Torche, "Reverse Inverted"
For how often I mention Torche, it's nice to actually get the band in here. Always loud, always delightful.
Samiam, "Factory"
Just going full-on big rock today. With luck, everything we get will soar, and it'll be a rare feel-good Five Songs list. But, knowing my library, we'll probably get Einstürzende Neubauten mic-ing up a construction site and hammering on it with a ladle instead.
The Slackers, "Wasted Days"
Well, it doesn't exactly soar, but it's still a summery thing, so I'll count it. The spare guitar in the opening, the gentle unison of the sax and the trombone, all leading to Vic Ruggiero's plaintive question is one of my favorite moments by the Slackers. They're willing to just let this languid bouncer cook, resisting the temptation to layer on too much, and it's such a great tune as a result. The hottest it gets is Hillyard's solo, but even there, the extra ornamentation is really just limited to some "oooooohhhs" in the background. And bonus points for Ruggiero's tremendous delivery of the word "sober". Great tune.
Isaac Hayes, "Walk on By"
Another tune that's been sampled a billion times, but it's worthy of visiting the original, because it absolutely smokes. This is the single version, the album version is twelve minutes, maybe we'll get it some day.
Hammers of Misfortune, "Dead Revolution"
Well, it's not exactly the sweet finish we were hoping for, but if we were going to get metal, the campy Hammers of Misfortune were probably the best choice. Anyway, solid set today!