5. Wugazi - 13 Chambers


4. Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2


3. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Lenses Alien


2. Saves The Day - Daybreak

Before we reveal my favorite album of 2011, here's a rundown of my previous picks for Album Of The Year:

2003 Winner: The Weakerthans - Reconstruction Site

2003 Runner-Up: The Postal Service - Give Up


2004 Winner: Arcade Fire - Funeral
2004 Runner-Up: Communique' - Poison Arrows


2005 Winner: Of Montreal - The Sunlandic Twins

2005 Runner-Up: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!


2006 Winner: The Velvet Teen - Cum Laude!

2006 Runner-Up: P.O.S. - Audition


2007 Winner: Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

2007 Runner-Up: Polysics - Karate House


2008 Winner: Girl Talk - Feed The Animals 

2008 Runner-Up: Ra Ra Riot - The Rhumb Line

2009 Winner: P.O.S. - Never Better
2009 Runner Up: fun. - Aim And Ignite

2010 Winner: The Hold Steady - Heaven Is Whenever
2010 Runner-Up: The Tallest Man On Earth - The Wild Hunt


1. Louis CK - Hilarious

I've always set some unofficial rules for myself when it came to choosing my top albums of the year, and one of them was generally leaving comedy albums towards the bottom of the pack. This year, however, Louis CK was impossible to ignore. A career year to say the least, he was finally recognized as the best stand up comedian on the planet (a deserved honor), was nominated for an Emmy for his groundbreaking FX series Louie, and released one of the best stand up albums of all-time with Hilarious, my (far and away) choice for the Best Album Of 2011.

Although Hilarious was released in 2011, it was recorded in 2009 (in Milwaukee!). If you want to check out his latest offering, Live At The Beacon Theater, it can be downloaded for a scant $5 at LouisCK.net.

Thanks for reading. Sound off in the comments section, tell me what your favorite album of 2011 was, and enjoy your weekend. The CDP returns Monday with the 2011 Year In Review.