Wilco, "The Late Greats"
I've been kind of hard on this album (A Ghost Is Born), but that's mostly due to the somewhat aimless wankery found on some of the songs. Outside of those, though, it's a pretty sharp album.
The White Stripes, "Little People"
We've had Jack White pop up with The Raconteurs, but this is the first time we've had the band that made him famous. I'm not sure I need to introduce the White Stripes, do I? Stripped down blues-y rock that explored specific creative constraints, the White Stripes strike me as relatively unlikely stars. But stars they were, propelled by some anthemic hits. But this song comes from before they were huge, off their self-titled debut, when the primitivism of the songs was really at the forefront. I don't think they really hit their stride until the following record, personally.
Jake One, "Glow"
Seattle's own Jake One made a record under his own name (White Van Music), with all his own beats and a revolving series of MCs. As with most records of this sort, it's a little uneven, depending a lot on the performances of the guests, but overall, it's more good than bad. It also features one of my very favorite odes to my city, "Home".
The Chemical People, "The Woman Chaser"
Long time label mates of All, the Chemical People mostly worked in the same California punk-pop vein. Usually a little cruder than All, but still, more or less similar. However, one of their albums, which this song comes from, was different. This is from Soundtracks, which is what it sounds like: music they contributed to soundtracks. Specifically, porn soundtracks.
The White Stripes, "Hotel Yorba"
Yeah, so...let's fast forward a couple albums! White Blood Cells was their breakout album, and it deserved to be pretty big. The songs were more varied and interesting, and White was now really fully in control of his aesthetic instead of just pushing against his constraints.