I find this time of year is like a musical wasteland. You’ve got the remnants of 2008’s single releases still littering up the charts, and the promise of some new music over the coming weeks. Soon, the BBC will release their predictions for the hottest acts of the year in their Sound of 2009 poll. That’ll take some of the guesswork out of who to watch this year.

As for me, what have I been listening to over Christmas? Well, a very kind publicist sent me The Black Keys’ Attack And Release album, which has been on constant rotation for me lately. I really must sit down and do a proper review of it for you, because it’s excellent. Not the most immediate album in the world, but persevere with it and you’ll be rewarded.

Mid-Christmas, I re-discovered Queen’s The Miracle album. Where to begin? The acoustic intro to I Want It All and slightly different mix – I have to listen to them over and over again. The Invisible Man is funky and awesome, and I love that Freddie introduces everybody in the band, particularly Roger Taylor’s drum solo. Even tracks like Rain Must Fall are not the full-on rock sound that Queen are notorious for, but everything’s such great fun, you just have to love it.

And in literally the last 48 hours, I’ve discovered Kings Of Leon. Not their latest album. No, that would be too easy. I’m listening to Because Of The Times, their 2007 album featuring the wonderful Fans. Better still, I’ve discovered them via we7.com, which is actually quite a stunning service, allowing you to listen to whole albums for the minor inconvenience of listening to a few seconds of ads between songs.

Anyway, Because Of The Times was the first time I’ve sat down and listened to a full Kings Of Leon album. I was blown away. Nothing on this album is ‘by the book’. Caleb Followil’s vocals are quirky, mixing conventional singing with strange yelps, yips and other inflections. Charmer, for instance, is reminiscent of something early Nirvana would have come out with. It’s gritty, rough and thoroughly unconventional. So far, On Call, Knocked Up, Charmer and Fans are stand-out tracks for me.

So, there you go. My musical tastes are regressing rapidly, so 2009 will have its work cut out to gain my attention! Are there any new releases or upcoming acts you’re looking forward to over the next 12 months?

Oh, and Happy New Year, y’all!

Otherwise known as ‘the drummer and guitarist from Queen hooking up with the vocalist from Free’.

There’s good news and bad news with this new single from Queen (+ Paul Rodgers). The good news is that it’s got some heavy riff-laden brilliance attached to it.

Brian May’s guitar work shows that he’s still got the chops (not the lamb chops – the guitar ones), and Paul Rodgers brings a powerful, bluesy voice to proceedings. OK, he’s never going to throw on a canary yellow jacket and give us Freddie MK2.

On the other hand, this new Queen is bloody preachy. First they were banging on about some Third World issue, now they’re wagging their fingers at celebrity culture – a bit rich for two guys who exhumed the corpse of Queen for what? Fame and fortune. May and Taylor aren’t in this for the good of their health, are they?

Long time Queen fans were probably thirsting for a good rocker. The riff delivers, but the chorus leaves you flat. And repeats a bit too much.

So, OK. The point will be driven home that this isn’t Queen as we know them and love them. But we will hold them to the same high standards. And C-lebrity doesn’t even compare to classic Queen. It’s far too patchy to be part of that rich legacy of music.

What we will say about C-lebrity is that it shows a lot of promise for this new lineup. Just keep the preachy lyrics out and give us some fist-pumping choruses. And a special note to Brian May – sack the stylist, man. Sack the stylist now.

Just when you thought they’d cashed in on the Queen name enough, Brian May and Roger Taylor (along with not-quite-Freddy frontman Paul Rodgers) are squeezing a few quid more out of fans desperate to hear a bit more Queen.

The new album – the first since their Made In Heaven album in 1995 – is to be called The Cosmos Rocks. Looking back to when we first talked about the possibility of a new album in November last year, we were obviously pretty excited.

However, after hearing the dreary dirge of Say It’s Not True shortly afterward, there’s no sign of the rock genius that was Queen’s trademark in their original incarnation. Even John Deacon’s walked away!

What we’re left with is two guys (May and Taylor) rampantly demolishing the Queen name. Shit, if they wanted to start a band with Paul Rodgers, but call it something else. Start something new.

Yes, we understand that Say It’s Not True is written about a serious issue, but it’s also a preachy, unsubtle piece of cliched nonsense. Band Aid, Part 76. Have you heard it yet? Before you click the play button on the video below, you’ll need a couple of ProPlus washed down with a triple Espresso. That’s if you want to listen all the way to the end.

We can but pray that The Cosmos Rocks will be a winning album. But without Freddy Mercury and judging on the evidence above, it’s more likely that the Cosmos will be silently weeping for what these guys are doing now.

While Taylor performed the song acoustically during the band’s tour, it has been re-recorded with vocals shared by all three members – Paul Rodgers, Brian May and Taylor himself.

Aids Awareness

Queen are releasing the song to help raise awareness of Aids, particularly through Nelson Mandela’s 46664 campaign. Say It’s Not True is available for free, you just have to register in order to download the track. Welcome to the Queen mailing list, by the way – no chance of opting out!

New Queen Album

The release of Say It’s Not True means that a new album of Queen material is imminent. Excited? A little bit.

It’s been a good 10 years since Queen have released substantial new material. What will the sound be like? How involved was Paul Rodgers in the songwriting process? What will the songs be like? Did Brian May like the hair straighteners I bought him last Christmas?

All the same, Queen without Freddie is going to be a weird proposition. I like the fact that Brian and Roger aren’t trying to sell Paul Rodgers as a replacement, so I’ll be interested to hear what they’ve come up with.