Erik's Top Albums of 2011: 10-6

10. Motel Beds - Sunfried Dreams


This album, once again, was recommended to me by TK, which is a recurring trend in almost everything I listen to (especially this year). Motel Beds is a band from Dayton, OH. And no, that's not funny. But they are. Visit their website at http://brotelbeds.com. That kinda funny. That humor runs through this fun, free LP. These songs are lighthearted, catchy, just a pleasure to listen to. What I like most about Sunfried Dreams is their song structure. Usually really straight-forward, but they have this way of one-upping themselves within songs. They'll start with a really infectious riff, and they'll play it for just long enough that you'll get into a groove, and then they'll come in with an outstanding melody that makes you almost forget how much you loved the riff in the first place. There isn't a bad song on this thing, and it's a wonderful summer album.

Sunfried Dreams by motelbedsmusic

09. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Belong


This year was full of great guitar records. Five of my top ten are albums that really innovated or perfected what can be done with how the guitar sounds. Now, I'm not saying Belong is the most innovative record, it mines heavily from the giant, cacophonous shoegaze pioneered by bands like My Bloody Valentine and Cocteau Twins in the 80s. What I love about Belong is that it took these inspiration points and really turned them into pop gems. When I listen to this album I just find myself getting lost in the guitar sounds, for minutes sometimes, before I even realize that there's a fantastic pop song happening at the same time. It's really an achievement.

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Even in Dreams

08. The Vaccines - What Did You Expect from the Vaccines?


Once again, this was another TK call. I didn't like it at first. I didn't dislike it. I just didn't see why it was so good. But it definitely won me over, and I've found myself listening to it with great frequency over the past 6 months. There's nothing especially innovative here. It's just straight-up, catchy rock and roll, with a lot of swagger. Tracks like "If You Wanna," "Wreckin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra)," and "Norgaard" just hit like a ton of bricks. Like the Motel Beds album, everything on this album is a winner.

If You Wanna - The Vaccines

07. Beirut - The Rip Tide


I remember after listening to this album the first time saying, "It was good, but it felt incomplete." Now, after repeated listens, my mind has been changed. It feels incomplete for a Beirut album, in the sense that his albums tend to have a lot of bloated tracks, and skip-over filler tracks. Not this one. He doesn't reinvent the wheel with his style, he still cultivates a sophisticated, luxurious aesthetic, but he's become much more refined. The album runs at just over a half hour, but not a moment is wasted. Sure, there are awesome pop flourishes like "East Harlem" and "Santa Fe," but there are also soaring, marvelous tracks like "Vagabond" and "The Peacock." It's really a stunner.

Beirut - East Harlem

06. Yuck - Yuck (Deluxe Edition)


I will be the first to admit that my age affected my love of Yuck. I didn't grow up listening to "Sugarcube," so when I first heard Yuck, it sounded fresh and original. And then this year, I went back and did some digging on all the sounds that Yuck mined from. To be honest, I like Yuck as much, or more than some of the source material. They took those sounds and songs, upped the production value, and tightened the songwriting on the majority of the A side. This album does tend to drag on the second half, but the first half is so damn good that I found myself going back to it as much or more than any other side this year. I specifically put the Deluxe Edition on this list, because, and I know this is cheating, but I took some of the bonus tracks (some of which are better than the album tracks), and replaced the dull tracks on the second half. The resulting album is much more concise, and overall way better than the original.

Georgia by Yuck