But I already sang that song

It's traditional for blogs to put up their reviews of the year at this point, with their favourite records/tv shows/books/whathaveyou. Unfortunately I can't do the same, as my biggest discoveries of the past 12 months have been a bloke who started releasing music when I was two years old and a tv series that started in 1994.

Not that this is a blog about tedious nostalgia with a remit that the past is far better than anything in the future, because that's frankly untrue, but this year I've totally lost the thread of what's new and cool and happening. I don't really care, either. I'll get back to it at some point.

The bloke who started releasing music in 1984 is, of course, Lloyd Cole. He started off with The Commotions and later went solo, and I suspect I wasn't the first to find my way to his music through Camera Obscura's song Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken. At the start of the year I picked up the first Commotions album, fell in love with all of it but especially the title track, and...

The rest was almost history. I wasn't going to peruse his work further until last.fm threw Lloyd's solo single Don't Look Back at me and it was like a tiny revelation. The way he sang it, and the words he was singing, did that thing that's become so hackneyed you don't think it really happens. Then it does, and for four minutes the entire world vanishes and all that matters is the song, and that you've been lucky enough to find and hear it, and it by the end you're a little bit more in love with music than you were before even if you didn't think that was possible.

After that I went about collecting his discography. I haven't found an album I've hated, and he has quite a few - Love Story, The Negatives and the self-titled solo album being my favourites. He did actually release an album this year, Broken Record, continuing in his vein of lovely mostly acoustic stuff. I will say his work isn't the most original in the world - the later solo albums sound mostly like just a man with a guitar, and the live shows this year were entirely acoustic - but there's something about it that lifts it above 9,000,000 other men with guitars. There's more to Lloyd Cole's music than I could hope to capture in writing about it. Maybe that's why I love it so much.

Speaking of the live shows, I was lucky enough to get to his gig in Glasgow. I almost didn't, due to transport idiocy and catching the plane from Belfast with minutes to spare, but it was totally worth the stress and schlepping across the country at 5am because if I ever see a better gig I'll be the luckiest fool alive. The venue, the voice, the arrangements, the love for the performer... it was an absolutely perfect gig. Also, like all the best melancholy singers, he's actually a funny bastard. He played Don't Look Back and I thought my heart might burst; he played Trigger Happy and I nearly broke my face smiling. That gig made the entire year worthwhile.

Broken Record isn't on Spotify, so here's a link to the album with Don't Look Back instead. Enjoy. Or not. You don't have to, obviously; I'm just too biased to be in any way critical!

My telly habits haven't been much better at being current, either. Unless you count mocking The X Factor, and you really shouldn't because I'm only there for the scathing mockery (I'm sure it's been covered elsewhere how unbearable that show would be without the hilarity that ensues on twitter). However, thanks to a friend selling boxsets I have discovered ER. Look, I did say this was going back to 1994. It's a very wonderful series and I only wish I'd known sooner. I love the cast, I love the characters they play, I love the supporting ensemble, I'm dying to know what happens, and I finally get the George Clooney thing although to be honest I'd rather have Anthony Edwards. I'm strange, yes, but I also love the character of Mark Greene to an unreasonable degree. Yes, I'm aware of what's coming in season eight...

Even my gaming habits aren't terribly up to date. Most of my button bashing right now is courtesy of Sonic Colours and Donkey Kong Country Returns, which at least came out in the last month, but the reason I love them is because they're so in the spirit of old-skool platformers. Oh and for Christmas? Mario All-Stars. Back to the 80s again.

It's not intentional, this being stuck in the past thing. It just worked out that way. The present isn't rubbish, and the future isn't to be dreaded. It's just not that inspirational right now. There's a whole shiny new year coming up though, to try a little harder!