Thursday Bears: Top 10 Albums of 2011 ... so far (Pt. I)

Well, summer is underway and 2011 is already past its midpoint. So, like most other music blogs out there, I figure I’d take a stab at what I feel are the best albums of the year so far.

10: Bon Iver - Bon Iver

9: Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes

8: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Belong

7: The Antlers - Burst Apart

6: Ty Segall - Goodbye Bread

Lollapalooza rumors update

The official Lollapalooza lineup release is a mere four days away, so before Tuesday comes around, I'll give the lineup wrap up of what we already know.

Now, if you've been following my Twitter, you'd see that the folks at the official Lollapalooza Facebook page have been running a daily game. Participants are quizzed on 10 random Lolla history questions per day, receiving three clues (max) about the 2011 lineup, depending on how many questions are answered correctly.

The game has been running every day since Monday, so here are the first batch of artists that we can base the clues off:

Muse

Foster the People

Skylar Grey

The Vaccines

Delta Spirit

Nas & Damian Marley

Lykke Li

Tennis

Ween

Local Natives

Bright Eyes

Smith Westerns

Noah and the Whale

Ratatat

*There's a third clue from earlier today that asks, "This bluesy, rootsy beauty might just be James Brown reincarnated." The probable answers are either Janelle Monae, Adele, or Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. Still unsure.

As for the adds, if those are indeed the correct answers, which the consensus seems to be, there are only a few surprises. Muse, Lykke Li, and Tennis have all been confirmed for some time, and many of the other artists were reasonable to assume that they'd appear. Ween, however, came almost out of left-field and should be a pleasant surprise for many attendees.

The game, as I said, will continue until Tuesday when the official lineup is finally released. Until then, there will be nine more clues released.

Stay tuned here for full Lollapalooza updates ...

Monday Bears: New Lykke Li videos - Get Some, I Know Places

Lykke Li recently premiered two new videos (one a little newer than the other) for "Get Some" and "I Know Places," two tracks off of the Swede's newest studio album Wounded Rhymes, which is continually blowing up at a rapid pace.

Lykke Li - Get Some 



Lykke Li - I Know Places

Monday Bears: Weekend video recap

Here are some of the best videos from the weekend that you may have missed.

Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros - 40 Day Dream

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The Wildbirds - If You're in Trouble



Caribou - Jamelia



Keep Shelly in Athens - Hauntin' Me



Lykke Li - I Follow Rivers (Live)

Tuesday Bears: Full Album Stream - Wound Rhymes

This doesn't happen too often, but earlier today Lykke Li's upcoming album Wounded Rhymes became available for full stream, nearly a week before its scheduled release date.

You can listen to the full stream here, or at Hype Machine where it originally became available.

Wounded Rhymes is due out Feb. 28. You can pre-order the album here.

New Lykke Li - Love Out of Lust

Just in case someone's looking for a break from The King of Limbs Friday, Lykke Li premiered another track from her upcoming album Wound Rhymes. If the first impression of "Love Out of Lust" and "I Follow Rivers" is any inclination, her sophomore work may easily surpass her debut Youth Novels.

The new album is due out March 1, but you can pre-order Wounded Rhymes here.

Listen below.

Friday Bears: Lykke Li is doing something

Promoting her upcoming album Wounded Rhymes, Lykke Li premiered her new video "Untitled" earlier today. In it, you can see Li doing all the things you'd think she would. Stabbing sand in heels, black and white Swedish screen techniques. You know?

Lykke Li - Untitled