Festive times...

Goodbye 2012, hello 2013. It's hard to believe that we're starting a new year all over again, isn't it? The last 12 months seem to have flown in and, I dare say, the next 12 will do the same. Hopefully this will be a year that's got a little more stability to it than last year. There seemed to be so much tumult until I left London for Essex that it was difficult to keep our feet on the ground. After that though, it was strangely - and rather worryingly - plain sailing.

Anyway, I've not made any resolutions this year. I've been eating healthier, drinking less and exercising more over the last few months so I can't see me having to improve in those departments. On the "real" work front, I'll be spending much of the next year adding a few strings to the bow that is my CV before I consider taking the next step up. On the "unreal" work front, I'm planning on extending my writing opportunities and making time for an outlet that's both creative and cathartic for me.

Now we've got that out of the way, here's a few snapshots of my last few weeks of celebrating my birthday, Christmas and New Year. Needless to say, I'll be putting in a few extra miles when pounding pavementsover the next few weeks to work off some of the gluttony.

Best of 2012: Menomena – Moms

Despite the much publicised departure of founding member Brent Knopf, Menomena have done an impressive job of carrying on regardless. The Portland outfit’s fifth album Moms maintains their unconventional brand of meandering, off-piste motifs. The matadorial guitars and cascading percussion are all in check, as is the soul-searching subject matter that scrapes perilously close to the bone. But Moms is much more than just standard Menomena fare. These ten cuts are charged with a current of brutal, unrelenting oppression that’s as thrilling as it is absorbing. Menomena MkII, it seems, is working out rather nicely.

First published in Under the Radar's Albums of the Year 2012

Best of 2012: Hot Chip – In Our Heads

Recapturing the wonky, synth-pop styling of 2006’s The Warning has proved to be a tough ask for Hot Chip. But with the release of In Our Heads the UK electro-poppers finally found some semblance of form. As you’d expect, the quintet’s fifth LP is an infectious melee of disco-glittered melodies and kaleidoscopic effects. Yet amidst this floor-filling lather are speckles of transient, other-worldly grooves and melancholic wig-outs that reveal a new found sense of wisdom. While it’s hardly the sound of a band growing old gracefully, In Our Heads may well signify Hot Chip’s first step into adulthood.


First published in Under the Radar's Albums of the Year 2012

January in pictures

It's been an odd month. Things started hopefully, before descending into a stress-filled heap, and then levelling out at the tailend. Or so I hope.

Anyway, I've done a few interesting things in that time. Like wandering about the Cotswolds with friends, visiting the zoo and, as ever, enjoying the Swan-infected waters of Colchester's river. I've also set up a Lighbox site, for some of my cameraphone shots - which tend to be even worse than what's here - which you can have a scan of over here








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