So, here it is, the 2007 17 Seconds’ Festive Fifty.

These are my favourite new tracks to be heard this year. They didn’t have to be singles or even have been commercially released this year, indeed there are some tracks that are b-sides, album only tracks, and mp3s only, and even a demo and an unsigned band. But they couldn’t have been from previous years (which is why The Shins’ Phantom Limb isn’t here, it was an mp3 last year, made it into my inaugural Festive Fifty, and therefore isn’t here). Just stuff IMHO that has made my musical year. It’s not easy trying to narrow it down, but this is the definitive list. I haven’t posted all the tracks here before, and I have put links to a few, but I hope you enjoy it. Let the debating start here

1. Emma Pollock -‘Adrenaline.’
2. Battles -‘Atlas.’
3. Justice -‘D.A.N.C.E.’
4. Ringo Death Starr – ‘Some Kind Of Sad.’
5. Malcolm Middleton – ‘A Brighter Beat.’
6. Penny Century – ‘Nothing Burns Like Bridges.’
7. Rihanna – ‘Umbrella’
8. Bloc Party – ‘Flux’
9. Camera Obscura – ‘Super Trouper’
10. Sons and Daughters ‘Gilt Complex’
11. Idlewild – ‘No Emotion’
12. Emma Pollock – ‘Acid Test’
13. Kate Nash -‘Caroline’s A Victim.’
14. Dizzee Rascal feat. Lily Allen -’Wanna Be.’
15. Wiley -’Bow E3.’
16. Malcolm Middleton – ‘We’re All Going To Die.’
17. Timbaland featuring Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake- ‘Give It To Me.’
18. Kate Nash -’Foundations.’
19. Wiley -’50/50.’
20. Sister Vanilla -‘Can’t Stop The Rock.’
21. Editors – ‘ Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors.’
22. Arctic Monkeys -‘Brianstorm.’
23. Dizzee Rascal – ‘Flex.’
24. Klaxons -‘Golden Skans.’
25. Bloc Party – ‘The Prayer.’
26. Electrelane -‘To The East’
27. Black Kids -‘I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance with You.’
28. Paul Hartnoll featuring Robert Smith-‘Please.’
29. Futureheads -‘Broke Up The Time.’
30. Charlatans -’You Cross My Path.’
31. Scottish Enlightenment -‘Eyes.’
32. Emma Pollock – ‘Paper and Glue.’
33. Burial -’Archangel.’
34. Cooper Temple Clause -’Waiting Game.’
35. Siouxsie – ‘Here Comes That Day.’
36.Timbaland, D.O.E. & Keri Hilson -‘The Way I Are
37. White Stripes – ‘Icky Thump.’
38.Maximo Park -’Our Velocity.’
39. M.I.A. ‘Bamboo Banger.’
40. Tiny Dancers -‘I Will Wait For You.’
41. Emma Pollock -’Limbs’
42. Arctic Monkeys -’Fluorescent Adolescent.’
43. Jack Penate -’Second, Minute Or Hour’
44. New Young Pony Club – ‘ Ice Cream.’
45. Manic Street Preachers – ‘Your Love Alone Is Not Enough.’
46. Wilco -’Impossible Germany’
47. Wu-Tang Clan – The Heart Gently Weeps
48. Snow Patrol – ‘Signal Fire.’
49. Fall Out Boy -’This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race.’
50. Kanye West – ‘Stronger.’

OK, obviously, this is not a John Peel-endorsed one, but in honour of the great man (and because I was not going to have time to listen to everything I have downloaded/bought this year) this is my personal festive 50. Feedback and comments welcome.

1. Long Blondes ‘Weekend Without Make-Up’
2. Primal Scream ‘Country Girl’
3. My Latest Novel ‘When We Were Wolves’
4. The Gossip ‘Standing In The Way Of Control’
5. Morrissey ‘You Have Killed Me’
6. X-Vectors ‘Now Is The Winter Of Our Discoteque’ (winner of the 17seconds award for best title)
7. Nelly Furtado ‘Maneater’
8. CSS ‘Let’s Make Love And Listen To Death From Above’
9. Corinne Bailey Rae ‘Put Your Records On’
10. Muse ‘Starlight’
11. Aberfeldy ‘Whatever Turns You On’
12. Camera Obscura ‘Lloyd, I’m Ready To Be Heartbroken’
13. The Shins ‘Phantom Limb’
14. Love Is All ‘Make Out. Fall Out. Make Up.’
15. Luke Haines ‘Off My Rocker At The Art School Bop.’
16. Peter Bjorn & John ‘Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off.’
17. Junior Boys ‘In The Morning’
18. The Fratellis ‘Chelsea Dagger’
19. The Organ ‘Brother’
20. Muse ‘Supermassive Black Hole’
21. Neil’s Children ‘Another Day’
22. Amy Winehouse ‘Rehab’
23. Yo La Tengo ‘Pass The Hatchet, I Think I’m Goodkind’
24. Arctic Monkeys ‘Leave before The lights Come On’
25. Peter Bjorn & John ‘Young Folks’
26. Snow Patrol ‘Chasing Cars’
27. Camera Obscura ‘Let’s Get Out Of This Country’
28. The View ‘Superstar Tradesman’
29. Gruff Rhys ‘Candylion’
30. The Spinto Band ‘Oh Mandy’
31. The Futureheads ‘Skip To The End’
32. Arctic Monkeys ‘When The Sun Goes Down’
33. Albert Hammond Jr ‘Back to the 101’
34. The Rapture ‘Get Myself Into It’
35. Yo La Tengo ‘Beanbag Chair’
36. Scanners ‘Low life’
37. The Feeling ‘I Love It When you Call’
38. The Delays ‘Valentine
39. Rogers Sisters ‘Never Learn To Cry’
40. Aberfeldy ‘Hynotised’
41. Scritti Politti ‘The Boom Boom Bap’
42. The Pipettes ‘Pull Shapes’
43. The Upper Room ‘Black And White World’
44. Hot Chip ‘Never Learn To Cry’
45. Belle and Sebastian ‘The Blues Are Still Blue’
46. Long Blondes ‘Once and Never Again’
47. Mogwai ‘Friend Of The Night’
48. Morrissey ‘The Youngest Was The Most Loved’
49. The Raconteurs ‘Steady As She Goes’
50. Dirty Pretty Things ‘Bang Bang You’re Dead’

Looking at the above list, I’m reminded thatit’s been another fantastic year for music (at the beginning of 2000, I almost gave up on music altogether as I just felt that I couldn’t connect with most of what was out there). There’s a lot of wonderful stuff out there, and it’s a very close call for some of these. It’s also amazing to think how much good stuff Rough Trade are putting out too.

I’m also reminded that not working in a record shop any more, it’s also quite hard to hear everything that comes out. But hey.

Let the rows commence. Feel free to disagree- but leave a message and let me know what YOU think is the track of the year,