The White Stripes, "Suzy Lee"
From their first, most primitive record, the White Stripes nevertheless still sounded like themselves right from the beginning. Some of that is Jack White's distinctive yelp, some of that is the spare blues, some of it is the plodding drums. But they're instantly recognizable.
Crudbump, "England (Last Year)"
It takes somebody pretty sharp to write something this aggressively dumb.
Bob Marley, "Gonna Get You"
I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before, but I'm crediting everything to Bob Marley even when it's credited to him and the Wailers. I'm erasing the Wailers just to make my categorization easier. That makes me shitty. Always nice to listen to Marley, Wailers or no.
They Might Be Giants, "Till My Head Falls Off"
Are you ready for my VOLCANIC They Might Be Giants take? Factory Showroom is their best album. OH YEAH. Am I just going to drop this take there and then walk away? HELL YES I AM. Because you all know I'm 100% right. (Nobody agrees with me.)
Anyway, it's real good and anybody who stopped listening after Electra dropped them missed the maturation of the band and some really great songs.
Mayer Hawthorne, "You're Not Ready"
See what I mean? This is just pure Motown, but it's also totally delightful. There's a reason why that Motown sound was so popular, and it sure doesn't hurt to have people making stuff in that vein again.