For the first time since the show started, this year I decided to legitimately watch as much as possible of The X Factor. Yeah, i'm insane, I get it, but hear me out.

In years past it's been something that's really gripped the entire populace of the UK in a way similar to that of the early years of Big Brother, with talk of the contestants, the songs, and et al generally being something discussed wherever you went. With the familial December get togethers of 2008, the show was often something discussed at length, and inevitably watched, but beyond the auditions i'd never actually watched the show or knew the names of any of the contestants. That changed this year, and for reasons that were never actually clear, I stuck with the show pretty much all season.

Instead of talking about things that genuinely interested me, I was now able to talk about the X Factor. As it stands now, neither the show or it's participants did anything for me personally, but I guess on some level, the mock-arguments and discussions that it created and allowed for were maybe a little exciting.

More recently the discussion has been targeted towards "the battle for Christmas Number One" between the show's winner and Rage Against The Machine. I've been a RATM fan for years -and thus, cooler than everyone else- so having this band mentioned and endorsed by so many recently came as a little surprise. Launched to the xmas number one by a huge people-fed internet campaign, again, it's not so much the event and scenario that was exciting or interesting as the discussion and talking that backed it up and reinforced it all. That they got to the position and sold the amount of records they did, obviously is good, and the fallout even better, but the most captivating and engrossing side to all of this has surely been the public consumption and opinion-splitting of it all. Case in point, who knew I would ever have a legitimate discussion about Rage Against The Machine with my parents?

That the campaign worked and Rage got the Christmas number 1 is a non-issue I think- both the success of it and the record of the show winner says a lot about the impact that conversation and buzz can have on the success of something. Lets be honest- if Joe McElderry hadn't won the competition or ever been on the TV would he have ever racked up the sales that he did? He's a product of TV rather than genuine talent, helped along merely by that buzz. In that same light, the same can also be said for Rage Against The Machine and the "Killing In The Name" single. It's great, and I love it, and i'm happy that it's out there, but these sales wouldn't be anywhere near as impressive without the people behind it. The the song was also kind of counter-active- here was a song that was being used to promote to stand against being told what to buy and yet, half a million of us bought it- is another issue, and something worth considering, but maybe another day.

Both singles and acts were driven and manipulated entirely by this "battle", but that the internet is now recognised as capable of doing something this large and doing it successfully, is certainly the most important thing to take away from this feud. Rage Against The Machine's "Killing In The Name" Christmas number one, close to two decades on from it's original release: who saw that one coming?

10 Songs I Liked This Year

Again with the end-of-year wrap ups. In a year where a lot of time has been spent with Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine and Cut Copy, i'll be honest, i'm a little behind. That aside, here's a nifty little Spotifty playlist of the songs released this year that I did like, in no particular order. 'Course, give me a few months to catch up with this year's "big thing" and it'll probably change, but hey, at least it's honest.

Growing up, Evil Empire was always my least favourite RATM album. Call it lack of exposure, preference for the other two, whatever. Listening to it again this week for the first time in years, it's got me questioning those past preferences. So good.

(Last.fm / Spotify)

For the last week i've been using Spotify to listen to music. As ever, i'm late (fashionably so?) to the party, but the premise is simple- download the program, stream the music you want and pay for it every few songs by listening to an advert or promotion, generally only a few seconds long.

Following a mountain of both last.fm and more personal music recommendations over the last few years, Spotify's meant that I can try out new stuff -be it bands or genres- easily with no consequences. Once again there's the issue of digital vs physical music, but what i'm finding more and more especially as of late that i'm not too bothered- I don't care if I own the CD, because chances are, i'll never play or actually use it.

It's been an ongoing triviality, especially for me, but I think Spotify has finally put this argument to rest. Without gushing too much, I have enjoyed listening to music this week more than, well, ever, so it must be doing something right.

Released between the studio albums of the self-titled debut in 2005 and Sound of Silver in 2007 -easily one of my favourite records of the last year-45:33 is at it's simplest level forty-five minutes of continual sound from everyone's favourite indie-dance outfit, LCD Soundsystem.

Advertised and released originally in the Fall of 2006 as a soundtrack to accompanying jogging and all that nonsense, the EP was commissioned by Nike to "to reward and push at good intervals of a run". Umm, whatever. Originally the soundtrack was only available to download from iTunes, but last November was given a re-release on CD through Death From Above. While theoretically one complete piece of music, here it's separated into a tracklisting, that still works, if not more so. While producer James Murphy would later admit that the jogging aspect was a lie and he merely wanted to create such a lengthy piece of music, it's not that difficult to imagine it being used in regards to it's original purpose.

45:33 begins with a slow-building introduction, slowly building up pace before simultaneously transitioning into the next track or section, a smooth soulful piano groove, sprinkled with the lyrical pacing you've come to expect -and heard in the future release-from the band. What follows is the pure instrumental of an old friend, Someone Great. If you're listening to this after Sound of Silver it's somewhat alarming, but hearing the sample here devoid of the vocals you've become so accustomed to gives it new light, and after some repeated listening, I think I prefer it to the final version of the song. But movement is constant, and while lasting longer than it's finished-with-vocals counterpart, 45:33 continues, into something so psychedelically driven, and fused with 80s brass. From there it's robotic voicework and a relentless ongoing beat that drives forward, the penultimate push before that big soft eight-minute comedown.

While the formula is undoubtedly unconventional and the premise baffling, 45:33 provides far more than an exercise soundtrack. First and foremost it is music, and as a means of experimentation between two very defined albums, a play on expectations and past assumptions. It is fresh, exciting, and perhaps, somewhat appropriately, energetic throughout.

"Sound of Silver" is the second outing from producer James Murphy's side-project LCD Soundsystem. The fact that they're merely a side-project and have released their second album is certainly admirable, but with a confident sound and production throughout all of their work (and indeed Murphy's in general), it's easy to see how they've made the transition from "bit of fun" to a fully-fledged dance-rock outfit.

But despite being a follow-up album, Sound of Silver is still an incredibly fresh experience, bringing to mind an idea that the band are now a side project of themselves. Naturally the record is a lot more mature than their previous self-titled album, and also surprisingly a lot more downbeat, so much so that lead single "North American Scum" is something of a false indication of things to come. Tracks like "Someone Great" and "All My Friends" show this idea well- sweeping progressive anthems with a constant beat throughout, admittedly not all that different from the sound of The Secret Machines. There's no mistaking the influence of this new direction, and while these songs are very much down-tempo and reflective, they're still really positive, and most importantly of all, something you will dance to.

People coming aboard this album following on from past singles such as "Tribulations" and "Movement" are likely to be disappointed, because there is a general feeling of there being less rock in this record. That's not to say there isn't any at all however, with many tracks still carrying the traditional retro-dance-punk sound of yesteryear most notable in the band's debut singles, fans searching for this angle should look no further than "Watch The Tapes", but are still likely to come away feeling hungry.

"Sound of Silver" is very much a mixed beast. In some areas it continues to build upon the foundations of the previous record and the outfit's general sound, but it's obvious at many points throughout listening to the record that some aspects have been exaggerated for this record while others have been toned-down. Something worth noting is that this isn't an album for everyone, and depending on your musical tastes, and indeed, your experience and preferences with this band in general, there's no saying whether you'll like this new record or not. In a genre where currently all Rock and Indie music is about tight-fitting jeans and long hair Murphy's project continues to be a breath of fresh air combining many styles and themes before completely turning them on their head, but if you want something to really combat stale music and revolutionize your preferences, frankly, the debut record is a better place to start looking.