Pardoner, "My Sorry Ass"
We're unabashed Pardoner fans here at Five Songs, who do a great job of bringing that 90s indie rock aesthetic into our ears. Go listen to them! They're really good!
John Oswald, "Btls (Marco Integer)"
I think that's the chord from "A Day in the Life" getting deconstructed. Fun!
The Exceptions, "Circles"
I generally like it when ska is mixed like this, with kind of an intimate mix putting the vocals forward and sounding like it's in a small room. It's nice!
U.S. Maple, "So Long Bonus..."
I think if you just listen to a little bit of U.S. Maple, you might come to the conclusion that they have no idea what they're doing. But it's not at all the case - they couldn't be this reliably off-kilter if they didn't know what they were up to. This stuff is deliberately around the bend, and I love it for that.
Fugazi, "Argument"
The final (for now???) Fugazi album, The Argument, seems to get a little bit lost in their discography among fans. Maybe because it's probably not too many people's first album, and if it was, you never got the chance to hear them follow up on it. But it's so very, very good. I still think In On The Kill Taker is ahead, based on its incredible peaks, but this might be their most consistent record. And, ironically, it's often the one I recommend to people as their first one, belying what I said up above. I'm an idiot!