patrickjonesblog

[patrickjonesblog]

Favorite Albums of 2024

As predictable as ever my 2024 list arrives way into 2025. Hope you had a musical 2024 and happy new year!

Hey, we're still on Tumblr, Im as surprised as you that this site still exists! I wonder how many platforms this annual blog will survive? I started on Googles Blogspot platform in 2011, which is also still alive!

2024 was dominated by great pop; Beyonce, Charli, Billie, Taylor and Chappell ruling the airwaves and venues of the world. But did they make the coveted Paddy Has Needs list?! Lets have a look shall we?

20. Playing Favorites - Sheer Mag

19. Empathogen - Willow

18. What Now? - Brittany Howard

17. Package Pt.2 - Gustaf

16. Mountainhead - Everything Everything

15. Manning Fireworks - MJ Lenderman

14. Sadness Sets Me Free - Gruff Rhys

13. Viva Hinds - Hinds

12. Where is my Utopia? - Yard Act

11. Brand on the Run - Bodega

10. Still Willing - Personal Trainer

In a different decade Personal Trainer would be a chart bothering rock band. All their singles are catchy as hell and on their second album they sit next to album tracks that are equally interesting.

9. On the intricate inner workings of the system - The Bug Club

The prolific welsh newbies launch onto SubPop with a little more shine to their production, but losing none of their quirkiness. Trademark humor in tact the album is probably their most consistent in quality.

8. Bloodhounds - Mary Shelley

First appearance in the top 10 I think for my fave NYC band. An improvement in production from their 2022 full length and the inclusion of some live favorites. Post-punk with humor and fantastic live. If they're in your town go see.

7. Cartoon Darkness - Amyl and the Sniffers

This could have been higher any other year but came out later in the year so haven't listened to it as much. It is wonderful though and notches Amyl up a level, everything is better than previous albums, riffs are bigger, lyrics are funnier, Amy's delivery is sharper and more acerbic than ever. They've cemented themselves as one of the best bands around at the moment with this.

6. TANGK - Idles

One of my faves continue to push out of their punk rock roots into more experimental beats and sounds. Its an evolution from Crawler and feels like the album they wanted that one to be. Live the new stuff makes them a more well rounded tour de force.

5. Romance - Fontaines DC

Band of the year? Possibly. The ambition on this one is huge, they clearly wanted to make a mainstream rock album and did so still maintaining the credibility they'd earned from their earlier stuff. Fontaines DC are stepping into festival headline slots with this one.

4. NONAME - Jack White

If the band of the year are only in 5th we must be in to big hitters now. In my generation you dont get much bigger than the ex White Stripes frontman. Everything was perfect on this album, the surprise release, the tracks, the guerrilla club tour that followed. Its his best album since the White Stripes.

3. brat - Charli XCX

I've been a Charli stan for years, so I was so happy to see her achieve mega pop stardom this year and with her best set of tracks yet. It's rare for a pop album to have this many hits and be so cohesive from start to finish. Whenever I wanted to get ready for a night out in this past year I would put on brat.

2. Songs of a Lost World - The Cure

Band of the year, Generational Rock God, Pop Mega Star.... I suppose we have to go to actual legends next then. For a band to make this album 40 years into their career is special. It's a beautiful record and has been stuck on rotation since its release.

1. It's Sorted - Cheekface

History will judge me for this after the escalating greatness of the previous bands, but fuck it. This is an awesome album and I have played it all year non stop and never got bored of it, it introduced me to this amazing DIY, fully independent band and I just love everything about them. It's got everything I want in my bands, smart, funny lyrics, catchy melodies and they're doing it all on their own terms. Go make Cheekface your new favorite band, if they're not already.

There we go! What a year! Check out my full list of 2024 tracks on Spotify, final shout out for Chappell Roan and especially Good Luck, Babe which I think is my favorite song of the year.

If you want to subscribe to my 2025 Spotify playlist, please do, updated with fresh tracks most weeks throughout the year.

Thanks for reading have a great year!

[patrickjonesblog]

Best of New Colossus 2024

I'm currently recovering from a busy New Colossus Festival and a few folk have asked for rundown of my faves, so here you go.

First of all, this years fest was my absolute favorite and it was great to see so many packed venues appreciating the music. I've been every year to this festival, I love it and long may it continue.

If you don't know what it's all about it's similar to SXSW, or Iceland Airwaves, or a personal favorite of mine back home - The Great Escape in Brighton. Tons of small venues showcasing new and upcoming bands. New Colossus leans towards indie, rock and shoegaze, but there's a smattering of other genres too all in the best small venues in the Lower East Side, NYC.

Here's what I enjoyed the most:

Cucamaras

Possibly the festival highlight for me. Nottingham band taking influences from early Arctic Monkeys, Fontaines DC, Yard Act. As with a lot of these new bands their Spotify list doesn't really do them justice, you have to see them live.

NOBRO

Definitely the most fun set of the week. 4 piece canadian all female punk band, with sing-a-long choruses, crowd surfing and smiles galore. My fave chant: EAT! SLAY! CHARDONNAY!

Reme

Half spanish, half english classic rock, super talented musicians. Sleeves proudly adorned by all their influences, Beatles, Bowie, Queen, Elton John all come through, another fantastic live band.

Scrounge

Two piece, reverse White Stripes formation. Killer riffs and angry vocals. This is an instant classic. Formidable live.

Langkamer

Bristol lads with a drummer / singer. Sound like Pavement, Belle & Sebastian and Teenage Fanclub. Full of catchy melodies and fun lyrics.

O.Wake

I broke my no local band rule for O.Wake, as they play regularly in NYC along with my other local faves Mary Shelley and TVOD. But Im glad I did. They're a little hard to pigeonhole, the new single is quite funky phoenix style indie, great lyrics and songs that veer in all sorts of directions but usually with a great hook.

Slash Need

Certainly won't be a lot of peoples cup of tea, but if they're on a festival you're at this year - GO SEE THEM. Musically they're dark electronica, I would imagine Peaches is a big influence and if you know the belgian dance band GOOSE similar sounding to them. Visually, it's a feast, lead by a fierce lead singer, heavy beats and two gimp-like dancers that get uncomfortably close.

Hotel Mira

Probably the most primed for a main stream audience out of all this list. Radio friendly indie-pop with a very enigmatic lead singer but you can't deny they got tunes and they're good fun live.

Minas

The most intense set of the week. Difficult to categorize again, nearest I can think of is The Prodigy. Welsh rap / industrial noise / metal?? I honestly don't know, but they put on a helluva show. Two of the best heckles came out of this set, 1. "MORE YELLING PLEASE" after a particularly shouty track and 2. "Are YOU OK?" a response to the singer asking us if we're OK after a track which had him pounding the floor and screaming. Terrifying, but super interesting.

Holiday Ghosts

Perhaps the polar opposite to Minas, bright sunny indie, chock full of tunes from Brighton / Falmouth. Hints of a milder Sleater Kinney.

I've done a spotify playlist with these and a few more artists I liked the sound of but didn't get round to watching so check it out .

While I have you my general 2024 new music playlist is taking shape, so give that a follow too and I'll continue to add to it.

[patrickjonesblog]

Top Albums of 2023

Hey, how ya doing? I got sick the last week of 2023 when I intended to write this so here I am in 2024 looking back on some of my favorite long players last year.

I saw so many of my favorite acts in 2023, it was probably the best live music year ever. So much so I spent what felt like a whole morning creating a "reel" on "instagram". The fruits of which you can watch here.

Enough about live music though, this is about wonderful studio recordings, so here's what's made the long list and then we'll kick straight into the top 10 with accompanying videos.

16 - Romy - Mid Air

15- Jessie Ware - That! Feels! Good!

14- Gracie Abrams - Good Riddance

13 - Lana Del Rey - Did you know there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd?

12 - Bombay Bicycle Club - My Big Day

11 - The Bug Club - Rare Birds: Hour of Song

10 - Young Fathers - Heavy Heavy

If you haven't seen Young Fathers Glastonbury set in 2023, I recommend you do so after you've read this blog. Gutted they cancelled their brooklyn show, but I hope to catch it this year.

9 - Caroline Polachek - Desire, I Want to Turn Into You

Caroline Polacheck is the closest we've got to Kate Bush in 2023, the detail she puts into her visuals and the choreography of her performances, its high art. The track below isn't on the album, but it was the moment I realized her brilliance.

8 - Gorillaz - Cracker Island

This felt like an under the radar release from Gorillaz, at least here in the states. It's the first time Albarn has worked with Greg Kurstin (Adele, Mccartney, Kendrick) and you can hear his influence as it's a bit more poppy than previous releases.

7 - Jeff Rosenstock - Hellmode

If you've read any of my blogs over the past decade you will have seen a lot of appearances from US Punk / Ska legend Jeff. The reason being; he doesn't make bad records.

6 - Sleaford Mods - UK Grim

How do you follow 2021's career highlight Spare Ribs? With more of the same, that's how. 12 albums in to their career now and they're still gathering pace. Blistering, acerbic, hilarious as ever.

5 - The Hives - The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons

The first new music from The Hives in 11 years and they return with a literal bang. This album is as good as anything they came out with when they first charmed their way onto the scene in the early 2000's. The bellies may be podgier, Pelle's kicks aren't as high, but the riffs are as spritely as ever. Still one of the greatest live bands around.

4 - Blur - Ballad of Darren

I always get a bit anxious about a new blur album, they don't have to release new music, they have a back catalog that guarantees them legend status already. Releasing new music risks tainting that legacy so far into their career. I needn't worry, Ballad of Darren is a beautiful record with a legitimate brand new stadium filling anthem to add to their repertoire.

3 - Olivia Rodrigo - GUTS

Bit of a surprise this one, maybe more for me than you dear reader. I didn't get the fuss of the first album (still don't) it sounded like any one of a million young pop darlings. But GUTS is different, it's eclectic, it's beautifully written, it tears at your heart, it raises your fists, it makes you dance. It has everything really. She's the real deal. It's objectively not made for a 42 year old man, but great music is great music and I bloody love this.

2 - Jenny Lewis - Joy'All

It was a tough call between this and Olivia, but i've given it to Jenny for the 20+ years experience she has on the young upstart. Jenny Lewis is maturing into a fine groove, she's replaced Ryan Adams as a much more palletable country-folk spot in my heart. Her songwriting continues to get better with age.

1 - The National - First Two Pages of Frankenstein | Laugh Track

Stadium filling, Taylor Swift collaborating, David Letterman approved super band The National. It's a wild trajectory my favorite band has taken over the last few years. No longer critically acclaimed everyones favorite unheard of band, they're rightly at the upper table of indie-rock and its fully deserved. Not satisfied with releasing one beautiful record this year they follow it up soon after with the surprise Laugh Track an equally brilliant album in its own right. Most bands would kill to have one record this good in their whole career, its frankly not fair they can do two this good in a year. A joint number one for me as I can't separate them.

There you have it, 2023 all wrapped up, full of BIG acts with a smattering of newbies thrown in for good measure and probably the most female representation I've had in an end of year list.

You can hear these and LOADS more in my 2023 playlist.

And if you like any of this and trust my judgement follow my 2024 playlist which I curate throughout the year adding newly released tracks.

Aaaaaand away...

[patrickjonesblog]

22 Favorite Albums of 2022

Hey music friends and random strangers. Welcome back to my annual music blog where I go through my favorite albums released in 2022.

I hope 2022 has treated you all well, and if it hasn't, congratulations on surviving it and I hope you have a better 2023.

I'm still listening to tons of new music and sharing it with anyone who cares to listen. I will say that this years top 10 is probably the most white male dominated indie schmindie top 10 ever, but I don't make apologies for that, the heart loves what the heart loves! There's slightly more diversity in the rest of the chart but at the end of the day i'm an indie sleaze boy and 2022 has been the sleaziest of indie!

Lets start with albums #22-#11 as a list and then we'll get into the top 10 in more detail, all these I've enjoyed, and have tracks on them I've played loads but maybe not stuck with the entire album as long.

22. Lizzo - Special

21. Fontaines DC - Skinty Fia

20. Ezra Furman - All of us Flames

19. Marian Hill - Why cant we just pretend?

18. Bloc Party - Alpha Games

17. Dune Rats - Real Rare Whale

16. The Chats - Get Fucked

15. Black Country, New Road - Ants from up there

14. Loyle Carner - Hugo

13. The Linda Linda's - Growing Up

12. Yeah Yeah Yeah's - Cool it Down

11. Viagra Boys - Cave World

10. Spoon - Lucifer on the Sofa

It's testament to Spoon's quality that even on their 10th studio album they're still writing songs as great as Wild and the Hardest Cut. The former was my most played song of the year.

9. The Bug Club - Green Dream in F#

The first of four debut albums in my top 10 showing the health of indie-rock in 2022. It may not be the most popular genre right now but the scene definitely is in somewhat of a renaissance. Bug Club are a Welsh 3 piece and sound like a mixture of Pavement, Los Campesinos and Belle and Sebastian. They write melodic, funny, lo-fi indie 3 minute pop songs and I urge you to check them out.

8. Alt-J - The Dream

10 years since the release of An Awesome Wave propelled them to hipster stardom I was happily surprised by this release, its the album i've turned to most when I needed to chill out. The first half of this LP is as good as anything they've ever done, it peters out a bit in the 2nd half but still worth a listen all the way through.

7. Mary Shelley - Look at You

New NYC band Mary Shelley blew me away at this years New Colossus festival. They look like long island frat brothers but sound like an 80's post punk band twice their age. A brilliant live band with some fantastic tunes and the below is one of my favorites of the year.

6. Jack White - Fear of the Dawn

Two albums from Ol' Jacky White this year, Fear of the Dawn was my hands down favorite, as good as latter day White Stripes. Really heavy, full of riffs and just great fun.

5. Wet Leg - Wet Leg

After the viral hit of 2021 - Chaise Longue, I don't think anyone expected Wet Leg to have a full album of similar quality catchy tunes. But surprisingly they did, and they backed up their viral smash with a string of great singles and an album which hinted at a lot more depth than what you might have first thought.

4. Yard Act - The Overload

Must be one of the hardest working bands of the year, so many gigs, so many achievements. I immediately fell in love with Yard Act last year after their brilliant debut singles Fixer Upper and Dark Days but was mortified to see that neither of those made the album. What on earth were they thinking?! Apparently they didn't fit the narrative arc, and they're artists, y'know? Anyway, I needn't be worried the album is brilliant, the aforementioned arc is genius, the writing is sublime, the hooks are big, there's emotion, humor, satire and tunes coming out their arse.

3. Everything Everything - Raw Data Feel

EE continue to be Englands most underrated band, maybe they're just too weird for the mainstream, but on their 6th album they continue to push the boundaries of what it means to be a pop band. For this record they used AI to generate some lyrics, apparently feeding the robot posts from 4Chan, verses from Beowulf and other weird things, but they may as well have just fed it all their previous work because it still sounds as bonkers as everything else they'd previously released.

2. Bodega - Broken Equipment

Similarly to the AI algorithm used above it feels like Bodega have been fed an audio diet of every New York band for the past 50 years as an experiment to see what comes out of it. The result is a classic NYC rock record that swings from The Ramones to more modern contemporaries like LCD Soundsystem and Parquet Courts. The lyrics are smart the songs are catchy and there's barely any filler on this fantastic second album.

1. Sports Team - Gulp!

All hail the new kings of Britpop! I think Sports Team are the closest thing to Blur we have, outside of Blur themselves. They remind me of Great Escape / Parklife era Blur where they're cocky, chaotic but at their most creative and mainstream. Gulp! was apparently a tricky record to make for the band, but it doesn't sound that way. It's a balls out, self assured romp of a record that barely lets up from start to finish. By far my most listened to band of 2022 and it's positivity has helped me so much through a difficult year.

There we have it! Thanks so much for reading and listening, I hope you've found a new love or gone back to a band you may have skipped over this year. Send me your comments, I always love to hear from friends to see what they thought and what they agree / disagree with.

Want a handy playlist featuring songs from all of my top 22? Here you go.

Still want more? There's so many great songs this year that weren't on the albums above so check out my full 2022 playlist .

Want to stay up to date on 2023 music as and when it comes out? Subscribe to my 2023 playlist and i'll add tracks to it as they're released.

[patrickjonesblog]

Top Albums of 2021, continued...

Welcome back, this is my top 5 albums of 2021, if you’re reading this before you read what filled the positions 10-6, GO BACK THERE NOW!

If you have read my first post, here’s my top 5 albums of the year:

5. Sleaford Mods - Spare Ribs

Another band I’ve had minimal interest in until this album came out. The single above was my most played song of the year. Funny, angry, simple tunes - it’s what I needed in 2021. They’ve even got sing-along-choruses, which I didn’t think they had in the past, they’ve always felt a bit grim and miserable from afar, but I think I got them this year, yes they are grim, but hilarious and very very catchy. NUDGE IT!

4. Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats - The Future

There’s a definite theme emerging from this years list and that’s of bands / artists I didn’t really care much about until recently and then, bam! I play the new stuff constantly. I would say NRATNS are a slight exception to that theme, in that I got TOTALLY into them, their entire back catalog was played constantly for weeks and I saw them live for their album release show on my own cos I couldn’t find another taker. They’re the nearest thing to The Blues Brothers band we have in 2021, which if anyone knows me, knows that is huge for me. The new album doesn’t stray far from that Motown, soul, blues and rock n roll and I highly recommend it. 

3. Weezer - Van Weezer

I said in the pre-amble that my mood dictated this years top 2021 heavily, well if there ever was an album that my mood needed badly, it’s this one. Just pure unadulterated fun from beginning to end. Van Weezer takes all the pomp and tongue-in-cheek guitar licks from the best of 80′s hair metal and the melodic genius of Weezers poppiest hits and puts em onto one stadium filling album. Strap on your headband and air guitar, leave your worries and stress behind and just sing along to pop-rock perfection.

2. Sam Fender - Seventeen Going Under

Sam Fender is huge in the UK. Which immediately raises a red flag for me, he’s mainstream, a token guitar act that manages to get on Radio 1. His first album was miserable and it seemed like he was trying to be the geordie Jeff Buckley, but came out like a dark Ed Sheeran. Somehow it resonated massively and he was playing arenas at the end of it. Fast Forward to this release I think the first track that I heard was a b-side to the albums title track - Howdon Aldi Death Queue. It was loose, angry and funny. It rocked and I didn’t know he could do that. I wrote it off as a fluke, and thought nothing of it until the album came out and my friend Duncs pestered me to give him another chance. Frustratingly, he was right, it’s bloody great. Like a cross between Springsteen and War on Drugs. It wasn’t as try-hard as the first album, and it was a lot more melodic, personal and honest. 

1. Self Esteem - Prioritise Pleasure

Becky from Rotherham GOES BIG! So happy for her this year, she has gotten all the critical praise the last album deserved and hopefully that’s translating into sales and $$$. The venues are getting bigger and there’s US dates on the calendar for 2022. Topping many huge publications end of year lists, I’m happy to say she’s my number one too. Prioritise Pleasure does everything the debut did, but on a bigger scale, catchy choruses, hilarious lyrics, brilliant and interesting compositions, it flits from Kanye beats to Girls Aloud pop to Baz Lurhman spoken word anthems! I can’t wait to finally see the live show this year in NYC - on my birthday. Very kind of her to schedule it for then :)

That’s it - want more?

Thank you for reading. 2021 was rough guys, the pandemic has been a slog, I turned 40 with barely a celebration, I moved house which was the most stressful thing I’ve ever done and I got a new job which has been incredibly difficult to learn. But those things are now turning positive, I love my new job and my new house, turning 40 got me into shape, I finished my diet, 50lbs lighter ahead of my birthday. We got gigs again, huge shout out to Foo Fighters at Madison Square Garden (the first big gig post COVID lockdown) which was one of the most life affirming experiences I’ve had. I have a new nephew who is beautiful and my family are all healthy. In the words of my #1 artist this year - Look up, lean back, be strong.

Listen to these artists and LOADS more on my 2021 playlist here.

Looking ahead to 2022 and want the best of the new shit as its released, follow my new 2022 playlist and I’ll add to it as soon things are released.

[patrickjonesblog]

Top Albums of 2021

Welcome human beings, if you are reading this you have survived another shitty year, give yourself a pat on the back, fix yourself a drink and enjoy some of the finest tunes that shaped 2021.

I listened to a LOT of music in 2021, more than usual. My shortlist of albums for this years top 10 was much longer than previous years blogs and there wasn’t one album that dominated my listening throughout the year. Maybe my ADHD is getting worse, maybe the music didn’t make me obsessively listen to it over and over, who knows. What I will tell you is that the following top 10 is extremely strong and its probably the most open and changeable list I have done in recent memory.

Before I get into the top 10 here’s the ones that missed out in no particular order, all worth your attention; Japanese Breakfast - Jubilee, Little Simz - Sometimes I Might be Introvert, Turnstile - Glow On, Shame - Drunk Tank Pink, Arlo Parks - Collapsed in Sunshine, Viagra Boys - Welfare Jazz, Lana del Rey - Chemtrails over the Country Club, Black Country, New Road - For the first time, Manchester Orchestra - The Million Masks of God, Bleachers - Take the Sadness out of Saturday Night, The War on Drugs - I don’t live here anymore, IDLES - Crawler.

The last two in that list may have crept into the top 10 if they weren’t released so late in the year, but the truth is outside of a couple of tracks I haven’t been in the mood for them. Bleachers and Turnstile can count themselves unlucky to sit just outside the Top 10 too as they’re both fantastic albums, for very different reasons.

I think my mood for 2021 has shaped this top 10 greatly, because regular life is so stressful and miserable right now, I’ve struggled to stick with downbeat or complex albums like IDLES or Manchester Orchestra and found solace in happy, melodic or different sounds that took me away from the stresses of 2021.

Enough waffle, play the hits.

10. Squid - Bright Green Field

Squid are from Brighton and are probably the least accessible in my top 10, the album can be quite challenging for a casual listen, it veers from angular punky guitar riffs, to jazzy trumpets, to, in some cases, white noise. In truth it wouldn’t have made the top 10 if I hadn’t got to see them do it live. Their gig at the Mercury Lounge was in my top 2 gigs this year. The arrangements are astounding and there is always so much going on in each song, each member of the band changes instruments throughout and the singer / drummer is captivating. Check out the singles first, then go see them live and then listen to the album. That should do it.

9. Dry Cleaning - New Long Leg

Another band that won’t be for everyone but one of my most listened to albums this year. I love the singers dry monotone delivery and seemingly random, but funny lyrics “I came here to make a ceramic shoe, and I’ve come to smash what you made”. Musically the lead guitar and bass drives everything at a much faster pace than the singer, but it all works and it makes for a refreshing listen.

8. Royal Blood - Typhoon

I’ve never been a huge fan of Royal Blood, outside of the odd single. But this album grabbed my attention with the debut single Typhoon, they’d beefed up their production and were clearly reaching for more arena filling sounds. But rather than water things down for the masses, they went for a Daft Punk / White Stripes mash up. Which is right up my alley. It’s a brilliant driving album too, whack it on in the car and you wont stop tapping the accelerator.

7. Weezer - OK Human

The first of two Weezer albums released in 2021, this one was certainly a Rivers Cuomo solo project with a Weezer sticker on it. The “Baroque Pop” album is likely to anger the early hardcore Weezer fans even more than usual. Rivers is aging well though and is in some what of a purple streak, writing brilliant songs, no matter what style he turns his hand to. No distorted guitar in this album, but a lot of joyous pop.

6. The Black Keys - Delta Kream

After the awfulness of the last two albums, I’m glad The Black Keys chose to hit the reset button and go back to their roots with this release. Literally so as this is an album full of Delta Blues covers that inspired their early sound. As someone who lazily claims to love blues music, it’s the perfect album for the beginner, an intro to a style of blues that feels classic, yet distinct. I love it and I want to be able to play guitar exactly like this. 

OK, that’s numbers 10 thru 6, due to Tumblr’s video limit, join me in the next post for the top 5.

[patrickjonesblog]

My Top Albums of 2020

Ello! Welcome to my end of year annual music blog, where I list out my favorite albums of the year and post some links to vids and playlists in case you wanna listen further. 

I used music as a crutch more than ever in 2020. It can transform my mood or just keep me sane, and I think during really hard times you form even stronger connections with the artists and the songs. 2020 was a brilliant year for music, one of the best since 2016 in my opinion and my top 10 is one of the strongest I can recall. With the lack of live music and ways to support artists I bought more vinyl and merch than ever before and urge you to do the same, especially the smaller artists that you listen to on Spotify. Go to their bandcamp, or website and purchase what you can afford.

Let’s crack on with the top 10 albums.

10 - Sideways to New Italy - Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever

The first time I listened to this album it was in the background on my main stereo speakers and I found myself tapping my foot throughout, its got such a great consistent happy pace to it throughout. Very summery, easy-going upbeat indie and improves on their debut in every way.

9 - Ultra Mono - IDLES

The single above was the first from this album and came out a few weeks into lockdown when everyone was freaking out. It was such a positive, self-affirming message which gave me a shot in the arm when I needed it. The album is really strong too, the traditional IDLES cliches remain, haters will still hate, but lovers will become more ensconced with this wonderful band.

8 - Fetch the Bolt Cutters - Fiona Apple

I’ve never been much of a Fiona Apple fan, I got Tidal on a VMP subscription a while ago and couldn’t get into it. But when this came out it got so much critical praise I thought I should check it out. The first thing that struck me is how funny she is, they’re wonderfully written stories with quirky piano riffs and weird percussion noises interspersed throughout, but what constantly shines through is the artists humor and personality. Mark me down as a fan.

 7 - NO DREAM - Jeff Rosenstock

So many albums from my favorite artists this year and most did not disappoint. Jeff Rosenstock is so stupidly prolific, this is his 3rd album in 3 and a half years and you’ll struggle to find a better trilogy of albums from anyone. NO DREAM takes the political angst from POST and the fun singalongs from WORRY and whacks them all together in another punk stormer.

6 - Welcome to Bobby’s Motel - Pottery

I predicted big things for these in last years blog. This album fixes some of the production issues they had on previous releases and really captures their insane live performances to exceed my expectations. Its the first debut on my top 10, and its such a fun crazy ride, comparisons to Talking Heads and Devo and The Coral’s first album are all correct, but despite the influences they are still so unique. I cant wait for live gigs to come back so I can see these again.

Who will make the top 5? Click here to read on...

(Tumblr doesn’t allow more than 5 videos per post, sorry for the tease...)

[patrickjonesblog]

Top Albums of 2020 - #5 to #1

Hey! Thanks for clicking thru to the top 5, if you’re reading this first, what on earth have you done, how did you get here? You’ve missed my pre-amble and numbers 10-6. Click here to read that first.

5 - Deep Down Happy - Sports Team

The best new British band I’ve heard this year. The only other debut in my top 10, it’s these cheeky chappies. They take me back to peak Britpop era, early Blur, Shed Seven. Really smart, funny lyrics with a sound you don’t really hear much anymore. There’s so many tunes on the album, a real achievement for a debut.

4 - Quickies - The Magnetic Fields

Billions laughed and no one cried, the day the politicians died. Leave it to Stephen Merritt to write a song that encapsulates how most people feel right now about the people who lead the world. Quickies is another concept album from The Magnetic Fields, this time all the songs are short and snappy, the longest song coming in at 2:34 and the shortest 18 seconds. You wont feel short changed though as there’s 28 little vignettes here, which showcase TMF at their sharpest.

3 - Song Machine, Vol 1 - Gorillaz

It’s staggering that Gorillaz have been going 22 years and yet are still relevant, let alone churning out some of their best work to date. Albarn continues to work with artists that continue to innovate and make the band fresher with every album. The man is a solid gold treasure. Song machine was born in lockdown, announcing collaborations as singles with a different artist for each song. The Genius of Gorillaz is they bring together artists and genres into one concept that shouldn’t sit together, yet somehow they do (Elton John, Peter Hook, Robert Smith) sit alongside indie stalwarts (St Vincent, Joan as Police Woman, Beck) add into that the usual eclectic mix of Hip Hop MC’s and what you have is a truly astounding album. But its Albarns songwriting at the heart that makes these 17 tracks the best Gorillaz album in their 22 year history.

2 - Serpentine Prison - Matt Berninger

I haven’t seen this in many top 10 lists this year, and I get it, it’s nothing earth shattering. But there’s something about Matt Berninger’s voice that comforts me, and this is the most distilled Berninger you can get. His first solo album, he put Booker T Jones on production duties as it was originally intended to be a covers album of soul tunes, but through the process he kept writing and the soul tunes recorded were shoved to a bonus LP and what you get is a soul-tinged, accoustic solo album, which is so smooth and beautiful, its the perfect tonic for a horrible year. 

1 - The New Abnormal - The Strokes

In truth, any of the top 4 could be my number 1 this year, they’re all so strong. But I like the romanticism of The Strokes comeback the most. You could kinda tell they’ve been doing Strokes-by-the-numbers the past couple of albums and I’d all but written them off. But out comes Bad Decisions and it felt more urgent, Julian sounded like a man who had his mojo back and was enjoying being with the band again. The album cemented that, its 9 tracks and I’m glad they didnt try to round it up to 10. Its tight af. They stretch their muscles a bit in tracks like Eternal Summer and Ode to the Mets which are less obvious musically to what you’d expect but still at the core The Strokes. For a short period in the early 2000′s they were the best band in the world, The New Abnormal proves that they can be again.

Honorable Mentions

There were some critically acclaimed albums like Sault, Phoebe Bridgers, Taylor Swift that I really enjoyed as well this year but wanted to call out some of the lesser heard albums that just missed out on the top 10.

Caribou - Suddenly - ARGH I forgot this, it should be in the top 10, but I cant squeeze it in. God this is hard. Go listen to this beautiful dance record, its amazing. Let’s call it the joint 10th best album of 2020. FML.

Haiku Hands - bonkers, hilarious, indie-dance debut. Definitely check out Manbitch, Not About You and I See You Baby. Listening again now and.... ok its the joint 10th best album of 2020. FMLFML.

Sylvan Esso - Free Love - Contains my fave track of the year in Ferris Wheel, its a great album that would have made the top 10 on a normal year.

Say Hi - Diamonds and Donuts - One of the first albums I listened to in 2020 thanks to a cracking track called Happy as a Clam. Lo-fi synth pop.

Other mentions go to Everything Everything, Car Seat Headrest, Will Butler and Jessie Ware, if I had more time and wasn’t listening to the above I may have enjoyed them more.

What a year though!

LISTEN

Best of 2020 - Songs

Best of 2020 - Albums

Like what you heard in 2020? Follow my 2021 playlist as I add my fave tracks to it throughout the year.

[patrickjonesblog]

It's national album day! So what's you're favorite album (s) of the year? There's so many good ones in 2020. Here's mine so far... #nationalalbumday https://www.instagram.com/p/CGKs0sLFxYiqmcnL7hgjWz_N-J9nyAVAAxs2m00/?igshid=uvae3jr61oh0

[patrickjonesblog]

With both me and Chelsea told to work from home for the foreseeable future the risk of spreading any potential COVID was sufficiently low enough for me to get out to the last day of @newcolossusfestival . The line up changes meant I missed a few bands I wanted. But did see Tim Burgess, Life, and Honey Cutt. Gig 2/40 in the books. #PJ40before40 https://www.instagram.com/p/B9we_-ZFugtJVoPGXzed-gxd3VnnqWDvHr3nk80/?igshid=1f3lk3wiqym7s

[patrickjonesblog]

Wow! What a way to kick off my gig year. @lifeband are gonna take some beating on Day 1! So good. #newcolossus #PJ40before40 (at PIANOS) https://www.instagram.com/p/B9ne702lvLRzc4TPZX6FrbCwZlgBJWXY_p374Y0/?igshid=3762tpbjngbl

[patrickjonesblog]

40 before 40

The final year of my 30′s starts tomorrow and flying in the face of the WHO guidelines on coronavirus, I am setting myself a challenge of attending 40 gigs in the year leading up to my big 4-0.

I can’t think of a better way to reach middle-age than doing more of what I enjoy doing the most; dancing, singing, moshing and pogoing around to bands I love and bands I’m yet to discover. Also, if I die from CoronaVirus during this year at least I’ll go out with a bang.

For those of you that might be thinking I go to a lot of gigs already this is not much of a challenge, you’re half right. But I’ve never really counted how many gigs I attend on an average year. I reckon it probably averages out to two / month. Take out January where NYC shuts down, and I reckon I have to double my output this year. So it is a tricky challenge, but it’s gonna be a fun one.

If you’re reading this and live nearby and want to come to gigs with me please let me know, I have a few friends (and wife) that like similar music to me but they’re not all gonna be available for all these shows and I absolutely guarantee I will be going to some of these 40 gigs alone - so hit me up, if I don’t already know your music taste, tell me and I’ll loop you in when something comes up. Similarly, if you’re looking for someone to go to a gig with, get in touch, Im open to a lot of things, but don’t be offended if I say no to your friends experimental jazz trio in Queens on a Wednesday night.

Quick rule check at this point: Here’s what Im constituting a gig - a live music or comedy show. If I’m at a festival, 1 day at the festival = 1 gig. Im not counting every band I’ve seen cos that would be too easy.

Here’s what I’ve booked already:

March 12-15 - New Colossus Festival (Multiple Bands TBD also CoronaVirus may cancel everything)

March 13 - Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs PigsPigs (already canceled because of Coronavirus)

Apr 3 - Despacio w/ James Murphy & 2ManyDJs

Apr 9 - Supergrass

Apr 29 - Gerry Cinnamon

May 6 - Pottery

May 7 - The Chats

May 8-9 - The National, Homecoming Festival

May 12 - Arthurs Tavern (R&B / Jazz night)

May 14 - JARV IS

May 16 - Chris Gethard Comedy Night

May 22 - Madness

June 11 - Car Seat Headrest

June 28 - Magnetic Fields

Aug 1 - The National

Aug 22 - Green Day / Fall Out Boy / Weezer

Oct 22 - Ezra Furman

Only 22 more to book!!

I’ll document them all too, likely on instagram / twitter (@paddyajones) as its easiest. Again, if you want to come to any of the above, or any in the future you know how to find me.

Much love, an almost 39 year old XXX

[patrickjonesblog]

Top Albums of 2019 #5 - #1

5. Ezra Furman - Twelve Nudes

Ezra is so prolific right now he’s appeared in 3 of my last 5 end of year lists. This is his punk album. But it’s not really punk in the traditional sense, just angrier Ezra Furman. It’s fantastic and honestly I need to listen to it more cos every time I hear it I find something new, whether it be in the lyrics or the melody which just makes me smile.

4. The National - I am Easy to Find

Oh dear, I think i’m having some kind of mental breakdown here. Im putting this at number four because.... I dont know.... it’s too long?!?.. and .... and.....there’s three better albums this year! Ugh. It doesn’t feel nice though. This album in some respects has some of The National’s best songs on it. Light Years, Rylan, Not in Kansas and Where is Her Head are all perfect. Then theres the usual brilliant album tracks - Oblivions, You Had your Soul with you, Hey Rosey. My problem with it is that it’s a little one dimensional, it stays at the same pace for most of the listen and from beginning to end it’s a long slog. However, pick out 7-8 of the tracks on their own and they would happily sit nicely on a best of.

3. Viagra Boys - Street Worms (Deluxe)

Total cheat of an entry, this was technically released in 2018 and I totally missed it, but early in 2019 I heard Sports and was immediately in love with its oddness and humor. After that tracks popularity they released this deluxe version in 2019, hence its eligibility for my list. Get past the dreadful band name and Viagra Boys are a brilliantly scuzzy post-punk marvel and Street Worms is a brilliant full length crammed with great tracks.

2. Vampire Weekend - Father of the Bride

EPIC is the word to describe the latest album from Vampire Weekend. 18 tracks, all killer, no filler. Some of Ezra K’s best songwriting on show. It’s certainly not as quirky as other VW albums now that Rostam left, and has more of a country / Paul Simon vibe running through it. But at the end of the day the quality of the songs shines through. Even a couple appearances from Haim can’t ruin the joyous summery mood.

1. Self Esteem - Compliments Please

Ahhh Rebecca Lucy Taylor, hilarious, Sheffield Wednesday fan, fit AF, and now fulfilling the potential she always showed in the indie-folk duo Slow Club on this, her first solo record. Teased for years through hilarious instagram posts this was one of my most anticipated albums of 2019 but I never thought it could be THIS good. Compliments Please is a perfect pop album, catchy sing-a-long tunes that deserve to be massive. She combines beautiful harmonies with dry wit, hung over sparse beats and synths. Its 16 tracks long and you could throw a dart in the track list and any of them would be hit singles for a major artist. Maybe like Lizzo, one day she’ll break through and you can say you were there from the start. For now, go and buy this album - I gifted it to three people this Christmas I like it that much!

That’s it! What a year! So many good songs, listen to my best of spotify playlist of 2019 here and sign up to my 2020 list as I add to it throughout the year.

[patrickjonesblog]

Albums of 2019 - #10 - #6

Some things to note at the top of this years blog:

1. Ive put this off for weeks, cos Im lazy / indecisive.

2. Ive been drinking.

3. Ive changed the order of my top 10 about five times in the past half hour. 

4. Theres a definite top 2, but honestly everything below it can fluctuate wildly based on mood.

Alright lets get things started.

10. Bon Iver - i,i

Bon Iver continue to wind me up with the stupid made up language and nonsensical song titles. Yes, there’s some magic in this album hence its appearance in the top 10, mainly on tunes like Hey Ma and U (Man like). But they’re fighting an uphill battle with me this year because of stupid song titles and the fact they wanted $300 for seats on the floor at their arena show. 

9. Lizzo - Cuz I Love You

Lizzo makes it mainstream! Avid followers of this blog will note she has had TWO previous entries over the years and friends of mine have been shouting about Lizzo for years all the way back to Batches and Cookies in 2013 so its so nice to see her break through this year and become one of the biggest artists in the world. Truth Hurts is the track that gave her the leg up, but this album has so many bangers on it - Juice, Tempo and Water Me. Its her most complete album and a fully deserved billboard #1 smash.

8. Fontaines DC - DOGREL

Topping many an indie list this year is Fontaines DC debut Dogrel. A bit like the thinking mans Definitely Maybe it’s deserving of the plaudits, for me though its half brilliant, half average. Definitely one to watch for the future though.

7. Foals - Everything Not Saved Will be Lost Pt.2

Woof, this seems low, right? Maybe I’ll change my mind again, but as of this minute looking at what’s above it this is where it is landing. What a year for Foals! A double album, massive tour, Yannis declared them the best band in the world right now and it’s hard to argue against that if you’ve seen their show. The 2nd part of the double album is heavier than pt.1 and has more tunes for my liking. Listen to both though, they’re very good.

6. Michael Kiwanuka - KIWANUKA

Argh! What’s happening, in another year this would be number 1. It’s just as good as Love and Hate his last album, with a few more african tinged beats and a tad more soul. It’s a really nice progression though and cements Michael as one of the most beautiful singer / songwriters of this generation.

OK, Albums #5 to #1 are on this link CLICK HERE....

[patrickjonesblog]

Top Tracks of 2019

Hey everyone, here lies my favorite tracks of 2019 (outside of the albums of 2019 which will follow this blog).

2019 had some great tunes and you can listen to all my favorites in my annual Spotify playlist. Below though are my favorite 5 tracks outside songs not featured on my albums of 2019. This was really difficult to pick out this year and you should definitely check out my playlist for loads more tunes.

Selfish - Little Simz

American Tuna - Little Comets

Chips and Gravy - The Smith Street Band

Identity Theft - The Chats

Doorman - Slowthai

Follow this link to start the Top 10 albums of 2019 blog

[patrickjonesblog]

Top Music of 2018 - Albums

Alright, sorry for the break. Tumblr only allows you to post 5 videos at once.

I wouldn’t say 2018 was a great year for LP’s. I’ve listened to a lot of music as usual and outside of this top 5 there’s albums i’ve liked and new bands that have shown promise, but not too much I’ve been blown away by.

However, these five are all killer:

5. POST - Jeff Rosenstock

Released on Jan 1st 2018, so i’ve technically had the longest time to love this, which certainly helped as it wasn’t instant love. It’s slightly different to Worry, which was full of catchy 2-3 minute pop-punk songs. In POST Jeff is angrier, more ambitious, tracks take turns into different melodies and last up to 11mins as on the epic album closer “Let Them Win”. There’s still time for his signature 2 minute pop punk though like on album highlight “Beating My Head Against Against A Wall”.

4. Beyondless - Iceage

From the opening horns of Pain Killer I was in love with this album. What a tune, it’s post punk but with horns and strings. It reminds me a little of Spiritualized. The rest of the album has some great songs on too, all trying to reach the highs of Pain Killer but none can quite get there. It’s still a great listen though from start to finish.

3. Unusual - Marian Hill

It’s hard to describe Marian Hill. They’re a three-piece, a guy on electronics who does 90% of the music, a saxophonist who occasionally chimes in and a female vocalist. Its minimalist electro pop, a bit like The XX, they have some fantastic tunes and this latest is probably the best collection of them.

2. Transangelic Exodus - Ezra Furman

One of my favorite artists and a great act to see live. His latest is all about running away from it all, a cross country road trip. It’s a little darker than his last album but still laced with brilliant lyrics and hooks. He’s our generations Bob Dylan, a unique story teller who lays his heart on his sleeve.

1. Joy As An Act Of Resistance - IDLES

Every now and again a band come along that truly defines that moment in time, IDLES are the most important band in the world right now. They rally against toxic masculinity on Samaritans, fight fascism in (song of the year) Danny Nedelko and lampoon Brexiteers in GREAT. With such heavy material you may think that the album could drag, but they tackle it with such humor and energy the album flies by with hooks and sing-a-long choruses at every turn. 2018 was all about IDLES, no one else came close.

Ok, that’s it for this year. Honorable mentions go to Titus Andronicus, Shame, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Parquet Courts and Janelle Monae who sit outside my top 5, definitely all worth checking out.

Listen to songs from my top 10 Albums of 2018 on Spotify

Listen to all my favorite songs of the year here.

[patrickjonesblog]

Top Music of 2018 - Singles

Hey everyone, super late this year with my annual blog but I couldn’t let it slip as I’ve been doing this since 2010 and even if only a handful of people read it, I like how it is shaping up to be a kind of music journal for myself to reminisce.

This year will be a little shorter, I have 5 of my favorite songs (not on my top 5 albums) i’ll highlight in my first blog and then the next blog will have my top 5 albums. 

As always you can listen to my full 2018 mix on Spotify here.

Top 5 Songs of 2018 (outside of my top 5 albums)

Fitness - Lizzo

Lizzo has featured in this blog before with the wonderful Good as Hell. She mixes hip hop, soul and R & B without taking herself too seriously. It’s all about self love, and this time she’s been working on her fitness.

BOOGIE - Brockhampton

This is probably my favorite song of the year. It’s got a funky sax riff all the way thru it and quick fire lyrics. Hip Hop has got so miserable lately this is like an early 90′s fun callback.

Make Me Feel - Janelle Monae

I’ve been saying for years that Janelle Monae deserves commercial success, with Dirty Computer she finally gets a bona fide hit and with her acting career taking off it was a fantastic year for the Archandroid. This track is pure Prince.

In My View - Young Fathers

Young Fathers have had a few singles I’ve liked but this song from their great album Cocoa Sugar is their best to date.

Wide Awake - Parquet Courts

One of the biggest hooks of the year from the album of the same name. Reminds me of House of Jealous Lovers by The Rapture, you’ll be singing it all day.

Alright, onto my favorite albums of 2018...