Happy New Year, reader!

Here’s some music I loved in 2007 (which wasn’t necessarily released in 2007)

• Brett Anderson – Brett Anderson
• Chromeo – Fancy Footwork
• Arctic Monkeys – Favourite Worst Nightmare
• Róisín Murphy – Overpowered
• The Coral – Roots and Echoes
• Thurston Moore – Trees Outside The Academy
• Grantura – Waves
• Radiohead – In Rainbows
• Hot Chip – DJ Kicks
• Amy Winehouse – Back to Black
• Tommy Guerrero – From The Soil To The Soul
• Larry Levan Live At The Paradise Garage (Strut)
• Midlake – The Trials of Van Occupanther
• Cara Dillon – After the Morning
• Sigur Rós – Agaetis Byrjun

Fairly ordinary, I think.

I clearly haven’t spent enough time buying/borrowing music this year and I have no doubt that I’ll have even less time in 2008. Time keeps speeding up. I’m starting to see why most people (especially parents) just listen to whatever music features in the discount shelf in Sainsbury’s, and why Heart FM is so popular…

I got too many hits

I’ve always wanted to see Prince play live. Despite all the purple weirdness you read about and that whole thing, he’s the most amazingly talented musician who’s written (literally) hundreds of classic songs, all of which sounds fantastic today.

I went to one of his ‘21 Nights in London’ shows at the dome last night and was blown away with his performance, not to mention that of Maceo Parker (I had no idea he was part of the band) who — I kid you not — held a high note on his sax for over 60 seconds, whilst walking around the stage.

In a word: sensational.

Here’s the set list (thanks to prince.org):

• Let’s Go Crazy
• 1999
• Take Me With You
• 7
• Come Together
• Cream
• U Got The Look
• Musicology
• Play That Funky Music
• Funky London
• What a Wonderful World (Maceo Parker)
• Diamonds and Pearls (on Synth)
• The Beautiful Ones (on Synth)
• Little Red Corvette (on Synth)
• Raspberry Beret (on Synth)
• Come On
• Black Sweat
• Sign Of The Times
• Alphabet Street
• When Doves Cry
• I Wanna Be Your Lover
• Purple Rain
• I Feel 4 U
• Controversy
• Nothing Compares 2 U

I’m spiralling towards middle age so I’m listing nothing hugely original here (see urban75.com’s Top 30 for the cool list), except perhaps the marvel that is Levi Weaver. He blew us away at the 12 Bar Club in the summer and his mini album is the most played thing on the pod this year.

Why isn’t there enough time to go to the cinema every week? It’s an outrage. I missed so many good films this year that even if I take a week off and devote it solely to movie watching, I couldn’t watch them all. At least the ones I did see were excellent (except Borat, which I can only describe as excrutiating brilliance).

Anyway, enough of your digitally enhanced films and new-fangled MySpace whatsits, Avenue Q has demonstrated that theatre is the new rock and roll…

Music

• Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not
• Levi Weaver – Civil War Between My Heart And Mind
• Vikter Duplaix – Bold & Beautiful
• The Whitlams – Little Cloud
• Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly – The Chronicles Of A Bohemian Teenager

Film

• Pan’s Labyrinth
• An Inconvenient Truth
• United 93
• Volver
• Walk The Line

Theatre

• Avenue Q
• The History Boys
• The Life of Gallileo
• Billy Elliot
• Thérèse Raquin

I know a good tune when I hear one and Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not is packed with them. Short, catchy, raw indie-pop songs with Alex Turner’s accent and lyrics (”Now then mardy bum. I see your frown and it’s like looking down the barrel of a gun“) adding extra freshness.

If The Strokes came from Yorkshire, this is how they’d sound.

• We Are Scientists – With Love and Squalor
• My Morning Jacket – Z
• Editors – The Back Room
• Antony & The Johnsons – I Am A Bird Now
• The Magic Numbers – The Magic Numbers
• Supergrass – Road To Rouen
• Pet Shop Boys – Back To Mine
• Block Party – Silent Alarm
• Doves – Some Cities
• My Computer – No CV
• Coldplay – X&Y
• Hard-Fi – Stars of CCTV
• Maximo Park – A Certain Trigger
• The Tears – Here Come The Tears
• Erol Alkan – Bugged Out/In Selection
• Martha Wainwright – Martha Wainwright

There must be dozens of excellent albums which we haven’t even heard about, so, if you’d be so kind, do us a favour and add a comment telling us what we’re missing out on — we’d really appreciate it! :)