MUSIC BETWEEN THE LINES (DECEMBER 2014)

What!!? That’s it? 2014 over? Good!! I can finally reveal my new year’s resolution for 2014. My goal was to not attempt a single stint at the gym all year and I have come through with flying colours. And in case you’re wondering, yes, my bikini bod has suffered, but I have finally accepted that I am neither willing nor able to bulk or shred.

Not attempting to go to the gym or even thinking about potentially driving to the gym or even going on the Nike website to consider what I should wear to the gym has given me a lot of time to listen to music this year. That’s the good news. The bad news is that 2014 was a pretty piss poor year in music, but to be fair, almost anything was going to be mild after the cracking year we had in 2013.

Nothing seismic took place; there was no new phenomenon, no new great hope, just a long stretch of mediocrity with a few glimmering peaks. In fact, 2014 was so uninspiring that I’m even struggling to write this column (this is my fourth lack lustre attempt). So instead of focusing on the negative let me mine the few ounces of positive.

The Foo Fighters came through at the tail end of the year with a beautiful way to create and present their new album Sonic Highways. I’m still in the process of processing it, but I’ll have a column in full once I have. And as I’ve mentioned in previous pieces, Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith have brought a certain level of song craft to FM radio. Beyonce continues to kill it and seems to be going into a phase of being considered a legend while still being relevant. If history is to suggest anything, this spells the beginning of the end, but something tells me she’s going to hang on to this status for a little longer than most.

An indie-rock band by the name of Real Estate released a stunning album at the start of the year called Atlas. If you’re feeling like having a night of comforting melancholy, pop this album on your headphones and take a stroll through the city lights.

My favourite album of the year was an easy choice, it was Beck’s Morning Phase. Perfect is a strong word to use, but as Woody Allen once said, ‘love is too weak a word’. There was something perfect about this album. I feel like you can only use the word perfect when something is incredibly beautiful. Beauty itself is subjective, but when I hear Morning Phase I am overcome with a combined sense that everything is doomed and that everything will be all right, maybe it’s the sound of hope. Who knows. Listen to it, it’s glorious.

Have a fantastic and safe end to the year. Love one another. Thank you for reading and see you all in 2015!