but we know where he's coming from and we know the score

Earworms of the week - the songs that have been troubling my brain by circling round and round and round.... Bit of an odd mix this week as I've just ripped a load of old CD singles, and some of them have got stuck.

10. 'Footloose' - Kenny Loggins
Only the first 20 seconds or so... but Jesus H. Christ that's enough. Are you happy now? Are you?

9. 'Unconditional' - The Bravery
Great circular guitar riff at the beginning, and because every year should sound like 1985.

8. 'Black Coffee' - All Saints
I sometimes worry that my music collection deals almost exclusively with skinny, white, male guitar bands. Then I found this little pop gem in with my CD singles. It's almost enough to allow me to forgive them for murdering 'Under the Bridge'. Almost.

7. 'Life on Mars' - David Bowie
Could have been any number of classic Bowie songs (see recent album purchases below). This one is my favourite Bowie song ever, I think. Mickey Mouse has grown up a cow, you know.

6. 'Sleep' - Marion
Ah. Obscure indie bands of the 90s. I've no idea what happened to Marion, but this is a coruscating little number. "In a sense we're exactly the same, because we're both so different in every way".

5. 'Philadelphia' - Neil Young
This was one of the singles buried in my collection, but has resurfaced here thanks to Ka. Bruce Springsteen's is probably the feem-toon most people remember, but this is surely the better song. Young's reed-thin voice sounds so tremulous and fragile that it might break. Beautiful song.

4. 'Ghostbusters' - Ray Parker Jr
Because none of you have managed to convince me that this is not in fact the greatest theme tune to a film ever written. Brilliant. Also here because this is such a great feelgood record, and reminds me of an excellent Xmas dinner and singsong. Damnit, and because busting makes me feel good.

3. 'Rebel Rebel' - Seu Jorge
From "The Life Aquatic" Soundtrack. Who knew that Classic Bowie would sound so good performed in Portuguese? Mind you, the songs are so good, they probably sound good in the original Martian (because he is an alien, isn't he?)

2. 'Nice Guy Eddie' - Sleeper
I dug out my old Sleeper album ('Smart') and gave it a listen the other day and it was much, much better than I remembered it. Louise Wener had talents other than providing soundbites for the NME, although I think in the end that obsured everything else. This is off their other album, and I downloaded it from Itunes the other day. A credit should probably go out to Lord Bargain at this point... it was on in his car when we went to see Athlete the other week, and that's probably where it sunk into my subconscious.

1. 'Ladykillers' - Lush
I've had this single for about a decade and I'm still not bored of it (even if the first line is so horribly evocative of the whole Britpop era...). I'm not 100% sure what they're banging on about, as I'm still not certain that the lyrics entirely make sense... but I love it anyway. Whatever they're saying, they certainly sound like they mean it. I've just listened to it three times in a row as I write this, and it still sounds fresh. It's that kind of a song. Great single.

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Couple of CD purchases I forgot to update you on... all springing out of my refound obsession with David Bowie and the brilliance of "The Life Aquatic".

- The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou - OST
- Hunky Dory - David Bowie
- The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust... - David Bowie
- Aladdin Sane - David Bowie

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I'm on holiday now for a week - setting off at the absurdly anti-social time of 02:10 to get down to Gatwick airport for a 07:00 flight tomorrow morning. I'm off skiing in Courchevel, so should have plenty of opportunity to practice my burgeoning fluency in nonsense french. I don't think I'll be able to blog, but I'm sure you'll be able to contain your disappointment and soldier on in my absence...

So all that remains to be said is:

Au Revoir, mes amis - le singe est dans le jardin avec Yvette et l'eglise est dans la poubelle. Je suis un blaireau. A bientôt!