Happy New Year

Just as I'm starting to think about those good ol' end-of-year lists, 2005 is shaping up nicely with news of two albums hotly anticipated in the land of SWSL.

First of all, there's Low's The Great Destroyer, recorded by Dave Fridmann and their first release for Sub Pop. There are also a smattering of tour dates, including a gig in Wolverhampton on 19th February that I really ought to bust a gut to get to.

Then there's the delicious prospect of ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead's fourth LP Worlds Apart, released on 25th January. Over three years have passed since their last album, Source Tags & Codes, and they've recently undergone a line-up change, bassist Neil Busch being replaced by Danny Wood and Doni Schroader coming in as a second drummer / percussionist.

Yum yum.