The National release Trouble Will Find Me tomorrow. Because I’ve pretty much given up writing album reviews, I’ve decided to celebrate its release by listing my favourite album art of the year so far. It’s got really good album art you see.

Caitlin Rose: The Stand In

David Bowie: The Next Day

DJ Koze: Amygdala

Flamingods: Sun

I Am Kloot: Let It All In

The Leisure Society: Alone Aboard The Ark

Low: Invisible Way

Mount Kimbie: Cold Spring Fault Less Young

Phoenix: Bankrupt!

Unknown Mortal Orchestra: II

you know rac. of course you do. they’re a remix artist collective (rac, geddit?) put together by andre allen anjos and have remixed everybody from bloc party to au revoir simone, from the shins to chromeo. about three years ago they put out a collection of their remixes (although there are a hundred more besides). they’ve just released a second one.

apart from it being generally brilliant, the best thing about it is that once again it is free. to give you a taster i’ve got their fantastic work on ‘armistice’ by my third favourite french band, phoenix, below.

to download the lot, just head over to this link and voila. you don’t even need to register or any of that shit.

this was my christmas. 9am. josh got up. later than expected. open stocking. 10am. kedgeree. good. 10.30am. open presents. i’m getting a bike so i had a book and some lights. josh got a table football table. ben 10 ds game. lego. lots of bits basically. 11.30am. to my brother’s with the family. guinness on arrival. 12.30am open presents. i got a massive daft punk print. josh got an ant world and chemistry set. i see danger and mess ahead. 1.30pm. sister in law’s family arrive. rum is given to me. good. more guinness. 4pm. dinner. very good. brother and his wife’s first effort. impressive. red wine. 5pm. christmas pudding. custard. excellent. 6pm. rapidough. lager. 7pm. shout out loud. lager. 8pm. london underground game. lager. 9pm. four player mario kart on the wii. i won. lager. 10pm. christmas cake. black bomber & biscuits. lager. 11pm. sports resort on the wii. i won. midnight. fifa on the wii. i won.

what this basically means is that i don’t know what to post about. how about a spotify playlist to relax on a boxing day to? perfect.

boxing day playlist (spotify)

if you’d like to know who’s included, probably best to check the tags at the bottom as i can’t be arsed to write out the full playlist here

that right there is joshua river brown. he’s six, my son and lives in wales. it an total act of nepotism, i asked him to listen to some music on youtube while he’d staying with me for a few days. here are his thoughts.

summer camp. round the moon
“it’s good. i like the bike.”

the maccabees. it’s only love (video by barry pilling) – (‘first love’)
“the song is okay, but the video is really weird, but clever. especially the mouth.”

phoenix. lisztomania
“the song is very cool. my favourite. i like whatever that in the air is called.”

he’s a man of very few words. actually, he’s not. usually he won’t stop talking, but he sort of got straight to the point here.