Tag: Jessica Pratt

Posted in Listed

Favourite Albums of 2024

Posted on by Michael

5. The Libertines – All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade: Truth be told, this is not the fifth best album of 2024 hence why I always title these lists as “favourite albums”. As a fan for over 20 years, The Libertines were welcomed back with their first album since 2015. With all their troubles, the tabloid headlines and the “highs and the lows”, this band should not still exist today but here we are. First single “Run Run Run” has Pete Doherty and Carl Barat’s classic knees-up sound while “Shiver” is full of graceful beauty in a modern rock song. A now classic British rock band.

4. Idles – TANGK: Others jumped on the Idles train long before I did. Their hard edge sound wasn’t quite for me but I always enjoyed the introspective interviews with singer Joe Talbot. Finally in 2024 the band released an album with slightly softer edges that drew me in. The attention grabbing video for single “Grace” was mesmerizing and the album would later get plenty of spins on car rides home from work. The band haven’t gotten better, I just started to pay more attention. Time to investigate the back catalogue….

3. Jessica Pratt – Here In The Pitch: The American singer-songwriter’s fourth studio album came out to universal critical acclaim in the late spring. The dreamy, atmospheric country lounge sound is timeless. Starting with the wonderous single, “Life Is”, the short album is the perfect length in which to float into the listeners conscious before disappearing again into the ether. A truly unique talent.

2. Fontaines D.C. – Romance: Since appearing on the international scene in 2019, this Dublin band has made frequent appearances on this blog’s year end lists. For their 2024 album Romance, the band’s appearance has taken on a look of a Nu Metal band from 1997. For other bands it would be the moment that they jumped the shark, however, on Romance the band sound as vital as they did on their debut. Songs like “In The Modern World”, “Favourite” and “Starburster” rank among their very best. Ones to really believe in, they don’t make rock bands like this very often anymore.

1. English Teacher – This Could be Texas: The young band’s debut album won the prestigious Mercury Music award in the fall of 2024. Five of the album’s tracks were released as singles and showcase singer Lily Fontaine’s unique generational voice and lyrics. However, this is a true band as each of the four members shine throughout on tracks like “The World’s Biggest Paving Slab” and double time beat of “Nearly Daffodils”. Each song inhabits it’s own world on this brilliant debut album.

Posted in Listed

10 Favourite Songs of 2024

Posted on by Michael

10. Marshmello and Kane Brown – Miles On It: The cheese factor gets ratcheted up to 10 on this club ready country track. The country style verses of double entendres while singing about a truck gets cranked up when the beat kicks in on the chorus. I probably heard this about 20 times while driving the family around Nova Scotia on a family vacation and every time it came on, the radio got turned up a little bit louder.

9. Shaboozey – A Bar Song (Tipsy):  When this track first started getting airplay in the spring, I was shocked that it was a new song and not something that’s been around for 10 years. After really listening, its easy to hear why.  The song incorporates J-Kwon’s 2004 hit “Tipsy” and the acoustic guitar strumming sounds very similar to Oasis “Wonderwall”. Another country song about drinking is not what the world needed but Shaboozey takes all these influences and makes it his own on the infectious single. 

8. The Smile – I Quit: The downtempo track appears towards the end of The Smile’s second album, Wall of Eyes. I first heard the lyrics “I quit/This is the end of my trip” shortly after abruptly quitting a new job that did not work out as expected. I heard it while out walking on a gloomy wintry day that was more wet than cold. To hear that in that moment was exactly what I needed. I started a terrific new job just a few weeks later.

7. Vampire Weekend – Capricorn: A lyrically unique song tipping it’s cap to those born late in the year. Ezra Koenig’s vocals sound echoey that give the song a dreamy quality over a bed of music that is percussion heavy but with pretty piano lines and deep bass. It’s a really well crafted, terrific single from a solid album.

6. Travis – Bus: Somewhere along the line I lost track of Scottish band Travis. They’ve continued releasing albums while I had moved onto other things. While listening quite a bit to their second album, The Man Who this year, I decided to give their newest album The L.A. Times a try. A fine record that starts with this classy single. It’s a wistful track that sounds lovely with the mournful string section. Travis is back and for the first time in ages, I was back with them.

5. The Libertines – Shiver: The Libertines returned in 2024 with their first album in 9 years. Released early in the new year, “Shiver” is a look back over the majesty of the Albion empire. It’s a classically, elegantly wasted track that is one of their finest.

4. English Teacher – R&B: An updated version of a song the band originally released in 2021, Lily Fontaine’s sings of writing songs for others and not herself on this fiery anthem. The grungy bass of Nicholas Eden gives the track an edge of menace that really bursts into life in the final outro. Listening to Fontaine makes me feel how I felt the first time I heard Poly Styrene from punk band X-Ray Spex. A vital new voice in indie rock music.

3. Idles – Grace: One of the eye catching images in 2024 was seeing Coldplay’s video for “Yellow” on the screen while Idles’ single “Gossip” played over top. The song has a strong low end while singer Joe Talbot sings of “make me pure” and “love is the thing”. It’s a mantra tailor made for these times before it all ends with a snippet that sounds like The Beatles’ “A Day In The Life”.

2. Jessica Pratt – Life Is: The first song on her latest album, “Life Is” sounds like a country song beamed in from another planet. The dreamy vocal makes it sound timeless. While the music doesn’t change too much throughout the tune, it’s Pratt’s voice that swirls around and captures the emotion. It’s a song that can be listened to again and again and discover something new in every repeat.

1. Fontaines D.C. – Starburster: The first single off the band’s 2024 album sounds exactly like it’s title. The track sees singer Grian Chatten spitting out words like a champion rapper on a song that always keeps the kick drum kicking until the relief of the breakdown. It’s a genre smashing track that is an anthem, the chaotic lyrics will have listeners wishing for a new salamander and feel like they can take on the world, burstering some stars along the way. The appearance on Jimmy Fallon was my go to listen as it captures the band in full flight. Iconic.

Posted in Album Reviews

Jessica Pratt – Here In The Pitch (2024)

Posted on by Michael

Here In The Pitch, the fourth album from Californian Jessica Pratt sounds like it was beamed in from a 1960s space age country lounge.  Pratt sounds a bit like a British, blue-eyed soul singer on “Empires Never Know” over a dreamy, otherworldy piano.  An acoustic guitar and spacey sounds swirl in the mix of “Get Your Head Out” while “By Hook Or By Crook” has a slight bossa nova feel.  “World On A String” simply floats on air.

Highlights book end the album. The single, “Life Is” has Phil Spector levels of drama in every bass drum kick while Pratt softly sings, “when you’ve fallen out, get both feet on the ground”.  Here In The Pitch closes with the sweet sentiments of “The Last Year”.  “I think it’s gonna be fine/I think we’re gonna be together/And the storyline goes forever”.  A truly wonderful record.

9/10