Cheetah Chrome, "Still Wanna Die"
It's been a while since we've had a track from this record. This is from the Ork Records: New York, New York compilation from the Numero Group, which captures the early punk label Ork and the early New York punk scene. There's a ton of really strong material here, and even the stuff that's not great is at least energetic. Just a tremendous compilation.
Consolidated, "You Suck"
Proudly communist rap group Consolidated did everything they could do to try and piss off the troglodytes. In this case, pulling in the Yeastie Girls to guest on the track and rap about oral sex was a move that was pretty far out of the norm for 1992. Given how stiff they usually were on the mic, the guests make this one of the more memorable songs on this record.
Algiers, "Blood"
The menacing bass on this song, thrumming away, underneath the gospel-styled vocals is really a tremendous encapsulation of what Algiers is all about. If you don't like this track, you aren't going to like this band. But I think this is great stuff.
Belle and Sebastian, "Your Secrets"
The early EPs for Belle and Sebastian are, of course, widely recognized as some of their best stuff. And they really are! But, frankly, I think I've listened to the Books single more than any other. It contains the absolutely magnificent "Your Cover's Blown" and then this delightful tune.
The Roots, "100% Dundee"
This cut comes to us from Things Fall Apart, the first album where the Roots really put it all together. The previous couple albums were very good, but this one represented a real leap forward. In particular, the compositions had really become very sophisticated, giving a great platform for Black Thought and Malik B to tear it up.