Is there a more dispiriting sentence in the realm of pop music than that? I have long thought the past time of shoving a few new songs on to Best Of was a fan-milking exercise, and to give the compilation some legs once that had died off, but really it's the sheer depressingness of such a phrase, which is enough to make you want to riot.

For instance, Westlife (who are admittedly one of the very worst things on Earth) are releasing a new Best Of in August with FIVE new tracks on. This is a band that's released approximately two dozen singles, with 14 of those topping the chart. Now, I doubt anyone would really want to stomach a double album, so even if it was a single, you're looking at a quarter of the 'greatest hits' tracklisting being songs you've never heard/ will probably witness one on TV around the release/ and an end of an album that rather than celebrates achievement, bores you into a coma.

It's not just Westlife, this behaviour has been going on for years. Virtually every greatest hits compilation has to have 2-3 brand new tracks on. It's baffling frankly. Madonna, who has had 60+ chart singles in her career, threw two new numbers on her recent Celebration compilation, and they were wet blanket affairs spoiling things, sounding like weak afterthoughts of 'will this do?'-ness.

I fully appreciate a new track, maybe a new track and a remix. BUT THAT'S IT. If you are compiling a Best Of and a quarter of the tracklisting is unknown to your fans, then carry on making a proper album, rather than besmirching your career. You heard.

Any other examples of extreme mickey taking in this area?

Spotted in HMV Piccadilly

http://twitpic.com/3ybujb

Now that's a night in

Sad news just in about Trish Keenan from Broadcast passing this morning. A genuine one-off, and I'm told, lovely woman

http://warp.net/records/broadcast/a-statement

Can we rewind a fortnight and start 2011 again please? Too many RIPs already :(

Flicking idly through the papers yesterday, I saw an advert for Leonard Cohen's Greatest Hits. I thought 'ah, I remember that', I'd originally bought it for about a fiver and it had all the original Len one would need. The tracklisting was a perfect microcosm of a time I wasn't born in, but somehow I, like, really felt it (man).

ANYWAY, this NEW and UPDATED Greatest Hits uses the original artwork and now has a further six tracks on it. The advert uses quotes from Nirvana and Bono on it to, I dunno, 'make it edgy and appealing'.

I know it wouldn't be Len's doing, this all smells of record company bollocks, but after The Essential (£8 and around 34 tracks), why must they muck about with it?

The end times are near when some bright spark thinks 'ah! Leonard Cohen is playing a car showroom this summer - what product can we flog?'

Glastonbury's done, Wimbledon is wittering on, nowt's on telly and there's occasional bursts of sunshine, it can only mean one thing - we're halfway through the year. Hurrah!

So, in the spirit of these things of looking forward and looking back, what have been your favourite albums/ content format solutions of 2009 so far?

I recently updated my iTunes to v.8.1 as prompted and now - NOW - it doesn't seem interested in burning CDs. I have wasted a dozen CDRs trying. Anyone have any solutions?

Island Records is one of those quite rightly celebrated labels, and when I look at my collection, there's whole sections of their distinctive CD spine. So I'd heard about the compilation that was coming out and thought that it might be really rather good So when I saw http://www.play.com/Music/CD/4-/9509937/Island-Life-50-Years-Of-Island-R... I was a little disappointed. There's some amazing tunes on there, along with The Fratellis, but you know, a third disc favouring covers by Gabriella Cilmi and Taio Cruz rather than some Tom Waits, Slits, Tom Tom Club or PJ Harvey? Hmmm.

Kate Bush's 1979 festive special was on BBC4 at the weekend. Obviously all various shades of amazingness were present with bat-wing outfits, blood foaming at the mouth, camel riding, bride groom shooting, some very 'of it's time' contemporary dance moves and possibly the bleakest duet imaginable with special guest Peter Gabriel.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00k35n4/Kate/

You'd think if Joy Division had a Christmas, there'd be some sign of tinsel involved

I should thank them really. I've been having sleepless nights over this: http://www.nme.com/news/notorious-big-and-lil-kimpuff-daddy/43352

Returns to BBC4 on Feb 10 at 10pm.

As you were.

The Brit Awards are being revealed today. No doubt what's left of the majors will divi up who gets what, but what I found a little odd was this story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7839505.stm

So, the Brits are not going to count anything that didn't hit the Top 40. Well that's great news for the popular. Not so good if you're genuinely very exciting but not a seller. Seeing as The Top 40 regularly hosts up to two/three singles from certain artists - this week: Beyonce, Kings Of Leon, the Aloud, Saturdays, Alesha Dixon, Kanye West, Pink, Lady Gaga and Rihanna - it's not really encouraging is it?

You now have a situation where Jeff Buckley is hypothetically eligible for an award for his input to music in 2008, but Bon Iver, Laura Marling, The Week That Was, Neon Neon, The Bug - and very nearly TV On The Radio - aren't. Nuts.

Dead Set is the new thing from the pen of Charlie Brooker. Set in the Big Brother house during a zombie invasion. Amazing.

Believe it or not, this comes from not the Daily Mail, but the Daily Telegraph:

"When Jay-Z came on, it was with a joke at Noel Gallagher's expense. Clutching an acoustic guitar(*), he sang Oasis's biggest hit, Wonderwall, and did a very neat job of it too(**). The crowd were laughing and then jumping about to punchy hip-hop hits including It's a Hard Nut Life(***) as the rapper marched about in his dark glasses (****)"

* - It was an electric guitar.
** - well, in comparison to Winehouse's wankered jazz mooing previously
*** - Brilliant title, but it was 'Hard Knock Life'
**** - Jesus, my 8yr old nephew would've been more insightful than this.

What's the point of these people 'reviewing' music festivals, when they clearly have no idea of what they're on about? The probably sent about 60 staff to cover it too.