A few Chicago music news bites

• A few Chicago acts have been announced so far to play SXSW 2012 in March, including Gold Motel, Musikanto, Chrissy Murderbot, U.S. Girls and Mahogany. Head over to Gapers Block for a list of others from the region and stay tuned for more.

• The obligatory end of year lists are well underway. To link a few: Jim DeRogatis compiled his top 40 album picks on his Vocalo blog, Pitchfork ran their always amusing list of the year's worst album covers as well as their top music videos and top tracks, and Greg Kot took a look at the most notable box sets.

• Opting for something different to roundup 2011's finest musical offerings, Gonzo Chicago put together a great Windy City-centric video featuring footage of live show highlights from throughout the year. Check it out here.

• Locally-based mashup duo The Hood Internet released their new album for free download, including mashups of Ariel Pink, Foster the People and many more.

• Daytrotter.com has a new session up for download from Chicago rock stalwarts Wilco.