This year we decided to do things a little differently; instead of just posting staff top ten lists, we wanted to hear from local artists as well. This may or may not have been partially an excuse to stall posting my favorites of the year, but you didn't hear that from me.

All lists are albums unless mentioned otherwise.

Man Without Wax wins the participation award this year, as all five members of the band sent us their top picks.

Spencer Mertel:
1. Kings Of Leon - Come Around Sundown
2. Foxy Shazam - Foxy Shazam
3. Neon Trees - Habits
4. Vampire Weekend - Contra
5. Minus The Bear - Omni
6. Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More
7. B.o.B - B.o.B Presents: The Adventures Of Bobby Ray
8. Analog Rebellion - Ancient Electrons
9. Katy Perry - Teenage Dream
10. My Chemical Romance - Danger Days

Chris Bateson:
1. Vampire Weekend - Contra
2. Foxy Shazam - Foxy Shazam
3. Neon Trees - Habits
4. Hellogoodbye - Would It Kill You?
5. Circa Survive - Blue Sky Noise
6. Wild Orchid Children - ...Are Alexander Supertramp
7. Bruno Mars - Doo-Wops & Hooligans
8. Good Charlotte - Cardiology
9. The Classic Crime - Vagabonds
10. The Scene Aesthetic - Brother

Chip Burgess:
Against me! - White Crosses
Bank - Alive EP
Weezer - Hurley
Neon Trees - Habits
Motion City Soundtrack - My Dinosaur Life
Ludo - Prepare the Preparations
Hellogoodbye- Would it Kill You?
Foxy Shazam - s/t
Stay Ahead of the Weather - We Better Get Goin' if We're Gunna
Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More

Rory Menteer:
1. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
2. Neon Trees - Habits
3. Chiodos - Illuminado
4. Foxy Shazam - S/T
5. The Damned Things - Ironiclast
6. Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More
7. Minus the Bear - OMNI
8. Wild Orchid Children - ...Are Alexander Supertramp
9. Sara Bareilles - Kaleidoscope Heart
10. The Republic of Wolves - Varuna

Honorable mention:
Portugal. The Man - American Ghetto

Chris Paxton (in no particular order):
Against Me! - White Crosses
Kings of Leon - Come Around Sundown
Gaslight Anthem - American Slang
Foxy Shazam - S/T
Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More
Hellogoodbye - Would it Kill You?
Alkaline Trio - This Addiction
Vampire Weekend - Contra
Neon Trees - Habits
Bank - Alive EP

Leo Martin of Moneta:
1. Local Natives - Gorilla Manor
2. Far - At Night We Live
3. Deftones - Diamond Eyes
4. Conditions - Flourescent Youth
5. The Classic Crime - Vagabonds
6. The Bled - Heat Fetish
7. Jonathan Kimball - Optimisms
8. Fair - Disappearing World
9. The Damned Things - Ironiclast
10. Anberlin - Dark Is A Place, Light Is the Way

Alicia Dara of The Volcano Diary:
1. Beck and Bat For Lashes - Let's Get Lost (single)
2. The National - High Violet
3. The Black Keys - Brothers
4. Jason Dean - Ghost Photographs
5. Tori Amos - From Russia With Love
6. Bettye Lavette - Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook
7. Grinderman - Grinderman 2
8. Elliot Knapp - In Not-Even-Anything Land
9. Junip - Fields
10. Another Perfect Crime - Get Out!

Justin Anderson of Bracket Three:
1. Go Periscope - Self Titled
2. Letters and Lights - Pretty Letdown
3. Plug In Stereo - I would Be If I Was
4. Never Shout Never - Harmony
5. A Day to Remember - What Separates Me From You
6. Stephen Jerzak - My Uke has a Crush on You
7. Pendulum - Immersion
8. Breathe Carolina - Hello Fascination
9. The Ready Set - I'm Alive I'm Dreaming
10. Go Periscope - The Mixtape

Michael Rapson of Oceans top ten artists of the year:
1. Diffuser
2. Death Cab for Cutie
3. Jonsi.
4. Underoath
5. The Classic Crime
6. Further Seems Forever
7. Flyleaf
8. Saosin
9. Taking Back Sunday
10. Third Eye Blind

Bran Moats, a graphic designer friend from LA (happy birthday, Bran!):
1. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
2. The Black Keys - Brothers
3. Miike Snow - Miike Snow
4. Titus Andronicus - The Monitor
5. My Chemical Romance - Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys
6. Bad Books - Bad Books
7. The Black Angels - Phosphene Dream
8. Wavves - King of the Beach
9. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
10. MGMT - Congratulations

Look for my list in the next couple of days. Have a safe and happy new year, everybody!