Meenzer

See that's it, I think I set higher standards for a Decemberists album so if there's even a few hints of filler (The Bagman's Gambit, When the War Came...) I'm likely to mentally mark down far more than I would for any other artist. OTOH I can't have five of the ten 2000s spots belonging to the Meloy gang, as much as they may actually deserve it, so hey.

Christmas is shite anyway. Embrace the miser.

If he/they play(s) that at all these days, it'll be in an impenetrable jazz-funk workout version. Still awesome though.

In that case, make mine a top 11 and apologise to Sufjan for the obvious omission. Stupid brainstorms.

I know "Silent Alarm" is better than "A Weekend In The City" in terms of general consistency, but the latter has a couple of songs that shit all over anything on the former. The eternal debate on how to judge an album, I suppose - by "average rating" or in terms of those few tracks that really do it for you even in the presence of some obvious filler?

See, this should theoretically be easier, since my taste should have shifted less in the meantime. But it's not. Anyway, a fairly spontaneous brainstorm again: The Mountain Goats - The Life Of The World To Come Red Sparowes - Every Red Heart Shines Toward the Red Sun The Cooper Temple Clause - Kick Up The Flames, And Let The Fire Burn Loose iLiKETRAiNS - Progress Reform Trisha Yearwood - Heaven, Heartache And The Power Of Love The Gift - Film Christian Kjellvander - Songs From A Two-Room Chapel Justin Townes Earle - Midnight At The Movies Kathy Mattea - Coal Sigur Rós - () No room for a Decemberists album despite them being arguably the most sing-a-longable band of the decade. I may have to rethink this.

There's a few nice away days in there (and a few nightmares).

I like them generally pre-Richey's disappearance, but aye, saying Holy Bible is their best album is like saying George Weah is Liberia's best footballer, it's true but it doesn't tell half the story.

I loike her. She's spunky.

Being my formative years musically, there'd be a list of what I loved at the time and a list of what I love now (but didn't necessarily hear at the time), and they'd probably look quite different. We're talking about a period when I evolved from a metalhead to... well, a Eurovision-loving metalhead who likes other things too. But anyway, here's a brainstorm of ten albums that I devoured ravenously and that can probably be said to have shaped me, one way or another: Therapy? - Troublegum Godspeed You! Black Emperor - F# A# ∞ Manic Street Preachers - The Holy Bible The Loud Family - Plants And Birds And Rocks And Things Tom Waits - Bone Machine Strapping Young Lad - City Sigur Rós - Ágætis byrjun Anthrax - Sound Of White Noise Eels - Electro-Shock Blues Rico - Sanctuary Medicines Even if they're predominantly quite mainstream choices and a few of them may seem a little gauche to the all-grown-up me, I'll stand up for them as 90s classics one and all.

Wasn't named in the travelling squad. Has someone dropped out?

Simplistic lo-fi guitar music as protest tool. We really are back in the 80s.

Superb.

Similar waistlines too.

Samuel's right insofar as you're prepared to give him credit for satirising the fact that any player coming out now would feel more like a publicity stunt than anything else. Snide digs about "being a closeted gay" = "carte blanche for acting like a twat" (for all he'd claim he's referring only to Barton's who-me attitude) suggest that any any such insight was more accidental than intentional though.

I had to Google "Lady Bunny". I'm a little bit worried about Samuel now (well, more so than I was generally given his prevailing heart attack risk).

And speaking of quality journalism... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2243241/Joey-Barton-footballs-gay-hero--Martin-Samuel.html

Twitter's definitely complicated matters. Even the most genuinely respected of sports journos seem to descend into slanging matches on there on occasion, especially after a few drinks. Ryder's still a massive fanny, mind.

Lo-fi art is great

I am so not getting laid tonight

A frankly heroic first effort at recreating a bit of Sri Lankan street food without the intense searing chilli pain the local takeaway insists on adding. Followed this recipe, using double the garam masala (as I couldn't find chaat masala), frozen coriander instead of fresh, and adding a small amount of finely cubed lamb just before the tomatoes went in, which was timed well enough to cook it to a decent moistness. As for the parotta themselves, you can use any kind of roti-style flatbread really - the local Multi-Ethnic Food Shop happens to stock roti already frozen and pre-chopped, which is superbly lazy and only to be encouraged. Rather like the root veg curry the other day, it comes out looking a bit like random stuff in a bowl: ...but the flavours are just superb, with the chilli kick (I used one small green chilli for the quantities described in the recipe, which was enough for an initally sharp then nicely smouldering heat) offset by the smokiness and near-sweetness of the spices, the curry leaves and even the onion and tomato. I am so getting laid tonightOur taste buds are very, very happy right now.