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James Blake dominates my romantic memory of musical moments this year.

I was so captivated watching him play in a chapel in Austin during SXSW, this fragile, soulful voice rising up from this boy who seemed too petrified to look at any of us. Then, I got to see him again this Fall, where—after nonstop touring—he joked and charmed us and seemed, finally, totally confident in his skin. That night, he did an absolutely arresting performance of his Joni Mitchell cover, "A Case of You."

To borrow from Roland Barthes, James Blake reminds us of the "grain" of the voice: "The 'grain' is the body in the voice as it sings... what I shall attempt to say of the 'grain' will, of course, be the impossible account of an individual thrill that I constantly experience in listening to singing."
—Gina Altamura (Holocene)

All of the Therapists' blacked out performances. Hard to just pick one. I expect that whole pigeon carcasses will make a return in 2012. Don't let me down boys.
—Zachary King (Garageland/Zach’s Books/Burning Yellows)

Pickathon helped this southern boy fall in love with music—and mother nature—all over again.
—Gabe Vodicka (Portland Mercury)

Every day on End Hits this week, we're sharing the best songs, shows, and musical moments of the year, according to nearly 100 fine folks in Portland's rich music scene. This here is just a taste. Click on over to End Hits to see all of today's best musical moments of 2011.

End Hits: Three days and counting...