The Evens, "Dinner With The President"
After Fugazi went on hiatus (I refuse to say they're broken up!), Ian MacKaye started a band with his wife, Amy Farina, on drums. They play as a duo, playing a stripped down indie rock that still has touches of Fugazi's post-punk. It's not as incendiary, but there are definitely pleasures to their records, so it's worth checking out.
The Roots, "Stay Cool"
Flipping the same Al Hirt sample as De La Soul's "Ego Trippin'", this kind of call back to hip hop history is the sort of thing that the Roots did regularly, which was always a pleasure. And, of course, Black Thought kills it, providing one of the highlight tracks on The Tipping Point.
The Slackers, "Strychnine"
A cover of garage rock pioneers The Sonics (a song which still kicks), this is part of the Slackers' all-covers record The Radio. I enjoy it more than I probably should, but it's hard to suggest it ahead of their studio records.
Death From Above 1979, "Blood On Our Hands"
Another duo! Lots more noise than the Evens, of course. We've covered their story before, so let me just say: I wish more bands would just kick out the jams with only bass guitars.
The Jam, "That's Entertainment"
Wait, I don't actually want to kick out these Jams!
Sorry. But I will say I wrote the above entry before this song came on. It's not much of a defense, but here we are.
Four "The" bands today!