Fishpork’s 100 Favorite Tracks of the 2000s
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)
Album Review: Embryonic
The Flaming Lips never cease to amaze me. Every album is a completely different take on the musical genius of the entire band. Though many songs from the Lips discography seem to lead the band in an unpopular direction, commercially speaking, they have definitely done things right with their latest release, Embryonic. Wayne Coyne has taken a step back from center stage and joined the rest of the band. Though they have lost most of the ‘sing-song’ qualities in these songs, Embryonic succeeds on many levels. The record seems to have fallen into darker, more psychedelic territory. Other Lips albums explored psychedelics, but it was always hidden behind the leading narrative of each story in those songs.
There are several highlights on the new album. “Worm Mountain” is an amazing mix of everything The Flaming Lips have done to this point. The song features MGMT, which was a very good call on their end; these two bands were meant to work together. The end of the song conjures a The Soft Bulletin vibe with its string section. The album ends with a dramatic finale, “Watching the Planets,” featuring Karen O from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Embryonic seems to focus more on the actual music rather than what will ‘sound good’. It’s not easy to put out a double album that engages the listener from beginning to end; and for me, the Flaming Lips accomplish this. Every song on Embryonic will have you moving with the music, and that contagious Flaming Lips enthusiasm comes across in every note. The one downside of the album may be that you can’t really tell many of the songs apart, as they all seem to blend into one extremely long composition. The album does work on extended listens. You’re just not going to find many singles that stand out. What’s next for the band? How about their interpretation of Dark Side of the Moon featuring Henry Rollins and Peaches?
PS. If you miss the good ol’ At War With The Mystics Flaming Lips, then just get the deluxe version of the album, which includes four bonus tracks.
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!
Radiohead Nominated for Album of the Year
This year’s Grammy Award nominations have been announced, and it’s really hard to care. Although it technically came out in 2007, Radiohead’s magnificent In Rainbows, got a nod for the most prestigious (if one would dare use such a word to describe them) Album of the Year award. The band has been nominated in this category twice before with 1997’s OK Computer and 2000’s Kid A, losing to Bob Dylan and Steely Dan (respectively) Is the third time a charm?
Other notable nominations include Beck’s Danger Mouse-heavy Modern Guilt and In Rainbows again for “Best Alternative Album” (is alternative still a genre?). Radiohead is also nominated for Best Rock Song, Best Music Video, Best Rock Performance with “House of Cards”. MGMT’s “Electric Feel (Justice Remix)” was nominated for Best Remixed Recording. Nigel Godrich, Rick Rubin and one-trick pony Danger Mouse have been nomindated for Producer of the Year. Unfortunately, the Best Recording Package category did not include Of Montreal’s Skeletal Lamping. Hey Grammys, how about adding an Indie Rock category?!
Here’s the full breakdown of nominations from the Grammy web site.
Of Montreal’s Skeletal Lamping: Georgie’s Sexual Revenge
Kevin Barnes has created a indie-pop masterpiece that picks up where Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? left off and grows new limbs in a genre that is ripe for something original. Barnes wrote everything on the album and plays most of the instruments in his studio, which is located in the attic of his Athens home. His touring band consists of musicians and visual artists that include painters, and sculptors for the elaborate stage show.
Skeletal Lamping is the ninth studio album by Athens, Georgia-based band. Kevin Barns’ Athens roots goes back to when he shared a house with Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel and Will Hart and Bill Doss from Olivia Tremor Control. One can only imagine what that must of been like in the early days of what would become the Elephant 6 Recording Company. Barnes began to break away from his Elephant 6 roots with Of Montreal’s 2001 release Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies before completely reinventing his sound with 2004’s Satanic Panic in the Attic. The latter showed Barnes’ new affinity with an electronic funk sound infused with a greater touch of lyrical flamboyance that would reach maturity with Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?.
This record follows the exploits of Barnes’s alter ego Georgie Fruit. Georgie is a black she-male and has gone through multiple sex changes (from a man to a woman and then back to a man). Georgie is Ziggy Stardust meets Brian Wilson on ecstasy. The album follows his travels though a perverse world littered with perilous lust and glee.
The title of the album is from a lyric on Hissing Fauna’s “Faberge Falls For Shuggie.” When asked about the title, Kevin Barnes said:
“This record is my attempt to bring all of my puzzling, contradicting, disturbing, humorous…fantasies, ruminations and observations to the surface, so that I can better dissect and understand their reason for being in my head.”
Lyrically, this album teeters on the dark side of Barnes’ inner consciousness and sexual fantasies while keeping the listener unaware of what is coming next. The vocal rich songs follow the sexual exploits of Georgie Fruit as he/she contemplates sex or suicide. Kevin Barnes pens the lyrics of the year with, “We can do it soft-core if you want, but you should know I take it both ways.” The genius of the lyrics is Barnes ability to write in a way that will purposely confuse so that you have no idea what will follow. A perfect example is “St. Exquisite’s Confessions” which starts off with the smooth soul sound of one of Barry White’s ‘I want to make love to you all night’ songs. And the lyrics juxtapose this soulful style when Barnes opens the song with “I’m so sick of sucking the dick . . . of this cruel, cruel city.” And later “Maybe I’ll blow you . . . what ever kind of kisses you want, because you’ve got so much in common with my big cock creator.” Barnes seems to have traded in most of his depression and angst for sex and lust — and it works, although songs like “Touched Something’s Hollow” are dark enough to make that jump from the 31st floor look inviting.
After a tour with MGMT, Barnes and Andrew VanWyngarden began work on a side project called project called Blikk Fang that might see light of day in early 2009. When VanWyngarden was asked about Kevin Barnes writing skills he commented:
“Kevin is constantly pushing the boundaries of pop, which is inspirational to slackers like us. He’s making the Black Albums and Station to Stations of today.”
Influences are wide open on this release. The opening track “Nonpareil of Favor” contains an Animal Collective type of a repeating drum (noise) beat, while songs like “Wicked Wisdom” could of been a b-side to Prince’s Purple Rain. The best way to describe this is fractured indie-pop. There are songs that contain more than five different key changes and numerous tempo diversions, yet it all works. While fifteen tracks are listed, there are really about thirty songs assembled together that create the sonic power of The Beatles’ Revolver with the party-like composition of Girl Talk’s Night Ripper.
Ultimately Skeletal Lamping displays the genius of Kevin Barnes as both a modern day songwriting virtuoso and lyrical mastermind. He has created an epic record here that will, without a doubt, stand the test of time. It is the quintessential psyche-pop record if you had to stuff it into a genre box. This is a serious contender for album of the year along side TVOTR’s Dear Science and Deerhunter’s Microcastle/Wierd Era Cont.
Track listing
- Nonpareil of Favor – 5:48
- Wicked Wisdom – 5:00
- For Our Elegant Caste – 2:35
- Touched Something’s Hollow – 1:26
- An Eluardian Instance – 4:35
- Gallery Piece – 3:48
- Women’s Studies Victims – 2:59
- St. Exquisite’s Confessions – 4:35
- Triphallus, to Punctuate! – 3:23
- And I’ve Seen a Bloody Shadow – 2:23
- Plastis Wafer – 7:11
- Death Isn’t a Parallel Move – 3:01
- Beware Our Nubile Miscreants – 4:52
- Mingusings – 3:01
- Id Engager – 3:24
How To Assemble the Skeletal Lamping CD Packaging
Tapes ‘N Tapes Walk It Off
Tapes ‘N Tapes hit me hard when I discovered their 2004 LP The Loon. At the time, I was discovering a goldmine of great new bands (TV on the Radio, Saul Williams, LCD Soundsystem, Arcade Fire, Autolux), but Tapes ‘N Tapes’ debut album was stuck in my head for months, while all other tracks were deemed unworthy during that time. I listened on the way to work, on my computer, on the iPod, and even at family BBQs with family members giving me bewildered looks because of the awkward music selection. I can easily say that The Loon will certainly rank on my top 10 of the decade. How on Earth do you follow up a masterpiece? This is something I was worried about, as so many artists rarely reach the heights of their debut.
Upon first hearing the April release of their sophomore effort Walk It Off, I wasn’t sure what to think about the new songs. However, knowing that first impressions do not often last with challenging music (see Amnesiac), I continued to listen and wait for the payoff. It took a few weeks to warm up to the record, (partially delayed by my obsession with Animal Collective), but it finally hit me that Walk It Off is an another extraordinary collection of songs. The album’s first single, Hang ‘Em All picks up right where The Loon left off. The catchy guitar and offbeat lyrical delivery of frontman Josh Grier let the listener know they are in for something special. Grier mentioned in a recent interview that the lyrics on this record were written with a bit of ambiguity as to let the listener interpret their meaning.
The distorted guitars and offbeat rhythms may confuse listeners expecting a pop record, but Dave Fridmann (Flaming Lips, Elf Power, MGMT) has tied the loose edges into a digestible dish of cerebral indie rock. Additional standouts on the record include addicting indie anthem Conquest and the ultra-catchy and equally obnoxious George Michael. The album slows things down at times with the beautifully constructed Time of Songs and Say Back Something. It’s obvious that these guys are growing into their own as talented song writers. Most importantly, they don’t seem to be solely focused on the cash cow and continue to challenge their fans with new and exiting sounds. I really don’t get the comparisons to Pavement and the Pixies. Never being a big fan of either band, it seems to me that Tapes ‘N Tapes is taking indie rock into the next decade with an new and original sound. Whoever wants to come along better get on board before you miss the train.
http://myspace.com/tapesntapes
Video for first single, Hang ‘Em All:
July’s Fresh Pork Cuts!
July 1, 2008 by Fishpork
Filed under Fresh Pork Cuts
Pete’s:
- Silver Jews- My Pillow is the Threshold
- The National - Mistaken For Strangers
- MGMT - Pieces of What
- The Helio Sequence - Lately
- Eric Avery - Philo Beddoe
Mark’s:
- Crystal Castles - Air Wars
- Sigur Ros - Gobbledigook
- Ladytron - Ghosts
- Fuck Buttons - Ribs Out
- Girl Talk - Set It Off
[audio:setitoff.mp3]