Our One Track Mind feature—a brief but in-depth look at the process behind a single song—-is one of our favorite ways to keep up with D.C.’s musical output. In 2010, we published 45 of them. Looking back, we—-shocker!—-picked up lots of rock tracks in 2010, with hip-hop coming in second place. There was also scattered electronica, pop, hardcore, Afropop, and Latin jazz. Somehow, we skipped go-go altogether.
Perhaps we skewed a little too heavily toward garage-friendly indie rock, what with Maybe, Baby, The Cheniers, Foul Swoops, and the like, but it was hard to ignore the lo-fi influx around town. Shock Diamond and Bluebrain were some of the few electronica-oriented acts to make the cut; with the opening of U Street Music Hall, you’d think we’d have covered more techno-savy artists. We caught up with Oddisee, X.O., Fat Trel, and a few others, but what hip-hop acts did we miss? Were there killer releases from D.C. in 2010 that we should’ve worked into an OTM? Who should we be paying attention to in 2011?
Here’s every OTM from last year:
- Sketch – “Betta Watch Yo Self”
- Nu’ the Mayor – “Whole Time”
- Felt Letters – “600,000 Bands”
- Imperial China – “Corrupting the Integrity of the Grid”
- the beatin’s – “Cool Clear Water”
- Oddisee – “Blizzard of 09”
- Birds & Wires – “The Sea and the Hills”
- Daddy Lion – “Just Die Young”
- Frau Eva – “Don’t Wait for Me”
- Jonathan Mudd – “Run Amelia”
- The Moderate – “Small Pills”
- Midnight Kids – “Undertow”
- Aloha – “Cold Storage”
- No Second Troy – “Black & White Movie”
- Bellflur – “Insect Politics”
- Elikeh – “Jondji”
- Stripmall Ballads – Woman With a Black Eye”
- Hume – “Grip”
- X.O. – “I Got Doe”
- The Cheniers – “Here Come’s Trouble”
- Shock Diamond – “Now (ShockD)”
- Harmony Muzik – “Temporary Heartbreak”
- Kingpen Slim – “My Life Is a Movie”
- Authorization – “Full Flight”
- The Cornel West Theory – “Hustler’s Boogie”
- America Hearts – “Home”
- Badio – “Kiss the Sky”
- Carolyn Malachi – “Orion”
- The Torches – “Mr. Vampire“
- Foul Swoops – “Colossal Sized Picassos”
- Substantial and Marcus D. – “Star Child”
- Ra Ra Rasputin – “Electricity Through the Heart”
- Fat Trel – “Deep Thought”
- Moon Pie – “What a Time to Be Alive”
- Shat Shorts – “Liveblogging the Loss of My Virginity”
- Screen Vinyl Image – “New Visions”
- Bluebrain – “Restriction”
- Alvin Risk – “Safe”
- Shortstack – “Lamborghini Nights”
- Brothers – “Waves”
- Painted Face – “Undreamt”
- Janel and Anthony – “Big Sur”
- Joe Falero and the DC Latin Jazz All Stars – “¡Latin Flavor!”
- Lejeune – “Not My Song”
- Maybe, Baby – “All I’ve Got”