Grizzly Bear

EP Review: Silent Hour/Golden Hour

April 20, 2012 By Mark Leave a Comment

Daniel Rossen’s Silent Hour/Golden Mile EP is as satisfying a listen as any release in the Grizzly Bear or Department of Eagles catalog. Rossen is the undeclared heart and soul of both of those bands and puts his stunning voice and guitar play front and center on his first solo release. His voice is nothing less than stunning on this release, and there’s even a piano ballad in “Saint Nothing.”

Still only 29, he’s already considered an indie rock God in many circles. Silent Hour/Golden Mile further solidifies his place. Each song would not miss a beat on Grizzly Bear’s Veckatimest, one of our favorite albums in recent memory. Standout “Silent Song” may be my favorite track of 2012 so far. From the opening twangy acoustic guitar, to the subtle but brilliant change at the one-minute mark, to the jaw-dropping breakdowns and flawless switches between layers of acoustic and electric, the track is an absolute gem. The EP is one of the best releases of 2012 not named Bloom.

Filed Under: Featured, Reviews Tagged With: Daniel Rossen, department of eagles, Grizzly Bear

MP3: “Answer” by CANT

July 26, 2011 By Mark 1 Comment

CANT is the solo moniker of Grizzly Bear multi-instrumentalist and producer Chris Taylor. The project’s first record, Dreams Come True, will be released September 12/13th. George Lewis Jr. of Twin Shadow assisted with album’s production. “Answer” is the first track off the album and exemplifies the breadth and scope of the release. Pre-order the album here: http://bit.ly/nhQVsy. [via Warped Records]

Download “Answer” by CANT here or stream it below:

Filed Under: MP3s Tagged With: CANT, Grizzly Bear

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

MP3: “Come In” by The Notwist

December 15, 2009 By Mark Leave a Comment

Christmas comes early with a new track by The Notwist. The song is part of a 7″ released last week that also features the Grizzly Bear remix of “Boneless.” The Notwist is currenty on a mini-tour with the Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra. Download “Come In” by The Notwist here (via Russian Adults) or stream it below:

Filed Under: MP3s Tagged With: Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra, Grizzly Bear, the notwist

Fishpork’s 10 Favorite Shows of 2009

December 9, 2009 By Fishpork Leave a Comment

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:

Least Favorite:

Filed Under: Featured, Lists Tagged With: animal collective, autolux, Built To Spill, dan deacon, deerhunter, elf power, fever ray, Grizzly Bear, Jane's Addiction, morrissey, NIN, no age, tapes N tapes, vic chestnutt, white lies

Fishpork’s 50 Favorite Tracks of 2009

December 4, 2009 By Fishpork Leave a Comment

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”

Filed Under: Featured, Lists Tagged With: animal collective, atlas sound, bat for lashes, Built To Spill, das racist, deerhunter, Dirty Projectors, dredg, fever ray, fuck buttons, great northern, Grizzly Bear, HEALTH, MC Rut, moderat, modest mouse, morrissey, phoenix, radiohead, Royksopp, st. vincent, sufjan stevens, the mars volta, washed out, white lies, white rabbits, YACHT, yeah, yeahs

MP3: “Boneless (Terrible Records Remix)” by The Notwist

November 25, 2009 By Mark Leave a Comment

Using his new Terrible Records label and CANT solo moniker, Grizzly Bear mastermind Chris Taylor puts his spin on The Notwist’s “Boneless” from their 2008 LP. Although not as brilliant as Panda Bear’s take on the song last year, both of the remixes are better than the original. Download “Boneless (Terrible Records Remix” here (via Fork/Knife) or stream it below:

Filed Under: MP3s Tagged With: CANT, chris taylor, Grizzly Bear, panda bear, terrible records, the notwist

The Fishpork 20: Favorite Albums of 2009

November 19, 2009 By Fishpork Leave a Comment

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)

Filed Under: Featured, Lists Tagged With: animal collective, atlas sound, bat for lashes, Built To Spill, Dirty Projectors, dredg, fever ray, fuck buttons, great northern, Grizzly Bear, HEALTH, isis, MC Rut, moderat, morrissey, phoenix, Royksopp, the flaming lips, the mars volta, white lies

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

Fishpork’s Favorite Albums of the 2000s

October 15, 2009 By Fishpork Leave a Comment

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

Filed Under: Featured, Lists Tagged With: animal collective, autolux, beck, deerhunter, elliott smith, enon, Grizzly Bear, lcd soundsystem, modest mouse, panda bear, radiohead, tapes N tapes, The Knife, the mars volta, thom yorke, tv on the radio, wilco