Welcome back. There are spare blankets in the wardrobe and the wi-fi password is next to the complimentary tea bags.
Spotify wrapped...
Again Spotify has released all of our listening statistics for 2025 (before the year has finished). Apparently I used the service for 56,511 minutes or 39 days and that sounds feasible. I'm calling bulls*it on some of the other statistics though. There's an album supposedly in my top 5 that I doubt I've listened to more than a couple of times throughout 2025. I just wish their algorithms were a bit less predictable. I want them to suggest stuff I haven't listened to. Like this gem that DJ Lajos spun my way...amazing!
Suede - Sweet Kid - https://youtu.be/Q5oW9lGLRS8
I'm going to write more about the new Suede album in a later episode. I've listened to it a few times and it is fabulous. Now I'm waiting for a physical copy to land in my letterbox.
A lack of imagination...
Some media outlets and online writers used the Spotify Wrapped thingamajig to moan about their view of the Australian music scene. Comments along the line of there's nothing new that's any good. They are dead wrong. The corporate greed record company focused manipulation of algorithms and product placements are the problem. Fantastic new original music is out there, but you might have to go past Spotify recommendations and commercial radio to find it. I guess you also need to be open to the fact that there's more to life than the classics. Here's a link to a playlist I've put together which is 100% great Aussie releases from 2025.
Maddy Jane - Thylacine - https://youtu.be/fw3V0UmRAsw
Old man, take a look at yourself...
During the week I met up with a couple of guys I hadn't seen since the end of 1991. We all joined the military on the same day in 1989 and spent three years living in each other's pockets, including as section mates in 1990. Upon sitting down with Stu and Lavo it felt like the conversation had just started right up again and we'd never been apart. Granted, a lot has happened in the 34 years that have passed but it didn't matter. There's an unspoken bond there that I wasn't sure would still exist.
Judas Priest - United (live) - https://youtu.be/6DmZUAbeWlM
Back on the streets again...
I've taken some tentative steps, or maybe pedal strokes, towards riding my bike. A couple of short rides were excellent and one slightly longer one made me a bit sore. It's an infuriatingly long process but it continues. The long term view is hard to maintain at times so thanks to everyone who is being more than patient with me.
Saxon - Back On The Streets - https://youtu.be/hQ2X2SOv-YI
Though we knew that we'd be seeing him again...
The Pogues are going to be in Australia and New Zealand next year. What a treat as folk music and punk combine in a musical riot. It's almost amusing that they are playing at the Sydney Opera House as opposed to a less salubrious venue. Will I go? I dunno. Let's see how I'm feeling physically before I commit. Even with Shane no longer with us the gigs are sure to be a hoot.
The Pogues - Sally McLennane (live) - https://youtu.be/ym-Oz0TMSb0
That'll do, I'm off to continue the search for which neighbour has hung the Christmas windchimes that make a horrendous noise 24/7.
Rock on,
The Woozle
"Nothing's ever loud enough to properly drown the demons out
It's a punishment to care, about anything this much..."
It's a punishment to care, about anything this much..."
The Smith Street Band, Once I Was Wild, 2025
