Do I understand your question, man, is it hopeless and forlorn?

In a little hilltop village, they gambled for my clothes
I bargained for salvation an' they gave me a lethal dose.
I offered up my innocence and got repaid with scorn.
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."

shelter from the storm

Let There Be Rock

24 year old harp playing singer songwriter geniuses are one thing, but when there's some rocking that needs to be done, AC/DC take some beating.

sawdust and diamonds

there's been a lot of slavering from the broadsheet music journos over this LP by Joanna Newsom.
It's all deserved, it's a fantastic record. Very long, wordy songs, trilled by a startlingly peculiar voice which is just the right side of horrendous tweeness. I'm not describing it very well - again, but it's one of the best lps I've picked up this year.
Which I probably wouldn't have done had Alex and Anna not picked tracks from it on their own 'best of' cds...

things have changed

I've been walking forty miles of bad road
If the bible is right, the world will explode
I've been trying to get as far away from myself as I can
Some things are too hot to touch
The human mind can only stand so much

You can't win with a losing hand
People are crazy and times are strange
I'm locked in tight, I'm out of range
I used to care, but things have changed

Lend me ten pounds, I'll buy you a drink

The Pogues were in Nottingham last night, and I went with Graham. They were terrific, even in a crappy old shed like the Nottm Arena, which is hardly a patch on the Brixton Academy (St Patricks Day 1988) for atmosphere. Most of the band are now bald and trim and teetotal, apparently, and perhaps as a consequence they play fantastically. MacGowan is still a wreck, but (largely) comprehensible for most of the time. At one stage he had to be reminded which tune was next, but with a few trips off stage for a refreshing light ale, he was relatively sprightly.

The setlist on this 'reunion' tour is full of old stuff from the first three albums, including tracks from Red Roses For Me which I have never heard live before, alongside favourites like Body of an American, Bottle of Smoke, and the Sickbed of Cúchulainn. There was a lachrymose version of Fairytale of New York to end with, resulting in Mr Ward getting a thorough dousing of fake snow, and some concerned enquiries in the pub after the gig...

You add it up, it brings you down

very much enjoying the 2006 discs which have come in so far. loads of stuff I would never have heard, or even heard of .

for instance: Peter Bjorn and John, 15 minutes of strangely compelling drone rock from some guys called Om, the new LP by Six Organs of Admittance, CSS, Tuung, Grizzly Bear, and the best track title so far this year - 'our operators are masturbating' by Dr Octagon.

the Grauniad has compiled a chart of charts from the mags and websites, finding Hot Chip to be the LP of the year. Not had a single track from it yet on the compilations...but I liked the sound of the Burial album, might take a punt on it in Selectadisc tomorrow.

best of all though - 'One Track Lover', by Dr Lucien Sanchez

I've only got three bullets and there's four of Motley Crue

...thus spake Nigel Blackwell

Rough Trade shop albums of the year, of which I have only a few.

I score better with the Mojo top 50, which I guess tells us rather a lot about which particular record buying demographic I fall into...ie a tired old middle class white man.

This album sounds great, it's cropping up in a lot of the end of the year lists, and it's the first one that I have thought 'bugger, I wish I'd put that on my cd'. I have downloaded it, but I'll swing by Selectadisc tomorrow.

meanwhile, Q has got the Killer's LP listed as the 5th best album released this year...it's one of the most hatefully shallow and soulless records I've ever heard.

That Midlake LP is growing on me, slightly.

No Depression In Heaven

This is a great compilation. I don't need Bobby Gillespie to tell me how great the Carter Family are (or rather, were), but there are some fantastic records on these two cds - from dodgy homemade punk to sparse trad folk, to NY coffee shop blues, avant garde noise wankery, C86 jangling, and many other sub genres too elitist and high falutin' to go into here. Three tracks in, and the Rezillos 'I Can't Stand My Baby', bumps up to 'Xerox' by Adam and the Ants...when he was cool, before the girls got hold of him...and then one of the tracks that kicked off hip hop.

it was a pretty good year

a few 2006 cds are in , and already I'm thinking 'Bugger. Mine is going to look very tame compared to this lot'.
Running the whole gamut of white boys with electric guitars to white boys with acoustic guitars, and back again, my selection suddenly feels rather shit. oh well it's too late now, and discovering great new tunes is the whole point I guess.