Fishpork’s 25 Favorite Tracks of 2011
Jeff Mangum came out of hiding to officially release some brilliant old tracks from the archives, Keaton Henson put out an achingly powerful single from 2010′s self-released Dear…, and a lot of deaf music reviewers shit on The Strokes latest collection of songs (except for us, of course). 2011 welcomed back our all-time favorite artists and introduced us to new favorites. Narrowing down the year’s best was especially difficult this time around, but here is our very biased list of 25 favorite tracks from 2011 (give the page a minute to load the embedded clips):
1. Neutral Milk Hotel – “Ferris Wheel on Fire”
2. Keaton Henson – “You Don’t Know How Lucky You Are”
3. The Strokes – “Machu Picchu”
4. Feersum Ennjin – “Hate The Sun”
5. Modeselektor – “Pretentious Friends”
6. HEALTH – “Goth Star (Pictureplane cover)”
7. Tapes ‘n Tapes – “Nightfall”
8. M83 – “Midnight City”
9. SONOIO – “Enough”
10. Radiohead – “Codex”
11. Panda Bear – “Alsatian Darn”
12. Keaton Henson – “Strawbear”
13. The Antlers – “Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out”
14. The Strokes – “Taken For A Fool”
15. M+A – “Liko Lene Lisa”
16. Tapes ‘n Tapes – “Badaboom”
17. Modeselektor – “Grillwalker”
18. The Horrors – “Still Life”
19. Saul Williams – “Triumph”
20. Amanda Palmer – “Map Of Tasmania”
21. Atlas Sound – “Mona Lisa”
22. Adebisi Shank – “Century City”
23. Puscifer – “Monsoons”
24. Battles – “Ice Cream”
25. Givers – “Noche Nada”
September Fresh Pork Cuts
September 18, 2011 by Mark
Filed under Featured, Fresh Pork Cuts
Tracklist:
1. “Revival” by Talkdemonic
2. “The Same Thing” by Cass McCombs
3. “Breathe Deep” by Echo Lake
4. “Goth Star (Pictureplane cover)” by HEALTH
5. “Terra Incognita” by Atlas Sound
6. “Nervous” by Pikachunes
7. “Come to the City” by War On Drugs
8. “Ferris Wheel on Fire” by Neutral Milk Hotel
MP3: “Goth Star (Pictureplane cover)” by HEALTH
This track is instantly one of my favorites of the year so far. Usually, it’s HEALTH that is the recipient of covers/remixes, but this time they reinvent Pictureplane’s heavily-sampled “Goth Star.” The original track samples the main guitar riff and chorus from Fleetwood Mac’s “Seven Wonders” and turns it on its head. HEALTH’s version is actually a bit more grounded and features additional vocals from Jacob Duzsik. HEALTH is heading out for a European tour this Fall and will hopefully be back soon to record a follow-up to the magnificent Get Color. You can download “Goth Star” by HEALTH here or stream it below [via NME].
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)”
Fishpork’s 10 Favorite Videos of 2010
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/
MP3: “USA Boys” by HEALTH
HEALTH is having a good week. First, they released their shock-inducing gore-core video for Get Color standout track “We Are Water” (see below). The video was directed by Eric Wareheim (of the comedy duo Tim and Eric). Now, they keep tradition by preparing the release of another remix album (due June 22). The first track off DISCO2 is actually not a remix. It’s a new HEALTH track that was recorded in superfan Trent Reznor’s LA-based studio and mixed by NIN studio guru, Alan Moulder. The influence is apparent, as the track is definitely one of their best to date. You can download “USA Boys” here or stream it below:
“We Are Water” video directed by Eric Wareheim
Fishpork’s 50 Favorite Tracks of 2009
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”
The Fishpork 20: Favorite Albums of 2009
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)
Album Review: Get Color
Calling HEALTH’s debut album a love/hate record is a ridiculous statement. It is what it is: a collection of experimental and unfocused noiserock tracks that seems to beckon for additional production or vocals by Mike Patton. If you’ve never heard of HEALTH, chances are they are not your cup of tea. Think 30-second Fantomas chapters brought to full song realization. The band seems to “get it” a bit more the second time around with Get Color. Again, too many of the tracks offer no reason get excited. Mundane and repetitive noise doesn’t seem to reveal anything new. There are some highlights though. “We Are Water” offers a rave-worthy anthem that will offend most of your senses. HEALTH reach their pinnacle with “Die Slow.” The track actually takes the form of traditional song structure and shows that these guys do have some talent. Followed by a beautifully disturbing video, “Die Slow” just might be one of the best tracks of 2009. Unfortunately, the song is positioned as the first track on the album, and the rest never lives up to what is promised. One fact that cannot be neglected is that HEALTH is one of the best live bands out there. The music is better packaged and experienced in performance.