Happy New Years!

A new year means a clean slate. A chance to start off on the right foot. It also means new music, books, and movies!

Here's the top ten things I am most looking forward to in 2011

10. The Green Lantern Movie

At one point this would have been number one on my list. After watching the trailer to the film, I have a feeling that all that CGI crap might get in the way of good storytelling. Also, I just don't like the graphics. Honestly, it feels kind of rushed to me. A film that utilizes this much CGI should have taken much longer to produce. Whatever. As long as they have Ray Romano's brother from "Everybody Loves Raymond" play Kilowog then I'll be satisfied.

9. Talib Kweli's "Gutter Rainbows"

Although I doubt it will top the Reflection Eternal album he dropped with Hi-Tek in 2010, I am still eagerly awaiting this release. I haven't really liked a Kweli solo album since "Quality" in 2002 (Damn, I was a sophomore in high-school!) but "Revolutions Per Minute" reinvigorated my love for the BK MC.

8. The Film Adaptation Of Haruki Murakami's "Norwegian Wood"

Although not my favorite Murakami novel (so far it's "After Dark"), "Norwegian Wood" is by far one of the best coming-of-age stories I've ever read. Inspired by The Beatles song of the same name the novel follows Toru Watanabe, a freshmen student at a Tokyo college in the 1960's. Amidst the turmoil of the student movement, Toru deals with college, growing up, and falling for two girls--the socially outgoing Midori and the emotionally scarred Naoko. The novel perfectly captures both the anxiety of growing up and falling in love. So far the trailers I've seen are quite promising.

7. The Walking Dead Season 2

A television show about the zombie apocalypse that is both viscerally entertaining and intellectually engaging? Yup, that's The Walking Dead. The television adaption of Kirk Kirkman's seminal comic-book series is as smartly written and engaging as anything on HBO and is filled with enough "that's-fucked-up" moments to keep any die-hard zombie fan satisfied.

6. Jay Electronica's "Act II"

It took me a while to fully believe the hype, but after loving his verse on Reflection Eternal's "Just Begun" and the way he looped the and rapped over the "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" soundtrack (featured below) I became a believer. Combining esoteric rhymes, street appeal, and a deeply conscious style, Jay is one of the more interesting emcees to come out in years. Now signed to Jay-Z's Roc Nation and with a Mountain Dew commercial hitting the tube soon, his debut album has garnered plenty of attention. 2011 might see a new hip-hop star.

5. The American Release of Haruki Murakami's 1Q84

With a film-adaptation of his coming-of-age classic "Norwegian Wood" and an English translation of his 2009 bestseller on the way, 2011 seems like a big year stateside for the Japanese author.

4. Nas' "The Lost Tapes 2"

Yes, I know that it's 2011 and that means I could probably find a way to download all the songs that will be featured on this album, but it's still cool to have a follow-up to "The Lost Tapes." If LT2 comes out banging then I will know that one fact is for certain--Nas is one the greatest hip-hop lyricists ever but one of the worst editors of his own albums.

3. Lupe Fiasco's "Lasers"

Honestly, I'm surprised how high (or is it low?) this album ranked on my list. It's probably because he's one of the few real lyricists getting any significant radio play and I'm just pulling for the guy. After squabbling with his record label over the substance of his music, Lupe has come out unscathed and dropping some dope hip-hop. Although his first single was obviously geared toward the radio, it's still heavily-conscious. Here's to conscious hip-hop!

2. Blu's "No!York"

This should be no surprise to anybody who's ever read my blog before. Since dropping the instant classic "Below the Heavens" Blu has not stopped creating music. The follow-ups have both been collaborative projects--C.R.A.C Knuckles (with Ta'Raach) and Johnson&Johnson (with Mainframe). So far this is his first official "solo" album. From what I've heard it's a far departure from BTW. That isn't necessarily a bad thing. Although I hate the musical genre known as "electro rap", Blu's new electronic-centered musical approach isn't that bad. It's actually quite refreshing. So far I'm anxiously awaiting this one.

1. Mad Men Season 5

There's not much to say about this show if you haven't watched it. It's a brilliant combination of nostalgia, history lesson, sociological study, and soap-opera. Plus, it's plain ol' pretty to look at. There is so much depth to this show. Whether you're interested in American culture in the midst of great change, the rise of marketing and consumer consumption, 60's idealism, feminism, or existential suffering, Mad Men is a blast to watch.

364 Down, 1 To Go

It's almost over! Before you go out tonight, drink yourself into a stupper and make awkward sexual advances at your hot second cousins, let's reflect on the year that was.

Uhm. That'll take too much time. Instead, here's a .gif of one of my favorite moments of 2010.

Yes, I have problems.

As you have noticed this blog has a new title. With the new title comes a slightly different format. Don't worry, it will still be mostly about music, but I wanted to incorporate other facets of my life as a way to vent. It's cheaper than a shrink.

So back to 2010. This was a weird year. It was stressing. I studied a lot. A lot. I finally finished school and made some awesome friends along the way. I had my ups and downs with my girl but we've managed to get through it. I was unemployed (an loving it) for three months. I binged on junk food. I listened to plenty of great music. I had fun with my family and friends. I've also learned a lot about myself .

2011 seems like it will be a bitch.

I plan to attend Grad school next Fall so that means I have about eight months to work and save up money. That means I have to get a better paying job for the meantime. Damn, I hate being an adult. Can't I sit around in my Spider-Man underwear and color while watching Saturday morning cartoon?

Back to 2010.

I could sit here and type away about my thoughts on this year's music but I'd rather not. I will say this though, The Root's "How I Got Over" was my favorite album of the year.

Hands down.

Also, I got into a really diverse range of music. Two new bands that I really enjoyed are Real Estate and Tame Impala. If you like twangy, guitar-driven rock then you'll dig Real Estate. If you like trippy, acid-fueled, psychedelic rock them you'll dig Tame Impala.

Oh, and I've also gotten into Afro-Beat! And by that I basically mean Fela Kuti. Just think Jazz, rock, and Africa. That's Afro-Beat.

I also liked the Broken Bells album. That was tight.

That's basically all I want to say at the moment. I hope 2011 brings me more music and more chances to grow and become a better person.

2010 is almost gone so have fun! I know I will. I'll be the one dancing like this.

Lates.

Blogging in DC Comics Pajamas

I don't have much to say at the moment. I'm just waiting for my clothes to finish drying up so I can take a shower. I tried Googling an image of my pajamas so I can post it on here but all I found were kids pajamas. SMH. This is what I'm currently listening to right now.

It might sound kinda weird but it's actually pretty dope. If you're not familiar with Trojan Records then let me school you. Trojan Records is a British label that puts out a crazy amount of reggae compilations on the regular. The comps are comprised of obscure records from the past. They drop comps according to a theme or subgenre, such as Rocksteady, Roots, Lovers Rock, or Motown covers. This particular comp is pretty interesting. Here's a couple of vids.

Kinda cool, huh?

I gotta thank my girl for getting me this awesome Christmas present. So far I'm only on disc one of three.

I think my clothes are dry now.

Later.