MP3: “Pigs” by Black Dice

After seeing Eric Copeland open up for Avey Tare late last year at Johnny Brenda’s, the new Black Dice album is something we’ve been greatly anticipating. The record will be called Mr. Impossible and releases on April 10 via Ribbon Music. In the meantime, the New York based trio provide a taste of the new album with “Pigs.” You can stream and download “Pigs” by Black Dice (click down arrow for download) below:

Black Dice – Pigs by Ribbon Music

Also, check out the self-produced video for the track below:

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

5. Deerhunter @ Webster Hall

6. Avey Tare @ Johnny Brenda’s

7. Shellac @ Convention Hall

8. Black Moth Super Rainbow @ First Unitarian Church

9. Amon Tobin @ Brooklyn’s Masonic Temple

10. Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise @ Knitting Factory

Avey Tare @ Johnny Brenda’s

While I have never big a huge fan of Black Dice, Eric Copeland’s opening set was a brilliant mindfuck. Drowned in almost indecipherable noise, each song flirted with melody, while maintaining a glorious and painful rough edge. I’m going to go back now and explore the Black Dice catalog and the rest of Copeland’s solo work immediately. Here’s a video from the performance of “Fun Dink Death” that liberateanimals5 took from the balcony:

Avey Tare’s (aka Dave Portner) set up was more basic than what he does for Animal Collective. The solo show featured some samplers, effects, a mixer, and, of course, his mic. There was no guitar or live drums, and Portner confirmed that he wouldn’t be playing any Animal Collective tracks when we passed him at the bar before the show. The result was an uber-emotional performance of tracks mostly from last year’s criminally-overlooked and intensely dark album, Down There, which was inspired by a few enveloping personal issues that Portner was going through at the time, including a divorce from his wife.

I’ve always enjoyed Animal Collective as a studio band more than a live band. While Animal Collective’s intricate collage of samples and loops has never been entirely engaging when recreated live, Portner’s energetic performances and vocal style have always been the exception for me. And it translated last night as well. There were distinct moments where Portner added textures, live loops and his signature and sporadic vocal yelps. Most Animal Collective fans seem to prefer Panda Bear’s solo work, but Avey Tare’s contributions have always engaged me more as a listener. Being able to check out one of your all-time favorite artists perform at your all-time favorite venue is not a bad way to spend a Thursday evening in the city. Check out a video of Avey Tare performing “Lucky 1″ from last night’s show:

MP3: “Last Night At The Jetty” by Panda Bear

The social Web is currently exploding as the album version of Panda Bear’s “Last Night At The Jetty” recently surfaced. The track reveals Noah Lennox as more of a talent in the studio than he is live. I’m still confused why Avey Tare’s Down was released with barely a whimper a few months back; it’s nowhere as underwhelming as the reception was. You can download Panda Bear’s “Last Night At The Jetty here or stream it below [via GvsB]:

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)”

MP3: “Lucky 1″ by Avery Tare

We finally get our first listen to Avery Tare’s (aka Dave Portner of Animal Collective) first completely solo effort, Down There. For those of you who are familiar with his lone solo track, “I’m Your Eagle Kisser,” from a 2008 indie compilation called Living Bridge, high expectations are in order. Listening to “Lucky 1″ out of context may be unfair, but it’s an early indication that Down There may surpass Panda Bear’s TomBoy as the most anticipated release of 2010 (at least in our eyes). You can download “Lucky 1″ here or stream it below (via GvsB):

MP3: “I’m Your Eagle Kisser (Live)” by Avey Tare

I really wish I wasn’t so late on the Animal Collective band wagon. Yes, they’ve gotten better in the studio, but the live show has obviously gotten worse due to their reliance on electronics and samplers. They might as well have just pressed play on a tape recorder the last time I saw them live in Brooklyn. A few months before I officially became obsessed with the band, Avey Tare did a short six show solo tour (2006). Here’s a live gem from that tour. It’s probably the best solo track from the band that was not on Panda Bear’s Person Pitch. The studio version is mesmerizing, and the live version is right up there. You can download “I’m You’re Eagle Kisser (Live)” by Avey Tare here or stream it below:

Album Review: Merriweather Post Pavilion

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.

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June’s Fresh Pork Cuts!

Pete’s:

• Avey Tare-  I’m Your Eagle Kisser
• Silver Jews- Self-Ignition
• Devotchka – Transliterater
• Sons & Daughters – The Gift
• Tapes ‘N Tapes – Hang Them All
   

Mark’s:

• Portishead – Threads
• DIOY,Y? – We Are Rockstars
• Crystal Castles – Magic Spells
• DubTrio – No Flag
• Animal Collective – Street Flashes

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