2011 sees the return of classic artists from my youth (Duran Duran, Kate Bush) alongside amazing new artists bursting onto the scene (St. Vincent, Everything Everything).

It’s years like this where music is more important than ever. My father, after a long and happy life, passed in October. He loved music, even if not always the music I loved. He played trumpet and cheered my sister on as she pursued music. Through him I came to appreciate the great vocalists of his time like Dean Martin and Mel Torme, and some new masters like Diana Krull.

More than anything, I’ll remember listening to Radio Bahrain in the 1980s when I was visiting him and my stepmom in Saudi Arabia. They’d take me to a small nearby fishing village and indulge my musical interests, spending many hours waiting for me to finish shopping for bootleg cassettes. My musical horizons grew exponentially, and I think that made him happy. It certainly made a big impact on my wellbeing.