A time for giving...

I hate the end of the year. It’s cold and miserable, it’s dark when I have to trudge home from work and, most importantly, there are fewer and fewer interesting albums released to help me cope with the increasing cloud of gloom emerging over my head.

November and December is owned by the major labels and their desire to “shift units” over the Christmas period. Your major high street retailers follow suit, only displaying the latest best ofs from established pop artists, hyped follow-up albums from some land-fill indie monstrosity or, most horrifically, the latest X-Factor talent-void that has been groomed for the season.

This year is no different – Keane, Razorlight and The Killers have all produced another mediocre album that will safely sell by the bucketload and impress no one whilst Xtina and Simply Red churn out their best ofs and even Jason Donavan (WTF?!) and Dido return to muscle in on the only time of year when they are likely to sell any records. Come on, you know if you’re desperate to finish your shopping on Christmas Eve you’ll be picking up Status Quo’s greatest hits for your dad and the debut from that ridiculous fella with the bleached hair who was a runner-up on X-Factor for your dear old ma...we’ve all done it and we should all hang our heads in shame.

But there lies the trouble, its easy money for the major labels and the big high street stores. They pile ‘em high and watch them fly out the door faster than Russell Brand leaving a young damsel's quarters  after a Daily Mail hate mob turns up with pitchforks and flaming torches. Consumers lap up whatever over marketed piece of schlock is put in front of them and the labels/retailers are happy to spoon feed it to us.

So this Christmas I urge you all to dig deeper for those stocking fillers. Put down that Il Divo CD for auntie Maggie and the latest from Britney for your lil’ sis and try and find a better alternative. Whether it be the return after nearly 20 years from Grace Jones, or the brilliant 21^st Century blues from Don Cavalli, the ace girl group garage of the Vivian Girls or the Fugazi meets Mclusky awesomeness of We Versus The Shark, there are plenty of options out there that might not be the first thing you spot when you pop into your local supermarket to buy a turkey and those last minute gifts.

You never know next year you might find the front racks of your local record emporium have put a ban on High School Musical 4 and the fifth re-packaged Abba greatest hits to actually sell something you want to hear.

Bar humbug

Steve