Wiccans, "Witches"
A hint for anybody trying to sell records to Five Songs International: get somebody to drop "noise rock" somewhere in your review, and I'm all over it. Wiccans fit that category. And yeah, they basically sound like a vintage Amphetamine Reptile band. Maybe a little shoutier than some, AmRep bands often had the vocals buried in the mix, but musically it's very much in that tradition. So, of course I like it!
Glossary, "When Easy Street Gets Hard To Find"
It's been a while, but here's a vintage Five Songs classic: the album I have no recollection of acquiring. Almost all of these happen when I get a pile of records at the same time, manic periods of purchasing that occasionally leave records at the side. This seems...fine? It's pretty basic rock, I guess. Eh.
Jawbox, "Footbinder"
Goin' full-on rock today. From Jawbox's debut album, Grippe, before the more melodic elements of J. Robbins's songwriting really came to the fore. It's a strong record, but one that Jawbox would build on for later albums.
Dälek, "The Son of Immigrants"
Well, kinda rock? Dälek make rap music that draws heavily on noise and rock, maybe even some noise rock elements? Kinda? It makes for an interesting mix, a relatively uncommon marriage of sounds. They've been around for something like 20 years now, and strangely, I only have two albums: their first album and their most recent. I should probably fill in the gaps. Between the two, the most recent (Endangered Philosophies) is the better, with a more developed sound.
The Slackers, "Sabina"
Rocksteady? Eh, close enough.
One of the great failings of Five Songs is that while we've had plenty of lower-tier third wave around here, we've only had two Slackers songs thus far. Well, make it three! As always, the best description for the Slackers' sound is "warm". When Vic Ruggiero is telling a story in a song, he always sounds like he's a good friend sharing a story over a beer. And over their many years, they've become masters as recording their sound. This comes to us from their 2010 album, The Great Rocksteady Swindle, a more casual record than some of theirs, but still a joy.