Four new bands! And a reminder, if you have thoughts about the future of Five Songs, let me know!
The Counts, "Pack Of Lies"
There are endless great soul records out there from the 70s, and even with how many of these records have been revived by hip-hop artists, there are always still more to discover. J-Zone has mentioned several times that What's Up Front That Counts by the Counts is one of his favorites, and goddamn, of course it's great. Also, dig that bit that Dre flipped on "Who Am I (What's My Name)?"!
Conjurer, "Of Flesh Weaker Than Ash"
You know, you can basically take any random D&D character class and get the name of a metal band. "Abjurer"? Yes. "Illusionist"? Probably already is one. "Heirophant"? Of course. "Bladesinger"? Hell yes.
Uh, where was I? This is pretty new, actually. I've been enjoying listening to this pounding doom, even if I normally like a little more noise in my metal. And yes, I recognize that that's probably a stupid thing to say about a record like this.
The Glands, "Breathe Out"
Meanwhile, "The Glands" is a terrible name for a band. Not grotesque enough for a metal name, it's just clunky. And it really doesn't suit an underground pop band, which is who The Glands are. This record got lots of good press at the time, but it never really made my wheels squeak.
Eagulls, "Footsteps"
Another terrible name! And another critical favorite. Eagulls are more or less Wire revivalists, or maybe something like Gang of Four. The sort of music usually described as "wiry" or "taut". It comes across to me as a little icy and distant at times, but I do like this better than The Glands. Even if the name does suck.
Yo La Tengo, "Night Falls on Hoboken"
Kind of feel like maybe we should wrap up with "Night Falls on Hoboken" around here more often than not. Gonna put on Yo La Tengo tonight when I go to bed, go to sleep to the sounds of Hoboken's finest. Get woken up from a dead sleep by "Mushroom Clouds of Hiss" or something.