It is time once again for me to think back on my favorite things of 2011. I am no critic, and this list is by no means definitive. If you think this list sucks, you’re welcome to read Rolling Stone. This is, simply, the music, books, movies, and events I enjoyed most this year.
Now, a couple of quick notes. While all the records below were released in 2011, the books are just ones that I read in 2011; I’m not that current with literature. We also didn’t get to the movies much this year so I’m only listing three of those. I’ve also added some recommendation fields, including suggested tracks to download or whether a book is worth buying or borrowing. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
The Best Music of 2011:
1. The Whole Love – Wilco: The Chicago Sextet’s 8th studio release marks a return to their Summerteeth-era pop roots, straying (mostly) away from the frantic, post-rock jams of their last few records. I lost track of time humming and tapping my foot along with The Whole Love, now one of my favorite release from one of my favorite bands. Download: Dawned on Me
2. Bon Iver – Bon Iver: In an era where the indie cutting edge prefers the erratic to the beautiful, Bon Iver managed to make the genre’s best of the year the most beautiful, as well. I dare you to find another record this side of 1990 that uses electric piano and soprano sax without the faintest sense of irony. Download: Holocene
3. So Beautiful or So What – Paul Simon: When you’ve written as many songs as Paul Simon, the fact that he has enough material to do a new record is remarkable enough. The fact is, Paul Simon is experiencing a bloom in late life creativity. His last two records are stunning masterpieces of lyric and texture, and this album is proof that unlike most of his old singer/songwriter peers, he’s still got it. Download: Dazzling Blue
4. Build a Rocket Boys! – Elbow: While the rest of British rock has spent the last 10 years trying to out-art Radiohead or tap into Coldplay’s anthemic success, Elbow has managed to thrive swimming upstream, writing gorgeous pop music better suited to a concert hall than a rock club and owning the radio anyway—at least in Britain. Not only is it my favorite album title of the year, but it also features my favorite track. Download: Lippy Kids
5. The King of Limbs – Radiohead: I make no effort to hide that Radiohead is my favorite band so a new record, even one as short and confusing as this one, is a very big deal. With each listen, order has emerged in the chaos and Limbs holds its own with the best of their catalog. Download: Give Up The Ghost
Honorable Mention:
21 – Adele: The best mainstream pop album of the year, hands-down. Download: Rolling in the Deep
The Cold Still – The Boxer Rebellion: A perfect winter record. I love this band. Download: The Runner
The Best Books of 2011:
1. The Power and the Glory – Graham Greene: This story of a disgraced, alcoholic priest is not only the best book I read this year, but probably one of the best I’ve ever read. Greene’s stunning storytelling and poetic use of prose left me speechless and moved me to tears. Buy it.
2. The War of Art – Steven Pressfield: The best book on writing I’ve ever read. If you’ve ever struggled with any discipline, this book is a must read. Buy it.
3. Where Men Win Glory – Jon Krakauer: I reviewed this on the blog a few weeks back, but I’ll recap by saying that there’s no writer of non-fiction I enjoy more than Krakauer. He managed to tell a story to which we all know the ending in a way that sucked me in and broke my heart just the same. Pat Tillman was quite a man. Borrow it.
4. The Dogs of Riga – Henning Mankell: This Kurt Wallander mystery is a captivating tale of civil unrest in the former Soviet republic of Latvia that I couldn’t put down. Contrary to what the bestseller list says, Mankell is Sweden’s best mystery writer, thanks to the deep social and cultural awareness of his stories, and his use of a fragile, human hero that defies hard-nosed noir stereotypes. Borrow it.
5. The Girl Who Played with Fire – Stieg Larrsen: I read the whole series this year, but the second installment is definitely the best. These are brutal stories, but not for brutality’s sake. Instead, they shed a light on abuse and sex trafficking, and manage to make a journalist and a computer hacker into believable action heros. Borrow it.
The Best Movies (I saw) of 2011:
1. Midnight in Paris: Woody Allen’s latest inspired so many good feelings in me that I still can’t stop gushing over it, nearly 8 months later. I wrote about it at length when it came out so instead I’ll just say, watch it, then watch it again.
2. Senna: To a motor racing fan, the name Ayrton Senna invokes the same sort of feeling that Muhammad Ali might a boxing fan, or Jackie Robinson a baseball fan. This extraordinary documentary is the first of its kind, using nothing but archive footage to tell the story—no present-day narration—most of it from Senna, himself. This man of deep faith was a hero to his native Brazilians, and a reckless, brilliant talent behind the wheel of an F1 car. This is worth more than one viewing, whether you like racing or not, and the telling of the great Senna/Prost rivalry is up there with the best in all of sports history. As one review stated, Senna was, “The best superhero movie of the year.”
3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2: It’s a rare gift to experience a series of stories that actually rewards the effort in the end. I love these stories, and the cinematic conclusion was everything I go to the movies for. If you read and saw them, you’ll agree. If you’re on the fence about whether or not its worth your time, it is. The movies let us live in the stories just a little bit longer, and I’m sad to see Harry, Hermoine, Ron, and the gang go.
The Best of Everything Else:
1. Pregnancy – Did I mention we’re having a baby? The roller coaster ride of finding out your wife is pregnant is a rare and exceptional joy.
2. California – Sometimes I think the coast of Central and Northern California is some sort of spiritual home to me. Sarah and I’s last pre-parent vacation was simply sublime.
3. A New Job – I always wanted to be a professional writer. 2011 is the year that became a reality. It’s harder than I thought, but worth every second.
4. The 2011 Formula One Season – This season saw more overtaking and better competition in the mid-field teams than any season in history. I actually managed to watch every single race. So good.
5. Kairos – I started playing guitar at this young adult ministry over the summer, and have found a musical outlet I didn’t even realize I needed.
Since you enjoyed War of Art so much, don’t forget the sequel, Do the Work. ( I actually like Do the Work a little better.)
Oh, I’ve got it.
Love this: “In an era where the indie cutting edge prefers the erratic to the beautiful…”
I mostly gave up on modern indie music, I just couldn’t see the art, but when Bon Iver (the album, not the band) came along I fell in love. I couldn’t find words to explain why I listen to it again and again, with it’s strange sounds and mostly unintelligible lyrics, but am driven away from other music with similar characteristics. You’re comment nailed it, Bon Iver uses the tools to create beauty, not a carnival side-show, and that’s why I love it.
Typing on the iPhone, forgive the typos…
It’s interesting you mention the lyrics because I heard Justin Vernon interviewed about the record, and he said that a lot of the lyrics don’t necessarily make sense because he chose the words for the way they sounded over their meaning. Same with the song titles. It’s all about the vibe.
Wonderful as always, Whit. Like the guy before me, I couldn’t agree more about your criticism of the modern indie scene. I also couldn’t agree more about the wonderfulness of this newest Bon Iver record. It seems like a lot of things nowadays lose their value after several listens, but Bon Iver has yet to lose any of the magic I felt the first time I heard Holocene.
Your words are calming and appropriate, sir. It is always a pleasure to read what you have to say. Happy new year!
Indie culture is annoying. Time to bring back the grunge.