Here's my list of top 10 favorite albums and favorite songs of 2011. Enjoy and happy new year!

Steamy summer nights in St. Louis bring many images to mind: baseball games, Budweiser, melted ice cream, sweat and sold-out, indie, neo-folk shows. OK, perhaps the last bit is a little more uncommon but this was reality for last night at the Pageant.

A sold-out Pageant welcomed Alela Diane & Wild Divine with the Fleet Foxes last night, Tuesday, July 19.

While neo-folk can seem too brambly, slipshod and unrehearsed in the hands of many, thankfully, there are artists like Alela Diane to imbue the style with a gentle preciosity and vivid, dreamlike structure.

Fleet Foxes' sophomore album, Helplessness Blues, delivers '60s pop and folk-influenced styling with an honesty that one might expect upon hearing the title. It more than lives up to its hype and is a fitting follow-up to the band's 2008 self-titled release.

Record Store Day is this Saturday. St. Louis indie record shops are offering nice discounts, live bands, DJs and an avalanche of one-of-a-kind releases. A to Z has a handy roundup of local events and offerings.

The Newport Folk Festival announces stunning lineup. Highlights include: Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, the Decemberists, Emmylou Harris and Elvis Costello.