Belle & Sebastian, "I Fought In A War"
Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like A Peasant was Belle & Sebastian's first real misstep as a band. Stuart Murdoch ceded a lot of songwriting control to the rest of the band, and the results were not super inspiring. There are some highlights on the record, and I still like it, but there are also too many so-so songs on the album. This song, the opener, is one of the highlights though.
Royal Headache, "High"
There's something very The Jam about this song. And, Royal Headache is a very good name for a band.
Polyrhythmics, "Goldie's Road"
Another track from Seattle's instrumental soul/funk act Polyrhythmics. This comes from Caldera, an excellent record, released last year.
Lawsuit, "Useless Flowers"
This is the song they released as a single, anchoring an excellent five song EP. This is a good demonstration of how Paul Sykes could sound desperate while still being backed up by such a bright sounding band.
Stevie Wonder, "Jesus Children Of America"
From Innervisions, an album from right in the middle of his unearthly early 70s tear. Listen to that funk! Goddamn.