Kowloon Walled City, "Diabetic Feet"
This is from the first Kowloon Walled City record, Gambling on the Richter Scale, where they are bringing back that Unsane sound. There's something about that vocal style in particular that really reminds me of that band, which is of course a good thing.
Thou, "Corrupted Sanctum"
Thou contributed some songs to a video game soundtrack, which is kind of a funny phrase. I know absolutely nothing about the game except that it's set in New Orleans, which presumably is how Thou got involved. Anyway, always happy to get new music from them, even if it's a strange delivery like this.
Pavement, "Shady Lane/J vs. S"
This is that classic Pavement sound right here, the sort of thing you'd point to and say "that's what Pavement sounds like". Down to the little stub of a song bolted onto the end of the track. I never really know where to place Brighten the Corners in their discography. It's kind of a safe record compared to their other stuff, but there's nevertheless a lot I like about it. It goes down smooth.
Lootpack, "WhenImOnDaMic"
Madlib's first group Lootpack showed his skill for assembling rubbery bass and jazzy drums right from the jump. While he'd continue refining his craft and just keep getting better and better, he's fun from the beginning.
Ween, "I Play It Off Legit"
A recurring thing we bring up here is how strange the major labels were in the mid-90s in the wake of Nirvana breaking loose. Labels were signing basically anybody, and maybe the best example of that is Ween. This song (from Pure Guava) was released by a major label. Much of the rest of the record is super cracked, juvenile pop, which I suppose has more appeal than mumbled conversation, but the idea that any part of this album would have major appeal is a bizarre one. I suppose the joke is on me, "Push Th' Little Daisies" was something of an MTV success after Beavis and Butthead made fun of it, so what do I know?