Introduction
Five Songs, 2/28/2019
Five Songs

Five Songs, 2/28/2019

Good one today!

Mr. Lif, "Mo' Mega"

Mo' Mega features a bunch of tracks produced by El-P, so you know I'm down with this record. This, of course, is one of them, which you could probably guess by listening to it. It has all of the sci-fi feel you expect from his beats. As Mr. Lif is also always good, this album is worth checking out.

(NB: this song starts at 28:19)

The Jimi Hendrix Experience, "Burning of the Midnight Lamp"

It's tough to really pick the best album from the Jimi Hendrix Experience. It sort of comes down to me if you prefer the freshness of Are You Experienced? or the more experimental nature of Electric Ladyland. This song presents a strong argument for the latter, sounding kind of like it fell to earth from outer space, a communication from a related but still inscruitable alien race. Even for somebody that has listened to plenty of stuff that was directly inspired by Hendrix, this stuff all still sounds pretty unique.

(NB: I could only find this random-ass alternate version of it, and I'm guessing YouTube is just going to filter it out if I try and upload it.)

Gravediggaz, "Defective Trip (Trippin)"

I was just listening to Prince Paul today! He's incredible!

On paper, it's hard to believe that the Gravediggaz existed. Take Prince Paul and the RZA and put them in the same band. And have them, for some reason, write a hardcore rap album full of horror stories. Why not? This album doesn't merely have screws loose, it has no detectable screws left. But it is wildly inventive, within its strange, narrow brief. And as you might imagine, the beats sound like a million bucks.

Thelonious Monk, "Humph"

I'm gonna do it! I'm going to talk about ja

OK, I know nobody is going to believe this, but while I was typing the above, at the exact moment I got halfway through the word "jazz", the keyboard on my computer freaked out. The "alt" button apparently got stuck, and windows were jumping around and stuff. So, I guess that's an omen.

(NB: this isn't the same version that I listened to.)

Skinny Puppy, "Knowhere?"

Skinny Puppy's Last Rights was their last album before they went on hiatus, and it was the densest album of that run. Washes of noise and electronics competed with the usual harsh vocals, providing an album that really was ahead of its time. It's an album that has aged well, in a way that their more cartoony early stuff has not. The dense, careful work on the album would serve as an inspiration for plenty of later electronic noise artists.

Joshua Buergel
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