Girls- Father, Son, Holy Ghost

First, Girls are a San Francisco-based band made up of Christopher Owens and Chet 'JR' White who are, in fact, boys. Second, they like old music and drugs. A lot. Third, their debut Album was among my favorite albums of 2009, and the followup EP Broken Dreams Club was among my favorite albums of 2010 (though Robin did not like it at all). Most importantly, if you are unfamiliar with the backstory of singer and primary songwriter Christopher Owens (who looks exactly like a strung out, tattooed Macaulay Culkin, by the way), get thee to this interview. It is pretty important to understand how growing up in the Children of God cult and his subsequent life have shaped his music.

Here we go:

The Rapture - In the Grace of Your Love

The dance-punk/disco-punk/postpunk group The Rapture is back after an extended absence. Will this highly anticipated offering be able to match their now-modern-classic first album, Echoes, or the incredibly underrated dance machine, Pieces of the People We Love? Will it make us swoon and dance uncontrollably?

Let's do this.

The Weeknd - Thursday

The enigmatic R&B singer who goes by The Weeknd and who has, so far, simply posted up his albums online for free download (seriously: go here) has released his second album (which he calls a 'mixtape'), Thursday. The first, House of Balloons, was probably the best R&B album I've ever listened to all the way through. Can Thursday continue to push the R&B envelope?

Let's do this.

St. Vincent: Strange Mercy

Annie Clark's band is the recipient of two previous Robin's Album of the Year awards for their two previous albums, the amazing Marry Me and Actor. Can they make it 3/3?

Let's do this.

Kanye West & Jay-Z: Watch the Throne

You might have heard of this one. Rap's two biggest names, Jay-Z and Kanye West, team together to create what is probably the most anticipated album of 2011 in the mainstream music world.

Let's do this.