@LinerNotes

And so in just a few hours, the Year That Goes to 11 shall come to a close. This is the perfect time to look back and listen on the past year and share some thoughts on music which stood out in numerous ways. If you aren't following me on Twitter, here is the recap of my picks for the Best of '11.

Meet Jason Yang. Jason is a violinist with an exceptional sound and list of performance credits to his name. Jason has also just uploaded a performance of music from the video game Skyrim that stands out amongst the ever-growing number of similar videos.

If you love guitar and you love dogs, you will positively fall over after watching this video of a dog's reactions while listening to a guitar being played. It certainly underscores balladeer Edie Brickell's lyric: "Religion, is the smile on a dog". Tweet Follow @LinerNotes    

Photo credit, sonicgloo Twas the week before Christmas and all through the stores, all the classics were playing, they were all such bores. The subject of Christmas music is becoming noticeably more divisive every year. You either love or loathe the music associated with the holiday. I for one fall into the former category. However, I also enjoy unique covers of the classics, especially when rock, metal and punk artists put their own spin on them. So, if you are looking to liven up your family gathering, add these rawking Christmas covers (and a pair of originals) to your playlist. Playing them at full volume is required. Just don't blame me if mom/grandma/significant other puts coal in your stocking for it.

If there are two things I very much enjoy but never thought I'd enjoy together, they would be Christmas music and Dark Wave. So it is rather surprising and nice to hear a trio of Christmas songs from goth/synthpop outfit, The Crüxshadows. There is something about the combination of bells, holiday themes and The Crüxshadows beautifully dark melodies that clicks so very well.

Fire at the Montreux Casino, December 4, 1971 - Source: Darker Than Blue It was 40 years ago that one of the most famous disasters in the annals of live music occurred. December 4th, 1971 was the day of the now-legendary fire at the Montreux Casino, on the Lake Geneva shoreline. Fortunately, the only thing that died that day was the historic building where the fire occurred. But out of the ashes, or out of the smoke as it were, was born one of the most legendary riff-based songs in rock history.

If you are among the millions who are adventuring through the world of Skyrim (myself included) then you already have an intimate knowledge of the music crafted by Jeremy Soule for the game. If you aren't playing it, stick with me here, because great music, no matter the source, transcends barriers, whether they be language or non-knowledge of a video game. The lady pictured above goes by the name Malukah, and she has posted an utterly haunting guitar-and-vocal cover of a key in-game bard song from Skyrim.