Greetings to all on the New Year.

Best of 2011

Top 10 Albums of 2011

10) Tomboy -- Panda Bear

Noah Lennox's fourth album "Tomboy" did a pretty good job of following-up the stellar "Person Pitch" by developing his distinct synth-driven melodies this time with a more focused and reverb-intensive sound with his Brian Wilson esque-vocals adding flavour to an already remarkable album.

Must-Listen from the Album : Surfer's Hymn , Slow Motion

9) Helplessness Blues -- Fleet Foxes

Fleet Foxes' debut was so good that it seemed almost inevitable they'd fail with their sophomore effort. Turns out the troubled process this album went through made it into an even more refined gem with Robin Pecknold easily coming up with some of his strongest vocal melodies and regretful occasionally sorrowful but always on the optimistic side, Helplessness Blues turned out to be 2011's best "blues" album by a long stretch.

Must-Listen from the Album : Beduoin Dress , Helplessness Blues

8) Hot Sauce Committee Pt.2 -- Beastie Boys

MCA's cancer led to the delay and eventual shelving of Hot Sauce Committee Pt.1 but what emerged out of his brave and eventually successful fight with his cancer was Beastie Boys' resounding comeback easily coming across as their best work since "Hello Nasty". And boy,do Beasties make their comeback in grand fashion with "Make Some Noise". At a time when most of the original rap artists have either decayed or retired,these bada$$es are still making killer verses and dope tracks. Beasties are back,son.

Must-Listen from the Album : Make Some Noise, Too Many Rappers

7) Space is Only Noise -- Nicolas Jaar

This little known Chilean came from nowhere and hit 2011 with a rather odd electronic wonder -- mixing drone-driven space sounds with ambient and jazz textures. Result was one of the most refreshingly new experiences of 2011.

Must-Listen from the Album : Too Many Kids Finding Rain in the Dust, Keep Me There

6) Hurry Up, We're Dreaming --M83

Amongst the more anticipated albums of this year was this popular French-electronic/dreamgaze artists' double-album.And it certainly didn't let down.Starting with the booming intro featuring Zola Jesus and then the runaway success Midnight City, this double-album never lowered its quality throughout its playtime.

Must-Listen from the Album : Midnight City , Raconte-Moi Une Histoire

Now onto the really special albums....the Top 5.

5) Take Care, Take Care, Take Care -- Explosions in the Sky

Explosions in the Sky's instrumental guitar s-tyle of music has stayed a constant throughout the years but here they're seen restructuring their songs into a more relaxed pace. The result is that the melodies have the time to nurture,develop and then burst....literally into massive explosions in your speaker. Refining a decade-old s-tyle of music isn't easy, but Take Care x3 makes it seem so easy.

Must-Listen from the Album : Human Qualities, Last Known Surroundings

4) Past Life Martyred Saints -- EMA

EMA easily made the best debut this year. Often an overlooked album by many, I personally loved how confident she sounded in her s-tyle which was a mix of folk and grunge. Raw is the best word that describes her music -- be it the raw electric guitars, or the raw tortured vocals on "Marked" or the raw emotionally powerful lyrics throughout the album.

Must-Listen from the Album : California, Marked, The Grey Ship

3) Father,Son,Holy Ghost -- Girls

Easily the best "traditional" rock album of the year came from the SF-duo of Chris Owens and Chet White. Owens once again digs deep into his tortured,well-publicized past as a child brought up in the infamous Children of God (COG) cult. Dealing with years of child abuse and drug abuse makes for good writing material and this is backed by some fantastic music be it the killer riffs on "Die" or the catchy riffs of "Alex". However it is the largely solo songs featuring Owens mano-mano with his guitar and voice that reveals the complex and layered emotional side of this album.

An all-round success in nearly every way this could easily have been No.1 if it weren't for the fact that it has been such a good year for indie music.

Must-Listen from the Album : Alex , Forgiveness , Die , Vomit

2) Strange Mercy -- St.Vincent

To those who knows my choices, this was a massive upset. St.Vincent aka Annie Clark easily was topping my list if it weren't for a late run from the No.1 album. Strange Mercy marked the coming-of-age of her sound. Combining choir-vocals with harsh grinding electric guitars has been her trademark sound and it hasn't seemed more better than it has here.

If I were judging albums on the basis of emotional weight and lyrics, this would top no doubt. But like I said before, I am judging it on basis of the strength of music and which is why this misses top spot. Sorry Annie, you're my fave female artist right now and Strange Mercy was a RAD album but I still gotta give it No.2 :cry:

Must-Listen from the Album : Cruel , Surgeon , Northern Lights , Strange Mercy

1) Eye Contact -- Gang Gang Dance

Like I said before, in terms of the sheer quality of music in a single album, NOTHING came a mile close to these Brooklyner's masterpiece. One song after another they delivered one stellar song after another. Kicking off with the trippy Glass Jar followed by a series of songs so good that I could listen to the entire album on loop 3-4 times(I actually did that) without getting tired of it. Mixing Arabic,Japanese(Enka) and Greek music in their experimental electronic sound backed by the early 80s Kate Bush-esque voice of Lizzie Bougatsos made this a sheer musical pleasure to listen to.

I couldn't see any winner after listening to this so it clearly deserves the No.1 spot in a year with some excellent titles.

Must-Listen from the Album : Adult Goth , Chinese High , MindKilla , Thru and Thru

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BEST MOVIES OF 2011

5) The Adventures of Tintin

Being a massive fan of Tintin since childhood, I was a bit apprehensive of the script despite the fact it was penned by Doctor Who writer Steve Moffat. Turns out those fears amounted to nothing since we got a highly enjoyable movie where 3D was used to a good effect and made the overall experience entertaining. As a Tintin fanboy, I came out smiling so I consider this a success.

4) Melancholia

I am pretty sure I am one of the few around here who actually liked this Lars Von Trier flick. I think he did an excellent job capturing the increasing strain in the relations of the people involved and the social awkwardness that binds them like a deadly snake. Dunst gives a surprisingly good performance (imagine that! :P ) and Von Trier does a fantastic job capturing the tense atmosphere embroiling underneath all the fake smiles that characters give to each other. Personally loved this movie.

3) A Separation (aka Jodaeiye Nader ez Simin in Persian)

Surprising entry on this list was this deeply emotional and scathic satire on the modern Iranian society. Capturing a married couple's struggle with their Alzheimer-inflicted parents, child's future amidst the backdrop of a contradictory Iranian society makes this one of the best foreign-language movies of 2011 by far.

2) Drive

Ryan Gosling starred in this supremely entertaining and highly s-tylish semi-action,semi-noir flick. Filled with smart,witty one-liners and fantastic visual direction that reminded me of the early 50s noir flicks made it one of the big surprises of 2011. Not to mention its so s-tylish that one can't help but watch and adore its confidence over and over again. A guilty pleasure! :D

1) The Tree of Life

I deeply love movies like 2001 : Space Odyssey and Lost in Translation and Tree of Life falls in the same vein as those two in more than few ways. Guilty of often putting some of its viewers into sleep due to boredom (nothing happens in this movie is their most common complaint) but on so many levels The Tree of Life is easily the biggest and most ambitious idea for a movie any director has ever taken. There I said it. Encapsulating the very essence of life was never going to be an easy task and director Terrence Malick stumbles occasionally but the end product is a slow-boiling but deeply soulful and complexly layered movie that rings true on so many levels that it's maddening.

It's a pure cinematic achievement that is 2011's biggest example of why cinema is MORE than a visual medium for literature. The Tree of Life is cinema's biggest and proudest statement of its glory and independence in 2011. :D

Best Event(s) of 2011

People Power

2011 saw a large number of events showing the fabled "People's Power" starting off with the "Jasmine Revolution" in Tunisia that ended up seeing its dictator Ben Ali being kicked out and then spreading across the entire Arab world sparking massive protests and clashes in Egypt,Yemen and Libya.

These weren't the only examples we saw. In my very own country we saw the massive anti-corruption campaign spark into a nationwide protest against the government with Anna Hazare heading the "Lokpal Movement" that drew many inspirations from the Independence Movement 60 years ago led by Mahatma Gandhi himself. Non-violence was the essence of another nationwide movement once again in India.

Not only that but the financial woes of Europe and the taxation inequalities of America saw the "Occupy" movement rise. While lacking a common aim/motive/demand from their governments, they all came across as anti-capitalist movement initially demanding for taxation equality with the motto "We are the 99%" becoming very popular amongst the protestors.

Granted lack of leader and the increasing influx of anarchists,trouble-makers within the OWS banner does make the movement lose a great deal of credibility but still it was a resounding expression of people's power.

Social media particularly Twitter and Facebook played a massive role in all these movements. Connecting,encouraging and mobilizing support from all corners of the world, all these protestors gained a great deal of mileage and support from people worldwide thanks to these two sites in particular. Each of these movements wouldn't have been so successful if it weren't for these sites.

But the reason this is THE Event of 2011 above any other is because these movements are examples of people taking control of the matters plaguing their country. It is a sign of people having the courage and the interest to stand against their government's mismanagement and wrong-doings. It is a sign of people taking their own lives and that of the entire community into their own hands and demanding for a better change.

It is a sign of people looking above their selfish personal lives and doing something collectively as a community for once.

2011 has been a stunning reminder to governments and rulers all across the world that the moment they cross the limit of tolerance of people with their mismanagement and wrong-doings, they're going to have to face the direct ire of their entire country's population. But this time they're not alone. They have the entire world (namely the Internet) behind them thanks to the social media.

That's it for now!

Hope you all have a great 2012 ahead of you! :)

--Lightwarrior179