I always have music playing in the background when I'm at work in my office -- I don't like complete silence, as it makes me feel isolated and lonesome! I usually put several CDs into my jukebox and listen to them in rotation over the course of a few weeks or more. Here's the latest batch that I finished with yesterday.

"Collapse Into Now" by R.E.M. Not a bad little album, but far from their best. A shame that it's to be their final studio effort. "Accelerate" would have been a more fitting finale. 3/5.

"The King of Limbs" by Radiohead. I've been a big Radiohead fan since "The Bends" and while I respect their decision to adhere to the left-of-centre path that they switched to a long while back, I keep wishing that one day, even if just for one album, that they'd return to the good old days of great rocking-out song, rather than technobabble. Listenable, and interesting, but hardly an essential addition to their canon. 3/5.

"In The Aeroplace Over The Sea" by Neutral Milk Hotel. VERY odd! I read about this in Q, where it was listed as one of the top albums of the last 20 or so years. I'd never heard of it, but thought I'd check it out. Takes quite a while to get into, but worth sticking with. 4/5.

"The Suburbs" by Arcade Fire. My first exposure to the group, and I loved it! Sorry now that I didn't make time to see them on tour this year. 4/5.

"Le Noise" by Neil Young. The grizzly old maestro shuffles on relentlessly! I never miss a Neil Young album. This isn't him on his best form, but some good songs all the same. 3/5.

"The Fame" and "The Fame Monster" by Lady Gaga. Bas bought me this for Christmas, because I really love the sang "Bad Romance". Didn't expect much of the albums, but they were better than I expected, especially the shorter second album, which had less filler. 3/5 for "The Fame" and 3.5/5 for its sequel.

"Kilimanjaro" by The Teardrop Explodes. An oldie from the very early 1980s. Not really my cup of tea. 2.5/5.

"Leaving My Empire" by Fred. Cork's finest return with a highly polished album of classy songs. Not as catchy as their previous efforts, but stylish as hell and groovy with it! 4/5.