Mrs Woman

Like thousands of fans still mourning his passing, I really miss John Peel's affable, shambolic nature and intuitive good taste. While 'Margrave of the Marshes' sits with cracked spine on the shelf and 'The Olivetti Chronicles' barely unwrapped, what little vinyl I've hung onto looks like a slimmed down 'best of' the bands who appeared on his sessions. Even my MySpace page sported a 'Peel is God' badge for ages, until its image link got taken down.

In a similarly blasphemous vein, this intermittent obsession surfaced again on Christmas Day during Dr Robert Beckford's 'Decoding The Nativity'. As you would imagine, it included interviews with various befrocked ecumenical types, including Dr Richard Chartres, Bishop Of London with his spooky resemblance to Peel:

Photoshop-free doppelgangers aside, one of the most iconic pieces of John Peel history has to be his Festive Fifty. If you've never come across this annual treat, the idea was that Peel would invite listeners to nominate their three favourite tracks of the year, which he would distil into a chart of the most popular half-hundred.

By way of half-hearted tribute, here's fifteen loosely indie favourites which unlike the real chart include some 2007 tracks which only registered with me this year. OK, here's the note excusing my tardiness Sir...

15. I Will Possess Your Heart - Death Cab For Cutie, 'Narrow Stairs'
14. That's Not My Name - Ting Tings, 'We Started Nothing'
13. Last Po' Man - Seasick Steve, 'Dog House Music'
12. The Age of the Understatement - The Last Shadow Puppets, 'The Age of the Understatement'
11. Chasing Pavements - Adele, '19'
10. Ladies of the World - Flight of the Conchords, 'Flight of the Conchords'
9. Thou Shalt Always Kill (De La Soul Remix) - Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip, original version on 'Angles'
8. Gideon - My Morning Jacket, 'Z'
7. Ali in the Jungle - The Hours, 'Narcissus Road'
6. Some Riot - Elbow, 'The Seldom Seen Kid'
5. Time to Pretend - MGMT, 'Oracular Spectacular'
4. Is There a Ghost - Band of Horses, 'Cease To Begin'
3. Going To A Town - Rufus Wainwright, 'Release The Stars'
2. Galaxy of the Lost - Lightspeed Champion, 'Falling Off The Lavender Bridge'
1. Mykonos - Fleet Foxes , 'Sun Giant EP'