Thursday, December 29, 2011

Favorite TV series of 2011

***I watched way more TV than I should have this year.

1. Breaking Bad
This season had a great slow build and major payoff at the end. Major improvement over season 3, and I am so glad it is going to end soon. The only way to ruin it would be to find ways to drag it out.
2. Louie
Louie often is not even funny, and often goes in weird unexpected directions. I can't predict it alot of the time. I wish more TV was this way. And also, usually, it is funny.
3. An Idiot Abroad
All Hail Karl Pilkington
4. Downton Abbey
Had to kind of be forced to watch this one, and then Natalie and I watched season 2 in like 2 days. The story continues to move and there are satisfying conclusions during the season. I don't know anyone who wouldn't like this show.
5. Boardwalk Empire
Richard Harrow is one of the coolest characters on TV. And the butcher really got to my nightmares this season.
6. Parks and Rec
This show has the funniest complete cast of characters in my humble opinion. I don't mind following any of them around. Of course Ron Swanson is the best, but he doesn't completely outshine everybody.
7. Game of Thrones
Books are better, but this is about as close as a show could come to awesomely recreating a world of this size.
8. Curb your Enthusiasm
Even one of the weaker seasons of Curb is better than most comedies out there.
9. Community
Another great ensemble show, but I like the direction even more than the characters. It's like watching an alien's version of what they think a TV show is...covering all genres.
10. 30 Rock
What are they going to do now that Kim Jung Ill is dead!!!

Shows I've given up on:
1. The Office (Really I gave this up like 3 years ago, but now I can't handle even one minute of it.)
2. Dexter (Same thing, I haven't seen it for 2 seasons)
3. Walking Dead. (How can you ruin a zombie TV show? They managed.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

2011 Favorite Albums

10. Relax by Das Racist:
9. Bon Iver by Bon Iver
8. James Blake by James Blake
7. Family and Friends by Serengeti
6. Bad as Me by Tom Waits
5. Own your Ghost by 13 & God
4. Kaputt by Destroyer
3. Strange Mercy by St. Vincent
2. Father, Son, and Holy Ghost by Girls
1. W H O K I L L by Tuneyards

Honorable Metions:
1. 2 Action Bronson Albums, Well done and Dr. Lecter
2. Take Care by Drake
3. This is our Science by Astonautalis
4. Davis by Davis
5. XXX by Danny Brown
6. Nine Types of Light by TV on the Radio
7. Watch the Throne by Throne

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Favorite Songs of 2011

Top Ten Favorite Songs of 2011:
10. Northern Lights (St. Vincent)

Best manic guitar solo.
9. Satisfied (Tom Waits)

Best references, most inspirational
8. Otis (Watch the Throne)

The funnest
7. Last Night at the Jetty (Panda Bear)

Best Melody and Harmonies
6. Believer (John Maus)

Most likely to make one cry for unknown reasons.
5. Love Like a River (Girls)

Best throwback style
4. The Whip (Serengeti)

Best storyteller.. (he even gets the little details right, like how the guy says, "you don't know anything what the octagon is about" in kind of this weird stammer.
3. I never learned to share (James Blake)

Most said with fewest amount of words
2. Bizness (Tune-yards)

Most original sounding song to come out this year.
1. County Line (Cass Mccombs)

Prettiest thing I've heard in a long time...pure nostalgia.



Honorable Mentions:

1. 212 (Azelia Banks)...Dirtiest, most catchy.
2. The last Huzzah Remix (Mr. MF Esquire, Das Racist, EL-P, Danny Brown, Despot) Best posse cut
3. Micheal Jackson (Das Racist)

Angriest first verse
4. Sexting (Davis)

Prettiest rap song this year
5. Loft Music (House of Baloons)
Most debauchery
6. Love on top (Beyonce)

Most Key changes
7. Will do (TV on the Radio)
Saddest sounding chorus
8. Marvin's Room (Drake)
Most likely song to make me feel sorry for a rich R&B singer
9. Ronnie Coleman (Action Bronson)
Most listened to during workouts this year.
10. Shut up (R. Kelly)

Best comeback. hahah
Oh, la Brea (Man Man)

Prettiest Refrain at the end of the song.

Monday, December 26, 2011

Books I read in 2011 and Book goals for 2012

1. The Accidental Billionaires
2. StoryTeller (Roald Dahl Biography)
3. Eating Animals
4. Life (Keith Richards Biography)
5. Game of Thrones
6. Clash of Kings
7. The Big Payback
8. The Walking Dead Volume 1-15
9. Walter Benjamin at the Dairy Queen
10. I make my own rules (LL Cool J Biography)
11. The Tao of Wu
12. Decoded (Jay-Z bio thingy)
13. True Grit
14. The Magician King
15. Bossy Pants (Tina Fey autobio)
16. The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay

I liked the Game of thrones books, true grit, and Magician king alot, and really really really enjoyed the roald dahl bio. Check it out.

What I wanna try to read this year among other things I wanna do:
1. Brothers Karamozov
2. Listen to this
3. Unbroken
4. All the pretty horses
5. Storm of Swords
6. Feast for Crows
7. Dance with Dragons
8. Thelonius Monk Biography
9. Mark Twain Autobiography Vol. 1
10. Blood Meridian
11. Carter Beats the Devil
12. Cannery Row
13. Kraken
14. 11/22/63
And other things. Any thing you think I ought to read this year?

Add me on goodreads if you have an account.
I will post my top ten lists this week sometime on this blog.