of teens have been raving about it as a track that’s completely unique, but I disagree with that a little bit. This “dark-pop” has been touched upon in the past by the likes of Goldfrapp and Lana Del Rey, but I like how Eilish feels like the first pop artist to fully-flesh out this experimental sound to make it very exciting to her target audience, who, let’s face it: Won’t have a clue who the likes of Goldfrapp or Fiona Apple are. The lyrics have depth as there are nods-and-winks to the likes of self-harm and misandry, which are issues that many young people face today. In conclusion, although I feel this song is a little bit overplayed now, I think it’s a good overall package as it evolves on the “dark-pop” format in a way that succeeds on a genre which hasn’t been explored to this extent in the past. I can definitely see why she works for her audience so well: it’s because she is relatable, yet fresh and otherworldly to them. It’s an anthem for the new generation where there aren’t really gangs like in the 1980’s, a time where it’s cool just to be different!

Thank you very much for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow with the new track from a legendary hip-hop crew who are simply just too good for Spotify! If you liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every daily new post is up and like the Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/