Around this time last year i posted my Feel-good songs of the year. I thought i might do the same again this year. These are the songs i've been enjoying this year, in no particular order.

The King Blues – Save The World Get The Girl – a catchy tune, nice London accents, and the memorable political message to Gordon Brown: "Going to war to prevent war is the most stupid thing I ever heard".

Regina Spektor – Fidelity – This is the year that i really became a fan of Regina Spektor. It's hard to choose my favourite song; they are all so good, but this one has an especially adorable video. Eet and Samson have also been played many times. Regina has such a beautiful pure voice which i never tire of hearing.

David Bowie – Life On Mars – features in this year's favourites simply because i got into watching the television series Life On Mars early this year, and it reminds me of happy sunday afternoons curled up on the sofa watching the show.

La Roux – Bulletproof – Actually, basically anything by La Roux. I love their quirky style, both musically and visually. And i have to admit, i find Elly Jackson insanely attractive!

In October i heard about amazingtunes and amazingradio which have completely transformed my music listening habits. Amazingtunes is an ethical music site where any unsigned artist can upload their own music for the world to hear and buy. The great thing is: artists receive 70% of the download revenue, which is unheard of in the music industry. The best tunes get selected to be aired on amazingradio, where the listeners vote for them to be added to the general playlist.

Amazingradio is available in the UK on DAB digital radio, and online via iTunes or Windows Media Player. Our radio player has pretty much stayed constantly tuned to amazingradio for the last 2 months. It's a great place to hear new music and support emerging artists. Here is a selection of my favourite music from amazingtunes:

Belle Humble – Try – a most excellent pop track which never fails to get me dancing whenever i hear it!

This Love Affair – Ifs, Buts and Maybes – guitar driven light rock, with a vocalist reminiscent of the Manic Street Preachers.

The Last Tycoons – The Dry Law – i have no idea what this song is about, and the country style is by no means my usual style of music, but i find it intriguing. I particularly like the line, "Everybody's begging for forgiveness from the Lord, well i ain't begging for a thing".

Johan Lundgren – To Friends and Followers – another song with a country feel. A nice simple song, nothing fancy about it whatsoever, with a bittersweet message about the fact that we change friends and aquaintances over time. Some people we wish to stay in touch with, others we just "lost along the way".

Richard Walker – Look At Yourself – I call this anti-emo music! It's like: alright, this is your life, stop moping about it, you could blame everybody else, or you could take responsibility for the choices you've made. "If you're looking for someone to ease your pain, take a look at yourself". I don't know if this would really help me if i was actually feeling miserable, though!

stornoway – Zorbing – quite a unique sound: a simple tune with an unusual accompaniment, nice harmonies. Zorbing is rolling down a hill in a giant inflatable ball. Something i want to try one day! :)

Well that's about it. I hope you find something in there that you like. I do encourage you to listen to some songs on amazingtunes, and tune into amazingradio too. There's a lot of talent in there waiting to be discovered.

Four of my favourite songs of the year, which cheer me up no matter what i'm feeling:

The Holloways – Generator

May i remind you that you don't live in poverty
You've got your youth, and you've got a roof over your head.

Noah and the Whale – Five Years Time

And though nearly all these moments are just in my head
I'll be thinking about them as i'm lying in bed
And i know that really, it might not even come true
But in my mind i'm having a pretty good time with you.

A-Punk – Vampire Weekend

No point quoting any lyrics here – it's the tune and the rhythm that i like so much!

Frank Turner – Reasons not to be an idiot

Why are you sat at home?
Your're not designed to be alone.
It's a lovely sunny day
Get up, get down and get outside!

Funny, all these songs have a kind of folk feel to them.

What are your favourite songs of the year? Not necessarily released this year, but what have you enjoyed listening to?

Songbird 1.0 is finally here!

I have been using Songbird for a couple of years now instead of iTunes. I feel so proud that they have achieved the 1.0 milestone. Off to download it right now …! :)

Update: Oh, the icon has changed! For ever it has been a little egg, slowly cracking. Today it is a little yellow bird! How cute!! :D

This week i went to a talk encouraging artists to help take action on climate change. If you don't think artists can make a difference, i challenge you to watch this video.

Are you hoping for a miracle, as the ice caps melt away?
No use hoping for a miracle
There's a price we’ll have to pay

It's too easy to turn a blind eye to the light
It's too easy to bow your head and pray
But there are some times when you should try to find your voice
This is one voice that you must find today.

A lovely song, and such beautiful imagery in the video. This has really made an impression on me today.

Well the worst of my illness is definitely over: i have managed to stay awake all day and i have just made some delicious ginger cookies!

I haven't made cookies for ages! They're so fun and easy to make, and trust me: they taste wonderful!

I've decided not to go out to the fireworks tonight because the weather is not too happy. Besides, i can probably see them just from looking out of the window!

Have you all heard that lovely new song from The Killers?

Are we human, or are we dancer?
My sign is vital, my hands are cold
And I'm on my knees looking for the answer
Are we human, or are we dancer?

I really have no idea what the song is supposed to be about, but i love the tune and it makes me want to dance! I take it to mean that we have a choice how we go through our lives: worrying and stressing about everything or just choosing to let it all go … and dance instead! What do you think of the song, and what do you think it is about?

Today was my third visit to the church. It's a good place – i like it. The people are nice, and the music is great. They play quite modern tunes, lots i've never heard before, and also a few of the good old songs. They did the dreaded 4/4 version of Be Thou My Vision this morning – the version that sounded great the first time i heard it (in about 1998) and has been steadily annoying me ever since! You know what would be really awesome and innovative? Try playing Be Thou My Vision in a slow 3/4 as it was intended!

There was one song that i could not sing. I just could not agree with it in the slightest.

One way: Jesus
You're the only one that I could live for

You are the Way the Truth and the Life
We live by faith and not by sight for You
We're living all for You

Umm, no, sorry. I do believe that Jesus is one way, but not the way. Jesus is not the only way that people can know God. I am sure of this because i know plenty of people who have a wonderful, admirable relationship with God, without the need for Jesus. Ever had a chat with a Muslim during Ramadan?

You will never ever change
Yesterday today the same
Forever till forever meets no end

This idea that "God never changes" is dangerous, in my opinion. Change is good and healthy. If God never changed then we would still be stoning our daughters and women could still not be priests. Oh, wait …! Society changes and religion has to adapt or die. I think that's pretty obvious.

There was one song that i really liked. It was about God, and mindfulness. It was quite mystical, like something from St Francis of Assisi.

God in my living
There in my breathing
God in my waking
God in my sleeping
God in my resting
There in my working
God in my thinking
God in my speaking

Be my everything

That is such a nice song. No surprise, it is written by Tim Hughes, one of my very favourite Christian artists … and not just because Tim Hughes is exceptionally cute! ;)

I spoke to someone afterwards about this thing i have about Jesus not being the only way. The response was something along the lines of: "Ask Jesus to reveal himself to you. I'm praying for you. There's nothing worse than not knowing."

There's nothing worse than not knowing.

I agreed with that. I'd love to have something to believe in. But the more i think about it, there is something that i believe in. I agree wholeheartedly with something that a dear friend told me a long time ago:

Christians have not got everything right, and non-Christians have not got everything wrong.

The one thing i cannot stand with Christianity is this superiority thing. It's been three weeks and already i feel under pressure to go along with what they believe. There seems such an urgency to make up my mind that Jesus is the only way! I must conform, i must agree. I'm sure they think they're trying to help, but this is the very thing that puts me off.

I once left a church because they prayed that Muslims would "find Jesus" during Ramadan. I once left a prayer group because the leader was actively praying against the Muslims being allowed their own prayer group. I am very intolerant of intolerance!

The more i think about it, the more i believe Neale Donald Walsch has it right:

We are all one. Ours is not a better way, ours is merely another way.

I have always wanted to go to a multi-faith church. I think that would suit me perfectly. The trouble is, where's a multi-faith church anywhere near Winchester?!

I like church. I think church is, on the whole, good for me. It's nice to feel i belong somewhere. I enjoy collective worship. I enjoy getting to know people and making friends with people. I just hope that they can accept me as an agnostic, not expect me to immediately jump to their way of thinking, and not expect me to want to run out and convert everyone.

People will all follow their own path. There is plenty of good in this world, and there is evil. There will always be a balance. God is good. Jesus is one way to God, other ways are also available.

PS. Here's a link to that wonderful song by Tim Hughes.
PPS To be fair, here is also a link to the One way: Jesus song.

Once upon a time i used to turn my computer on straight away from coming home from work, and i often used to program and work on websites late into the evening. These days, however, i often don't even bother to turn on the computer at all. I love programming, and i'm really enjoying the challenges of my job, but it cannot both a job and a hobby. I need to find a new hobby!

I'm really enjoying getting involved with the WinACC and being a low carbon champion. We went to a meeting this morning which was really good fun. I feel like i'm getting to know people a bit, which is nice. I'm also vaguely considering going to church again. Yeah, shock horror, i know! It's very strange. I thought i was happy being agnostic. I feel i'd like to believe in something, but the trouble is, i need a child-like faith to believe in God, and i'm too analytical by nature. Much of Christianity just doesn't seem to make sense to me, and yet, i'm still attracted to the idea of belonging to a church.

A hobby i'd like to explore more is astronomy. I would really like to get a telescope and explore the night skies a lot further. There's so much to see out there, and it really fascinates me. Perhaps i need to join a local group of amateur astronomers.

I'd still like to do something with music. If i'm honest, perhaps that's where church appeals to me. Good, lively, communal worship with a decent band really excites me, and i miss it. The trouble is, the churches which appeal to me musically usually tend to be the ones that really put me off with their extreme doctrines and beliefs.

Anyway, i seem to be blurting. I didn't actually intend to come on here and talk about my spiritual desires right now!

Oh, i pre-ordered the Beedle the Bard book today at Waterstones. YAY! :D

Happy Rosh Hashanah (Jewish new year) to all who celebrate it. I was thinking about maybe going to Southampton for the celebrations, but after a weekend away i feel i need a night in.

Also, happy new moon, new month to everybody. I have been particularly fascinated with the moon the last couple of months. It's one good thing about the days getting shorter; i get more interested in the night sky and love to see what i can observe. I recently obtained a pair of binoculars and i can spend ages looking at the moon through them. I would love to get a telescope! :)

In other news, i hear Tom Felton has an album out. It seems Tom is pretty good on the guitar, but unfortunately does not have a singing voice to match …! Here is a little medley of Tom Felton music.

Tonight i decided to write out "Mamma Mia" for my cousin whom i teach piano. I got out my pad of music lines, but hadn't even set pen to paper before thinking, "I hate doing this! I wonder if there's an open-source music notation package …"

One quick search later and i remembered LilyPond! A friend showed me this years ago, and i was really intrigued by it. As a programmer, this is very satisfying to me. You write your music as a kind of code, 'compile' it, and it outputs PDF, PS and, if you want it, a MIDI file.

We used to do this on Windows, with Cygwin. It is very pleasing to use it on its intended operating system now! :) It was easy to input, and i do love the pure geekiness of the notation! :D

I can never quite make up my mind whether i like Kate Nash. I feel as if i shouldn't but for some reason, the music really appeals to me. However, i found this song very funny too …

If you don't get it, see this video, of the song that goes: "I use mouthwash. Sometimes i floss. I've got a family and i drink cups of tea". However, the "three chords" and drum beat are taken from Kate Nash's much more popular song, Foundations.

For what it's worth, my very favourite Kate Nash song is We Get On. I really like Kate's voice and the sense of a heart-felt story being told in the song.