My Favourite Albums Of The Year 2007

This is the first of a short series of special blogs summing up my year. Firstly I give you the music that moved me this year.

This is my top 10:-

10. Ten New Messages - The Rakes



This, their second album, was panned when it came out so it took me ages to get around to buying it but when I finally did, I loved it. Ok it's very light and very safe but I like it, so there.

9. Shotters Nation - Babyshambles



More drugged up ramblings from Mr Doherty, probably more art than music but still very good.

8. Our Earthly Pleasures - Maximo Park



Another second album, clearly not as good as their debut and at first I dismissed it but having seen them live it took on a whole new life.

7. Favourite Worst Nightmare - Arctic Monkeys



Another band on their second album, this was received to critical acclaim and rightly so.

6. A Weekend In The City - Bloc Party



Yep, yet another band on their 'difficult' second album. It's also sometimes a difficult record to listen to but this one stands up as an album in its own right whereas 'Silent Alarm' was more of a collection of tracks. Where, direction wise, they go next though, I'm not sure.

5. Narcissus Road - The Hours



I love a good lyric and this is lyrically great. Musically it's not bad either. 'I love you more than my adidas trainers'. Absolutely.

4. Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever - The Cribs



No one likes the Cribs. I don't think most people even know they exist but they keep getting better and this, their third album, is just brilliant.

3. An End Has A Start - Editors



This, like The Rakes, is another album that no one liked, saying it was far too miserable for its own good. Well I like miserable but I actually find this quite uplifting, in a down sort of way. Brilliant, in my opinion.

2. Boys And Girls In America - The Hold Steady



This actually came out in late 2006 but NME have it in their best of this year, so I thought I would too. A discovery on Jools and it's actually one L bought but it's brilliant from beginning to end. Another LP with great lyrics. They're also superb live.

1. Because Of The Times - Kings Of Leon



If the Editors are classed as too miserable then what does that make The Kings Of Leon? Now they really are a miserable bunch, even more so because they keep coming to Nottingham and playing the miserable Arena. This brilliantly moody album sums them up totally. My best of the year.

Fishnets and Vasectomies

In car. Good journey, no traffic.

After I watched a white van cut across the front of a fellow cyclist yesterday at the Asda roundabout, it reminded me that I never received an answer to a question I had posed to the 'Streetcare Resources Directorate' (???) department of Derby City Council in November as to why there is no white lining at this roundabout. So I drop them an email to see if they've managed to find out why yet.

Got a reply straight back, ticking me off for being impatient. The matter has been passed to the relevant person, who is looking into it and will reply as soon as possible. Six months is seemingly not a long time to the council.

An email is sent round at work saying that the company has been offered complementary tickets for all staff to see Coldplace, a Coldplay tribute band, play a gig on Monday. Can you imagine anything worse? Other than seeing the real thing.

I pick L up on my way home, she was walking back from the physio. The physio has again marked her bottom with a cross and when we get home, she seems more than happy to show it to me again. Last time I could find no visible mark. This time, again, there is no perceptible evidence of a mark. I'm still sure she's having me on. Inspection over but she’s still bent over the bed, not showing any sign of getting up. She must after something. Would be rude not to oblige.

Responsibilities taken care of and after something unhealthy to eat, I'm off to Bingham for the six monthly polytechnic reunion. Well there are only three of us but it's a good excuse for a few beers. Actually tonight there are four of us, because a guy we used to lodge with in Mapperley joins us. It's good to see the chap. As a lodger he was untidy, irresponsible, unhygienic, noisy, disruptive, unhelpful, etc etc, bit of a pain really, which was why we moved out to live somewhere else. Naturally now he's married with a kid but it doesn't seem much else has changed. Nice lad though. He even brings his camera to photograph the occasion or is he just providing evidence to his wife that he's not out on the pull.

He does drag us out of our safe habitat in our usual pub and demand to see the town, not that that will take very long. I was just enjoying my second low alcohol Fullers Chiswick 3.6% and looking forward to working my way up to St Austell HSD 5.0%. When I was dragged away. As we experienced the sights I was subjected to Bombardier (very dull), Spitfire (average), and Landlord (not bad).

There's an oldish woman in the pub in fishnets who gets me singing the Arctic Monkey's 'Florescent Adolescent' in my head. Although I think she's out to prove the lyrics wrong, be a rascal, and get it in her fishnets rather than her nightdress. I was just pondering on whether she liked her 'gentlemen not to be gentle' when I realise that our discussion has turned around to vasectomies. How did we get here?