Hey, did you see Wale last night on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon? The homegrown rapper performed "Lotus Flower Bomb" along with crooner Miguel and Late Night house band The Roots. The rapper's had luck, in the last six months, with low-key for the ladies ballads (see this song and the earlier hit "That Way"), and you can't deny his talent for them. Still, in his recent City Paper treatise on all things Wale, Andrew Noz picked apart even this aspect of the rapper:

Wale’s romantic writing can be troublesome, or at least goofy, if you’re not the object of his affection. He’s the inexplicably successful pickup artist whose pandering sweet talk means everything to its intended target while everyone else in the room gags on its sleaziness. It doesn’t help that he delivers these paeans alongside the more blatantly off-putting sex raps that populate other parts of the album. You’d think any progress he’s made as an LL Cool J-esque lady’s man would be negated once he says something like, “She so stingy with vagina/but why it open when a nigga get to shinin’?”

So yeah.

Perhaps that humble demeanor made it easier to secure guest spots for his Faces of Change mixtape. Released yesterday, the massive collaborative project features a who's-who of local hip-hop and R&B artists (just look at the mixtape cover).

On the impressive "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," for instance, Starks trades bars with Gods'Illa over dusty drums and chopped piano chords. The bouncy "Fall Back" features two inspired verses from Phil Ade and RAtheMC, and the rock-tinged "Between Her" features MC Don Juan. Elsewhere, Starks and Mambo Sauce frontman Black Boo put their own verses atop Wale's "Pretty Girls," and Jay Mills guest stars on "Fancy," a remake of Drake's song of the same name.

Faces of Change is available for free. Go here to download it, or listen below.

Wild Flag. We'll take 'em.

The results of The Village Voice's annual Pazz + Jop poll—aka the annual compendium of critical opinion that, given that it drops a month after every other top 10 list, only music scribes truly care about—are out. But how did D.C. do?

First, the albums list: Wild Flag, the so-punk-rock/kinda-classicist supergroup featuring two-thirds of Sleater-Kinney and D.C.'s own Mary Timony, has the No. 4 album on the list, with 91 votes. A D.C.-area artist doesn't appear again until No. 153 (Meshell Ndegeocello, Weather). After that, I see D.C. at No. 251 (The Caribbean, Discontinued Perfume), No 336 (Wugazi, 13 Chambers), No. 461 (Pentagram, Last Rites), No. 542 (Office of Future Plans, Office of Future Plans), No. 651 (Martyn, Ghost People), No. 802 (Title Tracks, In Blank, one spot above Limp Bizkit), No. 902 (Blow Your Head Vol. 2: Dave Nada Pres. Moombahton), No. 902 (Bluebrain, The National Mall), No. 902 (Muhsinah, Gone EP), No. 902 (Chain and the Gang, Music's Not for Everyone), No. 902 (recent expats Tennis System's Teenagers), No. 902 (Joe Lally, Why Should I Get Used to It), No. 1583 (Void, Sessions 1981-1983), No. 1583 (Brian Settles/Central Union, Secret Handshake), No. 1734 (Carol Bui, Red Ship) No. 1734 (Wale, Ambition), and No. 1734 (Spoonboy, The Papas). Also, out-of-town stuff from local labels Cuneiform, Lovitt, Paw Tracks, and Carpark.

The singles list: No. 16 (Wild Flag, "Romance"), No. 78 (Wild Flag, "Black Tambourine"), No. 226 (Wild Flag, "Future Crimes"), No. 343 (Wild Flag, "Endless Talk"), No. 604 (Wild Flag, "Boom"), No. 604 (Wild Flag, "Electric Band"), No. 604 (Wild Flag, "Short Version"), and No. 604 (Wild Flag, "Something Came Over Me.") You almost feel bad for the two Wild Flag songs that didn't make the list. As for non-Wild Flag singles: Benoit & Sergio's "Everybody," "Principles," and "Walk and Talk" tied for No. 343 along with several hundred other songs (they had two votes each).

A bunch of local (and localish) singles got one vote apiece (which is to say they tied for 604th place): Win Win ft. Lizzie Bougatsos' "ReleaseRPM — Nadastrom Moombhaton Mix," Outputmessage's "Game Over," The Evens' "Two Songs" (sic?) and "Warble Factor," Deleted Scenes' "Bedbedbedbedbed" and "A Litany for Mrs. T," Benoit & Sergio's "Boy Trouble," expat Craig Wedren's "Are We," Wale's "Bait" and "Lotus Flower Bomb," Chain and the Gang's "Detroit Music," Title Tracks' "Clench Your First (A Little Closer to Me)" and "Winners Cry," " The Caribbean's "Discontinued Perfume," Meshell Ndegeocello's "Oysters," Carol Bui's "Mira: You're Free With Me," Martyn's "Masks," Slava's "Dreaming Tiger," Wugazi's "P.L.O. Squared," Ital's "Culture Clubs" and "Only for Tonight," and Fat Trel's "Respect with the Tech."

My eyes hurt. Let me know if I missed something.

So, some quick observations about D.C. and the overall list: 1) National music critics are rockist as shit (you knew this). 2) National rock critics really love Wild Flag (you knew this, too). 3) Related: National rock critics favor familiar names. 4) Mary Timony really is the biggest rock star in D.C. 5) You can fairly consider D.C.'s hip-hop and EDM scenes to be on the up-and-up, but with critics (which is not necessarily to say bloggers, and is certainly not to say civilians) they still haven't really penetrated. 6) What folks dance to is not necessarily what critics listen to (but you knew that!). 7) Bluebrain's The National Mall is surely the first smartphone to land on Pazz + Jop (I've emailed the Voice to check, and will update when I hear). 8) Benoit & Sergio have fans, if not a standout single that everyone agrees on. 9) Only one (one!) record critic with a Pazz + Jop ballot put Wale in the top 10.

A bunch of D.C. critics—or critics who write for D.C. publications—voted, and you can see their ballots. Here's mine. Also scope out ballots from Washington City Paper names Leor Galil, Nick Green, Steve Kiviat, Michael J. West, Joe Colly, Andrew Noz, Brent Burton, Lindsay Zoladz, and Logan K. Young (who listed Lulu; for shame!). Other local critics: Jason Cherkis, Zach Kelly, Mark Jenkins, Dan Kois, Catherine Lewis, David Malitz, Marc Masters, Chris Richards, Allison Stewart, Stephen Thompson, and Sarah Ventre.

ESL Radio is so chill.

You've got a few more workday listening options, beginning this month. ESL Music, the label owned by local chill purveyors Thievery Corporation, launched an online radio station today, and it is so, so, so chill. How chill? So chill it's been playing the same chill loop—glossy keys, crowd noise, Rasta-voiced hypeman—since I tuned in like 30 minutes ago. Which I suppose makes it solid mood music for your mid-afternoon energy dip!

Scoutmob, that moustachioed alternative to deal services like LivingSocial, launched a D.C. music podcast today, starring Tina Seamonster (who's involved in City Paper's Crafty Bastards fair) and Marcus K. Dowling (who's a contributor to this blog). They played a handful of tracks covering their quite different tastes in music—Tuscadero, Wale, Wild Flag, and Dave Nada—and discussed why they chose them. Bonus: When explaining the origin of moombahton, Dowling does a pretty nifty vocal imitation of Dutch house.

Last month saw the launch of another local music stream, Hometown Sounds, which cycles through a number of formats throughout the day. (Right now, it's Nation of Ulysses, as part of its 2 to 4 p.m. punk-rock block.) And venerable go-go resource Take Me Out to the Go-Go launched its own online radio station on New Year's Day—which sounds great, although the ID3 tags are kind of a mess.

Here's that Scoutmob podcast:

Scoutmob DC What's the Deal Radio 01 by Scoutmob

Instead, aspiring rappers not named Asheru, Head-Roc, or Black Indian spit their rhymes alongside prominent go-go bands in hopes of making it big. This topic, and a whole lot more, was recently discussed on what radio host Jamie Benson hopes will be a semi-regular podcast that interviews notable figures central to the D.C. hip-hop scene.

On the show's first installment, Benson, Kokayi and yU interviewed The Unspoken Heard (Asheru & Blue Black) about its rise to prominence in the Chocolate City scene. Go here to download the podcast or listen below.

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.

– Afro-Blue (they kicked ass)

– Arena Stage (it was D.C.'s smartest theater, but it still hit a funding wall)

– Artisphere (yes, blame Rosslyn)

– Bethesda (still not an arts hub)

– Bluebrain (experimental pop band as app entrepreneurs)

– Dance Exchange (dance isn't the only focus anymore)

– Dismemberment Plan, the (the only thing bigger would've been a Fugazi reunion)

– Fillmore Silver Spring, the (we freaked out over nothing)

– Gold Leaf Studios (and why D.C. has an art-workspace problem)

– Imagining Madoff (finally)

– Jefferson Memorial (or: the pre-Occupy Occupy?)

– Moombahton (it went global, but to what end?)

– Movie theaters, east of the Anacostia (don't hold your breath)

– Pop-ups (endearingly ephemeral cultural spaces—or malicious symbols of economic peril?)

– Sockets Records (big ups)

– Street Art (sigh)

– Sweet Tea Pumpkin Pie (the rock festival we deserve?)

– Talent agents (they're here, but the theater scene is still quiet and friendly)

– Timony, Mary (D.C.'s biggest rock star)

– Wale (the DMV should direct its cheerleading elsewhere)

– Wugazi (and why it was an oddball cultural moment)

Plus, tons of non-arts things.

Speaking of Theaters and Money: Looks like cuts to the federal government's National Capital Arts and Cultural Affairs program, which supports non-federal arts institutions in the District, are starting to take noticeable effect. The Washington Post reports that Arena Stage anticipated receiving $600,000 from the program in fiscal year 2012 but only got $130,000. The cut left a significant hole in Arena's annual $18.5 million budget, and the theater has now canceled its planned production of Mary T. and Lizzy K in anticipation of further reductions in the program. (In April, the overall program saw a reduction from $9.5 million to just under $3 million under a federal budget continuing resolution.) Arena has also postponed its production of Like Water for Chocolate—because of changes being made to the new musical's creative team—and replaced it with a less expensive touring production of Larry Kramer's The Normal Heart.

Ambition Is a Battlefield: The video for Wale's single "Lotus Flower Bomb" is out. The clip's A-story is a lovers' quarrel between Wale and America's Next Top Model star Bre Scullark, but really, it's all about the denim, Pat Benatar-embroidered jacket worn by Miguel as he croons the song's bridge:

Today on Arts Desk: More on cancelled programming in the wake of federal budget cuts. Louis Jacobson auf deutschen Fotografien.

If they're trying to indicate we're blue collar they're obviously not paying attention. Clearly from this photograph we don't wear collared shirts. Some of us don't wear shirts at all. (Did they sell PBR in stubby's twenty years ago?)

Anyway, we typed in a few local artists to discover their Drinkify-recommended beverages. Serve blog post over ice with slice of lime.

Stinky Dink

Drinkify say: 1 bottle Honey Vodka. Serve on rocks. Stir slowly. Garnish with national flag.

We say: Remove flag until statehood.

The Sweater Set

Drinkify says: 10 oz. Kaoliang. Serve on rocks. Garnish with fresh berries.

We say: Artisanal earl grey.

Channels

Drinkify says: 10 oz. Canadian Club Whiskey. Serve on rocks. Stir quickly. Garnish with maraschino cherry.

We say: Ditch the cherry.

Black Eyes

Drinkify says: 8 oz. Ecstasy. Serve on rocks. Stir quickly. Garnish with celery stalk.

We say: Imagine that, listen to this, and realize that the combination is a terrible idea.

Raheem DeVaughn

Drinkify says: 6 oz. Hennessy. Serve neat. Stir quickly.

We say: Sadly boilerplate, but it works.

Pentagram

Drinkify says: 1 oz. Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey. Serve on rocks. Stir quickly. Garnish with fresh berries.

We say: For beer, Victory Hop Devil.

Wale

Drinkify says: 1 bottle Gin. Serve neat. Stir vigorously.

We say: Why is this the same as Thievery Corporation's drink?

Marginal Man

Drinkify says: 1 bottle Red table wine. Serve at room temperature. Garnish with pickled asparagus.

We say: Gross enough to be punk rock.

Nation of Ulysses

Drinkify says: 1 bottle Red table wine. Serve at room temperature.

We say: Asparagus, apparently, is the pickled vegetable of the bourgeoisie.

Minor Threat

Drinkify says: 8 oz. Woodford Reserve Bourbon, 8 oz. Tomato juice, 12 oz. Monster Energy Drink. Combine in highball glass and serve. Stir vigorously.

We say: We can haz straight edge?

Mojito via Flickr user TheCulinaryGeek, Creative Commons

Wale's sophomore album Ambition sold 164,000 copies in its first week, debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard charts (behind Bieber!) and thereby making him twice as popular as the seemingly more popular Big Sean, though still a little less popular than the seemingly as popular J. Cole.

You may have noticed Wale on the cover of last week's Washington City Paper and in an accompanying long-form essay, which I wrote. The piece, which took a deep dive on Wale's career and was extremely critical of Ambition, proved controversial and divisive along predictable lines. Wale's detractors generally seemed to love the piece, while Wale fans loathed it. I guess when writing about something as personal as music, it's almost impossible to turn a mind around completely.

Still, it was frustrating to read the many comments and tweets that only furthered the victimization narrative that Wale has crafted for himself. (Because, to be clear, it's Wale who's placed his detractors—and by extension his engagement with them—at the center of his storyline.) Inevitably, the paper and I were accused of hating, even despite the essay's attempt to diffuse the idea that any—even scathing–critiques come from a place of hatred.

I've been writing about the guy and his music for nearly five years now, sometimes quite positively. Wale is a promising rapper who has made some gigantic missteps, rubbed quite a few people the wrong way in the process, and still landed somewhere close to on top. His trajectory has something to do with his music, sure, but it's also a product of the business choices he's made and the persona he's presented. I don't personally think that he's a "fuckin fag" and I'm fairly certain he's never actually lived in a garbage can. The piece was clear on that, although at least one commenter seemed to think those opinions belong to me, not the detractors whom I referenced.

Recently, New York magazine's Nitsuh Abebe wrote of a similar disconnect when he riled up his corner of the music world with a piece on Feist and Wilco and caused some of his audience to similarly mistake an account of public opinion for his own. On his Tumblr he responded:

Shouldn’t it be more possible—maybe even more common—for essays about music to be able to neutrally describe what “sources say,” or sources do, or sources listen to, without out trying to read behind that into what the author’s own tastes are? Amazingly enough, this isn’t something I’m suggesting out of defensiveness: I just think it’s incredibly important. There needs to be room for music writing that’s not just about the author performing taste and making value judgments. So much of the life of music—the ways we hear it, the things we want from it, and so on—exist in a huge, complicated context, and someone needs to describe that context.

Some readers complained that my article didn't cover enough of the record. But if you were looking for a "pure" record review, it's in there, only it's contained within a broader contextual survey. There's a reason for that: Ambition didn't multiply Attention Deficit's sales several times over because it's a better record (it is, but not considerably so). It did so mostly due to dynamics external to the music—not ambition or achieved excellence. The unfortunate thing is that this moderate success leaves Wale with little incentive to actually improve his music.

But good for him: Maybe he can at least mellow out on Twitter now.