Andy Jones - Fights Like Ours (CD)

An emotional pendulum swinging between melancholy and optimism. A communion of loss, grief, growth, and hope. A call to action. Fights Like Ours is Andy Jones' third and most personal album to date. The singer-songwriter explores deeply emotional stories. The death of his father ("I Don't Have Your Voice") and his mother's battle with cancer ("Still Be Here") are as much the subject of the songs as his own long-suppressed and hidden emotional scars.
But he hasn't run out of socially critical topics either: He addresses the stigmatization of mental illness (Fights Like Ours), right-wing radicalism in Germany (You Don't Speak for Me), and the black sheep of the music scene (No Reciprocity). Jones also continues his tradition of telling other people's stories musically (Running from Yourself, Better Late Than Never). And if he doesn't know the stories, he imagines them based on real observations and interactions (Happy Now). While he explores philosophical (Shadows on a Cave Wall), metaphorical (Leaves, Where No Ships Remain), and imaginative paths (Only One Arrives, The Life You Didn't Lead) in other songs, the British singer-songwriter has released "Unumgehbar," a bonus track in the language of the country he has called home for 15 years.
Musically, Fights Like Ours has prompted Jones to think outside the box: his usual mix of rock, folk, and piano pop is now supplemented by elements of ambient, country, and indie pop. Lyrically, some songs bear the fruits of his collaboration with newcomer singer-songwriter Emily Larkin. Jones also continues to experiment instrumentally, offering new sounds through the incorporation of the harmonium, lap steel guitar, theremin, daf drum, and electronic beats. And newer musical influences are also evident in his own playing style: the guitarist, otherwise known as a strummer, now also uses fingerpicking in some songs, a style familiar from greats such as Damien Rice, Glen Hansard, John Paul White, and William Fitzsimmons. Nevertheless, Jones' "rock roots" are unmistakable, as quieter opening passages repeatedly lead into powerful crescendos.
Unspoken (2016) is a concept album about a fictional failed relationship. Shield (2018) also deals with relationships, but also contains a variety of messages on personal, ethical, and political issues (parenthood, animal welfare, refugees, war, political indifference). Fights Like Ours now reveals Andy Jones' seemingly limitless musical imagination, poetic skill, and inescapable emotional depth. As before, Jones uses his artistic talents to promote consideration, courage, and self-care. Listeners are invited to join the invisible legion of survivors who have overcome present and past obstacles. Fights Like Ours is Jones' contribution to the soundtrack of this movement.

01 Fights Like Ours
02 Running From Yourself
03 Shadows On A Cave Wall
04 Still Be Here
05 Only One Arrives
06 Leaves
07 Where No Ships Remain
08 The Life You Didn't Lead
09 I Don't Have Your Voice
10 No Reciprocity
11 Happy Now
12 Better Late Than Never
13 You Don't Speak For Me
14 Unavoidable