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Fucked Up named Album of 2011 by SPIN, on 'No Reservations' tonight, playing Brooklyn Friday, releasing Christmas single w/ Sloan & 'Year of the Tiger' single

By Bill Pearis

One could argue (and we did, in our story on the band in the January-February issue!) that Fucked Up’s rock opera David Comes to Life was uniquely resonant upon its June release because of the emotional synchronicity between an album that spilled forth with such an appropriately chaotic narrative and a year in which tumultuous disarray became the norm. But good lord, David Comes to Life could’ve been sung in backwards Tagalog and it still would’ve made perfect sense in 2011. That’s the power of a gang of punks playing with Olympian levels of passion and purpose. [SPIN]

SPIN publishes it’s year-end issue next week, naming Fucked Up‘s David Comes to Life as 2011’s best album. The top ten also includes EMA, Wild Flag, PJ Harvey, Lykke Li and more. The entire SPIN Top 50 Albums of 2011 is at the bottom of this post.

As you hopefully know, Fucked Up will be performing this Friday (12/16) at the BV-curated night of this weekend’s Brooklyn Night Bazaar, a full evening of music that also includes Dom, Big Troubles, Caged Animals, Radical Dads, as well as Frankie Rose spinning tunes. Tickets are only $10 and still available.

There’s a lot more Fucked Up news actually. Tonight (11/12) the band will be guests on Anthony Bourdain‘s No Reservations Holiday Special, which also features Christoper Walken, Norah Jones and a lot of extremely non-vegan cooking (though the Vegan Black Metal Chef is also a guest). Maybe Fucked Up will play in Bourdain’s fridge, like Das Racist did on last year’s Holiday Special.

Next Tuesday (12/20) in the band’s hometown of Toronto, Fucked Up will perform David Comes to Life in its entirety, with proceeds going to charity. (PS I Love You, The Sadies and Quest for Fire also perform.)

Fucked Up are also releasing a split Christmas single with Sloan, with proceeds benefiting the COUNTERfit Harm Reduction Program and the Barriere Lake Legal Defense Fund. Fucked Up’s side is their take on “Jingle Bells,” while Sloan tackle “The 12 Days of Christmas” (which is streamable below). Only 500 are being printed — maybe they’ll be some at the merch table this Friday?

The band have also announced the release of 2012’s annual Chinese New Year single, “Year of the Tiger,” which is out February 21. The 15-minute track features guest vocals from Austra, Duchess Says’ Annie-Claude and Jim Jarmusch, which Matador claims is “MAYBE THE BEST THING FUCKED UP HAVE EVER RECORDED” but being their record label they’re prone to such proclamations. But maybe it is.

Click through for a just-released video of “Turn the Season” plus video of the band performing “The Other Shoe” on Canada’s George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight show, as well as the entire rundown of SPIN mag’s Top 50 Albums of 2011…

Fucked Up – Turn the Season

Fucked Up – “The Other Shoe” on George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight

SPIN’s 50 Best Albums of 2011
50. Britney Spears, Femme Fatale
49. Yob, Atma
48. Various Artists, Drive (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
47. Gillian Welch, The Harrow and the Harvest
46. Foo Fighters, Wasting Light
45. Azari & III, Azari & III
44. The Roots, Undun
43. Kendrick Lamar, Section.80
42. Eric Church, Chief
41. Frank Ocean, Nostalgia, Ultra
40. Jay-Z and Kanye West, Watch the Throne
39. Beyonce, 4
38. Zola Jesus, Conatus
37. The Field, Looping State of Mind
36. The Black Keys, El Camino
35. Washed Out, Within and Without
34. St. Vincent, Strange Mercy
33. Fleet Foxes, Helplessness Blues
32. Hayes Carll, KMAG YOYO (& other American stories)
31. Yuck, Yuck (Deluxe Edition)
30. tUnE-yArDs, w h o k i l l
29. Lady Gaga, Born This Way
28. Tim Hecker, Ravedeath, 1972
27. Big K.R.I.T., Return of 4Eva
26. Liturgy, Aesthethica
25. Cass McCombs, Wit’s End/Humor Risk
24. Deer Tick, Divine Providence
23. Iceage, New Brigade
22. Drake, Take Care
21. Youth Lagoon, The Year of Hibernation
20. Shabazz Palaces, Black Up
19. M83, Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
18. SBTRKT, SBTRKT
17. Dum Dum Girls, Only in Dreams
16. Das Racist, Relax
15. The Men, Leave Home
14. Bon Iver, Bon Iver
13. The Weeknd, House of Balloons/Thursday
12. Telekinesis, Desperate Straight Lines
11. Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, Mirror Traffic
10. Lykke Li, Wounded Rhymes
9. Wild Flag, Wild Flag
8. G-Side, The One…Cohesive
7. The Rapture, In the Grace of Your Love
6. Danny Brown, XXX
5. Girls, Father, Son, Holy Ghost
4. Kurt Vile, Smoke Ring for My Halo
3. EMA, Past Life Martyred Saints
2. PJ Harvey, Let England Shake
1. Fucked Up, David Comes to Life