TK's Top 10 Albums of 2011: #6

#6 - Beirut - The Rip Tide

This is the record I've been waiting Beirut to make since I first heard them in 2005. After a Balkan-influenced debut album, a French-tinged sophomore album, and a Mexican/Electronic double EP, I was curious to see which direction the band was headed in. Turns out that pop music trumps all. Pop w/ horns, that is.

The album opens with a solid 1-2-3 punch, including the standout track East Harlem. It might be the finest song Zach Condon has ever composed (with the possible exception of After The Curtain). Late album track Vagabond seems instantly recognizable - and instantly likable. Closer Port of Call is rather brutal in the way that it leaves the listener wanting more. And after only nine songs in 33 minutes, I've often found myself relighting the candle's fire right away.

The Rip Tide is, by far, Beirut's most consistent and polished record to date. They are quickly becoming the next Spoon, a band so talented and solid that their releases tend to get overlooked by critics and taste-makers. Don't make the mistake of missing out on this gem.

 East Harlem by thespiralcase

TK's Top 10 Albums of 2011: #7

#7 - Emperor X - Western Teleport

Much like the album in my #8 slot, Western Teleport is very much a headphone album, meant to be listened to in solitude. The songs are dense and damaged and offer more with each listen. Opener Erica Western Teleport encompasses the feeling and aesthetic of the entire album - glitchy beeps, acoustic guitar, panned drumming (this is where the headphones come in handy), tech lyrics ("accessing her COMSAT", "...with the USB port fried", "jerking at the firewire"), and layers of tape manipulations, all wrapped in a pop package. The song has a basic verse-chorus-verse-chorus-etc structure, but the lyrics to the chorus change each time, a great trick applied to other tracks on the album, keeping the listener engaged in the song.

Other album highlights include the lovely Canada Day, A Violent Translation Of The Concordia Headscarp (which appeared on my Best of 2009 compilation), Defiance (which almost appeared on my Best of 2010 compilation), and Allahu Akbar. These songs have clearly been kicked around for a while, just waiting for the right context (I would imagine). Well, it all comes together wonderfully on Western Teleport, a compelling listen that goes by quickly and will, hopefully, inspire you to revisit it often.

 Emperor X "Erica Western Teleport" by goldminesacks

TK's Top 10 Albums of 2011: #8

#8 - The Caretaker - An Empty Bliss Beyond This World

The less you know about this album the better. You just might want to think twice about playing it at a party though.

 The Caretaker: An Empty Bliss Beyond This World by alteredzones

TK's Top 10 Albums of 2011: #9

#9 - The Vaccines - What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?

Frankly, I didn't expect much. Brit-pop is exactly the kind of genre I usually disregard altogether. Luckily this came out early enough in the year while I was still determined to give most new releases at least a cursory listen, and it also didn't hurt that it received a rave review from a blog I usually agree with. The album quickly became my go-to summer driving soundtrack.

As already noted in many other reviews, parallels exist between What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? and the Strokes' Is This It, mainly in the album pacing and the surprisingly consistent debut-album songwriting. Every song is catchy, and each in its own way. Album highlights include Wetsuit, Under Your Thumb, and If You Wanna, which has probably the catchiest chorus of the year.

 If You Wanna by The Vaccines

TK's Top 10 Albums of 2011: #10

#10 - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Hysterical

This album was slammed quite a bit by the media, undeservedly so. Perhaps it was an issue of the label/band pushing the wrong singles (opting for Maniac and Same Mistake, instead of the far superior Yesterday, Never), or perhaps this is just a band critics love to hate. Alec has a transparent disdain for the music machine (and, some would argue, his fans) which makes them a hard band to really get behind at times. But I thought this was a great rebound from their uneven and overreaching second album, Some Loud Thunder. Hooks are abundant, the album flows well, and Alec's voice even seems to be less strained.

While not their strongest material, the album opens with four solid pop songs before reaching the album's highlight, Into Your Alien Arms, which begins an excellent three-song run culminating in the aforementioned Yesterday, Never. If this ends up being the last album CYHSY records (I was frankly surprised Hysterical even happened, given Alec's solo/side project activity in 2009), it'll go down as a solid, if not misunderstood, swan song. 

 Into Your Alien Arms by lighthouseflashing