I thought this would be a fun topic after discussing a little in the EDM thread I'd like to branch out and see what other people thought. I'll go through a list of my 'Of the Year'. Of course yours don't have to be as genre specific as mine. EDM just happens to be about 90% of my listening.
EDIT: This thread is not just for music. You can talk about any of your 2011 Best Of(s). Movies, Videogames, TV Shows, etc.
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2011
Song of the Year: Louder - DJ Fresh [Flux Pavilion & Doctor P Remix]
This choice was tremendously easy for me. DJ Fresh is an old favorite. I heard the original and instantly got the full release. Then I saw that Flux Pavilion had done a remix. I thought it might be as bad as the 'Gold Dust' remix he did...but boy was I wrong. This remix just adds so much energy to an already great song. Not only my song of the year, but my pick for best DubStep song of all time.
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Arist of the Year: Camo & Krooked
These guys have been a favorite for awhile but they knocked it out of the park this year. Their album 'Cross the Line' was fantastic and their free Christmas EP had 2 favorites of the year on it...and it was free! All this combined with their upcoming work on the new SSX game made the choice fairly simple. Looking forward to more.
Honorable Mention: KOAN Sound
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Album of the Year: Welcome Reality - Nero
This one was the toughest yet. It was more like a tie between this and 'Cross the Line', but because there is more variety on this particular album the 'mass appeal' factor bumps it up. This album has tons of styles on it and every song was just as enjoyable as the last. Nero kept the hits coming on this one. Really really loved it. A day hasn't gone by without something from this album in my ears since its release in August.
Honorable Mention: Cross the Line - Camo & Krooked
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EP of the Year: Graduation EP - Gemini
This is almost like the 'Most Improved' award for the year, too. Gemini's first release 'Blue' left me loving it, but it had a few problems. He really impressed me with this (his second) EP release. He added more keys and pulled out some of the shrill noises. This EP absolutely gets me going every time. I'm looking forward to seeing what else he has in store for us. He improved a ton here, I can't imagine his next release won't wow me as well.
Honorable Mention: KOAN Sound - Funk Blaster
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Soundtrack of the Year: Girl With The Dragon Tattoo - Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
An easy choice for me considering it's now my favorite soundtrack of all time. Reznor and Ross just did an incredible job. There's 3 hours of fantastic music in this OST and it's all good. It's got a very raw, industrial vibe to it that I just can't get enough of. It's also pretty freaky at some points if you're listening with the lights off. The 2 cameo songs are excellent as well. Reznor's wife puts on a haunting performance in her song, and Karren O's cover of 'The Immigrant Song' was great as well. I didn't particularly like the movie...but the music was unbeatable.
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Game of the Year: Bastion
This game caught me very much off guard. I actually didn't play it until recently (2012), but this was my pick for best game of 2012 for a few reasons. First of all the art is absolutely gorgeous. Everything about this game oozes style and it's just a beautiful game to look at (reminds me of Odin Sphere and Muramasa). Second (and Head-fi related) is the soundtrack. Fantastic stuff going on here. They did a great job with it. Third would have to be the amount of content packed into such a small game. There aren't too many areas to see, but the weapon upgrades keep me coming back for more. Last but not least it has the most original brilliant narration I've ever heard in a game...or movie for that matter. On top of the voice actor being fabulous, it just felt original in almost every way. At roughly 7 hours long it's not the longest game ever, but I've spent over 12 playing it so far. New Game +, and the 'Idol' system just keep me coming back.
Honorable Mention: Skyrim
Edited by MorbidToaster - 1/3/12 at 6:40pm
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