I'm convinced that there are so many talented musicians out there making exceptional music that I don't need to worry about finding quality music – it's everywhere, even on the radio (sometimes). The trouble is finding artists that actually say something to you instead of just entertaining you with their catchy melodies. But catchy melodies are OK, too. We operate on many different levels. Some of the albums below spoke to me deeply; others merely titillated my eardrums – but all of them deserve to be on this list. It is, after all, my list and I make up the…

I feel like this was an off year for new music. While I like all the records on this list, I can't say I consider any of them to be particularly ground-breaking or "classic" in any sense. Maybe they don't have to be. Nevertheless, I feel this is an accurate account of what I've listened to this year, and once again my top spot goes to a band that came out of nowhere for me – it was stuck in my car's CD player for weeks.

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1. Cloakroom - Infinity

As I said above, this was probably my most-played…

Another year of great music; I missed a lot of it–I always do–but this list is a fairly accurate document of what I was listening to, and what really moved me, this year. Along with old standbys (Ilyas Ahmed, Katatonia, Evan Caminiti), there's a few pleasant surprises from bands I had followed only casually in the past; if anything, for me this year was about reconsidering old opinions and forming new ones: my top spot goes to the album that surprised me the most (for the better)…

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1. Zelienople - The World Is A House On Fire

I think…

Many of my favorite artists released albums this year, and as expected, they were all very good; some lived up to expectations better than others. Nevertheless, I gave the top spot to a musician that came out of nowhere for me, it was the best surprise of 2011 and a great record…

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1. Charles-Eric Charrier, "Silver"
with special mention of "Oldman," also released this year.

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2. Dornenreich, "Flammentriebe"
A real evolution.

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3. Tenhi, "Saivo"
Did not disappoint. It was a long wait.

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4. Barn Owl, "Lost in the Glare"

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5. *AR…

My admiration for Eviga’s poetry and the music of Dornenreich began nearly 10 years ago (yikes!) after the release of Her von welken Nächten, an album I still regard as the band’s best work and masterpiece, my absolute favorite record of all time. When speaking of “life-changing” albums, Her… is exactly that sort of album for me; I can still recall the incredible rush I felt when I first listened to it. Even though I couldn’t understand a word of German back then, I knew Eviga was trying to express something unique and profound. My hunch proved to be…

When I first listened to Agalloch’s Marrow of the Spirit, I didn’t like it very much. But long after the music had ended I found myself still thinking about it. So I kept on listening, trying to come to grips with the band’s new direction and purpose. I think I have listened enough times now to make some conclusions, some guesses towards that aim. I offer them here on the off chance that someone out there might find them interesting…

<They Escaped The Weight of Darkness>The album begins with the sound of a flowing stream. Is this a…

Pausing to recall 10 memorable releases this year…

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1. JOANNA NEWSOM : Have One on Me

You would think three discs worth of songs about love would make for a tiresome listen, but somehow “Have One On Me” never falls short of captivating. Much of the album’s success is due to Newsom’s growing skill as a storyteller: her tales spring to life with an exuberant array of all sorts of vibrant images—just take a look at the cover art, for example. I love words, and you can tell that Newsom loves them too, but perhaps even more than this,…