[This weekly feature is a snapshot of what the Stranger Dance staff can't get out of our collective head each week. On any given week, we might be digging a new local act, an old jazz chestnut, the newest Japanese electro-folk or whatever else we've got on the turntable/iPod that week.]

This week’s picks are heavier on hip-hop and funk than we normally stray (the Panther is the only one close to our indie roots this time around). We’ve got both old school and brand new rap (and a slice of ’90s rap for good measure), deep p-funk … and an acoustic Wilco tune. Enjoy.

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Scooter: Funkadelic - “Super Stupid”

If Clapton is God, Eddie Hazel is the devil — and he tempts me to the dark-side every time I listen to this record. Funkadelic’s Maggot Brain is probably in my Top-10 all-time guitar albums and “Super Stupid” is a perfect example of why.

More soulful than Sabbath and Zeppelin, but every bit as heavy, “Super Stupid” just rips from start to finish. Hazel is the only guitarist who ever came close to Hendrix in terms of imagination, melodic sensibility, and pure mastery of his instrument. Take a listen and see if you agree.

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The Stranger: Eric B. & Rakim - “Paid in Full” [Coldcut's "Seven Minutes of Madness" Remix]

I’ve credited this track to Eric B. & Rakim, but it’s debatable. The British DJ-duo Coldcut took this seminal track from the best-ever MC/DJ duo and made it there own. Think of it as the best of Golden Age hip hop on acid (in the best way possible).

I’m not a big fan of mashups or modern remixes, which typically aim for novelty and end up with a product that is less than the sum of the parts. This is a master class on how to do it right. The remix is nearly twice as long as the original, but never loses focus or breaks from the original spirit.

In the spirit of Double Dee and Steinski, Coldcut breathe new life into Eric B’s already brilliant production work, adding a story line and surreal imagery over one of the most subtly infectious bass lines in hip-hop history.

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Uncle Corey: The Cool Kids - “Oscar the Grouch”

(Bonus: Sir Mix-a-Lot - “Posse on Broadway”)

After spending two weeks in the past, I’ve decided to get with the times and pick a song from, you know, this century.

One of the things I can really appreciate in hip-hop is minimalism, which is weird – minimalist rock generally makes me want to dig my eardrums out with a fork. Yeah, I’ve heard your sweet voice and I’m sure your song writing is brilliant, but could you please stand still while I break this acoustic guitar over you head? Anyway, spare beats and minimal arrangements were part of the appeal of old school rap like Run-DMC and Boogie Down Productions, and I got re-introduced to that sounds by The Neptunes production on Clipse’s “Grindin’ ” – the hardest, most impressive beat they’ve made to date – and got hooked again immediately.

The Cool Kids are the new masters of the spare beat – generally, a bass drum, snare, bell, maybe a hook. Awesome. I chose “Oscar the Grouch” because it’s off of That’s Stupid, their mixtape from earlier this year and it hasn’t been as widely listened to as the songs off of The Bake Sale EP. Also it’s got a pair of samples from Seattle’s own Sir Mix-a-Lot’s “Posse on Broadway,” (one by way of the Beastie Boys’ “The New Style”) which is as fine of a song as any to come out of the ’80s. I also included that pre-”Baby Got Back” Mix-a-Lot song, because, well, he was awesome.

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Vague Panther: Jeff Tweedy - “Theologians” [Live]

I posted a Jeff Tweedy rarity in Panther Picks this past week and it just sucked me back into his wonderful acoustic world. In fact, I think I would pay more to see Jeff Tweedy solo then I would to see the whole band. Maybe that’s just crazy…

It’s a bit odd to have a best-of-the-year list not even four months into said year, but we’ll give Rolling Stone a pass, because, hey, I flipped through all 44 pages of Rolling Stone’s “Best of Rock 2008” this morning. It’s cool to hate it, but I’ve always liked Rolling Stone – I’ve had a subscription since I was 10, and I don’t think I’ve ever taken a plane ride without one in hand.

There’s some dumb things in the list – RS’s love affair with U2 continues, and they suggest a pair of $1,500 headphones – but for the most part, it’s a pretty fun read. A few loose local connections too:

• Radiohead named as “Best Festival Band” – As we may have mentioned before, Radiohead’s playing a festival in our little city in August, so, um … yay for us!
• Amoeba Records is named “Best Record Stores” – OK, yes, it is the one in L.A., but the one on Haight is still pretty damn cool.
• The Stranger will be estatic too – Baltimore is named “Best Scene”. I’ll go with that one. I’m no expert on Charm City (who dreamed that name up, by the way?), the music scene is pretty cool. It has a pretty heavy connection with the neighboring scene in Philly, and between Diplo and Hollertronics, Spank Rock (and Bangers and Cash), Amanda Blank and others in the family, there’s some pretty creative shit coming out of there. Hooray for sweaty hipsters!

Other highlights include best music blogs (The Stranger Dance better be in there next year, or I’ll have Jann Wenner’s balls); Flosstradamus as best DJs; an Uncle Corey-approved group, Chicago-based The Cool Kids as one of the best indie hip-hop groups; best reunion, which mercifully wasn’t Stone Temple Pilots (Led Zeppelin!); and Lil’ Wayne named best MC. The Stranger and I have talked about whether Wayne should actually call himself “Favorite Rapper Alive” because really, he’s a totally likable dude and it seems like that likability gets translated into inflated MC prowess by people. Probably does, but who really cares, right?

MP3s:

2007 started off fairly slowly, but ended up as a very strong year for indie music. I’m not sure if it’s a good or bad thing, but a lot of my favorite releases came from an extended indie family (I’m fairly sure that Leslie Feist has dated, toured with or lived with almost every one), and more surprisingly, not a single hip-hop or electronic artist made my list this year.

With the advent of iTunes, I feel like music has returned to a singles-based model, but was pleasantly surprised to find more true albums (not collections of random songs) come out in ‘07.

Without further ado, here are my picks for the best of 2007:

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