As 2011 has come to an end, we are taking a look back at some of our favorite posts of the year by our guest editors.
Ben Lee had barely cracked the puberty code when he fronted renowned Aussie alt-rock combo Noise Addict, and as a well-weathered 16-year-old, he began his debut solo album, the mature yet still naive Grandpaw Would. Lee’s third album, Breathing Tornados, garnered best male artist and album of the year nominations in Australia. After 2002’s big-selling hey you. yes you., Lee started his own label and released the most upbeat album in his increasingly dark catalog, 2005’s Awake Is The New Sleep, requiring him to compose acceptance speeches for best male artist, best independent release and single of the year wins at home. Lee’s impressive string of successes continued with 2007’s Ripe, but the streak stopped with 2009’s The Rebirth Of Venus. The quasi-concept album of Lee’s ruminations on women was almost universally derided as half-baked philosophical twaddle set to a weirdly diverse pop soundtrack. Simultaneously, he was also examining the inherent power of dreams with Dr. Jan Lloyd, whose death last year inspired Lee to again brave the concept-album waters with Deeper Into Dream (Dangerbird), a loosely threaded set about the mind movies our brains script, direct and discard every single night. Lee will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our brand new Q&A with him.
Lee: HiChristina! is an incredible performance art troupe in NYC that consists of husband and wife Fritz Donnelly and Christina Ewald. They put together these super-hip events that they call “an occasion to play together in a light, fun and meaningful way, in a safe place for people of all walks of life. Everyone is an artist but many of us aren’t given an opportunity to exercise our creativity and perspective, our specialness in the role we play at home or to survive in the world. Whether it means drawing on a wall, painting on a person’s body, giving an impromptu speech, crawling around on the ground, making sounds in the human orchestra, creating and donning fantastical costumes, or collaborating with strangers to create an epic novel, Hi Christina! gives space, time, and opportunity for the full range of self-expression.” They also have a movie that they have just completed that will hopefully see the light of day in 2012. They remind me to play!
Video after the jump.
