With Memorial Day weekend upon us, summer — and the peak of 2012 wedding season — is officially beginning!

Many occasions of great happiness are imminent, but it’s also a time of stress, hassle and expense. One money-saving suggestion that I see in a lot of articles on the subject is to “skip the band and be your own DJ.” When executed well, it’s a win-win, even a value added, but when blundered, it’s close to a dealbreaker. I think we can all agree that the open-bar-fueled dance party is the highlight of any great wedding reception — any great party, for that matter — and unless you or one of your close friends is a true mixmaster, you might end up with a boring dance floor, which is pretty much curtains for your party.

That’s why ROTI is leveraging the power of Spotify and the wisdom of our panel of experts to help you be your own DJ in righteous fashion! 

To pull this off, I enlisted the services of the finest DJs and dancers I know. In preparation for this post, I huddled in close consultation with dance floor scientists including DJ Walls of Sound, Alison the Business Casual, DBuu, GoGoMrPoPo, Kelly, Nils Coq au Vin, SecretM, CPA3, El Guapo, Major Beans, and Lady McGregor. These people have schooled me in the art of dance party mayhem for years, and thanks to their wisdom and assistance, ROTI has developed a series of building blocks that you can utilize to create a playlist sure to slay.

I dissected all of the great dance music our experts identified — over twelve hours, all told — into a series of subsets (categorized by era, genre, etc.) and identified the best selections within each category. This way, you can either create a dance party mix that spans many eras and types of music, or instead, pick four or five genres that your crew enjoys and go from there.

Guided by the wisdom of our panel, I’ve also compiled five-plus hours of these tunes into a Spotify playlist (“Dance Floor Annihilation 2012″) that you can use straight-up if you want – instant dance party!

But the true point of this list is to help you create your own master list of dance jams. Before we begin, a few pro tips.

• Activate crossfade. Nothing kills a dance floor faster than a song fading out into silence and everyone standing around waiting for the next jam to begin. A few seconds of crossfade will take care of that. This might require connecting a computer to your speaker rig and running the Spotify or iTunes client. It’s worth it.

• Pick music that the most energetic, least self-conscious people want to dance to. They’ll provide cover for everyone else. I’ve seen dance floors sit empty while classic dance tracks play because none of the twentysomethings want to get down, and I’ve seen elderly grandmas dance to 50 Cent because the dance floor is packed and they want a piece of the action.

• Don’t take yourself too seriously! Although your wedding guests’ tolerance for silly pop hits may vary, I’ve observed that even the most snobbish crews can have a good time if they down a few cocktails and hit the floor to the throbbing beats of “Da Dip” and similarly absurd dance tracks.

Let’s boogie!

The 50s/60s

I realize I’m lumping a TON of amazing music together here in one section, but unless the crowd is particularly devoted to this stuff, I recommend taking an efficient overview of the best hits from the “oldies era.” You’ll need a little Motown, a little Stax, a dance-craze record or two, and a little rock to transition forward in time.

Key tracks:

• “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” and “I Can’t Get Next To You” by The Temptations. My personal favorite Motown group has a ton of great songs, but these are the two that most make me want to take the floor. David Ruffin’s performance on “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” is pretty much the best singing I have ever heard in my life. The whole group gets into the act on “I Can’t Get Next To You,” a track from the post-Ruffin era, with amazing production from Norman Whitfield.
• “The Twist” by Chubby Checker. Every dance craze song that followed (“The Macarena,” “Teach Me How To Dougie,” etc) owes this masterpiece a massive debt. Plus, any dance move that you can do even if fat and uncoordinated is a sure winner.
• “Do You Love Me” by The Contours. One of Berry Gordy’s many strokes of genius. The fake ending fires me up every time.
• “It’s The Same Old Song” by The Four Tops. Levi Stubbs was a musical master. Get the mono version — the stereo remasters sound weird to me.
• “The Tears of a Clown” by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. James Jamerson lays down one of the sweetest bass grooves ever and Smokey’s voice inspires yer soul. Co-written by Stephen Wonderful.
• “Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours)” by Stevie Wonder. A perfect song. I’m also forever obsessed with “Uptight (Everything’s Alright).
• “Hold On! I’m A Comin” by Sam & Dave. A monumental Stax track co-written by Issac Davis, it’s one of the ultimate fist pumpers of all time. “Soul Man” is obviously a winner as well. Rest in peace, Duck Dunn.
• “Twenty Five Miles” by Edwin Starr, a superior dance track to his better-known “War” and a true Motown deep cut that I learned about from DJ Walls of Sound.
• “Dance to the Music” by Sly and the Family Stone. The horn break (when Cynthia and Jerry show their stuff) is effin’ electrifying.
• “Gimme Some Lovin’” by The Spencer Davis Group. An 18-year-old Steve Winwood lays down filthy organ and miraculous vocals.
• “Think” by Aretha Franklin. Gets the nod over “Respect” for the glory of its refrain (“Whoa, Freedom!!!”)
• “Brown Sugar” by the Rolling Stones (released in 1971, but recorded in 1969!). For some reason Mick Jagger keeps getting shouted out in pop songs lately (“Tik Tok” and “Moves Like Jagger” being the most prominent examples). Here’s his best dance song ever, and he didn’t even need Keef to hold his hand while writing this one.

The 70s

The disco era, when great dance music became the dominant force in pop. Meanwhile, funk geniuses came up with some of the dopest rhythms ever. With time, the distinctions between these genres have been elided a bit and it’s pretty easy to combo them up into a ridiculous dance party. For more from this era, check out the “Club Classics” section.

Key tracks:

• “You Should Be Dancing” and “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees. The whole Saturday Night Fever soundtrack is pure gold. Despite their rep, I actually think these guys are better at slow jamming than dance-jamming, but regardless, one of the best bro-groups ever.
• “Hot Stuff” by Donna Summer. Pure TNT. Giorgio Moroder lays down insane synths, Donna delivers incredible vocals, and Dan/Doobie Skunk Baxter shows up to shred on guitar!
• “Move on Up” by Curtis Mayfield. Great horns, great vocals, great percush. This should be placed into a long-range rocket and sent into space so aliens discover it.
• “Higher Ground” and “Sir Duke” by Stevie Wonder. Just two among the many transcendent tracks Wonderful recorded in this decade. I endorse these two in particular, but also pretty much everything he did (although “I Wish” has been kinda ruined by Will Smith).
• “September” by Earth, Wind and Fire. The most joyful music I’ve ever heard.
• “Get Down on It” by Kool and the Gang. Basically, follow the instructions for a good time. “Celebration” also receiving votes.
• “Don’t Leave Me This Way” by Thelma Houston. An immense chorus keys this Gamble and Huff tune, and the LA Motown production is outstanding. For bass nerds, here’s a great thread trying to decipher who funks on this.
• “Heart of Glass” by Blondie. New Wave’s finest dance floor anthem. As SecretM pointed out, it’s the soundtrack to a key dance party scene in Kicking and Screaming.
• “I’m Your Boogie Man” by KC & the Sunshine Band. I have mixed feelings on KC and co; most of their songs really seem like they were written for children, they are so basic and silly. Not this masterjam — it’s got a fierce horn section, a dank chorus, and of course, KC’s signature tambo beats.
• “Upside Down” by Diana Ross. With writing and production by the guys from Chic. Technically this dropped in 1980, but it’s 70s sound all the way.
• “Good Times” by Chic. The most frequently bitten bassline ever.

The 80s

My fellow 80s kids know this era was magical — there were so many genres in play on the charts that an 80s dance party can be its own wonderful organism. Disco elements still remained, but this was also a time when dance-punk began to evolve, lending a darker edge to the dance floor. All that plus the nascent sounds of hip hop made this an incredible decade for tunes, and one that’s been better appreciated with the ascendance of Lady Gaga and other heavily-80s-influenced acts.

Key tracks:

• “Electric Avenue” by Eddy Grant. BOYS! Allmusic calls this an “almost primal slab of funk punctuated by a pumping beat and percolating synthesizer.” I can’t beat that.
• “I Wanna Be Your Lover” by Prince. The purple one has dozens of great songs, obviously, but this one stands out to me as the track best suited for a dance jam in 2012. Others that come close are “1999,” “I Would Die 4 U.” Deeper cuts I’d recommend for a full blown 80s dance party are “Erotic City” and “The Glamorous Life” (the latter credited to Sheila E).
• “Straight Up” by Paula Abdul. What a classic. The pre-chorus is magical. You’ve really gotta bring it with your dance moves to be worthy of the high standard Paula lays down.
• “Dancing in the Dark” by Bruce Springsteen. The song that inspired the Carlton Dance is worthy of any 80s dance party you could dream up.
• “Take On Me” by a-ha. If you dance to this passionately enough, you will be able to travel between the real world and realms of illustration.
• “I Think We’re Alone Now” by Tiffany. Amazing cover of the 60s classic evokes joyous nostalgia in all who hear it.
• “Come on Eileen” by Dexy’s Midnight Runners. Classic fist-pumper that builds to an epic finale. It’s really tough to resist the piano slide thirty seconds in, I know I never have.
• “Burning Up” and “Borderline” by Madonna. My personal favorites among her catalogue.
• “Rhythm Nation” by Janet Jackson. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis build a throbbing dance beat around a sample of Larry Graham’s magical bass. Someday in the future when everyone in America looks like Derek Jeter, the national anthem will be changed to this song.
• “Gloria” by Laura Brannigan. LOVE.
• “Genius of Love” by Tom Tom Club. The track that launched a thousand samples. Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth are so good on this. One of my favorites.
• “Two of Hearts” by Stacey Q. A perfect 80s one-hit wonder. People are jealous ’cause we always stay together.
• “Tainted Love” by Soft Cell. A tortured jam. There’s a 2:11 version that gets right to the point, I recommend using that.
• “Jump (For My Love)” by the Pointer Sisters. All-time great key change.
• “Rock the Casbah” by The Clash. One of the best bands ever dips a toe into the dance-punk pool and the water turns to champagne.
• “Bust a Move” by Young MC. Stone cold rhymin’ and an INCREDIBLE performance by Flea on session bass. An 80s/90s crossover track that everyone loves.

The 90s

Hip hop and R&B roared to the fore in pop in the 90s, and great tracks abounded from both sides of the Atlantic. Many of these songs evoke major nostalgia, but they still sound amazing in 2012. Be sure to include some of these classics. Again, some deeper cuts can be found in “Club Classics.”

Key tracks:

• “Da Dip” by Freak Nasty. One of DJ Walls of Sound’s go-to jams and a song that gets better with every passing year. Amazing MJ reference, too. DON’T sleep on this.
• “Shoop” by Salt-N-Pepa. Girls go ham when this song plays.
• “Move This (Shake That Body)” and “Pump Up The Jam” by Technotronic. These songs are like edgier versions of KC & the Sunshine Band tracks. Their classic 90s flavor and pulsating beats practically obligate you to dance. I also like “Get Up (Before the Night is Over)” but it’s not quite on the level of the other two.
• “Unbelievable” by EMF. Andrew Dice Clay’s existence was justified by this song (he’s the guy you hear hollering “OH! What the fuck?”). Shreddy guitar part toward the end is just icing on the cake. An immortal 90s jam.
• “Motownphilly” by Boys II Men. The pure essence of the early 90s.
• “Groove Is In The Heart” by Deee-Lite. I still vividly remember the first time I saw this video — and I’ve loved this ever since. An incredible song, and Q-Tip massacres his verse. One, two, three, bbbbbbbbbrrrrr!!
• “Steal My Sunshine” by Len. Nothing screams 90s more than the quirky, incestuous vocals Marc and Sharon Costanzo lay over a sample from “More, More, More!” And what a hook! I’m going to advocate for the 3:31 length single version over the longer album version, but if you really like yelling “Sharon!! I love you!” then go for the album version.
• “Back To Life” by Soul II Soul. So much to love about this cut, but the vocals stand out to me as the true highlight.
• “The Humpty Dance” by Digital Underground. What a performance by Shock G, whose “Humpty Hump” character is like a cross between Groucho Marx and Sir Mix-a-Lot. Do the humpty hump!
• “Jump Around” by House of Pain. Everlast before he softened. I always took pride that they rocked Celtics swag.
• “U Can’t Touch This” by MC Hammer. Obviously, this owes a massive debt to Rick James, bitch, but Hammer’s energetic rapping and our collective memories of his crew furiously jiving in their parachute pants will enliven any fiesta. Related: “Ice Ice Baby.”
• “Rump Shaker” by Wreckx-N-Effect. All I wanna do is zoom a zoom zoom zoom and a boom boom! A raw track that presaged where hip-hop would be heading in the future, but it also came correct with a highly chantable chorus.
• “Finally” by CeCe Peniston. Has there ever been a better lyric than “Unga-ee, unga-ee, yeah yeah ee, OW”? No, there has not.
• “This Is How We Do It” by Montell Jordan. An superb 90s one-hit wonder straight outta South Central. R&B jamming with a thuggish edge.
• “I Wish” by Skee Lo. I wish every song was as good as this 1995 gem. Amazing interpolation of “For What It’s Worth” seals the deal.

The Aughts

In the aughts (my preferred term), rock was pretty much extinguished from the charts, as hip hop completely ruled the day. Eurosynth sounds were a heavy influence and super-producers were the rule. It’s still kinda weird to think that this decade is not still going on, but regardless, all these cuts still sound super fresh. Tons more tracks from this decade are in “Reigning Divas,” “Red Hot and Recent,” “Hip Hop Jams,” etc.

Key tracks:

• “Low” by Flo Rida featuring T-Pain. One of my favorite songs ever. Them birthday cakes, they stole the show.
• “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” by Kylie Minogue. An absolutely hypnotic groove. Co-written by Cathy Dennis, the genius who also penned Britney’s “Toxic.”
• “American Boy” by Estelle featuring Kanye West. For a dude who’s released so many classics, Kanye hasn’t really made that many great dance songs. This is a major exception (albeit with will.i.am behind the boards). Kanye’s “Gold Digger” also received votes.
• “Rock Your Body” by Justin Timberlake. An outstanding Neptunes production originally intended for Michael Jackson. Your loss, MJ.
• “Hot in Herre” by Nelly. Speaking of the Neptunes, this is another of their great tracks, built around a Chuck Brown (RIP) sample. My favorite line is “I got secrets can’t leave Cancun.” We all know you ess dees, Nelly.
• “Rich Girl” by Gwen Stefani. Dr. Dre’s production on this track (ye shall know him by the pounding piano chords) is magnificent. Eve’s appearance is probably the best thing she has ever done in life. How they pulled off a hip hop song that samples Fiddler on the Roof and includes an extended discussion of Stefani’s Japanese servants is beyond my comprehension.
• “Sweetest Girl” by Wyclef Jean feat. Akon and Lil’ Wayne. An incredible song. Everyone brings it 100% (especially Weezy, who’s incredible on this) and the Wu-Tang shoutout definitely hits home with me. Dolla dolla bill, y’all!
• “Where the Party At?” by Jagged Edge featuring Nelly. So weird, so fun. All the harmonies seem kinda off, but in a charming way that works.
• “Get Busy” by Sean Paul. Dancehall goes mainstream with this driving track that doesn’t relent for three-and-a-half dank minutes.
• “Hips Don’t Lie” by Shakira with Wyclef Jean. Her throaty voice cracks me up, the beats are winning, and that Jerry Rivera sample works every time.
• “Promiscuous” by Nelly Furtado. Timbaland is at his best on this track. A spectacularly good dance jam.
• “Forever” by Chris Brown. I know…he’s a complete dick. This song is so good, though. ONE TWO THREE FO!
• “Hey Ya!” by OutKast. A monumental human achievement.

Red-Hot and Recent Gems

Here are some current hits and great tracks from the past three or four years. Virtually all were created expressly for the dance floor, as club music is now the dominant genre in pop. If you’re a rising old like many of us at ROTI, give these tracks a chance. You might be surprised when your inner tween emerges.

Key tracks:

• “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen. On a trajectory to be the official Song of the Summer 2012, or as Alison described it, “the greatest song in the history of the world.” See above for one of the many viral videos this track has spawned.
• “Good Feeling” by Flo Rida. Raiding the EDM genre for ideas is a great idea for hitmakers these days, and this track made off with the best part of AVICII’s “Levels” and added Flo’s consistently great stylings. Etta James pops in periodically to give you a breather, then the beat slams back down. The crazy bridge is a challenge to everyone to break out their Robots.
• “Starships” by Nicki Minaj. A banger produced by RedOne (also known for Gaga’s “Just Dance”, see “Swedes”) with a distinct Europop feel complete with football crowd chanting.
• “Ass Back Home” by Gym Class Heroes feat. Neon Hitch. I Shazamed the crap outta this the first time I heard it (in a cafeteria). A poppin’ hook with a nice tempo shift on the verses. And yeah, her real name is Neon Hitch; her dad was a lighting engineer.
• “Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO. God, I love this song even if I’d probably want to off myself if I had to spend any time with its creators. It’s just a simple, tasty hook interspersed with decent, bouncy verses and the inspired refrain, “Every day I’m shufflin’.”
• “Fuck You” by Cee Lo Green. An incredible effort by Cee Lo and Bruno Mars, working behind the scenes to apply his retro songwriting skillz. Don’t use the clean version, it annoys me that it even exists. “Fuck you and fuck her too” is one of the best hook lyrics ever.
• “Ridin’ Solo” by Jason Derulo. A joyous celebration of singledom, kind of the dude’s version of “Single Ladies.” JR Rotem’s production doesn’t get old for me after hundreds of listens, although I do recommend (if you can find it) the original beat that drew from “Bittersweet Symphony”; ostensibly they found out that Mick Jagger’s lawyers will make sure your kids don’t grow if you use that sample.
• “OMG” and “DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love” by Usher. Two great recent tracks from Ursh, the first featuring will.i.am and the second with a somewhat annoying cameo from Pitbull (I really wish he’d stop saying “Da le” every five words). Usher’s stated purpose in life is to connect with people trying to shake their daily cares off at the club, so he’s perfect for any dance party.
• “Black and Yellow” by Wiz Khalifa, with production by Norway’s StarGate. So simple, yet so tasty.
• “Chillin’” by Wale featuring Lady Gaga. An extremely catchy track by the DC MC, with an infectious “Kiss Him Goodbye” sample and an MIA-like appearance from Gaga. Get the explicit version that starts off with a Clay Davis-like “Sheeeeeit.”
• “That’s Not My Name” by the Ting Tings. In the grand tradition of “Hey Micky” comes this instant classic. Try to deny this chorus, I defy you.
• “Good Girls Go Bad” by Cobra Starship feat. Leighton Meester. You guys know how I feel about Meester. This song is pretty banal lyrically, but I love the hook, although not nearly as much as I love Meester.
• “Beautiful Girl” by Vybz Kartel. When Vybz isn’t running afoul of the Jamaican authorities, he’s creating brilliant dancehall tracks, here with spectacularly good production by Dre Skull. One of my top jams of the moment.
• “The Opposite of Adults” by Chiddy Bang. The rapping is kind of annoying, but the production puts the hook from MGMT’s “Kids” to a better dance beat, and it works.
• “Dynamite” by Taio Cruz. What a hook! Irresistible dance jam.

Reigning Divas

Divas rule the dance floor, so don’t go into battle with at least one of them by your side.

Key tracks:

• First and foremost in the year 2012, Rihanna. Rihanna is amazing and if you’re going to have a dance party, she should definitely be invited. Her unique vocal tone has given life to dozens of amazing hooks. Everyone wants to hit the dance floor when Rihanna comes on the stereo, trust. Her best:
  • “Talk That Talk,” her latest single (above). I am obsessed with this. RiRi jams on a really obese synth beat, Jay-Z’s on it. It’s awesome.
  • “Pon de Replay,” her first single.  Mildly dated compared to her current stuff, but I still think it’s great.
  • “We Found Love.” A gentle groove produced by Calvin Harris, but it has enough of a beat that you can still rock it.
  • “Cheers (Drink to That).” Fist pumping weekend song with clever Avril Lavigne sample.
  • “What’s My Name,” featuring now-spurned lover Drake. @Rihanna ran out of fucks to give about that guy.
  • “Don’t Stop the Music,” with an inspired Michael Jackson interpolaish. A+

• “Crazy In Love” and “Single Ladies” by Beyonce. I’m a little over the latter track, but it still fires up every lady out there and inspires the people to bust Fosse-style moves. As for “Crazy In Love,” it’s a classic track with great production from DC’s Rich Harrison and a ridiculous horn sample from the Chi-Lites. Don’t get caught neglecting this.
• “Toxic” by Britney Spears. This could also be filed under “Swedes” because the production by Bloodshy & Avant is simply absurd. The Bollywood-style strings and surf guitar are inspired.
• “Marry the Night” by Lady Gaga — a modern track in the tradition of 70s/80s club classics. Recorded on her freakin’ tour bus. All respect to Gaga. “Telephone” (with Beyonce) and “Just Dance” are also great Gaga selections, and “Poker Face” is already a classic.
• “Moves Like Jagger” by Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera. (From what I hear about backstage dramz on The Voice, Adam Levine is every bit the diva Xtina is.) The along-for-the-ride crew in Maroon 5 try to keep up with these two tempestuous vocalists as they let loose over what my sister would call a “bangladesh” guitar groove. Bonus points for whistling.
• “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” and “How Will I Know” by Whitney Houston, diva queen emeritus, with pretty much the best voice of all time. Whitney nostalgia is at high ebb and these songs sound as fresh as anything on the radio today. Incredible key changes are par for the course with Whitney.

Eurosynth

A genre I just made up that encompasses aspects of EDM (electronic dance music), electrofunk, synth pop, etc. These songs have pretty much just two things in common — they use a lot of synths, and they rule.

Key tracks:

• “Digital Love,” “One More Time,” and “Harder Better Faster Stronger” by Daft Punk. Parisians that sound like incredibly funky robots. The market leaders in this sector.
• “Turn Me On” and “Club Can’t Handle Me” by David Guetta; Nicki Minaj does vocals on the first track from Guetta’s Nothing But the Beat; Flo Rida stars on the second from his record Only One Flo. Guetta comes from the Euro DJ scene but has an incredible facility for creating international smash hit dance tunes.
• “1901″ by Phoenix. So smooth, so infectious.
• “Evacuate the Dancefloor” by Cascada. Pure Euro dancepop from this German crew with power synths in full effect.
• “Night by Night,” “Fancy Footwork,” and “Needy Girl” by Chromeo. I know…Canada is not in Europe, but this seemed like the best fit for a group that hasn’t exactly scored a hit yet, but repeatedly deliver dance floor gold with a highly synthed-up style and lyrics that challenge listeners to show their prowess on the floor. Their self-description as “the only successful Arab-Jewish partnership in history” is pretty funny.
• “Sandstorm” by Darude. I used to loathe this song until I saw the light (it might have been the time I saw someone make it rain at the Golden Banana while it was playing that changed my views so profoundly). Now I worship at the altar of “Sandstorm.”

Club Classics

A collection of gems for dance club lovers from the 70s to 90s. Unless your dance party is packed with guys like Stefon, you may not find many takers for these tracks, but it would be borderline malpractice to talk about the “ultimate dance party” without shouting out some of these legendary dance club anthems.

Key tracks:

• “I Feel Love” by Donna Summer. Teamed with Giorgio Moroder, she produced the best dance club music ever created, of which this is a shining example. RIP to my fellow Bostonian.
• “Rock Your Baby” by George McCrae. Written and produced by KC and the Sunshine Band before they were stars, and it has a little more soul and nuance than a lot of their hits thanks to McCrae’s gentle vocal. And y’all best believe KC’s tambo beat don’t quit.
• “Supernature” by Cerrone. I’d never heard this before beginning research for this article, but it’s like proto-Daft Punk. French disco genius unveils a synth-washed tale of mutants rising against the normals, circa 1977. 10 minutes of glory.
• “Love Sensation” by Loleatta Holloway. Perhaps best known to 80s kids as the song Marky Mark sampled for “Good Vibrations.” By contrast to that track, “Sensation” has a fatter, bass-y bounce that’s more fun to dance to, but thanks to Marky, it also has the familiarity that many of the other cuts in this section may lack. Take a chance with this one.
• “A Deeper Love” by Aretha Franklin. This was written/produced by the guys of C&C Music Factory and has that hot 90s feel with the inimitable voice of one of history’s greatest divas.
• “Chains of Love” by Erasure. Vince Clarke’s amazing synths and Andy Bell’s soaring falsettos zoom to the stratosphere. This song might make you a little gay, but I think you should just let the gaiety in.
• “Situation” by Yaz. Another Vince Clarke masterpiece, this time with Alison Moyet delivering the mighty vox. Get an edit of this song or it’s going to go on for 8+ minutes.
• “The Bomb! (These Sounds Fall Into My Mind” by The Bucketheads. Masterful UK club jam from the 90s that uses the same “Street Player” (Chicago) sample that Pitbull recently used in his hit “Calle Ocho.” All three of these songs are playable choices.
• “Where’s Your Head At?” by Basement Jaxx. A 2001 rave-up classic with one of the creepiest music videos ever. Warning: May make you dance like a monkey with a human face.
• “From Here to Eternity” by Giorgio Moroder. I’m probably pushing the edge of what you could realistically play, but this song is so awesome, I just had to put it on here.

Winning Over The Hard Cases

OK, let’s say you have a crowd of snobbish indie aficionados that seriously hate pop music of the last 10 years and will openly revolt if you play anything from the “Aughts,” “Hip Hop Jams,” or “Red Hot and Recent Gems” selections. Pull this list in case of emergency.

Key tracks:

• “Lust for Life” by Iggy Pop. This song is  incredibly hardcore and at the same time, accessible enough that it’s used to promote cruise lines. The Bowie-crafted groove is so sweet.
• “Pump It Up” by Elvis Costello. This guy has never not been cool, and this track is a bassline-driven stomper that only a championship-level curmudgeoun would be snobby enough to resist.
• “Bizarre Love Triangle” by New Order. A “hi-NRG” dance classic from the Factory mainstays. “Blue Monday” also received votes.
• “Cars” by Gary Numan, one of the fathers of synth pop. Perfect for a moody dance throwdown — the beat never relents and pulls you with it.
• “Drunk Girls” by LCD Soundsystem. James Murphy and crew have a ton of great dance songs, but many of them take a while to develop and you might not want to risk losing your crowd. This track lays down its MO from the very start and builds with an incredible chorus.
• “Let’s Make Love and Listen to Death From Above” by CSS. Three-and-a-half minutes of nasty Brazilian hipster groove, it has an immediacy that comparable acts like LCD Soundsystem sometimes bypass.
• “Cold War” and “Tightrope” (featuring Big Boi) by Janelle Monae from her brilliant The ArchAndroid. I discussed this at length somewhere in here, but Janelle Monae is an incredible talent — so creative but without sacrificing broad accessibility.
• “Gold on the Ceiling” by the Black Keys, from last winter’s El Camino. This will never be confused with a club track, but Danger Mouse’s production gives it enough bounce to get out on the floor and twist. Lead El Camino single “Lonely Boy” could also serve.

Slow Dances

This is for the ambitious. It takes serious amateur-DJ skill to pull off a slow dance without some kind of MC situation going on to prep the crowd. But if you can do it — much dap to you. Thanks again to DJ Walls of Sound, who helped me ID some of the most essential slow jamz known to man.

Key tracks:

• “Never My Love” by the Association. Probably the tenderest song ever put on wax. The vocal break that goes down after the first chorus (around 1:15 in the track) is emotional sorcery.
• “Surfer Girl” by the Beach Boys. The ultimate combination of Early Beach Boys Song Topics and a lovely song taboot.
• “These Arms of Mine” by Otis Redding. Music to melt the coldest heart.
• “How Deep Is Your Love” by the Bee Gees. Cue the disco ball and the romance. An incredible song.
• “Bump and Grind” by R. Kelly. A true slow jam that still has a little edge. Perfect for getting cozy with that special someone to set the stage for a magical night of golden showers conventional lovemaking!
• “Halo” by Beyonce. A Ryan Tedder gem. B’s voice is like an antique instrument she controls with breathtaking skill. Get the 3:44 radio edit.
• “End of the Road” by Boyz II Men. THE definitive slow dance song of the 90s. Anyone getting married this summer probably had their first slow dance to this gem.

What did we miss? Let us know in the comments or give us a shout on Twitter (@rumorsinternets). We’ll keep updating our playlists!

Here’s a complete playlist of all 12+ hours of music mentioned in this post (to the extent it was available on Spotify). Use this database to create your own personalized dance playlist and let’s get this summer crackin’!

And here we are. The final installment of our countdown.

I’d like to take a moment to thank our panelists. They make this effort possible with their wisdom, commitment and knowledge.

Also, I need to share with you this amazing Flavorwire article that stereotypes you based on what your favorite album of the year is!

Our Best of 2011 Spotify playlist is now completely revealed. Enjoy, my friends.

Let’s bring this home!

#10. Metronomy, The English Riviera

Apparently I’m one of the few music junkies stateside who thought this album was insanely good, although it was very well-received in Britain and is the last of the many Mercury Prize nominees on this list. I was completely floored by The English Riviera and it hasn’t lost its luster after many, many listens.

Check out this cut, “Corrine,” which reminds me a little bit of vintage Eno:

The English quartet led by Joseph Mount has a reshuffled lineup for this album, with the notable and extremely welcome additions of Anna Prior on drums and vocals and Gbenga Adelekan on bass. Both dominate on songs like “Everything Goes My Way.” Metronomy knows the power of repetition in establishing a magnificent groove, and they aren’t afraid to dwell on a riff, bassline or refrain until the listener is transported to planet funk. Other amazing songs include “The Bay” and “She Wants,” but the highlight of the album for me is “Some Written,” which begins as a gentle melody and builds into a full blown jam.

I’m not so bold as to go out on a limb with a record that nobody on the panel (except me) voted for and name it the best of the year. But The English Riviera might be my personal favorite of 2011. I will wager that you’ll enjoy it too.

#9. The Horrors, Skying

Two of the most esteemed members of our panel, Mikey Jones and DBuu, called Skying the best album of the year. Unless you are actually a member of The Horrors, they are cooler than you and I suggest you listen up when they start laying down the truth. I certainly did, and this album didn’t let me down.

Allow me to yield the floor to DBuu, who in my estimation nailed it: “I really gave The Horrors a hard time after they switched from being a horror garage punk band to being a, I guess, shoegaze-y post-punk band (that’s what it says on their wikipedia). But when you listen to their albums sequentially, you can see the progression, and Skying, however detached from their goth punk roots, is just a great album. The songs range from slower and atmospheric to upbeat and almost poppy, but everything makes sense. It has strong singles but can also be listened to in one continuous sitting, which to me is the sign of a good record. “

Skying might not be on your radar, but I picked out a couple of tunes for you to check out on Spotify, and the whole album is more than worth a listen. Get on it, people!

#8. Girls, Father, Son, Holy Ghost

First things first. “Honey Bunny” is easily one of my favorite songs of the year.

Girls has a knack for a great melody and isn’t too cool to unleash a terrific hook. Though it’s highly inspired by California bands of yore, this album doesn’t have the “trying to replicate the Laurel Canyon sound” lameness of acts like Dawes. I know I’ve used the word “unique” to death over the course of this countdown, but Father, Son, Holy Ghost has a sound that defies easy categorization. It’s equal parts tender, timid, bold, and epic. Songs like “Vomit” have a spiritual, almost gospel feel without sounding canned or trite. Behold:

Here’s a good little value-added pointed out by Nils Coq Au Vin, one of this album’s main supporters among our panel. “Dude born into a cult  and rescued by a billionaire? Whatttt? Yes please.” To learn about the amazing backstory of Girls frontman Chris Owens, click here — and more importantly, check out Father, Son, Holy Ghost ASAP.

#7. Wilco, The Whole Love

I didn’t see this one coming, which is a weird thing to say about an album by a legendary band like Wilco, but I was pretty underwhelmed by their last couple of albums. The Whole Love is awesome! It easily fits into the pantheon of great Wilco albums like Being There and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, but Jeff Tweedy isn’t simply replicating sounds that have worked in the past — as always, he’s pushing the envelope and challenging his bandmates to follow. Check out the massive, seven-minute album-opening jawdropper, “Art of Almost.”

Anybody who doesn’t respect Jeff Tweedy’s songwriting skills already needs to close this tab and go school themselves, but suffice it to say, dude can pen a great rock song. This album is packed with them. I especially liked “Standing O,” “I Might,” and “Dawned On Me” (below), but there are also mellower tracks that come highly recommended.

The Whole Love is an instant classic. Recommended for all ages.

#6. Fucked Up, David Comes to Life

Now we shift gears to something more challenging. Many of the people I have recommended this album to have replied with “I’m not that into hardcore” or simply, “The frontman’s voice is a dealbreaker for me.” It’s true that Pink Eyes, the leader of Toronto’s Fucked Up, doesn’t sing so much as he screams. My ears rejected this album on first listen too. But urged on by C. Dave, who unequivocally called this his favorite album of 2011, I gave it a few more tries — and realized that it’s much more melodic than I’d realized at first. At times, it recalls the triumphs of London Calling with its mixture of fierceness and great songwriting.

David Comes to Life has a complicated narrative that’s a little difficult to perceive from the songs alone, and even when Wikipedia explained it to me, I still didn’t quite get it. Nor do I think it’s necessary to appreciate the songs. There are some cool concepts in there, though — like the ideas that characters in a narrative have an existence independent from the creators of that narrative, and that every listening (or reading, or viewing) experience is a little life, and every conclusion a little death, until the next time the album spins.

What really makes this album essential is the pure distillation of human spirit and powerful energy that Fucked Up bottles for your enjoyment. Check out this video — instead of simply setting visuals to the album recording, it instead channels the album’s spirit in an interesting and fun way.

If you only listen to one hardcore album in 2011, let it be David Comes to Life.

#5. Kurt Vile, Smoke Ring For My Halo

Some records require repeated listening to appreciate them. Others grab you on the first listen. Smoke Ring For My Halo is one of the latter. Tell me you don’t love this track, “Jesus Fever.” It’s so righteous.

Kurt Vile has been tied in with a couple of bands earlier on our countdown (he used to axe for The War on Drugs, and provided vocals on David Comes to Life), and his experience has delivered him to a place where he can create a genius album armed mostly with his acoustic. Not to say this sounds like classic early Dylan or late Nick Drake, but it has a similar magic — one man and his guitar, spinning tunes that are immediately legendary. Vile’s cynical edge grants effectiveness to clever lyrics like “If it wasn’t taped, you could escape this song.”

I thought this line from a SPIN review was spot on: “Having inhaled the obliquely fucked hauteur of the Stooges/Neil Young/J Mascis axis, Vile frames his own more hushed musings with alternately anxious and serene guitar.”

There’s nothing about this album that isn’t worthy of praise. Great songs, great performances, great production, great album. I absolutely love Smoke Ring For My Halo.

#4. Cults, Cults

Our panel went crazy for this record. Nils Coq au Vin called it the best of the year, Biz Cash placed it top 5, and Noish and Serious Nihilism slotted it top 10. It’s tough not to agree when you hear tracks like “Abducted,” which channels creepy 70s pop through an Arcade Fire milieu.

This duo was going to NYU five minutes ago, but blew up in 2011 and are now one of the hottest bands in New York. And with good reason, because their debut album is shockingly good. At times, they sound like the 21st century’s answer to the Ronettes, at others they straight rock. And there’s nothing better than occasionally looping in some dialogue of cult leaders preaching to their mesmerized followers.

I especially love “Never Saw The Point,” which you could easily have convinced me was a cover of a girl-group classic that Phil Spector wrote 50 years ago if I didn’t know better. Enjoy it now, accompanied by this amazing video of footage from The Last Picture Show that a genius made on Youtube:

I’m really excited to see what Brian Oblivion and Madeline Follin (who, by the way, is also on David Comes to Life) do next, because this album is like an Oscar-winning performance by a precocious child. Right now, their ceiling seems nonexistent.

#3. Fleet Foxes, Helplessness Blues

“So now I am older than my mother and father when they had their daughter…now what does that say about me?” asks Robin Pecknold at Helplessness Blues‘ outset. It’s a fitting epigraph for this album, which might well be dubbed Quarterlife Crisis of a Boomer’s Heir.

Pecknold continues to model his music on inspirations like David Crosby and Joni Mitchell, and his band is just as amazing at harmonizing and playing as they were on the band’s self-titled debut. But on Helplessness Blues, Fleet Foxes seem more sure of themselves, and their music is more daring and more personal in nature. The result is a truly superb album.

I think the track that best encapulates Fleet Foxes’ growth as a band on this record is “The Shrine/An Argument.” It’s an incredible track that begins with a section reminiscent of the band’s debut, then transitions to a stomping groove with chord changes I can only describe as “triumphant.” Heavy, dank harmonic vocals return, before the song segues into a free jazz finale led by multi-instrumentalist Morgan Henderson.

I had occasion to see Fleet Foxes touring behind this record and their performance was outstanding. They’re clearly developing into one of the better bands of this era and I am unbelievably eager to see if they make the critical third-album leap to greatness. But in the meantime, Helplessness Blues is an outstanding effort, a complete album that rewards with every listen.

#2. Bon Iver, Bon Iver

Jaw-droppingly good. I don’t think I need to spill too many pixels justifying this pick. Bon Iver was a commercial and critical success, got a ton of Grammy nominations, was named album of the year by Pitchfork, and received more votes from our panel than any other album.

I mean, check out this video. Music doesn’t get much better than this in 2011.

Another incredible song — this connects with me on such a meaningful level:

Since it’s kind of pointless to explain to you why Justin Vernon’s latest is so good — it just is, listen to it and you will see — I want to hit a more interesting topic. The matter of “Beth/Rest.”

At the end of the album, BI drops a song that seems stylistically dissonant with the rest of the record. As C. Dave put it upon first listen, “Wow, I call major shenanigans on the final song, “Beth/Rest.” What a bizarre and idiotic stylistic shift. A genius nine song suite topped with a Bryan Adams leftover. Totally button-hooked by that one. Seems like a gag gone awry. Jeez.”

I feel differently — although I certainly get C. Dave’s point, I actually liked the song. In the 80s renaissance that is music in 2011, and at a point when artists are bending irony over on itself to the point that it becomes sincerity again, I thought it was a ballsy move to drop a Bruce Hornsby-esque ballad at the end of this incredible record. But I’m the guy who can’t get enough of the Hall and Oates Emergency Hotline, so maybe my cheese tolerance is higher than most. Judge for yourself, friends.

So why wasn’t Bon Iver #1 on our countdown? I have to admit that Flavorwire had a point when they wrote that the stereotypical Bon Iver fans are “People who spent hours trying to decide between beige and off-white for their living room walls.”

Also, despite the fact that almost everyone on the panel voted for this record, not a single person put it #1. I felt that the lack of staunch support for this album opened the door for a more daring choice. Here it is:

#1. M83, Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming

Why is Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming the best album of 2011? It’s an incredible blend of electronic and instrumental music, a completely epic release that’s best experienced as a whole, filled with awesome songs, and featuring the arguable song of the year. In short, M83′s latest release is symbolic of everything great about music today.

M83 is led by genius Frenchman Anthony Gonzalez, and features a cast of talented musicians. Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming was produced by Justin Meldal-Johnson, who’s been a personal hero of mine since he ruled the bass on Beck’s Midnite Vultures. This album grabbed me on first listen, but you don’t have to take my word for it, just ask fellow HU,WD fans Mikey Jones or Business Casual. Or check some key tracks out on Spotify!

Vulture did an incredible job documenting the duel between “Midnight City” and Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” for the song of the year honor on various lists. If you’re scratching your head, thinking you don’t know “Midnight City,” just picture Victoria’s Secret models strutting across your television screen. (Or click the video above for a refresher.) Since I’m kind of sick of “Rolling in the Deep,” this faceoff is a no-brainer for me. And get a load of that sax solo! Glorious.

I mentioned earlier that M83 does an incredible job of blending digital and analog musical styles. The video above is the best example I could uncover, a version of “Steve McQueen” from a gig at the Music Box in LA. Though the sound is wonky at times, I think you can see how music that sounds primarily synthesized at first listen actually rocks pretty hard, and involves plenty of traditional instrumentation and tons of great vocals.

As you listen to HU,WD you’ll be struck by how many amazing songs are on there. They hit you in waves as you go through the record. Standouts include “This Bright Flash,” “OK Pal,” “Klaus I Love You,” and this track, “Claudia Lewis.”

For sheer ingenuity, blending styles old and new, and crafting an album that is cohesive and brilliant, ROTI awards M83 the Album of the Year prize for Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming.

This concludes our countdown. As I mentioned far too many times already, over a hundred great tracks are on our Spotify playlist for your further perusal and enjoyment.

Thank you all for reading and have a marvelous Christmas.

THE BEST MUSIC OF 2011 Introduction, Hon Mentions, Rap Hits and Pop Songs Albums #50-#31 Albums #30-#21 Albums #20-#11 Albums #10-#1 ROTI’s “Best Music of 2011″ Spotify Playlist

Thank you to everyone who has been following along with this series thus far. Your readership inspires the ROTI team to attack ambitious projects like this one. Here’s a little gift I found just for you: ASAP Rocky and his crew freestyling over a Nurses song.

Today, ten more great albums to delight you and expand your mind. Some have moved tons of units, some have been celebrated by every critic in the land, and some you might not have even heard of. There’s something for everyone here!

Once more, our Spotify playlist of The Best of 2011 has been enhanced to include the latest round of records.

20. Drive — Soundtrack

This one is a little bit of a reach because many of the key songs were released earlier than 2011, but the compilation of the Drive soundtrack, the release of its score, and its unleashing upon the public occurred during this fine year, and so I’m allowing it to stand. This record was repped hard by a trio of Brooklyn masters, Mikey Jones, DBuu and Izzie B. If you want to step to them that’s your business, but I won’t be joining you.

So much goodness here. Cliff Martinez’ score evokes the handsome intensity of Baby Goose on a thrilling mission. Key tracks include Kavinsky’s “Nightcall” and College’s “A Real Hero.” The GTA: Vice City vibe that pervades this collection is really outstanding. The Boston Herald wrote that “The Drive soundtrack is such an integral part of the experience of the film, once you see it, you can’t imagine the film without it.”

But DBuu (of course) put it best when he said, “I loved this movie, and this soundtrack was a perfect companion to it. I would be lying if I said that I didn’t listen to these songs a few hundred times on my way out for an evening of adventure and thought that for that night, I was a real human being — dare I say, a real hero.”

19. Adele, 21

I pretty much disagree with everyone in the world on this album. Some call it the best of the year (including Time and our panel’s @drewkolar). Others (wikipedia would put a “who?” here, but you know who you are) call it commercial crap. I believe that it is neither of those things!

Izzie B pushed to get this on the 2010 list with an eerie prescience, even before it dropped in the US in early 2011 and reigned over the charts all damn year. If you’re down with neo-soul, especially the UK variety, you can’t deny that this is a tremendous disc.

Basically, 21 is half a classic. It includes the two super-massive hits, “Rolling in the Deep” and “Someone Like You.” If you don’t know these songs, I assume you have been in “the hole” or some other type of forced seclusion. I thought these hit tracks were legit, but I wholly genuflected before two of 21‘s other songs, the Ryan Tedder-penned “Rumour Has It” and the rollicking “I’ll Be Waiting.” If you can’t get behind these tunes, go listen to some shoegaze or something, you snob.

Unfortunately, the rest of the album leaves a bit to be desired. The middle of the album bogs down with too many ballads. Although some of 21‘s tracks are legends in their own time, it’s hard to say that the album as a whole is truly classic.

But hey. As my own beloved Lady McGregor put it, “Adele is impossible to sing along to, because her voice is so good that you just end up realizing how mediocre your own singing voice is.” Respect to two of the best cords in all of vocal-dom. 

18. The Antlers, Burst Apart

The Antlers’ 2009 gem, Hospice, was one of the most devastating records since In The Aeroplane Over The Sea. For their next act, they have thankfully not attempted to top that — but Burst Apart is touching and affecting all the same.

Check out “I Don’t Want Love.” Peter Silberman’s falsetto is out of control good. For a song without a full-blown hook, it sure brings it home in an effective way.

Other tracks I loved include the sweeping “No Widows” and the gentle groove “Rolled Together.” Two key members of our panel, C. Dave and Nils Coq au Vin, called Burst Apart one of their favorites of 2011. A strongly dissenting POV was voiced by A. Golden, who called it “overproduced garbage.” For me, Burst Apart was a success — try a few tracks out for yourself on Spotify and make up your own mind!

17. Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, Mirror Traffic

I’m on record as being 100% in the bag for Stephen Malkmus, and I professed my worship of drummer Janet Weiss (this was her last record with the Jicks) in my take on Wild Flag. So OBVIOUSLY I loved this disc. In this perspective, I was joined by wise heads like Noish and C. Dave. Basically, this record is yet more evidence that Malkmus is one of the foremost troubadours of our time, a guy who was ahead of the curve in his youth and remains totally awesome in his middle age.

If you like Malkmus, you’re going to like this record. It’s filled with great tracks, and his lyrical skills haven’t diminished one bit. Mirror Traffic is more cohesive and its roster of songs is deeper than anything the Jicks have put out since Pig Lib. Whether it’s a crackling rocker like “Senator” or a mellow number like “Gorgeous Georgie,” Mirror Traffic comes correct with a superb selection of Malkmus tunes, performed to perfection.

16. Lykke Li, Wounded Rhymes

Wounded Rhymes didn’t have a lot of people on our panel voting for it, but those that did were staunch and adamant in their support. Noish reported that he seriously considered it for #1 overall, and said it was less #2 on his list than #1a. Izzie B put it simply: “Lykke Li, J’ADORE.”

Likke Li’s latest has a unique and lovely quality that’s equal parts Sweden (where she hails from) and Los Angeles (where this album was recorded). In an amazing quote that I just scraped from Wikipedia, she said: “Los Angeles is such a mysterious place because there’s so much evil in that city, but there’s also so much light. You can be totally alone on a hillside and I love that kind of secluded, deserted rawness.”

Amazing cuts from this album include the pump-up track “Youth Knows No Pain” and the gorgeous “Love Out of Lust.” She’s got a really strong point of view and the ability to pivot from tender and sexy to badass and tough, turning on a dime from track to track. Don’t sleep on Wounded Rhymes.

15. Portugal. The Man, In the Mountain in the Cloud

My favorite people from Wasilla, Alaska not named Bristol Palin.

PTM (another band who formats their name in an infuriating way that I refuse to go along with) is based in PDX these days, and their latest album is one of my personal faves of the year, off a tip from C. Dave. It’s fun, funky and righteous — and highly recommended.

Lately, I’ve seen a bunch of acts and albums classified as “glam rock.” Of those that I’ve experienced, I think PTM does the best job of capturing that sound and bringing it into the new millennium. Tracks like “Once Was One” and “Got It All” channel Bolan’s spirit without sounding dated (like one of the more disappointing albums of the year, Blitzen Trapper’s American Goldwing). They can inspire you to wave your lighter aloft with a rousing repeating chorus, but also display solid range on jumpier tracks like “Share With Me The Sun.”

Supposedly PTM really works these tunes out in concert and jams on ‘em hard. I need to schedule a live viewing ASAP.

14. Youth Lagoon, The Year of Hibernation

A very respectable crew, spanning several cities, stood up in support of this record. Business Casual put it in her top 5 in a missive from LA, while Nils Coq au Vin repped it from Manhattan. Even gruff Bostonian A. Golden, who hated most of the music released this year, called this album “Very nice!”

The Year of Hibernation features some highly enjoyable tracks like “Cannons”:

This isn’t a record that’s going to floor you with hooks or riffs, but it’s intoxicating in its own subtle way. Its Idahoan charms and home-made style will appeal to any indie fanatic who prizes authenticity as a key signifier of quality. I think my personal fave track is “Daydream,” which grows and evolves as it goes, building to a climax and then slowly going out like the tide. Choice.

13. Panda Bear, Tomboy

Holy mackerel, I geeked out on this album. Didn’t hurt that I knew Mikey Jones and NCaV had my back on it, either. Some of these tracks are effing hypnotic. When you wait in intense suspense for a hook to come back and it crashes down on you, it’s like a drug all its own. Panda Bear is the world heavyweight champ of experimental music back to reclaim his crown on Tomboy.

“Atmospheric” is the best word I can summon to describe the ambience of this record. The best tracks suck you into their own little world, make you breathe their air, acclimatize you to their conditions, then spit you back out into space. Noah Lennox’ lyrics are completely unintelligible (to me, anyway) but that only adds to the album’s otherworldly feel. Though the songs don’t hew to strict structure, they nonetheless have an internal cohesion, with choruses-as-such rearing their heads from the mix to electrify the listener. The master strikes again.

12. Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Unknown Mortal Orchestra

Hoooooly crap this album is great. It came completely out of nowhere, apparently posted on a Bandcamp page as a lark by Ruban Neilson, formerly of Kiwi band the Mint Chicks, and now based in the PacNo. Once again our fearless Portland station master, DJ Walls of Sound, reported back to the mothership that an amazing record had been discovered in the Oregonian wilds. I quickly consulted with top ROTI music analyst CVD, and we concluded that a true gem had been identified.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra rules. It’s packed full of righteous grooves, with a psychedelic edge. Glorious basslines abound throughout, and tasty rhythms are everywhere. Neilson’s voice is awesome and he applies it perfectly to jams like “Little Blu House” and “Strangers are Strange.” The lead track, “Ffunny Friends,” has drawn a lot of love from some esteemed critics. My personal favorite is probably the ultra-funky “How Can U Love Me.”

In conclusion, this is an excellent record!

11. St. Vincent, Strange Mercy

Annie Clark recorded her third album in self-imposed exile to Seattle, living alone in a hotel and working 12 hours a day in a studio space. The results are stupendous. Strange Mercy is gripping, unique, and just overall awesome. Drawing from inspiration both highly personal and external — she pulled one of the craziest lyrics, “World’s finest surgeon, come cut me open” (“Surgeon”) from Marilyn Monroe’s journal — Clark has created a musical masterwork.

There are too many good songs on this album to embed them all here. “Northern Lights” has a magnificent chorus and surging instrumentation.  ”Cheerleader” stomps through creepy sludge. “Neutered Fruit” is bizarre and magical. “Year of the Tiger” is a bad-ass closer.

Clark plays many instruments, but on Strange Mercy her voice is the finest instrument in her arsenal. It transmutes from track to track, creeps in ethereally in the background, soars into her head voice at some points, rings out clearly at others. What a mighty album this is.

For more great music, check out the articles below or fire up this Spotify playlist.

THE BEST MUSIC OF 2011 Introduction, Hon Mentions, Rap Hits and Pop Songs Albums #50-#31 Albums #30-#21 Albums #20-#11 Albums #10-#1 ROTI’s “Best Music of 2011″ Spotify Playlist

OK. Now we’re getting into the REALLY good stuff.

Our Spotify playlist has been updated with choice selections from the next ten records in our countdown, and I’ve also embedded video selections to give you a sense of what to expect from each record. Because I love you.

Ready…Launch!

30. Mr. President, Number One

CALLING THE SOUL PATROL! This record is shrouded in mystery, but when GoGoMrPoPo gives an album his blessing, ROTI is obligated to check it out. And what I found was a magnificent tower of funk power.

From what I can gather, Mr. President, also known as Patchworks, is a musician and producer possibly operating in France. He’s put together a record of titanic grooves that might be all freshly recorded, all remixes, or just stuff he found while digging through crates. I honestly don’t know and his label’s website is pretty obscure on the subject!

But who gives a whit when this record packs such a tremendous punch. It’s jammed full of stone stompers that will turn your dial to full-funky. Dank horns and tight rhythm sections, sometimes paired with sweet vocals, make Number One an outstanding selection for your next dance party (or headphone party).

29. Smith Westerns, Dye it Blonde

Okay…whew…breathe with me here, Generation Catalano. After watching the video below, I just sprouted a few gray hairs; these fresh-faced rockers are clearly way younger than the ROTI team. But like our musical wisdom, great rock and roll never ages. Even if the guys from Smith Westerns may not have been ALIVE in Teenage Fanclub’s heyday.

Smith Westerns’ sophomore disc landed the Chicago trio an opening spot on Arctic Monkeys’ ongoing tour. Funnily enough, though, I think this record is even better than Suck It and See!

Nils Coq au Vin put this one forth for consideration, dubbing it one of the year’s very best. It’s hard not agree with him when you hear Dye it Blonde‘s hooky blend. I especially enjoy “Only One,” a great and tuneful track that segues effortlessly from lite guitar riffs to beauteous chorus. I’m smitten with Smith Westerns and look forward to finding out what the future holds for this up-and-coming trio. 

28. Real Estate, Days

The pride of Ridgewood, New Jersey — as certified by ROTI’s Jersey expert, Schmentz. Real Estate has been rising fast in the NY-area indie scene, and Days justifies the hype. If you like tasty indie tuneage, this record is for you. This band has a refreshingly laid-back attitude that’s all too rare in today’s posturing music scene. Check out the charming video for their track, “It’s Real”:

Dogs, board games and birthday cake. How can you not get behind that?

“Younger than Yesterday” is a particularly awesome cut that amazes in its subtle gentleness. A western-surf-type riff fits neatly into its hazy atmos, and cues one of the best, yet tenderest, “Whoas” of 2011. Ever been to the shore in the offseason, when its beauty is little diminished but the crowds have melted away, leaving you with solitude and peacefulness? It’s like that.

Days doesn’t aim to blow your doors off — just to seduce you into its foggy realm. Mission accomplished.

27. Washed Out, Within and Without

High priest of chillwave Ernest Greene dropped his debut album in 2011, and the results were magnificent. Within and Without features a hot cover, a cohesive aesthetic, and one of the best songs of the year in “Amor Fati.”

Greene, a failed librarian (I’m serious) has used his synthesizer and homegrown production skills to create a surprisingly full and rich sound. He deftly balances driving beats against shimmering vocals, crafting a record that’s equally perfect for a drive in the country, a brisk walk to work, or a tender love sesh. Other highlights of this excellent album include the soaring, harmonic “Eyes Be Closed” and the beat-packed “Soft.” I’m not sure where chillwave is going to go from this first, uh, wave of albums, but I have a feeling Greene will be the one to take us there.

26. PJ Harvey, Let England Shake

Polly Jean Harvey emits one of the most aggrieved howls against British ways gone astray since William Blake penned “Jerusalem”! It’s not exactly a revolutionary statement to curse Anglo-American warlike adventures in the new millennium, but Harvey’s execution is so impressive that this record makes you want to march in the streets. I dare you to withstand the interpolation of “Summertime Blues” in the video below (around the 3 minute mark) while keeping your domepiece glued down.

I mentioned yesterday that this list is packed with Mercury Prize nominees. Well, this record won the whole damn competish, the second time PJ has brought home the trophy.

Harvey really pushed herself on this record and created some unique and super-interesting sounds. Her lyrics are unflinching and bold, calling her countrymen to account for the blood on their hands. Collaborators John Parish and Mick Harvey back her on a variety of instruments; this record contains everything from autoharp to zither. While it’s not always an easy listen, you have to give a serious hat tip to the accomplishment that is Let England Shake.

25. The War on Drugs, Slave Ambient

Epic jams that build their power on grooves, not hooks. Slave Ambient is a really kick ass piece of work. Nils Coq au Vin put me onto this, and I thank him. Check out this monster cut, “Baby Missiles.”

Slave Ambient features a totally rebuilt War on Drugs lineup, after guitarist Kurt Vile and others exited the band in 2010. Frontman Adam Granduciel doesn’t really miss a beat, creating a delicious blend on the band’s second full-length. The War on Drugs filter their songs through a thick shoegaze glaze, and the result is a mesmerizing album.

“Something weird is going on in Philly, is all I know,” wrote NCaV in a note accompanying his ballot. Amen, brother.

24. Wye Oak, Civilian

Andy Stack and Jenn Wasner named their band Wye Oak after the late state tree of Maryland, a 460-year-old specimen tragically destroyed by storm in 2002. Civilian may not have that kind of longevity, but I feel pretty confident that we’ll be rocking this record for many years to come.

The band packs a dense sound, wrapping vocals in odd doublings, gently strumming one moment and laying down fat riffs over thrashing drums the next — check out “Dogs Eyes,” equal parts twee and fierce. The production on this record is especially well done. “Hot as Day” thrums with rad harmonies and jumping beats:

This album was highly recommended by Serious Nihilism and backed by Secret M, who pointed out that Wye Oak also did a pretty mean cover of the Kinks’ “Strangers” on a separate single release. That’s awaiting you on our Spotify playlist!

23. Jessica Lea Mayfield, Tell Me

I don’t listen to a lot of country music, but when I do, I prefer country music that is awesome. Jessica Lea Mayfield’s origin story is one of those only-in-country tales — a young girl on tour with her family band asks her older bro to teach her a few chords, and after many months of practicing, songwriting and striving, finally connects with a Svengali who catapults her to fame.

In this case, the mentor is the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, who produced both Mayfield’s debut and this second effort. He does a really tremendous job setting the tone for Mayfield’s wonderfully sad and poignant songs, and she just destroys throughout the length of the album. Believe me when I say that Jessica Lea Mayfield rules.

Mad, MAD props to DBuu for turning this record up. Easily the best country album I’ve heard in many moons. The elegiac, stately “Run Myself Into the Ground” is one of the prettiest tracks of the year…with some of the dankest backing vocals you’ll find anywhere.

22. Nurses, Dracula

Our man in Portland, DJ Walls of Sound, sent a message in a bottle and the message read, “Check out Nurses.” He added, “It’s less and less often that you can describe new ‘hip’ music as catchy, but I think this band definitely has got that.” As always, he tells it true, and this trio of Idahoans based in PDX don’t disappoint on their latest album.

Not only is the video above pretty B.A., Dracula is a tight and mighty record. It’s sort of reminiscent of last year’s Local Natives album — jumping up with verve and Byrne-ian caucasian funk — and equally righteous. “Trying to Reach You” is a killer song that bops your soul. I’m also addicted to “You Lookin’ Twice,” a tight, crafty jam built around a masterful bassline and a variety of odd sounds and beats. This album will drink your blood.

21. tUnE-yArDs, W H O K I L L

Before I say anything here, WATCH this video.

AWESOME, right? Tuneyards (I refuse to write it that stupid way a second time) is the brainchild of the insanely creative Merrill Garbus, and with WHOKILL, she’s firing on all cylinders. Nate Brenner adds some mighty bass, which is pretty key, because this record puts the funk into your face.

Noish called this his favorite of the year, and added that he caught Garbus live and was floored. I also saw a commenter on Slate’s annual The Worst Music Review Series In Human History (my name, not theirs) call Tuneyards something created by a computer to impress music critics. Well, if so, it’s a helluva piece of software.

Garbus works her voice into every nook and cranny of your mind — her music is assertive, weird, yet gorgeous. Brilliant is the word that comes to mind. Also, genius. Take “Powa” — it pivots from pretty, soaring melodies to raw sex lyrics to funky howls in mere seconds. Powa indeed!

For more great music, check out the articles below or fire up this Spotify playlist.

THE BEST MUSIC OF 2011 Introduction, Hon Mentions, Rap Hits and Pop Songs Albums #50-#31 Albums #30-#21 Albums #20-#11 Albums #10-#1 ROTI’s “Best Music of 2011″ Spotify Playlist

Our official countdown begins with albums 50 through 31. Although I was inclined to present these in groups of 10 with no particular order, that isn’t much fun. What’s the good of a Top 50 List if you can’t be totally outraged that a record ranked 47th instead of 34th?

So let the outrage begin!

As always, you can check out lots of music from this list on our Spotify playlist.

50.  Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx, We’re New Here

I thought Izzie B put it well in nom’ing this remix record of Gil Scott-Heron’s last album, and singling out “I’ll Take Care of U” for special appreciation. “Drake took that remix for Take Care, and while I really, really appreciate Rihanna’s vocals, I have to credit the original because the first time I heard that instrumental, I had chills up and down my spine.”

49. Night Birds, Fresh Kills #1

A great find by DBuu. He explains: “A collection of the first three 7″ releases about B-movies and freaks from this surf-ish punk band. There’s something about the songs and the style that remind me of music I got into when I was 15, sort of in that ‘touched for the very first time’ kind of way.”

48. Shabazz Palaces, Black Up

This is an incredible record that Noish brought to my attention. Did you know that Butterfly from Digable Planets is not only still in the game — he’s dropping records as fresh as anything out there? Black Up is a pretty raw, rhyme-focused record that is way out on the experimental tip. It’s kind of tough to explain what’s going on with this one, so check out ”Swerve… the Reeping of All That is Worthwhile (Noir Not Withstanding)” on Spotify.

47. Iceage, New Brigade

Wha-bamm! Punk rock Danes on a mission to slay. DBuu pointed out that Iceage’s hype exceeds their greatness at this juncture, but dubbed this a “solid listen.” Twelve tightly-packed, rapid and intense tracks make this album well worth checking out for fans of noisy rock.

46. Van Hunt, What Were You Hoping For?

Fresh off having his last album buried by the record label — apparently Blue Note dislikes F bombs? — this protege of American Idol’s Randy Jackson (it’s not as bad as it sounds) returned with a fury. This self-released collection of songs dwells on recession-era blues and the misery of modern life — but the tracks are tinged with an upbeat funk that’s tough to deny. Tracks like “A Time Machine is My New Girlfriend” bust out in all directions, making you work your mind and your head-nod all at once.

45. Cass McCombs, Humor Risk

Cass McCombs released two full-lengths this year, and while WIT’S END has gotten more praise, I think Humor Risk is a more enjoyable record. This journeyman troubadour has been touring for a solid decade and his road-weariness translates straight into the music in a great way. Cuts like “The Same Thing” combine a propulsive groove with haunting harmonies. It’s a very impressive outing.

44. Arctic Monkeys, Suck It and See

The scoundrels from Sheffield return with another solid record that Mikey Jones called one of his favorites of the year. Though they are no longer working with Josh Homme as producer, they’re still rocking remnants of that sweet QOTSA sound on tracks like “Library Pictures,” and Homme appears on backing vox for one track. I’m more impressed, though, by some of the cleverer tracks like “Don’t Sit Down ‘Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair” and “Black Treacle.” Frontman Alex Turner is in great form throughout.

42. Toro y Moi, Underneath the Pine

Another of the growing legion of chillwave bands, aka lone dudes with synths and computers composing gentle melodies in their tastefully furnished apartments. Chazwick Bundick (supposedly that is a real name) is a bestie of Washed Out guru Ernest Greene, but decidedly the lesser of the two for now. Underneath the Pine is a good record, though; “How I Know” is a particular standout track and one of the better achievements of the genre thus far. It’s got a pretty damn tasty chorus. Definitely worth a pickup.

42. Bright Eyes, The People’s Key

I’ve read that Bright Eyes purists are revolting because this album was deemed “too poppy.” I have never really liked (or understood what was so great about) Bright Eyes and I thought this was marginally better than previous releases, so maybe I’m too poppy too? At any rate, C. Dave calls this one of his favorite records of the year so I’d be a fool to disrespect that opinion. Forty-second place it is.

41. Veronica Falls, Veronica Falls

The witty DBuu again: “It’s like if the Vaselines wrote songs about finding love in a graveyard and did Roky Erickson covers. Live, the lady singer plays an cartoonishly large guitar. ‘Come on Over’ would be track #1 on a mixtape to a lady.”

40. The Black Keys, El Camino

These fuckin’ guys. A year after hitting our Top 10 with Brothers, the Akron blues-rockers re-enlisted the great Danger Mouse for El Camino and recieved…not a single vote from our panel. Maybe it’s because this album came out in December, or maybe it’s because they have been utter bitches about keeping the record from any kind of streaming action beyond a couple of singles (you can listen to a bunch of cuts on their website, but you have to sign up for the mailing list).

Although it causes me rage when the Black Keys complain about how they can’t participate in Spotify because they can’t afford to lose any money, then turn around and boast on Facebook about how they moved soooo many records and sold out MSG — I still liked this album. Soft spot for Danger Mouse, I guess. “Little Black Submarines” unleashes a massive thunderbolt about a minute in, “Run Right Back” is a great groove and “Lonely Boy” has some choice, soulful background vox (and an awesome video, above). Nothing here touches the remarkable “Everlasting Light” from Brothers, but it’s a record worth owning for sure. Even if these guys are being total dicks.

39. Atlas Sound, Parallax

The best solo record yet from Deerhunter frontman Bradford Cox, while in the guise of his Atlas Sound side project. This was a strong recommendation from Nils Coq au Vin, and I think it exceeds a lot of the other synth-rock I heard this year. Cox augments the synthesized atmospherics with urgent and impactful vocal performances that express his troubled mental state. Standouts include the gorgeous “Te Amo” and the shuffling “Mona Lisa.”

38. King Creosote & Jon Hopkins, Diamond Mine

One of several Mercury Prize nominees to crack our list this year, this is an incredible record brought to my attention by C. Dave. King Creosote is an old-school Scottish folksman, and Jon Hopkins is a new-school English electronic guru. The combination of Creosote’s homespun melodies and the stealthily-crafted contributions of Hopkins makes for a highly compelling release. “Bats in the Attic” is a great example: as Hopkins explains, “You can hear the guitar part from his original version at the beginning, but I played it back through a mobile phone speaker simulation to decimate the quality, so that it retained its rhythm, but none of its notes, giving me freedom to change the chords of the song completely.” Hell and yes! Now that’s what I call music!

37. Battles, Gloss Drop

C. Dave’s commentary on this album was too good not to quote: “Even though I was a bit disappointed, still maybe my favorite ‘sound’ currently. Wish I had a less lame word than ‘sound’.” With former lead vocalist Tyondai Braxton leaving the fold, genius drummer John Stanier comes to the fore as the key player in the band. A revolving door of singers yields mixed results, but high points are pretty damn high. I love “Sweetie & Shag” with Blonde Redhead vocalist Kazu Makino, and “Ice Cream” with Matias Aguayo has drawn web-wide raves. When Battles is locked in, they achieve an incredibly potent recipe of audio tastiness.

36. Wild Flag, Wild Flag

I worship Janet Weiss on drums. She absolutely crushes it. I’m on board for basically anything she does.

This album was recommended highly by the Business Casual, who I think I might start calling Biz Cash because she knows how to handle both. Tough to see this Carrie Brownstein-fronted band as anything less than a Fuck You to Corin Tucker, the only key member of Sleater Kinney who isn’t in Wild Flag (though a recent Portlandia piece in the NYer argues otherwise). The record itself is uneven, but I thought “Glass Tambourine” was a monster jam, and “Electric Band” was a keeper as well. Good call, Biz Cash.

35. Jay-Z and Kanye West, Watch the Throne

Easily the most overrated album of the year. But that doesn’t mean that it sucked, exactly. It was just kind of…boring. Kanye’s production always sounds great, and Jay-Z’s flows are tough to criticize, but there wasn’t much here to astound or amaze. My overall reaction to this record was “OK, I get it — you guys are rich.” Watch the Throne doesn’t access any ground that hasn’t been tread more impactfully before by either Jay or ‘Ye, and in particular, it seems like a huge step down from last year’s aurally astonishing and highly personal My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. I did not hate this record, but I can’t contain my bafflement when critics say this was the best album of the year, or very close to it. It definitely wasn’t.

That said, there were two tracks that I really, really enjoyed and that made this album well worth picking up. “No Church in the Wild” was a superb coming-out party for Frank Ocean, who is quickly proving to be the class of the Odd Future Wolf Gang. And while the lyrical content of “That’s My Bitch” is subpar at best, the interpolation of vocal performances from Ellie Jackson of La Roux and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver is Kanye West, Producer at his best. The fact that Vernon didn’t even know he was on the record until after it came out — meaning that, mid-production, Kanye was all “Yo, let me throw some Bon Iver from my files in there and make it insanely funky” — blows my mind. Hat tip to that, nose turned up at everything else.

34. James Blake, James Blake

Another Mercury Prize nominee. This debut album is awesome. James Blake was repped by Noish and I’ll gladly second. One track in particular earned my love and respect: “Limit To Your Love.” Dude can SANG. He takes a Feist cover and imbues it with some serious white boy soul. Then the audio effects kick in, gently at first — with a kind of wobbling thing going on that makes your mind separate from your body a little bit. Weird, disembodied harmonies creep in as the vocals repeat the same mesmerizing line. You can really lose yourself in this one. A helluva great song.

33. Cymbals Eat Guitars, Lenses Alien

An outstanding nomination by Serious Nihilism. The Staten Island band’s sophomore outing is a gem: Malkmus-inspired rock that manages to be both melancholy and uplifting all at once — and if that’s not 2011 in music, I don’t know what is. My favorite song is “Definite Darkness” — great vocals, backing vox, indie axemanship and passionate work from the rhythm section — that song pretty much sums up everything I loved about this record.

32. Radiohead, The King of Limbs

It’s probably unfair to hold Radiohead to the standard of their best work, but anything less than a masterpiece from this band seems like a disappointment — and this record is not a masterpiece. Still, legit songs like “Codex” and “Morning Mr Magpie” make King of Limbs a must-add to any Radiohead fan’s catalog…and I assume that category encompasses everyone reading this…right? Plus, Thom Yorke’s grooving in the “Lotus Flower” video was an eternal gift to the Internet.

31. Widowspeak, Widowspeak

A Brooklyn band whose debut seems pretty damn auspicious to me. According to Pitchfork, “Harsh Realm” was recorded after only six live performances as a band. Frontwoman Molly Hamilton is oft compared to Hope Sandoval of Mazzy Star, but I’m also reminded of the tones of Best Coast and the somewhat obscure Other Desert Cities band Gram Rabbit. Essentially, then, Widowspeak infuses their Brooklyn rock with mellow Southern California tinges, creating a pretty heady brew.

I’m all in on songs like “In the Pines” and “Gun Shy.” They sound like the music that’d be playing on the soundtrack as our heroes head off to an epic and possibly disastrous showdown in the third act of the film. Put it this way, blood will be spilt.

Admittedly, this is an aggressive ranking, but I thoroughly enjoyed Widowspeak and foresee awesome things for this band on future releases. Thought I’d secure bragging rights now for repping them from the jumpoff.

For more great music, check out the articles below or fire up this Spotify playlist.

THE BEST MUSIC OF 2011 Introduction, Hon Mentions, Rap Hits and Pop Songs Albums #50-#31 Albums #30-#21 Albums #20-#11 Albums #10-#1 ROTI’s “Best Music of 2011″ Spotify Playlist

Another year of music is in the books. Close enough, anyway.

The so-called authorities have weighed in — now it’s our turn. Rumors on the Internets has gathered a panel of experts, listened to hundreds of albums and mixtapes, and carefully whittled this year’s releases down to identify the best of the best.

All this week, we’ll be counting down the best albums of the year. 

We’ll wind up our rankings just in time for Christmas — so get those iTunes and Amazon gift cards ready! But first, let’s shout out to a ton of great records that sadly didn’t make the cut, talk about our favorite pop and rap singles of the year, and explain the methodology that went into the creation of this list.

A NOTE ON METHODOLOGY

Artistic appreciation is inherently a bit subjective and varies a lot from person to person, which is why I threw my Time magazine across the room after reading their top-10 list. Asking just one critic to identify the best music of the year is a mistake because you’ll just end up with that critic’s favorite records (or in Time’s case, seemingly a list of the best-selling and most buzzed-about records of the year without much regard to quality). Equally foolish is the route taken by the usually-brilliant AV Club, which took a strictly mathematical approach, assigning points to top-10 lists submitted by a panel; as a consequence, their list whiffed on many of the best albums of the year but included a record by Britney Spears.

ROTI took a hybrid approach. We gathered a group of music experts based around the great USA. From our headquarters in Boston, we crunched top-10 lists from Brooklyn, Manhattan, DC, LA, Portland, and more, including a missive from a US Navy vessel. Then, exercising my best editorial judgment, I shaped these rankings into a final Top 50 Albums of 2011 list that reflects not only the will of our expert panel but also a general view on the most thought-provoking, rewarding and exciting album releases this year.

You will probably disagree with the particular order I wound up with, which is pretty expected since I know for a fact that most of the expert panel will disagree as well. But hopefully, you’ll enjoy and discover a lot of great music along the way. Feel free to vent your outrage and vitriol in our comments, or to print out the posts and do horrible things to the hard copies.

I’d like to take this moment to thank the expert panel, which includes many ROTI stalwarts and some new abductees: C. Dave, Nils Coq au Vin, Noish, Serious Nihilism, Business Casual, Mikey Jones, DJ Walls of Sound, CVD, JJ Behoy, Izzie B, DBuu, Secret M, GoGoMrPoPo, @drewkolar and many more who might not have even known they were influencing this list when they rocked a new record on Spotify and brought it to our attention via Facebook.

Want to be part of next year’s panel? Just drop me a line on Twitter.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

These albums may have failed to attract enough support among our voting panel to make the Top 50, but each has been vetted and approved by at least one member of our panel.

If you haven’t heard these albums and enjoy things that are awesome, I highly recommend that you give them a try.

Selected tracks from these records are waiting for you in our Spotify playlist, which will continue to grow as the week proceeds!

Avon Ladies, Quality Programming
Beirut, Rip Tide
Big K.R.I.T., R4 The Prequel
The Bewitched Hands, Birds & Drums
Booker T. Jones, The Road from Memphis
Das Racist, Relax
Decemberists, The King is Dead
DJ 2-Tone Jones, Shaolin Jazz: The 37th Chamber
Dum Dum Girls, Only In Dreams
Elbow, build a rocket boys!
Ferrari Boys, Ferrari Boys
Florence and the Machine, Ceremonials
Foo Fighters, Wasting Light
Frank Ocean, Nostalgia/Ultra
The Go! Team, Rolling Blackouts
Gotye, Making Mirrors
Hoax, Down
Hoodie Allen, Leap Year
John Maus, We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves
Kate Bush, 50 Words for Snow
Kate Harnevik, You
Lil’ Wayne, The Carter IV
The Lonely Island, Turtleneck and Chain
Mastodon, The Hunter
Megafaun, Megafaun
My Morning Jacket, Circuital
Nuclear Santa Claust, Nuclear Santa Claust
Okkervil River, I Am Very Far
One AM Radio, Heaven is Attached by a Slender Thread
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Belong
Peter Bjorn and John, Gimme Some
Raphael Saadiq, Stone Rollin’
The Roots, undun
Telekinesis, 12 Desperate Straight Lines
Tom Waits, Bad as Me
TV on the Radio, Nine Types of Light
Tyler the Creator, Goblin
Weeknd, House of Balloons
WU LYF, Go Tell Fire To The Mountain
Wugazi, 13 Chambers
Yuck, Yuck

A RESOUNDING “MEH”

These three albums were critically acclaimed and made a lot of Top lists — but tellingly, received zero advocacy from our panel:

Destroyer, Kaputt
Drake, Take Care
Oneohtrix Point Never, Replica

Your mileage may vary, but these supposedly-awesome records didn’t do much for us.

FIVE GREAT RAP TRACKS

Truth be told, 2011 was not a great year for hip hop albums, certainly not compared to 2010. There were some solid releases that made our Honorable Mentions list above (Big K.R.I.T., Das Racist, Lil’ Wayne, Tyler the Creator) and a couple more that made the Top 50. But all in all, this was more a year for singles, and that’s what the genre does best, anyway. Here are a bunch of tracks that wouldn’t have otherwise been represented.

I really enjoyed this track from Kreashawn, even though this song may make you dumber as you listen to it…wait, what was I talking about? Suddenly caught an overwhelming urge to go and ghostride my whip. Anyway, “Gucci Gucci” has a lot of the appealing swag of the Odd Future posse, without the blatant and kind-of-boring button pushing. Definitely one of the better hits of the summer, which is always the best time to listen to high-spirited music.

“Nasty” is really the only word for this BANGER! Every time someone tells me that Jay-Z is the best rapper alive, I just mentally start listening to this in my mind. Nas brings the spirit of the old school to our time, that’s why I love him so well. So many amazing lines to be had here. A filthy three-note chorus (I guess that’s what you’d call it) gives Nas just enough time to catch his breath before unleashing another furious, ferocious verse.

Props to J. Cole for this inspired beat, drawing from both old-school Abdul and first-album Kanye. I sort of expected that he just dropped verses over some producer-for-hire’s pre-made beat, but this is 100% the work of Jermaine Lamarr Cole. Definitely the best rap single released in 2011 by a unibrowed artist!

Unbelievably fierce track by Weezy, and it didn’t even make his record! Truth be told, it actually got my hopes up a little too high for The Carter IV. Wayne spins a little “Rolling in the Deep” but replaces Adele’s vocals with his own hot verses and it WORKS, profoundly. Respect!

This was recommended by DBuu, who noted that although A$AP Rocky hails from Harlem, his style’s not strictly uptown: he shouts out to Houston style and even summons memories of Bone Thugs! If you want to feel old, just think about the fact that Rocky (born Rakim Mayers) was named after the great rapper Rakim and is now full-grown and dropping hits of his own…

BEST CHRISTMAS SONG

For more from these guys, check out “Hobo Christmas and the Genius of jeebus.”

I HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO CHARACTERIZE THIS, GENRE-WISE

But I know that it’s one of the best songs I heard all year. In Jesus’ name. Boogity boogity boogity amen!

POP SINGLES OF THE YEAR

Let me quickly note that our wise and esteemed panel is not implicated in this portion of the list; in fact, most of them will delete me as a contact after seeing their names anywhere near some of these songs.  Instead, blame yours truly, along with my pop music advisory high council, Lady McGregor and Major Beans. (If you don’t like the pop music that people actually listen to in 2011, let me urge you to just leave this here and come back tomorrow when we will be back to reviewing more “serious” music.)

Are they gone? OK. As I was saying, it seems wrong to me to review a year in music without giving a little love to some of the stupid, fun pop songs that electrified dance floors and Top 40 stations in 2011. None of these tracks came from great albums, but each is pretty enjoyable if you don’t take yourself too seriously…

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Ah, “Party Rock Anthem”. The Berry Gordy heirs known as LMFAO are idiots and the song is idiotic as well. But there’s something mesmerizing about that three-chord chorus and its inspiring harmonies that makes me want to break it down on a light-up dance floor. (The video cracks me up too, that shufflin’ robot is one of my favorite things of the year.) If you disagree, please keep in mind that Hating is Bad.

“Pumped Up Kicks” was definitely one of the top hits of the summer, helped along by the fact that it made its way to #1 on Spotify right when the service launched in the US to great fanfare. It’s an enjoyable pseudo-indie number, catchy as hell and outfitted with a cool bassline. I especially liked the Chrome Canyon remix that dropped just in time for fall.

This single is just brilliant, in my opinion. Just when I was getting kinda sick of Lady Gaga’s Madonna-biting schtick, she realized in a flash of genius that one of the best producers of the 80s was a free agent: Mutt Lange, the producer of Back in Black, the best parts of the Foreigner and Def Leppard catalogues, and every single hit by Shania Twain until she divorced him! Lange served Gaga up a fat pitch of country-rock and she crushed it. The background vocals on this one are simply divine, but I expect nothing less from Mutt Lange. Well played, miLady.

I might scoff at the idea of Britney Spears making one of the top albums of the year, but that doesn’t mean she can’t drop a hot dance single. Because let’s face it, even a morbidly obese shut-in like myself could drop a hot dance single if I had some of the top songwriting and producing talent in the world on my side. This one was produced by Dr. Luke and Max Martin — the guys who have been behind basically every hit record released in the last decade, for better or for worse. Moreover, it was written by KESHA! She’s not just a pretty face folks (that was a joke, Kesha is haggard).

INDIE WORLD CONTROVERSY!! For those of you who don’t follow indie blogs, this record has caused a huge shitstorm. Some people love it — Pitchfork hit it with the coveted “Best New Music” label. Some people call it the greatest fraud since Madoff, pointing out that the alleged “Lana del Rey” was calling herself Lizzy Grant a few months ago, and is clearly being handled by record-company peeps who are crafting her into a simulacrum of something legitimately “authentic” and cool…

I say they’re both right, but as someone who’s on the record as not giving a damn about “authenticity,” I enjoyed this song, and I liked the B-side “Blue Jeans” even more. If you just chalk it up as pop music there’s a lot less to get pissy about.

If you don’t acknowledge that “Friday” was the most essential pop hit of 2011, you are deluding yourself. Not a Friday has transpired since this exploded that I haven’t heard someone singing it. Like it or not, a couple of paid hacks and an untalented teenage girl created one of the enduring pop songs of our time.

You know how they wonder if a team of monkeys working on typewriters for a million years could come up with Hamlet? That’s basically what happened here.

THE BEST MUSIC OF 2011 Introduction, Hon Mentions, Rap Hits and Pop Songs Albums #50-#31 Albums #30-#21 Albums #20-#11 Albums #10-#1 ROTI’s “Best Music of 2011″ Spotify Playlist

Thank you for supporting Deep Cuts Week. In appreciation for all the suggestions and feedback our readers have graced us with, ROTI hereby presents the official Deep Cuts index. All song embeds have been refreshed and are presently working. Enjoy!

DEEP CUTS INDEX Al Green The Beatles Blur Crosby, Stills & Nash Danger Mouse Fleetwood Mac R.E.M. Talking Heads Ween Wu-Tang Clan

I’m wrapping up this Deep Cuts Week with an incredible band, Talking Heads. They have been one of my favorites since forever, and the more time I spend listening to them, the more I respect, appreciate and enjoy their awesome music.

Dissecting this band’s impressive catalogue is no easy task, so I once again called in artillery support from the highly knowledgeable DJ Walls of Sound.

Let’s start with the story of Talking Heads, and quickly move on to the outstanding music.

David Byrne, Chris Frantz, and Tina Weymouth attended the Rhode Island School of Design together, and after graduation and the breakup of a band that Byrne and Frantz were in called The Artistics, they all moved to New York to seek their fortune. Byrne and Frantz tried to find a good bassist but came up empty, so they persuaded Weymouth — Frantz’ girlfriend, now wife — to pick up the instrument. It wasn’t long before she ruled at it.

Their first gig was opening for the Ramones at CBGB. Their unique style, clever name and Byrne’s amazing songs quickly became popular, and they were battle-tested by regularly playing bills that included such great bands as Television and Blondie. The band got even better when David Byrne ran into Jonathan Richman and found out that the original lineup of the Modern Lovers had split up; Byrne & co. quickly tracked down keyboardist & guitarist Jerry Harrison and signed him up to be the band’s fourth member.

After recording the post-punk classic 77, Talking Heads took a huge leap forward when they began working with producer Brian Eno, who challenged Byrne to step outside himself and create otherworldly compositions, while encouraging and augmenting the musicians in the creation of incredible grooves and rhythmic masterpieces. Two increasingly massive albums followed: More Songs About Buildings and Food and Fear of Music.

At that point, the band teetered a bit — the other band members, Weymouth in particular, chafed under Byrne’s controlling leadership. Frantz held the band together, though, and eventually summoned everyone to the Bahamas to record the next album. Eno came along begrudgingly, thinking the band might have stalled out, but soon found that they had expanded on the ideas in the song “I Zimbra,” the last recording done for Fear of Music, and crossed over into a new terrain of sonic ideas. A crew that included everyone from guitar wizard Adrian Belew to camp-follower Robert “Addicted to Love” Palmer (they let him play some percussion) created Remain in Light, the band’s best album. Quite possibly, the human race’s best album.

Talking Heads went on to make many great songs and videos, the best concert film ever (Stop Making Sense), a passel of other hits like “Burning Down the House” and “And She Was,” and establish themselves as first-ballot rock Hall of Famers (I mean that literally, they were inducted in the first year they were eligible). Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth played a key role in the early stages of hip-hop; he drummed on “The Breaks” and her “Genius of Love” groove was one of the most-sampled songs ever. Jerry Harrison is one of the few people who can say that he changed music as part of two different bands, playing on both the Modern Lovers’ hugely influential debut and all the Talking Heads classics.

And David Byrne? Just one of the preeminent geniuses of modern times.

For their many great songs, their classic albums, their outstanding album covers and videos, and the astonishingly good live bands they put together — Talking Heads are the best ever.

Best-Known Tracks: They had a pretty good track record of releasing the songs with the most popular potential as singles, and here’s a rundown of those releases: ”Love → Building on Fire,” ”Uh-Oh, Love Comes to Town,” ”Psycho Killer,” ”Pulled Up,” ”Take Me to the River,” ”Life During Wartime,” ”I Zimbra,” ”Cities,” ”Crosseyed and Painless,” ”Once in a Lifetime,” ”Houses in Motion,” ”Burning Down the House,” ”This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody),” ”Slippery People” (Live), ”Girlfriend Is Better” (Live), ”The Lady Don’t Mind,” ”Road to Nowhere,” ”And She Was,” ”Wild Wild Life, ” ”Love for Sale,” ”Hey Now,” ”Puzzlin’ Evidence,” ”Radio Head,” ”Blind,” ”(Nothing But) Flowers.”

Although this outstanding collection of songs does much to explain the continuous critical and popular acclaim for the Talking Heads since the late 70s, it does not adequately do justice to their abilities as a live band. Hopefully, this list of deep cuts will demonstrate just how amazing this band was, both on record and on stage.

Let’s work!

#10. “Thank You For Sending Me An Angel” from More Songs About Buildings and Food

This awesome song opens More Songs About Buildings and Food. It’s a total dynamo.

Chris Frantz drives the beat forward as Byrne, Harrison and Weymouth lay down a dense groove. Brian Eno’s production is great on this, particularly the guitar tone on the verses, with a warm, powerful F-C-G ringing out. A great description from a guitar tab I checked out reads, “In the background, a guitar is picking extremely fast.”

At a mere 2:10, Byrne pulls up stakes, demands “Show me what you can do!” and the song ends. UNHH!! Song over, fools! That’s how you open an album.

(An interesting alternate mix of this song called “Country Angel” is worth checking out.)

#9. “A Clean Break (Let’s Work)” [live] from The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads

Here’s the original four-piece incarnation of Talking Heads, tearing it up live. This is basically the CBGB version of the band, back when they made their bones playing for tough lower Manhattan crowds. The recording was made in 1977 in Maynard, Massachusetts by radio station WCOZ (for Boston peeps, this is the station that later became JAM’N 94.5). Songs from that recording were released as the first side of the band’s first live album, with the second side featuring the Remain in Light-era band that we’ll hear from later on.

The most incredible part of this song for me happens around the 1:52 mark. The band makes an awkward transition that initially seems like the song is losing its juice, only to have David Byrne dig deep and unload some outstanding vocals, and the radness quotient rachets up significantly.

With Jerry Harrison recently added to the fold, the Talking Heads in late 1977 were an extremely potent combo that brought Byrne’s post-punk compositions to their fullest possible expression, letting him go nuts vocally while they locked down some tight rhythms behind him. But the band’s best live work was still to come.

#8. “Sugar On My Tongue” unreleased demo (1975)

Flashing back here to when the band was a three-piece and recording demos, trying to get a record deal. This recording dates back to 1975. Tina Weymouth had only recently picked up the bass and she is already a pretty essential and funky complement to Chris Frantz’s martial drumming. Byrne lays down a strumming rhythm that blends well with the rhythm section.

David Byrne’s genius is already evident at this stage. He slyly twists a comment about borrowing some sugar from a neighbor into a sleazy tale of lust. His vocals are profoundly odd and idiosyncratic, bursting with slightly inappropriate energy, playing off the three instruments to create a pretty excellent blend of weirdness and funk. It’s basically “Pour Some Sugar On Me” for people with taste.

#7. “Air” from Fear of Music

There are several deep cuts from Fear of Music that I debated including. “Animals” is an amazing spasm of anxiety in which Byrne asserts that all animals are in league to make human beings look foolish. “Paper” complains of an inability to express an idea in concrete form. “Mind” is about the frustration of unsuccessfully trying to persuade another person. They are all outstanding songs that are the very antithesis of cliched songwriting.

But in the end, I’m going to go with “Air.” One of the best ideas for a song I have ever heard of, this song expresses paranoia through a rant about the very air as a threat to existence. “Some people say not to worry about the air,” Byrne warns, but “Some people never had experience with air.”

As great as the lyrics to this song are, the musicianship is even better. After Byrne concludes his public service announcement regarding air, an amazingly-good-sounding guitar (thank you Brian Eno) sails in and initiates an extremely dank jam. Tina Weymouth issues some ominous backing-oohs as Frantz blasts away on his drums and the guitars ring out; Jerry Harrison and Eno lay down some tasty synths that lift the song high atop the mountain of greatness. Just an amazing song.

#6. “Making Flippy Floppy” [live] from Stop Making Sense

Not only were Talking Heads an amazing band, they were also talented visual artists. The cover of More Songs (at the top of this article) was composed of a mosaic of Polaroids. The cover of Remain in Light was done with cutting-edge computer graphics in the labs at MIT. Talking Heads made great music videos (an example is in the Bonus Material of this post). The band’s main concert film, Stop Making Sense, showcases that eye for compelling visual material. Its presentation isn’t pretentious or overblown, just interesting — most notably, building from David Byrne playing acoustic guitar with a tape-recorder beat on an empty stage to a epic finale with full stage set and a nine-piece band shredding on “Crosseyed & Painless.”

“Making Flippy Floppy” was a great call by DJ Walls of Sound – it really showcases how nasty this band was in the early 80s, at the crest of their success. The core four are ridiculously awesome, of course — Byrne stammering out his idiosyncratic lyrics, Frantz keeping a steady beat, Weymouth laying down some excellent bass, and Harrison bouncing around and grooving to the rhythm. The other musicians add so much value — Alex Weir rocking out on guitar and charisma, Steve Scales, my favorite percussionist ever, knocking out some nice polyrhythms. Bernie Worrell, a bona-fide inventor of funk, drops unbelievably great solos and unleashes a stank tornado.

#5. “Warning Sign” from More Songs About Buildings and Food

One of Tina Weymouth’s best basslines, set against a stellar Chris Frantz beat. When the guitar and synth waft in, this song goes to an amazing place. Byrne intones lyrics like “Hear my voice…move my hair…I move it around a lot…I don’t care what I remember.”

The music seems to come from deep within Brian Eno’s bush of ghosts. It reflects not only the tight, 70s-Manhattan style of the band’s debut, but foreshadows the nervousness and paranoia of Fear of Music, and even the rhythmic explorations of Remain in Light and beyond. This is the sound of a band making the leap from good to great.

And as usual, a truly killer jam is wrapped up neatly and abruptly with a flourish.

#4. “Book I Read” from 77

This is one of the first songs that DJ Walls and I pulled out when we started discussing good options for this list. I probably sound like a broken record when I say HOW DID HE COME UP WITH IDEAS LIKE THIS?!?! An evocation of the powerful desire that overcomes you after meeting someone who wrote an amazing book that you read and thoroughly enjoyed. Yup, just another basic song trope like broken hearts or crying in the rain.

“Oooooh I’m living in the future. I feel wonderful. I’m tipping over backwards. I’m so ambitious. I’m looking back, I’m running a race and you’re the book I read.” The more non-linear and bizarre David Byrne’s lyrics get, the more righteous they become.

You’ll be shocked to learn that the instrumentation is incredible, again. The synth that comes tromping in for the song’s third minute plays perfectly against the guitar/bass/drum groove, and when the African-style guitar chimes in around 3:40, Caucasian funk is achieved.

#3. “Drugs” [live in Rome, 1980]

This might be the best thing ever, and if it was on a record it would easily be #1 on this list. Taken from a 1980 European tour to promote Remain in Light, this recording shows Talking Heads performing at an incredibly high level. I don’t even think my paltry words can explain to you how good this is. It’s at moments like this that I truly pity the deaf.

“Drugs” is a weird, trippy track from the back end of Fear of Music. I never paid it much mind until I saw this version of the song. Let’s run down how good everyone involved in this is. David Byrne is himself, a genius. Chris Frantz throws down a superb beat. Jerry Harrison, a HOTT looking Tina Weymouth, and the legendary Bernie Worrell lay down intense synths. Dolette McDonald unleashes her upper register to create creepy vocal effects. Busta Jones funks out like the professional that he is. Steve Scales is going absolutely nuts on the congas and other perc fx. Stealing the show is Adrian Belew, the King Crimson mastermind who played on Remain in Light and toured with TH afterwards.

The first three minutes of the song will exceed your expectations. The next two will melt your face. If your face is still attached after seeing this clip, your subscription fee to ROTI will be refunded. Steve Scales cues things up with some amazing conga slapping, then Adrian Belew burns the fucking place to the GROUND.

I think when they play “The More You Know” clips where they tell kids not to do drugs, they should play this in the spirit of equal time.

#2. “Don’t Worry About the Government” from 77

In a great Metafilter thread discussing the Rome concert I just mentioned, user localroger stated aptly, “Byrne managed to capture and even celebrate the banality of ordinary existence in a way that wasn’t a shriek of rage, but an acceptance of the quirky and weird beings that we are.”

I believe that “Don’t Worry About the Government” is the perfect example of that aspect of Byrne’s songwriting. This ingenious song is written from the point of view of a well-meaning politician, going about his day and his job with a simple appreciation of life and the people around him, and an earnest belief that he is helping improve the world.

I suppose you can read more into this about the “banality of evil” and yadda yadda, but I don’t think this song is really that cynical or ironic. It’s quite simply a great track written from a perspective that you have literally never encountered in rock music before. The striking originality of this lyric coupled with the tune’s ability to walk the line between gaiety and edginess is truly fantastic.

How can you not love a song with the lyrics, “I smell the pine trees and the peaches in the woods/ I see the pinecones that fall by the highway”??

#1. “The Great Curve” from Remain in Light

For my money, this is the ultimate Talking Heads deep cut. One of the high points of the brilliant Remain in Light, it has everything that makes this band awesome within it.

Byrne unleashes a puzzling and dense lyric that’s more effective as a sequence of auditory syllables than as an information-conveyance system. Chris Frantz leads a rhythm posse that is dropping five kinds of beats at once. Tina Weymouth is laying down some tasty bass. Jerry Harrison and Brian Eno are firing up insanely good synth and rhythm guitars that lend all kinds of texture to the mix. Sessionman Jon Hassell adds some really, really great horns. Once again, Adrian Belew is on hand to boggle minds with his guitar/synth skills.

The vocals might be my favorite part, though. Sick harmonies, funky rhythms, tribal chants, and mind-expanding tone poems. At some point I think I hear them singing “Night must fall now…dark earth, dark earth.” Damn!! From Byrne’s cry “The world moves on a woman’s hips!” at about 2:45, a vocal maelstrom is loosed upon the listener that does not let up for three incredible minutes, at which point Belew rolls back in and mows down anyone left alive.

One of the most original musical acts ever, Talking Heads made amazing records, put on the ultimate live show, and had a knack for inventive visual artistry. I personally think they are the best New York City rock band of all time.

SPOTIFY PLAYLIST

This one’s for GoGoMrPoPo and everyone else who’s been enjoying the Spotify love! Here are 30 great Talking Heads songs to rock out to, longtime.

BONUS MATERIAL

Here is one of the best music videos EVAH and I know many of y’all are with me on this. Trivia item: this was directed and choreographed by Toni Basil, of “Hey Mickey” fame.

Another great video. I had no idea Jerry Harrison was such a chameleon and satirist of mid-80s musical stars. John Goodman nearly steals the show in an orange blazer.

Finally, Local Natives’ incredibly great cover of “Warning Sign” from a KCRW session.

Thanks for supporting ROTI and Deep Cuts Week!

DEEP CUTS INDEXAl Green The Beatles Blur Crosby, Stills & Nash Danger Mouse Fleetwood Mac R.E.M. Talking Heads Ween Wu-Tang Clan

It’s not cool to admit you like Fleetwood Mac. But goddamn it, I DO like Fleetwood Mac.

I know that for some of our most loyal readers, Mac appreciation is a bridge too far. Fleetwood Mac are a super mainstream 70s band known as much for their incestuous boning as for their many hit songs. Their classic lineup features a woman who styles herself a witch/gypsy, a white dude with a fro, two drunken Englishmen and a balladeer whose pop sensibility has zero room for irony….

For those of you who simply cannot accept that Fleetwood Mac could ever rule, I guess I understand. A closed mind is a tough nut to crack. But for those of you willing to join me on a journey with some truly great pop music and one amazing, historically underappreciated album, I think you will find this a rewarding post.

In order to do this right, I sought the consultation of the biggest Mac fan I know, a man known by his friends as Vicious Rumors. He recommended many deep cuts and other tracks, told an amazing tale or two, and even put some songs on the Internet to complete the apex of our list. You’ll be hearing from him soon, but first, some historical background.

Fleetwood Mac began as a British blues band, fronted by guitarist Peter Green. Their best-known song was the original version of “Black Magic Woman.” Eventually, Green and then a succession of guitarists joined and departed, leaving the lineup in a constant state of flux; the one constant was the band’s all-world rhythm section and namesakes, drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie.

Keyboardist and singer Christine Perfect joined up, bringing a new pop element to the band, and eventually married John McVie. Then Fleetwood got Californian songwriter Lindsey Buckingham to join on guitar and vocals, and he brought with him his girlfriend and musical partner, Stevie Nicks. Together, they made the successful album Fleetwood Mac. Then all the couples broke up, everyone was screwing everyone else, feuding, and doing tons of drugs, and they made Rumours, which for you children of the 80s was basically the Thriller of its time.

Easily the best thing about Fleetwood Mac is what the band did next; turn over all power to Lindsey Buckingham, who went a bit mad while directing the recording of the incredibly expensive ($1m in production costs), hugely anticipated, and totally genius follow-up, Tusk.

Of course, Tusk was way ahead of its time and bombed epically (if you can call an album that sold 4 million copies a bomb). Everyone blamed Buckingham and the band soldiered on to do less interesting stuff, break up, get back together, tour, break up again, etc etc. In truth, though they had some good songs after that, both as individuals and as a group, they never made an album as great as Tusk again, and their best record was regarded as a failure for decades.

But today, more and more people are realizing what a masterpiece Tusk is. A recent article in Gothamist noted that “it’s really interesting how pervasive that album is with musicians, more so than Rumours was—a lot of contemporary artists like Animal Collective, Kaki King, and The New Pornographers cite that album, and [Lindsey Buckingham's] songs in particular, as a huge influence on them.”

So, friends. Join me as we explore the greatest deep cuts from Tusk and some other forgotten Fleetwood Mac gems. Are you willing to subject yourself to a full-blown Mac attack? If so, I salute you. 

Best-Known Tracks: Pretty much everything from the Greatest Hits album; the 20-times platinum Rumours in its entirety; the lead singles off Tusk, including the title track, “Sara,” and “Think About Me”; “Monday Morning” from Fleetwood Mac; and the famously unreleased “Silver Springs.”

TLDR version: Buy Tusk.

#10. “Storms” from Tusk

This one was a tough call, and I was really leaning towards Christine McVie’s simple but effective “Honey Hi”. Then VR shared with me a memory so unique, it simply demanded that “Storms” make the top 10.

I’m not the biggest Stevie Nicks fan around, in fact I don’t especially like her that much except on backing vox, but this is definitely a good Stevie Nicks song. A haunting melody is perfectly complemented by some crunchy harmonies on the chorus, as Stevie basically admits to being a crazypants who scares the fellas away.

But enough about me. Push play on this track and listen to VR’s magical, also somewhat crazy tale:

It was at the Staples Center in LA, May 28th, 2009. I had splurged on good seats and found myself rubbing elbows with the likes of  Court Cox and Jen Aniston.

The applause for “Never Going Back Again” left a bunch of people standing for the opening chords of “Storms,” including myself, and when realization began to set in about what we were about to hear,  Stevie got mad love from the Mac-heads. The band didn’t play this song during their previous tour in 2003, and before that they hadn’t toured since The Dance, and it’s never featured in Stevie’s solo sets, so this was indeed a rare occurrence.

What I learned at that moment, much to my pleasure, was that Stevie apparently wrote “Storms” about yours truly, because she couldn’t take her eyes off me when she sang it. She held me there in her gaze and wouldn’t let me sit down, long after other fans had returned to their seats, isolating me like a pillar in her stormy waters and bewitching me with her heartbreaking vulnerability and sincerity.

Everyone else melted away, and the lights went down and the darkness enveloped us but for the light between our eyes. I’m sorry, Stevie. You loved me from the start and I broke your heart, and not all the prayers in the world could save us.

As you can see, you will not find a bigger Mac fan than Vicious Rumors. Here at ROTI, when we seek advice, we only get it from the best/craziest.

#9. “Frozen Love” from Buckingham Nicks

Not a Fleetwood Mac song, but this is the song that arguably made Fleetwood Mac the band we know today. In 1975, Mick Fleetwood was scouting out studios and looking for a new axeman in California. A studio engineer played him this track to let him know what kind of sound he could expect to achieve in a given room. Fleetwood quickly forgot about the sonic quality and demanded to know who the guitarist on the track was. It was Lindsey Buckingham, who had recently recorded a record with his girlfriend Stevie and released it independently.

This is a Heart-esque mega-ballad about subzero love. It features some great co-vocals from the then-lovahs and some dank acoustic guitar interludes. After some verse/choruses, the song slowly builds up to an surprisingly nasty jam, with Buckingham’s electric guitar breaking out some smooth riffage over a nifty backing track. It’s a pretty great 70s epic with a slight edge.

Anyway, Fleetwood asked Buckingham to join up and he said “Not without my girlfriend.” (Little did he know he’d soon be denouncing her lyrically on the best-selling album of all time.) Fleetwood said “Whatever” and the modern Mac was born.

#8. “Angel” from Tusk

SUCH A NASTY BASSLINE. John McVie is so overqualified to be in Fleetwood Mac. But after you’ve already established your chops for all time by playing in classic British R&B acts like the Bluesbreakers, where he jammed with Clapton, I guess the logical career move is to join one of the biggest rock bands ever and bank dozens of millions.

Again, I’m not the biggest Stevie fan, but the bassline is too awesome to ignore. I also really, really like the harmony vocals on the pre-choruses — there is a great Youtube video of Stevie and Lindsey working out these harmonies that give you a sense of his involvement with every aspect of Tusk‘s recording. Basically, a funky groove with some nice harmonies and you can sing along to it. JAM.

#7. “Never Forget” from Tusk

One of my favorite album-closers of all time.

Christine McVie just does the damn thing every time she sits down to write a gentle pop song. Her keys blend terrifically with the Fleetwood/Mac beat and her smooth voice betrays not the slightest bit of ironic detachment, an oddly refreshing thing in this cynical and sarcastic age we live in. “The stars must be my friends to shine for me”!!!!! I love that.

One of the best things about Christine songs is you usually get some tasty backup vocal work from Lindsey and Stevie, and this is no exception. This tune is the perfect way to end the amazingness that is Tusk.

#6. “Sentimental Lady” from Bare Trees

Here’s a Mac deep cut from a guy most people don’t even know was in the group (let alone know who he is in the first place). It’s exactly the kind of song you’d expect given its title — kinda cheesy. In a great way.

Bob Welch was the guy who played axe in the band before Lindsey Buckingham. His greatest contribution might have been this song. If you’re a fan of smooth 70s yacht rock, like Christopher Cross or Seals & Crofts, you’re gonna like this one. It’s got a loving melody and a really groovy chorus. As always, John McVie KILLS it with his bass and Fleetwood lays down a good beat. Welch brings some good guitar work to the table too.

I also quite enjoy Christine McVie’s “Spare Me A Little of Your Love” from this album as well.

#5. “Love in Store” from Mirage

After the “debacle” that was Tusk (again, the world was not ready for how awesome that album is), the Mac basically attempted to make Rumours 2, and came out with Mirage. It’s not a classic record, but it does have some good songs, and this is one of ‘em.

Although this is the kind of song you feel embarrassed about blasting out of your car while sitting at a stoplight, in full and honest truth I must admit that I think this song rules. Great drums and bass, natch. A solid Christine melody. And GREAT backup vocals and harmonies on a really stellar chorus. NEVER TAKE YOUR LOVE AWAY!!!

#4. “Walk a Thin Line” from Tusk

OK, hipsters, you are now in safer territory. From here on out, it’s Lindsey Buckingham all the way.

I’ve gotten so enamored of an amazing cover version of this tune (see Bonus Material) that I’d forgotten how freaking good the original is. One of those songs that Buckingham largely recorded by himself over hundreds of hours in the studio, “Walk a Thin Line” is a pure and perfect gem. A shambling rhythm and tender falsetto melody is counterpointed perfectly with Beach Boys-esque waves of background vocals. The slooooowly accelerating groove at the 2/3ds mark of the song blows my mind every time — it’s an especially rewarding headphone-listen.

#3. “Blue Letter” from Fleetwood Mac

Just a great straight-ahead rocker in the vein of Lindsey’s best work on Rumours, but this is a track you don’t hear too often. It’s a cover of a Richard Harris song — he also had a hand in the CSN classic “Southern Cross” — and fits perfectly with the Cali-rock aesthetic of the band’s Stevie/Lindsey reboot. Needless to say, amazing bass, nice drums, solid solo, great harmonies.

There’s really something to be said for a sub-3-minute song, kind of a lost art these days. This one gets in, rocks it out, and heads out the door. It won’t be waiting around for you!

#2.”I Know I’m Not Wrong” from Tusk

Oh God, this song is so good. Filthy rhythms, weird layers of backup vocals, even…am I hearing this right? Some psycho harmonica?!

The bridge that starts with “Here come the nighttime” sounds like what goes through your head when you finally lose your shit, but that’s a madness I would welcome.

Mick Fleetwood dominates on this one, laying down some mighty beats that seem to be traveling in every direction. I cannot help but groove to this.

#1. “That’s Enough For Me” from Tusk

Let me take this opportunity to thank/blame Vicious Rumors for the imagery that accompanies this song. It’s magical in its own way.

Anyway, “That’s Enough For Me” is my pick for the best song off Tusk. I would respect a lot of other calls, but this one is mine. It’s just a delicious groove that busts out in a wild rumpus across your eardrum. Like many Tusk tracks, it sounds a little bit like Lindsey Buckingham is going crazy, or at least just got done doing a mountain of blow with Ken Caillat.

Several different guitar sounds poke out from the mix. The wild vocals and motoring beat add to the sense of mayhem. Perhaps most impressive of all, it polishes a full and complete song off in less than TWO minutes. Pretty much a perfect song in my book: wild, weird and unique.

So be it known: Fleetwood Mac has recorded some true jams that don’t often make the classic rock playlists. And Tusk is an unadulterated, all-time classic!

SPOTIFY PLAYLIST

I have no idea if anyone is taking advantage of these, but I thought it was a cool idea. So here’s another Spotify playlist to accompany this post:

BONUS MATERIAL

There were a surprising number of contenders for this section, but I ultimately settled on three picks that I think are the best.

First, an amazing, TOTALLY 80s song from Lindsey Buckingham. The chorus is beyond.

Secondly, the cover of “Walk a Thin Line” I mentioned earlier. It was recorded by Mick Fleetwood with African musicians for an album that is long out of print. George Harrison guests on guitar! The vocal is a little pitchy, but I still think this is an amazing track.

Finally, no Fleetwood Mac post would be complete without this video. Easily one of the greatest things on the Internet.

DEEP CUTS INDEXAl Green The Beatles Blur Crosby, Stills & Nash Danger Mouse Fleetwood Mac R.E.M. Talking Heads Ween Wu-Tang Clan