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Putting together a list of my favorite tracks for 2011 was a blast. Personally, I managed to see more live music this year than ever before, both in the SF Bay Area and Seattle, and I gorged myself on Indie music at SXSW in Austin this past spring. I pared down hundreds of candidates down to the top 40 songs that I will remember the year by. For me, 2011 was another great music year.

For many of the tracks, you’ll see that I’ve put pointers to other songs from that artist, as my not-so-underhanded way of adding more to this list.
Here we go, starting with number 40.
You can also view a summary list along with iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, and Rdio playlists.

My last playlist of 2011 (except, of course, for my best-of-the-year compilation still to come). While I thought all of the holiday music releases would drown out new tunes, I ended up with over 40 songs, winnowing the list down to a more manageable 22. I included sneak peek tracks from the upcoming 2012 releases for Miike Snow, School of Seven Bells, and others, along with several tracks from new LPs and EPs out in the last couple of months. Enjoy.

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We’re fully into Autumn now, so let’s all enjoy the narrow window before new music releases become swamped by special holiday-themed albums. There are some fantastic new releases this month, led by M83′s Hurry Up We’re Dreaming. There are also strong efforts from Loney Dear, Real Estate, and Surfer Blood, among others.

I’ve added these tracks to my latest rotation, and I hope you find something new for your own listening pleasure.

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September is upon us, and I love how the new album releases reflect the impending transition to Autumn. Several heavily anticipated new albums have just been released, and I encourage you to check them out, particularly from Neon Indian, St. Vincent, Mates of State, and Girls.

As always, I hope you find some new music in this list for you to add to your own listening rotation.
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Putting together a playlist at the height of summer can be tough with fewer releases, but there is a plethora of new beachy, blissed out tracks perfect for the season. I’ve included quite a few new artists never featured on any of my playlists, with a sprinkling of familiar folks out with new and upcoming releases. I’m particularly looking forward to the new M83 album.

So put in your earphones, head out into the sunshine and take a listen….

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Just because the tech giants are battling it out over who will win in the cloud music space doesn’t mean the artists are waiting on the sidelines. The releases have come fast and furious this month, with notable records from Wild Beasts, The Antlers, Fleet Foxes, and Okkervil River, among others, along with sneak peaks for new LPs due later this summer. I’m loving this list, and I hope you find something new for your own music rotation.
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