Ulthar, "Through Downward Dynasties"
Periodically, I kind of take a step back and really try and focus on some of the stuff I listen to, and this is utterly ridiculous. Why do I like any death metal? This is bonkers!
The Beautiful South, "You Keep It All In"
The first Beautiful South record is the peak that the band hasn't ever really approached since. The later records were certainly pleasant enough, and it's all nice to listen to, but there's enough of an edge to the songwriting on the first record that it stands out from the rest. That mix of sweet and sour is an important dynamic, and they manage it at times later on, but never as consistently.
Knocked Loose, "Mistakes Like Fractures"
And back to hardcore! Some serious whiplash today. Maybe some jazz next? Some old Motown?
Earl Van Dyke & The Soul Brothers, "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)"
CALLED IT. I swear I wrote the above before this came on.
This is an instrumental cover of the song that Marvin Gaye made famous, with James Taylor also recording a successful cover of it later. But the instrumental take is nice.
Lotus Thief, "Miseras"
Back to metal, sure, why not. Another San Francisco band playing around with the tropes of black metal, Lotus Thief takes it in more of a space-y kind of direction. There's something more meditative going on here, which makes more sense when you learn that two of the people here come from Botanist, another experimental metal band that similarly explores what is possible within the bounds of metal.