Nice grab bag today. Also, have I mentioned my game is out? It is! Pick up Fox in the Forest from any good hobby store, or online, or wherever! OK, ad is over.
Joanna Newsom, "Cosmia"
Joanna Newsom made a lot of waves in the indie music community with Ys, a folk album driven by Newsom's harp work and her bizarre vocal style. I picked it up to check it out for myself, and I couldn't ever really get past the vocals. Listen for yourself, this track is a good example of what's going on with her music.
Cypress Hill, "Cock The Hammer"
How good is this beat? Goddamn, Muggs could create some crazy shit when he was on. The first two Cypress Hill albums are really, really good, and I kind of feel like they're a bit forgotten. Yeah, everybody remembers B-Real, because he sounded really strange, but really it's all about the beats for me.
Mastodon, "Crack the Skye"
First time we've heard from modern metal masters Mastodon. For a lot of folks for a while there, they were the token metal band that everybody loved. And for good reason - the tremendous technical talents were married to the ability to the ability to write catchy, engaging songs. Melding progressive tendencies with stoner metal, Mastodon went on a four album tear culminating in Crack the Skye, their most complex album, a progression that mirrors Metallica's first four albums ending at ...And Justice For All. Like Metallica, the following album made nods to accessibility, but luckily, Mastodon actually recovered with strong albums after The Hunter.
Anyway, Leviathan is one of the best modern metal records made by anybody, and I recommend it heartily.
DJ Spinna, "Outro"
It's time for another in our irregularly scheduled feature, "Josh Tries To Remember Why He Bought Something". Today's entry: DJ Spinna! I have zero recollection of picking this up. Kind of fun, though.
Oh, this is because I'd liked several albums in this series by DJs!
Firewater, "Is That All There Is?"
Part of their hit-and-miss covers record, Songs We Should Have Written, this is apparently a song performed by Peggy Lee originally. I'm not familiar with the original. Overall, the record is pretty inessential.