Courtesy of Last.fm, here’s what I’ve been mostly listening to during the last year:

Artists:

1. Mogwai
2. Manic Street Preachers
3. R.E.M.
4. Arcade Fire
5. British Sea Power
6. Belle and Sebastian
7. Morrissey
7. The National
9. The Beautiful South
10. Gene

Albums:

1. Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
2. Belle & Sebastian – Write About Love
3. R.E.M. – Collapse Into Now
4. The National – High Violet
5. Mogwai – Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will
6. The Twilight Sad – Forget The Night Ahead
7. The Decemberists – The King Is Dead
8. Manic Street Preachers – Lipstick Traces
9. Britiish Sea Power – Valhalla Dancehall
10. Manic Street Preachers – Send Away The Tigers

Tracks:

1. The National – Conversation 16
1. Belle & Sebastian – I Can See Your Future
3. Håkan Hellström - En vän med en bil
4. Elliott Smith – Angeles
4. The Shins – Turn On Me
4. The Temper Trap – Down River
7. Benoît Pétré - Trouble Maker
7. The National – Anyone’s Ghost
9. Stephen Malkmus – Jenny and the Ess-Dog
9. Jack – Lolita Elle
9. Maxïmo Park - Questing, Not Coasting
9. The Decemberists – June Hymn

Some observations:

1. The three artists I listened to most during the last year were also three of my favourite artists when I left university, fourteen years ago.
2. The two albums I listened to most during 2011 are identical to those I listened to most during 2010.
3. Perhaps I should make better use of my Spotify subscription to discover shiny new music, rather than simply listening to the same old stuff I’ve been enjoying for decades.
4. The shiny new music that I have stumbled upon during the year has generally reached my ears via personal recommendation on Spotify/Twitter/FaceBook (thanks @rgarner, @johnconners!) or by computerised recommendation algorithms (thanks Spotify, Last.fm!) rather than through traditional sources (sorry, radio!)
5. I do like my melancholy songs, and/or those that tell a story.
6. Mogwai have still got it. With every record, they get better at being Mogwai.