Only The End of the World Again

It's that time of year again! And also time for my Christmas / Yuletide / Solstice / end of year compilation, which is < 25% Christmas by weight, and almost certainly < 100% enjoyable for everyone except me.

I hope you find something you like, and maybe something that's a pleasant surprise. Please do leave a comment!

download it here

Spotify it here

1. Bang Bang Bang – Dorothy
Heard on holiday in Crete: I suspect I've heard it before, but it suddenly clicked.
2. A Very Tory Christmas - Mel 2D
Highly topical, yet cheerful. "There is just one thing I want ..." And yes, Jacob Rees-Mogg was created in a laboratory, possibly in Wuhan. Excellent video here
3. Freedom Highway - The Specials
The Specials did an album of protest songs this year! I liked quite a few of them, including this one, which was written for the civil rights march in 1965.
4. Dance in the Hurricane Radio Mix – Toyah
That's Mr Toyah, a.k.a. Robert Fripp, at the beginning. The album this appears on is 'In The Court of the Crimson Queen', which a vanishingly small number of people could get away with.
5. My Life - Imagine Dragons
Mental health is much on my mind this year, haha.
6. Underneath the Christmas Tree - Myuu
This is sweetly Gothic, and I like it a lot.
7. Polaris - Damon Albarn
Unaccountably, I did not see many live bands in 2020. I did, however, see Damon Albarn at the Edinburgh Festival. It was hot and sunny, and this song was my favourite of what he played.
8. Soulful Dress - Sugar Pie DeSanto
I ... am not quite sure where this one came from. But I scribbled down the title when I heard it. Radio, possibly?
9. Spiderman - Katrina And The Waves
To mark what I hope will be an upcoming film highlight of the year ... I confess to having been rather disappointed by the other MCU offerings.
10. Can't Let Go - Robert Plant and Alison Krauss
Fabulous track from excellent album.
11. Chaise Longue – Wet Leg
This one kept turning up on 'best of the year' lists, and promptly lodged itself in my brain.
12. Cocktails and Candy Canes – Geoff Palmer
A cheerful festive pop-punk ditty!
13. Love Will Tear Us Apart - Hot 8 Brass Band
I heard this cover version as part of the soundtrack of Venom: Let There Be Carnage: it is a very fitting song for the romantic pairing in this film (and I do not mean Eddie and Ann).
14. The Summer Of No Touching - Jim Bob
Half of Carter USM! That voice takes me back to dingy Astoria gigs and the reek of smoke and beer.
15. Got My Mojo Working - Ann Cole
Made famous by Muddy Waters but Ann Cole did it first.
16. Chaos Space Marine – Black Country, New Road
The other band I saw live this year, also at the Edinburgh Festival. I am two degrees of separation from the singer. I found myself perplexed by much of their music on first listening (though noted echoes of the Cardiacs), but it does reward relistening.
17. Electric X-Mas - Etage Neun
For all your virtual Christmas needs. You too can have the music of the season pumping in your headphones!
18. Why (2018 Remaster) - Bronski Beat
RIP Steve Bronski. This is the music of my youth and still sends shivers up my spine.
19. Baggage - X. ARI
An uplifting song about mental health
20. Wellerman - Nathan Evans (220KID Billen Ted remix)
There are longer mashups of this year's surprise folk hit, but I decided this would be sufficient.
21. Krampus - The Lathums
Contemporary festivity! I hope your Christmas is not cancelled, unless you want it to be ...