Happy Noo Ear

Nothing changes on New Year's Day...

Dearest Friends, I am back in Blogville, but only for a fleeting moment. The end of the year is nigh, and you all know what that means, eh? Time for a funky New Year's Eve party! If you're looking for a fin d'annee soundtrack, head on over to Contrast Podcast, where Old Father Tim(e) has a fantastic one on offer. You can download it here or subscribe to all the upcoming 2007 'casts by using this RSS feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/ContrastPodcast. The lineup is:

(00:00) Ella Fitzgerald - What are you doing New Year’s Eve?
Tim from the face of today
(04:18) The Zombies - This will be our year
Hiram from The Harvey Girls
(07:04) Asobi Seksu - New Years
Ross from Just Gimme Indie Rock
(10:09) The Buzzcocks - Boredom
Bob from Gimme Tinnitus
(13:44) The Dismemberment Plan - Ice of Boston
Chip from Donewaiting
(18:52) U2 - New Years Day
FiL from Pogoagogo
(25:06) AC/DC - Have a drink on me
Natalie from Mini-Obs
(29:32) Paul Weller - Brand new start
Crash from Pretending life is like a song
(33:30) Yu Fei Men - Happy New Year
ZB from So the wind won’t blow it all away
(37:43) The Alice Project - I hope this year is better than the last
GD from Bitesize Bonus
(40:49) Brenda Khan - Yellow Sun
Tom from Other People’s Toys
(45:54) Ween - It’s gonna be a long night
Michael from The Yank Sizzler
(49:34) Martinn - Around the world on New Years Day
Waffles from waffles radio
(53:10) The Walkmen - New Years Eve
Andy from Circles of concrete
(55:37) Luka Bloom - Bridge of Sorrow
Tristesse from And before the first kiss

I must confess, it has been years since I celebrated New Year's Eve. I believe the last time was in 1999, when we had a street party to welcome in 2000. Even then I remember shivering outside in the cold, wondering when would be the earliest I could diplomatically slink inside the house and into bed. I often wonder why I'm such a New Year's Eve Scrooge, seeing as I do enjoy a party and have little fear of embarrassing myself. I suppose it's the notion of enforced frivolity and enjoyment: You WILL stay up until midnight and you WILL drink lots of champagne and you WILL enjoy yourself and you WILL make chit-chat with people who don't care if you live or you die. So I reserve my 'Bah, humbug' not for Chrimbo, but for New Year's Eve. That said, I do hope you all enjoy yourselves...

In a similar vein, I've been strongly resistant to the idea of posting an end-of-year list. So many people have already done a fabulous job of rounding up this year's nuggests of goodness. Coxon posted his fave songs, albums, and gigs; Fraser couldn't contain himself and did it here and here; Andy wrote his in concrete, Marcy got lost in her inbox not once but twice, and Rachel treated us to a myriad of excellent 2006 fayre served up in different ways over here. So in the end I have given in to peer pressure. I am very easily led astray...

And here it is, my list. This is not a 'Best of 2006' - goodness knows I'd never presume to tell you what you should be or should have been listening to. No, this is a totally subjective and flawed recollection of choonz released in 2006 that made me a happy FiL at various points during the year. If I thought about it more, I'm sure I'd come up with others. Definitely not in any order of preference.

Cansei de Ser Sexy - Alala (buy here)
Oh, maan, best thing to come out of Brazil since cachaca.

Snowden - Anti-Anti (buy here or e-here)
Post-punk is not dead. It's alive & well & living in Georgia. Peachy.

Motorettes - You Gotta Look The Parts (buy here)
These lads make me grin summat fierce.

Buzzcocks - Flat-Pack Philosophy (buy here or e-here)
There's life in the old 'Cocks yet. Indeed, they're are at the top of their game.

GWAR - Tormentor (buy here)
Most fun at a gig I had all year. And the fluids!!

Teddybears Sthlm - Hey Boy (buy here)
These Swedes sukapunched me and lodged in my brainstem, where they remain to this day. Thank you, SAS Radio!!

Harvee - Magical Mind (buy e-here)
Lovely Canadians! I wish them bags of success in 2007.

Pony Up! - The Truth About Cats & Dogs (Is That They Die) (buy here or e-here)
More lovely Canadians!! But unfortunately they speak the truth. Ah, the suffering of change...

Ndidi Onukwulu - Old Heart (buy here or e-here)
My surprise discovery of the year. This young blues diva knocked my socks off at the 2006 Vancouver Folk Music Festival.

Sambassadeur - Kate (buy here)
More Swedes! These ones have occupied my soul and are making it ache with their sweet sound.

Camera Obscura - I Need All The Friends I Can Get (buy here or e-here)
Oh, Traceyanne Campbell, how you make me all giddy & giggly. And the kids love you too. As do mine. Sigh.

Well, that's it from me for this year. I'm off to pick up Dearest T from the Vancouver aerodrome, then it's off to Mayne Island early tomorrow morning. I will be incommunicado until sometime during the first week of January, so until then (and afterwards as well), I wish all of you a rollicking start to 2007.

Edit: Damn, damn, damn! I knew I'd forget some worthy tracks, but this one was really too worthy to leave off: Mouse Eat Mouse - Mair Licht (buy e-here). Think Mark E Smith meets Ivor Cutler and Billy Connolly. In a Haircut 100 single played at 33rpm. I have a certain Scottish blogger to thank for this gem.

P.S. Dearest T has arrived, but British Airways saw fit to leave his bags and those of thirty other passengers somewhere in Heathrow. So first stop was to an all-night drugstore to buy a pair of Rhino underpants. Tee hee!