Best Music of 2024

 

*Playlist: Best Albums of 2024 (Apple)
*Playlist: Best Albums of 2024 - B Sides (Apple)

Best Albums

1. Post Malone - F-1 Trillion

• Wow.  I had no idea he had this in him.  Post Malone had existed in the periphery of my multimedia awareness; a droning, relatively uncomplex new-age rapper.  Then I got wise to this album as part of our family's country music exploration on our long road trips across central Nevada en route to Utah.  It made me reconsider his entire body of work.  This album has big hits from start to finish and he pulls in some amazing collabs.  It's a triumph in the country music art form.  The twang, the lyrics, the emotions--comedy, heartbreak, love.  My wife and I went to see him in concert in San Francisco around mid 2025.  It was a great show, and I also got to appreciate the energy and passion in a lot of his hip-hop songs.  And as I've taken to try to play a lot of his songs on guitar, I've become (painfully) aware of how good of a tenor singer Post Malone is.  

2. Alan Sparhawk - White Roses, My God

• I love Sparhawk's evolution in this solo project following the sad death of his wife and musical partner from Low, Mimi Parker.  I don't mean to read too much into his intent on this album, but it's hard not to approach it like it's a grieving album.  In that sense, I like the way he masks his voice with the vocoder effect--like he's putting on a mask to help him get through or something.  And songs like Heaven hit hard with lyrics like, "Heaven, it's a lonely place if you're alone // I wanna be there with the people that I love".  

3. The Smile - Wall of Eyes

• A big year for Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, putting out 2 records (see #5 below).  These guys just make music on a higher intellectual level and with a richer complexity than pretty much anyone out there.  

4. Jessica Pratt - Here in the Pitch

• New discovery for me.  Transporting, consistent album.  Her songs make me appreciate the music she's putting out.  Not too much frills.  A lot of classical acoustic guitar and her lovely voice.  

5. The Smile - Cutouts

• As Radiohead is currently on tour, I saw someone post that they felt privileged to be so close to the stage to be able to witness the best soundscape musician in Jonny Greenwood as they highlighted all the crazy stuff he was doing on the stage through different mediums.  I complain a lot about the lack of the shredding guitar solos in today's music.  Jonny doesn't directly satisfy that complaint for me, but he does reinterpret my request with something possibly better (or at least it's unique and cool) like what he does in "Zero Zum" where his guitar is just hopping and grooving all over the place on top of the verses.  It's less formulaic than the old classic rock approach, but it still shreds in its own way.  And Thom bopping in with "Windows '95" just hits so good.

6. Charli xcx - BRAT

• I saw a NYT Crossword clue for Charli xcx with the clue, "British Singer with the top 10 albums, 'Crash' and 'Brat'," and realized I'd better check her out.  I was not disappointed.  She has the ability to make her music sound so BIG.  I'd love dancing to her music with the music up LOUD!!

7. Taylor Swift - THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT

• I've liked seeing her evolution as an artist.  This album has enough cool beats and good songwriting to it that I found myself listening to it lots of times.

8. Shakira - Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran

• Shakira is such an asset to the Latin American world.  She's been putting out hits across generations now, and this album is surprisingly very good.  My wife and I also got to see her in concert in 2025.  She's so fun and likable.  And I'm rating this album without the benefit of including the best dis song of all time, "Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53", about her breakup with Gerard Pike, which technically came out in 2024.    

9. Being Dead - EELS

• A fun new band from Austin, TX, coming out strong with this post-punk sound.  I haven't checked out their 2023 debut album.  They remind me of Sonic Youth.  

10. The Decemberists - As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again

• Their formula and Colin Meloy's storytelling music is just so good, they're hard to ignore.  

Other Good Albums

• Kendrick Lamar - GNX (Not a great album all the way through, like 'DAMN', but it has a few great tunes.)
• Friko - Where we've been, Where we go from here
• Adrianne Lenker - Bright Future (I love a good duet, like in "Free Treasure.")
• Dua Lipa - Radical Optimism (She puts out a few bangers with every album she releases.)
• Cassandra Jenkins - My Light, My Destroyer
• Future Islands - People Who Aren't There Anymore (Life feels so incredibly important when I hear frontman, Samuel T. Herring, sing.)
• Gracie Abrams - The Secret of Us
• Waxahatchee - Tigers Blood (Great sound, but too similar to her 2020 record.)

Other

• Fleet Foxes - Live on Boston Harbor (I've gotten more into live music lately, and this album (plus its accompanying Youtube video) is a great example of that.  Fleet Foxes has been rising up towards the top of my favorite artists list for the last few years.  I keep going back to their music, and lots of lyrical snippets from their songs come into my head during times when I'm outdoors.  Lead singer, Robin Pecknold, is an incredible songwriter as well as an amazing singer.  I really admire him as an artist.  If not for the complication of this being a live album it would be my #1 of the year.)  

Best Music of 2023

*Playlist: Best Albums of 2023 (Apple); 

*Playlist: Best Albums of 2023 - B Sides (Apple)

The wait is over.  With 2023 still fresh in all our minds, let's dive into the best music from that year.

But first, allow me to temper your excitement with an exposition on the ground rules for how I rate the albums.  

I pay particular attention to the quality & cohesiveness of the overall album--it's not enough to just put out a great track or two.  While I don't punish my perennials (e.g., Radiohead iterations, Sigur Ros, Arcade Fire) I do give bonus points to new voices that strike me with something unique and fresh.  But the new voices do face an uphill battle, as it's hard for them to overtake the established veterans who consistently just make high quality music.  

Another point is that I'm now in my 40's so my musical tastes are probably evolving a bit.  I place more value on artists that can hit me with that complex though still rewarding / user-friendly sound.  And I've been placing more weight on artists that have a poetic bent to their work.  I pay more attention these days to the lyrics and the ability of the album to transport me to a mood.  

Regarding my methodology, I start with an iTunes playlist of the albums I picked up on my own throughout the calendar year in question.  Then I scope out some 'best albums of the year' playlists from various curators (e.g., Pitchfork, Variety, Sound Opinions podcast, Bob Boilen, and various Reddit forums, like one that created a meta best-of list by scraping the internet for all critics' reviews and coming up with a top 50).  From there I spend many hours (especially during long roadtrips) sifting through the albums that have depth to them.

One random observation: I've noticed that so much of the good new music is female.  Where have all the rude boys gone?

Best Albums

1. Mitski - The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We

• I had never heard of her before.  She's been around since 2012 or so.  She was born in Japan but is an American. I started exploring this album and I noticed that track after track was just really solid.  And I'm drawn in by her voice.  Her song, "My Love Is Mine All Mine", is amazing.  Bonus points for some nice music videos to accompany the album as well.  I think I'll be listening to this album for a long time.  It has staying power.      

2. Sigur Ros - ATTA 

• Solid album to add to their incredible catalog.  This album feels appropriate for this phase of their career.  It's like Sigur Ros in their 40's.  Nothing as edgy or experimental as what we've seen from their past projects.  But this is good stuff.  Every time I come back to it I find that it's stronger than I had remembered.  

3. Lisa O'Neill - All of This Is Chance

• This was a late addition to my playlist.  It's very traditional Irish.  Feels like poetry.  Beautiful sounds and enchanting melodies.   

4. Ratboys - The Window

• Some of their sound skews a little youthful / angry, but for the most part I really dig the edginess.

5. Gorillaz - Cracker Island

•  Their formula still works.  Love the album.  Some great collaborations    

6. Morgan Wallen - One Thing At A Time

•  Some great country music.  A few too many songs on the album, but there are several that are really fun.  His lyrics make me chuckle a lot.  And even when you know what the chorus line is gonna be, he still knows how to hit you with it hard.

7. M83 - Fantasy

•  Not nearly as good as some of their other albums, but it brings the energy.

8. boygenius - the record

•  A fun new supergroup of some female solo artists.  A couple of their songs really rock, but they don't sustain it for the whole record.  

Other Good Albums

• Caroline Rose - The Art of Forgetting (2 good songs)
• Joanna Sternberg - I've Got Me (Amazing title track)
• Youth Lagoon - Heaven Is a Junkyard
• Palehound - Eye on the Bat
• Wednesday - Rat Saw God
• Lana Del Rey - Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd
• Slowdive - everything is alive
• Jess Williamson - Time Ain't Accidental
• Jessie Ware - That! Feels Good! (Kind of reminds me of Janelle Monae, but the album gets boring)
• Blue Lake - Sun Arcs
• Sufjan Stevens - Javelin

My Favorite Stuff in 2024

I spent the last 18 months in Singapore, where my wife is originally from, and where her parents and siblings live.  Now that I think about it, in a meta way, my best thing of 2024 would have to be living in Singapore for the whole year.  It was incredible (and I highly recommended) living in a different city / country for a while so you can look back at your usual life with fresh & broader perspectives.  Of course, the food was amazing, and the traveling to other SE Asian countries was fantastic.  Working remote on U.S. hours meant I was usually working from 9pm-4am (plus some other odd hours), which allowed me to have some more free time during the middle of the day while kids were still at school.  I got in a great rhythm of picking up my youngest from her kindergarten class at noon each day by talking a long walk in the hot sun / tropical rain while I listened to podcasts, sat and read, or caught Phoenix Suns games.  Anyways, I managed to consume / experience a lot of great stuff throughout the year, and I thought I'd share my favorites.  

(This is not an official list of the best new releases in the calendar year, but mostly things that I enjoyed during the year.)

Best Music

• Fleet Foxes - I went on a big kick at some point early in the year after getting one of their old familiar song stuck in my head.  Then the rabbit hole went deeper and deeper and I listened to all their stuff over and over, and also got inspired to do some guitar and singing of their songs, though I became painfully aware of how not high my voice is able to go.  The album, 'Shore' (2020) is a masterpiece, and it has a great hour-long YouTube movie thing to go along with it.  I enjoyed watching some of their live material on YouTube which also led me to their 'Live on Boston Harbor' (2024) performance and accompanying album.  Transcendent stuff.  I've really taken to live performances lately as there's something about the human achievement aspect that I love witnessing. 
• Alan Sparhawk - 'White Roses, My God' (2024) - With the tragic passing of his wife and musical partner, Mimi, Alan Sparhawk was able to put out an excellent solo project. Very stylistic album with a lot of muffled, voice-filtered vocals
• Bob Dylan - 'Springtime in New York: The Bootleg Series' (1980-1985) - I discovered a clip on YouTube of Bob Dylan singing "Don't Fall Apart on Me Tonight" with Mark Knopfler on guitar ,and the veteran ease of their skillful jamming really drew me in.  Then I checked out the Bootleg album and really dug it, listening on repeat for a while.  
• The Smile - 'Cutouts' (2024) - Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood continue to put out incredible music, adding to their percussive and guitar complexity with each new project.  The song, "Eyes & Mouth" is an amazing specimen of what modern, understated guitar solos can be.  It makes me a little less grumpy about the disappearance of rock-out solos in today's music.  
• Sufjan Stevens - 'Come on Feel the Illinoise!' (2005) - After not listening at all for maybe 15 years, I had an excellent experience putting on the headphones and enjoying the album from start to finish in one sitting.  I hope to have the experience again in 15 more years.  
• Taylor Swift - 'THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT' (2024) - It's super mainstream to like Taylor Swift, but I have to acknowledge the skill in her music.  This album and her last one, 'Midnights', really appeal to me.  Great beats, perfect sound-mixing, and her skillful songwriting and confident singing all combine to make quality music.  

Best Tweet

Best Books

I'm proud to say that I supper upped my reading game in 2024.  I'm surrounded by a bunch of readers in my family, so that helps.  But also, as I mentioned earlier, I had time everyday to sit on the playground while my daughter played with her classmates.  And I found physical books to be a great way to force myself to get away from my phone, and to give my eyes a chance to rest from the bright screen.

• Earthsea Series - Ursula Le Guin - Wow.  I'm so glad my wife hipped me to this series.  A different kind of wizards and dragons saga.  I love the sacredness of language throughout the books.  The characters have so much wisdom and courage.  I hope to read the books again.  
• Exhalation - Ted Chiang - Super cool sci-fi short stories.  There was one fascinating story about a middle-aged father and his college graduate daughter and how the dad misremembers things that are so fundamental to their relationship that it had me feeling floored about how my own relationships might be skewed in my version of events. He spliced this story with a tribal story about people that don’t write words (don't even have a word for “word”) and allow their truth to shift based on what feels right. 
• Dune Series (Books 2-4) - Frank Herbert - I decided to properly read Dune Messiah--I had previously only audiobooked it--and it opened up some new views on the book to me.  Then I got to discussing the book with my cousin which I so thoroughly enjoyed that I decided to keep going in the series and to do a bit of a long-distance book club with my cousin.  The series got me thinking about the difference between villains and heroes, the difficulty of knowing the past ("The only past which endures lies wordlessly within you."), and the different strengths of men vs. women.  And I generally love a good hero's journey story. 
• Underland - Robert Macfarlane - I had audibooked this before, but the allure and mythos of the world beneath our feet drew me back in.  His writing is amazing and his accounts transport me out into the great outdoors.  

Best TV

• Shogun - Episodes 1-6 or so were riveting and fresh.  It started to drag a bit toward the end for Val and me, but it was overall a great show.
• 3-Body Problem - Good SciFi show.
• Better Call Saul - I rewatched this whole show.  It's a masterpiece.  It works for me like a great literary classic, like a Dostoevsky novel where I'm seeing the raging conflict in the characters and how the law is imposing its will.
• Lost - Now that the show has run its course I thought I'd try revisiting it.  Season 1 especially, and 2 to a slightly lesser extent, are incredible TV.  Emotional, philosophically fascinating, and revolutionary for the genre.  Seasons 3 through 4 (where I am now) slow down a bit but there are some real gems in there too.  I have the benefit of seeing which episodes are worth skipping.  I'm interested to see if I can make sense of the finale when it comes to that.   

Best Movies

• Dune - A lot of Dune in my lists, but this movie was awesome.  The cliche term of "visual storytelling" is right on the nose for what Denis Villenuve is doing with this project.  Coupling the reading of the books with the watching of these movies has been a thrill for me.  I love the complicated hero arc we get with Paul Atreides.  
• The Taste of Things - This was one of those rare experiences where I was really glad we watched a non-blockbuster movie in the theater.  Val and I were transported as soon as there was a 20-minute or so wordless opening scene of a small cooking team preparing a decadent meal for a fancy 19th century feast.  
• Furiosa - I saw this on the airplane.  I loved the Dementis character.  For having the appearance of a sand-dune gear-head movie about violence and fast cars, there was actually a lot of plot depth about being trapped into your harsh circumstances.  

Best Games

• Crew - A card game that draws on principles of trick-taking games like bridge, but makes it collaborative and gives you 50 different missions that build up in difficulty, and adds other interesting curveballs like "broken communications".  4 of us tracked our score on completing all 50 missions over the course of a few months and had a great time doing it.
• Dune - My brother-in-law bought this 1960's game for us to play as a group of 6.  It is INTENSE.  You become one of 6 factions (Atreides, Bene Gesserit, Harkonnen, etc.) and you can form alliances and bargain while you try to get a majority of the 5 strongholds on the board while avoiding the great sandstorms and harvesting spice and on-worlding enough troops to engage in battles.  We played twice and it took us like 5 or 6 hours each time.  
• Tetris (Game Boy) - 2024 was a great year for me as my brother and I reached new heights of accomplishments, particularly in B-type play.

Best Films of 2017-2023 (2023)

 Back by popular demand (i.e., my brother-in-law asked me if I have made my 2023 list), here is my list of the best movies for each year going back to 2017.  (My last best-of movies list was in 2016 (which I slighly updated (Best Films of 2016)).)

My method is to look at the top 200 grossing films for a given year and then filter for my favorites starting from there.  Although, now that a lot of movies are coming direct to streaming it throws off the box office figures so I have to scan through some other year-end lists and rack my brain a bit to make sure I capture everything.  

I show the box office ranks in parentheses.  No spoilers.  

Best of 2023

1. Oppenheimer (5) - A solid Christopher Nolan installment.  I appreciated the stylistic choices to lay out the drama (e.g., political intrigue, different color palettes, tense interviews, sciency transition shots, etc.), and I was moved by the scene where he's giving his "victory" speech immediately following the detonation.  
2. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (3) - Very pleasantly surprised by this film.  It was kind of a throwaway movie-watching experience since I was on a road trip in Idaho with my pre-teen daughter and we were looking for something fun to do.  But then when the movie started I remembered that this is part of the Spiderman graphic novel-type series I'm currently digging and not the interminable series with a revolving-door of lead actors and stakes that are getting so cosmically grand that I can't manage to keep caring much.  Anyways, the villain is fun and the artistic design and creativity is astounding.  The scene where Miles and Gwen are hanging upside down in Manhattan with the beautiful skyline behind them is gorgeous.  Gwen also reminded me of my daughter and her hard-core rock-climbing buddies so that made it fun.  
3. Wonka (20) - Based on the previews and the abysmal Tim Burton / Johnny Depp "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" movie a few years back, I was really not expecting to enjoy this movie.  But it was light and fun, and it had great music, and I loved the set design and the look & feel of all Wonka's gadgetry.  Chalamet had a lot more charisma here than I anticipated.  It was a fun Christmas movie for our whole family.  
4. Asteroid City (66) - Maybe a bit overly stylized.  I had to watch it over 3 sittings.  Beautiful, and some great chuckles at times.  But I don't find the magic in Wes Anderson's recent films like in the old ones.  
5. Creed III (16) - I loved the first Creed, but this one was just "good".  
6. Elemental (17) - Decent Pixar film.  Their films are getting a little formulaic, but I still ended up liking this movie a little more than I expected based on some "meh" reviews.  
7. M3GAN (26) - A.I. stuff.  A quirky, scary film.  

Movies I'm Eager to Watch (In Order)

1. The Boy and the Heron (58)
2. Anatomy of a Fall (146)
3. Past Lives (100)
4. The Taste of Things (?)
5. Killers of the Flower Moon (36)

Movies I'm Not that Eager to Watch

1. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (13) - I feel like I already saw the movie based on some of the social media campaigns they did showing Tom Cruise jump off a cliff on his motorbike.  
2. Barbie (1) - Val and my oldest daughter watched this and didn't care for it much, so I'll probably pass.

Best Films of 2017-2023 (2022)

 Best of 2022

1. Everything Everywhere All at Once (27) - An incredible turn by Michelle Yeoh.  Being married to a Singaporean, I especially loved hearing her Malysian mannerisms / accent come out, and her harshly playful relationship with her husband.  I think it helped that Val and I watched this over 2 sittings as I've heard some people complain that the movie dragged a bit.  Overall, the movie created that cinematic magic I hope for in a movie where I'm transported in a deep or whimsical way.  
2. The Banshees of Inisherin (83) - The opening scenes had some of the best cinematography I've seen in a while.  The movie really makes you feel like you've taken a trip to a remote island in Ireland.  The story stays simple & tight with dramatic conflict and excellent acting.  The conflict part of the story wasn't so enjoyable for me since it kind of evoked some thoughts about the annoying conflicts my kids go through where I can't find a good solution to make things fair.  But the fact that this story was an allegory of the Irish Civil War makes me appreciate the need for messy conflicts in the story.  
3. Top Gun: Maverick (1) - It was fun getting to watch this in Air Force country: San Diego.  It did a great job of making the viewer just appreciate the beauty and power of fighter jets.  No CGI (or at least minimal if they did).  
4. The Fabelmans (67) - A good Spielbergian experience.  
5. Matilda The Musical (Netlix) - A treat of a movie out of nowhere.  Our family really enjoyed it and we're looking forward to watching the musical in March.  
6. The Menu (42) - This one kinda lost me, but it was OK.  The protagonist's commitment to his foodyism was comical.  
7. Turning Red (60) - OK
8. Minions: The Rise of Gru (6) - Fun for the kids.  I can't keep track of which plot belongs to which movie.  

Movies I Didn't Much Care For

1. Ticket to Paradise (28) - I kinda don't love their onscreen chemistry.  My least favorite parts of Oceans 11-13 were their scenes together.  This movie was kind of a dud for a date-night.  
2. Glass Onion (62) - I totally loved Knives Out but I found this follow-up installment too... I don't know, self-indulgent, politicized, faux clever.  Really didn't like it.  
3. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2) - Pretty lousy follow-up, and way too long.  
4. Avatar: The Way of Water (4) - For someone that absolutely loved the first movie, I was surprised that I couldn't even get through the first half hour of the film.  And on a long plane ride no less.

Movies I'm Eager to Watch (In Order)

1. Aftersun (156)
2. Nope (14)
3. Tár (95)

Movies I'm Not that Eager to Watch

1. The Whale (100) - Val saw this and said it's pretty disturbing but that Brendan Fraser is quite convincing in it.  So that's probably all I need to know.  

Best Films of 2017-2023 (2021)

Best of 2021

1. Dune (13) - One of my favorites in a long time.  This got me super into the novels and the whole Dune world.  I loved the look of the movie, the world-building, the casting, all of it.  Can't wait for the sequel(s).
2. Power of the Dog (Netflix) - A harrowing story in multiple ways.  Beautiful landscapes.  
3. The Tragedy of Macbeth (Netflix) - Not my favorite version of the story, but some neat interpretations of various scenes--in particular the 3 witch sisters.  Denzel's personality was a little too overbearing for us.  
4. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2) - Given my expectations, this was actually a really cool movie.  My Asian in-laws don't care for it, but I thought it was cool the way the movie bridged the gap between traditional martial arts films and the Marvel machine, and it was fun to see Tony Leung and Michelle Yeoh reprise some action / romance sequences from their younger glory days.  The ending was messy, but there was a lot to like up until that point.  
5. Sing 2 (17) - Fun family movie.
6. Encanto (15) - Ditto.

Movies I Didn't Much Care For

1. Spider-Man: No Way Home (1) - I went into this with a good attitude, and was digging it for the first 20-30 minutes but then the plot got a little out of hand / long and I didn't care for it as much.  

Movies I'm Eager to Watch (In Order)

1. The French Dispatch (52)
2. Drive My Car (175)
3. King Richard (57)

Movies I'm Not that Eager to Watch

1. No Time to Die (7)
2. West Side Story (38)

Best Films of 2017-2023 (2020)

Best of 2020

1. Nomadland (115) - A simple film, but beautiful.  A good exploration on human behavior--people that won't let you in, living with isolation, the kindness and wisdom of strangers.  I loved the camerawork on a lot of the shots in this film.  Especially the scene where she's walking in the Arizona desert with her boots crunching the gravel as the harsh morning sun rises over the aluminum hoods of the vans.  
2. Tenet (12) - Recent news about a Peloton instructor griping that this movie was a 2.5hr piece of sh*t waste of time notwithstanding, this was a fun movie to have been able to watch during the pandemic.  My brother-in-law and I had to try our best to enjoy it throughout our wives' incessant protestations about how the movie tries to hard and how we just pretend to like it so we can look smart.  I do agree that this one got a little too into itself trying to be brainy and puzzle-like.  I found myself liking the lead actor's, John David Washington's, performance but also not caring so much for his character--probably due to his low-key emotions--that I didn't really feel motivated enough to try to work out the timeline puzzle of the movie either during or after.  (Something I definitely wanted to study for films like Inception and Interstellar.)  So, this movie is pretty low on my Nolan list, but it was a bright spot in an otherwise down year for the movie industry IMO.  
3. Soul (10) - Captured some of the magic of "Inside Out" (Pixar's best) by using animation in clever ways to make me reconceptualize something foundational (the afterlife in this case; human psychology in the case of "Inside Out").  
4. Minari (94) - A well-crafted film about Korean immigrants.  It had all the right international / indie feels.  
5. Emma. (40) - Not super memorable, except that I liked it.  It's a good date-night flick.  
6. The Father (108) - Good acting performances by Anthony Hopkins and the supporting cast.  It's a good portrayal of the horrors of dementia.  You just have to be in the mood to be sad, which I usually am not.  Having already seen (and liked / preferred) "Still Alice", I didn't really need this movie in my life.  
7. Onward (11) - Fun.  Not life-altering.  

Movies I Didn't Much Care For

1. Wonder Woman 1984 (45) - Pretty terrible movie.  Some of the worst parts of what too much CGI does to a movie.  The opening sequence was laughably bad.

Best Films of 2017-2023 (2019)

Best of 2019

1. Marriage Story (Netflix) - Wow.  What a great film.  Amazing acting.  A poignant story.  Two super memorable scenes for me.  I loved the director's ability to really give you the feeling of contrast between New York / LA, and posh lawyers / budget lawyers.  It's also a great movie for the more complicated family structures we increasingly see in our day.  
2. Parasite (98) - Another amazing film.  So memorable, and so tense.  This never happens to me but there were scenes in there where I had to step away as I couldn't bare to watch anymore due to the tension.  This movie was almost ruined by a fierce debate Val and I had afterwards, but then, I think that's part of its allure--it's moral ambiguity which forces the audience to debate who's right.  
3. Knives Out (21) - A very pleasant discovery when we watched it.  A fun and comical adventure, and a well-executed murder mystery.  
4. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (18) - Good movie.  Strange plot.  It had some real moments with some all-star acting.  
5. Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (6) - My review / ranking of this film gets into some complexities with the whole reboot.  I loved the reboot generally.  Episode VII was a great film which held so much promise for the new trilogy, and Episode VIII, despite having some lame side stories, was a good movie in its own right, with some intriguing plot directions.  But then Episode IX pretty much made a mess of earlier story arcs and kind of ended in a cliche way.  I enjoyed this film when I watched it, but the less I think back on it the better.  
6. Frozen II (4) - I'm here for it.  
7. Toy Story 4 (3) - I think my least favorite of the bunch, but it was still good.  
8. Ford v Ferrari (27) - A decent airplane movie.  Some of the acting is a little hammy, but maybe they were trying to appeal to young kids so it's cool.  The title is very accurate.  
9. The Addams Family (30) - Fun enough.  
10. Ne Zha (175) - A big hit in China, apparently.  This was a fun superhero cartoon movie for our family to watch.
11. Aladdin (8) - I am conceptually against the whole live-action remake thing.  Super weak on Disney's part to just have close to zero creativity like that.  It's made worse by the fact that they generally try to stick so closely to the old movies.  Like, that would impress me if you had a YouTube short of replicating a classic scene from one of these old cartoon treasures, but when you dogmatically stick to that throughout the whole film it makes it kind of an emotionless experience.  I must state for the record that I only watched this film (and Lion King below) since they were free on a family Disney Cruise.  I liked the actors and the singing, but the enjoyment was only at the margins.  
12. The Lion King (2) - See #11 above.  

Movies I Didn't Much Care For

1. Avengers: Endgame (1) - *Grumpy rant forthcoming* - I can't even remember if this was the Avengers movie I watched, but I think it was this one.  Even from watching it on the plane I just could not enjoy this movie.  The CGI was so overkill that nothing felt real, and there are so many superheroes constantly on the verge of death or trying to prevent the galaxy from getting destroyed that the stakes feel so ridiculously grand as to be unimportant.

Movies I'm Eager to Watch (In Order)

1. Uncut Gems (91)
2. The Last Black Man in San Francisco (163)

Best Films of 2017-2023 (2018)

Best of 2018

1. Crazy Rich Asians (17) - Not an amazing movie, but my favorite of 2018 nonetheless.  It had heart, it had rom, it had com, and it had SINGAPORE!!!.  And it actually holds up pretty well on repeat viewings.  The game theory piece overlaid onto the story is a clever touch, and the face-off with the mother-in-law is a treat.  
2. Creed II (28) - Super loved "Creed", and, of course, the Rocky films.  Creed II picked up pretty well where Creed I left off.  
3. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (29) - Saw this in the theaters only because my friend Blake invited me.  Didn't expect to enjoy it but I was instantly transported to what I loved about old comic books and graphic novels.  This movie dragged slightly towards the end, but it was solid.  
4. A Quiet Place (15) - Definitely a unique and suspenseful film.  
5. Black Panther (1) - This was a fun moment in cinema where there was kind of a new type of Marvel movie coming out, with homage to African and black culture.  And it had some good Oakland-type vibes at the beginning thanks to director Ryan Coogler's touches.  
6. Aquaman (13) - I expected this movie to suck but I actually found myself wrapped up in the character arc, and really rooting for him to slay his proverbial dragon.  Great training montage and fight scenes.
7. Isle of Dogs (89) - Fun and quirky.
8. They Shall Not Grow Old (151) - Good for the WWI history buffs.  
9. Incredibles 2 (3) - Fine.  Not as good as the first.  
10. Mission: Impossible - Fallout (8) - Good, I think.  Can't really remember which one this was.  
11. Solo: A Star Wars Story (10) - Passable.
12. Ready Player One (23) - Cool story, but the acting was a little bit geared towards adolescents, but then again there were some really scary scenes for kids, so I'm not quite sure if this film hit the right audience markers.  Also, the story felt to me like it was basically the same as "Avatar".  

Best Films of 2017-2023 (2017)

Best of 2017

1. Blade Runner 2049 (37) - Awesome movie (that I didn't manage to watch until 2023).  Great sci-fi themes.  An appropriately complicated plot.  A great hero journey.  And gorgeous visuals.  
2. Dunkirk (12) - A very interesting Christopher Nolan film.  Feels quite different from all of his others, with "Oppenheimer" being somewhat of an exception.  The thing I most appreciated about this film was how it made me feel what (I at least believe) being in a war is really like.  The claustrophobia of being in a crowded ship, eating lousy food, the thud of bullets on the sand, the paranoia of waiting out the enemy in a hiding place, and the small but important actions in the background that help swing the fates.  
3. Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (1) - See my 2019 review of Star Wars Episode IX.  This movie was super cool on its own, albeit with some flaws.  Not so cool in the context of the whole reboot trilogy.
4. Coco (13) - Great music, and a great introduction to Mexican / Latin culture.  
5. The Star (70) - A delightfully Christian Christmas movie that I didn't really discover until a few years later.  But my kids and I love it.  The bird (played by Keegan-Michael Key) doing his distraction dance is a riot.  
6. Darkest Hour (110) - One of those solid historical movies about an important war figure.  
7. Wonder Woman (3) - A good take on an old classic comic book that got me to like this character that I had never previously cared about in my comics adventures.  
8. Despicable Me 3 (8) - Funny.

Movies I'm Eager to Watch (In Order)

1. Get Out (15)
2. Split (23)

Best Music of 2022

*Playlist: Best New Music of 2022 (Apple) | Best New Music of 2022 (Spotify) *

Now that 2023 is officially over I think it's safe to put out my Best Of 2022 playlist.  

One note first on how I come up with my list and why I might make the choices I do: a lot of the "good" new music these days (and perhaps always) feels like it's more catered to the 14-24 year-old crowd, so if it just feels too teenage angsty, then it doesn't really work for me, and I exclude it from my list.  I want to try and reward artists that give me something deeper and more unique but that I can still somewhat groove to or chill to.  

And I know I said something similar last year, but I wasn't super impressed with the output of new records in 2022.  Quite a few solid records, but no mindblowers.  

Best Albums

1. The Smile - A Light for Attracting Attention

• Thom Yorke as the frontman.  He is like the Novak Djokovic of rock.  New groups come on the scene and look poised to lead the new generation, but everything he does is just levels above the competition.  Not an amaaaazing album, but it's strong throughout, and it hits some beats and grooves and lyrics with a consistency that is superior to the other albums in 2022.  

2. Steve Lacy - Gemini Rights 

• I don't know really anything about the artist but he's got some hits on the record and I give him points for his unique style.  And this song, "Sunshine", is my absolute favorite track of the year.  

3. NNAMDÏ - Please Have a Seat

• Mostly ditto to #2 above.  I get some Masego (2020) vibes from this artist, though NNAMDI is a little more colorful / jumpy.  

4. Arcade Fire - WE

• An old reliable.  For as mainstream as they may have become, they've still managed to put out an awesome catalog of albums by now.  This one is maybe pretty low on my list of their stuff, but it has some good ones.  And I find myself listening to the whole album when I need some motivation to get through a long project on the computer or around the house, and it's perfect for that.  And I think it's cool that they included the song, "Lookout Kid" on the record.  It's kind of a sensitive love note to their son, and it gets close to being cheesy but it's actually not, and I'm glad they shared it with the world. One side note - I found myself watching a live video of their "Everything Now" concert (available on iTunes) and I was blown away by how cool the energy from their performance was.  Over the last several years I've found myself enjoying live performances / recordings much more than I used to.  I like listening for the subtleties of a master executing their craft.  

5. Taylor Swift - Midnights

• I checked out the new album one night while I was doing dishes, and I noticed I had gone on like a 5-track streak of pure enjoyment, culminating in the song, "Bejeweled".  This may be heresy but the experience of listening to this album closely approached jamming out to Robyn's "Honey" album.  (This is definitely inferior, but big props to Taylor Swift on her year of taking over the galaxy.)

6. Big Thief - Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You

• I like their 2017 album, "Capacity", much more, but this is actually a good album as I listened to it more.  It has a song or two that kind of bug me so it's hard to just hit "play" and spin the album the whole way through, but it is 20 songs deep, and it's a pleasant listen overall, so I can't fault it too much.  I'm not blown away with how the band has evolved.  I'm not sure what I was hoping for, but evolutions like Radiohead and Low are the perfect model to follow.  The "Certainty" song I chose for this playlist evokes what I might imagine a 2022 indie version of an old Neil Young / Linda Ronstadt duet might sound like.  

6. Benjamin Clementine - And I Have Been..

• This album should maybe be rated higher but I had the highest of expectations for his 3rd album after #'s 1 and 2 were so so so good.  It felt a little too Benjamin Clementiny for me.  And the clever poetry of previous albums was more lacking here.  

7. Cate Le Bon - Pompeii

• A nice rock & roll texture on this album.  She's Welsh.  Yep.  

8. Kendrick Lamar - Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers

• Not nearly as groundbreaking as "DAMN.", which I've revisited a few times with great satisfaction over the past couple of year.  But he definitely hits some high points.  "Purple Hearts" is my favorite on the album.  As I was trying out the new album when it came out I turned this song on super high volume in my Toyota Sienna driving back from dropping my daughter off at Piano practice in Oakland.  As I was cruising the sunny urban streets I was really feeling myself jamming out hard to this tune.  

9. Tomberlin - i don't know who needs to hear this... - A great specimen of indie folk music with female vocals.  5 or 6 good / great songs on a record with 11 tracks.  

Other Good Albums

• Curse of Lone - People in Cars
• Alduous Harding - Warm Chris
• Kevin Morby - This Is a Photograph
• Florist - Florist
• Saya Gray - 19 Masters - Some great raw emotion and music in the album, but much of it is a little too adolescent for me.
• Nilufer Yanya - PAINLESS - London singer/guitarist
• Alex - G - God Save the Animals - I get some good Neutral Milk Hotel vibes from this guy.  
• Grace Ives - Janky Star - If I were still in college these would have been some great hits to download off Napster.  
• Black Country, New Road - Ants From Up There
• Dry Cleaning - Stumpwork 
• Arctic Monkeys - The Car - I wanted to like this album a lot more after this incredible single:, "There'd Better Be A Mirrorball," had been teased, and from the sound they created on that single, and the look of the album artwork, but then after listening to the whole album a few times I couldn't get into it.  

Artists with Diacritics in their Names (with all respect to NNAMDÏ)

• Björk - Fossora
• Beyoncé - RENAISSANCE
• Röyksopp - Profound Mysteries - I hate to say it, but the album title might be referencing some of the tracks on the album.  I just can't muster up the energy to listen to the whole album.  

The Soundtrack to My Year - 2021

The songs that I had moments with throughout the course of 2021.

Playlist: 2021 - RPB

1. Waking - my brother and sister-in-law tipped me off to the manly passion of Future Islands, and this song really resonated with me. 
2. Lilacs - a song (and an album) that I happily went back to throughout the year. Pleasant sounds. 
3. This Is the Sound - I did a nostalgic playlist project for my sister (born in ‘76) with some of the songs I remembered playing on her tape and CD players from that era. It ended up taking me down a Juliana Hatfield exploration adventure where I discovered that her whole body of work is really great, and holds up well. What’s more she’s still putting out music and it’s still great!
4. Speed it up - in the last few years I resumed following basketball very closely with the resurgence of the Phoenix Suns. This song played during warmups at a Warriors vs Suns game and I loved the sound and felt a real respect for the NBA culture. 
5. Big Appetite - a band I’ve loved for several years. This song just feels like one of those really well put together productions where all the sounds just click really well. Had a good experience debuting this album on my headphones while driving out big van up the Donner Pass en route back to the Bay. 
6. Dime cómo quieres - I went through a Spanish music kick in 2021 (as I am prone to do now and then) and this song stood out as a clear winner. Both artists have a lot of good music individually, and they really bring their talents together nicely here. 
7. Two Of Us - like many others, I really enjoyed watching the “Get Back” Beatles documentary. I think all 4 of them end up as big winners by the end. But in the early goings I was most impressed with Paul for his responsibility but also his musical versatility and mastery. I loved how he was very careful to make sure there was no tackiness to any of their songs, like in the way he would have them rework a strumming pattern or some other timing aspect. 
8. Veg Out (Wasting Thyme) - I learned about Masego through a really cool Apple Music ad campaign. That led me to this song which I love for its chill factor, and since it corresponds to my attitude a lot. I want to veg out too, Masego!
9. Days like these - just a solid track from one of my favorite bands of the last couple of decades.  
10. Grains of Sand - I absolutely loved the Dune movie that came out in 2021. The feel, the cinematography, the story, the acting, and the music. When the credits rolled at the end I loved sitting there in awe and staring at the screen while this song kept the mood going.

Best Music of 2021

*Playlist: Best New Music of 2021*

Intro

The fact that I resorted to picking (old reliable) Low as my album of the year indicates that either a) I didn't branch out of my standard music tastes enough this year, b) the whole industry had a letdown year, or c) Low's album is just really good.  The correct answer is "b)".  

I don't want to take too much away from Low here, who deserve big props for putting out another gem after 20 or so years now of being relevant, creative, and evolutionary.  But their latest album is probably my 5th favorite of theirs.  

The unfortunate news of 2021 was that artists' ambitions were mostly low-key, chill, and uninspiring.  Scouring through a lot of the year's best-of lists I found some great singles here and there, but very few solid albums front to back.  It's like we're stuck in a loop from the early 2000's where artists keep putting out more lo-fi indie music, which was new and exciting at the time, but now it's time for a shake-up.  Artists should be doing more by drawing on the deep reservoir of previous heights that the artists of old have shown -- elements of synth from the 80's, disco from the 70's, shredding guitar solos, etc.  

I've seen some great examples of what music in the 2020's could look like.  Things like Billie Eilish's "bad guy", Beck's "Uneventful Days", and Liars' "Big Appetite". But nobody has really broken through in a big way.  

Watching the "Get Back" Beatles documentary recently drove home this point for me that this was a band riding the crest of greatness.  They were tapped into a sound and a creativity that made for some phenomenal albums, and it didn't come without the painstaking work that comes with being masters of a craft.  

OK - done ranting.  Also, get off my lawn.

Best Albums

1. Low - Hey What
• It's a powerful sonic experience for sure.  The more I listen to it the more I like it, so I think this top-spot pick will age well.  I take back all the complaining I did in the intro above, haha.  Low has found the right way to create new music with the passing years.  They stay true to their slow-core roots while incorporating Dark-Side-of-the-Moon-esque synth samples / sound effects.  And of course they hit those beautiful harmonies.  
2. Juliana Hatfield - Blood
• Embarking on a nostalgia project by creating playlists as odes to my older siblings of the music that used to emanate from their bedrooms in the 90's led me to rediscover Juliana Hatfield.  (May I first of all strongly recommend an exploration of her longstanding body of work by some random iTunes playlist curator: "Juliana Hatfield - Playlist by Erwin Herremans".)  What shocked me about Juliana Hatfield is that she's still putting out awesome music.  Often these old hacks from the past keep just get botox and keep performing and sort of tainting our memory of them in the process.  But Juliana Hatfield isn't like that.  She maintains that feisty adolescent rebelliousness mood in her music, but she adds a lot of new character and complexity to her songs.   
3. Sufjan Stevens & Angelo De Augustine - A Beginner's Mind
• Sufjan is a very particular sound, and so it's hard to keep it on the headphones for overly long, but this album has a lot of great songs on it.  
4. Matthew E. White - K Bay
• Like a mix of LCD Soundystem and Bon Iver.  He gets bonus points for the album having quite a few good songs.  
5. Mon Laferte - SEIS
• A Chilean female artist who lives in Mexico and has adopted their style of music.  Mexican music seems to be having a bit of a revival heyday lately.  And this album is a great example of some of those great sounds with lots of classical guitar.
6. Liars - The Apple Drop
• Another reliable artist like Low.  Some great songs on this album.  While not totally solid all the way through, they add to their catalogue of some excellent work over the years, and I imagine a "Liars Essentials" playlist would rock hard at this point.
7. Ada Lea - one hand on the steering wheel the other sewing a garden
• Her song "damn" is probably my #1 of the year.  She has a couple other good songs on the album, but then there are some that make me cringe a bit.  
8. Faye Webster - I Know I'm Funny haha
• Some good songs but otherwise gets lumped into the mediocre indie category that is so prevalent in 2021 -- especially among female artists for some reason.  
9. Cassandra Jenkins - An Overview of Phenomenal Nature
• A few really interesting songs on the album -- like a cerebral jazz experience.  This album hits the spot for early evening drives across beautiful country.
10. Snail Mail - Valentine
• This album got a lot of love on some of the best-of lists this year.  I liked it a little less with each listen.  
11. PinkPantheress - to hell with it
• Some great youthful British attitude in her music.  Like Lily Allen but a little more underground.  
12. A Winged Victory For The Sullen - Invisible Cities
• Peaceful atmospherics.  I much prefer their previous albums so far, but I'll keep spending time with this album
13. The Weather Station - Ignorance
• There are at least 2 songs I really like on this album.  "Robber" is great.  Just a solid, repetitive groove that I really dig.  

Notable Omissions

• Olivia Rodrigo - I tried to have an open mind about this album which has been a huge hit, but it just felt too tweeny for me.
• Tyler the Creator - His album got a lot of praise as being a hip-hop masterpiece, but, unfortunately, the content was too explicit for a family blog like Twainfectas.  

Music Since College

I recently had the chance to go on a boys trip to Seattle with some college friends.  We hadn't all hung out together since the glory days at BYU in 2005.  As the de facto DJ of the group I felt a responsibility to come up with a good playlist for our drives from place to place.  I whipped up a quick playlist for the trip (which worked fine) but it caused me to go back and do some deeper digging to make sure my playlist was telling an accurate story of the best music to have come out since 2005.  Accordingly, I scoured through all my music since that time and came up with the below playlists as a result.

First, the rules of what could be considered for inclusion:

• It can't be a film soundtrack or a greatest hits or a release of old material
• I guess that's it
• Sorry for the unnecessary bullet list

My only request is that everyone carve out about 10 hours and listen to each song on headphones so you can get the full experience.

1. Since College - Summa Cum Laude - One representative song from the very best albums of these last 13 years or so.  I highly recommend downloading the entire albums these songs are attached to. (iTunes Link)

2. Since College - Magna Cum Laude - One representative song from the 2nd tier of albums over the time period.  The related albums are very good, but they didn't top their class.  (iTunes Link)

3. Since College - Bros - A second song from either the Summa or the Magna albums that I just couldn't not share.  (iTunes Link)

4. Since College - Stag - Songs that stood out as having distinction but whose underlying albums were not strong enough to be considered in the Summa or Magna playlists.  (iTunes Link)

Best Music of 2017

*Best New Music of 2017*
*Best New Music of 2017 Level 2.0*

Best Albums

1. Big Thief - Capacity 
• The more I listen the more I think it's a masterpiece.  Her ability to write poems that tell stories, and to sing them in such unique (but pleasant) rhythms makes me really appreciate the music.  "We may each want something different from music — when melody and memory tell a tale, I'm in. And right now, no one does it better for me than this band." -Bob Boilen
2. Benjamin Clementine - I Tell a Fly
• I prefer his 2015 album, 'At Least for Now', but this one is still pretty darn good.  A good mix of poetry, jazz, pop, and interesting vocals.
3. Kendrick Lamar - DAMN. 
• I was expecting a more typical hip-hop / rap album when I started checking him out, but I was impressed at the depth of the sounds, and I can't deny that some of those rhythms are pretty awesome.  Sometimes I feel like his piano, bass, and drum sounds channel some of the best parts of Radiohead.  
4. Arcade Fire - Everything Now
• Not their best album, but it ages well with repeated listens.  A few of their tracks are a fresh sound from them that I really dig.  And props to them for rounding out an excellent catalog of albums at this point.
5. The War on Drugs - A Deeper Understanding
• Their prior album is probably still more classic than this one, but this one is really enjoyable on first listen.  
6. Julien Baker - Turn Out the Lights
• Reminds me a bit of the lead singer from the band Wet.  Also her sound reminds me somewhat of Neil Young's 'Le Noise' album from a few years back.  Some raw emotions, and some haunting lyrics.  I enjoyed watching her Tiny Desk performance -- she's super talented.
7. Slowdive - Slowdive
• Chill
8. Valerie June - The Order of Time
• When you've consumed enough 'Alabama Shakes' and 'Black Keys' but you still want that sound, she really hits the spot.  
9. Julie Byrne - Not Even Happiness
• I found her deep but soft voice and acoustic guitar arresting, but I did slightly tire of the album as I made my way through it.  Could be clutch on the right kind of day / location though.
10. SZA - Ctrl
• Love a couple of the songs, but can't get behind it as a whole album.
11. Mount Eerie - A Crow Looked at Me
• Death is real.  If you needed to know that this is a good album to teach you that.  
12. Jay Som - Everybody Works
• Fun throughout. 

Old Standbys

1. Bjork - Utopia
• Doesn't come close to her last album, 'Vulnicura' (one of my favorites of the last decade), but it's interesting.  I haven't had the patience for it yet but I may someday.  
2. Sufjan Stevens - Planetarium
• It's kind of cool, but I can't get through the whole album
3. LCD Soundsystem - american dream
• I need something more from them on this comeback
4. Beck - Colors 
• This is one of his "fun" albums.  I tend to prefer his not fun albums these days.  

Good Songs for a Playlist

1. Moses Sumney - Lonely World 
• He has one or two other decent songs on his albums as well
2. Bottle Tree - Open Secret 
• I love the sound of this song with all its world beats and percussion.  I wanted to like the album more but could only get behind a couple other songs
3. The xx - I Dare You
• Whatever
4. Charlotte Gainsbourg - Deadly Valentine
• Not a great album, but big bonus points for sounding like a Royksopp song.  

Earbuds

Now that we have entered into the new frontier of wireless headphones and lightning connectors, I find myself struggling to find the perfect headphone.  Somehow it feels like with all these new options and technologies there's more for me to be fussy about.

For the past 6 or 7 years my go-to has been the Bose MiE2 in-ear headphones.  I used to love them.  Finally!, unobtrusive headphones that would comfortably stay in my ear, have great sound quality, and convenient functionality & iPod controls.  These were a game-changer for me in terms of allowing me to rock out, listen to audiobooks, scriptures, do house-chores more productively, be on long conference calls, etc., all while looking super cool like this dude.

The only problem (at first) was that after scrunching these things up in my pocket and using them all the time they would eventually fray and/or stop working.

Bose was awesome about replacing them for me even when they were out of warranty.  By my count I've replaced 3 or 4 sets of their headphones with different variations / upgrades each time.

Then the iPhone 7 came out a couple years ago which has been my most challenging iPhone relationship to date (no big leaps forward from prior models, no more headphone jack, and just the sense that at this point in the iPhone cycle I shouldn't still need to stress about keeping the batteries charged all the time and manually plugging it in each night like some 20th century schmo).  I was willing to be a lightning port adapter, or at least be a dongle supporter.  The problem is that 1) the dongle, besides adding a little unwanted bulk, also causes the Bose headphones to occasionally short out in my experience, and 2) the industry hasn't seemed to have caught up with lightning ports.  I was searching on a monthly basis for a good lightning port headphone.  They're supposed to have truer sound, which is nice, but not if the only way to get them is through some boutique retailer (e.g. Audeze) or some small-time shop (e.g. Libratone) where I still have to shell out for them and I have no idea how comfortably they're going to fit; especially when I've grown so accustomed to the Bose StayHear tips.  I don't know why Bose hasn't jumped on board with them yet.  But given that they haven't I feel like I have to make a choice, especially since my most recent pair is once again frayed and I don't feel great about returning them yet again for a purchase I originally made back in 2010 or so.

So now I either a) go down the rabbit-hole of lightning cable options where I probably won't like the way they fit, or b) explore bluetooth options.  (I should make clear that I'm not willing to look at over-the-ear headphones as I'm not interested in looking like a DJ or a ski bunny.)  Frustratingly, what I've learned on the bluetooth front is that the Apple AirPods don't seem to have much good competition in terms of integrated functionality or even in the fit/comfort or sound categories.

After weighing all my options I decided to go with AirPods and leap into the wireless future.  Here's what I have to say about them after about a month 5 months of using them.

One of my favorite product ads in a long time. [Commercial]

Pros

• Wireless - No more excruciating wire mishaps where the slack catches on a door handle and yanks them out of my ear.  And now I can distance myself from my iPhone without interruption (like when I'm following a recipe or using the torch light to help me to kill ants or stuff like that)
• Good Sound
• Stability is better than I originally thought -- the regular Apple headphones have always easily fallen out of my ears which used to annoy me like no other, but what I've found with the AirPods is that the lack of wires / weight makes them stay centered in your ear and not get tugged around, so they tend to stay in place
• Phone call audio is great on both ends

Cons

• Lack of functionality - Limited to engaging Siri by double-tapping, or pausing by pulling an earbud out of my ear.  The problem with both of these things is that 1) I don't really want to talk to Siri any more than I have to, and 2) when I pull an earbud out of my ear I often don't have a great place to put it, and also the technology that is supposed to keep it paused by recognizing that the earbud is not enclosed in an ear often gets confused by my hand or my shirt pocket and resumes playing.  Some of this functionality is supposed to be addressed in iOS 11, which I look forward to.  [UPDATE: I CAN NOW DOUBLE TAP THE LEFT EARBUD TO PAUSE MUSIC WHICH DOESN'T SOUND LIKE MUCH, BUT IS A HUGE IMPROVEMENT.]  
• Spotty bluetooth - It's mostly a smooth connection but on average a couple times a day I either get occasional short skips in songs or it pauses.  (I'm really tired of not having steady music playing experiences.  It's stuff like this that occasionally makes me want to go all the way back to a walkman or something.) [UPDATE: THE BLUETOOTH HAS BEEN MUCH MORE RELIABLE THAN IT WAS AT FIRST.  STILL NOT PERFECT THOUGH.]
• It's one more thing I need to charge (which was probably my biggest gripe with the Apple Watch, and the main reason why I returned it).  Thankfully it holds a charge very well, and it also recharges very quickly.  I usually recharge my case every 2-4 days or so and I'm good.
• The sound quality is amazing for what they are, but I do miss the slightly better quality of my old Boses.  
• I don't love the feel of the cool, hard plastic.  I would prefer silicone tips.  
• The immaculate white floss-holder-like AirPod holder picks up tons of lint and scuffs in my pocket.  
  
• The 'find my AirPods' functionality is pretty lame because 1) it only works on the earbuds themselves, not the case, and 2) every time I've kind of needed it the earbuds have been offline, so I get a message that my AirPods will make a noise when they're back online, which is never.  

After 5 months of using them, overall I'm very satisfied with them.  I like that I can pause them and keep them in my ears and still occasionally get by with just keeping them in my ears without feeling rude (like with a cashier or something).

Best Films of 2016

Below is my ranking and some brief write-ups of 2016's best movies along with their current domestic grossing ranks in parentheses. (NO SPOILERS)

Top Movies

1. Manchester by the Sea (69) - So poignant.  Such good acting.  Scenes that really stick with you--especially as a father of young kids.  It was interesting to hear Matt Damon (producer) explain on a podcast how Manchester is the kind of movie that studios don’t really pay to make anymore since it’s an "intimate, character-driven drama without any action or high-concepts or superheroes."  And how the loss of the home video market is a major reason everything has shifted to big blockbusters and superhero movies.  Now studios need to replace that home video revenue by making simpler hero vs. villain type movies that will perform well at the international box office.  
2. La La Land (19) - This movie had me singing the songs, laughing in my chair, wondering what was going to happen, wondering what the ending meant, downloading the soundtrack, and it just generally made me happy.  I don't get what all the negativity was about.
3. Arrival (29) - This was a great discovery on a long flight.  My mind was doing circles on itself until it literally blew up.  Renner!  Although Val didn't love it quite as much, and accused me of being predictable on what movies I will like.  
4. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (1) - I enjoyed the texture of the film and that it took some risks with the plot.  I liked the deeper exploration of the Force.  The more I think about it, however, the weirder and more pointless the Forest Whitaker character is.  (Great opening sequence.)
5. Jason Bourne (15) - Huge fan of the whole series.  My biggest disappointment was Tommy Lee Jones as the CIA director--I found myself more interested in his pronounced face wrinkles than in his conviction in the role.  
6. Moana (11) - I don't think I've seen the entire movie yet, but have seen and heard enough segments to count for having watched it several times.  The drawings / colors are really pretty, and some of the music is excellent (though the more popular songs wear on me after a while).  The 'Know Who You Are' scene with Moana and Tika face to face is one of the most beautiful scenes of the year in my opinion.  
7. Hail, Caesar! (89) - Another good Coen Brothers installment, but not their best.
8. Zootopia (7)
9. Florence Foster Jenkins (94) - Val liked this more than I did.  It was fun, and well acted; just not interesting enough to keep me riveted for the whole movie.
10. Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them (12) - Enjoyable watching as a big group on a family vacation, but otherwise not really my cup of tea.

Best Films of 2015

Of the 2015 (the year, not the number) movies I have watched thus far, with only one exception I was very pleased with all of them.

Below is my ranking and some brief write-ups of the year's best movies along with their current domestic grossing ranks in parentheses. (NO SPOILERS)

Top Movies

1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (1)
• It brought back the feel of Star Wars without us having to try to convince ourselves that the magic was still there, which the 2nd trilogy only achieved in episode 3.  The new characters and story-lines introduced have me excited for the subsequent episodes.
2. The Martian (8)
• Mostly just very fun and beautiful to watch.  But it also forced me to think about separation, human contact, and endurance.  Not a movie that I'm dying to see again, but I had a blast experiencing it the 1st time.  
3. Inside Out (4)
• A really fun exploration in psychology.  
4. Two Days, One Night [2014] (197)
• Technically a 2014 movie out of France, but I couldn't get my hands on it until 2015 so I'm including it here.  A simple story, but with very high stakes.  The acting was great, and it had me on the edge of my seat at times.
5. Still Alice (102)
• Somewhat similar to 'Two Days, One Night'.  A sobering movie about alzheimers.  
6. The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (57)
• I won't be sad if this doesn't become a series.  

No Thank You
Jurassic World (2)
Avengers (3)
Ant-Man (13)
San Andreas (19)

Maybe on an Airplane
Furious 7 (5) - Although, the fact that my brother now owns and swears by all 7 of the movies in the series has me second-guessing myself.
Hunger Games (7)
Spectre (10)
Mission Impossible (11)

Ranking of Non-2015 Movies Viewed During the Year (Informational Only)

1. Gattaca [1997]
• A great futuristic sci-fi film; and a lot of fun watching the likes of Ethan Hawke, Jude Law, and Uma Thurman in their nascent primes.  
2. Into the Woods [2014]
• A great way to watch a Sondheim musical in the comfort of your own home.  The 'Agony' song was one of the funniest scenes I watched all year.
3. The Adjustment Bureau [2011]
• Watched this while I was on a Matt Damon kick after watching 'The Martian'.  It's kind of a genre-bender but I got credit at home for it being a romantic movie, so I was happy. 
4. Big [1988]
• It has some great scenes but it ends a little too awkwardly.
5. The Imitation Game [2014]
• It was helpful to learn about Alan Turing but the movie didn't succeed in making me appreciate his genius, or in stretching me intellectually.  I mostly came away with learning about his quirky personality, some stuff about cracking the Nazi code with Keira Knightley, and the challenges of being homosexual in the 50's.  I would have preferred that the movie exhibit more focus, and perhaps pull off something more clever with the Turing test or something.  
6. The Theory of Everything [2014]
• The comments above apply here as well, only to a greater degree.  The acting yes, was stupendous, but I came away feeling hollow about Stephen Hawking's life, and never really getting the chance to appreciate his genius -- only allusions to it. 

Best Films of 2014

A pretty good year for movies I'd say.  Several months after watching it I'm still super high on Interstellar.  I want to buy it on iTunes but my wife says it costs too much.  But then when I try to Netflick it she says she doesn't want to watch it a 2nd time.  What can I do?!

Below is my ranking of the year's best movies along with their current domestic grossing ranks in parentheses.

Top Movies
1. Interstellar (16)
2. Boyhood (100)
3. The Wind Rises (146)
4. Hobbit 3 (6)
5. X Men (9)
6. The Trip to Italy (159)

Movie I Haven't Yet Seen But Excitedly Plan to
The Imitation Game (36)

Movies that Perplex Me as to How People Can Say that They Like Them, and that I Haven't Yet Brought Myself to Watch
Planet of the Apes (11)