2005, Best ofs

I wanted to get a quickie in before the end of the year, what better way than to plop down a few best-of lists. The music one is legit, the others are more off-the-top-of-head.

Music. Yes, this is the playlist on the CD.

1. All These Things That I've Done - The Killers - say no more
   
2. Talk - coldplay - great buzz gig
   
3. Hard to Beat - Hard-Fi - seeing them at Horseshoe Tavern in January, album of the year
   
4. Rebellion (Lies) - Arcade Fire - Montreal eclectic talent
   
5. Do You Want To - Franz Ferdinand - cheeky lads
   
6. Tiny Little Fractures - Snow Patrol - a little older album that just snuck in
   
7. Oh My God - Kaiser Chiefs - great performance at Live8
   
8. LSF(Lost Souls Forever) - Kasabian - Midlands lads with Manchester sounds
   
9. All Because of You - U2 - biggest band in the world ?
   
10. Better Now - Collective Soul - solid rock, Bowie or Iggy soundalike ?
    
11. Galvanize - The Chemical Brothers - what's that damn sample ?
    
12. Guilt Is A Useless Emotion - New Order - old geezers that can still put a good dance track together
    
13. Dare - Gorillaz - groovy baby
    
14. Forbidden Love - Madonna - alt track to big hit, great dance album
    
15. 24 - Jem - a diamond in the rough
    
16. Don`t Lie - Black Eyed Peas - a good dose of hip hop
    
17. Gold Digger (Feat. Jamie Foxx) - Kanye West - great hip hop, great sample, dodgy explicit lyrics
    
18. Other Side Of The World K.T. Tunstall - lovely Scottish lass who took the time to sign a CD cover for me "To Phil, love K.T." - you betcha
    
19. Folsom Prison Blues Joaquin Phoenix - I became an instant Johnny Cash fan after seeing Walk the Line a few weeks ago and Joaquin does a stellar job

Movies. Big variety, probably missed a few, but hey, I didn't see that many this year !

1. Crash
2. Walk the line
3. Cinderella man
4. Batman begins
5. Layer cake
6. Sin city
7. The station agent

TV. Simple (I don't watch much)

1. Jon Stewart
2. House
3. Dead like me
   

The instant impact of music...

Just listening to a few choice new tracks from Madonna's latest release (see Rolling Stone, Sun and Guardian reviews) - big dance record !

Instantly thought of my old friend JB as he was an early believer in Ms. Ciccone. The crew dismissed her as too poppy, but 20 years later, she's still making an impact !

Great track called "I love New York" instantly makes me think of my good friends J&A in NYC and the street vibe of the one of greatest cities in the world.

Gotta dance.

Some new music finds

I'm sure this will be a recurring theme on my blog, but I thought I'd do a simple post tonight...

New finds today:

1. Hard Fi (Hard-Fi in some listings) - Stars of CCTV album (yes the entire album, but standout is "Hard to Beat" - remembered by Suzanne, originally mentioned by cool music cuz Stu
2. Ladytron - Witching Hour, standout track is "Destroy Everything you Touch", donated by big Rob

As many of my friends know I'm big on music, especially new finds that criss cross genres and spark a new mood generator. Plus I love the challenge of making the mix for every occasion, it's probably an obsession - hence my handle - PJMixer.

A few hints on where I get my stuff and where I go to find new stuff and for reviews I can trust.

• Music purchases and samples - www.allofmp3.com (thanks Dan)
  
• Thorough and trustworthy music reviews, band history and samples - www.allmusic.com
• Charts, it's Top of the Pops of course (mainstream Brit mixed bag), incl. videos.
• North American centric charts - Billboard.
• Video samples and lots more at Yahoo Music (thanks Suzanne)
• On foot or reg price artist conscious downloads, incl. sampels - HMV.
• UK centric rag - Q (thanks Jen)
  
• My player choice - Musicmatch, great mixing choices, incl. free 1 hour per day of CD quality streaming radio with lots of stations and artist match.
• Fellow friends of new music finds, incl. 'Zan, Bro, Nikola, S&R, Brit Boyz
  

Well, I thought that was going to be fast, and an hour later I'm still here, see what I mean when I say I'm a little obsessed with music !


p.s. In case you've been on pins and needles regarding the fate of England in World Cup qualifying, you'll be happy to know we've qualified - see you in Germany. Note that I didn't actually spend time actually reviewing all the scores and doing the calculations myself...my wife, in her incredible efficient manner, came across the news in one of today's UK papers (not sure if this was just by chance, or a planned destination). This is completely off topic unless you think like me, and immediately associate all the great football inspired music, e.g. New Order's World in Motion.