A few weeks ago on a rare 30 degree day here in Melbs, i hit up a few places in town for a skate sesh with a couple mates and brought my camera along. I didnt realise, but one of the films i shot on already had exposures from a great little BBQ at a mates i hit up for the AFL Grand Final. (at which i drank, took photos, and watched everyone else watch the game because it was more entertaining than the match!) Turned out with some very cool results! And if you’re wondering who the twit is in the 3rd pic fucking up a grind, that would be me haha. Anyway, Enjoy!

That’s me done for the year! Have yourselves a rad holiday break and new years!
See you in 2011! Peace

So it’s that time of the year again, you know, the end of it! Same as everyone else, it’s a wonderful time full of trying to get as much as possible done before FINNNNAALLY getting a bit of a holiday in, and also partake in the yearly ritual of throwing together top ten lists. Originally I was going to throw together a “Top Ten pagan rituals you can do with your pants off that won’t scare off your friends once it winds up on Wikileaks and banned from YouTube”, but that seemed like it’d be drawing too broad of a stroke…yeah, lets run with that. :p So yes! without further ado, here’s my top ten records of the year. I’ll try my best not to rant anymore than i already am!

10. DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN : OPTION PARALYSIS

Ahhh yes, Dillinger Dillinger Dillinger. I won’t lie, i was pumped for a very long time leading upto this release and thankfully it sure as hell didn’t disappoint! I found myself spinning this so regularly in the studio that it earned me the reputation with my neighbors as “the guy who listens to heavy music” (hahaha). But that’s not the important thing, the important thing is that if this record was anymore intense it’d make your head explode. In terms of musicianship it’s relentless, special mention must be given to new drummer Billy Rymer as well. The kid is an absolute machine, there’s a few moments on the record where i’m positive that he actually breaks the sound barrier. All in all this was a great release. Definitely worth picking up if you haven’t already.

Highlights : Farewell Mona Lisa, Gold Teeth On a Bum, Room Full Of Eyes, Widower

9. WALKMEN : LISBON

To be honest i found 2010 to be a little bit of a barren year for releases that i truly loved. Don’t get me wrong, there were plenty of GOOD albums but not really many GREAT ones. Lisbon popped up pretty late in the game for me, but from the very first listen of this record i just completely fell in love with it. It’s quite simply just a gorgeous, gorgeous record and if it was emitting anymore charm i’m pretty sure a bond-era Sean Connery would show up with a cricket bat to issue them with a prompt knee-capping and a one-liner. Anyway, there’s honestly not a dull moment on this record and it’s certainly going to find itself getting a very regular spin whilst i’m scribbling, doing a long drive or just sitting in the sun with a bevie and a few mates.

Highlights : Juveniles, Stranded, Victory

8. THE NAKED AND FAMOUS : PASSIVE ME, AGRESSIVE YOU

This record was one of those rare ones that just completely caught me off guard. I got onto this baddie because i found myself singing the chorus to the uber-uber-catchy Young Blood in the car every morning for a couple of weeks, so i just dove right in and bought the record to see how the rest measured up. Sure enough, it ended up being a great purchase! (i bought a few dud records this year indeed). Top and Tails, this is a fantastic release filled with a lot of great moments. Even more impressive is that it’s TNAF’s debut (or de-butt, thank you Miss Mauboy) and they’re all something like 20?? Bastards! haha. My only criticism is that at times they wear their influences a little to heavily on their sleeves. However despite that it’s such a massively impressive first outing with great soundscapes, and brilliantly crafted pop tunes. Get it in you!

Highlights : All Of This, Punching In A Dream, The Sun, Young Bloods

7. THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM : AMERICAN SLANG

I don’t know about any of you, but personally i find when EVERYONE i know is raving about a band or a record (and i mean bloody EVERYONE) i tend not to check it out almost out of spite. (maybe i watched too much Seinfeld back in the day?). This was one of those occasions where i wound up giving myself a big ol’ kick in the nuts to punish myself for my own stupidity. Seriously, what a freaking record! Granted it’s The Boss in punk rock form, but still. Whoah! From the first listen i totally understood what all the fuss was about. It’s just straight up a great record with lots of variety in the tracks, which is always a key element in a good record. It’s got the catchy singles, the up beat jams, a hint of blues influence and a few chilled moments that just keep you giving it spin after spin. I can safely say that i’m a convert to the awesomeness of The Gaslight Anthem thanks to this record.

Highlights : The Queen Of Lower Chelsea, American Slang, Old Haunts, We Did It When We Were Young

6. THE ROOTS : HOW I GOT OVER

There were a handful of my all time favorite bands/acts/whatever that had records coming out this year, and this one was number 2 on my “GIVE IT TO ME NOWWWW!!” list. The last release from the mighty Roots (Rising Down) etched itself into my brain as one of my favorite records of all time, and this one doesn’t quite hit me as hard as the last. But it certainly left a great impression. One of the reasons i love The Roots so much is their ability to experiment with any sound, any style, and make it sound incredible. And come on, as if ?uestlove isn’t one of the best producers out there?! (not to mention one the the best drummers ever to grace a kit). How I Got over is probably one of the more chilled releases in their catalog, but its definitely one of the better ones. Flows beautifully from start to finish, has the regular guest verses/spots, and a few unexpected ones appear throughout as usual which are always a highlight of any Roots album. (i.e. Joanna Newsome & Monsters Of Folk). Once again, The Roots drop a gem of a record.

Highlights : Right On, Walk Alone, Now Or Never, The Fire, Web 20/20

5. JIMMY EAT WORLD : INVENTED

This without a doubt was the record i was looking forward to the most this year. Jimmy are responsible for my favorite record EVER, being 1999′s Clarity. So everytime good ol Jimmy announce a new album i’m frothing for it for months and showing up at JB Hi-Fi the morning its dropped. I was especially looking forward to this release as they were heading back into the studio with producer god Mark Trombino, which had me hoping for a little Clarity/Bleed American magic. Plus! After the steaming-fly-ridden-turd that was Chase This Light how could it possibly be bad, right?

Now! I won’t lie. At first i was pretty disappointed with Invented apart from a couple of tracks. (Part of this may have been my lament for bands naming songs after the chorus hook). I gave it plenty of listens, it didnt quite catch me, but then i left it for a couple of months and came back to it. Once i did that, i was hooked. Definitely a return to form in my opinion filled with some great eb/flow, solid well written tunes and my personal favorites of Jimmy’s the dreamy, epic, twinkly tracks that just build and build and build. As well as a few welcome surprises soundwise on tracks like Heart Is Hard To Find. I’m sure plenty of people will disagree with me on this one, but i don’t care. Give it time, and you’ve got yourself some first class Jimmy!

Highlights : Heart Is Hard To Find, My Best Theory, Littlething, Cut, Mixtape

4. TOKYO POLICE CLUB : CHAMP

These guys are one of those bands that i’ve always kind of dug and meant to check out whenever i’d head down to the record store, but just never really got there. I remember being played a few tracks off Champ earlier in the year and just forgot to buy it, then by chance heard the track Favorite Color on the radio and went “who the fuck is this?!”, so i grabbed the album, gave it a spin, and just instantly fell in love with it. Seriously, What. A. Fucking.Great. Record!

Filled to the brim and then some with great hooks and some damn solid guitar work. But most of all this thing is just catchier than AIDS. From the opening track Favorite Food, it’s an album that demands grabs you and won’t let go. The album also happens to have one of my favorite songs of the year, being Gone. Definitely give this a listen if you haven’t because you won’t regret it! I’m personally especially looking forward to giving it a listen with a beer and ciggie in hand on a beach somewhere this summer…EEEEVEN if i live in Melbourne and the weather here is moodier than a smackie coming down off a heroin binge with a methadone chaser. But i digress. Buy the bloody album haha.

Highlights : Gone, Favorite Food, Favorite Color, End Of A Spark, Frankenstien

3. JOHN LEGEND & THE ROOTS : WAKE UP!

The first thing i need to say about this record and the following in my top 10 is that i’ve spent at least 8 weeks swapping my top 3 around, but eventually this AH-MAY-ZING record wound up taking the number 3 spot. For those who don’t own the record i should mention that it’s actually a covers album where the guys have gone back into the past to dig up songs about social movement or protest tracks that are still relevant today. Great concept hey!

Now i’ve never been much of a John Legend fan, so i never delved into this record until a mate of mine pointed me in the direction of a live show they did streaming on YouTube (which happened to be directed by Spike Lee!), and i seriously spent the length of the show in absolute awe and chills running up my spine the whole time. Then i bought the record, and it just the same effect. Start to finish Wake Up! is one of the most amazing records i’ve ever heard. So funky, so much groove, so much awesome it should actually be criminal. Infact, it might actually be in Tasmania? We’ll never really know.

This album also has my favorite song of the year, a reworking of Eugene McDaniels “Compared To What”, which is so good that it actually creates is own parallel universe consisting entirely of Awesome . The only reason this didn’t end up at #2 or #1 is because as amazing as every track is, it’s pace is quite stop/start. It’ll have you bopping your head with some amazing upbeat tracks, and then it’ll drop out into a really mellow number. All of which are still great, but the upbeat tracks really just leave you wanting more of that in place of the more chill moments. (this link is to the live show that i mentioned earlier too, watch it!).

2. NORMA JEAN : MERIDIONAL

Norma Jean i think are going to be one of those bands that i always love, not just for the music, but also for the memories. Which i won’t go into know cause 1. I have a terminal case of the “can’t be fucked”…sss and 2. I don’t want to bore you more than i might be already :p So! Moving right along. Personally, i gave up on Norma Jean after Redeemer. First 2 albums = Amazing. Second two…yeah…not so much. But this album, oh man! Talk about a complete return to form. Meridional is hands down their best record and if you disagree with me on that you give me legal precedence to slap you about with a 415kg marlin wearing Doc Martins and a Fez…and yes, i will find one! Anyway, again, the album!

This thing from start to finish is almost completely flawless and just plain relentless. NJ have been experimenting with their sound on the “grungy” side of things since Redeemer, occasionally they got there, but on this effort they just completely fucking nail it. Still keeping in with their math/rock/metal thing and throwing in some variety in the pacing with dronier tracks like Deathbed Athiest, the eerie interlude Septentrional (yeah, say THAT ten times real fast! that’s right, ya can’t!) and then pretty much the rest is in your face at knifepoint demanding your attention. This record is a masterpiece, go and buy it, like now!

Highlights : Leaderless And Self Enlisted, Deathbed Atheist, Blood Burner, A Media Friendly Turn For The Worst, The People That Surround You On A Regular Basis

1. OK GO : OF THE COLOR OF THE BLUE SKY

Alright, I am absolutely 100% positive that i’m going to get shit for this. But yes, this actually is my favorite record to come out this year. And for a lot of reasons! Firstly, lets be honest, admitting to liking OK Go in some circles is about as socially acceptable as starting a conversation with “OMG TEH JERZEY SHAWR IZ LYKE SEW AMAZING” while wearing a Hawaiian shirt and pissing in your own mouth. But fuck, this album bumped these guys up in my books from the realms of “guilty pleasure” to “love this band, love em!”.

NOW! The reason i say this can be boiled down to a few things, but probably the most prominent is that Blue Sky was release right at the start of the year, i give it a listen very regularly, and every single time i listen to the album it grows on me more and more.

OK Go have a nasty habit of writing just plain catchy tunes while managing to experiment with their songwriting formula every time. With a gun to my head i don’t think i can find a dull moment on this record, because there’s just so much about it that knocks me for a 6. The opener WTF is just plain awesome with every listen, and that carries through right till the end of the album. Throw in hooks akimbo, some cheeky time changes, amazing chorus after amazing chorus, and just plain flat out incredible production from Dave Fridmann and you’ve got yourself one amazing record.

Then there’s the artwork, which isn’t that much to glance at, but once you hold it in your hand and have a look through it, it’s actually remarkably clever and well done (like everything these guys do pretty much.

And as if that wasn’t enough, have you SEEN the freaking videos?? They’re ALL amazing. ALL OF THEM. None more so than the clip for This Too Shall Pass which features the most freaking epic Rube Goldberg Machine I’ve ever seen. All in all, Blue Sky quite easily tops the list for me. Everything about it is amazing, and everything about it is memorable, and almost every song on this record could be my favorite jam of the year. Well played Ok Go. Well played indeed!

Highlights : WTF?, This Too Shall Pass, All Is Not Lost, Needing/Getting, Skyscrapers, White Knuckles, I Want You So Bad I Can’t Breathe, End Love, Before The Earth Was Round, Last Leaf, While You Were Asleep, In The Glass, All the videos, all the everything.

Ok! That about wraps it up! Hope you enjoyed my extensive rant. Not only does that wrap up the blog, but in a week or so that wraps me up for the year cause i’m in dire need of a holiday! haha. Hope you all have yourselves an amazing holiday season, and try not to get too messed up on New Years! As for myself, i make no guarantees :p

Peace!!

Firstly I’d just like to say a massive cheers to everyone, the response to the site has been far better than i ever could have hoped for. So thank you all so much for all the wonderful emails and kind words.

I realise the point of having a blog is to actually UPDATE it occassionally, so i’ll be making more of an effort to post bits and bobs, WIP’s, or general chicanery more often. And on that note, here’s a piece i wrapped up last week for Melbourne band Brokers. This was a blast to work on, this one really made the ol mac churn by the end of it! Hope you like it.

This site’s been a very very long time coming, but hey, I finally got there in the end.
First thing’s first, I’d like to give a massive massive THANK YOU! to my buddy Nyall Dawson at Zombiepig for his hard work getting this bad boy up and running for me.
I’m absolutely useless when it comes to coding (i know myspaces and thats IT!), so he’s been a lifesaver!

Righto! So by all means have a good poke around and I hope you dig what you see!

PEACE!
- Pat

Peace!

Click me to download!