So I got annoyed with looking up albums in RYM and decided to write something to extract the ratings into Songbird.  The result is here, it’s actually at 0.2 already because I’ve done quite a lot of work on it recently (whilst being something of a slack blogger).  Now all I need are the POTI guys to make Songbird do multiple genre tagging, improve the search/filter functions accordingly and then make Songbird much snappier with large libraries.  Then I will have the (almost) perfect media player.

Future plans include integrating the RYM enhancer script into this, once I’ve got the hang of pref management.

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So, here are my favourite albums of 2009 – as of now.  It is in vague order of appreciation, although don’t pay too much attention to the order as they are all fantastic.

1. Blut aus Nord – Memoria Vetusta II: Dialogue With the Stars
2. Nautic Depths – Siberian winter
3. Mathias Grassow & Tomas Weiss – Quiet Calling II
4. Arktau Eos – Ai Ma Ra
5. Mathias Grassow – Transpersonal
6. Steve Roach – Afterlight
7. Troum – Eald-Ge-Stréon / Abhijňâ
8. The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation – Succubus
9. Wardruna – Runaljod – gap var Ginnunga
10. Isis – Wavering Radiant
11. Fall of Efrafa – Inlé
12. Steve Roach – Immersion: Four
13. Kylesa – Static Tensions
14. Raison d’être – The Stains of the Embodied Sacrifice
15. The Ruins of Beverast – Foulest Semen of a Sheltered Elite
16. Zu – Carboniferous
17. Yhdarl – Drone Nightmares, Part II: Buried Burnt Earth
18. Devin Townsend – Addicted
19. dredg – The Pariah, the Parrot, the Delusion
20. Tombs – Winter Hours
21. Cobalt – Gin
22. Urfaust – Einsiedler
23. Steve Roach – Dynamic Stillness
24. Skagos – Ást
25. Sun of the Blind – Skullreader

I tried a lot of fantastic beers in 2009, so here are my favourite bottled beers that were new to me:

1. Thornbridge St Petersburg Highland Whisky Reserve
2. Goose Island Bourbon County Stout
3. Nøgne Ø Dark Horizon First Edition
4. Thornbridge St Petersburg Speyside Whisky Reserve
5. Thornbridge Alliance PX Reserve
6. Thornbridge Alliance Madeira Reserve
7. Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter
8. Rochefort Trappistes 8
9. Ayinger Weizen-Bock
10. Struisse Pannepot
11. Spire Xtinguisher
12. Moor Old Freddy Walker
13. Thornbridge St Petersburg Imperial Russian Stout Islay Whisky Reserve
14. Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch Weasel
15. Anchor Old Foghorn Ale

…ditto for Cask Beers:

1. Thornbridge Handel
2. Marble Ginger
3. Brewdog Paradox Isle of Arran
4. Crown Ring Of Fire
5. Spire The Wall
6. Thornbridge Cherry St. Petersburg
7. Crown Wood Street Porter
8. Thornbridge Alliance
9. Fugelestou Sledgehammer Stout
10. Thornbridge Halcyon

…and again for Ciders:

1. Dunkertons Black Fox Organic
2. Sheppys Dabinett
3. Newton Court Medium Dry

I was tempted to carry on with a list of spirits and one of honeys…but I think that’s quite enough for one day.

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