Paqman's Top 10 Albums Of 2011 - The Year Of The Mixtape

Tens of thousands of albums have been released this past year, so P&B are taking on the arduous task of breaking down our very own Top 10 Albums of 2011 List. This is the second of a 2-part series (Turnbull's first, with Paqman's second). We'll break down the albums, EPs, and mixtapes, etc, that made for quintessential listening throughout the year. If you don't see something on here that you feel should've made the lists, feel free to leave a comment or send us an email about it!

10) Foo Fighters - Wasting Light

The Foo had one hell of a year. They reestablished themselves as the premiere stadium rock band with a massive sold out tour. If you haven't checked out the "Back and Forth" documentary which chronicles the band's history and the making of "Wasting Light", it's a must for any fan of the Foo Fighters and modern rock.

P&B Approved Cuts: Bridges Burning, Rope, Arlandia

 9) Drake - Take Care

Canada's hottest export did not fail with his sophomore release. With longtime producer Noah "40" Shebib, Just Blaze and T-Minus, Drake proved that his star continues to rise as he delivers his trademark introspective lyrics over fantastically produced beats.

P&B Approved Cuts: Buried Alive Interlude, Under Ground Kings, Take Care

Calling An Audioble: Fleet Foxes

(Photo via dedica.la)

I decided to add the new Fleet Foxes album, Helplessness Blues, to my Rdio queue last week. I've listened to the album 3 times since then and I gotta say that I'm really feeling it. I would describe their sound as medieval Simon and Garfunkel, packaged with stellar harmonies and haunting acoustic guitar work.

Fleet Foxes are a 6 piece from Seattle that have released 2 full albums, the first being self titled, on the iconic Sub Pop label. Tracks of interest include Sim Sala Bim, The Plains / Bitter Dancer, The Shrine / An Argument and Helplessness Blues, which is available as a free download on their official website.

This is the perfect album to throw on if you invite the guild to your house to enjoy some fine mead or if your looking to cut out the noise and chill. You can expect this to be in my top 20 for 2011.

-Paqman