Hot Hot Heat, "Le Le Low"
Victoria, BC's Hot Hot Heat had a real moment in the 2000s, although I'll confess, I don't really remember how far they got penetrating the mainstream. I just remember that they were doing well there for a little while. That's the kind of information you can't get just anywhere! At any rate, this is from the beginning of their debut EP, so this is how they kicked it off. Not bad!
NoMeansNo, "I Can't Stop Talking"
NoMeansNo might be my favorite example of why it's so important to me to maintain my own music server. They've had so many great albums, with Wrong in particular being a landmark of hardcore, but the vast majority of their catalog isn't available on Spotify. So they're just invisible to most people now! That sucks!
Skalars, "Hold Me Tight"
One of the recurring themes of this here blog is the ongoing attempt to rehabilitate the third wave of ska. There's plenty of great stuff that's worth disconnecting from the Goldfinger-tainted nonsense! Like, for instance, the Skalars! And my case here rests on Jessica Butler absolutely killing it on vocals, backed by some pleasant ska tunes. How can you not like this?
Calexico, "Low Expectations"
The first track of Spoke, the first Calexico album (where they actually just started out calling themselves Spoke). It wasn't really until the next album (The Black Light) that the full Calexico sound arrived, but there are certainly plenty of hints of the desert and southwest in the music here. And listen to that bass! Magnificent.
Headcrash, "Freedom"
One of the tics of industrial dance was how many vocal samples they used, mostly in an attempt to sound edgy. It sometimes worked OK, but it's a technique that sounds very dated these days. At any rate, it's not like Headcrash did anything particularly to distinguish themselves from the rest of that scene. They're forgotten for probably good reason.