Here is the next installment of our top album picks for the year:

HOUSE OF BALLOONS by The Weeknd
One of my top five albums of the year, House of Balloons is the debut album of Canadian-Ethiopian artist, Abel Tesfaye. The album was previously on the shortlist for the Polaris Music Prize, but lost out to Arcade Fire's The Suburbs, which was technically released in 2010. This does not detract from the artistry of this album, which is a an eclectic mix of dubstup, RNB, soul, and electronica.
The Filter Picks: "High For This", "What You Need", "The Morning", "Wicked Games", "Coming Down"

RAPPROCHER by Class Actress
Class Actress is the newest music project of Brooklyn musician Elizabeth Harper. Evoking a less dramatic Florence Welch, with the sultry sound of Annie Clark (St. Vincent), the sound of Class Actress has been described as a 2011 electro-pop Madonna. Take a listen and find out exactly what that means.
The Filter Picks: "Weekend", "Keep You", "Need To Know", "All The Saints", "Missed"

STRANGE MERCY by St. Vincent
Speaking of Annie Clark, the newest album by St. Vincent makes it on a number of Best of 2011 lists and  definitely makes ours. It is St. Vincent's highest-charting album, peaking at #19 on US BIllboard's Top 200.  The album is evocative, personal, and quite powerful. She explores issues like monogamy, loneliness, and isolation.
The Filter Picks: "Cruel", "Surgeon", "Strange Mercy", "Northern Lights", "Year of the Tiger"

KAPUTT by Destroyer
The 9th studio album by the Canadian indie pop band is a delightful mixture of eclectic pop from the 60's to the 70's and 80's, at times, even evoking David Bowie with a bit of synth pop thrown into it. Making a number of top album lists, this one should definitely make yours.
The Filter Picks: "Kaputt", "Chinatown", "Song for America", "Suicide Demo for Kara Walker", "Bay of Pigs"

WE ARE THE TIDE by Blind Pilot
We Are The Tide is the 2nd full-length studio album  of Oregon-based folk group, Blind Pilot. We Are The Tide is not your typical folk album. Heavily grounded in pop, the songs will take you from the 90's indie sound of "Half Moon", to an ebullient, almost dancey sound of "We Are The Tide" to the sweeping melancholia of "The Colored Night".
The Filter Picks: "Keep You Right", "The Colored Night", "We Are The Tide", "White Apple"