Once more I had the pleasure of doing a show with D’Arcy Briggs from the YouTube channel @darcyska. A few days ago, D’Arcy asked me if I’d be up to record on a topic of my choosing. My first thought was “movie soundtracks”.
D’Arcy prepared a series of questions for me and off we went! Topics include:
First loves in soundtracks and childhood memories.
Top Five Soundtrack list.
An underrated soundtrack (for Jex Russell).
What makes a good score?
Listening to curated song soundtracks.
Fictional movie band soundtracks.
A recent TV series’ soundtracks.
Has streaming changed how we listen to soundtracks?
Discovering bands via soundtracks, and gatekeeping by the old fans.
While we were at it, we took a good look at some physical CDs, soundtracks from my collection and D’Arcy’s too.
On the weekend I had the pleasure of doing a show with D’Arcy Briggs from the YouTube channel @darcyska. The topic was the recently reviewed Sing the Sorrow by A.F.I., which D’Arcy recently picked up thrifting as well. With this happy coincidence, we sat down and reviewed the album. It turns out we mostly agreed when we split it down track by track.
Check out this fun review, and a lot of praise for an album you should get!
One Drop, from Victoria BC, (not to be confused with the San Diego band) is a seven piece reggae rock band boasting saxophones and keyboards. They’ve been around 20 years, and have at least three releases out. Having said that, this will be my first listen (and first impression) of this band and their music. With sax and keys, it should be a rich sound. Let’s get on with it!
“Rudy” opens this 13 track album with loops and a beat. Even Marillion were experimenting with loopy beats in 2004, and I definitely recognize some of those drum loops (distant and steady) as being fashionable at the time. Then, the track kicks into gear with the saxophones and a bouncy low bassline. The vocals are partly rapped, but it works within the song. There are even guitar solos. Excellent track!
“Three Four Reggae” is a brief song featuring acoustic guitar and rolling bass. It’s a gentle track that lulls you in, leading right into the hard hitting “Big Bang”. This blast of a song hooks you in with a saxophone line at the forefront. It alternates between cool reggae beats and the crash of heavy guitar chords. There’s even a wicked guitar solo. Shades of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones can be heard on this song.
Another brief interlude comes in “Tango” featuring an old sample mixed with a modern beat. Again, this seamlessly leads into a heavy-hitter. “Look the Other Way” is fast and hard punk rock, complete with snotty nose. Just as suddenly, we’re in the slow groove of “Never Rest”. The saxophones are back center stage, and the bass continues to roll while Blair Douglas raps an anti-war message. George W. Bush is lambasted, as the Iraq war raged on. This track would probably have been awesome to hear live back in the day. There’s a brilliant, soft alto sax solo at the end that just reeks of atmosphere. Brilliant tune.
The pace picks up on “Someday”, which jangles its way into your skull right down to your feet. On “Never There”, the groove slows and becomes bitter. This song doesn’t jump out immediately. It may require further listening. “Bloodshed” again tackles serious subject matter, with a gentle guitar rhythm backed by solid bass. Better though is “Gotta Relate” which has a more rock and roll feel, with a classic guitar riff backed by reggae bass. This transitions to a more traditional reggae guitar part, and I get a bit of a Sublime vibe. This is a great song, period. The chorus is catchy as hell. Then, an epic “Rich Man Poor Man” plays with different sections, different tempos, and almost comes off as…progressive rock reggae? Is that a thing? If it is, that’s “Rich Man Poor Man”.
The album closes on two long bombers. “Rudy Dub” is what it sounds like: a slow dub groove. The organ is the main feature here. This is a cool instrumental that works as the penultimate track on an album. The final track, “The Projects”, takes a while to get going and might have benefited from some editing. It has all the energy, drive and punch it needs, but lacks hooks. A killer hook or two, and this album would have ended on an unstoppable note. One Drop get too clever for their own good, going from section to section like a progressive rock band, but in search of that killer hook needed to slam it out of the park. Just once you think they have one going, the song changes into something else.
Good album from a talented band. I bet they are awesome live.
Thank you once again Nurse Kat for coming on Grab A Stack of Rock to talk about a band we both love: Hamilton Ontario’s Arkells. It isn’t her first time, as last year we did a show focusing largely on her 13 concert experiences (now 20). Check out Nurse Kat’s first show by clicking here!
This time, we did a deep dive. We went album by album, from Jackson Square to today: the brand new release, Disco Loadout Volume One. If I do say so myself, I think this is the most comprehensive Arkells deep dive you will find.
My friend D’Arcy Briggs was unable to attend the show, but he provided ample notes and we presented his views on each album in the form of short videos. Additionally, we ran excerpts with commentary of three Arkells music videos: “Oh, the Boss is Coming”, “All Roads”, and “Past Life”, which allow us to view the evolution of the band.
Show highlights:
Concert stories with Kat, including a brilliant one about a port-a-potty in a rainstorm whilst the band played “A Little Rain”.
Favourite songs from each and every album.
A discussion on the music, artwork, and lyrics of the Arkells.
What is a “Michigan Left”?
First impressions on Disco Loadout.
A heartwarming Kopp cameo.
That’s right. The Mad Metal Man himself, who also ordered Disco Loadout, made a brief cameo at the end of our show, and we love him for it. I missed my Mad Metal Man.
Thank yous:
Nurse Kat for spending your time with us instead of Bob’s Burgers.
Harrison Kopp for saying hello.
Chris and Mark at Encore Records for saving the day and getting me the new album when Canada Post lost it.
Next week is a re-run of Top Five Bald Artists. Speaking of which, I may look a little different this week. Spot the change!
My notes:
Jackson Square – 2008
Deadlines – heaviest tune?
Oh the Boss is Coing!
Ballad of Hugo Chavez – “Night of the sun”
Heart of the City – anthemic
The Blueprint – sounds awesome a-capella
Michigan Left – 2011
Book Club
Michigan Left
Coffee
Bloodlines
Whistleblower
High Noon – 2014
Too many good songs to mention, but has the best first three song opening of any Arkells album. Add in Leather Jacket and we have a winner
Morning Report – 2016
Too many good songs! Knocking at the Door, Hung Up, Making Due, My Heart’s Always Yours, Savannah, Passenger Seat, A Little Rain, And Then Some
Rally Cry – 2018 – sudden change in cover art style, more political than personal lyrics
Hand Me Downs, but the version with Frank Turner is even better
American Screams
Campfire Chords – 2020
Three new songs: Years In The Making, Quitting You, A Little More
Blink Once – 2021
All Roads
Strong
Nobody Gets Me Like You Do
Years In The Making
Arm In Arm
Blink Twice – 2022
Past Life (Cold War Kids)
Teenage Tears (Tegan & Sara)
Nowhere To Go w/ Wesley Schultz (Lumineers) & Jake Clemons
Do you ever order a lot of music and then forget about it? I was confused when I saw this parcel from Quebec on my desk. Do I know anyone in Quebec? Thomas Polychuck, and that’s about it. While I am expecting a parcel from Polychuck soon, this wasn’t it.
I was confused at first, but one disc in this package indicated who it might be from.
SPOILERS: Read after watching!
D’Arcy Briggs is a friend from the Darcyska YouTube channel. I’ve been on his show before, as has Jex Russell and John Clauser. I recently sent him a care package which he showed on his channel, and he returned the favour! The sending address threw me, which is why I seem confused at first.
Here’s what he sent:
Star Wars “Nien Nunb” figure 3.75″ action figure!
Big Shiny Tunes Bonus CD (1999) Levis exclusive CD
Vincat – I Like Their Old Stuff Better (2005)
One Drop – One Drop (year unlisted)
One Drop looks like reggae, and it looks like they actually have a lot of albums out.
I look forward to checking out some new music with my new copilot!
I was so pleased to be able to collaborate with YouTuber D’Arcy Briggs. He has a great channel all about physical media and music, and my favourite new feature of his is called “What’s Good”. It’s just him and a guest literally talking about whatever’s fresh and good that they want to share. This is only the second episode of “What’s Good”, following the debut with Jex Russell!
For me, I had three unboxings and a Gene Simmons set to show. The unboxings are brand new and exclusive to this show! This is the first reveal of these treasures to come into my collection.
D’Arcy had some cool stuff included new music by Jack Antonoff, jazz rock fusion, the complete English Beat, some vinyl, and a parcel from Ontario! We took four turns each but you’ll have to watch the show to see what we brought.
One of the items I was proud to show was my autographed copy of Angie Moon’s first book, Crime of the Century. You can find out more and buy your copy by clicking this link. crazyonclassicrock.com/buy-crime-of-the-century
Crime of the Century is an original book idea about the connections between classic rock and roll and true crimes! Some are less known than others. The Band and Jack Ruby? The Kink and John Wayne Gacy? DEVO and John Hinkley Jr.? I didn’t know any of this before. I can’t wait to dig in and talk to Angie on Grab A Stack of Rock. She came from right here in the WordPress community and it’s awesome to see her out with her first book!
Check out the episode below, and subscribe to D’Arcy’s channel if you already haven’t!
mikeladano.com 