Reis-n': Ethan's Favorite Songs of 2011

2011 wasn't exactly a novel year for jams, but some of this stuff should become canonically classic in the future. I'm not ranking these songs or saying much about them, but they still mean a lot to me. Another important thing to note is that I did not include a lot of songs from the year's most stellar albums because I don't know which one to pick or I cannot decide on one that is particularly representative of the artist (for example, you won't find Braids on here, despite [or rather, because of] my love of Native Speaker). So I don't like these 30 songs more than every other song from 2011. But I do think they are really awesome. Without further ado, my top songs, organized alphabetically by artist name:

The Antlers - "I Don't Want Love"

Azealia Banks - "212"

I've hopped on this bandwagon. Hopefully the ride is as good as this suggests.

Beyoncé - "Countdown"

Bon Iver - "Beth / Rest"

Easily my favorite Bon Iver song.

Chris Brown - "Look At Me Now (feat. Busta Rhymes & Lil Wayne)"

Comet Gain - "Clang of the Concrete Swans"

Dum Dum Girls - "Coming Down"

E-40 - "In the Morning"

Florence + The Machine - "Spectrum"

Grimes - "Vanessa"

Probably the song of the year if I had to choose one.

G-Side - "Im Sorry"

Jay-Z & Kanye West - "Illest Motherfucker Alive"

"Niggas in Paris" and everything else is good but this stood out as the best track for me on every listen.

Katy B - "Katy on a Mission"

Kreayshawn - "Gucci Gucci"

Don't Front: you love this shit.

La Sera - "Never Come Around"

Laura Stevenson & the Cans - "Master of Art"

Lil Wayne - "6 Foot 7 Foot"

Favorite video of the year. (this actually came out in 2010 but it's close enough)

M83 - "Steve McQueen"

"Midnight City" is awesome too, but this is just bliss. Couldn't find it on youtube unfortunately.

Panda Bear - "Last Night at the Jetty"

(as with "6 Foot 7 Foot" this technically appeared in 2010)

Pepper Rabbit - "Rose Mary Stretch"

Peaking Lights - "Tiger Eyes (Laid Back)"

Radiohead - "Lotus Flower"

Raekwon - "Rock N Roll (feat. Ghostface Killah, Jim Jones & Kobe)"

Real Estate - "It's Real"

Roommate - "Smothered in Hugs"

Couldn't find this incredible Guided By Voices cover on youtube.

The Roots - "Make My (feat. Big K.R.I.T.)"

The-Dream - "Body Work / F.M.B.O."

Fantastic in part because it probably won't be released on any album. Two of his best songs with a seamless transition, (which is exactly what we've come to expect from The-Dream).

Times New Viking - "It's a Culture"