Tomorrow is December 1. Over the past few years some friends and I have come up with our Top 25 albums and singles and revealed them to one another one per day starting December 1, counting down to Christmas when the Number Ones are revealed. Yes, we’re geeks. But you’re reading a music blog so you can’t deny you aren’t one either. Anyway, in the spirit of the season, I will be posting my albums and singles, one a day, counting down to Christmas. Think of it as an online advent calendar. But no chocolate. Which really renders it useless. Regardless, this blog is new, so perhaps this will tell you whether you want to add me to your bookmarks or never return. I could have Kelly Clarkson at number one. You never know.

Sure to show up on many end-of-year lists is Sufjan Stevens for his album Illinois. I’ve come across some cool stuff of his on the net the past couple days so I thought I’d pass them on.

Ear Farm has kindly put up a Sufjan Stevens show from back in July for your downloading pleasure. (Thanks to Brooklyn Vegan for the link)

Download the show here.

And if you are a Sufjan fand and want to get into the Christmas spirit you may want to check out his Christmas albums, available to download from Irresponsible Journalism:

Download

Again, thanks to Brooklyn Vegan for the link.

Now I’m a huge Smiths fan, but I wasn’t expecting a previously unavailable track to become available online. But one has. Apparently Mike Joyce is ebaying a bunch of his old Smiths stuff, including music. He was on BBC radio and brought he following along, an unreleased Smiths instrumental:

Click Track

Enjoy! (Thanks to Ear Farm)

And as if on cue, after I posted the Belle and Sebastian article last night, the album leaked today. So The Life Pursuit is online for those of you who can’t wait until February.

One of the albums I’m looking forward to next year is the new Belle and Sebastian record The Life Pursuit. Matador‘s busy early 2006 will see them release the new B&S album (along with the new Cat Power and Mogwai). But didn’t Belle and Sebastian leave Matador you ask? Well they’re back, at least for the North American market as Matador releases the record on February 7, 2006 in the US and Canada. Matador have once again given fans a preview of the album by posting an mp3 on their site:

Another Sunny Day

In addition to the new album in February, Belle and Sebastian will also be releasing a download only live album through iTunes on December 6. The album is a live version of my favourite B&S album If You’re Feeling Sinister recorded in London back in September. Complete with strings this is the version of the album the band wished they recorded in the first place. Apparently. All proceeds from this album will be donated to the DEC Asia Quake Appeal.

New Morrissey, Mogwai, Cat Power, and a record from The Strokes in early 2006 as well. Shaping up to be a good start to the new year.

I said to expect lists here over the next few weeks and that begins today. Sort of. In recent weeks music bloggers in Canada, Britain, and the US have each been polled to create a list of the most important artists of 2005 in each of their respective nations. I encourage you to go read each of the three blogs that conducted the polls, as I will only post the Top 5 bands from each. Argue away:

Canada’s Top 33 Bands:

5. Feist
4. Final Fantasy
3. Wolf Parade
2. Broken Social Scene
1. Arcade Fire

The UK’s Top 47:

5. Test Icicles
4. Bloc Party
3. Radiohead
2. The Go! Team (who I will finally get to see at Big Day Out next year!)
1. Girls Aloud (not joking)

And how about America’s top 40?:

5. Sleater Kinney
4. LCD Soundsystem
3. Kanye West
2. The National
1. Sufjan Stevens

What are your Top 5? And who wants to do the Australian version?

Not to be outdone in the realm of listiness, CokeMachineGlow has some random, but very great lists up right now. I find these lists far more interesting to think about.

The Top 12 Songs on OK Computer: Exit Music should be number 1.
Top 9 Filmic Uses of Existing Pop Songs: Where is “Stuck in the Middle With You” from Reservoir Dogs? Still the Rushmore one is class.

My favourite list is the Other Albums from the 90s List. I thought of my record collection to think what still stands out to me from the 90s that is generally overlooked and I came up with Catherine Wheel‘s album Adam and Eve which I think is criminally underrated.

Perhaps it suffered from a release date that meant it was being listened to while most music journalists were still wetting themselves after listening to OK Computer. Oasis and The Verve also released big albums in the summer of ’97 and I really think Adam and Eve paid the price. It has some wonderful straight pop songs like “Delicious” to more atmospheric moody pieces like “Future Boy” and “Phantom of the American Mother.” Rob Dickinson’s voice is haunting and incredibly smooth throughout the entire album.

Any other lost albums from the 90s?

CMG has a quite a few more up on their site, you should go check them out because lists are fun.

And as if on cue from my post yesterday, Radiohead updated their studio blog. Nothing to do with recording sadly.

I have high hopes for 2006, largely due to this:

The Radiohead blackboard. All those songs on the board, some of which have been kicking around for years, have created anticipation for another great album from Radiohead. Nude (aka Big Ideas) has been a fan favourite since 1998 when it was first played. A recorded version has yet to see the light of day, but perhaps it is with this album we finally get to hear a studio version. There are other words on that blackboard that have me hopeful as well (“orchestration” for example). They head back into the studio this week or next week to continue working on what will be LP number 7.

The process of recording LP7 has had more in common with the Kid A/Amnesiac sessions than the quick process that resulted in Hail to the Thief. This is a good thing. While I enjoyed (and still do enjoy) HTTT, I found it a bit safe. I know this band can push things more, and I have a feeling LP7 will see them take some new directions. There are also rumours of a series of small shows for 2006. After seeing five shows on their Iberian Tour of 2002, I can tell you another small venue tour will be great for the fans lucky enough to get tickets.

In case you haven’t heard it, here’s an acoustic version of one of those songs on the blackboard:

Reckoner (acoustic version 2005/04/15 @ Trade Justice demonstration)

Don’t forget the Astoria London Live DVD is also now available. It’s on my Christmas list (I’d get it sooner, but I want the NTSC version rather than the PAL version here in Australia).

Just when you thought I had poisoned the internets enough with my ramblings about living in Sydney…I decide to double the size my internet empire!

So this is the music blog, A Reminder. Not too sure what this will turn into really. But in the coming weeks expect lists. It’s that time of year.

As you were.