Some titans of the rock underground today! I really like this set a lot. Shame it didn't go one more song, Einstürzende Neubauten popped up next with "Vanadium-I-Ching", which would have been a fun addition to the list. Oh well, can't go changing the rules any time I like!
Pixies, "Alec Eiffel"
Here, we're getting a track from the last pre-breakup Pixies album, Trompe Le Monde. At the time, I was pretty disappointed in Bossanova, for whatever reason, but really liked this one. At this remove, it's not clear what my beef was with Bossanova and it's pretty similar to Trompe. While both records are off from the peak of their first records, they're still both excellent and well worth having.
Silkworm, "The Bones"
The closer to the 2000 album Lifestyle, which follows a grand tradition of ending albums with a quieter, contemplative piece. I wonder who you could trace that back to? It seems such a common trope for rock bands.
Devin the Dude, "Do What You Wanna Do"
From Devin's "women and weed" period (4 June 1970-present), we find Devin waxing philosophical here, with his exhortations to do whatever you want to do. In Devin's case, what he'll do is women and weed, thanks.
Diminished Men, "CRM Discriminator"
Seattle trio Diminished Men play instrumental music that sounds like surf rock combined with a classic movie soundtrack. They're kind of hard to find, with their recordings pretty much only available via vinyl (or cassette!) and not digitally, but I think it was worth the effort to track down the two albums that I do have. I've always loved this type of music.
Modest Mouse, "Ionizes & Atomizes"
From their first album, This Is A Long Drive For Someone With Nothing To Think About. One thing this project has done for me is to remind me that I actually really like this album a lot. I tend to think of The Lonesome Crowded West as their first good album, but it's not really true, there's a lot to like on this record.