James Brown, "It's A Man's World"
So, uh, sometimes the sexual politics of Brown's music wasn't great. You know, it happens. I'll just observe that Brown had a co-writer for this song, Betty Jean Newsome, which is kind of interesting.
(NB: on Star Time, this track has the above name, not "It's A Man's Man's Man's World"))
Fugazi, "Public Witness Program"
I don't want to take too much away from the majesty of this pure slab of punk, so just enjoy.
OK, I lie. This is the first song I ever attempted to learn on the bass, trying to figure out Lally's line here by ear. I actually made some progress!
Unsteady, "Suburban Torture"
This is Extremely Josh so far today. If we dig up some old hip-hop, that would be perfect.
This isn't my favorite song on Double or Nothing, but it's nice to have a change of pace from the band, which is one of the reasons that it's one of the best albums of ska's third wave. I do enjoy the little organ breakdown in the middle of the song quite a bit.
The Fall, "Just Step S'ways"
Yeah, ok, I'll concede there are times that early Pavement really does sound a lot like the Fall.
Mayer Hawthorne, "Where Does This Door Go"
Where Does This Door Go, Hawthorne's third full album, has him wandering a bit away from the retro-Motown of the first couple albums, reaching towards some funk and even a bit of rock. It's a bit all over the place, and listens as a little bit of a misstep for him, with some good tunes but a good number that are only so-so.