Clipse, "Chinese New Year"
Backed by the Neptunes (Pharell Williams and Chad Hugo) doing all the production, Pusha T and Malice made gangsta rap that always sounded vicious and lean. Their first two records, fueled by those fantastic beats, are pretty outstanding, even if the lyrical content is...let's go with questionable.
Rites of Spring, "Persistent Vision"
You know, I think Guy Picciotto was more comprehensible with Rites of Spring than he was with Fugazi. I'm not entirely sure how that happens, it's not like he wasn't yelling with both bands.
Imarhan, "Ibas Ichikkou"
Algerian Tuareg rock band Imarhan...yes, Tuareg rock. Look, I'm not a world music expert or anything. I will probalby always know more about, say, underground rock bands from the Twin Cities than I ever will about any scene outside of the US. But, hell, I should know more about other countries' music, and I know a good thing when I hear about it. So, when I found out about this album, I was all in. And it's really good!
Cinerama, "Superman"
We just had Cinerama the other day, and this is even from the same record (Cinerama Holiday, a compilation of singles, although this song also is on Disco Volante). This is one of the better songs off that record.
Metallica, "The Day That Never Comes"
I just looked back at my takes for the last four Metallica songs, and it appears I've declared Death Magnetic both better and worse than the following album. So, you know, I'm a dope. Anyway, the recording is crazy compressed, which sounds like crap. But there are some good songs on it, and I really do enjoy it. This song sounds like a lost track from Metallica or maybe even ...And Justice For All, and is pretty good once it really gets going.