And I'm back...

Okay it’s a new year, which means I’ve made several resolutions and while these include making a better attempt at learning some Portuguese and going to the gym (big tick against the latter) I feel the most important to anyone reading this is thus: Blog. More. So here goes, 2011 blogging underway. Film Music and, as ever, More Besides.

So what have I to say in this, my first blog of the new year? Well I’ll come to that, but first I’d like to express my amusement at the Golden Globe for ‘Best Original Score’ going to The Social Network. Did it even have a score? Wait, of course it did… not traditional by any means and perhaps I shouldn’t poo-poo the work of… who was it again? Sorry. The BAFTA nominations, now there’s a list of contenders: Powell, Zimmer, Rahman, Desplat and Elfman. I’d like to see Alexandre Desplat take home a Mask finally – for The King’s Speech -, though Zimmer’s efforts for Inception were utterly brilliant. Hans has been nominated four times throughout his career… so maybe he’s overdue? Elfman too I guess, but he shouldn’t win for Alice in Wonderland… should he? and anyway, I'll never forgive that terrible jig at the end.

The truth is the films with the biggest PR & Marketing junkets tend to win the awards it seems, which is why The Social Network took the Globe this month for Music. I genuinely think The King’s Speech is the biggest British film of the year (though it’s a co-prod. With Australia) and therefore BAFTA will bestow Desplat, finally, with an award… let’s see eh? We’ll find out on 13 Feb.

What else then…

Ah yes, the point of this blog – apart from an awards moan – is to re-instate my ‘On The Desk’ series of blogs. This allows me to air my thoughts and musings on music that is sitting on my desk (funnily enough!). I do still, from time to time, receive albums for review purposes and while I just haven’t the time to write full reviews any longer, I feel it’s only fair to those who continue to provide me with freebies that I at least give them a ‘shout out’. Of course from time to time, and as whim takes me, I may decide I want to share a much fuller analysis of something I’ve enjoyed/hated/whatever. So keep an eye out…

In other news (not that I want to particularly be a newsy) one of my favourite composers, and indeed people, has a couple of delightful albums on the way in the next few weeks, which is great. Debbie Wiseman has composed another score for director Peter Kosminsky, The Promise, which is a five part drama screening on Channel 4 in February. A very generous album of Debbie’s gorgeous and emotional score is coming from Silva Screen! Don’t miss that and don’t miss Rhino Records’ disc of the BBC’s Land Girls which offers some of Debbie’s lovely accompanying notes, an original song performed by ‘The Soldiers’ and also, if that weren’t enough, some period wartime songs. Ought to be very tuneful. Both Wiseman discs available in February I think.

So first blog of the year closing. Next time I shall be picking my way through some of the discs on the desk.. which include some delightful discoveries from Buenos Aires-based composing duo Daniel Tarrab and Andrés Goldstein, a new release of Vangelis’ The Bounty and, as ever, much More Besides.

Happy New Year!