I tried my hand at directing music videos for the first time this year, so it seemed appropriate that my Best-of List consist of some of my favorite vids of 2011. What follows is an eclectic mix of familiar faces alongside some videos you are hopefully getting to see for the first time. If you’d like to see more of my work (including the 2nd place winner in the Beach Boys SMiLE Music Video contest), check out www.dimattiafilms.com

Battles, “Ice Cream” (dir. CANADA)
Columbus, “Hubble” (dir. The Crystal Beach)
Com Truise, “Brokendate” (dir. Will Joines)
Goldfish, “We Come Together” (dir. Mike Scott)
Is Tropical, “The Greeks” (dir. Megaforce)
Kaisoku Tokyo, “Copy” (dir. Takahiro Yasuda)
Madeon, “Pop Culture” (dir. Nathan Barnatt)
The New Pornographers, “Moves” (dir. Tom Scharpling)
Scooter, “Friends Turbo” (dir. Steffen Haars & Flip Van Der Kull)
Tune-Yards, “Bizness” (dir. Mimi Cave)

Joe’s Top 8 AMV
(Based on favorite Anime/Videogames of 2011)
==============================
#1 – Puella Magi Madoka Magica (Shaft/Aniplex)
#2 – Crysis (2007, EA)
#3 – Adventure Time (Cartoon Network)
#4 – Portal 2 (Valve)
#5 – My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic (Hasbro)
#6 – Dead Space (2008, EA)
#7 – Elfen Lied (2004, ARMS )
#8 – Batman: Arkham Asylum (2009 Eidos)

Nathan Michel’s Ten Most Recent Shazam Searches:
1. “The Lost Mother Land” – Apryl Fool
2. “How Deep Is Your Love” – The Rapture
3. “Feels Like The First Time” – Foreigner
4. “Burnin’ For You” – Blue Öyster Cult
5. “Going To A Town” – Rufus Wainwright
6. “Synthesist” – Harald Grosskopf
7. “Kiss Of Life” – Sade
8. “Mainstreet” – Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band
9. “Reflections of My Life” – Marmalade
10. “Turn Your Love Around” – George Benson

Brian Betancourt’s Top 10ish of 2011ish (in alphabetical order):
Anika – Anika (Stones Throw)
ARMS – Summer Skills (Self-Released)
The Beach Boys – The SMiLE Sessions (Capitol)
Roberto Cacciapaglia – The Ann Steel Album (Resissue on Half Machine)
Cornershop – And The Double ‘O’ Groove Of (Ample Play)
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks – Mirror Traffic (Matador)
Cass McCombs – Wit’s End/Humor Risk (Domino)
Oneohtrix Point Never – Replica (Software/Mexican Summer)
Van Dyke Parks – Arrangements Vol. 1 (Bananastan)
Scritti Politti – Absolute (Virgin)
Luke Temple – Don’t Act Like You Don’t Care (Western Vinyl)
William Tyler – Behold The Spirit (Tompkins Square)

Amber Papini’s favorites from 2011
Destroyer – Kaputt (Merge)
Kurt Vile -Smoke Ring For My Halo (Matador)
Ride – Nowhere (20th anniversary edition) (Rhino)
Real Estate – Days (Domino)
Kate Bush – 50 Words for Snow (Anti-/Fish People)

Top Ten Places I Will Take You When You Visit Toronto

(alternate title: Toronto Top Ten, Twentyeleven)

++++

1. Banu
You’re hungry. Me too. Let’s get busy with some pomegranate, mint, and walnut-surrounded kebabs at this Iranian joint on Queen West. Also: saffron-infused vodka.

2. Evergreen Brickworks
This is one of the finest examples I’ve seen in the reclaimed factory / green design genre. Saturday’s farmers’ market is an embarrassment of Ontario’s bounty. Step away from the crowd into a network of hiking trails lacing through this gorgeous valley that, impossibly, happens to be in the middle the city. Also: upscale garden center (or centre, if you will), café, winter skating rink, and groovy natural play yard for kids, occasionally staffed with enthusiastic camp counselor types who teach them how to make mud bricks or bake outdoors, etc.

3. Drake General Store
If you are reading the Merge Records blog, you will like the Drake General Store. Exquisitely curated, indie-eclectic smorgasbord of books, bibelots, and Canadiana for the savvy traveler.

4. The Roof Lounge, Park Hyatt
You’re buying? Awesome. Swank (but not too), cozy, expensive room with a view. And a fireplace, natch. (Thanks to @thegoodshopper for introducing me to this one and #7 below.)

5. Sunday Antique Market
Manageable and civilized flea / antique market for tourists and locals. Across the street is the gargantuan and vibrant St. Lawrence market (think butcher, baker, candlestick maker). I forgot if you eat meat, but this is your opportunity to try a peameal bacon sandwich if you go that way.

6. Toronto Islands
A heavenly little escape, just a 10-minute ferry ride from downtown. We’ll ride bikes (no cars on the islands, too much territory to cover on foot), cruising past the crowded midway scene and onto the little lanes of island cottages on Ward’s Island, where a year-round population of 600 lives. Curling around a narrow trail to the beach and back down the boardwalk, you will be confused by the ocean-like scene without ocean-like waves. You will likely fantasize about ditching your dull life and moving here with your cargo bike, your dog, and your typewriter.

7. Ici Bistro
Fantastic modern French cuisine in a lovely little room with impeccable service and a surprisingly interesting Ontario wine list. Lobster bisque and grand marnier soufflé were highlights of my last visit.

8. Design Exchange
The only real reason we are going here is so that you get a Marian Bantjes smashed penny souvenir. (I know! Right?) http://www.bantjes.com/project/empathy-penny

9. Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, University of Toronto
Okay, back to my neighborhood to step inside this dimly-lit giant library, where the largest collection of rare books and manuscripts available to the public in Canada lines balconies in a sky-high, slightly sci-fi geometric space that makes one feel appropriately small in the world.

10. The Gallery Grill
Let’s eat again. Nestled in a picture-perfect old stone building on the U of T campus, stained glass windows and neo-gothic arches provide an Oxbridge mood for food that is quite the opposite. Suzanne Baby’s seasonal, local menu lures my husband and I here often for mid-day dates. (They are only open for lunch.) Eyeing today’s menu, for example: Crispy calamari schnitzel / honey butter peas / preserved lemon & anchovy dressing. There’s a tiny library down the hall that feels straight-up Hogwartian.

Come on up!

Random Best of 2011 (in no particular order):

Visiting Zack and Taryn + seeing the Oregon Coast!
Pine State Biscuits
Ninkasi Oatmeal Stout
Radiohead – The King of Limbs
Eleanor Friedberger/Wild Flag @ Cat’s Cradle
Flying Lotus @ Moogfest
Brian Eno’s Illustrated Talk + 77 Million Paintings
Margaret Bourke-White @ AIC (esp. photo of bank vault on Black Friday)
Doing Super 8 filming across the country
Giant version of polaroid photo I took on my parent’s wall
Jenny Besetzt
Hangin with Grace
Seeing my family for Thanksgiving
The Tree of Life
Beginners
A new obsession with keyboards/synths/drum machines
Swans @ Hopscotch
Panel discussion on Narrative Songwriting @ Hopscotch
Hospitality @ Cat’s Cradle
Getting a new job!

What a full year its been!