High on both the CMJ and Americana charts is "Voyageur," the latest release from singer-songwriter Kathleen Edwards. This from-the-heart batch of songs is her most developed work yet.

If you're a music lover (and we guess you are), then you're surely as excited as we are about a brand new year with brand new music. It can be hard to keep up with releases, but our DJs are here to help.

St. Louis locals Middle Class Fashion deliver upbeat, piano-driven pop with their first full-length album, "Girl Talk."

It's been an amazing year in music, and the DJs of 88.1 KDHX have been spinning it for you all throughout 2011. In this feature, our DJs pick their top 10 albums of the year.

Greg Ward draws on various musical styles with his individual approach to the saxophone, offering an innovative take on modern jazz with "Phonic Juggernaut."

On "Hurry Up, We're Dreaming," M83 combines its usual ambient, shoegaze-inspired sound with catchier, pop melodies to create a diverse double album.

St. Louis locals the Civil Tones infuse their funky brand of soul with Latin, jazz, blues and rock influences on "City Stoopin."

Nearly four decades after the release of his debut record, Tom Waits has created "Bad As Me," arguably one of the most accessible and enjoyable albums of his career.

Real Estate's sophomore release "Days" will have listeners longing for lazy, endless summers, even in the midst of a gloomy fall.

Punk rock pros Janet Weiss and Carrie Brownstein of Sleater-Kinney tone down their aggression and angst in their latest project Wild Flag.

On "Not So Loud," the Bottle Rockets completely transform their sound, trading in guitar-heavy, bluesy rock for a stripped-down take on alt-country.   

With her third release "Strange Mercy," St. Vincent continues to produce music with a blend of powerful indie rock and raw, ethereal vocals.

Collaborating with big names from Jeff Beck to Kid Rock, Trombone Shorty creates cross-genre appeal with his seventh full-length album, "For True."

After releasing and recording music for over four decades, Wadada Leo Smith has drawn inspiration from several varieties of jazz to form a diverse collection of work for his latest album, "Heart's Reflections."  

Newcomers Veronica Falls have created their own distinct brand of indie-pop with their self-titled debut, combining eerie lyrics and echoing vocals with an overall optimistic feel.

Ex-Digable Planets MC Butterfly takes a more modern approach with his latest project Shabazz Palaces, replacing the jazz-influenced instrumentation of his earlier music with layered electronic sounds.

After a well-received set at LouFest 2011, Dom has landed near the top of the KDHX charts with the lo-fi "Family of Love" EP.

Holding strong on the KDHX charts for several weeks is "Infinity City," the new full-length release from St. Louis duo Sleep Kitty.

French electro house artist SebastiAn brings yet another release to the forefront of the experimental electronic genre. In a true avant-garde fashion, "Total" fuses house, industrial, experimental and '70s pop as well as elements of funk.

Haling from Nashville, the city that Rolling Stone magazine declared has the best music scene in America in 2011, punk rock trio the Ettes return with their fourth studio album, "Wicked Will."

Northern Ireland natives, the Japanese Popstars, bring house music to the forefront with their second studio album, "Controlling Your Allegiance."

Bon Iver is not going away anytime soon. Back with his self-titled second album and a slew of sold-out U.S. tour dates, Justin Vernon and his bandmates have offered up a well-conducted, melodic piece of art.

Infused with social and political messages, the sixth studio album from Thievery Corporation, Culture of Fear, expands the group's electronic horizons.

Climbing up the KDHX charts is the latest release from Centro-Matic, Candidate Waltz. This stellar album showcases the band's genre-splitting talent.

Like a fast-paced action montage, New York City-based, electronic rock group Battles' newest release, Gloss Drop, immerses the listener in a seemingly non-stop audio assault. The album will leave you wondering, "What are they making that sound with?"