Music of 2011 (so far) W/ GUESTS!

*Please note, this is a lot of text. But in my humble opinion, it's worth it*

So remember when I had a Most Anticipated 2011 list on here? What's crazy is a good portion of those have already come out and happily there aren't really any disappointments. Some are quickly approaching (Foo Fighters, Death Cab for Cutie, Manchester Orchestra) but for the most part, in my opinion, 2011 has started off strong musically.

With that in mind I wanted to highlight the releases of the first few months of the year. My goal is to share with you guys any that you may have missed, but to also look at the feedback for the ones that I have missed. To speed up that process, I enlisted the help of some friends. So below my picks, you will get offerings from Liz and Mike. Keep in mind, it is way too early to start a "Best of" so these are just the ones we liked.

Let me say a couple things right off the bat. 1) The big one I haven't got to yet is Adele. 2) the only thing close to a disappointment is the Strokes (I wouldn't say it was terrible, but there was just nothing to pull me back). 3) Aside from the picks you will see below, I enjoyed the stuff from Bayside, Radiohead and Bright Eyes, but they are mentioned in Liz and Mike's picks 4) Other solid releases include D.R.U.G.S., Does It Offend You, Yeah?, Explosions in the Sky, Cake and Travis Barker.

On to the selections (please leave suggestions for stuff we missed in the comments):

Matt's Picks

Cage the Elephant - Thank You, Happy Birthday: A spastic (in a good way) album that shows slight maturity with a couple slower, more acoustic tracks. Admittedly, it took me a couple plays to get into it as the wild tracks are a little more out there than the self-titled debut, but it's an all-around fun cd.

Dance Gavin Dance - Downtown Battle Mountain Part 2: You have to be in to the screaming/singing genre to even give this a shot, but if you are it's a hell of a release. Though it's clear Jonny Craig has some personal issues, the reunited lineup sounds stronger than ever. This is my brother's favorite band and it was awesome to see him get excited about it as I am in the same situation when the original Taking Back Sunday releases a new cd (hopefully sometime) soon.

Lupe Fiasco - Lasers: The label frustrations are clear on Lupe's third studio release that definitely sounds more "mainstream" than his first two albums. But the songs are still great and lyrically he cannot be denied as one of the best out there. I read somewhere a line that I couldn't agree more with - even at his worst, Lupe Fiasco is better than the majority of rappers today.

Panic! at the Disco - Vices and Virtues/Yellowcard - When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes: I'm putting these two together because I had almost the same personally story with them both (and ironically they were released on the same day). After strong releases that I had on heavy rotation at one point in my life, both bands just kind of floundered for years. If my opinion is worth anything, both these releases have gotten them back on track (I still haven't taken V&V out of my car).

(Bonus Pick) Green Day - Awesome as F**K: I know this wasn't a new release and live albums get a lot of negativity, but I'll be damned if this isn't a really fun set. I pressed play sort of expecting just some background material but in a few minutes I was jumping around my living room like I was really at the concert. Say what you will about the aging rockers, but they know how to put on a show.

Liz's Picks

Killing Time by Bayside is catchy and melodic yet also has a punk vibe. It has a rougher edge and a bit of a hard-rock vibe but is still undoubtedly Bayside. Definitely worth checking out.

Yuck by Yuck is the bands debut album. Nineties indie rock goodness is how I would describe this. They sound like a mix of all the great early nineties indie music without sounding overdone or uninspired. See: Dinosaur Jr., Elliott Smith and Yo Le Tango and Teenage Fanclub. They are able to balance melodic harmonies and lovely boy-girl vocals with guitar distortion.

I really dig Kiss Each Other Clean by Iron & Wine. It isn't their typical mellow sound; there are clear influences from the hits of the 70's (see: Van Morrison, Cat Stevens and James Taylor).

The King Is Dead by the Decemberists is really good. They've moved away from the prog rock sound of Hazards of Love and produced a mellow, country-folk album.

Mike's Picks

Bright Eyes- The People’s Key

Conor Oberst revitalized Bright Eyes with an immersive album that features spacious snyths, driving new wave, and the examination of spiritual harmony within our society. Throw in some nods to Rastifarinism, and it’s impressive to see just how far the drunk kid catholic has come.

The Decemberists- The King Is Dead

After the tripped-out prog rock of their previous album, Colin Meloy & Co. delivers ten tight tracks that don’t mess around. The record’s rich, Americana overtones feel like good comfort food, providing the solid backbone for Meloy’s signature character studies and soaring harmonies.

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart- Belong

Following in the tradition of vintage shoegazers like Ride and post-punkers like The Cure, The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart have created this year’s breakout album. Belong is chock full of dreamy guitar haze, and crystallizes the most imitate feelings in its prose. The results are gorgeous without being nostalgic

Radiohead- The King Of Limbs

Part jazz-infused nature jam, part astute study of 2011’s electronic music scene, Radiohead created an album that demands attention. The group offers up a record that refuses to be accessible on first listen, but one where the real rewards are just below it’s murky, glitchy surface.