Above The Influence: An Interview With Count From Inu

With the release of their Monster EP, Inu is a band to watch in 2010. The group consists of producer/drummer/vocalist Count, guitarist Tim Hingston, and cellist Zoe Keating. Fishpork got a chance to talk with Count about the band’s upcoming full album release, the lack of influences on the songwriting process, and some potential live shows for 2010.

How did you hook up with the other band members to form Inu?

When you guys write songs, what’s that process like?

I wrote a raving review of your Monster EP a few weeks ago. I called it “one of the best of the year so far.” What can we expect on this new album?

What kind of music are you guys listening to right now?

Did you have a favorite album of 2009?

What can we expect from your live shows?

What’s in store for the band in 2010?

http://www.myspace.com/inuband

Fool’s Gold and Tinariwen @ Highline Ballroom

Fool’s Gold opened up for Tinariwen last night at the Highline Ballroom in New York. Though their set was shorter than one would have liked, Fool’s Gold was no less than impressive. The band started their set with “Nadine,” a perfect opener that energized the crowd. Luke Top’s vocals are one to take note of; his vibrato and tone fit perfectly in all aspects. Each performance that followed was an intriguing improvisation of their own songs; all four of the six-minute songs they played, yes I said only four, turned into ten-minute epics. Lewis Pesacove’s guitar brought each song to a new level, especially with tracks “Surprise Hotel” and “Poseidon.” Unfortunately, the shortened set came to an abrupt end with a very enthused version of “Ha Dvash.” This left the audience, and myself, wanting more.

After Fool’s Gold thanked everyone and exited the stage for Tinariwen, the crowd seemed to thin out, but not for long. Once Tinariwen took the stage, the crowd grew and found themselves re-energized. Though the only words spoken in English were “Thank You,” Tinariwen’s entire set was completely satisfying. Lead guitarist and vocalist, Ibrahim, stepped out on stage and the crowd approved as he picked up his guitar and walked towards the microphone; his vocals really go right through you. The entire band was energized by the crowd and vice versa. Percussionist, Said, was a highlight for me. The best part of each of Tinariwen’s songs was Said’s djembe. The drum really carried a powerful tone, and I felt every beat in my chest. Tinariwen finished their set, which was immediately followed by chants for an encore. Hassan came back out with his acoustic guitar and started their last set of songs. It was a perfect ending to a great show. Fool’s Gold and Tinariwen are a great combination, and I anticipate seeing each of them again soon.

EP Review: Monster

Inu is an intriguing new collaboration between a few established musicians. The group consists of producer Count, guitarist Tim Hingston, and cellist Zoe Keating. Count has produced, mixed, remixed, and engineered with some of the greatest; everything from Radiohead to Frank Sinatra to DJ Shadow. Tim Hingston is the guitarist from the Nyles Lannon band. He performed with them at SXSW in 2008. Zoe Keating has played with the Dresden Dolls, toured with Imogen Heap on five tours, worked on solo albums, and was in the band Rasputina (a personal favorite). She creates a unique sound as a cellist by mixing spacey electronics through the use of a laptop controlled with her foot.

Inu’s Monster EP is going to be one of the best 2010 has to offer. Every song on the album is an intriguing mix of electronica and rock. The record starts with “The Bailing,” a track that seems to be inspired by Radiohead’s Amnesiac. The mix of electronic soundscapes, guitar, and percussion is near perfect and highlights the unique talents of each member of the band. The most straightforward “rock” track on Monster is “Stephen Colbert.” The synthesized vocals, distorted guitars, and consistent down beat of the snare drum are elements of an elaborate and beautiful composition. All five tracks on the EP are standouts, but the most impressive track is “Captured,” with its soaring vocals and Keating’s haunting cello. Monster is an impressive EP; I can’t wait for the full length album!

You can stream Inu’s entire Monster EP on their MySpace page:

http://www.myspace.com/inuband

Fishpork’s 10 Favorite Shows of 2009

It was another full year of remarkable live shows in 2009, which was also not immune to a few train wrecks (Enon, Dan Deacon). Whether it was a cold and rainy night in Philly to see White Lies overcome a historically shitty venue to play a show for the ages or a late night train ride to the East Village to see Karin Dreijer Andersson’s Fever Ray outfit put on a visually stunning performance, this past year reinforced our music fandom. Here’s a list of our favorite shows of 2009:

1. White Lies @ First Unitarian Church
2. Grizzly Bear @ Trocadero
3. Fever Ray @ Webster Hall
4. Tapes N’ Tapes @ Johnny Brenda’s
5. Animal Collective @ Bowery Ballroom
6. Morrissey @ Carnegie Hall
7. Vic Chestnutt & Elf Power @ Bowery Ballroom
8. Autolux @ Johnny Brenda’s
9. Built to Spill @ SIREN Festival
10. Monsters of Folk @ United Palace
    

Least Favorite:

• Enon @ Johnny Brenda’s
• Dan Deacon/Deerhunter/No Age @ Fly W Airport
• NIN/JA @ PNC Bank Arts Center

Fishpork’s 50 Favorite Tracks of 2009

This year really didn’t end up being that “greatest of the decade” as January-March may have suggested. With that said, our favorite tracks list became very album-heavy as it evolved throughout the year. With seven tracks from Animal Collective and Grizzly Bear in the top 20, you kinda get the point. Here is our very biased list of favorite tracks from 2009:

1. HEALTH - “Die Slow”
2. Grizzly Bear - “While You Wait for the Others“
3. Animal Collective - “Summertime Clothes”
4. Fuck Buttons - “Olympians”
5. Built to Spill - “Things Fall Apart”
6. Animal Collective - “My Girls”
7. Fever Ray - “Concrete Walls”
8. Grizzly Bear - “Ready, Able“
9. White Lies - “Farewell to the Foreground”
10. Moderat - “New Error”
11. Atlas Sound - “Attic Lights”
12. Grizzly Bear - “Two Weeks“
13. Animal Collective - “Guy’s Eyes”
14. Fuck Buttons - “The Lisbon Maru”
15. Atlas Sound - “Walkabout”
16. Animal Collective - “What Would I Want? Sky”
17. Dredg - “Information”
18. White Lies - “Death”
19. Fever Ray - “Coconut”
20. Animal Collective - “Brothersport”
21. Built to Spill - “Good Ol’ Boredom”
22. MC Rut - “I Don’t Really Know”
23. The Mars Volta - “Since We’ve Been Wrong”
24. Modest Mouse - “The Whale Song”
25. Dirty Projectors - “Cannibal Resource”
26. Deerhunter - “Game of Diamonds”
27. Morrissey - “It’s Not Your Birthday Anymore”
28. Animal Collective - “I Think I Can”
29. HEALTH - “We Are Water”
30. Dredg - “Mourning This Morning”
31. Sufjan Stevens - “You Are the Blood”
32. Fuck Buttons - “Surf Solar”
33. Phoenix - “Girlfriend”
34. The Flaming Lips - “Silver Trembling Hands”
35. White Rabbits - “Rudie Fails”
36. The Mars Volta - “With Twilight As Our Guide”
37. Radiohead - “These Are My Twisted Words”
38. Great Northern - “Fingers”
39. Royksopp - “Tricky, Tricky”
40. Dirty Projectors - “Useful Chamber”
41. St. Vincent - “The Party”
42. YACHT - “Ring The Bell”
43. Bat For Lashes - “Sleep Alone”
44. Atlas Sound - “Sheila”
45. Washed Out - “Feel It All Around”
46. Das Racist - “Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell”
47. Dirty Projectors - “Stillness Is The Move”
48. Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs - “Skeletons”
49. Great Northern - “Driveway”
50. Morrissey - “I’m OK By Myself”

The Fishpork 20: Favorite Albums of 2009

2009 started off as one of the strongest years for music in the decade but then slipped into a summer that left us scratching our heads and yearning for more. An impressive set of Fall releases surprised their way onto our Favorites List and cemented 2009 as a year that will impress music lovers in retrospect. These are our favorite albums from the past year:

1. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest

2. Fever Ray - Fever Ray

3. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion

4. Fuck Buttons - Tarot Sport

5. Built to Spill - There Is No Enemy

6. Atlas Sound - Logos

7. Morrissey - Years of Refusal

8. Dredg - The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion

9. White Lies - To Lose Your Life

10. Moderat - Moderat

11. The Mars Volta - Octahedron

12. MC Rut - Middle Class Rut

13. Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca

14. Great Northern - Remind Me Where The Light Is

15. HEALTH - Get Color

16. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

17. The Flaming Lips - Embyronic

18. Bat For Lashes - Two Suns

19. Isis - Wavering Radiant

20. Royksopp - Junior

Most Disappointing Albums:

• Lotus Plaza - The Floodlight Collective
• Wilco - Wilco (The Album)

Fishpork’s 100 Favorite Tracks of the 2000s

This is an attempt at the impossible. Here are our 100 favorite songs of the past decade (featuring multiple tracks from Animal Collective, The Knife, Radiohead, and Elliott Smith). Our top two choices are more like 1a and 1b. Be patient, as the page needs to load the embedded songs.

1. Panda Bear - “Bros” (2007)

2. The Knife - “We Share Our Mother’s Health” (2006)

3. Animal Collective - “For Reverend Green” (2007)

4. Grizzly Bear - “While You Wait For The Others” (2009)

5. The Knife - “Heartbeats” (2003)

6. Grizzly Bear - “The Knife” (2005)

7. LCD Soundsystem - “Someone Great” (2007)

8. TV on the Radio - “Staring at the Sun” (2003)

9. Crystal Castles - “Crimewave” (2008)

10. Beirut - “Ciloqut” (2007)

11. Thom Yorke - “Harrowdown Hill

12. Animal Collective - “Derek” (2007)

13. Nine Inch Nails - “Me, I’m Not” (2007)

14. Beck - “Lonesome Tears” (2002)

15. At The Drive-in - “One Armed Scissor” (2004)

16. Animal Collective - “Grass” (2005)

17. Deerhunter - “Nothing Ever Happened” (2008)

18. Atlas Sound - “Recent Bedroom” (2008)

19. Panda Bear - “Comfy in Nautica” (2007)

20. System of a Down - “Chop Suey” (2001)

21. Animal Collective - “Peacebone” (2007)

22. Battles - “Atlas” (2007)

23. Error - “Jack the Ripper” (2004)

24. Enon - “Pleasure and the Privilege”

25. Elliott Smith - “Son of Sam” (2000)

26. Animal Collective - “Did You See the Words” (2005)

27. The Knife - “Marble House” (2006)

28. LCD Soundsystem - “All My Friends” (2007)

29. Thom Yorke - “Analyse” (2006)

30. The Flaming Lips - “Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell” (2002)

31. Girl Talk - “Smash Your Head” (2006)
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32. A Perfect Circle - “Judith” (2000)

33. Radiohead - “Idioteque” (2000)

34. Tapes N’ Tapes - “Manitoba” (2006)

35. TV On The Radio - “I Was A Lover” (2006)

36. Radiohead - “Reckoner” (2007)

37. Fever Ray - “Coconut” (2009)

38. Animal Collective - “My Girls” (2009)

39. Built to Spill - “Things Fall Apart” (2009)

40. Wilco - “I’m Trying to Break Your Heart” (2002)

41. Modest Mouse - “Tiny Cities Made of Ashes” (2000)

42. Animal Collective - “Leaf House” (2004)

43. Modeselektor - “Happy Birthday” (2007)

44. Arcade Fire - “Wake Up” (2004)

45. Autolux - “Blanket” (2004)

46. MGMT - “Time to Pretend” (2007)

47.  Built to Spill - “Conventional Wisdom” (2006)

48. Wilco - “Side With the Seeds” (2007)

49. Elliott Smith - “Happiness/The Gondola Man” (2000)

50. Avey Tare - “I’m Your Eagle Kisser” (2007)

51. Department of Eagles - “Waves of Rye” (2008)

52. Animal Collective - “Summertime Clothes” (2009)

53. Radiohead - “2+2 = 5″ (2003)

54. Dredg - “Sang Real” (2005)

55. While Lies - “Farewell to the Fairground” (2009)

56. Grizzly Bear - “Ready, Able” (2009)

57. Matisyahu - “King Without a Crown” (2005)

58. Modest Mouse - “Paper Thin Walls” (2000)

59. Dillinger Escape Plan - “When Good Dogs Do Bad Things” (2002)

60. Elliott Smith - “Twilight” (2004)

61. Deerhunter - “Flourescent Grey” (2007)

62. Holy Fuck - “Lovely Allen” (2007)

63. LCD Soundsystem - “Never As Tired As When I’m Waking Up” (2006)

64. The Notwist - “Boneless (Panda Bear Remix)” (2008)

65. Liars - “Nothing Is Ever Lost or Can Be Lost My Science Friend” (2004)

66. The Mars Volta - “Inertiatic E.S.P.” (2003)

67. The Notwist - “Solitaire” (2002)

68. Of Montreal - “The Past is a Grotesque Animal” (2007)

69. Queens of the Stone Age - “Tangled Up in Plaid” (2005)

70. Radiohead - “Jigsaw Falling Into Place” (2007)

71. Saul Williams - “Raised To Be Lowered” (2007)

72. Autolux - “Great Days for the Passenger Element” (2004)

73. Sigur Ros - “Untitled 8″ (2002)

74. Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs - “Maps” (2003)

75. Portishead - “Threads” (2008)

76. Sufjan Stevens - “Chicago” (2005)

77. Ugly Casanova - “Things I Don’t Remember” (2002)

78. Animal Collective - “Brothersport” (2009)

79. Radiohead - “Pyramid Song” (2001)

80. Nine Inch Nails - “Only” (2005)

81. El-P - “Flyentology” (2007)

82. Queens of the Stone Age - “No One Knows” (2002)

83. Ghostface Killah - “Shakey Dog” (2006)

84. Modest Mouse - “Missed the Boat” (2007)

85. UNKLE - “Persons and Machinery” (2007)

86. Amon Tobin - “Verbal” (2002)

87. The White Stripes - “Denial Twist” (2005)
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88. Tomahawk - “Captain Midnight” (2003)

89. Modest Mouse - “Bukowski” (2004)

90. Sigur Ros - “Hoppipolia” (2005)

92. Fuck Buttons - “Sweet Love For Planet Earth” (2008)

93. Bon Iver - “Skinny Love” (2008)

94. Built to Spill - “In Your Mind” (2001)

95. The White Stripes - “Icky Thump” (2007)

96. Does It Offend You, Yeah? - “We Are Rockstars” (2008)

97. Dub Trio - “Not Alone” (2006)

98. Modest Mouse - “The World At Large”

99. The Walkmen - “In the New Year” (2008)

100. Nine Inch Nails - “The Great Destroyer (Modwheelmood Remix)” (2007)

Fishpork’s Favorite Albums of the 2000s

Compiling a list of your favorite albums for an entire decade is quite the challenge, especially when that decade was as strong as the 2000s were. Six of our favorites come from two bands (Animal Collective and Radiohead), and two were from this past year (Veckatimest and Merriweather Post Pavilion). This list is by no means a definitive statement of the best music from last decade. Instead, these are our favorite albums that were on heavy rotation in our iPods and scrobbled endlessly on Last.FM.

1. Strawberry Jam (2007) - Animal Collective

2. Silent Shout (2006) - The Knife

3. The Moon and Antarctica (2000) -  Modest Mouse

4. Kid A (2000) - Radiohead

5. Figure 8 (2000) - Elliott Smith

6. Veckatimest (2009) - Grizzly Bear

7. De-Loused in the Comatorium (2003) - The Mars Volta

8. Future Perfect (2004) - Autolux

9. The Eraser (2006) - Thom Yorke

10. Person Pitch (2007) - Panda Bear

11. Return to Cookie Mountain (2006) - TV on the Radio

12. Sea Change (2002) - Beck

13. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002) - Wilco

14. High Society (2002) - Enon

15. The Loon (2006) - Tapes N’ Tapes

16. Microcastle (2008) - Deerhunter

17. Feels (2005) - Animal Collective

18. Sound of Silver (2007) - LCD Soundsystem

19. In Rainbows (2007) - Radiohead

20. Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009) - Animal Collective

Fishpork’s Favorite EPs of the 2000s

It’s that time of year again, when music blog debates get nasty and irrational. We wouldn’t dare declare a “best of” list. These are simply our favorites. We’ll start with releases that didn’t make full album status but were too good to be ignored. These are our favorite EPs of the decade:

1. Flourescent Grey - Deerhunter (2007)
Deerhunter have yet to misstep in their short but brilliant career. Flourescent Grey represents the band at their best.

2. Error - Error (2004)
A real supergroup featuring NIN programmer Atticus Ross, Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz, and Dillinger Escape Plan vocalist Greg Puciato. It’s hard to believe that this is their only release. “Jack the Ripper” is mind-numbing perfection.

3. Irony is a Dead Scene - Dillinger Escape Plan (2002)
Dillinger Escape Plan is a decent band known for their energetic live sets. Throw in Mike Patton as guest vocalist for an entire EP, and DEP reach their pinnacle. Patton shows his entire vocal palette on Irony by softly crooning one minute and conjuring screamo and Fantomas-style yelping the next. “When Good Dogs Do Bad Things” might be the best song Patton has ever been associated with.

4. Water Curses - Animal Collective (2008)
An underrated EP from Animal Collective that held us over between the releases of 2007’s Strawberry Jam and 2009’s Merriweather Post Pavilion. “Street Flash” is a highlight.

5. Tremulant - The Mars Volta (2002)
The first introduction to The Mars Volta after the 2001 split of At The Drive-in. Our ears would never be the same.

All In The Family: An Interview With Zechs Marquise

Named after a popular Japanese anime character, Zechs Marquise are comprised of familiar names. Brothers of The Mars Volta mastermind Omar, Marfred and Marcel Rodriguez-Lopez have formed their own prog-rock groove outfit along with childhood friends Matthew Wilkson and Marcos Smith. Following a long and complicated road toward completing their debut album, Our Delicate Stranded Nightmare is finally getting a proper release via Rodriguez-Lopez Productions. The band has also scored an opening slot on a tour with RX Bandits and Dredg. Fishpork got a chance to talk with bassist Marfred about recording the album on their own equipment, the excitement of playing in New York and Philly for the first time, and planning everything around The Mars Volta.

Fishpork: Who in the band also plays with The Mars Volta? Are you finding it tough to plan around both of the bands’ schedules?

Marfred Rodriguez-Lopez: Well, Marcel [Rodriguez-Lopez] plays percussion and secondary keys in The Mars Volta. Yeah, it does become hard because we like to tour a lot more than we can.  And with their touring schedule we have to plan around it, but we do what we can.

FP: How is the release of Our Delicate Stranded Nightmare on Rodriguez-Lopez Productions different from when you guys released it last year?

MR: Not much. It’s mostly just [] differences and stuff. And now we’ll actually have somewhat of a backing with the record, because before last year . . . all of last year we pushed it ourselves. We sold it out of our web site and our MySpace and going out on tour with it and selling it that way. So it’s good to have that kind of backing.

FP: I heard you guys recorded the album on your own last year. How did that process work?

MR: We tried to go in and record at an old rehearsal place. We used to live next door to a gentleman that had a recording studio. Well, he works for one. We went in there to go work with it, and then he had a dispute with the actual owners of the studio. And within that time, we kinda put everything on hold. And in between then . . . I guess it was something like three or four months . . . we learned that the engineer wasn’t going to be working there anymore. And the studio went ahead, and they actually wiped out all the material we had on their drives there. When we went back to get it, it was already all gone. So with all of the gear that we had acquired over the last few years and stuff, we just kinda figured might as well do it ourselves and avoid the hassle of making a schedule or, even for that matter, paying for recording time. This way, what money we would have invested in, actually going to the studio and spending time in there, we could actually put it into our own recording equipment and record whenever we want to, not having to pay for hourly fees or for an engineer or any of that stuff.

FP: When you guys write songs, what’s that process like?

MR: Basically, we’ll just get together for a rehearsal or something, and we’ll just play whatever. And if we like it, we’ll take from there and kind of build upon it. Or sometimes each guy comes in with like a guitar riff, or I’ll come in with a bass line, or Marcel comes in with drums or whatever, and we just kind of add someone else’s idea.

FP: What kind of music are you guys listening to right now?

MR: Really anything, but particularly right now we’ve just been listening to a lot of funk and soul and hip hop, believe it or not. We’re listening to a lot of James Brown, some Delfonics stuff. And like I said just old hip hop . . . a lot of J Dilla. We do listen to a lot of different music, but lately that’s what we’ve been listening to a lot.

FP: What’s your favorite album of 2009 so far?

MR: That Crack the Skye by Mastodon.

FP: I saw that the band was making their way to New York and Philly. Will these shows be your first time playing gigs on the East Coast?

MR: Yeah, actually. We haven’t gone as far as . . . the furthest east that we’ve been, I believe is North Carolina. So it should actually be kinda fun. Everyone is looking forward to the Philly and New York shows in particular. Actually, one of the guys in the band has never even been up to the Northeast part of the country or the Midwest, so it’s going to be a good experience for him.

FP: How did you guys get hooked up with RX Bandits and Dredg?

MR: Apparently, Cathy over at Sargent House had turned RX onto Zechs. I guess played them a couple of tracks or gave them a CD or something, and they turned out to like it a lot. And they had this tour coming up for their new record and asked us to join them.

FP: What can we expect from your live shows?

MR: A lot of high energy, very aggressive music playing (laughs).

FP: What’s in store for the band for the rest of 2009?

Yeah, actually. We started working on our next record late last year and for the most part of this year. We’ve been working in between tours and Mars Volta scheduling. Hopefully, with any luck, we’ll get it out before the end of the year. If not, right at the beginning of next year. Looking forward to that one. It sounds completely different than what we did with Our Delicate (Stranded Nightmare).

www.myspace.com/zechsmarquise
www.rodriguezlopezproductions.com

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