THIS IS A JOURNEY INTO SOUND

As the year comes to a close, the natural instinct is to look back and take stock of the last 12 months - the highs and lows, gains and losses - and the media world goes into overdrive with endless lists of "best" songs, films, books, tv moments etc. With that in mind, i'm going to attempt my own review of the last year in music without resorting to lists or charts, just my own personal likes and views. I'm not sure if anyone actually reads this blog, but if you do, please feel free to comment with your own opinions! One thing that seemed to define the world of music this year is the Grim Reapers' seemingly endless cull of legendary, iconic, and well-loved musicians. Now, people die all the time and famous folk are no exception, but when the year began with the passing of David Bowie, the public and the media picked up on every death with a hysterical fervour, as if God was having some sort of cull. Bowies' death from cancer just days after the release of wh

There are hundreds of Christmas albums out there, by artists of all genres and eras, and of varying quality - i love reggae, but i don't want to hear festive classics performed in a laid-back Caribbean style -, but i think that most music lovers agree on one thing: A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector is the best Christmas album ever made. You'd need to have a heart of stone not to be swept up in the joyful harmonies and Spectors' trademark Wall Of Sound mono production, with its layers of multiple instrumentation. I've always thought that sound had a festive feel to it already, but with added sleighbells and chimes it sounds like tinsel, turkey and Christmas trees. Taking perennial favourites such as "White Christmas", "Frosty The Snowman", "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town", "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer", and having artists from the Spector stable perform them - The Crystals, The Ronnettes, Darlene Love, Bob B.

One of the irrefutable truths about Christmas is that it is a bit naff, cheesy, sentimental, and certainly not something that can be dressed up as "cool" or trendy. But that is also its appeal: it's a time of certainty in an uncertain world, a time of comfort. Obviously that isn't true for everyone, and it is the duty of those who have to do something to help those who don't. But generally speaking, it is a time when we take comfort in traditions, whether they be religious, cultural, familial, or personal. And one of those traditions, love it or hate it, is the Christmas song. In this age of crass commercialism, i can understand people getting sick of hearing them, especially when every shop is playing them from mid-November (earlier in some cases), but for all that, i love Christmas songs. And when i say that, i use the term to encompass pop songs, hymns and carols, folk standards, classical and orchestral pieces, and everything in between. The only exceptions ar