Back to The Best Albums of 2011

14. Neon Indian, 'Era Extrana'

Static Tongues/Mom + Pop

Shifting gears from rec room to bedroom, childhood to adolescence, Neon Indian chief Alan Palomo replaces the Nintendo noises and muddled New Wave memories of his debut, 'Psychic Chasms,' with bigger, sleeker, sexier synth-pop jams. Call it the coming-of-age record of the year. -- K.P.