I'm considering doing the occasional "Five Songs Special", where I choose an artist I love and pick five songs from them that best tell that artist's story. Good idea? Bad? Totally fail to let me know! Today's music is over here.
Another note: when we have an artist that has appeared before, I'm going to skip basic background stuff. I think that makes sense, because I provide the "previously" links if anybody jumps into the middle and wants to know more about an artist.
Easy Big Fella, "Mom and Dad"
I always know something is not well known when it's not already on Youtube. Pre-Moon Ska Easy Big Fella qualifies for sure. This is, in a lot of ways, a very typical third-wave song, with the ensemble horn parts really driving the song forward.
Boss Hog, "Bug Purr"
Boss Hog is one of several bands that ultimately trace back to the destruction of Pussy Galore. We've encountered Royal Trux before. Here, this is the other side of the family tree, the Jon Spencer side. Boss Hog is his band with Cristina Martinez (also of Pussy Galore) and a rotating cast of folks. Boss Hog was actually the first band that Spencer formed after Pussy Galore, but was quickly overshadowed by the much stronger Jon Spencer Blues Explosion.
The rule of thumb for Boss Hog records is that the more demure the cover art is, the better the music contained within. This is from Cold Hands, which features Martinez naked albeit strategically positioned, and therefore is towards the worse end of their discography. This song in particular goes nowhere at all.
(NB: the video linked lists the song as "Big Purr", but that seems to be incorrect.)
Dead Rider, "Two Non-fictional Lawyers"
I love the lurching rhythm behind the vocals on this track. It sounds like two different songs playing at the same time sometimes. Also, more songs should probably have cackling on them.
Crudbump, "About To Get Shitty"
We've encountered Drew Fairweather before with HELL ORBS, but here he is with his solo project, Crudbump. Featuring his comedy rap stylings! A lot of these songs manage to be catchy, clever, and deeply, deeply stupid.
The Mae Shi, "7xx7"
The Mae Shi return with another track from the same album, which I have listed as HillyH, but other sources disagree with. This song is a better representation of the hyperactive songs that they usually make.