Goodbye

No no no no, no no no no, no no no no

Listen little child there will come a day
when you will be able, able to say, nevermind the pain,
all the aggrevation, you know there's a better way
for you and me to be
Look for the rainbow in every storm,
Fly like an angel heaven sent to me
Goodbye my friend,
(I know your going searching although I can still feel ya here)
It's not the end,
(You gotta keep it strong before the pains turn into fears)
So glad we made it, time will never change it no no no
no no no no
Just a little love,
Big imagination,
Never let no one take it away,
Went into the world
(into the world)
What a revelation,
She found there's a better way for you and me to be
Look for the rainbow in every storm,
Find out for certain
love is gonna be there for you,
You'll always be someone's baby
Goodbye my friend,
(I know your going searching although I can still feel ya here)
It's not the end,
(You gotta keep it strong before the pain turns into fears)
So glad we made it, time will never change it no no no
No no no no
You know it's time to say goodbye
No no no no
The times when we would play about,
The way we used to scream and shout,
We never dreamt you'd go your own sweet way
Look for the rainbow in every storm,
Find out for certain love is gonna be there for you,
You'll always be someone's baby
Goodbye my friend,
(I know your going searching although I can still feel ya here)
It's not the end,
(You gotta keep it strong before the pain turns into fears)
So glad we made it, time will never never ever change it
No no no no
You know it's time to say goodbye
No no no no
And don't forget you can rely
No no no no
You know it's to say goodbye,
And don't forget on me you can rely
No no no no
I will help you help you on your way
No no no no
I will help you everyday
No no no no

[Repeat to fade]

Thanks to everyone who has read and commented on 'musodad' and 'New musodad Express' over the last 2 years.  The comeback just wasn't meant to be, even the Sex Pistols one turned out better.

You are all very very beautiful people.

Love

musodad
x

The only band I've been listening to in June

A few months ago I wrote this blog post about bands I'd been listening to in March - 5 bands I've been listening to in March

One of the bands featured was Jagwar Ma.  At the time I banged on about their song 'The Throw'.  Since then I've seen them live, they've released their debut album 'Howlin' and I have fallen more and more in love with them every day.

Since their album was released early June, I've listened to it every day. I'm addicted. I bought the album for my wife the night I saw them live. She's addicted too. It's a bit Primal Scream-y, a bit Beach Boys-y and a bit Stone Roses-y while still sounding totally unique.

It's also the perfect commuting album - if you put it on as you get on the train at Moorgate, the final track finishes just as you leave Hertford North station. It's like they made it with this in mind.

'Howlin' will surely be the album of the Summer and I recommend you get involved now.  It's all I listened to last month and hence why they are "the only band I've been listening to in June".

Here's my favourite song of theirs at the moment, "Come Save Me" for your viewing pleasure...

I've also added the song to my New musodad Express monthly 2013 Spotify playlist if you want to have a listen to that as well.

Thanks for stopping by.

Tell me why I don't like funfairs

Last Sunday we went to a funfair.

The build up was lovely - we went for a pub lunch for a friend's birthday. Then, as it was the day of the Hertford Carnival, there was a parade through town. All very nice.

Once this was over though, THE FUNFAIR BEGAN!!!!!!

I haven't minded funfairs in the past but something cracked inside me that day and now I bloody hate them!!

I think this anger started on the Saturday, our usual scenic walk to take our 2 year old to her swimming lesson was ruined by the ugly funfair that had been plonked in the middle of the park. And man, are they ugly! Okay, I admit, I'm no oil painting myself but funfairs are right mingers!

So, as you can see, there was already a negative feeling towards them by the time Sunday came.

So the funfair began. Great. And this is a summary of what happened :

- we lost O, our 6 year old daughter, in the crowd. Not for long but, you know what it's like when you lose your kids, every second feels like an hour. Not a good start.

- some balloon sellers were approaching kids asking them if they wanted a balloon. Of course, the kids said "yes" and once the balloon was firmly in the child's hands, the balloon sellers turned to the parents and said "that'll be a pound, please". I saw a team do this on The Apprentice a couple of years ago and it drives me mad.

I responded with a "hang on" and gave the balloon back and then walked off. Alan, sorry, Lord Sugar would have been very proud of me. Although my kids haven't spoken to me since.

- the grab a bag stall - £2.50 a go and the toy is probably worth 10p from JTF (if you haven't been there I recommend it, it's great!) or something. Great mark up that but, for us parents, it means even more tat lying around the house. Actually, don't tell my kids but we've already put them in the prize bag collection for my 6 year old's school fete. Knowing our luck she'll win them back again!

- my friend's band was playing and they were completely drowned out by the funfair's music. Funfairs kill music - it's official!

Now, I moan, but, you know what, the kids bloody loved it. It was just like Disneyland to them. So we'd probably go back next year because of that but we'd definitely leave the buggy and scooters at home as it was impossible to negotiate the crowds with all that baggage (this didn't help my rage either).

And best of all were the bumper cars - now, I have to admit, they were bloody amazing!

So, what do you think of funfairs? Love 'em or hate 'em, it'd be great to hear your stories below.

Thanks for reading.

How to live your failed music career through your children

According to someone else's statistics, 93% of human beings already are or would love to be in a band. Out of that 93%, 88% have dabbled musically in their lives and dream that one day this might still happen. The other 12% were unable to answer as they were on tour.

Although I've just made those figures up, I reckon a majority of you reading this would give up your chosen career right now if Bono came up to you in the pub and said "look, I can't do this anymore and really need you to take over from me. Here's The Edge's number, tell him I sent you. The secret U2 password is "nice leather chaps".

You'd be mad not to, wouldn't you?

But, hang on, what about your other half? What about your kids? What about the rest of your family oh and the notice period you'd have to give to your work? You can't just turn up at home and say "but I AM 'The Chosen One', I saw Bono in the pub and he said so" - they aren't going to buy it. And anyway, everyone knows Bono only drinks in wine bars and not pubs.

So where do you go from here? There's a musician in there waiting to burst out and it doesn't do anyone any good if you suppress the rock star within you does it?!

Well, ladies and gentlemen, there is still hope. I recommend that from now on we all try and live our failed music careers through our children! Britney Spears's folks did it, and they are the modellist of model parents, so why can't we?!

But I have to be honest with you, it won't be easy. So, to help you achieve this goal, I've devised a 10 step plan for you to follow. I warn you now, it won't help, but here it is anyway :

Step 1 - Get your kids into music

It doesn't matter what, anything with a melody is good. I personally wouldn't buy a One Direction album for myself but my daughter loves them, and knows every word, and that's all that matters isn't it?  Getting them to sing along is a great starting point as well, get those vocal chords trained early, and watch the hard cash roll in in about 20 years or so. 

Just remember to keep your kids thinking that you're doing this all for them and not you.  The first rule of 'how to live your failed music career through your children' club is to not to reveal that you are 'living your failed music career through your children erm...club'.

Step 2 - Buy them a guitar

Okay, I admit I would love my kids to be drummers, like Meg out of The White Stripes, but transporting drums would be a nightmare.

Bass players just aren't cool enough and no-one ever remembers who they are. As for being lead vocalist, at the moment, your child probably sounds like a young Aled Jones when they sing so that is definitely a no no.  And how many of the best ever lead vocalists have gone on to present Daybreak?  It wouldn't and shouldn't happen.  Although Aled is a very nice man and I would really like to give him a man hug one day.

Ahem, anyway, so guitar it is then.  Oh and it has to be an electric one as anything sounds good with an effects pedal.  My parents bought me an acoustic guitar when I was younger and I just sounded rubbish.

Step 3 (is it just me, or is this post starting to sound like a New Kids on the Block song?!) - Buy them some classic albums

We've all got our own views on what constitutes a 'classic'. I have a soft spot for the first Bucks Fizz album whereas other people may think it's a load of pants.

However, in my opinion, some classic albums are 'Rubber Soul' by The Beatles, 'Pet Sounds' by The Beach Boys and 'OK Computer' by Radiohead. If they try to reject them lie and say that they are Harry Styles's new side project or something. Try anything, just get them to listen!

Step 4 ("I can give you more") - Get them to practice

This is the boring bit so let's move on...

Step 5 - Get them to form a band

Once they've practiced enough, it's time to form a band (woo-hoo! High five everyone in the room immediately!) Preferably this will be with school friends as then you can get the music teacher to help them all with Step 4 as you and the other mums and dads can't be arsed.

Hopefully not everyone will read my step 2 above in too much detail as this could mean you end up with 5 guitarists in the band and no singer or drummer - this is not a good! Actually, on second thoughts it's quite a good USP - do it!

Your child's band also needs a name. I've never been a big fan of plugging my old blog posts but, as I've been gone for a year and everyone's forgotten who I am, I'm going to anyway. If you have some magnetic words at home, go here now - musodad's band name game

We used 'musodad's band name game' to choose my daughter's band name 'Groovy Conker'. They will be the biggest band on the planet in 2025 - you read it here first! (Actually you may have read it here first - 'Daddy's Beard' - the debut single by Groovy Conker but, as I said before, I've never been a big fan of plugging my old blog posts).

Step 6 - Get them a manager and a lawyer

I'm going to put my serious head on now - you must NOT manage them. Dave from down the pub must NOT be their Lawyer.  I know it's tempting, and you have their best interests at heart, but no, no. NO!

However, if you've had music industry experience in the past and Dave from down the pub used to be a Lawyer then I'm sure you'll be okay.

Actually, before I say it'll be okay, I'd better consult Tarquin, my PR Adviser as I don't want to speak out of turn.  Hmmm, Tarquin says he thinks you'll be okay as a manager but just watch out for Dave. Tarquin doesn't trust Dave.


Step 7 - Refuse to let them go on any music talent shows

It just won't look cool in 10 years time if people remember. Their fans will turn against them, there will be a music press backlash and the tabloid newspapers will drag up loads of rumours about them from years and years ago.

Actually, any PR is good PR isn't it? Hmmm, let me once again consult with Tarquin, my PR Adviser, and we'll re-think this step and get back to you.  Thank you for your patience.

Step 8 - Get them playing live

Getting the band to play pubs / clubs is a surefire way to earn some hard cash or free beer (for you, of course - Babycham for the kids) and you may even get on the guestlist and meet the band afterwards if you're lucky! The band are probably living / practicing in your spare room at this point anyway but I was just trying to make it sound exciting!

It's usually the manager's job to sort live gigs out (and at this stage you could well be their manager, don't listen to my advice in Step 6, what the bloody hell do I know?!!) but make sure you use and abuse your connections - get them playing your friend's barbeque, your best mate's wedding, your parents' house, anywhere will do!

Repeat this step a few times and they'll soon be headlining Glastonbury (if they didn't split up after the first gig cause they were rubbish - a bit like my old band 'Pre-historic Wife'. I did write a blog post on that too once but can't be bothered to go and find it).

Step 9 - Publicise them!

Bore everyone you know, and everyone you don't know, that your child is in a band.

Hassle radio station DJ's, the music press, music bloggers on twitter (I know one well if you want me to have a word with him.  I have to warn you know though that he's a bit pants and no-one ever listens to his recommendations anyway). If they tell you they are rubbish, get the band a different style of haircut and then go and hassle them again!

If you lose friends along the way, cause all you do is 'go on about that bloody band' so be it! When they're famous you can tell your friends 'I told you so'. Except you won't have any friends left. But you'll have the band! The band is all you need...

Step 10 - Reap the rewards!

It's payback time baby! This is the point when you remind your child who bought them their first guitar, who used to feed them in the middle of the night, who it was who used to change their nappies?!!

They won't care, mind. By this point they would have also developed a rock star attitude and will probably pretend you don't even exist.  They're 'too cool for school' nowadays and have an image to maintain with their fans.

But you hold the trump card, my friend.  If they refuse to part with hard cash then you can run straight to the tabloids and sell any old story about them - you SHALL have the last laugh....

So there you have it.

Good luck, let me know how you get on.

*Disclaimer - musodad himself has never completed the 10 step process above and he accepts no responsibility for any damages caused to anyone attempting to complete it.  To be honest, his advice is a bit rubbish and if you follow it religiously then I'm afraid you really are a silly sausage.

5 bands I've been listening to in March

Before my Girls Aloud-like blogging hiatus (it probably doesn't bode well for my blogging comeback seeing as they've disappeared again now!) I used to write a regular blog post about bands I'd been listening to that month. Well, I say 'regular' but I only got around to writing one post before I disbanded my blog. If you're curious about what I was listening to this time last year, and who i wrote about in that post, then please have a butchers here - 5 bands I've been listening to in February

If you're still here, and are not currently watching the Bucks Fizz clip of 'My Camera Never Lies' on repeat on You Tube, then you'll be pleased / not really bothered (delete as applicable) about hearing that I am resurrecting the feature right here, right now.

So here you go - 5 bands I've been listening to in March :

1. Steve Mason

I used to love The Beta Band. They were so unique and are still highly regarded in music circles. How many bands nowadays would release an EP with all 4 songs being over 6 minutes long and one of them being 15 minutes long?! The 4 songs on 'The Patty Patty Sound EP' last longer than most albums these days and 'The House Song' & 'She's the One' are two of the best b-sides ever.

Anyway, the reason I'm banging on about The Beta Band is cause the rather excellent Steve Mason used to be their lead singer. I've been loving his new album "Monkey Minds in the Devil's Time" the past month ever since hearing his latest single 'Oh my Lord' on BBC6 Music. It's already one of my favourite songs of the year and will definitely be near the top of my list at the end of it. Here's the video to it if you want to have a listen. Enjoy -

2. Jagwar Ma

When I heard the song 'The Throw' by this Aussie band earlier this year it blew me away and I haven't been able to stop listening to it since. It was like a throwback to early 90s baggy with a lick of 2013 music paint on it. Sorry, I know that sounds shit but trust me, these guys are good.

Find out for yourself here -

3. Ride

I've always been a massive Indie Kid and one of my favourite music genres in the last 25 years (around the time I ditched Then Jerico for John Peel, bless 'em) has been shoegazing. Ride, along with Chapterhouse and The Boo Radleys, are one of my favourite bands from that era and on chatting to a few people on twitter about Ride last month I decided to go back and have a listen to them.

'Nowhere' has always been my favourite album, as it was the one that got me into them and it also contains 'Vapour Trail', my favourite song of theirs. However, it's the album 'Going Blank Again' which I haven't been able to put down in the past month. From the amazing 8 minute opener 'Leave them all behind' (sorry, can't stop banging on about long songs today) through to the janglyness of 'Twisterella' and fantastic guitar riffs on 'Not Fazed', the album proved there was a lot more to them than shoegazing.

Anyway, I'm in a jangly music kind of mood today so have a listen to 'Twisterella' here and decide for yourself -

4. The History of Apple Pie

After banging on about the early 90s and shoegazing above, here's a recent band who are heavily influenced by both.

I saw THOAP support The Drums about 18 months ago and really enjoyed them, however, I've only rediscovered them this year and am really glad I did. Listening to them makes me feel 15 all over again.

Their whole debut album is great but here's the song 'Mallory' to tickle your taste buds -

5. Adam Green & Binki Shapiro

Adam Green (Moldy Peaches) and Binki Shapiro (Little Joy) are one of the coolest duets you will hear all year, if not ever.

I've been gassing for a while now so all I'm going to say regarding this band is 1) check out their latest album, it is a corker and 2) as a little taster check out their song 'Just to make me feel good' below, it is a beauty -

That's it for this month. In true musodad style, I'm also going to start a new Spotify playlist, similar to the one I promised when I first started this feature over a year ago, and which only made it to 5 songs. You can listen to all of the above songs here - New musodad Express monthly 2013  I'll update this playlist as I write new blog posts on what I've been listening to. The posts won't be monthly this time around but sporadic, I just can't commit to regular blog posts these days mainly cause I'm a bit rubbish.  If this playlist makes it to 10 songs it will be a major achievement, trust me.

If you're new here, thanks for stopping by and reading. If you've been here before then thanks for returning and for sticking by me after my time away. You're all very beautiful people and your support is very much appreciated.

Would love to hear what you've been listening to recently as well so please leave your recommendations in the comments section below. You know me, I'm always up for listening to something new and there's a chance that band could get written about next time.

Cheers all and hope to see you back again soon.

Introducing the New musodad Express

(Please read with the tune to 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' in your head)

"It was one year ago today, musodad decided to call it a day,

He'd only been blogging a while, and the blogging thing made him smile,

So let me introduce to you his latest blog project - the New musodad Express blog.

It's the New musodad Express, I hope you will enjoy my blog,

It's the New musodad Express, I hope reading it won't be a slog.

It's the New muso, it's the New muso, it's the New musodad Express.

It's wonderful to be back cause blogging is a thrill, you're such a lovely audience, I hope you'll read at home with us, I hope you'll read at home.

I didn't really want to close my blog, but my life became slightly clogged, my work life balance was shite, and gave me too many sleepless nights,

So let me introduce to you, the man who hasn't written for about a year and the New musodad Express blog...

Muuuuuusssoooooodaaaaddd..."


"What would you do if I sang out of tune?..." Erm, sorry Ringo, that's the end of the blog post mate.

'musodad announces split'

(Pretend you're all in a Press Conference-type situation)

Hi everyone

Can you all hear me okay at the back? Great.

Today, with regret, I'm announcing the split of 'musodad'.

It's been on the cards for a while - in January I announced I was taking a break from Blogging due to differences in my work / life balance and then later that month my Blog got contaminated by a bad pop song (on purpose) to make the break official.  However, I just couldn't stop thinking about Blogging and what my comeback post would be. Now, after that 2 Blog Post comeback, it's time to hang up my laptop once and for all.

I LOVE Blogging. I love the community feel, I love the banter and I just love writing stuff.

It's been loads of fun over the last 6 months but now I need to get my priorities straight. My homelife and work have suffered over this time and it has reached a point where this can no longer happen. The only solution is to take a permanent break from it (sorry for sounding over dramatic but I'm gutted to be giving up something that I love doing).

I could again say that I'm just going to take another break but I know the same thing will happen and I'll just be itching to write again. I really need to draw a line under it for good and concentrate on other stuff.

Thank you for reading, bigging up my blog, for all your comments, kind words, help, support, for tagging me in memes, for sending me CDs to review, which I never actually got round to reviewing (I promise I'll send them back. For the record, 'The Land of Sometimes' and 'Music for Baby (Jazz Nursery Rhymes)' are brilliant!) and for following me on here and on Twitter over the last 6 months. Thank you for making me laugh, making me cry (in a nice way), for making me realise there are some great friends out there waiting to be discovered (I've only met two Bloggers in person - @mammasaurusblog and @romanianmum - and they are absolutely fantastic people. I'd love to meet more of you in the future) - you are all bloody brilliant.

You never know, when things are back to normal, I might become the Blogger equivalent of a 'session musician' - a 'Session Blogger' perhaps - dipping in and out to help Bloggers when they need it. Guest posting here and there if you'll have me. I might even be like Doctor Who and re-generate into someone completely different like...erm Ralph Jones from Bognor (if your name IS Ralph Jones from Bognor, please don't sue me, it's just an example). Who knows what the future holds?

There is one regular feature which I was looking forward to continuing - '5 Bands I've been listening to this month' - the Music/Dad Blogger @Daley_84 is doing something similar on his excellent Blog Comfort in Sound so please pop over and start reading his monthly update instead. Also, @belfast_dad does a brilliant regular Tuesday Track feature on his Blog - so make sure you check that out too.

Before I go I want to leave you with a little song. It was the song my parents named me after and I feel it is a fitting finale. It is dedicated to all of you. I am Simon Smith, you are my 'amazing dancing bears'. It is also appropriate that my dad would look like Randy Newman if he had bigger hair.

Right, I'm off to speak to BT about getting some Take That-style phone lines set up just in case anyone takes the news of the split badly.

See you in 'The Next Life' (or more than likely on Twitter tonight - yep, I'll still be on there every now and then).

Remember "Once a Blogger, Always a Blogger".

Thank you and goodnight.

*Turns off lights, leaves building*

#silentsunday featuring @mammasaurusblog

Right, I know this blog post is meant to be 'silent' but there's something I need to admit - I've broken the Silent Sunday rules.  You can read them here :

Silent Sunday Rules

I confess (although you can probably tell as I'm in it) I did not take this picture, my wife did. Also, I have said the words 'featuring @mammasaurusblog' in the title, I'm not meant to do this.

If I am going to prove that Parent Bloggers are Rock Stars, however, we need to starting breaking some rules. It's what Rock 'n' Roll (or 'Blog 'n' Roll') is all about.

Also, I wanted to give a shout out to the person who originally started Silent Sunday - her blog is here and is a crackin' read :

Mocha Beanie Mummy

Finally to join in with this week's Silent Sunday link up, now hosted at Love All Blogs, go here :

Love All Blogs Silent Sunday Link Up

Right, in true Rock Star (or Blog Star) style I'm off to throw my laptop out of my bedroom window!

Actually, on second thoughts, I might throw it out my daughter's Wendy House window instead to mimimise the damage. Must also remember to put a pillow down, on the ground outside the window, first.

Actually, I'm going to scrap that idea altogether as it's a bit rubbish.

5 bands I've been listening to in February

Right, there are only 3 people who can revive this blog and get it out of quarantine. Hang on a minute, Tarquin, my PR Adviser, needs to tell me something...

Erm...there's now only 2.  The third, Gregg Jevin, is unfortunately no longer with us.  So, without further ado, here they are. Take it away Beefy and Taz!

Right. *checks under bed* It looks like that bad pop group have finally gone. *looks in wardrobe*. Yep, we've got the all clear. Phew. Many thanks to Beefy and Taz. You run along now chaps and do whatever you erm...do.

To mark the return of 'musodad' I thought I'd update my blog with '5 bands I've been listening to in February'. This will become a new regular feature on the blog and will form part of the new 'musodad Monthly 2012' Spotify playlist that you can follow here - The musodad Monthly 2012

Oh and it won't be just new bands that will be included in this, there'll probably be something old, something new, something borrowed but I can confirm that the band Blue will definitely not be appearing anywhere on these pages.

So, without further ado, here are 5 bands I've been listening to this month...


1. Django Django

In 3 days time I will be seeing this band and fellow parent blogger @mammasaurusblog (aka Annie) is going too!

It was Annie who got me into them in the first place and since they released their debut album at the end of January it hasn't been off my erm...Spotify.

Very much looking forward to seeing them and also meeting Annie. It will be my first blogger meet up and she has been one of the bloggers who has inspired / helped me the most since I started 'musodad'. She is a Legend in blogging circles.

It will also be good to confirm that all you Parent Bloggers out there do actually exist and I'm not just part of some weird Truman Show-type stunt that's being shown on parent blogs across the globe. I will definitely discuss this with my hairdresser tomorrow as she likes conspiracy theories.  What if she's in on it as well though?!

Anyway, enough of me being paranoid, if you want to know what Django Django sound like, here's them doing one for their best songs - called 'Storm' - live -

2. The Maccabees

Another band (like Django Django) who were featured on my 31 Bands to fall in love with in 2012 Spotify playlist and although their third album has had mixed reviews, I reckon it's a corker.

It takes a few listens but I'm now officially hooked and can't stop listening to it.
The first single from the album was 'Pelican' and it's a beauty. You can listen to it here -

3. The Darling Buds

Do you know what I love about Spotify? That you can search for the name of a song / band and discover, or re-discover, a completely different band who you then can't stop listening to. That's the reason why I've been listening to 'Pop Said' by The Darling Buds so much this month.

I was putting together an NME Chart playlist for this year, searched for 'Hit the Ground Superman' by The Big Pink and re-discovered 'Hit the Ground' by The Darling Buds. I loved them when I was younger and now I'm loving them all over again. The album is a gem, every song is very catchy and I reckon it would be HUGE if it was released now.

That same night I tweeted I was listening to them and got into a conversation with @GoingUndrground who also hadn't heard them in ages. He listened to them, we both agreed they were amazing and we 'man hugged' over Twitter. Sort of.

If you don't know them, here they are on Top of the Pops playing 'Hit the Ground' which was their biggest hit at the time (ps in his autobiography Alex James from Blur confessed to having an affair with the lead singer. You didn't hear it from me, right? *taps nose with finger*) -

4. Bucks Fizz

Yes I can confirm that isn't a mis-print, it really does say 'Bucks Fizz' and, you know what, I'm not ashamed of it?! I probably should tell you how this came about though, shouldn't I?!

Last month @relucthousedad asked everyone for 'unlikely guitar solos' on Twitter. One of mine I put forward was 'The Land of Make Believe' by Bucks Fizz. Listening to it transported me back to nights out at 'Guilty Pleasures' in Camden and as their debut album was the first I ever bought I decided to go back and have a listen.

Yep, okay, they did record some real shockers - 'Talking in your sleep' being one - but songs like 'Piece of the action', 'Making your mind up' and 'If you can't stand the heat' are pop classics.

My favourite though has to be 'My camera never lies', if this was released now it would be MASSIVE. Pete Paphides, Caitlin Moran's husband, said on Twitter last week that it sounds like The Futureheads. They were way ahead of their time and there WILL be a revival this year (2018 at the latest). You heard it here first!

Your first step in joining the cult is to listen to that particular song here (wearing of bad leather jackets with cut off sleeves / waistcoats is optional) -

5. Then Jerico

When I was 13/14 years old, Then Jerico were my favourite band. I knew the words to all their songs and I'd annoy the hell out of my dad singing along to them all the time in the car. I even wrote their name on my school bag which, as you know, is the mark of a true fan.
But then something happened, I started getting into obscure indie bands (courtesy of John Peel) and I fell out of love with them. You can read more about that time here - Introducing 'musodad's Yuletide 24' playlist

So why now, after 22 years, are they appearing in my blog post of bands I've listened to this month?! Well, it's all thanks to @bryony32

There's a meme going around at the moment called 'MP3 Shuffle'. You put your iPod on shuffle and blog about the first 5 tracks that play. One of @bryony32's songs was 'Big Area' by Then Jerico. I had a listen, remembered how much I used to love them and even went a bit tingly.

Then when we were discussing them on Twitter, @randompearlsof mentioned he used to like them too and it turned into one massive Then Jerico love-in (especially between @bryony32 and the lead singer's eyes!)

I listened to them the very next day - the WHOLE of 'The Big Area' album without skipping ANY songs - and do you know what, they still sound pretty good? Some of the songs from their first album also stand the test of time.

I'd therefore like to take this opportunity to apologise to Mark Shaw, the lead singer (he's definitely reading), for being a bit unkind to them in the above blog post. I hope we can still be friends (I know we're not friends but if we were it would be great if we could carry on being friends. Even though we're not).

Anyway, the song I've chosen, to add to the playlist, is 'Song for the brokenhearted' cause I know I broke Mark's heart in that blog post and this is me making it up to him. *taps fist on heart* Love you Mark! -

So there you have it. Before I go, I'd just like to thank all of the Tweeters / Bloggers mentioned above. It's been great chatting music with you this month - in fact since I started 'musodad'. 

If anyone else reading has any recommendations of new or old music they think I should be listening to next month then please comment below or Tweet me @musodad and I promise I will check it out.

So, until next time "Good morning, and in case I don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening and good night!" (*whispers* "it's from 'The Truman Show'").

Mix-Tape Monday #11 : A Song I Hate

Warning! This Blog has been contaminated by the very bad song that appears below. It will therefore be placed in quarantine until further notice.

Normal service will resume as soon as possible.

Thank you for your patience.

Love 'n' hugs

Simon Smith, lead singer of 'musodad'
xx

Ps to join in with Mix-Tape Monday click on the badge on the right side of this blog and 'I want my mummy' - The Blogger formerly known as 'Boo and Me' - will tell you how.

musodad announces debut 'blog post album' release plus a meme / linky type thing

Hi everyone

Hope you're all well.

Today I'd like to announce the details of my debut 'blog post album' and also talk about how you can get involved in releasing yours as well as part of my new meme / link up.

Ladies and gentleman, welcome to 'Blog Post Album of the Year 2012'...

My definition of a 'blog post album' is a collection of your 12 favourite blog posts you've ever written (if you've written less than this don't worry, I'll give you an idea how you can still get involved later). Imagine you're in a band (I do every day!) and instead of needing to whittle down that selection of 30 songs you've just recorded during that 3 month stint in the studio into an album, you need to instead select blog posts.

There are so many great bloggers out there but finding the time to read everyone's archived blog posts is impossible and I reckon there are some 'hidden gems' out there that deserve to be released again - that was my main motivation for doing this.

At the end of the year, once everyone has linked up and released their 'blog post albums' I am going to hold a vote for 'Blog Post Album of the Year', where you can pick your favourites, with prizes and even a trophy as a little keepsake for the winner. Then we'll have an awards ceremony where the winner has to read out their blog posts on stage while the rest of us are moshing in the front rows. It will be awesome! Hmmm, maybe we should park the last idea for the time being but let's see how it goes.

The main thing about this though is that it is your chance to get your 12 favourite ever blog posts read by people and discover theirs along the way.

So without further ado, here's mine and then afterwards I'll talk about how you can link yours up -

Oh, and of course your 'blog post album' needs a name and a front cover. I've decided to call mine 'Home is where the Hertford is' in tribute to where we live. 

This is the front cover (you can probably tell that designing this kind of stuff has never been my strong point) :

The Yellow Fluffy Duck in the picture is the one given to O. by an American Police Officer on our Honeymoon.  You can read more about the events that led up to this in Blog Post 3 below.

The tracklisting, including links to the blog posts and sleevenotes, is as follows :

Side A

Blog post 1 - What inspired me to start writing 'musodad'...

I thought it made sense to kick my debut blog post album off with my first ever blog post as to why I started blogging - and here it is.

Blog post 2 - 'Daddy's Beard' - the debut single by Groovy Conker

'Groovy Conker' was the name of the band that O. invented while we were playing 'musodad's band name game' (see Blog post 4 below for more details).  Then, one day, totally unprompted, she wrote me a song.  This is the story behind it.

Blog post 3 - "O. darling, there ain't no appeasing you" AKA 'Two Honeymooners and a baby vs two American cops and a yellow fluffy duck'

This is the story of our Honeymoon and O's reaction to jetlag and long journeys that caused us to have a couple of encounters with two American cops along the way.  This is where the yellow fluffy duck on the front cover of the album comes in.

Blog post 4 - What's in a band name? Find yours with 'musodad's band name game'

Unsurprisingly this is a post all about band names. It ends with a game I invented for O. using magnetic words. As mentioned earlier, this game saw the birth of the band name 'Groovy Conker' which is what O. wants to call her band when she grows up.

Blog post 5 - What do you want to be when you grow up? Dreams of Rock Stardom and choosing the background music to Waterloo Road

I am obsessed with why certain music is chosen to be used in TV programmes. This blog post is all about that.

This was my first post featured on the @LoveDadBlogs Fatherload.  I was so chuffed to find out on that particular Saturday morning that it was in there.

Blog post 6 - What is the optimum number of songs to put on a playlist?

This is perhaps, no it definitely is, my most geekiest, music anorakiest (is that even a word?) and complicated blog post to date. My wife always reads my blog posts after I've written them (and occasionally has to point out the odd mistake etc). After she read this one, she looked knackered. I think it made her brain hurt.

Anyway, in a nutshell, if you've ever wondered why all of my Spotify playlists are (meant to be) 24 songs long - all of the answers are here.

Side B

Blog post 7 - Introducing 'musodad's Yuletide 24' playlist - it's like a rubbish version of 'John Peel's Festive 50'

This was my blog post tribute to John Peel on the anniversary of his death. I also felt this was the perfect time to announce my 'Yuletide 24' playlist - which was based on John's 'Festive 50' - in tribute to the great man. You can read all about it here.

Blog post 8 - Nick Cave and The Bad Parents - what not to do in the Peak District with two young children

This was my first non music related blog post about the time my wife and I took O. and C. down a cave in the Peak District and the examples of bad parenting that ensued. This was the blog post that was featured in the 'Who let the dads out?' dad blog post compilation book by @tombriggs79 and @dotterel

Blog post 9 - The Mimic Man and other holiday 'classics'

Our first family holiday (as a foursome) was to Majorca in the Summer. This blog post is all about the children's entertainment that was on at our hotel complex. It also contains a lot of references to Black Lace and describes the Worst World Record in the World Ever! (which yours truly holds).

Blog post 10 - X Factor Anonymous - one dad's unhealthy addiction to a prime time TV show

This blog post is all about my addiction to X Factor and my prediction for the 2011 series. My predicted winner came third, after originally being voted out in the first week. This proves that I know nothing.

Blog post 11 - When did High Street shops start playing such great music?

This was my second ever blog post. Even though it is raw it has a special place in my heart as it was on that shopping trip that I thought of the name 'musodad' and decided I was going to become a dad blogger.

Blog post 12 - The reasons why Parent Bloggers are cooler than Rock Stars

This was my last blog post release of 2011 and is all about comparing the coolness of Parent Bloggers and Rock Stars using NME's 'Cool list' criteria.

I have images in my head of all of the Parent Bloggers I have 'met' on Twitter over the past few months shooting a Band Aid type video one day and, at the end of it, all of us are singing '9-1 to the Parent Blogs'.  Will it ever become reality? Most probably, yes!

Well, that's it.  If you haven't read any of the above before, I hope you enjoy them.

Anyway, now it's your turn...

This is what you'll need to prepare before you post your album on your blog :

1) Choose 12 of your favourite blog posts and set them out with sleevenotes and links as above. The blog posts don't have to be from last year, they can be from the archives - it's up to you.

If you are a relatively new blogger, and don't have 12 blog posts, don't worry, you can release a 'mini album' if you like. If you've been doing this for years, and can't limit yourself to 12, don't worry, you can release a 'double album' if you like.  I wouldn't, however, recommend you posting a '5 blog post album box set' as it is very unlikely it will all get read but if you want to do it then please go ahead.

2) Choose a name for your 'blog post album' and a front cover and again set it out like I have.

3) Link it up at the bottom of this blog post.  This linky will be open until 31st December 2012 so no rush. After that everyone can start voting for their favourites.

4) Add the following link back to this page - Blog Post Album of the Year 2012 - somewhere within your blog post so that people can link up easily. If your 'blog post album' isn't linked up then it won't be able to be entered into the vote for 'blog post album of the year' as I might not know about it.

Once it's linked up, each month I will Tweet about the 'blog post albums' that have been posted the previous month and direct people to them.

So there you have it. In true meme stylee though, I've chosen 7 bloggers (AKA 'M Club 7') to tag and get the ball rolling / spread the word. Don't worry if the tag doesn't make it to you, it's a link up, anyone can get involved. 

M Club 7 consists of :

@mammasaurusblog
@SAHDandproud
@himupnorth
@katetakes5
@crystaljigsaw
@redrosemummy
@motherventing

Go forth and conquer, my friends...

Finally, just to let you know, that due to musical differences in my work / life balance I'm going to take some time out from updating my blog but I'll still be on Twitter regularly, linking up to / interacting with other bloggers at the all new @LoveAllBlogs , reading / commenting on your blogs and hopefully reading your 'blog post albums' over the next few months. :o)

While I'm away I'll be promoting my album and taking it on tour - linking my blog posts up 'here, there and everywhere'. After that I'm going to head back into the studio to write some new material.

Now it's time for me to go. Remember, this isn't 'goodbye', it's merely a 'see you next tour'....

Oh and here's the link up thing...

31 Bands to fall in love with in 2012

Happy New Year everyone - hope you had a good one.

Over here at musodad the new year means another new Spotify playlist.  Whereas the last playlist was all about rediscovering the past with #bandsthatshouldhavebeenbigger, the new playlist is all about discovering the bands of the future and which ones we might fall in love with in 2012.

That, in a nutshell is what the new playlist is all about. I'd like to add though that it's not necessarily brand new bands that I'm going to be raising a glass to, and making my 'Song of the day' on Twitter, over the next month. Elbow are the perfect example of a band who grafted for years to make a lot of people fall in love with them, so amongst the 'new kids on the block', there are going to be some 'old hats' - and one of these are about to release their third album. Oh and it's not just bands, by the way, some solo artists will be on the playlist as well.

In 2010, I fell in love with The Drums and in 2011 it was The Vaccines. This year who knows? I've a good feeling though that it might be the band who are going to kick the playlist off today. They are called Tribes and boy, they are good!

Anyway, there's a little teaser for you.  You can subscribe to / follow the Spotify playlist, and listen to a song by Tribes, here - 31 Bands to fall in love with in 2012

Oh and the reason there are 31 songs on this playlist when I always go on about 24 being the optimum number. Firstly, there were so many bands I wanted to include that I couldn't limit it to 24 and secondly, this could be my last playlist for a little while (I'll reveal more about that tomorrow) so I wanted to make the most of it and stretch it out over the month, I therefore chose 31 - one for every day in January.


Before I go though I also wanted to shamelessly plug my previous 6 Spotify playlists from 2011 :

Bands that should have been bigger Playlist

Thanks to everyone who contributed to this - again I was going to limit the playlist to the usual 24 songs but at the moment it stands at 35. Even a week after the playlist ended, bands are still being added (Modest Mouse were the latest addition). You can listen to the playlist here - Bands that should have been bigger

I'm still going to keep this one open so if you think of anymore then either comment below here or Tweet @musodad with the hashtag #bandsthatshouldhavebeenbigger and your choice will be added.

Top Of The Mums And Pops (TOTMAPs) Playlist

After I put together my 24 favourite songs of 2011 (see below), I wanted to know what yours were and this was the result. Again, thanks to everyone who contributed to this. We made it to the magic 24 number and you can listen to it here - TOTMAPs 2011

The Yuletide 24 - 2011 Playlist

These were my Top 24 songs of 2011 and you can listen to them here - The Yuletide 24 - 2011

Whistling Songs

This playlist was born out of The Yuletide 24. On the day that 'Lippy Kids' by Elbow was my Song of the Day, I asked Twitter what 'other songs with whistling in' they could think of and this was the result. Thanks again to everyone who contributed to it. You can listen to it here - Whistling Songs

24 sub-two minute wonders playlist

This does what it says on the tin - it contains 24 songs under two minutes long. Again a few people contributed to this (thank you) and there are some absolute beauties on here, it's definitely worth a listen - go on, you know you want to :o) - 24 sub-two minute wonders

The musodad playlist

This was the first ever Spotify playlist I put together for the musodad blog. It contains a number of songs that were relevant at the time e.g. songs I played at my ukulele lessons, songs I'd heard in High Street shops when I decided to start writing 'musodad' (see one of my first ever blog posts - When did High Street shops start playing such great music? - for more info) or just mean something to me e.g. they were my wife's ringtone when I first met her.

Again, I'd love for you to go and have a listen here - The musodad playlist

If you don't want to spend time clicking on every link above, search for 'spotify:user:musodad' in the search field on Spotify and you'll find me.

Right, that's about it from me for today - enjoy!

#silentsunday

One photo, no words (not very good at this bit am I?!), from the past week

The reasons why Parent Bloggers are cooler than Rock Stars

Last month the NME published their '2011 Cool List', the list of the 50 coolest "Rock Stars" on the planet right now.  You can read all about it here - NME Cool list 2011

Without doubt everyone featured is pretty cool but I often wonder who NME use as a benchmark to compare these cool Rock Stars with.  With no spokesperson available for comment (to be honest, I didn't even ask!), I decided I would take it upon myself to find this 'control' group.  The first group I could think of was, unsurprisingly, Parent Bloggers.

Parent Bloggers and Rock Stars are actually more similar than we think - we are both role models for a younger generation, neither of us gets much sleep and we both know how to partay! I wasn't there but the recent Tots 100 Christmas party sounded a lot livelier than an NME Awards do I once went to!

But when all is said and done, who really is the coolest? Well, ladies and gentleman, today we are going to find out.

Using NME's 'Ten Commandments of Cool', the criteria that accompanied the Cool List, I am going to put a case across for each as to why Parent Bloggers are potentially cooler than Rock Stars and then use a simple scoring system to find a winner.

Please be warned that there are some 'Parental Advisory' words relating to Jools Holland and multi-storey car parks (not at the same time though) that NME provided in their 'commandments'. Anyway, here goes :

1. WEAR THE UNWEARABLE If you carry off a look that a mere civilian would be attacked in the street for rocking, you is da shiz.

The case for Parent Bloggers - parents are renowned for wearing more than just clothes in the street - it's usually made up of snot, our baby's breakfast etc. Oh and at least we dress ourselves and don't let our record company do it for us - that is NOT cool.

Parent Bloggers 1 Rock Stars 0

2. TERRORISE THE MAINSTREAM There's nothing cooler than making Jools Holland shit himself.

The case for Parent Bloggers - okay, Rock Stars, who is going to clean the mess up? Not bloody us matey! However, we will probably have some spare nappies on us to help Jools out in his hour of need, and that's pretty cool.

Parent Bloggers 2 Rock Stars 0

3. CULTIVATE THE MEDIA The less we know about you, the more we want to orally pleasure you in multi-storey car parks.

The case for Parent Bloggers - there was obviously a typo in this commandment as NME had spelt aural wrong but...sorry, hang on a minute. What's that? (sorry my PR advisor needs to tell me something).

Really?!! In a multi-storey car park?!! That's very unhygienic with all of those exhaust fumes and everything! Do you know if they're referring to an NCP? You can't confirm. Okay.

Well erm...what's so cool about that anyway?!!

Parent Bloggers 3 Rock Stars 0

4. BE COMFORTABLE WITH 'COOL' The cool don't have to say they're cool. They KNOW they're cool. Knowing you're NOT cool is not cool.

The case for Parent Bloggers - Oh COME ON, have you ever seen the way we act at kids' parties and dance at Wedding receptions?!

Parent Bloggers 4 Rock Stars 0

5. HAVE PHYSICS-DEFYING HAIR Cool used to be about how little you could see through your fringe; now it's about how much Cochrane you've got in your curl.

The case for Parent Bloggers - How do we know what our hair looks like anyway - we never have time to look in the mirror?!

Parent bloggers 5 Rock Stars 0

6. BEEF UP THE BEEFS Nothing says 'fuck you, Media Training Advisor!' more than slagging off other acts in print with nary a care for who your dressing room is pitched next to at festivals.

The case for Parent Bloggers - we're lovers not fighters, that's much cooler.

Parent bloggers 6 Rock Stars 0

7. TURN THAT FROWN UPSIDE DOWN 'Closure' is back, and cheering up is the new moping about like a twat.

The case for Parent Bloggers - Hmmm, I haven't seen much evidence from Rock Stars of them fulfilling this commandment recently, to be honest.  Parent Bloggers, on the other hand, are a happy go lucky bunch even when we look and feel like zombies.

Parent bloggers 7 Rock Stars 0

8. COMEBACK WITH CONFIDENCE Every Tom, Dick and Dodgy is reforming, so give us every ounce of nostalgia with nobs on.

The case for Parent Bloggers - yeah right, you'll 'Comeback with confidence' if the money is right, eh?!  I, and many other bloggers before me, never have, and probably never will, earn a penny from blogging (I have won a Trunkisaurus, yes, but that was in a competition. There's no law against Rock Stars entering competitions y'know?!) We do this cause with love it! Where's your passion?! Where are you?! Let's be having you?!!! Sorry, erm...went a bit 'Delia Smith' on you there! Anyway, I think I've made my point (and won us another one - yes!!!)

Parent bloggers 8 Rock Stars 0

9. INNOVATE Credibility comes wrapped in fresh ideas as naturally as Odd Future records come wrapped in parental warning stickers.

The case for Parent Bloggers - even I have innovated in my time as a Blogger and written blog posts that don't just focus on music, like this one - 'AKA...Two Honeymooners and a baby vs two American cops and a yellow fluffy duck'  Status Quo, on the other hand, still only use three chords.

Parent bloggers 9 Rock Stars 0

10. JUST 'HAVE IT' Sorry Dalston Superstars: some people are descended from a strata of our species known as Homo Bossasfookus.

I'll let the Rock Stars have this one as a consolation as, to be honest, I feel a bit sorry for them and their underperformance.  Beaten by Parent Bloggers - ha ha! Who'd have thought it?!!

FINAL SCORE : Parent bloggers 9 Rock Stars 1

So, there you have it, it's official - Parent Bloggers are without doubt cooler. 

Right then, all together now - "9-1 to the parent blogs, 9-1 to the parent blogs, 9-1..."

Mix-Tape Monday #7 : A Song That Means Something Special

When I first met my wife, this song was the ringtone on her phone. 

It therefore always reminds me of her.  That's why it means something special to me.

To join in, click on the Mix-Tape Monday badge over there to the right.  Down a bit. Nearly there. That's the one.

My favourite Christmas song - re-released with Mix-Tape Monday #8 Bonus Track

This blog post has been re-released as part of Boo and Me's Mix-Tape Monday #8. I like to see it as a bonus track but it's probably more of a 'Lazy Git remix'. To join in with Mix-Tape Monday, please click on the badge on the right hand side of this blog.

This was the original blog post :

I was meant to be going to see The Vaccines - one of my favourite bands at the moment - tonight.  However, I'm feeling a bit under the weather so had to give it a miss.  I'm a bit gutted so, as the perfect antidote, I thought I'd do a festive meme and get into the Christmas spirit instead.

It was the beautiful man @SAHDandproud who tagged me in this cheeky little festive meme and it is called 'My favourite Christmas song'.

There were loads of candidates but I've added a further challenge into the mix in that I want to choose a song that I think @SAHDandproud will like.  He explained on his blog that he 'loathes (the usual) Christmas songs' and his choice of song was instead a Christmas Carol, the video of which he appeared in and, by the sounds of it, Cilla Black isn't allowing to be published on You Tube because he yawns in it!

But, do you know what, I think I might have cracked it?! Actually, on second thoughts, if he doesn't like Tim Minchin then I probably haven't.

Recently, the Australian comedian released an excellent Christmas song called 'White Wine in the Sun'.  It's the perfect balance of his brilliant comedy genius with the sentimentality of Christmas.  It never fails to turn on musodad's waterworks I can tell you.  Being a father of two young girls, this is the verse that always gets to me :

'And you, my baby girl
My jetlagged infant daughter
You'll be handed round the room
Like a puppy at a primary school
And you won't understand
But you will learn someday
That wherever you are and whatever you face
These are the people who'll make you feel safe in this world...'

It's those last four lines that do it.

Again I'd like to thank @SAHDandproud for tagging me and I hope I have made him reappraise his views on Christmas Songs.  As always with memes, to keep the dream alive, it's time to tag some more people :

@infantisaurus01 as he's the only dad blogger I know who will be doing the same as Tim this Christmas (the lucky old so and so)

@belfast_dad and @The_Last_Slayer as they've both got great tastes in music and I'm intrigued as to what they'll choose

@Ghostwritermumm as I want to see if one of She & Him's Christmas songs has made it to the top of her list

@marchharetales as I used to sit next to her on the school coach 18 years ago and I've since forgotten what her Christmas song tastes are like (and I don't think she's been tagged in a meme yet so it's about time she was 'initiated into the cult')

Mix-Tape Monday #5 : The first song I bought

"Poor old Johnny Raaayyyyyyyyyy!"

I purchased the 7-inch single of this song, with my pocket money, from WH Smith when I was seven years old.

The song has followed me around ever since - being played in night clubs, the Student Union bar, Weddings etc. - and it always has a habit of bringing people together in a large group hug before they all jump up and down in a frantic manner in time to the music.

I loved it when I was 7 and, nearly 30 years later, I still do...

To join in, click on Boo and Me's 'Mix-Tape Monday' badge over to the right hand side of this blog and down a bit...

'Daddy's Beard' - the debut single by Groovy Conker

Today O. wrote a song for me totally unprompted.  I was very touched, not just because she wrote me a song, but because of the lyrical content as well.  She is only 4 years old and it is brilliant.  If she keeps going like this, my dream of retiring at the age of 50 could well become reality.

I have decided to therefore pencil in a release date of March 2023 for this debut single (please put it in your diaries now) - 2 years short of my 50th birthday.  O. will be 16 by this time (which I believe is old enough for pop stardom considering you can enter X-Factor and it was also the age Britney Spears signed her first record deal - and it did her no harm did it?!) and this will therefore give her a couple of years to build up a fanbase by touring extensively (and therefore not seeing any of her friends) and I can live off the royalties for years to come after that.

Oh and, of course, the song will be released under the moniker 'Groovy Conker'.  If you want to read about the background to this name, you can do so here - musodad's band name game

Anyway, without further ado here is the song.  Please do not attempt to plagiarise it, this blog post is dated so you won't win in a Court of Law (but we could maybe come to some kind of out of court agreement).

If you hadn't already guessed, the song is called 'Daddy's Beard' (I'd just like to point out that I don't actually have a beard but please don't split hairs, she is only 4 for crying out loud!).  Anyway, here goes :

"Daddy, you are nicer than an ice cream sundae.
You have a hairy beard.
I love you more than a lovely princess".

So there it is - told you it was great, didn't I?  I'm going to lay down some Early Learning Centre keyboard over the top of it this weekend and probably add a ukulele solo or two. 

If there are any A&R people reading, please either leave your details in the comments box below or contact me via Twitter - @musodad

I look forward to hearing from you...

Fiction Fridays #4 : Cinderella's Bum

Like most 4 year olds (I hope anyway!), O's three favourite words at the moment are poo, wee and bum.  It is therefore no surprise that 'Cinderella's Bum' by Nicholas Allan (also responsible for the excellent 'The Queen's Knickers') is one of her favourite books at the moment.  It's very funny - I guarantee you will love it too!

The opening line is : "My big sister's always worried about her bum.  But I think it is lovely!"

Want to join in?  Click on the badge below and let @homedad tell you how...

'The Yuletide 24' 2011 - the complete list of musodad's favourite songs of the year

So, 'The Yuletide 24' is now complete.  For those of you wondering what this is, it was a list of my favourite 24 songs in 2011.  I decided to collate it as a personal tribute to the great man John Peel and his annual 'Festive 50' and I've really enjoyed putting it together, listening to loads of great music along the way.  If you'd like to read my blog post tribute to John Peel, you can do so here - Introducing 'The Yuletide 24' - it's like a rubbish version of John Peel's 'Festive 50'

For those of you who use Spotify, you can now listen to the full playlist here - The Yuletide 24 - 2011 For those of you who don't, below is the list, in reverse order.  Please imagine that 'The Wizard' by Paul Hardcastle is playing in your head to give it a 'Top of the Pops' atmos :

24 - 'Writing's on the wall' by Plan B
23 - 'I want the world to stop' by Belle & Sebastian
22 - 'Still Life' by The Horrors
21 - 'A Heavy Abacus' by The Joy Formidable
20 - 'Lions in cages' by Wolf Gang
19 - 'Live those days tonight' by Friendly Fires
18 - 'Don't sit down 'cause I've moved your chair' by Arctic Monkeys
17 - 'The City' by Patrick Wolf
16 - 'L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N.' by Noah and the Whale
15 - 'Honey all Over' by Gruff Rhys
14 - 'Pumped up Kicks' by Foster the People
13 - 'Sappho' by Tribes
12 - 'You are a Tourist' by Death Cab for Cutie
11 - 'AKA...What a Life!' by Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
10 - 'The Words that Maketh Murder' by PJ Harvey
9 - 'Lippy Kids' by Elbow
8 - 'Good for Nothing' by Hard-Fi
7 - 'Give up the Ghost' by Radiohead
6 - 'Two kinds of Happiness' by The Strokes
5 - 'Walking Far From Home' by Iron & Wine
4 - 'Video Games' by Lana Del Rey
3 - 'If you Wanna' by The Vaccines
2 - 'How it ended' by The Drums
1 - 'Lights Out, Words Gone' by Bombay Bicycle Club

So, what do you think? Agree / disagree?  Any songs I’ve missed?


Well, now it’s over to you – other than any comments on the above, it would be great if you could let me know your 2 favourite songs of the year so we can build a ‘Top of the mums and pops’ (TOTMAP) 2011 playlist together.  As I mentioned in my John Peel tribute post, you don’t have to be a mum or a dad to submit songs, I just liked the name and it stuck.  Either comment here or send them to me on Twitter - @musodad

You've got until the 31st December and then I'll publish the Spotify playlist in the new year.  It doesn't matter if your 2 songs are in the above list or have been featured on a previous playlist.  Oh and it won't be limited to 24 songs (if I actually get 24 songs in total, I'll be a very happy man!)

Finally, once one door closes, another opens.  ‘The Yuletide 24’ 2011 playlist may now be complete but it’s time to start another.  This is going to be called (drum roll, please) ‘24 Bands that should have been bigger’.

This playlist is all about bands who are no longer with us, and it’s a bloody shame that they’re not.  These are bands who might have enjoyed moderate success, but never the success they deserved, for example, they never headlined Glastonbury but they should have.  These are bands who split up too early and who we would love to have back (you never know, some might still be touring tiny pubs somewhere, we just don’t know about it).

I’m going to try and make this interactive as well, so if you have any suggestions, please use the hashtag #bandsthatshouldhavebeenbigger and an example of the band / artist they should have been as big as.  To give you an example (and for thanking you for being one of the first people to read this blog post) I am going to tell you that tomorrow’s Song of the day is ‘Great Things’ by Echobelly.  An excellent band who I wish were still around and really should have been as big as Blondie.


You can also subscribe to / follow the Spotify playlist here - 24 Bands that should have been bigger

Thanks for reading.