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

Thee Oh Sees- "I Was Denied"

"I Was Denied" is actually my first taste of Thee Oh Sees, I downloaded it a month or two back after hearing good things about the band. The song is ripped from their 2010 album Warm Slime, out now on In The Red. Warm Slime is almost good way to describe this fuzzy slab of psych pop, full of clanging distorted guitars, frontman John Dwyer's manic yelps, and thunderous cymbal crashes. It's got this awesome lo-fi bluesy, punky stomp beat to it that brings to mind the work of King Khan (King Khan & BBQ show, King Khan & The Shrines) or The White Stripes. It's loud, it's catchy, it's heavy, it's slimey, just an all around good time. Definitely gonna check out the album, but for now enjoy "I Was Denied."

Thee Oh Sees- "I Was Denied" from Warm Slime (via MBV Music)

Tamaryn- "Sandstone"

I've only listened to Tamaryn's "Sandstone" a few times but I can already tell it's one of my favorite songs of the year. While we all keep waiting for that new My Bloody Valentine album, Tamaryn's about the closest you'll come to hearing something that sounds like Loveless. The song's droning bass lines, ethereal vocals and fuzzy guitar loops are most obviously indebted to the aforementioned shoegaze pioneers, though there are hints of The Jesus and Mary Chain, Beach House and A Sunny Day in Glasgow. Don't miss this one, definitely gonna be on my year end list.

Tamaryn- "Sandstone" from The Waves (via Pitchfork)

Ghettosocks - Out For Treats (2009)

Plain and simple -- even though this is a release from last year I feel that it's still worthy of mentioning. It's a shame how great new music can fall so low beneath the radar with artist pollution at an all time high, but I digress. Obviously,with any hip-hop single there's compromise of content. This is supposed to be Ghettosocks' stab at a pop song,and it's pretty clear some of these hip hop guys aren't pop music stars but, in my opinion at least, this is a solid single.With that said, this is also the most pop-oriented track on the album, which is absolutely worth picking up if you're into this old-school vibe. Every listen I'm find myself discovering that Mr. Socks is a Canadian hip-hop artist with all the right influences, hopefully you see it too. Luckily, even if you don’t see what I’m talking about there’s some delicious looking snacks that even Rachel Ray would want to rub all over herself all dirty-like.

Neko Case- Fox Confessor Brings The Flood (2006)

Neko Case is a member of the prolific Canadian supergroup The New Pornographers, but her solo material similar has a distinctly alternative country feel to it similar to Calexico, Cass McCombs or Camera Obscura. On Fox Confessor Brings The Flood, what I consider her best work, Case is joined by a talented array of musicians including members of Calexico and The Band. She uses her instantly recognizable beautiful voice, multi-tracked to create some of the most spine-tingling harmonies I've ever heard, to tell stories of nostalgia and heartbreak. The music behind her ranges from acoustic ballads to twangy rock compositions.