No Age, "Life Prowler"
As always, Five Songs is a pro-duo place, which is something we feel compelled to mention every single time one comes up. It's just one of our loveable quirks, like not knowing shit about jazz or using the royal we, but only inconsistently! Shoddy, rushed writing, or deliberate, stylistic choice? Nobody knows!
Solids, "Cold Hands"
Another duo! Solids only made this one album, 2013's Blame Confusion, but it's a ripper. If you like what you hear, you're in for a treat!
The Cows, "Walks Alone"
Some punk bands tighten up and lose some of their magic. A looseness or roughness in their sound is part of the alchemy that makes things work, and losing that often removes some of the magic. It's why so many punk bands' first record is their best record. But for the Cows, they really hit their peak when they did tighten up. The previous four records were all over the place - not devoid of their highlights, but also a mess and not always in a good way. But by Cunning Stunts, their sound was so much tighter that you realized they could sling some seriously good songs, and they made their best record and one of the best Amphetamine Reptile Records releases of all.
Samiam, "Don't Break Me"
Samiam decided to open up their fourth album, Billy, with one of the biggest songs on the record, bucking the trend at the time of ending records with a showstopper. It's an interesting choice that lends a bit of a strange feel to the record, it almost feels like you just looped it on repeat. It's a great record, though. And, of course, it actually still ends on a song even bigger than this one, which is impressive.
Firewater, "Some Strange Reaction"
Man, I miss Firewater. I wish Tod Ashley would put out a new album!