A Motown artist! A fake Motown artist! Big Business playing with two bands!
Mayer Hawthorne, "The News"
We've heard from Mayer Hawthorne before with Tuxedo, but here he is with his solo act. Hawthorne, who grew up in Ann Arbor, Michegan, not far from the home of Motown, didn't really intend to be a soul revivalist. He made some songs mostly as a goof, but attracted attention from them, with legendary hip-hop label Stones Throw initially thinking that they were authentic, lost 60s singles. A full-length album followed, with Hawthorne following through on the promise of authentic sounding soul. Only, you know, with swearing. As his career has moved forward, he's moved away some from the pure Motown revival, but my favorite of his albums is the one this song came from, How Do You Do, which is very much a revival record.
Piss Vortex, "Those Who Labor"
Ahh, the sweet sounds of Motown are followed here by the dulcet tones of [looks at card] Piss Vortex. This, of course, comes from their legendary self-titled record, where the band demonstrated their breathtakingly subtle songcraft and careful restraint.
Stevie Wonder, "Visions"
Sure, why not, let's head back to Michigan. This comes from Innervisions, and frankly, I'm sort of out of superlatives for Stevie. I mean, he's no Piss Vortex, but he's a hell of an artist nonetheless.
Big Business, "Regulars"
In general, I like noise duos a lot. Lightning Bolt, for instance, or Death From Above 1979. Well, here's another one, Big Business, and they're even from Seattle! Nice. Anyway, Big Business always sounded to me like the Melvins, making the eventual incoporation of the band INTO the Melvins feel pretty natural. This comes from Command Your Weather, their latest album, put out after a five year hiatus, and it's a solid record.
The Melvins, "Blood Witch"
GTFO, shuffle. Well, here you go: it's song from one of the Melvins albums that actually featured Big Business, (A) Senile Animal. It's an excellent record, easily in their top tier of records.