The 11th annual Austin City Limits Music Festival runs October 12-14th at Zilker Park in Austin, Texas. The lineup boasts Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jack White, The Black Keys, Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Florence and the Machine, Avicii, Bassnectar, Iggy and the Stooges, The Avett Brothers, The Roots, The Shins, Weezer, M83, Gotye, The Afghan Whigs, Crystal Castles, Andrew Bird, M. Ward, Alabama Shakes, and Childish Gambino.

Also playing are Tegan and Sara, Rufus Wainwright, Thievery Corporation, Umprhey’s McGee, Metric, Stars, Delta Spirit, Polica, Esperanza Spalding, Steve Earle, Patterson Hood, Gary Clark Jr., Die Antwoord, Big K.R.I.T., Zola Jesus, The War on Drugs, Black Lips, Los Campesinos! Freelance Whales, Caveman, Tennis, LP, Two Door Cinema Club, Trampled By Turtles, Oberhofer, Bombay Bicycle Club, Old 97s, Antibalas, Lee Fields & the Expressions, Father John Misty, Ben Howard, Michael Kiwanuka, and Patrick Watson.

Three-day and single-day passes are now available via the festival’s website.

For the second consecutive year, Austin City Limits will reveal a portion of its lineup through a “lottery.” As the festival’s website notes, scratch cards will be placed in various Austin establishments over the course of the next four days. At least five acts will be revealed each day, with each card containing the names of three acts (a card containing three matching names wins a prize!)

We’ll be keeping track of the results below and will post a formal lineup when the official announcement is made on Tuesday, May 22nd.

Austin City Limits 2012 takes place October 12-14th at Zilker Park. Three-day and single-day pases will go on sale this spring.

Fridy, May 18th:

Update: We’re told yesterday’s card revealing Red Hot Chili Peppers was actually fake.

1. Childish Gambino

2. Delta Spirit

3. LP

4. Quiet Company

5. Punch Brothers

6. Steve Earle

Saturday, May 19th:

1. Bon Iver

2. Alabama Shakes

3. Freelance Whales

4. Kimbra

5. Barrington Levy

Sunday, May 20th:

1. Jack White

2. The Black Keys

3. Andrew Bird

4. Esperanza Spalding

5. A-Trak

6. Zola Jesus

Monday, May 21st:

1. Iggy and the Stooges

2. Black Lips

3. Gary Clark Jr.

4. Bombay Bicycle Club

5. Two Door Cinema Club

Photo by Harley Brown

The Black Keys have extended their ongoing U.S. tour with a new batch of West coast dates in October. Check out their complete tour schedule below. Update: Tegan and Sara will serve as support for the October dates.

In other news, SPIN.com reports that director Noah Abrams is currently filming a documentary on the band, which he describes as “a buddy comedy with perhaps the greatest soundtrack of all time.” Abrams has captured the band on tour since January and will collect footage until August. He hopes to release the film out next year.

The Black Keys 2012 Tour Dates:
05/14 – Winnipeg, MB @ MTS Centre *
05/15 – Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center *
05/16 – Milwaukee, WI @ Bradley Center *
05/18- Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion *
05/19 – Atlantic City, NJ @ Revel Ovation Hall *
07/20-22 – Dover, DE @ Firefly Music Festival
07/28 – New York, NY @ Catalpa NYC
08/01 – Council Bluffs, IA @ Mid-American Center #
08/03 – Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza
08/04 – Toronto, ON @ Molson Ampitheatre ^
08/05 – Montreal, QC @ Osheaga Festival
08/09 – Gothenburg, SE @ Way Out West
08/10 – Oslo, NO @ Oya Fest
08/11 – Helsinki, FI @ Flow Festival
08/13 – Copenhagen, DK @ Tap1
08/14 – Hannover, DE @ Awd Hall
08/15 – Saint Poelten, AT @ Frequency Festival
08/17 – Biddinghuizen, NL @ Lowlands Festival
08/18 – Kiewit, BE @ Pukkelpop
08/19 – Leipzig, DE @ Highfield Festival
08/21 – Belfast, IE @ Tennet’s Vital
08/22 – Dublin, IE @ The O2
08/24 – Leeds, UK @ Leeds Festival
08/25 – Paris, FR @ Rock en Seine
08/26 – Reading, UK @ Reading Festival
10/01 – Fresno, CA @ Save Mart Center %
10/02 – Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl %
10/04 – San Diego, CA @ Valley View Casino Center %
10/05 – Los Angeles, CA @ Staples Center %
10/08 – Anaheim, CA @ Honda Center %
10/09 – Phoenix, AZ @ US Air Arena %
10/10 – Las Cruses, NM @ Pan American Center %
10/21 – Newcastle, AU @ Newcastle Entertainment Centre
10/22 – Sydney, AU @ Sydney Entertainment Centre
10/26 – Brisbane, AU @ Brisbane Entertainment Centre
10/28 – Perth, AU @ Rock It Festival
10/30 – Adelaide, AU @ Adelaide Entertainment Centre
10/31 – Melbourne, AU @ Sidney Myer Music Bowl
11/01 – Melbourne, AU @ Sidney Myer Music Bowl
11/03 – Auckland, NZ @ Vector Arena
11/05 – Wellington, NZ @ TSB Bank Arena
11/27 – Lisbon, PT @ Atlantico
11/28 – Madrid, ES @ Palacio de Deportes
11/30 – Lyon, FR @ Halle Tony Gamier
12/01 – Torino, IT @ Palaolimpico
12/04 – Munich, DE @ Olympiahalle
12/05 – Dusseldorf, DE @ ISS Dome

* = w/ Arctic Monkeys
# = w/ Tame Impala
^ = w/ The Shins
% = w/ Tegan and Sara

The Levon Helm tributes continue to pour in: At Coachella yesterday, special guest John Fogerty joined The Black Keys for a cover of The Band’s classic hit, “The Weight”. Watch the video footage below.

I worship at the church of karaoke. The parishoners and I are there to confess and meditate, to feel welcomed by a community, to hear a good sermon or two, to perchance see someone speak in tongues and have the words of the Lord Bon Jovi be channeled through a mere mortal. And, of course, to have some drinks and venture to make complete fools out of ourselves.

Karaoke exists in a vacuum of taste, where anomalies and exceptions always seem to arise and mess with my preconceptions. Maybe, like me, this is the only time you can really tolerate a Billy Joel song. Maybe those two dudes doing Sum 41′s “Fat Lip” actually sound kinda good, or that girl who’s really giving it the old college try on “Since U Been Gone” elicits all this empathy, and dammit you can’t be mad because she’s having fun!

This list — boiled down, mind you, from literally hundreds of runner-ups — is an extension of that feeling that happens when you flip through the entire karaoke book and you don’t see one song you want to sing. After polling the staff and consulting some of my long-time karaoke buddies, these are the songs we all wish would be added to the karaoke canon that we personally have never seen before (we are excluding the deep cuts in Austin’s Karaoke Underground book).

And if it’s one thing most of these songs have in common, they’re totally depressing. Sorry. To make up for that, and in contrast to a lot of karaoke standards, a whole grip of these songs don’t require you to have a good voice. In fact, you could be totally tone-deaf and still do an absolutely kick-ass version of  The Fall’s “Totally Wired” because the song isn’t about impressing Cee-Lo and Adam Levine with pitch and tone, it’s about the performance. There’s plenty more like that on the list that I felt would always be fun — songs that don’t focus on notes as much as they do putting on a great show.

Don’t fret, choir nerds, it’s not all post-punk pogo-dance chant standards. There’s plenty of new vocal challenges all over the list, from tUnE-yArDs to Jeff Buckley to Dirty Projectors to Hasil Adkins. There’s a lot more. Who knows, there may even be another list further down the road. What songs would you like to sing at Karaoke that are never in the books? Let us know in the comments.

You can access the entire list on Spotify. Enjoy!

-Jeremy D. Larson
Managing Editor

Andrew Bird – “Fake Palindromes”

When to sing:  After a couple glasses of wine to keep the voice nice and velvety. It’s a short one.

Make sure to:  “Monsters?”

Animal Collective – “For Reverend Green”

When to sing: Get this out of the way early, but don’t lead with it. Avey Tare’s vocals on this are daunting, histrionic, and require full commitment or else you will be laughed off stage for singing Animal Collective at karaoke. No guarantees for that not happening anyway.

Make sure to: Differentiate between the two “Lucky child don’t know how lucky she is” parts.

Arcade Fire – “Keep The Car Running”

When to sing: Great lead-off song — not too difficult to sing, short and sweet, not too obscure, speaks for itself.

Make sure to: Totally go for it on the “Ohhhh ohhh” and punch the air on that final snare hit like a hero.

Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – “Can’t Hear My Eyes”

When to sing: When you want to sing  “Brandi” by Looking Glass, but you can’t quite remember how the bridge goes, or even if there is a bridge to the song.

Make sure to: Not have a catastrophic meltdown, but you should really be laying down on the ground and arching your back over the monitors.

Azealia Banks – “212″

When to sing: After midnight, after your confidence level has peaked,  after you contemplate that Azealia Banks isn’t even old enough to do Karaoke and put this song out.

Make sure to: Have this shit well-rehearsed, because the cadence of “Bet you do like to slumber, don’t you?” is not going to come to you when you’re reading it off the teleprompter. Good luck deciding on whether or not to drop the C-bomb. That’s on you.

Beat Happening – “Cast A Shadow”

When to sing: When the eyelids are heavy, and the 500 yard stare can be trained on not just anyone, but definitely someone.

Make sure to: Study/mimic Ted Leo’s performance of it at Underground Karaoke at Matador 21.

Best Coast – “When I’m With You”

When to sing: Right after you get back inside from smoking a joint in the ally and you tell that cute guy that “this next song’s for you.”

Make sure to: Ask the DJ if he can turn up that reverb.

The Black Keys – “10 A.M. Automatic”

When to sing: When you can’t quite put into feelings that guy’s t-shirt with a bald eagle on it.

Make sure to:  Put a little extra spit on those vocals like they used to do.

Black Lips – “Bad Kids”

When to sing: After a round of Jager, or Car Bombs, or Liquid Cocaine, and after you tell them you’re absolutely not going to sing “Bohemian Rhapsody”.

Make sure to: Get, like, seven people on the stage.

Bon Iver – “Skinny Love”

When to sing: When you roll up to Karaoke solo, after several drinks isolated in a cold corner of the bar, and only when the weight of the world is on your heart.

Make sure to: Sulk back to your chair when it’s all over, back to your “cabin,” as it were.

The Breeders – “One Divine Hammer”

When to sing: Directly before or after someone sings Pixies – “Hey”.

Make sure to: Remember that this song is wicked filthy — direct eye contact with crowd is at your own risk. (Dudes, ask if they have the Clockcleaner version — it’s arguably better.)

Bright Eyes – “The Calendar Hung Itself”

When to sing: There’s no real bad time to sing this, the preeminent emo song of them all, but it’s more about when you have wherewithal to sing Oberst’s lyrics.

Make sure to: Render everyone so awestruck they all want to buy you a drink at the end of it — you’re clearly not in a good place right now.

Built To Spill – “Car”

When to sing: A great opener, before you’re even finished with your first drink.

Make sure to: Close your eyes by the third “I want to see, movies of my dreams,” or you’re not doing it right.

Cibo Matto – “Birthday Cake”

When to sing: In the environment where this song is an option, everyone’s going to be OK with it any time, but it’s definitely one of those songs to play if your equilibrium’s altered to the point where pitch is “optional”.

Make sure to: Get all of Miho Hatori’s eccentricities and dialect, especially the way she says “birthssday cake.”

CYHSY – “The Skin of my Yellow Country Teeth”

When to sing: When you are sure that this song will burrow into the soul of everyone watching – so, late in the night.

Make sure to: Slur each and every word, purposefully or not.

College & Electric Youth – “A Real Hero”

When to sing: After (or during) a big knife fight in the back of a bar. I don’t know if this song will ever escape its role as the soundtrack to Ryan Gosling driving off into the sunset.

Make sure to: Channel Bill Murray singing “More Than This” and you’ll be on the right track.

Das Racist – “Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell”

When to sing: When you want to comment on consumptive corporate consumerism to a bar full of drunk people.

Make sure to: Replace “Jamaica Ave.” with a local thoroughfare in your city to try to get the message to resonate with your audience.

The Decemberists – “Don’t Carry It All”

When to sing: When you don’t want to sing “You Don’t Know How It Feels”, but you actually kinda do. Here’s something that sounds almost exactly the same.

Make sure to: Partake in the same kind of theatrics that The Decemberists do on stage and pretend that you’re a whale and try to eat the audience. This will go over well.

Dent May – “Eastover Wives”

When to sing: When you want to sing “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling” but you’re never sure which of the 12 versions they’ll put on.

Make sure to:  Dance your white ass off while you’re up there.

Destroyer – “Your Blues”

When to sing: When the idea of singing another Bob Dylan song seems completely “repulsive,” but you’re still not of the inclination to “sing exact notes.”

Make sure to: BYO condenser mic and hold it delicately between your thumb and index finger.

Dirty Projectors – “Stillness Is The Move”

When to sing:  Get this one done early in your set – that little run up to that really high note in the pre-chorus can’t be easy after 3+ drinks. Nailing this song will win the affections of the boy in the Owen Pallett tee.

Make sure to: Remember those quiet riffs Angel Deradoorian does at the end. If you bring those out, Owen Pallett guy will definitely buy you another glass of merlot.

Dismemberment Plan – “You Are Invited”

When to sing: When you feel the tenor of the evening has taken a turn for the worse and want to relay a message of acceptance, positivity, and sing one of the greatest damn songs ever.

Make sure to: Work the crowd and tell the story – be the light at the end of all of these barfly’s nights, especially the guy who just sang “Hurt” seemingly without irony.

Elliott Smith – “Waltz #2 (XO)”

When to sing: It’s not as huge of a bummer as, say, “Needle in the Hay” or “Twilight”, but for those who like bumming people out at karaoke, this should be your go-to bummer jam. Bonus points if you bring your mother along.

Make sure to: Nail the “and on and on and on” perfectly or Howard Sims will be there with his shepherd’s crook so fast.

The Fall – “Totally Wired”

When to sing: The obvious time is after you just did some coke in the bathroom but feel free to make it a joke song — change lyric to “tired”!

Make sure to:  Respect Mark E. Smith and add a supurflous “uh” after every phrase (“I’m totally weird-uh, to be wired-uh”).

The Flaming Lips – “Do You Realize??”

When to sing: Late enough and drunk enough so that you consider Wayne Coyne’s questions about universe. The precise moment this can happen varies greatly from person to person.

Make sure to: Really ask the question, every time. It’s not a rhetorical question, it’s incredulous! Grapple with reality up there.

Free Energy – “Dream City”

When to sing: When you want to sing “The Boys Are Back In Town” but the last time you did you got kicked off stage for trying to sing all three lines of the guitar solo by yourself.

Make sure to: Wear a leather jacket.

Frightened Rabbit – “The Modern Leper”

When to sing: After an unstable amount of whiskey, and after you overheard someone talk about Mumford.

Make sure to: Think about the Scottish accent, but man, don’t go all Groundskeeper Willie on it. Let it alone if you have doubts.

Fugazi – “Waiting Room”

When to sing: When you have two people who can do both Guy Piccatio’s and Ian McKay’s parts. Then, and only then, should you do “Waiting Room”.

Make sure to: Sing when you feel like the fever of the room is about at this level.

Girls – “Lust for Life”

When to sing: It’s such a short song (only a minute and 30 seconds of singing) that it needs to be early on when people might still be paying a bit of attention. No flare, just a great song.

Make sure to: Figure out how Christopher Owens does the half pouty/half whiney thing before you step up.

Gogol Bordello – “Start Wearing Purple”

When to sing: After your fifth shot of Stolichnaya, and only if you’re wearing suspenders.

Make sure to: Take off your shirt but keep your suspenders on. Also buy a round of vodka for everyone pre-song and toast the audience during the high note and you will be crowned King Gypsy-Punk for the rest of the night.

Grinderman – “No Pussy Blues”

When to sing:  When you’ve squeezed the last ounce of pathos out of  ”Just a Gigolo”, and you’ve just gotta lay down some real talk with the bar.

Make sure to: Never unclench your teeth throughout the whole song — that’s part one of the Nick Cave impression. This is part two.

Guided By Voices – “Tractor Rape Chain”

When to sing: When you think you’re as drunk as Robert Pollard would be.

Make sure to: Elucidate to the DJ (and audience) that the word in questions is (probably) referring to parallel lines made by a tractor in a rapeseed field. Or not — your call.

Hasil Adkins – “She Said”

When to sing: After some rye whiskey, moonshine, or corn liquor.

Make sure to: Not memorize the lyrics, but memorize how Adkins says the words, which will be no where near how they are supposed to sound. The whole thing will work better if you pronounce “head” like “hayee.”

Hunx and His Punx – “U Don’t Like Rock N Roll”

When to sing: Immediately after some group of moms sings “I Love Rock  Roll”. That would be great.

Make sure to:  Wear a bedazzled leather jacket. Pants optional.

Interpol – “Obstacle #1″

When to sing: When you’re wearing black suit, shirt and tie, and you’re totally ready to make the same note that spans over 50% of the song interesting.

Make sure to: Import Carlos D’s New York Doesn’t Really Care swagger.

Islands – “Rough Gem”

When to sing: After someone sings Whitesnake or Dokken or Aerosmith — when things are decidedly un-twee.

Make sure to: Play air piano on those three timeless piano plunks on the chorus.

Jamie Lidell – “Multiply”

When to sing: When you want to sing  Jamiroquai’s “Canned Heat” but don’t want to hear anyone say “Why didn’t you do the Napolean Dynamite dance?”

Make sure to: Right after you fling your leopard-print suit-jacket on and take one last sip of your dirty martini. Study up on Lidell’s dance moves.

Janelle Monáe feat. Big Boi – “Tightrope”

When to sing: Two or three times a night is totally acceptable.

Make sure to:  Put in the version with the rap in it. I’m sure they have it, but you don’t want to get all “Waterfalls (No Rap)” on the mic. Also, put some voodoo on it, yeah?

Jay Reatard  - “It Ain’t Gonna Save Me”

When to sing: If you’re feeling like Jay, or if you’re feeling like a tribute to Jay.

Make sure to: Have a lot of fun singing a really, really dismal, depressing song.

Jeff Buckley – “Grace”

When to sing: On a night where you truly think that you can sing this. Which means you’re a ringer and you don’t really belong at the karaoke joint, or your liquid courage has overcome your actual talent. Also acceptable: on a $50 dare.

Make sure to: If nothing else, if you punt the riffing or that high G and make Buckley roll over in his grave, just make sure you hit the last little vocal riff — it’s just too perfect.

Jens Lekman – “The Opposite of Hallelujah”

When to sing: After a glass of champagne or two, when those bubbles start to go to your head and put a spring in your step. You’ll need it for those tambourines and handclaps.

Make sure to: Mime picking up a seashell to illustrate your homelessness. You can be the crab, too, if you feel so inclined.

The Jesus Lizard – “Seasick”

When to sing: Preferably after someone sings “Piano Man”, or something really just bad. Show them what bad really means.

Make sure to: Bow/curtsey gracefully when you’re done. Expect it to go something like this. If it’s not going like that, you’re doing it wrong.

Joanna Newsom – “Inflammatory Writ”

When to sing: When you’re wearing a flowery dress and want to be the first person to sing the words “poetaster” and “ululate” in a bar.

Make sure to: It’s got the swagger of a great drinking song, so hoist your stein and rock to and fro, and sing heartily about mollusks’ weddings and writers’ block.

Joy Division – “Transmission”

When to sing:  Because it’s not really a participation song and, depending on where you take it, more of a performance, doing this early in the night is advisable, odd as it may seem.

Make sure to: Not mimic Ian Curtis’ dance moves. You can’t do them, and may god help you if you get laughs. Totally cool to be inspired by Curtis, though.

The Knife – “Heartbeats”

When to sing: After everyone’s had enough clear, expensive drinks to get down to this sultry slow burner.

Make sure to: Not pick the Jose Gonzalez version and get all “Blower’s Daughter” on everyone.

Kurt Vile – “Freak Train”

When to sing: When you want to transfer your drunken ramblings from the bar to the mic. In fact, you could have never heard this song and as long as you’re all-in on the lyrics, it will be fantastic.

Make sure to:  Just walk right into a cab when you’re done singing because you shouldn’t be fit to drink anymore.

Lana Del Ray – “Video Games”

When to sing: It’s you, it’s you, it’s all for you.

Make sure to: Everything you do, you tell me all the time.

LCD Soundsystem – “Drunk Girls”

When to sing: When you hear someone of any sex go, “Oh my god where did Chrissy even go?” and when you got a posse behind you to to shout “drunk girls” and “drunk boys.”

Make sure to: BYO Sennheiser 509.

Lush – “Ciao! (feat. Jarvis Cocker)”

When to sing:  When you’re sick of duets that only serve to profess two people’s Endless Love for one another and you want one that’s just full of bile and vitriol.

Make sure to: If you want, play the opposite emotion, like the audition scene from Mulholland Dr!

M.O.P. – “Ante Up”

When to sing: When the “Scenario” call-and-response just doesn’t seem hard enough.

Make sure to: Go so hard. If you’re not aggro-rapping like Billy Danze and Lil’ Fame, you will fall into another terrible hip-hop karaoke performance so ante up.

Mclusky – “Lightsabre Cocksucking Blues”

When to sing:  When no one can see, or hear, and it’s the end of the world and you’re ushering everyone to their graves with the karaoke version of “Nearer My God To Thee”.

Make sure to:  Intone “sell me to wonderluuust” like Andy Falkous does.

Misfits – “Where Eagles Dare”

When to sing: After doing a “waterfall” with your group because you signed them up for this and they’re all going to…

Make sure to:  Huddle around the mic, arms around each other, and show everyone what a drunken group shout song really sounds like.

Mission of Burma – “That’s When I Reached For My Revolver”

When to sing:  Since it doesn’t have the bite that some of these other post-punk numbers do, you can sing it early and embrace that final chorus in arena-karaoke fashion.

Make sure to:  Not pick the Moby version. Ahh, that’s not a half-bad version.

The Mountain Goats – “This Year”

When to sing: When the taste of scotch is rich on your tongue, naturally.

Make sure to:  To do that little “ahha” thing before “listen to the engine whine.” And, make it through this night, if it kills you.

My Morning Jacket – “Gideon”

When to sing: Probably one of the hardest songs on this list, so you could really bring the place down if you’re aligned for it. If you got that high note, go for it anytime, and show that dude who just did “With Or Without You” what the deal is.

Make sure to:  Remember that you can hit the super high note like Jim James does live  – just scream that sawngun out.

The National – “Mr. November”

When to sing: This fall seems to be another perfect time, no?

Make sure to: Amble through the crowd really slowly, steadily stepping on tables and chairs, and if you run into a tiny girl in the bar, do this.

Neutral Milk Hotel – “Song Against Sex”

When to sing: When you want to sing “Too Drunk To Fuck” but you don’t have the drugs to take to soothe  your mind — you’re always sober.

Make sure to: To preface your performance by alerting the audience that there will be strictly be no video recording or photography of any kind. In fact, you should probably be doing that before every song anyway.

The New Pornographers – “Bleeding Heart Show”

When to sing: When you have a cast of at least A.C. Newman, Neko Case, Kathryn Calder, and Dan Bejar to join up for the “Hey la’s”, a crucial moment that cannot be left to the karaoke track.

Make sure to: Just give the guy who’s playing Dan Bejar a tambourine and a drink. He doesn’t need to be on stage the whole time.

Nick Lowe – “I Love The Sound Of Breaking Glass”

When to sing: Such a great lead-off song, or you could win the night if you can get the DJ to give you a fast pass to the mic right after someone breaks a pint glass.

Make sure to: Bring your drink up there and then either pretend to drop it and laugh it off and wink, or throw it to the ground and stare directly at the audience and stand perfectly still until you are escorted from the stage.

Of Montreal – “Gronlandic Edit”

When to sing: To make an entrance upon arriving at the bar, as the beat is conducive to Night at the Roxbury-style head-bobbing and/or your own personalized moonwalk. With moves like those, you’ll get mic priority in no time.

Make sure to: Bring some friends in a boys’ choir to sing the high falsetto.

Okkervil River – “Lost Coastlines”

When to sing:  At the peak of the night — only because I think this is one of the better karaoke songs. It’s got the makings of one of those “gather ’round, we’re doing ‘Lost Coastlines’” vibes.

Make sure to: Use the little instrumental break that everyone in the bar has to sing the “La, la, la la la la,” part that’s coming up. It’s such a perfect place to explain it.

Patti Smith – “Free Money”

When to sing: Be true to Patti and do it sober!

Make sure to: Not go all Natalie Merchant/10,000 Maniacs on this one — your melody rides the feeling.

Pavement – “Unfair”

When to sing: When you’re at a place on the Sunset Strip and you don’t want to sing “AEnima” again because no one really got it the first time.

Make sure to: Bring out those Malkmus histrionics and also let the DJ know that there really should be like every Pavement song in this book.

Peaches – “Fuck the Pain Away”

When to sing:  When the idea of singing “Closer” seems too dominant and chauvinistic, and you want something a little more coquettish and submissive, yet just as fucking graphic.

Make sure to: Go in knowing that you’re about to say “Fuck the Pain Away” 24 times, and pray for semantic satiation.

The Pharcyde – “Oh Shit”

When to sing: When you want to sing “Things That Make You Go Hmmmm” but you’ve got a team of tenors with you.

Make sure to: Just get a lady to sing Slimkid3′s verse because come on.

Pixies – “Hey”

When to sing: Directly before or after someone sings The Breeders – ”One Divine Hammer”.

Make Sure To: Interact with the singer of “One Divine Hammer”. This is your future wife, or at the very least you should start a band together.

PJ Harvey – “Words that Maketh Murder”

When to sing: When you’re pretty sure everyone’s either ready to go get eggs at the local diner, or you’re desperately seeking the attention of the guy or girl wearing brown and black in the corner next to The Addams Family pinball game.

Make sure to: Start loud, get soft, and then just sort of decide whether you want to finish loud or just repeat the harmonies or pass out.

Portishead – “All Mine”

When to sing: It’s such a James Bond-y torch song – the one that can bring you glory and fame – depending on your skill set.  After midnight, to be sure, and after you’ve told seven different men your seven different names.

Make sure to:  Ask if, just this once, you can smoke in here.

R. Kelly – “Trapped In The Closet”

When to sing: This for the KJ. If you’re ever a KJ, what you do is you learn the first 10 or so parts to this magnum opus and interpolate them throughout the night. This really is the best thing a KJ could do.

Make sure to: Pull out your beretta when things get heated.

The Rapture – “Out Of The Races And Onto The Tracks”

When to sing: After the idea of impressing people with your voice has long since faded, and you believe you can entertain the masses by doing one simple thing:

Make sure to: Shake shake shake shake shake shake shake shake shake shake.

Regina Spektor – “Your Honor”

When to sing: Trying to explain to the bouncer that your belligerently drunk friend is just “fighting for your honor” and/or distract the bouncer by creating the first Regina Spektor-inspired mosh pit ever.

Make sure to: Grab an unsuspecting audience member to forcefully air-kiss.

The Replacements – “Bastards of Young”

When to sing: Right after a heated argument about what you’re doing with your life, or HBO’s Girls. The kind of performance you give will hang on how drunk you are — but that’s kind of the point with The Mats.

Make sure to: Tell the DJ that he should have literally every Replacements song in the book.

Rilo Kiley – “Silver Lining”

When to sing: You’ve been politely shot down by the fourth cute guy you’ve approached at the bar- is it your fault they’re all “seeing someone”?- and you want to show all those guys what they’re missing.

Make sure to: Not confuse it with “Dreams”. Trust me, those chord changes really sound the same, especially after one drink too many.

Rufus Wainwright — “14th Street”

When to sing: After a bottle of wine, and when you’re in any city with a gridded downtown, doesn’t matter how big.

Make sure to: Play up Wainwright’s slur if you have to and find that perfect three-glasses-of-wine legato.

Ryan Adams – “Halloweenhead”

When to sing: It doesn’t have to be October to chant this one across the bar. Be ironic, or find your inner Jack Skellington, and belt this out at Christmas shindigs everywhere.

Make sure to: ”Guitar solo!”

Scott Walker – “Jackie”

When to sing: When you can see the bottom of your first elderflower cocktail, and after you place a mint leaf behind your ear.

Make sure to: Indicate just as much, if not more, than Walker does in the above video. “My beard so very long and flowing” being one example of a shining moment for pantomime.

The Shins – “Gone For Good”

When to sing: A perfect song for an afternoon karaoke session, or one of your first songs.

Make sure to: Bring a friend who can do those harmonies cause they’re so breezy.

Silver Jews – “Punks In The Beerlight”

When to sing: Right before you propose to your burnout girlfriend.

Make sure to: Bring your punk up there with you.

Sleater-Kinney – “Dig Me Out”

When to sing: After you’ve grown tired of the same polite rebuffs you’ve been giving all night and want to transform your face into a giant “back the hell up off” sign.

Make sure to:  Furrow the brow, clench the mic, and curtsy at the end.

Sleigh Bells – “Rill Rill”

When to sing: When you want everyone to get up and sway together without singing “Time of Your Life”. Once that Funkadelic sample kicks in, it’s only natural.

Make sure to: Wear just one fingerless glove and a string of bullets, if you’ve got ‘em.

Spoon – “The Underdog”

When to sing: You’re sloppy, stained with kisses, and your high school girlfriend you haven’t spoken to in over a decade has just walked through the door.

Make sure to: Take a page or two from Tom Jones – dance, dance, dance with the horns!

The Strokes – “15 Minutes”

When to sing: That one night you decide to be bold and wear the leather jacket, despite the fact that your friends all joke around and call you “The Fonz.”

Make sure to: Stay focused, despite that dreamy guitar solo, watch for the changes, and try to keep up at the end.

Sufjan Stevens – “John Wayne Gacy, Jr.”

When to sing:  When you’re sure that you can come back from it. This is for advanced artists only.

Make sure to:  …I don’t even know. I just kind of want to hear someone sing it and just live in whatever weird moment that it manifests forever.

Supergrass – “Alright”

When to sing: Someone’s brought up at least one reference to Alicia Silverstone, Brittany Murphy, Jeremy Sisto, or anything having to do with 1995′s Clueless.

Make sure to: Really belt out “But we are young!”, especially if it’s your 30th birthday.

Tapes ‘n’ Tapes – “Insistor”

When to sing:  When you want to sing Violent Femmes, but you’d rather sing a song about being a badger. The song has a great arc to it, so it should take care of itself.

Make sure to: Add that big scream in the final chorus.

Television – “See No Evil”

When to sing:  Right after the girl who sang Patti Smith asked you, “So, what are you singing?”

Make sure to:  Turn in your best Tom Verlaine impression (sing everything just a little behind the beat), and bring a beer to drink during that killer guitar solo.

The-Dream – “Yamaha”

When to sing:  When you want to branch out from your Prince standards, and “Darling Nikki”.

Make sure to:  Wear your motorcycle jacket, and take some names, lil’ mama.

The Thermals – “Here’s Your Future”

When to sing: On the eve of any Catholic-related holiday.

Make sure to: Keep the nasal passages clear; otherwise, you’ll have everyone asking what Springsteen song this is.

Titus Andronicus – “No Future Part Three: Escape From No Future”

When to sing:  After a three-Jameson rocks, and you get the idea that the only way anyone will like you tonight is if you bring everyone down to your level.

Make sure to:  Plant some ringers in the audience for the “You will always be a loser” part, and if you get everyone singing at the end you’ll be a karaoke loser forever.

Tom Waits – “I Hope That I Don’t Fall In Love With You”

When to sing: When the night is squinting back at you, and there’s only about five people in the bar, and the bartender is wiping down the bar half-interested in what you’re doing.

Make sure to:  At the end, tell everyone to tip their bartenders.

tUnE-yArDs – “Bizness”

When to sing: Like “Tightrope”, as often as possible.  

Make sure to: BYO face paint, and see if you can find a way to do that vibrato thing Merril does at the start of the second verse.

TV On The Radio – “Wolf Like Me”

When to sing: After a spirited conversation about what, ultimately, is the best TV On The Radio song.

Make sure to: Put in a good argument for “Wolf Like Me”.

The Velvet Underground – “Beginning To See The Light”

When to sing: When your night is striking a nice balance somewhere between Loaded and White Light/White Heat.

Make sure to: Just make up whatever melody/words you want during the verse.

The Weeknd – “Wicked Games”

When to sing: When you want to bring the sexual tension from “girl look at that cute guy” to “this is unbearable and I have to leave.”

Make sure to:  Not even attempt this if you can’t hit those high notes. Consult friends before singing and listen to them if they laugh at you.

Whiskeytown – “Excuse Me While I Break My Own Heart Tonight”

When to sing: When you’re drunk enough that your country roots start to show, but are still aware that you’re singing Ryan Adams.

Make sure to: Add that twang that Ryan Adams used to do.

Why? – “The Hallows”

When to sing: When you want to get back to the proto-hipster, and drop some fantastic white-boy rhymes on the mic.

Make sure to: Preface this song by “You’ve probably never heard of these guys” just for old-time’s sake.

Wilco – “Monday”

When to sing: After a couple of PBRs and after someone asks you if you know any country songs other than that Ryan Adams guy.

Make sure to: Infer that you do know more country songs, but few are as great as “Monday”.

Wild Flag – “Romance”

When to sing: I know it’s a new song in the canon, but really, when is there not a good time to sing this song?

Make sure to: Air-guitar throughout and slyly note to passersby that you saw Sleater-Kinney live before they split. Like, during the song.

Wire – “Ex Lion Tamer”

When to sing:  After you get done complaining about HBO’s Girls for the last hour and just want to grab everyone by the collars, and scream some metaphors in their faces. This is not an uncommon emotion.

Make sure to: Bring up a hype-man for the extra punch off from the mic when you sing the echo lines in the verse.

Wolf Parade – “This Heart’s On Fire”

When to sing: After about a pack of cigarettes into the night.

Make sure to: Leave absolutely all of it on stage.

Following in the footsteps of Josh Homme, The Black Keys will appear the next episode of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations. As you can see in a teaser video, the band goes on a lunch date at Woodyard Bar-B-Que in Kansas City, after picking up Bourdain in the El Camino van. The full episode will air this Monday, April 16th.

Lollapalooza 2012 takes places August 3-5th in Chicago’s Grant Park. According to Chicago Sun-Times, Black Sabbath will top this year’s bill, performing their only North American tour date of 2012. They’ll be joined by fellow headliners Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jack White, The Black Keys, Justice, and Avicii.

Other heavyweights include At the Drive-In, Sigur Rós, Florence and the Machine, The Shins, The Afghan Whigs, The Weeknd, M83, Passion Pit, Bloc Party, Franz Ferdinand, Frank Ocean, Childish Gambino, Miike Snow, The Gaslight Anthem, Alabama Shakes, J. Cole, and Metric.

Also playing are Delta Spirit, tUnE-yArDs, The Tallest Man on Earth, Die Antwoord, Dr. Dog, Dawes, SBTRKT, The Walkmen, Neon Indian, Gary Clark Jr., Sharon Van Etten, Polica, The War on Drugs, Doomtree, White Rabbits, Washed Out, Of Monsters and Men, Tame Impala, Bowerbirds, The Temper Trap, The Black Angels, Bear In Heaven, Chairlift, Oberhofer, First Aid Kit, and JEFF the Brotherhood.

The festival’s electronic stage, Perry’s, will also return, boasting a lineup that includes Bassnectar, Kaskade, Santigold, Calvin Harris, Nero, Knife Party, Little Dragon, Skream & Benga, Zeds Dead, Big Gigantic, Sub Focus, Porter Robinson, and Star Slinger.

Three-day and VIP passes are currently on sale via the festival’s website.

Last month – that’s March, if you’re out of the loop – festival season officially ignited. As such, our feet shuffled away from the desks and into the sun and sweat. We were everywhere that had a festival: Cypress Hill Smokeout in San Bernardino, CA; Orange You Glad Festival in Orlando, FL; South by Southwest in Austin, TX; and Ultra Music Festival in Miami, FL. Then there were the dozens of tours that came through our respective hometowns, too. It would be pretty asinine to collate all of that excitement into just ten of our favorite photos, but hey, that’s what we did.

Event: Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire @ South by Southwest 2012
Photographer: Michael Roffman
What Michael Says: “It all happened so fast.”

Event: Wavves @ South by Southwest 2012
Photographer: Jeremy D. Larson
What Jeremy Says: “Nathan looked down at me and said ‘Sorry is this bothering you?’ I said ‘No’. Thirty seconds later, that joint was in my hand.”

Event: Ezra Furman @ South by Southwest 2012
Photographer: Heather Kaplan
What Heather Says: “Ezra Furman’s to-do list at the CoS showcase ran a little something like this: 1) soundcheck, 2) remove clothing, 3) pick up guitar and play. After the initial surprise wore off, our sock-and-skivvied troubadour treated the crowd to a heartfelt, raw, vulnerable acoustic set.”

Event: Free Energy @ South by Southwest 2012
Photographer: Heather Kaplan
What Heather Says: “Due to circumstances beyond their control (seriously!), Free Energy watched as time ticked away on the curfew clock. With their set time cut to about half, Paul Sprangers and co. attacked the stage with intensity, reinvigorating the crowd (including your exhausted photographer) and ending the night on a high note.”

Event: Grimes @ South by Southwest 2012
Photographer: Harley Brown
What Harley Says: “Grimes is the not-so-secret reason I attended Fiona Apple’s Pitchfork showcase at SXSW. Crouching with the other photographers before Central Presbyterian Church’s cavernous “stage,” I was almost too entranced to catch this shot of Claire Boucher’s intimate relationship with her synthesizer.”

Event: The Black Keys at Madison Square Garden (3/22)
Photographer: Harley Brown
What Harley Says: “Dan Auerbach’s magnetic stage presence, which strikes that tenuous balance between dynamic and still enough for a decent shot, proves irresistible to snap-happy photographers. The three-dimensional blue lighting and red-tinted projections of The Black Keys in the background makes Auerbach’s yowl in this image almost pop off the page.”

Event: Andrew W.K. at The Riviera in Chicago (3/26)
Photographer: Joshua Mellin
What Joshua Says: “Known for his stained white washed uniform, Andrew W.K. may not promise much, but he delivers a raging party in full. A blur of a photo pit, what I remember most was the wafting smell of hair spray, alcohol, and sweat.”

Event: New Order @ Ultra Music Festival 2012
Photographer: Cap Blackard
What Cap Says: “New Order played Ultra as the sun set on downtown Miami. Capturing the city skyline, with a picturesque accompaniment palm trees, in Bernard Sumner’s mirrored lenses couldn’t have been more perfect.”

Event: Concertgoer @ Ultra Music Festival 2012
Photographer: Cap Blackard
What Cap Says: “We must’ve looked like narcs wandering from the live stage into the rave crowd snapping photos, but this girl didn’t care. Vic’s Vapor stick in hand, pacifier in mouth, she was filled with nothing but positive energy and a big fan of bright flashes.”

Event: Ty Segall @ Burgerama 2012
Photographer: Ted Maider
What Ted Says: “Whenever you’re at a punk show, you always have to be on your toes. You just never know when a guitarist might dive into the crowd with an instrument in hand.”

The inaugural Firefly Music Festival will set up shop at Delaware’s Dover International Speedway from July 20-22nd. According to Delaware Online’s Pulp Culture, Jack White, The Killers, and The Black Keys top the lineup and they’ll be joined by Death Cab For Cutie, The Flaming Lips, John Legend, Passion Pit, and Girl Talk.

Also playing are Cake, Lupe Fiasco, OK Go, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Young the Giant, Cold War Kids, The Wallflowers, The Head and the Heart, Grouplove, Tinie Tempah, Cults, Heartless Bastards, Ra Ra Riot, The Felice Brothers, Charles Bradley and His Extraordinaires, Mayer Hawthrone & The County, Mariachi El Bronx, Kids These Days, Bombay Bicycle Club, and Penguin Prison, among others.

Three-day passes (priced at $178) go on sale Thursday, April 5th via the festival’s website. On-site camping will be offered.

Last night, The Black Keys and Arctic Monkeys played their second show in a month at Madison Square Garden due to overwhelming demand. Hot on the heels of last year’s critically acclaimed El Camino and Suck It And See, respectively, the two bands- who seemed pleased to be back- put on blinding light and sound shows worthy of a victory lap. Arctic Monkeys opened the show with “Brianstorm”, frontman Alex Turner setting off head-banging singalongs in the VIP section when he mugged for the microphone and strutted his stuff on stage. The Black Keys followed dramatic suit, projecting real-time images of their performing selves on giant screens behind them as they blasted through newer tracks like “Dead and Gone” and “Run Right Back”. If you couldn’t snag tickets for either show, check out photos from the concert below.

[nggallery id=340]

New York City has a new music festival: The inaugural Catalpa Festival runs July 28-29h at Randall’s Island, with a lineup boasting heavyweights like The Black Keys, TV on the Radio, and Snoop Dogg, who will perform his standout 1993 debut, Doggystyle, in its entirety.

Also playing are Umphrey’s McGee, Felix da Housecat, araabMUZIK, The Big Pink, City and Colour, and Fort Atlantic. In all, some fifty acts will appear this year’s festival, traversing many styles and genres from rock and indie to hip-hop, reggae and the world of electronic music, according to the festival’s website.

In addition, the festival promises a number of other amenities, including the Inflatable Church of Sham Marriages (the title says it all), a silent disco tent, bumper cars, and a number of art installation and local restaurants.

Early-bird weekend and VIP passes are now available via the festival’s website.

The Osheaga Music and Arts Festival returns to Montreal’s Parc Jean-Drapeau from August 3-5th. The Black Keys, Snoop Dogg, Sigur Rós, and Justice top this year’s bill, and they’ll be joined by MGMT, Florence and the Machine, The Weeknd, Bloc Party, M83, Franz Ferdinand, Metric, and Garbage.

Also playing are Passion Pit, Yeasayer, City and Colour, Brand New, Young the Giant, Portugal. the Man, The Walkmen, ASAP Rocky, Zola Jesus, Atlas Sound, Amadou & Mariam, Black Lips, Little Dragon, Calexico, The Black Angels, Gary Clark Jr., The Ravonettes, Of Monsters and Men, Kathleen Edwards, Austra, Tame Impala, Zeus, The Death Set, Freelance Whales, Michael Kiwanuka, Bombay Bicycle Club, Plants and Animals, Madeon, and Zeds Dead, among others. Check out the lineup in poster form below.

Additional acts and the daily lineup will be revealed in April, and you can stay up to date with all the latest Osheaga news at our Festival Outlook.

Three-day passes will go on sale Friday, March 23rd at Noon ET. Visit the festival’s website for complete ticketing info.

Osheaga Music and Arts Festival returns to Montreal’s Parc Jean-Drapeau for its sixth iteration from August 3-5th. As per the festival’s Twitter account, The Black Keys will serve as headliners. The duo join Young the Giant as the only two acts confirmed for the event. Stay tuned for more as it’s revealed.

With Record Store Day 2012 now just seven weeks away (April 21st), a number of artists and record labels have begun to reveal their plans for music’s new favorite holiday. Here’s a recap of the some the more notable releases already announced:

– The Black Keys will release their latest LP, El Camino, as a deluxe vinyl. This RSD exclusive package also contains a bonus CD, a limited edition poster, and a two song 45 rpm 7″ single featuring previously unreleased live tracks: “Sister” and “Money Maker.”

– Mastodon has two releases planned: A split 7″ single with Feist, which features Mastodon covering the Feist song “A Commotion”, while Feist covers Mastodon’s “Black Tongue. Mastodon also contributes a cover of The Flaming Lips’ “A Spoonful Weighs a Ton”, which will be released on 7″ baby pink vinyl single as part of the Side By Side Series.

– Arcade Fire will release Damian Taylor’s remixes of “Sprawl II” and “Ready to Start” on special edition 12″ vinyl.

– Detroyer will re-release his 2006 album, Destroyer’s Rubies, on vinyl for the first time in the U.S. Available through Merge Records, the package also includes a bonus track “Loscil’s Rubies”, a 20-minute long bonus song remixed by Scott Morgan, and a digital download of the album. The vinyl will be available in ruby red.

– Neon Indian will release “Hex Girlfriend”, b/w a Twin Shadow remix of the song, on 10″ vinyl.

– Metallica will release their new EP, Beyond Magnetic, on 12″ colored vinyl.

– M. Ward will release his new single “Primitive Girl”, b/w “The Twist” and a cover of Chuck Berry’s “Roll Over Beethoven”, on 7″ vinyl.

– The Tallest Man on Earthwill release a 12″ single comprised of “King of Spain” b/w a cover of Paul Simon’s “Graceland” and his own “Where I Thought I Met the Angels”.

– Red Hot Chili Peppers will re-release the deluxe 180 gram vinyl box set of their 2006 album Stadium Arcadium. Specially priced for Record Store Day, the deluxe package was mastered for vinyl by Steve Hoffman and includes two 16-page booklets – “Jupiter” and “Mars”.

– Also from the Side by Side Series, Sara Watkins will release a cover of The Everly Brothers classic “You’re The One I Love”, with guest vocals from Fiona Apple.

– Xiu Xiu and Dirty Beaches will team up for a split 7″, which features Xiu Xiu covering Erasure’s 1994 ballad “Always”, and Dirty Beaches reinterpreting ”Tu Ne Dis Rien” by French pop singer Françoise Hardy.

In addition,Wax Poetic reports the following releases will also see light on Record Store Day (we’ve yet to confirm these releases independently):

– Ryan Adams will release a 7″ single comprised of two Bob Mould covers, “Heartbreak a Stranger”, and “Black Sheets of Rain”, taken from the recent Bon Mould tribute concert in Los Angeles.

– Sufjan Stevens will join forces with Rosie Thomas for a split single, featuring the songs “Where Were You” and “Here I Am”.

– St. Vincent will put out a 7″ vinyl featuring two unreleased tracks: “Krokodil” b/w “Grot”.

– Andrew Bird will release a 7″ single featuring his covers of Alpha Consumer’s “The Crown Salesman” and “Handsome Family’s “So Much Wine”.

– David Bowie’s 1972 single “Starman” will be released on picture disc 7″ vinyl, and will come back with an unreleased b-side from the recently surfaced Tops of Pops performance.

“I’m looking for something that’ll…break through. You know?” James Woods’ Max Renn yearns in David Cronenberg’s 1983 cult classic Videodrome. Oh, how things have changed. In today’s day and age, we’ve already drowned in media. It’s swallowed us. We’re nothing but a bubble amidst one infinite, engulfing abyss. Intimidated? You should be. With each passing second, you’re losing opportunities to take advantage of a culture that’s moving ahead and at an exhausting rate. You could very well be alone…left behind…abandoned. Terrified yet? Yes? Well, that’s more like it.

-Michael Roffman
President/Editor-in-Chief

Bad Veins – “Dancing on TV”

This clip from Bad Veins is equal parts tribute to the late, great Don Cornelius and A-ha’s “Take On Me”. How often can you say that about a music video?

The Black Keys – “Gold on the Ceiling”

The latest from Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney is the visual approximation of a band taking a well-deserved victory lap after having one hell of a past couple years. Cushy recording studios, massive wardrobes, photo shoots – it’s all there. Congrats boys, you’re officially rock stars.

Coldplay – “Charlie Brown”

Who knew parkour was still a thing? I guess when Coldplay is playing at an underground warehouse in your town, all of the normal modes of transportation get thrown out the window.

Cults – “You Know What I Mean”

In this video, Brian Oblivion of Cults doesn’t simply let one body-scaring stunt gone wrong end his fictional career as a daredevil. Instead, he hops right back onto the horse (or rather, the ladder) and risks his life to impress the girl of his fancy.

Drake – “Practice”

When most of us walk into a hotel room, there’s usually only a maid tidying up. When Drake walks into a hotel room, he finds…well, just watch it. First make sure your mom or any co-workers aren’t around though.

Jonquil – “It’s My Part”

This video combines three things: pizza, animal masks, and bull riding. In case you were wondering…yes, the result is as awesome as it sounds.

Madonna (feat. Nicki Minaj & M.I.A.) – “Gimme All Your Luvin”

Maybe a few of you have heard this one? To be honest, if I were ever featured in a video as unbearably corny and mindlessly bubblegum as this, I’d probably want to flip off the entire world too.

M.I.A. – “Bad Girls”

I guess Maya’s parents never told her to wear her seat belt when she was younger. Hey, at least no little kids got blown up this time.

Rick Ross – “Yella Diamonds”

As good as this track is, I’m still not sure how I feel about the fact that something that simply cuts back and forth from a vodka ad to a simulated rape scene passes as a hip-hop music video these days. Am I the only one who thinks the home invasion portion goes on maybe just a little too long?

St. Vincent – “Cheerleader”

We all know that Ms. Annie Clark “don’t wanna be a cheerleader no more,” but in this new video she apparently isn’t a big fan of being a giant-sized human art exhibit either. After breaking out of her binds King Kong-style, she unfortunately crumbles apart like a marble sculpture before she can make it to the Empire State Building.

The Black Keys have unleashed the video for “Gold on the Ceiling”, the second single off last year’s El Camino. It features footage from the album’s record release show in New York City last December. Watch it below.

Coachella’s 2012 lineup is officially one day old and that means it’s time for some post-reveal analysis. In the pages that follow, we run through the biggest highlights and surprises appearing on this year’s bill, in addition to the most glaring omissions. We also highlight five names worth knowing as you prepare for April’s big weekend(s).

Highlights

At the Drive-In

Best known as the duo behind prog-psych wunderkinds The Mars Volta, Omar Rodríguez-López and Cedrix Bixler-Zavala got their start as At The Drive-In, easily the best relic of the late ’90s’ post-hardcore wave. Since they disbanded way back in 2001, the band has been a regular fixture on fake Coachella lineup posters and “heavily rumored” blog lists nearly every year since. Despite the persistent rumors, the band remained officially broken up until yesterday afternoon, just hours before Coachella’s lineup dropped. As of now, ATDI’s Sunday night slot at the Polo Fields is currently their only scheduled date. Let’s make it count! –Möhammad Choudhery

Jeff Mangum

Notorious recluse and indie icon Jeff Mangum is unexpectedly, inexplicably back. It’s only been in the last year-ish that Mangum has started playing Neutral Milk Hotel tracks after over a decade of silence, so any chance to see him play is noteworthy. Given that his highly intimate gigs for 2012 have all sold out, his addition is more or less a bargain. For two weekends? It’s certainly the best anyone’s ever had, at least for him. -Ben Kaye

Pulp

Photo by Colin Athens

The absence of Pulp at Coachella and other American festivals last year was a noticeable one. Resolution finally came shortly before the lineup’s revelation, when Pulp’s official site was updated with a new series of cryptic questions before revealing their Coachella appearances: “You think you get off that lightly? You think this is over? There are so many questions left unanswered: Can this feeling travel across the Atlantic? Can we make the desert bloom? Can we conquer our phobias? And – most fundamentally: Why me? Why you? Why here? Why now? 2012: The year we get some answers?” If their long-awaited return to American shores is half as explosive as their singalong-stuffed Primavera comeback, then yes, the desert will, in fact, bloom as Pulp finally bring their sardonic wit and inimitable brand of showmanship to Coachella for what just might be both the first and last time. -Frank Mojica

Radiohead

Photo by Nate Slevin

Back in 2004, Radiohead headlined Coachella. Since then, the Coachella Message Board has been flooded with requests, all screaming for Thom Yorke & Co’s to return. What a year to book them. With minimal presence on stage in 2011 – save for a surprise set at Glastonbury, Saturday Night Live, and a couple nights in New York City – Radiohead plans to attack 2012 in full force, already set for a nationwide tour that promises an intense arena show. Admittedly, the UK sensation’s latest LP, The King of Limbs, isn’t exactly desert-primed, but you can’t deny the toe-numbing excitement of seeing Yorke lose his shit to “Lotus Flower” in the desert. Buy me a bottle of water for that. Pretty please. -Michael Roffman

The Weeknd

Three acclaimed mixtapes. Little to no live work. Mystery loves company, and for Abel Tesfaye, he’s hardly alone. Why? Blame it on the voice. That could explain the thousands of intrigued fans come April 15th. But, will he deliver? Too early to tell, and it’s unfair to judge based on the scant performances from 2011. Besides, he hasn’t even assembled his full band yet. In fact, he’s holding auditions currently. So, if you think you could lend him a hand (and you want to perform at Coachella), send him an e-mail now. Just don’t screw up that scintillating cover of Jacko’s “Dirty Diana”. That could ruin our own – wait for it – weekend. Ha. Ha. Ha. -Michael Roffman

Surprises

The Black Keys

Photo by Debi Del Grande

Perhaps the most flagrant festival whores on this list, The Black Keys – who’ve played three of the last four Coachellas – were widely considered a long shot to headline in 2012, if only for Goldenvoice’s penchant against booking repeat performers. Lo and behold, they’re sitting pretty atop Friday’s lineup and, as good as El Camino was, few could complain. -Möhammad Choudhery

Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg

Aside from Refused appearing out of thin air, this may be the most shocking addition to the bill. Nowhere in the oft-hostile Coachella rumor boards were either of these names mentioned. And why should they have been? Dre’s Detox has yet to come to fruition after years of rumors (his headlining will no doubt add to those endless rumors of its completion), and Snoop Dogg hardly has the star power to headline a bill at Coachella by himself. But together as two of the most rugged pioneers of West Coast hip-hop? That’s a set worth seeing. -Winston Robbins

Godspeed You! Black Emperor

Nothing short of seeing Godspeed You! Black Emperor on an official line-up poster would’ve made me believe this one. Infamous for their staunch anti-establishment bent, Godspeed’s Saturday night at Coachella is their first major festival appearance to date (aside from a couple of appearances at ATP over the years). Though it’s been nearly a decade since they last released new material, the band’s 2010 tour saw them premiere a handful of new pieces, namely the riveting “Hope Drone”. The jury’s still out on how the group’s understated dramatics will stand up to the Sahara Tent’s insufferable, non-stop rumble and the notoriously raucous Coachella crowd. -Möhammad Choudhery

Jeff Mangum

On paper, a name like Jeff Mangum works wonders for posters and festivalgoers’ wishlists. But, realistically, did anyone ever think that would happen? It’s one thing to slot Magnum at a venue-centric festival like ATP, but to hear the ol’ bard belt out “Holland, 1945″ in 100+ degree weather, potentially to half of the cast from CW’s Gossip Girl, well…you get the idea. But it’s a reality. Sigh, the world was bound to find its eighth wonder one day or another. April 14th and April 21st of 2012, to be exact. -Michael Roffman

Refused

This reunion definitely comes out of nowhere, but there are a lot of hardcore punk fans more than thrilled the Swedish anarchists are coming together. The band’s official statement said they “never did The Shape of Punk to Come justice back when it came out” and now they want to “do it over, do it right.” Playing the songs in front of tens of thousands of fans at the polo grounds is one way to do it right. Even if they may lose a few anti-establishment points for it. -Nick Freed

Omissions

Björk

This one’s easy. Not only did Björk release a critically-acclaimed LP last year (Biophilia), but she also just announced a residency in New York City. So, clearly she’s gigging. Yes, she did appear at Coachella in 2007, though that frame of thinking didn’t stop Goldenvoice from booking The Black Keys (again, again, and again). Oh well. If anything, her omission just makes it easy for trollers on the Coachella Message Board to keep scoffing. You’d think with Radiohead… -Michael Roffman

Fucked Up

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

They didn’t find an invitation in the mail last year, they didn’t in 2012, either. Quite a shame, too. With last year’s aggressively sweet David Comes to Life still spinning on our *ahem* Spotify account, it would have benefit Goldenvoice to tap Damian Abraham’s eccentric band of punksters. Guess they thought Refused and At The Drive-In was aplenty. Maybe we’ll get another LA punk show out of it? The question is: Who will be there this time? Shame. -Michael Roffman

Kraftwerk

After they announced a sub-headlining spot at Ultra Music Fest this March, many considered Kraftwerk a lock to reprise their stellar 2008 Coachella performance this year. Their striking omission from the fest’s 2012 lineup hits especially hard for West coast fans of Kraftwerk, who haven’t seen the German electro-pioneers since. Time to pull out the ol’ discography, instead. -Möhammad Choudhery

Lana Del Rey

Even though Lana del Rey would fit in amongst the fashionable crowd at the festival, her new stardom and low, mellow croon, apparently, did not. The pouty-lipped internet star has exploded everywhere in the past few months, and her place in the lineup would make complete sense. She’ll have to sit this one out, and then play every other festival around the world instead. -Nick Freed

New Order

Two years ago, Bernard Sumner’s side project Bad Lieutenant was scheduled to play. (You know, the group featuring everyone from New Order except Peter Hook?) Then there was that pesky volcano. So, yeah, that didn’t happen. With New Order back (well, everyone except Peter Hook), and already headlining both incarnations of Ultra, it was easy to peg ‘em as shoe-in’s for Indio, CA’s big shebang less than a month later. Not the case. Instead, you Anglophiles will have to settle for Pulp…and Madness? -Michael Roffman

Who to Know

Company Flow

Photo by Nate Slevin

With Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg headlining this year’s festivities, all ears will be on West coast rap. But further down the lineup, and from a diametrically opposing location, comes Brooklyn’s Company Flow. The alternative rap trio, founded by current alt-hip-hop guru/Defintive Jux head El-P, first formed in 1993. After signing to Rawkus in the mid-’90s, they released their 1997 debut full-length, Funcrusher Plus, to heaps of critical acclaim. After the departure of member Big Jus in 1999, the duo of El-P and Mr. Len released one last instrumental LP entitled Little Johnny From the Hospitul before dissolving amicably. The group originally reunited for shows in October 2007 and July 2011, including supporting Portishead at ATP UK’s “I’ll Be Your Mirror” festival. A favorite of the most studied hip-hop head, Company Flow’s reunion is equal parts nostalgia and a subtle reminder of the spread and impact the rap game’s had on Coachella’s booking. -Chris Coplan

The Dear Hunter

Prog-rock experimentalist outfit The Dear Hunter (note: not Deerhunter) began as a side project Casey Crescenzo launched while part of the now-defunct The Receiving End of Siren. The band works almost exclusively in concepts; the Act Series, a planned six-part epic (three have yet been released), follows an early 20th century protagonist known as, get this, The Dear Hunter from birth to his love affair with a prostitute named Ms. Leading to his eventual death. Last year, they released The Color Spectrum, a collection of nine four-track EPs each themed around a color of the spectrum. With epic instrumentation, jaw-dropping vocals, and The Color Spectrum guest Manchester Orchestra also in attendance, they’re definitely worth checking out. -Ben Kaye

Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar has yet to hit it extremely big, but he’s on the brink. With his 2010 mixtape O(verly) D(edicated), he started to make waves that only became stronger upon the release of his 2011 effort, Section.80. And did you hear his part on Drake’s “Marvin’s Room/Buried Alive” (Interlude)? The man apparently doesn’t need to breathe in between verses. Take all that and the fact that festival headliners Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre proclaimed him “New Prince of the West Coast” in August of 2011, and you’ve got a full-fledged hype hurricane. Here’s to hoping he sticks around to guest with Dre and Snoop. -Winston Robbins

Sleeper Agent

Sleeper Agent’s 2011 debut LP, Celabrasion, was a great exercise in clean, poppy alternative. Nothing edgy, per se, but ultimately catchy stuff. Vocalist Alex Kandel’s vocals act as an adhesive, especially to the quasi-modern rock vibes below it. Over the past year, this Bowling Green, KY sextet has attracted a number of eyes, including Rolling Stone, who named them “a band to watch.” Given that they’ve toured with the likes of fellow Kentucky pals Cage the Elephant, one would be wise in expecting a raucous display of all things rock. Nothing more, nothing less. -Michael Roffman

Thundercat

When Stephen Bruner isn’t providing bass for Flying Lotus, he’s recording as Thundercat. He’s also making jazz ultimately cool again. There’s a reason we named The Golden Age of Apocalypse one of the best albums of 2011: it’s an incredibly warranted yet highly unpretentious jazz record. Sort of an oxymoron in retrospect, but Bruner has found a way to make it a reality. As Möhammad Choudhery wrote, “Someone this good could only play sideman for so long, though.” Let’s see how he holds up on his own…at one of America’s biggest festivals. -Michael Roffman

Other notables include St. Vincent, Arctic Monkeys, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, The Weeknd, Frank Ocean, Justice, Mazzy Star, M83, Explosions in the Sky, Childish Gambino, Flying Lotus, Destroyer, Cat Power, Madness, SBTRKT, Beirut, Amon Tobin, DJ Shadow, fIREHOSE, Miike Snow, The Rapture, M. Ward, Jimmy Cliff with Rancid frontman Tim Armstrong, The Horrors, Buzzcocks, James, EMA, Girls, tUnE-yArDs, and more.

The lineup also packs Wild Flag, ASAP Rocky, Kendrick Lamar, Neon Indian, Santigold, Modeselektor, The Big Pink, Wu Lyf, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, The Head and the Heart, Laura Marling, Company Flow, AraabMUZIK, Kaskade, Le Butcherettes, Real Estate, Wild Beasts, La Roux, Thundercat, Azealia Banks, Kasabian, Goyte, Manchester Orchestra, Black Lips, Atari Teenage Riot, and more. Check out the full lineup below or at our Festival Outlook.

Update: Tickets go on sale Friday, January 13th at 10:00 AM PT. According to Pop & Hiss, three-day passes are $285, three-day with shuttle are $335, and VIP are $665.

The Black Keys and Arctic Monkeys have added a second leg to their joint North American tour. Spanning 16 dates, the leg kicks off in Houston on April 24th and wraps in Milwaukee on May 16th. Tickets for these shows go on sale Friday, January 13th, except for Seattle (Jan. 20th) and Denver (Jan. 21st).

You can find both bands’ upcoming tour schedules below, along with Arctic Monkeys’ new video for “Black Treacle” from their LP Suck It and See.

The Black Keys 2011-2012 Tour Dates:
01/23 – Antwerp, BE @ Lotto
01/24 – Lille, FR @ Zenith
01/25 – Lille, FR @ Zenith
01/27 – Hamburg, DE @ Sporthalle
01/28 – Berlin, DE @ Arena
01/30 – Milan, IT @ Alcatraz
01/31 – Zurich, CH @ Maag Hall
02/01 – Eindhoven, NL @ Klokgebouw
02/03 – Nottingham, UK @ Capital FM Arena
02/04 – Edinburgh, UK @ Corn Exchange
02/06 – Manchester, UK @ O2 Apollo
02/07 – Manchester, UK @ O2 Apollo
02/09 – London, UK @ Alexandra Palace
02/10 – London, UK @ Alexandra Palace
02/11 – London, UK @ Alexandra Palace
03/02 – Cincinnati, OH @ U.S. Bank Arena *
03/03 – Detroit, MI @ Joe Louis Arena *
03/04 – Columbus, OH @ Jerome Schottenstein Center *
03/06 – Portland, ME @ Cumberland Co. Civic Center *
03/07 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden *
03/09 – Washington, DC @ Verizon Center *
03/10 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center *
03/12 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden *
03/13 – Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre *
03/14 – Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre *
03/16 - Indianapolis, IN @ Conesco Fieldhouse *
03/18 -Grand Rapids, MI @ Van Andel Arena *
03/19 – Chicago, IL @ United Center *
03/20 – Cleveland, OH @ Quicken Loans Arena *
03/22 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden *
03/23 – Norfolk, VA @ Constant Convocation Center *
03/24 – Charlotte, NC @ Bojangles Arena *
04/24 – Houston, TX @ Cynthia Woods Pavilion *
04/25 – Austin, TX @ Frank Erwin Center *
04/27 – St. Louis, MO @ Chaifetz Arena *
04/28 – Tulsa, OK @ BOK Center *
04/30 – Broomfield, CO @ 1st Bank Center *
05/02 – W. Valley City, UY @ Maverik Center *
05/04 – Oakland, CA @ Oracle Arena *
05/05 – Sacramento, CA @ Powerbalance Pavilion *
05/07 – Portland, OR @ Rose Garden Arena *
05/08 – Seattle, WA @ Key Arena *
05/09 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena *
05/11 – Calgary, AB @ Scotiabank Saddledome *
05/12 – Edmonton, AB @ Rexall Place *
05/14 – Winnipeg, MB @ MTS Centre *
05/15 – Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center *
05/16 – Milwaukee, WI @ Bradley Center *

* = w/ Arctic Monkeys

Arctic Monkeys 2012 Tour Dates:
01/12 – Sydney, AU @ Horden Pavilion
01/13 – Sydney, AU @ Enmore Theatre
01/14 – Brisbane, AU @ Riverstage
01/27 – Madrid, ES @ Palacio
01/28 – Barcelona, ES @ Palau St Jordi
01/31 – Paris, FR @ Casino de Paris
02/01 – Lille, FR @ Le Zenith
02/03 – Paris, FR @ Olympia
02/04 – Paris, FR @ Zenith
02/06 – Toulouse, FR @ Zenith
02/07 – Caen, FR @ Zenith
02/08 – Metz, FR @ Les Arenas
03/02 – Cincinnati, OH @ U.S. Bank Arena *
03/03 – Detroit, MI @ Joe Louis Arena *
03/04 – Columbus, OH @ Jerome Schottenstein Center *
03/06 – Portland, ME @ Cumberland Co. Civic Center *
03/07 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden *
03/09 – Washington, DC @ Verizon Center *
03/10 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center *
03/12 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden *
03/13 – Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre *
03/14 – Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre *
03/16 - Indianapolis, IN @ Conesco Fieldhouse *
03/18 -Grand Rapids, MI @ Van Andel Arena *
03/19 – Chicago, IL @ United Center *
03/20 – Cleveland, OH @ Quicken Loans Arena *
03/22 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden *
03/23 – Norfolk, VA @ Constant Convocation Center *
03/24 – Charlotte, NC @ Bojangles Arena *
03/31-04/01 – Santiago, CL @ Lollapalooza Chile
04/03-04 – Buenos Aires, AR @ Quilmes Rock
04/07-08 – Sao Paolo, BR @ Lollapalooza Brazil
04/24 – Houston, TX @ Cynthia Woods Pavilion *
04/25 – Austin, TX @ Frank Erwin Center *
04/27 – St. Louis, MO @ Chaifetz Arena *
04/28 – Tulsa, OK @ BOK Center *
04/30 – Broomfield, CO @ 1st Bank Center *
05/02 – W. Valley City, UY @ Maverik Center *
05/04 – Oakland, CA @ Oracle Arena *
05/05 – Sacramento, CA @ Powerbalance Pavilion *
05/07 – Portland, OR @ Rose Garden Arena *
05/08 – Seattle, WA @ Key Arena *
05/09 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena *
05/11 – Calgary, AB @ Scotiabank Saddledome *
05/12 – Edmonton, AB @ Rexall Place *
05/14 – Winnipeg, MB @ MTS Centre *
05/15 – Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center *
05/16 – Milwaukee, WI @ Bradley Center *

* = w/ The Black Keys

Arctic Monkeys – “Black Treacle”:

“Rock & roll is dying because people became OK with Nickelback being the biggest band in the world… So they became OK with the idea that the biggest rock band in the world is always going to be shit – therefore you should never try to be the biggest rock band in the world. Fuck that! Rock & roll is the music I feel the most passionately about, and I don’t like to see it fucking ruined and spoon-fed down our throats in this watered-down, post-grunge crap, horrendous shit. When people start lumping us into that kind of shit, it’s like, ‘Fuck you,’ honestly.”

– The Black Keys’ Patrick Carney discusses the state of rock and roll (via Rolling Stone).

It’s hard to believe that 22 years ago, KROQ’s Almost Acoustic Christmas in Los Angeles started out with a handful of bands who actually played acoustic sets. Fast forward to 2011 and any band would love a coveted spot in the lineup at the Gibson Amphitheatre. The weekend sells out in a matter of seconds and two worthy charity organizations benefit. This year, night one benefited Para Los Niños, a non-profit family service agency designed to raise at-risk children out of poverty and into brighter futures through positive educational opportunities and support. While night two benefited the Al Wooten Jr. Heritage Center, providing a safe after-school environment where hundreds of boys and girls in South Central Los Angeles participate in tutoring, learn important social skills, and are guided to succeed in school and enter college.

It’s an entertaining two nights. Music fans are never bored because there’s never a break between acts. The stage turns around delivering one band after another. This year, the acts included everyone from indie delights Cage the Elephant, Young the Giant, and Foster the People to veterans Blink-182, Bush, and 311 to newer mainstays The Black Keys, Florence + the Machine, and Mumford and Sons. An eclectic line up for an eclectic city. Here’s how it went down – in photos.

Gallery by Debi Del Grande

[nggallery id=310]

Almost Acoustic Christmas, the annual two-day concert staged by Los Angeles radio station KROQ, takes place this weekend at the Gibson Amphitheatre. Beginning at 5:40 pm PT on Saturday and 5:30pm on Sunday, tune in below to watch the concert’s live webcast. Day one offers Blink-182, Social Distortion, Young the Giant, 311, and more, while day two promises The Black Keys, Florence and the Machine, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Death Cab For Cutie, Mumford and Sons, and more. The complete schedule is underneath the video player.

Saturday, December 10th:
05:40 pm – New Found Glory
06:10 pm – Young The Giant
06:40 pm – Chevelle
07:15 pm – Bush
08:00 pm – Sublime With Rome (replacing Incubus, who cancelled due to illness)
08:45 pm – Social Distortion
09:30 pm – 311
10:25 pm – Blink-182

Sunday, December 11th:
05:30 pm – Grouplove
05:55 pm – The Naked and Famous
06:20 pm – Foster the People
06:50 pm – Cage the Elephant
07:20 pm – Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds
07:50 pm – Florence and the Machine
08:30 pm – Death Cab For Cutie
09:10 pm – Mumford and Sons
09:55 pm – The Black Keys
10:40 pm – Jane’s Addiction

* All times listed in PST.

I promised the staff I would not go all Masterpiece Theater with this intro, so I’ll be brief. Our Annual Report has reached its halfway point with our Top 50 Songs of the Year. The many flags of our staff are hoisted high — and we couldn’t be happier with what we’re saluting. From Cults’ very first song to Tom Waits’ thousandth song, we put up the tracks that left us with more thoughts, feelings, and impressions than any other. We think we done good.

But just to make sure the world still spins on its axis, let us know what you think we missed from our list and what you liked in the comments. We thrive on that stuff.

Additionally, we’ve got the de rigueur Top 50 Songs of the Year Spotify playlist for you, a quick link to purchase the song on Amazon, and an easy ctrl-c +ctrl-v list for you at the very end immediately following our #1 song of the year.

As always, our profuse thanks for reading, enjoy these tunes, and we’ll see you again next week for the second half of our 2011 Annual Report.

-Jeremy D. Larson
Content Director

50. Ellie Goulding – “Lights”

At age 24, Ellie Goulding’s folktronica turned heads across the world, especially with “Lights”. Remixed from here to high heaven by killer producers, sampled by Lupe Fiasco for his latest mixtape, and dropped by DJs looking to get well-dressed girls on the dance floors from the Bay Area to Eastern Europe, its appeal lies in its honest vocals, minimalistic beats, and stark, raving energy. It’s Goulding’s first charting single in the U.S. and Canada, and judging from the widespread allure (and the thousands who camped near her stage at festivals nationwide), it likely won’t be her last. -Paul de Revere

49. Cults – “Go Outside”

Going from relative obscurity to indie stardom isn’t anything new, but the way Madelline Follin and Brian Oblivion of Cults did it with such New York coolness and style still seemed incredibly refreshing. By the time the mainstream caught wind of Follin’s adorably unique, helium-filled balloon voice, “Go Outside” was already a bona fide song of the summer contender. Its lyrics are like a mantra for anyone in a going-nowhere relationship, delivered in an irresistibly sweet, poppy tone. And how can you not dig that crazy glockenspiel solo? -Gilles LeBlanc

48. Big K.R.I.T. – “Country Shit” (Remix)

The original version of “Country Shit” showed up on last year’s K.R.I.T. Wuz Here, but this remix, featuring all-new bars from Ludacris and Bun B, goes harder in every way. Over a chopped and looped vocal sample and thunderous bass, K.R.I.T. delivers an unusually aggressive verse for “the folk in Texas that’s forever wreckin’ with the Styrofoam cup and the purple fluid.” This is a rave-up, no doubt, and it just might be the greatest Dixie rap get-together this side of “Int’l Players Anthem”. -Mike Madden

47. Mikal Cronin – “Apathy”

So much good came out of the fertile ground of the San Francisco psych/garage scene this year, and Mikal Cronin’s debut LP may be best in show simply because he’s got the hooks. “Apathy” digs in with stopgap verses and a vintage 60’s underground sound. Cronin is wrestling with that all-too-real twentysomething identity crisis; he’s a man who’s sure he doesn’t want apathy or empathy. Or everything. Or anything. His generation struggles with defining themselves, and finding a fine line between slacker and sincere is difficult. This loud and splashy confession pretty much nails that frustration. -Jeremy D. Larson

46. Cold Cave – “The Great Pan Is Dead”

The primal themes and screams of Wesley Eisold on “The Great Pan Is Dead” could have been penned by the Vikings or the Huns or some dodgy Germanic tribe. It’s ostentatious like an arena song with more than enough of Eisold’s hardcore/noise/new wave bent to make it sound like it could have been out on Wax Trax! Records. “Yeah/I will come running/gunning through the years/hunting heart/crushing fears,” except Eisold makes it seem like he’s going to do this while completely on fire. All the while, at its core, it’s just a romantic ode to someone who warrants truly epic imagery — imagery that would fall flat without the high-stakes propulsion of the music below it. If love songs are played in Valhalla, this may be the only thing allowed. -Jeremy D. Larson

45. Das Racist – “Michael Jackson”

“I’m fucking great at rapping!” With those five words, Himanshu “Heems” Suri embraces the new identity that he, Victor “Kool A.D.” Vazquez, and Ashok “Dap” Kondabolu have forged as Das Racist. Where elsewhere they’ll make you wonder whether this whole rap thing is just a lark, here D.R. take the simple to the nth degree. Whether it’s that ultimately basic brag, the “Michael Jackson/a million dollars/you hear me?/holler” chorus, or A.D.’s lithe “You go girl, it’s your world”, this song embraces the brilliance of simplicity. The beat kills, and references to Richie Valens, “Parenthood”, and McGuyver all smashed together somehow just makes sense. -Adam Kivel

44. The Horrors – “Still Life”

To be one of the 50 best songs of the year, at least one element of your introduction has to grab attention. With “Still Life”, The Horrors gave us three options. There’s the wobbly tape loop that gradually fades in, the body-vibrating drumbeat, and the bell curve synth melody. All that before we even get to the vocals! Faris Badwan sounds cautious, almost fragile, in the speak-sing verses. Once the chorus kicks in and the melody lights up, though, he richly belts out line after line, guaranteeing a sing-along from even the most casual fan. -Joe Marvilli

43. Bill Callahan – “Riding for the Feeling”

Bill Callahan is one of America’s most low-profile existentialists. “Riding for the Feeling” is a great example of why. Callahan’s smooth baritone lightly jogs along his own acoustic strumming, impressionistic organ, reverb-soaked electric guitars, and salt-and-pepper drums to craft a statement of beautiful futility. Mr. Callahan is capital letters THE TRUTH, and he spits a lot of it: “With intensity, a drop evaporates by law/In conclusion, leaving is easy when you’ve got some place to be.” How ’bout that for some cold, hard facts? But as the song progresses, it becomes clearer and clearer that the place Callahan has to be doesn’t really exist–that he’s just riding somewhere else, merely riding for the feeling. And so are we. -Drew Litowitz

42. Dum Dum Girls – “Coming Down”

A single of anguish, “Coming Down” is the side of Dum Dum Girls no one has ever seen. During the six-minute ballad, the ladies leave the mystery of their personas to find bliss in the wake of something awful, the death of front woman Dee Dee Penny’s mother. The same fuzz can still be found, but this time there’s more emotion and urgency. Penny wanted fans to feel something, and it’s hard not to at 3:31 with Penny’s declarations of departure. Lo-fi becomes a thing of careful beauty on “Coming Down”. -Lauren Rearick

41. Lykke Li – “I Follow Rivers”

Though it’s called Wounded Rhymes, Lykke Li’s second LP could have easily been titled Wounded Rhythms. For proof, take a listen to “I Follow Rivers”. The melody drunkenly sways alongside her vocals, ranging from subdued verses to triumphant choruses. Clanging, hollow beats don’t just stick to the tempo, but occasionally flair and boost the background up. The woozy synth line remains laid-back but isn’t sloppy. Instead, it loosely drives the song forward without becoming the focal point. That’s saved for Lykke Li’s playful performance. On an album with as many heavy songs as this one has, that’s certainly a breath of fresh air. -Joe Marvilli

40. Wilco – “One Sunday Morning”

Jeff Tweedy warns us that this majestic 12-minute closer to The Whole Love is long in the very first line, but it’s a caution that proves to be moot. Despite the length and refusing to change its basic rhythm or structure, the song never tires, keeping the listener’s attention by sneaking in layer upon layer of instrumentation at strategic moments, then pulling it away. The whispering patter of Mikael Jorgensen’s piano may not drive the melody but blossoms and wilts at the mention of key words like “bells” and “the Bible.” Lyrically, it’s in the same vein as Sky Blue Sky closer “On and On”, a meditation on the relationship between Jeff Tweedy and a past acquaintance that only they understand. But its autumnal feel and confessional tone mean something different to everyone, the perfect tune for looking back on the year in non-linear terms. -Dan Caffrey

39. Liturgy – “Generation”

Brooklyn’s Liturgy have spent the last couple of years working up quite the shitstorm in metal circles for their admittedly ostentatious attempts at re-conceptualizing the genre from the ground up in what they call “transcendental black metal”. Critical response to their latest LP Aesthethica, was pretty much split down the middle largely for that reason. But all talk about the band’s perceived pretension is shot to bits by the initial blast of noise that kick off the album’s best track, the starkly minimal instrumental “Generation”. Seven minutes of blazing guitars and cracking snares, this slab of molten no-wave fury is more akin to early-day Swans than anything remotely “transcendental”, or even “black metal” for that matter. Even so, they’ve catalyzed progress and conversation in a genre that has, for decades now, stagnated in Norse Mythology and church burning scandals. Who says you need corpse paint to rock? -Möhammad Choudhery

38. Washed Out – “Amor Fati”

Washed Out’s Ernest Greene continues to distance himself from chillwave, creating one of the year’s most danceable tracks in “Amor Fati”. Fans have come to expect an inclusion of synths, but it’s the addition of an infectious chorus from Greene that makes for an unexpected moment of pop. The prominent vocals provide a break of warmth from the chillwave lull of its counterparts. Its latin title “amor fati” translates to love of fate. If this is where Greene’s destined, we’re lovestruck, too.   -Lauren Rearick

37. Adele – “Rolling in the Deep”

Each year, there comes a song that is seemingly everywhere, from non-stop radio play to appearances in TV ads and basic cable shows. In 2011, that song was Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep”. Musically, it appealed to a plethora of audiences, as if it were assembled from an equal number of dark, bluesy soul tunes and light, airy disco tracks. The vocals are among Adele’s finest, with an undercurrent of immense wisdom driving forward the larger-than-life, emotionally devastated cries of pain and confusion. But it’s the song’s overall sentiment, of having immense romantic regrets and laying every last one of them on your ex, that made this cut such a massively universal experience. Rare is the track that can mend wounds and help sell the iPhone 4S, but “Rolling in the Deep” does all that and more. -Chris Coplan

36. AraabMUZIK – “Streetz Tonight”

Don’t let the trance label deter you. AraabMUZIK’s Electronic Dream is an atmospheric trip from beginning to end. Best experienced as a whole, there are moments that jump out from the rest, perhaps none more than “Streetz Tonight”. Here, AraabMUZIK dials back his trademark drum machine ingenuity in favor of woozy synth grooves and airy, simplistic female vocals for a different, more laid-back type of head rush. -Austin Trunick

35. Tom Waits – “Hell Broke Luce”

Listeners had to be surprised the first time they heard this jarring, psychotic, nightmarish romp through a combat zone. “Hell Broke Luce” takes the form of a deranged boot camp march (“I had a good home, but I left, right, left”), with the time between Waits’ grating barking filled with banging and clanging, in-and-out guitars, sampled machine gun fire, and even a tuba during one brief lull. Lyrics include drill sergeant/grunt vulgarities, embittered questioning of authority, and lines that suggest the soldier protagonist sees himself as forever severed from the person he was before the war. (“What did you do before the war? /I was a chef, I was a chef/And what was your name? It was Jeff, Jeff”). I have no basis to judge whether or not Waits has captured the hellish realities of war on “Hell Broke Luce”, but I can say that if you’re listening to this track while out walking, it’ll keep you in step. Left, right, left. –Matt Melis

34. Kurt Vile – “Jesus Fever”

Ars longa, vita brevis, as the old adage goes: “Art is long, life is short.” On Kurt Vile’s “Jesus Fever”, the heartland rocker deals with this inevitable fate, all over a jangly progression that feels curated by Lindsay Buckingham circa 1975. One biting line: “When I am a ghost, I’ll see no reason to run/When I’m already gone/If it wasn’t taped, you could escape this song/But I’m already gone.” The lesson? Art is forever. In the digital age – especially a booming one like this year’s – that line takes on a whole new meaning. Art is forever… and everywhere. Now, how meta would it be if kids are listening to this in 100 years? Guess we’ll never know. -Michael Roffman

33. The Black Keys – “Lonely Boy”

“These guys just don’t stop. The late-in-the-year arrival of “Lonely Boy” signaled a much anticipated dose of the Akron blues mongers, even though fans were still simmering from 2010’s Brothers. El Camino’s complete rip-roaring genius aside, the stealthy emergence of the lead single’s video of a solitary man dancing his ass off became an instant sensation as “Lonely Boy” could be heard leaking out from city bus riders’ headphones for a good week after its internet landing. And for good reason. The song is an infectious smack in the face of gritty blues riffs and powerful, rockabilly-influenced fury. Dan Auerbach’s muddy guitar rips into the single as Patrick Carney’s attack drums and a smattering of quirky backing keys propel the song into a spaced-out rock stratosphere where Mark Bolan and blues greats serve as ruling deities. As our own Harley Brown attests, the Keys are at the height of their game, and “Lonely Boy” is Exhibit-A of their zenith status. -Liz Lane

32. Battles – “Ice Cream”

When Gloss Drop single “Ice Cream” dropped, it was the test for many of whether Battles would be the same after losing frontman Tyondai Braxton. The verdict? Not exactly the same, but that is no disappointment. The track wades familiar territory for Battles while placing itself among the trio’s more accessible work. Guest vocalist Matias Aguayo shines with a keen impersonation of Braxton’s trademark vocal manipulation over an irresistible, glitchy two-chord jam. Recommended with a scoop of cake batter on a waffle cone, but maybe not in the bathtub. -J. Harry Painter

31. Kate Bush – “Wild Man”

50 Words for Snow is a rare album themed to winter holiday months while not being pigeonholed as a Christmas album. “Wild Man” is a testament to that. It’s a seven-minute journey through the snowy crags of Tibet, name-dropping countless faraway places and romanticizing the fabled Yeti as only Kate Bush could. That said, it’s a very different Bush song in a lot of ways, with guest vocalist Andy Fairweather Low providing the chorus and Bush swapping out her usual vocal stylings with a husky Mark Knopfler-esque dialogue for most of the track. The sweetness of Bush’s words and the song’s misty, musical veil make it easy to mistake “Wild Man” as a love song, but that’s not quite it. It’s a tribute to the mysteries still hidden in the natural world and the figments we chase, rounding the corners of distant hills, just out of reach. -Cap Blackard

30. Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire – “The Last Huzzah” (Remix)

This Mr Muthafuckin’ eXquire remix, paying homage to Craig Mack’s “Flava in Ya Ear remix”, dilutes the year’s cattle call of mixtapes, guest spots, and debut LPs down to the strongest collective showing from any five rappers on a single track. Everyone’s got their fuel, whether its Despot’s “vodka soda,” Danny Brown’s “straight shots of Cuervo,” or El-P’s “straight shots of Sterno.” The track’s an ode to getting lit up, a celebration of skill and saying, “Fuck it all.” If these five guys stumble into 2012 with this much moxy, the same as Biggie, Craig Mack, LL Cool J, and Busta Rhymes did back in 1994, they’ll be the ones coming up big and making great comebacks. -Jeremy D. Larson

“The Last Huzzah” (Remix) (feat. Despot, Das Racist, Danny Brown & El-P)

29. The Strokes – “Under Cover of Darkness”

It is the oft-used “return to form,” right? The yearning Julian Casablancas vocals and the doo-wop exchange between the guitarists and drummer Fab Moretti. Top it off with another great solo courtesy of Nick Valensi, and you have the makings of classic Strokes. We may not be talking about Angles years from now, but I’ll let you know the moment this song finally stops dancing around my head. -Justin Gerber

28. Beirut – “East Harlem”

The way Beirut toys with sense of place is so darn impish and charming. With the title and lyrics of “East Harlem”, you can’t tell whether Zach Condon is crooning about Amsterdam or New Amsterdam (NYC). Yet, at the same time, the details hardly matter. In this song about distance, you don’t know where you are for sure; you’re too lost in the sonic neighborhood or city block Condon has constructed. “Uptown, downtown” can seem like a “thousand miles between us” when you’re intent on studying the gorgeous detail of “East Harlem”, this city-song of blinding lights and gorgeous brass melodies. Go on, dwell in it. Stay awhile. -Paul de Revere

27. The War on Drugs – “Come to the City”

The anthemic centerpiece on one of the year’s most road-ready albums, “Come to the City” is to be played either with the windows down while  drifting along highways or in a stadium/field of a thousand pumping fists. It’s that kind of Arcade Fire-meets-Tom Petty power spun over reverberating organs and snapping drums that makes you want to lean your head out the car window and let the emotion wash over you with the wind. With Kurt Vile off on a solo career, frontman Adam Granduciel’s contemplative lyrics get to shine on their own. “I’ve been drinking up the sweet tea/It was made just for me,” he sings in a Dylan-esque warble. It was made for you, too, so drink up. -Benjamin Kaye

26. Frank Ocean – “Novacane”

If the majority of Odd Future is the id, then R&B crooner Frank Ocean is the ego. His depravity is just as endless, but he exemplifies his more reserved, complicated side on Nostalgia, Ultra standout “Novacane”. The beat is a monstrous amalgamation of hip-hop bass, random, glitchy noises, and, most important of all, a solid groove that sounds stuck between genres and intentions. Establishing a drug-fueled storyline involving porn stars and a trip gone bad, Ocean paints a picture of a stunted youth in search of the next big high to cure what ails him. The diagnosis for Ocean’s soul is grim, but the pursuit of absolution never sounded so intoxicating. -Chris Coplan

25. Girls – “Vomit”

“Vomit” is an anthem of solitude. Like Elliott Smith and Nirvana before him, Christopher Owens struggles with his own opiate addiction. This song is a declaration of an inescapable torment, an unanswered longing, a tender futility. The beginning guitar riff echoes with loneliness like a flickering lightbulb in a dark room. Owens repeats the line “looking for love” as he and Chet White descend into instrumental insanity: A guitar solo wracked with distortion erupts, an organ hums beneath, and melismas sound out through the song’s climax. “Vomit” is its own manifesto, expressing the belief that madness is freedom, that pain is inspiration. -Summer Dunsmore

24. Beastie Boys – “Make Some Noise”

Hip-hop is always boasting how it’s a young person’s game, but “Make Some Noise” proved that the Beastie Boys are dogs who still have some bite left in them. The fortified funk they sic on us at the start of Hot Sauce Committee Part Two is aggressive, witty, and sweeping. It’s classic Beastie Boys… and then some. In light of their recent setbacks – from “MCA” Adam Yauch’s struggle with cancer to the album’s various delays – the Brooklyn legends ferociously returned to the spotlight. This single is a testament to that. While there’s a lot of wax-scratching nostalgia going on, there’s just too much energy at hand to ignore. So, when Yauch says, “The best is yet to come, and yes, believe this,” we most certainly do. -Gilles LeBlanc

23. Real Estate – “It’s Real”

A good-natured single, “It’s Real” by Real Estate defines California surfer rock. It’s a song about puppy love, as singer Martin Courtney croons, “I carved our names into a tree/I walked on decomposing leaves/I skated on a frozen sea/It’s real as far as I can see.” It does what indie music does best: weaves poetic, charming lyrics with a hooky chorus. However, it’s unique to many other love songs, which usually express the pains of heartbreak or the dark side of obsession; this love song is a revelry, an exposition of energy and enthusiasm that comes with the fascination for a loved one. It’s real. -Summer Dunsmore

22. Childish Gambino – “Bonfire”

Donald Glover plays the clueless Troy Barnes on Community. So, why take his nom de rhyme, Childish Gambino, even the slightest bit seriously? Because of “Bonfire”, dummy. The lyrics encapsulate Gambino’s wit (“This Asian dude, I stole his girl, and now he got that Kogi beef”) and even offer up the nastier side of the MC’s rainbow-colored personality (“The shit I’m doin’ this year? Insanity/Made the beat then murdered it, Casey Anthony”). It’s also got one of the LP’s most beloved and recognizable beats, equal parts bouncy club anthem and gritty garage rock jam. But really, it’s Gambino’s impassioned and visceral delivery style, like he’s barking at the listener, that makes this track a true burner. -Chris Coplan

21. Fleet Foxes – “Helplessness Blues”

Fleet Foxes’ titular track off Helplessness Blues is a lovely distillation of their sound, with the spectral doves of musicians like Roy Harper and Van Morrison flitting around for company. It’s such an epic poem that five minutes can hardly contain its beauty or its magnificent scope, which ranges from jangling folk to heavyweight, ethereal rock. By now, everyone knows the group’s sublime harmonies are their namesake, but when entwined with urgent guitar work and despairing language, it only adds deep emphasis to that fact. Feeling helpless has rarely felt so nourishing, building up to what can only be called a dappled sunlit kind of music, “my light in the dawn.” -Siobhan Kane

20. Radiohead – “Lotus Flower”

Anybody who heard Thom Yorke’s live versions of “Lotus Flower” back in ’09 and ’10 never could have imagined what it would morph into when it eventually made its way onto this year’s The King of Limbs, a surprise in and of itself. That finger-picked guitar ballad is now long forgotten thanks to the skittering rhythms, distant hand claps, and other ridiculous noises that now constitute “Lotus Flower”. The song is as dub-dance-y as Radiohead has ever sounded, with a backdrop culled from fractured loops of god knows what. But what makes “Lotus Flower” so noteworthy is how Yorke embodies it: with a healthy dose of croon-swagger. Confidence hasn’t always been Yorke’s vocal forte, but he straddles the line so perfectly between that and melancholy that it opens up a lot of doors for what Radiohead is capable of. That’s a shitload of open doors, by the way. -Drew Litowitz

19. Cut Copy – “Need You Now”

It’s a tough feat to render six minutes of addicting hooks. But that’s what Cut Copy managed to do with “Need You Now”. That explains why it opens the Australian outfit’s latest LP, Zonoscope: Hit ‘em with a punch, snag ‘em with a hook. Vocalist Dan Whitford employs a slick baritone throughout, which certainly pushes this number ahead, but it’s when he lets loose four minutes in that the heat turns up. While not as immediate as tracks like “Take Me Over” or “Where I’m Going”, it’s all about the payoff sometimes, and you won’t find a better one than here. It’s so heavy they need a downer at the end to bring things back to element. Talk about a trip. -J. Harry Painter

18. Neon Indian – “Polish Girl”

Ever wondered if the Super Mario coin-grab effect could be sampled successfully in a song? Welcome to the world of Neon Indian. Alan Palomo’s wistful cadence tells of lost love on Era Extraña standout “Polish Girl”, while spaced-out 8-bit synths evoke the longing, inescapable feelings of shoegaze. Yet, the result is a blissful four and a half minutes itching for a spin on the dance floor. With “Polish Girl”, Neon Indian has traded their signature chillwave stylings in favor of a dreamy spin on dance pop and set the new standard for retro chic. -Frank Mojica

17. Drake – “Take Care”

“Take Care” is one of six or seven tracks that could easily be deemed the best of the batch from Drake’s enigmatic, epic sophomore album of the same name. Set firmly atop impeccable (and unconventional) production by Jamie xx, the track soars with an unstoppable, sensual hook by hip-hop diva Rihanna: “If you let me, here’s what I’ll do/I’ll take care of you.” I defy any heterosexual man to refuse that offer. But what makes this track stand out more than anything is the potency with which Drake raps. As he battles insecurity, brutal honesty, and harsh reality, we see the side of Drake that was promised from the beginning – the talented side. -Winston Robbins

16. Jamie xx – “Far Nearer”

Between his masterful Gil Scott-Heron collab/remix LP We’re New Here, the slew of top-notch remixes he put out (including a HUGE rework of Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep”), and a couple of choice spots on Radiohead’s TKOL RMX compilation, Jamie xx’s huge 2011 quelled any and all doubts that he could succeed out of the shadow of the xx. And all that goes without mentioning “Far Nearer”, his debut solo release and crowning achievement to date. Built around a sun-drenched Caribbean steel drum line and a mangled Janet Jackson vocal, it’s a dance anthem for the ages and one hell of a way to launch one’s solo career. How’s that for setting the bar high? -Möhammad Choudhery

15. The Mountain Goats – “High Hawk Season”

Revolution hung thick in the air this year, and John Darnielle’s prescient salvo seems to be the people’s anthem that never was (meanwhile, 3EB turned this in). Darnielle’s boilerplate solo voice/acoustic guitar is backed by a four-part male a capella chorus that, despite The Mountain Goats’ obscene prolificacy, paves whole new avenues for a guy who’s been doing this for a long, long time. Darnielle’s vocals vary in dynamics and enunciation, causing the words to teem with frustration and resolve, something arena-worthy with just doo-wop harmonies and earnest songwriting. Sadly, Post-Barbershop-Quartet is not a genre I can throw on Pandora…yet. -Jeremy D. Larson

14. The Weeknd – “Wicked Games”

House of Balloons is fraught with tracks that are going to make you wish you lived a different, sexier life, but not one of them is more powerful than “Wicked Games”. As The Weeknd croons in his phenomenal upper register, “Bring your love baby, I can bring my shame/Bring the drugs baby, I can bring my pain,” you might honestly find yourself wishing you were addicted to codeine and emotionless sexual encounters. The track’s appeal to everyone’s dark side is endless. And while most listeners won’t ever pick up a Styrofoam cup full of prescription cough medicine and Jolly Ranchers to get faded, the song provides insight into a twisted life of beauty with a deep layer of abhorrent immorality looming just below the surface. -Winston Robbins

13. The Throne – “Niggas in Paris”

It’s still baffling that one of the hardest-hitting tracks on Watch the Throne contains a Will Ferrell sample from the figure skating parody Blades of Glory. “No one knows what it means, but it’s provocative,” Ferrell explains. “It gets the people going!” The long-anticipated collaborative record between rap’s reigning monarchs is a celebration in excess, but it comes packed with knowing winks like this one. Jay-Z and Kanye West roll in with a slow burn on top of piercing synth loop, gaining momentum as the song unravels, propelling one another into top form on this explosive club-pleaser. It’s Jay-Z’s methodical, fast-firing approach that sets the stage for West’s urgent, free-flowing (if a bit bonkers) rhymes; on an album grounded in the spirit of a healthy competition between the two powerhouse emcees, it’s on “Niggas in Paris” that they come together as a single, unstoppable hip-hop dream team. -Austin Trunick

12. Destroyer – “Kaputt”

In the world of the album’s title track, drugs and women are indiscernible — two intangible forces that are meant to be chased across clubs, kingdoms, and radio airwaves around the globe. Destroyer frontman Dan Bejar never catches either one, but decides to write a song about it and dedicate it to America, a fact that he blatantly states in the final verses. Amidst wind effects, slowed-down disco bass, synthesized bleeps, and foggy trumpet, the band topples the fourth wall, then builds it back up again to continue their quest across time, space, and celebration for a high they may never get, but in turn bestow upon their audience. -Dan Caffrey

11. Wild Flag – “Romance”

“Romance” is the most unabashedly pop song on Wild Flag’s self-titled debut. More Bow Wow Wow than Bikini Kill, it shows a different, deliriously infectious side of this burgeoning supergroup. With a ringing, crunchy guitar punch over pounding surf drums, it’s the killer hook in the chorus that will keep you coming back again and again. (If you’re not tapping your toes by the time it gets to the hand clap-driven “shake, shimmy, shake” breakdown at the song’s climax, you’re probably not a warm-blooded human.) Straight-up rock and roll this irresistibly catchy is a rare treat in this day and age; “Romance” should be finding its way onto feel-good mixtapes for a long, long time. -Austin Trunick

10. Foo Fighters – “Rope”

The glorious possibilities of a three-guitar attack in Foo Fighters is truly felt with this tune from Wasting Light. With Pat Smear having officially returned to the lineup, the band created some of their most aggressive music to date. The echoing intro gives in to a track that bops between pop and alt-rock, before launching into Chris Shiflett’s thrash-metal solo near the song’s conclusion. Of course, it’s Dave Grohl’s constant that ties it all together. That being the tireless Taylor Hawkins, who proves once more why he’s one of the finest drummers in the game today, yesterday, and tomorrow. As the first single, “Rope” announced the return of the Foo, and in hindsight, it’s the cattle call that would go on to cement the band as the biggest rock act on the planet. They’ve had a good year. -Justin Gerber

9. James Blake – “The Wilhelm Scream”

The first thing anybody who listens to James Blake’s true breakout track notices is how undeniably incessant it is. It’s a classic study in repetition.

With Blake’s cyborg croon evaporating into palm-muted guitar masked as a digital processor, interspersed with the sound a black hole makes when you throw the whole genre of dubstep into it, the song slowly explodes into a haze of static, processed synth-organ, and the deepest bass around. It’s like a noised-out tribute to every sub-genre of reggae-inspired dance music, that both mourns its present dilution in the mainstream and celebrates the places it still has yet to go.

What’s most interesting about “The Wilhelm Scream”, though, is what this repetition means to Blake and why he’s created this song in the first place. At its core, the song is Blake re-envisioning something he must have heard incessantly over the past few years: his own father, soft rocker James Litherland’s “Where to Turn”, from his 2006 album, 4th Estate. Under this context, the song becomes a manifestation of Blake’s nostalgia and love for his pops — his memories and emotions aurally orchestrated into an infectious haze of confused sounds that come together perfectly. Cool, right? -Drew Litowitz

8. SBTRKT – “Wildfire”

As SBTRKT, Aaron Jerome has been one of the year’s most buzzed-about breakout artists. On “Wildfire”, the masked producer recruits 2011’s must-have collaborator, Yukimi Nagano (of electro-soulsters Little Dragon), for the year’s essential dance floor jam. Between a bassline that can only be described as downright filthy and the irresistible allure of Nagano’s velvety vocals, “Wilfire” is pure sonic sensuality. Drawing inspiration from South London post-dubstep to house to R&B, “Wildfire” takes everything that ever made someone dance in the past 20 years and spins it into something futuristic. As it deftly defies any single label, SBTRKT’s scorching style on “Wildfire” is a reflection of how the future will one day remember 2011. -Frank Mojica

7. EMA – “California”

Equal parts Psychocandy, Sinead O’Connor, Patti Smith, and Lou Reed, Erika M. Anderson’s (aka EMA) “California” turns heads with its aggressive-yet-vapid delivery and lyrics that spin tales of reckless abandonment. “What’s it like to be small-time and gay?” she crudely asks mid-song. “What does failure taste like? To me it tastes like dirt,” she asks and answers herself towards the end. It’s a slow shuffle that never really leads to an anthemic release as its rusty sprawl suggests, but that’s sort of the point. On paper, it’s just as seclusive and cyclical.

Sort of like madness. Anderson’s a native of South Dakota, so one has to wonder what her perspective is here. Here’s a supposition: It’s the struggle that California – the land of dreams and mystery, as suggested even by the likes of Steinbeck – isn’t what it appears to be. It’s a wasteland. It’s a falsity. But, she’s not alone there. When she says, “Fuck California,” so do we. Because if there’s anything we’ve learned from reality television, MTV, or reading short bios on any musician who’s ever surfaced on the Sunset Strip, California breeds a special sort of crazy. Anderson may never find her small-town roots again (“Schizophrenic rules the brain”), but she’s created one powerful ode to it. One of the best of its kind. -Michael Roffman

6. St. Vincent – “Cruel”

If you’re going to write a rock song around a single riff, it better be a ridiculously good one, something that you’re happy to get stuck in your head. There have been a few that fit the bill in indie rock over the last few years; Modest Mouse’s “Float On” and MGMT’s “Kids” come to mind. Add St. Vincent’s “Cruel” to that exclusive list. Annie Clark writes a completely oddball, vaguely old-timey verse melody, complete with saccharine background strings. But when she sings “oo-eh-oo-eh-oo-llll” on the titular lyric, that distinctive synthesizer riff comes into focus and simply owns you. It’s silly, it’s uplifting, it’s catchy, and it can completely carry the song. Throw in a majorly danceable backing track, a languid distorted guitar solo, and Clark’s wispy but powerful voice, and it’s indie rock gold. -Jake Cohen

5. tUnE-yArDs – “Bizness”

Merrill Garbus’ wonderful first single from her second record, w h o k i l l, reflects her decision to focus some aspects of the live experience into studio recordings, and certainly, the wild energy of “Bizness” is hardly constrained by the medium of a record. Perhaps this is what makes her great: The medium of music is the vehicle through which she has chosen to convey her creativity, but it cannot bind her. “Bizness” begins with the kind of vocal gymnastics that brings to mind David Longstreth dancing in a frying pan — lovely, gloopy, roaming sounds that also act as a warm vocal harpsichord of sorts.

Then there is the percussive aspect. The way Garbus layers sounds and percussion is a joy to hear, the military beats, along with a kind of skeletal, clickety-clack kind of sound that reconnects to her fascination with African rhythms. Her world is one that is anchored by a childlike sense of wonderment, and when the arresting, strident horns step in, you cannot help but smile. This is also because you sense her giddy reverie in taking apart traditional song structures and building them up again in her own image. When she sings “I’ll bleed if you ask me,” you really believe it, because her thoughtful sincerity is clear, amidst the revels. The visual accompaniment to the song (the video directed by Mimi Cave) is a perfect rendering of tUnE-yArDs’ ethos – to reach out to the child in all of us, keeping us young, keeping us strong, keeping us dreaming. -Siobhan Kane

4. Beyoncé – “Countdown”

At this point in her exceptional career, Beyoncé has transcended the traditional confines of pop diva status. Her latest album, 4, is full of the finest cuts of her career, be it for their infectious, poppy nature or for their demonstration of real, relatable emotional displays. And one could easily say “Countdown” is the best song on that album and leave it at that. To do so, however, is to discredit a track that is not only great, but a step above on a record whose primary notion is of stepping further into sonic grace.

From the initial wail of Bey’s voice to the marching band vibe, the track is the heart and soul, the lifeblood of a record that is a dynamo of R&B gold, both new and old. Queen B has built an empire of love songs and tributes to her boo(s), but none, be it on this album or the three before, come off as easily and thoroughly as they do here. We dare anyone to resist falling under the spell of the chorus where, like a Gucci-wearing version of The Count, Beyoncé counts down the ways in which she loves her man. It’s everything we love about Beyoncé: the sing-along-ability, the bombastic nature, and the beat that digs its nails into your hips to make them shimmy all night. Count it any way you want, this number’s a shining gem in Beyoncé’s bangin’ catalog. -Chris Coplan

3. M83 – “Midnight City”

A Parisian M83 fan said to me this year that Anthony Gonzalez is “the best French music producer, more famous in [the] U.S. than France.” So what’s made “Midnight City” and its double album source, Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming, catch fire like it has in the States this year? Well, “Midnight City” is a great single, for one. And it’s in a Victoria’s Secret commercial, which doesn’t hurt its exposure stateside, either. Surely, at this point, M83 has never been more popular than they are right now. And this year, a lot of that gets chalked up to “Midnight City”.

But look deeper. “Midnight City”, like all of M83′s music, touches on feelings valued deep within the American heart: light, innocence, and youth. M83 just shrouds them behind synth sheen and vocal processing on Gonzalez’s voice. When you imagine its abstract, misty mood piece in the classic Americana setting of Lover’s Lane or Makeout Point, it clicks. The narrator and a girl look out over how “the night city grows” a “mutating skyline.” “The city is my church,” Gonzalez sings. “It wraps me in the sparkling twilight.” It’s so gorgeous and wondrous, how can you not weep from its beauty? And how many songs this year have done that? O beautiful, for spacious skies, indeed. -Paul de Revere

2. Tyler, The Creator – “Yonkers”

Cast aside all preconceived notions or any conclusions that you may have drawn about Odd Future for just a second. Try and get back to the moment when you first heard “Yonkers”. Whether you were a longtime fan or you were victim to the viral video that got tossed around for a few weeks, it moved you. It moved some to anger, and it moved others to excitement; regardless of direction, though, it moved you. There are few times in life when a song will force you to stop everything you’re doing because you’re too busy picking your jaw up off the floor. Even fewer are the times when those selfsame songs are written and produced by a 19-year-old. Much criticism has been cast in the direction of this song and at Tyler in general; many found his lyrics involving misogyny, brutal violence, and even rape to be supremely offensive. And ultimately, that’s a decision best made on an individual basis. But you cannot deny that, for better or worse, “Yonkers” is one of the most powerful hip-hop singles in recent memory. Still sends chills down my spine. -Winston Robbins

1. Bon Iver – “Holocene”

For as often as Justin Vernon’s cabin hibernation is parodied, doesn’t it sound just a little enticing? Leaving it all, sequestering yourself away from a world that won’t stop spinning? In some ways, Vernon never left that seclusion. The songs on Bon Iver may sprawl and breathe more, but they’re still born form Vernon’s desire for privacy and escape. They’re rural, surreal, and separate, and “Holocene” captures the essence of Vernon’s world, just as he tries to capture the essence of our current epoch.

The song pivots around the lyric “All at once I knew/I was not magnificent” and the garden of romantic words and loosely related imagery around it. Acoustic crescendos push the plot along, and the band’s woodwind and found sound arrangement provide the scenery. Whole ages of emotions advance and recede throughout its course, yet it manages to stave off melodrama.

Vernon recalls three hazy memories in three verses and gives them context with that pivotal lyric — an ego check. These are the lasting moments that Vernon hangs on to through it all. Can we find meaning outside of ourselves and inside missed connections or little moments we have with friends and family? This truly is what outlasts things. Now, none of this ideology is revolutionary, but Bon Iver renews its vows in the context of 2011 — a year of exponential speed and growth, of revolution and dissatisfaction, of disillusionment and displacement across whole swaths of culture and class. “Holocene” is that moment of reflection on the escape vessel as you float away from the wreckage and towards Bon Iver’s world. If escapism is increasingly how we deal with our problems, that ubiquitous cabin in the woods sounds better and better with each coming year. -Jeremy D. Larson

50. Ellie Goulding – “Lights”
49. Cults – “Go Outside”
48. Big K.R.I.T. – “Country Shit” (Remix)
47. Mikal Cronin – “Apathy”
46. Cold Cave – “The Great Pan is Dead”
45. Das Racist – “Michael Jackson”
44. The Horrors – “Still Life”
43. Bill Callahan – “Riding For the Feeling”
42. Dum Dum Girls – “Coming Down”
41. Lykke Li – “I Follow Rivers”
40. Wilco – “One Sunday Morning (Song for Jane Smiley’s Boyfriend)”
39. Liturgy – “Generation”
38. Washed Out – “Amor Fati”
37. Adele – “Rolling in the Deep”
36. AraabMUZIK – “Streetz Tonight”
35. Tom Waits – “Hell Broke Luce”
34. The Black Keys – “Lonely Boy”
33. Kurt Vile – “Jesus Fever”
32. Battles – “Ice Cream”
31. Kate Bush – “Wild Man”
30. Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire – “The Last Huzzah” (Remix)
29. The Strokes – “Under Cover of Darkness”
28. Beirut – “East Harlem”
27. The War on Drugs – “Come to the City”
26. Frank Ocean – “Novacane”
25. Girls – “Vomit”
24. Beastie Boys – “Make Some Noise”
23. Real Estate – “It’s Real”
22. Childish Gambino – “Bonfire”
21. Fleet Foxes – “Helplessness Blues”
20. Radiohead – “Lotus Flower”
19. Cut Copy – “Need You Now”
18. Neon Indian – “Polish Girl”
17. Drake – “Take Care”
16. Jamie xx – “Far Nearer”
15. The Mountain Goats – “High Hawk Season”
14. The Weeknd – “Wicked Games”
13. The Throne – “Niggas in Paris”
12. Destroyer – “Kaputt”
11. Wild Flag – “Romance”
10. Foo Fighters – “Rope”
09. James Blake – “The Wilhelm Scream”
08. SBTRKT – “Wildfire”
07. EMA – “California”
06. St. Vincent – “Cruel”
05. tUnE-yArDs – “Bizness”
04. Beyoncé – “Countdown”
03. M83 – “Midnight City”
02. Tyler, the Creator – “Yonkers”
01. Bon Iver – “Holocene”

After a slightly icy interview on The Colbert Report Tuesday evening, The Black Keys‘ Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney returned to late night on Wednesday for an electrified performance of “Gold on the Ceiling” on The Late Show with David Letterman. In under four minutes, Carney broke a devilish sweat, Auerbach yanked out a charming smile, and the two convinced enough Americans of a second single off El Camino. Not too shabby of a feat for their first press week. They’ll need it; after all, they’ve got plenty of arenas to fill in the months ahead. Check out the clip below, courtesy of The Audio Perv.

El Camino is currently available everywhere.

Last night, while out supporting El Camino, The Black Keys‘ Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney stopped by The Colbert Report for a quick chat and a performance of current single, “Lonely Boy”. “Welcome to the Grammy club,” Colbert exclaimed, alluding to his own 2010 win, and the group’s multiple grabs for last year’s LP, Brothers. “Do you have any tips for maintenance?” Although initially stoic – Auerbach looked as outgoing as Ryan Gosling’s Drive character – Colbert snapped ‘em out of their trance with a few tongue-in-cheek questions. They discussed the new LP (“Why the hispanic influence? Why not The Camino?”), hoards of groupies (“I bet you’re beating them off with a stick.”), and whether or not the duo’s hometown of Akron, OH is the new Motown. Carney answered the latter question, offering one fun fact: “There are a lot of cheeseburgers there.” Who needs Yelp when you’ve got Carney? Anyhow, check it out below, courtesy of The Audio Perv.

Interview:

“Lonely Boy”:

Update: The band also played “Gold On The Ceiling” as a web exclusive.

El Camino is currently available everywhere.

The Black Keys are successful because they see their icons and raise them, amping up the classics to breathtaking speed with the lo-fi snarl that made them famous in the first place. The lickety-split drums of YouTube sensation “Lonely Boy”, similar to rockabilly touchstone Johnny Burnette’s “Rock Billy Boogie”, kick off the album along with a screaming Hammond organ. This instantly recognizable beat appears again on “Run Right Back”, but it eschews buoyancy for buzzing minor keys and an electric guitar with the timbre of a baby crying. Rockabilly evolves into punk on “Hell of a Season”, whose brassy cymbals and articulate bass line sound like The Clash’s tongue-in-cheek cover of “Police and Thieves”. Auerbach gives the song poignancy, however, when he sings in his signature swooning falsetto, “In this hell of a season/Give me more of a reason/To be with you/Say you’ll be better/I’ll keep waiting forever/You know I do.” Burton, aka Danger Mouse, also softens the rampaging percussion with the chorus’s pure, ringing triangle notes.

Burton’s last project, the Italian film noir-inspired Rome, audibly influences his touches throughout El Camino, which relieve the album’s ear-bleeding electricity. “Dead and Gone” segues into the same triangle chords on “Hell of a Season” as the beatific chorus underlying much of Rome. That album’s thematic spaghetti western effect creeps into the beginning of “Little Black Submarines”, which opens with Auerbach’s lonely quaver and simple acoustic strumming. But then at the two-minute mark, it erupts into a barroom brawler like — according to Auerbach himself — Black Sabbath. His shredding on “Submarines” tops even the also Burton-produced Attack and Release’s most face-melting moments at The Black Keys’ famed Crystal Ballroom performance. Attack’s psychedelia does surface on “Money Maker”, surrounding Auerbach’s voice and a cameo appearance by a trumpet buzz-wah in a halo of woozy reverb.

Besides drawing on their own back catalog and punk and rockabilly influences, Auerbach and Carney liberally sample funk, Motown, and ‘60s Britpop throughout El Camino, especially on the latter half. “Sister” moonwalks with a “Billie Jean” beat and a sassy kazoo-like breakdown from Auerbach’s Hammond, and “Stop Stop”’s tambourines and hand claps build like a Mod dance party only to break down like a Four Tops floor-filler. Follower “Nova Baby” is more of an enigma, swelling with elegant background notes like the song’s titular dying star. But closer “Mind Eraser” is unquestionably sexy, riding a beat Al Green would have produced in 1972. After hearing Auerbach bend over backward for proud, emotionally unavailable gold diggers, it’s a pleasure to hear him growl, a la Hombre Lobo, “I am a mind eraser, anything goes” (even though, of course, he later rescinds).

But it’s the bombastic, slightly sleazy “Gold on the Ceiling” that best sums up The Black Keys’ almost unbelievably consistent musicianship and success: “They all want my gold on the ceiling/Just a matter of time/Before you steal it/It’s all right, ain’t no God in my heart,” Auerbach sings. El Camino’s soul, in Auerbach’s hair-raising falsetto and Carney’s wicked drum lines, disproves the last line (even though the “gold” may very well refer to Brothers’ half a million sales). The duo deserves a victory lap after ascending from four-track recordings in Carney’s basement to selling out amphitheaters and headlining festivals, all while maintaining the same DIY aesthetic and work ethic since their Big Come Up. And what better vehicle for their success than El Camino?

Essential Tracks: “Hell of a Season”, “Mind Eraser”, and “Little Black Submarines”

Photo by Debi Del Grande

The Black Keys are certainly giving their followers a “Run Right Back” for their money: In addition to announcing 2012 tour dates, releasing their new album El Camino tomorrow, and appearing on Saturday Night Live (again), the powerhouse duo will be playing an intimate album release show tonight at New York’s Webster Hall.

Even though it’s a fan club-only event, the concert will be streaming online as part of MTV Hive’s Live In NYC series. Starting at 9 pm EST, watch the hour-long performance below. Following the webcast, five of the band’s performances will be available for on-demand streaming. While you’re counting down the hours, check out The Black Keys’ tour dates with The Arctic Monkeys below.

El Camino comes out this Tuesday, December 6th on Nonesuch Records. Pre-order your copy on CD or vinyl.

The Black Keys 2011-2012 Tour Dates:
12/05 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall
12/11 – Los Angeles, CA @ KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas
01/23 – Antwerp, BE @ Lotto
01/24 – Lille, FR @ Zenith
01/25 – Lille, FR @ Zenith
01/27 – Hamburg, DE @ Sporthalle
01/28 – Berlin, DE @ Arena
01/30 – Milan, IT @ Alcatraz
01/31 – Zurich, CH @ Maag Hall
02/01 – Eindhoven, NL @ Klokgebouw
02/03 – Nottingham, UK @ Capital FM Arena
02/04 – Edinburgh, UK @ Corn Exchange
02/06 – Manchester, UK @ O2 Apollo
02/07 – Manchester, UK @ O2 Apollo
02/09 – London, UK @ Alexandra Palace
02/10 – London, UK @ Alexandra Palace
03/02 – Cincinnati, OH @ U.S. Bank Arena *
03/03 – Detroit, MI @ Joe Louis Arena *
03/04 – Columbus, OH @ Jerome Schottenstein Center *
03/06 – Portland, ME @ Cumberland Co. Civic Center *
03/07 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden *
03/09 – Washington, DC @ Verizon Center *
03/10 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center *
03/12 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden *
03/13 – Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre *
03/14 – Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre *
03/16 - Indianapolis, IN @ Conesco Fieldhouse *
03/18 -Grand Rapids, MI @ Van Andel Arena *
03/19 – Chicago, IL @ United Center *
03/20 – Cleveland, OH @ Quicken Loans Arena *
03/23 – Norfolk, VA @ Constant Convocation Center *

* = w/ Arctic Monkeys

The Black Keys – “Junior’s Widow”

The Black Keys first tackled Kimbrough by covering his blues standard “Do the Rump” on 2002’s The Big Come Up. Gnarly and raw, Auerbach’s voice roughs up Kimbrough’s suave wail with Paul McCartney’s “Why Don’t We Do It in the Road?” urgency. While “Do the Rump” exemplifies The Black Keys’ racially transcendent musical abilities, the most intriguing track on The Big Come Up arrives at the end. “240 Years Before Your Time” elevates the record from grungy ‘60s blues to ‘90s trip-hop with a simple hi-hat rhythm and psychedelic reverb. It’s striking and foreshadows the duo’s forays into hip-hop. It’s no coincidence, then, that “240 Years Before Your Time” soundtracks a trailer to Blakroc 2, the rumored follow-up to 2009’s collaboration between The Black Keys and rappers like Mos Def, Ludacris, and RZA. The first Blakroc—which the BBC’s Nick Neyland calls, “a surprisingly compelling and welcome rejoining of the rap and rock worlds that successfully captures the off-the-cuff nature of the recording sessions”—remains a surprisingly solid example of cross-genre collaboration.

Photo by Debi Del Grande

“240 Years Before Your Time” was also the first example of The Black Keys’ tendency to include hidden tracks on their albums, which they did again during the Blakroc sessions. An “off-the-cuff” excerpt from these studio sessions, found at the end of album closer “Done Did It”, absolves The Black Keys similarly to Mildred Kimbrough’s voicemail message: M.O.P.’s Billy Danze joked, “I knew I should’ve brought my knife with me” after famously humorous drummer Patrick Carney told him to leave so Q-Tip could arrive. Hamilton said in an interview that Carney’s audacity picking on “the biggest guy in the room” from Brownsville (read: ghetto), joking or not, shocked everyone. The clip lends Carney, and by association his band, street cred that might not otherwise come across in Blakroc’s carefully orchestrated fusion of blues and rap.

A less slick but no less enjoyable example of The Black Keys’ hip-hop compatibility came out shortly after 2010’s Brothers and Big Boi’s Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty. Wick-It the Instigator, the remix artist behind Beastie Mouse and Austin Powers vs. Big K.R.I.T., came out with seven mashups known collectively as The Brothers of Chico Dusty. Available for free download, songs like “Black Bug” and “Everlasting Shine Blockaz” made it onto blogs and mainstream media like Minnesota Public Radio and Spin Magazine. On Outkast’s website, Big Boi gave his stamp of approval to Wick-It the Instigator and thus by association, The Black Keys: “Mashups these days can be questionable, but this one is Big Boi approved and stankin’.” He then asked readers to vote for The Black Keys and Big Boi to perform at the Grammys. It doesn’t get much more “stankin’” than that. Even though The Brothers of Chico Dusty doesn’t bear The Black Keys’ official signature, it nonetheless demonstrates the hip-hop tendencies that underlie the band’s constantly evolving interpretation of north hill country blues.

Perhaps the biggest unintentional risk The Black Keys have taken is with the recent video for El Camino single “Lonely Boy”. Derrick Tuggle’s rockabilly dance moves have so far scored close to three million hits on YouTube. While the image of an African-American dancing and lip-syncing to two white guys from the Midwest might ruffle a few feathers, Tuggle was picked for the part almost entirely by chance: The video’s director saw him dancing to the music off-camera and, based on his version of the mashed potato (his dance has already become a verb, “to Tuggle”), decided to promote him from extra to star of “Lonely Boy”. Regardless of his race and how it relates to Auerbach’s voice coming out of his mouth, the simple truth is that Derrick Tuggle was the best dancer in the room and now probably on the Internet. Like him, The Black Keys work because they have fun with what they do and they do it well. It would otherwise not be possible to successfully re-appropriate Kimbrough’s north hill country blues, Big Boi’s Atlanta slang, or Raekwon’s razor-sharp rhymes. Let’s hope Mildred Kimbrough still feels the same and that the next idea The Black Keys have that’s “fraught with unmanageable questions” is Blakroc 2.

America’s newest arena act, The Black Keys, were back on Saturday Night Live last night for the second time in a calendar year. Anyone who still watches the show on a regular basis knows that’s a rarity, but when your turnaround time between albums is 19 months, and both albums are full of crunchy, commercially-acceptable riffs, you earn such rights. This is the case for The Black Keys, who of course follow up last year’s smash LP, Brothers, this Tuesday with the release of the equally ferocious El Camino. Also serving as our first opportunity to hear the new tunes live, Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney first showcased the single “Lonely Boy” before dishing out “Gold On The Ceiling”. Both songs sounded rather great on my television set and Twitter’s too . Watch the replays below (via The Audio Perv).

“Lonely Boy”:

“Gold On The Ceiling”:

El Camino is out Tuesday via Nonesuch. Pre-order your own copy on CD or vinyl. Also, see The Ke

Two of music’s hardest-hitting bands are teaming up this spring for a massive arena tour. In support of their new album, El Camino, The Black Keys are hitting the road with UK rockers Arctic Monkeys. The trek currently spans 15 dates, kicking off in Cincinnati on March 2nd and ending in Norfolk, VA on March 23rd. Along the way, they’ll wreck havoc on places like New York’s Madison Square Garden, Boston’s TD Garden, and Chicago’s United Center.

Along with the U.S. jaunt, The Black Keys will be all over the UK and Europe in the early part of 2012. They’ll also be all over your TV over next five days, with scheduled appearances on Saturday Night Live (12/3), The Colbert Report (12/6), and Letterman (12/7). Plus, on Monday they’ll be playing a record release show at New York’s Webster Hall, which will be streamed live on MTV Hive.

Check out The Black Keys’ full schedule below, followed by the video for their single “Lonely Boy”. El Camino is out December 6th via Nonesuch. Pre-order your own copy on CD or vinyl.

The Black Keys 2011-2012 Tour Dates:
12/05 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall
12/11 – Los Angeles, CA @ KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas
01/23 – Antwerp, BE @ Lotto
01/24 – Lille, FR @ Zenith
01/25 – Lille, FR @ Zenith
01/27 – Hamburg, DE @ Sporthalle
01/28 – Berlin, DE @ Arena
01/30 – Milan, IT @ Alcatraz
01/31 – Zurich, CH @ Maag Hall
02/01 – Eindhoven, NL @ Klokgebouw
02/03 – Nottingham, UK @ Capital FM Arena
02/04 – Edinburgh, UK @ Corn Exchange
02/06 – Manchester, UK @ O2 Apollo
02/07 – Manchester, UK @ O2 Apollo
02/09 – London, UK @ Alexandra Palace
02/10 – London, UK @ Alexandra Palace
03/02 – Cincinnati, OH @ U.S. Bank Arena *
03/03 – Detroit, MI @ Joe Louis Arena *
03/04 – Columbus, OH @ Jerome Schottenstein Center *
03/06 – Portland, ME @ Cumberland Co. Civic Center *
03/07 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden *
03/09 – Washington, DC @ Verizon Center *
03/10 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center *
03/12 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden *
03/13 – Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre *
03/14 – Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre *
03/16 - Indianapolis, IN @ Conesco Fieldhouse *
03/18 -Grand Rapids, MI @ Van Andel Arena *
03/19 – Chicago, IL @ United Center *
03/20 – Cleveland, OH @ Quicken Loans Arena *
03/23 – Norfolk, VA @ Constant Convocation Center *

* = w/ Arctic Monkeys

“Lonely Boy”: