Steady Earnest, "Put It On"
Yes, this is the Bob Marley song. Yes, this song rules. Yes, this cover is probably pushing the tempo too much, but whatever, see point #2 above.
The Police, "One World (Not Three)"
Ghost In The Machine is easily the worst Police album, with neither of the energy and catchiness of the best of their early work, but not yet settled into the progressive pop of Synchronicity. It just doesn't really hang together well for me, and I basically never listen to it.
Einstürzende Neubauten, "Nnnaaammm"
As an unabashedly German band that explores the limits of what music could be, and a band that relentlessly tried making sound with untraditional instruments, it's natural that Einstürzende Neubauten would be compared with Kraftwerk. But the truth is that aside from the creativity and country of origin, there isn't really that much that connects the aesthetics of the bands. Except occasionally. And there's nothing more Kraftwerk-y in Neubauten's catalog than "Nnnaaammm", to the point that it must be a deliberate tribute.
(Dammit, this looks like a repeat. Uh, I mean, SIX SONGS TODAY!)
Dis, "Whiteness"
During the early 90s, there were a bunch of bands that took inspiration from post-hardcore and math rock and played a sophisticated take on rock that didn't devolve into too many rock cliches, but was still at its base rock. Dis is one of those bands, sounding a lot like Hum, Bitch Magnet, and others. It's stuff that's very much in my wheelhouse, and I can really listen to this kind of thing all day.
Manorexia, "Tiki Envy"
We've had Manorexia before, but this is one of J.G. Thirlwell's (Foetus, Wiseblood, Clint Ruin, Steroid Maximus) many aliases, playing instrumental music of a vaguely tropical and vaguely unsettling nature. As with everything he makes, there's a certain bent atmosphere to the whole thing which makes it interesting.
(Uh, another repeat. SEVEN SONGS OH MY GOD)
Charles Mingus, "Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting Pt. 2"
It's 3.2 million years in the future. Bear archaelogists are excavating the recently discovered buried ruins, believed to contain priceless relics of the ancient "human" civilization. Two scientists excited confer over a remarkably well-preserved book. What treasures might be within? Might this be the key to understanding this mysterious, disappeared culture? Carefully, the book is opened. Inside is a simple, repeated pattern, written on every page. It is painstakingly translated. "JOSH IS NOT QUALIFIED TO TALK ABOUT JAZZ". What could it possibly mean?
Alcest, "Tir Nan Og"
From the beginning, Alcest were interested in melding pop and shoegaze sounds into their metal, resulting in something that often soudned more dreamy than threatening. When it was on, it was effective, although this is more just "dream" than anything metal.