Krallice with Dave Edwardson, "Rank Mankind"
For their seventh album, Krallice brough in Dave Edwardson (Neurosis) to change things up. It's still very much a Krallice record, with all the dizzying ideas that entails, so Edwardson mostly just kind of inflects the proceedings some. He gives the vocals a certain visceral grounding that gives this all a little bit more of a gutteral feel, as opposed to the sometimes purely cerebral feel of Krallice. The band is incredible as always, and this album rips.
Nine Inch Nails, "Closer"
I still think it's extremely funny that this song, of all damn things, became a big hit. It's a banger, don't get me wrong, but it's also a, er, banger. I suppose in some ways, it does make some sense, as musically this might be the closest thing on The Downward Spiral to a song that would have fit onto the first record.
Pile, "tin foil hat"
Pile! I love Pile! The woozy staggering of this track is disorienting - the quieter sections sound like they're about to barf in the corner of your living room, swaying back and forth. And then it lurches into the noise rock segments, which are of course a delight. This is all I want! Just give me some baffling guitar noise and I'm a happy boy!
Sebadoh, "Hassle"
It's groggy nonsense day here at Five Song! The Dramamine is in the cabinet in the bathroom!
The Mortals, "Glow"
The Mortals normally play a surf-y kind of garage rock, and I'm not sure the downtempo rock here suits them quite as well. It gives you a little more time to notice that there's not a ton going on, outside of the bits where they pick it up.