As this is the music forum...loads of my favourite bands have announced new albums for this year already - Feeder, The Shins, Collapse Under The Empire, pg.lost - and Gerard Love from Teenage Fanclub is releasing a solo album. With much more to come it's looking excellent music-wise. That long awaited Silver Sun album? Edit - and The School - which Nick might be excited about too.

Film, I'm a little behind...is The Hobbit released this year?

Otherwise I'm yet to decide where to go on holiday...Iceland again? Cuba? Somewhere else - wherever I decide on it'll be very exciting! If I go to Iceland it could be as early as next month...

And do you think the world will end? I think it might become a self-fulfilling prophecy for some people, and if the whole world does go, it will be a certain country that ends it, who I won't mention in case they're watching me... :unsure:

Silver Sun album? My guess is... unlikely but the odd track to pop up here and there, as James seems to like doing them when he gets a quiet minute.

Very much looking forward to the Gerry Love album, also new albums from Everything Everything, Field Music and Dutch Uncles... who I kind of put all in one box.

Ginger (from The Wildhearts) is making a triple album through the PledgeMusic site that is nearly finished and sounds like it's going to be incredible, plus a lot of my very favourite people are heavily involved in it:

http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/gingerwildheart

£20 for what people are going to get is an absolute bargain, which is probably why he raised something like £150,000 already and there's a month left to go for people to preorder.

Of the bands whose websites I run, Eureka Machines might just have something out this year but it's more likely to be early next year, and The Scaramanga Six will be recording an album soon... and there's something I'd love to share about it but I might get shot. When it's a known fact I'll definitely be mentioning it on here...

Holiday-wise I'm spending a week in Norfolk in May on a boat, and possibly going to New York for the first time in October because it's a lifetime's ambition and... I turn 40 in November. Got to have some kind of treat. Also for once I will be throwing some kind of party, it looks like something very exciting might happen at it (I can't say yet, but some of you could probably guess) and... you're all invited if it happens.

With the notable exception of the things mentioned above, music in 2012 is going to be universally awful. Well, mostly. There's a new fun. album out next month which I will undoubtedly be getting and I suspect Mr Nick will do the same.

I'm finding, as time goes by, that it's increasingly difficult to keep up with what's going on in music. Bands that I absolutely adore are coming out with albums that I hear nothing about until months after they're released. I only found out about the aforementioned fun. thing when someone posted the lead single on Facebook after it was ruined by bloody Glee. On the rare occasion that I hear about something before it's released, I somehow never end up getting it. I think I bought maybe three albums last year, although I could only name one (Japanese Voyeurs, if you're curious) so maybe it wasn't even as many as that.

Basically I'm just not listening to music anything like as much as I used to, largely on account of not having any sort of music player other than the iPod. Although just typing this has made me decide to sort that out... so yeah, watch this space. Or something.

Music/book/film-wise I have no idea what's coming up. Completely not keeping up with what's going on. Although a friend posted on Facebook yesterday an article saying there's going to be a film about King Adora coming out this year. Seems highly unlikely that someone would make a film about them - that was the gist of the article - but I might watch it anyway.

We've been invited to a wedding in Canada this year, so that might be our holiday, if we can afford it...

I don't think the world will end this year (happy to take bets on that) but hopefully my PhD will (wouldn't like to put money on it though).

It's funny how it gets harder to keep up with music as you get older... I feel too old for Radio 1 in its current form but nothing like ready for Radio 2, or at least Radio 2's music output. Clearly as a 39 year old, Radio 1 shouldn't be aiming itself at me, but if it had a new music show in the vein of Steve Lamacq's, or something eclectic like John Peel's shows used to be, I'd still be listening even if it was aimed at younger people. As I've gotten older my tastes have actually gotten noisier bizarrely, and 6Music doesn't cater for that end so well.

On the contrary to two of you, I find it easier than ever to keep up with new music, with the likes of Spotify and we7. I've no idea what's going on in the charts but I doubt most of the bands I listen to make it - though I'm occasionally shocked when someone I thought was little-known, isn't...

I thought it last time you mentioned doing this and I've thought it again - I'd love to do something like this. Is there a particular boat-hire company you use and do you need any sort of licence to drive the boat? Is there a vessel greeting etiquette? Do you wave to fellow boaters as they pass by?

P.S. I don't think you're too old for Radio 1, I just think Radio 1 is crap. I find Tom Ravenscroft's show is much in the vein of John Peel - have you listened? He might have got the job because John Peel is his dad, but it doesn't mean it's not a good show.

So, as mentioned in my previous post, I decided to order a music player. One with an iPod dock for the sake of convenience, gawd knows where all my CDs are now. It's bigger than I expected but it sounds alright and generally does the job. I'd almost forgotten how much I like listening to music.

I imagine there's some good stuff on there from time to time but, well, I wouldn't spend my time sifting through a landfill site in the hope that someone accidentally binned some jewellery.

It's odd that I have so much trouble finding a radio station that doesn't grate, given that I'll listen to damn near anything. The various Absolute stations and XFM were generally acceptable when I was at uni with my flatmate's DAB radio in the lounge, but I get tired of listening online when it's buffering every few seconds, skipping and generally being a pain in the arse. Which, with my ridiculous connection, is pretty much constant.

I had my 'top rated songs' playlist on earlier and was a bit shocked to notice that the majority of it dates from somewhere around 1998 up to about 2006. It can't be that nothing good has come out since then, because I know it has. It might have something to do with the fact that I went to uni around that time and I was too busy or money was tight, but I was still buying the odd CD here and there so perhaps not. As for keeping up with music nowadays: I guess it's partly a self-preservation thing, 'cos I don't really have money to spare for all the stuff I'd end up wanting. Spotify is good but the ability to use it is a bit restricted by the fact that my computer time is almost exclusively taken up by World of Warcraft these days.

My taste in music at the moment seems to be in what I can only describe as a 'fine line between love and hate' sort of thing. Or, to put it slightly less stupidly: the things that really stand out to me at the moment are things that I might reasonably be expected to hate. Case in point.

I go with Herbert Woods - http://www.herbertwoods.co.uk, who start from Potter Heigham, a place I've been going to since my childhood. No license needed - you get a bit of direction to start with then you're on your own. It's slightly intimidating initially because it takes a lot longer to respond to a change in direction than a car does and so a lot of people oversteer. Easy once you've got the hang of it though.

No particular greeting etiquette - I always wave to people coming the other way. Most wave back, a few look at you like you're from another planet. The only other rule is that wind gives way to sail, i.e. you always let a yacht that's not travelling under motor power follow its natural course and it's your job to avoid it.

There are eight price bands, with the highest being based around school holidays, as is the norm. I take the boat on May 26 - if I took it one week later it changes from Band B to Band G and costs nearly twice as much.

Best of all would be if a band I liked decided to play Norwich Waterfront or Arts Centre while I was out there. I could go to a gig by boat!

I'm of the opinion that people should just like what they like whatever it sounds like, even if there's no reason you can think to like it, but on this occasion I agree that you really should hate that.

As for MP3 players, I bought a Sansa Fuze that stopped working after a year. :( They don't make things like they used to. I still have my 10+ year old Walkman and it works as well as it did the day I had it, and I bought it second hand. I've gone back to my old MP3 player, which is about the size of a cassette Walkman, but probably heavier.

And thanks Damian - advice added to my "holiday things to do" document. :D

A gig to coincide with that would be amazing.

Wooooo! Discussions again!

Holidays:

Alex, try Cuba. We loved it. Combine the beach and the touristy bit, get tanned and treat yourself to some truly unique events and sights.

Philippa: Canada - hit Toronto, go up the CN tower. If you're brave, or daft, enough, walk round the outside of the viewing platform tied on with a bit of string - I did!! We only get one chance at some things.

Damian: Music, i listen to you lot, I buy stuff I fancy. I bought more cd's last year than the year before, but couldn't be arsed to review them. I shall start doing this again. Promise. And thanks for the heads up on the new fun. album!

Stuff:

I bought Mrs Nick a Roberts DAB/iPod/cd player for Christmas. We're on our third one, and it's only January, but we've finally got one that works. 6 Records is now featured heavily whenever I cook. Which is most weekends. I've fallen back in love with radio. Music on the cd player every day to work. Loud.

I've also (literally) just connected a Mac Mini to my tv, only to find that Alex is out, so I've got to wait. Grrrr!

Damian:39. Old? I'm 56 and retiring at the end of this academic year. Just got turned over by Ofsted (Good, with a bit of outstanding - heyyyyy!) and am up for a bit of part time work. Oh, and I accepted my pay rise this year, as it boosts the old pension!

We're off to Newcastle for a couple of nights in February, St Ives for my birthday and a cottage in Derbyshire for a week's walking in July. (that's with an "L" not an "N"!). Mrs Nick also demands a week in the sun somewhere.

Silver Sun album? More chance of the world ending.......

John Lennon once said that life is what happens while you're making plans (or something like that) Not any more. Plans are being made and incorporated into life. No-one knows what's around the corner, and I'm not leaving my pension fund to the kids - they can have the house.

So I'm not bragging about all the stuff above, just saying it like it is.

And how lovely it is to have an active thread here, again. Thank you!

I am trying to be happy, even though someone appears to have snuck in the bedroom and planted a golf ball in my left achilles tendon

:P

Nah, it's not old at all. I'm just thinking about the way milestones make you think about age the way, whereas we don't consider it most of the rest of the time. Ah well, my midlife crisis appears to have been to take up running and get fit, so I can live with it.

On the other point, I'm reckon you'll hear some music from James occasionally, probably just on the Soundcloud page. He doesn't seem to be able to resist doing the odd bit now and again...

It's good to hear your plans Nick, and that you've fallen in love with music again! Cuba is on my 'must-see-soon' radar actually, now their trade embargo has been lifted those old cars will start to disappear and the country could have changed beyond recognition in ten years.

Here's a video of Ben Folds Five in the studio. It's 20 seconds long and worth a look even if you're not a fan of them, or perhaps especially if you're not...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56gO-wMOR-s

Good job I have a silly sense of humour.

Oh, and here's a brand new track by The Darkness, for free:

http://www.theactualdarkness.com/music/

Whaddayamean again??? Cheeky munky!

As promised:

http://www.thescaramangasix.co.uk/new/?p=486

I'm sorry to be a little negative at your exciting news, but what's the big deal with having two drummers these days? Everyone seems to be doing it!

Did you see who's producing the new album?

I've got to say, the new Dodgy album is absolutely beautiful. They were my favourite band for many years, and this record has surprised me and, it would seem, just about everyone. The web (and newspapers) have been full of 1) rave reviews and 2) articles about how nobody expected this would be the comeback of the year...

Yes. But two drummers, why?

As for Dodgy, I would have liked to have seen them on Friday but had no one to go with and didn't feel like going on my own. A shame.

I saw a band with two drummers at some festival or other. I'm sure there was a point to that sentence when I started typing it, but I'll be damned if I know what it was. Too many drummers spoils the... not drums? *shrug*

Sooooo. New albums from The Shins and The Mars Volta in the next month or so. Good times indeed.

Do I post new albums in this thread, or Nick's thread? The Islet album is probably my favourite of the year so far. School of Seven Bells' effort seems underwhelming, then again I didn't get into their debut until the second album was released...

Anzaf mi t'read, mon!