Fishpork’s 10 Favorite Shows of 2011

While 2010 may have been the year we got to see Jeff Mangum play five songs, who would have thought we’d get to see three full Mangum sets in 2011?! It’s hard to compare that experience even in a year that was loaded with unforgettable performances. We were also lucky to catch James Murphy bid farewell to LCD Soundsystem, Tapes N’ Tapes proved why they are one of the best live bands on the planet, and Portishead blew the roof off of Asbury’s Convention Hall twice in ATP headlining performances. ATP recently announced that it will be returning to Asbury Park next year for another round of I’ll Be Your Mirror Performances, a guarantee that 2012 will have much live music to look forward to. Until then, here is our very biased list of favorite shows of 2011:

1. Jeff Mangum @ Paramount Theater

2. LCD Soundsystem @ Terminal 5

3. Portishead @ Convention Hall

4. Tapes N’ Tapes @ Johnny Brenda’s

5. Deerhunter @ Webster Hall

6. Avey Tare @ Johnny Brenda’s

7. Shellac @ Convention Hall

8. Black Moth Super Rainbow @ First Unitarian Church

9. Amon Tobin @ Brooklyn’s Masonic Temple

10. Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise @ Knitting Factory

ATP I’ll Be Your Mirror @ Asbury Park, NJ

Asbury Park has been in a state of cultural and economic revival over the past ten years, so it was only fitting that All Tomorrow’s Parties brought their burgeoning I’ll Be Your Mirror music festival to the historic seaside town. FRIDAY. We arrived in Asbury in time to check-in, collect our Friday Jeff Mangum tickets and catch Cults at Asbury Lanes. The sound was absolutely meticulous, and the Manhattan-based duo (plus live members) plowed through their indie-pop catalog before a near-capacity crowd. Our next stop was to the Paramount Theater for visually-stunning The Album Leaf, the solo project of San Diego-based multi-instrumentalist Jimmy LaValle. LaValle and his live band took advantage of the Paramount’s top-notch acoustics, delivering an intensely atmospheric set that featured a superbly-lit backdrop.

We next strolled through the Grand Arcade to the adjacent Convention Hall, grabbed spirits, and waited for the Steve Albini-led Shellac to begin. Without any sort of notice, Albini and company ripped into their set with amps turned to “bleed.” I had to take my aging ear drums to the rear section of seats. Convention Hall does not have the best reputation for sound quality, but the sound techs were on their game all weekend. Shellac’s performance was one of the big hits at the festival. We ran into many who praised the performance, and the same question was repeated all weekend: “Did you see Shellac’s set on Friday?” The band later performed a surprise set at the much smaller Asbury Lanes.

Our next stop was the show we had anticipated since tickets went on sale and the lineup was announced. Having been previously teased by his five-song set at Le Poisson Rouge in NYC last year, the reclusive Jeff Mangum promised a 60-minute set at the Paramount Theater. As the crowd waited anxiously, the staff announced that Jeff had personally requested that all photo, video, and audio recordings be prohibited. We turned off our cell phones, and Jeff walked on stage to thunderous applause and howls from the crowd.

He sat down in a chair at center stage surrounded by four acoustic guitars on stands and went into my all-time favorite song, “Oh Comely,” the epic eight-minute closer to Neutral Milk Hotel’s In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. Jeff was very reserved on Friday night but played favorites from NMH’s catalog, including “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea,” “The King of Carrot Flowers, Pt. One,” and “Holland, 1945.” The crowd showed genuine appreciation with loud applause after each song. Jeff returned the love with several “thank-yous” and grateful gestures. Mangum ended his set, and the crowd cheered enthusiastically for an encore. Jeff returned to the stage and continued with “Naomi” and “Engine.” We left with weak knees and heavy hearts. The rest of the night was spent at The Annex on Cookman Avenue relishing our experiences of the day.

SATURDAY. Saturday proved to be the strongest of the three days collectively. We started with Geoff Barrow’s recent side project, Beak>, at Convention Hall and stayed for excellent sets by Foot Village, The Horrors and Battles. LA-based Foot Village may have brought the most energy to Asbury, but the four-drummer set-up grew a bit tired beyond the 30-minute mark. The Horrors, a band I tried getting into after Trent Reznor’s high praise, were electrifying. Geoff Barrow produced their second and most-acclaimed album, Primary Colours, and his decision to bring them to Asbury paid off.

We’ve seen Battles twice before, and Ian Williams and company made tons of new fans based on our conversations over the weekend. Although their set was racked with technical issues, the veterans kept smiles on their faces and pleased one of the larger crowds of the weekend. We skipped Ultramagnetic MCs and Swans to grab dinner, proper drinks and prepare for the rare Portishead performance later that night. The performance by Swans seemed to get a lot of attention from social media, as audience members tweeted about the intense volume of the show.

As their 10pm set time approached, the largest crowd of the weekend flooded Convention Hall for Portishead. Save the three Jeff Mangum sets (I’m biased), no performance approached the sheer magnitude, emotion, or sound of Portishead’s Saturday night show (we gave our Sunday wristbands to family members). The setlist featured classics like “Sour Times” and “Glorybox” but seemed to focus on more recent tracks from Third. “Machine Gun” is a personal favorite (sorry, not regretting missing the Chuck D mash-up on Saturday) and was the high point. The obnoxiously harsh, brutal, and repetitive bass-heavy beat contrasted with the delicate voice of Beth Gibbons is such an aural mindfuck. The band experienced a minor technical issue while starting “Chase the Tear” but quickly recovered. Another personal favorite, “Threads,” served as the set closer, but the crowd quickly pleaded for an encore with thunderous applause. Portishead acknowledged and played “Roads” and “We Carry On” for their last two songs of the night. We all left knowing we had experienced something special.

SUNDAY. We planned a lighter day on Sunday with brief appearances at DD/MM/YYYY and Deerhoof shows after Sunday pitchers at Wonder Bar. Again, the focus was on the Jeff Mangum show, which was rescheduled for 3:30. Jeff put on another spirited performance and was a bit more vocal during his Sunday set. One audience member asked if he enjoyed performing, and Jeff responded, “Yes, very much so.” Another audience member asked about Scott Spillane’s horns, and Jeff teased crowds by hinting that the horns would eventually become part of his performance. We left again in a state of euphoria but could not possibly be prepared for what would come on Monday night’s show. We’ll post that show review separately. At the end of the day, ATP’s I’ll Be Your Mirror festival in Asbury Park removed everything we despise about large, bloated festivals (I tend to avoid them like the plague) and gave us one of the greatest musical weekends of our lives. Kudos to Barry Hogan and All Tomorrow’s Parties for bringing this perfect event to our backyard. If the festival returns in 2012, we’ll be first in line!

Our set list:
Friday
Cults @ Asbury Lanes
The Album Leaf @ Paramount Theater
Shellac @ Convention Hall
Jeff Mangum @ Paramount Theater

Saturday
Beak> @ Convention Hall
Foot Village @ Convention Hall
Silver-Qluster @ Paramount Theater
The Horrors @ Convention Hall
Battles @ Convention Hall
Portishead @ Convention Hall

Sunday
DD/MM/YYYY @ Convention Hall
Deefhoof @ Convention Hall
Jeff Mangum @ Paramount Theater

Monday
Jeff Mangum @ Paramount Theater

ATP I’ll Be Your Mirror – Asbury Park – September 30 – October 2, 2011

MP3: “Still Life” by The Horrors

The Horrors release their third LP, Skying, on July 26th via XL Recordings. The band will also play ATP’s highly anticipated “I’ll Be Your Mirror” festival in Asbury Park this Fall. The festival is curated by Portishead and will feature two performances by Jeff Mangum. Here’s the first sneak peak at the band’s latest record. You can download “Still Life” by The Horrors here or stream it below:

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)

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:

1. Deerhunter – Microcastle/Weird Era Cont.
2. Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles
3. Of Montreal – Skeletal Lamping
4. TV on the Radio – Dear Science
5. Eric Avery – Help Wanted
6. Elf Power – In a Cave
7. Guns N’ Roses – Chinese Democracy
8. Nine Inch Nails – The Slip
9. Tapes N’ Tapes – Walk It Off
10. Atlas Sound – Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel
11. Girl Talk – Feed the Animals
12. Nine Inch Nails – Ghosts I-IV
13. Portishead – Third
14. Sigur Ros – Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
15. Vic Chesnutt & Elf Power – Dark Developments
16. Ladytron – Velocifero
17. The Notwist – The Devil, You + Me
18. First Wave Hello – God Bless, Devil You
19. Fuck Buttons – Street Horsssing
20. 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!

June’s Fresh Pork Cuts!

Pete’s:

• Avey Tare-  I’m Your Eagle Kisser
• Silver Jews- Self-Ignition
• Devotchka – Transliterater
• Sons & Daughters – The Gift
• Tapes ‘N Tapes – Hang Them All
   

Mark’s:

• Portishead – Threads
• DIOY,Y? – We Are Rockstars
• Crystal Castles – Magic Spells
• DubTrio – No Flag
• Animal Collective – Street Flashes

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