New music I’ve been listening to: January 2013

Cor, that’s January almost done then. Where the hell did it go? Not that I’m complaining, mind. This shitty weather is not particularly uplifting.

Anyway, I feel like I’ve been listening to and writing a tonne about new music lately. January, for all it’s ills, is not a bad month to spend time indoors getting your lugs wrapped around the first crop of albums in 2013.

 My track of the month is Teleman’s rather wonderful Cristina. I’ve had it in my head since I first heard it at the turn of the year and I can’t see it going anywhere quick. Finally my penchant for the braw Pete and the Pirates has new outlet.

Album-wise, I’d have to say the best thing I’ve heard so far this year is the L. Pierre record, which probably won’t suit everyone’s tastes, but it includes some of Aidan Moffat's finest work, post-Arab Strap.

I am definitely finding myself being swayed, quite surprisingly, by the Dutch Uncles and Everything, Everything LPs. With all these math-pop ensembles, Manchester seems to be having a bit of an identity refresh at the moment. Which I guess is no bad thing.

Anyway, here’s a taster of the (new) tunes that have been spinning around my head this month…

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.