Splinters

John Peel's legendary Festive Fifty is going ahead. The site offers listeners the chance to vote for their three favourite songs of the year. It also provides Peel's September recommendations, including a record by Prosthetic Cunt. Named after David Aaronovitch's holiday fill-in perhaps?

Anyway, my melancholic vote for best track of the year was Gulf Shores by Bonnie 'Prince' Billy from January's world-historical Greatest Palace Music. I remember Peel himself wondering if the record was for people who didn't like the original versions of the songs, but I think this reception is misguided. It is, like Peel's death, a heartbreaker.

Actually, it still feels like we're living in a parallel universe, what with Hitler being re-elected, Blair regressing to childish innocence like that character in McEwan's novel and the three moons in the sky.