Army of Juan, "Late Night Dining"
I wonder how many ska-punk bands put out one record in 1997 and were never heard from again? I'm sure there have been comparable fads in music, but it's hard for me to think of something quite comparable in my lifetime, where a style peaked so hard and petered out so quickly. Grunge wasn't the same - the peak lasted longer, and a number of the grunge bands continued being popular even post-peak (like Pearl Jam), not to mention important bands still being revered today (such as Nirvana).
Public Enemy, "Revolutionary Generation"
One of the reasons why I don't think Fear of a Black Planet is their best work is that the second half can kind of drag a bit. There are a number of tracks on it that kind of blend together. They're not bad songs exactly, but kind of undifferentiated, and that weakness puts this record a step behind It Takes a Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back.
Black Flower, "Clap Hands"
Kinda jazz, kinda Afrobeat, it should surprise nobody that I'm into this. Really, I'm in the tank for basically anything with a baritone sax. Even if it is from Belgium.
Oh shit, they have an album that just came out a few weeks ago! NICE.
The Pollyseeds, "Chef E Dubble"
Gettin' pretty jazzy in here. Probably shouldn't say much more!
All Natural, "Renaissance"
VERY jazzy. Well, at least there's rhyming on top of this, that means I can talk about it!
Uh.
It's good? I like the little piano riff?