Infesticons, "Night Night Theme"
Infesticons is Mike Ladd and some assorted helpers, making grimy underground hip-hop. Gun Hill Road came out in 2000, and is chock full of noise, gritty beats and loops, and frankly uneven rapping. It's an interesting album, I think, but not really a great one.
Note that there's a couple minutes of silence in the middle of today's track, and then there's an un-named instrumental bonus track. I'm delighted that the era of CD hidden bonus tracks is over.
Clem Snide, "Moment In The Sun"
By virtue of being the theme song for the now forgotten TV show "Ed", this is Clem Snide's most recognizable song. But despite being the theme for a network show, it's a straight banger, and one of my very favorite songs full stop. If I were to do karaoke, and said karaoke was at some bizarre place that had, like, my library, this might be my choice for song to sing. Eef Barzelay has never sounded better, which is why it's so fun for me to croak alongside him. "Every hero walks alone / thinking of more things to confess", I tell ya, that's the real shit right there.
Minus the Bear, "Patiently Waiting"
This is from a bonus disc that came with Planet of Ice, the 2007 albums from the sorta indie-prog Seattle band Minus the Bear. Minus the Bear is absolutely a band that I should be totally into, and I'm just kind of not. I think their stuff is good, and I like them fine while I listen to them, and then just kind of forget they exist afterwards. I've tried a couple albums, and they just don't click with me. Put them in the same pile as Tame Impala - I can tell why people like them, and they're not for me, apparently.
Ernie Hines, "Our Generation"
A Stax soul artist, Ernie Hines released some singles and an album in the early 70s, and was largely forgotten until Pete Rock sampled him. With collectors looking for copies of his stuff, and after the Roots & John Legend covered "Our Generation", the album was finally reissued, which is great, as it's a fantastic soul album. This song is one of the true highlights, and you can see why it's retained attention.
Lupe Fiasco, "Sunshine"
It took a while for Lupe Fiasco to put out his debut album, Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor, with trouble with labels, underground buzz, and some guest appearances increasing the anticipation. The album didn't disappoint, it sounds super assured and Lupe's storytelling is great. He never really came close to matching this album, but it's a great listen.