Introducing

2006 is now upon us with the promise of more death, doom and despair.

But it's not all bad, because if 2005 is anything to go by the Gloucestershire music scene will be going from strength to strength.

So, here’s a reminder of the best of the past year for your delectation and delight in the imaginatively titled "Top Ten of 2005":

10: Comrade

2004 was the year when artists shunned the public in favour of recording their songs in home made studios. Hand in hand with this, there was a movement towards electronica with acts like Alone, Project Twinkle and retro electrophiles Sundae Club hogging the limelight.

This year, William Moffatt, under the guise of Comrade, took the torch of bedsit electronica and produced an EP of Joy Division/Stranglers inspired gloom. Beautiful, beautiful stuff. Stand out track: "Confidence and Paranoia".

9: Moonfish/Susannah

According to ex-drummer James Henstock, Moonfish were very grateful for my favourable reviews. Not necessarily just because it was a nice review, but more because they thought that the review had been written by New Order’s drummer.

Unfortunately, I am not that Stephen Morris. Fortunately for us though, Moonfish with their vampy, raunchy vocalist Susannah are an excellent band. Their songs will get you dancing whether you like it or not. Stand out track "Feel it Now".

8: Television of Cruelty

Boy do they hate Big Brother. Who knows what they make of George Galloway and Michael Barrymore on Celebrity Big Brother. If you want a quiet life, you would be better off not asking.

Away from TV related stroppiness, Television of Cruelty write and perform some excellent songs in the tradition of the best of British indie from the Smiths to Pulp. Standout track: "Teenage Wasteland".

7: Edd Donovan

Acoustic guitars never seemed so warm and inviting as they did on Edd Donovan’s "Paint it What You Like" EP. Recorded, if the hype is to be believed, in one take, these eight songs sound like they are being performed in your own front room.

They are whimsical dreams of songs about never giving up on your ambitions. They could have been written at any point in the last forty years, but for all of that retain a vibrancy and freshness that will live forever. Standout track: "I’ll be there Soon".

6: Si Connelly

Mr. Connelly became something of a media darling in 2005. Although he’s been around for quite awhile already (I remember a brief encounter with him in the Two Pigs in Cheltenham in’03), it was in 2005 that The Observer, Esquire magazine and, more importantly, Chrysalis Music noticed him.

Si’s music, as he expalined to me earlier in the year, are all about emotions – his way of expressing himself. And boy does he express himself. Stand out track: "By the Hour".

5: Transit Cop

An energetic pub brawl of a band. A very exciting prospect for 2006 if ever there was one. Keep your eye on them. You’ll thank me for it. Stand out track: "Boys in the Other Band".

4: Bad Ass Cowboys

If anyone had told me this time last year that I was going to put a Country and Western act at number four in my top ten of 2005, I would have laughed at them. As it turns out I am laughing anyway, because Bad Ass Cowboys have produced one of the best comedy albums I have ever heard.

If you ever felt that Half Man Half Biscuit could do with a bit of inspiration from Kenny Rogers (and who hasn’t), then this band might well be right up your alley.

3: Earnest Cox

It goes without saying that Earnest Cox are one of the best acts to come out of Gloucester in years. Hence their consistently high rating in end of year charts. This year saw the release of the ever radio-friendly "Sh*t off my Shoe" along with B Side "No Joke".

It also saw the departure of drummer Shane Young and the arrival of new drummer Richard Willoughby. 2006 promises to be another Coxtastic year with a new exciting single, "State of That". Stand out track: "Sh*t off my Shoe".

2: Chris Davidson

What does a drummer do when he leaves one of the best bands you’ve ever heard? He goes and drums for one of the best solo artists you’ve ever heard. That’s what.

Shane Young’s drumsticks (and, indeed drumkit) can be heard backing the superb Chris Davidson on his second album "Losing Friends is Easy". The songs are beautifully crafted musings on new beginnings. There’s a sense of leaving the past behind and starting again here and every track is stunning. Stand out track: "Letting Go".

1: Stone From Delphi

Pretentious titles, tracks that go on for years. Stone From Delphi meet up to all the Prog Rock requirements. They’re also an excellent band. Stone From Delphi provided the world with two offerings this year, the EP "Debt Collected" and the album "All Else Can Wait".

Both were monumental affairs full of anger and resentment at a world that fails to understand. But adolescent ranters these boys ain’t. This is powerful stuff filled with poetry. Beautiful.