Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, "Niño Diamante"
Oh, hell yes. The piano! The swinging drums! Those horns! Goddamn, y'all.
The Police, "Tea In The Sahara"
I have a pretty simple opinion on the Police: first three albums yes, last two, no. It's really kind of that simple. The energy of the punk-influenced early stuff had finally dissipated entirely by the final album, which was chock-a-block with Dad Rock. That's not to say that I can't enjoy bits of it, but I just don't find myself wanting to listen to it either.
The Revelons, "97 Tears"
I've sung its praises before, but this Ork Records compilation really is a remarkable document of the early punk scene. What is most impressive about it is that the bands hadn't yet locked into any particular patterns. What joins them all together is a time and place, not any particular musical orthodoxy.
NoMeansNo, "Tuck It Away"
From The Worldhood Of The World (As Such). Sometimes NoMeansNo would just pin their ears back and just play pretty straight hardcore. And, of course, they were ridiculously tight. It set off their more elaborate, complex songs to have the occasional bracing blast.
Badly Drawn Boy, "Rachel's Flat"
Just a little interstitial bit from Badly Drawn Boy's soundtrack for About a Boy. Also, a repeat.
Guided by Voices, "Dusted"
The album before the breakthrough Bee Thousand, Vampire on Titus contains a good number of excellent low-fi rock songs, although it can sometimes be difficult to pick things out of the murk.