The Best Albums of 2011: 40 Records That Made This Year Unforgettable

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The end of 2011 is nigh, and we've listened to tons of great albums (also: 'Lulu'). Picking favorites is never easy, but this year seemed especially difficult.

We heard some amazing debuts, a sprawling punk masterpiece, a singer-songwriter hitting it big after some high-profile hip-hop dalliances, a long-lost album finally seeing the light of day, a growling old favorite making welcome return and a jilted singer dominating the charts, airwaves and hearts of millions while pouring her heart out. And that just represents our top 10 picks.

The decision-making was intense as usual: Several rounds of nominations, voting and insults, plenty of F-bombs and down-to-the-wire tweaking. But in the end, we were able to agree on the albums you can find in the gallery below (or just check out the list here, if you don't feel like reading our insights on these terrific LPs). So click through, see if your favorites made the cut and leave your blessings or curses in the comments.