Earlier this year, I went to NYC and saw Sleep No More, an immersive theatre experience in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District. Most describe it as a MacBeth meets David Lynch presentation. I opt to throw in some additional descriptors, including Choose Your Own Adventure meets old-man whisky joint. And all of this collided to give me one of my most memorable moments of not only NYC, but 2011 as a whole.

Which brings me to The Caretaker, aka James Kirby. For my requisite round-up of 2011, I’m giving a nod to his album An Empty Bliss Beyond This World, a crackly, timeless mood piece that makes anyone feel like they’re in the pictures. The particular song above, “All You Are Going To Want To Do Is Get Back There” (in the running for longest song title of the year), catapults me into a dusty whisky bar, chock full of unstable lamps, cigarette smoke, and fellow patrons who don’t give a damn.

But more importantly, it takes me back to that moment when I first stepped foot into Sleep No More’s McKittrick Hotel, with its similar soundtrack enveloping me as I explored the grounds, not knowing what to expect, and being genuinely excited about that.

To memories, to music, to art, to genuine surprises.

Thanks for giving me an exciting year, 2011. You sure kept me on my toes.