More news about Fox in the Forest: official street date is July 19th! I'm so excited! Let's listen to music!
Public Enemy, "I Stand Accused"
There's always been a paranoid streak going through Public Enemy's music, reflected in the claustrophobic beats and siege mentality lyrics. It goes back all the way to their first album, and certainly hasn't eased off with later work. This is from the uneven Muse Sick-n-Hour Mess Age, an album rife with that paranoid feel, and which at least still had Chuck sounding authoritative in his rhymes.
Radiohead, "Morning Bell"
I feel like Radiohead has been written about so much that I can't really add that much. I guess my take is pretty simple: OK Computer is a masterpiece, The Bends and Kid A are close, and In Rainbows isn't far behind them. The remainder of their work is usually at least good, but sometimes too self-indulgent to really love.
DJ Q-Bert, "Camel Bobsled Race (DJ Shadow Megamix)"
It's always kind of fun to hear great DJs build each other up. Preemptive Strike was a singles collection from DJ Shadow that was released after Endtroducing got big. This mix was included as a bonus on a second disc, and is probably only really fun if you've listened to Endtroducing as much as I have. But I think it's a good time!
David Grubbs, "Swami Vivekananda Way"
David Grubbs was a member of Squirrel Bait, a seminal underground band that had an outsized influence for a group that few people heard of. He was also in Gastr del Sol, another critic's favorite, making him one of the more important figures in post-rock and experimental rock in the 90s. His solo work keeps going where Gastr del Sol left off, with relatively quiet songs and lots of experimentation around arrangements.
Public Enemy, "Crayola"
Well, it was bound to happen. Anyway, this is from There's a Poison Goin' On, which is the album from their later career that sounds the most like their classic records. This is one of the strongest tracks on the album as well.