It’s pretty … pretty … pretty … AWESOME.

Here are some notes about the production:

In 2009, Casey Pugh asked thousands of Internet users to remake “Star Wars: A New Hope” into a fan film, 15 seconds at a time. Contributors were allowed to recreate scenes from Star Wars however they wanted. Within just a few months SWU grew into a wild success. The creativity that poured into the project was unimaginable.

SWU has been featured in documentaries, news features and conferences around the world for its unique appeal. In 2010 we won a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Creative Achievement In Interactive Media.

Finally, the crowd-sourced project has been stitched together and put online for your streaming pleasure. The “Director’s Cut” is a feature-length film that contains hand-picked scenes from the entire StarWarsUncut.com collection.

Many thanks to Aaron Valdez (video editor – http://www.aaronvaldez.com) and Bryan Pugh (sound design/mixing – http://www.pughtube.com) for the countless hours they put into this masterpiece.

We can’t thank everyone enough for making this such a special project.

http://twitter.com/starwarsuncut

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Star-Wars-Uncut/174910934747

http://starwarsuncut.tumblr.com

Video also available on Vimeo.

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The End of an Act

by Greg W. Locke on January 2, 2012

Dearest Readers,

I’ll be 32 in a few days. The age of the new adult. For the last 11 years I’ve been writing on an almost daily basis about music (and sometimes film). The older I get, the more I feel I’ve been – probably, most likely, oh yea definitely – wasting my time. All along I’ve tried to never over-intellectualize the subject of rock/pop music, this for three reasons: (1) I want anyone, at any level of comprehension, to find my writing style palatable and the content interesting; (2) I’m not an intellectual; and (3) Is rock n’ roll something that’s meant to be intellectualized? Isn’t it something that’s meant to be seen and heard? Something inspiring? An art that can be either comforting or upsetting (ya know, in a motivational sort of way). It’s supposed to be felt, right? Yeah, that’s right. And, for most of us, a good song or album is meant to be mysterious – something that arrives from the sky and evokes a feeling or emotion in a way nothing else can.

The concept of getting excited about something you love and connect with – and then talking/writing about why you love it – is a concept I’ll always adore and participate in. But the idea of writers having influential opinions on others about the arts is not something I’ve ever been able to completely wrap my head around. There will always be tastemakers, but as the Internet takes over for good, the idea of a writer being a tastemaker is a dying concept. There are too many voices – too many opinions – to take any one seriously. Too many unqualified tastemakers out there talking shit loudly. No one truly stands out in 2012. There is no Lester Bangs.

Over the years I’ve developed my voice and style into one that I’m proud of. I believe it to be a unique, honest and excited voice. One that’s purely in love with art, and thus writes from the place of a fan. I thought, all along, that I was creating a body of work for readers to fall in love with … but that never happened. Many times I’ve said, to other writers, “I’m not so much a writer as I am a fan who can’t say enough about what I love.” It confuses them. Most of the writers I have known are the kids who were really hot shit in your high school language arts class. Burnin’ hot. The kids who read at lunch. And then, when they were 17, they discovered The Smiths. My Bloody Valentine. John Lennon. Rolling their own cigarettes. And now we’re flooded with a generation of music writers who like to show off their skills while kinda/sorta talking about music. Mostly, they look to impress. The writing is about them, not their subjects; and most of them don’t make for interesting title characters. That I’ve not been able to make my passionate/loving/excited voice stand out in this ugly sea of self importance and Ivy League exercising is why I’ve decided to phase out the music- and film-related writing in my life. I like what I was doing, but realize that it’s not working. People just aren’t connecting to it, and damn is that frustrating.

In addition to the writing you’ll find on this site, I do other work. Film work. Painting. Graphic design. Cooking. Sleeping. But mostly, I do other kinds of writing. And a lot of it. Film scripts, books, short stories, poetry – you name it. (I even recently wrote a full treatment for a television series meant to chronicle the fictional post-minor celebrity life of a onetime New York City news anchor.) I love writing – it’s cheap and it’s accessible and it’s expressive and it’s something I’ll always do. And I’m pretty sure I’ll always listen to lots of music and go to as many films as possible. But, from this point forward, I’ll very rarely write about film or music. Only if someone is paying me. Because I need money. If the day comes where I don’t need money … well … I suppose the music and film writing will end. Or maybe my approach will change. But that day is an impossibility.

Thank you for coming to my site. I’ve checked my readership/traffic statistics on a daily basis for two years now, so if you’re a regular, I know you’re out there, and I greatly appreciate the time you’ve given me. This site may be updated here and there; but probably not often enough to warrant daily – or even weekly – check-ins. I hope you’ll continue coming by to use some of our lists as reference points for your exploring of music and film. I’m very proud of the lists on the site and update them all regularly, as I see and hear new things. Or think new thoughts. The concept of the list was to be the point of the site – a quick, simple, clear way to share and document my feelings on art.

I feel it reasonable to now mention that, despite featuring a number of ads, this website never made me a dollar. And while that was never the point of my writing about music, adding Click-Ads to the site was a way to warrant the thousands of hours spend on the 900+ unique pages on this site – and maybe pay back some of the money spent creating the site. Needless to say, it didn’t work out.

I can be contacted by e-mailing gregwlocke@gmail.com. Have a good 2012. Oh, and scroll on down and check out all of our awesome recent content – including all our usual year-end lists.

I remain yours, a most accessible historian,

Greg W. Locke
Owner / Writer / Publisher / Designer
ZeCatalist.com

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Film :: 2011

by Greg W. Locke on January 1, 2012

Each year I make it my mission to see as many movies and hear as many albums as possible. Usually, by December, I have a solid list of 60ish movies I’ve seen, as well as a second list of all the movies I still need to see. On that second list, usually, are many of the best movies of the year. This year was different. I was more … umm … committed. As of January 1, I’ve seen 94 movies released in 2011, and have a short list of 12 that I still need to see. Not bad. Of those 94 films, there were 60 that I liked quite a bit and 40 that I’d call “great.” Below you’ll find my Top 10 favorites so far, with 80 or so honorable mentions and a bunch of other film-related lists. Overall, I’d say 2011 was another great year for film, with low budget auteurs leading the way while the studios became somehow even more tied to the business side of filmmaking.

10. Putty Hill (Matthew Porterfield) - Putty Hill is one of the most successfully stylish new films i’ve seen in ages. Imagine the gusto of Gus Van Sant when he made Elephant mixed with the Richard Linklater that existed between the releases of Slacker and Dazed and Confused. Next consider the endless imagination Godard once had mixed with the low budget brilliance Andrew Bujalski had when he made Beeswax – or Ramin Bahrani had when he made Chop Shop. A brilliant film that should open some big doors for Porterfield and his Baltimore crew of outcasts and weirdos.

9. Cold Weather (Aaron Katz) - Thus far I’ve seen this oddball mystery/comedy from cult director Aaron Katz once. And while it absolutely floored me that first time, I feel like I can hardly remember a thing about it now, as I sit down to endorse it. I remember it being very funny in a subtle way (think Metropolitain, The Squid and the Whale, Bottle Rocket, etc.) while also being quite beautiful to look at, in a low budget sort of way. I remember the story being twisty and strange and the lead actor, Cris Lankenau, being hilarious. Mostly, I remember how much I loved nearly everything about the film. Can’t wait to see it again.

8. Moneyball (Bennett Miller) - Similar to last year’s The Social Network, Moneyball is a movie that owes its success to, first and foremost, it’s script. Written by Steven Zaillian (who also penned this year’s Dragon Tat film), Moneyball gracefully tells the story of the 2002 Oakland Athletics. Brad Pitt leads a great cast here in what is very possibly the performance that will finally nab him a well deserved Oscar. Capote director Bennett Miller’s subtle, timeless filmmaking craft is on full display here.

7. Hugo (Martin Scorsese) - Martin Scorsese has made a whole lot of great films in his career. Too many to easily recall. And recently he’s been hot, both at the box office and with the critics. But, surprisingly, it took a new challenge (the task of crafting a 3D family film) to push Scorsese to an even higher place. Sure, the story and acting is average, but the filmmaking – especially the art direction – is drop dead brilliant. Set decorator Franccesca Lo Schiavo is one of this year’s film heros, as is Marty.

6. My Week With Marilyn (Simon Curtis) - The two leads in this perfectly crafted period piece, Michelle Williams and Kenneth Branagh, give knockout performances as Marilyn Monroe and Laurence Olivier. A film about making a film. And about a mysterious and misunderstood woman at the height of her madness. Perfect for fans of last year’s The King’s Speech.

5. Contagion (Steven Soderbergh) - Shot in several countries using several big name actors and following a handful of story lines, Contagion is director Steven Soderbergh’s most ambitious – and best – film since 2000′s traffic. That he was able to add so much subtle style to this for-mainstream production reminds us that Soderbergh is, without doubt, one of the best filmmakers of his time. A tasteful, honest and memorable rumination on fear. To chilly and real for Oscar; too good to miss.

4. Submarine (Richard Ayoade) - Sure, director Richard Ayoade is heavily influenced by a lot of really obvious filmmakers. And yeah, his storytelling can’t quite keep up with his style ambitions. Regardless, Submarine, a coming-of-age story about a bright young Swansea kid finding love and watching his parents crash, is so stylized and cool that I couldn’t help but feel like Ayoade’s debut is the beginning of a great directorial career. And damn, Swansea.

3. Melancholia (Lars Von Trier) - Kirsten Dunst gives the most authentic, moving and disturbing performance I’ve seen on film since Daniel Day Lewis brought Daniel Plainview to life over four years ago. And, aside from Dunst, Melancholia is all-around great, Von Trier crafting a hallucinatory drama about depression and the end of the world. A new classic.

2. Drive (Nicholas WInding Refn) - Here we see a great young filmmaker and the great young actor coming into their own, together, and with style. Refn’s eccentric ideas about film and economical attention to detail reminds me of two of my all-time favorite auteurs, David Lynch and Krzysztof Kieslowski. Not bad company. Drive is at once sweet, thrilling, bloody and mysterious. Two artists making perfect, oddly lovable strokes. OUR REVIEW

1. The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick) - I feel I’ve already said too much about Malick’s masterpiece. It’s a film I saw five times at the theater and have been talking – and writing – about all year long. I believe this abstract, meditative, highly poetic and incredibly beautiful film to be not just the best movie of 2011, but the first candidate for Movie of the Decade. Modern fine art at its finest. Malick worked on this opus for nearly three decades, and it shows. If you disliked the film or didn’t “get it,” I suggest clearing your head and watching again. And again. Whatever it takes. OUR REVIEW

To the Tree haters: The issue here, I suspect, is not that this is a poorly or sloppily made film, but that Malick took his vision all the way, telling his story in a very abstract, very cinematic film language that most won’t recognize – or connect with – unless they’re sitting in the room with a cinephile friend who can offer a shameless nudge or two. That said, it’s all on the screen - a beautiful riddle about life and the mysterious way in which we live it. A challenging, masterful work that is fine example of cinema art at it’s absolute best.

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THE REST OF THE BEST
11. Take Shelter (Jeff Nichols)
12. Cave of Forgotten Dreams (Werner Herzog)
13. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (David Fincher)
14. 50/50 (Jonathan Levine)
15. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (Brad Bird)
16. Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest (Michael Rappaport)
17. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (David Yates)
18. Midnight In Paris (Woody Allen)
19. Young Adult (Jason Reitman)
20. The Descendants (Alexander Payne)

21. Hanna (Joe Wright)
22. Martha Marcy May Marlene (Sean Durkin)
23. I Saw the Devil (Jee-woon Kim)
24. We Need to Talk About Kevin (Lynne Ramsay)
25. Meek’s Cutoff (Kelly Reichardt)
26. Tanner Hall (Francesca Gregorini and Tatiana von Furstenberg) OUR REVIEW
27. Rampart (Oren Moverman)
28. Super 8 (J.J. Abrams) OUR REVIEW
29. Source Code (Duncan Jones)
30. Warrior (Gavin O’Connor)

31. The Art of Getting By (Gavin Wiesen)
32. Like Crazy (Drake Doremus)
33. Beginners (Mike Mills)
34. Rubber (Quentin Dupieux)
35. The Ides of March (George Clooney)
36. PJ20 (Cameron Crowe)
37. The Future (Miranda July)
38. Rise of the Planet of the Apes (Rupert Wyatt)
39. Bellflower (Evan Glodell)
40. Bad Teacher (Jake Kasdan)

41. Barney’s Version (Richard J. Lewis)
42. In Time (Andrew Niccol)
43.Carnage (Roman Polanski)
44. Dream House (Jim Sheridan)
45. Margin Call (J.C. Chandor)
46. Daydream Nation (Michael Goldbach)
47. Our Idiot Brother (Jesse Peretz)
48. Win Win (Thomas McCarthy)
49. Fright Night (Craig Gillespie)
50. Cracks (Jordan Scott)

51. Of Gods and Men (Xavier Beauvois)
52. One Day (Lone Scherfig)
53. Attack the Block (Joe Cornish)
54. Hesher (Spencer Susser)
55. Terri (Azazel Jacobs)
56. Limitless (Neil Burger)
57. The Sitter (David Gordon Green)
58. Red State (Kevin Smith)
59. Your Highness (David Gordon Green)
60. The Company Men (John Wells)

61. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Apichatong Weerasethakul)
62. The Adjustment Bureau (George Nolfi)
63. X-Men: First Class (Matt Vaughan)
64. Paul (Greg Mottola)
65. The Change-Up (David Dobkin)
66. The Hangover: Part II (Todd Phillips)
67. Salvation Boulevard (George Ratliff)
68. Everything Must Go (Dan Rush)
69. 30 Minutes or Less (Ruben Fleischer)
70. Take Me Home Tonight (Michael Dowse)

71. Rango (Gore Verbinski)
72. Friends with Benefits (Will Gluck)
73. Appropriate Adult (Julian Jarrold)
74. A Good Old Fashioned Orgy (Alex Gregoy and Peter Huyck)
75. Cinema Verite (Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini)
76. The Rum Diary (Bruce Robinson)
77. Poetry (Chang-dong Lee)
78. The Dilemma (Ron Howard)
79. Cedar Rapids (Miguel Arteta)
80. The Green Hornet (Michel Gondry)

81. Chalet Girl (Phil Traill)
82. Knuckle (Ian Palmer)
83. Super (James Gunn)
84. What’s Your Number (Mark Mylod)
85. The Help (Tate Taylor)
86. Insidious (James Wan)
87. Scream 4 (Wes Craven)
88. Mr. Popper’s Penguins (Mark Waters)
89. Crazy, Stupid, Love. (John Requa)
90. Cowboys & Aliens (Jon Favreau)

91. Stay Cool (Polish Brothers)

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FAVORITE LEAD ACTOR (MALE)
1. Ryan Gosling in Drive
2. Michael Shannon in Take Shelter
3. Brad Pitt in Moneyball
4. Craig Roberts in Submarine
5. Matt Damon in Contagion
6. Woody Harrelson in Rampart
7. Daniel Craig in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
8. Min-sik Choi in I Saw the Devil
9. Tom Hardy in Warrior
10. Hunter McCracken in The Tree of Life

FAVORITE LEAD ACTOR (FEMALE)
1. Kirsten Dunst in Melancholia
2. Michelle Williams in My Week with Marilyn
3. Rooney Mara in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
4. Tilda Swinton in We Need to Talk About Kevin
5. Charlize Theron in Young Adult
6. Elizabeth Olsen in Martha Marcy May Marlene
7. Jessica Chastain in The Tree of Life
8. Rooney Mara in Tanner Hall
9. Felicity Jones in Like Crazy
10. Eva Green in Cracks

FAVORITE SUPPORTING ACTOR (MALE)
1. Kenneth Branagh in My Week with Marilyn
2. Brad Pitt in The Tree of Life
3. Kiefer Sutherland in Melancholia
4. John Hawkes in Martha Marcy May Marlene
5. Ezra Miller in We Need to Talk About Kevin
6. Seth Rogen in 50/50
7. Christopher Plummer in Beginners
8. Kevin Spacey in Margin Call
9. Patton Oswalt in Young Adult
10. Jonah Hill in Moneyball

FAVORITE SUPPORTING ACTOR (FEMALE)
1. Charlotte Gainsbourg in Melancholia
2. Jessica Chastain in Take Shelter
3. Shailene Woodley in The Descendants
4. Melanie Laurent in Beginners
5. Brie Larson in Tanner Hall
6. Rosamund Pike in Barney’s Version
7. Marion Cotillard in Contagion
8. Georgia King in Tanner Hall
9. Brie Larson in Rampart
10. Jennifer Morrison in Warrior

FAVORITE DIRECTOR
1. Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life)
2. Nicholas WInding Refn (Drive)
3. Richard Ayoade (Submarine)
4. Aaron Katz (Cold Weather)
5. Lars Von Trier (Melancholia)
6. Steven Soderbergh (Contagion)
7. David Fincher (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo)
8. Brad Bird (Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol)
9. Lynne Ramsay (We Need to Talk About Kevin)
10. Jee-woon Kim (I Saw the Devil)

FAVORITE SCREENPLAY
1. The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick)
2. Submarine (Richard Ayoade)
3. 50/50 (Will Reiser)
4. Moneyball (Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin)
5. My Week with Marilyn (Adrian Hodges)
6. Midnight in Paris (Woody Allen)
7. Contagion (Scott Z. Burns)
8. Melancholia (Lars Van Trier)
9. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Steven Zaillian)
10. Rampart (James Ellroy and Oren Moverman)
10. Young Adult (Diablo Cody)
10. Margin Call (J.C. Chandor)

FAVORITE CINEMATOGRAPHY
1. Emmanuel Lubezki (The Tree of Life)
2. Erik Wilson (Submarine)
3. Newton Thomas Sigel (Drive)
4. Lee Mogae (I Saw the Devil)
5. Chris Blauvelt (Meek’s Cutoff)
6. Jon Joffin (Daydream Nation)
7. Eduardo Serra (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2)

LEAST FAVORITE FILMS OF 2011
1. Drive Angry (Patrick Lussier)
2. The Green Lantern (Martin Campbell)
3. Thor (Kenneth Branaghan)
4. Twilight: Breaking Dawn, Part 1 (Bill Condon)
5. War Horse (Steven Spielberg)

STILL NEED TO SEE
1. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
2. The Artist
3. This Must Be the Place
4. Margaret

Check out some lists from past 40+ years: 2010  2009  2008  2007  2006  2005  2004  2003  2002  2001  2000  1999  1998  1997  1996  1995  1994  1993  1992  1991  1990  1989  1988  1987  1986  1985  1984  1983  1982  1981  1980  1979  1978  1977  1976  1975  1974  1973  1972  1971  1970

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Music :: 2011

by Greg W. Locke on December 31, 2011

1. Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks’ Mirror Traffic
I’ve never been a fan of the Lifer Pick. Ya know, the Johns who think they’re the biggest Beatles (or Stones, or whatever) fans ever, and have nothing else to say about new music until Sir Paul (or Mick, or whomever) releases a new mediocre record or over-produced rewrites, at which time John wants to tell you all about the best new record since Ram (did somebody just think the words “Goddess In the Doorway” aloud or what?). Well, those are the guys whom I don’t buy beers for, no matter how much I adore Ram or Mick or people named Davies. And so, when my all-time favorite musician, Stephen Malkmus, released a great new record this year, I did everything I could to convince myself that there were albums I liked more in 2011. And sure, there were some contenders who kept my denial alive through Novemeber, but Mirror Traffic, the fifth Jicks record, is Malkmus’ best batch of songs since … since … since … maybe Crooked Fucking Rain, Crooked Fucking Rain. In addition to the new vulnerability us uber-fans get to hear in his voice (and even in his semi-serious lyrics here and there), we also get the man’s best produced and most accessible album yet – thanks in part to producer/Pavement Fan Beck “Loser” Hansen. The more I listen to these tunes, the more I’ve picked up on both the endless hidden Malkmus-isms and Beck’s carefully placed studio fingerprints (french horn?! F’real?!). In 2011, following the 2010 Pavement Reunion mess, the Malk came correct, offering up what was my most-listened-to and favorite record of the year. Also one of the best albums ever from two of my all-time favorite shaggy slacker dudes, Beck and Malk. A new indie rock opus that, had it been released when jangle was hot and beats/keys were not, would’ve been widely celebrated. Favorite tracks include “Tigers,” “Senator,” “Forever 28,” “Gorgeous Georgie,” “No One Is (As I Are Be)” and the Grateful Dead-influenced “All Over Gently.” OUR REVIEW

2. Tom Waits’ Bad As Me
Is Mirror Traffic a better record than Bad As Me? Who could say. Both are masterworks that find their makers shamelessly tapping in to what they do best – and somehow making it look easy. Like Malkmus, Tom Waits is another stranger I love like family; also similar to Malkmus, Waits doesn’t really release bad records. (I’d be lying if I said I thought there were other members of this consistency club.) There wasn’t an album released in 2011 that I dissected more than this late-era masterpiece from one of the all-time great American songwriters. No, I probably don’t like Bad As Me more than Rain Dogs itself (that’s one of my Desert Island Discs), but I’ve been describing it as “Rain Dogs good” since my first spin. It really is that good – not a mediocre track in sight. Possibly even Waits’ second best album in a career full of classics. Favorite tracks? Too many to list. A top-to-bottom record. OUR REVIEW

3. Ty Segall’s Goodbye Bread
I liked Ty’s breakthrough record, Melted, enough to take on the big needle and sell a little vile of my precious plasma back in June, when I was too broke to buy his follow-up, Goodbye Bread. At first, I have to admit, the album underwhelmed me, feeling almost like it was playing in slow motion during those first few spins. But, since I was so broke at the time, I was unable to buy any new music for weeks, and thus kept spinning the Bread through the fall, louder and louder each time. Daily. Admittedly, I think my girlfriend – who only heard the record when I played it – attached herself to Bread before I did. But, by the end of August, this noisy-but-oddly-mellow garage pop record had floored me more times than I could count. I even wrote a friend a lengthy e-mail about how, if there ever was a “New Cobain” (gag), it was Ty Segall. What a cool dude; Jack White, sans the Zeppelin complex and too-grand aspirations. The tunes, for the most part, are simple; but the imagination is endless. My pick for the “coolest” record of 2011. Favorite tracks include “Goodbye Bread,” “You Make the Sun Fry,” “Fine,” stoner jam “Where Your Head Goes” and the properly named (i.e. explosive) “My Head Explodes.” OUR REVIEW

4. M83′s Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
Here’s where the OK Computer generation’s ongoing interest in all-things-nostalgic and retro blows up. To the listeners who love the words “progressive,” “hipster,” “essentially,” “craft” and “pretentious,” talk about how they wanted to be an astronaut while growing up, and just plain ol’ love the idea of there being something more to everything, this is your record. If you want records that sound like they were recorded in a dance club on Mars, for a John Hughes flick, this is it. This is the one. Where Radiohead’s otherworldly/progressive aesthetic meet the precious love of nostalgia of today’s young listener. M83′s sprawling, uber-produced double LP is an impressive, if exhaustive, spin. And the spirit of grandness – oh that spirit. That ambition. Despite all the talk of Mars and nostalgia, Hurry Up is a super solid record that just might go down as a modern classic. But yes, before you type it out in the comments section, this album could’ve easily been whittled down to a single, 12- or 13-song disc. Big. Bold. Dorky. Brilliant. Words. OUR REVIEW

5. Jon Keller’s Deceiver
Jon Keller used to live down the street from me. He used to play me unfinished songs and tell me weird stories. Being around someone who is, in my opinion, a young master of his craft, was a great trip while it lasted (Keller now lives in Nashville, where he’s trying to break through as a solo artist). Getting to spy a bit as Keller recorded his beautifully ornamented singer/songwriter opus was something I’ll never forget – an invaluable memory of a firsthand experience. With his sophomore record, Deceiver, Keller is taking huge steps away from his primary influence, off towards a sound and style all his own. We at the ZeCat castle can’t wait to see what this incredibly creative weirdo does next. We really believe in this record and in Jon Keller, and you should to. Favorite tracks include “Deceiver,” “A Bottle Tonight,” “The First Thing,” “Coaxed” and “The Things That I Did.” Listen to and purchase the record HERE.  OUR REVIEW

6. Beirut’s The Rip Tide
Finally, after years of releasing exploratory – and overstuffed – records that featured maybe three worthwhile songs apiece, Beirut’s still-very-young leader Zach Condon has reigned in the ideas – and youthful ambition – and made the brilliant record his fans all knew he was capable of. In an era where many listeners live song to song, Condon and crew have offered up a nine-track album with no holes. No lost moments. No failed wandering or extraneous experiments. Most years, The Rip Tide would take the top spot; 2011 just happens to be an abnormally great years for solid albums.  OUR REVIEW

7. Yuck’s Yuck
Maybe the first great record we heard of the year (and certainly one of the ones we listened to most), Yuck’s eponymous debut record arrived as the new standard for young bands who start out doing really great imitations of their heroes. All the 90s greats are here, especially Yo La Tengo, Dinosaur Jr., Sonic Youth, Teenage Fanclub, My Bloody Valentine and even a bit of Chavez for good measure. And they have that white kid with the fro! And they’ve already reissued the record, making it six solid tracks longer. The most promising proper first album since This Is It. Yuck, I’m in love.  OUR REVIEW

8. Black Lips’ Arabia Mountain
For the first time in their already lengthy – and incredibly busy – career, this quartet has finally put up a complete work to be taken seriously by music fans, young and old. There’s variety and cohesion here that no one expected from a band that was, before now, known more as pleasantly sloppy noisemakers than as nostalgic album-makers. Make no mistake, with Arabia Mountain Atlanta’s Black Lips prove once and for all that they’re the real deal. Rather than hide behind kitsch-y style and punk-rock poseur moves, they’ve whipped up a highly satisfying batch of songs that pays tribute to the 60s in a fun, youthful way. The closest we have to a modern Stones equivalent.  OUR REVIEW

9. Radiohead’s The King of Limbs
Today, at the end of 2011, albums aren’t really celebrated at all, and especially not so by the downloading crowd (which is almost everyone). So to release such an amazing piece of work in the by-the-way manner in which The King of Limbs was released is a real bummer for anyone who holds dear the beauty of music history. Will The King of Limbs stand up in the books (err, on the websites) as a classic record that was celebrated upon its release? No, it won’t. Will it ever get its due as a great Fourtet-inspired chillout album full of incredible nuance? Not with how the ears of today take in music. Does it deserve to? Yes, it does. And that’s the shame of this modern era of hastily devoured art. Work this good deserves to be celebrated and held high, no matter the times. The King sounds like Radiohead, but more subtle, more relaxed. A work of understated complexity. And, as always, beautiful production.  OUR REVIEW

10. Jacuzzi Boys’ Glazin’
In the context of rock n’ roll records, some lisps are cool. And Jacuzzi frontman Gabriel Alcala’s “S” sound is damn fine. Maybe even as good as anyone since Isaac Brock – or even as far back as Daniel Johnston. The songs on Glazin’ are simple and, well, plain. The Boys are a garage-y, surf-y band that tries to write the best pop music on the planet. The production is thick and grated, like most classic rock records, and the general modus is one perfect for hangout pop. Truth be told, I just bought this album today. All the other records in our Top 10 are full of songs we’ve been listening to for months, but damn did Glazin’ hit hard. Straight up “Repeat All” hard. The Indie Wimp Era’s version of The Ramones?

11. Mannequin Men’s Mannequin Men
12. Ryan Adams’ Ashes & Fire  
OUR REVIEW
13. Kurt Vile’s Smoke Ring for My Halo
14. Lee Miles’ The Leaving
15. Wilco’s The Whole Love
16. Youth Lagoon’s The Year of Hibernation
17. Bon Iver’s Bon Iver OUR REVIEW
18. Common’s The Dreamer / The Believer OUR REVIEW
19. St. Vincent’s Strange Mercy
20. Cults’ Cults  OUR REVIEW

21. J Mascis’ Several Shades of Why
 OUR REVIEW
22. Mikal Cronin’s Mikal Cronin
23. John Vanderslice’s White Wilderness  OUR REVIEW
24. Middle Brother’s Middle Brother  OUR REVIEW
25. tUnE-yArDs’ W H O K I L L  OUR REVIEW
26. Feist’s Metals
27. The Roots’ undun  OUR REVIEW
28. EMA’s Past Life Martyred Saints  OUR REVIEW
29. Luke Temple’s Don’t Act Like You Don’t Care  OUR REVIEW
30. The Decemberists’ The King is Dead  OUR REVIEW

31. Real Estate’s Days
32. Boston Spaceships’ Let It Beard  OUR REVIEW
33. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart’s Belong  OUR REVIEW
34. Toro Y Moi’s Underneath the Pine
35. Trent Reznor + Atticus Ross’ The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
36. Panda Bear’s Tomboy
37. Raphael Saadiq’s Stone Rollin’
38. My Morning Jacket’s Circuital  OUR REVIEW
39. Bonnie “Prince” Billy’s Wolfroy Goes to Town
40. Qwazaar & Batsauce’s Bat Meets Blaine

41. Fleet Foxes’ Helplessness Blues 
42. Mark Hutchins’ Liar’s Gift  OUR REVIEW
43. Explosions In the Sky’s Take Care
44. Bill Callahan’s Apocalypse  OUR REVIEW
45. PJ Harvey’s Let England Shake  OUR REVIEW
46. TV On the Radio’s Nine Types of Light  OUR REVIEW
47. Eddie Vedder’s Ukulele Songs  OUR REVIEW
48. Mazes’ A Thousand Heys
49. Beady Eye’s Different Gear, Still Speeding
50. Beastie Boys’ Hot Sauce Committee Part Two  OUR REVIEW

Also: David Bazan’s Strange Negotiations; Destroyer’s Kaputt OUR REVIEW; Colin Stetson – New History Warfare, Vol. 2; Sic Alps’ Napa Asylum; Church Shoes’ Church Shoes OUR REVIEW; Thurston Moore’s Demolished Thoughts; The Antlers’ Burst Apart OUR REVIEW; The Strokes’ Angles OUR REVIEW; Okkervil River’s I Am Very Far; Jessica Lea Mayfield’s Tell Me; James Blake’s James Blake OUR REVIEW; Smith Westerns’ Dye It Blonde; Sarabeth Tucek’s Get Well Soon; Saigon’s The Greatest Story Never Told OUR REVIEW; Let’s Wrestle’s Nursing Home; The Silversmiths’ A Tandem of Giants OUR REVIEW; Those Darlins’ Screws Get Loose OUR REVIEW; Bright Eyes’ The People’s Key OUR REVIEW; Iron and WIne’s Kiss Each Other Clean OUR REVIEW; G. Love’s Fixin’ to Die OUR REVIEW; Foo Fighters’ Wasting Light; The Shivers’ More; Wooden Satellites’ Let’s Make Crimes OUR REVIEW; The Head and the Heart’s S/T; Cat’s Eyes’ Cat’s Eyes; R.E.M.’s Collapse Into Now; Hayes Carll’s KMAG YOYO; Steve Earle’s I’ll Never Get Out of this World Alive; The Baseball Project’s Volume 2; Lia Ices’ Grown Unknown OUR REVIEW; Bonfire John and the Majestic Springs Band’s Making the Most  OUR REVIEW.

Favorite New Artists
1. Yuck
2. Youth Lagoon
3. Cults
4. Mikal Cronin
5. Bonfire John

Favorite Hip-Hop Records
1. Common’s The Dreamer / The Believer
2. The Roots’ undun
3. Qwazaar & Batsauce’s Bat Meets Blaine
4. Beastie Boys’ Hot Sauce Committee Part Two
5. The Silversmiths’ A Tandem of Giants (tie)
5. Saigon’s The Greatest Story Never Told (tie)

Favorite Album Covers See the Full List
1. Stephen Malkmus’ Mirror Traffic
2. J Mascis’ Several Shades of Why
3. Lykke Li’s Wounded Rhymes
4. Youth Lagoon’s The Year of Hibernation
5. Feist’s Metals

Favorite Songs See the Full List
1. “You Make the Sun Fry,” Ty Segall
2. “Distorted Cymbals,” Mount Eerie
3. “Tigers,” Stephen Malkmus
4. “Holocene,” Bon Iver
5. “Deceiver,” Jon Keller

Favorite Soundtracks
1. The Tree of Life
2. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
3. Drive
4. Submarine
5. The Art of Getting By

Favorite Music Video: Beyonce’s “Countdown”
Favorite Reissue: Sebadoh’s Bakesale OUR REVIEW
Comeback Award: Common
Most Overrated Album: Bon Iver’s Bon Iver
Most Underrated Album: J Mascis’ Several Shades of Why

Check out some lists from past years: 2010  2009  2008  2007  2006  2005  2004  2003  2002  2001  2000  1999  1998  1997  1996  1995  1994  1993  1992  1991  1990  1989  1988  1987  1986  1985  1984  1983  1982  1981  1980  1979  1978  1977  1976

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ZeCat’s Top 20 Favorite Films of All-Time

by Greg W. Locke on December 31, 2011

About a week ago I did a little write-up about the Top 5+ albums of my lifetime. It was a tough list to commit to, but now I feel the need to do a similar film list. But, instead of five, I’ll be doing my Favorite 20 Films Ever. In order, top to bottom, printable bookmark style; you figure out the rest. Fun.

Honorable Mention: Amelie (Jean-Pierre Jeunet); Straw Dogs (Sam Peckinpah); Seven (David Fincher); Silence of the Lambs (Jonathan Demme); Fargo (Coen Brothers); North by Northwest (Alfred Hitchcock); Alien (Ridley Scott); Eraserhead (David Lynch); This is Spinal Tap (Rob Reiner); American Movie (Chris Smith); One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest (Milos Forman); Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock).

Download the ZeCatalist Desktop Backer below. Click the image to see the full size, then drag to desktop.

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Happy New Year From the Ze Catalist Lowlifes

by Greg W. Locke December 31, 2011

  Well, we made it. The end of another year is here and we’re ready to look back before we look ahead. Later today we’ll post our Favorite Albums of 2011 feature, followed tomorrow by our Favorite Films of 2011 feature. Then, after that … well … hmm. Well … Seeing as how I was [...]

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All-Time Favorite Movie Posters

by Greg W. Locke December 30, 2011

This ambitious post is one we plan to come back to, hopefully indefinitely, to add some new favorites. For Now, check out a few of our all-time faves …

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Carly’s Favorite Stuffs of 2011

by Greg W. Locke December 30, 2011

ZeCatalist.com’s No. 2 employee, an accounts manager named Carly (also the longtime girlfriend of ZeCat owner Greg W. Locke), likes stuff. And damn does she have good taste in the stuffs. Below you’ll find her favorite songs, albums, movies and television from 2011. Be sure to check back on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s [...]

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Tanner Hall

by Greg W. Locke December 29, 2011

We, the 99.9 percent of the world that wasn’t in attendance at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival, have to consider the recent DVD release of Franny Gregorini and Tatiana von Furstenberg’s gal drama, Tanner Hall, the film’s public debut. So, despite being a movie filmed in late 2008 and not going public until late [...]

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These Are My Fans

by Greg W. Locke December 28, 2011

Just saw John Singleton’s Abduction. Ha! Stick to the wolfing and situps, Neckman.  

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