Top 10 Albums of 2011 Rules & Party!!

Hey there likeminded music geeks!

Thanksgiving Weekend is almost over...and for the 9th year in a row, that means the following things:

-The Detroit Lions lost at football (ugly too...)

-That group of people camping in public turned out not to be an 'Occupy Best Buy' protest.

-You've just now snapped out of your tryptophan induced coma...only to return to a tryptophan sandwich induced coma

.......and most importantly....Matty B releases the official rules & posting instructions for the:

"9TH ANNUAL TOP TEN ALBUMS LISTS OF 2011!"

and reveals the date and location of "THE ANNUAL TOP TEN PARTY' this year occurring at Club Garibaldi Dec 27 8pm

So... what is this??

This an annual celebration of all things great about music where you as a likeminded music geek justify your existence by locking yourself inside, harnessing your inner obsessive, crank your stereo & start making the tough decisions to post your favorite albums of the year on my weblog: http://top10albumsoftheyear.blogspot.com/   

(past participants will notice that the blog has moved from http://lettershomefromcamp.blogspot.com/ ...look there for an ideas on what to do) 

And there's a party?

Part in parcel to this is the annual 'Top Ten Party' where the likeminded music geeks converge in person for a night of talking music, comparing lists and of course enjoying free Louie's Demise beer compliments of Milwaukee Brewing Company with creation of your list (while supplies last ).

This year's Top Ten Party takes place Dec 27 at 8pm at Club Garibaldi 2501 S Superior St Milwaukee WI

There will be "Mix CD & Online Mixtape Swap" so make sure to bring a bunch of mix CDs of your fave songs with copies of track listings or if you are so inclined create an online mixtape download link & trade them with the other likeminded music geeks! Make sure to bring your loaded up iPod or fave CDs so YOU get to play GUEST DJ throughout the evening.

(and please come ready to eat.....the good folks at Club Garibaldi have graciously donated the room....least we can do to thank them is order some of their famous chicken wings)

Talking music & raising money for a good cause

Free beer? What's the catch?  This year with your Top Ten wristband we'll request a small donation for The Kola Project which is a great organization that raises money for scholarships in Liberia... more on that here http://thekolaproject.org/

So you should really create a list...post it online...and come to the party...

Not only is this a great way to prove your superior taste & knowledge to your peers in list form, this is also an excellent opportunity to find out about  loads of awesome music you might have missed or overlooked this year....and if you don't like those things...there's always the beer and chicken wings.

so without further ado...pressure's on....let's get to:

TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2011

POSTING

All lists are posted at http://top10albumsoftheyear.blogspot.com/   

here's how...

Login at: http://www.blogspot.com

Username: top10albums

Password: oftheyear

under "Manage Your Blogs" go to "New Post" & get listing!!

(or just e-mail them to me at top10albums@gmail.com & I'll put em up for you")

and now....

THE RULES

1. Albums of must have a release date between November 1 2010 & January 1 2012- always rule #1...always the hardest to follow... #1 complaint on this 'I haven't even listened to 10 album this year!' which i will respond to with the #2 complaint 'How can I pick just 10??' ...game, set, match.   Good sources for verifying album release date: allmusic.com amazon.com &  itunes. 

2. Every selection must be accompanied with a short yet thoughtful explanation-   Sure...it's totally fine to post your list without descriptions... it's also fine for us to assume that you are a robot who has picked your albums solely based on what they scored on Pitchfork. 

a few good examples from last year here- http://lettershomefromcamp.blogspot.com/2010/12/andy-nelsons-top-ten-of-2010.html here- http://lettershomefromcamp.blogspot.com/2010/12/tarik-aka-architects-top-10.html here-http://lettershomefromcamp.blogspot.com/2010/12/ervs-top-10-o-10.html

3. NO GREATEST HITS ALBUMS!!!-  Just can't do it....I have yet to hear a compelling case for why a greatest hits album should count as anything other than a self-indulgent money grab. I give you exhibit A-'Smashmouth's Greatest Hits': 20 tracks with exactly 3 hits on it....seriously...it's crazy http://www.amazon.com/All-Star-Smash-Hits-Mouth/dp/B000A7DVPE

4. Leaked albums -  Now that Spotify has solved the issue of internet piracy this shouldn't be an issue...right?  In the event this is not the case...should you hear something that happens to have a release date of 2012 through scrupulous or unscrupulous means...that works....just try not to post it on both your 2011 and 2012 list... cool?

5. Audio & Visual Aids encouraged-  Album Covers, embedded video, album inspired art....whatever you need to make your point!  (if you need help getting those posted, just drop me a line at top10albums@gmail.com & i'm happy to help)

6. Positive/Negative Comments welcome- This is all about diversity of opinion & it's definitely a good thing to encourage your fellow likeminded music fans with positive comments but you have to admit...negative comments are more fun...feel free to put those up. I noticed a lot of sax in music this year...I hope to see some Pro-Sax and Anti-Sax camps form. If things get out of line I will step in as the Troll Ref.  That said...feel free to get out of line.

7. Honorable mentions, other lists & music related year end observations extremely encouraged- best shows, most anticipated music for 2011, biggest disappointments, best app, etc etc, etc Other lists and posts are interesting & highly encouraged.

8. PLEASE share this with your music loving friends- Everyone's invited to participate.  Everyone's invited to the listening party.  (doesn't matter if we know you or not...we want your list....we want you to come to the listening party!)

9. In order to be taken seriously your list must be posted in a timely fashion- Good rule of thumb would be to get yours up by the Top Ten Party Dec 27.  You're totally free to put it up after that.  I'm sure people will pretend they saw it.

10.  Any of these rules can be bent, broken or reinterpreted at any time for any reason- Yes...rule #10=forget the rules.  I know..you read that whole thing and now it means nothing...don't think of me as wasting your time as much as testing your patience....if you read that whole thing you must be pretty patient....You passed the test!

That should just about do it!   

Have a list-worthy day & we'll see you at The Top Ten Party December 27 at Club Garibaldi!

Cheers

-Matty B

PS questions/concerns etc, you can always e-mail me at top10albums@gmail.com or shoot me a call at 414-333-6634