Built to Spill, "Conventional Wisdom"
Probably the best song on You In Reverse, it's also one of the longest. But Built to Spill were often at their best when they take the time to really elaborate on a melody and play around with it. The first half of this song sounds like a good Dinosaur Jr. track, and then it mutates into a very Built to Spill thing during the second half, and both halves are very enjoyable.
Gas Huffer, "Crooked Bird"
The opening track of One Inch Masters, the third Gas Huffer record, and the first one they recorded for Epitaph. The production started getting a little cleaner, but other than that, they remained more or less the same band. It's not my favorite record from them, but it's a solid piece of garage/surf rock.
A.C. Newman, "On The Table"
"This sounds like the New Pornographers," you might be thinking to yourself. And for good reason, as Carl Newman (of the New Pornographers) goes by this alias for his solo work. And there's not really much difference between the songwriting he deploys here and for his main band. If you're a fan of the New Pornographers and haven't picked this up, you should.
The Wedding Present, "2, 3, Go"
Saturnalia was the last Wedding Present before David Gedge put the band on hiatus in favor of Cinerama for a decade. I think it's a good album, but it's also clearly off-peak for the Wedding Present. That said, there are some great tunes on it, and this is one of the best.
Soundgarden, "Rusty Cage"
Got a real Pacific Northwest theme going today! Idaho, Vancouver, two Seattle bands. Hell, the Wedding Present even moved to Seattle (although not Saturnalia album), so maybe three? Anyway, Badmotorfinger was Soundgarden's breakthrough, and this was a pretty big single, so I'll shut up. You've probably heard this!