Introduction
Five Songs, 6/16/2022
Five Songs

Five Songs, 6/16/2022

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Lambchop, "Up With People"

A difficult question to answer is "what is the best Lambchop record?" Part of the problem here is that they've evolved gently over their existence, but don't really have recognizable periods where one could really say that that style is your favorite. Another problem is their consistency, where the albums are pretty uniformly excellent, but there's not really noticeable jumps and dips. It's all a big, good plateau.

But, if I had to answer, I suppose my answer is Nixon? But probably just because I've listened to it more than any others.

Jon Spencer, "Beetle Boots"

This is from Jon Spencer's solo record in 2018, Spencer Sings the Hits, which sounds pretty much exactly like a Jon Spencer solo record in 2018 is going to sound like. He's such a distinctive singer/yelper, and he's got his songwriting groove, and he does what he does. It's not as good as JSBX, there's just not quite the same edge to things, but even Spencer a step down is still plenty fun.

Swingin' Utters, "Picture's Perfect"

The Swingin' Utters cranked out nuts-and-bolts punk rock, wearing their Clash influences on their sleeve, and were perfectly enjoyable if perhaps a bit uninspiring. This is actually the last album of theirs I picked up, and it looks like they just kept chugging along. Maybe they evolved? I probably won't find out.

They Might Be Giants, "Nanobots"

Delightful! A thing that TMBG usually manages to pull is that they can be clever without being cloying. They aren't constantly winking at you, waggling their eyebrows, just begging you to acknowledge their cleverness. They do this because they want to, and it's fun, not for you to be impressed.

Nipsey Hussle, "Status Symbol 3"

Nipsey Hussle's first major release, Victory Lap, would turn out to be his only, as a result of his murder a year later. I didn't really follow his early stuff during his underground phase, so I can really only lament that his life was so tragically cut short.

Joshua Buergel
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