Best of 2010: Albums...

So, like last year, I will do two music lists. One for best albums and another for best songs. I've gotten really bad at blogging. 3 blogs last month? Who am I? What am I doing that keeps me so busy or am I just too lazy to post? These are the burning questions that keep me up at night. That and sugar. I try not to have sugar past 6 or 7pm. My brain can't take the stimulation. Anyway, here were my favorite albums of the year. I couldn't decide on 10 so "mine goes to 11."


11.) She & Him: Volume 2
A great follow up to Volume 1. Not as many perfectly mood fitting songs, but Zooey's voice touches me somewhere only Tom Hanks, Wes Anderson and that one really awkward but amazing scene in Good Will Hunting can.

10.) The Roots - Wake Up!
Wake up indeed. This was the most refreshing thing to come from the roots since their live album which contained Seed featuring Cody Chesnutt. That song was great. So is this album. The best beats they've had since Things Fall Apart and that was over 12 years ago.

9.) Taylor Swift - Speak Now
Most of you who know me well will be wondering why this is ranked so far down my list. To be honest, I've refrained from listening to the album too much because I'm not ready to drive around with my windows down singing with all of my heart. I'll re-evaluate post Spring but for now rest assured that my love for her is as unwavering as ever.


8.) Jack Johnson - To The Sea
He may have peaked with In Between Dreams, but To The Sea is nothing to shake your fist at. Packed with enough songs for me to want to sing along with and enough to make me wish I was better at both piano and guitar to keep me feeling like Spring all Winter long.

7.) J. Cole - Friday Night Lights
Though this was just a mixtape and not an actual album, I couldn't leave him off the list. Punchrhymes introduced me to J. Cole last Spring and he's already risen to be easily one of my top ten favorite hip hop artists of all time.



6.) Eminem - Recovery
Changed from The Relapse 2 to Recovery, Eminem surely knew what he was talking about when he named this album. I'm sure you've all heard the album and agree with me. It's awesome. A mature Slim Shady who isn't relying on gimmicks or shock factor is a serious force to be reckoned with.

5.) Girl Talk - All Night
My initial response to the album was that it wasn't as 'hype' as the last three, but I gotta say, the more I listen to it, the more I love it. With the exception of the Wiz Khalifa mash-up, he improved on every beat to every song he sampled which is saying quite a lot.


4.) Vampire Weekend - Contra
I'm not sure which I like more, this or their first album, but that in itself is a feat. I love Vampire Weekend. Every track on this album is perfect except for one, the name of which escapes me right now.

3.) Josh Ritter - So Runs The World Away
If you don't listen to Josh Ritter, he's pretty much the gateway into folk-rock. Through him, my eyes have been opened to some of my folk favorites including, Blind Pilot, Joe Pug and Slow Club. All of these bands are worth checking out and this album, if you haven't heard him before, will be your new favorite.



2.) Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
I'm surely going to catch Hell for not making this my number one, but number 2 ain't to shabby either. It's got some of the best songs of the year, and a return to the great music he hasn't done since 2007 with Graduation. This album is amazing and really could have gone number 1.

1.) Kid Rock - Born Free
Kid Rock? Really? I know what you're thinking, but you clearly haven't listened to the whole album. I'm obsessed with this album. Kid Rock has left behind any semblance he ever had to the flashy late 90s sound he had, and has wholeheartedly embraced a sound that makes him the heir to great Michigan rockers like Bob Seger. Part country, part rock, he really captures something here and maybe you have to have as wide ranging a musical palate as I do, but he really fucking nailed it.



Anyway, that's it. Sorry for the delay on this. Top ten songs coming up shortly (I hope).

Go big.

-M, p, z & shredder

ps - Other Guy is 31 today. Shit man, that dude is old.

pps - I've been a bad blogger these last few months but I'm trying to get back in the groove. I'm going to go for my goal from a couple years ago which was something like 28 blogs for February. I've got a few to make up but I'm gonna shoot for the moon here.

Best of 2010: Movies...

Man, I'm sorry. I really suck at blogging lately. So in an attempt to fill my January quota, I'm going to try and barrage you with overdue blogs. First up, following suit with the release of the Oscar noms on Monday, here are my top 10 movies of 2010, also known as Animation Domination.

[just a reminder to those who question my choices, these are my favorite movies of the year which I think embody the best of all categories which includes entertainment value as witnessed by last years winner, Avatar, which nudged out 2nd place Moon which had the best acting by far.]

While compiling the list of movies I've seen this year (which was probably close to 40) I must say, the competition was stiffer than I thought. They weren't the greatest movies ever, but ranking them was tougher than I thought. So as usual, here are the honorable mentions: Robin Hood, The Switch, Going the Distance, Micmacs, Get Low, The Fighter and Scott Pilgrim.

10.) Kick-Ass
Kick-Ass was one of my favorite graphic novels and I was worried they would ruin it the same way the ruined Wanted, but I was pleasantly surprised. Nick Cage didn't blow it and casting an unknown was really the only was I could get behind it. They changed very little and it ended up being almost as cool as the book.

9.) The Expendables
The movie pretty much opens with Dolf Lundgren yelling, "Warning shot!" and then shooting a guy in half with a grenade launcher. It only gets more ridiculous and hilarious after that.

8.) The Warrior's Way
Not sure if this was an manga or an anime before, but this is how movies like Street Fighter and Dragonball should have been made. It's the closest thing to a real life anime I've ever seen and I was blown away by the action.

7.) Despicable Me
The first of many animated movies on here. If you haven't seen it, do yourself a favor and cozy up with a blanket and some popcorn because this one's adorable.

6.) True Grit
I am a huge fan of the original and though they changed a few things, the Coens somehow made it better. Jeff Bridges is awesome in it and if Hailee Steinfeld doesn't win an Oscar, I'm going to punch someone in the face.

5.) District-13: Ultimatum
If you haven't seen District B-13, it's on netflix instant. Two things I love, parkour and action movies, couldn't have meshed more perfectly. This sequel was even better than the first. Non-stop action and "wtf did he just do?!"

4.) How To Train Your Dragon
This could have landed in either the third or second spot as well. There isn't a whole lot I can say about it. It's everything you want in a movie.

3.) Toy Story 3
Emotional roller-coaster. I've been waiting for this movie for a very long time and was not disappointed. I laughed, I cried, I cried, I laughed and then I bawled. What a great ending to what has to be one of the greatest trilogies of all time.

2.) The A-Team
You may be wondering how this movie got so high on my list. Well, the first time I saw it, it might have been 6th, the second time I saw it maybe 4th, but the more I watch it the better it gets. It's just a really funny perfect summer action flick. It's well paced, well thought out and surprisingly well acted. I have as much fun watching it as it looks like they had making it.

1.) Inception
Before I saw the movie, I read an review that said something to the effect of, "it doesn't matter if you hear people talk about it before you see it because you'll have no idea what they're talking about. I could tell you the whole plot of the movie and you wouldn't know what I was talking about until you saw it." That pretty much sums it up. There are a lot of theories about the ending and while I believe he wasn't dreaming, a friend of mine pointed out that the top wasn't even his totem, it was his gun. Who knows. This film an incredible work of art.

Best Dressed: 2010 Emmys

So I have been terrible at blogging this month. Not much else doin these days except for school and that isn't terribly exciting or noteworthy. The Emmys were on this weekend, if you missed it you didn't really miss much. I turned it off around 930 after Mark Twain left because it was taking forever to get to the good stuff and it really wasn't good enough to wait around for. But there were some good lookin ladies on the red carpet and as usual, I have a top 3.

3. Dianna Agron - better known as Quinn




















2. Jayma Mays - Another good looking girl from Glee - she's pretty much a dime.



















1. Nina Dobrev - I've never heard of her before but let's get real - she's a 10.

Anyway, I'm out. Go big.

-M, p, z & shredder

Hello 2010...

Are there flying cars yet? I swear, when Back to the Future II came out, I just figured I'd be driving a flying car by now. This is about as close as we've come but we're still a long way away. Didn't life seem so much easier on The Jetsons?

So 2009 has come and gone and that means it's time for my annual 'best of' lists. As it is also the end of a decade I will also be doing a couple of other lists including a best movies and best albums list from the last decade.

New Years eve was a blast as usual. My drinking bone is connected to my dancing bone which was in full effect. At one point things got so heated during a battle that I slipped (on spilled booze, not because I was that wasted) and I lost, but I also sprained my ankle at some point during the night and did the Lisa Turtle hop for a bit.

I hope everyone had a fun eventful new years and that 2010 is going well so far. Go big.

-M, p, z & shredder