Andy Tullock's Music Column January 2006 (3/4)

(1/3), (2/4), (3/4). (4/4).

However one thing is for sure, January 2006 belongs to those boys across the way. Regardless of whether Viking will still not add them to their blinkered playlist (but have Chilli Peppers, Foo Fighters and Oasis in their classics), whether or not you managed to purchase one of Wonkers Golden Tickets for the Crystal (Pumpkin at midnight?) bandwagon, whether or not you give a fuck what Cowell, Walsh, Foxy & Tom, Hirsty & friggin JoJo say, the month belonged to those primitive friends of the eskimos and thank god. Let's hope that Earl's right, and every positive creates another. Here's to another good year, and me being another year older!

(Cue end of movie voice-over): So there you go, don't think that was too painful was it? Alongside my monthly drivel...sorry insight, I will then unpick everything I have said by giving a little list (it's not really that little when you consider it in comparison to the actual article itself) recording a lot of various nonsense on the hope that someone out there actually values what I say and goes out and downloads (legally of course) and discovers new music that they have never heard. Most categories are self-explanatory so will pretty much leave it to you. Anyway down to it........

My January Awards..... Artist of the Month

Obviously no contest here and nothing more has to be said other than the Arctic Monkeys. Single of the Month This goes to a band of which huge things are expected of in the forthcoming 12 months or so (see my forthcoming articles on New Bands for 2006, which is also running fashionably late. Plug number 1), but already The Sunshine Underground have set their stall out with the quite brilliant Commercial Breakdown.

It really would be quite hard to exaggerate how much I love this record, it incorporates all the great influences of the British 'indie' music scene from the last 10 years and envelops it into a great single that hasn't received the recognition it deserves. Radiohead, early Manics and even the illustrious Mansun can be cited as influences on this under -acknowledged start from Yorkshire's own. This has been said many times over the last year, but expect big things from these Leeds lads very soon, otherwise justice is a word 'soaked in falsehood'.

Album of the Month I tried, I really did. I wanted to award somebody else this accolade, but who would I be kidding and what would I be achieving? Everybody knows that this already has a good challenge for album of the bloody year as if Jose Mourinho was its producer and Abramovich its...er...backer. Lets just say Arctic Monkeys 'Whatever People Say I Am, I'm Not'.

Although I'd like to make a special mention to Richard Ashcroft for not only making his greatest album since Urban Hymns but also for achieving sales of 70,000 - plus in the same week as the most influential album for a decade used up 360,000 of people's album-buying allowance. To do this in a different genre would've been an enviable feat but in the same is an achievement not to be overlooked. It could be a big year for the self-proclaimed Christ, Mark II.

Continued..... Next Page (4/4).

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