My favourite albums of all time (just in case you're interested)...

Hello there. In lieu of work, I have decided to write about music for a little while. If music doesn't make you tick, or you are sick of me, you have my permission to leave now and make yourself a cup of tea instead. I won't judge you. 

I was going to do a 'top ten' list, but I genuinely couldn't narrow it down that much. Instead it turned into a top twenty. I hope you stick with it that long!

So here it goes. My twentieth favourite album of all time is 'Flaws' by the wonderful Bombay Bicycle club. I adored their début, and expected a similar follow-up, but this album couldn't be more different. Jack Steadman needed this opportunity to showcase his hauntingly beautiful voice, and 'Flaws' saw his transition from hipster front man to serious musician with surprising ease. These boys are still insanely young, so I'm expecting great things.

Next at number nineteen is lone guillemot Fyfe Dangerfield. I always loved the Guillemots, but they never produced a consistently brilliant album. Their front man, however has succeeded in doing just this. From start to finish, 'Fly Yellow Moon' (particularly the extended version) is a complete joy to listen to. 'Faster than the Setting Sun' and 'Awake, Asleep' are the best tracks, in my opinion.

At eighteen is a record which shouldn't be good. John Darnielle, otherwise known as The Mountain Goats is an incredibly prolific artist, yet somehow maintains a brilliance other singer-songwriters can only dream of. 'The Sunset Tree' is much calmer and more self aware than 'Tallahassee' (which I also love). The album is the work of a genius lyricist, and is shockingly personal. It makes me feel like quite an emotionally grounded individual in comparison...

Next up is a wonderful album by a band who deserves so much more recognition. 'Wilderness is Paradise Now' by Morning Runner is an emotional roller-coaster. In a good way. 'Burning Benches' has been one of my favourite songs for a long time, but 'Oceans' is beautiful too.

Next at sixteen is 'Our Earthly Pleasures' by Maximo Park. I remember a friend telling me how good this album was. It must have been a while ago, because the aforementioned friend was definitely in my lovely brown and yellow school uniform and we were definitely in Physics. I went home and listened to it, and turns out the uniformed friend was completely right. It is a startling album full of clever lyrics and catchy tunes and its cover is cool. 

Now to number fifteen, which is definitely the most commercially successful album on the list and brings a complete change of pace. Kanye West is one of the most irritating people on the planet, but the excellence of 'Late Registration' cannot be disputed. Actually, it probably can, but it shouldn't be. 'Gold Digger' is one of the best songs of the decade, and 'Heard 'Em Say' is the first song I ever learnt to play on piano. Overall, an album which is full of variation, and just plain good!

Still with me? At number fourteen is Fleet Foxes with... 'Fleet Foxes'. These beardy blokes sure know how to make pretty music. 'Oliver James' and 'Tiger Mountain Peasant song' are my highlights, but it's all good.

At thirteen is First Aid Kit's 'Drunken Trees'. I stumbled upon their cover of 'Tiger Mountain Peasant Song' on Youtube about a year ago, and I was hooked. Their music is simply gorgeous, and I urge you to check this one out!

Next is a must for all those with even the smallest hint of a yearning for change in their heart. For every angst-ridden teenager, every oppressed Civil Servant, every misunderstood beauty queen, every struggling artist, every wannabe anarchist, every fuc... you get the picture. 'The Queen is Dead' always seems to compliment and enhance one's pain, and though Morrisey is evidently a bit of a tool, his pessimistic warble is very often the only thing that will do when life is just really not on your side.

'19' by the wonderful Adele is phenomenal. Its brilliance is compounded by the fact that she wrote it when she was... yup, nineteen. I am nineteen. This puts my life into perspective somewhat. The extended version of the album is lovely and has a wonderful live version of 'Hometown Glory'. Plus, anyone whose heart does not melt at her version of 'Make You Feel My Love' is probably a cold-blooded serial killer. I can't wait for her new album which is released later this month. For me, Adele shows that those who talk about 'mainstream' music with disdain do not consider that sometimes music is popular because it is just undeniably good. 

Half way! At number ten is '1990' by the sporadically brilliant Daniel Johnston. Listening to this album verges on discomfort. Sometimes, I have to switch it off half way through, because in my mind, Johnston's spirit is cracking and his heart is breaking with each shrill note. 'True Love Will Find You In The End' is a song that is almost too beautiful, and when his voice cracks during 'Careless Soul', I am almost always brought to tears. In a time when Auto-Tune reigns, this devastating, flawed album, wrenched out of this devastating, flawed man could teach us a thing or two about music, and going back to basics.

At nine is an album I didn't like at all at first, but the general hype was against me, and as usual, I was proven wrong the more I listened to it. Ellie Goulding's 'Lights' is everything a good pop album should be: quick-paced, catchy and different. The album has recently been extended, and as a result, gives an even more complete picture of Goulding's talent as both a singer and a writer. Highlights include the ever-brilliant 'Starry Eyed' and 'The Writer'. I hope this girl sticks around...

At number eight is 'I am a Bird Now' by Antony and the Johnsons. This is an album which just seems like one big act of catharsis, and the end result is admirable. Hegarty's voice is so unique and just does something to me that I can't explain. I'll probably be listening to this one forever. Oh, and it won the Mercury Prize...

At seven is Tom Waits' début 'Closing Time'. This was back when his voice had just a nice amount of rasp to it, and his ego hadn't been swelled too much by his success. Listening to this album makes you feel like you are sitting in a smoke-filled dive right along with him. It has a certain seedy quality about it, but this makes the sentimental moments all the more poignant. It is a record about love and despair and music itself. And it's not too jazzy. I hate jazz...

'For Emma, Forever Ago' is a work of art. For ages, I was completely unsold by Bon Iver, and frankly I thought this album was a little bit samey. I left it a year, then tried again. And hey, now it's my sixth favourite album of all time! It is a sombre album about winter and solitude and love gone sour. The lyrics are simple, yet effective, and Vernon's voice is just wonderful. 'Skinny Love' is bitter and pained, but very easy to listen to - everything you could possibly want from a song. I also think this one clinches the little bonus prize for best album name.

We are at number five now, that is how these things work. And I can't decide which order to put these in. Hmmmmmmm,  right, I'll go with 'I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning'. I really struggled to choose between this and 'Cassadaga'. Conor Oberst (aka Bright Eyes) is a man who knows he's good. But he's good, so it's okay. It must have been five years ago that I first heard 'First Day of My Life', and to be honest, I think it was the video that won me over. I bought the album anyway, and it was the beginning of a beautiful love story. I would imagine he would be terrible company though. These beautiful, sad men usually are.

How do you choose just one Radiohead album? If you're me, you pick the one you got into first. Quite often, I wonder what my music taste would be like if I didn't have an older sister. We like pretty different music now, but if I didn't have Helen, I might be listening to completely different music, happy music, even. Hell, I could even have been a positive person. Saying that, she was very much responsible for my ska phase in my early teens, and that is very happy indeed. So yes, this one sort of filtered into my conscience through the wall that separated our bedrooms, and one day I stole it. I'm pretty sure it never found its way back to the other side of that wall. More mellow than 'Pablo Honey', less commercial than 'OK Computer', less shit than 'In Rainbows', this is Radiohead at their absolute best. I honestly think no band can compare. It's not an original stance, but the one I choose to take nonetheless.

At three is the man who taught this cold, British girl to feel. Jeff Buckley's 'Grace' is made all the more wonderful in its isolation. Rich and simple lyrics, coupled with Buckley's melodramatic warble produce an end result which is mournful and pensive and beautiful. 'Lover, You Should've Come Over' is my song of choice when I'm walking the dog. 'Lilac Wine' is the one for cold winter nights. 'Hallelujah' is the one that was destroyed by Alexandra Fuckface Burke. This is a tremendous, ambitious album, loved by almost everyone in the whole world ever. Including myself.

I can't believe how long this has taken me! If I ever start writing about music again, stop me and tell me some gossip about James McAvoy so I can write about that instead. Business as usual, like. Anyway, at number two is 'O' by Damien Rice (and Lisa Hannigan. I'm not sure why he gets all the credit!). This is the first good music I ever liked. I have liked it for a very long time and I will like it until that fateful day when I die at seventy three and I get eaten by my many many cats. I jest, but this happens. I've freaked myself out now.

And so we have it. Anyone who is anyone is clamouring for this coveted top spot - Anna Morgan's favourite album of all time. Fairly fittingly, it has been achieved by the almighty Regina. 'Soviet Kitsch' is without a doubt the best album I have ever heard. So many girls have tried to write songs as well as she can, but few succeed. Some of the music on this list is here because it moves me to tears, but this one just makes me grin like a buffoon. There are sad moments ('Chemo Limo', 'The Flowers'), political statements ('Poor Little Rich Boy', 'The Ghost of Corporate Future'), pretty piano dabblings, casual insults, ridiculous declarations of love, whispered conversations, pure, unadulterated silliness and some of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard. 'Somedays' is sublime, singing along to 'Sailor Song' is cathartic and 'Your Honor' is... memorable. I honestly can't sing this album's praises enough. She's still good, but she'll never be this good again. 

through the years we all will be together, if the fates allow.....

Christmas doesn't really do it for me, but in the spirit of festive whatnots, I have decided to embrace it this year. It is the bigger picture of which I am not all that fond, but here are the things I can genuinely get excited about.

1. Mince pies
2. Gingerbread lattes
3. A lecture-free month
4. Buying presents - always so much better than getting them
5. Ironic Christmas knitwear
6. Mulled wine
   
7. Baileys
8. Student loan coming in...
9. Seeing my dog
10. Love Actually
    

So yes, still not exactly the most Christmassy person on the planet, but I will relish the time spent indoors doing absolutely nothing and getting a bit porky.

I'm listening to Damien Rice AGAIN. I think he may be my soul mate... 'O' is the only album I can think of that I will happily listen to in its entirety. It's just kind of perfect in a flawed, melodramatic sort of way. Sigh...

I'm not sure I understand all that clearly what is happening to the world at the moment. The USA have ballsed up quite a lot, I think. I have read numerous articles on it, but I'm not really taking any of it in. It seems to have implications for pretty much everyone, so I should probably look into it a bit. Ah well, another day, perhaps...

open wide, here comes original sin.

Hello there. It's Tuesday and I thought I'd write a blog. As yet, I'm not sure what I'm going to talk about, but that doesn't usually stop me.

Right now I'm in the sort of mood where I'd like nothing more than to curl up in a ball and forget about the world, but instead I'm opting for listening to pretty music on headphones so I don't annoy everyone else. I've been working for probably the last time today. It was pleasant but tiring, and I got a really odd night's sleep last night, so I'm a little bit dazed.

At some point this week, I'm going to need to pack; a daunting and unpleasant task which I am not looking forward to in the slightest.

Sometimes I act like a twat. It's usually covering up the fact that I am in fact incredibly shy. Bear with me, I'll try to be a more rounded, nicer person. I mumble too, apparently. Again, it's the shy thing.

These are my favourite songs of all time (right now):

• First Day of My Life - Bright Eyes

• No Children - The Mountain Goats

• Lover, You Should Have Come Over - Jeff Buckley

• Flux - Bloc Party

• Burning Benches - Morning Runner

• If You Can't Sleep - She & Him

• Expectations - Belle and Sebastian

• Eskimo - Damien Rice

• Heartbeats - Jose Gonzalez

• Unfinished Sympathy - Massive Attack

• There is a Light that never goes out - The Smiths

• Boys don't cry - The Cure

• Street Spirit - Radiohead

That will do for now. I will probably delete this post later when I am in a more rational/alive mood.

Just because I think it's beautiful. I think Mr Burton still has my dvd...

Just because I think it's cool.

ode to the man with the red shining hair...

There are many things I hope to achieve in my lifetime. Some of these things such as my desire to suddenly morph into Marion Cotillard may never happen. Others, such as some day leaving Kidderminster are (slightly) less ridiculous. Somewhere on the spectrum falls the desperate hope of some day marrying Rupert Grint.

Now I don't think this is that ridiculous. I stand more chance with the Grint than I do with say... Barack Obama and following this logic, I conclude that our wedding is imminent. You see, I've always liked lovely, lovely Rupert and can probably trace him as the cause of my fondness for ginger boys through my teenage years. So in a tribute to my thirteen year old self and the red-heads who filled my daydreams, here it is - the ultimate list of ginger celebrity men! Are you excited? You should be...

1. The original and the best, Mr Rupert Grint - Look at him, just look! Without him, the Harry Potter films would be atrocious, with him they are just bad. He rocks various types of knitwear and is considerably hotter than all of his lanky brothers put together. He seems refreshingly normal, too. Perhaps this is just in comparison with Daniel Radcliffe who seems more and more bizarre every time he is interviewed...
   
   
2. Glen Hansard - 'Once' is a bit lame but I really like his band, The Frames and he seems positively lovely. Irish accents are possibly the one thing that can turn an average ginger man into an absolute Adonis. Anyone fancy a trip to Dublin?
   
   
3. Damian Lewis - There is something so oddly attractive about this slightly arrogant, freckly man, especially when he is playing a rogue, morally ambiguous Russian spy in Stormbreaker. Blimey.
   
   
4. Ewan McGregor - definitely a little bit ginge, definitely a little bit dreamy. Again, the accent is a bonus, along with his ability to serenade with the best of them and ride a motorbike with Charlie Boorman (who I also quite fancy but who, unfortunately did not make the ginger cut). Though I love 'Trainspotting', the horrific toilet scene definitely saw Ewan slip a few places, but then I remembered 'Brassed Off' and he soared back up again. Anyone who can play a brass instrument...
   
   
5. Mac from Green Wing - I believe I mentioned him last time, so I shall not drone on. Suffice to say that he is definitely an awesome ginge who can save lives and woo women while being generally lovely, funny and unattainable. Swoon...
   
   
6. Damien Rice - The man who got me out of my little greebo rut and taught me how to feel falls into a special sub-category of ginger men - the sort of man who doesn't seem to be ginger at all until he grows a beard and BAM! There it is, like a shining red beacon of hope on an otherwise cloudy day. And no, he's not that good looking but he has such a wonderfully lovely voice and a wonderfully lovely accent and a ginger beard. I don't think I need another reason...
   
   
7. The guy from Eastenders - which I have never watched, but I like his voice on the Orange adverts and he reminds me of this man I served once in Morrisons with whom I fell a bit in love when he defended me when his father was being a knob. Alas, he never came in again and I suspect he is living it up in Hawaii or Cuba. Not quite a modern Romeo and Juliet but you have no idea the things that keep you going when you spend three days a week performing menial, degrading tasks in an orange and green checked shirt.
   
   
8. Mr Bingley - actually, both of the recent portrayals of Darcy's less stroppy friend have been more than a little bit ginger. I love this character, and I am glad other people envisaged him to have red hair and it wasn't just me. Phwoar.
   
   
9. Martin Freeman - Not that ginger but this is my blog so I make up the rules. I was always a bit dubious of The Office and not all that fond of Mr Gervais, but I just didn't get it. I bought it all for about a tenner and watched it in a matter of days last summer and became an instant convert. Tim, played by Freeman is the epitome of the boy your mum would like if you brought him home and master of the longing stare. I am fairly sure I was not alone in my jubilation when he and Dawn finally got together in the final episode. I probably was the only person to be jealous...
   
   
10. Stephen Merchant - Another pioneer of the ginger beard clan who I just love. With my new-found appreciation for all things Gervais came regular viewing of 'The Ricky Gervais Show' and with that came a fondness for this very tall man. He has an accent which on others would be annoying but which renders him even more amiable. And he went to Warwick. That's me sold...
    
    
11. Robert Webb - I didn't like him at all. I assumed he was barely acting when he played the insufferable Jeremy in Peepshow. Then I watched his 'My Life In Verse' and I came around to the idea. Again, he's not that ginger, but it's there if you look hard enough...
    
    
12. Jake from One Tree Hill - More auburn than proper ginger but have you seen him?
    
    
13. And finally, because no 'best of' list of mine is complete without this adorable man, James McAvoy. He is it as far as I'm concerned, the most fanciable man on the planet. The obsession began with Mr Tumnus then escalated when I saw Starter for 1o and reached a peak when I began to watch Shameless from the beginning. He is Scottish and intelligent, and I know he has brown hair, but has occasionally been spotted sporting a beard which is decidedly ginger. This is good enough for me...

So there you have it. It was supposed to be a 'top ten' but my enthusiasm took over and it grew a little bit. Besides, thirteen is a lovely rounded number...

Wuthering, Wuthering, Wuthering Heights...

I have a sudden, very real yearning to be in France right now. Everything pretty much sucks here and I'm sick of school and covering the fact that I have once again done no homework. I would much rather be in Paris or Nice. I'd even settle for the Grenoble, despite my ability to be perpetually cold. Tired of England and all its implications, I have been researching different French cities. Nantes looks really cool and has a fascinating history. It also has a university. I wonder whether I could choose to spend my year abroad there?

As we speak, I am covering my ancient copy of Wuthering Heights in post-it notes covered in scribblings. Considering I hated this book so much on first reading it, I have really grown to like it quite a lot. Of course, I am not a member of the 'we heart Heathcliff' fan club, and I can safely say I never will be. I'm pretty sure it says something about womankind that such a man can be hailed as a hearthrob. I am, however, completely on the Mr Darcy bandwagon, though I think Mr Knightly is somewhat overlooked. I really love the book Emma. My vicar once said that I reminded her of Emma, and I was not altogether offended, and secretly quite pleased. I do interfere too much when it comes to my friends and the matters of their hearts. Equally, I do not see marriage in my future, I am stubborn, and I am a bit of a snob at times...

I have a vague plan to do a post-graduate diploma in journalism. Of course, this is a long way off and I am fairly prone to changing my mind, but journalism is the only career I have ever really considered (leaving out my desire to be a spy when I was about seven). Money has never been much of a turn on for me and I genuinely feel, having recently quit my job at Morrisons, that I would rather be broke and doing something I am passionate about, than being understimulated but overpaid. Right now, I am completely skint but I have time to myself and I am really quite happy with the exception of one or two things. I won't bore you with the details.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABbe33fMrkM I have loved Damien Rice for as long as I can remember, and can't believe I have only just discovered this song. It's fairly fitting for where I am right now.