Underground - 2013
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During the summer of 2012 two trips to London, Kew Gardens & Legoland, and the concept for "Underground" was born.
The artwork was created by Breezy himself and is a spin on the traditional London Underground logo. The track listing on the back is a map of an imaginary line on the underground.
Inside are 3 further maps which depict the 3 musical phases between greatest hits albums to date. All 3 maps show one of the greatest hits albums as a circular line weaving its' way through the 5 component albums that the greatest hits tracks are lifted from. Finally the remainder of the booklet is made up of images from the London Underground taken through a fish eye lens.
The album has been critically acclaimed and there are at least 6 potential singles that could come from album.
The artwork was created by Breezy himself and is a spin on the traditional London Underground logo. The track listing on the back is a map of an imaginary line on the underground.
Inside are 3 further maps which depict the 3 musical phases between greatest hits albums to date. All 3 maps show one of the greatest hits albums as a circular line weaving its' way through the 5 component albums that the greatest hits tracks are lifted from. Finally the remainder of the booklet is made up of images from the London Underground taken through a fish eye lens.
The album has been critically acclaimed and there are at least 6 potential singles that could come from album.
1. It is what it is: Typical Breezy track 1, long intro, sweeping pads and synths, building up with drum sequences before morphing into a pumping dance track.
The title is taken from a former work colleague, who would say this, whenever things got, shall we say, a little tricky
The title is taken from a former work colleague, who would say this, whenever things got, shall we say, a little tricky
2. Cornucopia: The horn of plenty, the symbol for abundance and nourishment! Need I say any more! Duelling synths, melodic bass, quirky beats, there's plenty crammed into this 4 minute+ bag of fruit & nuts!
3. Delusions of grandeur: "Damn yer, I just don't understand yer, my delusions of grandeur are just not what I planned yeah, theyre' just not what I planned". This is the instrumental version of the song. Upbeat dance track, simple bass & drum arrangement. Catchy hooks, just needs a vocalist, I tried, not the best singist tho. Volunteers? Why not, the lyrics are above.
4. Otis Toffee: The best way to describe Otis, I suppose would be as a bit of a jazz/funk combo, there's certainly some jazz piano, the bass has funk written all over it! The percussion layout is smooth, tapping hi-hat with understated kick & then....& then the horns!
The title comes from a slip of the tongue my partner had whilst saying "office totty" it came out as Ottice Toffy, so using artistic licence, I manipulated it, blatantly stole it & Otis was born!
The title comes from a slip of the tongue my partner had whilst saying "office totty" it came out as Ottice Toffy, so using artistic licence, I manipulated it, blatantly stole it & Otis was born!
5. Mind the Gap!: No album called Underground could call itself Underground without a track called Mind the gap, the catchphrase of the Underground. This isn't the 1st time that this has been used in music and it did amuse me when the line was dropped at the New Year celebrations in London.
Anyway the track....it features a train like percussion track, a wailing pad, not dissimilar to the sound of tunnel entry/exit in the London tube. Then there is my vocal and of course the GAP!
Anyway the track....it features a train like percussion track, a wailing pad, not dissimilar to the sound of tunnel entry/exit in the London tube. Then there is my vocal and of course the GAP!
6. Wishful Thinking: The whole Underground concept stemmed from a visit to London and it was whilst in London I visited Kew Gardens. At Kew were a couple of fountains in which coins had been thrown. From this, Wishful thinking, was earmarked as a song title and from that point this track was born.
The track itself would best be described as chill out, with a plodding bass, and subtle melodies. There is a pencilled in lyric (see above image), again it requires a better voice than mine to perform. I would like to sing on my tracks or is that just wishful thinking........
The track itself would best be described as chill out, with a plodding bass, and subtle melodies. There is a pencilled in lyric (see above image), again it requires a better voice than mine to perform. I would like to sing on my tracks or is that just wishful thinking........
7. Recipe for disaster: Built upon the distinctive alarm/siren sound running through the track, Recipe for disaster, brings the album tempo back up. The crashing cymbals and rolling percussion loops play-out the haphazard and unpredictable nature of disaster.
Of course in 1987, the London Underground suffered a terrible disaster, and 31 people lost their lives.
Of course in 1987, the London Underground suffered a terrible disaster, and 31 people lost their lives.
8. Into Darkness: Not to be confused with the sequel to the recent Star Trek movies, Into Darkness takes us into the darker, seedier realms of the London Underground. The track has sinister undertones and was one of the last to be added. It's late, it's dark, you're alone, waiting for the last train, the wind rattles garbage, voice like noises whistle through the tunnels. You sure you're alone? What was that?............
A deep gurgling bass, hip-hop style percussion, and the swirling synth arrangement add to the ambience.
A deep gurgling bass, hip-hop style percussion, and the swirling synth arrangement add to the ambience.
9. Cloak and dagger: The journey continues with Cloak & dagger. As we leave the darkness, deep bassline intro, the pace picks up. Another up-tempo track develops. Cascading synth loops & a rattling percussion section push the track, and the album itself along, as we approach our final dedestination.
10. Unbelievable: The penultimate track, to be added to the album, had an original working title of Nocturnal. Nocturnal as been earmarked for a future Breezy track, look at this space......
As for Unbelievable, the song features a female vocal sample, which quite simply sounds like the word "Unbelievable"
The key components are a the plodding bass, a bleep or two, and a quirky synth, throw in the distorted guitar riff with hi-hat & hand clap percussion combo and this is signature Breezy.
As for Unbelievable, the song features a female vocal sample, which quite simply sounds like the word "Unbelievable"
The key components are a the plodding bass, a bleep or two, and a quirky synth, throw in the distorted guitar riff with hi-hat & hand clap percussion combo and this is signature Breezy.
11. I can see Jupiter: Quite simply because you can! Which until 2 years ago I didn't think you could, but it turns out, from earth, you can see Jupiter with the naked eye. So there you go, amongst the music, some science!
The track, is, what I would call, experimental and features a harsh synth set against a giddy hi-hat percussion set. The high pitched whistle/beep is still evident and a deep thumping bass - dum-dedum, not forgetting of course my Neil Tennant style vocal.
The album version is officially the "Io vocal edit" and is not to be confused with:
The track, is, what I would call, experimental and features a harsh synth set against a giddy hi-hat percussion set. The high pitched whistle/beep is still evident and a deep thumping bass - dum-dedum, not forgetting of course my Neil Tennant style vocal.
The album version is officially the "Io vocal edit" and is not to be confused with:
- Io instrumental edit
- Gannymede dance mix
- Callisto dub edit
- Europa extended mix (this is a bonus track)
12. Wine, women and song: The final onslaught through the Underground climaxes with this anthemic delight. A male & female vocal sing off against each other, male through the verse and female in the chorus, the latter - i can believe it yeah, a stark contrast to the earlier unbelievable.
A booming bassline, dark pad, jittery percussion and plucking synth bring the journey to a spectacular end.......or does it?
BOM BOM - BOMBOMBOM!!!!
A booming bassline, dark pad, jittery percussion and plucking synth bring the journey to a spectacular end.......or does it?
BOM BOM - BOMBOMBOM!!!!
13. The Ice-cream man cometh: The final track and the end of our journey is inspired solely by the Chemical Brothers Hanna soundtrack. Track 1 "Hanna's theme" & Track 4 "The devil is in the details" Quirky clicking percussion almost clockwork like melody and dark dark pads! A brooding end to the album proper.
