Playlist from New Years Eve, 2008

Ballboy -- Avant Garde Music (Guide for the Daylight Hours)
The Go Team -- We Just Won't Be Defeated (Thunder, Lightning, Strike)
David Bowie -- Let's Dance (Changes)
Pulp -- Disco 2000 (Different Class)
Camera Obscura -- Happy New Year (Biggest Bluest Hi Fi)
Life Without Buildings -- New Town (Some Other City)
Gomez -- Whippin' Picadilly (Bring It On)
Goldrush -- Waiting for the Wheel (Ozona)
Southside Stalkers -- Five (Sound of Speed)
Jens Lekman -- The Opposite of Hallelujah (Night Falls Over Kortedala)
Teitur -- Catherine the Waitress (The Singer)
Love Spit Love -- Am I Wrong? (Love Spit Love)
Teenage Fanclub -- Sparky's Dream (Grand Prix)
Elvis Costello -- You Tripped at Every Step (Brutal Youth)
Noah and the Whale -- Five Years Time (Peaceful the World Lays Me Down)
Belle & Sebastian -- Jonathan David (Push Barman to Open Old Wounds)
Coldplay -- Strawberry Swing (Viva la Vida)
Pogues -- If I Should Fall From Grace With God (If I Should Fall From Grace With God)
Libertines -- Time for Heroes (Up the Bracket)
Streets -- Turn the Page (Original Pirate Material)
Gorillaz -- Feel Good Inc. (Demon Days)
Boo Radleys -- Wake Up Boo! (Wake Up)
Trashcan Sinatras -- It's A Miracle (Weightlifting)
James -- Sit Down (Gold Mother)
Ed Harcourt -- Watching the Sun Come Up (From Every Sphere)
Stars -- Look Up (Heart)
Divine Comedy -- Lucy (Liberation)

Best of 2008 -- Playlist

Hot Chip -- Ready for the Floor (Made in the Dark)
Goldfrapp -- Happiness (Seventh Tree)
Badly Drawn Boy -- Degrees of Separation (Born in the UK)
Ray Davies -- In a Moment (Workingman's Cafe)
Glen Hansard -- When Your Mind's Made Up (Swell Season)
Duffy -- Warwick Avenue (Rockferry)
Southside Stalkers -- Five (Sound of Speed)
Ladytron -- Ghosts (Velocifero)
Bloc Party -- Better than Heaven (Intimacy)
The Cribs -- I'm a Realist (EP)
Frightened Rabbit -- Heads Roll Off (Midnight Organ Fight)
Foals -- Balloons (Antidotes)
Portishead -- The Rip (Third)
The Real Tuesday Weld -- What it Takes (End of the World)
Tricky -- School Gates (Knowle West Boy)
Radiohead -- Faust Arp (In Rainbows)
Elbow -- One Day Like This (Seldom Seen Kid)
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds -- Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! (Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!)
Wire -- One of Us (Object 47)
Forward Russia -- Breaking Standing (Life Processes)
Ting Tings -- Great DJ (We Started Nothing)
Noah and the Whale -- 5 Years Time (Peaceful the World Lays Me Down)
James -- Whiteboy (Hey Ma)
Supergrass -- Diamond Hoo Ha Man (Diamond Hoo Ha)
Coldplay -- Strawberry Swing (Viva la Vida)
Sigur Ros -- Inni Mer Syngur Vitleysingur (Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust)

Mince Pies...Jamie Oliver style

At this time of year in the UK you can hardly turn around without someone shoving a plate of mince pies at you. Contrary to what the name suggests, these are actually vegetarian confections, a little sweet tart filled with 'mincemeat' (a bizarre mix of dried fruits, raisins, miscellaneous spices, etc.)

By mid-December, everyone in the country is thoroughly sick of the sight of them, and yet they still buy them and serve them at Xmas parties -- a weird form of obsessive sadism/masochism.

Anyway, I cam across this video online, and thought I would share it with you all. It is truly a remarkable achievement, coming dangerously close to making me actually want to make a batch of mince pies.

See what you think.

It Really, Really, Really Could Happen

I am very excited by the news that Blur have decided to reform and play some shows together this summer. The split was far from acrimonious, so the prospect of a reunion has always been on the cards, and although the band members have been having a good deal of post-Blur success (Damon with Gorillaz, The Good the bad and the Queen, and the Monkey operal; Graham with solo albums; Alex making cheese -- really!; and drummer Dave taking a stab at politics) it is great to see that they are going to be reunited for a few dates.

Regular show listeners will be well aware of my love of Blur (and tired of my foaming-at-the-mouth ranting about their infinite superiority to Oasis), and they have always struck me as a remarkably affable, down-to-earth bunch of chaps. I like to think that these reunion shows will lead to some new material and maybe even a new album (2003's Think Tank demonstrated that they were anything but creatively stagnant at the time of the parting of the ways) -- watch this space for updates.

Playlist from December 3, 2008

Ballboy -- Avant Garde Music (Guide to the Daylight Hours)
Belle & Sebastian -- Belle and Sebastian (Push Barman to Open Old Wounds)
Cure -- Plainsong (Disintegration)
Slowdive -- Alison (Souvlaki)
Caribou -- Melody Day (Andorra)
Morrissey -- Irish Blood, English Heart (You Are The Quarry)
The Fall -- Mr. Pharmacist (50,000 Fall Fans Can't Be Wrong)
Roxy Music -- Virginia Plain (Velvet Goldmine)
Spiritualized -- Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space (Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space)
Gorky's Zygotic Mynci -- Where Does Yer Go Now? (How I Long to Feel That Summer in My Heart)
Noah and the Whale -- The Shape of My Heart (Peaceful The World Lays Me Down)
Sondre Lerche -- You Know So Well (Faces Down)
kaiser Chiefs -- Never Miss a Beat (Off With Their Heads)
Bloc Party -- Halo (Intimacy)
Badly Drawn Boy -- You Were Right (Have you Fed The Fish?)
Southside Stalkers -- Five (The Sound of Speed)
British Sea Power -- Fear of Drowning (The Decline of...)
Art Brut -- Good Weekend (Bang Bang Rock and Roll)
Foals -- Red Sock Pugie (Antidotes)
Depeche Mode -- Personal Jesus (Violator)
Divine Comedy -- Lucy (Liberation)
Lloyd Cole -- No Blue Skies (Lloyd Cole)
Nick Drake -- Northern Sky (Way to Blue)
Blur -- Sweet Song (Think Tank)
Stina Nordenstam -- Hopefully Yours (And She Closed Her Eyes)
Black Box recorder -- Goodnight Kiss (Facts of Life)

Winter Blunderland

I couldn't resist sharing this article which really does a fantastic job of exploring the total lack of festive cheer at a Chritsmas-themed fun park in Dorset's New Forest.

Sort of bleak and horrible, and yet hilariously funny at the same time.

Choice quote: 'One of our elves was slapped and had a pram pushed into her leg which has left a horrible bruise.'