The Fishpork 20: Favorite Albums of 2011

This list may fly in the face of most “best of” lists for 2011. Excluded are the overrated Bon Iver, James Blake, and the array of wince-inducing rap projects that have been embraced by particular hipster circles. Included are some albums that have been relentlessly bashed by the indie blogosphere, but ones we loved, such as The Strokes, Radiohead, and White Lies, as well as some that were completely ignored this year (Feersum Ennjin and Saul Williams).

We don’t call ‘em the best, just our favorites. These are the records that got the most plays on our iPods this year, our favorite albums of 2011:

1. Modeselektor – Monkeytown

2. Tapes ‘n Tapes – Outside

3. The Strokes – Angles

4. Radiohead – The King of Limbs

5. Feersum Ennjin – Feersum Ennjin

6. The Antlers – Burst Apart

7. Panda Bear – Tomboy

8. Wilco – The Whole Love

9. Saul Williams – Volcanic Sunlight

10. Atlas Sound – Parallax

11. TV On The Radio – Nine Types of Light

12. Puscifer – Conditions of My Parole

13. SONOIO – RED

14. Battles – Glass Drop

15. Beastie Boys – Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 2

16. M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming

17. REM – Collapse Into Now

18. PJ Harvey – Let England Shake

19. White Lies – Ritual

20. The Decemberists – The King Is Dead

Most Disappointing Albums of 2011:
Dredg – Chuckles and Mr. Squeezy
Ladytron – Gravity the Seducer

Album Review: Ritual

Ritual is the White Lies surprisingly brilliant follow-up to 2009′s To Lose My Life … With such high expectations in England and abroad, it’s not uncommon for one of the most hyped bands around to release a sophomore dud. However, there’s not a skippable track on the record. We gave their first album an average initial review, but it eventually made our list favorite albums in 2009. Ritual resonated immediately. In the same vein as the album that preceded it, White Lies have written ten songs that are in a word “epic” … as though they were meant to become arena anthems alongside U2 (circa 1980s). Bassist and primary songwriter Charles Cave is still writing all the lyrics for Harry McVeigh to belt out using his best Ian Curtis impersonation. McVeigh denies their music sounds like Joy Division, but the voice is eerily similar.

White Lies haven’t changed their doom and gloom formula but do explore some new territory on the record. On standout track “The Power and The Glory,” the band infuses electronic drum and bass with one of the more infectious choruses on the album. With lines like, “Hold tight for heartbreak, buckle up for loneliness, right time to get away, where I’m going I couldn’t care,” from “Streetlights,”  Cave is keeping things bleak, setting up for more hopeful choruses that pay off for those who can stand in the desolate mud for that long. Ritual is not for everyone, and there has been some major critical lashing out toward the album. Why all hate? Ritual will be on our favorite albums of 2011 list at year’s end.

Check out a short film made for the album and featuring four songs below:

MP3: “Strangers (Holy Other Remix)” by White Lies

Here’s another remix from the forthcoming White Lies sophomore album Ritual. This time it’s from Holy Other for the unreleased track “Strangers.” Ritual comes out January 17 via Fiction Records. You can download “Strangers (Holy Other Remix)” by White Lies here or stream it below (via Transparentblog):

MP3: “Bigger Than Us (Live at Sesiones Con Alejandro Franco)” by White Lies

As if there was any album that was more anticipated this year than the sophomore effort from White Lies, here is another tease. This live version of the album’s first single “Bigger Than Us” is further evidence why the best live band on the planet topped our list of favorite shows in 2009. You can download “Bigger Than Us (Live at Sesiones Con Alejandro Franco)” by White Lies here or stream it below:

You don’t know White Lies until you have seen them live!

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 Shows of 2009

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:

1. White Lies @ First Unitarian Church
2. Grizzly Bear @ Trocadero
3. Fever Ray @ Webster Hall
4. Tapes N’ Tapes @ Johnny Brenda’s
5. Animal Collective @ Bowery Ballroom
6. Morrissey @ Carnegie Hall
7. Vic Chestnutt & Elf Power @ Bowery Ballroom
8. Autolux @ Johnny Brenda’s
9. Built to Spill @ SIREN Festival
10. Monsters of Folk @ United Palace
    

Least Favorite:

• Enon @ Johnny Brenda’s
• Dan Deacon/Deerhunter/No Age @ Fly W Airport
• NIN/JA @ PNC Bank Arts Center

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:

1. HEALTH – “Die Slow”
2. Grizzly Bear – “While You Wait for the Others“
3. Animal Collective – “Summertime Clothes”
4. Fuck Buttons – “Olympians”
5. Built to Spill – “Things Fall Apart”
6. Animal Collective – “My Girls”
7. Fever Ray – “Concrete Walls”
8. Grizzly Bear – “Ready, Able“
9. White Lies – “Farewell to the Foreground”
10. Moderat – “New Error”
11. Atlas Sound – “Attic Lights”
12. Grizzly Bear – “Two Weeks“
13. Animal Collective – “Guy’s Eyes”
14. Fuck Buttons – “The Lisbon Maru”
15. Atlas Sound – “Walkabout”
16. Animal Collective – “What Would I Want? Sky”
17. Dredg – “Information”
18. White Lies – “Death”
19. Fever Ray – “Coconut”
20. Animal Collective – “Brothersport”
21. Built to Spill – “Good Ol’ Boredom”
22. MC Rut – “I Don’t Really Know”
23. The Mars Volta – “Since We’ve Been Wrong”
24. Modest Mouse – “The Whale Song”
25. Dirty Projectors – “Cannibal Resource”
26. Deerhunter – “Game of Diamonds”
27. Morrissey – “It’s Not Your Birthday Anymore”
28. Animal Collective – “I Think I Can”
29. HEALTH – “We Are Water”
30. Dredg – “Mourning This Morning”
31. Sufjan Stevens – “You Are the Blood”
32. Fuck Buttons – “Surf Solar”
33. Phoenix – “Girlfriend”
34. The Flaming Lips – “Silver Trembling Hands”
35. White Rabbits – “Rudie Fails”
36. The Mars Volta – “With Twilight As Our Guide”
37. Radiohead – “These Are My Twisted Words”
38. Great Northern – “Fingers”
39. Royksopp – “Tricky, Tricky”
40. Dirty Projectors – “Useful Chamber”
41. St. Vincent – “The Party”
42. YACHT – “Ring The Bell”
43. Bat For Lashes – “Sleep Alone”
44. Atlas Sound – “Sheila”
45. Washed Out – “Feel It All Around”
46. Das Racist – “Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell”
47. Dirty Projectors – “Stillness Is The Move”
48. Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs – “Skeletons”
49. Great Northern – “Driveway”
50. 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)

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)

MP3: “Nothing to Give (M83 Remix)” by White Lies

Take a listen (via Stereogum) to a cool new M83 remix of White Lies’ “Nothing to Give” from their self-titled debut that we love. You can download the MP3 here or stream it below:

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