Synth Heroine

One of the best ideas this week - Synth Hero. Bring. It. On. Who wouldn't want to channel Nick Rhodes and come over all moody and electro. And what songs would feature? Here are some of Greg Howson's suggestions:

... Kraftwerk - The Model ... the entirety of Dare by the Human League, and most of Depeche Mode's catalogue (though Personal Jesus could easily be on Guitar Hero) ... early Prodigy? – maybe some of Saint Etienne's more electronic moments. And it won't be 80s and 90s classics only. There is loads of contempary stuff - Little Boots, Ladytron, Hot Chip, Errors etc - to keep this from being a retro collection. Yes, Synth Hero may have a more European appeal but you could always stick in Van Halen's Jump to keep the traditionalists happy

On the clothing front, these loose charcoal astrology tops from Max look great - slouchy & sultry.

I'm still in love with The Guardian's music coverage. They preview 2009, singling out some of the acts I've enjoyed this year - Little Boots, White Lies, La Roux etc. See also The Times picks - La Roux and White Lies (again) and the fabulous Empire of the Sun.

I've just discovered their New band of the day feature.

Ralph Fiennes on The Reader and Oedipus.

Hottie curmudgeon AA Gill on film. I love his restaurant reviews, so here's something new to savour.