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!

Same Old Thing – don’t be fooled by that title, this is literally the best new music I’ve listened to all week.

The publicist for The Black Keys sent me across an email about this new single by the band. (This is a lesson to me to actually read those publicity emails every now and again). Something compelled me to look this tune up on the Internet, and I’m soooo glad I did.

Same Old Thing starts off with a couple of random noises, which don’t bode well, but it soon kicks into a satisfyingly fuzzy, lo-fi guitar riff. This is retro bliss, just smoking, bluesy rock goodness. I love that quirky little injection of flute in the background.

Anyway, go away and check this band out. For such a retro sound, it’s a refreshing change from anything else you’ll hear this week.

In other news, a deluxe edition of the Attack & Release album from which this song comes is coming out in November. It’ll feature the last ever recordings by Ike Turner – two tracks recorded using The Black Keys as his backing band. The package will also feature a live DVD of the band’s performance in Portland, Oragon.