{"id":1427,"date":"2011-12-29T23:13:16","date_gmt":"2011-12-30T07:13:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/billchapin.net\/allthecitylights\/?p=1427"},"modified":"2015-01-12T09:31:51","modified_gmt":"2015-01-12T17:31:51","slug":"rankstravaganza-my-10-favorite-tracks-of-2011-by-bay-area-acts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/billchapin.net\/allthecitylights\/2011\/12\/rankstravaganza-my-10-favorite-tracks-of-2011-by-bay-area-acts\/","title":{"rendered":"Rankstravaganza: My 10 favorite tracks of 2011 by Bay Area acts"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Shannon and the Clams (via Myspace)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I’ve only had a year and some change to really immerse myself in the Bay Area music scene, and I’m still feeling my way around and discovering new things daily. So I would never dare to say the following tracks are the best songs San Francisco and Oakland had to offer in 2011. All I know for sure is that these 10 tunes caught my ear enough to make me return to them again and again.<\/p>\n

Keep in mind that two tracks by Bay Area acts\u2014”Stone Rollin'” by Raphael Saadiq<\/a> and “Country Kids” by The Downer Party<\/a>\u2014were so dang good that they made my overall Top 30 tracks of 2011<\/a>, regardless of geography. So in a just world, the would be at No. 1 and 2. Alas, the world is not just, and I needed those slots so I could write about Foreign Legion and Fake Your Own Death.<\/p>\n

10. “The Ultimate,” Foreign Legion<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

How dare emcees Prozack Turner and Marc Stretch and producer Grandpa J make a track with this much effortless cool? With enough soul to pass for the soundtrack to a gritty ’70s urban crime drama, the beat is a big part of the attraction, but the Oakland-based rappers do their part by supplying plenty of good-natured humor.<\/p>\n