14 arts & ent ertainment January 18, 2011 - Over the Edge Out With the Old Best Albums of 2011 DARCIE SMITH ARTS EDITOR Fleet Foxes Helplessness Blues: Starting with the title of the album itself, this is a lovely alt-country folk album. This is only the second studio album from the band, but the songs feel so much older and more mature. While not as diverse in sound as the debut, Helplessness Blues is incredibly cohesive and polished. The band still has their ghostly harmonizing and the vocals sound much more confident. Bon Iver Bon Iver: Not only was this album a lyrical masterpiece, but it can break your heart with the instrumentation and those haunting vocals. Bon Iver stretches beyond his original folk debut and steps foot into the synth-y world he created on the Blood Bank EP. Some critics feel it does not have the grab that For Emma, Forever Ago has, but it is pretty hard to argue with the well-deserved Grammy nomination. Tom Waits Bad As Me: Who didn’t shit their pants when they heard about this album? The grizzly-voiced Waits returns with his seventeenth (!) studio album, featuring all brand new material for the first time in seven years. Not enough can be said about how great this album is. While it easily fits into his vast catalogue of songs, some how Waits manages to makes these all-original songs with no comparison. It is a long awaited work of art. The Decemberists The King is Dead: After the intricate rock opera, The Hazards of Love, The Decemberists return to their poppy, folky material. It is refreshing to hear them take back the polished, orchestral sound and turn to their roots of upbeat blue- grassy tunes. This album is one of the most incredibly uplifting and inspiring albums ever produced. It is far more accessible on a first listen than Hazards, but it is every bit as beautiful. Jay-Z/Kanye West Watch the Throne: What kind of a list would this be without some good ol’ rap on it? Put two of the biggest names in hip-hop together and you have got some magic. Kanye is a bit of a jerk but both of these guys are funny and confident and know how to put some beats down. Perhaps they would hate to hear it, but some could even call this album cute. The progressive rock influences are kind of lame, but that did not stop it from going platinum. Connect With Your == NuUgss acess Student Health & Dental Plan scenes Your Benefits for 2011/2012 ‘Health Travel weal prescription drugs, chiropractor, physiotherapist, travel health coverage for 120 days per trip and medical equipment, ambulance, vaccinations, and more... up to $5,000,000, trip cancellation, trip interruption vil, Vision Dental sea eye exam, eyeglasses or contact lenses, laser eye surgery cleanings, checkups, fillings, root canals, gum treatments, extractions, and more... Networks Enhance Your Benefits and Save You Money Change-of-Coverage Period Only new Winter semester students can enrol themselves and their spouse/dependants between Jan. 3 - 24, 2012 for coverage from Jan. 1 - Aug. 31, 2012. NUGSS NBCGSS Health & Dental Plan Health & Dental Plan website. website. [a] The Member Services Centre is there to assist you from 9 am to 5 pm on weekdays: Ll OG) Toll-free: 1 866 358-4431 a Have a smart phone with a QR code reader? h | Scan the appropriate box to be directed to your Plan's website. | a ve a p a n rT] Cc a be] BI