Jurassic 5, "Gotta Understand"
Feedback is one of the most disappointing albums I can remember buying. I adored the first couple LPs from J5, and then this album just kind of thudded to the ground. It seemed so leaden and joyless at the time that I just listened to it a few times and shelved it. Honestly, it's due for a re-visit, and this track is pretty good. Maybe I'm just a dope?
The Magnetic Fields, "A Pretty Girl Is Like..."
Sometimes, I'm just not in the mood to put up with the Magnetic Fields, you know?
The Toasters, "Talk Is Cheap"
By the time the Toasters put out this record in 1996, they were on their eighth album, and their two-tone sound was pretty much a well-oiled machine. It's executed very well, and it's the sort of thing that sounds good while you're bouncing around but the appeal can be a little shallow. This song is actually a reprise of a song on one of their earlier albums, but it seamlessly fits into this later record, because they had their style and stuck with it.
Vince Guaraldi Trio, "Für Elise"
This makes a lot more sense when you realize it's from the soundtrack to A Charlie Brown Christmas. Now, can you picture Schroeder?
Modest Mouse, "Bury Me With It"
I always like going back and thinking about things like how Modest Mouse managed to become a huge band. And I love them, but this stuff is pretty off-putting. Isaac Brock's yelp is unique, and it's great, but it doesn't exactly scream mainstream appeal. Sometimes, quality does win out, I guess.