Hey, the calendar year begins and ends in the Wintertime. Sue me if I went a bit overboard with the seasonal approach. I’m a “right music for the present situation” type of guy. I like to dj in the car on trips (who doesn’t?) and pass music to my parents I think/hope they’ll enjoy. I still make mix CDs for driving around. I ended up running the sound for my sister’s wedding this Fall and snuck a Kurt Vile song into the playlist. Subtle. And when my fiancee completed the entire marathon, it was with the playlist I made for her shuffle. Inspirational.

That said, this year marked an odd migration to Florida by most of my family. Visiting there, as a native Vermonter, tends to highlight how synced I feel with regular seasonal change – change with a 90 degree swing, not the trifling matter of 90 and sunny versus 70 and sunny (possible exception: hurricanes – oh wait…) So for my first ever YearEnder List I went concept-heavy. There were other songs and albums I would rate as more innovative, challenging and provocative. I make no claims of originality with these choices – especially for my demographic. Nor do I have the time/will to mine for the hidden gems not yet trumpeted by the cool-hunters. Quite simply: these were the ones I’ve timestamped 2011.