How do music journo's remember it all?

It's inevitable at this time of year there's the 'Best of' lists from the year from 'Remember when moments'  to best buys. I am weirdly fascinated with them, in some ways as a little test to how much I know about the year, also how much I've missed! 

I love the music lists though - Top 100 albums of 2013, Best singles - just the other day I was listening to the most blogged about artist on the radio. Although I did find myself feeling somewhat uncool all of a sudden.

Then I reminded myself when you work crazy hours like I do, the number of gigs you get to go to significantly decreases. Trying to build a business, whilst doing a breakfast radio show also has an impact on the time spent on listening new music - despite access to awesome sites like Spotify. 

Don't get me wrong, I make the lists I just don't get through them but I've decided that 2014 is the catch up year... I can't think about how much more music will come out just yet, but I will do it. I am always in awe of the music journalist. How they plough through the amount of tunes they do. How they remember the reference points and influences one artist has used in their latest album. How they keep up to date. The friends I have like this talk a different language, the ''muso' language. It's a deeper level, one of obsession, dedication and constant attention to detail. 

This weekend I went to Munich to see my sister and her family and my 13 year old niece Phoebe who is an avid Justin Bieber fan was filling me in on the latest figures of Beliebers there are in the world. 

I feel a bit bad as today I've sent her the news that apparently JB says he's retiring! But she did tell me how she'd been listening to Slipnot so I was safe in the knowledge her taste is broad - she did after all go to see Green Day, as her first gig when she was eight.

Phoebe told me that all her friends know she's mad about music as she's either listening to something on her ipod or singing something. We had a little chat about how she wasn't doing great at school apparently (having been grounded due to poor grades) and I was suggesting maybe she could set some of her 'boring' school stuff to music. I used to be frustrated that I couldn't remember a Geography case study at school but could remember all the words to EMF's Unbelievable and Suede's Animal Nitrate! 

I'm thinking of telling my niece to start a blog and see if I can relive my desires to be a 'muso' through her..