Bon Iver ninth-best in Pazz & Jop 2011 Poll

​Bon Iver's Bon Iver was obviously a bit of a local success story, and we rightfully felt the need to put his bearded, thoughtful mug on our cover last fall. (Read Andrea Swensson's cover story here.) Our beloved sibling paper the Village Voice showed some serious (but not ultimate) dedication to the man in the recently released 2011 edition of the Pazz & Jop critic's poll. There were a good eight records that placed ahead of Justin Vernon's latest folk excursion on the albums list, including Drake's Take Care. Note: Bon Iver junkies best tune in to Late Night With Jimmy Fallon to catch Vernon sitting in with the Roots.

Another notable local tie also figured in at number nine on the singles chart courtesy of Adele's "Someone Like You," which the affable local songsmith Dan Wilson co-wrote.

This is the first P&J to feature music editor Maura Johnston at the helm, and it's a strong case for the vibrant remains of pop music criticism in a world showing diminishing interest in the album as an actual important thing.

I liked a lot of albums in 2011, and ten of them that you should probably listen to are listed on my ballot. Spoiler alert: I'm really excited for Charles Bradley's upcoming show at the Fine Line in February.

Some other local people you probably should check include Andrea Swensson, Lindsey Thomas, Keith Harris, Peter S. Scholtes, City Pages' Nate Patrin, Star Tribune's Chris Riemenschneider and Jon Bream, and Pioneer Press' Ross Raihala. Dive in, and tell us your thoughts.