Morrissey- You Are The Quarry (2004)

There is that crucial moment for every massive Smiths fan, like myself, when you get your first taste of Morrissey's solo work. For me, it was his debut album, 1988's excellent Viva Hate. "This isn't so bad," I thought. The instrumentation is definitely not as memorable or definitive as The Smiths' work, but the album can hold its own and is one of his finest solo releases. However, when I dug up 2004's You Are The Quarry from my parents' collection of CDs, an unfamiliar side of the singer was revealed to me. Instead of the colorful arrangements, distinctly 80s era overproduction and Smiths sounding jangly guitars, You Are The Quarry's musical backing is one that can be described simply and/or impossibly as "Britpop" or "Brit Rock." I say that because I can never quite put my finger on what makes something Brit Rock, so I mostly try to refrain from using the term. But I'm pretty sure this is it.

The music ranges from angsty, octave chord anthems to delightfully intimate piano musings. We all know the focus of a Morrissey album is the man himself, his lyrics, his presence, his mighty bellows and whimsical la-la-la's, but to not mention the masterful pop rock arrangements on this album would be a shame. No matter how much you love the Moz, the stuff behind him has got to be interesting to make it a worthy solo release. But I digress.

Dead Luke- "The Best Drug I've Ever Done"

Sup y'all posting from Block Island. Going through the massive list of songs I've downloaded recently and I found this aptly titled gem from Dead Luke called "The Best Drug I've Ever Done." The song is a cut of haunting psychedelia; the reverberating guitars and drugged out vocals make the song a devastatingly enveloping swell of noise. Very similar to Kurt Vile, a little more less coherent but just as awesome. Give it a try.

Dead Luke- "The Best Drug I've Ever Done" from American Haircut (via Raven Sings The Blues)

Dwight K. Schrute vs. Weezy- "Office Musik (Clockwork Edit)"

I know I'm probably hella late on this one but goddamn, I never thought I would be listing a novelty mashup as one of my favorite tracks of the year. Clockwork's brilliant "Office Musik" combines The Office's catchy theme music with Lil Wayne's "Hustler Muzik" into a hilarious and more importantly catchy as hell party anthem. And Clockwork actually puts some work into this one, switching up the beats and chopping up the theme's signature piano melodies. Just try not to think about how mediocre The Office is now.

Dwight K. Schrute vs. Weezy- "Office Musik (Clockwork Edit)" via Feral Party Kids