Hurrah, it’s Christmas! That means it’s time for sleighbells, open fires, feeding the world and stuff. It also means a week off for me, so I’ll wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and move straight on to my annual Review of the Year. Be honest, you were expecting it, weren’t you?
THINGS I LIKED
Franz Ferdinand – Take Me Out has ended up being my favourite single of the year and their album is also class on a stick, the Delays have also had their moments, DJ Casper – not for Cha Cha Slide, but for proving that singles can still climb to Number One, Graham Coxon, the Alarm managing to make the Top 30 by pretending to be the Poppyfields, Marillion’s fans mobilising as a unit to get their band into the Top 10, Atomic Kitten splitting up, the Rasmus’ In The Shadows, Goldie Lookin’ Chain – the novelty will wear off, but let’s just enjoy it for now, Snow Patrol, Kasabian, Ash’s Orpheus, Blink 182 releasing their best stuff to date, ATL’s Calling All Girls being the funniest single I’ve heard this year, Hope of the States’ The Red The White The Black The Blue, Girls Aloud’s The Show (I’m sorry, don’t ask me why but I do like it), Paul Weller releasing his best stuff in ages, likewise with Morrissey, Client, Prodigy’s Girls (second favourite single of the year), Soulwax, the Departure’s All Mapped Out, Nouvelle Vague’s self-titled album – utterly bizarre but great fun, Judge Jules’ remix of Brainbug’s Nightmare, Eric Prydz’s Call On Me – should be rubbish but somehow isn’t, Duran Duran releasing a good single for a change, Marilyn Manson’s demolition job on Depeche Mode’s Personal Jesus, the band themselves having a surprisingly good remix album put out (although one of the best, the Faithful Mix of Photographic is only available as a digital download - typical), the Faint, Gwen Stefani’s What You Waiting For?, the White Stripes destroying Dolly Parton’s Jolene and Luton Town being top of the League (One, admittedly) on Christmas Day – the first decent Christmas Number One in years.
THINGS I DIDN'T
The Scissor Sisters with their disco retro music – thanks for reminding me how bad seventies music could be, George Michael coming back with an album that really wasn’t worth the wait and a single that said “Good evening and welcome to the Dagmar”, VS, Phixx for turning Love Revolution from a potentially good pop song into a tragic wannabe anthem the second the chorus kicked in, Eamon and Frankie’s extraordinarily public (but surely not contrived to guarantee two Number Ones, oh no) slanging match, McFly, our Eurovision entry this year – the rest of Europe must be wondering what the hell happened to the British talent for songwriting, the Streets, Ding Dong Song – when tripe like this can hit the Top 20 you really do have to wonder how and why, Sam and Mark – when tripe like this etc. etc., Prodigy’s Always Outnumbered Never Outgunned – desperately disappointing aside from Girls, Busted’s Thunderbirds song (a perfect example of lyrical spoon-feeding), Robbie Williams’s double whammy of duff singles (Radio and Misunderstood), Allow Us To Be Frank – don’t really think I need to say any more on that particular subject, V, Band Aid 20 (considering the array of talent, the single really has no excuse for being that dire), Brian McFadden’s Irish Son, Babycakes – I thought that sort of thing died out five years ago, bands being praised to the heavens for reasons I can’t fathom (step forward the Libertines, Black Eyed Peas, Kings of Leon and Keane), the Zutons – they just sound like the Coral in disguise to me, a Busted live album for Heaven’s sake, Flip and Fill, and the fact that from now on, new bands are going to have to try and make it without John Peel’s help – the guy was a legend, end of story.
Right, that’s 2004 done and dusted. If the music that comes out in 2005 is half as good as this year, then… well… I suppose it won't be as good then. Didn’t think that one through, did I?