So we come to Christmas. Nearly there.

In case you didn’t know, this is also the last column of the year since The Weekend Sun team is taking a well-earned break – thus, no paper next week. Or the week after.

However – the Bay’s best news website SunLive is still running 24/7 throughout the holiday period. For all of your summer news, check it out at: www.sunlive.co.nz

With this in mind a little ‘best of’ is in order. I’ve enjoyed many many albums this year, as I do every year. I really like the new album, ‘Hackney Diamonds’ from The Rolling Stones. Seriously cool stuff. Call me ageist but I’m blown away that something so engaged and aggressive should come from octogenarians. It’s unselfconsciously old-school while finding exactly the right sound and production to make the same old tricks sound new again.

Similarly, I loved Paul Simon’s latest, and presumably final album given his hearing difficulties, ‘Seven Psalms’. It’s really a single piece in various connected movements on the subject of life and the close of it. And if that sounds too heavy, Paul Simon’s wit and wisdom and graceful way with words makes it anything but. Just beautiful.

Enigmatic

Enigmatic ex-Velvet Welshman John Cale was also in fine form with his soul-searching album ‘Mercy’ and Brit-pop heroes Blur made it sound easy with ‘The Ballad Of Darren’.

Bugger. Perhaps I’m showing my age. But in a year when the Beatles released a ‘new’ song there was a case to be made that old folks were really doing the bizzo.

On the younger local front I really liked Tom Lark’s dreamy indie-pop on ‘Brave Star’ and Tiny Ruins’ ‘Ceremony’, as well as Finn Andrews’ band The Veils’ album ‘And Out Of The Void Came Love’.

John Cale’s ‘Mercy’.

But I’m happy to say that two of my absolute favourites for the year were from Tauranga.

The Knids released their third album, ‘With A Hard “K”’, the sort of garage band mash up of big guitars and ‘80s synth grooves that seems to have gone out of fashion. Proclaiming themselves proudly ‘Lo-fi’ there are three singers and it’s all slightly silly but strangely wonderful.

Then there was the album I wrote about a couple of weeks back, Grant Haua’s ‘Mana Blues’. This is Grant’s fourth album since signing with French blues label Dixie Frog two years ago. He rivals Alien Weaponry with a Maori war song, proves his guitar hero chops, does a killer Led-Zep-style take on ‘Time Of Dying’ and strays cooly into Robert Cray soul territory. Grant is the full package. ‘Aches’ and ‘Bad Mofo’ are my two favourite rip-it-up tunes of the year.

Grant Haua’s ‘Mana Blues’.

But, wow!

And one final album: Lloyd Cole’s ‘On Pain’. It took a while to adapt to Lloyd Cole’s now-electronica backing. But, wow! Every beautiful three-dimensional keyboard note in its right place, with overarching intelligent lyrics and a deadpan sense of humour. Song Of The Year – ‘The Idiot’, a brilliant ode to David and Iggy. The chorus of “let’s move to Berlin” with sweet backing vocals chanting “stop being drug addicts” gets me every time.

Lloyd Cole’s ‘On Pain’.

The Rolling Stones’ ‘Hackney Diamonds’.

Paul Simon’s ‘Seven Psalms’.

Hear Winston’s latest Playlist: