Holy Fuck’s forthcoming album Latin will be released on May 11 via Young Turks/XL. The new lineup includes ex-Enon drummer Matt Schulz. If you can’t wait until May to hear their new stuff, you can now get your hands on the first single. Download “Latin America” by Holy Fuck here or stream it below:
Also, see the band perform the track live:
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)
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
Last night, one of my favorite bands officially became irrelevant. What seemed like a setup for the perfect show quickly turned into a disastrous evening and one of the worst shows I can remember (David Bowie at PNC Bank Arts Center takes the cake). Enon took the stage around 11:30 after two DJ sets in front of one of the smallest Johnny Brenda’s crowds I can recall. There couldn’t have been more than 40 people in attendance of a venue that holds 200+ at full capacity. The band opened with an incredible version of “Rubber Car,” a personal favorite. John Schmersal’s distorted vocals and stage antics quickly brought out the schizophrenic side of the front man that he exhibited years ago with Brainiac. Shortly after the opener, Schmersal began asking why toilet paper was white and the wheels fell off.
Earlier in the day, I had caught a few songs from a live stream of Holy Fuck’s Amsterdam gig. Holy Fuck is now highlighted by the relentless Matt Schulz on drums. We were lucky to catch the group’s impressive performance at Brenda’s last year with Schulz. Schulz’s departure from Enon last year has left a big hole that the band has not been able to fill. Initially, we were impressed by the ability and energy of the new drummer and assumed the band was back at full strength. Unfortunately, Enon was caught with their pants down when a pre-recorded drum track began playing before the new drummer started playing over it. It was an embarrassing Ashley Simpson moment that had the crowd wincing. After a while, the band made no effort to hide the fact that the show was, in fact, a rehearsal session for a new drummer. The drummer even triggered the programmed drums in the middle of one of Schmersal’s uncomfortable rants to the crowd. It was one of many awkward moments throughout the night. The band even used some pre-recorded backup vocals.
Toko Yasuda, Enon’s female vocalist and bass player, suffered several technical difficulties and was under the weather due to allergies. During a break in the show due to a technical glitch, Yasuda even asked the crowd what she should to take for her allergies. A careless sound check led to several problems for a frustrated Yasuda, who’s mic went in and out all night. A tech spent much of the show near the stage trying to troubleshoot the problem. At one point, Yasuda went over and sang into Schmersal’s mic. She apologized to the crowd for all the issues. Schmersal quickly reacted by telling her that she should never apologize. The mix was the worst I’ve heard at the numerous Johnny Brenda’s shows I’ve been to over the past few years. This is a venue that has gained a reputation for great sound, which was most recently confirmed with an inspiring performance by Tapes N’ Tapes a few weeks ago.
Schmersal seemed to be in a strange mood. His conversations with the crowd were uncomfortable, as he joked about the light crowd giving off the proper amount of carbon dioxide in the room during Earth Week. He also asked the crowd why toilet paper is bleached white. The crowd seemed puzzled and wondered how motivated Schmersal was to play after all the calamities during the night. After the band finished their short set, we wondered if a small and unenthusiastic crowd warranted a curtain call. After minimal applause from the confused crowd, Enon took the stage for a very awkward encore. After the first song of the encore, Schmersal’s discussion with the crowd had us shaking our heads, and we left early. It was obvious that the band was not prepared and was using the small venue to warm-up, keep sharp and test some new material. The new material did sound great and adds some promise for the band’s return to true form. Fortunately, the tickets last night were only $10.
As a collective, Fishpork attended 15 live shows this year (and there are still two more: Of Montreal tomorrow and Crystal Castles on New Year’s Eve, both at the Music Hall of Williamsburg). Unfortunately, a band does not have complete control over how well received their live performance can be. This was the case with all bands that played in our least favorite venue of 2008: The Electric Factory in Philadelphia. Although Animal Collective managed to overcome the venue’s sound limitations the best, others were not so lucky (The Mars Volta, TV on the Radio, Of Montreal). Unless Jeff Mangum announces a show here, Fishpork will avoid it at all costs in 2009. Highlights of the year included an intoxicating performance by Deerhunter, a sweaty dance party curated by Girl Talk, and a 3am secret show by Modest Mouse. These were our favorite shows of 2008:
Honorable Mention:
Holy Fuck @ Johnny Brendas
Crystal Castles @ Webster Hall
Health @ House of Blues
TV on the Radio @ Electric Factory
Of Montreal @ Electric Factory
Least Favorite Show of 2008
The Mars Volta @ Electric Factory
Favorite Live Venue of 2008
Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA
Least Favorite Venue of 2008
Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA
Now that I work in Philly, I’m slowly being sucked into the local music scene. No longer is it necessary to drive all the way out here just for a show or take the train into the city. There are so many great venues in this town! One of the best in the area is Johnny Brenda’s. Although it’s in a rough neighborhood, they host some of the greatest bands you’ve never heard of. Best of all, they serve the best local microbrews around. In my winter/spring splurge of Philly concerts (Enon, Holy Fuck, Saul Williams, and Battles), this one had some high expectations. The band is a lo-fi electronica band from Canada. Instead of computers, they make music with toy keyboards, film sequencers, distortion pedals, etc. It’s all in real-time and very improvisational. The decision to use live drums (Matt Schulz from Enon) and bass adds an authentic feel to the sound.
What a great show! The two albums are very good, but the music works best live. If you didn’t see the band on stage, you would have thought that Schulz was replaced by a high-tech drum machine. He was relentless and full of energy. Graham and Brian stood over two huge platforms that contained all their sources for tinkering. The best part was the use of a 35mm film sequencer. I don’t really know how they achieved the sound they did, but it involved pulling 35mm film through the sequencer and the use of a turntable needle. It sounds pretentious (something that Johnny Greenwood would do with Radiohead on Amnesiac), but the result fits perfectly with the backbeat and distortion. The crowd loved it all, as they yelled for an encore at the end of the show. Standouts of the night were Casio Bossa Nova and Tone Bank Jungle. – Mark
