Pavement, "Texas Never Whispers"
Time for a deranged opinion! Specifically: Watery, Domestic, the 1992 EP that Pavement released between Slanted & Enchanted and Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain is, pound for pound, the best Pavement release. Four songs, all killer, and from their peak period. These tracks would end up on various collections, re-issued, re-packaged, re-packaged, but I think it dulls the impact a little bit when they're just mixed into a compilation or are bonus tracks to an anniversary re-release or whatever. You don't necessarily realize that these were all in one place originally. Anyway, it's fantastic, make a playlist of the four songs and have a go or pull it up specifically on Spotify or whatever.
The Packers, "Hole in the Wall"
Charles "Packy" Axton was one of the original members of the Mar-Keys, the legendary house band for Stax records behind so many of the great tunes from that label. Even after departing from Stax, he continued making great music, and Light in the Attic put out a comp in 2011 collecting a bunch of his tunes together. Called Late Late Party 1965-67, it's an essential record if you love that Stax sound. And if you don't love that Stax sound, what are you even doing with yourself?
Amp Fiddler, "Through Your Soul"
Legendary Detroit funk artist Amp Fiddler was part of Parliament/Funkadelic as well as being an early mentor for J-Dilla, so that's plenty of legend for one person. This song comes from his most record, Amp Dog Knights, which I like but don't love. It's certainly pleasant enough to listen to, but I don't crave it.
Consolidated, "Butyric Acid"
You ever keep listening to a band because you think you should like them? They have all the markers of an artist you should dig, and so you keep giving them chance after chance after chance? That's me with Consolidated. An industrial/rap kind of hybrid? On a label like Nettwerk, who also had Skinny Puppy? Plenty of sampling, which I was into at the time? Seemed like they should have been my jam, so I kept getting their records. It took a solid four albums before I decided, no, I didn't really care for them. I even saw them live! Pretty incredible what we can talk ourselves into.
The Beatles, "What Goes On"
I have to be quiet about the fact that I have this band on the blog. Seems like the fastest way to get shut down. Now, lemme go tag them so it's trivial to find!