Over the past couple of weeks I've been contemplating a change to the Audio Pizza Blog. My reasoning behind this is based on the fact that nearly everyday I have a song, video, or artist I want to showcase on the blog. The problem lies in the fact that although I want to post these musical slices, I don't always have the time or desire to complete write ups of these pieces. I felt kind of weird and a little lazy posting music without discussing it here on Blogger. So I looked at switching the blog over to Tumblr, a blogging platform that encourages, quicker, briefer blog posts. But, I have enjoyed my longer posts and I hope you've enjoyed reading them while listening to the music I picked. Therefore, I am going to remain on this site, but I am going to change up my posting habits a bit. I'm still planning on writing my longer posts when time or content allows. But I also want to post items that I just merely want to share. Some of these posts may have a short write up, or may have no write up at all. With that being said, I'll leave you with a little Zooey Deschanel & M. Ward of She & Him, without saying really anything about it. Enjoy! She & Him – Thieves
As much as I'd like to give more credit to Weezy F .Baby for the work he does and the influence he has, when it comes to hip hop (and even Young Money Records for that matter), my allegiance has to go with Drake. Drizzy released some pretty sick stuff this year and even though I really like a lot of the hip hop that came over the past 12 months, Drake stood out for me as the year's best in this category.
Here's Headlines Drake – Headlines - Explicit Version Pay close attention to his sweater at the dinner table. Drinking every night cause we drink to my accomplishments
Next up, the namesake to his album from this year, Take Care (featuring Rihanna) Drake – Take Care
Finally, this is definitely mine and my wife's favorite Drake song since Fancy. Here's Make Me Proud (featuring Nicki Minaj) Drake – Make Me Proud
If I was forced to name my number one album or artist of the year, I would be hard pressed to not name Bon Iver's self-titled masterpiece as my choice. This release was the second full album from Justin Vernon (and the band, which is now around 9 member supposedly) under his pseudonym of Bon Iver to follow up his debut of For Emma/Forever Ago featuring the hit Skinny Love in 2007 Bon Iver – Skinny Love.
My relationship with Bon Iver has always been interesting. On his albums, I initially have one or two songs that strike me right away (such as Skinny Love), but after a few more listens, I find myself completely obsessed with every song. So if your new to Bon Iver, give them a couple chances before you jump to conclusions on your judgments. You'll be glad you did.
Let's start with the album's first track, Perth, on Spotify Bon Iver – Perth, and live on Jools Holland
I think Towers is possibly my favorite from the album, or at least my favorite guitar riff. Bon Iver – Towers
The final song I'd like to showcase is Justin Vernon's cover of Bonnie Raitt's I Can't Make You Love Me. Vernon debuted this on Jimmy Fallon but then released it as a single later in the year. Bon Iver – I Can't Make You Love Me/Nick of Time
This year's awards for best band name and most harmonious band both go to Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. The more I heard from these guys from Detroit as the year progressed, the more I became obsessed with their Pet Sounds-style happy songs and lyrics.
Since I mentioned the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds earlier, I should probably justify that statement. This band does an amazing cover of God Only Knows with vocals that almost match Carl Wilson's from 1966. If you don't believe me, match the two up on Spotify:
Initially, I was convinced that starting a blog with my top ten songs of 2011 was a great idea. This would allow people to "get to know me" musically and be a great collection of initial posts. However, that doesn't represent me or how I've ever viewed music. I've never been able to answer the following style of question "What's your favorite band/artist/album/song/genre?" Sure, I have preferences and favorites, but I've never been big on saying "This is the one greatest band ever, and all other bands forever will pale in comparison." My friends and colleagues who I've heard say that over the years always seemed stuck in musical ruts and were always closed minded when it came to new and exciting music. I've never wanted to be that person and maybe that's why I've avoided ranking bands and songs. Also, I've never seen myself as the final authority on what's good and what's bad. The goal of this blog is not to tell people what's good and what's bad. If that was the case, I'd title this list THE Best Music of 2011. A bit pretentious for my taste. The goal of this blog is to showcase, discuss, and discover. Therefore, starting tomorrow, I will be showcasing and discussing the bands, artists, songs, and albums that I enjoyed over the past year. To sign off for the night, I'd like to leave you with a song that I feel represents some of the things I've discussed here tonight (not a song from 2011, remember that starts tomorrow).
As much as I'd like to give more credit to Weezy F .Baby for the work he does and the influence he has, when it comes to hip hop (and even Young Money Records for that matter), my allegiance has to go with Drake. Drizzy released some pretty sick stuff this year and even though I really like a lot of the hip hop that came over the past 12 months, Drake stood out for me as the year's best in this category.
If I was forced to name my number one album or artist of the year, I would be hard pressed to not name Bon Iver's self-titled masterpiece as my choice. This release was the second full album from Justin Vernon (and the band, which is now around 9 member supposedly) under his pseudonym of Bon Iver to follow up his debut of For Emma/Forever Ago featuring the hit Skinny Love in 2007 Bon Iver – Skinny Love. 
This year's awards for best band name and most harmonious band both go to Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. The more I heard from these guys from Detroit as the year progressed, the more I became obsessed with their Pet Sounds-style happy songs and lyrics. 
