I have to preface this with a few caveats: I am a huge Eddie Money fan, and have seen him perform countless times. I believe he's a very generous and gregarious performer, and is gracious with his time in every market he tours. Money is a brilliant composer and lyricist, and I genuinely like the guy. That being said, his show on Thursday night at State Theatre was… well, painful to witness.

To be honest, I didn’t even know until the day of the show that he was playing in town. A friend put it together last minute, calling to ask us to join him and some others for drinks and the show. At $10 admission, we figured why not? Eddie Money’s always been the consummate professional; he performs the songs he knows everyone wants to hear and does it in an entertaining way.

The lineup included a local vocalist and a couple of local bands, and The Rockstar Riders out of St. Louis, Missouri, who tour with Eddie Money. (The name of this last band was bit of foreshadowing, in hindsight, my reasons for which will become clear as you read on.) The show was billed as Eddie Money - It's Only Money: The Stories Behind the Hits, “Eddie will bring you his favorite hits - and the stories behind them - with an intimate, audience-interactive presentation.” Fair enough. Drinks, hanging out with fun people, Eddie Money at a small venue, close to home… sounds like a decent way to spend a Thursday night: I’m in.

Every year, we break it down for you — the best albums of the year. This year, I've kicked off the post with my Editor's Picks, and because opinions are entirely subjective (we don't all listen to the same music, I'm aware), I've also rounded up the CL Music Team's submissions for their favorite albums of 2011. Enjoy — and get ready to stock up your music library.

LEILANI

1. tUnE-YarDs, w h o k i l l (4AD)
I’ve been listening to this album relentlessly throughout the year. The music is delightfully quirked-out psychedelic art pop/avant Afro poptronica as crafted by New England native Merrill Garbus; tUnE yArDs is her solo project. Garbus creates percussive-intensive and propulsive drum loops, throws in ukulele, electric bass, glitter-washed sonics and the occasional blast of drunk-n-high horns, and as a final important touch, sets her crazy high vocals against it all, her multi-layered outbursts ranging from repetitive nonsensical utterances and exclamations to bird-like coos and cat-in-heat cries, to her fall-back wildly passionate wails. Garbus delivers lyrics in crushed together streams-of-consciousness, and throws out lines like "The worst thing about living a lie is wondering just when they'll find out" (from "My Country," a riff on the patriotic tune that diverges completely out into left field). Reminds me of Dirty Projectors, with less rock and more blissful electro-pop moments. Check out "Bizness" below; also one of my favorite videos this year.

2. MuteMath, Odd Soul (Teleprompt/Warner Bros.)
Seriously badass '70s-vibing prog-psyche rock with plenty of crunchy grinding guitars, fatty fuzzed-out bass and synthesizers, and some electro-groove moments to keep things from getting too overly throwback. "Blood Pressure" below.

3. TV on the Radio, Nine Types of Light (Interscope)
The buoyancy and sexiness of 2008’s Dear Science permeates the avant rock outfit’s fifth LP. Themes of love, society and politics are explored against dark, loop-and-horn-infused experimental sounds marked by elements of electro-rock, hip-hop, psyche-soul, funky R&B bounce and moments of melodic grooving pop. "Second Song" below.

4. Extra Classic, Your Light Like White Lightning, Your Light Like A Laserbeam (Manimal Vinyl)
San Francisco's Extra Classic offers up a mesmerizing, soulful, hazy-layered groove-and-psychedelia take on dub reggae. The sextet captured the sonic quality of old Jamaican recordings by laying it down all-analog, on 8-track tape, and using vintage recording equipment from the 1960s and '70s. It definitely has a very warm quality to it, as if the musicians are playing amid a hanging cloud of ganja smoke. Listen to "Congo Rebel" below.

5. Cloud Control, Bliss Release (WEA)
The first full-length from a new Aussie band radiates feel-good sunshine. Mellow, psyche-folk with surf rock and Afro/tribal percussive tendencies, vocals that range from ecstatic yelps and whoops to lovely multi-voice harmonies and straight-forward nasally singing, and plenty of unexpectedly catchy hooks. "Gold Canary" below.

READ THE REST OF MY PICKS ALONG WITH A ROUND-UP OF THE CL MUSIC TEAM’S PICKS FOR 2011 AFTER THE JUMP

"Fishing is not an escape from life, but often a deeper immersion into it..."
Rivers of Memory, Harry Middleton

Looking like a slightly scruffy Matthew McConaughey in a trademark red knit cap, faded denim work shirt and khakis so broken in that the only thing making them wearable is blue painters’ tape strategically placed, Rayland Baxter settles his 6’5” frame on a stool on the stage, takes a breath and begins to play. He is engaging, his blue eyes mischievous, smile crooked; but don’t be deceived: this is a man who has something to say, and he’s gonna say it in a way you can’t help but hear.

Rayland Baxter is an avid outdoorsman, and he performs the same way he fly fishes, casting lines looping into the crowd, unfurling to place his fly softly, but with effect, the lure impossibly alluring. The themes of his songs are permeated with imagery related to nature, often symbolizing the eternal struggle of men and women, and the relationships between them. “I like to talk to people,” he says, “some of the stories you hear are gut-wrenching.” Rayland ties those human emotions into flies that drift around your consciousness and touch places in your heart that you didn’t know were there. “I don’t always have to feel the emotion myself; sometimes it is okay to wear the shoes for a while, walk around in them… that’s where songs are supposed to be from. Felt emotion is timeless.” [More after the jump.]

The boys of Greenhouse Lounge traveled from Jacksonville to bring the Tampa Bay area some sweet dubstep-flavored grooves last Thursday night at Crowbar. [Photo courtesy of the Greenhouse Lounge's site.]

Sir Charles and DJ Craig Heneveld got the ball rolling. I'm still admittedly a new fan of electronica and dubstep, but these guys didn't excite me. Sir Charles' set was pretty repetitive, and his transitions were almost as bad as his dance moves. But he did know how to get the crowd going, prompting "Come on, let's get this party started" as he segued into a faster song. DJ Craig was about the same: repetitive and somewhat sluggish at times. Both sets just needed a little something extra, maybe more bass or cool vocals or pretty much anything to add some general pizazz.

Greenhouse Lounge took the stage and I knew I was in for a treat. These guys don't just stand behind a board or computer and press some buttons. They play real instruments — drums, bass, guitar. They still employ a laptop to dish out some backbeats and effects, but the trio of musicians produce most of the music themselves, fusing elements of jazz and funk, dubstep and house, and drawing out their sonic explorations into jammy odysseys. They cranked out originals like "Slow Drip" and "Smash" that showcased the talents of drummer Jason Hunnicutt while making the whole bar dance, and even busted out a popular cover. Bassist Dave McSweeney laid out a deep introductory groove, and commented, "You might know this one" before launching into Michael Jackson's "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)." The cover blared through the speakers, and the boys started throwing in their own twists, virtually making the ground shake from the movement of the crowd.

These guys put on a great show, overall. Check them out on Facebook or visit their website, and make sure to catch them the next time they stop in town.

Remember your favorite mix CD? The one with the cutesy title you wrote by hand with a Sharpie and that seemed to work for any occasion with its perfect flow of music and genres from one song to the next, its track selection painstakingly chosen so the delicate vibe you created was maintained all throughout?

Look no further than Stereogum's Cruel Summer 2011 Mix. Leave it to the British music 'zine to find some of the freshest tracks to beat the heat, ranging from electro-pop and experimental rock to hip-hop.

Click here to download the free 25-track compilation. Check out some of my favorite (recommended) discoveries from the mix — those that have been on non-stop rotation since penetrating my iPod — below.

HEEMS, "WOMYN aka HITCH (DEMO?)"
Figures that one of the Das Racist members would make up playful lyrics like, "Yo women, they like to take showers. And when they let you take them with em', it's really awesome." The whole track is set to a mellow old-school beat.

Purity Ring, "Loftcries"
Dreamy and tripped-out electronic music with some light and breathy female vocals. Alter your state of mind and fall into this one. Great for the long hot daze.