Mastodon, "Black Tongue"
I spent a bunch of time with The Hunter last year, seeing if I could really get to the point of appreciating the record. It was a really big break with their previous two albums, and my initial reaction when it came out was that I didn't care for new path. After that time spent, I can say that I still prefer the big prog-y compositions, but there's a lot to like in this leaner album. It's probably the right on-ramp to begin listening to Mastodon, truthfully.
Squirrel Bait, "Black Light Poster Child"
Writing about the "Squirrel Bait family tree" is one of those low-level indie rock cliches that I cheerfully indulge in. Because it's kind of interesting that the members of this band did end up playing in a bunch of others. What I wonder about is why I don't ever think of other band family trees. Is it because Squirrel Bait only lasted for one record and it was so good? Oh, and they were all so young? It's tough to think of something quite so comparable.
Edan, "I See Colors"
This is from Edan's 2005 masterpiece, Beauty and the Beat. The psychedelic beats and sarcastic rhyming are really something else. Huge shame about the slur in this song, though.
Portastatic, "You Know Where To Find Me"
I was just talking the other day about how surprising it was to me that Foolish didn't end Superchunk as a going concern. Not because it's a bad record (it's not, it's excellent), just that it represented the destruction of an important relationship in the band. But beyond that, Mac McCaughan had already established his comfort with putting out music on his own under the Portastatic name. If Portastatic is an alternative vision for what might have been, I'm very glad that Superchunk kept going.
Leviathan, "Dawn Vibration"
I've gone over the issues with Leviathan in past entries here, so I'll just say: he's a bad dude.