Fikak! Best of 2010!
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
It's that time again, skillets. 2010 has been filled with new babies, school, work, and, unfortunately, maybe a little less blogging than we would've liked, but the end of the year is upon us, and Howard Hughes insatiable hunger for the mother of all list-making opportunities is not to be denied. And so Fikak's first "best of" list as a triumvirate will cap off 2010 with our 10 favorite albums and 10 favorite tracks from the past 358-ish days. Maybe next year we'll do 11. Enjoy, and tell your friends.
ALBUMS!
a.k.a "I DON'T EVEN LISTEN TO RAP. MY APARTMENT IS TOO NICE TO LISTEN TO RAP IN."
10. Arcade Fire The Suburbs
"We Used To Wait"
09. Girl Talk All Day
"Jump on Stage"
08. Junip Fields
Junip: "Always"
07. Local Natives Gorilla Manor
"Who Knows, Who Cares"
06. Gorillaz Plastic Beach
"Rhinestone Eyes"
05. Kanye West My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
04. Big Boi Sir Lucious Left Foot
"Shine Blockas'' ft. Gucci Mane
03. Salem King Night
02. Sleigh Bells Treats
01. The National High Violet
TRACKS!
a.k.a. "I HAVE WORKED WITH CHRIS MARTIN AND THE MAN IS A GENIUS. AS A PERFORMER AND A SONGWRITER HE IS ON THE SAME LEVEL AS JOHN LENNON."
08. Black Keys "Sinister Kid"
07. Broken Bells "The High Road"
06. Cee-Lo "Forget You"
05. KanYe West "Monster"
Girl Talk: All Day
Sunday, November 21, 2010
I love it when bands do this. Seriously, when it comes down to it, all the anticipation, expectations, and hype that come with the waiting for the next great album, movie, etc. is at worst extremely detrimental and at best completely worthless. Something is going to be either good or bad regardless of what we expect it to be, and 9 out of 10 times the only impact expectations have on any new release is that of increasing the disappointment. Probably the greatest thing that's happened in the realm of music since Radiohead said "Hey, our new album is absolutely nothing like all the stuff we've done that made you love us" was when Radiohead said "Hey, we finished our new album that you weren't even really sure that we were working on and we're releasing it tomorrow. Also, you can download it for nothing." Remember that? Maybe the coolest thing ever. Last week marked the 2nd time Girl Talk has done it since then. I didn't post it then because all the traffic created a wormhole on their label's website, and any efforts to download it would have been fruitless anyway. Things seem pretty stable now though, and they've even posted multiple mirrors in case it happens again. Oh, and the album itself? It's called All Day, and it totally lives up to the expectations that you didn't get to have.
The New Howard Hughes
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Just thought this was extremely relevant because of the resurface of a certain person who shall not be named. I will give hints though. He went off on a flurry of posts earlier, even though it could almost be called a 'fury'. Although not much has really happened since his vaporization into wherever, I really would like to clue this individual into a few things that occurred since. First -
Belle and Sebastian came out with something new. Honestly, it's pretty much the standard from them but always enjoyable. Major highlight is the song with Norah Jones. Here ya go, Howard.
Belle & Sebastian - Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John (Feat. Norah Jones) by nixsantos
The next update has to be a little upbeat. I know Howard is a fan of this band but since he has been in Russia for the past 8 months I wanted to make sure he knew what was happening. I have pretty much stomped this band down the throat of Kyle for a bit now and, honestly, it's completely allowed because of their awesomeness. It's ok, Howard, we understand, just don't let it happen again. I'll give ya my personal fav.
!!! 08. Even Judas Gave Jesus A Kiss by imaginechris2
The next song I know you've heard. I posted it on my facebook page and I really didn't get the response I was hoping for. I know I have some sketchy tastes in tunes but, truthfully, don't we all? Just go with the flow and get the album from this band. Not disappointing in the least. I've heard worse from many better.
04 - Lovesick Teenagers by Spatziba
The next entry comes from someone I'm really not sure you have explored yet. They have an EP and are getting ready to blow people's heads off like Rambo here pretty soon with an LP. Our boy Washed Out did a super dope remix of one of their songs and they had a video on the Pitchfork.tv site. Which, of course, makes them the coolest of the cool. Enough booyah.
Small Black - Photojournalist by Ragged Words
The next song, HOWARD!!!!!!!, comes from the recommendation of Kyle. It has the beats every college chick dreams of, the rhymes every junior college basketball player understands, and the distortion all of us dorks enjoy.
Salem, "Trapdoor" by selftitledmag
Last, and certainly not least, I wanted to put this on here just to put some variety on here. Just go with it, Howard. It may not be your style but it rocks. Plus, you almost gave us carte blanche to post what we felt like. Why stop now? Meow?
Some of the People, All The Time by taurenhunter
FOE - A Handsome Stranger Called Death (Com Truise Remix)
Friday, November 12, 2010
This song is pretty decent but the main reason I put this up was for the cover art. Seriously!?! Just look at it. You'd think this was a poster for some terrible early 80's horror flick. I don't know. That's about it. Happy Friday!! P.S. - it's getting to be about that time. Start dusting off your copies of ELF and have your passion fruit spray close by.
FOE - A Handsome Stranger Called Death (Com Truise RMX) by Com Truise
Conan's 5 Reasons to Watch 'Conan'
Monday, November 8, 2010
Conan O'brien listed 5 reasons we should all watch 'Conan' for EW. Reason #5 was my personal favorite:
“You’re going to see me slowly resent Andy less over the course of the first year on the air. Because you know it was him that f—ed up. I was doing fine before he came back to reunite the magic. I think people will love to watch a guy slowly start to forgive somebody over the course of 150 shows.”
Read more...
KanYe's New Album: It's Time to Get Excited
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Last weekends "under a rock" post was incomplete. KanYe has a new record, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, being released November 22, and, like always, anyone who is a fan of hip-hop (or music in general) should be excited. If you think you need a reason to be (you don't), take a look at the list of collaborators, which includes none other than Justin Vernon (Bon Iver). Twice. I know, West's public schtick is getting a bit old, but listen to "Lost in the World", and try to not be pumped. You can't:
Also, in case you weren't aware, back in August West started a program called "GOOD Fridays". The basic premise involves a free track being released every Friday until Christmas. Not a completely novel idea, but still pretty cool coming from a guy who works within the jurisdiction of The Evil Empire (The RIAA). Not all of the songs involve West, but three of them will be on Dark Twisted Fantasy, including "Lost in the World". Taken along with Cee-Lo covering Band of Horses' "No One is Gonna Love You" on his new album, it seems as though a totally boss trend may be taking root here. Now we just need KanYe to return the favor on Bon Iver's next album...
What's Up, Planet Earth?
Friday, October 29, 2010
Life has refused to move out of the fast lane for the past couple months, hence, not much action around here. Nonetheless, 2010 has kept on trucking (although the ridiculousness of the weather here in the midwest was starting to make me wonder whether or not we were ever going to make it to fall), and the onslaught of great artists releasing new material has continued. So as of right now, I'm kinda feeling like I just crawled out from under a rock (no disrespect to the guy who actually did spend a ton of time under a rock). Here's what I've been "surviving on":
- For me, the new Deerhunter album flat-out has to be in the conversation for album of the year. Bradford Cox is on one abnormally filthy roll. So far, two singles have been released. "Revival" is classic Deerhunter/Cox in all their poppy, reverb-dredged glory. "Helicopter", while definitely from the same family tree, is a more ambient, slow-burning track, but ultimately just as satisfying.
- There's a pretty good possibility Sufjan Steven's first new album in half a decade is going to be in that same conversation before it's all said and done. It's all Sufjan, yet nothing like the rest of his catalogue. Whereas all of his previous output has been meticulously constructed with kid gloves and orchestral, The Age of Adz is more raw, emotional, and electronic. I'd also deem it less of a "grower" than Illinois, Michigan, etc. "Too Much" is pretty much a perfect snap shot of all of that.
- Junip, José González' full band project, is obviously not in the business of writing checks that they can't cash. Fields delivers on the promise of "Always" in a big way. In fact, it's in many ways more satisfying than a similar project from a similar artist, Justin Veron's Volcano Choir. Hope this isn't a flash in the pan for González...
- Maximum Balloon is the solo project of David Sitek, guitarist and production mastermind behind TV on the Radio. This is more so the Dr. Dre-type solo project rather than say, that of Jeremy Enigk. In other words, Sitek handles the production and instrumentation, but incorporates a slew of guest vocalists rather than taking that on himself. In many ways it feels like a TVOTR record, which is to be expected with Sitek's production along with Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malone handling the vocals on a couple tracks. But it is different. The entire album would sit on the extreme tech-y-ness edge of TVOTR's musical spectrum, incorporating very little live instrumentation. All that being said, it's really, really good. Case in point: "Groove Me" is destined to be stuck in your head when you wake up tomorrow.
- This is the tastiest piece of musical candy since "Hey Ya":
- Albums from earlier 2010 that are in it for the long haul:
- Arcade Fire The Suburbs
- Band of Horses Infinite Arms
- Broken Bells Broken Bells
- Gorillaz Plastic Beach
- Jónsi Go
- The National High Violet
- Spoon Transference
- Sleigh Bells Treats
- Big Boi Sir Lucious Left Foot
- The New Pornographers Together
- Albums from earlier 2010 that aren't:
- Minus the Bear Omni (Hoping this is an anomaly)
- MGMT Congratulations (Probably too ambitious)
- Yeasayer Odd Blood (Too... odd)
- Ratatat LP4 (Part of a very gradual decline since Ratatat)
- Weezer Hurley (Somewhat sincere, but ultimately still forgettable)
What's everyone else been chewin' on lately?
Your Opinion Counts!
Saturday, October 2, 2010
This entry is entirely a census on the 'style' of music that you prefer. And when I say 'prefer' I mean the band(s) that you listen to as a standard and think, "Hey, you know what? I'm in a good mood, I'm ready to rock and I really don't care what you think". Not necessarily a guilty pleasures type of thing but your 'go-to' staples when you can't think of anything else. Just to get the party started I'll give you mine. Hopefully, it's not that terrible when it comes to the public opinion but that's kinda the whole point. Name whatever is on your mix-tape to yourself or playlist that you wish everyone else loved. What I'm gonna do is I'm gonna name the bands that EVERY TIME I listen to them I literally get chills. You know it happens to you. I can't be the only one. And here we go -
Hot Water Music - anything on No Division and before; literally impossible to recreate that much intensity/passion/hate into music - no question. NO QUESTION!!! I honestly feel sorry for anyone who has not heard them. Conviction, loyalty, self-righteousness...you know what, find out for your damn self.
Minus the Bear - although it may not seem like it could rock the house from the first time you listen to it but you really cannot argue with the...the...absolute filthyness. Just listen to 'Houston, We Have Uh-Oh' or 'Absinthe At the Fly Honey Warehouse'. Your life will change positively.
Passion Pit - honestly, there is no way in hell that anyone on the planet or any planet we know of that could listen to any of their songs and not have a smile forced on his/her face.
Every Time I Die - I really dig these fellas and the main reason is because they just love to rock. There are no songs on any album that try to change the pace to try to keep people interested. It's just straight up rock. No excuses and no suckers. Like it or leave it - they really don't care.
Alkaline Trio - I'm gonna limit this entry to the albums 'Goddamnit' and 'Maybe I'll Catch Fire' because that is pretty much the only thing they should have put out. Stable punk-ish roots, great vocals, and un-recreatable (is that a word? for sure) drumming. Glenn Porter can almost carry a band.
List whatever is on your mind. This is an open post. Nobody cares what you put. Maybe. Lady Gaga is banned. No exceptions. She is the only one. Queen counts, so does Limp Bizkit, and even ABBA. Just no Lady Gaga. Have at it and raise one up with me. (This picture has nothing to do with this post. I just thought that it is impossible to go wrong with G.O.B.)
STAR SLINGER
Monday, September 13, 2010
Also, just ran across this fella. He does some really dope remixes and also has his own stuff. Again, I would post some mp3's but your best bet is just to go to the website and download all of his tracks...and some waffle fries...for free. It'll take 3 minutes of your day and will totally be worth it. Cheers.
!!!(!!!)
Please excuse the awkward title - wait, sorry, actually just accept it because that is pretty much the perfect way to start off a post about !!! or Chk Chk Chk, if you please. They just came out with a new LP Strange Weather, Isn't It? a couple weeks ago that has helped me get reacquainted with the dance/funk/punk/rock group. It really is somewhat difficult to try to describe them with words, at least if you've ever listened to them. Their music and live performance is right in tune with the punctuation mark that they have so aptly named themselves after. Honestly, their name comes from some movie I remember watching in 8th grade called "The Gods Must Be Crazy", but I'd prefer to think that they were just trying to come up with a name that describes their style/energy. After reading up on them recently, its pretty phenomenal that they keep putting out the same style of music, much less, even remaining a functioning musical organism. Two of their past members have left this life in pretty tragic circumstances and yet they still keep on pumpin' the jams. Truthfully, this is probably the only band I can think of where you could pick up any of their releases and get the same product as another of their albums. With most bands that wouldn't be a good thing (well, depends on if you're into the jam band thing) but with !!! its probably the best thing. I just checked out their tour schedule and thankfully they will be coming to my town cause these guys are one of the top 10 shows I've seen. I'll put up a couple hooks to get you caught on. (Sorry, tried to put only the mp3's up via the Yahoo Media Player but I didn't major in computer building.)
Yadnus
A New Name
P.S. - why do 3/4 of music videos consist of people putting together the biggest pile of crap? Just edit live shows like they did with the ballads of the 80's hair bands. Those were awesome.
TGIF: Chromeo's "Don't Turn the Lights On"
Friday, August 6, 2010
It's Friday, and I feel like dancing. Hence, a track that's more than a month old from professional "party-starters" Chromeo. To be fair, it dropped during our little "hiatus", so I was just looking for a reason to share this one anyway. They'll be rolling out their third album, Business Casual, September 14. Until then, turn this one up to 11, and hit "repeat":
Junip (Feat. Jose Gonzalez): "Always"
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Junip is basically José González' answer to Justin Vernon's Volcano Choir Project. Almost to a "T", actually. These guys have been playing together off and on since the late '90s, but have never really dedicated themselves to the project until now. No doubt it's been worth the wait, but be forewarned: listening to "Always" will most likely lead to a tormenting couple of months until the 27th of September, when their first full length, Fields, is finally released. Doubt my warnings at your own peril:
Junip: "Always"
You can also head on over to the band's website and download a free copy of their under-the-radar Rope and Summit ep in exchange for handing over your email address, etc., which José González will most likely encase in a small seashell and wear around his neck in an attempt to bolster his vocal prowess.
Read more...
You can also head on over to the band's website and download a free copy of their under-the-radar Rope and Summit ep in exchange for handing over your email address, etc., which José González will most likely encase in a small seashell and wear around his neck in an attempt to bolster his vocal prowess.
Spoon Find a Way to Get Even More Funky Than Usual
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Wow, the coolest band around took advantage of an opportunity last night to incorporate members of what is possibly the second coolest band out there into their live performance of slow burner "Nobody Gets Me But You". And the results are absolutely filthy good. Dueling bassists, ?uestlove providing auxiliary percussion, and the massive payoff when they all finally cut loose result in something that is flat out too spectacular not to watch at least twice. Sorry about the advertisements, but this is flippin' awesome:
Daft Punk Don't Care That You Think Tron Is Stupid
So what if the movie is based on an overblown game of laser-tag? Daft Punk are bringing their "A" game, and that's almost enough to make this endeavor legitimate in itself. Based on this 10-minute musical teaser, they are wisely making a shift back towards the glory days of Discovery. In other good news, it's sounding like there's a very real possibility that this is going to involve some sort of double-album. Lucky us:
Arcade Fire's "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)"
Perhaps it would have been more fitting for Arcade Fire to name their 16-track, hour (plus)-long album after this single instead, but that's a forgivable offense when these guys (& gals) have reeled off their 3rd ridiculously good album in as many tries. In fact, their uniqueness and ability to turn out such consistent greatness have planted them firmly in territory that is inhabited by very few artists these days. The Suburbs is out tomorrow. Go get it.
Bizzarro Interpol is Dead, Long Live Interpol
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Lofty ambitions aren't for everybody (I'm looking at you, ...Trail of Dead), and it appears Interpol have come to this realization before swerving too far off their own beaten path. They've defected from the evil empire (Capitol Records), ditched the artsy record covers, and put away the unnecessary instrumentation. Not sure if this return to the comforts of home (they're back with Matador) or the back to basics attitude will pay off, but at least there's hope.
"Lights" has been out there for awhile, but it's new around here, so enjoy if you haven't already. And if you're a diehard, a super ghetto leak of the whole album found its way into cyberspace last weekend. Just be warned: it's really bad. Not the "it's .03kbps lower quality, so don't cheapen the integrity of our band's artistic vision" kinda bad. I mean the "listening to a scratched up copy of the vinyl through a pillow" kinda bad. Personally, I shut it down 2 songs in. That's your call, but Interpol drops on Tuesday, anyway. Oops. Turns out that's the "Barricade" single that's being released Tuesday. The album isn't due until September 14.
"Lights":
Fugazi Currently Google Trends' Daddy
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Fugazi is currently #1 on Google Trends. Why? I don't really know, although their level of hotness right now is "spicy". I guess that's just as good a reason as any to watch/listen to this:
What better way to start off your Tuesday? After hearing that pick slide, I know I'm ready to take on the world. Come on and get up, Planet Earth.
Read more...
Les Savy Fav: "Let's Get Out of Here"
Monday, July 26, 2010
It can be a difficult task to take these guys seriously at times. Lead singer Tim Harrington is a flat-out squirrel, and he looks goofier than he acts. But there's no question that Les Savy Fav can turn out an old school, straight forward indie rock song with the best of them. If you need proof, look no further than the new single from Root For Ruin, "Let's Get Out of Here." Give a listen below, and enter your email even further below if you'd like to get a free copy for yourself to take home and show your parents. The new album rolls out September 14th on Frenchkiss.
Com Truise's "Sundriped" & "lwywaw"
Someone else has thrown their hat into whatever ring that Neon Indian, Memory Tapes, and Washed Out belong to ("Chillwave" gets tossed around quite a bit, anymore). Whatever you call it, Seth Haley prefers to call himself "Com Truise". Don't worry, the music's better than the moniker. And not only is the music good, it's free. You can get the entire 7-song Cyanide Sisters ep at his website at no cost, and you don't even have to compromise your personal information to do so. Go for it!
Com Truise: "lwywaw" Read more...
The Tracks are Back!
We've been through a bit of a dry spell when it comes to posting new tracks here, due in large part to our preferred flash mp3 player, blogcastone, passing through a cyberspace wormhole into oblivion. But, thanks to Yahoo! putting together it's own nifty little Media Player, we're back in the game. It even has a built in playlist window that includes all of the tracks that are posted on that particular page. Anyone who has use for such a thing should definitely check it out; it's extremely user friendly.
So thanks for coming back and reading/listening. Here's a nice little throwback for all your patience:
Ra Ra Riot: "Boy"
If you can get past all the Vampire Weekend associations - they're tight with each other, have lent band members to the same 80s synth/electro-pop/pseudo hip-hop collaboration, and flat out just sound similar at times - these guys are legitimately a really enjoyable band in their own right. In fact, if you've been drinking the hatorade when it comes to VW, there's a solid chance that you'll enjoy Ra Ra Riot, anyway. They're just that... pleasant. If, on the other hand, Ezra Koenig & Co. light your fire, then you need to accept my apology for wasting your time and just hit play already. The Orchard is due out August 24th, and for now you can download "Boy" if you're willing to go to the band's website and declassify your email address.
Ra Ra Riot: "Boy" Read more...
The Return of Deerhunter
Sunday, July 25, 2010
After Cryptograms, I probably would have thought it more likely that I'd get excited about a Ron Artest rap album than anything Deerhunter could ever produce. But time heals all wounds, and so do transcendently awesome albums, two of which have been released by Deerhunter/Bradford Cox over the past two years. So here I am, pumped for September 28, 2010, and all the coma-inducing, reverb-drenched awesomeness that's coming with it. To kick off the festivities, "Revival" has been released as the first single from Halcyon Digest. Enjoy.
Deerhunter: "Revival" Read more...
Dr. Funke's 100% Natural Good-Time Family-Band Solution
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Not really sure if anyone has ever actually taken this band seriously. They really are something to admire. The glue that holds these people together is something stronger than just the music. Stronger than love. Stronger than blood. Nobody can really quite put their finger on what it is but we all should feel lucky to have them around. They just keep it simple. Simple like one of those old blues artists where it was just one person-one guitar. Its just so easy to feel the joy, the pain, or the chemically induced sense of joy. See and hear for yourself.
Retro Motion: Best Split 7-inch Single of All Time?
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Hope everyone is having a great summer. I have been, and I trust my fellow contributors have been as well; hence the lack of posts around here the last couple months. That being said, summer always has been, and always will be, my favorite time of year to listen to, and argue about, music. More often than not, it's filled with some of the years best releases, and it's always a great time to sit around and revisit the albums and songs that you'll always hold close to your heart. But this summer has been pretty unique, ironically. The number of great artists who have released or will release albums this year is staggering, but things have slowed considerably during these summer months. This definitely isn't all bad; as front-loaded as 2010 was, it's nice to be able to soak in some of the records that probably didn't get a fair shake to begin with (the month of May made it impossible to really listen to anything properly). But even taking that in to consideration, this summer has been more nostalgic for me than most. I've spent more time listening to albums that are pre-2005 than not, and needless to say it's been a lot of fun. So not surprisingly, the focus of my first post of the summer is taking a look back.
I'll begin this by saying that I never have been a fan of split singles. I know there is a lot of appeal to collectors, and a collector I am, but never of vinyl (I'd like to, but the idea of starting that up is just overwhelming). On top of that, I don't really like singles or eps in general. I find them frustratingly short. But, listening to playlists this summer has got me intrigued. So, to encourage discussion, I'm just gonna throw this out there:
The "E. Texas Ave."/"Blue Boy" split by Texas is the Reason and The Promise Ring is the greatest split 7-inch of all time.
Try to top it. You can't.
The Promise Ring: "E. Texas Ave." Read more...
12:30 am Soapbox
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Ya know, I had an obscene diatribe consisting of why anyone and everyone should absolutely love and admire The Cure but it just turned out to be a mindless sermon that everyone would just dismiss. So I condensed my thoughts into this. If you have your reservations or disgust on anything in the goth realm keeping you from this band then forget them. Cause basically every band you listen to right now or ever have has had The Cure as an influence. Very confident to say that. I know, I think of Chris Kattan in the SNL skit 'Goth Talk' whenever I think about The Cure too but there is way more than that behind Robert Smith. Way more. Completely unrecognized musical pioneer/genius. Not sure where 'The Head on the Door' or 'Disintegration' rank on Rolling Stone's best albums list but who really cares. What do they know? Can't rant anymore. Can only post songs. Might take up a whole page in this blog but well deserved. We'll go through a quick timeline.
BOYS DON'T CRY
SIX DIFFERENT WAYS (totally boss song mixed with a totally boss movie. sorry about volume)
JUST LIKE HEAVEN
INBETWEEN DAYS (probably 15 covers)
CLOSE TO ME (probably 30 covers)
DISINTEGRATION (filthy)
PICTURES OF YOU
HIGH
The Cure High
rUmPeLsTiLtSkIn | MySpace Video
BEFORE THREE
Read more...
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