A week away

Thematic link to blog title in the post heading. Nice work, Simon.

So while you work out which of the million anti-X Factor Christmas record campaigns to fall in line with so you can strike that blow against organised chart-buggering campaigns - you really didn't think that through, did you? - news has not stopped happening. For one thing, we're getting together the UK blogger album of 2007 poll, which is progressing slowly but surely towards its January 1st revelation. In domestic news, the countdown of our favourite singles of 2007 begins tomorrow. As far as other people's work is concerned, though, here's some stuff you might like to note:

Remember our post on Pagan Wanderer Lu's behalf seeking volunteers for a tribute album to the giant isopod? It's only gone and come into fruition, with the likes of PWL himself, the recently Myspace-highlighted Paul Hawkins and a lot of people we know nothing about. No release date yet, but tracks are streaming on that linked Myspace account there.

As with ourselves, the end of year lists are coming thick and fast, and Largehearted Boy is doing its utmost to be on top of them all. Among them, the Onion AV Club's annual worst band names of the year anthology, including The View for some reason.

There's an event even before New Year's Eve to consider, though, and some have put year-long reflection aside for now and asked assorted musical names to name their favourite Christmas songs. mp3hugger polled representatives from, among many others, Los Campesinos!, Carter USM, Cud, Whipping Boy, Swervedriver, James Yorkston, Cathal Coughlan, Fujiya & Miyagi, Simple Kid, Ola Podrida, The Boy Least Likely To, The Bird & The Bee, Fanfarlo and Club 8; meanwhile The Von Pip Musical Express has asked Miki Berenyi, Eric Matthews, Asobi Seksu, The Duke Spirit, The Hot Puppies, Monster Bobby, the Puppini Sisters, The Hussy's and Charlotte Hatherl...hang on, Miki Berenyi? Out of Lush? Cripes.

The real Christmas storytelling tradition. does not however lie in three minutes thirty of bells and elastic scansion but in the narrative form. The Orange Prize-nominated novelist Maile Meloy, Colin's sister, shares a heartbreaking family tale with Slate.

While musically, TJ Worthington's superior pop culture anthropomorphism outlet Out On Blue Six has dug up uber-rare festive Ride and Blur tracks.

Elsewhere Touched Mix has filled even more Christmas compilaton needs gaps, but of far more note over there is Right Wing Rock - thirty conservative (both big and small C) anthems compiled and lovingly annotated by Taylor Parkes, former Melody Maker scribe now of When Saturday Comes and occasionally Plan B, explaining some of the more thematically outre choices (Taxman, the Jam, the Kinks) and bringing to light the real madness within (The Exxon Singers, Lennon psychic channeller Linda Polley, an actual 1964 Conservative Party flexidisc). Best not to play this one at your family get-together.