arcade fire

Fishpork’s 10 Favorite Shows of 2010

December 22, 2010 By Fishpork Leave a Comment

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

3. Jonsi @ Terminal 5

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

Filed Under: Lists Tagged With: arcade fire, atoms for peace, deerhunter, faith no more, Jeff Mangum, jonsi, lcd soundsystem, modest mouse, Owen Pallett, tobacco

The Fishpork 20: Favorite Albums of 2010

December 14, 2010 By Fishpork 3 Comments

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

Filed Under: Lists Tagged With: arcade fire, attitus ross, avey tare, caribou, crystal castles, deerhunter, HEALTH, jonsi, lcd soundsystem, Owen Pallett, sufjan stevens, the national, trent reznor, yeasayer

Fishpork’s 50 Favorite Tracks of 2010

December 8, 2010 By Fishpork Leave a Comment

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)”

Filed Under: Lists Tagged With: arcade fire, ariel pink's haunted graffiti, autolux, avey tare, beach house, broken social scene, caribou, crystal castles, deerhunter, delta spirit, dr. dog, flying lotus, four tet, HEALTH, how to destroy angels, interpol, jonsi, lcd soundsystem, liars, matthew dear, menomena, mgmt, middle class rut, of montreal, Owen Pallett, panda bear, ratatat, sufjan stevens, the black keys, the national, the walkmen, tobacco, white lies, yeasayer

Fishpork’s 10 Favorite Videos of 2010

November 30, 2010 By Fishpork Leave a Comment

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/

Filed Under: Lists Tagged With: amon tobin, arcade fire, deerhunter, flying lotus, HEALTH, holy fuck, how to destroy angels, lcd soundsystem, nosaj thing, spike jonze

Deerhunter @ Starlight Ballroom

October 15, 2010 By Mark Leave a Comment

Although the bathrooms at the Starlight Ballroom were once referred to as “the apocalypse” by Grizzly Bear frontman Ed Droste a few years back, some of my favorite shows have been performed here (TV on the Radio, Girl Talk, etc.). Deerhunter had no issues overcoming the elements of the world’s end and gave the most inspired performance of their four shows I’ve attended. The varied setlist and extended jams were a nice surprise for longtime fans but may have confused new fans looking for only straight performances of new and highly accessible songs like “Revival” and “Helicopter.” Thankfully, Deerhunter aren’t ready for mainstream radio just yet.

Frontman Bradfox Cox was extraordinarily enthusiast most of the night. The usually reserved Cox (at least since the days he wore dresses opening up for Nine Inch Nails during the Cryptograms era) could be found headbanging during guitar solos and adding new vocal melodies to various songs. The energy was appreciated by some in attendance, but Philly proved to be a disappointing crowd. I don’t care if this show was a weekday makeup for a weekend pool party from the summer. I will never be able to understand how lines at the various bars at the Starlight Ballroom could file in during extended jam sessions for “Nothing Ever Happened” and “He Would Have Laughed,” both approaching the 10-minute mark. Shame on you, Philly!

“We need your youth energy and your youth culture so that we can survive. The median age of this band is 87 years old. We’re looking for a new vessel … you know like in Being John Malkovich … it’s a movie.” – Bradford Cox (disappointed by the reaction).

This was the first Deerhunter show I’ve attended where guitarist Lockett Pundt sang live. He’s recorded vocals on several albums, but Cox has usually taken on those duties live (at the previous three shows I’ve attended). Pundt sang lead vocals for two songs, “Desire Lines” and “Fountain Stairs.” He did admirably on the first track, and the band extended the performance of the song into a highlight-worthy jam session, which they did for several songs in the set. His vocals for “Fountain Stairs” were not nearly as impressive.

Another highlight of the set was some kind of live, 80s-style reinterpretation of “Rainwater Cassette Exchange.” The new arrangements were inspired. When the show ended, Cox and company revisited the stage for an encore that included “Memory Boy” and “Fluorescent Grey,” and Cox jokingly introduced each song as the other. Overall, it’s just not possible to get better than this for a $15 ticket. Deerhunter may be the best live band that cannot sell out a small club. Go check them out now before they turn into Arcade Fire.

You can check out a high quality stream of the previous night’s show in Washington, D.C. by NPR’s All Things Considered here.

Filed Under: Shows Tagged With: arcade fire, bradford cox, deerhunter, Grizzly Bear, nine inch nails, philadelphia

MP3s: “The Suburbs” and “Month of May” by Arcade Fire

May 26, 2010 By Mark Leave a Comment

Arcade Fire’s third LP, The Suburbs, won’t be released until later this summer. However, two tracks from the first single just hit radio stations worldwide. You can download “The Suburbs” here and “Month of May” here or stream both tracks below:

“The Suburbs”

“Month of May”

Filed Under: MP3s Tagged With: arcade fire

Fishpork’s 100 Favorite Tracks of the 2000s

November 11, 2009 By Fishpork Leave a Comment

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)

Filed Under: Featured, Lists Tagged With: a perfect circle, amon tobin, animal collective, arcade fire, at the drive-in, atlas sound, autolux, avery tare, battles, beck, beirut, bon iver, Built To Spill, crystal castles, deerhunter, department of eagles, dillinger escape plan, does it offend you yeah, dredg, dub trio, el-p, elliott smith, enon, error, fever ray, ghostface killah, Grizzly Bear, holy fuck, lcd soundsystem, liars, matisyahu, mgmt, modeselektor, modest mouse, nine inch nails, of montreal, panda bear, portishead, queens of the stone age, radiohead, saul williams, sigur ros, sufjan stevens, system of a down, tapes N tapes, teh notwist, the flaming lips, the helio sequence, The Knife, the mars volta, the white stripes, thom yorke, tomahawk, tv on the radio, ugly casanova, unkle, white lies, wilco, yeah, yeahs

Album Review: Dark Was The Night

May 4, 2009 By Mark Leave a Comment

Compilation releases rarely get much consideration on end-of-year lists, but this year’s Dark Was The Night will defy that logic. Produced by Aaron and Bryce Dessner from The National, the album’s proceeds go to the Red Hot Organization, a charity that raises money for HIV and AIDS. The double-length effort will not engage all the way through, as there are some snoozers mixed throughout. It’s obvious that many of the artists appearing on the album saved their best work for their own records (see Arcade Fire’s “Lenin”). However, the standout tracks make the album somewhat worthy of all the praise it has received so far this year.

Standout songs include the epic “You Are The Blood” by Sufjan Stevens. The 10-minute track is a reworking (and improvement) of a song by the Castanets, who appear on Steven’s Asthmatic Kitty label. An additional remix of the song appears on disc two, titled “Blood Pt. 2.” The track features a reworking of Steven’s song by Canadian hip hop artist, Buck 65. 2009 seems to belong to Brooklyn-based indie favorites Grizzly Bear, who appear on disc one twice. The band’s “Deep Blue Sea” is a whispery, melodic gem, and “Service Bell” is a haunting collaboration with ex-tourmate Feist. The most surprising track is a solo effort by TV On The Radio mastermind David Sitek. “With A Girl Like You” is a Trogg’s cover highlighted by Sitek’s usual tight production, an anthemic horn section, and baritone vocals. Although the album does not provide the grandiose indie rock statement that many bloggers have written about, there is enough good stuff here to keep listeners engaged for weeks.

A live performance of several songs on the album took place this past Sunday at Radio City Music Hall. Check out three of the better tracks from the album here:

http://www.myspace.com/darkwasthenight

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: arcade fire, buck 65, david sitek, feist, Grizzly Bear, radio city music hall, red hot organization, sufjan stevens, the national, tv on the radio

Album Review: Merriweather Post Pavilion

January 6, 2009 By Fishpork 1 Comment

Does the most anticipated album in recent memory live up to the hype? With unfair expectations, Animal Collective may have just pulled it off. Yes, it’s the favorite for album of the year on day six of 2009, but we won’t rush into any sort of ceremonial crowning just yet. Last time I checked, Autolux and Arcade Fire were in the studio recording new material. And Panda Bear could still upstage his bandmates once more with a release later this year. However, it will take an undeniable masterwork from any band to compete with the divine Merriweather Post Pavilion (or score more tracks on our summer 2009 BBQ playlist).

The album was officially released today on vinyl after leaking to the Internet on Christmas Day. Some are arguing that Domino Records was behind the leak. If that’s true, it’s an interesting turn of events, especially in light of all the Web Sheriff antics over the last few weeks. Many believe that it was all part of a marketing scam (with Grizzly Bear and Bradford Cox in cahoots). Whether or not it was an elaborate ploy to get fans excited about the release is not important anymore. The album is here! The vinyl release shipped early from many online retailers and includes some pretty amazing artwork, as well as an explanation of the record’s title.

Track-by-track analysis:

In the Flowers (Pete): The album opens with a pounding distorted heartbeat that pumps in demented rhythms until fading into a subdued harpsichord arpeggiated melody. This contrasts the voice of David Portner aka Avey Tare as he sings, “Met a dancer, who was high in a field | From her movement, caught my breath on my way home.” As the verse ends, signaled by hand claps and the sound of crickets, Avey Tare sings, “I walk out in the flowers and feel better | If I could just leave my body for the night,” as the songs takes off into a direction 36,000 miles above the earth with a dynamite burst of a full noise marching band orchestra. This culminates with the manta of “To hold you in time.” The running water samples that are prevalent throughout the LP makes the listener fell as if one is floating on a river of clouds.

My Girls (Pete): Formally known as “House” and “Material Things,” this song was my favorite of all the pre-MPP tracks that they played live on the Strawberry Jam tour last year before hitting the studio. The recorded version is mixed to perfection. Beginning with the casino-sounding bells, the off beat rhythms of this song are only outdone by Panda Bear’s vocals and backed up by Avey Tare’s background repeating of his words in his style. Both harmonize the chorus. This begins the theme of personal lyrics for Panda bear, here he sings about the simple things he wants in his life in Portugal for his daughter and wife.

Also Frightened (Pete): Starting with a sort of American Indian chant, the vocals swarm your ears with harmonized vocals, becoming an instrument in itself. This song continues some of the best minimalist lyrics the band has written (“And asking the question: Are you also Frightened? | No one should call you a dreamer”). The song ends with vocal harmonies that push to disable any labels put on the band after each of their albums. The boundaries that categorize Animal Collective as psyche/freak folk (or whatever they are categorized in a given year) should now be dismissed.

Summertime Clothes (Mark): This is the best track on the album (fomerly “Bearhug”). It’s the sound you would hear approaching the gate’s of heaven (if believe in that kind of thing); an ethereal soundtrack of the gods. The song starts with a pulsating (and rather mechanical) back beat that quickly turns into an exercise in melodic lyrical exchange between Avery Tare and Panda Bear. The interplay between Animal Collective’s dual lyricists brings the album to its high point, especially when the dual vocals are overlapped, harmonizing during the end of the choruses. It creates an absolutely beautiful effect and sound. The repeating verse, “when the sun goes down, we’ll go out again,” is the most addicting moment on the record.

Daily Routine (Mark): This track sounds like it could fit on Strawberry Jam (and that is a very good thing). The song starts with what sounds like a recording of the manual programming of the song’s repeating samples (similar to that of the live version of NIN’s “Echoplex”). It sounds like you can actually hear Brian “Geologist” Weitz’s fingers turning the knobs on his dual BOSS SP-505s to program the sequence. The sequence repeats faster and faster, until the song hits its final pace and Panda Bear’s vocals begin. The melodic delivery of the lyrics coupled with a techno-like back beat makes the first half of this song a real treat. The song then slows down to the album’s slowest and most drawn out point. The song structure is similar to Strawberry Jam’s “Chores” but never picks up again. “Chores” is a better song, but “Daily Routine” is a welcome retread to the style of the new album. Animal Collective have created their most diverse record yet.

Bluish (Mark): Formerly known as “From a Beach,” this was immediately one of my favorite tracks on the album. We get more water samples! The band seems to be obsessed with them lately. The song starts with a slow repeating drone and a toned-down Avery Tare (this is the antithesis of Strawberry Jam). The track gets all Panda Bear on us when piano samples kick in with Brian Wilson-esque vocals. I think this is what the Beach Boys would sound like if they recorded Pet Sounds under water. This is the prettiest track on the album and maybe the most accessible, especially for someone who writhes at the sound of pretentious masterpieces like “Peacebone” or “Cuckoo Cuckoo.”

Guy’s Eyes (Mark): Another “pop” song? If you say so. This song was formerly called “Song For Ariel,” and fans are relieved that it made the cut. Some prefer the folky version that Panda Bear has played at his live shows, and the addition of grinding synths turns it almost into a dance song. I, too, prefer the minimalist version. The song is still one of my favorites on the record and is further proof that Panda Bear was more of a driving force in the creative process on this record than on Strawberry Jam. I guess he just lost the argument with Geologist over the final version.

Taste (Pete): This song changed the most from the live version that AC played last year and while many fans write how much they miss the old version’s lyrics, the new ones fit perfectly into the album’s form. Again the harmonies are magical and bring the vocals a sonic quality not heard on Strawberry Jam or its predecessors. The lyrics get deep, as they ask the question: “Am I really all the things that are outside of me?”

Lion in a Coma (Pete): From the opening jungle sample the track is one of the strongest on the LP. Avey Tare’s fast spoken lyrics that were more prevalent on tracks from Sung Tongs return here with a chorus full of jarring tones that bounce off the walls. A subtle sample of a Jew’s harp is credited to an artist named Mpahleni Manquin Madosini, from her track titled “Yitileni.” She is even given writing credits on the song. Vocals from Avey Tare are strong here and create a beutiful balance of music and lyrical tones. The outro ends with the clever lyrical pun, “Don’t keep lying in a coma.”

No More Runnin’ (Pete): This laid back track has the vibe of “Seal Eyeing” from their Water Curses EP, only upping the bar with subtle tranquility. Again, Avay Tare uses minimalist lyrics to heighten the mood when he pens, “‘No more Runnin’ says my mind.” This track leaves the listener with a lasting impression that Animal Collective may have pushed the psych/experimental limits with Strawberry Jam and blown away any label of their music with this song alone.

Brothersport (Mark): Obviously, this the most danceable track Animal Collective has ever conceived. Imagine yourself at a rave where Bob Marley is the DJ. My 2-year old son loses his mind when I play this song. He immediately stops what he is doing, puts his head down, and bobs up and down like he’s been doing that dance for years. I recorded him doing yesterday without him knowing. Domino has claimed rights over the video recently, stating they can put ads on the YouTube watch page if they want. Although “No More Runnin” feels more like an album closer, “Brothersport” closes the album with an intoxicating track that will likely be one of the first singles released.

Animal Collective is playing a short list of major city shows shortly, including two NYC gigs that Fishpork will attend. The band has also been in the studio recently recording music for a film-project that has limited details so far. Avery Tare was quoted recently by Billboard: “It’s something new for all of us. It’s been a work-as-we-go process.” He calls the project a “visual record.” Animal Collective has released nine albums in less than nine years. Based on that track record, we can expect a release sometime in the near future. As with LPs in the past we might get a 12″ single that perhaps could give us one of the tracks that did not make the cut on MPP. Live favorite “Grace” was one of those that many were hoping would be on MPP, but as “Safer” was a welcomed treat on the Peacebone 12″, we may still get more cut MPP tracks over the next few months. And if that’s not enough for you, Panda Bear is set to release his next solo record sometime this year.

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: animal collective, arcade fire, autolux, avey tare, Domino, panda bear

January’s Fresh Pork Cuts

December 31, 2008 By Fishpork Leave a Comment

Marks:

Animal Collective – Bluish
Arcade Fire – Burning Bridges
Morrissey – I’m Throwing My Arms Around Paris
Stereolab – Neon Beanbag (Atlas Sound Southern Baptist Remix)
Sufjan Stevens – Good King Wenceslas

Petes:

Julian Koster – Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
The Breeders – Bang On
Vivian Girls – Tell The World
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds – Moonland
Lindstrom - Where You Go I Go Too

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: animal collective, arcade fire, morrissey, stereolab, sufjan stevens