As we move closer to the end of 2011, we look back to the best albums of the year that made 2011 an amazing year for music. Here are our top picks:

HURRY UP WE'RE DREAMING by M83
The sixth studio album from the French electro-pop/shoegaze group is probably one of their best. This 2-CD album starts off with a dreamy "Intro" featuring the wonderful Zola Jesus, followed by the hit single, "Midnight City". Their most commercially-successful album to date shows the heavy influence of touring with bands like Depeche Mode and The Killers. There is a generous dollop of the atmospheric sound heard on their third album, Before The Dawn Heals Us, with a smattering of the synth pop sound heard on my favorite M83 album, saturdays=youth.
The Filter Picks: "Midnight City", "OK Pal", "Year One, One UFO", "Claudia Lewis"

Best albums of 2011…so far

We are more than halfway through this year and 2011 has no shortage of amazing music. Here are our picks for the top albums of 2011 so far:

BON IVER by Bon Iver
Bon Iver's eponymous second studio album exceeds all expectations. Seemingly a new musical departure from the old Bon Iver sound of the debut album For Emma , Forever Ago, and the incandescent EP, Blood Bank, this album showcases broader horizons musically for Bon Iver. With the tracks appropriately titled as geographical places, listening to this album is definitely akin to taking a mini holiday.
The Filter Picks: "Holocene", "Michicant", "Wash.", "Calgary"

The Filter: Top Albums of 2010 (the rest of it)

With the end of 2010 in the horizon, we have for you the rest of 2010's best albums. It has been an amazing year for music. Here are our picks for the top albums of the year:

Relayted by Gayngs
The Jagjaguwar Label is known for signing amazing indie musicians such as Bon Iver, Small Black, The Besnard Lakes, and Ladyhawk. Gayngs is composed of Jagjaguwar artist Justin Vernon (of Bon Iver), members of the electro/glam rock group Solid Gold, producer Ryan Olson, rapper P.O.S., and many more talented artists. Relayted is probably the most eclectic-sounding album of the year. Starting from dirty, smooth jazz sound of "The Gaudy Side of Town" to the folky, dark-wave sound of "The Walker" and "Cry", to the electronic pop sound of "Faded High", and ending with the 80's pop retro sound of "The Last Prom on Earth", this album is definitely solid from beginning to end.
The Filter Picks: "The Gaudy Side of Town", "The Walker", "Cry", "Crystal Rope", "Faded High"

We are more than halfway done with 2010 and have seen some quite exceptional albums. Here are our top albums for the year so far:

This is Happening by LCD Soundsystem
Debuting at #10 in the Billboard charts, the newest album by James Murphy et al has been hailed as a critical and commercial success. Opening with the track, "Dance Yrself Clean," which was sampled by Kid Cudi for his newest single, "All Talk", and ending with the unexpectedly upbeat, "Home", this album is amazing from beginning to end.
The Filter Picks: "Dance Yrself Clean", "You Wanted A Hit", "One Touch", "Home", "I Can Change"