But what, I hear you ask, about the God damn music? Well, where to start, because 2008 has been a pretty damn good year for new music if you ask me, from the biggest names in rock through to brand new talent producing no end of great new tunes. As good a starting point as any, I guess, is CMU's albums of the year, the ten long players that got Team CMU most excited. They were, of course, as follows...
Friendly Fires - Friendly Fires
Fuck Buttons - Street Horrrsing
Rolo Tomassi - Hysterics
Santogold - Santogold
The Bug - London Zoo
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds - Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!
The Last Shadow Puppets - The Age Of The Understand
Vessels - White Fields And Open Devices
Why? - Alopecia
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
And then there were the bands who played the CMU Social, our brand new monthly networking and showcase night, designed to champion great new music. And boy what great new music, with Infadels, A.Human, Maths Class, Tim Ten Yen, Post War Years, Vessels, The Deer Tracks, Model Horror, Sportsday Megaphone, RestLessList, Big Strides, Matt Finucane, The Penny Black Remedy, City Reverb and Rose Elinor Dougall among those to take to the stage since the Social's launch in April.
Mention should also be given to the artists who enjoyed particularly good 2008s, whatever we thought of their music (and in many cases we liked it) – I'm thinking of Katy Perry, Lil Wayne, Kings Of Leon, Sam Sparro, the returning Metallica, Oasis and Coldplay, the buzzier of the buzz bands like The Tings Tings, Cage The Elephant and Glasvegas, the everywhere Adele, Duffy and Leona Lewis, the internet phenomenon that was Soulja Boy, and, of course, Guns N Roses, who, if nothing else, proved the impossible does sometimes happen as 'Chinese Democracy' was finally unleashed.
But enough of that, how about a random list of the artists we most rated this year, other than the aforementioned albums of the year artists and CMU Social stars? Well, how about Amanda Palmer, A Place To Bury Strangers, Asobi Seksu, Ben Folds, Benoît Pioulard, Cadence Weapon, Cut Copy, Deerhoof, Dizzee Rascal, Elbow, Errors, Esser, The Faint, Florence & The Machine, Frida Hyvönen, Fucked Up, Fujiya & Miyagi, The Futureheads, Gotye, Horse Feathers, Hot Club De Paris, James Yuill, Jay Jay Pistolet, Jeremy Warmsley, Joan As Police Woman, Kid Carpet, Kitty, Daisy & Lewis, Late Of The Pier, Little Boots, M83, M9, Metronomy, Marnie Stern, McFly, Midnight Juggernauts, Mr Scruff, Murcof, Nine Inch Nails, No Age, O'Death, Of Montreal, Our Brother The Native, P Brothers, Peggy Sue, Peter Broderick, Plans & Apologies, The Presets, Ranger3, Roots Manuva, Rumsringa, Russian Circles, School Of Seven Bells, Scorn, Skepta, Sneaky Sound System, Squarepusher, Stars & Sons, Styly Cee & Cappo, Subtle, Theoretical Girl, Three Trapped Tigers, Those Dancing Days, Tilly & The Wall, Times New Viking, Tim Ten Yen, Trash Fashion, Violens, Vivian Girls, The Walkmen and Wiley?
Like I said, it's been a good year for new music, despite all the doom and gloom, and tension and tantrums in certain parts of the music industry. The business side is, of course, facing an even harder 2009 as the recession kicks in and companies large and small brace themselves for some tricky times ahead. But, the cliché tells us, difficult times often result in cultural revolutions. Which means while we should expect more doom, gloom, tension and tantrums next year, we can also hopefully anticipate a 2009 to match and exceed 2008 in terms of musical mastery. I can't wait.
Needless to say, if it happens in music you'll read about it in the CMU Daily, back in your in-box every weekday from Monday 5 Jan. Have a great Christmas, a super Hogmanay, and see you back here in 09 for more musical madness.