Editors Note: As a special for the last week of 2011, BestNewBands.com is running lists of our writer's top-5 albums of 2011. Because it's the end of the year and because we want to find out what our writers really like, these albums are not restricted to "New" bands. Here are Matt De Mello's top albums of the past year.

It’s that time of year again, kiddies. That glorious end of year extravaganza where we writers presume our opinions mean something more than yours because we have a forum. That fantastical time where we pontificate about the evils of the mainstream magazine making people like Drake seem bigger than life while we secretly wish that someday we can write for those corporate blowhards. It’s who we are. It’s innate in our souls that we have an air of superiority, because we are good enough to do this kind of thing and you are kind enough to follow. I’ve ran through many of the lists that have already come out and there are some that I agree with and some that make me scratch my head.

I’ve listened to Wilco’s album, The Whole Love, and I don’t think it’s great. Some people have it top-10, some even top-5 and I’m sitting here saying are you kidding me? It’s a solid album, but not that great, but they’re Wilco and so people think whatever they put out must be great. I love Jeff Tweedy and I want more than anything to love everything Wilco does since I some of his lyrics tattooed on my arm, but this one just missed the boat a bit. It’s reminiscent of when Bob Dylan puts out an album. Automatically you know it’s going to be nominated for a Grammy, because well it’s Dylan, how bad can it suck?

All that said, I’m just a guy with a big ego who is consumed enough by music to think I can tell you what albums were the best of the year. I’m still at the stage where I love approval, but jaded enough to not give a fuck what you really think. I compiled a list of 6 albums that I thought were simply put the albums I liked the most this year. I thought these artists albums really spoke to me in ways other albums did not.

5B – Dreamers of the Ghetto – Enemy/Lover

This band out of Bloomington, Indiana is the best new band of the year. They aren’t widely known and I’ve caught more than my share of shit trying to get the word out on them. The truth is they’re super talented (I refuse to use the word uber, because I’m not German or a douche) and this debut album is brilliant. It’s inspired, epic and deafening. I don’t plug bands, don’t gesticulate wildly when I describe them and I never bore my friends and colleagues endlessly with calls to listen to their album, but I have with this band. I want this band to make it big, partly because I want to be that asshole that says he called it from day one, but mostly because they deserve it. They’re that good. They play music that is so grandiose that I was thoroughly astounded that this was merely a debut album. The sounds coming from this album reminded me of U2 and Arcade Fire and it’s just a matter of time before they too hit the upper echelons of musical royalty.

5A – Theophilus London – Timez are Weird These Days

Theophilus London hit the scene a few years back with the release of numerous mixtapes that had people confused as to how and peg this emerging young talent. Then he came out with his big label debut and collaborations with Sara Quin (Tegan and Sara) and Dave Sitek (TV on the Radio) and the Hip Hop world weren’t sure what they were getting. I saw him a few months back at the Rickshaw Stop in San Francisco and he blew the roof off the joint. Timez are Weird These Days is closer to alternative than it is traditional Hip Hop and is brilliant in its complexity. While there are people touting Kanye West and Jay Z as having the ultimate Hip Hop album this year, London is being overlooked because he doesn’t fit nicely into a box. The old world doesn’t want to acknowledge the new world. It’s like when Shaq and Kobe tried to coexist in L.A. It worked for a minute but we all knew where it was headed. Old world will always be replaced by fresh new innovative ideas and Theophilus London is doing shit onthis album that is so new that he may be years ahead of his time.

4 – Ryan Adams – Ashes and Fire

This was a return to vintage Ryan Adams after a foray into a form of country with the Cardinals that quite frankly didn’t showcase the type of talent we’ve come to expect from Adams. It’s his best album since Gold, but I’d be lying if I said it still didn’t meet expectations that he still hasn’t reached the potential we once saw in him. There seems to be a melancholic feel with many of the songs and while still better than most of garbage being churned out there’s something missing. You can see it when you listen to songs like “Ashes and Fire”. If every song on the album was as good as that one this would be the best album of the year, without question. It reminds you of why you love him so much. It reminds you that he can be so close to Bob Dylan that it’s scary. He strums his Buck Owens acoustic guitar with such vigor and emotion that you know no one else could play it like he does. He’s gifted, talented, and brilliant and still just misses sometimes. You’d think I hated the album, but I really think it’s really well done. I’ve come to expect great things from Ryan Adams and obviously the past few years I was disappointed. I used to feel that way about Wilco that they could turn dirt into gold, but I don’t anymore. I hope I never feel that way about David Ryan Adams, because I feel he still has a few great albums left in him.

#3 – Blitzen Trapper – American Goldwing

When I saw Blitzen Trapper play with Dawes at The Fillmore I’d been listening to their new album, American Goldwing, nonstop for a week and just couldn’t get the songs out of my head. It had that ‘70’s rock sound that was really the only good kind of music to come out of that era. It rocks hard, is catchy in some places and is a really well constructed album from start to finish. Yet, no one is talking about it. No one…I haven’t seen anything on it and believe me I’ve looked. I had to stop and check to see if it came out this year. People are talking about Dawes’ album, which is a solid album, but certainly not better than this one and still no publicity. There isn’t much exciting going on in Portland, Oregon these days except for the Trail Blazers players dropping like flies from injuries, but Blitzen Trapper lends hope to the cause. There’s easiness about Eric Earley’s voice that reminds me of Glenn Frey and Jackson Browne. It’s a subtlety that makes you think of Mint Juleps in the summer, children twirling in fields of flowers and girls in summer dresses. It’s a fantastic album.

#2 – Black Keys – El Camino

It was a hard decision between this album and my top choice because I love them both. It seems like everything the Black Keys do is perfect. They’re the best band around right now and Dan Auerbach has the best voice period. This album is a departure from their bluesy stuff released previously, but still rocks the hell out of my sensitive eardrums. Since it’s come out I’ve listened to it and really is the only album that I’ve ever felt was too short. It has such energy that you really can’t help but dance and be happy when listening to it. This time around there is more than just a drummer (Patrick Carney) and a guitar player/vocalist, they’ve added instrumentation. It makes all the difference and like so many of their predecessors of rock lore they seem to just get better with every album.

#1 – The Decemberists – The King is Dead

I’ll be honest, before this album I wasn’t much a fan of The Decemberists. Not much of a fan meaning yeah I have a few of their albums but they rarely crack the rotation. Then The King is Dead came out and I was floored. It didn’t sound like anything they’d done before. It was upbeat, it was engaging and not pretentious, it was positively R.E.M-esque and it was ultimately brilliant from start to finish.  I’ve listened to this album at least a hundred times and it still hasn’t gotten old. It still has a bit of that Decemberists style of using big words when little ones would suffice, but I like that. Bad Religion does that and when I was going through my punk rock phase I reveled in the fact that you could still rock out and be intelligent.

The Decemberists made not only the best album of the year, but also the best album of their careers, thus far. It’s uncanny how good this album turned out. It appealed to me on a number of different levels, but what really stuck out to me is in the year that R.E.M decided to call it quits, The Decemberists came out with an album so reminiscent of early R.E.M that when I checked the liner notes I saw that Peter Buck indeed make a cameo on a few songs. It’s almost cheating that it came out so perfectly from start to finish. Isn’t that what you strive for with a great album? That while some songs may stick out, really they all just form one perfect union. This album does that and thus is the best album of 2011. Here’s hoping 2012 has some greatness to look forward to.

I always feel that on the day of a big show something, if not everything has a tendency to go wrong. Last night was no exception, seeing as I misplaced my wallet and had to pull pennies together, with help of my roommates, to be able to feed a meter to park my car. Of course, I was running late so and had no alternative, but a lovely overpriced parking garage located in downtown Chicago’s Theater District. I knew it would be worth it to see Jessica Lea Mayfield and Ryan Adams perform at the Cadillac Palace Theater, and I wasn’t wrong.

Jessica Lea Mayfield caught my attention when she opened for Justin Townes Earle this past February and I was eager to have another chance to see her, especially at this venue. It is not very common for artists to be granted the ability to play in a theater setting like the Cadillac Palace.  Walking through the main doors the ticket scanners along with usher greeted us in their uniforms, which are reminiscent of tuxedos, jackets and bow ties included for both men and women. As I ran up the plush padded maroon carpeted spiral stairs it wasn’t until the third set that I heard Jessica’s voice radiating through the gold embellished theater walls.  I was greeted by darkness as I entered the main part of the theater only to see the red glow center stage over Jessica’s blonde hair.

During the first song my roommate turned to me to say, “ She’s really good”, and I agreed wholeheartedly. The amazing sound quality of the theater certainly enhanced her already hauntingly beautiful vocals.  Jessica appeared so tiny as she stood acoustic guitar in hand alone on the immense stage, but she definitely held her own. Each song she sang was followed by another equally as hypnotizing as the one before. While for the most part everyone was silent through each song to really appreciate her vocals, one man located in the balcony felt the need to randomly clap in the middle of every other song for no apparent reason and without any beat. This annoying man set aside I don’t think one could hope for a better live acoustic performance.

Jessica’s performance was suited for sitting in a comfy chair listening, drinking a cup of tea, and watching the snow start to fall as our Midwest winter slowly rolls in. Which was a perfect intro to the amazing soul touching performance Ryan Adams followed with. Overall, I don’t see Jessica, a Kent, Ohio native leaving the music scene anytime soon. If I had the choice to see her again I would prefer her with a band, there is something that is added to her performance when she has her full band that was lost last night, but her vocals are easily the star of any set she plays. The next show is again in the Midwest opening for Ryan.

I was able to pick the brain of Stephen Kellogg of the band Stephen Kellogg and The Sixers about the new album Gift Horse to be released on Oct. 11 (an upcoming review can be found in our album review section) as well as a couple questions about music in general.

For those of you not familiar with the band they are often known for their live performances and the energy both they and the crowd give off.  I posed the question to Stephen about how he was able to get motivated/achieve this energy from a live performance into a studio setting without having the actual crowd or audience feedback. He admitted that this was one of the biggest challenges that he and the band faces. “I think it comes down to instincts”, “ Would this be exciting for me to listen to?” He also shared that personally he will put photos or other inspirations within his vocal booth while recording for “emotional juice”.

Off of Gift Horse thus far SK said both My Favorite Place and Roots and Wings have been great to perform live. The band had written them after being off the road for awhile when they finally had enough time to miss the road. They could actually see the moments within writing the songs how they would be played live and with audience participation. Which from my attendance at their shows has become a staple for many of their songs.

When talking about the layout of the new album I asked how they pick which track go where. Specifically he mentioned that he originally thought Song for Lovers would close the album (final version it’s at track 6 right in the middle) but it wasn’t until hearing Noelle Noelle that they knew it close the album instead. Basically, he said it comes down to playing around with the tracks until it just feels right. He compared it also to creating a set list for a show.

What had drawn me to this band was SK’s lyrics, so much so that I was curious to see who presently he was lyrically inspired by. He said that there were two artists that sat at the top of his list one being Ryan Adams and another being Josh Ritter. He divulged that Ryan Adams lyrics “floor me” and are the most relevant to where he is right now in 2011.  He has had the pleasure of knowing Josh Ritter for the past 10 years and he is someone who has a great impact on him.  He also mentioned that the meaningful lyrics are those that “feel like they are honest”.

Even before writing for BestNewBands.com I actively searched for new music and I was curious to where/if SK looked for new music and having listened to Sk’s personal life driven songs his answer did not surprise me at all. He said that a lot of time is spent making their own music and listening to it that he is not actively seeking new music, but that does not mean he’s closed to new music. He stated, “ A lot of times I’m more interested in life” and he is often caught listening to whatever he comes across in day to day life. He did mention that both Boots and Sam (two of the 3 other members the make The Sixers)  are a little more aggressive in looking for new music.

The last time I saw the band they were playing at SXSW and I was curious if they were there more for the industry or for the fans because fest like SXSW are known for bands looking to break into the industry not necessarily established bands.  I found out that both times the band had played SXSW they had not come down actively seeking to play it. They “let the business people do the busness” and often times in playing events such as that it is to show people in the industry how the band has evolved which they are constantly doing. He also mentioned that luckily there were enough fans at those two shows that they were able to play like they normally do. In the past anytime they had played just for people in the industry that wanted to be impressed it doesn’t work and they have “tanked”. They just like to play for people who like to hear music.

My last question was “when in a car or van with so many people,who gets to say what to listen to?” I was pleased to hear they use the same rule as I do in my car. Driver gets to pick.

Being able to have a conversation with someone I admire was an amazing experience, especially with someone as talented as Stephen Kellogg. They are currently on tour to support the new album Gift Horse check back for a live review of one of their up coming Chicago shows this weekend at Lincoln Hall.

BestNewBands.com

Take a pinch of Death Cab for Cutie’s honest but evocative lyrical style.  Add a dash of Ben Lee-sounding vocals.  Combine with a vintage Tom Petty feel, and mix with a hint of folk-country twang. Sprinkle with a warm sense of community.  Your tasty result? Eugene, Oregon’s The Stagger and Sway.  With this video, “Sam Bond’s Garage,” listeners get a chance to feel what it’s like to be a Eugene resident as the band talks about their favorite local bar, brought to life with lines like “empty pint jar and a bar stool spinnin’.”  Find out more about the story behind “Sam Bond’s Garage” by checking out our BackStory featuring this song.

Claire Gallgher: Alrighty, who’s who? What are your names, what instruments do you play, etc?

Mike Last: Acoustic guitar, vocals

Jerry "Groove" Abelin: upright bass, vocals

Ken Howe: Drums

Brian Patrick: electric guitar, lap steel

Freed from the shackles of the major label machine, Eastern Conference Champions has had a big 2010. With a September residency at Los Angeles’ Spaceland to landing a coveted spot on the Twilight: Eclipse soundtrack, ECC has been very busy. But it was their freedom to record and release their latest EP, Akustiks, on their own that should make the Philadelphia-natives proud. This release should tie over fans before the band releases its next full-length, SPEAK-AHH, in 2011.

Akustiks sounds very similar to the brand of the indie rock that the trio is known for. However, what makes this different than anything band has released before since this is their first ‘acoustic-only’ album. Also notable is the maturity in the band’s songwriting, which is evident from Josh Ostrander’s vocals to Melissa Dougherty’s guitar down to Greg Lyons’ drumming. ECC explores different genres including indie pop, alt-country and the blues.