The Fishpork 20: Favorite Albums of 2011
This list may fly in the face of most “best of” lists for 2011. Excluded are the overrated Bon Iver, James Blake, and the array of wince-inducing rap projects that have been embraced by particular hipster circles. Included are some albums that have been relentlessly bashed by the indie blogosphere, but ones we loved, such as The Strokes, Radiohead, and White Lies, as well as some that were completely ignored this year (Feersum Ennjin and Saul Williams).
We don’t call ‘em the best, just our favorites. These are the records that got the most plays on our iPods this year, our favorite albums of 2011:
1. Modeselektor – Monkeytown
2. Tapes ‘n Tapes – Outside
3. The Strokes – Angles
4. Radiohead – The King of Limbs
5. Feersum Ennjin – Feersum Ennjin
6. The Antlers – Burst Apart
7. Panda Bear – Tomboy
8. Wilco – The Whole Love
9. Saul Williams – Volcanic Sunlight
10. Atlas Sound – Parallax
11. TV On The Radio – Nine Types of Light
12. Puscifer – Conditions of My Parole
13. SONOIO – RED
14. Battles – Glass Drop
15. Beastie Boys – Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 2
16. M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
17. REM – Collapse Into Now
18. PJ Harvey – Let England Shake
19. White Lies – Ritual
20. The Decemberists – The King Is Dead
Most Disappointing Albums of 2011:
Dredg – Chuckles and Mr. Squeezy
Ladytron – Gravity the Seducer
Fishpork’s 25 Favorite Tracks of 2011
Jeff Mangum came out of hiding to officially release some brilliant old tracks from the archives, Keaton Henson put out an achingly powerful single from 2010′s self-released Dear…, and a lot of deaf music reviewers shit on The Strokes latest collection of songs (except for us, of course). 2011 welcomed back our all-time favorite artists and introduced us to new favorites. Narrowing down the year’s best was especially difficult this time around, but here is our very biased list of 25 favorite tracks from 2011 (give the page a minute to load the embedded clips):
1. Neutral Milk Hotel – “Ferris Wheel on Fire”
2. Keaton Henson – “You Don’t Know How Lucky You Are”
3. The Strokes – “Machu Picchu”
4. Feersum Ennjin – “Hate The Sun”
5. Modeselektor – “Pretentious Friends”
6. HEALTH – “Goth Star (Pictureplane cover)”
7. Tapes ‘n Tapes – “Nightfall”
8. M83 – “Midnight City”
9. SONOIO – “Enough”
10. Radiohead – “Codex”
11. Panda Bear – “Alsatian Darn”
12. Keaton Henson – “Strawbear”
13. The Antlers – “Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out”
14. The Strokes – “Taken For A Fool”
15. M+A – “Liko Lene Lisa”
16. Tapes ‘n Tapes – “Badaboom”
17. Modeselektor – “Grillwalker”
18. The Horrors – “Still Life”
19. Saul Williams – “Triumph”
20. Amanda Palmer – “Map Of Tasmania”
21. Atlas Sound – “Mona Lisa”
22. Adebisi Shank – “Century City”
23. Puscifer – “Monsoons”
24. Battles – “Ice Cream”
25. Givers – “Noche Nada”
Fishpork’s 10 Favorite Shows of 2011
While 2010 may have been the year we got to see Jeff Mangum play five songs, who would have thought we’d get to see three full Mangum sets in 2011?! It’s hard to compare that experience even in a year that was loaded with unforgettable performances. We were also lucky to catch James Murphy bid farewell to LCD Soundsystem, Tapes N’ Tapes proved why they are one of the best live bands on the planet, and Portishead blew the roof off of Asbury’s Convention Hall twice in ATP headlining performances. ATP recently announced that it will be returning to Asbury Park next year for another round of I’ll Be Your Mirror Performances, a guarantee that 2012 will have much live music to look forward to. Until then, here is our very biased list of favorite shows of 2011:
1. Jeff Mangum @ Paramount Theater
2. LCD Soundsystem @ Terminal 5
3. Portishead @ Convention Hall
4. Tapes N’ Tapes @ Johnny Brenda’s
6. Avey Tare @ Johnny Brenda’s
8. Black Moth Super Rainbow @ First Unitarian Church
9. Amon Tobin @ Brooklyn’s Masonic Temple
10. Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise @ Knitting Factory
Fishpork’s 10 Favorite Videos of 2011
Did Andreas Nilsson really not make a video this year? I suppose that takes a bit of the bite out of this year’s favorites list, doesn’t it? Just like last year, 2011′s list includes more from the legendary music video auteur Spike Jonze. While there were many worthy videos this year, we narrowed down a list of ten favorites. Featuring the Beastie Boys sequel to a 25-year-old original, a raucous comedy by Maynard James Keenan, and a performance piece that incorporates light and darkness to perfection, these are Fishpork’s 10 Favorite Videos of 2011:
10. “Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win” by Beastie Boys (Directed by Spike Jonze)
9. “My Machines” by Battles (Directed by Daniels)
8. “Dance” by Saul Williams (Directed by Cédric Blaisbois)
7. “Midnight City” by M83 (Directed by Fleur & Manu)
6. “Lotus Flower” by Radiohead (Directed by Garth Jennings)
5. “You Don’t Know How Lucky You Are” by Keaton Henson (Directed by David Wilson)
4. “Conditions of My Parole” by Puscifer (Directed by Mike King and Maynard James Keenan)
3. “Fight For Your Right (Revisited)” by Beastie Boys (Directed by Adam Yauch)
2. “Shipwreck” by Modeselektor (ft. Thom Yorke) (Directed by Tony “Truand” Datis)
1. “Enough” by SONOIO (Directed by Matt Sundin and Caspar Newbolt)
Fishpork’s 10 Favorite Shows of 2010
2010 will be remembered as the year we saw Jeff Mangum play five songs. It’s hard to compare that experience even in a year that was loaded with unforgettable performances. Deerhunter solidified themselves as Fishpork elite, Arcade Fire showed why some consider them the best band on the planet, and James Murphy all but burned down NYC. Here’s is our very biased list of our favorite shows of 2010:
1. Jeff Mangum @ Le Poisson Rouge
2. Deerhunter @ Starlight Ballroom
4. LCD Soundsystem @ Terminal 5
5. Arcade Fire/Spoon @ The Mann Center
6. Tobacco @ First Unitarian Church
7. Atoms For Peace @ Roseland Ballroom
8. Owen Pallett @ Bowery Ballroom
9. Modest Mouse @ Williamsburg Waterfront
10. Faith No More @ Williamsburg Waterfront
The Fishpork 20: Favorite Albums of 2010
We’re wondering if the end-of-the-year list makers have actually listened to Sufjan’s Steven’s The Age of Adz more than once (or even at all). It’s truly and unquestionably our favorite release for 2010. While we enjoyed some of the popular choices (This Is Happening, Halcyon Digest, The Suburbs, etc.) just as much as the next guy, there were some less popular albums that we really appreciated over the past 12 months (Down There, DISCO2, Shame, Shame). And is there any reason why a soundtrack cannot get some love? Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross may be the reason why The Social Network wins a Best Picture Oscar this year! Here are our favorite 20 albums of a tremendous year for music:
1. Sufjan Stevens – The Age of Adz
2. LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening
3. Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles II
4. Caribou – Swim
5. The National – High Violet
6. Avey Tare – Down There
7. Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest
8. Owen Pallett – Heartland
9. HEALTH – DISCO2
10. Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
11. Yeasayer – Odd Blood
12. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross – The Social Network
13. Jonsi – Go
14. Dr. Dog – Shame, Shame
15. Girl Talk – All Day
16. Vampire Weekend – Contra
17. The Magnetic Fields – Realism
18. Holy Fuck – Latin
19. The Walkmen – Lisbon
20. Gorillaz – Plastic Beach
Honorable Mention:
Seven Fields of Aphelion – Periphery
Most Disappointing Albums of 2010:
Elf Power – Elf Power
MGMT – Congratulations
Of Montreal – False Priest
Fishpork’s 50 Favorite Tracks of 2010
2010 started off strong, producing some of our favorite tracks off the summer playlist. As the weather heated up, things fell into a summer doldrum. Now, as we develop our end-of-the-year lists, we’re finding the year coming to a conspicuous end. Similar to 2009, the list is somewhat album-heavy, as we were drawn to several stand-out records among our favorite artists. Here is our very biased list of our 50 favorite tracks from 2010 (give the page a minute to load the SoundClouds):
1. LCD Soundsystem – “Dance Yrself Clean”
2. Caribou – “Odessa”
3. Sufjan Stevens – “I Walked”
4. Deerhunter – “Helicopter”
5. HEALTH – “USA Boys”
6. LCD Soundsystem – “I Can Change”
7. Crystal Castles – “Empathy”
8. Avey Tare – “Laughing Hieroglyphic”
9. Broken Social Scene – ‘World Sick”
10. Owen Pallett – “Lewis Takes Off His Shirt”
11. The National – “Afraid of Everyone”
12. Autolux – “Transit, Transit”
13. Sufjan Stevens – “Impossible Soul”
14. Jonsi – “Boy Lilikoi”
15. Arcade Fire – “The Suburbs”
16. Sufjan Stevens – “Vesuvius”
17. Caribou – “Jamelia”
18. Crystal Castles – “Not In Love (feat. Robert Smith)”
19. Beach House – “Norway”
20. Arcade Fire – “We Used To Wait”
21. The Black Keys – Tighten Up
22. Yeasayer – “Mondegreen”
23. Deerhunter – “He Would Have Laughed”
24. Owen Pallett – “Midnight Directives”
25. The National – “Bloodbuzz Ohio”
26. Crystal Castles – “Vietnam”
27. How To Destroy Angels – “Fur-Lined”
28. The National – “Terrible Love”
29. Sufjan Stevens – “Too Much”
30. White Lies – “Bigger Than Us”
31. Panda Bear – “Slow Motion”
32. Avey Tare – “Lucky 1″
33. Liars – “Scarecrows on a Killer Slant”
34. Dr. Dog – “Jackie Wants A Black Eye”
35. Ratatat – “Party With Children”
36. Tobacco – “Lamborghini Meltdown”
37. The Walkmen – “Angela Surf City”
38. Middle Class Rut – “New Low”
39. HEALTH – “Before Tigers (Gold Panda Remix)”
40. Four Tet – “Plastic People”
41. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – “Bright Lit Blue Skies”
42. Jonsi – “Tornado”
43. Menomena – “Five Little Rooms”
44. Yeasayer – “ONE”
45. Of Montreal – “Like a Tourist”
46. Matthew Dear – “You Put a Smell On Me”
47. Delta Spirit – “Bushwick Blues”
48. Avey Tare – “Oliver Twist”
49. MGMT – “Flash Delirium”
50. Flying Lotus – “…And The World Laughs With You (Ft. Thom Yorke)”
Fishpork’s 10 Favorite Videos of 2010
MTV might not play them anymore, but that doesn’t mean the music video is dead. 2010 saw a resurgence of the art form. While there were a ton of worthy videos this year, we narrowed down a list of ten favorites. Featuring two videos from iconic director Spike Jonze, an homage to the French horror scene, and a web exercise that places the memories of the viewer into the experience, these are Fishpork’s 10 Favorite Videos of 2010:
10. Flying Lotus – Kill Your Co-Workers (Directed by Mike Winkelmann)
9. Holy Fuck – Red Lights (Directed by Brian Borcherdt & Michael LeBlanc)
8. Deerhunter – Helicopter
7. Arcade Fire – The Suburbs (Directed by Spike Jonze)
6. Nosaj Thing – Us (Jon Hopkins Remix) (Directed by Anthony Ciannamea & Mark Wisniowski)
5. Amon Tobin – Esther’s (Directed by Charles De Meyer)
4. How To Destroy Angels – The Space In Between (Directed by Rupert Sanders)
3. LCD Soundsystem – Drunk Girls (Directed by Spike Jonze)
2. HEALTH – We Are Water (Directed by Eric Wareheim)
1. Arcade Fire – We Used To Wait
http://www.thewildernessdowntown.com/
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:
- White Lies @ First Unitarian Church
- Grizzly Bear @ Trocadero
- Fever Ray @ Webster Hall
- Tapes N’ Tapes @ Johnny Brenda’s
- Animal Collective @ Bowery Ballroom
- Morrissey @ Carnegie Hall
- Vic Chestnutt & Elf Power @ Bowery Ballroom
- Autolux @ Johnny Brenda’s
- Built to Spill @ SIREN Festival
- Monsters of Folk @ United Palace
Least Favorite:
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:
- HEALTH – “Die Slow”
- Grizzly Bear – “While You Wait for the Others“
- Animal Collective – “Summertime Clothes”
- Fuck Buttons – “Olympians”
- Built to Spill – “Things Fall Apart”
- Animal Collective – “My Girls”
- Fever Ray – “Concrete Walls”
- Grizzly Bear – “Ready, Able“
- White Lies – “Farewell to the Foreground”
- Moderat – “New Error”
- Atlas Sound – “Attic Lights”
- Grizzly Bear – “Two Weeks“
- Animal Collective – “Guy’s Eyes”
- Fuck Buttons – “The Lisbon Maru”
- Atlas Sound – “Walkabout”
- Animal Collective – “What Would I Want? Sky”
- Dredg – “Information”
- White Lies – “Death”
- Fever Ray – “Coconut”
- Animal Collective – “Brothersport”
- Built to Spill – “Good Ol’ Boredom”
- MC Rut – “I Don’t Really Know”
- The Mars Volta – “Since We’ve Been Wrong”
- Modest Mouse – “The Whale Song”
- Dirty Projectors – “Cannibal Resource”
- Deerhunter – “Game of Diamonds”
- Morrissey – “It’s Not Your Birthday Anymore”
- Animal Collective – “I Think I Can”
- HEALTH – “We Are Water”
- Dredg – “Mourning This Morning”
- Sufjan Stevens – “You Are the Blood”
- Fuck Buttons – “Surf Solar”
- Phoenix – “Girlfriend”
- The Flaming Lips – “Silver Trembling Hands”
- White Rabbits – “Rudie Fails”
- The Mars Volta – “With Twilight As Our Guide”
- Radiohead – “These Are My Twisted Words”
- Great Northern – “Fingers”
- Royksopp – “Tricky, Tricky”
- Dirty Projectors – “Useful Chamber”
- St. Vincent – “The Party”
- YACHT – “Ring The Bell”
- Bat For Lashes – “Sleep Alone”
- Atlas Sound – “Sheila”
- Washed Out – “Feel It All Around”
- Das Racist – “Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell”
- Dirty Projectors – “Stillness Is The Move”
- Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs – “Skeletons”
- Great Northern – “Driveway”
- Morrissey – “I’m OK By Myself”