The Rearview Mirror: 2009 and all it's contributions

A friend of mine posted his top 10 favorite albums of 2009, and I WAS going to do something similar (I swear) but he beat me too it. It's a good list. You can read it here. However, in the interest of all things media related, I thought I would take it a step further and cover video games and movies as well. I think I may have done something like this at the end of last year, but I am too lazy to go check. Also, in the interest of brevity, I will narrow it down to top five. Again, this all heavily opinionated, and if you don't agree, you're just wrong. Get over it.

First, we will start off with the top five best Video Games released this year.

5. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

-Admittedly, I have not played this game, nor do I own it. So why did it make number 5? Because no one will shut up about it, AND I just wanted to be the first to create a list in which COD:MW2 scored lower than Super Mario Bros. Wii.

4. Fallout 3: Point Lookout

-Okay, so this is not technical a full game, but it certainly is some kick-ass DLC. With Fallout 3 easily being the best game of 2008, this expansion brings the intensity to a whole new level and is essential for any fan of Fallout 3.

3. New Super Mario Bros. Wii

-Challenging, innovative, and a blast to play, this next installment in the platforming world of Super Mario Bros. is a great treat for both new gamers and seasoned veterans alike. Play solo, or with up to four people if you really want to have some fun.

2. Dragon Age: Origins

-Bioware has done it again. And by done it again, I mean graced the shelves with yet another deeply involved RPG. The game has everything you'd expect from a BioWare game. Good story, good setting, and fun engaging gameplay. If you haven't tried it yet, pick up a copy. I doubt you will be disappointed.

1. Borderlands

-My personal favorite game of the year. Borderlands is probably the best game that a lot of people didn't play. It perfectly combines RPG and FPS elements to create an experience unlike any other. BUT it's main strength is in the online co-op play. Get a couple of your friends together and play through the main quest as if you were doing it by yourself. With advanced difficulty and more loot, Borderlands is definitely better with a group.

Moving on to the top Movies of 2009. Take a look.

5. Where the Wild things Are

-A heartwarming story of a young boy and the monsters in his imagination. Good soundtrack, great production and a well- loved story make for a good movie, but not good enough for me to go out and recommend to people. In a few short months, this movie will probably be forgotten about completely.

4. New Moon

-As a closet Twilight fan, this movie had to make it somewhere on the list. It wasn't the best movie (lengthy, cheesy, poor acting) but for some reason, it resonated with me and therefore earned a spot on the list.

3. Up

-Just when you think Pixar has run out of original ideas, they release UP. Another totally original totally creative instant classic on par with the likes of Finding Nemo, Toy Story, and Wall-E. Go see it for yourself.

2. Avatar

-To think, at the beginning of the year, people were more excited about Watchmen then they were about Avatar. Now where are you Watchmen? That's right. No one cares about you anymore. Sure your effects may have been cool and your naked blue man shocking, but the blue men in this movie makes your movie look like crappy claymation. Avatar is a visual masterpiece and nothing like it has been done before. However, where it excels in graphics, it lacks in story and plot. While not bad, the plot is canned and predictable.

1. Star Trek

-Move over Avatar. My favorite movie of the year goes to this masterpiece. Star Trek. Sporting a phenomenal cast, a zealous director, and awesome visuals, Star Trek did not disappoint on any level. Even the Trekkers were impressed at how much justice this movie did to the critically acclaimed franchise. Whether you are a long time fan, or a newbie to the universe, The Star Trek movie is an awesome film for both.

HONORABLE 2009 MOVIE MENTIONS:

-Coraline

I definitely like Coraline better than Where the Wild Things are and New Moon combined, but I don't feel like deleting and re-writing stuff. Last but not least, Music. What a good year for music.

5. Fever Ray - Fever Ray

For fans of The Knife, or the dark electronica genre, then you will enjoy Fever Ray. I found this gem later in the year, but I still like it enough for it to make the list at the last minute. Favorite Tracks: Dry and Dusty, Seven, and I'm not done.

4. Moby - Wait for Me

I hate that I'm a Moby fan. If you ever listen to his political rants, you get the idea that not only is he an idiot, but an annoying idiot whose complaints only hold validity with people who wear bamboo shoes and faint at the sight of a hamburger. BUT, to his credit, he does make some pretty kick-ass music and his latest album Wait for Me is one of his best showcases of musical genius. Don't speak Moby. Just make more music. Favorite Tracks: All of them

3. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion

I hate being cliché, but this album is so good. It's one I've found myself listening to over and over again, and just enjoying it more each time. It's creative and spontaneous and just a good listen overall. Favorite Tracks: My Girls, Summertime Clothes

2. Arms and Sleepers - Matador

Another late discovery brought to my attention by a very dear friend, Arms and Sleepers has taken this year's spotlight for new artist that I've added to my library. It's melodic ambience, and epic guitar sounds make it one of those not-quite- instrumental, not-quite-vocal masterpieces. Combining sounds like Radiohead, Sigur Rós, and Moby, Arms and sleepers is in my opinion, a great candidate for second place. Favorite Track(s): Helvetica

1. Lights - The Listening

This album is by far my favorite of 2009. I have known about lights for quite sometime, but her debut LP shot her up to being one of my all time favorite artists. She's electro-pop, but done in such a way that makes all other music in the genre sound liked canned beats. She uses the synthesizer and computer in a way that I have not heard before, and she carries herself like an indie artist, and not a pop-star. Give it a listen. I think you'll be surprised.

Favorite Tracks: Savior, Drive My Soul, The Last Thing On Your Mind, Face Up, Up Up and Away.

HONORABLE 2009 MUSIC MENTIONS:

Muse - The Resistance

Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest

Company of Thieves - Ordinary Riches

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!

The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love

The Avett Brothers - I and Love and You

Bat For Lashes - Two Suns

Looking back on this list, I'm not sure I did this right. I might like Muse's 'The Resistance' a little more than I like Fever Ray, and might like Moby a little more than Animal Collective, but Alas, what's done it done. All of the artists I mentioned have great music to offer, and truly, every album deserves it's own full length blog entry. Good job everyone. Fuzzy navals are on me.

Yes, its been a good year friends. I already know some items I'm looking forward to for next year *cough* Mass Effect 2 *cough*

Stay safe at your parties, don't drive drunk, and most importantly, don't make any resolutions because you'll forget it by March. Happy New Year everyone!

Artist Spotlight: Arms and Sleepers

Ignoring the fact that it's been a month since my last post (and the encouraging feedback that anonymous haters leave) I've decided that today is as good a day as any for a new blog post. I've had material to blog about for quite some time, and just never got around to writing about it. I want to blame it on all the important stuff I'm doing, but I can't because I haven't been doing a lot of important stuff.

Anyway, a good friend of mine who always has something cool to show me introduced me to this new band called 'Arms and Sleepers' and they are quite fantastic. The reason I like them so much is because they are a perfect combination of all kinds of other music I like. When listening to them, you'll hear a little bit of Moby, Radiohead, Sigur Rós, Múm and Mogwai. Their resonating ambience mixed with the epic sounding guitar effects makes their music powerful and beautiful.

But you can't really describe a sound now can you? No, you can't. It's like describing smell to a blind person. IMPOSSIBLE.

Pay no attention to the static album-cover image of this video I am about to show you. It's more the music that I want you to hear.

Hey, who turned out the: Lights

I checked my inbox this morning only to discover about 100 unread messages from Blame it on the Media subscribers and they were all very cross with me about the lack of new posts. Don't believe me? Just check how many angry comments I got on my last post about the Avatar movie! Oh wait, I must have accidentally deleted them all. I swear there were at least 70 something comments! Now you probably all think I'm lying to you. Oh dear, what am I ever going to do to gain back your trust.

I know! I'll ask you to take a leap of faith by telling you to check out a female electro-pop artist! No no no! Don't walk away! She's actually really really good, and I can't believe I haven't told you all about her already! She's not one of those sellouts, creepers, sex symbols, or generally annoying bad musicians! Why am I using so many exclamation points! That should have been a question mark!

Anyway, she calls herself 'Lights' and she makes all her own music and writes all her own lyrics. Her LP entitled 'The Listening' was released this year and ever since hearing her EP last year, this was one of my personally most-anticipated albums of 2009. It didn't disappoint me either! A solid album from start to finish. I generally try to be as critical as possible, but there is nothing about her or her album that I could possibly say anything bad about. She's cute, witty, and talented. She'll win your heart if you give her a chance. As always, I won't just ask you take my word for it. I will include a music video and a live video for your viewing pleasure. No, you know what? Make that two live videos. I'm feeling generous today.

The Resistance: Muse's latest musical musings.

One of the greatest modern rock n' roll bands of this era is undoubtedly Muse. Muse blends modern rock with classic symphonies, and new age electronica to create a sound worthy of the label 'progressive rock' because it is most certainly progressive. Muse isn't afraid to explore and experiment and their sound is unique and easily recognizable. An asset to any music snob's library, Muse can rock hard, or play it soft, ripping at your emotions like a riptide, or gently plucking the heart strings. Whatever the case, Muse's music will always be a potent vibe in the ears, and the power trio re-defines the limits of what one band can achieve in their style and sound.

So then WHY is it that I'm not overly impressed with their latest work? I'm not saying it's bad or painful to listen to, but it just didn't deliver the same knock-out punch to the brain as past albums have. At least initially. I've owned the CD for about an hour now, and am on my third listen, and while some elements of a few songs are quite creative, I feel like it's not covering as much new ground as I've come to expect from a Muse CD. So, in the back of my mind, I am a little disappointed. I still think Absolution was their crowning jewel though.

Yeah, it's worth having a copy, because it's Muse and Muse is an awesome band, but the CD doesn't stand by itself. The opening track and first single 'Uprising' is actually a little annoying and isn't a song that I want leading the way into new Muse territory. Also, the closing of the CD is quite weak and after hearing the ending song of Black Holes and Revelations, I've automatically been expecting a killer closing song, which didn't happen with this one.

By the way, if you don't click my hyperlinks, you are missing out on some of the best tidbits of blog, and you're also making me angry.

Oh well. Maybe next album.

Tonight: Franz Ferdinand, Tomorrow: The World

Probably the best band I've ever heard named after an assasinated archduke, Franz Ferdinand is yet again, ready to dazzle their fans with a brand new LP entitled, "Tonight: Franz Ferdinand."

I have always enjoyed Franz right from the start. Their music is what I'd say to be the epidemy of the brit-pop genre, and on this record, they're taking it to the next level. The flamboyant (but not gay) frontman Alex Kapranos says that this album will have a "streak of electronica" as well as "...the heavy bass and space echo you would find on a dub mix," whatever the hell that means.

The first single (also the first track on the album) is to be the song "Ulysses" and will be available on the 19th of January. The rest of the album will be released in full on the 26th of January in the UK, and the following day here in the US. I don't know about you guys, but I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of new things we can excpect from such a talented group of individuals. Cheers to you, Franz Ferdinand.

Lately listening to: Christopher O'Riley

Today I was out and about with a very good friend of mine. We had decided to make each other mix CD's (because its cute and fun) and there was one artist on the CD that really caught my attention. His name is Christopher O'Riley and the song I heard was "Like Spinning Plates" a Radiohead song. The thing that made this cover special was it WAS ALL DONE WITH PIANO. That's right. This man took one of the greatest alternative artists of our time and turns their songs into beautiful piano pieces.

When I got home, I bought the whole CD on itunes, and fell in love with it. The CD is called "Hold Me To This" and it's all piano Radiohead covers, and its gorgeous. It includes songs like, No Surprises, Paranoid Android, Sail to the Moon, as well as other Radiohead favorites. I find it to be very peaceful and relaxing, and I hope you will find it to be the same.

Now, if you don't like pianos, or Radiohead, or you're just not a fan of good music, I'm sure I could find a Creed CD that you would probably enjoy. However, I assume most of you have a decent taste in music, so no worries there ;)

Thanks to Sydney, who always knows just how to make me smile.