THE CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN

*SHORN STAR SPECIAL*

Basically, from today until the 25th December I will be counting down my 25 ALBUMS OF 2009 and my 25 TRACKS OF 2009. Let the journey begin....

TRACK OF THE NIGHT: Knocked Up

Kings Of Leon / Knocked Up

Perhaps KOL's best track ever (!), Knocked Up is a 7 minute epic telling the tale of a couple's struggle as they set about having a child together whilst being shunned by those around them. Heartfelt, sincere and genuinely endearing, Knocked Up evokes everything that's great about KOL as they play out a sublime mix of southern-styled rock around some stadium-sized melodies, carried along by rousing drums and the ever astonishingly raw vocals of lead singer Caleb. The more you listen to this track the more you find there is to discover, cementing its status as a long-standing KOL classic. It really is testament to the band that they have created such a long piece of music which is not only engaging but also has a lot of replayability. This is the sound of a group on top form, making music which is not only fearless but also beautifully honest.

Kings Of Leon / Knocked Up  by  ShornStar

50 TRACK OF THE NIGHTs: it's official

Wahey. I've finally reached the milestone of 50 TRACK OF THE NIGHTs. On reflection that's a lot of writing....anyhow, here's a list of all the TRACK OF THE NIGHTs so far from     1-50:

01. FrankMusik / When You're Around
02. Private / One In A Million
03. Amanda Blank / Might Like You Better
04. Calvin Harris / Yeah Yeah Yeah La La La
05. Simian Mobile Disco / Audacity Of Huge
06. Madonna / Celebration (Benny Benassi Dub)
07. Peaches / I Feel Cream
08. Charlotte Hatherley / White (Adem Remix)
09. Dan Black / Pump My Pumps
10. Cold War Kids / Hang Me Up To Dry
11. Santigold / Your Voice
12. Bloc Party / One More Chance
13. The Big Pink / Dominos
14. Fever Ray / Seven
15. Radiohead / Everything In Its Right Place
16. Kid Cudi / Pursuit Of Happiness (Feat. MGMT & Ratatat)
17. Boy Crisis / Sex & Violence
18. Dizzee Racal / Dirtee Cash
19. Heartsrevolution / Ultraviolence (Feat. Spank Rock)
20. Florence + The Machine / Drumming Song (Jack Beats Remix)
21. Mazzy Star / Fade Into You
22. The xx / Do You Mind?
23. David Bowie / Rebel Rebel (Soulwax Re Edit)
24. Ellie Goulding / Starry Eyed
25. FrankMusik / Dancing In The Dark
26. Jack Beats / Get Down (VIP)
27. Hockey / Wanna Be Black
28. Karen O And The Kids / Hideaway
29. Noah And The Whale / Blue Skies (The Twelves Remix)
30. Ke$ha / TiK ToK
31. N.A.S.A. / Strange Enough (Designer Drugs Remix)
32. Shakira / Did It Again
33. Florence + The Machine / Postcards From Italy
34. White Lies / Unfinished Business
35. Depeche Mode / Enjoy The Silence
36. Yuksek / So Far Away From The Sea
37. Monsters Of Folk / Dear God (Sincerely M.O.F.)
38. Lady GaGa / Bad Romance
39. Bloc Party / Mercury
40. Bitclipr / Discofreak
41. Annie / Songs Remind Me Of You
42. Ellie Goulding / Wish I Stayed (Feat. FrankMusik)
43. Julian Casablancas / 11th Dimension
44. Theophilus London / Pull My Heart Away (Jamie XX Remix)
45. Róisín Murphy / Orally Fixated
46. The Flaming Lips / Borderline (With Stardeath And White Dwarfs)
47. New Order / Age Of Consent
48. M83 / Kim & Jessie
49. Rihanna / Cold Case Love
50. Muse / Undisclosed Desires (Thin White Duke Remix Edit)

TRACK OF THE NIGHT: Undisclosed Desires (Thin White Duke Remix Edit)

Muse / Undisclosed Desires (Thin White Duke Remix Edit)

Undisclosed Desires is the beautifully dark pop number from Muse's latest album The Resistance. The song is already a bit of a stunner with its staccato strings and dark synthy basslines, however, the Thin White Duke (aka super-producer Stuart Price) has polished it up into a true diamond of a track. Mr. Price has a serious talent for remixes and Undisclosed Desires is no exception as it speeds along with frenetic synths, a juddering beat and impressive use of a vocoder. If this wasn't enough, by the time the remix reaches its stunning climax we are hit by an epic mix of sweeping strings and the storming vocals of Matt Bellamy, in which he wails with pure abandon in a vocal piece which was previously hidden away in the original's dark pop depths. Stuart Price has once again worked his magic by creating a remix which sounds not only euphoric but also surprisingly joyous. This is how remixes should sound - MIND-BLOWING.

Muse / Undisclosed Desires (Thin White Duke Remix Edit)  by  ShornStar

TRACK OF THE NIGHT: Cold Case Love

Rihanna / Cold Case Love

So Rihanna took a bit of a beating but now she's back and surprisingly better than ever. Cold Case Love is the track everyone's been waiting for where Rihanna wears her heart on her sleeve and let's us all in on the doomed relationship that was her and Chris Brown. Veering away from what cynics may predict to be an all out 'diss', Cold Case Love is instead a dignified and well observed portrayal of a failed relationship. Penned by Mr. Justin Timberlake himself, with him also featuring on production duties, this has to be one of Rihanna's most lyrically and sonically superior tracks to date. Clocking in at a mighty 6 minutes and 5 seconds, Cold Case Love contains a host of different sounds as it begins with a modest opening of organ chords and subtle beats, until in come some beautiful orchestral flourishes which gradually build up until we are suddenly hit with a barrage of heart-pounding and truly Timberlake-styled beats complete with beatboxing...if that wasn't enough Cold Case Love reaches its thrilling climax by the means of an epic guitar solo - it really is packed. Rihanna's vocals also deserve special mention as she proves that she can do more than belt out a few 'ellas' through her passionate and heartfelt delivery. This is the moment in which Rihanna affirms herself as a true pop artist who has style yet more importantly substance.

Rihanna / Cold Case Love  by  ShornStar

HINGLEYS HIT OF THE NIGHT: We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives

Los Campesinos! / We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives

This is a short but ever so sweet indie pop song from Welsh seven-piece Los Campesinos! This was one of the bands very first tracks and it really does shout out with youthful vibrancy and abandon. We Throw Parties... has a very political edge as the band sing about cherryade, parties and fancy dress all in the context of war, with blood, knives and broken limbs all being mentioned as the band play out a heady mix of hip-shaking indie and syrupy pop harmonies. It may not be particularly groundbreaking but We Throw Parties... proved to be a fine start for a young indie band who have now grown into a truly thrilling act.

Peter says: 'Skank don't shank.'

Excellent.

HINGLEYS HIT OF THE NIGHT

What's this!? HINGLEYS HIT OF THE NIGHT?? Okay, it's a new occasional guest slot (well all he does is pick a track) from my good friend Peter.

Above you can see the man himself trying to be a model....

TRACK OF THE NIGHT: Kim & Jessie

M83 / Kim & Jessie

I'm not gonna lie, I first heard this song when it was featured on an advert for 90210 on E4, which is supposedly quite good (I'm told). Anyhow, Kim & Jessie is an evocative, emotional and stunning piece of music. I can't even start to describe how gorgeous this song is, it literally sounds like it's from another planet. Surrounded by a tumbling wave of epic guitars, charming synths and what sounds like some kind of violin, Kim & Jessie is strangely moving yet deeply spooky all at the same time. Every little detail is perfect, with vocalist Anthony bringing a great level of passion to the track as he softly sings each word in a breathy haze as if he's in a higher state of mind. Kim & Jessie is pure blissed out euphoria and has to be one of the sweetest pieces of dream pop I think I've ever heard, proving M83 to be ethereal royalty.

M83 / Kim & Jessie  by  ShornStarMan

NEW LADY GAGA VIDEO: Bad Romance

Not a lot to say really apart from...its BLOODY BRILLIANT. The long and short of it is GaGa gets drugged, made up like a prostitute and sold on the Russian market - its basically about sex trafficking, which I think is a genius concept to place upon this song. All in all, song and video alike are both MASSIVE.

TRACK OF THE NIGHT: Age Of Consent

New Order / Age Of Consent

This, the opener to New Order's second album Power, Corruption & Lies is simply wonderful. An understated classic, Age Of Consent really is timeless. Depicting the struggle in a relationship when an age difference stops a pair from "doing" it, Age Of Consent doesn't deal with its subject matter through exaggerated emotion or extreme melodrama, instead we get a very human portrayal of frustration with lead singer Bernard ending by repeatedly singing: "I've lost you / I've lost you / I've lost you / I've lost you / I've lost you". It's all strangely beautiful, helped enormously by the track's fantastic arrangement in which we hear a sublime set of guitars mixed around some luscious 80s synths which not only create a radiant sound but also give the track a great big heart. Synths and emotion aren't always the most successful of combinations but in Age Of Consent New Order rewrite the rules by making a song which is both poignant in feeling and inventive in style. Marvellous.

New Order / Age Of Consent  by  ShornStarMan