Nordic Noir

This is a Scandi-crime map I made for a talk at the library today. Not me talking, I hasten to add (a few Nesbos and the Millennium trilogy not making me anything of an expert) - apart from the amateur cartography, I was just responsible for hosting, doing the introductions and dishing out the mince pies...

I'm afraid that after a suggestion from no static I find myself inexorably joining the out-and-proud ranks of 'men of a certain age who like making lists' (no offence!) I also find I'm quite impressed by how much good music I seem to have been exposed to this year. Normally, my somewhat tenuous grasp of the here-and-now being what it is, I realise that stuff I think has 'just' been released is actually ancient but when I've had a look over the last few days I'm noticing that things I think must have been out last year or earlier are all '012' instead. What it all means, outside of slowly becoming a 'festival dad' or something, I can't begin to fathom, but since I've been revisiting, anyway, I thought I'd get in quick before middleman gets started up for this year. I've managed to come up with a top 12 of my favourite albums for 2012 (not being a fan of tens...) that I'm pretty happy with, and I'm even going to rank it too (though that's currently subject to change by the day...) So at...

#12: 'Put Your Back N 2 It' by Perfume Genius

...which just nudges out Julia Holter's 'Ekstasis' in the sub-genre of 'haunting music echoing from another room.' PG is quieter and more camp but equally as stark and beautiful. Plus, I have a short attention span and I like the fragmentary way these songs kind of fade in for a couple of minutes and then just stop - some chiming piano chords, a scatter of percussion, a bit of tape or string scuffing and the voice...just enough.