My Favourite Albums of 2011: A List

Merry Christmas Everyone!

It’s that time of the year again: Time for me to list my favourite albums of the year. These are not necessarily the best albums, but the ones I’ve enjoyed the most this year.

Compared to 2010, 2011 was kind of a quiet year in music. It was a year that didn’t have any overt great albums (like my number 1 &2 last year, Titus Andronicus' The Monitor & Arcade Fire's The Suburbs), but had some pleasant surprises that rewarded patience in the listener.

I decided to do a top 15 list this year because I had trouble narrowing my list down to ten. Give all of these albums a listen. They are all quite enjoyable in their own ways.

Some Honourable Mentions:

Destroyer - Kaputt

F**ked Up - David Comes to Life

Fruit Bats - Tripper

My Morning Jacket - Circuital

Here is the List

15. (tie) Foo Fighters- Wasting Light/R.E.M. - Collapse Into Now

I started off with a tie, because I wanted to include both albums on this list, and I had trouble ranking them. They are both pretty similar. Both were albums that rejuvenated a band after a brief period of stagnation.

The Foo Fighters recorded this album in Dave Grohl’s garage, trying to get that raw sound. As a result, Wasting Light is more lively and urgent than previous Foo fighter albums, and shows that Grohl and the band still have some good albums left in them.

REM ended up breaking up this year after 30 years together, but what a high note to go out on. Collapse Into Now, I’d argue, is REM’s best album in over a decade. Tightly constructed, with great lyrics and hooks. I wanted to hear more from them.

Key Tracks on Wasting Light: Rope, Walk, These Days

Key Tracks onto Collapse into Now: Discoverer, Me, Marlon Brando, Marlon Brando and I, Alligator_Aviator_Autopilot_Antimatter

14. Drive By Truckers – Go-Go Boots

One of the more consistent bands in the past decade, Drive-By Truckers released another solid album. Recorded around the same tame as 2010’s The Big To Do (Number 7 last year for me), this album is more soul and country inspired, compared to the southern rock found on The Big To Do. The band are great musicians and songwriters, and that alone makes this album worth listening to. In addition, the production on this album is amazing. It feels like they are performing in the same room as you.

Key tracks: Go-Go Boots, Used to be a Cop, Everybody Needs Love.

13. Bon Iver- Bon Iver

 I’m not as high on Bon Iver, and its front man Justin Vernon, as some people are. I’m not happy with the many artists they have inspired, who think that recording some boring ass folk tunes on old recorders in the middle of nowhere constitutes great art, and I don’t like the people who prop these milquetoast musicians up as the emotional voices of our generation. I’m pretty sure I could do the same thing. Nevertheless, open mind and whatnot. I listened to this album, and there is some stuff to be impressed about. The album is built around strong soundscapes that take the listener away, and the songs have a semblance of structure, which a lot of the followers lack. A good album and I can appreciate the talent Vernon and his band have, but it's  not a top ten album for me. I see it as the “Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” of 2011. Good album, but not the best as critics claim.

Key Tracks: Holocene, Wash., Calgary

12. Dawes – Nothing is Wrong

The sophomore album from Dawes was a pleasant surprise. More urgent than their sleepy debut North Hills, the band turns up their amps, writing an album that feels like Neil Young could have released it as a follow-up to Harvest. I love good songwriting and lyrics, and they’re here in abundance on this album. Plus this album has a pulse, unlike North Hills. 

(Disclaimer: As much as I make fun of the album, North Hills is quite good, suitable for a lazy afternoon or early evening out in the desert. This is an album for an evening in the city).

However, I need to throw this out here: I like Dawes. I really do. I love their folk sound inspired by the legacy their hometown left (Laurel Canyon, where Crosby Stills, Nash and Young started), their harmonies are strong, and they work really well together as a band. But there’s something that I feel is holding them back from being a great band, and I can’t quite put my finger on it. Maybe it is because there are so many folk rock bands out there that they are lost in the shuffle, or they haven’t quite found their voice yet, but right now, they have to settle for being good.

Key tracks: Time Spent in Los Angeles, If I Wanted Someone,  My Way Back Home, How Far We’ve Come.

11. This Hisses – Surf Noir

One of the better albums to come out of Winnipeg this year (I will always love my hometown, and my campus radio station), and it shows that there is still some life in the punk scene, which I long stopped paying attention to. It’s different, a sinister surf record. 8 Tracks of well-constructed songs, which rocks from start to finish. Can’t ask for anymore than that.

Key Tracks: Lycanthrope, Gold on Fire, Swagger, Snakewine

10. The Weeknd – House of Balloons

This album was released for free on the Canadian R&B artist’s website,  and garnered attention when Drake mentioned them on his Twitter. And this album, the first of three mixtapes released throughout 2011, I feel is their best. This album is what I feel R&B and hip hop needs; a little grit, rather than glam. Minimalist, sparse production that creates a mood of loneliness, combined with lyrics about the dark side of hedonism, allows the Weeknd to make the top ten. This could be one of the most influential albums released this decade. Check it out on their official website.

Key Tracks: High for This, The Morning, Wicked Games, Coming Down

9. Real Estate – Days

I really enjoyed this album. It's pleasant and soothing to the soul, and boasts some incredible guitar work. Similar in ways to my Dr. Dog pick last year, this album has a very 60’s guitar pop influence. The album brings out strong feelings of warmth and nostalgia as I listened to it. Yes, this album is very hipster-ish, and some would call it inoffensive, but inoffensive isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I find myself listening to this album in the car quite frequently.

 Key Tracks: Green Aisles, It’s Real, Municipality, Younger than Yesterday

8. Cut Copy – Zonoscope

I loved this album when it was released at the beginning of the year. Compared to In Ghost Colours, I felt that it was tighter and more concise, with none of the wasteful transitions that bogged down that album. I loved the world music influence throughout the album, and the sound that somehow feels organic, despite being mostly electronic. This was the best dance record of 2011, enjoyable both being blasted through speakers, or listened to on your bed in headphones and zoning out.

 Plus, it has the best album art of 2011. How can you not love that?

Key Tracks: Need You Now, Take Me Over, Blink and You’ll Miss a Revolution, Sun God

7. Adele – 21

I think this could be the most surprising pick on my list, but this album was impossible to ignore. The best-selling album of 2011, it has spent 42 out of 43 weeks in the top five on the charts, and sold at last count, almost 5 million copies. The runner-up*, Lady Gaga’s Born This Way, has sold close to two million copies as of this writing.  Why has the public gravitated towards Adele? Is it because the pop market is so saturated with acts that are more spectacle, and she has a semblance of actual talent?

Adele isn’t a perfect artist by any means. Nobody is. But she was good. And in an era where talent is scarce, she’s a beacon of hope. Her voice is amazing and filled with emotion. Not many pop artists have that talent. Besides, you can’t hate on Rolling in the Deep; a perfect pop song. And it’s been stuck in my head. Adele is one of those artists that not only lived up to her hype, but managed to exceed it. I want more from her in the future.

 Key Tracks: Rolling in the Deep, Hiding My Heart (UK edition track), Someone Like You, Take It All.

6. The Black Keys – El Camino

I hate clichés, but here is one that could have some truth to it: The Black Keys could save rock. Not bad for a band consisting of only a drummer and a guitarist.

Much like The White Stripes, The Black Keys write and perform blues inspired rock music that has managed to catapult them from indie darlings to headlining arena acts. Unlike other bands, The Keys have managed to keep their trademark sound basically the same, and haven’t pandered to a mass audience. El Camino follows up their breakthrough album Brothers with 11 tracks or pure, unadulterated, garage rock bliss. Every song on this album I can hear being played on the radio (cliché number 2). What makes the Black Keys special is their ability to make every song feel distinct, despite having only two members.  I love this album, and you should too.

(Note: This album came out in December. I felt that if I ranked it higher, it wouldn’t be right. If it came out earlier in the year, it would be in the top 2).

Key Tracks: Lonely Boy, Little Black Submarines, Money Maker, Run Right Back

5. The Strokes - Angles

After five years away from music, one of my favourite bands returned and showed people that they still had what it took. This was one of my most re-listened to albums of the year. I’ll link to the review I did when it came out.

Key Tracks: Under Cover of Darkness, Two Kinds of Happiness, Taken for a Fool, Life is Simple in The Moonlight.

4. Tom Waits – Bad as Me

 The legendary Tom Waits returns with his first album of new material in 7 years, and it feels like a compilation of what makes him one of the more unique artists ever.. Booze soaked rockers, some atmospheric folky stuff, and even a few touching ballads. Waits’ growl is refined and still as perfect as ever. Bad as me is a thirteen song collection that takes bits and pieces from Waits career pre- and post Swordfishtrombones, and refines into an album that is pleasant to listen to. I would use this album as an entry into Waits for new fans. It also reminds veteran listeners of how good he truly is.

Key Tracks: Chicago, Kiss Me, Bad as Me, Satisfied.

3. TV on the Radio – Nine Types of Light

Before recording this album, the genre defying Brooklyn group TV on the Radio went on hiatus. It seems to have re-energized them. The band had a touch act to follow: 2008’s Dear Science was considered by many publications to be the best album of that year. A lesser band could have delivered a disappointing follow-up, but they managed to refine their sound further.

Nine Types of Light has more emphasis on groove and soul throughout the album. There is still a healthy amount of experimenting on this album, with songs bouncing from glitch, to industrial, and finally closing on a straight up rocker. Chaotic, yet controlled, this is one of the best albums of the year, and a worthy companion to Dear Science.

Key Tracks: Second Song, You, Caffeinated Consciousness, Will Do.

2. Radiohead – The King of Limbs

This will be contentious, I’m sure.

Radiohead fans put the band on a pedestal, and react negatively when an album is not an instant masterpiece. I remember when The King of Limbs was first released in February, the reaction was very mixed, bordering on negative. As the year went on, I’ve noticed the reception changing a bit, but many still consider it a misstep in the band.

Radiohead are a great band. In my opinion, they are the best band since Pink Floyd. They push the boundaries in their genre, and many bands today cite them as an influence. Look at the British music scene before OK Computer was released, and look at the music scene after the album.You can do the same thing for the follow-up masterpiece, Kid A; every band that came around after those albums are trying to sound like Radiohead. Their albums are not instantaneous masterpieces, but reward patience and dedication. I’ll bring up Kid A again. When it was first released, it was very polarizing; now it’s considered the best album of the 2000’s. Will The King of Limbs be the best album of the decade? It’s too soon to tell. We’ll check in a few years.

Anyways, back to the album. High quality album from start to finish. Only one track I skip over (Feral). Easily the best headphone record of the year, and I still notice little details on each listen. The best use of electronics by any band today. The album sounds great performed live (even better than the studio album), and the extra tracks from these sessions (Supercollider/The Butcher & The Daily Mail/Staircase) that have been released are all well done (the latter two especially).

That is why The King of Limbs is my second favourite album of the year.

 Key Tracks: Morning Mr. Magpie, Lotus Flower, Codex, Separator.

1. Wilco – The Whole Love

I’m going to quote from my column that I wrote about this album for The Endeavour, dated November 30, 2011.

 

". . . The Whole Love is Wilco’s eighth album, and also the first release from their own label, dBpm. Compared to Wilco (The Album)’s more standard sound, this album is best described as a cross between Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and Summerteeth. It is also their best album since Yankee hotel Foxtrot.

Wilco’s strength is their ability to merge the unconventional elements of music with strong songwriting and traditional hooks.  Their songs are carefully constructed, and quite catchy. Each song is unique, from the jazzy shuffle of "Capitol City," to the folk rock of "Black Moon," and the jangly guitars of “Born Alone.” Despite shifting genres, no song feels out of place on the album. It’s a skill that few bands can master. In addition, I believe that this incarnation of the band, who have been together since 2004, is their best lineup yet. They’ve really gelled together in the albums they have played on.

The Whole Love is bookended by two experimental tracks. “Art of Almost” last seven minutes, beginning with some distorted bass, moving towards a simple rhythmic main section, and drives to the finish with one of the best two minute guitar solos you’ll hear this year.

The album closer, “One Sunday Morning,” is about 12 minutes long.  It’s a simple, almost Dylan-esque song, built around Tweedy’s guitar playing and pained vocals. It is one of the saddest songs that Wilco has ever written.

You’d be hard pressed to find a better album this year.  I give it the highest possible recommendation."

Key Tracks: Art of Almost, Born Alone, Capitol City, One Sunday Morning

*Editor's Note: At the time of this writing,  Born This Way was the number 2 selling album of the year but has since slipped to number 3. Michael Buble's Christmas album is the new second best seller.

My first column- 20 years later, why Nevermind still matters

Here is a clipping of my first column for The Endeavour, the campus newspaper at Lethbridge College.

Originally appeared Sept. 28, 2011 Vol. 47 Issue 01

Check it out! Text may be a little too small to read. Let me know, and I'll fix it.

Long Lost Review: "Life" by Keith Richards (2010)

Author's Note: I'm a lousy blogger. I need to become more frequent in my updates; This every two months pattern is not good for a future journalist.

Anyways, here is a review that I wrote back in July. Enjoy!

Keith Richards can be described in many ways: a music legend, one of the greatest  guitarists of all time, and also one of the poster boys for rock and roll excess. But, after reading Life, you can add the following descriptor: master storyteller. Much like the first notes of many famous Rolling Stones songs, Life grabs a hold of you and does not let go until it is finished.

The novel discusses Keith Richards’ life beginning as an only child growing up in postwar England. His passion for music is evident at an early age, as he talks about his desire to play his grandfather’s guitar and his love of the blues. After being expelled from high school, he was transferred to an art school. It was during this time that he became reacquainted with his former neighbour Mick Jagger, bonding over the blues albums that they had in their possession. This friendship led to the formation of one of the most popular and controversial bands of all time.

For readers who want to know everything about the Rolling Stones, this is the book for you. Reading Life is the closest that many of us will come to meeting Keith Richards, and being able to pick his brain about anything regarding the Rolling Stones. He describes everything, from their early days trying to be “the best blues band in England” to the recording of the classic albums Exile on Main St. and Beggar’s Banquet. Despite the presence of an additional writer, the voice in the book is definitely Richards’; nobody else could describe the situations he encounters the way it is described in the book. Credit must be given to James Fox for allowing Richards' voice to shine through.

The phrase “brutally honest” has been thrown around so often that it has become a cliché, but it is an appropriate phrase to describe this book. Richards holds nothing back throughout the book, whether talking about his various run-ins with the law or his experience with drug addiction. At times, while reading the novel, it felt like Richards was bragging about his drug consumption and how his fame prevented him from serving serious time in prison. At other times, he seems more responsible than most addicts; he knew his limits, unlike several of his contemporaries. Richards lays it all out, and allows the reader to make their own decisions regarding his actions, which allows him to come across better than some other artists (Anthony Kiedis, I'm looking in your direction).

The deterioration of his friendship with Mick Jagger, whom he calls “unbearable,” was another subject that came up late in the book, and what the media focused on after the release.  It does not come off as sour grapes or jealously. Rather it feels believable that after 40 years of close quarters, the two of them have grown apart. Despite this, Richards insists that he still loves Jagger like a brother, even if they have separate dressing rooms. Recent events, however, show that Jagger is still bitter over the comments made in the novel. I hope they patch it up and tour one more time.

Life also had a personal effect on me. About a year ago, I began to learn guitar, but had stopped playing it. After reading Life, and hearing Keith Richards discuss the guitar in terms that even a non-musician can understand, I picked up my guitar and began playing again. Now, I play almost every night. Life sets the new standard for rock and roll memoirs; other musicians are going to have trouble topping it.

The Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis (2008)

Wow, it's been a long time since I've written in here.

My absence from posting in this blog is easy to explain. I've just been busy with work and preparing for the fall that writing in this blog hasn't been a priority. I don't like it, but that's life, for better or worse. I hope to get back into the groove soon.

I've been doing a lot of reading this summer. I read everyday, sometimes have two books on the go. It's a practice I've honed during my time at university. when you have a full course load, you master reading multiple books, articles, and essays. And now that I have a Kobo, I find myself reading more. So, I thought to mark my return, I'd review one of the most entertaining novels I've read this summer.

Terry Fallis took an unorthodox method to becoming a publishing success. A former Liberal Party strategist, he experienced little interest from publishers for his debut novel The Best Laid Plans. Rather than getting discouraged, he started releasing his novel a chapter at a time in podcast form, building an audience, and then self-publishing the novel. It was awarded the Stephen Leacock Medal, and then was picked up by McCelland & Stewart for wide distribution.

The novel is most likely inspired by Fallis' experience working for the Liberal party. The novel is told from the perepsective of Daniel Addison, who works for the Liberal Party as a speechwriter. He has become increasingly burned out with politics, his idealism being stripped away after years of working in Parliament. However, after he hands in his resignation to the party leader, he is given one last task before he is allowed to leave. He must find a candidate to run under the Liberal banner in Cumberland-Prescott, one of the safest Tory ridings in Ontario.

Addison has just moved there, and tries to get Muriel Parkinson, an elderly woman who ran in five previous elections to be his nominee. She refuses due to her age and the disease she shares a name with. Finally, Daniel finds a person to represent the party in his landlord, Angus McClintock. Angus agrees to do it, so long as he doesn't have to do anything at all relating to the campaign, and also because it gets him out of teaching first year English for Engineers for the term, a job Daniel takes over in his place.

Much of the humour is derived from Daniel having to run a phantom campaign. He enlists two young punks, both named Pete, to canvass for him, while Angus is more content to play chess, work on his hovercraft, and write in his journal. In the last few days of the campaign, however, the Tory candidate's chances are decimated because of a sex scandal. Suddenly, Angus, who wanted nothing to do with the campaign, has been declared the winner by a slim margin.

Reading this novel, even though it was published in 2008, one can't help but notice parallels between the story and Ruth-Ellen Brosseau. Brosseau, for those who don't recall, won a seat as an MP for the NDP, despite not speaking French, not visiting the riding, and being on vacation in Las Vegas on Election night. It actually makes the satire funnier, as we have basis for this happening in real life. And many areas of politics are satirized, including voter apathy (people in Cumberland-Prescott would rather spoil their ballot than vote Liberal), scandals among the electorate, and Question Period

Throughout the novel, the reader is given excerpts from Angus' journals, in which he writes to his recently deceased wife Marin. These excerpts ground the novel, giving it a sense of poignancy, despite the humor that precedes these entries.

Fallis published a sequel in 2011 titled "The High Road." I would recommend both of his novels not only to anyone who has even the slightest interest in politics, because the humor will ring true to them, but  also to those who don't care for politics, because their opinion on the entire process will be proven right.

Movie Watching Habits/Theater Pet Peeves

I have a few rules for when I watch movies at home.

-The lights have to be off. If I watch a movie during the day, I find that there is too much of a glare on the screen. I try to draw curtains, but it doesn’t always work. So, I have to wait for the evening. Besides, a movie affects you differently depending on the time you watch it. For example, Lost in Translation, as I mentioned in my review, needs to be experienced at night.
-I always finish the movie, no matter how terrible it is. I've done it at home before, but no longer anymore. I can also proudly say that I have never walked out of a movie, though Step Brothers really tested my patience.
-My rule for movies on television is this: if the movie has already started, I will not watch it. I need to watch a movie from the beginning, especially if I haven't seen it before. The exception to the rule is if I have seen the movie a few times before, and need something on in the background on a Sunday afternoon. Forrest Gump and Gladiator are usually the go to movies for these occasions.

-I do not like watching movies on my laptop. Movies were meant to be experienced on a large screen and with Dolby Surround Sound, not through crappy speakers and a tiny screen. Besides, there are too many distractions on a computer, like Facebook or a blog.

-Audio commentaries are a mixed bag. Some commentaries are interesting and you learn interesting facts about the movies. Others are just awkward self-congratulation fests. But, I always check them out. some really good ones include Citizen Kane (commentated on by Roger Ebert), This is Spinal Tap (cast does it all in character), and The Lord of the Rings (There are commentaries by the cast, crew, and set designers).

-Everybody must remain quiet. Some talking is okay, but don’t talk throughout the entire movie. This leads me to…


My pet peeves at the movie theatres:

-Talking. The main reason I rarely go to the theatres anymore. I can’t stand it when people talk throughout the movie, either telling someone what’s going on, or trying to be witty and make snarky comments throughout the movie. You’re not as witty as you like to think you are.

-Cellphone use: I hate the glowing blue screen from the phone of some teenager or adult that flashes every few minutes. Turn your phone off. You can wait two hours before sending a message to that person.

-Parents taking young children to inappropriate films: This is common among newer parents; they’re stressed and they want a night out, but can’t find someone to babysit their child. So they take their toddler to the movie they want to see, usually an action film of some sort. Baby starts crying, it annoys the entire theatre, and then they end up leaving. What they need to learn is that a baby is a major responsibility, and sometimes you have to cut out things that you enjoy because of you child if you can’t find a baby sitter. Rent a movie.

Experienced parents are just as guilty of this. When Watchmen came out, I went to see it in theatres, and a mother with three young children, no older than ten, sat down a few rows in front of me. She likely assumed that since it involved superheroes, it must be for kids. Watchmen is a hard R rated film, and it was clearly advertised in the trailers. I believe after witnessing the violent opening scene, an attempted rape, and a naked blue guy, she and her kids walked out of theatre, wasting at least $50. Parents need to research the movies that their kids want to see, and there are all sorts of websites online that will tell parents the content of the film. Don’t assume that just because it looks kid friendly (superheroes, talking CGI creatures, animated) that it is appropriate for children. I’m reminded of numerous staff room conversations about the first time some teachers watched Family Guy.

-Price gouging: It’s getting out of control at this point, especially at the snack bar. A common scenario: you at the movies on Friday night by yourself (usually what I do; my taste in movies is a lot different from my friends) and you pay ten dollars for a ticket. Not great, but that is the way things are going these days. You head to the snack bar, and by the time you buy a popcorn and drink, you are out another ten dollars. And it gets worse if you have a family, or are out on a date. The snack bar is the biggest ripoff at the theatre these days, and the popcorn isn't even as good as it used to be.

3D movies are another price gouger. Theatres will add an extra few dollars in the ticket price for the glasses, and still charge you even if you bring your pair from another movie to the theatre. I could write a blog ranting about 3D. Maybe the next blog.

That is a list of my habits/pet peeves when watching movies. What are yours?

The Strokes - Angles (2011)

The year was 2001. If you were a music fan at this time, there wasn’t a lot to choose from quality wise on mainstream radio. Boy bands and pop starlets ruled the charts, rap was heading full-steam towards its bling obsessed phase, and rock was fully entrenched in nu-metal. Sure, some great albums were being released at this time, such as Radiohead’s Kid A, but a combination of no singles released from the album, along with the challenging nature of the music, kept it hidden from the masses (We should remember; when Kid A was released, it was very polarizing among critics and fans).  If you wanted good music, and not just from Radiohead, you had to look for it. Every once in a while though, good music bubbles to the surface, and the mainstream can’t ignore it. Such was the story of The Strokes.






 Consisting of 5 NYU students who played rock music inspired by The Velvet Underground & The Stooges, The Strokes caught the attention of record companies after their first EP, The Modern Age became popular among critics in the UK. The bidding war for the band was one of the largest for a band at the time. They eventually signed with RCA, and recorded their debut Is This It. The album was very successful, leading to the garage rock revival of the early 2000’s, which had a two-fold effect; it rid the charts of nu-metal for good, and labels began raiding the underground, signing every raw sounding band they could find. Some of these bands were awful (The Vines), but others went on to find great success (The White Stripes, though they were around a couple of years before The Strokes).



As is the case with any band that has a successful debut album, following it up was a process. While Room on Fire was acclaimed for sticking close to their original sound, 2006’s First Impressions of Earth was not well-received for attempting to move beyond that sound, adding more overt pop rock elements. The band went on hiatus for 4 years, each member working on solo projects. The band re-appeared at Lollapalooza in 2010, and announced after that show that they were working on a new album, which is what I am reviewing today.



Angles is the first Strokes album in 5 years. Musically, the album is a cross between the rawness of their first two albums and a strong influence from 1980’s new wave bands. Keyboards are very prominent on several tracks, such as album opener “Maccu Piccu” which is based around a reggae style guitar groove and “Two kinds of Happiness,” which would not be out of place on a Duran Duran album. The band, despite their skill as pop song writers, also remembers that they were leaders of the garage rock movement, and thankfully, don’t forget how to rock. Tracks such as “Taken for a Fool” and album highlight “Under Cover of Darkness” should satisfy fans of that particular style.

Julian Casablancas performing at Lollapalooza 2010

The band all deserve props individually for their efforts on the album, but special attention should be paid to both Albert Hammond Jr. and Julian Casablancas. Hammond is still a great guitarist, working with co-guitarist Nick Valensi to craft strong guitar parts and his soloing is still precise and top notch. Casablancas recorded his vocals separately from the band, which could have turned out disastrously. But, his Lou Reed inspired voice fits in perfectly, and you forget that he didn’t record with the band much on this album.

2011 is already shaping up to be a good year musically, with quality releases from Radiohead, Cut Copy, Les Jupes, & The Decemberists. Now you can add The Strokes to that list. Angles is a cohesive album that not only plays to the strengths of the Strokes, but adds some new influences that allow them to grow their sound. I’d rank it second to Is This It, and if they decide to come to my area of the world, I’ll be first in line for a ticket.

Academy Awards 2010

This year, I don't think people can complain about The Academy nominating movies that the majority of the public hasn't heard of, let alone watched. Out of the ten nominated films:

• Toy Story 3 and Inception were two of the highest grossing films in 2010. (Toy Story 3 was first, Inception was fourth).

• Black Swan, True Grit and The King's Speech made over $100 million at the box office. This is impressive, considering they are three genres that studio's assume the public won't watch (Art-house, Western, and Drama).

• The Social Network and The Fighter finished outside the $100 million total, but still had strong box office performance (approximately $97 million and $89 million, respectively) and widespread critical acclaim.

• Even the other three nominated movies (127 Hours, The Kids Are All Right, and Winter's Bone) despite grossing less than the other films, still managed to turn a profit considering their budgets.

All things considered, 70% is pretty good for the Academy Awards.

As for my predictions,  I'm personally hoping that The Social Network wins Best Picture, but won't be surprised if The King's Speech takes it. It has everything that the Academy loves: it's a historical drama focused on the British monarchy;  it is promoted by the Weinstein Company, who specialize in this type of film (ex. Shakespeare in Love);it is largely inoffensive, with the exception of that one scene where King George VI says fuck 5 times;  It has the story of a person overcoming adversity or a disability. (stuttering). All it needed was the Holocaust, and Best Picture wouldn't even be a contest.

Despite my prediction of Best Picture, I see David Fincher winning Best Director for The Social Network as his direction was why a movie about Facebook was so successful. Still can't believe Christopher Nolan was snubbed for Inception. I would have nominated Nolan over  David O. Russell (The Fighter). 

Most of the Acting categories are locks. Natalie Portman for Black Swan and Colin Firth for The King's Speech will take the lead acting oscar's. Christian Bale will finally be rewarded for his work, winning Best Supporting Actor for The Fighter. Bale will also win because the Academy will need some younger faces to be nominated in the future, now that Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington are older and entering the "Paycheque" phase of their career. Supporting Actress is the tightest race. I think Melissa Leo will not win for The Fighter for two reasons. 1) Her co-star Amy Adams is nominated, so they'll split the vote. and 2) Her solo For Your consideration campaign may have ruined her chances. Either Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) or Helena Bonham Carter (The King's Speech) will win this award, but I'm leaning toward Carter.

Gwenyth Paltrow wins best song because Hollywood is intent on forcing the idea of her as a singer on the public.

Final note: How surreal would it be if Trent Reznor won an Academy Award?