It\'s almost December, which means that within the next week or two magazines and blogs will begin publishing their hotly debated (if rarely all that controversial) rankings of the best albums of 2011. Milwaukee has its own inclusive, local spin on that tradition, thanks to the Pabst Theater\'s Matt Beringer, who hosts a website where any and all music fans and obsessives can log in and post their own top 10 lists, top10albumsoftheyear.blogspot.com (formerly lettershomefromcamp.blogspot.com.) Every year it\'s a great source for outside-the-box recommendations that the more consensus-minded major lists often ignore.
Instructions for posting to the site are listed here, as are some general rules and guidelines you can feel free to ignore, and, more importantly, details about the site\'s annual Top 10 Party, where fans can swap mix CDs and play guest DJ with their favorite songs from the last 12 months. This year\'s party takes place on Tuesday, Dec. 27 at Club Garibaldi at 8 p.m. and includes free Louie\'s Demise beer. In return, Beringer is requesting small donations for The Kola Project, a non-profit the raises money for scholarships in Liberia.
