25 of the year’s most memorable moments, from boundary-pushing unknowns to classic festival cult bands and more.

Boundary-breaking and nostalgia-evoking is a tough act to balance, and yet there were all kinds of acts doing so in over the past 12 months. 2011 was in fact an incredible year for all kinds of musicians, with many big name electronic acts creating Hollywood music scores, legendary indie bands such as Radiohead utilizing turntablists in the recording of their 2011 LP, and the incredible melting pots that are bubbling away in the underground, constantly battling between post-dubstep-badass-bassgasms and evocative barbershop crooning (Yes, James Blake, we’re talking to you).

Selected by our in-house DJ/producer/wannabe-rock-star Lee Jarvis, this Music Jobs list features touches of soul and funk such as Sharon Jones or The Roots, the classic blues rock of Chicago’s The Steepwater Band, electronic dancefloor heavies courtesy of Clicks & Whistles and SBTRKT, and an early contender for Hip-hop track of the millennium, from Odd Future ringleader, Tyler, The Creator.

Lee says, “I’ve tried to sum up not just the biggest tracks, but those that really spoke to me at various festivals across the US this summer, and some lesser-known acts who are making fresh sounds and deserve kudos for doing their own thing.” So, check out our Best Songs of 2011 playlist on Spotify, and feel free to add any of your favorites in the comments below.

Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings – He Said I Can
Cut Copy – Take Me Over
Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie XX – NY Is Killing Me
Gold Panda – Quitters Raga
James Blake – The Wilhelm Scream
Bon Iver – Minnesota, WI
Little Dragon – Brush The Heat
Mayer Hawthorn – Can’t Stop (feat. Snoop Dogg)
Nicolas Jaar – Variations
Radiohead – Feral
SBTRKT – Something Goes Right
The Steepwater Band – Remember The Taker
Death Cab For Cutie – Some Boys
Joe Goddard – Gabriel (feat. Valentina)
Tyler, The Creator – Yonkers
The Horrors – I Can See Through You
Battles – Ice Cream (feat. Matias Aguayo)
The Roots – Make My (feat. Big K.R.I.T., Dice Raw)
Clicks & Whistles – Raw Passion
Rewards – Equal Dreams (feat. Solange Knowles)
2020Soundsystem – Sliding Away
Friendly Fires – Hurting
Foo Fighters – Bridge Burning
Fabulous – Money Bag
Paul Woolford – Razor Burn

Music Jobs Playlist: Best of 2011

Enjoy, and Happy New Year!

The Music Jobs Team.

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I came across a lot of new rock / dance / electro funk punk / etc bands last year. Not that they were always new bands, but often new to me. There’s also a couple of more established bands who are threatening to get back together or released their first material for a few years.

With that said, I thought I’d make a shortlist of several artists that I’d love to see perform live in 2010, with a little help from Lala. Having received a lot of coverage with their recent buy out from Apple, I thought I’d compile a streaming playlist from their site, and must say I found the process simpler and more fluent than I remember from last using their system. Here’s to hoping that Apple help make the brand profitable and they continue providing a useful service.

And so, onto my rockin playlist – featuring music from Kings of Leon, Jet, Kasabian, The Strokes, The White Stripes, Silversun Pickups, Muse, The Prodigy, Foo Fighters and Soulwax.

Enjoy!

Lee Jarvis.

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