I think there's something goofy about the shuffle algorithm they're using at Amazon. I've seen it pick the same song from the same band multiple times, and for now, I'm treating that as a glitch and reloading things. I don't consider that cheating. I have to bring you all novel stuff!
Forest Swords, "Panic"
Hey, something pretty new! This was released less than a month ago. Forest Swords makes atmospheric music that invariably sounds like a soundtrack pretty much at all times. I haven't had that much time to delve too deeply into this new album yet, but I like what I hear so far. The horn at the end of this song in particular sounds great.
Built to Spill, "Else"
This time around, we have a song from one of the Built to Spill peak albums. And, as good as this song is, it's not even all that close to the best song on this album ("Carry the Zero", come on down!).
I like thinking about the peak of various bands. It's fun to compare three, four, five, six album peaks of bands and think about who was better. Usually, my rule is that the albums have to be consecutive, but I usually ignore live albums and weirdo passion projects. At any rate, Built to Spill's three album peak is very hard to beat.
Screeching Weasel, "Automatic Rejector"
Underground pop-punk Ramones revivalists Screeching Weasel were a staple of my college years, with their tuneful and snotty tunes being a frequent spin. In a lot of ways, this kind of junk is timeless for the same reason that the actual Ramones are timeless: energy can always keep your attention. As far as Screeching Weasel were concerned, Ben Weasel wrote good songs that got in and out, so that's really all I needed.
Pigs, "Mope"
Noise rockers Pigs are straight out of the Big Black mold, of bullhorn vocals married to plenty of twisted guitar noise. I don't know what went wrong in my teenage years that I can't get enough of this kind of thing, but here we are. I can listen to this style of noise rock all day long.
Public Enemy, "Notice (Know This)"
Public Enemy returns with more late period stuff. I actually really like this beat, as I'm always a sucker for horns. I can't wait for old Public Enemy to show up, though. I'm going to write far too much.
(NB: this song starts at 26:50 in this video)