another eye opens

“Happy Lovers at Last United,” Morrissey
“E. Watson,” the Decemberists
“Fair,” Ben Folds University A Capella
“Red Bats with Teeth,” Angelo Badalamenti (Lost Highway OST)
“East Harlem,” Beirut
“Goodnight, California,” Kathleen Edwards
“Love I’ve Never Known,” John Legend
“Harrowdown Hill,” Thom Yorke
“Lymph Nodes,” Dennis Cooper/Chris Cochrane (Them OCR)
“Stickin’ It to Myself,” Jonathan Coulton
“It’s Been So Long,” Ernest Tubb
“Dynamite,” Taio Cruz
“Swizzle Stick,” T-Bone Burnett
“Sea Lion Woman,” Feist
“Come Into My House,” Queen Latifah (Precious OST)
“And It Rained All Night,” Thom Yorke
“Alive in Us,” Darkness Falls
“Homeward These Shoes,” Iron & Wine
“Mingusings,” Of Montreal
“Cocoon,” Bjork
“Soy Loco Por Ti, America,” Los Van Van & Carlinhos Brown
“Snow White in Appalachia,” David Sylvian
“Come on Home to Me,” Tracey Thorn
“Cloud of Unknowing,” Rickie Lee Jones
“Always,” Edie Brickell
“New Orleans,” Emmylou Harris
“Late Late Show,” Sutton Foster
“Complaint Department,” Lykke Li
“Throb,” Janet Jackson

“The Park,” Feist
“Dear Someone,” Sarah Gazarek
“Honey Honey,” Feist
“Locked in a Room,” Oren Lavie
“Donna non vidi mai” (from Manon Lescaut), Vittorio Grigolo
“Sweet Blindness,” Judy Kuhn
“White Material,” Tindersticks
“Bless This Space,” Brian Eno
“Follow the Lights,” Ryan Adams
“Shine,” Joni Mitchell
“Roses Blanches,” Kate & Anna McGarrigle
“Friend of Mine,” Liz Phair
“Harbour,” Peter Allen
“Solomon,” Meshell Ndegeocello
“Calgary,” Bon Iver
“Rhumba Club,” Laurie Anderson
“Take Your Shoulder from the Wheel,” Mark Weigle
“Change of Heart,” Teddy Thompson
“Closer to You,” Cassandra Wilson

Satisfying eclecticism is what I look for in a playlist, and lately I’ve been enjoying letting iPod shuffle through this string comprising some (though not all) of my favorite new albums of 2011:

Walls, Apparat
Bon Iver
Helplessness Blues, Fleet Foxes
The Social Network OST, Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
21, Adele
Hard Bargain, Emmylou Harris
Standing On the Rooftop, Madeleine Peyroux
Sacred Songs, Renee Fleming
Shawn Colvin Live
Around the Well, Iron & Wine
The Harrow & The Harvest, Gillian Welch
Tell My Sister, Kate & Anna McGarrigle (the bonus CD of demos and unreleased recordings)
Biophilia, Bjork
Aabenbaringen over Aaskammen, Casiokids
The Twilight Saga: New Moon OST (the tracks by Thom Yorke, Bon Iver & St. Vincent, and Grizzly Bear)

“A Few Honest Words,” Ben Sollee
“Niggas In Paris (Prof. Xavier Moombahcore Remix),” Jay-Z & Kanye West
“Mas Cerca,” Goapele
“Janaina,” Otto
“Neverends” Vijay Kishore
“Coconutt,” Panda Valium
“You’ll Improve Me,” Junior Boys
“Melody,” Kate Earl
“Breakadawn (Jon Kwest Remix),” De La Soul
“Take me to the other side,” iori’s eyes
“Automatic (Drunkmaster Flex X Pickster One Remix),” Pointer Sisters
“Whatever U Want (Jwls Bootleg),” Consequence featuring Kanye West & John Legend
“Itchy Fingers,” Junior Boys
“Terrified,” Among Savages
“Termontiene,” Panda Valium
“Resbalosas,” Susana Baca
“La Mania (Sabo’s Corto Edit),” Billy The Gent
“Maximalist,” Baths
“ep,” Junior Boys
“Departure,” Baths
“Demon Host,” Timber Timbre
“Fat Booty Moombahsoul,” Melo & Pickster
“Island Brothers,” Bonnie “Prince” Billy & the Cairo Gang

“The Time (Dirty Bit),” Black Eyed Peas
“Common People,” William Shatner
“Little Lion Man,” Mumford & Sons
“Locked Up,” Ingrid Michaelson
“Gold Guns Girls,” Metric
“Animal,” Neon Trees
“Mr. Raven,” MC Lars
“Fett’s Vette,” MC Chris
“Low,” Flo Rida
“Imma Be,” Black Eyed Peas
“Everybody Ona Move,” Michael Franti & Spearhead
“Hello Bonjour,” Michael Franti & Spearhead
“Dust Bowl Children,” Alison Kraus
“Can’t Let Go,” Red Molly
“Will You Remember Me?,” The Pine Box Boys

“The Chain,” Ingrid Michaelson
“Born This Way/Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now/Firework,” The Chipmunks and the Chipettes
“Whole Foods Parking Lot,” DJ Dave