Top 20 of 2013

Hi

I've given up on writing a new intro for this post as last year's is fine so I've lazily lifted it and reposted here...

So below is my Top 20 of 2013.  A few words before you continue...

You won't agree with me.  Some of you will think I'm pretentious for including a raft of songs you've never heard of.  Some of you will think I'm too 'mainstream' in my choices.  Some of you will think this is a massive exercise in showing off.  And that's fine.  My opinion is no better or worse than yours and my choices are no more or less valid than yours would be.  This is just my opinion - you might not like it but I can't help that.  But before you grumble to yourself or tell me I'm an idiot, try and do this yourself.

The "rules" are simple - any song that has been released (as a single, on an album or even as demo/give-away) is eligible to be included.  Pick 20 that represent your favourite and don't include more than one per artist.   I added a rule of my own where I'd limit myself to maximum one choice where collaborations had occurred.  So for example, both Arctic Monkeys and Alex Turner individually made the 2011 Longlist but I would limit myself to a choice from one.  This is only to add variety.  You can find the Top 20 of 2011 and the Top 20 of 2012 by following the links.

The list presented below is given as Track name - Artist (Album).  They are not ranked in order of preference or greatness but rather the order in which I personally think they make a good playlist.  I'd love to hear what you think so get involved in the comments or tweet me @BroooOwl and tag your posts #top20of2013

1.  Jubilee Street - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds (Push The Sky Away)   There are a few albums from this year where picking one song above the others is a really tough ask, and the latest offering from Nick Cave is one of those albums.  This was one of my early favourites and so just edged it, but Mermaids or Higgs Boson Blues could have edged it.  Great tune to start things off.

2.  Picasso Baby - Jay Z (Magna Carter Holy Grail)   Probably one of those tracks/artists that you either love or hate which is a perfectly reasonable point of view.  I think MCHG is a pretty solid album but I particularly love this one.  If you have the time to spare, watching this YouTube video where Jay Z talks about music as art is well worth 11 minutes of your time

3.  Diane Young - Vampire Weekend (Modern Vampires of the City)   Vampire Weekend are one of those bands that I love for a multitude of reasons (off the wall lyrics, unique sound, incredible vocals) and whilst there new album didn't quite hit the same heights for me as the previous two, this is incredibly catchy

4.  Best Of Friends - Palma Violets (180)   Guitar music at some of its best, great music and catchy lyrics you can't help but sing at the top of your voice.  A great summer tune to have blaring out in the car with all the windows down.

5. Love Spells - Bleached (Ride Your Heart)   I can't remember where I heard about Bleached from but this album is one of the catchiest I've heard all year.  This is another one where there are a bucket-load of summery songs to go through.  It's all very familiar sounding music but that's definitely not a bad thing.  Love Spells is my favourite off the album.

6.  Falling - Haim (Days Are Gone)   I'd venture that it's likely you've only not come across Haim if you've been living under a rock or something similar this year.  A rare album where the Hit Parade and I agree - a belter from start to finish.  I could have probably picked any track to make the final 20, but this is my favourite.

7.  Please Don't Say You Love Me - Gabrielle Aplin (English Rain)   I picked this up fairly late in the year but I struggle to get this tune out of my head once I've listened to it (and not in a bad way).  I also really liked November from the album so if you like this, I'd check that out too.

8.  Strong - London Grammar (If You Wait)   Another album I didn't get round to until about November time for some reason or other.  I watched them perform on Later... on BBC2 and was immediately sucked in.  Strong has an odd blend of a Florence & The Machine mixed with Massive Attack that's a bit too difficult to explain.  Definitely one of my favourite tracks of the year without a doubt.

9.  Color Yr Lights In - The Besnard Lakes (Until In Excess, Imperceptible UFO)   A strange one this.  Most of the album can pass you by quite easily unless you're specifically listening to it and doing nothing else.  The first time I listened to it, I was preoccupied with other things until this track came on, when I stopped everything.  It's probably a good album to have on late at night, but this song is really good.

10.  Pink Rabbits - The National (Trouble Will Find Me)   This is definitely in my top 5 albums of the year - it's brilliant from start to finish quite frankly.  Pink Rabbits is basically some of the best lyrics you can imagine, stitched together with some wonderful piano (which I can't seem to learn).  I can't urge you strongly enough to listen to this one.

11.  Waiting On The Doorstep - Filthy Boy (Smile That Won't Go Down)  I'll be up front and say that this is what you'd class as a but of a "comedy" song which normally wouldn't get a look in on a list such as this.  The problem is that this is so funny and catchy that you'd can't help yourself.  I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for children but give it a listen - I'll say nothing more so I don't spoil it.

12.  Van Der Graff - Courteeners (Anna)  Anna is (in my humble opinion) a much improved effort compared to the Falcon album of 2010 which is a good start.  Sadly it does tail off a little after the first half for me but the opening tracks are Liam Fray at his best.  Van Der Graff's lyric about "splitting up like the A57" is fantastic and I do love this song. 

13.  So Good At Being In Trouble - Unknown Mortal Orchestra (II)   I heard this very early on in the year and I've played it for just about everyone I've talked to about music since.  The album is good too but there's something so funky about this track that I really love - soulful and laid back is how I'd best describe it.

14.  You Can't Judge A Book By It's Cover - The Strypes (Snapshot)   If you like raucous guitar music then The Strypes are definitely for you.  The album has a bit of a 1950s feel to it in places which is frankly wonderful.  Again, I struggled to pick a track for the shortlist but this one is pretty simple, and simple is often the best.  Great song.

15.  Cut Copy Me - Petula Clark (Lost In You)   It came as a bit of a surprise to me that Petula Clark was still recording anything to be honest.  The album is a.... bit of an assortment I think.  Hearing an 81 year old covering Gnarls Barkley isn't an everyday occurrence (and not something I'd necessarily recommend) but Cut Copy Me is fantastic.  Next To You is also a great track (and sounds oddly like a Eurovision entry) and also worth a listen.

16.  Breakfast At Sylvia's - Skint & Demoralised (The Bit Between The Teeth)   It greatly saddened me to hear that Skint & Demoralised won't be recording albums after this, the third and final installment.  I think the third album is the best they recorded and whilst Breakfast At Sylvia's may not technically be the best track on the album (the sheer passion and honesty in Amores Perros probably takes that title), I do love it and it's one of my all time favourite Skint & Demoralised songs.

17.  Happy To Stay - the Michael Ainsley Band (Cyclone)   I've seen the Michael Ainsley Band a few times this year, doing support at local venues in Wakefield.  They've got a pretty catchy repertoire which is no bad thing either.  Happy To Stay reminds me a little of some early Green Day (not sure if that's what they were going for but it's nothing but a compliment).  A great song to jump around to.

18.  Further Away (Romance Police) - Lissie (Back To Forever)   Lissie's album is quite frankly brilliant and it's matched by her live performance.  I saw her in Manchester this year and I've rarely seen anyone perform with as much passion as she did.  The title track to this album is exceptional but it's just edged out by this.  The guitar solo reminds me of Fleetwood Mac (though I'm sure someone would tell me I'm mistaken)

19.  Better Than That - Miles Kane (Don't Forget Who You Are)   Another entry for anthemic guitar music which is no bad thing.  This album has some absolute belters on it but this one stands out just above the others for me.  The lyric "Maybe it's the time and place / Or maybe it's your stupid face / That's turning me on" is a particular favourite of mine.

20.  Snap Out Of It - Arctic Monkeys (AM)   Another year and another Arctic Monkeys track on the shortlist.  I think this year it'd be difficult to accuse me of local bias as AM is, by general consensus, the album of 2013.  I'll save my gushing praise and let you read any of the reviews (or better, just listen to it!) before you make your mind up.  As with Nick Cave and a few others, it was almost impossible to pick a favourite off AM.  I was mostly torn between No 1 Party Anthem and this tune, but because I sing this one with my daughter, I've decided to pick this.  Definitely the toughest choice of the whole shortlist.

As with last year, there's some music I've been disappointed in and some other good albums that didn't make the cut.  Kurt Vile's new album fell a little short of my expectations following the debut offering of Smoke Ring For My Halo in 2011.  Don't get me wrong, it's not bad, but I just maybe expected too much.  Kanye West's album grew on me the more I listened to it, but still fell a little short for me.    Daughter missed the final 20 by a short length, as did Yeah Yeah Yeahs with Sacrilige.  And for some pop whimsy, check out Cody Simpson's La Da Dee (from Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2).

The "award" for my Album of the Year this year goes to Arctic Monkeys.  AM is a superb LP in my opinion.   This is the link to the Google search for "AM Review" - pick one at random and read it.  And then listen to the album again and again and again.

I've added another new category for 2013 which is Live Performance Of The Year.  If I'd not been criminally ill on the night of the AM gig (something I don't like to talk about), I suspect Arctic Monkeys would have been walking away with this one too.  As it happens, seeing Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds at Manchester Apollo completely blew me away so I think they win hands down.  You must try and see them if you get chance,

If you made it this far, then thanks for reading.  Hopefully you'll find something new you've not heard before.

Thanks

Andy

Top 20 of 2013 - The Longlist

Hello

Its that time of year where I start reviewing the new music I've listened to over the past year.

If you're not too familiar with the approach, you can see the 2011 Longlist and 2011 Shortlist posts by clicking the links.  The 2012 Longlist and 2012 Shortlist are also here if you fancy reading!  Basically anything which has been released since Jan 1st 2012 is eligible.  I've narrowed down about 45 albums and EPs to a Long list of about 90 tracks.  I'll then go through and select a Top 20 of 2013.

It's a good way to review the year and find some new music along the way.  Hope you enjoy.

Cheers

Andy

Artist	Album	Track
About Group	Between The Walls	Walk On By
About Group	Between The Walls	All Is Not Lost
About Group	Between The Walls	Untitled
Arctic Monkeys	AM	No 1 Party Anthem
Arctic Monkeys	AM	Snap Out Of It
Arctic Monkeys	AM	Arabella
Arctic Monkeys	AM	One For The Road
Bleached	Ride Your Heart	Looking For A Fight
Bleached	Ride Your Heart	Outta My Mind
Bleached	Ride Your Heart	Dead In Your Head
Bleached	Ride Your Heart	Love Spells
Bromheads	Choro	Winnebago
Charlie Boyer & The Voyeurs	Clarietta	Things We Be
Courteeners	Anna	Are You In Love With A Notion?
Courteeners	Anna	Van Der Graff
Courteeners	Anna	Marquee
Daughter	If You Leave	Youth
Daughter	If You Leave	Still
Dutch Uncles	Out Of Touch In The Wild	God Boy
Esben & The Witch	Wash the Sins Not Only the Face	Shimmering
Esben & The Witch	Wash the Sins Not Only the Face	Deathwaltz
Everything Everything	Arc	Kemosabe
Filthy Boy	Smile That Won't Go Down	Waiting On The Doorstep
Filthy Boy	Smile That Won't Go Down	That Life
Filthy Boy	Smile That Won't Go Down	Charm Of The Dangerous Minx
Gabriel Bruce	Love In Arms	Greedy Little Heart
Gabriel Bruce	Love In Arms	Zoe
Gabrielle Aplin	English Rain	Please Don't Say You Love Me
Gabrielle Aplin	English Rain	Alive
Gabrielle Aplin	English Rain	November
Girls Names	The New Life	Pittura Infamante
Girls Names	The New Life	Drawing Lines
Haim	Days Are Gone	Falling
Haim	Days Are Gone	If I Could Change Your Mind
Haim	Days Are Gone	Forever
Jay Z	Magna Carter Holy Grail	Picasso Baby
Jay Z	Magna Carter Holy Grail	Holy Grail
Jay Z	Magna Carter Holy Grail	Part II (On The Run)
Joe Gideon & The Shark	Freakish	Snake Candy
Joe Gideon & The Shark	Freakish	You, The Pole And The Rastafarian
Kanye West	Yeezus	Bound 2
Kurt Vile	Wakin in a Pretty Daze	KV Crimes
Lissie	Back To Forever	Back To Forever
Lissie	Back To Forever	The Habit
Lissie	Back To Forever	I Don't Wanna Go To Work
Lissie	Back To Forever	Further Away (Romace Police)
London Grammar	If You Wait	Strong
London Grammar	If You Wait	Darling Are You Gonna Leave Me
Mazzy Star	Seasons Of Your Day	Flying Low
Michael Ainsley Band	Cyclone	Happy To Stay
Miles Kane	Don't Forget Who You Are	Better Than That
Miles Kane	Don't Forget Who You Are	Taking Over
Miles Kane	Don't Forget Who You Are	Don't Forget Who You Are
Neko Case	The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You	Night Still Comes
Neko Case	The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You	Local Girl
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds	Push The Sky Away	Jubilee Street
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds	Push The Sky Away	Higgs Boson Blues
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds	Push The Sky Away	Mermaids
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds	Push The Sky Away	We Real Cool
Palma Violets	180	Best Of Friends
Palma Violets	180	Step Up For the Cools Cats
Parquet Courts	Tally All the Things That You Broke	You've Got Me Wonderin' Now
Petula Clark	Lost In You	Cut Copy Me
Petula Clark	Lost In You	Next To You
Public Service Broadcasting	Inform Educate Entertain	Spitfire
Public Service Broadcasting	Inform Educate Entertain	Theme From PSB
Public Service Broadcasting	Inform Educate Entertain	Night Mail
Serafina Steer	The Moths Are Real	Lady Fortune
Serafina Steer	The Moths Are Real	Disco Compliation
Skint & Demoralised	The Bit Between The Teeth	Amores Perros
Skint & Demoralised	The Bit Between The Teeth	Breakfast at Sylvia's
Skint & Demoralised	The Bit Between The Teeth	When Saturday Comes
Stereophonics	Graffiti On The Train	Indian Summer
The Besnard Lakes	Until In Excess, Imperceptile UFO	Color Yr Lights In
The Julie Ruin	Run Fast	Just My Kind
The Julie Ruin	Run Fast	Party City
The National	Trouble Will Find Me	Pink Rabbits
The National	Trouble Will Find Me	Hard To Find
The National	Trouble Will Find Me	I Should Live In Salt
The Strypes	Snapshot	Blue Collar Jane
The Strypes	Snapshot	You Can't Judge A Book By Its Cover
The Strypes	Snapshot	Hometown Girls
Unknown Mortal Orchestra	II	So Good At Being In Trouble
Vampire Weekend	Modern Vampires of the City	Diane Young
Vampire Weekend	Modern Vampires of the City	Obvious Bicycle
Vampire Weekend	Modern Vampires of the City	Unbelievers
Yeah Yeah Yeahs	Mosquito	Sacrilige

Tightrope Walking

I'm just back from my annual review and felt compelled to write a just-for-me blog for the first time in a long time.  What follows is pretty much a "stream of consciousness" affair (though I'll be scanning it to make sure it makes sense).  It might feel like a mish-mash of previous blogs I've written, so for any regular viewers out there, apologies in advance.  By the end, I'll hopefully have done a decent job at articulating my inner voice.

Thanks for reading.

In the last couple of years, I've started to look forward to my annual review rather than dread it in the same way a school boy who's forgotten his homework again.

Gone are the days where I'd spend hours thinking up excuses for why my weight, blood pressure, HbA1c and any other measure you care to mention were all going in the wrong direction.  Now I'm in a place where I feel educated enough to spend one of my bi-annual 15 minute slots, discussing my diabetes, any of my problems or concerns and feeling like part of a conversation instead of a lecture.  This is, of course, a good thing.

However, what I can't seem to shake is that feeling of despondency as I trudge through a maze of hospital corridors out into the rain and back to my car.

Once upon a time, I'd leave feeling guilt ridden and angry at myself.  It got to a point where a consultant pulled out a graph and said "If you don't change what you're doing, this [pointing at said graph] is when your kidneys will start failing".  I wondered what the point was.  Why was anyone wasting their time on me if I couldn't be bothered to look after myself?

Now it's a different story.  Today I left feeling frustrated because I was convinced I'd finally cracked it and that it'd be a bit of a chat, usual questions and checks and I'd be on my way.  Not so.  Today my consultant (who is without doubt, bloody wonderful), looked at the download from my BG meter and gave that intake of breath through clenched teeth that consultants do and said "look at all these low readings.  I'm worried you'll lose your hypo awareness".

Now before I continue to wallow in my hole of momentary self pity, I will say that, of course, she's right.  That is a concern, and losing my hypo awareness is one of my biggest diabetes fears.  Basically anything you can prefix with "losing" scares me.

Back to my hole... living with diabetes is tough.  Not some of the time - ALL of the time.  I've had it 12 years and it still kicks my ass.  I guess my consultant has a privileged view in some sense as she can look at 3 months worth of data and see the patterns quite easily.  I write my BG levels down but I've got a bit lazy at looking for patterns I suppose.

The thing is, high numbers worry me.  I know that a lot of high numbers will start to eat away at me and if I can't make them go away I'll feel like I can't look after myself and I'll give up.  I've done it before and it didn't work out well.  I'm always more likely to go slightly over on my insulin calculations to err on the side of caution because I know it's less likely to lead to a high reading later on.  I'd rather have a low reading than a high one (to which my consultant nodded along sympathetically).

I've previously likened having diabetes to walking on a tightrope.  Managing it needs a lot of skill and concentration and you need to consider what you're doing all the time.  If you lose focus you start to wobble and if you wobble too much you'll lose control completely.

It's easy to cry "no fair" but life isn't fair and I'm not 13 years old any more so I'm not taking that option.  I'll keep doing what I've always done - live and learn.  There's no silver bullet to make any of these problems go away and so I'll refine my own care and keep working at understanding how my body reacts to this enigmatic disease.  As I've said before, diabetes isn't who I am, it's just one small part of me.  Sometimes it needs more attention than others but if I'll carry on working to keep the disruption to a minimum.

Annual Review

This blog was first posted on the Diabetes UK blog site

The date of my Annual Review being marked on the calendar has, in the past, struck fear into me on more than one occasion.  I've previously likened it to some sort of 'confession', and I've spent time preparing my excuses for the results that are inevitably not within target.

It wasn't uncommon for me to 'blame' a variety of things for why I'd not quite got round to an improved HbA1c or lost a few pounds.  A new job, moving house, my daughter being born or just "being really busy at work" all got used at one point or another.

I went through a significant period of time where testing my BG was as a rare occurrence and unsurprisingly, my overall control suffered quite badly as a result.  I used to frantically try and cram months of eating right and testing my BG regularly into a week before my clinic appointment.  I'm sure you can guess how well that worked out. 

The thing is, in actual fact, I think that in all bar one or two of my annual/six-month reviews over the last 12 years, my consultants (and specialist team in general) have always been great with me.  They were sympathetic, ready to listen and helpful in a way that didn't feel like I was being lectured.

I guess at the time, I never really appreciated why that was.  I took it to mean that they just generally understood that it was a bit tough sometimes (especially when you're younger) and that they knew I was trying.  To a degree I think a lot of that was true, but really, in hindsight, it was because there is only so much they can do.  The ultimate responsibility lies with me as I'm the only one with any power to change anything.

Of course, any annual review or clinic appointment wouldn't be complete without a sometimes baffling array of numbers, some of which make perfect sense to you, some of which don't.  I don't know how it works in other places, but in Sheffield, I get an A4 summary of my results that includes a 12 month rolling period so I can see how well (or not) I'm doing.

As I've got older I've started to pay more attention to the figures beyond my HbA1c, particularly my blood pressure and my cholesterol.  At one point I was close to being diagnosed with high blood pressure as every clinic appointment showed some high numbers.  I got given a BP monitor to wear for 24 hours which showed that it was only high when I was at clinic - I'm not sure if that's a common problem for some people but it was good to find out it was just clinic that kept putting me on edge!

I know that getting older means that it'll get a little more difficult to keep all the numbers closer to target and that I'll have to work a little harder to do so.  But I know what I need to do and sometimes that's half the battle.

The important thing is to make sure you don't struggle on by yourself if it ever feels overwhelming.  There are so many different ways to get the support you need, including talking to your specialist team, calling the Diabetes UK Careline or engaging with one of the several online communities dedicated to helping people with diabetes.  Being able to talk to someone about how you feel when you have diabetes shouldn't just be a 6 monthly occurrence.

Thankfully my most recent appointment was one where I felt I could talk about my successes over the last few months rather than having to invent yet another excuse.  Hopefully that's also the case for the majority of you too.