Wild Flag @ Black Cat

We covered a lot of music in pictures this year, but some truly stood out.

The show whose ticket needed to come with industrial-strength ear plugs...
Archers of Loaf at Black Cat (more photos here)

Dinosaur Jr. plays Bug at 930 Club (more photos here)

The coolest band reunion...
Dismemberment Plan at 930 Club (more photos here)

The show whose audience had the most members from other D.C. bands...
Office of Future Plans and Title Tracks at Fort Reno (more photos here)

John Davis at Luce Unplugged (more photos here)

Living legends who came to the area...
Bryan Ferry at Strathmore Music Center (more photos here)

Alejandro Escovedo at 930 Club (more photos here)

Show that resulted in the most bruises...
Marginal Man at Black Cat (more photos here)

2011 WCP Shows in Photos
Grant Hart In-Store @ Crooked Beat Records (Jan. 13)
Jason Isbell & 400 Unit @ 930 Club (Jan. 14)
Dismemberment Plan, Poor But Sexy, Batala @ 930 Club (Jan. 22)
Girl Talk @ 930 Club (Feb. 1)
Avett Brothers @ DAR Constitution Hall (Feb. 18)
Tommy Stinson, Mike Gent, Emily Roberts @ Iota (Feb. 17)
Jonathan Richman @ 930 Club (Feb. 26)
Middle Brother, Deer Tick, Dawes @ 930 Club (March 2)
SXSW 2011 @ Austin, TX (March 16-March 19)
Sebadoh @ Black Cat (March 2)
Mike Watt @ Black Cat Backstage (March 31)
The Black Angels @ 930 Club (April 3)
Wire, Weekend @ Black Cat (April 7)
Title Tracks CD Release Party @ Black Cat Backstage (April 20)
Alejandro Escovedo, Jesse Malin & St Marks Social @ 930 Club (May 1)
Tame Impala, Yuck @ Black Cat (May 6)
Surfer Blood @ Rock and Roll Hotel (May 10)
Ted Leo, Drew O'Doherty @ Black Cat Backstage (May 14)
Neko Case, Y La Bamba @ Black Cat (May 13)
Sondre Lerche @ 930 Club (June 7)
Chris Mills @ DC9 (June 16)
Allo Darlin @ Black Cat Backstage (June 16)
The Feelies @ 930 Club (June 18)
Dinosaur Jr Plays Bug@ 930 Club (June 24)
Deleted Scenes @ Black Cat Backstage (July 16)
Title Tracks, Office of Future Plans @ Fort Reno (July 25)
Bon Iver @ 930 Club (Aug. 2)
Archers of Loaf @ Black Cat (Aug. 5)
Marginal Man Reunion @ Black Cat (Aug. 20)
Virgin FreeFest 2011 @ Merriweather Post Pavilion (Sept. 11)
Cymbals Eat Guitars @ Black Cat (Sept. 24)
Wilco @ Merriweather Post Pavilion (Sept. 25)
Bryan Ferry @ Strathmore Music Center (Oct. 3)
Jens Lekman @ Sixth & I Synagogue (Oct. 5)
Wild Flag @ Black Cat (Oct. 20)
St Vincent @ 930 Club (Nov. 1)
Blind Pilot @ 930 Club (Nov. 6)
John Davis @ Luce Center, Smithsonian Museum (Dec. 18)

The article has since flown about social media, causing many a sad emoticon and, apparently, excessive vomiting. The jab is all the more painful because there is some truth to it–D.C. is damn expensive, and we don't have as many entrepreneurial opportunities or as much cultural cred as, say, New York. That's not exactly shocking news, since New York is the biggest city in the country, with more than 10 times the residents D.C. has. But it's still frustrating to hear so much haterade tossed at your town when all kinds of artists and musicians are busting ass to make some really cool stuff around here. Speaking as a proud local resident, musician, and arts journalist, I think Yglesias—while he's not totally off base—sold our fair city short.

First, there are bizarre references to the murder rate, which is both irrelevant and inconsistent; are cities with a lower murder rate "cooler?" If so, how does he square that with his argument that D.C. was most culturally important in the '80s, when the murder rate was significantly higher than today? And besides, does anyone think places he mentioned like Cincinnati or Kansas City are significantly cooler than D.C.?

But what really hit home for me was this line: “...if you're a semi-employed artist or guitar player it's much more expensive than Philadelphia or Baltimore and still smaller and less interesting than New York City, which has less than one-third our murder rate.” Again, I’m not sure how the murder rate is germane, but the cost-benefit ratio to the creative class is a pretty big deal. Speaking as a “semi-employed guitarist,” I have to admit he’s partially correct. If you’re in a rock band and simply need a hub from which to tour, both Baltimore and Philadelphia are generally more affordable than the District. They have cheaper rent, more artist studios, and more practice spaces.

But if you’re looking for a city with a decent grant system, a slew of great venues, a consistent dedication to making the arts accessible, and a strong sense of community, I would argue D.C. easily tops those two.

We have a gloriously free art culture here. Look at events from the Smithsonian hosting music & art shows with folks like John Davis and Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage, to summer concerts series like Fort Reno, Fort Dupont, and the National Gallery’s Jazz in the Garden. There are the regular pay-what-you-can nights at theaters like Woolly Mammoth, the cheap or free boundary-pushing exhibits at Artisphere, and access to world-class art museums that don’t cost a dime. Those "large sums of money" that Yglesias says are handy for going out to dinner in D.C.? In New York, you'd be dropping them to visit the MOMA, instead.

D.C.'s cultural strength comes precisely because the city isn't in the business of manufacturing coolness. Unlike New York or L.A., we aren't drowning in ladder climbers and mercenaries. It's generally assumed you have to work another job as a musician/artist/actor in D.C., and there’s a certain spirit of collaboration that’s not fraught with opportunism. You can go to Fort Reno and fraternize with hardcore veterans like Ian MacKaye (and sometimes Henry Rollins) and expect a relaxed, supportive atmosphere. While there are musicians for hire in D.C., it’s equally common for people in the music scene to simply collaborate for art’s sake. There may not be the same networking opportunities in D.C., but as a result, there’s not the kind of cut-throat competition and careerism.

The DIY, punk rock spirit in D.C. still supports bands without managers, fosters affordable shows, and encourages community activism. Is there a New York equivalent to Positive Force? Since 1984, the activist collective has and continues to host benefit shows for local charities, featuring big-name acts like Ted Leo and Titus Andronicus alongside myriad locals. Are there many prominent all-ages venues in New York? 9:30 Club is consistently ranked among the best clubs in the nation and doesn’t require patrons to be of drinking age (nor do the Black Cat or the Rock and Roll Hotel).

So sure, if you’re a penniless artist or musician looking for endless dirt-cheap housing options in non-gentrified areas, Philadelphia or Baltimore is probably a better bet. If you’re willing to hunt for an affordable spot (there are still a few left), though, D.C. has a slew of cultural benefits, a grassroots music community, very little pretense, and a long history of creative success.

Of course, we also have more than our fair share of wonks writing contrarian pieces for the Internet. But hey, no city's perfect.

Photo by Darrow Montgomery

Weird year, 2011. D.C.'s most visible band released an app, not an album. Its great rap hope released an album that was disappointing in critics' eyes, but which cemented him as a mainstream presence. Dischord returned to relevance with a handful of new albums and handsome archival releases; new labels formed; and Sockets remained the indie-rock scene's most reliable clearing house. Moombahton got bigger, both locally and all over the globe. DIY spaces came and went. And for some reason my bosses decided to send me on a garage-rock cruise.

And the music: Well, it was pretty good. I had a lot of trouble picking just 10 songs—and I was pleased I didn't overlap with Ryan Little's and Marcus J. Moore's picks too much. (Ramon Ramirez's and Michael J. West's lists will be on Arts Desk tomorrow.)

My selections are below. I also dug songs, albums, and mixtapes by X.O., Wild Flag, Title Tracks, Protect-U, More Humans, Meredith Bragg, Macaw, Hume, L&T&W, Kid Congo Powers, Joe Lally, RA the MC, Gods'Illa, Lenorable, Screen Vinyl Image, SPRCSS, The Plums, Mittenfields, Oddisee, America Hearts, Blue Sausage Infant, The Cassettes, Black Telephone, Black Cobain, Fat Trel, Volta Bureau, Edie Sedgwick, Authorization, The Cheniers, Tereu Tereu, Fell Swoops, Fell Types, Office of Future Plans, yU, Pro'Verb, Bluebrain, Chain & the Gang, Regents, Carol Bui, Pygmy Lush, Pree, Laughing Man, Outputmessage, and Noon:30. There are probably some I'm forgetting.

Not bad, D.C.

The Caribbean, "Discontinued Perfume" (Discontinued Perfume)

This was the most romantic song I heard all year, not too mention the most paranoid and tragic. The title track from The Caribbean's excellent 2011 album was inspired by two real-life artists with ties to D.C.'s punk scene—Theresa Duncan and Jeremy Blake—who committed suicide within a week of each other. Every Caribbean song matches frontman Michael Kentoff's short-story sensibility and deadpan delivery with the band's creepy, otherworldly, but unmistakably pop instrumentals. But nothing they've done slays me like the moment in "Discontinued Perfume" when Kentoff sings, "I was unhappy for 17 years/when I met you at that Christmas bash/out on Sherman Avenue/Remember?" And then a ghostly female voice coos, "I do, I do."

Wugazi, "Sleep Rules Everything Around Me" (13 Chambers)

It didn't take long for this project from Minneapolis' Doomtree collective to cause the Internet to lose its shit. In the end, the overall product wasn't amazing, but this first song out of the gate—matching Wu-Tang's "C.R.E.A.M." with Fugazi's out-of-character "I'm So Tired"—justified the initial hype. Maybe it's because Fugazi's simple, piano-driven melody isn't so many degrees removed from a left-field head-nodder circa 1993.

Phonic Riot, "Run Nikki Run" (demo)

I think this band is defunct now? If so, that's really too bad: Between Phonic Riot and Lenorable and Screen Vinyl Image and lots of music released by Fan Death, there seemed to be a lot of gothy art abuse going on in D.C. indie rock this year. This explosive first song on the band's demo cassette swims in early-'80s Sonic Youth space, veering in the direction of Swans; Angela Morrish's vocals are strained and spectral but massive. If I'd had the courage the one time I saw the group play this song—there were like 12 people there—I would've head-banged.

Benoit & Sergio, "Walk and Talk" (Where the Freaks Have No Name)

This D.C./Berlin duo got lots of attention when it released an EP through much-vaunted label DFA, but I prefered Benoit & Sergio's earlier EP from 2011, on Visionquest. Where the Freaks Have No Name's best song was "Walk and Talk," a clackety slow-burner that sort of did to the pop side of house music what late-night mopers like Frank Ocean and The Weeknd did to R&B this year: That is, it got druggy, disaffected, and sad. Take the only lyrics, repeated again and again in deadpan: "My baby does K all day/She doesn’t wash her hair, doesn’t wash her clothes/She just sits on the couch watching television shows." Damn.

Deleted Scenes, "The Days of Adderall" (Young People's Church of the Air)

I wish Deleted Scenes' sophomore album was as consistently good as its best moments—and frankly, that's because the group has given us lots of reasons to expect great things—but I'll say this: No D.C. band has defined its voice so clearly. The second song on Young People's Church of the Air, "The Days of Adderall," works pretty well as a mission statement: It's got 1) those lovely echo-box vocals; 2) impressionistic ruminations on the uncertainty of young adulthood and/or light drug abuse and/or treating yourself like shit; 3) tons of sonic doodads; 4) a melody you can move to; and 5) a lulling, gauzy cast. For a band that sings frequently about getting comfortable with discomfort, that feels perfect.

Tabi Bonney, "Sudan Groove" (Postcard From Abroad)

I love that Tabi finally embraced mixtapes. Fine, so his Postcard From Abroad, released in January, was total hipster bait. And the beats he cribbed from Aeroplane, The Knife, Phoenix, and Cults were cool, but nothing moved like "Sudan Groove," which borrowed music from the Sudanese rapper and pop star Emmanuel Jal.

Beautiful Swimmers ft. John Davis, "Open Shadow" ("Open Shadow" single)

This collaboration between the woozy disco-production duo and the Title Tracks singer was straight-up yacht rock, but it wasn't too much of a stretch for either party. The real joy is how it takes the whole Loggins & Messina idiom and makes it both hazier and more acute. Theirs is a deliberate glaze.

Cigarette, "100 Tears" (the weather is here wish you were beautiful/total nag)

The prettiest song from D.C.'s quietest band. It turns out slowcore still has things to say. Who knew?

Birdlips, "One in Seven" (One Tongue)

This duo formed in Charlottesville, Va., logged time in D.C., and these days is more or less nomadic. Their "Drift" series has yielded a host of strong LPs written and recorded in short periods in far-flung locals, and for my money, One Tongue is the best. It was recorded in Destin, Fla., and does have something of a tropical cast. It's also gloomy and menacing, like there's a murderous breeze blowing through its idyllic setting.

Wale, "Bait"

Wale concocts—finally!—the perfect hip-hop/go-go blend. ("Dig Dug" and "Pretty Girls" came pretty close.) Too bad it didn't make the album.

Q and Not U, of course, is one of the more fondly remembered D.C. post-punk acts of the last decade or so. Last year was the 10th anniversary of the group's debut, No Kill No Beep Beep, which I wrote about extensively. Following the breakup of  the trio (which started as a quartet) in 2005, Richards put out an LP under the pseudonym Ris Paul Ric, while Davis released material with Georgie James on Saddle Creek. He continues to make power-pop with Title Tracks. The last time the two were on stage together was last year at a one-off John Davis performance for the Writers Center's Story/Stereo series, where the duo played two songs together.

Photo by Erica Bruce

Since November 2010, the Luce Foundation Center for American Art, located in the Smithsonian American Art Museum, has been one of the city's more intimate outlets for local musicians. Its monthly acoustic concert series,  Luce Unplugged, features an hour-long performance, accompanied by a discussion on an artwork chosen by the musician.

Yesterday the series featured Title Tracks frontman John Davis, who played an hour-long set of his own songs as well as covers from the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Buck Owens, and John Denver. Toward the end of the set, Davis brought up Washington Post pop critic—and Davis' ex-Q and Not U bandmate—Chris Richards for a handful of songs. Between stories and songs that showcased the duo's pitch-perfect vocal harmonies, Davis and Richards announced they've been working on a bunch of new songs together (the count is currently at 16!), and hope to release something by mid-2012.

More photos from the set can be seen here.

MUSIC

R Street NW DIY space Subterranean A hosts even more exciting homegrown electronic dance music: Shimmery house-music trio Volta Bureau and Future Times universe-skimmers Protect-U and Beautiful Swimmers perform. Get ready to get glazed. 8-11 p.m. Friday.

Also Friday: Mike West says you should see Benny Golson at Bohemian Caverns. Empressarios at Rock & Roll Hotel. Pietasters and The Slackers at 9:30 Club.

Saturday: Weirdo folkers Woods at Rock & Roll Hotel (with Purling Hiss)—for some reason, this show inspired a Krautrock primer in Express. 9:30 Club hosts Penguin Prison and Big/Bright at U Street Music Hall. Exit Clov opens up for JC Brooks at Black Cat.

Sunday: Rapper Fat Trel's "Nightmare Before Christmas." Ruh-roh. John Davis (Title Tracks, ex-Q and Not U) performs acoustically at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

FILM

Stay home. Tricia Olszewski is unimpressed by Young Adult and A Dangerous Method. I am similarly bummed out by Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.

COMEDY

DIY standup! James Adomian, interviewed yesterday on Arts Desk, headlines at Subterranean A Saturday. 7:30 p.m. $5.

Also, for those of you who were bummed about Title Tracks getting rained out this week, fear not—they have been added to the Monday, July 25 show with J.Robbins' excellent Office of Future Plans and The Akoma Drummers.

The local spaced out electronica duo just released "Open Shadow," its latest 7-inch, featuring a lead vocal from Title Tracks frontman John Davis. It's beachy and syrupy in the Loggins & Messina vein. Or maybe it sounds like Seals & Crofts. Let's just call this Swimmers & Davis.

It's a pretty honest, if somewhat downcast, homage. "Step after step I've got the currents below me/trying to dance but all the rhythms have thrown me," Davis sings over a slick, sun-baked instrumental. The bass is slinky. The keys are woozy. Late in the song, a guitar solo is menacing and seductive. Do not listen to this song after Labor Day. Do wear white pants.

The 7-inch, which also features a dub mix of "Open Shadow" by Soft Rocks, is out now via Future Times. There are 500 copies, and no digital release. Buy it here; listen to samples of both sides here.

It's no stretch to say D.C. is much more of a punk-rock town than a power-pop one. John Davis first became well known for drumming in post-punkers Q and not U, but its clear from his band Title Tracks he loves the head-bobbing hooks of The Raspberries and their ilk. At the Black Cat Backstage last night, it was more than a little exciting to hear that peppy and melodic brightness from a local band. Things still ended on a punk note: Title Tracks topped off the evening with what Davis called a "D.C. folk song," an absolutely scorching version of "Swann Street" by 3. Davis may never travel without a little Big Star, he still loves the fact that D.C. is home.

(Additional photos from the set can be seen here.)