The Fishpork 20: Favorite Albums of 2008
Remember this era in music. It’s a special one. We’re going to look back and talk about it like we talk about the 60s or 70s. I used to miss all the great bands that came out of the 90s, but my longing for the hay days of grunge and industrial has since dissipated. Go ahead and disagree, but this is a renaissance period for music. This year was no exception. In fact, it served as an endless discovery period of great bands and classic albums. However, our favorite album of 2008 was not a difficult choice at all. Here is our list of favorite albums of 2008:
- Deerhunter - Microcastle/Weird Era Cont.
- Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles
- Of Montreal - Skeletal Lamping
- TV on the Radio - Dear Science
- Eric Avery - Help Wanted
- Elf Power - In a Cave
- Guns N’ Roses - Chinese Democracy
- Nine Inch Nails - The Slip
- Tapes N’ Tapes - Walk It Off
- Atlas Sound - Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel
- Girl Talk - Feed the Animals
- Nine Inch Nails - Ghosts I-IV
- Portishead - Third
- Sigur Ros - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
- Vic Chesnutt & Elf Power - Dark Developments
- Ladytron - Velocifero
- The Notwist - The Devil, You + Me
- First Wave Hello - God Bless, Devil You
- Fuck Buttons - Street Horsssing
- David Byrne & Brian Eno - Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
Honorable Mentions:
- Dub Trio - Another Sound is Dying
- Amanda Palmer - Who Killed Amanda Palmer
- Health - Disco
Most Disappointing Albums:
- Beck - Modern Guilt
- SexTapes - SexTapes
- UNKLE - End Title . . . Stories For Film
Most Overrated Albums:
- Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
- Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
- Cold Play - Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends
Fishpork will post our favorite songs and live shows of the year next week. Check back soon!
December’s Fresh Pork Cuts
December 1, 2008 by Fishpork
Filed under Fresh Pork Cuts
Pete’s:
- The Rosebuds - Bow To The Middle
- Ben Folds - Bitch Went Nuts (Fake Version)
- Apes and Androids - Days of the Week
- Deerhunter - Operation
- Ra Ra Riot - Ghost Under Rocks
Mark’s:
- Autolux - Fat Kid
- Atlas Sound - Danse Infernale
- Vic Chestnutt, Elf Power & Amorphous Strums - Mystery
- Guns N’ Roses - This I Love
- Animal Collective - Brothersport
Chinese Democracy RELEASED!
UPDATE: Just minutes ago, Chinese Democracy was actually released. The most anticipated album of all time was delayed for countless reasons for well over a decade. The album is now available exclusively at Best Buy. Read Fishpork’s Chinese Democracy review for more details.
November 20, 2008
UPDATE: If you happen to take a stroll over to MySpace today, you will notice that Guns N’ Roses (aka Axl Rose) has decided to stream the highly anticipated Chinese Democracy album three days before its official release date (in its entirety). Album reviews are already in, and they’ve been mostly positive. Fishpork’s review is coming soon, and it may shock you to hear what we have to say about the album. Stay tuned!
October 23, 2008
In what has shaped up to be the most delayed, most expensive and most anticipated album of all-time, Guns N’ Roses (aka Axl Rose and his new band) will release Chinese Democracy to all physical and digital outlets on November 24 of this year. Best Buy stores will be selling the album a day earlier. The formats will include CD, vinyl and digital download. The album marks the first by the hugely successful band in over 17 years.
The album has been in the works since 1994, even before the departure of guitarist Slash and other members. Recording began with Rose’s new band, which included Robin Finck on guitars and Josh Freese on drum. Both are currently on tour with Nine Inch Nails. Axl and company toured new materials from the album sporadically between 2001 and 2007. With numerous rumors of release dates and countless battles with production budgets have surfaced over the last ten years. The New York Times reports that the budget for Chinese Democracy has surpassed $13 million.
Several of the album’s tracks have been leaked to radio stations and the Internet since 2003. These tracks were all unfinished demo versions of songs that were heard live over the years. In 2007, the studio version of Magagascar was leaked, as well as mixed versions of three additional tracks. The tracks were first streamed on music blog web site, Antiquiet.com. The owner of the blog site has since been arrested by FBI agents and awaits prosecution. Later in the year, demos of nine additional tracks were leaked.Only three titles on the current tracklisting have not been heard in one form or another (”Scraped,” “Sorry,” and “Prostitute”).
The published tracklisitng includes most of the tracks cited, leaked and played live over the years. However, several tracks have been left off the final listing, including Silkworms, a track collaborated on with former Lusk frontman, Chris Pittman. Here is the official tracklisting on Chinese Democracy that will actually see the light of day in one month:
- Chinese Democracy
- Shackler’s Revenge
- Better
- Street Of Dreams
- If The World
- There Was A Time
- Catcher N’ The Rye
- Scraped
- Riad N’ The Bedouins
- Sorry
- I.R.S.
- Madagascar
- This I Love
- Prostitute
http://www.myspace.com/gunsnroses
Chinese Democracy: At Least Listen to the Fucking Thing, Pitchfork and Stereogum!
So, am I expected to post an uppity music snob review ripping Chinese Democracy to pieces? Is it not hip to like this album? Well, that’s not what I’m going to do, because Chinese Democracy is probably the best Guns N’ Roses album in the epic discography. Yes, I said it. Sure, some of the songs sound a little dated, but that’s because they’ve been sitting on the shelf for 15 years. On the other hand, there are a handful of songs that give GNR a new edge to their classic sound, trumping most of what you will find in today’s overrated mainstream music scene.
I’m not going to go into great detail about the history of Chinese Democracy, because I actually want to get this thing posted by Sunday’s release date. If you really want a history lesson, check out the Wikipedia page or do a Google search. There are years’ worth of articles, rumors and interviews. It was a messy journey, and Dr. Pepper is paying for it (or so they want you to think so). Don’t forget to collect your free coupon from Dr. Pepper on Sunday. They’re only giving them away for one day. According to Dr. Pepper, the offer applies to everyone but Buckethead and Slash.
The first two tracks, “Chinese Democracy” and “Shackler’s Revenge,” the latter of which now appears on Rock Band 2, work just fine as album openers. The build up in “Chinese Democracy” is quite tense. And I’ll admit I got the chills when the guitar riff kicked in. Axl’s voice is shot? I think not. I guess they must have really manipulated it in the studio for it to sound this good. “Shackler’s Revenge” is the heaviest track on the album, and I thought I was listening to Fantomas (one of my favorite bands) when it first started. The opening guitar is just intense. The song calms down a bit with this fabulous screeching guitar coming and going. The guitars and solo in the second half of the song had me asking myself, “Slash who?” (I’m sorry, but Velvet Revolver wasn’t for me).
The album gets epic when we finally come to “Better.” I heard this song years ago, and even on the radio when DJs were playing it. Back then, it sounded like classic Guns N’ Roses and has kept my interest up in CD’s release since. Robin Finck’s brilliant guitar work here convinces that Axl has always been the driving force of GN’R. “Street of Dreams” (better known as “The Blues” to those who downloaded leaks) is a beautiful ballad track that begins with Rose’s grand piano. Axl writes everything from a piano, and this song is a great example of his masterful songwriting ability. It’s also the first time you will hear “the voice.” Axl has that classic rock voice, and it shines on this track.
“If the World” reminds me of Faith No More’s “Evidence.” Again, Rose is at the top of his game vocally in this smooth, bluesy track. “There Was a Time” is the next track and may just be my favorite song on the album. As a kid, “Sweet Child O Mine” was my favorite song (and probably still is). I’m immediately brought back by this track. The song is absolutely perfect. The percussion is badass (electronic or live drums, I still can’t tell). Rose has such great range in his vocals, and the guitar breakdowns are breathtaking. Let me warn you. The second half of this song represents everything you ever loved about Guns N’ Roses. I’m in shock that some music reviewers are listening to the same song when they diss it. Axl hits the high notes and the guitar solo lasts for two-plus minutes. Then, the song retreats back to that opening beat with the sound of a children’s chorus.
We don’t get a chance to catch our breath, because “Catcher in the Rye” provides much of the same. This time, we are treated with breathtaking guitar solos, melodic vocals, and a “na, na, na” chorus that will have you bobbing your head, because you realize that Guns N’ Roses sounds as good as ever. Things get heavier again with “Scraped” and “Riad N’ The Bedouins.” Axl gets angry at middle eastern nomads in the latter with the line, “had a plan and thought they’d win, but I don’t give a fuck about them, cause I am crazy.” No one knows how to make a chorus sound better than Axl, and he does so here with what follows the angry rant. “Sorry” seems a bit out of place between “Riad N’ Bedouins” and “I.R.S” and may also be the weakest track on the record. “I.R.S.” is another song that’s been around for a while. Axl is at his best vocally, and the twangy guitar breakdown at 2:19 is a highpoint. Again, the guitar solo during the last minute will make you forget about that former guitar player. What’s his name again?
“Madagascar” is another classic GN’R gem. Axl’s voices hits the bulls-eye on all notes. I do think the mix of MLK’s speech with Cool Hand Luke’s “What we have here is a failure to communicate” line feels a bit forced. It worked with Use Your Illusions II’s “Civil War” and Living Colour’s “Cult of Personality” in the 80s but feels unoriginal and dated here. “This I Love” is an endearing piano ballard with Rose hitting high notes throughout. A guitar solo kicks in at 2:30, and the song hits a 2-minute climax. The track would have been the perfect closer, which is my only complaint about the last track, “Prostitute.” It’s a revealing track for Axl who asks, “What would you say if I told you that I’m to blame?” This is the strongest song lyrically but feels a bit out of place. Maybe it would have been better suited somewhere in the middle of the album. But then again, the theme of the song does provide a final summation of Axl’s struggle for years to release this album:
Ask Yourself,
What I Would Do
To Prostitute, Myself,
To Live With Fortune And Shame
Ooh, Yea,
When You Should Have Turned To The Hearts Of The Ones
That You Would Not Save,
Ooh, Now,
I Told You
When I Found You
All That Amounts To
Is Love That You’ve Crippled For Fortune And Fame!
Chinese Democracy was released 16 minutes ago at your nearest Best Buy store. If you’re not ready, the entire thing is streaming on MySpace. I highly suggest you pick it up (the legal way). After all, it did cost millions to make.