I’m sitting staring at my computer screen at work, finding it very hard to concentrate on doing anything productive. Bunged up and fed up with a cold that’s not bad enough for you to stay at home and not light enough for it not to bother you constantly. It’s that annoying time between Christmas and New Year where you don’t know what to do with yourself. It’s a limbo. It’s not Christmas anymore, but it’s not the New Year yet. There’s no one at work but you and a few other people who didn’t have enough holiday to take the time off. A four day weekend is within touching distance but yet also just out of reach.
I’m listening to Idlewild and Roddy Woomble in anticipation of the new Idlewild record next year, the first song from it, Collect Yourself, is a fantastic face slap with a guitar hook reminiscent of bagpipes.
Subsequently, from searching for a stream or something of Collect Yourself, having only heard it on the radio, I have stumbled across Roddy’s solo stuff, which is really quite good, and a spell binding version of "The Quiet Crown" from 2000's 100 Broken Windows at a Radio Scotland session.
The nirvana that is 29th-31st gives you an opportunity to look forward to the new year, or dread it arriving. 2015. It looks clean. It's a futuristic date.
I get married in 2015. Within 24 hours of saying "I do" i turn 34. That does sound like an old age. 34. Thirty four! THIRTY FOUR!! I think it'll be time I officially announce my retirement from professional football.
I read those tips for the new year same time every year (funnily enough) and the names go over my head. The BBC list of acts and bands to look out for didn't exist when I was younger, but this scrambling to second guess who will have a year to remember seems pretty pointless to me.
Either they are way wide of the mark or they have been told to put them on the list by an A&R team from one of the big labels and they have the budget the size of a small countries economy to play with. Of course they'll have a great year as we won't be able to escape them and those who listen to Radio 1 and do as they're told will buy it, download it, steal it but buy the autobiography out in time for Christmas.
My finger isn't on any music pulse, but I do know some brilliant artists and bands are releasing records next year.
Menace Beach's debut album, Ratworld, hits the proverbial shelves mid January and if you picked up their EP, Lowtalker, in early 2014 you'll know it's going to be brilliant. The very awesome Desperate Journalist also physically release their first album in the year's first month. If you like The Smiths, Morrissey and 80's indie, you'll love this lot.
Ryan Adams is releasing a 7" with Johnny Depp in February which is going to be very interesting. It's limited edition but I managed to bag myself one early doors.
March is already chock-a-block with LP's. The master, Mr Noel Gallagher releases his second solo record, Chasing Yesterday, Laura Marling is primed with her 5th album, Short Movie, and Idlewild are back with that new one, Everything ever written.
It's bloody exciting.
On top of this, I'm off to Manchester in February to see Elbow on their "Theatres" tour, do a load of old and rare stuff. Hurrah.
Then in March it's to Norwich to watch Royal Blood as they bludgeon my ears to death, and then Stornoway will sooth them back to health in Reading.
Tickets are also booked for Victorious Festival in Southsea. So far only Basement Jaxx have been confirmed for that, but never mind, if last year is anything to go by, there'll be a myriad of brilliant bands past and present to allow me to avoid them.
Anyway, as I said to my work mates when I left this afternoon, "Happy New Year, fuckers".
No comments:
Post a Comment