I’ve found some really great music blogs on here recently, most of which are written by journalists who use Tumblr as a place for personal vents that have little or no place in the publications they write for. Some of which have recently been talking about the dos, don’ts and relevance of end of year lists. Whether they’re a good or bad thing, healthy or unhealthy for the music world and critics to compile lists I cannot help but read them. I’ve been an avid reader of NME for most of the last ten years (except this year where I found I’ve not had the time, it might be worth saying) as my Dad is a subscriber and their end of year issue is always the one I look forward to most. NME get a lot of bashing and I can understand why but it’s still the best most widely available physical indie publication right?

A world of blogging was discovered when I created my Tumblr account in December 2010 (nearly a year to the day!) and with it has bought a year of discovery in terms of other music writing; of course on the internet. Hell, music writing and blogs have gotten me back into reading this year, an activity I enjoyed immensely up until the age of about ten (before discovering music proper and the creatives and art at school). Sadly I haven’t read an awful lot in the past eleven years. Of course there’s the obligatory Harry Potters and the Twilights (not so obligatory!?) and maybe a few others here and there but I have the realisation of music blogs to thank for getting me back into reading (and writing, perhaps!) and my not being a well-read young lady has now changed for the better as I’ve made a happy return to books also.

But enough of memory lane, I guess what I wanted to say is that this year brought a love for the internet and in doing so has opened my eyes to other opinions of the world rather than just mine and my Father’s (an avid music fan for the entirety of my life and even now at 48). I have friends who enjoy music but no one in my immediate circle to really discuss new bands, gigs and opinions with. I thank Tumblr for giving me a voice and for allowing me to befriend other music fans to anticipate and argue with and music writers online to agree with, learn from and who have made me rethink some of my (what I had previously thought as well thought) music fan habits in the short time I’ve been following them (Rawkblog is one I’m loving in particular at the moment) and for introducing me to a wider variety of new music in general.

I don’t know where to begin with my own end of year lists. Top albums seems the best and obvious choice and one I will attempt, however there are too many singles and tracks out there I feel to enable me to write a “songs best of” list. Off the top of my head I struggle to think of any that have really stood out for me or that I’ve really anticipated live. There are a lot of “big” tracks and songs I’m told I “need” to listen to that I have filed away on a list in my head and forgotten - I really don’t feel my opinion of this year’s great songs to be valid enough. How can one person possibly dissect through all of them to make a half-decent list by themselves anyway? I’ll leave that one to a room of “professionals”, I really am no judge.

There’s a pile of CDs I’ve bought and not listened to and this year (ones that’ll have to be plonked as a subnote on the end of my list!) but I will be compiling a Top Albums list. Not a “Top 25” or whatever, just a list of everything I’ve bought ordered into the best and worst of what I have, the ones with the biggest impact of course placed at the top. And then another list I think of albums of importance to my life in general. Two of my biggest albums this year were released in 2010 and 2009. A pattern of the last few years, for some reason, is that my most played albums are ones I’ve discovered late from previous years and always deserve a mention even if they’re not “allowed” into my official list. Hell, what does “Best album” even mean? The one I expect will top my list isn’t the one I find best musically but the one I’ve enjoyed the most.

There’s one I am certain of, one list I can have a pretty good stab at with what I think is a valid opinion. Without the means to brag, there aren’t many current bands I haven’t seen live (there’s the ommitting mistake of seeing Ben Howard over Bjork at Bestival. Even at the time I knew I’d regret it and as brilliant as Ben Howard was, why Emily why? How many chances will you get to see her again? There will be another list (if I get round to all these!!) titled “Festival Mistakes”, always a good one) and the only list I’ve managed to keep as and when it happens is my gig list in my ever faithful gig book. Mental lists are started with the intention to write them down at some later point but of course this doesn’t happen and points are forgotten, however key they seemed at the time. My only physical 2011 pen-to-paper list is my ongoing gig list and my only mental one my stand-out gigs. There’s not fifty entrants nor ten, or any other milestone number. When I experienced my first one as early as January I promised to keep a mental list of all the seminal ones as and when they happen. I counted six or seven in the end (though there’s still time I guess as I still have four to go before the year is out) and am going to attempt to whittle it down to five, talking about each one and it’s relevance. If this provides too hard I will just write about the full seven, as they are all stand-outs on their own already.

This is the only list of importance to me. The one I have the most knowledge of, my favourite as it’s personal and the easiest in terms of interfering factors. A great performance happens in that one hour or so and will be great whether you know the songs or not. The albums on people’s lists will have a different period of time allotted to them which is unfair, no? An album could be a classic for all the person knows but a grower first and because they didn’t know this it’s landed somewhere at the bottom of their list. I find this sketchy and the biggest reason I’m apprehensive about compiling mine. It’s all subjective, and I’m not sure mine will be of any relevance to anyone but myself (or maybe I’m thinking about this too much?). Gigs are instant, about timing and atmosphere and great ones happen once but with the ability to happen again somewhere else. Differently, but equally as brilliant which is why this year the best gigs will be my definitive list rather than albums (though I will still attempt an album one).

Every year I promise to note down in order the songs I’ve loved on first listen, the ones played on repeat time and time again until the next one comes along. A list of every new band I’ve gotten into, in order just for fun, and lists of any aspect of music that truly grabbed me. I love a good documentation (can you tell?!), whatever it is - photos, journals, what have you. Lists are brilliant.