James Plotkin, "Caught In Your Orbit"
Well, I don't remember getting this one. It's from 2002, old enough that I don't think it was from a grab bag or anything. It does sound like the kind of thing that might have caught my attention, some kind of strange combination of grindcore and drum'n'bass. At any rate, this is pretty interesting, might put on the rest of this album after I'm done with this entry.
Uncle Tupelo, "Chickamauga"
Anodyne was Uncle Tupelo's major label debut and swan song, as the tension between Jay Farrar and Jeff Tweedy finally tore the band apart. The record they put together before parting ways doesn't really bear much sign of that fracture, though. It's an excellent blend of rock and country, and there's really not any fat on it. It's not their best record (I still think their urgent debut is my favorite), but it's a worthy record to go out on.
Mandingo Griot Society, "Sounds From The Bush"
This is from the Soul of a Nation compilation, gathering together compositions from the height of the Black power movement. I'm not sure I should really be writing too much about this, but it's an excellent compilation.
Stinking Lizaveta, "Tenuous"
Stinking Lizaveta is an instrumental group from Philly, playing the sort of post-rock and noise rock that places them in the rough vicinity of Don Caballero. There's maybe a little more psychedelia here than crunch, though.
Jan Jelinek, "Rock In The Video Age"
Why are the clicks and glitches that Jelinek uses not annoying? I'm not really sure why, but they're warm and interesting instead of obnoxious. I guess that why he's the artist and I'm the dope with the blog nobody reads.