2018! This year further helped blur my days together, because I started a new job at a certain Seattle tech giant whose name starts with “A” and ends in “mazon Web Services”. I don’t want to go too far into what that was like, but suffice it to say that it was a high pressure job. Among other things, it erased a lot of my creative energy, which can be seen in the fact that I did no game design during the whole time I was employed there. I just didn’t have it in me. I did do a lot of writing for Five Songs while there, but that was about all I could muster. Among other things, the job had me on-call a fair bit of the time, which can really fuzz your brain. Everything from this time period is just kind of blurry, music included.

Looking at the RateYourMusic chart, I have seven of those in the collection. And while we aren’t that far into this general era, it seems like maybe my music knowledge actually turned to crap in 2017 and not 2012, because we’re still not back to where we were back then. Also, this chart doesn’t seem as weird to me as the 2017 chart, so there’s that at least.

What Are You Listening To, Josh?

A sampling of albums that I’m playing regularly, whether older ones or newer ones. Just the things that I think are worth highlighting, and maybe you’d enjoy.

I will say this: there’s lots of fun stuff I could highlight from 2018. Unfortunately, the album I might have liked the most at the time, You Won’t Get What You Want by Daughters, is one I don’t want to higlight due to allegations against the lead singer. I don’t highlight them below, but Thou had an incredible year, with a very good full-length, three EPs, and even a split EP to go with it. It’s all…well, not fun, I don’t think you can ever describe Thou’s doom as fun, but excellent. What else do we have?

The Optimist, Ryan Porter

You know me by now: I don’t know shit about jazz. But also, I love horns. All kinds of brass. So when I see good reviews of a jazz record led by a trombonist, I’m going to be interested. And yeah, this is great. Porter is playing with a pretty big ensemble here, and I like the fullness of the arrangements. As usual, I might be a big dummy so take this recommendation with all the available salt, but I really like it a lot.

Burnt Sugar, Gouge Away

This might be a well-known record, I don’t really know. I feel like it’s certainly well-known among noise rock enthusiasts, but maybe it didn’t get a lot of visibility outside that august group of dorks. I do feel like when their follow-up record finally emerged in 2024, it was a big deal (relatively speaking), which suggests that this record was pretty popular. At any rate, it’s a latter-day noise rock classic, with the band operating in that classic Amphetamine Reptile Records kind of mode. Just listen to “Slow Down” and picture that song appearing on a Dope-Guns-‘N-Fucking in the Streets comp next to a God Bullies track. Needless to say, I think this rules.

Everything’s Fine, Jean Grae & Quelle Chris

Jean Grae and Quelle Chris, both excellent artists on their own and also partners, got together to release a really amazing record. It’s interesting for so many reasons: Grae and Chris have pretty different styles but are able to merge them, there’s a ton of cultural commentary on here that manages to not come across as leaden or preachy, they do a great job of weaving in guest artists including some comedians, there are some found sound bits that almost sound like Negativland, it all just works so well together. It’s a unique record, there’s nothing else quite like it, give it a spin.

Humble Pi, Homeboy Sandman & Edan

I’m throwing in a bonus album here because it was painful to cut it down to just three. This EP is notable because Edan, one of my very favorite producers, doesn’t have that many credits after his 2005 opus Beauty and the Beat. So when this album came out in 2018, it was an event for me. And it didn’t disappoint, Edan still has it, and Homebody Sandman does a fine job on top of the beats.

Screw It, We’re Skipping New Releases Today And Sticking With 2018

Templates and segments are all fine and good, but I want to stay in 2018 and talk about some more records. Who is gonna stop me? You? You’re barely reading this!

I Have Fought Against It, But I Can’t Any Longer., The Body

The Body are one of the most inventive bands around. They’re also one of the hardest to describe, given the breadth of sounds they’ve employed over the years. Add in their frequent collaborations with other bands and they’re difficult to pin down. The only thing you can really say about them for sure is that their music is going to be heavy. Their 2018 release is no exception. I think it can be easy to go pretty far with descriptions with heavy music. Hell, the other day, I described Uniform as “scary”. And, you know, that’s kind of a relative term, I guess. Well, here’s a nice adjective for this record: harrowing. It’s full of eerie samples, dour rhythms, shrieking, and all kinds of other unsettling stuff. It’s all carefully put together to create a very dark space, and it’s just a super impressive record all around. This album sounds like a toothache feels. Nobody does it like them.

Close But No Cigar, Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio

We love funk/soul trios around here, and if they’re from Seattle, you know that we have to bring them up. DLO3 has ties to a bunch of other acts, including the previously covered Parlor Greens as well as the True Loves, who I’m sure will come up at some point. I think you know about what to expect here: instrumental funk and soul with breezy organ, and I suppose there’s no real surprises here. Really, the question is if this stuff will groove. Reader, it sure does. The formula works, and they execute it great here. This is ideal summer music, so put it on and chill out.

Jericho Sirens, Hot Snakes

Yeah, I know, I brought up Rick Froberg the other day but this is my blog so I get to write about whatever I want. And what I want is to pay respects to the last album that Froberg ever put out. Hot Snakes got together again and put out this album fourteen years after their previous (incredible!) record, Audit in Progress. And they didn’t lose a step in the intervening time. This is abrasive post-hardcore, always centered around the dual guitar attack of Froberg and John Reis alongside Froberg’s unmistakable howl. I expect everybody reading this is probably familiar with Drive Like Jehu and Hot Snakes, but just in case, get on it. This album is a perfectly good starting place to the latter band.

Five Random Songs

Yes, it’s the “classic” five random songs format. It’s been told before on this blog many times, but basically, on an old forum, people would post the last five songs their shuffle pulled up. I liked it, so I made it into a blog. And now, here we are.

Playlist is available here!

“…and Still I Wander South”, Knocked Loose

The usual caveat here: genre descriptions are blurry, especially in metal and other extreme music. But: I see a lot descriptions of Knocked Loose as hardcore, and I do not hear that at all. To me, this is very much metalcore to its, uh, core. All the breakdowns and stuff, all the metal riffing, the vocals, all that stuff. It’s metalcore. I’m not trying to be a purist or anything, but if these genres have any use, it’s to help guide people towards similar bands and to help with navigating through underground music. And calling this hardcore isn’t going to help anything! All right, glad we got that straight. Anyway, I bought this because they were getting a lot of buzz and I discovered something important: I’m still not much of a metalcore guy.

“Dreamland (version)”, Bob Marley & the Wailers

Well, that’s some whiplash right there.

“It’s, And’s and But’s”, Jan Jelinek avec The Exposures

Jan Jelinek is a fascinating artist, using samples to build up tracks that make use of glitches and imperfections to construct really interesting music. Loop-Finding-Jazz-Records is a touchstone in electronic music, a genre-setting record that demonstrates how warm record glitches can be. His followup to that landmark record is this one, La Nouvelle Pauvreté, which I think is a little less abstract but no less warm and pleasant. Jelinek would continue to evolve his sound and eventually get pretty far afield, but the early 2000s records from him are all fantastic.

“Aeons of Spiritual Starvation”, Saevus Finis

You wanted some death metal after that fuzzy sweater of a song, right? Go from that kind of soulful thing to eight zillion kick drums and some guy gurgling from his toes? Well, here you go. This is from a 2024 release, and this for sure is death metal, you betcha. Obviously, I like and listen to stuff like this, but I think that it doesn’t work great in a random playlist. It’s hard to get in and out of the right mood like that. Ah well.

“Pizza For Two”, One Groovy Coconut

Oh, fuck off, Plex.

OK, fine: One Groovy Coconut are a forgotten one-and-done band from Moon Ska, with the record coming out towards the end of that label’s solvency. I actually like this record quite a bit - it’s playful and breezy, and it actually reminds me a fair bit of Elvis Costello’s Imperial Bedroom for some reason. So, if “ska but with tasting notes of lush new wave” sounds good, give this record a spin. You know, if you can find it.

Some Better Places To Learn About Music

Check these folks out, you’ll learn more for sure. In no particular order: To The Teeth, Wolf’s Week/Plague Rages, The Devil’s Mouth, Burning Ambulance, Lamniformes Cuneiform, Hex Records, See/Saw.

Onward to 2017, a year when we entered the broad cultural moment in the US that we still inhabit. Really, in retrospect, we entered it in 2016, but that year (up until November of that year), it was possible to think that it was just something that would pass. Now, in 2026, as we are in year eleven of Trump’s dominance of the American landscape, it’s hard to not feel like we’ve been trapped a loop the whole time. And so it is with music. I know, of course, that stuff came out in different years. But it all just blurs together to me a bit. I expect to actually be surprised by what year some of these records came out, as it’s all just kind of the same smear of “some time during the Trump years”. That whole notion, of course, was accentuated by the pandemic happening right in the middle of it all, which further increased that “all days are the same” feeling. I’m not the first person to observe this, of course, but it struck me as I was trying to get a fix on 2017 here.

Well, let’s have a look at the RateYourMusic chart. We have a new low! I only have 3 of these in the collection (Kendrick Lamar, Vince Staples, MIKE). It is a bit of a strange list, though. I’ve never heard of Mach-Hommy until just this moment, and they have four albums on the chart. There’s a Rakhmaninov record on here at #5. Lots of stuff I don’t recognize on there, actually. Maybe something weird was going on with RYM in 2017? Maybe I’m just a bozo? I’m curious what 2018 will look like. Ah well!

What Are You Listening To, Josh?

A sampling of albums that I’m playing regularly, whether older ones or newer ones. Just the things that I think are worth highlighting, and maybe you’d enjoy.

Wake In Fright, Uniform

What does it mean for music to be scary? When I was thirteen, fourteen, I would regularly look at an album cover, or a band name, or even just an album title and think to myself “this is going to scare the shit out of me.” Just the surface details of a release could induce little shivers in me. It didn’t stop me from trying stuff, and in fact I kept kind of deliberately chasing that feeling. Nevertheless, some of this stuff seemed pretty scary to a kid exploring what music could be. “Millions of Dead Cops”? Holy shit, man!

That, of course, went to the wayside as I got older. Those initial aesthetics might interest me, of course, because they can be signifiers that help guide you towards what the music sounds like, or they might give you a clue as to the taste of the artist, or whatever. You can definitely judge a cultural product by its cover is what I’m saying. Never goes wrong! But do I find album covers or the surface aesthetics of music scary? No, of course not. So again: what does it mean for music to be scary? Because whatever it is, Uniform has it.

The timbres they use on everything are just menacing. The pacing of the songs builds you towards a spot where you are feeling anxious. The abrasive vocals sound threatening. Every part of this is constructed to put you off-balance. Uniform are experts at making music that sounds scary and that rules.

I also want to talk about industrial here. When I was in high school, I discovered Nine Inch Nails, which led to industrial dance, like Front 242 and Nitzer Ebb, industrial metal like Ministry, plain ol’ industrial like Einstürzende Neubauten, and to weirdos associated with industrial like Foetus and Skinny Puppy. It was a very fertile family of music to investigate, including learning about noise rock stuff through this avenue via the discovery of Big Black. There was a fair bit of that whole scene that was pretty corny, especially some of the self-serious ends of industrial dance as well as the “ain’t I a stinker” kind of industrial metal stuff. That corniness eventually brought the attention away from industrial, especially when Nirvana and grunge focused so many people on authenticity.

But there’s a lot of great stuff that came out of the scene, and even though music fans turned against it, I’ve always wanted it to come back. And it has been of late, with artists like Uniform taking the best parts and making something new. Just like with the third wave of ska, just because a scene was mocked for the excesses at the time doesn’t mean that there wasn’t some genuinely interesting stuff going on, and a re-appraisal will reveal lots of great things to build upon. Anyway, Uniform rules, this album rules, go listen. And if you like it, you’re in for a treat - they’ve been very consistently good and even have some excellent collaborations with people like The Body and Boris.

Packs, Your Old Droog

Kicking off with the psychedelic and psychotic “G.K.A.C.”, Packs really comes out of the gates swinging. If that were the only track that really stood out, it would still be at least a notable release. But that’s not all that is going on with this record. Working with a variety of producers but primarily RTNC and E. Dan (not to be confused with Edan, who also appears here as a rapper and producer), YOD is backed up by Madlib-adjacent, cracked beats that work really well for me. I was complaining about 2001-era producing the other day, and it’s because it all sounds so much more lifeless compared to something like this. Those 2001 beats were just an inert frame on which to hang rhymes, not full participants in the song. Anyway, this album is excellent front to back.

Greasy Listening, The Du-Rites

Jay Mumford (aka J-Zone) had a crisis with music in 2008. His album that year sold 47 copies in its first month, and it was the trigger for finally leaving a music career that had been trending downward for years. He ended up writing a book about it (which is where that 47 copy anecdote comes from), but an interesting thing happened from there. He actually ended up taking up the drums, and after working hard and learning his craft, he not only put out two (pretty fun!) rap records where he was on the kit, it led him into a second act as a funk musician. He hooked up with Pablo Martin (Tom Tom Club) to form the Du-Rites and set out to make that second career happen. The first Du-Rites record was fun, but it was on this 2017 release that I feel like they hit their stride. Greasy Listening is loose and fun, with songs that could fit alongside stuff like the early work from the Meters. Which is to say: I love it. With five studio albums, a live record, an EP and a ton of singles, there’s a lot to explore if you like this, but I think this record is an excellent starting point. Jay has also gone on to play with folks like Adrian Quesada (including a separate trio with him), Ben Pirani, and having some of his breakbeats being used by Danger Mouse.

Let’s Talk New Releases

Records come out every week, and there’s no way to stay on top of them. This isn’t a comprehensive look at everything, just a few things that have caught my ears out of recent releases. Any impressions here are very early!

Dream, Gentilesky

The music critic style book insists that I use adjectives like “nervy”, “wiry”, or “taut” to describe music like this, stuff derived from the branch of the post-punk family tree featuring Wire and Gang of Four. And, you know, it’s easy to see how we all arrived at that consensus. (Notice the sly inclusion of myself in the community of music critics, as if my inept scribbling here justifies me being anything other than mocked.) There’s not really any wasted space in this music, and the pace and treble-y noises certainly suggest something wiry. Or something that gets on your nerves? Anyway. If you like that branch of post-punk, you’ll like this, it’s fun stuff.

How to Make a Breakfast, Land Whales

Often times, I don’t know a ton about these new records I put in here. I might know the label (for instance, I found Gentlesky by looking at releases from Slovenly Recordings). I might see a recommendation from a mailing list or blog or whatever. That’s a lot of what I find, honestly. I might find it from looking at tags on Bandcamp. It’s a pretty random walk. But if I learn about an act from most of those places, I’ll at least learn a little bit about the band as part of it. Land Whales? Nope, I have nothing. They’re Cuban, I think. Anyway, this shit rules, mostly noise rock with some no-wave touches here and there, such as the first couple minutes. That’s what I have for you: please check this album out.

Fight Another Day, Dimension

The hardcore EPs will continue until morale improves.

Five Random Songs

Yes, it’s the “classic” five random songs format. It’s been told before on this blog many times, but basically, on an old forum, people would post the last five songs their shuffle pulled up. I liked it, so I made it into a blog. And now, here we are.

Playlist is available here!

“Time’s Not on My Side”, Dude York

Seattle trio Dude York play Big Rock. It’s not punk, it’s just pretty straight-ahead rock, played with big guitars and…well, look. It sounds like Weezer. It’s an inescapable comparison. It’s not just me. It’s fine. Anyway, this is the album closer for Sincerely.

“For Crumbs We Crawl”, Abandon

We’re in Sweden here for this one, an album from 2009 and…I can’t really do this. I can confirm that I bought this in 2022, and I’m sure it was from some retrospective roundup, but this is one that slipped through the cracks, I think. It happens every now and again, and I could fake knowing something about this album, but I don’t, not really. Don’t remember why I bought it, don’t remember listening to it, and this track doesn’t give us much of a clue because it’s clearly just the intro to the second disc of this record, which features a thirteen minute song and a seventeen minute song next. So, you know: never let it be said that I’m not willing to look like an idiot! I’ll listen to this when I’m done writing this entry.

“Resisting Resistance”, Maruja

Maruja play something that sits somewhere between free jazz, noise rock, and maybe some post-punk. If you’re saying that that sounds like something I’d be interested in, you’re right! I wish I loved it more than I do, though. There are improvised elements to things, and I think that the jazz frame kind of plays against the noise rock side of things. It’s an interesting hybrid, and I’ll keep checking them out, but I don’t totally feel like they’ve quite put all the pieces together for me.

“Pressure 24”, The Adjusters

The Adjusters played a very soul-inflected version of ska that was a fun change from what some of the other bands at the time played. They put out three records, and things really came together the most on the second record, After the Revolution. The biggest highlight of the record is Jessica Basta and Joan Axthelm’s vocals, but the entire record is a fun listen. It’s one of the more distinctive records of the third wave, and it’s definitely worth checking out if you like this tune.

“I’m A Coward”, They Might Be Giants

This is one of the best tunes on Glean, the 2015 record that contained songs from the Dial-A-Song project where they did a weekly song release for all of 2015. There were multiple records that came out of things, and they’re all a little bit scattered and a bit uneven, but there are for sure some nice tunes mixed in.

Some Better Places To Learn About Music

Check these folks out, you’ll learn more for sure. In no particular order: To The Teeth, Wolf’s Week/Plague Rages, The Devil’s Mouth, Burning Ambulance, Lamniformes Cuneiform, Hex Records, See/Saw.

Well, that’s more than a month of the reboot, 10 of these things, and it’s still feeling pretty good and sustainable. I even have a few subscribers on the email version. Not bad! The format seems pretty doable, and I dunno, it’s nice to be writing (“writing”) about music again. But I’ll throw it out there: anything you’d like me to change? I anticipate nobody responding to this, which is fine. There’s nowhere for you to tell me anything anyway!

Anyway, let’s have a look at 2016. I…have no real recollections of music in 2016 that distinguishes it from the surrounding years. We’re past the point where I was able to perceive trends in popular music. It had really become none of my business, frankly. I was now past 40, well beyond when I should care about trends in any kind of culture. This is the year that I suddenly started to have to wear glasses full-time in order to be able to see properly, and that’s quite a wake-up call that you’re old. While I’ve ruminated before that continuing to challenge yourself with new music is critical in order to avoid sinking into a morass of Muzak-adjacent, lowest common denominator Advanced Music Substitute, that doesn’t mean you have to stay in touch with whatever the kids are listening to. It would be unseemly to try. Why would I want to? Kids exist in a totally different cultural context than I do, even the ones living in this house, and I should expect that their musical tastes would be different from mine. ALSO WORSE.

Anyway, the path is to just keep trying to learn more about the stuff I am intrigued by. In 2016, I was really going pretty far into metal. There was plenty of new, interesting stuff to learn about with metal, there were blogs and newsletters I could follow, and it all seemed pretty satisfying and interesting. So that’s what I did. Those plus some judicious perusals of year-end lists to see what I might have missed out in other areas seemed to serve me well. And to help others, I put a list of newsletters I really like at the end of this. It’s not all I follow with regard to music, but I figure shouting out some folks might help somebody out there. And hey, one of those people down below reads this thing!

What Are You Listening To, Josh?

A sampling of albums that I’m playing regularly, whether older ones or newer ones. Just the things that I think are worth highlighting, and maybe you’d enjoy.

2016! A land of mystery! Who knows what it contains! (Music that sounds like a leaf blower pointed at a pile of empty soda cans, at least in my collection.) Continuing the tradition, this is the Rate Your Music list from 2016. I have 10 of these in the collection, so a little up from the previous year. As for what’s actually in the library, let’s check some highlights, randomly: new Andrew Bird record, the Avalanches returned after a sixteen year hiatus, clipping. released an album that got nominated for a Nebula, De La Soul came back, so did the Descendents, Radiohead released a boring record, some other stuff happened. Here are three records I want to write about.

We got it from Here… Thank You 4 Your service, A Tribe Called Quest

I think that The Low End Theory is the best hip-hop record of all time. I haven’t always thought that way. For a long time I would have picked Public Enemy’s undeniable It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back, which is of course also great. But The Low End Theory has continued to serve as a constant companion to me, the incredibly cool jazzy beats and easy camaraderie of Q-Tip and Phife serving as not only as an amazing artistic statement but also an incredible hang. Their followup was almost as good, and given the rest of their work, they staked out a claim as one of the best bands in hip-hop. Their discography felt like a complete career to me. They didn’t break up too early, but instead just downed their tools, their work together complete. The members did have other things they did in the intervening years, and even got together for some shows, and then it came to an end. Phife passed in early 2016, and it was a genuinely sad moment, a giant passing on. Even though he passed far too young, it didn’t seem like he had left behind any untied musical threads.

And then, somehow, in November of 2016, a miracle: a new Tribe record appeared. How was this possible? My first thought was simply that there’s no way it would be any good. They had had various false starts towards albums over the past, and knowing that Phife had passed before the project was complete led me to think that the end result would also feel unfinished. But no: using what they already had on tape, the rest of the band carried the ball over the finish line. And it’s not just merely “good, considering the circumstances” or “good”, but it’s great. It not only sits proudly with the rest of their discography, but probably is their third-best record, which is an astounding achievement. The joy at hearing them back together, with new, fun material, is really unlike basically anything else I’ve had in music. There have been some bands that have come back after a long hiatus like this, including some bands I love, and the results have been mixed. Some examples: the Pixies went 22 years between records, but Indie Candy doesn’t have Kim Deal (and isn’t great). Hum went 22 years and Inlet is excellent. Mission of Burma went 21 years and ONoffON is also excellent. Mclusky went 20 years and didn’t miss a step. SWANS disappeared for 13 years before coming back as good as they ever were. So there’s precedent. But none of those good examples hit me the same way.

The closest in emotional impact is probably my beloved Jesus Lizard, which went 26 years between Blue and Rack (which is a very good time), and while I adore the Jesus Lizard and would assert that around the time of Goat and Liar, they were the best band on the planet, it still didn’t quite spark the emotions that Tribe did. I cannot say enough nice things about this album showing up and far exceeding my expectations. What a treasure.

WORRY., Jeff Rosenstock

I can’t prove it, but this is probably the album I’ve listened to the most from 2016. Jeff Rosenstock’s third album released under his own name is his best work, although I have extreme fondness for Ska Dream as well. WORRY. is a sentimental record. Songs like “We Begged 2 Explode”, “Staring Out the Window At Your Old Apartment”, or “To Be a Ghost…” are unabashedly emotional tunes, and it’s a stronger record for the inclusion of tunes like them among the more uptempo punk numbers. There’s even some very Bomb The Music Industry! (Jeff’s previous band) coded stuff, like “Rainbow”. I can’t really describe it as eclectic exactly, because it’s all enthusiastic punk or punk-adjacent stuff. But Jeff works in a lot of modes and tempos on here, and it does feel varied as a result. It’s a gem, and a fantastic entry point for one of the most consistent and longest-running voices in punk.

Whatever Forever, Oozing Wound

I’m a sucker for times when labels play against type. You know, like Matador releasing records from the Arsonists. I know that Thrill Jockey Records has had a wide list of artists, and it’s unfair to pigeonhole them or anything. But also, come on, they’re “the post-rock label”. Tortoise, Trans Am, the Sea and Cake, Isotope 217, hard for me to look past that. And that’s even knowing that they released stuff like Gaunt’s (great!) records! They’re still a post-rock label. Or at any rate, maybe a “post-stuff” label. Brainy, in short.

So it delights me that they release Oozing Wound’s albums, including this one, a bruising, sludge-inflected thrash record that is one of the metal releases I keep coming back to from this year. I don’t think it breaks any new ground or anything. It doesn’t. It’s a comfortable listen, and it riffs my brain into a comfortable place. There were lots of really fascinating metal releases from this year - Plebian Grandstand had a great album (later eclipsed by their audacious 2021 release which we’ll talk about when we get there), Inter Arma release a great album, Wormed released…a Wormed record, Gorguts had another great one, Hammer of Misfortune put out a fun record. But this is the one I probably listen to the most from that year.

Let’s Talk New Releases

Records come out every week, and there’s no way to stay on top of them. This isn’t a comprehensive look at everything, just a few things that have caught my ears out of recent releases. Any impressions here are very early!

J.C. Thomaz and the Missing Slippers, J.C. Thomaz and the Missing Slippers

Thanks goes to the latest Wolf’s Week for this grimy slab of garage rock. I was sold once I hit track two, “My Cocaine”, where the guitars go in and out of phase with each other. Like all great garage rock, there’s plenty of imperfection to remind you that this was made by people playing together, and not carefully assembled from pristine parts. But, like, the right kind of imperfection. I desperately try and avoid just referring to “vibes” around here, because “vibes” has become an all-purpose explanation for why things are good or bad that fails to explain anything. That’s not great! But, you know…sometimes things are just vibes based.

Inna Soul Steady Situation, Joey Quiñones

Any Colemine Records release is always worth checking out, with an extremely long list of excellent records. I got up this morning and decided to go through some open tabs with music I wanted to check out. I got to this album, hit play on the first track, and was putting it in my Bandcamp cart within seconds. It’s not just that I’m a sucker for rocksteady, although I very much am. It’s also how much it sounds like something that could have come from Studio One. There’s a huge amount of warmth to everything, the way all the instruments sound, the way they play off against each other. The way the drums are tuned and recorded, the separation between the bass and guitar, it’s all just an aesthetic package that wants to give you a big hug. It’s not all rocksteady, there’s also some languid soul in here, but that’s OK, it’s all still music designed to make you happy.

Iron Foot, Poise

Yeah, it’s another hardcore EP. I think it’s healthy mixing these things in with the other records, and they’re short enough that you can get that blast of adrenaline and move on. Anyway, I like the little solos in this one, it’s fun.

Five Random Songs

Yes, it’s the “classic” five random songs format. It’s been told before on this blog many times, but basically, on an old forum, people would post the last five songs their shuffle pulled up. I liked it, so I made it into a blog. And now, here we are.

Playlist is available here!

“Smokin’”, Nas

This album was hard to listen to critically at the time given the whole saga with Nas and Jay-Z that overshadowed everything else. In fact, even today, decades on, this is still “the album with ‘Ether’ on it”. So, if you try and set aside that context and just take the album on its merits, ignoring as best we can “Ether” and its place in rap history, how is it? Well, it’s good but not great. It’s very much a cliche to say something like “it’s not Illmatic”, but, you know, that album casts a long shadow. The truth is that I don’t really like style of beats from hip-hop around this time, and the beats on this album are undistinguished among that lot at best. Nas is very good on the mic, though, and it can be a pleasure to just kind of listen to him doing his thing. I haven’t listened to all his albums so I can’t make a very strong recommendation for what you should listen to, but he did have an album with DJ Premier last year that I liked. If you are mostly in this to hear someone be a masterful MC, I think you can have a good time with any of Nas’s records.

“Somebody More Like You”, Nickel Creek

By the time they arrived at their third album, describing Nickel Creek as a bluegrass group feels wrong. While they could still obviously play bluegrass when they wanted, such as with “Scotch & Chocolate” or “Stumptown”, the album scans to me more in the realm of indie rock than bluegrass. But given the skill with which they approach things, especially the singing, it’s kind of a singular indie rock record. And that’s without even mentioning the instrumentation. If you’re a fan of, say, Andrew Bird’s more rock-ish moments, you should definitely try this album. Even that comparison doesn’t quite capture things, though. It’s a lovely, special record and I very highly recommend it.

“Please Spare The Jokes”, MU330

This is little quickie from the final MU330 album, Ultra Panic. It feels a little goofy to write too much of a bio for such a short track, but MU330 (named after the class where the members met) were ska-punk stalwarts of the third wave, with six studio records (one of them a Christmas record!) and a live album across the 90s. Generally, the later you get, the better with them, and they turned in mostly solid work. If you’re a big ska-punk fan, you should dig into them.

“Drippy”, No Age

I’ve called out the bankruptcy of the rhetorical trick of “underrated”, so let’s identify another one: the “nobody talks about” assertion. This is related to calling a band underrated, as it again sets the tastes of the writer (virtuous, knowledgeable, nuanced) against everybody else (base, ignorant, shallow). And it is just as hollow. Just talk about the band! There are a zillion bands out there, they can’t all be topics of discussion, so just open it up! “Nobody is talking about” is just a substitute for “I forgot about” in the end.

Anyhoo, I had forgotten about No Age! Noise pop out of Los Angeles, they were incredibly consistent across their albums, with six studio records and a compilation across fifteen years of activity. This is right from the middle of their output, the fourth studio album, and even though there was a bit of a time gap between this and the prior An Object, it didn’t miss a step. It’s just really solid stuff, and if you’re looking for something really fuzzy and a bit noisy but outside of the grimier noise rock frame, this is a great choice.

“Dark Center of the Universe”, Modest Mouse

Huh, Lamniformes Cuneiform just covered this album, but this part of the blog is random, so I take what I get. I swear, I’m not ripping him off! Anyway, I’m fundamentally a The Lonesome Crowded West guy, although I do like all four of the first Modest Mouse records for different reasons. I know multiple people that consider this their finest record, with the extra sheen from the major label production helping things be a little easier to digest. Anyway, Modest Mouse: you know what they sound like. Also, apparently there are a couple albums from them I was unaware of.

Some Better Places To Learn About Music

Check these folks out, you’ll learn more for sure. In no particular order: To The Teeth, Wolf’s Week/Plague Rages, The Devil’s Mouth, Burning Ambulance, Lamniformes Cuneiform, Hex Records.

In addition to my slow walk through the 2010s, I have a Music League going right now that is going through the 90s. I hadn’t really connected the two things together particularly, which seems like a goofy thing to not realize, but it’s actually kind of the same process. A thing that struck me is how much more able I am to place when I bought a record and when it came out when I’m thinking about the 90s. I’ve realized that it’s the physicality of the purchasing process. Maybe that’s obvious, but for every record I bought in the 90s, I purchased a physical object. Most of them were bought at a record store, where I had to take a trip, look through bins, and decide to make the purchase. Yes, some of them were purchased online (miss you, CDNow!), but that was towards the end of the decade. My very first purchase on Amazon was an import of Hard Normal Daddy and Big Loada in 1998. So for most of the decade, there was much more effort and ritual involved in buying music. And as a consequence, I can remember those purchases much more.

While I was still mostly buying CDs in 2010, it was mostly online purchases, and by 2013 I had transitioned to entirely buying digitally. So for that decade, purchasing music was a matter of pushing a button on a web page. Where was I? Either at work or at home, pretty much always. There was no digging through bins, no looking at cover art to try and figure out what a thing was, no looking through the suggestions from the people working at the store. Just a click.

Looking at that timeline, and specifically when I did transition to digital purchases, I’m kind of realizing that maybe I wasn’t especially out of touch with music or anything like that in 2013. I was just alienated from the whole process. I should really hang out in record stores more.

What Are You Listening To, Josh?

A sampling of albums that I’m playing regularly, whether older ones or newer ones. Just the things that I think are worth highlighting, and maybe you’d enjoy.

I’m going to take a break from the 2010s to take a short detour through some 1995 records, because that’s what I was looking at earlier for Music League, and I had a couple albums I wanted to talk about.

The Practice of Joy Before Death, Pond

First of all, this is the Pond from Portland in the 90s, not the Pond associated with Tame Impala from the 2010s and 20s. I do not acknowledge the Fake Pond here. Note that many music sites you might look at get confused by the two bands. For example, Allmusic correctly separates Australian Pond but the Amazon Music widget on there is all songs from Portland Pond.

Anyway, Pond formed in Portland, signed to Sub Pop, put out a couple excellent records for them, got a major label contract from Sony despite not being big (it was the mid 90s), put out another great record for Sony, and that was that. I don’t know much in the way of biographical details beyond that, just what the music was. Unlike some of the grunge peers at the time, there was a freshness to their stuff, a willingness to not be dour all the time that stood out for me. This one, their middle record from 1995, is a fantastic listen, with songs that sound pretty varied from each other, and sound to me more like post-punk than the punk/metal/garage hybrid that was more of the grunge stock in trade. The headliner here is “Glass Sparkles In Their Hair”, a song that I first encountered thanks to a copy of the single at WRCT, and it’s genuinely hair-raising. The repetitive chord kicking things off, the way the drums come in, it’s just tension right from the jump and doesn’t let up. Genuinely a contender for the best song of the grunge era.

Not that anybody heard it. I don’t know that the Sub Pop records made much of an impact (I really liked ’em!), and Sony put a really half-assed push behind Rock Collection, but it didn’t take. It’s a shame, because the band did excellent work, but we never got more from them. Give this record a listen, and use it as a reminder that the grunge scene was actually quite varied in practice, and not just choleric grunting and combat frowning.

Clouds Taste Metallic, The Flaming Lips

Because apparently the way I think about bands is in terms of eras, let’s talk about the Flaming Lips. They have been around for ages (their first album came out forty years ago!), and so there have evolved a lot. As always, this is crude and stupid, but then again, so is this blog. The first three records (Hear It Is, Oh My Gawd!!!…The Flaming Lips, Telepathic Surgery) are The Early Years, where the band was a mess. They’re all over the map, their influences all get kind of dragged out and waved around, and everything is just kind of strung out. The next stage is the Actual Band Years, when the band actually got their shit together and started making records with a point. This is the four record stretch from In A Priest Driven Ambulence, Hit To Death in the Future Head, Transmissions From The Satellite Heart, up to today’s album, Clouds Taste Metallic. Somehow, Warner Bros signed them during this time (the last three of these were all on major labels), and somehow it even worked as “She Don’t Use Jelly” was an unexpected hit. This sounds impossible, but the song was on an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210.

These four records had Wayne Coyne in full cracked bloom, had all kinds of psychedelic wandering, but they were still largely using a rock frame, and they were legible as a rock band. Ronald Jones and Steven Drozd joining for the last two albums in particular took the band up to another level. Clouds Taste Metallic is very much the culmination of a long arc encompassing both of these eras. They went about as far as they could go in this incarnation, and this album is a masterpiece. If you’re mostly familiar with the later phases of the band (for the record: The Orchestrated Years covering The Soft Bulletin through At War With the Mystics and the Exploration Years after that), this is the record to start with.

I don’t know if the turn away from rock drove Ronald Jones away, or if his departure caused the band to move in that direction, but either way, there’s a major point of demarcation to the point that it’s basically two different bands. To explore the years that are more rock, listen to this record and move backwards until you get tired of the bullshit.

Tin Toy, Crackerbash

When I think about Pond, I invariably think about Crackerbash. They’re even less well-known, but they were active at the same time, with this EP coming out the same year as Pond’s first record. Crackerbash didn’t last as long, with only one full-length release, a handful of singles, and then this EP. They never signed to a major label, never really got much attention, they just released these tunes and then were gone. But, this EP doesn’t deserve to be forgotten, it’s such a ripper. Scott Fox’s bass is the star here, along with Kurt Bloch’s excellent production centering it. The songs all sound urgent and frantic, setting you on edge from the very moment that “A Song For Lon Mabon” barrels in. It doesn’t really let up from there, but “Bandages” deserves mention as another highlight, a song that starts out with almost a Slint vibe before turning up the heat.

Music is littered with stuff like this, where people came together to make a basically perfect record that gets lost to the years. The best I can do is hold the ones I know of up to the light.

Let’s Talk New Releases

Records come out every week, and there’s no way to stay on top of them. This isn’t a comprehensive look at everything, just a few things that have caught my ears out of recent releases. Any impressions here are very early!

Santa Plaga, Screaming Fist

Convulse Records continues the hot streak of hardcore EPs. I talked about Yambag’s EP in the first rebooted Five Songs post and then Urban Sprawl a little while ago. And now here’s another one. Eight minutes, five songs, shreds. What am I going to say?

Bleak Days Ahead, Pure Wrath

Bleak days ahead indeed! This is black metal, pretty purely, out of Indonesia, about the destruction wrought by capitalism. Fun times! As usual for black metal, I can wear out pretty fast without some variation, but they have that for sure. Those breaks from the pummeling gives you something to hang on to as you internalize the rest of it. I don’t listen to a ton of black metal these days, but this is a winner, I think.

Heaven Was Wild, Hey Colossus

Hey Colossus has changed an awful lot over the decades. I haven’t really followed them that whole time, and in fact, in the library, I have this record and their first record, Project: Death from 2007. They sound like totally different bands! Which, I suppose, makes some sense. From being a clear noise rock band to more of a post-punk, post-hardcore kind of thing today, it’s kind of fun to listen to the records back-to-back. I might try and fill in the gaps.

Five Random Songs

Yes, it’s the “classic” five random songs format. It’s been told before on this blog many times, but basically, on an old forum, people would post the last five songs their shuffle pulled up. I liked it, so I made it into a blog. And now, here we are.

Playlist is available here!

“Purge”, Frameworks

I’m sure I heard somewhere that this was something like “melodic hardcore” which probably sounded like a good idea to me, but I dunno, man. Allmusic uses that description, and poking around at a few other reviews of this record, lots of “hardcore” in those descriptions. This doesn’t at all scan as hardcore to me, it’s not fast enough. Post-hardcore? Yeah, sure. What are we calling Touché Amoré these days? This is that. Genres are stupid.

Anyway, this is fine.

“Rain”, The Beatles

These Beatles lads might go somewhere one day!

“Ataksija”, Vlasta Popić

Hell yeah, now we are cookin’. Some delicious noise rock out of Croatia, I know basically nothing about this other than what’s on the Bandcamp page, but this smokes. I guess I did know some shit in 2015!

“Zasypia”, Gorycz

And now we’re ten years later and in Poland. Once again, I know what’s on the Bandcamp page (which is basically nothing), and I don’t remember where I found out about this. This is more towards the metal end of things, with maybe a “post-” prefix on something (genres are stupid!), but the vocals scan much more metal than Vlasta Popić. But it doesn’t slot very neatly into any metal genre, so let’s just enjoy.

“Reinventing The Wheel to Run Myself Over”, Fall Out Boy

See, now, that’s what something you call “melodic hardcore” should sound like, at least the first part. I am not a crackpot! Anyway, Fall Out Boy is plenty known, so what am I going to tell you here? I do like this album a fair bit, it’s exuberant and kind of guileless and runs at a solid gallop. I only have this album and the next one and then I got off the train.

2015! If my internal narrative is right, I should see this year as being more in-step with what was going on with music. In this telling, Pyrrhon knocked me out of my complacency, and I was out there really beating the bushes for great music. There’s no particular musical thing from this year that stands out for me especially, although I’m sure I’ll be surprised when I look over the releases for the year. And so, let’s have a look at RateYourMusic’s list for the year. Oh yeah! Kendrick Lamar had a pretty good record that year, didn’t he?

Anyway, I have eight of those records in my collection, fewer than one of my low years, proving I don’t know shit about shit.

What Are You Listening To, Josh?

A sampling of albums that I’m playing regularly, whether older ones or newer ones. Just the things that I think are worth highlighting, and maybe you’d enjoy.

We’re going to have a look at some notable 2015 releases now. And no, I’m not going to tell you To Pimp a Butterfly is good, come on, be serious. Absolutely nobody wants to read me writing about Kendrick, least of all me.

What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World, The Decemberists

I have listened to a lot of the Decemberists. I know that they’re a favorite punching bag of some folks, due to Colin Meloy’s instantly recognizable multi-syllabic approach to any word that strikes his fancy, or because people think they’re too fey, or whatever. But I happen to think they’re a lot of fun. It’s great to sing along to, especially when Meloy is really making a meal out of some wo-oi-err-d or whatever. Hard to capture it in writing. A bunch of their records are on permanent rotation for me, but I was a little disappointed in The King is Dead when it came out. They’d gone so far with the progressive folk thing on previous records and tried on some rock moves on The King is Dead, and I just didn’t quite gel with it. It’s not a bad record, I just don’t spin it too much. So, to my delight, the following record, this one, really returned back to the previous approach. Is it as good as, say, Picaresque or The Crane Wife? Well, no. But there are plenty of memorable tunes here: “The Singer Addresses His Audience” is one of their all-timers, “Philomena” has a delightful chorus, it’s just a good time. Damn shame about the record after this.

Freedom Tower: No Wave Dance Party 2015, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion

Well, as long as I’m talking about old warhorses, JSBX put out a new record in 2015, to my surprise. I had kind of thought they had hung it up, but they had one more buzz around the studio in them. They’d survived one hiatus already, and the band had clearly been wobbling, but they managed to get in there, strip it back to basics, and crank out one final fine record. It sounds almost like a throwback to maybe Acme to me, with lots of groove going on in the tunes. It’s a worthy capstone to a great career, and while it’s not their finest work, it’s for sure one I’m glad they put out. Alas, it is the final JSBX record, as Judah Bauer developed a respiratory illness that meant he couldn’t continue. If you fell off the Explosion years ago, give this a turn and nod along.

Deeper Than Sky, Vhöl

John Cobbett is a dang genius. Ludicra was a fantastic black metal band, Hammers of Misfortune is ridiculous fun, and Vhöl’s two records are both amazing. I’ll listen to anything the guy puts out. I guess they’re thrash records, I suppose, but there are enough elements of traditional heavy metal here and there, some hardcore touches, I guess maybe a suggestion of black metal, it’s kind of omnivorous. It just rips really hard. Both records rule, and if you can avoid banging your head to this, you are made of sterner stuff than I am. I cannot wait to see what Cobbett does next, but seriously, check out this record if an absolutely ripping thrash record (that can go beyond that box) sounds like a good time.

Let’s Talk New Releases

Records come out every week, and there’s no way to stay on top of them. This isn’t a comprehensive look at everything, just a few things that have caught my ears out of recent releases. Any impressions here are very early!

Cygnus, Brass Mask

I talk about some of the rules around here, which together comprise an incoherent set of listening triggers that ensures that my music collection is an unappealing mess. Including to me sometimes. But, hell, at least I’m honest about my idiocy. Anyway, one of those rules is that if I see a band featuring one of our portlier brass instruments, I’m all over it. Baritone? Hell yeah. A sousaphone? Blast me into the grave, buddy. A tuba? Please club me to death with it and then blatt out a tune at my funeral.

In other news, this album features the euphonium. So, you know. Rules are rules.

Fall Out of the Future, Hedge Burners

Sometimes, this stuff just isn’t that deep. There are times when I might talk about an incendiary hardcore album, a collection of guttural blergs masquerading as a metal album, some kind of avant-garde noodling that goes out of its way to challenge what a song even is, or some other intentionally obstreperous record. I do it because I’m a pain in the ass. No, wait, I’m doing it because it’s good to challenge yourself! There’s a certain amount of gravity on on taste when it comes to any kind of culture, whether music, books, movies or whatever. If you don’t keep pushing your on your comfort, at least a little, that gravity is going going to just slowly pull your taste down to the ground.

First, you find yourself mostly listening to albums you already know. That’s OK, you have pretty broad tastes, some of these albums were really cool back in the day! I mean, maybe you don’t always listen to the albums, exactly, but there are some skips there, you know? It’s just easier to do a playlist instead, you don’t have those skips that way. Playlists can still be cool! And you’ve got some really good playlists, some fun stuff in there! You don’t listen to most of them, you mostly listen to your favorites, because they’re just right there. But in case you ever want them, the other ones are still there. Some time, when you are in the mood for something different. If you’re being honest, you’ve started just kind of letting it go and recommend stuff most recently, you’ve been so busy with work, it’s easier, but it’s really not too bad at it. At least you’re listening to your music, right? Music, at any rate.

The destination here is just constantly turning on some “lo-fi beats to surrender your sense of self to” playlist on YouTube. All because you didn’t choose to listen to the obnoxious crap I post here.

I have good news for you, though. Throw all that shit about obnoxious music. This record is really easy to listen to. It’s some jangly rockers. I like it! Maybe you will too! And it’s in only 102 collections on Bandcamp at the time of writing. And now you’re also hip again! Nice.

Weston-le-Clay, Aidmoozic

OK, back to the bullshit. Always kind of fun to hear a punk record this fast that doesn’t rely on noise and distortion to blast your face off. This is about seven minutes of taut fun. Gets in, gets out, good times.

Five Random Songs

Yes, it’s the “classic” five random songs format. It’s been told before on this blog many times, but basically, on an old forum, people would post the last five songs their shuffle pulled up. I liked it, so I made it into a blog. And now, here we are.

Playlist is available here!

“Song for Marion Brown”, Superchunk

Jeff Rosenstock suggested in his newsletter that Indoor Living would be one of his suggested starting points for Superchunk, which caused me to re-evaluate the record. In my mind, I divide their records up into three groups (well, four, really). The first group is the debut, which was kind of before the band had fully formed. It’s good, it has “Slack Motherfucker” on it, but it’s for sure not the starting point and is the sort-of group. Records two through five (No Pocky For Kitty, On the Mouth, Foolish, Here’s Where The Strings Come In) are Peak Superchunk in my head, the high-energy records that are all basically perfect. Of that group, I think On The Mouth is the most consistent (and Jeff does recommend that one as well). The next three records (Indoor Living, Come Pick Me Up, Here’s to Shutting Up) are Mature Superchunk, where tempos slow down a little, there’s a little less energy in the room, some strings are involved, and it’s the sound of a band kind of settling in a bit. The last group, Reunion Superchunk, I covered in another entry, so I won’t repeat myself too much here.

Anyway, Jeff’s endorsement got me hauling out Indoor Living for some more listening to see if maybe I was missing the boat. And I’ll say, while I gained some more respect for the record, I don’t think it really changes my opinion. It’s the best of the Mature Superchunk records, but it does still feel like it’s from a different phase of the band, and I prefer the other two eras of the band. Still: good record. They’ve never made anything less than a good record.

“Raise Your Hand”, Eddie Floyd

A Stax stalwart, Eddie Floyd cranked out a series of albums in the late 60s and 70s that were reliably fun to listen to. And, of course, being a soul artist in that time, there were roughly a zillion singles he put out around that time as well. This track comes from the 1993 compilation Rare Stamps, and honestly, it’s a little by-the-number Stax from that time period. Which means, of course, that it’s a good hang.

“Mother May I”, CeeLo Green

After scoring huge hits with “Crazy” (with Danger Mouse) and “Fuck You”, CeeLo did not, in fact, drop off the planet. Although I can’t really remember anybody talking about him much after The Lady Killer, the album with “Fuck You” on it. Other than, you know, all the problems he ran into including a felony charge that he pleaded no contest to, which I literally just learned about. Huh. Anyway, this record is fine, I guess, but it doesn’t have quite the joyous stuff on it like on The Lady Killer, so I mostly haven’t listened to it that much. Which is apparently true of everybody else.

“Just Let Go”, Sturgill Simpson

After a series of records in which Simpson aggressively stretched the bounds of what could still count as a country record, he decided to make just a straight-up bluegrass record. He lined up a band of ringers and picked out a bunch of his favorite songs and put together Cuttin’ Grass Vol 1: The Butcher Shoppe Sessions. And it’s a lot of fun! It proves that it wasn’t just the artist audacity that made him an interesting artists, but the songs themselves could stand on their own.

“Photons”, Kid Koala

This is a cut from Music to Draw To: Satellite, a contemplative record that takes his live show designed around slow music and made it into a studio record. Unlike his turntable focused work, it’s a very gentle album. The idea is that it’s something you listen to while doing something else. But as someone that can get things done while listening to all kinds of godawful racket, that use case never really sat right with me. Maybe it will with you, though.

(Editor’s note: I put a different track from the album in the playlist, because I couldn’t find this one.)

All right, let’s check out 2014 now. I think of this year as the year that I kind of woke back up to music, but as I look over the last few years, I’m not really sure that that’s true. My lows maybe weren’t quite as clueless as I thought, and I don’t think this year was a big revelation. I was probably a bit better plugged in to music writing by this time, but I was still toiling in the kid mines, so it’s really pretty incremental. I suspect that one of the things that stands out is an album I highlight below that maybe a genre of music a bigger part of my music diet.

As usual, we’ll have a quick look at the RateYourMusic chart for 2014. I’ve only got 7 of these records in my library, which suggests that I really was pretty out of step with people. At least the people who rate things on RYM. I am going to end up looking at all of these things, and then I’m going to graph it, and you’re all going to hate me. It’s going to be “number of top RYM records” and “total albums” for each year.

What Are You Listening To, Josh?

As we’ve been doing with these little year retrospectives, I’m going to highlight three favorites from 2014 here.

A sampling of albums that I’m playing regularly, whether older ones or newer ones. Just the things that I think are worth highlighting, and maybe you’d enjoy.

Piñata, Freddie Gibbs & Madlib

RateYourMusic gets a lot of stuff wrong (which begs the question of why I’m using it for this, but that’s because it’s there and I’m lazy), but this one being on top of the 2014 list is a perfectly solid pick. Madlib, of course, is one of the best to ever do it, but his records can sometimes wander a bit when they’re unanchored. Freddie Gibbs, with his excellent gangsta cadence and street tales, proves to be the perfect foil for Madlib’s hazy beats. It comes out as a classic partnership, with both artists raising their games. Madlib’s beats are still fascinating constructions, with strange sounds floating in and out, murky baselines rumbling in unexpected ways, and the whole thing kind of sounding like it’s going to fall apart. Gibbs just sounds on point the whole time. Even the guest spots on the record, often a weak point in albums, are well-chosen and work well. This is top flight work by both of them.

The Both, The Both

I was a little surprised not to see this on the 2014 list for RYM, as it seems like it was pretty buzzy at the time and one of those records that everybody loves. But I might be misreading the room here - upon examination, this record has a grand total of 165 ratings, compared to 35K for Piñata. Don’t ever change, RYM!

Anyway, the Both. Let’s follow one great partnership with another. Aimee Mann and Ted Leo toured together and decided they wanted to do a project. After spending some time writing, they recruited a drummer and recorded this album. When you’ve got two artists of this stature working together, it’s an open question as to whether the whole will be greater than the sum of the parts. And it just now occurred to me that both of these records are asking that question, and both emphatically answer in the positive. Upon going back to edit this, I’m questioning whether to leave any of this in. Whatever!

Mostly, Mann and Leo sound fantastic singing together, and it’s just a really pleasant record. See! I can like nice stuff!

The Mother of All Virtues, Pyrrhon

I also like this.

Look, I know, extreme metal is for sure not to everybody’s taste. “Extreme” kind of gives it away. It’s especially true for something as discordant as this. It’s unclear even to me what it is that I like about this record. Part of the reason is that it’s another step down a path I’ve walked for decades, starting as a teenager. I discovered that I enjoyed stuff that is noisier, faster, more aggressive that the stuff on the radio. That realization started with the likes of the Descendents, Dead Kennedys, and Ministry and eventually wound up here.

Some of the appeal, I suppose, is the search for novelty. The excitement of transgression needs constant renewal, as yesterday’s transgression becomes today’s routine. I’m certainly not going to deny the role surprise plays in listening to this stuff. But those factors don’t capture everything I appreciate.

I’ve listened to this album a lot. It was the record that really cemented my tastes as having evolved from metal being an occasional side dish in my musical diet to a main course. If this album had just moved the goal posts of noise for me and that was it, I would have worn out on it years ago. But a funny thing happens with an album like this, all racket and squalling and roaring, as it becomes familiar. There’s a beauty that emerges from all that noise. You appreciate the technical skill required to make this happen. You admire the composition of everything, of creating something this complex. The specific trappings of it, the ugliness, matter less as the care comes to the forefront. It’s never going to be pretty, of course, in the way that Mann and Leo harmonizing is. But that’s not the point. It’s still an incredible piece of art, and admiration fuels a great deal of my enjoyment of it.

Plus, of course, it bangs. Never underestimate the power of a great riff.

Let’s Talk New Releases

Records come out every week, and there’s no way to stay on top of them. This isn’t a comprehensive look at everything, just a few things that have caught my ears out of recent releases. Any impressions here are very early!

Loveletter to Hardcore, Shaved Ape

It sure is.

“Shaved Ape” is an incredible name for a hardcore band, by the way.

波地獄 (Post Purgatory), 破地獄 (Scattered Purgatory)

I’m going to assume that most of the people that read this thing (hello, friends!) skip over the extreme metal stuff. That’s sensible. You don’t want to end up as the person that hears a garbage truck doing its thing and just thinks “hell yeah, sick”. Many such cases. I’m going to suggest to those intelligent folks to not skip over this thing. This is another one from friend of the blog, the inimitable Wolf Rambatz, and he goes on a journey describing it. I am similarly tempted to do the same, but I’m going to restrain myself. A little.

There’s very, very clear Krautrock influence here. Alongside that, I hear some 2000s era Einstürzende Neubauten in the way the rhythms and the sounds making those rhythms are put together. There’s drone, there’s some metallic parts here and there, there’s segments that sound like, I dunno, a lost Tricky record. And so it goes - no matter what you’re looking for, you’ll find elements of it here and there. This album is a kaleidoscope, and whatever facet catches your ear this time, you’ll hear something different next time. It’s an album that really rewards your attention, over and over.

Elephant, Adam O’Farrill

You (sophisticated, knowledgeable, worldly): [cool jazz words] Me (oafish, ignorant, crude): I LIKE TRUMPET

Five Random Songs

Yes, it’s the “classic” five random songs format. It’s been told before on this blog many times, but basically, on an old forum, people would post the last five songs their shuffle pulled up. I liked it, so I made it into a blog. And now, here we are.

Playlist is available here!

“Celtic Frost”, Persher

How much is a genre tied to the instrumentation? It varies, of course. It’s hard to imagine, I dunno, a polka without an accordion, although admittedly that is probably more a consequence of my sustained exposure to “Weird Al” Yankovic during my formative years than it is from any genre essentialism. If I were to read the Wikipedia page on polka, I’m sure I’d learn about a dozen variations of it, and that my blinkered understanding is desperately wrong. [Checks.] Yeah, sure enough.

Anyway: can you make ugly metal mostly using synths? Persher emphatically answers that with an enthusiastic yes.

“John Henry Split My Heart (Demo)”, Songs: Ohia

The Magnolia Electric Co., depending on who you listen to, was either the final Songs: Ohia record or the self-titled debut of Jason Molina’s new band name. Either way, it’s still Molina’s show, with maybe a different stylistic direction. This record is pretty widely considered a masterpiece, a career highlight for Molina, who was very prolific during his prematurely shortened life. It’s also something of an unusual record for Steve Albini to have worked on, as the sort of country-ish rock of this album isn’t the sort of thing he’s known for. That said, the album sounds incredible, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. This demo is one of the bonus cuts included on a deluxe version, and shows where the song came from. It’s beautiful even in this form.

“Be Thankful”, Foetus

It’s hard to really capture Foetus’s career in a little thumbnail. From 1981 through 2025, J.G. Thirlwell released music under the Foetus moniker, tied together with a through line of griminess, cinematic drama, and layers of noise. I’d say there’s nothing like it, but that’s not true, as he spawned plenty of imitators, some of which were even pretty good at it (such as Raymond Watts aka PIG). But nobody really fully captured the alchemy, the sense that every one of these songs is somehow part of some giant, confusing movie. This tune comes to us from the Null EP, released as a dual-CD set in the US alongside Void (as, of course, Null/Void). Add “retrospective of Foetus records” to the list of things I should write up one day.

“What’s Usual Seems Natur’l”, Eric Mercury

We’re late in the Stax/Volt story with this tune, in 1972, after Stax signed a distribution deal with CBS and was really starting the decline phase. The music of this period is all pleasant enough, but it really doesn’t have the same kick as the Atlantic years or their independent years. As with all of the Stax/Volt singles, you can find much worse ways to spend your time, but really, the other periods are better ways to spend that time.

“Go Be Delighted”, Girls Against Boys

Girls Against Boys arrived on Touch & Go records with this record, taking their dual-bass attack to a bigger label and getting plenty of traction in the rock underground as a result. Due to that overstuffed rhythm section, said rhythms were always front and center on their records, giving a feeling to me of combining post-hardcore with a bit of dance music. I dunno, probably only me. At any rate, it was never totally successful to my ear. I know I should like this stuff a lot, and I kept buying records from them (I have four in the library), but despite that effort, I was never totally convinced.

Let’s set aside our slow stroll through my Music Idiot years for a show report. But not just any show report, it’s a show report ala Five Random Songs. Terrible, in other words.

Yesterday, we headed out to see Mercury Rev open for the Afghan Whigs. We’ve seen the Whigs plenty around here, including in the first post of the most recent reboot, but to sum up: I’m a big fan. The original run of records, especially Congregation through Black Love, is as good as a rock band gets. The post-reunion records have also been good, although it’s hard to match that peak. Still, Greg Dulli never stopped making music, so the Whigs were able to come back together and not miss a step.

Mercury Rev, meanwhile, have apparently kept going although I haven’t kept touch with them. I’ve got three records in the collection, and they’re only occasional listens. I certainly respect their approach, and I’m a big fan of the Flaming Lips which means, in practice, that I am also sort of a Mercury Rev Enjoyer, given the many ties between the bands. I thought it might be fun to see what they’re up to these days.

Well, Mercury Rev went on time right on the dot (wise given how many old farts were in the audience, your faithful correspondent very much included), and they played for about 50 minutes solid with no real breaks between songs. Between the discursive tunes that Mercury Rev has always had, the fog machine that occasionally blurted out enough mist to completely conceal the band, a lighting approach that was almost purely backlighting, the lack of breaks or banter, and my inability to recognize their tunes other than one, the whole thing kind of washed over me. I was nowhere near high enough for their whole thing. They knew what they were doing, they were indisputably playing Mercury Rev material, they sounded good overall, and yet, it was just kind of frying me. I tuned out.

A brief break while they dragged a bunch of amps up on stage, and the Whigs went on about a half hour later. They sounded great! They were playing stuff at a faster tempo than on the original albums, but it worked fine given the live energy. They were playing a nice mix of stuff across their records, with a couple cuts each from Congregation and Gentlemen, a song from Black Love, even a couple tunes from the underrated 1965.

A digression: ah, “underrated”. The refuge of the rascal music critic, where you can, with one word, provide a convenient fictional foil for yourself, setting your serene wisdom against the dumbass hoi polloi. This works even if there is no actual dumbass consensus attached to the record. Nobody will check! “Underrated” is all just vibes. It usually just means that said critic didn’t really like the record very much initially and then came around to liking it. For example, after writing this screed, I went to look at the ratings for the Whigs’ records on Rate Your Music. And 1965 is higher than Gentlemen! What are people thinking? Um, I mean: 1965 is rated higher than the underrated Gentlemen.

Anyway, they also mixed in some songs from the recent records and those songs sounded solid. Dulli can’t quite howl the way he used to, but the faster pace especially of the old material helped cover up for that. I was having a great time.

And then we had to leave early to go get my daughter from the airport. Dunno how it all wrapped up. Five Songs says: check ’em out!

What Are You Listening To, Josh?

A sampling of albums that I’m playing regularly, whether older ones or newer ones. Just the things that I think are worth highlighting, and maybe you’d enjoy.

Better Late Than Never, The Slackers

One of the most common bands around here, the Slackers are often in my rotation in one way or another. And mostly, any of their records can find their way to regular spins. There are three records that I don’t listen to much, though. One is Close My Eyes, which is a very good record, but the second song (“Old Dog”) makes me cry every time and I don’t need that. (Seriously, don’t seek it out, it’s very sad.) The second is The Question, which mostly doesn’t resonate with me. The last is their first record, this one, which didn’t really have a reason why it doesn’t come out much. They sounded like themselves from the beginning, and I very much enjoyed this record when it came out in 1996. So I’ve decided to just go ahead and sit with this record more and get more familiar with it. And you know what? From the first play, I actually remembered the lyrics just fine, so I think I really did play this a lot back in the day. Anyway, it’s a good record and I’m going to keep it going for a little while.

At some point, I’ll do a ranking of their records. The Slackers are not the greatest ska band of all time (that’s the Skatalites, without really any question) or the most influential (that’s probably the Specials), but they are my favorite.

You Are Not The Boss Of Me!, Sicko

For a band that had only four studio records, Sicko sure places high in the number of times they show up here. I have told the silly story about how I first found out about them before, but they’re just one of those bands that has and always will click with me. A combination of a genre I love, being from my own home town (not that many bands from Spokane to take pride in!), having a guy named Josh on the drums, being self-proclaimed computer nerds, and hitting me at the right time, they are just one of those perfect bands. I can’t really see them objectively. They played a one-off reunion show last year and I was so happy to see them again that I teared up. Their records are basically always in rotation for me.

So do me a favor: if you like pop-punk, have a listen. Maybe they’ll hit you just right also.

Double or Nothing, Unsteady

As I noted last time, spring is for ska. The Slackers up there are, to my mind (and maybe only mine), the giants of the third wave. I’ve told the story of the third wave on here multiple times, but whatever, let’s have a condensed version of it. The first wave, the start of things, were the artists of Jamaica combining mento with jazz and creating something new. People like Prince Buster, the Skatalites, the Wailers and others. The second wave were the 2 Tone bands in the late 70s mostly in England, taking ska and fusing it with punk to create a new variation and a revival of ska. The Specials, the Beat, and the Selector are some of the bigger bands from this wave. The third wave was mostly inspired by 2 Tone, with the rumbles of it starting in the mid-80s but really gaining steam in the late 80s and early 90s and reaching a commercial peak in the mid-90s with people like the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Rancid, and No Doubt being big acts for a little while. The wave did crash in the late 90s, with a backlash against the music turning the genre into a punchline.

All right, that popular story mostly focused on the commercial peaks, but there were plenty of bands in each wave that were inspired to do some fun stuff that never really got much attention. The third wave in particular was loaded with these sorts of bands, which I know because I was very much on top of this stuff as it came out. Unsteady is one of those bands that went by the wayside. Their first record, Tightrope, showed enough promise for them to land on Asian Man Records, one of the bigger labels of the third wave. Double or Nothing is just a fun batch of songs, where they aren’t afraid to bring in some jazz in places, like the languid “Ibarra”, or letting things really swing with stuff like “One For The Road”. It’s just a fun record across the board, and I really wanted them to follow it up.

Amazingly, they did, a mere 24 years later. I’ll talk about that record some other time, but in the meantime, enjoy one of the lost gems of the third wave.

Let’s Talk New Releases

Records come out every week, and there’s no way to stay on top of them. This isn’t a comprehensive look at everything, just a few things that have caught my ears out of recent releases. Any impressions here are very early!

奇しく燃える, Raw Distractions

I’m going to level with you: I don’t know if this record is good or not. It’s garage-y hardcore, with lots of barked vocals in Japanese. It’s certainly fun to listen to, but is it good? Is it going to stick around? I don’t have any idea. But I do keep putting it on. So I dunno, maybe it just kind of has that something that makes stuff like this works. Oh, and one of the songs quotes the riff from “In My Eyes”, which is fun. At least, I hope it’s a quote.

Extra Cheese, NAHreally

Loops, loops, loops. The production here (done by NAHreally himself) is spare, with most tracks being just a tasty, embellished loop. But damn, what great choices in those loops. Jazzy and interesting, they’re all more than enough to carry the songs, and NAHreally sounds great on the mic. Just a really well-constructed, fun listen.

Blood Pact, Urban Sprawl

I don’t want to be super rigid about my categories or format here. If I want to write about a thing, I’m going to go for it. This isn’t a buying guide, it’s not a year-end roundup, it’s just some records that maybe other people might want to check out. For the new releases section, I am going to try and stick to releases within the past year. I understand that a record from a year ago isn’t going to feel super new, but at the same time, just focusing on stuff within the past couple weeks would feel like I’m on a treadmill. One last note: EPs and albums are totally fine here. I’ll avoid singles, generally speaking.

Anyway: here’s an EP that released in September of last year. This is just pure hardcore: fast riffs, barking vocals, pounding drums. But they keep some variation to things, it’s not all just uniform racing, which I think is good in a hardcore record. And an EP is a great length for hardcore, enough to wake you up and get you going without overstaying its welcome. Add in some fun cover art and you’ve got a winner. This one resurfaced for me recently and I’ve been enjoying it again.

Five Random Songs

Yes, it’s the “classic” five random songs format. It’s been told before on this blog many times, but basically, on an old forum, people would post the last five songs their shuffle pulled up. I liked it, so I made it into a blog. And now, here we are.

Playlist is available here!

“Installation”, Akufen

Akufen is an electronic artist who worked in the same kind of microhouse/glitch sort of area as one of my favorites, Jan Jelinek. On this album, My Way, he used a technique he called “microsampling” to use tiny bits of noise as building blocks for his tracks. It’s an approach that appeals more to the head than the body, but it’s a peaceful, interesting thing to listen to. Highly recommend it if you like this kind of thing, and if you’re encountering microhouse for the first time, this is a great intro to it.

“No More Peace And Quiet For The Warlike”, Don Caballero

This is a track from Singles Breaking Up, Volume 1, a collection of miscellaneous non-album tracks from their earlier years. This is all totally recognizable as Don Caballero, heavy instrumental noise rock with drums as the lead instrument. As always with this kind of thing, it’s not going to be super coherent, because none of this was designed for an album release. But Don Cab was always consistent, so if you want more from the band, this is definitely more.

“Going Nowhere”, Dumptruck

I don’t know Dumptruck super well. They’re a band from Boston that were pretty big in what would have been called “college rock” in the 80s, but that was largely before I ever paid attention to them. I did hear their name periodically but didn’t really learn much. Rykodisc put out a compilation in 2006 that was getting good reviews, and I picked it up. And it’s fine, good even, but in the absence of fond memories, it never really connected with me that much. Too pretty. This is definitely a me problem.

“Chuck Schuldiner”, Edenic Past

See, it says an awful lot about me that I’d rather listen to this absolutely ridiculous thing than that previous song. That’s clearly a bad choice! Anyway, one of the things about the various subgenres of metal is that sometimes you form them by applying an adjective to another genre. So, this is what you get adding “brutal” to death metal, as opposed to just regular death metal. Somehow, even less listenable! Those subterranean burbling vocals are the biggest characteristic, along with an instrumental approach that is best described as “churning”. This is, objectively, ridiculous, and mostly I try and hide my shame at listening to this stuff. But whatever, here you are. You can skip ahead, don’t worry, that’s normal. For the record, this is one of Colin Marston’s many projects, I don’t know how the guy does as much stuff as he does.

“Octopus Has No Friends”, Mastodon

After taking their progressive approach to sludge metal about as far as they could with Crack the Skye, Mastodon retreated from that direction on their next LP, The Hunter. It’s a more straightforward set of songs, without the epic feel and scope of that record. Personally, I kind of wish they’d just kept going, I wanted to see how ridiculous they could have become if they kept heading in the original direction. The nod towards accessibility isn’t totally successful for me. As should be obvious from the previous song, “accessible” isn’t always my bag. The band is still masterful in spots, but it’s just not quite as awesome on this album. They never made a bad album, but this is my least listened to record from them.

Let’s move on to 2013. First, a bit of business. If you want someone with actual taste, writing chops, knowledge, and everything else this blog lacks, Zachary Lipez just posted a retrospective of 2011-2015 that is, roughly, five zillion times better than my scribbling. It did, however, confirm that I really was mostly out of touch during these years. Anyway, being bad at this has never once deterred me, as the many hundreds of time wasters I’ve already posted proves. So onward to 2013!

2013 at least did not involve any new children arriving in my life, which would have been quite a surprise. I was pretty settled into a stable job at this point, and a nice bus commute plus the ability to listen to tunes reasonably often at said job left me more time to do some musical exploring. I was also starting to find some more blogs to help me find music. So I was still pretty clueless, but was starting to find my way out of it. Looking at the 2013 RateYourMusic list, I’ve got nine of those in my library, so a pretty big increase from the five of the year before. A sign of being in touch? My tastes becoming more basic? Random chance? Who can say?

What Are You Listening To, Josh?

A sampling of albums that I’m playing regularly, whether older ones or newer ones. Just the things that I think are worth highlighting, and maybe you’d enjoy.

Anyway, as with the last couple posts, we’re just going to pick three fun records from the year to highlight. I did sing (screech? howl?) the praises of Teethed Glory & Injury just the other day, so I won’t repeat anything about it. But that record does rule and otherwise would have been highlighted here.

Capnomancy, Diminished Men

Seattle homer alert! Diminished Men showed up in a bunch of year-end local roundups at the time, which is how I learned about this record. It was a bit of a pain in the ass to get a hold of, and I ended up buying it on wax and then realized I had no way of digitizing it, as it didn’t come with a download code (which was hit-or-miss at the time). I wrote the band asking if there was anything they could do for me, and they wrote back asking for my address. A few days later, a CD-R showed up in the mail with the WAV files. You can’t ask for more than that!

Anyway, the music strikes me as combining the most restless moments of Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet with the provocations of Nation of Ulysses. Mostly instrumental rock that is really trying to tell a story, like maybe a soundtrack to a movie you’re not allowed to see. It’s great stuff, and really rewards some repeat visits.

For anybody trying to track this down, the advent of Bandcamp means you don’t need to write the band and hope they help you out, you can just buy the digital files now. And while I was grabbing the link, I discovered they have a 2022 record I was unaware of. Nice! But also, cluelessness never really goes away entirely from this blog.

Niger, Mombu

This project is an Italian duo, with Luca T. Mai (Zu) on baritone sax and Antonio Zitarelli (Neo) on the drums. It’s primarily a record for baritone sax sickos, and nobody else. I remember putting it on during a gaming session and just baffling the other people there. It’s droning, repetitive, and basically all rhythm. But it scratches an itch I didn’t even realize I had until I heard it. I’m not even sure I should be including this record here, truthfully. But maybe someone out there is thinking “pounding rhythms on a baritone sax” and is getting fired up. If so, you’re welcome!

Fun fact: somehow, this was the first album I ever bought on Bandcamp. I haven’t got a clue how that happened.

The Chronicles of Marnia, Marnie Stern

Marnie Stern’s first three records were exercises in shredding, with her guitar pyrotechnics being matched by Zach Hill’s (Hella, Death Grips) fireworks on the drums. On this record, she’s still out there absolutely laying it down, but it’s a little less frantic in feeling. I don’t think that’s just the new drummer she’s working with, but the songs themselves seem a little more deliberate, with some more space in them that isn’t filled with a billion notes. It’s excellent stuff from an artist that I never really see people talk about very much, but who very much deserves attention.

Let’s Talk New Releases

Records come out every week, and there’s no way to stay on top of them. This isn’t a comprehensive look at everything, just a few things that have caught my ears out of recent releases. Any impressions here are very early!

This Is Jackie Mendez, Jackie Mendez

I know zip about this album, the background of the artist, or anything else. This came from me poking around in the “ska” and “rocksteady” tags on Bandcamp, as you do. Well, as I do. I have listened to this record twice, and I like it. Is it ska? Yes it is. So, you know, points for that. Unlike some other bands that enjoy using the tag for fun (do not look at this link, it’s incredibly stupid).

At any rate, spring is for ska and rocksteady, so I’ll probably keep spinning this for a little while.

Bad Dream Songs, Cemento

First of all, I don’t think I’ve shouted out Iron Lung Records (here in Seattle!) before, but they’re one of the essential underground labels going right now. You can look through their stuff on their page or just go ahead and use the “greatest label of all time” tag. Expect lots of metal, lots of hardcore, lots of uncompromising stuff. But it’s not just exclusively abrasive things like that, as Cemento shows. This is pretty pure post-punk, in the original goth-y sense of things. Everything is awash in reverb. This would have absolutely crushed it if it had been out while I was in college.

Cleveland, Onlooker

The bio for this record says Onlooker combines the sounds of Wire, Thee Oh Sees, METZ, and Hot Snakes. And, geez, I’m not really going to do a lot better than that description. For the record, I think the Hot Snakes side of things is probably the most dominant of those strains, although that might be due to the barking vocals. But if you’re a fan of certain kinds of post-hardcore, this album is going to make you really happy. It works for me!

Five Random Songs

Yes, it’s the “classic” five random songs format. It’s been told before on this blog many times, but basically, on an old forum, people would post the last five songs their shuffle pulled up. I liked it, so I made it into a blog. And now, here we are.

Playlist is available here!

“Anthems For a Seventeen Year Old Girl”, Broken Social Scene

I feel like most of the bands described as “collectives” come from Canada. Broken Social Scene is one of those, with a whole bunch of people doing a whole bunch of stuff. I feel like I don’t really remember anything about this band, so I decided to go back and review what I said about this band before. I discovered:

1. I made the same comment as above, only using “ensemble” instead of “collective”.
2. I mentioned I don’t really remember that much about the band, a couple times.
3. I re-discovered the same song in three of the four previous postings.
4. I misspelled the album name the only time I mentioned it. (I have gone back and fixed this.)

Honestly, just an incredibly bad performance all around. There’s a certain aspect to this blog where it seems like it’s been dropped on its head that is inescapable. I like to think of it as being kind of like chatting with me about music. But when I go back and look at previous entries, it really drives home how ramshackle this entire affair is. Sorry! Why does anybody read this? Don’t tell me!

“Last Call”, Kanye West

Note: I’m going with how he was credited on this record.

Anyway, this wrapped up The College Dropout, it’s 12 minutes long, and honestly, just go ahead and skip ahead. The presence of this kind of thing is proof that I really am not putting my thumb on the scale in the random songs section.

“Midnight Cowboy”, The Bar-Kays

Oh yeah, that’s the stuff. This is a cover of the theme song to the Academy Award-winning movie (only X-rated movie to ever win!), and you can’t really complain about something like this showing up in the playlist. As always, the Bar-Kays are pure sunshine.

“Nail in the Wall”, Vertigo

Largely (completely?) forgotten now, Vertigo put out three albums of heavy psych-rock in the early 90s for Amphetamine Reptile Records before packing it in. Even at the time, they maybe didn’t quite fit in with the zeitgeist, if you can describe underground rock fans as being a zeitgeist. For the noise-rock sickos that followed AmRep closely, they weren’t really loud enough to satisfy. For the indie rock folks, they were in a lot of ways too conventional. So they never really seemed to get much attention, even among people that were really diving deep. I played them pretty often in my show, and I think I was the only one. Truthfully, they did have a natural constituency if they could have found it, which is people who were really into Mudhoney, as there’s some alignment around the guitar tone and approach. But, alas, they were not from Seattle or on Sub Pop, so that was also a miss.

For whatever it’s worth, I think the middle record (Ventriloquist) is the best of the trio, followed by this album (Nail Hole). I always liked them, and I think they’re a good example of how AmRep was actually always a little broader than the popular conception of the label, which kind of starts with being “the label that spawned Helmet” and sometimes doesn’t extend a whole lot further than that.

“Particle Man”, They Might Be Giants

There are a few songs for TMBG that have followed them for decades. “Istanbul (Not Constantinople)” being the most obvious one, but “Birdhouse In Your Soul” and “Particle Man” are also in that category. I guess it’s just Flood that follows them. Anyway, these are tunes helped make the band, but it seems like being asked to play them over and over again has left them seeking variety. Live, they usually turn “Istanbul” into a drawn-out experimental thing, all stretched anticipation and deferred climax. “Particle Man” also goes through a lot of variation. Shuffle pulled up a version from Dial-a-Song which was fun, but I couldn’t find that exact one on YouTube, so instead here’s a live version from KEXP.

Well, it was fun visiting 2011, so let’s maybe consider 2012 while we’re at it. As mentioned last time, 2012 was a mess for me, musically speaking. Making things extra complicated was the arrival of kid #3 in 2012, which certainly explains why this was kind of the bottom for me with respect to my knowledge of music. Or really anything related to culture. So let’s have a look at the 2012 best albums on RateYour Music! As with the previous year, some of these I know, a fair number I do not. I suppose I’m missing a control here, though. So let’s compare to something like 1993, when I was a college radio DJ and pretty plugged in. Looking at the first page of the 2012 list, I have 5 of those records in my collection, although there are a couple others that probably should be there. From the first page of the 1993 list, I have 16 of those. I think. Which seems like a big gap, but probably proves nothing! I wonder if I’m ever going to be bored enough to do this for every year and compare the results.

What Are You Listening To, Josh?

A sampling of albums that I’m playing regularly, whether older ones or newer ones. Just the things that I think are worth highlighting, and maybe you’d enjoy.

Let’s take a look at some of my regulars from 2012!

International Orange!, Firewater

Cop Shoot Cop, one of the most unique bands of the 90s underground, were built around Tod Ashley’s (aka Tod A.) stories of losers and the unique sound of two basses, two samplers, and a drum kit that was mostly assorted pieces of metal garbage. They released four records before breaking up acrimoniously, with Ashley getting into a label dispute with Interscope that the other band members were on the other side of. That split left Ashley to go form a new band, with the other members scattering (and those last, disputed sessions being released as Red Expendables). Ashley’s new band was something of a super group, with the most notable folks being Duane Denison (the Jesus Lizard) and Yuval Gabay (Soul Coughing), but a former Cop Shoot Cop member (David Ouimet) was also on-board. Ouimet was not part of the final incarnation of the previous band, which probably explains why he was still willing to record with Ashley.

The name of that first album, Get Off The Cross…We Need the Wood For The Fire always seemed to me like it might have been a shot at his former bandmates, but I’ve never seen anything that makes that explicit. It carried forward Ashley’s sardonic sense of humor but the wrapping was totally changed. Unlike the pounding industrial/noise-rock hybrid of CSC, Firewater was much more upbeat musically, even experimenting with things like a tango and klezmer on the first record. Over the course of seven albums, Firewater kept experimenting and changing things up, most notably with the last two where Ashley traveled the world and recorded with musicians in Turkey. Those last two albums are pretty different, especially rhythmically, and I adore them both. This is the second of those two, and the last of Firewater’s records.

In terms of what to expect, it’s kind of hard to describe. Between the prominent trombone and the unusual percussion (especially darbuka, a “goblet drum” that has a pretty different sound from typical Western instrumentation), it doesn’t really sound like anything else. All I can really say is you should give it a try, and if you like it, also have a listen to The Golden Hour, which is similar. And then let me know if you ever discover anything like these two records, because I don’t know of anything.

Freak Puke, The Melvins

OK, look. I talk about the Melvins a lot here. Some of that is just pure volume of releases, which means they’ll show up in my random plays quite a bit. Some of it is just because they rule. But whatever, we’re here again. Because this record is really worth highlighting as something pretty different from the rest of their releases. If you think purely of the Melvins as the band that created genre defining records like Bullhead and Lysol, you’re missing out on a very restless and experimental discography. But let’s get concrete about this album especially. Trevor Dunn (Mr. Bungle and Fantômas) in on the bass, but particularly on the upright bass. That provides just a totally different texture to the songs, and gets magnified when Dunn is doing things like bowing his bass instead of just plucking it. Even the songs that seem like they might be the usual crushing rock from the boys quickly reveal themselves to be something different, as the opening riffs of “Inner Ear Rupture” leads into Dunn just going nuts with his bow. There are a couple of more conventional songs here, but it’s all a very interesting and worthy record for exploration. If I was to recommend one record to someone who wants to learn about the Melvins beyond the core stuff, this is the one.

The Adult Section, The Karl Hendricks Trio

I won’t fully repeat the story I once wrote about Karl Hendricks, but suffice it to say that he was one of the people that unknowingly helped shape my musical tastes, thanks to working at the record store I hit up every week and being someone that would answer my questions about records. So I cannot really be objective about his records. And I don’t care about even attempting to be objective. Objectivity in criticism is a trap, with the “view from nowhere” invariably curdling into a sort of relativism that renders commentary worthless. “Is this a good record? Decide for yourself, I’m just here to report facts!” Listen to you!

Fuck that shit, I’m a person, I have a point of view, I have biases, I have a history. That history has shaped the way I think about and experience music (and everything else), and what you read here is my taste as filtered through my inadequate words. Hopefully my tastes are interesting to you, or you can at least calibrate what I like versus what you like, and get a sense based on how I describe things if you’ll enjoy it.

But I am saying I do not owe anybody something like laying out all my biases. How on earth could I even do that? What does that server? I am sharing my history with Karl Hendricks here, and I am especially noting that Karl Hendricks was a good person with good taste who helped me. I do that because I want to honor his memory, not to try and provide color to my opinion on his records. I am who I am, I have done what I’ve done, and I’ve fallen in love with the records I’ve fallen in love with.

Anyway. Karl Hendricks played power pop, mostly, with a willingness to really noise things up. It’s heartfelt and unabashedly emotional, and I love it dearly. This is his last album due to his early passing, so it’s melancholy for me, but I love all his albums. Have a listen, and think about the people who helped you in life, even if they might not have even realized they were going about it. You’ll be richer for revisiting those memories.

Let’s Talk New Releases

Records come out every week, and there’s no way to stay on top of them. This isn’t a comprehensive look at everything, just a few things that have caught my ears out of recent releases. Any impressions here are very early!

i sure am getting sick of this bowling alley, mclusky

This is really just service blogging here: there’s a new-ish (a couple months back) mclusky EP out, and it’s good. If you’re the audience for that, get excited! If you’re not, mclusky are one of the great noise rock bands, and you should head back and have a listen to mclusky Do Dallas.

Time Heals Everything, Blu & Exile

This hip-hop record is really in my wheelhouse for production, being very soul-forward. It reminds me of nothing so much as old Common records, which is a nice thing to be reminded of. That’s not to say it’s a throwback or anything, but it is rooted in the long history of hip-hop. This is a record by people who know what they’re doing, making something that could have fit into the golden age (define for yourself what age that is!) but doesn’t feel dusty either. Just really well-executed stuff, and when I finished this album in my queue the first time, I ran it back again right away.

The Big E, Editrix

Let’s get avant-garde! What does that mean? Search me! It’s usually used for music that doesn’t really fit neatly into another genre but instead pushes at boundaries. Often it comes with impressive chops, but not always. Anyway, Editrix has chops to burn, and this really kind of comes across as math rock more than anything else to me. Produced by metal legend (and amazing producer) Colin Marston, it sounds fantastic and crisp. It helps, I suppose, that this is a trio, which gives some space for them all to do their thing. Anyway, it’s fun hearing people who can tear it up, uh, tearing it up.

Five Random Songs

Yes, it’s the “classic” five random songs format. It’s been told before on this blog many times, but basically, on an old forum, people would post the last five songs their shuffle pulled up. I liked it, so I made it into a blog. And now, here we are.

Playlist is available here!

“Rodeo in Joliet”, The Jesus Lizard

OK, look, this is probably hack as fuck, but I’m going with it. Hell, I’ve probably made the comment before (feel free to look at previous articles with the Jesus Lizard to check, I ain’t), and I’m still going for it. Goat is the best-named record in noise rock because it really is the GOAT.

All right, I apologize. But seriously, this is and forever will be the yardstick of noise rock for me. Some of that is the release date and when I started listening to it, but mostly it’s because it’s a perfect record front-to-back. Like, yeah, check out mclusky up above if you haven’t, but if you want to just start at the top and you’re somehow reading this blog without knowing noise rock, this is the one for you. Or maybe not, but it’ll sure make it easier to skip some stuff I write about if you don’t like it.

“The Music Lovers”, Destroyer

I am a bad Destroyer fan. I really like Streethawk: A Seduction a lot, and also like Dan Behar’s contributions to the New Pornographers a lot as well. And I would regularly pick up the latest Destroyer release, leading to six albums in the ol’ collection. And then…I just kind of don’t listen to them. No real reason there. I do like his whole deal. I just don’t listen. If someone would ask me about them, I’d say something enthusiastic, but it’s all a front. I’m just a bad fan.

Anyway, Destroyer? Yeah, I like ’em a lot, that whole Bowie, elaborate art-pop thing? Good stuff? Best record? Oh geez, look at the time.

“Cuban Necktie”, Cypress Hill

The first two Cypress Hill records are classic, with DJ Muggs’ work on them being something new and super impressive. It was genuinely disorienting to listen to those records in the context of their times, with all those strange voices, squeaky noises, odd squalls of horns, and all the rest of that stuff. It was off-putting in a way that was incredibly appealing. The next two records, well…best not to talk about them too much. It’s not that they departed too much from their formula, it just didn’t seem like it was going anywhere. The fifth record was an attempt to return to relevance, with an stab at some crossover appeal by producing a double album, with one record being a rap record and the other being a rock record. About the rock record, the less said, the better. The rap record is better, but it still kind of feels like a by-the-numbers Cypress Hill record. It’s at this point that I got off the bus. It looks like they kept going in various forms? Somehow, at some point, they kept going without Muggs but he returned in 2018? Anyway, none of my business. Those first two records still rule.

“Reparito”, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs

Los Fabulosos Cadillacs are a band that a friend introduced to me way back in the day, and I never really quite figured out how she learned about them. I should ask! Maybe she’ll read this! Anyway, can’t understand a word, but this shit is good. Oh hell yeah, there’s that inimitable Five Songs insight! Come for the irrelevant personal stories, stay for the half-hearted “criticism”. Five Songs: somehow the worst value in music!

“Rip Rock”, Canibus

Look, the late 90s were a bit of a weird time for me, musically. I don’t have a great excuse for this record being here. Canibus had a fair bit of buzz before this album came out, and so I ended up picking it up. It’s not great, and the only thing from Canibus I can really recommend is him rapping about stealing office supplies.

I was chatting with a buddy about music the other day, as you do, and I mentioned that I have a pretty big blind spot in music corresponding to when we first started having kids, with the trough of that time probably being 2010 and 2011. It didn’t really help that I had some job transition things going at that time as well, just to increase the challenges to staying in touch. Adding yet another layer of challenge is that my recollection is that music media was kind of a mess at the time, with the revenues of print media collapsing which ruined some of the ways I tracked stuff. And, of course, online music criticism was deep in the throes of poptimism which was not very much of a help for me.

Add it all together, and that period of time is one where I didn’t pick up on many new bands and was generally treading water as far as music. I wasn’t stretching genres much either like I try to. It was more a matter of picking up on releases from bands I knew and just hanging in there. It turns out having young kids around and not getting out much also serves to limit your awareness of the broader culture. It wasn’t until some time around 2012 or 2013 that I started finding some new blogs and started really trying to stretch myself more.

I do wonder about the records I’ve missed. I don’t really have the time or energy to fill in those gaps, because there’s enough new stuff to keep track of that I can’t really mine those missing years for other stuff. Looking at RateYourMusic’s 2011 list, there’s stuff in there I listen to, but sure enough, lots of question marks. Ah well. Can’t fret over spilled…uh, records. Whatever.

What Do You Listen To From 2011, Josh?

A sampling of albums that I’m playing regularly, whether older ones or newer ones. Just the things that I think are worth highlighting, and maybe you’d enjoy.

Eh, screw it, let’s stick around in 2011 a little while longer. Here’s three records that I do listen to from that year, although I’ll note that one of them I actually backtracked to pick up. Not beating the out-of-touch allegations there!

Weatherhead, Helms Alee

I first saw Seattle’s own Helms Alee when they opened up for Torche, a rare case of picking up on a new act live during this rough time frame. I actually found the tickets in my email, and it was actually in 2011. A miracle!

Helms Alee have released six albums over the years, with the records sitting somewhere around noise rock and sludge metal, moving pretty seamlessly between those styles and mixing them together. There are a couple of big attractions here - the vocals have quite a bit of variation to them thanks to all three members contributing, which is a nice variation from a lot of bands in this space. It reminds me a bit of Kylesa, which is a comparison that might not make a lot of sense but does in my head.

The other big attraction to me is Hozoji Mathison-Margolis on the drums, who does a great job of propelling everything forward. I’m a relentless homer for Seattle bands, so my judgment is suspect. More than usual, anyway. But I really like this band a lot.

Mammal, Altar of Plagues

Altar of Plagues’ 2013 release, Teethed Glory & Injury, is the record that got me back into touch with black metal. I’d listened to some way back when the second-wave bands were still going concerns, but I definitely lost touch with the scene for a long time. After that album really kicking my ass, I headed backwards and picked up their previous release, and my goodness, “Neptune is Dead” is a genuine triumph. It’s not an easy album for sure, and kicking off with an song of this length is certainly no way to ease people into things. But it absolutely rewards your attention, and if you ever feel up for something off-putting and abrasive, but with plenty of depth, carve out some time and sit with this one.

Moody, Standard and Poor, Obits

Rick Froberg would be a legend for his work in Drive Like Jehu alone, as one of the driving forces behind a band that helped set the bar for post-hardcore. That he then followed up with Hot Snakes (reuniting with John Rees) and made another three great records (and a live album) is adding to his legend. Hell, Hot Snakes then came back after more than a decade and released another great album. Those six studio albums (along with the other stuff released) are an enviable contribution to music.

But during that break with Hot Snakes, he had another band which is somewhat overlooked, despite Froberg’s pedigree. Obits released three records during their time before breaking up, and they’re all good records. Are they up to the standard of Froberg’s other bands? Well, no, but that’s an impossible standard. What they do have is some fun interplay between Froberg and Sohrab Habibion and some nice propulsive songs. It’s a bit more of a relaxed experience than the lighting-in-a-bottle stuff of his other bands, but they’re definitely worth a listen and for sure to be remembered among Froberg’s contributions.

Let’s Talk New Releases

Records come out every week, and there’s no way to stay on top of them. This isn’t a comprehensive look at everything, just a few things that have caught my ears out of recent releases. Any impressions here are very early!

Through the Hourglass, Witch Ripper

Once again, I have to remind you all that I will cheerlead Seattle bands. So, Witch Ripper. Do you want more Mastodon? Like, Crack the Skye-era Mastodon? Yeah, me too. And so, here’s Witch Ripper’s third record. You’re going to hear some similarities in approach here, let’s just say. You’re going to get those top notes of Mastodon, which will unfold into some strong hints of Baroness, before finishing up with a lingering finish of High on Fire. This is not only failing to break new ground, it can’t really find new ground on its map. And that’s fine, because this sort of proggy sludge is very much comfort food for me, and I can’t listen to Blood Mountain or Leviathan every time I want to listen to something like this. Well, honestly, evidence suggests I might actually be able to, but whatever, it’s good to have another choice. Is this going to stick in my rotation forever? Almost certainly not, but I’ll have some good times with it in the meantime. (Car album, for the record.)

Super Sonic Rock Saga, Sick Shooters

A thing that I’m starting to notice about myself is how much I listen to garage stuff. I would have certainly recognized it as a substantial part of my music diet, but it’s maybe a greater component that I had perhaps realized. My music pyramid has a lot of servings of garage in it. Or maybe it’s just an excellent year for this stuff so far? Well, I’m not complaining either way. Anyway, Sick Shooters are from Utrecht, there’s no bass guitar on this, the tunes are fun, and the sound has sufficient hair on it. This is going to get lots of spins while I make dinner.

ReSet, David Chevallier, Sébastien Boisseau, and Christophe Lavergne

I kind of feel like I need to put stuff in here sometimes to prove that I’m not just a big oaf. I am, of course. Oafishness is an integral part of my musical preferences, something I make clear every time I write one of these things. And that’s fine, I’m comfortable with it. I have made peace with my inner caveman. And outer caveman. All the cavemen.

But I want to emphasize that I’m not just an oaf. I contain multitudes! Most of those multidues are also dumb musical tastes, mind you, but they’re there. Dig deep enough, and it turns out I do sometimes like some more sophisticated stuff. Like this! It’s good! Jazz, baby. I don’t know shit about it but listen to it nonetheless, in the manner of a dog cocking its head trying to ascertain if the word you said is a synonym for “treat” or “walk”.

Five Random Songs

Yes, it’s the “classic” five random songs format. It’s been told before on this blog many times, but basically, on an old forum, people would post the last five songs their shuffle pulled up. I liked it, so I made it into a blog. And now, here we are.

Playlist is available here!

“Demise”, Tricky

Tricky decided not to just keep making Maxinquaye, one of the holy trinity records of trip-hop (along with Massive Attack’s Blue Lines and Portishead’s Dummy). This was admirable in him following his muse, but it wasn’t a successful one just in terms of selling records. By the time he reached his third record, Angels With Dirty Faces, he was really working in a pretty different mode. Still very rhythmic, it’s a darker record and doesn’t feel at all like trip-hop. I’m not sure what it is, exactly. Someone with a better knowledge of genres in this area could probably explain it better than me. Look, I can’t be an expert in everything. Or…most things, honestly. Five Songs: Full Of Shit But Doing Our Best.

“Don’t Stand So Close To Me”, The Police

Well, this isn’t the most popular song we’ve ever had on here (that will almost certainly always be the time we got “Shake It Off”), which is up to 3.6 billion views on YouTube as of this writing. And while I’m here, because I was chatting with the same buddy above about A.V. Club Undercover, here’s the Screaming Females cover of “Shake It Off”.

Anyway, it’s always a little tricky to decide what to write about a song this well-known. Every angle has been covered by writers a thousand times more talented and knowledgable than me. So I’ll write a few things of random crap and call it a day. First, this video is extremely funny. The boys look like real dorks! Second, I love Stewart Copeland’s snare hit on the four just before the chorus. It’s a small moment but it gets me every time. Just perfect. Third, while on the subject of Stewart Copeland, I really liked the Q&A he did for Wired. His videos with Drumeo are also very fun. All right, good enough!

“Work It”, Marie Davidson

I picked up this record after an appearance on a year-end list in 2018. I don’t really follow electronic music all that closely, because who has the time? But I’ll pick up records here and there, mostly due to serendipitous encounters with things. And so, what do I think? It’s fine. It’s a little distant, a little aloof for me. I recognize that complaining about aloofness in a record like this is idiotic, but that’s where I landed.

“F.D.K. (Fearless Doctor Killers)”, Mudhoney

Mudhoney was generally unsubtle under the best of circumstances, which is appropriate for what they were playing. Subtlety would be lost, or more likely, not even noticed in the first place. Mudhoney’s audience wasn’t really looking for that sort of thing. But among a songbook that includes stuff like “Here Comes Sickness”, this song manages to stand out for its total lack of subtlety. Anyway, this is off of My Brother The Cow, the middle record of their Reprise trio, and maybe the best of the three. Piece of Cake had a little too much fuckin’ around (even by Mudhoney standards), and Tomorrow Hit Today had a little less character. Mudhoney’s catalog is actually a very consistent one, which is surprising for a band that had a reputation for goofing off as much as they did, so most of their stuff is worth listening to. But this record is nevertheless one of the better ones and worth a spin as probably a next place to go after the first Sub Pop records.

Oh, and this still isn’t the least subtle song on the record, an honor that goes to “Into Yer Shtik”.

“Thorns For a Dying Day”, Moonfrost

Bandcamp tells me I did buy this record, but I don’t remember doing so. That does happen occasionally. I generally stay on top of my purchases pretty well, but sometimes I’ll go on a binge (often at year end but sometimes other times) and an album will get lost in the shuffle. Let’s have a listen together!

Hmm. Kinda doesn’t go anywhere, does it?

Anyway, I couldn’t resist sending out an extra post on Sunday. I guess I’m going to try out twice a week? I don’t really want to make promises about frequency, I suppose, because the intention here is to both make this sustainable for me and also more interesting for you. Writing this daily meant I was running out of things to say.

I will, at some point, run out of inside baseball stuff for the blog, which will probably be a relief for you all. I guess we’ll see what the intros look like at that point.

What Are You Listening To, Josh?

A sampling of albums that I’m playing regularly, whether older ones or newer ones. Just the things that I think are worth highlighting, and maybe you’d enjoy.

Era Vulgaris, Queens of the Stone Age

Queens of the Stone Age are probably well-known enough that there’s no real point in me recapping any kind of biography here. So instead, I’ll just say that this is my favorite of their records, by a fair ways. I think the chalk pick is Songs For The Deaf with some folks picking Rated R, but this is really the one that sticks with me the most. The riffs are a little noisier, the songs a little tighter, the variety is nice, it all just feels a little more concise and focused. The fundamental thing I’m looking for with QotSA is that I want catchy but not obvious rock. I want to make mouth noises along to the riffs and to pound the steering wheel along with the drums. A lot of the rock I listen to is pretty far out there, pretty gross, and if I want to reel it back some (but not all the way), this album really nails it.

I have some albums that are car albums. It’s not that I listen exclusively to car albums in the car, but it’s the natural habitat of a car album. Some of the more elaborate or frantic metal doesn’t always quite work in the noisier environment of the car. Some of the more subtle, quietier albums I listen to also don’t always work there. This isn’t exactly a straightforward record, but the joys and fun of it sort of are. So: car album.

Car album, kitchen album, headphones album, traveling album, evening album, party album, bad day album, work album - I guess one day I’ll try and create a taxonomy of these things.

STS x RJD2, STS & RJD2

I talked about Andrew Bird last time, and I mentioned that whistling along to him is fun. It’s true! Well, this album also starts with whistling, so I was in. It’s also fun to whistle along with this one. Of course, I’ve always liked RJD2, from his first record, but it’s delightful to hear him do a full record with an MC. His beats here are absolutely fat (I’m sorry, I can’t really use the term “phat”, I’m too old), especially with the horns, and STS is clearly having a lot of fun on the mic. It’s just a joyous record, and it’s one that I’ll sometimes run back right after listening to it, just to get the ebullient “Doin’ It Right” again. I sort of think of RJD2 as a different artist when he’s working like this as opposed to his solo work, and this is probably my favorite record from the MC side of things.

Animals, Pink Floyd

OK, look. You probably that entry above for QotSA and were thinking, geez, this shit has gotten really basic. Well, here you go: I can get so, so much more basic. Pink Floyd is one of the best selling artists of all time, perhaps in the top 10 depending on how you count things. You can view those ranking lists through a bunch of different lenses, but there’s no doubt that they’re one of the big ones. And yet, here we are, on my dumpy-ass little blog that talks about bands named things like Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard or Piss Vortex (8 times! same as Pink Floyd!). Do I have a screw loose?

Well, yes (again: Piss Vortex). But Pink Floyd is also a band that evokes where I grew up. In Spokane, WA, in the 80s, your choices for radio were pretty much pop, country, oldies, or classic rock. Depending on where you were, you might sometimes be able to get a college radio station, but certainly not always and not at the house I grew up in. Of that group of genres, only the last felt at all counter-cultural in any kind of way. It wasn’t, of course, rock music was hegemonic at the time. But nevertheless, it felt like the classic rock station had more of an edge than the others. You could at least convince yourself that the artists on there were there because of artistic merit. Again, sometimes famously not true, but you could convince yourself. Especially if you were a dumb kid.

Among the classic rock staples, Pink Floyd was an easy one to like, especially if you were looking for something different from the rest of the dial. The songs really felt like little stories! They felt arty in a way that stood in contrast to their Led-en compatriots on classic rock, in a way that again appealed to someone looking for something counter-cultural. Even more than the music, watching The Wall felt like a glimpse into a different world for a suburban kid living in a boring town. It just seemed different.

And yes, I did eventually start finding out about underground music from friends in high school. I gradually built awareness of music outside of the narrow constraints of commercial radio, driven by magazines (and zines), MTV’s 120 Minutes, college radio, and then following labels to find more good stuff.

But even after that awakening, which especially exploded when I went off to college, I retained affection for Pink Floyd. I even bought a fancy re-mastering of The Wall that claimed that there was gold foil in the CDs which somehow made it sound better. Truly dumb stuff. Mostly, that affection centered on three of the four albums from the Roger Water peak years. The fourth album, Animals, just wasn’t one I ever tried out. There wasn’t much room for it. I had the nostalgic affection for Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, and The Wall, and I didn’t need to really expand on that. Who needs new nostalgia?

Recently, there was a Radiohead discussion in a Discord I’m in which came from some pretty funny ragebait, and I sat thinking about the sequence of “biggest rock band” over the years. Which is a normal thing to do. I’m normal! I’m not going to try and define things too precisely, but you can certainly imagine some mix of Zeppelin, the Stones, and Pink Floyd eventually moving to artists like Van Halen, Bon Jovi, U2, and Guns N Roses. THat cohort gave way explosively to Nirvana and then maybe Pearl Jam after that. Whatever, the precise names don’t matter that much. Want to fit Metallica in there? Sure, why not. Again: biggest rock band. Not best. That’s a whole different list.

At some point, Radiohead probably qualified as the biggest rock band in the world for several years. And I’ll say this: among the bands that have worn that title, the ones that don’t really fit that much with the others are Pink Floyd and Radiohead. They’re both pretty avant-garde compared to the rest of these folks, making Radiohead the Pink Floyd of the 90s and 2000s, and that’s all the connection I needed to think, huh, I should maybe listen to some Floyd. And what the hell, why not play that one record I didn’t really know from their peak sequence. (Don’t tell me that some other sequence of records from Floyd is crucial, I am not listening. Yes, I have heard most of the others at some point, but again: I don’t need more nostalgia!)

Anyway: Animals. Yeah, this is a very strange record to have sold millions of copies. Outside of the intro and outro tracks, it’s three songs, all more than ten minutes, with a theme loosely based around Orwell’s Animal Farm. This kind of high-concept shit could fly in the 70s, I suppose, but it’s kind of jarring to contemplate that this was a mainstream release. As for the music, it’s discursive and wandering, a self-indulgent slab of wankery that would be hard to recommend without a solid backstop of residual affection from decades of familiarity. In other words, I enjoyed it. I can have some curdled pretension sometimes, as a treat.

Let’s Talk New Releases

Records come out every week, and there’s no way to stay on top of them. This isn’t a comprehensive look at everything, just a few things that have caught my ears out of recent releases. Any impressions here are very early!

Trio Asesino, Adrian Quesada

Well, nothing like talking about a record that’s almost 50 years old to get you hankering for some new shit! This is Adrian Quesada playing with a stripped down trio (hence the name), with Joshy Soul on keys and Jay Mumford (aka J-Zone) on the drums. The latter’s pivot to playing soul with the Du-Rites is something I’ve written about a bunch, so I won’t belabor it for now. But in addition to playing with his own band, Mumford has found work with others, including Ben Pirani, the Means of Production (which was Pirani’s backing band), and Adrian Quesada. While touring with the latter, this trio emerged as their own thing, honed on the road, and the debut album is out now.

I was going to type something like my sweet spot for this kind of funk/soul is a trio, but that’s not really true. Like, yeah, I love a great trio (and we just covered Parlor Greens the other day), but I’m really in the tank for all kinds of arrangements. Lots of horns? Hell yeah, sign me up. Stripped back to the basics? Let’s do it. All it really needs is to have that spark in it that gets me nodding along and I’m ready to go.

So, about the music: there’s some real southwestern flavor, especially in the guitar work, which comes from Quesada and I suppose is kind of reminiscent of Khruangbin. But the thing that I really love is Mumford’s drumming. I always have, and his long study of the funk masters and his work re-creating classic breakbeats comes across here where his work is front and center. There’s a classic feel to the way that the drums sound that kind of makes it seem like they were lifted out of a 70s context and planted here. Anyway, this record is a delight.

Heathen Axe, Heathen Axe

Note: “heathen axe” isn’t a weapon from the 1st edition Player’s Handbook, but those are both D&D words, so my attention was still caught. But, in contemplating this record, you have to ask yourself: how blown out do you like your music? Your reaction to that question will probably determine if you will like this record or not. Like, if you say “not really blown out at all, I like hearing things” you should skip it. If your answer is “well, it depends, but if it suits the record, pretty blown out” then you probably won’t like it, but maybe listen to a little bit. “Blown the fuck out,” well, I have good news for you. “WHAT, YOU’LL HAVE TO SPEAK UP, MY HEARING AIN’T SO HOT” my friend, I worry about you, but you’re gonna dig this.

The liner notes say “RECORDED ON VESTAX MR44 CASSETTE FOUR TRACK TURNED ALL THE WAY UP” and yeah, it sure was. Anyway, besides being turned all the way up (not to 11, because the markings on the dials were all probably worn off long ago), this is at base a big ol’ slab of psychedelic rock, and it’s a real head cleaner.

Automated Response, Hot Face

Well, hell, let’s stick with the garage-y stuff. This was probably the first album from 2026 that went into heavy rotation for me. Like Heathen Axe, it’s got a lot of spontenaiety with it. The former was recorded semi-improvised on just the second ever take. This record was pieced together from three takes straight to tape, with the last one being a live show. That approach for both records serves them well, with the energy coming through and helping drive the garage-y nature forward. I don’t think garage rock needs to be recorded live or anything. But I do think it’s a genre that benefits enormously from a sense of place in the recording. If it sounds like it could have been recorded anywhere, you risk ending up with something antiseptic and having a severe loss of personality. It’s right there in the genre: garage rock. It has to sound like it might have actually come from a garage.

So, this album is already starting from a great spot, just from the method. The music itself is clearer than Heathen Axe, but that’s not really telling you much of anything. It’s more towards the punk end of the ledger instead of the psych side of things, but that’s fine. It’s pretty tuneful in spots, and…look, it rocks, ok? It rocks. Do you want rock? Yeah you do, buddy.

Five Random Songs

Yes, it’s the “classic” five random songs format. It’s been told before on this blog many times, but basically, on an old forum, people would post the last five songs their shuffle pulled up. I liked it, so I made it into a blog. And now, here we are.

Playlist is available here!

“Greasy Kid Stuff”, They Might Be Giants

Yeah, look, there’s always going to be some whiplash with these things, and a TMBG trifle like this after all that garage shit is a real shift in gears. This song is from Cast Your Pod to the Wind, which was a bonus disc with The Else (later released on its own). It’s a compilation of various tracks that had appeared on their podcast which, in a massive upset, I never actually listened to. Anyway, like a lot of ephemera, this one is pretty far from essential - fun to listen to once if you’re a huge TMBG dork like yours truly, but otherwise forgettable.

“Fractures in Adults”, KEN Mode

Winnipeg noise-rock giants KEN Mode showed up in 2018 with Loved, a record that carried forward with the slightly slower approach of the previous record, Success. But that slowness shouldn’t be taken for reducing the impact. For me, this hews more towards the noise rock of the late 80s and early 90s underground and that sound is amazing. There’s a menace to this, one where the space lets you appreciate the pummeling. It gives you some time to notice all the elements in the sound. It’s not in a hurry. You’re locked in there with it, and it’s not going anywhere.

The other thing they did with this record was add a saxophone to some tracks, which is a genius move. It’s not a gimmick, it’s just another way to add some more texture and a different type of noise to things. Anyway, this is a great record, well-worth checking out if you’re a noise rock sicko.

“Winterspring”, Bricks

16 views on this one on Youtube when I pulled it up! I wrote up a paean to Superchunk the other day, so read that if you haven’t already. Or not, I’m not your professor. A Microphone And A Box Of Dirt is an early set of recordings by Mac McCaughan, along with Andrew Webster (Tsunami). It’s pretty raw stuff, low-fi songs that are really just rough demos. You can hear elements of what McCaughan would later bring to Superchunk, and you could see him taking these demos and turning them to great songs later. But here they are in their elemental form, and they’re very much of interest only to people who want to explore the roots of Superchunk.

“Hold Me Tight”, the Skalars

There’s a periodic project here, to rehabilitate the third wave of ska, and to highlight the great music that came out at that time. The culture briefly embraced ska and then immediately turned around and started treating it as a joke. I’m not going to relitigate that whole thing, because who cares? But in that collapse of viability and the rush to treat the music as a punch line, lots of great stuff got tagged as just lame trend hopping. And sure, there was definitely a trend, lots of bands took part, but plenty of them were inspired by the movement and went out and made great records and didn’t just churn out some stuff to take a swing at MTV coverage.

The album with this tune, Change Up, is one of those lost treasures. The Skalars (credited as Isaac Green & the Skalars on their first album) released two records on Moon Ska in the late 90s, who were the epicenter of the third wave. Unfortunately, this record came out about a year before Moon Ska imploded in bankruptcy, so I doubt anybody much heard it. It was also well past ska’s brief commercial peak. It’s a shame, because it’s a cheerful record that smartly centers Jessica Butler’s vocals more than their first one. The willingness to stretch out a bit into more of a rocksteady approach also serves the songs well. Anyway, listen to this and then go ahead and contemplate all those jokes you’ve cracked about the Bosstones’ dancer.

“Surfin’ Cow”, The Dead Milkmen

It is a curse of funny bands that people over rotate on that sense of humor. It’s apparently hard for people to hold two ideas in their heads at the same time, that a band can be funny and also good. (This also applies to TMBG to a certain degree.) They start thinking the band is only good for wackiness, and don’t actually pay attention to them. And sure, the Dead Milkmen were very, very funny. But they were also very, very good! Like, sure, “Bitchin’ Camero” and “Stuart” are genuinely hilarious, but if you’re just looking for the next pile of gags, you might miss that the band is just killing it on their records.

Anyway, welcome back to Five Songs: Weekly Edition. In case this is your first time seeing this, I’m just going to write about the music in my life right now. The albums I’m spinning frequently, the new records I’m becoming attached to, and then I’ll close things out with five random songs from my collection, along with some thoughts about them. I will eventually stop writing random variation of this intro at some point, at least until my “audience” “builds” back up. But I won’t know when that happens, because the new site doesn’t have any analytics on it. Fuck analytics! That’s finance-brained bullshit. Kill the finance bro in your head! This is a hobby. I don’t need to know three people looked at it, I’m going to write it anyway.

At any rate, don’t you want to subscribe?

What Are You Listening To, Josh?

A sampling of albums that I’m playing regularly, whether older ones or newer ones. Just the things that I think are worth highlighting, and maybe you’d enjoy.

Stoner Witch, Melvins

If you look at the tags (go ahead, take a look!), you’ll see that after the two label tags that I use (for Motown and Stax/Volt), the Melvins are the fourth most frequent band on here. They Might Be Giants are of course way in front, but these guys are in a tight pack with J Church, Wilco, Negativland, Einstürzende Neubauten, and the Flaming Lips. Honestly, that’s a pretty good group that kind of sets up what we’re doing around here. Anyway, given that background, the news that I’m listening to the Melvins isn’t really that much of a revelation.

However, there are multiple eras of the Melvins, and I have what looks like 30 records from them in my collection. Not counting the two Jello Biafra collabs. That expansive discography and the variation within it makes them kind of like a half-dozen different bands:

• pre-Atlantic: Gluey Porch Treatments through Lysol
• the Atlantic years: Houdini through Stag
• post-Atlantic: Honky through Hostile Ambient Takeover
• the Double-Duo years (when they played with Big Business): (A) Senile Animal through The Bride Screamed Murder
• the Butthole Melvins (this is really an era when they had a bunch of veterans play with them, ranging from Steven McDonald of Redd Kross, Trevor Dunn of Fantômas and others, and most notably, JD Pinkus and Paul Leary of the Butthole Surfers): Freak Puke through Pinkus Abortion Technician
• the new era (characterized by them just doing whatever they want - soundtracks, recording with the 1983 lineup without Dale Crover, whatever): Working With God through the present day

Is that a good taxonomy? Whatever, who cares. The point is, the Melvins change a lot over the years, and I go through stretches of listening to each of the variations. Of late, thanks to reading Everybody Loves Our Town (as mentioned last week), where Buzz Osbourne was one of the most frequent voices in the book, it got me listening to some of the records he talked about. In particular, he talks about the Atlantic years, putting out Prick during that time (it’s bad, don’t listen to it), surreptitiously recording the tracks that would become Honky while still on Atlantic so they could release a new album right after being dropped, and just lots of fun details.

Revisiting the Atlantic records has been fun. They’re probably the most straightforward records they’ve ever done, with maybe the first couple records being comparable. That doesn’t mean the records are simple and obvious, of course. Stoner Witch ends with fifteen minutes of assorted ambient exploration (punctuated by the raging “June Bug”). The brutal drag through Houdini culminates in “Spread Eagle Beagle”, ten minutes of miscellaneous echoing drums. Stag has…whatever “Goggles” is. So these are still Melvins records. But if you were looking for an onramp, I also think these are the records to go for. And this one, the middle one of the Atlantic trilogy, is probably the most approchable of the three, with the Melvins nonsense being the most legible of the bunch.

Majesty Shredding, Superchunk

Speaking of a band that’s been with me for a while! Superchunk haven’t gone through as much evolution as the Melvins have. Starting with On The Mouth, Jon Wurster joined the band, and the lineup of Mac McCaughan, Laura Ballance, Jim Wilbur, and Jon Wurster was set for the next ten albums, spanning nearly 20 years. It’s only with the most recent record, 2025’s Songs in the Key of Yikes, that any change was made (with Laura King replacing Wurster on the drums). If you just consider McCaughan, Ballance, and Wilbur, they’ve been together for twelve albums (all but the first) and tons of singles.

And throughout that time, they’ve been incredibly consistent. McCaughan’s songs don’t wander too far afield, just track after track after track of tuneful punk (with the occasional ballad thrown in, and if you don’t want to call them punk, I’m fine with that). After the band’s eighth album, Here’s To Shutting Up, they decided to do that and called it quits. Only, it turned out to be a hiatus. Nine years later, “Digging For Something” appeared prior to the release of Majesty Shredding. My first thought was worry - would one of my favorite bands still have it after coming back? But as soon as I heard that song, I knew they were back. They sounded incredible.

The release of the album was one of the highlights of my music year in 2010. It was not just a new Superchunk record, it was a great Superchunk record. In the fullness of time, my appreciation of it has only deepened. Is it their best record? No, it isn’t, but in a discography that includes On The Mouth and No Pocky For Kitty, there’s no shame in that. But I think it’s somehwere around my fourth favorite record from them, which is incredible.

At this point, the post-hiatus Superchunk has now released five records, and they’re all good to great. They haven’t yet matched the output of the first eleven years of the band, when they not only banged out eight records but enough other stuff to fill three compilations of non-album tracks. But they’ve now been around for longer in their second phase, and it’s a miracle to see a band last this long and be this good. When you add in the fact that album four was a breakup album that McCaughan wrote about Ballance and they not only made it through that but continued as bandmates and business partners (in Merge Records), it’s kind of unbelievable.

At the end of the day, punk bands generally don’t last very long for maybe obvious reasons. And the ones that do hang around forever mostly get sort of toothless. Superchunk hasn’t had that happen (well, album eight is kind of toothless), they have kept going forever, and I think they’ve my favorite punk band. Assuming you agree with that categorization.

Long story short? If you haven’t listened to them, give this one a spin. And if you don’t like it, I don’t know what to tell you. But don’t tell me!

Noble Beast, Andrew Bird

At any given time, I’ve got at least one of Bird’s albums in rotation, often more than one. It shifts from revisiting old favorites to getting comfortable with newer releases. I don’t have any way of measuring how often I actually listen to albums, what with listening to things off my own Plex server, directly from Bandcamp, and through Qobuz, so I can’t be certain about any metrics. But I feel pretty confident in saying that Bird is my most listened to artist over the past five, maybe ten years. Some of that is because I have felt comfortable putting his records on around my kids, even when they were small. Some of it is just that it’s very nice to have some pretty stuff to listen to in-between the noisy crap I often spin. Some of it is that it’s fun to sing and whistle along to him. But mostly, it’s just a reflection of how great he’s been. You know, and how old I’m getting.

Anyway, the current record in the rotation is 2009’s Noble Beast. It’s an indie pop record, like a lot of his output, with things sounding more orchestrated than they actually are thanks to Bird’s gift for creating fascinating arrangements even when sometimes it’s just kind of him. This is the last record of this type that he made for a bit, shifting to a more live approach starting with Break It Yourself. So in some ways, this is the capstone of the four album sequence starting with Weather Systems and moving through The Mysterious Production of Eggs (hear me talking about it on a bonus episode of the Shelf Stable podcast!), and Armchair Apocrypha.

While this album features probably my second favorite Bird song (“Effigy”, after Eggs’ “Measuring Cups”), I don’t think I’d start with it if you’re not familiar with him. Eggs is the chalk choice, and I think it’s the correct one. But this album is also a banger, and my second favorite of this era of his.

One day in this blog I’ll post a ranking of his records. Today is not that day.

Let’s Talk New Releases

Records come out every week, and there’s no way to stay on top of them. This isn’t a comprehensive look at everything, just a few things that have caught my ears out of recent releases. Any impressions here are very early!

Scimitarium II, Scimitar

Look, first things first. If you name your band after a specific weapon that shows up in the 1st edition D&D Player’s Handbook, we here at Five Songs Incorporated are going to listen to it. That’s the rule. (I see you, Lucerne Hammer!) I don’t think this rule has steered me wrong yet.

Beyond that, Scimitar’s first record, from just last year, was a really interesting mix of heavy metal, some black metal flourishes, and just a touch of power metal here and there that was intriguing. It didn’t quite make my 2025 roundup but was close. And now we already have a follow-up. I’ve only had a chance to spin it a couple times so far. It strikes me that the tunes themselves hit harder, with less of the heavy metal side of the personality and more of the extreme metal side of things. It does seem at times that the band is playing a different song than the one that Shaam Larein is singing. But no matter, I enjoy some disorientation from time to time, and my first blush is that I might like this new one better. It’s still early, but what a fun one to drop on us so soon after the previous record.

Storytime, Khmeii

While I’m talking about things that automatically make me pay attention, starting off a rap track with “uh, uh” before coming in for your verse always gets me going. It’s just a programmed response for me. And this first track is a serious banger. A great soul intro, agile verses, a choral…uh, chorus, fantastic stuff. And so it goes. Khmeii’s flow is so much fun to listen to, I find it really easy to just relax back and nod along to these songs. She’s also comfortable singing on tracks, such as “Surrender Song”, which also features some fun guitar work. “Hello” soudns like a classic Tribe Called Quest track. There’s a fun…not really a cover, but a tribute to “Paper Planes”. It’s just fun across the board. I’m writing “fun” a lot. This is again an early listen for me, I just picked up this record a few days ago as of this writing, but I’m totally charmed by it.

Eisenmund, Schimmel über Berlin

Big ups to the homie Wolf Rambatz for this one. Post-punk as a genre can just kind of collapse in chilly reverb and icy vocals. It’s a genre that can feel so unwelcoming that it can be difficult to listen to. And yeah, I know, I listen to stuff that sounds like someone dumped a thousand forks into a cement mixer, so I recognize that this complaint is stupid. Stupider than usual, even. But whatever, to my mind, there’s kind of a difference between stuff that is trying to be off-putting vs. stuff that isn’t necessarily trying to be but nevertheless is. And so, that’s the trap that post-punk has to avoid with me. I generally like the aesthetics of it, but I’d say about 4 out of 5 records just bounce off for me. This one, though, despite having a lot of the hallmarks of the genre (distant, reverb-y vocals, piercing guitar lines, all that good stuff), it doesn’t feel like it’s trying to drive me away. Maybe it’s because I can’t understand the vocals.

Five Random Songs

Yes, it’s the “classic” five random songs format. It’s been told before on this blog many times, but basically, on an old forum, people would post the last five songs their shuffle pulled up. I liked it, so I made it into a blog. And now, here we are.

Playlist is available here!

“Pink Frosty”, Fugazi

Technically, the version that shuffle pulled up was a live version from a show in Pittsburgh that I was in the audience for, but that version isn’t on YouTube, so this is the studio version from End Hits. First, people should know that Fugazi has made available hundreds of live shows, recorded at the sound board, so you can check out a show you were at pretty easily. Alas, the quality of that Pittsburgh show isn’t great.

Second of all, I think End Hits gets a little overlooked in Fugazi’s discography. If you like the more abstract version of Fugazi, I feel like people kind of gravitate towards The Argument or maybe Steady Diet of Nothing. And if you prefer the more raging side of the band, you’ll prefer other records as well. And while I certainly cannot deny the genius of The Argument (my second favorite of their records), I think most days I’d put this one third in my preferences. And “third-best Fugazi record” is, like, an all-timer. Is it the record I would recommend for a Fugazi neophyte? Well…no. But dammit, it’s a great record.

“Then”, Negativland

In 1991, Negativland was kind of teetering as a band and project, not for the first time, and their prankster instincts kicked in. Before, when their tour for Escape From Noise pretty clearly was going to be a disaster, they canceled the tour but released a press release claiming it was because “Christianity Is Stupid” was implicated during an axe murder. That resulted in some credulous news coverage and produced enough material for them to make Helter Stupid.

This time, they decided that they should go ahead and release some foul-mouthed recordings of Casey Kasem that one of his engineers had slipped to them, putting them into a track. But, hell, why not do it as part of a cover of a U2 song, who were the biggest band at the time. So, the U2 single slouched out into the world, an absurd thing that got them and their label extremely sued. I was lucky enough to read about the single and get a copy during the brief window it was available, and gleefully made copies for all my friends.

During the ensuing debacle, with Negativland and SST pointing fingers at each other while Island Records (on behalf of U2) and Kasem’s camp tried to sue them into dust, Negativland released the Guns single in an attempt to raise some money for legal bills. It’s an examination of gun culture in America, with the two sides of the single labeled “Then” and “Now”. It’s sort of the typical Negativland social satire stuff, with the music being texture behind a lot of found sounds and vocal samples. It’s a little toothless, overall. Their best work around this sort of thing is more subtle than this, with surprising samples that kind of make you think. This one feels a little thrown together, which it probably was, given the circumstances. The band did eventually survive, left SST Records behind (along with chopping up SST’s “Corporate Rock Still Sucks” bumper sticks into “Corporate SST Still Sucks Rock” stickers), put out one of their best records in 1993 (Free) and just kept on trucking for decades.

“Happy Go Lucky Local”, Duke Ellington

Say it with me, folks: Josh doesn’t know shit about jazz! Now we’re back.

“Whatever Happened To Soy Bomb”, Eels

The other day, I went and saw the Wedding Present on their tour for the 35th anniversary for Seamonsters, which was an amazing show. That’s one of my favorite albums, period, and they were in incredible form. I loved it so much. Opening for them was Mark Robinson, who played a bizarre medly of 51 songs from Unrest. He was alone, and he didn’t really do a lot with the arrangements, so it was just kind of him playing 45 seconds of his part of one song, then another, then another. I guess if you were an Unrest super fan, it would have been exciting, but I’m not and so it wasn’t. I like Imperial f.f.r.r. as much as the next guy, but this show was a lot.

Anyway, as he was playing and my mind was wandering, I just kept thinking about how I kind of wanted to be listening to Eels. There’s no real connection between them, musically, stylistically, label connections, nothing. It’s just what came to mind for me, and I spent most of the set kind of contemplating that idea. And here it is. Eels. Yeah, rules.

“Mr. Sandman”, Marvin Gaye

Early Marvin Gaye is really funny to me, because he was just kind of a Motown system artist at this point, but you can just hear little flashes of what he was to become later.

A note about playlists, first. When I started Five Songs, more than nine years ago (geez!), I used YouTube to host playlists. It was the best of the various bad choices that were out there. It was publicly accessible without an account, lots of stuff was already uploaded to the site so I could just add the existing songs, I could upload (unlisted!) songs that were missing when necessary, it generally worked OK. There were drawbacks, though. Some songs just couldn’t be uploaded there because the rights holders prevented it. Fair enough, I can’t really complain too vigorously about people wanting to keep their shit off of YouTube. But it was a hassle. It was also a little annoying having to prep each song into a video, but that wasn’t that big a deal. The other problem was really YouTube itself. YouTube sucks! If you don’t have an ad blocker or Premium account, the ads are oppressive. Giving Google more traffic is bad! So, after a while, I did soemthing about it.

What I did was just shove all the music I wanted to put into playlists on my server and then just have a little Javascript widget to play them. The advantage of it is that I could always get the music I wanted up there. The downside is really storage. That much music (thousands and thousands of tracks) takes up a lot space, and I was paying for that. All so that a relative handful of people could listen inline. It was a nice solution, but it was very much overkill. And, honestly, if this site grew its readership, at some point, somebody was bound to notice that I was just hosting this stuff on my site and might make trouble.

As I restart the site (again!), it’s now a static site, which is much, much easier for me to maintain. But I need to have something for playlists again. I’m afraid that I haven’t found anything better than YouTube for this. I guess I’ll see if some of the old problems are still there (I suppose I know that YouTube still sucks). For albums that I feature here, I’ll include links to Bandcamp (where available) which provides an easy way to listen to the albums and buy them if you like them. Bandcamp does appear to be testing a Playlist feature that might work at some point, except that a fair bit of my stuff is from CDs I’ve purchased over the years. So maybe not.

Well, anyway, it’s the best I have for now. We’ll see how it goes. So let’s get into this thing!

What Are You Listening To, Josh?

A sampling of albums that I’m playing regularly, whether older ones or newer ones. Just the things that I think are worth highlighting, and maybe you’d enjoy.

Emeralds, Parlor Greens

This was a dual discovery. I try and pay attention to Coalmine Records, who generally are pretty reliable in their releases, and then Bandcamp featured this record as their album of the day a month or so back. Combining those two things with the preview being great, and it was an easy pre-order. The album when it arrived absolutely lived up to what I was expecting. It’s a breezy organ-driven album of instrumental funk, very much in the vein of late 60s Booker T & the MG’s. The guys in Parlor Greens have been playing in various bands for a while, and they just get right down to business. I suppose I’m not sure if I know how to sell you beyond “like getting a new Booker T & the MG’s record” - either that pitch resonates or it doesn’t. If it doesn’t, I highly recommend going straight from here to firing up an album from those guys. It’s a great time of year to chill outside and just luxuriate in something like this.

The Inhuman Ordeal of Special Agent Gas Huffer, Gas Huffer

Tremendous. Literallly the second thing I write about on the rebooted site, and I immediately hit a record not on Bandcamp. That’s good stuff.

Anyway, Gas Huffer. I was at a party in a dorm (really a bunch of dorks hanging out blasting music) when I seized control of the CD player and got Nirvana’s “Negative Creep” going. A guy I didn’t know got to chatting with me, we asked where we were from (as freshman usually do when first encountering each other), and I mentioned “Washington State”. It was easier to say that to people, even though the conversation went along predictable lines from there. “Seattle?” “No, other side of the state, Spokane.” But Matt’s eyes lit up. “Spokane? Like the Gas Huffer song?” At the time, I didn’t know who that was, but dang it, even though I thought Spokane sucked (still do), I was still excited. I had the tendency of people from homely dumps to be a thirsty dork for any mention of my lousy home town. First chance I got, I hit up a record store and grabbed the first Gas Huffer record. And really liked it!

Gas Huffer was making records in Seattle at the same time as the other grunge explosion bands, and they even featured a Seattle underground legend in the form of Tom Price (U-Men), so it seems like they should have had a path to the limelight. Unfortunately for them, they weren’t making anything you could really squint at and call grunge. Even acknowledging that there wasn’t really that much in common between a bunch of the big bands that got the “g” label, Gas Huffer was very clearly making garage punk. I think they were doing a fantastic job of it, but it was nevertheless a more recognizable thing than the punk/metal hybrid that was developing elsewhere in the city at the time. Matt Wright’s vocals were also unusual, an interesting style that sounded more like something from a garage band from the 60s than the more typical grunts and howls of the early 90s.

At any rate, because they never broke big, they’ve always felt like more of a private discovery to me. They put out seven LPs during their time, and I enjoy them all, but this record from the middle of the run is as good place to start as any.

Congregation, the Afghan Whigs

Why yes, I did just read Everybody Loves Our Town, by Mark Yarm, so stuff related to grunge is on my mind. But, you know, Gas Huffer wasn’t grunge. And the Afghan Whigs weren’t from Seattle, and some people say they weren’t grunge either. But what is grunge? I’m going to not only claim them under that tag but also say that this is the best grunge record that Sub Pop ever released. Hot take! But, that is a carefully worded statement in a weaselly kind of way. It neatly cuts out the last two Nirvana records (both DGC releases), the big Soundgarden records (A&M), all of Pearl Jam (Epic), and even Alice in Chains (Columbia). When you start looking at it, while people think of Sub Pop as THE grunge label, the truth is that most of the big records we think of as grunge classics were released after the gold rush, not before. That’s not to denigrate the records Sub Pop did release! Just that mostly the phenomenon of grunge was actually a major label thing after having been nutured on the independent labels.

So, if it’s not Congregation, what are the alternatives? The first two Mudhoney records (three if you’re counting Superfuzz Bigmuff in its compilation form) are obviously candidates, but every Mudhoney record has just enough screwing around on it that they don’t quite beat this one out. I adore Love Battery, especially Dayglo, but the extra injection of R&B into Congregation really raises it up. Anyway, it’s a tremendous record that still holds up, and the start of a fantastic run for the Whigs (with Gentlemen being probably my favorite grunge record from anybody on any label). You know. If it counts as grunge.

Let’s Talk New Releases

Records come out every week, and there’s no way to stay on top of them. This isn’t a comprehensive look at everything, just a few things that have caught my ears out of recent releases. Any impressions here are very early!

Sojourn, CAVS

One of the truest facts about your editorial team here at Five Songs International is that they don’t know shit about jazz. And so, you know, there’s not a lot of intelligent commentary you’re going to get out of us here. This album makes me happy though. Might do the same for you. Dunno!

Inside These Walls, Termite

You’re going to get a mix on here of relatively well-mannered stuff like that CAVS records and then stuff like this. This is just pure, uncut hardcore right outta Perth, Australia. Here’s how you know you’re getting the good shit: almost every track on this record starts out with a squall of feedback. That’s how it should work! And the occasional exception, like “Punk CEO”, has a good reason not to go there and instead just rattles into the drums. There’s no subtlety here, no nuance, just 13 tunes in, what, 17 minutes. Get in, get out, leave a cleaned brain behind. Is this going to hang around in the rotation forever? Well, no, probably not, but I’ll have plenty of time with it in the meantime.

The Psycho, Yambag

Look, this section isn’t going to be hardcore all the time. But this time around, as I look at my recent purchases on Bandcamp, I’m feeling the hardcore stuff. Yambag is from Cleveland, they’re here to absolutely bomb through this eight-song EP in under eight minutes, and sure, it’s short. Just means you can play it again.

Five Random Songs

Yes, it’s the “classic” five random songs format. It’s been told before on this blog many times, but basically, on an old forum, people would post the last five songs their shuffle pulled up. I liked it, so I made it into a blog. And now, here we are.

Playlist is available here!

“Otro nivel”, Orquesta Akokán

Oh boy, right in the soup off the hop. Orquesta Akokán is a big band playing Cuban music, mambos and such, and look: I joke about not knowing shit about jazz, and it’s largely true, but I super duper don’t know anything about this. It was released on Daptone, it’s very pleasant to listen to, and look - if you like what you hear, check out the album. Josh Says Check It Out!

“Homicide (Instrumental)”, Ghostface Killah

This is from 36 Seasons, Ghostface’s follow-up to the very good Twelve Reasons to Die. While I think the latter is a little better, both records excel as cinematic tours through Ghost’s minds, with this record being more in the blaxploitation vein. Unfortunately, the instrumental here is really just kind of a teaser, without really giving you the full feeling of things. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of records that Ghostface has put out over the years, and I don’t blame you, there are really two peak eras. This is in the middle of the second of those, his collab-driven work where he sounds very focused to me. I’d go with the aforementioned Twelve Reasons as the pick of this era, but these two plus the BadBadNotGood collab forms maybe his best three-album sequence.

“Dyslexicon”, The Mars Volta

Here we go with a cut from the last Mars Volta record before they went back to being At The Drive-In for a little while. And honestly, at this point in the run, they’d gone pretty far with the concept of the Mars Volta. If you weren’t already convinced by the proggy excesses of the previous records, this record sure isn’t going to change your mind. There’s an awful lot going on here - I mean, just listen how Cedric Bixler-Zavala’s vocals go from processed to anthemic singing to the occasional warble that kind of reminds me of Jello Biafra at times. As with a lot of ambitious records, it sometimes sounds like a couple different bands playing at the same time, at least until you’re able to cohere things in your brain. My impression, as out of touch as I am with general critical opinion, is that this is the least liked of the Mars Volta’s initial run, and I guess that’s also where I land. I do wonder if I spent more time with it if that impression would improve, but it doesn’t seem like a thing I’m going to do.

“Captain Sterling’s Little Problem”, The Coup

At this point, Boots Riley might be better known for his movie career than his music career, but around here, we fondly think of the Coup often. This comes from one of the later Coup records, Pick a Bigger Weapon, where Boots’ rubbery funk had evolved pretty far. While this record doesn’t get to the heights of Steal This Record, it’s definitely worth your time if you like the Coup for sure but haven’t given this one a spin. If you haven’t listened to the Coup at all, well, this isn’t a bad song to orient yourself, although I think Boots is a little more agile on the mic on earlier record (even if the arrangements are a little more spare). Be ready for some very clever storytelling and plenty of calls for a Communist revolution.

“Capillaries”, Flying Lotus

You’re Dead was a breakthrough for Flying Lotus thanks to his work with Kendrick Lamar. It was another five years before he’d make another record, Flamagra, which features a track with David Lynch among lots of other stuff. Flying Lotus does a lot of work, across a lot of different types of media, and that sort of creative restlessness also comes through in his albums, which are hard to pin down. And so it is with this one. It’s a long record, 27 tracks, and it’s stuffed with a ton of ideas. That makes it an interesting record to explore, but the length here kind of means I never quite experience it the same way. But I should probably put it on more often, and this track is a good reminder of that.

You should get a confirmation email for your subscription, and it won’t be active until you deal with that.

It took some time and goofing around with formatting, but the blog is back up again. And I suppose I’ll take this time to mention that I’m probably going to make a change in format. I’m going to go with a weekly post instead of daily(-ish), with some more timely content like what I’m listening to right now. And, of course, the usual five random songs. If you want to catch those, you can sign up for the email list, follow with RSS, or just follow me on Bluesky.

Oh, and I have to note: the old music player isn’t working on the new site. I’ll level with you: it’s expensive to host all that stuff, and truthfully, it’s not really legal. So, I have to figure something else out, I guess. Well, that’s a problem for later. Anyway: we’re back!!!

This year, I added 229 releases to my library, although there are a few more that I am picking up from other year-end roundups, and those haven’t made it in here. That’s 5 days and 6 hours of music, and honestly, I’m absolutely forgetting about some great stuff in there. As always, the lesson is: I’m an idiot.

Almost Certainly The Album I Listened To The Most, Probably, And Also The Album Most In Dire Need of a Hug

It’s the latest PUP album, Who Will Look After the Dogs?:

When I last wrote one of these roundups, in 2022, the latest (at the time) PUP album got an award. So I suppose I’m on the same cadence as those guys are. At any rate, they’re five albums in, five bangers in the books, and they’re high up on my list of favorite punk bands ever. If you haven’t listened to them, this album is as good a place to start as any, and you’ll understand why I say they’re in dire need of a hug. Stefan Babcock’s lyrics are so forlorn, so crushed by life that it reliably gets a little dusty when I’m listening. He’s unflinching in recounting how everything in his life is his own fault. This is an album written in the aftermath of a terrible breakup, and it shows. PUP has a very fun mailing list where Babcock has written about the songs on this record, shared demos, and provided a lot of backstory, and it’s helped my appreciation of the record. And reinforced wanting to give him a hug.

But beyond the pain everywhere, there are just some really great, catchy, interesting songs. As I say above, I’ve listened to this album a ton, and I’m very much not tired of it. I think this is probably their second best record, after Morbid Stuff, but it’s close, and it might end up being my overall favorite. I haven’t seen this record pop up on other people’s lists, but it’s so squarely to my tastes that I had to lead off with it.

Honorable Mentions: What does that even mean for this category? Well, there’s a “probably” up there, and it’s because I’ve listened to another record an awful lot and it’s possible I’ve listened to it more. I’ll say that I listen to things through Bandcamp, from my Plex, and from streaming, depending on where I’m at and what I’m doing, so it’s basically impossible for me to know what I’ve actually listened to the most. Not that I care. Anyway! The other record I’ve spun an absolute ton is Highway To The End from Dark Thoughts:

I dunno, man, this record is basically perfect. Like, it breaks zero new ground, but it’s thoroughly charming and it’s just 18 minutes of pure fun. Is it basically a Ramones record? Yeah, sure. But it’s a really, really good Ramones record. Three chords and a cloud of dust remains undefeated.

The Billy Woods Award

Another 2022 observation is that I awarded a billy woods release, Aethiopes, which I stand behind as a recommendation. Shit is really good. Well, here we are, and again, a high-profile billy woods release knocked everybody’s socks off, and at this point, the hip-hop award in this thing is just going to be named after him. Anyway, GOLLIWOG has been written about in a zillion places, it rules:

What is there to say about it? It’s a surreal horror journey, and there’s nothing really like it, and he’s the best out there right now.

Honorable Mentions: Armand Hammer is a duo of ELUCID and billy woods, and they put out a record in 2025 with the Alchemist, and yeah, Mercy also rocks:

I’m saying, the guy is in a league of his own.

The Baker’s EP

This one goes out to my favorite album that’s a little too beefy to be an EP in my head, but still doesn’t feel like an LP. And, sure, people used to call these mini LPs in the past, but screw that. Anyway, there were quite a few of my favorite records that fell into this range (you could make an argument that that Dark Thoughts record qualifies), and getting a great twenty-ish minute experience from a record is really wonderful. My favorite from this year is Vermillion Pyre from Lucerne Hammer:

When I saw the name of this band, I knew I had to pick it up, what with appendix T (polearms) being burned into my brain. And it smokes - just pure, raw black metal. It’s majestic and atmospheric, furious and forlorn. It’s so good that I usually just listen to it twice in a row (thanks to the tracking on the Bandcamp release, where you get individual tracks followed by the whole thing as a single track, and I just usually let it play). I had never heard of this artist before, but I was really blown away. What a find.

Honorable mentions: Dans La Fournaise by Bombardment is 18 minutes of French hardcore mayhem. It just gallops the whole time, and it’s a great brain cleanser. It also has the hilarious tag of “adult oriented d-beat”, which is just incredible.

Clang Clang by Molly Horses is mostly noise rock, some post-punk DNA here, lots of bullhorn-ish vocals, there’s something familiar about the presentation but I haven’t put my finger on exactly what it sounds like. It sounds good! I like it! The mode of music criticism of “band + other band” is inevitable and useful, but I’m just going to let this one slide past. It sounds like Molly Horses. I’ll be keeping a watch on this band for sure.

ZHVK by TDK is an actual EP, so it doesn’t belong in this category, but I want to mention it somewhere. Do you want some Bulgarian noise rock? What if I told you it had horns? If you were me, you’d actually be salivating in a pathetic Pavlovian response to your favorite musical things being mashed together. The good news is that your programmed response would be entirely justified.

The Broken Bottle Trophy

I’m giving this one out for outstanding achievements in the field of noise rock. Ask me to define noise rock, and I will fail. I can name plenty of bands that I think define it, but honestly, there isn’t always that much in common between them. It’s just a matter of pointing at it and going yeah, that’s noise rock. Anyway! It was a good year for it! It’s always a good year for it, somehow.

Here’s Hateful Abandon’s Threat:

They don’t list noise rock in the tags, and that’s fair. But that’s what it comes across as to me, and it’s just ugly as hell. There’s a category down below for metal, and yeah, that’s also ugly. But there’s something about this that’s just nastier. Maybe it sounds more human? I dunno.

Honorable Mentions: Twenty years after ceasing to be a band, Mclusky are back and haven’t missed a stitch:

Now, it’s not like Andy Falkous hasn’t been busy in the meantime, with all the stuff he’s released with Future of the Left and Christian Fitness. Hell, Future of the Left featured Jack Egglestone on drums, and he’s also a third of Mclusky. So, you know, there’s some continuity here. But still! It sounds like a Mclusky album, and that’s a great thing.

Is FACS noise rock? Given what I wrote above, about knowing it when I hear it, I think the answer is…no, not really. It’s more post-punk? At least this record. Anyway, it’s really good:

The Golden Stank Face

I mentioned above that I love horns. Put horns in your music and I’m there. Every additional horn moves me down the Vince McMahon faces scale. You get an ensemble in there and I’m full-on laser eyes. And friends, my favorite truly horny record this year was easily the most recent from Polyrhythmics, Life From Below:

What can I say about this record? It’s a real jump forward to my ears. I’ve always liked the band, but they really nailed it here. The first time I put it on, the faces I pulled during “Chophouse” were just obscene. While I think I listened to the PUP record more, that’s more a consequence of release date, and I suspect going forward from now, this record is going to see more time. What a spin.

Honorable Mention: As with Polyrhythmics, I have liked the previous Sorcerers records, but their release this year is a serious banger:

The say this is Ethio-inspired jazz, and sure man. All I know is that I make a stupid face when I listen to it. I put it on just now and immediately started frowning and bobbing my head. It’s magic.

Josh, Turn That Shit Off!

My usual tastes in obnoxious metal run either to crazily dissonant unpredictable nonsense or nuts-and-bolts recorded-in-a-basement gutter pounding. A lot of the stuff in-between leaves me cold. While I want ambition and inventiveness, I mostly want that deployed in the service of confusing me, rather than anything else. That said, there are a couple records from this year that are hard to separate in my head and are similar in being ambitious, interesting, and also surprisingly musical. In other words, not my usual tastes. The chalk pick among a lot of writers for best metal record this year is Convalescence Agonies from Weeping Sores, and the people are right:

Featuring Doug Moore and Steve Schwegler from Pyrrhon, who would have appeared in this blog multiple times over the years if I wrote them with any consistency, the record is hard to describe. If you have any interest in metal, give this a try - it’s Moore’s meditation on recovering from a serious injury, one that left him unable to play guitar, and it’s really something special.

The other record, which I’ll have as a joint-winner in this category, is РЛБ30011922 from 夢遊病者 (sleepwalker):

If it’s heard to describe the previous record, I really can’t do this thing justice. Is it really that metal? Yeah? It’s also post-rock? And kind of psychedelic at times, and there’s some prog there, and…look, it’s really good. Honestly, probably should go in a different category, but whatever, it’s here now.

Honorable Mentions: Yellow Eyes’ Confusion Gate is probably their best record:

Fuck yeah, black metal. It’s a genre where 95% of it puts me to sleep or makes me roll my eyes, but when it hits, man, nothing like it.

And, on the knuckle-dragging side of the ledger, I really loved Glorious Depravity’s Death Never Sleeps:

Hey, it’s Doug Moore again! Anyway, just pummeling death metal, a bit of thrash, it’s good for your soul (?), or something.

The Citric Dummies Award for Excellence In Album Names

…goes to the Citric Dummies for Split with Turnstile:

The record rips, too.

The Out of Nowhere Award

See/saw was one of my favorite places to find music this year, and I found a bunch of records that I really loved through it. A couple, though, really stuck with me through the year and had me coming back over and over. Most notably, the self-titled debut album from the Boojums:

Hailing from Port Hawksbury, Nova Scotia, they play music that immediately sounds familiar. There’s a lot of midwestern punk here, some Hold Steady, some Replacements, just a whole bunch of influences going past. And, impressively, they sound like several bands across the length of the record. But despite all that familiarity, it also manages to sound fresh. It’s just a joy to listen to, the sort of record that I only stumble across occasionally that I know is going to be part of my rotation for years and years.

Honorable Mention: Greg, the first record from Visual Learner:

Visual Learner are from the midwest, from Minneapolis, but to my ears they sound more like California. Specifically, I listen to them and always think about Samiam. And maybe a little Farside. But again, as with the Boojums, it transcends just being comfort food by being catchy as hell. And I can say, it’s held up plenty to repeat listening. Another record that’s going to stick with me for a long time.

There are absolutely albums I should be mentioning here, and I’m sure that some of the records that I’m picking up from year-end lists should end up here also. But I also have to finish this thing and get it out. And I see I wrote the same thing last time. I am, if nothing else, consistent.

(track 1!) So, a quick primer on Negativland. They’re an avant-garde project that has used sound collages to make experimental pieces going back to their first album in 1980. They’ve always been closely associated with radio, having hosted a weekly radio show called Over the Edge on KPFA and experimenting with various sounds and approaches through that radio show. They’ve used the radio stuff to guide some of their studio projects and tours, taking some of the best bits and developing them further. I’m a big fan of the band and their projects, so they’ll crop up here from time to time.

It’s All In Your Head FM is a live album, which is a strange thing to say about a band that isn’t really a band in the conventional sense. The tour was based around a series of radio shows that explored religion, a frequent topic of concern for Negativland. The band would revisit this material a third time by creating a studio record based on the same concepts, which to my mind is the definitive version of the work, leaving the live record more of a curiosity. The show itself was a good time, though.

This intro track isn’t the best intro track from Negativland. That honor, of course, goes to the opening of Escape From Noise, whose “Announcement” is similar to this but even more honeyed. This is a similar track, and a clear homage to that earlier tune. It does serve as a fine first track for today. Let’s see what follows that lead-in!

DJ Shadow, “This Time (I’m Gonna Try It My Way)”

Not bad.

I think a lot of people lost track of DJ Shadow after he dropped an all-timer with his debut record, Endtroducing…. And, you know, that record is legendary for a reason, but it took six years for his second proper album, and by then people had mostly moved on. His third record, The Outsider, is even less well-known, and it’s a shame. It’s an eclectic record, with tracks coming from all directions and with lots of collaborations, which manages to show the breadth of DJ Shadow’s talent but also kind of has a hard time hanging together. It’s a good record, though, and deserves to be better known.

DJ Vadim, “Relax With Pep, Part 6”

Part of the reason why DJ Shadow’s later work got lost is that there was a lot of abstract hip-hop released in the late 90s, and I think people got pretty sick of it fast. The irony here is that DJ Shadow mostly moved on from the abstract hip-hop stuff, making a lot more use of actual vocals. DJ Vadim is one of the contributors to the avalanche of abstract hip-hop records. He’s one of the better in that group, but at the same time, there’s a certain samey-ness to a lot of this kind of thing that means it’s hard to really go out of your way to recommend most of it.

Black Midi, “Eat Men Eat”

By the time of the third album arriving (Hellfire), Black Midi had evolved far enough to end up where basically “eclectic” was the only valid word to describe them. There’s a lot going on, with lots of deliberately outre prog weirdness going on. I read a comparison with Mr. Bungle at one point, and I think that’s a decent idea of where they ended up. You get the sense that they incorporated basically every sound they ever heard into their music, at least somewhere.

Thinking Fellers Union Local 282, “Four O’Clocker 2”

(track 1!) Yeah! Good comaprison, Plex. Or the Thinking Fellers!

The Dirty Nil is one of those bands where I can’t really decide how much I like them. I usually enjoy them when I’m listening to it, with a kind of fun mix of hard rock and punk. It sounds pretty great! But then when I stop, I’m not sure I have a strong desire to listen to them. Then again, on the third hand, I have bought their last three albums, so I dunno, maybe that’s telling me something. (That something is that I’m a big dummy.)

Less Than Jake, “24 Hours in Paramus”

Want proof that I’m a dummy? The Scooby Doo “buhh?” noise at the beginning of this track makes me laugh every time. Doesn’t matter how much I’ve heard it, and I’ve listened to this album a lot. Hell, I went back and fired up a second time just now and it’s still funny. “Noise funny” is often as far as my brain fires.

Lustmord, “Godeater”

Lustmord is the project of Brian Williams, one of industrial’s true OGs. He worked with SPK in the early 80s, did some work with Coil, Throbbing Gristle, and was otherwise one of the people who built that entire scene. He also, like fellow SPK alum Graeme Revell, started doing soundtrack work, which is unsurprising for all the old industrial guys given how effective they were at creating atmosphere with their music. There’s a lot of the music underground that learned from those industrial bands, and Lustmord is one of those architects.

What’s more impressive is that he’s still out there. This piece comes from his 2022 record, The Other. As you can hear, he’s still making very atmospheric stuff, with this being a 22 minute slow burn. If this sounds good to you, go and do some archaeology with the old industrial artists, you might find some great stuff there. Just spending some time with Lustmord’s discography might be a place to start.

Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, “We’ll Always Have Paris”

Man, I do not like having to type that band name. And look, I know that this band is just a punchline to most people, along with entire brief-lived swing revival. And sure, it all looks extremely goofy in retrospect. But a few things to keep in mind. First, the swing revival was fun. I caught some shows from this band, and they were an absolute gas. Occasionally sophomoric lyrics aside, their albums were also a fun time. And especially at a pretty self-serious time in music, a band that clearly was just having a good time was a nice tonic.

Second, this band also wasn’t just a swing revival band. Yes, obviously, they played some swing, and their hit album (which really just gathered their swing and swing-ish tunes from their albums) was clearly aimed at the fad, but they also obviously made other stuff as you can hear.

I don’t think they need a big, deep critical reexamination or anything. But a scene that is widely derided is often just people thermostatic reaction to reign in something new and unusual. It’s a fundamentally reactionary thing. You should always be skeptical of any narrative that a given scene in music was meritless. Always side with the fun.

Crimpshrine, “Another Day”

(track 1!) Well, we’re all over the map now, aren’t we? Crimpshrine are one of the legendary bands of the East Bay punk scene and ended up influencing basically every band there directly or indirectly. Aaron Cometbus of course created his influential zine and played in Pinhead Gunpowder. Jesse Michaels and Tim Armstrong of Operation Ivy (and the latter, Rancid) did time in the band. Jeff Ott started Fifteen, Paul Curran was in Mosula, and of course all those bands helped influence everybody else. Crimpshrine has been cited as an influence by Green Day and Jawbreaker, among others. They’re just one of the bands that helped turn the East Bay into one of the great incubators for punk .

Oh, the music was good too. Remember - side with the fun. Kinda the polar opposite of that Lustmord track.

The Underdogs, “Mojo Hannah”

In about four seconds, you can tell that this is either a Motown song or someone trying very hard to make a song in the style of Motown. That is, of course, a great strength of Hitsville USA, but it still strikes me every time.

Baratro, “The Bad, the Bad and the Ugly”

This is a new band for Dave Curran, who played bass in noise rock legends Unsane. Which, if you’re familiar with that band, will clue you in on what you’re in for with this record. And, sure enough, it centers that thundering, distorted bass as the core of the sound. But this doesn’t read as pure noise rock to me, there’s more than a little sludge metal in this. Like, take this song - if I didn’t know the heritage of the band making it, I’d probably identify this purely as sludge. But, as always, fussing too much about boundaries in heavy music is not super productive other than as just kind of pointing you towards possible things to try. It’s heavy, it’s loud, it’s fun stuff.

Phoenix, “Rally”

This is also not noise rock.

Black Sabbath, “Sweet Leaf”

(track 1!) What a riff. I think that Sabbath is probably the greatest rock band ever, given that it’s 55 years after their debut record and people are still trying to sound like them. Anyway, the utterly hypnotic riff in this song is imprinted into my brain, as it is in so many others. RIP, Ozzy.

Deerhoof, “Be Unbarred, O Ye Gates of Hell”

(track 1!) Deerhoof is a band I kind of wish I could keep better track of. I have five of their albums, which sounds like a lot until you realize that Discogs lists 31. Have I picked their best records to have? Who knows? I know where I was working when I first started listening to them, and it was five jobs ago (more, depending on how you count when the companies I worked for were acquired), so they’ve been a companion for decades. Anyway, they’re delightful as always, charmingly chaotic noise pop that always puts a smile on my face.

Lungfish, “Descender”

I know what the Five Songs party line is on Lungfish (kinda boring), so I’m going to skip that and just kind of focus on a sense memory. Specifically, I can remember wandering around my college campus not long after getting this album. I was trying to develop a taste for it, so I wasn’t doing much other than listening to it and walking around. But it was a beautiful fall day, and I kept walking past groups of kids having a great time outdoors. Three different frisbee games were going on. A hacky sack circle. A volleyball game had broken out. The breeze was blowing, the sun was shining, I was bumping tunes, and I was just kind of watching people having a great time. So even though I am not wild about the album, an association with a perfect fall day from one of the happiest periods of my life still clings to it. This album sounds like youthful innocence and hope. And is also kinda boring.

Kustomized, “Big Trick”

(track 1!) If you’re thinking to yourself, damn, that drumming is excellent and also sounds familiar, congrats! Kustomized was started by Peter Prescott, who played drums for Mission of Burma, one of the truly foundational bands of the American rock underground. Kustomized doesn’t quite rise to that height, how could they, but Prescott is still great, the tunes are still strong, and the band should be better known than they actually are. And if you’re a fan of Mission of Burma who hasn’t listened to them, you’re in for a treat.

Common, “Be (intro)”

(track 1!) Common’s major label debut, Like Water For Chocolate, brought him a ton of attention and centered him as one of the leaders of alternative rap, which I’m loosely taking here as those artists who were setting themselves apart from the Bad Boy Records and similar artists of the time. His followup, Electric Circus, didn’t seem to have quite the same critical reception, and personally for me, I thought it was a bit of a drag compared to its predecessor. Just too much going on, and not enough of it was successful. So when 2005’s Be came out, I wasn’t sure what to expect. What resulted is what I think is Common’s best album, although I’m not sure how many others share that opinion. Part of that is the great production that’s entirely by Ye and Dilla (the former, obviously, long before his break with reality). Having just two producers helped with the cohesion, the track list was short and focused, and Common sounds like a million bucks. His discursive tendencies, at least when it comes to stuffing extra things onto an album, had been tamed and the shorter album seemed to just result in trimming the fat. Sometimes, less is more, and this album definitely is in that category.

Baroness, “Isak”

Well, we went from the latest Baroness album the other day to the first one. And, in fact, to the song that I think of when I think of Baroness. Ian Cory just wrote about “Brewer metal” in his excellent mailing list the other day, and he noted that this song is in fact the center of gravity for this micro-genre he was exploring. And now, that’s what I’ll always think of it as. But anyway, it’s a banger.

Thou, “The Hammer”

Thou released three EPs (we love EPs here at Five Songs International!) in 2018 leading up to their new album, with each EP exploring a different style. Inconsolable is the folk-ish one, with slow tempos, little distortion, and generally just a quieter approach. The band nevertheless pulls it off with aplomb, giving the impression that they can basically make whatever record they want. And, of course, they would later put out a record with Emma Ruth Rundle, fulfilling the destiny they suggested with this record. Thou can basically do no wrong to my mind.

Tortoise & Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, “It’s Expected I’m Gone”

Will Oldham hasn’t exactly had a conventional career, ranging from his frequent name changes, the prolific output, and the often odd direction of his music. But this collaboration with post-rock titans Tortoise is one of the oddest moves of the lot. For starters, the collab doesn’t make a lot of sense. The ultra-cool Tortoise, with their calm precision and sometimes cold affect, seems like an odd fit with Oldham’s often messy but human style. But even beyond that, they hooked up to make a covers record. And those covers are of songs from a huge range of artists, from superstars like Bruce Springsteen or Elton John, to international artists, to underground favorites such as today’s subject, the Minutemen.

Like all covers records, it’s basically inessential. It’s also a little hard to see who this is even theoretically for. The person who loves Oldham’s Palace [Brothers/Music] albums isn’t going to find anything like that here. The post-rock fan who loves Tortoise’s records is going to find something much more conventional. Or, at least, lyrics. I suppose the target audience is, more or less, Five Songs, which has cheerfully posted music from both. And as the target audience, I declare this: inessential. I’d just rather listen to either artist on their own. The Minutemen rule, though.

Common Market, “Re-Fresh”

(track 1!) Seattle hip-hop, represent! Common Market is RA Scion along with Sabzi (Blue Scholars), making music that fits roughly with the other “conscious” artists from the mid-aughts, such as Blackalicious. It’s hard for me to tell if I’m grading on a curve here, because as I oft say, I’m fully in the tank for Seattle people. But I think this is really fun stuff. Sabzi especially turns in a bunch of nice beats on this record, and it’s worth checking out if you’ve never heard it.

Porridge Radio, “Back to the Radio”

Shout out to the record label here, Secretly Canadian. I really liked the 2020 release from Porridge Radio, Every Bad, so I was excited for their followup. This is pretty straight ahead indie rock (their artist bio for this lists indie pop, art rock, and post-punk, which, sure), but it’s done well, plenty of emotional swells and crescendos, and it’s just a nice listen. I think I prefer the previous album a bit, but that’s probably entirely because it was the first one I listened to.

The Intelligence, “Evil is Easy”

Evil is easy, isn’t it?

Wu-Tang Clan, “Chrome Wheels”

What is there to say about the Wu? If you’re someone who has only listened to Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), there’s lots more waiting for you.

Bedouine, “Nice and Quiet”

(track 1!) Nice and quiet, indeed. Bedouine is a Syrian folk singer who drew a ton of critical attention with this record, which is what led me to pick it up after appearing on a couple of year-end roundups. I don’t remember which ones exactly. It wasn’t Pitchfork or Stereogum. Nor The Quietus. Well, who knows. Anyway: this isn’t really in my wheelhouse, musically. But every now and again I do try and sample from well-regarded stuff from this end of the pool, because sometimes I’ll latch onto it. Did this one take? Ehh, not really. It’s fine, it’s pretty. I just don’t find myself seeking it out.

The Gentle Waves, “Let The Good Times Begin”

(track 1!) This is Isobel Campbell, who was part of Belle & Sebastian up through Storytelling, and then left to pursue her own career. I have recently talked about my habit of trying out occasional pretty music (the paragraph above), and so I won’t repeat myself. So, let’s ask, did this one stick? Ehhh. It’s fine, it’s pretty.

Flaming Lips, “Okay I’ll Admit That I Really Don’t Understand”

(track 1!) I know I’ve talked about Zaireeka here before, but it’s been years probably, so let’s have another spin. Somehow, after In A Priest Driven Ambulance, an admittedly great record, Warner Bros. decided to sign the Flaming Lips to a major label contract during the post-Nirvana frenzy. The recording of the next record, Hit To Death in the Future Head, was reportedly a total shit-show. Way over budget and apparently featuring things like mic’d up toilets, the album was indisputably an early Flaming Lips record: often brilliant and frequently obtuse. It also ended with 29 minutes of formless noise.

Anyway, they were on thin ice. Some personnel changes (Ronald Jones and Steven Drozd joined the band) resulted in Transmissions From the Satellite Heart, which somehow spawned a hit (at least, of sorts) with “She Don’t Use Jelly”. Due to what I presume was a clerical error, the song even ended up on an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210 (and, more importantly, Beavis and Butthead). That bought the band enough sales and credibility that Warner Bros. didn’t drop them. Which would eventually lead, in 1997, to one of the most baffling major label releases of all time.

The Lips had been experimenting with “boombox orchestras” and “parking lot orchestras”, experiments where they took a bunch of cassette tapes and played them simultaneously across a bunch of players simultaneously. They took this concept and somehow talked their label into releasing a home version of it: Zaireeka would be released as a set of four CDs, intended to be played simultaneously in a room to give you stereo effects times four. To describe this as inconvenient is really selling it short.

I actually did this once, rounding up three portable players and bringing them into my living room, where my stereo was. Dutifully, we all pressed play at the same time, and the synchronizing bits on the first track came out in the order we expected. Nice! The music played, it was fun, and then we made a discovery: CD players definitely all play at different rates. So by the time we got to track two, we were out of sync, so we had to try and re-sync each track. Was it worth the effort? I enjoyed our listening party, but I also ripped the four CDs and flattened all four layers into one to listen to it on one CD.

Norska, “Samhain”

(track 1!) Norska is a side project of some members of Yob, the doom metal titans from Oregon, so that was enough for me to give the disc a spin. This is more on the sludge metal end of things, but it’s pretty well done for all that. Some surprising moments of just straight up tunefulness in here. Also, the track name of “Samhain” is delightfully goofy.

Operation Ivy, “Knowledge”

(track 1! ok, something is definitely wrong) Operation Ivy’s album, Energy, is still one of the best-titled records of all time. The music on it is pretty good. What legends.

It’s time to get ahead on writing this blog. Gonna try and keep a strong update pace. There’s a virtue in steadiness and predictability, which will help me build an audience. Which I will absolutely fail to do because the blog is ofputting and strange, the music is unappealing, and I am blazingly inept at self-promotion.

HIT IT PLEXASAURUS REX!

Man or Astro-Man?, “U-235/PU-239”

A relative rarity here, with mostly instrumental surf/sci-fi rockers Man or Astro-Man? turning in some vocals. But it’s all reverbed out and the drums are echo-y, so it’s all good with me. I also just learned that they put out a record in 2013, time to go check that one out.

The Beatles, “Something”

NOT NOW “THE BEATLES”, WHOEVER YOU ARE, I’M LOOKING FOR AN OBSCURE RELEASE FROM A FORGOTTEN UNDERGROUND SURF ROCK BAND

Baroness, “Embers”

(track 1!) The intro to Stone, the sixth record record from Baroness and the first not named after a color. I guess? Maybe “stone” is a color? I never really considered that. Probably not. Anyway, I think Baroness has mostly had diminishing returns over the last few albums, and I confess I didn’t listen to this record that closely. For the most part, as they got more prog-y and streteched out, my attention started wandering. This intro track doesn’t really push me one way or another.

J Church, “At the Cannery”

(track 1!) This is the opening of J Church’s 1995 EP, Analysis, Yes, Very Nice, part of the absolutely insane tear of productivity that the band had in the mid-90s. From 1993-1996, they not only put our four LPs, but (by my counting) 5 EPs and 23 singles in those same years. You might think a deluge of songs like that would result in some quality control problems, but the LPs are all good to great and any random smaller release is going to contain some good stuff. The level of productivity is really pretty amazing, few bands have ever reached that level.

“Why?”, Andrew Bird

This song comes from The Swimming Hour, which I think is the first great album from Andrew Bird (and the final album by the Bowl of Fire before he just released songs under his own name). There’s something of a break of continuity with the previous two records, which featured other Squirrel Nut Zippers and had some of the same heavy retro, hot jazz feel. This record is much more pop oriented, although obviously still pulling in lots of musical styles, and presaged the masterful Mysterious Production of Eggs. But the leap was with this album, not with Eggs, and he truly showed what he could do with it. I strongly recommend the album for anybody, especially if you’re mostly familiar with his later stuff.

(NB: this track was actually on Bird Songs, a compilation of tunes from the Bowl of Fire albums, but whatever, I’m going to talk about the source album. However! I will note that…it’s track 1 on Bird Songs. DUN DUN DUNNNNNN! I posted a question on the Plex forums about this. I predict somebody will condescend to me about how “shuffle isn’t really random”.)

I really liked the first Lily Allen album, as a bubbly and charming piece of pop that borrowed some elements of ska to add to her confections. Really quite a delightful album. I have largely gotten diminishing returns from each subsequent record, though. This is, to my ears, a pop song that doesn’t really excite me about anything. It might be great, I dunno, it’s just not for me.

Raekwon, “Fuck Them”

Raekwon followed up an all-timer, one of the best Wu-related records ever, with his second solo album that was a distinct step back. It’s an unfair baseline, of course, expecting him to match one of the greatest rap albums ever, but those were nevertheless the expectations. But Immobilarity isn’t just saddled with those unreasonable expectations, it’s also saddled with the absence of the RZA. The beats are largely in his style, as you can hear, but there’s just not quite the same edge to things. It’s certainly not a bad record, Raekwon is engaging on the mic, but there are so many great records out of the Wu-Tang universe that this one can’t quite hang.

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, “History of Lies”

If I wasn’t sold on Extra Width by “Afro”, Jon Spencer’s delivery on “History of Lies” would have absolutely won me over. I already liked JSBX, having picked up the first record based entirely on John Linnell guesting on sax, but this album was a huge leap forward in coherence and songwriting, as Spencer kind of shed the last bits of Pussy Galore and really turned JSBX into something new. This is still my favorite record from them, even if I think that Orange is probably the better set of songs.

Screeching Weasel, “Like a Parasite”

Yup, that’s Screeching Weasel.

Dr. Ring-Ding & The Senior Allstars, “Call di Doctor”

I’m gonna level with you: we probably shouldn’t be listening to a German guy do a patois like this.

My understanding is that this is from a mix tape that Dre used to sell at the Compton Swap Meet, which eventually made its way onto the internet. I’ve got three of these things, and it’s a delight to just hear this stuff in its raw form. Enjoy!

Farside, “Search for Ourselves”

Farside is one of the reasons I stopped making playlists on YouTube. I used to find tracks on the service, and if they were missing, I’d upload it to an unlisted video and add it to my playlist. It was kind of useful to have them there, but a problem that would happen is that the content ID system there would flag stuff. Fine, whatever, other people should get any (non-existant) royalties. But sometimes, labels or artists would have songs as prohibited uploads, so I just couldn’t host some songs there. Pain in the ass! Oh, also YouTube is a cesspool.

Spent, “The Pilot’s Lament”

I should do a roundup of “[Foo’s] Lament” songs. There are a lot of them! Yes, one of them is from the Decemberists.

Frank Black and the Catholics, “I Gotta Move”

Frank Black’s work with the Catholics is some of the most straightforward stuff he’s ever done. This is really just capital-R Rock, and it’s fine? Not really what I’m looking for from him, but if I ignore that it’s from him, sure, it’s fine?

Pusha T, “Untouchable”

King Push - Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude is kind of a strange record, but Pusha T has had kind of a strange career after Clipse. Love the Biggie sample here, though.

You know, if you’re going to do a skit, this is the way to do it.

J Church, “Cosmonaut”

A cut from the final J Church album, The Horror of Life. By this point, Lance Hahn was already battling the kidney problems that would claim his life the same year the record was released, but the record doesn’t really show any signs of decline. A genius to the end.

Claw Hammer, “Hollow Legs”

John Wahl’s distinctive yelp is not tamed at all by showing up on a major label, and Claw Hammer as a result sounds exactly like themselves on Thank the Holder Uppers. Whether you like Claw Hammer will be driven entirely by whether you find Wahl’s voice kind of intriguing or whether you find it a dentist’s drill. My college roommate could not stand him, so your mileage may vary. If you get past his voice (or like it), you’ve got plenty of whacked out blues-y rock surprises awaiting you.

Front 242, “Headhunter v3.0”

We here at Five Songs have reached the conclusion that Front 242 have actually aged pretty well, that this sort of icy synth stuff sounds pretty good these days. But, the tendency of industrial dance acts to remix everything to an inch of its life did not age well at all. As you might guess, this is the third version of this song they did, with two earlier versions showing up on an EP. Not cool, Front 242!

The Range, “Five Four”

The Range has a fun gimmick, which is that the vocals on this record are sampled from YouTube, so there’s kind of some found sound fun awaiting. And the music also relies heavily on samples. I would describe this record as a plunderphonic record, but that’s because I’m an old fart and nobody uses that term any more. Just because the source of the samples are not famous doesn’t mean that it’s not constructed similarly. Unlike a lot of other plunderphonic artists, James Hinton isn’t trying to make something disorienting, but is instead trying to create compositions that hang together. I dig it, although knowing where it comes from definitely informs my reaction.

The first Smiths album is the one I really don’t listen to very much at all. I tend to want to belt along with the songs in my best Morrissey impression, and for that, I know the last few albums much better than this one. That’s not a judgment on the quality of it or anything, just a recognition that I listened to The Queen Is Dead in high school enough to know the songs perfectly.

Royal Crown Revue, “Beyond the Sea”

Part of the problem that the various revival bands in the 90s had is that it’s kind of hard to tell how much of this is tongue-in-cheek. I think they’re playing it straight, but then you hear one of their originals, and it’s kind of smirky, and I sort of feel like you can’t go both ways with it. At any rate, taken at face value, sure, this is fun.

sexual jeremy, “Bowls of Fruit”

Some real US Maple vibes here, which is a very high compliment indeed.

Vattnet Viskar, “Dawnlands”

In the wake of Sunbather, there was a kind of boomlet in this sort of post-black metal, or “blackgaze” (ugh), or whatever you want to call it: music that took some of the ideas of black metal and melded them into more accessible and bigger songs. Still fairly offputting, but nowhere near as abrasive as pure black metal can be. Unfortunately, a lot of this stuff leaves me a little cold. I’d rather either listen to black metal, or I’d rather listen to more proper shoegaze, but the blur between them doesn’t usually work for me even though on paper it should.

Quelle Chris, “So Tired You Can’t Stop Dreaming”

Oh baby, listen to that piano!

A thing you can say about ALL is how incredibly consistent the sound of the band was across records. The guitar, bass, and drums all sound exactly the same across every record. They had the sound they liked, and they stuck with it.

Girl Talk, “Let It Out”

I know random verses from a bunch of songs just due to their presence on All Day, which is always a little jarring when I hear the songs removed from this context. There’s always a disorienting moment of “why do I know this song?”

Also, “Mr. Big Stuff” rules. And dig that Soul Train video, try not to smile, it’s impossible.

Tortoise, “The Taut and Tame”

A cut from the best Tortoise album, Millions Now Living Will Never Die, which therefore might also be the best post-rock album. Hmm. I guess it depends on how you define post-rock. I suppose it might be Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven. Whatever, this album rules.

The Magnetic Fields, “I’m Sorry I Love You”

Sometimes, I’m sorry I own this record.

Fastbacks, “Hung on a Bad Peg”

First time for the Fastbacks! Forgotten at this point, the Fastbacks were on the leading edge of the Seattle scene in the 80s, with founding member Kurt Bloch not only in this band but a member of the Young Fresh Fellows and producing a bunch of records for bands. But focusing on Bloch misses out that the Fastbacks could write a mean punk-pop tune, with all of their records being a good time, but this one (Zücker) being as good a choice as any to start out.

Set everything else aside: listen to how good this song sounds. Just the quality of the recording, the way the instruments sound, the space between them. It sounds amazing, just incredibly appealing.

Blackalicious, “Jada’s Vengeance”

This is from a label sampler, Quannum Spectrum, featuring the likes of Blackalicious, DJ Shadow, Lyrics Born, Latryx, and Mack B. Dogg. Uh, I guess if you list everybody, it’s not “the likes of”. Anyway, good lineup of artists, so this is a fun little comp. Discogs tells me it’s a promo release, so I have no idea if it’s even findable.

Pop Will Eat Itself, “Preaching to the Perverted”

This is from the second Pop Will Eat Itself Record, This Is The Day…This Is The Hour…This Is This!, a record I picked up after hearing their third album in a record store, picking it up, and really digging it. Their first album is pretty shaggy, so this is the first PWEI record that I really liked. This track is a pretty good representation of what they sounded like: kind of everything from the late 80s/early 90s thrown into a blender. The sort of anarchic approach to adding every sound they’ve ever liked into their music is really kind of charming.

Death Cab For Cutie, “President of What?”

From You Can Play These Songs With Chords, a compilation of miscellany that is…well, look, it’s Death Cab. Your mind is made up.

Andrew Bird and Phoebe Bridgers, “I Felt A Funeral, in My Brain”

A single that Bird and Bridgers released in 2022, and “Bird and Bridgers” looks like the name of a store that sells $14 little bags of almonds. I’d love to hear a full record from them, though.

Chokebore was one of the later Amphetamine Reptile bands, putting out three records before that label kind of stopped putting out much stuff. Turns out they actually put out three records after leaving AmRep. I had no idea - I didn’t pursue them beyond the label loyalty, I wonder if they’re good.

Wormrot, “The Darkest Burden”

The unrelenting aggression of grindcore is bracing, a shot of adrenaline that isn’t always what I’m looking for, but when I want it, there’s no substitute. Wormrot’s 2022 record, Hiss, is a great example of it and is in fact one of the records I reach for when I want to scour my brain real good-like.

Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band, “Les Fleurs”

Ahh, that’s that Five Songs magic you can only recreate trivially yourself by throwing a bunch of disparate junk into a Spotify playlist and hitting random. NO STUPID-ASS AI COULD TAKE THIS JOB! Which isn’t a job, there’s nobody who would pay for this.

Anyhoo, this is a cover of the Minnie Riperton tune.

Neil Young, “Harvest”

Yup, that’s Neil Young. Did you know he was roommates and was in a band with Rick James once? He sure was!

Fred Morrison, “2/4 Marches”

Yeah, sure, why not.

I say this with genuine love, I really do enjoy the Mars Volta, but this is just the most dork-ass band ever, isn’t it? That’s not a bad thing necessarily, but even if you really like the band, it’s impossible to not recognize that the correct location for them is inside a locker.

No Age, “Glitter”

When I got this album on release day, Sonic Boom had some Sub Pop shirts to give away to people who bought it. But by the time I got it, they were down to just, like, toddler shirts. So, in the most [https://www.theonion.com/cool-dad-raising-daughter-on-media-that-will-put-her-en-1819572981](“cool dad raising daughter on media that will put her entirely out of touch with her generation”) moment I’ve ever had, I stuck it on my oldest and then took a photo of her holding the CD (she was baffled but game). I hope I have the photo somewhere, it’s very stupid.

Uniform, “Alone In The Dark”

Like old Unsane, squared.

Public Enemy, “Tie Goes To The Runner”

Public Enemy’s 1992 release, Greatest Misses, is a forgotten record. Released pretty quickly after Apocalypse ‘91…The Enemy Strikes Black, it was half new songs and half remixes. The remixes really kind of hurt the release in my memory, as they’re unnecessary. If it had been released as an EP with just the new tracks, I think I’d probably even consider it a decent extention of PE’s golden period. As it is, though, it’s a flawed release, but I recommend having a listen and then just stopping after the first six tracks.

Fishbone, “Bonin’ in the Boneyard”

Partyin’ 80s style! Hard not to be charmed by the pure energy here.

Just bottle that opening guitar sound and sell it by the case, I’ll buy it and pour it directly into my nostrils.

Dodecahedron, “Finale”

Ooh, backwards vocals. So evil! I’m cowering!

Boris, “Riot Sugar”

I’ll never get tired of mentioning this when it comes up: this is from Heavy Rocks. No, not the one from 2002. No, not the one from 2022. The one from 2011, the same year they released three other albums. Nobody has had the career that Boris has had, and very few bands have been harder to keep up with. At any rate, this Heavy Rocks is excellent mid-career Boris, crunchy and pretty diverse, a relatively accessible record but undeniably heavy. And yes, it rocks.

Sleepyhead, “Fairyboat”

The first Sleepyhead record was a nice little thing of noise pop, even though I don’t think anybody ever used the term back then. It turns out they actually went on to have a pretty lengthy career, but I got off the bus with this record. I should maybe check in with some later records.

BT, “Never Gonna Come Back Down”

BT, you’re also saying this to the people reading this blog. Both of them (on a good day).

Back when MC Paul Barman was just getting going, I remember a lot of thinkpieces coming out about him. Lots of descriptors for him describing him as smart or whatever in a way that in retrospect just strikes me as gross. To his credit, he never seemed to try and court that reputation or try and turn himself into a savior or anything. He just made his debut record, popped up on guest spots every now and again, and mostly kept a low profile. His output wasn’t fast, with his first record in 2002 and this, his third, in 2018. But, overall, it’s fun stuff - off-kilter but entertaining, and worth looking into if you read the hype back in the day but never actually tried it.

milo, “thinking while eating a handful of almonds”

A fine companion piece! Keepin’ it mellow and from 2018 today.

Fucked Up, “Son the Father”

So much for “mellow” and “2018”. We’ve got the second Fucked Up album here, from 2008. Or maybe not? They released a lot of stuff, so maybe this isn’t the second album. Anyway, The Chemistry of Common Life is the first record I can remember from them getting a ton of press attention, so it’s the first one I ended up trying out. And on paper, I should really like this a lot, but it’s never really hung with me. I think the vocals are just too at odds with the heavily produced and layered approach to things.

Young Fresh Fellows, “Everybody Said Was Wrong”

The Fellows released a final album in 1994 before going on hiatus, Temptation on Saturday, and I think nobody noticed other than me. After a pretty loosey-goosey previous record, It’s Low Beat Time, this one is more focused and features the band just knocking out solid tunes. It’s actually a really solid record, one of the better from this part of their careers, and it’s a shame it just kind of disappeared. The Fellows weren’t done, as Scott McCaughey would bring the band back together for a double-LP with his other act, the Minus 5, and they’d pick their career back up from there.

Boss Hog, “Winn Coma”

Fun!

The Budos Band are brilliant, always worth listening to, but they don’t always do cool. This song, though, is so smooth and cool, a standout from their brilliant first album.

Squarepusher, “Nux Vomica”

Burningn’n Tree is a collection of Squarepusher’s earliest EPs (one not even credited as Squarepusher), along with a few new tracks for the album. As a result of being a collection, as well as being from when Tom Jenkinson was still kind of sorting out what he wanted to sound like, it’s uneven. So it’s interesting stuff if you’re a Squarepusher sicko, but you have a lot of records to get through before you should get to this.

Mark Eitzel, “Live or Die”

American Music Club’s Mark Eitzel struck out on his own, and this comes from his second solo album, West. It was done with Peter Buck of R.E.M., so it’s not a great surprise that it sounds pretty great. But Eitzel has generally always made big, glossy tunes that are big ol’ bummers. Full of bum, they are. Bummed to the brim.

They Might Be Giants, “Erase”

Another Dial-a-Song tune from TMBG, further proof that TMBG can just crank out charming little pop tunes effortlessly.

Medusa, “Black Wizard”

Been a while since we’ve had a track from it, so a quick explanation: this comes from Warfaring Strangers: Darkscorch Canticles, an album of obscure fantasy-based garage rock that Numero Group put together to accompany their board game. Yes, board game. It’s a fun record, not because it contains lost classics or anything, but because it’s raw and messy but enthusiastic. Really places you into a basement with a kid named Kevin who can’t keep his stupid D20 on the table.

King’s Mouth: Music and Songs is a bit of a return to a previous style for the Lips, sonically sounding a lot more like The Soft Bulletin than The Terror. But it’s also a big concept album, and I think that gets in the way of the songs, and not only that, the songs themselves feel just a bit forced to me. It just all kind of seems like a bit of a blurry copy of their mid-career stuff.

Talking Heads, “The Great Curve”

Remain In Light really embraced the use of African rhythms, something that they’d experimented with on Fear of Music. It makes for a very meditative record, especially with “Crosseyed and Painless” followed by this track. You can really settle into it.

Melvins, “Caddy Daddy”

Working With God was recorded with the “Melvins 1983” lineup, bringing Mike Dillard back into the fold to re-create the original lineup with King Buzzo and Dale Crover. As a result of the lineup, it’s also a throwback in terms of sound, with the pounding sludgy rock from their early records dominating things. It’s a solid record, an excellent time.

DZ Deathrays, “Less Out Of Sync”

Fuck yeah!

Floor, “Scimitar”

I try and limit myself to one “fuck yeah” per article. So, uh…

Mort Garson is a synthesizer pioneer, one of the first people to record music with a Moog. Sacred Bones has been reissuing his work, both his records and various rarities from his estate’s archive. This is one of the latter, Music From Patch Cord Productions, and it’s just lovely stuff.

Basement Jaxx, “Cish Cash”

Talk about missing the boat. Basement Jaxx is best known for their debut album, Remedy, which was huge. I did not get it, nor their follow-up. But they put Siouxsie Sioux on this record (on this song, in fact), so sure, let’s give it a try. Sure, let’s not get the big record. Anyway, it’s fine. Not really my jam. Hard to really say anything bad about something this cheerful and energetic, though.

Einstürzende Neubauten, “Steh auf Berlin”

Ever wonder why industrial is called industrial? Well, this is why. Kollaps can’t really be said to set the template for industrial, because mostly bands didn’t follow in its footsteps. But it remains the purest, most platonic expression of the idea of industrial music to date. Even later Neubauten records wouldn’t get back to this level of abrasiveness and, well, industrialness. A treasure.

The Decemberists, “Of Angels and Angles”

The first several Decemberists were kind of built around an anchoring show-stopper at the tail end of the record. Castaways and Cutouts had “California One/Youth and Beauty Brigade” closing things out. They changed the formula slightly with Her Majesty The Decemberists, where the finale had a comedown piece after it, with “As I Rise” closing out the album after the climax of “I Was Meant For The Stage”. That denouement added just that much more emotional heft to things. They went for the same move on Picaresque, with this tune providing the ending after “The Mariner’s Revenge Song”. The formula really does work, structuring the albums in a way that feels just that much more cinematic.

Shining, “Omen”

Shining’s Blackjazz asks the question of “what would happen if you threw some free jazz into manic industrial metal” and the answer turns out to be “it would be fuckin’ great”. There’s a certain truism in music that sufficient enthusiasm will cover for a lot of sins, and that’s definitely true here. Not that there are very many sins to cover for, mind you. It’s a charming album, if something that sounds this way can be described as charming.

A lot of what I like about thrash are when you’ve got really chunky, memorable riffs and some pyrotechnic squalling solos. So I ought to love this, right? But I dunno, it’s fine. I don’t really reach for it. I think I have a hard time falling in love with new thrash. Although this isn’t new any more, so maybe I’m just a bozo.

The Joykiller, “What It’s Worth”

This apparently is an LA supergroup, but I didn’t know that at the time. I ended up grabbing it because it was on Epitaph, the cover art was strange, and it was in the new release rack at Easy Street. By and large, I never regretted just buying random records, sometimes I found some great stuff. And sometimes, you end up with this record. Can’t win ’em all!

Soccer Mommy, “bloodstream”

…

Sometimes, I write this while doing something else, and I’m listening to a tune while the TV is on. OK, often. Anyway, a particularly ridiculous sequence was rolling on Curb Your Enthusiasm, and I wasn’t paying attention to the song. Anyway, you know, I hope you enjoyed the tune. I ain’t going back to play it again. One way trip through the music around here.

They Might Be Giants, “Whole Lot of Glean”

This is a Dial-a-Song tune, and sometimes those songs are kind of just an idea that’s stretched out across a whole track.

Tar, “Solution 8 (Live)”

Tar made their way from Amphetamine Reptile Records to Touch & Go, bringing their noise-tinged post-hardcore to a new label. Tar was always very consistent, never as pummelling as some of their AmRep peers, but the tunefulness was a pleasant difference from theose same peers. Really they were always more like bands like Jawbox than they were the other AmRep bands. Anyway, this is from an EP they released before their first record on the new label, Clincher, which features four new songs, a re-work, and a couple live tracks. “Solution 8” was an early single from them, so I guess this is a sample of their earlier AmRep sound. Even though it was on Touch & Go.

Now I’m confused.

This is my favorite LCD Soundsystem song, by a fair ways, as the melancholy mood and nostalgic lens here is just kind of irresistable. And that piano, this is just such a damn jam. Please enjoy.

Trans Am, “Diabolical Cracker”

Is this, like, a sulferic Wheat Thin? Or just, you know, a cop?

The Streets, “Never Give In”

The Streets should be, maybe even are, the corniest act ever. But they’re saved by a core of sincerity at the heart of things which let them bypass all the corniness. It’s a high-wire act in the extreme, to be sure, and the vast majority of people who tried this sort of thing would sound awful. But he sticks the landing.

Rex Williams, “You Are My Heart”

This track comes to us from the Nigeria 70: Lagos Jump comp, which rules. Honestly, this day has rocked, I don’t want to curse it by writing too much here.

The Du-Rites, “Bay B. MoMa”

Yes, a single about the museum. No, it doesn’t make any sense, but it’s absolutely savage funk, so whatever. Hell yeah, good shit today.

Ladies and gentlement, the pilot has illuminated the “JOSH IS NOT QUALIFIED TO TALK ABOUT JAZZ” light, please return to your social media app of choice and return your seats to the upright and locked position.

Boris, “Hama”

Amplifier Worship is the first studio album from Boris if you ask them, because they consider Absolute Go a single. It’s a 60-minute single, mind you, but it’s still a single as far as they’re concerned, so this is the first album. And it’s a banger, the first in a very long string of fantastic albums. I’m not sure Boris really redfined anything, or set a template for other bands to follow or anything. They’re just consistently great across decades. That’s all.

Monsula, “Abandoned”

We just had Monsula the other day, so I won’t rehash them. But it’s a pleasure to hear them again! Also, the production on this reads SO California to me. Samiam sounds exactly the same way, for example. Production really can change how we percieve a band so much, or place them in a scene or at a time. It can place a band within a greater context, giving the music just that much more import.

Swarvy, “All Ways”

Just roll the name “Swarvy” around in your head some. Sounds good, doesn’t it? “Swarvy.” Good name.

La Gritona, “Pigs Ass”

You know, sometimes this shit just lines up nice. Good day today all around.

There’s a real danger in over-intellectualizing a lot of rock. Something like this, pure garage punk, run on attitude, energy, and racket. That’s not to suggest it’s poorly constructed, or that Lollipop didn’t know what they were doing, or anything like that. They knew what kind of music they wanted to make, and they were very good at it. It’s just that deconstructing this further is a waste of time. Can you feel the energy? Does it get you amped up? Does it make you want to throw a chair through a window? Mission accomplished!

Buford O’Sullivan, “Running On”

Buford O’Sullivan is a fixture of the New York ska scene, showing up in a bunch of bands and lending them some trombone. His main gig is one of the leaders of the Scofflaws, where he did some songwriting and sang some tracks. This is from one of his solo records, although most of the ska folks didn’t really make solo records so much as just remixed their backing bands. But these are all songs he wrote, which is the main distinction. To a certain extent, you’ll know right away if you’re interested in this album knowing it’s written by one of the leaders of the Scofflaws. If you don’t know from that, go listen to some Scofflaws (Ska In Hi-Fi is their best record) and if you want more, here you go. But if you want a distinction, I think this record is generally a bit dubbier than the Scofflaws were, in case that appeals.

The Dillinger Escape Plan, “Apologies Not Included”

This is from the Dillinger Escape Plan’s swan song, Dissociation. Over the course of six albums, they helped redefine what hardcore and mathcore could be, with relentlessly restless records that had both a very intelligent but also incredibly aggressive approach. They can be a bit disorienting at first, they are quite a kaleidoscope of approaches and sounds, but it really does all make sense when you listen to it a bit more. A ground-breaking and impressive band.

Clannad, “Closer To Your Heart”

How 80’s is this production?

Spring Heeled Jack, “Alicia Silverstone”

Whatever.

Bim Skala Bim enjoyed covering classic rock warhorses over their career, songs which are really kind of ideal targets for this kind of thing. Any dork who will get upset about a cheeky cover of Cream of Pink Floyd is really showing their ass. Anyway, this is fun, sure, why not?

Upon proofreading, I’m leaving the “Cream of Pink Floyd” typo in there, because it’s delightful. Yes, I proofread these, dammit.

The Feelies, “Fa Cé-La”

Fuck yeah! This is the b-side to the Feelies first ever release, a single, as collected on the Ork Records: New York, New York comp, an essential if you love early punk.

Duett, “Don’t Make Me Wait”

While I enjoy the occasional bit of synthwave stuff, I definitely don’t need a ton of it in my life. So, having a track pop up on here occasionally? That’s good.

They Might Be Giants, “You Probably Get That A Lot”

A loyal Five Songs reader is probably tired of this opinion, but I think that “loyal Five Songs reader” is mythological. So I’ll drop it again: Join Us is not just merely a great TMBG album, it’s absolutely one of their best. Going further, I actually think it’s a better record, pound-for-pound, than Flood. That record is let down by a flabby second half which leans a bit too heavily on quirkiness, but there’s no slowdown on this album. This is, essentially, the same argument I’d make for Factory Showroom and John Henry, just so you know where I’m coming from.

Stevie Wonder, “Uptight (Everything’s Alright)”

What a triumphant tune, magnificent.

This is from his 2000 release, Sign, and is the outro piece after the 35-minute “Souvenir in Chicago”. A thing I really like about this is the texture of the sounds, a lot of them are stretched, torn, distorted, and otherwise manipulated in surprising little ways. A track that rewards a close listen.

Slayer, “War Ensemble”

After slowing down a bit from Reign in Blood to South of Heaven, Slayer came back roaring with Seasons in the Abyss. This is yet another classic thrash record, the final Slayer record featuring Dave Lombardo during the initial run, so it was kind of the capstone for that era of the band. While I think I still like Reign in Blood a bit more, this record is a very close second from them, and is absolutely one of the critical texts of thrash and all of metal.

The Avalanches, “Oh the Sunn!”

Yes, that’s Perry Ferrell. Just a sweet little disco groove here, fun stuff. This is from the third Avalanches record, We Will Always Love You, and while I generally think they got diminishing returns over time, this is still perfectly pleasant stuff.

Devin the Dude, “Almighty Dollar”

Around here at Five Songs, we tease Devin a bit around the subject matter of his songs, that all of his songs are about weed and women. It’s a little unfair, as you can hear in a song like this, focused around economic concerns. In which women and weed only make peripheral appearances.

Yautja, “The Spectacle”

A frequent comparison around here is that we like music that sounds like malfunctioning machinery. Pistons grinding, arbitrary but knowable rhythms, scraping, grinding, squealing, a sound that lets you know that immanent disaster is in your future. The main riff in this song is a fine example. Somebody should look at that.

After a very good and well-received second album (Cardinal), Pinegrove ran into some serious problems that derailed the band after accusations surfaced about Evan Hall. It was a messy situation that Hall and the band tried to handle head-on, eventually going through mediation with the accuser and leaving their label willingly when another band objected to their presence. Overall, they seemed sincere in their attempts to handle things, and it seems like the accuser was satisfied by their steps. Anyway, all of this delayed the release of their third album by a couple years, and it eventually came out self-released. For all that, Skylight is actually a good album, and it came accompanied with an acoustic interpretation (called Skylight II). That’s where this track came from, and it’s a nice little listen.

Deerhoof, “Life is Suffering”

That is a major-league groove there.

Less Than Jake, “Bridge And Tunnel Authority”

This is from B is for B-Sides, which…look, it’s not even really b-sides, because this is leftovers from the Anthem sessions. But I love that album, so I’m happy to get more from that period. If you love LTJ, you already know if you want to listen to this album, but if you don’t, don’t start here.

Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”

A banger, but we’ve had it before.

Two Fingers, “That Girl”

No, not an Elden Ring band. This is a collab between Amon Tobin and a UK producer named Joe Chapman, and features guest MCs on a bunch of tracks, especially Sway on most of the songs. And it sounds great: aggressive, big productions that manage to not crowd out the MCs on it.

BADBADNOTGOOD, “Love Proceeding”

Awwww, yeah.

Hearing this song out of context, the climax/punchline of Prince Paul’s briliant album A Prince Among Thieves, really is kind of jarring. It makes so much sense in the original context but is a strange one outside of it. It just kind of sounds like what it is parodying, a maudlin tribute song from the 90s.

Chokebore, “Line Crush”

This is from the comp Clusterfuck ‘94, a collection of singles, album tracks, and unreleased stuff from three bands (Chokebore, Today Is The Day, and Guzzard) that was intended to fund a tour. It’s really pretty unnecessary, especially when you have most of the material on here with other records. But, you know: in ‘94, I didn’t have the ability to look stuff up easily, so I bought it. I bought basically everything Amphetamine Reptile released, just as a policy. Anyway, Chokebore is the least interesting of these three bands, but this track is OK.

John Oswald, “O’hell (Sir Jim Moron)”

Hee hee.

Boy, I can’t understand why record labels had a problem with this!

The Jesus Lizard, “Elegy (Live)”

This comes to us from Show, which like most live albums, is unnecessary. I have all of their studio records, and I’d rather just listen to those.

Los Hooligans, “Traditions”

Los Hooligans came along fairly late in Moon Ska’s existence and dropped one of the best records that they released in that period. Lots of horns, plenty of ska influence, but also lots of jazz, Latin music, even a bit of swing. It’s a fun blend, they’re clearly having lots of fun, and the horns are luscious throughout. Really a lost gem of the third wave. I was going to say that it was their only release, but no, Discogs says they also released a record in 2005 that I’ve never heard of. I might try and track that one down.

RFTC almost in a Smashing Pumpkins kind of mode here. Can’t decide which band would be more insulted by that comparison.

Señor Coconut, “Pisco Control (Jive Electico)”

Señor Coconut’s album of Kraftwerk covers done in a Latin style is a delight, a charming re-interpretation of the Kraftwerk originals that really highlights the beating heart at the center of those shiny, robotic songs. Alas, the first Señor Coconut record (this one, El Gran Baile) is sort of a testing ground for some of those ideas of merging electronic music with Latin style, and it’s not nearly as much fun.

The For Carnation, “A Tribute To”

Are you listening to this and thinking to yourself, geez, that singing sure seems familiar. Maybe for some reason it’s bringing to mind memories of sitting around in a dark dorm room in 1993, feeling super sorry for yourself? Well, there’s a simple reason: yes, that’s Brian McMahan, ex-Slint (and ex-Squirrel Bait). The For Carnation is his post-rock follow-up, and with that description, you’ve already decided if you’re in or not. To the music, not the dark dorm room in 1993.

Nickel Creek, “Celebrants”

Hang on, Nickel Creek released an album in 2023? The things you learn around here.

Therapy?, “Potato Junkie”

Dang, this is taking me back to a different dorm room, only in 1992. It’s not as dark, though.

Among the various albums to emerge from the second wave of black metal, In The Nightside Eclipse seems to me to be the one that really set the template that a lot of black metal followed. While it’s inaccessible, it’s not as inaccessible as many of the other early records from the scene, and the extra elements that Emperor played with are ones that many other black metal bands would end up also playing with. As such, if you were to listen to one old black metal record to kind of understand the music, this is probably a great choice.

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, “La Costa Brava”

Every single time I listen to Ted Leo, his voice reminds me of someone very specific, and at no time during all times I’ve listened have I figured out who it is. Does he just have a voice that sounds familiar? Maybe? Am I an idiot? Quite possibly!

KEN mode, “Blessed”

Fuck yeah, noise fuckin’ rock baby! I should say something substantial, but I just want nothing more in life than someone bellowing over a distorted bass. I’m a simple creature.

The Baseball Project, “1976”

Gonna date this entry, but as of this writing, the Mariners are in an actual honest-to-goodness penant race, with substantial stakes for their finish. A division win would give them a first-round bye and more likely a better second-round matchup, while missing would result in having to win a 2-of-3 series on the road against Tampa Bay. This has nothing to do with anything, I just needed to say it somewhere. I really do love baseball, and it’s been a couple decades since the Mariners were good, and it’s genuinely delightful.

The Pyramids, “Indigo Birds”

I think every time this record pops up here, I like it just a little bit more.

There’s a certain strange thing that goes on in my head around timelines. This song was first released in an early version in 1964, and it absolutely does not seem like it should be contemporaneous with, say, A Hard Days Night. Or Eddie Holland’s “Just Ain’t Enough Love” to pick an example of what Motown was up to at this time. As a consequence, the timelines for funk and soul are just completely disconnected in my brain from those of rock. I can get the progressions of both straight in my head, within their own milieu, but when I think about what they were each doing at the same time, it just doens’t fit, like a miscut jigsaw.

Ghostface Killah, “Intro”

Among all of Ghostface’s intro tracks, this is undeniably one of them.

Mary Wells, “You Beat Me To The Punch”

Or, you know, this is from two years earlier, before the Beatles had even released an album. Doesn’t make sense!

The Clash, “English Civil War”

OK, one more, then I’ll stop. Give ‘Em Enough Rope is from the same year as The Motor Booty Affair.

I recognize that writing about how old various things are is hacky as hell. Alas, so is this blog.

Buck 65, “Part 12”

This is from King of Drums, his 2022. Hip-hop out of Nova Scotia. Will wonders never cease?

Every time Spawn of Possession has come up here I’ve mostly just complained about it. It’s all just from the same record, and you know what? Let’s move on.

Nicole Willis & the Soul Investigators, “No One’s Gonna Love You”

A little harsh there, don’t you think? No one is going to love me? My dog thinks I’m pretty neat.

Jackintosh Plus, “Desert Rider”

Hey, it’s my buddy Jack Grimes! He did the logo for this joint, hire him for your graphics needs!

SiR, “That’s Alright”

I should clarify: any misuse of that logo is entirely my fault, and not his.

Wilco, “Jesus, Etc.”

It used to bother me a little when people would refer to Wilco as extremely dad rock. My brain would rebel a little - no, they’re interesting! They’re descended from Uncle Tupelo, who were super cool, and…then I realize that I’m a dad, listen to a lot of Wilco, and they’re mostly just kinda mellow and pleasant and yeah, this is basically CCR but for my generation.

Seems like we’ve had a lot of East Bay stuff recently. Or am I just imaginging things? Anyway, it’s welcome. I might have that impression because I was listening to Operation Ivy in the car earlier today, I guess. I’m highly suggestible.

R.E.M., “Half a World Away”

Folks, do you really want to hear my thoughts on the archetypical “college rock” band? You do not. They are vapid. My thoughts, not R.E.M.

Andrew Bird, “Skating”

Delightful! I mean, wildly out of season, but delightful nonetheless.

Public Enemy, “By The Time I Get To Arizona”

I feel like I’ve told this story before, but this song is the reason I bought a headphone amp back in…2004, I think. I wanted to be able to crank this song in particular even louder than my iPod could go, and the headphone amp was a way to do that. It came with little stick-on velcro dots so you could stick your iPod to it, and it could run on batteries if you wanted to bump it on the go. But it just lived in my office, and sometimes I would crank it and rattle my molars with something like this. In other news, my hearing really sucks these days.

Yo La Tengo, “Our Way to Fall”

You know, pretty good day today.

Monsula were one of the bands in the East Bay who had a bunch of people from the scene move through (up to and including Five Songs favorite Lance Hahn of J Church) and thus helped really mould the sound of a lot of bands. But even setting aside influence, this is really good stuff, bringing in some post-hardcore to the punk sound of the East Bay. Both Monsula albums were re-issued by Lookout on CD as a single disc, which was a fantastic deal. I suppose you can’t get that deal these days.

7 Days of Funk, “Let It Go”

Funky! 7 Days of Funk is Dâm-Funk with Snoop Dogg (who at the time was going by Snoop Lion), and he’s super comfortable over these heavy grooves, leading to one of my favorites of his latter day career. It’s just pleasant to listen to.

Greentrials, “Tin Gloves”

I have no idea where this came from. It doesn’t even appear on Discogs, very little footprint on Allmusic, and RateYourMusic has a grand total of 2 people rating it. Not exactly a big impact. I haven’t got the foggiest how it ended up in my collection, I have no recollection of ever getting it or hearing it before. Mysterious!

Anyhoo, eh.

The New Pornographers, “The Bleeding Heart Show”

In contrast, I can tell you exactly where I bought this record: from the now-closed Freemont location of Sonic Boom here in Seattle. During a lunch break from work. I had teriyaki pork from Yak’s Teriyaki (also closed). Just why I can recall this is anybody’s guess, it’s certainly not useful, but here we are anyway. Both that Sonic Boom and teriyaki joint were really good, though.

The True Loves, “Sunday Afternoon”

And, in the category of Josh Remembers Stuff, the first time I heard this song was when I was listening to KEXP, driving a U-Haul from Kingston out on the Olympic Peninsula to Bainbridge Island during a drawn out moving process. I had to note the time on the clock so I could look up the playlist when I got where I was going, so I could figure out the act and buy the record. A great call on my part, it’s a lot of fun.

Ah Leprous, the perfect band for when you think “dang, I really want to hear a lot of time signatures.”

Cthulhu Rise, “Opus 23”

Cthulhu Rise are an instrumental prog metal/jazz fusion thing. I mean, I suppose you can hear that, huh? This whole album is like this - always moving around, always experimenting, always trying to surprise you, but you know, it also all starts to blend together a fair bit. Not bad as something to pop up randomly like this, though. A track at a time? Sure, that’s fun.

Blood Orange, “Take Your Time”

My brain locked up - I have no idea what to say about this song. Sometimes I listen to albums and just don’t know what to write about them. Not that they’re bad or anything, but we all only get so many thoughts in our life, and I just don’t have one for this song today. Moving on!

Nirvana, “Negative Creep”

See, yesterday I said that there were stretches were I said Bleach is the best Nirvana record. And I’m gonna be honest: mostly, I think that right after I listen to this song. It just wants me to break stuff, in the best way.

Calexico, “Gypsy’s Curse”

The Black Light is the album where Calexico really became Calexico, where every song sounds like it’s from a soundtrack. They’ve certainly made better records than this, but the sound of the album is irresistable.

The Nation of Ulysses, “Cool Senior High School (Fight Song)”

Oh fuck yeah, good start. This urgent tune comes to us from the first Nation of Ulysses album, 13-Point Program To Destroy America, which is probably my favorite of the two just by virtue of being first. But they both rule, the sort of post-hardcore that actually ends up shading just back into hardcore. The drive and energy of this album is palpable.

Blue Scholars, “Blue School”

Hey, solid keyword so far! This is from the self-released debut record of Seattle hip-hop duo Blue Scholars, who harken back to the jazz-driven beats of the Native Tongues acts. Or maybe an even better reference point is Pete Rock & CL Smooth, who are solid matches stylistically for DJ Sabzi and MC Geologic respectively. It’s a fun album, but one that I’m sort of unable to clearly hear because I’m such a homer. So maybe I’m wrong about that.

Steely Dan, “My Old School”

You have your opinions on Steely Dan, I’m sure. They seem like they’re responsible for a good third of the Music Discourse on the internet these days. I’m not going to change anybody’s mind here, so I’ll just say: fun horns on this sucker.

Johnny Socko, “Old School Master”

Well. They can’t all be winners, I suppose.

Nirvana, “School”

Hell yeah. Four out of five, pretty good! Anyway, there were long stretches of my life where I would have argued that Bleach is the best Nirvana album. I don’t really think that’s true, not really, but it’s really very good and of a darker and sludgier character than the other two. I haven’t listened to it in a while, and I’m going to fix that.

Anyway, back to school, motherfuckers!

Fennesz’s Endless Summeer is a lovely glitchy, ambient thing, full of processed guitar and languid, stretched out melodies. I’m not always a big ambient guy, I generally like my music to get places faster than this, but every now and again, I’m up for something like album.

Earl Sweatshirt, “EAST”

Among the many interesting things about Earl Sweatshirt’s career is how willing he is to put out short records. It cuts against the general direction with rap albums, which have tended towards a bit of sprawl and a lack of editing. Some Rap Songs was a short record in running time, 25 minutes or so, and his followup is a 15 minute, seven track EP. It allows him to get his ideas out there in compact form, which makes them all stand out even better than they might otherwise. More artists should be willing to make shorter records. As always, this is a pro-EP space.

Spanish Love Songs, “Routine Pain”

“On any given day / I’m a six of ten” is a lyric that really sticks with me. Quite an opening for a record that manages to deliver on that promise. It’s a shame I find it so hard to listen to, I really have to be in the right mood.

The Brothers Seven, “Evil Ways”

This comes courtesy of Quantic Presents…The World’s Rarest Funk 45s, which is, uh, what it says on the tin. Does it rule? Fuck yeah, it does, listen to this and just try and sit still!

Death From Above 1979, “Freeze Me”

You know, I skipped the DFA1979 comeback album, The Physical World. I wonder why that is? I really liked the first record, way back. Anyway, this is the second of the comeback records, and it’s fine? This track is not a great moment, though. Too poppy.

We’ve had this song before, and I told the store about how I bought it at random after deciding I should probably hear some Black Flag. That was the sort of thing we did in those days, when the Usenet wasn’t really searchable in any useful way, and you had to rely on either word-of-mouth, college radio, or magazines to learn about stuff. I would just take a flyer on records, because that was what you did. Sometimes it worked out, sometimes you ended up with a so-so Black Flag record.

Thelonious Monk, “Sixteen (first take)”

Love the “first take” thing on here, just throwing that out there. Yeah, we got this first try, not bad, eh?

Queen, “Put Out The Fire”

Sometimes, you like a single (“Under Pressure”) and buy the record, and you end up with with the desultory, sleepwalking Hot Space. Look, not everything in this is good, you know?

Night Soil Man, “Paint Me Red”

Night Soil Man, the post-hardcore band from San Diego, had only one record and a handful of singles and comp appearances but are notable for contributing Drive Like Jehu’s rhythm section, Mike Kennedy and Mark Trombino. As for the music itself, you can hear how this would help evolve into the raucous DLJ. It’s worth digging into for serious DLJ fans, for sure. You know, if you can find it. (You can check the tags here!)

Ghostface Killah, “Done It Again”

Really all over the place today. Enjoy!

There’s a non-trivial amount quality in rock that is just purely in how things sound. The tone of the instruments, the production, the arrangements - there’s an alchemy there that works extremely well, and nailing the formula of the sound can propel a band a long way just on its own. And RFTC always sounded great, one of the reasons they were always a ton of fun.

Andrew W.K., “Ready to Die”

Andrew W.K.’s first album, of amped-up power pop party music with a lyrical focus on partying during parties was a good bit. And he seems like a good dude. But this album sure wore out fast for me. I suppose I’m probably due for a listen at this point?

The Bruce Lee Band, “Mr. Hanelei”

The Bruce Lee Band is Mike Park’s (Skankin’ Pickle) band which is him and various people who would drift in and out of his backing band. Park is maybe the most important figure in the third wave of ska on the west coast, thanks to Skankin’ Pickle, his label Dill Records, and his successor label Asian Man Records. Beyond releasing many of the important records from the scene, Park was indefatigable in building out support for bands, helping people succeed with tours and the like. This song, though, is a bit of a throwaway. Alas, Park’s musical output was a bit uneven at times.

Son Volt, “Atmosphere”

Didn’t we just have Son Volt the other day? I think I praised Okemah and the Melody of Riot there. [checks] I did! Well, here you go. Good album!

Beyond Mortal Dreams, “Abomination of the Flames”

Sometimes, you just need some subterranean death metal. Murky, churning, guttural, unpleasant. Nice. Fun solo here, too.

Coil is one of the most interesting bands to emerge from the original industrial scene, where they quickly went off in their own direction. By the time we get to their third proper album, Love’s Secret Domain, there wasn’t really anything industrial left. Instead, we’re left with creepy, gothic, atmospheric stuff that filters electronic music through a cracked mirror. It’s one of their essential records, and there’s nothing else really like it.

Torche, “Walk It Off”

Fuck yeah guitars!

He Whose Ox Is Gored, “Oathbreaker”

I don’t really know what I was thinking, going for a band named something like this. I guess they are from Seattle, that’s probably why. I’m nothing if not a homer. Anyway, it’s fine, I suppose. Didn’t really get me fired up.

Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments, “Quarrel With the World”

There were a lot of baffling major label decisions in the mid-90s, but somewhere towards the top of the list is Warner Bros. deciding they just had to release the debut record by a band named Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments who also sound like this. Not that I minded or anything, it’s just basically impossible to see how this could possibly have become popular.

Mercury Rev, “Sweet Oddysee of a Cancer Cell t’ th’ Center of Yer Heart”

Are you thinking to yourself, geez, Flaming Lips much? It’s ok! Dave Fridmann, who produced a bunch of Flaming Lips records, was in Mercury Rev, and clearly the ideas he developed here with the band would come out in his later (voluminous) production work. Including, yes, the Flaming Lips. If you love things like The Soft Bulletin but aren’t familiar with Mercury Rev, boy are you in for a treat. This album is great and Deserter’s Songs is a masterpiece.

Quite a lovely build-up on this one. The urgency that PILE bring to this song, the climax they build towards, doesn’t at all pay off on the album, which lurches into a quiet instrumental that they call “fuck the police”. But it’s a good run-up for all that.

The Isley Brothers, “I Turned You On”

I’d say that this is an amazing period for the Isleys, but that’s honestly kind of silly to call out. Their career is made out of amazing periods. But, anyway, the late 60s albums, and especially the 1969 albums, are savage. The groove on this is absolutely vicious, just try and listen without at a minimum nodding your head.

The Aislers Set, “Hit the Snow”

BOOOOOOOOO BRING BACK THE ISLEY BROTHERS

Violent Femmes, “Used to Be”

It’s possible that it’s just because it came out when I was in college, but I definitely remember more people owning and playing this record than any other Femmes record other than the hallowed first one. Nobody really thought it was better or anything, but it’s still an enjoyable listen. The accordion is a nice touch on this tune.

N*E*R*D, “Tape You”

I had full-on forgotten about this record, which is the Neptunes recording a full album, and a record I listened to a bunch when it came out and then just kind of stopped. I have no real reason why, I just kind of lost the habit. I wonder what the limit of albums I can keep in my head as ones I think about enough to listen to regularly is? I miss being able to look through shelves of CDs.

Baseball Project, yes, yes, very good, love ’em AS OF THIS WRITING THE MARINERS ARE IN THE LEAD IN THE AL WEST AND WOULD BE THE AL’s #2 SEED IF THE PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY WOOOOOO

Poster Children, “Evidence”

There was a very good scene in Champaign-Urbana in the late 80s/early 90s, with Hum being probably the best known these days, but at the time the Poster Children probably were a little more famous. It’s hard for me to tell for sure, of course, but I seem to remember more buzz around them. They ended up on Reprise before Hum was on a major label, got some MTV play, and generally were pretty prominent for a little while for an indie rock band. I hardly see any mention of them any more, though, and honestly had kind of forgotten them myself. Probably should remind myself about their records, I’m enjoying this track.

Riverdales, “She’s Gonna Break Your Heart”

I’m not going to name…a certain pioneering NYC punk band in this description.

…

Doesn’t leave me much to talk about, does it?

Negativland, “[untitled]”

This is a collage piece from It’s All In Your Head FM, a live album that in turn was compiled out of a radio show. I actually saw them on this tour, and it was a very strange experience. I wouldn’t mind seeing this kind of thing more, though. They would later revisit this material, a meditation on religion, with a more elaborate studio take on the…uh, songs?

The Raconteurs, “Salute Your Solution”

Outside that track, just a bunch of solid rock this time around. Good work, shuffle!

Fuck yeah, Neko Case doing a convincing June Carter impression here, great stuff.

One Eye Open, “Blue Gene Blues”

This is from a split LP with Janitors Against Apartheid, the final track, and it’s…look, it’s not good. I mean, even if you skip all the silence from the CD fuckery, this is still just fuckin’ around. This record also got Dill Records flattened in a lawsuit over the cover art, so it’s just a bad scene all around.

El-P, “Squeegee Man Shooting”

This is from El-P’s first solo record after Company Flow, Fantastic Damage, and it’s an essential part of his discography. It’s a big step beyond Company Flow because El-P was starting to create his signature sci-fi sound by this record, with various strange and/or abrasive noises crammed into every nook and corner of his beats.

Guerilla Toss, “Jesus Rabbit”

I don’t remember what prompted me to try this record, but I had a visceral reaction to it. I just instantly disliked it after one listen, and did not want to go back. So, this is the first time I’ve heard anything from it since. And what do I think? I don’t like this at all!

We don’t get too many records on here that I just don’t like at all, for the obvious reason that I mostly try to only get records I think I’ll like. So enjoy!

Melvins, “Stop Moving to Florida”

Jeff Pinkus (Butthole Surfers) was on bass for this record, Pinkus Abortion Technician, and they went all-in on Surfers. From the reference of the album name to two Surfers covers, they were going to really do it. This is one of those covers, of “Moving to Florida” from the Cream Corn From the Socket of Davis EP. If you’ve got a Surfer around, you aren’t going to waste him.

I was going to say that this is the only STP track in my library, their contribution to The Crow: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack which I bought because it had a new track from Nine Inch Nails and Helmet. Anyway, I was wrong: they also contributed to a Led Zeppelin tribute album, a covers album notable mostly for David Yow getting together with Helmet for a fun “Custard Pie” and not a lot else. Anyway, STP are and always were boring, flannel wallpaper for people who thought that the only thing that the old hard rock hegemony on raido needed was more grunting.

Stubborn All-Stars, “Judge Knotte (Lets Ye Be Judged)”

Both the strength and weakness of the Stubborn All-Stars is that they explicitly referenced and sometimes did a bit of just recreation of the previous generations of ska. Sometimes that approach tipped over too much from tribute into duplication. But, it was also a strength because generally their taste was pretty good, and if you’re going to borrow something, borrow from the Specials (like this tune, which reminds me a lot of “Stupid Marriage”).

Marvin Gaye, “Can I Get A Witness”

I think for too many folks these days, the memory of Marvin Gaye has collapsed into just What’s Going On, a perspective that erases a decade of career prior to that record. And, sure, this is just Motown stuff, but come on: it’s Marvin Gaye singing a Motown song, it rules.

Prefuse 73, “Drum Machine, Cello, Headwrap”

I was going to do a little Carmac the Magnificent bit here, except for two problems: one, nobody remembers that shit, that’s old person stuff and two, I couldn’t figure out a bit to connect these words. “Name three things found on the floor after Yo-Yo Ma had a successful night at the club?” Come on, hacky. That’s terrible shit. This feels just like failing at Codenames.

Frank Black, “Los Angeles”

The first post-Pixies single for the newly re-christened Frank Black, this song had OK traction on MTV back in the day with a video directed by John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants. Frank also toured with TMBG, opening for them on the John Henry tour. At the time, I was surprised that a legend like Frank would be an opener, but his fame as a solo artist was just much, much less, so I suppose it made sense. That was a fun tour, though.

It’s too facile by half to just talk about Bowie when you talk about Destroyer, but for real: that’s the reference point here. Obviously, it’s not just replication or anything, but there’s really so much Bowie in Destroyer that it’s hard not to at least acknowledge it.

Badly Drawn Boy, “The Shining”

It is my curse that any time I see the phrase “The Shining”, this is the inescapable result in my brain.

Good song, though. Love a horn in my tunes.

Uniform, “Life in Remission”

Well, that’s jarring. There’s noise rock, of the scuzzy Big Black/Jesus Lizard/Birthday Party tradition, and then there’s noise rock like this, which sort of earns the moniker by using anything and everything to generate a racket. Uniform have been cranking out some great albums and great collaborations for years, which this coming to us from Shame, the 2020 LP. Being willing to drag in electronics to make extra noise is a good move, borrowing some of the most aggressive aspects of industrial to really fuel things to another level. It’s always a little strange that this sort of thing feels so homey to me, like it’s my brain returning home to something soothing. Obviously it’s not, but I think my mind’s ground state must just rhyme with this kind of thing.

Jan Jelinek avec The Exposures, “Facelift”

Glitchy and warm electronic music that is basically a fuzzy sweater. This is also pleasant to me! This blog contains multitudes (most of those multitudes have at least something wrong with them).

Easy Big Fella, “Hell’s Kitchen Polka”

Before their two (excellent) records on Moon Ska, Seattle’s Easy Big Fella had a couple of albums released locally. I’ve never heard the first one, but the second one (Fruitcup) is not bad, albeit a little rough. I suppose it’s all moot, it’s not like you can listen to this anywhere these days. Other than this blog, of course.

To start off on the right foot here, the Slackers don’t have any bad records. But they have ones I love more than others. The Great Rocksteady Swindle didn’t totally resonate with me initially, so I didn’t listen to it much. But I decided to rock it hard for a week or so, playing it every night, for reasons that are unclear to me. Great decision as it turns out. The record is a banger, an upper tier record from them, up next to Wasted Days and Redlight.

Naked City, “The Prestidigitator”

This is the track I play for people when I want them to really understand the real lunacy of Naked City. How is this only 48 seconds?

Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, “A Little Honey”

You know, I couldn’t remember acquiring this thing. That’s not that unusual around here, sometimes I go on binges and forget to listen to everything. So it goes. But I don’t have any record of this on Bandcamp, which is stranger. And the record seems to be on Stax, and it seems like I’d remember getting it because I’d be excited that Stax was back in business (without checking, I’m assuming someone bought the brand and is just cashing in on it?). Anyway, the mystery was solved by searching my email - a friend got an extra download code for this, and sent it to me. And I dutifully downloaded, loaded it onto the ol’ Plex, and then…forgot to listen to it. Plus ça change and all that.

Hi-Tek, “The Sun God”

Hi-Tek was the DJ in Black Star, which means his place in history was assured just for that. Most of his post-Black Star work has been as Reflections Eternal, with fellow Black Star alumnus Talib Kwali. But he’s done a few solo albums, working with a bunch of guest stars on them, like Common on this track. If you like Hi-Tek’s work, they’re worth tracking down for sure.

Blacks’ Myths, “No Escape”

I…think I’m not qualified to talk about this?

It’s been a while, so a quick reminder of one of our ground rules around here: I am not qualified to talk about jazz.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience, “Purple Haze”

Geez, got some real warhorses here today!

Michel Anoia, “Nigredo”

We’ve got another Total Dissonance Worship record here, and another banger. This is black metal, but it’s unmistakably French. And not just from song titles or whatever, there’s something about the guitar tone here that strikes me as particularly French. I’m not entirely sure why, perhaps it reminds me of Deathspell Omega? Anyway, fun stuff. Can I call this fun?

McKinley Dixon, “make a Poet Black”

Which is more avant garde here? The actively dissonant, unpleasant extreme metal? Or the jazz-rap-spoken word album? Fortunately for me, I don’t have to answer that dipshit question! Who would ask that sort of thing?

Cyber Vision, “If U Want It”

Yeah, all right, let’s let that take us out of here. Why not?

One of the singles off of Costello’s debut album, this song is probably one of the more famous tunes simply because Linda Ronstadt covered it, a cover that really bares the soft-rock heart of the ballad. Anyway, it’s a great tune, one of the standouts in his catalog. I’m old enough to admit that soft rock is fine.

DJ Vadim, “Getting Friendly”

Hm, “Getting Friendly With Music” isn’t a bad name for a blog.

The Sorcerers, “Summoning the Monkey God”

Taking inspiration from Ethiopian jazz, the Sorcerers play a fun brand of funky jazz that is explicitly cinematic. This album is intended as a soundtrack to a non-existant movie, presumably some kind of adventure/horror/exploitation flick. I like that kind of high-concept thing. More fake soundtracks! Anyway, it’s good stuff, very recommended.

The Ocean, “Triassic”

This is the second album of a concept pair of albums that aims to explore paleontology and geologic periods. This is how the album opens, and I’m gonna level with you: I ain’t smart enough for this. At least not the conceptual part. I just wanna hear people do cool shit with instruments. And here’s the good news: I’m well-practiced in ignoring the content of metal lyrics, so I can just ignore them here and be a knucklehead listener. Judged on that basis? Pretty good!

Iron & Wine, “Boy With a Coin”

I’ve mentioned before that “sensitive guy with a guitar” is a real hit-or-miss genre for me. And it’s not entirely clear to me what exactly sets one of these dudes apart from the others. But Iron & Wine works for me, pretty much every time, and it’s not totally obvious why that is. I could kind of cop out and say “well, the songs are just better!” but that’s just kicking the critical can down the road, because I can’t explain why the songs are better. As always, the rotten, hollow core of this blog is frequently exposed by my utter incapability to describe things. “Music good!” I bleat at the computer, hoping it somehow translates that into something insightful. “write a music blog entry about iron and wine written in the style of a smart person” goes into the Chat-GPT box, in desperation.

Do current generations still get excited by the pops and noise of old shitty vinyl? For me, it has an emotional connotation because it evokes the way I played music as a kid. It’s a nostalgic sound, and so I have an affection for it as a consequence. I’m not alone there, in my generation. And, of course, it evokes the classic sounds of hip-hop, which is also a tremendously positive association. With the resurgence of vinyl, is it now an attractive sound again? Just to certain folks? Or is it just annoying? I guess I could ask my kids. They’ll probably only make fun of me a little and then claim they don’t even understand the question.

OvO, “La Morte Muore, Pt. 3”

The band’s bio on Bandcamp says they toured with Lightning Bolt and Zu. Good enough for me! Anyway, this is sort of an intersection of black metal, drone, industrial, and noise rock, an experimental mix that I enjoy kind of letting wash over me.

NoFX, “Shitting Bricks”

This is from a comp, Maximum Rocknroll, that gathers a couple early 7"s and some demos, and it’s really rough. Not great, skip it. I don’t mind stuff that sounds like it was recorded in a gutter, but this is really not worth it.

Pure Disgust, “Normalized Death”

Yeah baby, that’s the shit! Hardcore! See, even if something sounds like it was recorded in a basement with standing water, it can still kick ass.

Pardoner, “My Wagon”

I really like Pardoner, they’re one of my favorite indie rock bands that I’ve found in quite a while. Yeah, I know that this is just triggered the Pavement cortex in my brain, but dammit, that’s the only part of my brain that generates pleasure. Let me have this one!

fIREHOSE’s swan song was Mr. Machinery Operator, their second major label release and one produced by J. Mascis. And I think you can really hear Mascis’s influence on the record, especially on this track. It’s still fIREHOSE, but it’s much rougher, much muscular in an obvious way. I have to suspect that the grunge movement had to have had some influence on the band as well. To my ears, it’s not an entirely comfortable pairing. fIREHOSE always sounded so agile, and the fuzzier, more rugged production seems to conceal a little of that agility. I don’t know if the band felt the same, but this was it for the band. Overall, to my mind, they have two great albums and three good ones, which is a good tear by anybody’s standards.

Band of Horses, “Laredo”

I should love Band of Horses, I really should. I love Uncle Tupelo, for instance, so the whole electrified Americana thing should be right up my alley. But Band of Horses very much fall into that category of bands that I find perfectly pleasant when I listen to them, and then forget exist after they’re done playing. It’s good! I just never choose to listen to it. So what does that say about me?

Amon Tobin, “Nova”

Amon Tobin was one album away from the nuclear Supermodified, which is one of my very favorite electronic albums of all time. That’s an imposing shadow to loom under, but Permutation is fantastic in its own right. This is how the album closes, a smoky jazz pastiche, and it’s an example of how the variety of sounds that Tobin used on Permutation which really sets it apart. It’s not all just manic energy and aggression, like a lot of late-90s electronic stuff could be.

SiR, “Gone”

An intro. If I were to do this project again, I would probably set a rule about skipping tracks under a certain length. But then I wouldn’t have gimme entries. A dilemna!

Public Enemy, “PESA #1”

In the end, I went for purity. And, well, this is the consequence.

This is from Ψυχική Αποσύνθεση, the EP released in 2021 from this Greek black metal band. Here’s what I know about them:

• They’re Greek.
• They released this on the magnificent Total Dissonance Worship label out of Portland, who have quickly become one of my favorite labels.
• That’s it.

This is the stuff, though - unpredictable and relentless black metal where I cannot understand anything that’s going on, but do not care at all. I cannot even verbally recommend this to anybody, I haven’t the foggiest how any of that would be pronounced. I suppose I can fake the band’s name. Anyway, I hope they release a full-length at some point!

Forth Wanderers, “Not For Me”

I’m sure I picked this up because it came out on Sub Pop and was looking at release lists from them. I know I listened to it a couple times back then and then haven’t touched it since. It’s pretty good, but I’m not sure I find it all that memorable. I suppose it’s not for me? I guess I should have just read the song title?

Calexico, “Wash”

The first Calexico record (Spoke) found the band sounding unmistakably like Calexico: the accordion, the brushes, the languid songs, and the lovely singing. They would continually refine things, and even on the next record would have a pretty big jump forward, but if you’re a fan, you can go all the way back to the beginning and will find plenty to enjoy.

Robert Johnson, “When You Got A Good Friend”

I will never feel like more of a fraud than when I try and write about someone like Johnson, a titanic figure in music that I’m just not qualified to talk about in any way. If I write anything substantive here, it’ll subtract from the world’s body of knowledge. So, enjoy! I’m a bozo!

Son Volt, “L Train”

Jay Farrar re-formed Son Volt in 2005, and The Search was the second album to come out of that reformation, and it continued from the strength of Okemah and the Melody of Riot. While not as good as that record, there are plenty of highlights on it, such as this tune. While Farrar is creating richer compositions as of this album, the basic pleasure here is the same as going back to the Uncle Tupelo days, of hearing a good country song that’s also not reactionary.

Post-hardcore might be the genre that I enjoy the most that I’ve lost the most touch with, if that makes sense. There was a time when I listened to more or less all the post-hardcore that there was, devouring it all and staying on top of the scene and bands. When I kind of became dislocated from music a bit in the early 2000s, I lost track of a lot of things, and then as I gradually found ways to stay on top of music in the post-Usenet-and-magazine/pre-social-media era, I just never got traction with any of this stuff again. Is it still being made? Are there still post-hardcore bands out there kicking ass? I’m sure there are, and I’m equally sure I’m unaware of them. Well, you know, other than Quicksand’s reunion record.

Trans Am, “Let’s Take the Fresh Step Together”

Ah, finally an anthem for group shoplifting kitty litter.

BADBADNOTGOOD, “Signal From The Noise”

Yes, yes, BADBADNOTGOOD very good, love you guys. Whatever, more importantly, I just reminded myself of the Glenn Danzig kitty litter photo. You all have seen it, right?

[EDITOR’S NOTE: this image was lost during a changeover on the blog. At some point. Sorry to anybody reading this in the future. It was a picture of Glenn Danzig, looking like Glenn Danzig, carrying a big thing of kitty litter through a parking lot. I recommend looking it up.]

Tremendous.

Rockabye Baby!, “Night Moves”

Dammit, I really need to get rid of this junk from the library. But this is how you can tell that this is really my actual music library, with all the miscellaneous garbage that has rolled up into it like a katamari over the years. And how you know I’m playing this things straight. If I weren’t just taking the tracks as they come, I would absolutely edit out the Bob Segar song with frog noises.

Gojira, “Clone”

First song on the first record from metal titans Gojira, this is a good statement of purpose for what’s on this record. They’re a fairly long ways from where they would end up, with more and more progressive elements finding their way into their sound, to the point that this sounds to me like a totally different band. But even while this is more straightforward than their later material, it’s still not just a straight-ahead headbanger, there’s plenty of surprises on this record. I think I prefer the later stuff, but it’s nice to hear this one pop up.

That is some Saturday Night Live-ass horn work on this tune.

Oh, this is the first time we’ve had them, huh? The NY Citizens were a pretty early band in the third wave of ska, so this was all before some of the genre boundaries had settled down. As a result, they were much more English Beat than anything else, which wasn’t a popular referent for most of the other bands in the third wave.

Young Hunter, “Black Candles”

2012?! This record came out more than a decade ago? It seems like it was yesterday. That means I’ve been using Bandcamp for about that length of time, and woah, that really doesn’t feel right. It seems like I just shifted from CDs to digital, and it really very much has not.

This has been an episode of Gee, Time Sure Does Pass. I hope you enjoyed it.

They Might Be Giants, “Your Racist Friend (Live)”

From The Flood Show, one of two different live versions of the album that I have in the collection. Which doesn’t count the two times I’ve seen them do the album live. Anyway, this song just seems to get more and more pointed with time, I wonder why?

David Bowie, “Sound and Vision”

Has this song been used in a commercial or something? Because it’s strange, as I listen to this, I suddenly feel like I’m being sold something. Like a laundry detergent or psoriasis medication or car insurance. It’s extremely diseased that I feel like that, mind you.

Ice Cube, “Hello”

I generally don’t put “featuring” lines into these entries, because, I dunno, that’s just what I do. But it’s critical here, because this track is featuring Dr. Dre and MC Ren (and is a Dre production), so this track is an N.W.A reunion track (minus Eazy-E, RIP). This is how War & Peace, Vol. 2: The Peace Disc opened, and it’s a fine way to kick things off. Alas, this is the highlight of the record, and nothing else on it really approaches it. So, just enjoy this, and pretend it was just a single.

I’ve just got this one record from the Atlas Moth, Coma Noir, their most recent. And I guess I like it just fine - this track is kind of fun, with the slippery movement between genres, sounding like noise rock at times, like sludge at times, a bit of post-metal or maybe metalcore here and there. The blend doesn’t quite hold up for the whole record, though, and it ends up being the sort of thing where you want a bit more evolution or edge or something. It wasn’t quite enough for me to hunt down their previous records.

Elvis Costello, “Chelsea (Fuck It)”

What a delight! The drum intro to this song just rattles through my brain periodically, unbidden. There are worse fates.

Einstürzende Neubauten, “Blume”

Tabula Rasa, to my mind, is the pivot in Neubauten’s career. While there have always been moments of relatively quiet contemplation on most of their prior records, it’s this record where that contemplation kind of became a full partner to the noise. Yes, Tabula Rasa is most remembered for “Headcleaner”, fifteen minutes of cantankerous fury, it’s more than balanced by the previous twenty minutes of quieter moments. Those moments are still composed from noise alongside more conventional instrumentation, but the orientation is different. It’s not to shock or startle, but to make you think. From here forward, Neubauten records would be more cerebral than caustic, which has probably helped them extend their career as long as it has gone.

Bosse-de-Nage, “-”

A little interstitial from All Fours. Kinda sounds like something Neubauten could have done, maybe.

Couch Slut, “-”

It is here that I realize that when I hit play on all tracks to restart the randomness, I didn’t actually have shuffle on. Ah well, nevertheless.

I did, in fact, play this song on the radio, which is the sort of thing you can do when you’re holding down the 3 AM-7 AM slot on a Tuesday for a grand total of, like, four listeners. Safe harbor, baby! Anyway, 17yo Josh thought this was a hilarious bit, and absolutely worthy of inflicting on the poor bastards cramming for their thermodynamics final and were just hoping for something to keep themselves awake. I hope hearing the word “shithead” on the radio gave them just a little bit of a jolt.

The Body & Full of Hell, “Didn’t the Night End”

Those bass hits underlaying the ragged sawtooth of noise are menacing in a way that most music cannot even approach. There’s something inherently mean about electronic noise that is hard to really get to with an analog instrument. And then the way they seamlessly give way to the equally jagged vocals is an ugly moment that you really have to admire. I mean, if you’re the sort of person who used to play profane NoFX nonsense on the radio and has now aged into the sort of dork who writes a music blog for, like, four people.

Huh.

Trigger Cut, “Solid State”

Noise rock, baby! I’ve always kind of wondered if their name comes from the Pavement song, which would be a bit of an odd choice for a band that so clearly is walking in Big Black’s footsteps. Well, whatever, it’s hard to argue with a song that is in and out in 2:14 with plenty of those good ol’ noise rock markers. This is just comfort food.

Pigs, “At Least It’s an Ethos, Part 1”

Noise rock, baby! I’ve alw…hang on.

Important! Singular pig: theatre-kid industrial. Plural pigs: Birthday Party lovin’ noise rockers. Please update your notes.

The Wedding Present, “Getting Nowhere Fast”

While I do like some other Wedding Present records more (Seamonsters and Watusi, for sure), the Wedding Present were never more elemental than they were on George Best. Just pure, uncut frustration.

I don’t buy every Deerhoof record, because that would probably be too much Deerhoof. But I do own five of them, because it’s all delightful stuff that I enjoy listening to. It’s a balance, and I feel pretty good about where I landed.

Whiskeytown, “If He Can’t Have You”

This is good. I like this. I should listen to more country.

Descendents, “Good Good Things”

While I know that people mostly love and remember the hyper-caffeinated juvenile stuff, which of course I enjoy as well, I think that I might enjoy when they recorded more serious songs more. Yes, part of that is just the contrast, but they really could do melancholy quite well.

Elf Power, “Will My Feet Still Carry Me Home”

I have FOUR Elf Power records? Man, what was I thinking?

Curren$y & The Alchemist, “Reese’s Cup”

I love it when veterans like this get together for a record and are all business. No need to belabor the track, just a solid beat, a super fun piano part, a tight verse, a vocal sample. Done, ship it. Great stuff.

I went and checked what I’ve said about Waxahatchee in the past, because sometimes I try and avoid repeating myself too much. Sometimes. It was then I discovered that this is the third time we’ve had this exact song. Still good! Go read what I said the last two times! Or not, it’s your time.

Madness, “Razor Blade Alley”

Mostly, the third wave of ska was following in the footsteps of the Specials, but I think that the Madness was also an important ingredient in the mix. In particular, the irreverence of Madness is something that a lot of the third wave really picked up on. The attitude, more so than the music, is one that they borrowed and extended.

Bedhead, “Haywire”

Is post-grunge a thing? Maybe it’s a thing.

(It’s not a thing.)

Stevie Wonder, “Ebony Eyes”

I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned this before, but I’ve used up my “looking back at previous 5S entries” tokens for the day, so: my writing here is wholly inadequate to capture how good Stevie Wonder was, how great these albums are. So I’ll just offer a specific memory: I was sitting in the very back of a station wagon, going through a McDonalds drive thru on a summer day with my mom to get drinks, and “Sir Duke” come on the radio. And it was arresting. I stopped whatever I was doing, and just sat and listened to the horns. The melody instantly became stuck in my head, and it was just like a lightning bolt through my brain. It might be the earliest memory I have of a song, and it’s Stevie’s magic that he’s able to write a song that can captivate a 5yo or a, uh, whatever I am.

Amy Winehouse, “You Know I’m No Good”

Back to Back is, of course, at this point a melancholy listen, knowing it was to be her last album. But at the time, it sounded so fresh, at a time when the neo-soul revival hadn’t yet fully blossomed. Hearing the Dap-Kings backing Winehouse is such a treat, and the record still sounds great. Timeless, even. I just wish I could divorce it from the context of her life.

This was the song that launched the Japandroids, rattling around enough on blogs to get the band the attention that would make their career. It’s a solid capsule of their sound, all fuzzy guitars, propulsive drumming, and catchy shouting. It’s easy to see how people got excited for this, and the excitement would pay off with Post-Nothing and to a greater extent Celebration Rock.

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, “Lap Dance”

This comes to us from one of the leftovers records that JSBX put out, this one collecting miscellany from Acme. The leftovers records are actually not bad, generally, even if they are kind of shaggy. The truth is that peak JSBX was just fun to listen to, even if maybe they weren’t doing their best material. Anyway, this record is Xtra-Acme USA, and it’s not something to pick up until you’ve worn out the proper albums, but if you’re a JSBX freak you should absolutely listen to it.

Bent Knee, “Hold Me In”

There’s a certain pressure in having to write something about each of these songs. Yes, it’s the gig (can it be a gig if nobody reads or pays attention?), but things will come up and I’ve got to figure out a thing to say. Little bit about the band, the album, the music? Some personal history with the act? Ruminations about genre? Dumb bit? All possibilities. But if I don’t really love the band for whatever reason, there’s risk of me falling back to just regurgitating some biography from a web serach. That’s not great. So I think about alternatives.

The scoundrel’s route is to go meta. Talk about the blog, the experience of writing it, of filling in an entry. It’s the coward’s way because it has nothing to do with the song at all, it’s just a way to reference the context in which this is all occurring. I try to avoid it, truthfully, because nobody comes here for this kind of self-examination. I mean, nobody comes here at all, but you know what I mean.

At any rate, the tempataion to go meta is strongest when a song just doesn’t speak to me at all. It might be from a record I sampled from an act just because they got some buzz and they didn’t connect with me. And they come up, and what can I say? “This record didn’t do anything for me.” Nobody wants to read that either! Honestly, I should just do a dumb bit. But sometimes it’s too late for that.

Did you know I just write these as the song is playing? And I try to do it in real time, so you kind of get the first draft of my thoughts? Yeah, I know, it shows.

Hepcat, “Dance Wid’ Me”

The first Hepcat album, Out of Nowhere, really established their bona fides as not just ska revivalists, but first-wave ska revivalists. They weren’t referencing the Specials, they were referencing the Skatalites and Prince Buster. It helped them stand out from a lot of other acts, and helped this stuff age really well. It’s not their finest record, they would grow into their sound and peak with Right On Time, but it’s good stuff nonetheless.

matt pond PA, “Halloween”

Bet you thought that last one was going to be a dumb bit!

Costello was in the middle of his 10/10 run of albums (ignoring the covers record), with Get Happy!! being maybe the most distinctive of the lot. It’s not my favorite (that’s probably This Year’s Model followed by Imperial Bedroom), but the soul focus of the record means that it stands out a bit more from the rest of the group. Although Imperial Bedroom is also pretty distinctive, with the lush, orchestrated songs. I’m really not strengthening my point here. Anyway, good record.

fIREHOSE, “Brave Captain”

Born out of D. Boon’s tragic death, the first fIREHOSE record was certainly a pretty big break with the previous band. But for me, I actually encountered the bands backwards. I read a bunch about their 1991 release, Flyin’ the Flannel, and got curious about the band even though I really only knew the Minutemen as a band I needed to catch up with. I had a lot of learning to do in the early 90s. I ended up with this record first, and given a baseline expectation of “smart hardcore”, this wasn’t at all what I expected. But I loved it, it was so different from everything I was listening to at the time, and it hit me hard. It was pretty, even, which wasn’t a thing I was prioritizing at the time, but it made me love the record just that much more. As I learned more about both bands, I of course adored the Minutemen, but due to my backwards approach, I have a softer spot for fIREHOSE than most seem to. At least, most of the people on Usenet in 1991.

Public Enemy, “What a Fool Believes”

New Whirl Odor, the 2005 effort from Public Enemy, is mostly just dispiriting. Chuck D barking the 5Ws over an uninspired, repetitive beat isn’t exactly cutting edge. And, you know what, he actually only does four of the Ws. Just shoddy stuff.

The Isley Brothers, “Make Me Say It Again Girl, Pts. 1 & 2”

Recorded with their “3+3” lineup, The Heat is On is full of rock-inflected soul. Or funk-inflected soul. Or, uh, rock-inflected funk? Funk/rock/soul? Oh, and some R&B. It’s a fusion of everything sweaty, basically, whether it’s a ballad like this or a funk ripper like “Fight the Power”. A truly great album from a truly great band.

Grenadine, “In a World Without Heroes”

Grenadine was an indie-pop supergroup, with Jenny Toomey (Tsunami), Mark Robinson (Unrest), and Rob Christiansen (Eggs) as members. They put out two albums, and they sound more or less like what you’d expect them to sound like. Robinson’s songs sound kind of like Unrest, and Toomey’s songs kind of sound like Tsunami. So if you love those bands and want more, you can just look here.

A collision of early grunge elements here! This is from the second Soundgarden EP, Fopp, from 1988. It’s a time when Soundgarden was still figuring out who they were, and their sound was still mostly a melding of hard rock and garage rock and wasn’t yet what would be recognizable as grunge. But it goes further than that! This song is actually a cover of Green River, the proto-grunge band from the mid-80s that would spawn both Mudhoney (Mark Arm and Steve Turner) and Pearl Jam (Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament). The elements that would make up grunge were starting to come in to focus even in 1985, when Green River recorded this song, with Steve Turner’s filthy riffs in particular being a building block of the genre. The music made by these bands wasn’t quite yet divorced enough from hard rock, didn’t have quite enough of the grime or the muscular confidence that would allow them to break into something new. But it was coalescing.

Oh, and big shout out to Chris Cornell’s outstanding Mark Arm impression here.

The Flaming Lips, “Try to Explain (individual shuffle-ready version)”

Prog rock eventually because completely unmoored from the conventional bounds of rock songwriting, with compositions gleefully stretching well past the handful of minutes permitted to any song that aspired to be played on the radio. As the Lips moved on in their careers, they moved into a similar realm, where albums after At War With The Mystics also cheerfully abandoned a lot of the conventional structures they were still playing with on previous records. Embryonic and The Terror both are more about evoking emotions and creating soundscapes than they are about creating songs, per se. That’s made abundantly clear with The Terror in parciular, where the entire 55 minute album is tracked as a single piece for the “real” version, and they also grudgingly made available individual tracks. Is the album good? Yeah, I think it is, but I think you have to be in the right mood for it. Kind of like big, long prog rock epics.

Squirtgun, “Mary Ann”

And if you aren’t in that mood, why not some mid-90s straightforward pop punk?

Melvins, “Black Heath”

A Walk With Love & Death is the first Melvins double album, with the first album (Death) being the more conventional of the two. Conventional by Melvins standards, anyway. This is the opening track of that album, and it’s not as crunchy as their most brutal stuff, but it’s still very Melvins. The second album, Love, is a film soundtrack and thus pretty far from their usual stuff, although there isn’t really a “usual” with them.

Swans, “Better Than You”

Geez, some real giants today. It’s actually not an easy call to me as to who has had the more impressive career between the Melvins, the Flaming Lips, and the Swans. I’m guessing the Swans? But I listen to the other two bands more? And Soundgarden are no slouches either, at least in terms of influence.

Squirtgun was also present.

The Monorchid brought back together a couple Circus Lupus alumni in a new band, but this record isn’t quite the continuation of the noisy post-hardcore of that first band. In some ways, it’s sort of the Hot Snakes to Circus Lupus’s Drive Like Jehu. A comparison that absolutely made more sense in my head than it does when I write it down, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to go back and replace it. Editing is for quitters and professionals, and I’m neither.

Mustard Plug, “Alone”

Mustard Plug has come up three times here, and I’ve 1) told my only Mustard Plug story, 2) referenced it, and 3) continued a dumb joke unrelated to them. Will I have anything to say about them that’s not my one (sad) story?

Pop Will Eat Itself, “Poison To The Mind”

At their best, the anarchic glee with which Pop Will Eat Itself approached their music made them very charming. There’s clearly no particular sense of boundaries or anything here, they’re just doing whatever they think sounds good or fun or clever. It’s that lack of self-consciousness that made greebo appealing at all, and I think it still works even if some of the specific sounds are a bit dated.

Atmosphere, “Smart Went Crazy”

Atmosphere’s You Can’t Imagine How Much Fun We’re Having had big shoes to fill, will Seven’s Travels being Atmosphere’s best record (and one they still haven’t topped, I think). That it doesn’t quite live up to that standard isn’t really the album’s fault, but I did my usual thing where the record following what I think of as a breakthrough gets unfairly ignored by me. It’s not that I dislike it, but it’s inextricably linked with the previous album in my brain, and as a result most of the time when I think about listening to it, I think of the earlier and better record and just put it on instead. I don’t know of a way to break it out of that shadow.

Thrawsunblat, “Thus Spoke The Wind”

Every now and again, I will sample various strains of folk metal, and invariably, it’s not for me. I like folk, and I like metal, and outside of Panopticon, the combination leaves me cold. So, Thrawsunblat’s Great Brunswick Forest was one of those experiments, and it absolutely didn’t change my mind.

I was going to make a “ooh, another Lost 90’s Gem” joke here, as if anybody has ever forgotten the Pixies. And then I remembered, no, this album came out in 1989. Time is an illusion.

Jamire Williams, “Dos Au Soleil”

This is so good. It reminds me of nothing so much as Einstürzende Neubauten, in the way it approaches rhythm and the use of open space in the song. I should really look up more work from Williams.

Beige, “Runkelrübe Blau”

Going experimental here today! Except for, you know, a track from one of the founding documents of the entire 90s rock explosion. Aside from that, very experimental!

PIG, “Blades (KMFDM Remix)”

Raymond Watts (who is PIG) was a member of KMFDM, so that band coming in for a remix is pretty redundant. And, you know, it sounds basically just like you’d expect this to sound, if you’re familiar with PIG or KMFDM. This isn’t anything like his best work, which is dramatic and unhinged when it is at its best, like a theatre kid given unlimited access to synths.

Young Fresh Fellows, “Sittin’ on a Pitchfork”

Electric Bird Digest seems to be the Fellows album that most people are familiar with. Or at least, the people I encounter. And I attribute this entirely to the fact that it’s the album that came out immediately after the Fellows were namechecked by They Might Be Giants. And in some ways, it’s a bit unfortunate - it’s not that it’s a bad album, but I actually think most TMBG fans would prefer their earlier, more manic material featuring Chuck Carroll. I know that I generally do.

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!

Polvo’s final album from their first run, Shapes, had kind of a cool reception as I recall. I know personally that I felt like it was a step back from the previous couple albums. But now, a couple decades later, I find myself listening to it more than the rest of their records. So, is it just a more subtle, more challenging record that requires more maturity and sophistication to appreciate? Was I just a dumbass back then? The answer is: I am not more sophisticated and I’m still a dumbass, so I suspect it’s just novelty? Relative novelty, anyway.

Samiam, “You Looking At Me”

You know what a problem with the “Lost 90s Gem” tag will be? It’ll be on, like, 80% of the posts around here. I’m not sure Polvo counts as a lost gem, because they have always maintained a critical reputation as a great band. But Samiam? Definitely counts, love that melodic punk. They’re good. A certified Lost 90s Gem! That’s the Five Songs Guarantee!

Riverdales, “Fun Tonight”

Riverdales are Ben Weasel’s side project of Ramones worship, who are different from his main band of Ramones worship, Screeching Weasel, because…uh. Anyway, there are a bunch of Riverdales records, but I have just this one, because, you know, I also have Ramones records.

Arcade Fire, “Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)”

The first song on the first Arcade Fire record and…you know what? I’m not doing this. You all know who the Arcade Fire are. Here you go. Enjoy?

Digital Underground, “The Humpty Dance”

NOW we’re fuckin’ talking. No twee Canadians around here! Yes, this is a novelty record in a lot of ways, but what makes it work is that it’s shameless, it’s genuinely funny, the tracks seriously bump, and the rhymes are agile. It’s a fine rap record, setting aside the fact that it is goofy as hell. Or even because it’s goofy as hell.

Anyway, I still know every line of this song, and can definitely bust it out on demand, in case anybody is wondering. It’s very fun to rhyme along with it while cooking.

Hammerhead’s initial three-album run with Amphetamine Reptile is probably my favorite on the label, and it’s the second and third albums (Into The Vortex and Duh, The Big City) that are the real prizes. The first record is good, but the latter two are two of my favorite noise rock albums by anybody ever. But it wasn’t like Into the Vortex just thundered out of the sky out of nowhere. It was heralded by the 1993 EP Evil Twin, which showed how much of a step forward Hammerhead had taken. What stands out to me is how propulsive it sounds. Hammerhead is going places, and nothing is going to stop them, and they will just run you over if you’re in the way. That sense of groove moderates the aggression into something that is compulsively listenable to me.

Office of Future Plans, “FEMA Coffins”

After the end of Jawbox, J. Robbins has led a series of bands that lasted for just an album or two: Burning Airlines, Channels, and Office of Future Plans. Collectively, it’s four albums and a handful of EPs, and the quality is excellent across them. The first Burning Airlines record is my favorite of the lot, but I enjoy them all, and they really could just have all been issued by “Untitled J. Robbins Project” and it would have been perfectly descriptive. Anyway, it’s good! If you’re looking for melodic punk, he’s your guy.

Baroness, “The Birthing”

I have never, in my life, spelled Baroness correctly the first time. Even right there, where I had just typed it once immediately before, I still tried to put in a double-r. Usually, I spot it - it looks wrong with two rs, which is when I then attempt to put in two ns. Every time. I’m just not sharp.

Pond, “You’re Not a Seed”

Pond (the Portland version) released three records, with the third finding its way to a release by Sony. It’s a great record, a worthy follow-up to their Sub Pop work, and it did absolutely nothing in the market. Sony wasn’t really entirely sure what to make of it, and it was becoming apparent that the appetite in the wider market for grunge and grunge-adjacent music really wasn’t all that deep. It was to be their final album, and I vaguely remember that tension with the label led to that result. Yet another Lost 90’s Gem around here. Which should be a tag, but is not.

Jesus Jones, “Move Mountains”

The official position of Five Songs LLC is that live albums are mostly a waste of time, and it takes an extraordinary live record to transcend that basic truth. It is also a basic truth of Five Songs LLC that we’re big dummies over here, so there are a fair number of live records that will pop up because we bought them despite knowing we don’t like live albums. Will any of them be as inessential as a five-song live EP from trivia answer grebo band Jesus Lones? Doubtful!

Revenge is Peter Hook’s (Joy Division, New Order) band after leaving the latter of those bands. They put out one record and a smattering of singles, one of which gives us this song. And, look - Revenge wasn’t very interesting. It was just kind of there. If you’re a big New Order fan, as I was when this stuff was coming out, you might trick yourself into getting excited for it. But don’t fall in that trap!

Prefuse 73, “Plastic”

I really enjoy Prefuse 73 the most when there’s someone rhyming on the track. Most of his work is really rooted in hip-hop anyway, and so it feels complete when you have the vocals present. It’s not to say I don’t enjoy the instrumental stuff, but the vocal tracks are often a highlight.

Eef Barzelay, “Thanksgiving Waves”

This comes from Barzelay’s first solo record, 2006’s Bitter Honey, when he was on hiatus from leading Clem Snide and put out a couple albums under his own name. They’re pretty spare, especially compared to the pretty lush arrangements on the Clem Snide records immediately pre-hiatus. Apparently he agreed, and returned to the Clem Snide moniker and resumed recording albums that way again. The two solo records are really for completists, I think.

Palace, “Long Before”

Ooh, fun contrast! Both Barzelay’s and Palace’s songs are fundamentally a guy with a guitar, playing a country-inflected, introspective tune. It’s tough to pin down what makes one track more interesting than another, other than appealing to different tastes. Whatever formed my personal perspective on music placed me in a position where I can listen to these two songs and definitively say which one is my favorite (this one). I can’t untangle the inputs into that. I can’t trace the lines through my brain, the source of them and where they lead and the patterns they make. The ones that light up more when I hear Will Oldham warbling than when I hear Eef Barzelay warbling. I don’t really want those inputs to be cleared up, mind you. It’s good to be mystified by the operation of your own brain. I just enjoy occasionally getting a reminder of all this stuff, getting just the tiniest glimpse of the sparks ratting around up here, before letting it all subside back and just letting my tastes continue rumbling forward autonomously.

The Apples in Stereo, “Signal in the Sky (Let’s Go) (acoustic demo)”

OK, Plex, fuck off with this, that’s enough strumming.

I have regrets when it comes to the tagging system I use around here. Yes, it’s nice to have all the bands tagged, that’s useful. But I wish I had also tagged genres, and subgenres, and some of the common threads in these posts. Like “Canadian Punk” would have been a fun tag. Why did I listen to so many Canadian punk bands in the 90s? I dunno. I have no way of knowing if my punk consumption was disproportionately Canadian or not. How would you measure that? Count up the number of punk albums I own that came out in the 90s, weigh by population, see if they match the expected distribution? I suppose that would work, would likely be possible with some data scraping using the Discogs API, and is absolutely not going to happen unless someone were to pay me. Or if I get super bored.

Anyway, that’s what you miss without genre tags. A simple way to go look at how many Canadian punk songs have showed up here.

There’s an infinite amount of information being produced every day, by all of us. And that’s indisputably some of it.

Thou, “Transcending Dualities”

A thing I adore about metal bands is when they slap super intellectual titles on tunes that sound like someone getting their toenails pulled out next to an oil rig shuddering to a halt. And that’s not an ironic love or anything, I genuinely think it’s great. Kind of a high/low kind of thing. It’s fun!

Love Battery, “Searching for Rose”

If you’re a long time Five Songs reader/listener, first, my apologies. [If you’re a long time enough reader/listener, you’ve also seen that joke before.] I’ve written all of these, and I’m not entirely sure I’ve read them all. Anyway, one thing that I think we do best around these parts is highlight the forgotten underground acts of the 90s, the time period when the Five Songs Braintrust was most plugged in to music. That’s what you’re really getting by sticking around there. And there were plenty of bands that were unfairly buried at a time when they probalby should have been able to break out. Grunge lifted a lot of boats, but there were some strange blindspots. One of those, as I’ve mentioned before, is Love Battery, who had a five album run in the 90s that just smokes. Fuzzy and psychedelic, Love Battery just banged out strong record after strong record. I’m not sure any of this has persisted into people’s consciousness of today, and it’s a shame, they were a real highlight.

Wilco, “I Love My Label”

I assume that this song is a commentary on the label drama that Wilco had in the past, especially being dropped by Reprise after making Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and refusing to make changes to the record. Of course, the amusing coda to that whole thing is that Nonesuch put out the album, and both Reprise and Nonesuch are Warner Bros. labels. I have no idea how that happens!

Labradford, “Disremembering”

Fuzzy!

Experimental post-rock band Pyramids released their first record on Hydra Head Records, which is how I ended up being exposed to them. They’re honestly pretty all over the map on this record, which kind of lurches around between various styles. I’ve only got this and their last record, 2015’s A Northern Meadow, and that’s similarly a restless record. I don’t really love it, but I think it’s at least interesting, so that’s a good thing.

Gastr del Sol, “The Seasons Reverse”

More experimentation! It’s a little absurd, honestly, that I’d describe both this and the previous record as “post-rock”, now that I think about it. Post-rock tells you…what, that there are some rock-ish things about it, but without the structures of a rock song? I’ll probably keep using the term, but there probably should be different terms for the jazz-inflected version and the metal-inflected version.

Beastie Boys, “Shambala”

I think it’s kind of fun when bands replicate the structure of a record and kind of turn in a second version of a successful album. I know I should maybe be annoyed by it, but I find it kind of charming. Anyway, Ill Communication is really following very closely in the footsteps of Check Your Head. It’s not exactly the same record, but it definitely rhymes with it for sure. It’s a less obvious case than, say, Metallica re-doing Ride the Lightning, but they’re very similar records.

Skinny Puppy, “Scrapyard”

There are bands that I kind of lose track of, and as a result they get frozen in amber in my brain. By the time this album rolled out in 1992, I was kind of getting away from industrial, and as a result this is forever “the last Skinny Puppy album”. And, yes, they did say at the time that they were breaking up, but it very much was not the last Skinny Puppy record. But it always will be in my head. Anyway, it’s probably my second favorite record from them, so they went out on top, and good for them. (They did not go out.)

John Oswald, “Angle”

Experimental musician Oswald created what he called “pluderphonics”, music composed entirely of samples of other things, often chopped up beyond recognition. This sort of thing has become very familiar these days, but at the time Oswald was working and especially with his early work, it was pretty unusual stuff. He would run into legal trouble for various releases when he would fly a little too close to the sun, but kept at it for forever. At any rate, this is music for the head, not the heart, but it can be fun to just try and figure out how it all hangs together.

I feel like every time Pinkwash comes up, I say something equivalent to “hey, this is neat, I keep forgetting about this!” I wish I could say that I’d grown past that, but no, I do still keep forgetting about this. It’s a fun record! But, I can report some growth: I checked to see if they have another record. No, they do not. Still!

Firewater, “The Beat Goes On”

Across a discography that stretches across seven albums ranging from incredible to great, there’s one that stands out. Mostly by being kind of superfluous. This is from that record, 2003’s Songs We Should Have Written. It’s a covers record, and it’s not bad, but it just doesn’t rise to their original records.

Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”

And so we return to one of the central problems of Five Songs, which is: how in the hell do I say anything about Motown classics that is in any way illuminating or useful? The answer is simple: I cannot.

Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott, “When I Get Back to Blighty”

Paul Heaton, of course, is one of the leaders of the Housemartins and the Beautiful South, but this is one of his records he put out outside of those bands. What’s interesting is that his collaborator here is Jacqui Abbott, who is also in the Beautiful South. It’s a bit of an open question here as to what distinguishes this from a Beautiful South record. Is it a new type of music? Not really. The voices are familiar, it’s glossy, pleasant pop. The answer, then, is “not much”. It’s fine? I was hoping maybe it would be a nice spark of creativity to raise Heaton’s work from the latter day Beautiful South records being kind of in the doldrums, but no, it’s more of the same.

The Du-Rites, “Bite It”

Oh man, good timing! This is two records after that last J-Zone record from yesterday, and J-Zone has fully embraced the funk. Greasy Listening is one of my favorites from his catalog, just a delightful slab of instrumental funk that you can pour directly in your ears and…uh, I’m not sure where this is going. Lost my grip on that one. Anyway, it’s funky! It’s fun! Listen to the Du-Rites!

I took a break from the grind of daily music blogging last October, because it was starting to wear me out. Needing to figure out something to say about these songs each day felt like I was really straining, and it wasn’t serving the purpose of a creative outlet nor a reminder of songs I’d forgotten about it. It was a slog, unfun, and I had proven to myself that I was capable of blogging every single day but I no longer wanted to do so. This project is, in the end, for myself. There are no ads, no monetization, and frankly, no audience. If I’m not having fun, there’s no point.

So why am I back? It’s been nine months or so, and I find myself a little adrift creatively. I have a game I’m slowly working on, but having a thing that I work on periodically to get the creative juices flowing sounds like a good idea. Will it spark creativity in other places? Probably not! Will it be interesting? History suggests no! Will I be glad to have done it? Absolutely.

Back to it, then. For those who are unfamiliar, the premise here is simple. I have a server I operate here with all my music on it. All my ripped CDs, all my digital purchases, everything. I just fire it up, hit the random function, and write up a bit on each song that surfaces. It’s accompanied with a playlist of the tunes, and you can see if maybe you discover any new favorites. I’m not really a music writer, I’m just a guy who has (bad) opinions, but maybe this is useful? (It will not be.)

How often will I update? I’m not sure I’m going to commit to every day, that would be foolish. I’m going to permit myself to have some days off when I’m feeling it. But most days? At any rate: I’m back! For at least a little while! LET’S HEAR SOME FUCKIN’ TUNES!

Nickel Creek, “New Blood”

Ooh, 2023 release. TIMELY. Nickel Creek, the bluegrass band that won wide acclaim including at least one Grammy (I’m not going to look up how many), ended their first iteration in 2005, after the great Why Should the Fire Die?, an album that took their kind of progressive approach to bluegrass about as far as it could go. Oh my god, look at that run-on sentence. I’m bad at this!

Anyway, “progressive” in the sense that it wasn’t especially bluegrass. The members went on to do their own things, and that was that. But they got back together in 2014 for A Dotted Line, and then went away for the equivalent length of time. So, another nine years later, and it’s a new record for 2023. Is Celebrants good? Well, I like their thing, so yeah. It’s good. It’s not ground breaking, or at least not breaking any ground they hadn’t already broken. But I don’t listen to much that’s even really adjacent to this, just Nickel Creek and Sturgill Simpson, really. Variety is important in one’s musical diet, and the occasional thing that isn’t guttural mouth noises over guitars cranked to a thousand is refreshing. Maybe your chocie of changeup is different, but I hope you have one.

J Church, “Bomb”

A thing that J Church always did well, among the many things they did well, is that their album titles were always dialed in. Camels, Spilled Coronas and the Sound of Mariachi Bands is fantastic. Verbose, sure, but there’s an atmopshere to the name that is really evocative. The tunes, of course, are the sort of picture-perfect melodic punk that J Church always nailed. This is one of their many compilation records, collecting their prolific non-album tracks, the first one of those. Generally, for a punk band, the assumption should always be that their earliest material is their strongest, so is this their finest comp? Reader, it is not. That’s Nostalgic for Nothing.

Beulah, “Fooled With The Wrong Guy (UK single)”

This is from Rarities, Demos & Besides, an EP that came with the initial release of Yoko. A collection of singles and demos given as a throwaway bonus to a record release sounds inessential, and you know what? It really is.

J-Zone, “I Smell Smoke”

From the last J-Zone rap record, it was clear by Fish-n-Grits that he was ready to move on to a new challenge. The drums were very front and center, and it seemed like J-Zone was more interested in them than the actual rap. After this record, he would start the Du-Rites, and not look back. It’s still a really interesting record, but primarily to me as a transitional album between his rap career and his new funk career. This track, an instrumental outside of the vocal samples, is a great example of that transition happening.

Kool & the Gang, “Jungle Boogie”

What’s the whitest way to discover how great Kool & the Gang were back in the day? That’s right, from pursuing a song after it appeared on the soundtrack of a Quentin Tarantino movie. At least it led me to an appreciate of Kool & the Gang. And it’s still not whiter than how I learned about Public Enemy.

Is that the softest intro to a music list you’ve ever seen? Hang on, lemme try this again: THIS LIST WAS HANDED DOWN TO ME ON STONE TABLETS FROM THE HEIGHTS OF MOUNT GOODTASTE IGNORE THEM AT PERIL TO YOUR IMMORTAL ROCKIN’ SOUL

The Golden Walker, Given to the Best Album Released by a Band I’ve Been Listening To Since Before I Had Kids

As always, there are multiple records I could talk about in this category, which I’ve just made up on the spot. Old fart bands don’t stop releasing music for old farts like me, and I liked a bunch of them. But I think I’m going to take Calexico’s El Mirador. Calexico hasn’t ever made a bad record or anything, but sometimes their stuff becomes almost too pleasant. The last full Calexico record (2018’s The Thread That Keeps Us) was very mellow, at times disappearing a bit as wallpaper. Maybe I didn’t spend enough time with it, that’s a possibility (never dismiss the chances that I’m a dope!), but it never really hung with me. El Mirador brings things back more to their earlier sound, with a return to Tucson to record the album, and it’s very trumpet forward. Songs like “El Paso” and “The El Burro Song” are some of the strongest they’ve turned in for years, and I found this to be something of a return to form. Again, not that their last several albums have been bad or anything, I just like “desert Calexico” the best of their various incarnations.

Honorable Mentions: I would be remiss not bringing up Cruel Country from Wilco here, as it also is a throwback for them, a record that evokes Being There more than anything else in their discography. I haven’t really loved a Wilco record since Wilco (The Album), so having a set of tunes like this I could sink into was a delight.

I was surprised by the release of Reason in Decline from Archers of Loaf, but they got back together for the right reason: they just wanted to make a record together. It’s not the same as the vintage records - it’s less noisy, less raspy, less…uh, youthful than the early stuff. But if you judge it not as whether it continues in the musical line of their previous stuff (and how could it, after 24 years!), but instead on its own merits, it’s a very nice set of melodic and kinda noisy rock. It was nice to hear from them again.

It’s been seven years since we’ve had a full album from The Slackers, although there have been various singles and EPs released in that time. So I knew that the best band of the third wave of ska hadn’t gone anywhere (yes, that’s right, the best!), but it’s still great to get a full length from them. I’m listening to Don’t Let The Sunlight Fool Ya as I write this, actually, and there’s a very good chance that this will end up being the 2022 release I spend the most time with when it all shakes out. You know, when I drop dead. Vic Ruggiero and company continue to just sound like a warm hug, with nothing but good tunes wrapping around you. It’s not the place to start with the Slackers (that would probably be Wasted Days), but it’s a welcome addition to the discography.

If it’s not the Slackers record I end up spending the most time with, it will probably end up being Inside Problems from Andrew Bird. I always run a weird cycle with him - the release of a new record from him usually prompts me to remember that I never really spent enough time with his previous album. So, he released a new record (which seems nice) and, of course, I spent a bunch of time listening to My Finest Work Yet (his 2019 release). Which is great, although it must be noted, is not his finest work. So, check back in three years, when I’ll have spent enough time with this one to really judge it. (Calexico just ended, and so I put on…My Finest Work Yet, because “Sisyphus” popped in my head. I’m weak!)

The Conlon Nancarrow Award for Excellence in Truly Baffling Music

We have all internalized the rules of music for our culture to a degree that it’s inseparable from our ability to evaluate music. I have hardwired expectations for what “should” happen in a piece of music, and it’s pleasing when those things happen. It’s a stimulus/response thing that just taps into feedback loops that I don’t really control. And yes, the rules I’ve internalized are those of western music, but whatever tradition I grew up in, it’s programmed into me. Even avant garde stuff that explicitly breaks the rules is still experimenting within that framework by testing and expanding the boundaries of it. I recognize what they’re doing as a reaction to the rules.

And then there’s stuff that sounds like it’s from another planet. Records that seem completely unbound by convention rules of “melody” or “aesthetics” or “predictability”. There’s probably some internal logic to them, but they’re so far out there that it’s hard to really recognize it as the same sort of thing as, I dunno, an Archers of Loaf record or whatever. Conlon Nancarrow, by writing stuff for player piano and really testing the limits of rhythm, is a good example. And so is the winner of this award, Not Arbitrary by Álvaro Domene, which sounds like it is a response record to Voyager 1’s golden record. But we haven’t actually been able to decipher it. Domene conjures things from his guitar that, frankly, I’m not entirely sure what they are or how he does it.

Why do I like this? I dunno, sometimes it’s fun to be disoriented. If I want something that tickles my brain with pattern recognition joy, I have literally thousands of records in my collection that can do that. If I want something that, every time, will make me go “what in the hell was that?”, I only have a small handful. And that’s a rare gift.

Honorable Mention: This was a late year find, thanks to the Plague Rages year-end roundup, but what even is going on with Effluence? Liquified is more EP length in running time than it is an album, but hell, there are certainly enough ideas going on here for it to count. It’s kinda…brutal death metal and free jazz? One of the tags on the Bandcamp page is “annoying”, which seems fair. Everything in here is baffling, but since I also listen to John Zorn squawking over grind, this is worryingly totally up my alley. Go ahead and press play on that, though, and you’ll instantly be able to determine if it’s for you. Hopefully it isn’t.

We’re Sorry, We Can’t Hear The Name of This Award Over All That Racket

I listened to a lot of metal this year, at least in large part because I have found plenty of metal writers that I like. It’s probably the only scene that I do a reasonable job of keeping up with these days, but at least there’s one. And if there’s something I’ve learned about my tastes in metal, it’s that I like it when saxes are involved. I mean, just look at Effluence above. Anyway, KEN Mode put out a new record this year, NULL, and it smokes. Kathryn Kerr is now a full member of the band, and she lends sax and keys to the proceedings, and it really fills out the bill nicely. KEN Mode aren’t metal all the way, they instead play stuff from across the heavy spectrum: there’s some sludge here, plenty of noise rock, some no-wave, a little industrial, just a full menu of stuff. But if you don’t know what any of that means, it doesn’t matter. It’s all very, very heavy, very loud, very angry, and very cathartic. My heart will always be with noise rock, and if I can get top-tier noise rock and a bunch of other stuff along with it, said heart will be very happy indeed.

Honorable Mentions: Chat Pile got a lot of traction for their, yes, noise rock debut album God’s Country after building up momentum with a couple of great EPs. I’m not entirely sure why. Yes, it’s a more accessible record than NULL, but it’s not exactly destined for wide appeal. But whatever the reason, the zeitgeist picked well. There’s an urgency to these songs, even the downtempo ones, that makes it all sound propulsive even when it’s not going anywhere particularly quickly. It’s nice to hear a band like this be capable of dialing down the tempo and still keeping the tension up.

I love John Cobbett. Ludicra ruled, both of the Vohl records are awesome, he’s fantastic. But I’ve never gotten on that well with Hammers of Misfortune, his main post-Ludicra band. It’s just a little bit too corny for my tastes. I don’t mind it sometimes, but I’ve never really loved any of their releases. That is, until this year’s Overtaker, which is a scorcher. Yeah, it’s still got some corny stuff going on, but who cares? It gallops, it slashes, it wheedly-wheedly-whees with wild abandon. There’s a certain hardcore vibe to some of the rhythms here that makes me really happy. In a lot of ways, this stuff reminds me of vintage Iron Maiden, in the best kind of way. It’s an extremely metal album, but it’s such a pleasure to listen to.

Metal, as a genre, loves categorizing things so much. Sorting things into bins of brutal this, death that, blackened the other appears to be one of the major pastimes of metal fans. If you’re familiar with the genres, it can be convenient shorthand to orient you on what to expect from bands. If you’re not, it’s impenetrable nonsense and is an active impediment to learning about the stuff. But, even recognizing that the shorthand is a barrier, I use it anyway, because it is convenient. That said, the shorthand fails sometimes. What do you do with a band like Mico? Zigurat is all over the place. It cheerfully combines most of extreme metal’s subgenres with wild abandon, in the end resulting in something that is more or less indescribable but very impressive and primal. Oh, and they also indulge in some good ol’ fashioned pure noise (watch out for “Pulso Corrupto”).

Is it possible for death metal to be easy listening? It probably isn’t, unless you’ve got a problem. But that said, some death metal is very easy to listen to. It just wants to bludgeon you with riff after riff after riff, and doesn’t let anything else get in the way. And so, Undeath’s It’s Time…To Rise From The Grave is here. It’s not a very nuanced record. It’s just a brick hammering away at your head. There’s no subtlety, it’s exactly what it purports to be, but it’s fun.

Damn, this is getting long. I really did listen to a lot of loud stuff this year! Sorry to Scarcity’s Aveilut, Wormrot’s Hiss, Vermin Womb’s Retaliation, Five Songs’ favorite Krallice (who released Psychagogue and Crystalline Exhaustion this year and both rule), Pyrithe’s Monuments to Impermanence (god that record is good), Imperial Triumphant’s Spirit of Ecstasy (which isn’t on Bandcamp, so no link), Helms Alee’s Keep This Be The Way, Mizmor & Thou’s tremendous collab Myopia - damn, I could keep going. Moving on!

The Best Pork Chop Inside Your Danelectro Amplifier

Yes, I stole that line from Jay Mumford of the Du-Rites, from 2020’s “Can’t Buy Groove”. But that’s because this category goes out to him for the Du-Rites’ 2022 release, Plug It In. I’ve loved the Du-Rites from the beginning, so it’s no small thing to say that this is my favorite album from them. “Tripwire” might be my favorite tune of the year, a triumphant burst of funk absolutely carried by the kalimba on it, sounding like a dream. If the album were just that tune, that would be enough, but it doesn’t stop there. I think it’s their funkiest record, even more than the cop funk record Gamma Ray Jones, and it’s a perfect starting point for getting into the band. Or just listen to “Tripwire” in a loop, that works too.

Honorable Mentions: There’s a property of some records, that they feel cinematic in feel. It’s an association that feels somehow implanted in my brain - I’m not sure exactly which movies cinematic records are evoking. Bond movies? I dunno. But nevertheless, some records turn out that way. Ghost Funk Orchestra’s A New Kind of Love is extremely cinematic. It’s cool, it’s sexy, it’s funky, it’s impeccably down, it’s delightful.

I’m familiar with Chris Lujan through The M-Tet, and he put out an album this year with Chris Lujan & Electric Butter that is a real jewel of neo-soul, The Real Thing. Neo-soul can sometimes feel like it’s a diorama, a faithful recreation with every button, outfit, and note in careful place, but without necessarily a creative spark. I definitely don’t think that applies to all of it by any stretch, though, and the best of neo-soul takes the ingredients that worked and does their own thing. And it’s funny, I don’t really dock bands that are trying to…oh, re-create mid-90s Cannibal Corpse’s guitar sound. So why worry about neo-soul? Anyway, The Real Thing is exactly that, a batch of super tight songs that will slap a smile on your face right away.

The “How Do You Do, Fellow Kids?” Award

I’m going to level with you: I have no earthly idea what the youths of today actually listen to, despite the presence of two actual teenagers living in this house. No, my attempt to stay in touch here, at best, keeps up with the music of late-20s people. Maybe? I dunno, the people on some Discords that I’m on who seem to be that age like these records. Anyway, THE UNRAVELING OF PUPTHEBAND is a ton of fun. “Matilda” is probably my second favorite song of the year, “Robot Writes a Love Song” is tremendous, it’s just an excellent record all around. As good as Morbid Stuff? Well, no, but that’s one of my favorite albums period and is an unreasonable standard to live up to, and “not quite as good as one of the best punk albums” still rates top in this category.

Honorable Mentions: It’s on tons and tons of lists, but Wet Leg’s self-titled debut record (Wet Leg, if you aren’t paying attention) is pretty fun. There’s some real mid-2000’s vibes going on here, a certain kind of insistent dance-punk aesthetic that I found tiring when it was everywhere but sounds pretty fresh here. The droll humor helps as well, with a certain Art Brut feel to the breakout hit “Chaise Longue”. Do I think that this album has a ton of staying power? No, not really. But that’s OK, it’s fine to just enjoy something in the moment.

Hm. I suppose that’s all that really plausibly fits in here? I’m very out of touch.

The Up Jump The Boogie Award

Yes, that’s about the oldest hip-hop reference it is possible to make, befitting me being old as hell. Anyway, I don’t listen to as much hip-hop as I would like, but it’s not zero, and there were some records I loved this year. Front of that list was a late discovery for me, billy woods’s Aethiopes hit me hard. Just listen to the jittery drums and tolling beat of “Wharves” followed by the paranoid rumble of “Sauvage” and tell me you don’t agree. I’ve always really appreciated the coherence of records that are produced entirely by the same people, and that’s the case here with Preservation doing all the tracks. It’s a masterpiece, front-to-back.

Honorable Mentions: In that same vein, RJD2 produced all of Escape From Sweet Auburn, his follow-up to STS x RJD2, both collaborations with, uh, STS. Anyway, RJD2’s funk game is totally on-point again, and STS holds up his end of the bargain, which is to provide some fun rhymes on top of things. Like the Wet Leg album, I don’t know if this thing is going to have a ton of longevity, but it’s a very fun spin right now, and that’s plenty.

It’s Almost Dry from Pusha T is the sort of record that I mostly want to listen to super loud. The sort of thing I crank in the car, or obliterate my brain when I’m out for a walk. It’s a big album in every way, and that bigness is very much a virtue here. (It’s not on Bandcamp, so no link.)

I haven’t spent time with Kendrick Lamar’s latest record, which is a damn shame, and I really need to fix that, so consider this category incomplete at best.

I’m forgetting lots of records here, I’m sure, and I know there are ones I wanted to mention that I’m going to kick myself about. But I have to stop at some point, and I suppose that point is now.

After two years of perfect attendance, I think the answer to those questions is a resounding yes. I don’t think every entry on this thing is great. Hell, I think there are a number of them that aren’t good, or probably even OK. But they’re all there, steady as can be, one a day for two full years, through rain, snow, and albums I’ve never heard before. Consistency is a virtue, and I’m proud of the record I have here. More than 1,300 posts total, which is a lot of anything.

I bring all this up here because I’m going to deliberately break that streak tomorrow. I have really enjoyed this project, but I’m going to take a break and work on some other things. By the time I get time in the evenings to myself, I have been largely spending it on this, and it’s crowding out other things I want to do. Game design, for instance. Writing for other projects. A possible podcast, if I can get the scripts worked out. I don’t know for sure what I’ll spend time on, but I want to create some space to see what else I can put together.

This is not the end of Five Songs, probably. I’ve gone on hiatus before, when I started another blog that was killed by the pandemic. I think there’s a good chance I’ll come back to this at some point. But I would like to take a moment to thank everybody who has read or listened to one of these things, commented on them, or pointed out that I fucked up the player again. This project has mostly been about reminding myself of my own music, but I really hope that some other folks have enjoyed it, and maybe found a favorite or two.

This isn’t goodbye, though. This is a “see you soon”. And a thank you.

Once more, though, for the road. Let’s have some tunes.

Fluf, “J’n It on the Net”

Fluf is a perfect example of the type of thing I wanted to unearth with this blog. I really like this stuff a lot, huge, loud pop songs, but I kind of forgot about them. I have not, now! Also, I love late 90s songs that talk about computers, they’re so quaint.

The Specials, “Rude Boys Outta Jail”

This is from The Singles Collection, which is…uh, exactly what it sounds like. It covers singles from their first go-around, in the early 80s, so this is mostly strong material, and is a fine companion piece to their albums of the era.

Elvis Costello, “I Can’t Stand Up for Falling Down”

Oh, the Specials and Elvis Costello in close proximity! That means I get to drop one of my favorite obnoxious music opinions, which is that the best thing Elvis Costello has been involved with is the first Specials album, not any of his actual records.

Mary Wells, “My Guy”

Wouldn’t be a Five Songs farewell without a repeat, would it?

Apollo Brown & Joell Ortiz, “Reflection”

I was lucky enough to visit Paris this past summer, and was reminded once again that the Mona Lisa is pretty puny. It’s just a small canvas! It’s even smaller when viewed at a distance past crowds and crowds of tourists. They should have named this album after a more impressive painting.

Eugenius, “Indian Summer”

And a pretty little pop song to take us out. Thanks again, folks! Let’s do this again!

This is such a majestic tune, absolutely irresistable.

De La Soul, “Thru Ya City”

I mostly think of the two AOI albums (this is from Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump) as kind of lost albums for De La, but that’s not really a fair characterization. They’re uneven to be sure, soft spots in their catalog, but even a soft spot for them is going to have plenty of pleasures. This is a fun track, with the rubbery bass synth and bouncy rhyming from the boys.

The Coup, “Ghetto Manifesto”

The Coup has always had these kinds of stretched out tracks, where Boots Riley gets to philosophize over a funk groove that they just let keep cooking. Sometimes that approach results in their best tunes (“Me And Jesus The Pimp In A ‘79 Granada Last Night”, “Fat Cats, Bigga Fish”), but sometimes they would be better tightened up a bit. I think this is a good example of that, even though he’s got some great lines. Just a bit too much cooking, I guess.

Silkworm, “A Cockfight of Feelings”

This song is pretty straightforward for Silkworm, just a straight-ahead rocker. But of course, in their hands, it’s still very much a pleasure.

There are some bands that I repeatedly admonish people to listen to. U.S. Maple, for instance, from the other day. Sicko. Plenty of others. Well, Silkworm is very much in that list. You should listen! I should listen more often!

Public Enemy, “Prophets of Rage”

I could swear I had told this story before, but I can’t find it in the archives. This song is one of the most important songs in my entire musical journey, but in a very funny way. There are a handful of songs that have cracked open my musical tastes and broadened things for me. Some of the most indelible ones have been rap songs: “Peter Piper” first made me aware of rap, “Say No Go” reminded me of how much I loved it, and then we have this song, which resulted in just about the whitest way to ever get introduced to Public Enemy.

Specifically: I was on the bus heading to a debate trip in Spokane, WA, when a kid named Blake put this on a boom box. I hope nobody can beat that. Anyway, I was entranced. It was the same feeling on encountering those other two songs: I knew I had to hear it again. And again and again and again. God, those horn blasts. I asked who they were, picked up the record, and listened to it over and over. Beyond helping cement a lifelong love of rap, this is also an album that helped me realize that I also liked noise in my music.

John Linnell is probably my favorite songwriter ever, and so it means a lot when I say that “Some dude / Hitting golf balls on the moon / Bathroom in his pants / And he thinks he’s better than me” might be my favorite lyric he’s ever written.

johnboy, “Chair”

I miss the heyday of noise rock. There were so many bands doing cool shit in the early 90s, and you could just find new stuff all the time. I suppose it might still be happening somewhere still, and I’m just not plugged in enough to find out about it. Is anybody doing a noise rock blog?

Sigil, “Revelations”

If you’re a longtime listener/reader of Five Songs, given the information that this is the first track on this record, you’re probably thinking that the following tune is going to be some totally obnoxious metal thing. Here’s the thing: that’s absolutely correct. Kind of a sludge thing, straight out of Alberta.

Flamingosis, “A Mile High”

A little bit funk, a little bit *wave, Flamingosis is one of those bands that sounds old, but in a sort of unspecified kind of way. Sounding at moments like it’s from the mid-70s, the early 80s, and the late 80s, it’s honestly a slightly disorienting hybrid, but in a good way. Disorienting is a frequent theme around here.

People Under the Stairs, “Trippin’ At The Disco”

Meanwhile, People Under the Stairs always sound like they’re from the golden age of rap. It’s what they’re aiming for, and they hit that target every time.

So hypnotic and pleasant.

Jamire Williams, “Wash Me Over Pollock’s Pulse”

Goddamn, this rules. I need to find more experimental drummers. I’m sure there are others. Listen to all that brushing! So exciting!

Maggot Heart, “Sex Breath”

One, “Sex Breath” is an incredible song name. Two, a band named Maggot Heart should really be a lot more discordant. It should be filthy, squalid, with the kind of skronks from a guitar that I can’t really describe.

The Beautiful South, “My Book”

I’ve been on a huge Housemartins kick recently, and have also started folding in early Beautiful South into that rotation. And while I really do adore the first Beautiful South album, I do wish that we could have gotten more Housemartins material. Anyway, this is from a single that came out between the first two albums, and it fits right alongside their material from that time, so it’s excellent. I wonder if they’ve ever released any singles comps, that would be worth picking up.

Ugly Duckling, “Keep Movin'”

Ugly Duckling’s first few albums were a lot of fun, but their dedication to just kind of making the same battle raps eventually leads to diminished impact. This is very much in the same style, even though it’s album five, really kind of says it.

I poke fun at Screeching Weasel pretty often when they come up here, mostly because their formula most didn’t change over the course of a zillion albums. But their early albums are still a lot of fun - just cheerful, energetic punk. There’s nothing at all wrong with this formula when it’s hitting.

Mission of Burma, “That’s When I Reach For My Revolver”

This song is one of the pillars of post-punk, a template for so many following bands. That’s the reason this still sounds fresh more than 40 years later, because it was groundbreaking at the time, and bands still try and sound like this.

The Thrills, “‘Til The Tide Creeps In / Plans”

The Thrills are a throwback to American pop music of the 60s and 70s, taking it as far as recording this on the beach in San Diego. It’s a perfectly pleasant place to throw things back to, and they execute it well. Thanks to the bozo practice of hidden tracks from this time period, you get to hear two doses of it today.

Gorilla Biscuits, “Sitting Around at Home”

The thing about hardcore is that it certainly could be about things, but it absolutely didn’t have to be. It could just be about the most anodyne of things, and it could still work just fine.

Fabolous & Jadakiss, “Theme Music”

Hmm, I might have to go change my music in Music League.

No, I don’t know what’s wrong with me.

Constantines, “Shine a Light”

A thing that’s cool about this song is how restless it is. They’ve gone through multiple ideas in the first minute of the tune, which is nice to see. This is a very fun album.

Atmosphere, “The Future is Disgusting”

Kind of a throwback here, off of 2020’s The Day Before Halloween. Those sawtooth synths there are very primitive but nice.

The Temptations, “My Girl”

Goodness gracious, Motown hits were so good.

The Lawrence Arms, “3AM QVC Shopping Spree Hangover”

After (the very good) Slapstick, Brendan Kelly went on to the Lawrence Arms, and kept going in the same vein. Very high energy punk, the songs are fun, it’s good stuff. Good enough for today!

I only have three Stereolab albums, and that’s dumb, because I like them quite a bit. I caught onto them pretty early, but didn’t really keep up with them. I think because maybe in the early 90s, I was really focusing on loud and angry stuff, and depite recognizing deep inside that this was cool stuff, I just fell off. I should really loop back and pick some more of their stuff.

One Master, “Erosion”

Black metal out of Boston, One Master have four full-lengths and a couple splits, but this is the only one I have from them. As far as I can tell, they aren’t sketchy, always a relief with black metal. Should I use a singular pronoun when referring to a one-person band? I don’t think so. Anyhoo, I’m told this has has “occult” themes. I think it has “black metal” themes.

Busdriver, “Hyperbolic 2”

I hope hip-hop beats keep getting further and further out there. At least some of them, anyway. Hell, let’s hear some rhyming over blast beats!

The Exceptions, “Sweet Georgia Peach”

If my ska isn’t really traditional, first wave-style stuff, then I would prefer it to be pretty raw. Let’s get sloppy, chunky, a little rattle-y. It should sound urgent, like it only has the studio for a very short period of time. So yeah, this works.

They Might Be Giants, “Particle Man”

This live version, from Severe Tire Damage, is a real delight. There’s a real verve to the accordion solos that I appreciate.

I know that Pink Floyd is probably regarded as hopelessly stodgy and dad-ish by people today, avatars of the leaden excesses of 70s rock that sparked punk. And, yeah, this is some ornate shit and all. But dammit, I love it, I sincerely do, whether because it was largely inescapable growing up in Spokane or just because I am also stodgy and dad-ish.

Logh, “The Smoke Will Lead You Home”

I got this as part of a Hydra Head album grab bag, and it’s awfully different from the usual Hydra Head fare. This is really more on the emo side of the fence than anything else. It’s pleasant enough, I suppose.

Helm, “Capital Crisis (New City Loop)”

Helm is an experimental project of Luke Younger, with a series of abstract and often pretty ambient records to his name. This, for instance, is the kickoff to his 2019 record, Chemical Flowers, so you know, he’s not really jumping in with big energy. But it’s usually interesting stuff, for the right mood.

The Notorious B.I.G., “B.I.G. (Interlude)”

It’s an interlude. What is there to say? It leads into “Mo Money Mo Problems” where Biggie absolutely blows Mase and Puffy out of the water.

Einstürzende Neubauten, “Abfackeln!”

Yeah, baby! Time for some old Neubauten! The best part? My buddy and I who were both big into Neubauten both agreed when we first heard it that Zeichnungen Des Patienten O.T. (the second Neubauten album, at least as we understood it) was a considerable step forward in tunefulness from Kollaps. Anyway, this is awesome, groundbreaking stuff, Neubauten rules now and forever.

U.S. Maple more or less perfected devolved rock, where the songs are recognizable as being rock songs, but the form of them is perverted to the straining point. Any more mutated, and it probably ceases to be something you could credibly describe as being in the same genre as, I dunno, the Dave Matthews Band (to choose a band that was popular when U.S. Maple made this record). We need these sort of tricksters, as they set the boundaries of what is acceptable by pushing them further out.

Neil Young, “A Man Needs A Maid”

Harvest was a massive seller, but approaching it well beyond its commercial heyday, there are definitely some clunkers on it. Like this one, a leaden orchestrated piece that overwhelms its message of loneliness and fear of commitment with too many syrupy strings.

Bob Marley & the Wailers, “Cry to Me”

Some real titans of music today! Bob Marley, Neil Young, and Mark Shippy.

Trumans Water, “Sun Tastes Like Fire”

Trumans Water evolved quite a bit from their pretty spastic early stuff to their later albums, although they would stay pretty restless in terms of their approach. This closes out their self-titled sixth album with about as lovely a song as they’ve made.

Baroness, “Seasons”

Yeah, good example! This being in the same genre as U.S. Maple stretches credulity, but nevertheless, here we are.

This is good! I bought this on Bandcamp, and I don’t remember listening to it. I still can’t decide if that’s sad of me or not. It probably is.

Yo La Tengo, “Barnaby, Hardly Working”

The first Yo La Tengo song I ever heard! I read about them and eventually picked up a combo CD of President Yo La Tengo/New Wave Hot Dogs, and from the moment I heard Ira Kaplan’s calm, peaceful vocals married to that little repetitive figure of guitar squall, I was hooked. That push-and-pull, between noise and peace, is at the heart of Yo La Tengo, and it’s kind of all here in capsule form.

Cyber Vision, “If U Want It”

Yeah, baby, bring that electro funk!

Jawbreaker, “Shield Your Eyes”

Oh man, this song transports me. Specifically, it transports me to a Greyhound bus on the way from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, in the pouring rain, as I wait for our stop in Harrisburg to finish. It’s late at night, and the guy next to me passed out a while ago from drinking something brown and savage. I’m watching the rain pound into puddles, hoping that the batteries in my discman last the rest of the trip, as I already burned my spares. I’m actually on my second listen of this record, because it just seemed to fit the gloom so well, and Blake Schwarzenbach would take me back home.

Emerald, “Fall of Solaris”

God only knows where this came from. I’m guessing it was from a bundle somewhere. Discogs says they’re from Estonia, and this was self-released. OK, then!

The Wedding Present decided to release a single every month for 1992, cranking out originals and covers during the series. They were collected into two records, Hit Parade 1 and Hit Parade 2, and both are great. The band was at their absolute best in the early 90s, and so getting this many tunes from them at that time is great. There’s no real reason to pick between them, both are outstanding.

The Budos Band, “Chicago Falcon”

The first Budos Band was a huge breath of fresh air for me, snapping me out of a musical rut after I heard it playing at Easy Street Records here in Seattle. I eagerly awaited their followup, and The Budos Band II is a fine album, if not quite as good. The cinematic take on Afro-beat and soul is all there, and it still sounds like a million bucks, but the songs are ever so slightly less memorable. In my opinion, it’s the least strong of their records, but I still recommend it. Just, you know, after all the others.

Flop, “Julie Francavilla”

Hey, it’s time for second records that weren’t quite as good as stellar debuts! But are still very good! Just read that last paragraph again and substitute Flop. Or something. Troubled second record and all that.

Cloud Nothings, “Nothing Without You”

Cloud Nothings often seem like several bands, and The Shadow I Remember focuses on the more tuneful side of the band. This is just a delightful, pretty poppy rock song, and the album has a bunch of stuff like this. So it’s kind of an easy intro to the band.

Unsane, “Take in the Stray”

The final record of their original run, Occupational Hazard finds Unsane doing their usual thing. There’s a fundamental dinginess to all of this, a worn-out and grimy feel to everything that sounds like it’s falling apart. It’s the sound of a machine collapsing because it was asked to do too much. It clatters, screeches, groans, and mostly howls. Unsane were nothing if not consistent, and even after they returned, they just pick up where they left off. So, what album do I recommend? I mean, I love the first record just because of the memories I have of first getting it, but I think you can kind of start anywhere.

This is, of course, an all-time jam. Also, it makes me remember this (sadly deleted) tweet, which is also nice.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: this image was lost during a changeover on the blog. At some point. Sorry to anybody reading this in the future. It was a screenshot of the “I’m sorry Miss Jackson / ooh / I am four eels / never meant to make your daughter cry / I am several fish and not a guy” tweet. IYKYK.]

Wolves in the Throne Room, “Vastness and Sorrow”

Hmm. I wonder what song that is definitely black metal is the closest thing to a jam. “Jam” is not really inherent to the genre.

Cynic, “The Eagle Nature”

During their original existence, Cynic dropped Focus, which was a landmark in progressive metal. It pulled the genre forward into ever more widdly guitar lines, more rubbery bass, and ever more cymbals in the drum kit. They did eventually re-form, but I don’t know if the reunion material is any good. Progressive metal is really hit or miss with me, so I try and stay picky about what I pick up.

Do I like this? I’m not really sure I do. But I don’t dislike it? I dunno, it’s interesting?

Jean Knight, “Mr. Big Stuff”

Shuffle LOVES this track. This is the fourth time we’ve had it? It smokes, though, so I’m not sad.

J-Zone, “I Smell Smoke”

During J-Zone’s second phase of his rap career, when he played all of his drums, you could really hear him come alive during his instrumentals. It was all pointing towards the Du-Rites, of course, but these tracks are also a lot of fun in their own right.

Touché Amoré, “Art Official”

Goddamn, listen to those drums.

Just a brief thing from the Roots’ live album, I won’t spend more time on this than it lasts.

Wu-Tang Clan, “A Better Tomorrow”

The way the drums start up on this track, that’s such a RZA move. The distant piano loop also is a signature. These days, if I came into a beat blind, I couldn’t be sure if it’s a RZA track or not, because his style has been adopted by a lot of folks. But in 1997? Yeah, I could easily pick his stuff out.

Ringworm, “Destroy or Create”

The band name Ringworm is well-chosen - it’s specific enough to really gross you out without making you laugh like some of the over-the-top names of some other bands. Well done, Ringworm, that’s nasty.

The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, “Talk About The Blues”

An alternate version of this song, this one appears on one of the many bonus/b-sides/whatever collections JSBX put out. This one is Ura / Extra Acme +, if you want to be a completist. But you don’t really need to for this track.

They Might Be Giants, “I Am Alone”

You know, there are a lot of killers in John Linnell’s Lyrical Universe, especially for such cheerful tunes.

Feed Me Weird Things is Squarepusher’s debut record, where he still hewed closer to jungle than he later would on subsequent albums. But even at this early date, when he was still working to define his approach, the fusion elements still shine through pretty distinctly. In the end, there’s nothing really very standard about this, one of the stronger tracks on the record.

Vaz, “Chartreuse Blues”

Vaz is two-thirds of noise rock legends Hammerhead carrying on with tunes very much in the same aggressive vein. All growling guitars and pummeling rhythms, this is the good stuff. Starting on this record, Chartreuse Bull, they added a second guitarist, giving a more layered sound than they’d ever had, either as Vaz or Hammerhead, so this is probably the record to start with. Or go back and listen to Hammerhead’s Into the Vortex first. I’ll always recommend that record.

Felt, “Felt Chewed Up”

Felt is Atmosphere’s Slug pairing up with Murs, with a different producer on each record. Aesop Rock is behind the boards this time, and maybe it’s just because I’m so used to hearing Slug with Ant (who produced Felt 2), but it doesn’t kind mesh for me. I like the beats, and I enjoy the MCs, but it doesn’t seem like they quite come together.

Crudbump, “I Don’t Do Shit”

Me neither, Crudbump.

The Aquabats!, “Ska Robot Army!”

We just had a ska robot army in here! BONUS SONG TIME

Joey Bada$$, “Paper Trail$”

Hang on, lemme try something: Jo$hua Buergel.

Ouch, big nope there.

This is from an EP called Soupy Sales, a slab of fun, guttural noise rock. This tune, the closer to that EP, is different, as it’s a cover, was recorded live, and is just kind of a straightforward rock song. You can’t really tell that much about the band from this.

Skinnerbox, “I’ve Got To Know”

This is from the final Skinnerbox record, released after Moon Records imploded. It continues King Django’s approach of mostly playing it pretty traditional, although there are some punk elements here and there, some dub, some rocksteady, just lots of bits to keep things fresh.

P. Miles Bryson, “Subtler Polycultural Shades Of Chinese Tiki Coromandel Screens”

This record, Megalomaniac Decorator’s Quarterly, is pure plunderphonics. There’s a disorienting effect throughout all of it, a throughline of hazy 50’s nostalgia that leaves you confused about exactly when and where this all is supposed to be taking place. Bafflement is often what I’m seeking in plunderphonics, a thing where I can try and contemplate deeper meaning while my brain skips several grooves, and this record does great with it.

They Might Be Giants, “E Eats Everything”

You know, I have strong opinions on the TMBG kids’ records, which I probably shouldn’t have. But I did play them for my own kids when they were little, and I think pretty clearly that this one (Here Come the ABCs) is the weakest of the bunch. No, I won’t explain myself.

Queens of the Stone Age, “…Like Clockwork”

The closer to the album of the same name, it’s a melancholy close to a record that had a melancholy air to a lot of it. It’s not my favorite QotSA record, but it’s a solid album and I appreciate that most of their albums don’t really sound like any of their other records.

As I was getting further into industrial and noise, around 1991 or so, a key thing I used to help out was Usenet. As I read newsgroups and learned more about bands, Throbbing Gristle would come up a lot as one of the critical pioneers of industrial. And I’m not sure why, as I was listening to Einstürzende Neubauten and Foetus and the like, but I found the idea of Throbbing Gristle really intimidating. I think I thought maybe I wouldn’t get them, that I would reveal myself to be an uncultured oaf incapable of appreciating a truly original band.

It would be years before I’d get around to giving them a try, and I was surprised to discover how varied they were in reality. Far from a grim and austere band, like I had thought, there’s a playfulness in Throbbing Gristle that really took me aback. Like, this is a sunny, Kraftwerk-esque romp. You could see this as the background in an optimistic PR video for a multi-national corporation. Probably one that manufactures drones and napalm.

Public Enemy, “I”

This is a seriously RZA-ass beat right here, one of the better tunes from There’s a Poison Goin On…. Could probably use fewer interjections from Flav, though.

Drive-By Truckers, “Zip City”

There are some bands where you’re just missing out on things if you don’t actually pay attention and parse the lyrics. For a lot of records, I don’t, not really. Lyrics are just kind of sounds, another instrument in the mix, and it’s only when I listen to an album a lot that I kind of pick out meaning in the words. But Drive-By Truckers kind of demand that I pay more attention to things.

The Suicide Machines, “The Real You”

Love a punk song that just starts with the drums. And some hyperactive ska! Some gratuitous swearing! Fun stuff all around.

The Queers, “Sidewalk Surfin’ Girl”

I’m gonna recommend you just hit up that Suicide Machines track again.

Doom. Dooooooooooooom. very slow headbang Dooooooooooooooooooooom.

June of 44, “Of Information & Belief”

You know, I wasn’t paying attention, and this song started seamlessly enough that I didn’t even notice we switched. That probably says more about me than it does about the bands, but I’m going to willfully choose to believe that it says we’ve got a good playlist cooking today. Yeah, that’s it! I’m not just quarter-assing my way through this thing! I’m a professional!

Geryon, “Dawn”

There’s something about this song that kind of sounds like the mix is all funny. It’s all rumble and no top end, but it seems like there should be some? It’s a disorienting effect, one which only partially goes away in the middle of the song as some treble shows up. Given how much I listen to metal to be unsettled, it’s always nice to be unsettled in a new way.

J Church, “No Jazz”

There was something of a gap between The Drama of Alienation in 1996 and One Mississippi in 2000, a fallow period that saw J Church only release about a dozen singles instead of the usual assortment of albums, EPs, and singles. The resulting album was no letdown, though, as they picked up where the previous album left off and cranked out a huge set of tunes. The studio albums generally had solid production on them, so overall, this is a great release from them and not a bad place to pick up J Church.

DJ /rupture, “In Front of You”

I should listen to this while playing Minesweeper, as its title suggests. It would be fun to revisit Minesweeper.

I wanted them to keep going with that stuttering thing they had in the first thirty seconds, but the rest of the song is plenty fun as well.

They Might Be Giants, “You Probably Get That A Lot”

I think I’ve made this point before, but that was probably a long time ago. There’s a lot of Five Songs, and nobody is really paying much attention to it. That includes the staff of Five Songs. Anyway, just think of it like how when you know a friend long enough, you’re going to hear the same stories a lot and even start to take comfort in them.

Anyway, the point! The critical appraisal of TMBG is still anchored around Flood, and I suspect that most people would rate it as their favorite. Some of that is that the later discography probably hasn’t been engaged with enough by folks. But I’d argue that among their earlier albums, Lincoln can match the high points and John Henry is more consistent, and I’d take both albums ahead of Flood. But! That’s not the point I’m going to make. No, I’m going to argue that Join Us, their 2011 release, is not just the equal of their earlier catalog, but also joins the “better than Flood” list. If you haven’t listened to any of their stuff after the Elektra years, this is the one to go with.

They Might Be Giants, “Feast of Lights”

Don’t get pushy, TMBG.

Nicole Willis & the Soul Investigators, “Light Years Ahead”

This is the second album Nicole Willis made with the Soul Investigators, after a gap of eight years. When an albums starts off this taut, though, you know you’re in for a good time. And, indeed, this is righteous stuff, a chip off the Curtis Mayfield block. Which makes sense, as Willis has worked with Mayfield. Get it!

The Skunks, “Didn’t Know”

See, when I poke fun at smirky stuff in the third wave, this is exactly the sort of thing I talk about. Come on, guys.

Cursive followed up my favorite album of theirs with Happy Hollow, which probably isn’t really a step back or anything, but I always think more highly of albums that are a breakout. Domestica is arresting, an unflinching look into divorce that can be downright haunting, but The Ugly Organ was a leap forward in the songs that causes it to really stick out in my head. At any rate, this is also a great record, I’m probably just an idiot.

Ed Hall, “Lungs”

Man, that opening riff is the sound of an itch you can’t reach.

Nas, “Black President”

Every so often, I’ll pick up a Nas record just to see what he’s up to. Illmatic is, of course, one of the best rap records ever made, an unimpreachable classic. Alas, he’s never come all that close to those heights again. That story is no different on 2008’s untitled record. It’s not that it’s terrible, but it just doesn’t really hang together. He’s skilled on the mic, but there’s just kind of not a spark here.

The Meters, “Liar”

The last of the essential Meters records, Fire on the Bayou found the band with their most expansive sound they’d yet had. That expansion of their sound really started with the previous album, and they got it cooking here. The sound on the next record would be striving too hard for the mainstream, and they kind of lost their way, but with this one they were still holding it down.

The Dead Milkmen, “Now Everybody’s Me”

I’m sure kids these days have their equivalent of the Dead Milkmen, and they probably would sound as stupid to me as this band would have sounded to my parents. Which, let’s be clear, must have been incredibly stupid.

In a fine concept for an album, Death Don’t Wait (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is a soundtrack for a non-existent spy movie. I’m already a sucker for spy music, so I enjoy this quite a bit.

Melvins, “Night Goat”

There are definitely moments on Houdini where the idea of the Melvins breaking big in the wake of Nirvana and Soundgarden didn’t seem quite so crazy. This song, for instance, would seem to me to be perfectly palatable to the grunge crowd. The record didn’t really break big, because even its most marketable moments are pushing the boundaries for a mainstream crowd, but at least you can kind of see the outline of an idea here.

Sebadoh, “Never Jealous”

Early 90s, baby! Love that thirty seconds of murky lo-fi noise at the back of this little acoustic track. Why? Why not!

Krallice, “Go Be Forgotten”

The lead track from Krallice’s 2017 release (well, one of them), this tune shows Krallice making much more use of synths and really stretching their sound. Like everything else they do, the mastery they display is always pretty incredible, but the synths change their sound so much compared to previous releases that you can really draw a line in their history. I pretty much like everything they do, and I think this record is a good one to recommend to see if recent Krallice is something you’d be in to. It’s still black metal, recognizable as such, but it’s also something else.

Skinny Puppy, “Nature’s Revenge”

I had a little discussion on Twitter about industrial the other day, and it was noted that Skinny Puppy really kind of shows its age. And I think that’s true for a fair bit of their stuff, but I think Too Dark Park in particular still sounds really sharp. Sure, the synth sounds here are of their time, but I think the re-contextualization of them via *wave music has left these tunes in a pretty good place.

This is the song that let me finally crack the Dead Kennedys. I think there’s an adjustment, for me at least, as music gets faster and more challenging to find something you can pick out that lets you understand it. This song, as a relatively slow one and one where it’s easy to understand what Jello is singing, is the one that let me kind of get what they were up to. And from there, now that I had a rosetta stone for the band, I was able to catch up to the rest of their catalog.

Photek, “The Hidden Camera”

Photek! Phew, got me going back to my shitty apartment in 1998, with a Playstation 1 game rendering clumsily on the TV while a Domino’s pizza congeals in my disused kitchen. I probably played this album because it fell off a clumsy stack of CDs and I shrugged, thinking I hadn’t listened to it in a while.

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, “Wallet”

This song originally appeared on Devil’s Night Out, the Bosstones’ debut record, but here appears in a slightly different version on the second Mashin’ Up The Nation comp, which was an important pillar in the developing ska scene in America during the early 90s. I think you could probably still do worse if you wanted to just sample some ska bands from that period.

Prince, “The Ballad of Dorothy Parker”

My scribblings here are wholly inadequate to deal with Prince.

Freeway & Jake One, “Throw Your Hands Up”

After leaving Roc-a-Fella Records, Freeway bounced around to a few places. He landed on Rhymesayers for one of those records, where he teamed up with Seattle’s Jake One for his best record. Jake One’s beats fit him perfectly, and he sounds really energized compared to his second Roc-a-Fella release.

Is industrial funk a thing? There are bits and pieces of Tackhead that remind me of industrial, but it’s also very electro-funk. At the time I encountered this, I wasn’t sure of the combination, and it sounds incredibly of its time at this point, but I think I might be better inclined towards it today. I dunno, maybe I’ll spend some time with the record.

The Aquabats!, “Robot Theme Song”

Yup, that’s a robot theme song.

Succumb, “Lilim”

Remember the free jazz from yesterday? See what I mean that this is spiritually connected? Obviously this isn’t improvised, it’s carefully laid out, but there’s nevertheless similarities.

Swans, “Love Will Save You”

White Light From The Mouth of Infinity was a controversial record on its release. At this point, Swans fans who loved the crushing early stuff really had to grapple with the notion that that band was gone. This record couldn’t be written off as just a mistaken major-label excursion, and the path started on Children of God had led to an album that was often…pretty. It was thus regarded by these folks as proof that the Swans were toast as a vital creative force (this would not remotely be true).

A re-evaluation of the record would show that it’s the album where the Swans did learn to harness their ability to write a gorgeous song. It’s a necessary element to the third act of the Swans, where they would come roaring back with the best albums of their career, combining that no-wave crushing power with the compositional skill to make incredible albums. But this isn’t just a transitional record, it’s one that can stand on its own as a beautiful piece of music.

Alas, you can’t really get it these days. Michael Gira took the tracks he liked from the albums of this period and put them together onto a single comp, called Various Failures 1988-1992. The title suggests that Gira thinks this period was a bit of a dead end, and he claims he preserved all the important tunes. I think that’s doing White Light in particular a disservice, but he probably knows better than me.

Duckwrth, “Super Bounce”

I’m worn out.

CLPPNG, the first full record from clipping., was a record with the band still kind of piecing together what they had. It would be on the next album (Splendor & Misery) that everything would come together perfectly, but there are still times on this album where things still seemed a little awkward. The individual pieces, especially Daveed Diggs, were often spectacular, but the best was yet to come.

Green Day, “When I Come Around”

Speaking of bands reaching their full potential. 39/Smooth and Kerplunk! (especially the latter) were great pop-punk albums, but it turned out that Green Day were one of those bands that could thrive with a fancy big studio production. Dookie was a massive, massive hit for good reason: it’s incredibly catchy and sounds fantastic. It’s not a complex pleasure or anything, but it’s fine to have some ear candy. Green Day continued to put good records for a while, but they wouldn’t ever beat this.

Primus, “Hail Santa”

Primus’s third studio record, Pork Soda, continued on the band’s trajectory of ever more obtuse songs, both in lyrics and in the compositions. It was around this point that I felt like the diminishing returns (I had liked each record less than the previous one) probably didn’t justify continuing to follow the band, and these days I mostly only listen to the first one and occasionally the second.

Last Exit, “Pig Freedom”

Last Exit were a free jazz group featuring Peter Brötzmann on sax, Sonny Sharrock on guitar, Bill Laswell on bass, and Ronald Shannon Jackson on drums. If you know anything about those folks, it’s no surprise that this is as abrasive as it is. This album is live and all improvised, and it’s a bracing record. There’s kinship here with the sort of extreme metal that I listen to, and while I’m not broadly a free jazz kinda guy, if it’s loud, I’m in.

Sicko, “The Sprinkler”

What a delightful day!

Yautja are chameleons with different styles coming to the fore in their albums, but this song is also kind of a chameleon. There’s some heavy noise rock here, some grind-y bits, but with those sections kind of distinct here, shifting between them easily.

Elbow, “Leaders of the Free World”

A rock song like this really needs to justify six minutes.

9353, “Famous Last Words”

I do think it’s pretty funny when American punk bands have accents like this. It seems particularly odd when it’s this far removed from the original punk scene.

Coldcut, “Space Journey”

Coldcut are the founders of Ninja Tune, the iconic label that has put out tons of classic electronic records over the years. Unfortunately, I’m not sure any of those classics are from Coldcut themselves. Their best stuff was really DJ stuff, but their original compositions were usually a bit uneven, so it’s hard to point to any of their albums as must-haves.

Geryon, “De Profundis”

“De Profundis” seems like the sort of phrase that a lot of metal bands would lock onto. Metallum has three bands with that name (and two additional variants), 21 releases named that (along with 13 additional elaborations), and 55 songs with that exact name (and a hundred or beyond that with it as a part). Not bad!

I really like song titles that sound like a D&D adventure. Especially when they’re instrumentals, as that means you’re not being subjected to lyrics that sound like a D&D adventure.

Love Battery, “Easter”

Love Battery’s Dayglo is one of the best albums from the grunge scene, a swirling psychedelic masterpiece that stood out at the time and only gets better with age. Before their masterpiece, many of the ideas were present in Between the Eyes, a record that featured many of the same wah-soaked moves that they would soon perfect. The bottom isn’t quite as firm, so the record isn’t quite as good, but it’s still an excellent listen.

The Notorious B.I.G., “Another”

I know that everything from Biggie is revered at this point, but I just think that there are tracks on the second album that are kind of just there. I’m not inspired by a bunch of stuff on there, and greatly prefer the first record.

Havok, “D.O.A.”

I don’t listen to a lot of thrash. I mean, yeah, I listen to peak Metallica and Slayer, but not a lot other than that. But I like it in theory, so I occasionally just sample something that is well-regarded by thrash fans. So, Havok: this is good? But I don’t find myself reaching for it. My thrash needs can apparently be fulfilled by a few old records. Although that Slayer howl later in this song is pretty good.

Cloud Nothings, “The Mess Is Permanent”

I’m tired, the Cloud Nothings are good, we’re done here.

One day, I will discuss this band without mentioning their name. Today is not that day. Hee hee!

The Ethiopians, “Give Me Your Love”

A thing that’s magical about good rocksteady is that it can make it feel like the sun is shining, even if it’s 10:30 at night, you’re tired, and your eyes are itching due to allergies. You know. Hypothetically.

The Regrettes, “Pale Skin”

There’s a very strong throwback feeling to the Regrettes’ first album. Everything in here reminds me of another band, even if I can’t always put my finger on what that band is. Exactly which band shifts pretty constantly, but there’s always something there. It’s kind of déjà vu, but music. Uh, déjà entendu?

Coheed & Cambria, “Wake Up”

It’s probably good that I didn’t encounter Coheed & Cambria in high school (what with them not existing at the time). I probably would have been able to talk for an alarming length of time about the whole space opera thing, instead of just enjoying it from arms length as just plain ol’ elaborate rock.

Final Light, “In The Void”

Final Light is a collaboration between James Kent (Perturbator) and Johannes Persson (Cult of Luna), and if you know those bands (Perturbator is here, Cult of Luna hasn’t shown up yet), you’ll hear this as a cross between them. Personally, “Perturbator but heavier” is a very appealing pitch, so I’m there.

If I told you that there was a band called Cave In, and that they were showing up on this blog, you’d probably have some picture of what they sound like that would involve one or more things howling. I doubt you’d picture something that sounds like this. Kinda feel like it’s false advertising.

El-P, “The Overly Dramatic Truth”

A thing you can’t often say about El-P’s compositions is that they’re pretty. It’s just not a goal he often shoots for, although he’s capable of it if he chooses. This beat, though, sometimes could be described as such. There’s a certain poppiness to it that doesn’t often show up in his work.

Scherzo, “Close the Door”

Scherzo were a short-lived Bay Area punk band with a single album and a couple singles. The album is an excellent example of the Lookout style, and while it’s a time capsule, it’s still pretty fun to listen to. Well, for me, who picked this up back when it was still fresh.

The Beautiful South, “Blackbird on the Wire”

In my mind, there’s a line between 0898 Beautiful South and their remaining career where I’m no longer inspired by their music. It’s all very pretty, but it’s just kind of…flat? Dull? Too pretty? I’m not entirely sure, really, other than knowing that I don’t really retain any of it. So, I went to go look at Rate Your Music, and sure enough, it’s a straight line down from that album. Vindication!

La Dispute, “Rhodonite and Grief”

Maybe my opinions are the boring things?

It’s not always clear ahead of time if an album or band will click or not. Reviews and comparisons can take you only so far, and until you sit down with a record and really try it out, you’ll just never know. On paper, Idlewild should have been up my alley. And this is fine, but there’s no spark for me. I suppose it’s good that surprises still happen in this process, otherwise it would be mechanical and dull, and those exciting times when something is perfect for you are worth seeking out. I mean, if our tastes were predictable, we could build ourselves big recommendaiton engines, and people would just sit around and listen to whatever the machines suggest. Thank god that’s not going to happen!

PIG, “Black Mambo”

PIG is Raymond Watts, former KMFDM member, setting off on his own to push the boundaries of industrial. By far the most obvious comparison is with Foetus, with a similar melding of orchestration and grunting lyrics. Watts is great at using horns, giving the proceedings a real demented cabaret feel. While Foetus would always be more inventive, PIG is always super listenable and really a very good time. This is from a compilation bringing together the EPs The Swining and Red Raw & Sore, and it’s a solid record.

Chemical People, “Seventy Six”

We’ve had this record before, but as a refresher: it’s called Soundtracks because the band decided to use it to audition to make music for pornography. To my awareness, they didn’t manage to break in to that industry.

Antipop Consortium, “Ping Pong”

I’m a huge sucker for any music that’s built from incidental noise like this.

Broken Social Scene, “Lover’s Spit”

This band is frequently described as an “ensemble”, which seems to be the sort of thing we apply to Canadian artists. Or maybe I’m just remembering a couple of them. Whatever!

Man, Otis was really a force of nature.

The Presidents of the United States of America, “Froggie”

This insistent fever dream of a tune is an excellent example of why the Presidents were so much fun. It keeps barreling forward with on its rhythm section, and the lyrics don’t make any sense at all, but it takes those elements and transforms its nonsense into…not sense, but into something that rhymes with sense. It’s weird, but not for the sake of being weird. It’s weird because that’s how weird it needed to be to tell the story of a frog ruined by rock stardom. No weirdness is wasted.

Helmet, “Taken”

Before Strap It On set the world on fire (relatively speaking) and Helmet found themselves in a major label bidding war, they released the “Born Annoying” single. And it totally rules, a worthy companion to their debut record. This single, that album, and a Peel session single were all Helmet produced before setting off into the big leagues, but I love all their Amphetamine Reptile releases.

The Coup, “Hip 2 tha Skeme”

One of the (many) ways the Coup stood out is that their authorial voice was relentlessly focused on the reality of not being part of the ruling class in America. The storytelling was always focused on the struggle of regular people, and was vividly filled with details that brought it all home.

Andrew W.K., “Party Hard”

Andrew W.K. has a very good bit, I enjoy this album occasionally, but it does wear me out pretty quickly. A little bit goes a long way.

A thing I admire about Frank Black is that his songs always sound so distinctly like him. Whether with the Pixies, as a solo act, with the Catholics or whatever, he always sounds like Frank Black. It’s not just the voice, either, it’s his guitar, how he constructs songs, everything. His records might vary in quality and inspiration, but they always sound like they came from him.

The Jam, “Girl on the Phone”

There are some bands out there that I always enjoy more than I expect to. That goes for the first time I encounter them and sometimes later. The Jam fall into that category for me. I like them a lot! Yet every time they come up, either because I went and played a record or it comes up on shuffle, I always come away thinking “that was great!” Better than I expected. It’s kind of magical. Or maybe I’m really thick.

No, definitely the magical thing.

Big Black, “Bad Penny”

I feel like I’ve told the story before, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to check. A friend of mine got Atomizer for his birthday while we were in high school, and neither of us were entirely sure what to make of it. But he was later bumming around a record store and found Songs About Fucking available and purchased entirely because he thought it would annoy his parents to see it lying around. Well, lo and behold, it brought around a re-evaluation of Big Black for us, and it was another step in me figuring out I liked really obnoxious stuff. So, while the title (and cover) are pure edgelord shit, it did work on teenage Josh.

RJD2, “Milk Tooth”

After moving to his own label, RJD2’s music took another turn. He’d always kind of explored different styles, but going out on his own let him really open things up. And what mostly happened is that there’s a…bounciness? to things since then. There’s a kind of joyful sincerity to the records that is super appealing to me. So, while I’ll never say a bad word about Dead Ringer or anything, his records from The Colossus on are my favorite work from him.

Sicko, “Window of Opportunity”

I’ve gone on and on about how much I love Sicko, so I’ll spare you all that again and just say: wooooo!

As usual, I don’t have a lot to say about intro tracks. This is just setting up the framing device for the album. I will say that if it’s going to come up, it’s fun as the first song in our playlist today.

The Sorcerers, “Cave of Brahma”

Hell yeah, Afro-beat. Nice choice to follow-up! This has a lovely kind of cinematic approach here that sounds sort of like it’s a soundtrack to something, which is a neat trick to pull off. Both Sorcerers records are a good time, I recommend them.

Easy Big Fella, “Seven”

Seattle band Easy Big Fella is one of my favorites of the third wave, because they managed the trick of being lighthearted and charming without any of the kind of smug hints that could cling to some of this stuff. It’s just breezy horns and catchy tunes everywhere you look. The last two records, both on Moon Records, are the best of the bunch as the production is good, letting the songs take center stage.

The Housemartins, “Caravan of Love”

This is a cover of a Isley, Jasper, Isley song, with those guys being one-half of the Isley Brothers 3+3 lineup. This was actually the biggest single for the band, which I find surprising and kind of amusing. At any rate, as always, all of the Housemartins’ a capella songs are a delight, and I cannot get enough of this.

Queen, “Calling All Girls (Live)”

Yes, my copy of Hot Space has bonus tracks. Yes, they are searingly unnecessary.

The Afghan Whigs wrapped up their first incarnation with 1998’s 1965, and Greg Dulli moved on to other projects - primarily the Twilight Singers, but other things like the Gutter Twins album with Mark Lanegan. It wasn’t that the band blew up, but they just decided to stop making albums. A reunion gained momentum in the early 2010s, and a new album eventually emerged from the band in 2014. Obviously, Dulli is the most important member, but John Curley rejoined him, meaning half of the original lineup was back. Good enough!

Now, is it a good album? It is, yeah, but it’s not as good as their peak stuff. Rick McCollum, the original lead guitarist, in particular is missed here. But it’s nice to hear the band (well, half of them) back together, and I think it’s probably a better record than 1965.

Cypress Hill, “Hits From The Bong”

B-Real’s surreal nasal flow is the most recognizable element of Cypress Hill, but it’s really DJ Muggs that is the biggest attraction for me. That flip of “Son of a Preacher Man” is so delicious.

Bohannon, “Save Their Souls”

Hamilton Bohannon worked with a bunch of Motown folks, including Stevie Wonder, and also had a ton of records under his own name. A lot of this stuff lives on through extensive sampling (this, for example, formed the basis for Jay-Z’s “Cashmere Thoughts”. But beyond serving as outstanding fuel for hip-hop, this stuff is also just killer on its own merits.

Little Simz, “101 FM”

Hip-hop day!

The Aquabats!, “Burger Rain!”

That is not hip-hop, you failed, shuffle.

The other day, I mentioned that Rave Tapes wasn’t my favorite iteration of Mogwai. Mr. Beast is more my speed - it’s more conventional in a lot of ways, but it’s more lyrical. You know, in an instrumental kinda way.

The Fall, “Clear Off!”

Folks, this is the accessible version of The Fall.

Lustmord, “Dark Awakening”

There are two Lustmords on Metallum, neither of which appear to be this band. Looking closer, this is on Hydra Head Records, and so this must have been from the big grab bag that I bought from them. There was a lot of stuff in there, which I faithfully ripped, but there was so much of it all at once that I know I didn’t pay attention to all of it. So, no, I’m not certain I’ve listened to this before.

Looking at a bio, this is from a guy named Brian Williams, who was in industrial band SPK. Them I know! This makes more sense now! A surprising number of these industrial folks ended up working on soundtracks, and he’s no different, which again makes sense. I suppose we’ll go more into SPK if/when they finally show up here.

The Du-Rites, “Hustle”

Among the many reasons to like the Du-Rites is that they release a good supply of singles which are always fun. Singles are nice! Little surprise bite-sized releases hitting your ears on a regular basis! That’s solid.

The Both, “The Inevitable Shove”

The Both is Aimee Mann and Ted Leo, and it sounds great. It’s very pleasant to listen to two people who really know what they’re doing and work really well together. It’s nice. Today is nice! Even the record by the old industrial guy!

I adore this song, but damn, I have a lot of TMBG live material. But, I suppose I have 49 distinct releases from TMBG in the library (and two CDs upstairs that need to be ripped), so I just have a lot of stuff from them in general.

Inter Arma, “Bumgardner”

The opener to their magnificent Sulphur English, this song sounds like it’s gasping for breath. It’s struggling to stay above the water, gulping air, before a wave comes in to send it down to the bottom for good.

Seam, “Shame”

Here’s some real indie rock royalty (early-90s version). Seam is the band led by Sooyoung Park, who fronted Bitch Magnet (which in turn is part of the Squirrel Bait family tree). And this record features Mac McCaughan (Superchunk) on drums. It’s a solid record, although I would like the next one better.

Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band, “Pimp”

A repeat! Enjoy the drums!

G. Love & Special Sauce, “Cold Beverage”

This was a minor hit on MTV, driving the band to relative prominence which they’d never really reach again. The appeal of the band is pretty easy to see, it’s very loose and fun, and given the topic and the faintly frat-y tinge to the proceedings, you can see why this tune got some traction. But I think it’s probably not quite right to dismiss them as just a party band, there’s plenty of fun stuff going on here with their blues/rock/hip-hop fusion thing.

Commodore 64, “Foam”

The other day I made fun of MC Frontalot, but I had forgotten that I actually did have one other nerdcore record. Commodore 64’s only release, K-Minus Initiative, is sufficiently obscure to not even appear on Discogs. Wikipedia claims it’s the first nerdcore release (and also contains the extremely cursed phrase “geeksta rap”), and I don’t know, maybe? I absolutely am not going to do any more research. At any rate, please enjoy (?) some econ professors or whatever cosplaying as the Beastie Boys with the help of a late-90s Macintosh.

Don Caballero came back after a six year absence with Damon Che once again leading things from his drum kit. This is the second of the studio records from this configuration, and while good, it doesn’t really reach the heights of previous Don Cab records. The pyrotechnics can be pretty fun to listen to, though.

David Bowie, “Suffragette City”

Maybe my most listened to Bowie song - either this or “Space Oddity”, probably. Why? Because both are available in Rock Band, so I’ve played them a bunch.

No, you’re a loser!

Eef Barzelay, “Thanksgiving Waves”

I feel like I’ve given the “Eef Barzelay released a couple abums under this own name before going back to recording as Clem Snide” talk many times. So I don’t need to…hang on, I did it again.

Serpent Column, “Violence Aesthete”

A thing that I always enjoy about this project is when we get contrasts like this. This song and the previous one are both music made with guitars, and while I suppose the Barzelay tune is more from a folk tradition than rock, they’re still at least somewhat related. It’s like how chihuahuas and Great Danes are related.

Calexico, “Quattro (World Drifts In)”

Yeah, or this. Sorry for the whiplash today! I’m enjoying it, though. Welcome to the inside of my head.

Where Quantity Is Job #1 is really an excellent title for a comp like this. Also, dig those Canadian accents!

Beck, “The Golden Age”

A little while back, we talked about Party Beck vs. Sad Beck. Please enjoy (?) peak Sad Beck here.

BADBADNOTGOOD, “Time Moves Slow”

I love the skittering drums here, they’re making me kind of jittery just listening to them. BADBADNOTGOOD, out of Toronto, sit somewhere between funk/soul, hip-hop, and jazz, putting out records that cheerfully wander back-and-forth between the genres as their muses take them. As anybody who has been reading Five Songs for any length of time can guess, that’s extremely up our alley around here.

Hey, there’s a record from them I don’t have!

Boris, “Away From You”

It’s tracks like this one (the lead track of Love & Evol, the dual-EP release Boris put out in 2019) that make Boris so hard to categorize. This isn’t just a one-off goof or anything, they’ll sprinkle pretty things like this through their records, and they do it well enough that you have to take it into account when describing them. But it’s essentially impossible, as they’re really four or so bands: a shoegaze band, a doom metal band, a noise band, and an experimental metal band. At least four bands, actually.

Public Enemy, “66.6 Strikes Again”

This is, of course, an echo of “Incident at 66.6 FM” from Fear of a Black Planet, which mostly just makes me want to go listen to that record instead.

The conclusion to the classic Aquemini, the record where OutKast fulfilled their promise and delivered one of the greatest hip-hop records ever. That assertion is not diminished at all by the observation that it’s not entirely clear if it’s their best album. The number of artists who can make a legitimate claim to having made two all-time albums in their genre is a tiny number indeed.

James Brown, “The Payback”

I see what you’re doing shuffle, trying to slyly put forward a titan in a particular genre to imply that maybe there are lots of artists in the “two all-time albums” category. But here’s the thing: I don’t think it’s true of Brown. Obviously an incredible artist, and his work is foundational to funk and all. But his albums were a real mixed bag, with filler frequently padding things out. His live albums were generally his best work, because they tended to be greatest hits records. Or a comp like Star Time. But I don’t think it’s fair to include that in a greatest album discussion, so Brown kind of misses that criteria.

Caspar Brötzmann Massaker, “Hymne”

This is experimental guitarist Caspar Brötzmann’s power trio, where he would try and take the template of rock and sort of explore where the guitar could lead. There’s certainly elements of doom metal here, some drone, and a sort of abstract menace that evokes the more effective industrial records. It certainly doesn’t sound thirty years old, but I suppose that’s what “ahead of his time” means.

Bob Marley, “Lively Up Yourself”

Shuffle is ON ONE. But yes, Bob Marley and the Wailers absolutely count, with Catch a Fire, Exodus, and Burnin’ plausibly making any reasonable list of the best reggae records of all time. Some serious heat today!

Jake One, “Great Sound”

Well, fine, I like Jake One, but let’s just end it here.

Several times in the past (no, I’m not going to look it up), I’ve talked about how mostly ska covers do nothing for me. The major exception to that are the Slackers, who consistently kill it. But I’d also listen to Vic Ruggiero sing a menu.

Mix Master Mike, “U Know the Name”

Legendary DJ Mix Master Mike has a few albums out under his name, where he often brings along various guest rappers to tear it up in-between instrumental tracks. Spin Psycle is the best of that bunch, off of a very good guest roster.

Negativland, “Favorite Things”

Some of my favorite Negativland tracks are the ones that sound like your brain has completely skipped a groove. It’s what I imagine my eventual stroke will sound like inside my head.

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, “La Costa Brava”

I really need to listen to more Ted Leo. I just have this one record.

I guess today is going to be short.

Skankin’ Pickle, “Violent Love”

Yes, this is a cover, from an entire album of covers. Which is also where that first one came from. Well, not the same album. But they’re both from covers albums. Anyway, this is a Willie Dixon song, which was probably more famous from Oingo Boingo performing it. I’ll let you judge both tracks. This blog is done!

Unfortunately for me, I’m exposed to probably an unhealthy amount of what would be described as geek media. That’s largely a consequence of being as into tabletop gaming as I am, and staying on top of new releases and things will inevitably lead to reading about adjacent culture stuff. I’m not proud of it. At any rate, at some point, I had read enough about the existence of nerdcore hip-hop that I decided I should probably listen to at least something. The lead nerdcore guy was MC Frontalot, so I picked up what was his latest album at the time.

And, you know, it wasn’t really as bad as I thought it would be. But there’s a problem with stuff like this, which is that a lot of it is trying very hard to be clever, and it gets in the way of things. It just seems forced to me, something engineered to get a specific audience to just say “oooh, I know that!” It doesn’t connect to me at all, I need more than just the shock of recognition. If I think the whole thing is just a broad wink at an audience, a way to sort people into Those Who Get It and Those Who Don’t Get It bins, it’s going to be a major turnoff.

This, however, is just a skit. But the “EEPROM” reference here is a good example. Yes, indeed, I get that reference. I know what that is! I’ve worked on embedded systems and shit! I’m in the club! Too bad that doesn’t make me happy.

Pharcyde, “Feel Freaky”

Man, shuffle is just kind of making me sad today. After two albums (one an acknowledged classic and one I think an underrated record), Fat Lip left the Pharcyde and his absence was definitely felt. None of the post-Fat Lip stuff really hits the mark. This is from Testing the Waters, an EP that preceeded Plain Rap, the return of the remaining band. I suppose I’m probably due for a re-evaluation of this stuff.

Tricky, “Overcome”

The first track on Maxinquaye, one of the holy trinity of trip-hop records (along with Massive Attack’s Blue Lines and Portishead’s Dummy). While I don’t think trip hop is an especially broad genre, damn if the top stuff doesn’t absolutely slay.

Pixies, “Lovely Day”

A side effect of the latter-day Pixies records is that it’s made me appreciate Trompe Le Monde more.

Ed Hall, “White House Girls”

Just churning and slashing its way through three minutes, all shouting bad temper and grunting instruments. Lovely!

When I find myself with no ideas / struggling to write a blog / I fall back on dumb jokes / mail it in

TWRP, “Only the Best”

OK, I don’t love those lyrics there, but in the spirit of of mailing it in, I’m not going to take another run at them. Pulling aside the curtain a bit here at Five Songs Agglomerated, I pretty much just write these entries in stream-of-consciousness as I listen to the music, go back and just do a quick edit pass to fix typos or any really duff wording, and then call it good. Revising the joke goes agains the spirit of the thing, I think.

Downtown Boys, “Wave of History”

Damn, that build of drums, sax, then shouting really gets me going. I’m gonna throw a chair through my window!

Danny Weinkauf, “The Moon is Made of Cheese”

If you’re thinking “this sounds like a They Might Be Giants kids’ song”, good ears! Danny Weinkauf is their longtime bassist, and has even written a couple of songs for those TMBG kids’ records. He’s released a few records on his own, in case you’re looking for more stuff in the same vein.

Dr. Dre, “Forgot About Dre”

I have not forgotten that we’ve had this song before.

Isaac Hayes, “Theme From ‘Shaft’”

I think we’ve had this song before, but it was the Wedding Present cover, not the original. Well, enjoy one of the iconic soul songs of all time, I know I will.

The Black Light, the second Calexico album, is really where Calexico became Calexico. The dusty southwestern aesthetic reached full flower, with the rhythms and arrangements being incredibly evocative. I mean, I suppose this track explains it more than I could. They would eventually branch out more and more from this core sound, but never abandon it. But if this is why you love Calexico, this record and The Hot Rail should be at the top of your list.

Lucinda Williams, “Drunken Angel”

I didn’t pick up on this record when it was released, despite being reasonably into this sort of music in 1998. I eventually did pick it up mostly by repeatedly seeing it used as a yardstick for other Americana albums. And, yeah, it’s as outstanding as its reputation, a record that you can measure other similar albums against.

Farside, “Better Than Crying”

Farside was one of the reasons I stopped using Youtube to host my playlists. I used to upload songs that were missing from Youtube, as unlisted videos, so I could add them to playlists. But Farside’s songs kept getting struck as copywrite violations, even though they were unmonetized, and I eventually gave up.

Wait, no, that was Dillinger Four. Whatever. Youtube sucks!

Mayer Hawthorne, “A Long Time”

I sincerely adore songs that are about how much the artist loves their home. There’s an authenticity to them that I find really appealing. Nobody shouts out Detroit, or anywhere in Minnesota, or wherever without genuinely loving that place. More of this kind of thing!

Squirrel Bait, “Choose Your Poison”

My goodness, Squirrel Bait were so good.

Honestly, the reason for me to listen to The Flood Show is mostly for the in-between song banter.

Urge Overkill, “Eggs”

Urge Overkill were a band out of Chicago that were doing big hard rock moves ironically, and in the early 90s, that was enough to attract attention. They would eventually mutate the ironic rock stuff to just sincere rock stuff, end up on a major label, and carve out a career being rock stars at a time when rock stars didn’t much look like rock stars. Or something.

But before all that, they released a few albums in the underground which were noisier than what they’d become famous for. As was the trend at the time, Touch & Go released the first two albums on CD, throwing in a single (which gives us this tune) to boot. Those CD releases were seen as necessary for generating demand for the format, figuring there was no way they’d be able to get people to go for it otherwise. However, for someone getting into this stuff for the first time, there were some screaming deals from these things.

Handsome Boy Modeling School, “Modeling Sucks”

Handsome Boy Modeling School is Dan the Automator and Prince Paul, working with a bunch of guest artists. It’s about half instrumental hip-hop and half with guest MCs, but given the pedigree of the producers, it’s no surprise that it’s all great. I think I prefer this album, the first, but both are excellent.

On this track, you get to hear the inspiration for the name of the band, which comes from the old Chris Elliot sitcom Get a Life.

Barrett Strong, “Money (That’s What I Want)”

This is from Motown’s early years, the first real hit for the label in 1960. And you can certainly understand why it did well, given those verses. Fantastic stuff.

Isaiah Rashad, “Free Lunch”

Oh, one of the original “how did I get this” artists! But you can read the tag to catch up on that if you want (you should not bother).

Hoover were a post-hardcore band with a single album on Discord in 1993 along with a few singles. There are a lot of forgotten gems in the Discord catalog, with albums getting overshadowed by the more famous releases on the label. Fugazi’s In On The Kill Taker released in 1993, for instance, which I think is the best post-hardcore record ever made. So it’s easy to see how this thing might not get noticed. And, yes, there is plenty of influence here from Fugazi. But, hell, that’s not a bad way to take your cues. There’s a little Drive Like Jehu here also, so yeah, this is good stuff.

The Pollyseeds, “Chef E Dubble”

The Pollyseeds are Terrace Martin’s band, merging jazz and hip-hop in ways that make sense given the rest of his career. He’s worked with artists like Herbie Hancock as well as Kendrick Lamar, so if that pairing sounds interesting, you should check this record out.

Prefuse 73, “Back in Time”

We’re just merging hip-hop with things all over the place today!

Isaac Hayes, “Walk On By”

And now we’re on the flip side of it, with a stone-cold classic soul track from Isaac Hayes that’s been sampled roughly a billion times, maybe most notably on Biggie’s “Warning”. But as with most of these frequently sampled songs, they’re still bangers when listened to in context. Hayes is a true titan.

They Might Be Giants, “Piece of Dirt”

I love most records in TMBG’s catalog, but more than any other, Lincoln holds a special place to me for its ability to transport me back to happy times in high school. Admittedly, those happy times are mostly sitting in my basement screwing around on the computer, so it’s not like these are super distant happy times. Nevertheless, I cherish that sort of transportation.

“Kicking Television” appeared on a tour EP for the A Ghost Is Born tour, and later lent its name to their live record. Here, the track is collected onto Alpha Mike Foxtrot: Rare Tracks 1994-2014, and it’s nice to have a rocker like this be widely available again. Wilco was never really just an alt-country band, but it’s always fun to hear their style wander around a bit from their assumed baseline.

Coheed and Cambria, “The Gutter”

More like Cornball and Cambria, am I right? (Good thing I’m fine with corny stuff sometimes.)

Tar Babies, “Swarm of Devils”

Bent underground rock from the late 80s/early 90s that never made too much of an impact, but kind of presaged US Maple and the Grifters, which, yes, is an endorsement. I only have this record, but it’s a fun trip.

Joseph Haydn, “Symphony no. 92 in G major, Hob I:92 ‘Oxford’: II. Adagio”

Keepin’ it fuckin’ classy up in this bitch today!

STS x RJD2, “Hold On, Here It Go”

See, classy! Haydn could really use some more “motherfuckers” involved with his music, I think.

This collab record between STS and R2D2 is excellent, by the way.

I am, Judy and the Loadies!

Lambchop, “Steve McQueen”

I’ve poked fun at some artists for cloying strings, but somehow Lambchop’s syrupy approach to same never bothers me. I suppose the reliably languid pace of things probably makes it feel better, but I think they’re just good at making them seem organic to the song and not just bolted on.

The Meters, “Stormy”

The Meters taking it slow on their first album, albeit without any strings involved. As always, the Meters rule, you should listen to them.

Modest Mouse, “Teeth Like God’s Shoeshine”

Goddamn, that’s a way to open an album. Lonesome Crowded West is kind of the turning point for Modest Mouse. They tamed enough of their noisy, chaotic tendencies to produce a more accessible record, but it still sounded different enough to stand out. It’s an album that fans of their earlier material and their later seem to agree on. As someone who likes their later tunefulness but also is a big fan of noise, I think this is their peak.

Conlon Nancarrow, “Study for Player Piano No. 3a”

This is about as tuneful as Nancarrow’s player piano work gets. It’s a tease, there are coherent bits and pieces that drift in and out, giving your brain an anchor before snatching it away. It’s continually drifting just out of sight, tempting you around another corner, a musical will-o’-the-wisp.

Why do we make songs longer than a minute? What’s the point?

Weezer, “Smile”

OK, this track is from something called Blue / Green / Red, and I swear to you, I did not get this album from anywhere. I wouldn’t do that to myself. One hypothesis is that if you have a few Weezer albums stored together, they’ll begin reproducing. Left to their own devices, eventually a pile of Weezer records will produce self-titled records named after colors not even known to mankind.

A quick look at Discogs suggests this is some digital-only comp, which probably means that it got smuggled onto some device I once owned, via some dark marketing deal, and then it probably got swept up by some promiscuous scanner to add to my library without my consent. And there it will remain forever, because I am too lazy to purge it.

Rites of Spring, “Persistent Vision”

Hell yeah, much better.

Skull Snaps, “My Hang Up Is You”

The self-titled Skull Snaps record is a legendary album in hip-hop circles thanks to some very famous drum breaks. I guarantee you’ve heard the opening drums of “It’s A New Day” a zillion times. The record itself is a solid piece of funk with some nice soul touches, plenty enjoyable on its own even beyond the drums.

Roni Size / Reprazent, “Heavy Rotation”

Sorry, nothing around here is on heavy rotation. Light rotations only!

I dunno about this, man. I want some fury with my Mogwai, some big dynamics, something should howl. This is pretty cerebral and isn’t what I’m generally looking for from them.

Jean Knight, “Mr. Big Stuff”

A repeat of an all-time jam.

American Music Club, “If I Had A Hammer”

“Gratitude Walks” is the opener of this album, but this beautiful slice of melancholy in the second position was what got me sold on American Music Club. I bought this album and listened to it on the walk back to campus, and it was such a change of pace from what I was listening to at the time that it really stuck with me. It’s good to have some things in your music diet that aren’t just noise and wrath.

Cinerama, “Kerry Kerry”

I was just poking fun at Cinerama’s horns the other day, come on shuffle! You have to give me more time to think of new things to say about bands!

Mastodon, “The Wolf is Loose”

But, you know…gotta have some wrath too.

I kick around a bunch which Mastodon album is my favorite. It’s between this, Leviathan, and Crack the Skye. Depending on my mood, one or the other will rise to the top, but I think it’s most often this record. It’s generally the right balance for me between Mastodon’s earlier intensity and the prog tendencies they would drift towards. Sometimes that extra elaborate stuff is what I’m looking for, but this is a such a good package.

Silkworm, “Raging Bull”

Silkworm was a tremendously consistent band. They didn’t make the same album over and over, but everything they did was immediately recognizable as on the continuum of Silkworm songs. Even with that consistency, they were never boring, and they just kept putting out solid album after solid album. The band wrote at some point the observation that everybody seemed to have a different favorite record (Libertine for me), which I think makes sense. Anyway, this is from 2000’s Lifestyle, it’s a good record, listen to Silkworm.

Hot Snakes! Hot Snakes! Hot Snakes!

The Wedding Present, “Flying Saucer”

Compare this tune with the Cinerama song from yesterday. It’s a simpler arrangement, but fundamentally the same type of song. But this feels so much better because the focus is where it belongs, on Gedge’s voice and guitar. This comes from Hit Parade 2, which documented the second half of the Wedding Present’s 1992. They put out a single every month, collecting all the tunes on two records. While a bit uneven compared to the albums from that time (as you might expect), they still have a bunch of great material on them and are both worth your time.

Spent, “Stumble Up The Stairs”

An indie rock band from the mid-90s, Spent put out a couple records on Merge before calling it done. Spent distinguished themselves by having three songwriters, which provided some nice variety on the records. If you are looking for some more indie pop, you can certainly do worse.

Badly Drawn Boy, “The Shining”

I was just poking fun at orchestration yesterday, wasn’t I?

But Badly Drawn Boy is a good study here - he does it both really well and less so, depending on the record. I wish I were smart enough to pinpoint the differences, but I’m just kind of an ape hooting when something I like comes on.

Oozing Wound, “Diver”

I’m always kind of interested in how bands that are in genres very different from their labelmates end up where they do. My favorite example might be the Arsonists on Matador. How did that happen? Oozing Wound on Thrill Jockey is another good example. Is it just that they’re from Chicago? I think of Thrill Jockey as home to really cerebral stuff, to have something this visceral show up is just incongruous. Excellent band, though.

Were it not for the presence of “floats”, this would be the kind of title you might find on a really pretentious prog album. I guess “twee” and “pretentious” are just two sides of the same coin.

The Men, “Ridin’ On”

After a couple albums of mellowing out some, The Men kicked it back into aggressive garage rock mode with Devil Music. It’s my favorite mode from them, so I was very happy to hear them bring it back. The more mature sounding stuff was fine, but I generally am happier with mayhem in my rock.

Boards of Canada, “Turquoise Hexagon Sun”

I went to try and write something here, but honestly, I find Board of Canada so hypnotic (in a good way) that I kind of drifted off for a few minutes. It’s good!

Cinerama, “Dance, Girl, Dance”

I don’t know about the orchestration here. I think that kind of thing should be sparing, and it kind of comes across more as clutter here than a nice thing. It’s kind of the trap that the Beautiful South fell into, making every song try and sound like a capital-P Production.

Lady, “Get Ready”

A thought I just had is connecting the neo-soul revival in the 2010s to the ska revival of the 90s. In particular, thinking about how many acts were one-and-done in both scenes. And how many of those single records were actually quite good. We’re still going in the soul revival, but I wonder if I’ll look back and think about it in the same way. Obviously the music is different, but both were about bringing back a musical style from the 60s, both often had much bigger bands than typical rock bands, both have faced accusations of inauthenticity, and both had a relatively small number of labels driving things. So there are some parallels, for sure.

Tad Hutchinson is really going the extra mile on the drums here. He doesn’t have to, Scott McCaughey’s singing can carry this little tune. But Hutchinson was always the Fellows’ secret weapon, I love his work across the board.

Queen, “Body Language”

Hot Space contains the magnificent “Under Pressure”. It also contains a bunch of other songs, about which the less said, the better.

Charles Mingus, “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat”

Much better! Mingus Ah Um is one of his legendary records, featuring several essential compositions, including this one.

Or so I’m told. It’s so good!

Albert King, “Crosscut Saw”

We’ve had this tune before, and it’s such a banger, enjoy!

Unwound, “Next Exit”

Unwound have long been a critic’s favorite, and the sort of band that you could always bring up to knowing nods among the connoisseurs of the 90s underground. Across six (seven?) albums, the Olympia, WA band banged out a relentlessly noisy form of post-hardcore that is always welcome around here. Repetition is right in the heart of their career, and captures the band in outstanding form. Unwound is actually having themselves a moment, with a reunion tour that sold out instantly, so I will not be seeing it. Alas.

The Pharcyde, “Little D”

I’m a defender of the second Pharcyde record, Labcabincalifornia, but eh, not every track is a winner.

On The Pretty Toney Album, Ghostface really broke out from the shadow of the Wu-Tang Clan. Not that he transcended it or anything, but this record is really off on its own thing, it doesn’t really sound like a Wu-Tang record. Other than Ghostface’s presence, of course. But I think that’s a good thing, it’s enabled him to have a great career, with no real barriers to where he wanted to go. Because of that, it’s probably my second favorite Ghostface record.

Iron & Wine, “Upward Over the Mountain”

I’m very hit or mess on “guy with a guitar” records. They can be spare, lovely, meditative, and a nice break from my usual musical diet. Or they can be dull, twee, self-indulgent, and boring. It’s not entirely clear what it is that works for me or not. I like Iron & Wine, for example. On the face of it, Sam Beam looks like every other one of these guys, beard and all, but it’s warm and fuzzy and comfortable, not cloying. Who knows?

Firewater, “Dark Days Indeed”

Meanwhile, there’s no mystery why I like Firewater. If there’s an accordion around, I’m all the way in.

Rocket From The Crypt, “Bring Us Bullets”

From the final RFTC studio album, Live From Camp X-Ray, this song is showing off a fancier horn arrangement than previous records. While this record isn’t their best work, it still rocks plenty hard. We celebrate the entire RFTC catalog here at Five Songs Incorporated.

Boulaone feat. The Budos Band, “Black Rap”

Flipping Budos Band songs into hip-hop songs really is a genius move.

The second Baroness record, Blue Record, seems to my ears like it’s a more confident album than the first one. Alongside that confidence is a willingness to make things a little prettier. It’s a little more prone to doing stuff that soars just a bit more than the previous album.

Pusha T, “Nosetalgia”

Damn, that guitar squeal, so good. And Kendrick coming in on “you wanna see a dead body?” is absolutely incredible.

GosT, “Garruth”

Where was this when I was 15? God, I would have loved it. As it is, it’s a fun change of pace, I suppose.

Saun & Starr, “If Only”

Saun & Starr were a duo that put out just this one record on Daptone Records along with a couple of singles. Poking around in Discogs, it looks like at least Saundra Williams is still getting credits, including being in a new band that had a single out on Colemine last year. That’s cool!

clipping., “Intro”

As it says on the tin, this is the intro to There Existed an Addiction to Blood, clipping.’s exploration of horror.

You know, I never really gave this album a real shot. The previous album seemed so sour and included some really bad lyrics, so after buying this one due to inertia, I never really engaged with it. This is a decent tune, though. I wonder what I’d think if I went back and gave it a whirl at this point. It doesn’t make the lyrics go away, though.

Lightning Bolt, “Blow to the Head”

The opener to Sonic Citadel, it’s incredible that Lightning Bolt can still crank everything to eleven and still have things sound so varied and fresh. Just an incredible band.

Tommy Guerrero, “When Clouds Ignite”

Delightful!

Floor, “Scimitar”

We’re just going to alternate something redlined with something conventional, eh? Works for me!

Wilco, “I Love My Label”

This is a cover of a Nick Lowe song that is the final track on the final disc (of four) for Alpha Mike Foxtrot: Rare Tracks 1994-2014. It’s a good example of how this record actually has some fun stuff buried among all the rarities. It’s a lot, but it’s a worthwhile investment for big fans.

Fun DMC is such a good album name.

Clem Snide, “Some Ghost”

After a ten year break between releasing any music under the name Clem Snide, Eef Barzelay released Forever Just Beyond in 2020, and it’s a delight. Probably my favorite of his releases since Soft Spot. The songs are sweet, the production is intimate, and it’s all melancholy and warm and cozy. It’s a lazy nap in a sunbeam, with maybe a wistful dream drifting through your head.

Mizmor & Thou, “Prefect”

This is not that. Portland’s black metal band Mizmor got together with sludge doom kings Thou for Myopia this year, which continued Thou’s winning streak of collaborations. It’s a bleak, brutal listen, unrelenting in its grimness. It’s an album capable of galloping or dragging, and doing equally well with both. One of the highlights of 2022 so far.

Korn, “Blind”

I’ve never been a nu-metal guy. In fact, I think Korn’s debut might be the only nu-metal record I own. I guess I have that one System of a Down record also. Anyway, I’m someone who wandered into metal towards the extreme end of things. I got into industrial first, moved from there towards things like Godflesh, which led to stuff like Napalm Death. From there, I started getting into noise, and then into other experimental stuff. I might be the only person on the planet who listened to Zeni Geva before ever hearing a Metallica record in full. So by the time Korn arrived on the scene, my tastes in metal were already pretty out there, so this didn’t click with me.

The Crinn, “Against the Flow”

Yeah, better!

We’ve had this one before.

The Magnetic Fields, “I’m Sorry I Love You”

One of the more memorable tunes from 69 Love Songs, probably due to the vocals, but I do like the guitar part on it as well.

Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard, “Slave Moon”

Ah, Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard. Say it soft, and it’s almost like praying. Say it loud, and there’s stoner metal playing. Anyway, here’s ten minutes of fuzz, enjoy!

Melvins, “Billy Fish”

Nude With Boots is from the double-duo years, when King Buzzo and Dale Crover teamed up with Big Business for a few records. This is one of the most classic rock records that they band ever made, which makes it comparatively easy listening for them. The sort of thing you can throw on and bump in the car with the windows down without alienating the whole neighborhood.

Skrew, “Gemini”

Very important, this is a different band than Skrewdriver, the Nazi punk band. Skrew started out as industrial metal, very much in the vein of Ministry. Indeed, Al Jourgensen produced this record, Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame. When it came out, I was still into industrial, so I went for it. It turned out to be one of the records that kind of knocked me loose. It just did nothing for me at all, and I drifted away from the genre, figuring that if this record (which was quite popular among fans of industrial) didn’t do it for me, maybe I should find other stuff.

Ministry, “Dead Guy”

Oh, come on, that’s a bit on the nose.

This kind of has a nice groove to it.

Matt Pike had a big 2018. In addition to Sleep emerging from a fifteen year, uh, slumber to produce the very good The Sciences, he also put out a High on Fire record, Electric Messiah. High on Fire is one of the more consistent bands around, and so it is with this record: you’re going to get a Lemmy-esque bark, you’re going to get those big stoner riffs, and you’re going to get some solos. Just a crunchy good time.

Obits, “Lillies in the Street”

I was going to say that the first Obits record was a bit of a surprise, as it’s much more mannered than Drive Like Jehu or Hot Snakes, but as I was looking at Discogs, I see that Obits had an album last year I didn’t know about, so I’m going to go have a look at that now.

…oh, it’s a live album. Oh well.

Belle & Sebastian, “The State I Am In”

This is the first song off the first Belle & Sebastian record, the legendary album made while they were in school. It’s the best tune on the album, a real highlight that would point the way towards their future work. In fact, they’d re-record this song for the Dog on Wheels EP to get it a wider audience (Tigermilk hadn’t yet been re-issued), which is where I first encountered it. It’s lovely in either version.

Pile, “Making Eyes”

I like this record, but sometimes, I just have nothing to say. Luckily, you can just listen.

The Isley Brothers, “Summer Breeze”

Man, that guitar.

Odd Future was a whole thing that is one of the earliest pop culture things that I might have liked but that I feel totally missed me. I know some vague things about it, that Tyler, the Creator was kind of the center, and that Frank Ocean and Earl Sweatshirt were involved. But, I dunno, I guess the rest of it all just sailed right past me. That said, I really like Earl Sweatshirt’s stuff, so I probably should go back and listen to Odd Future. I mean, if there are records with the collective on it. I dunno, man, I’m out of touch here.

Dead Kennedys, “Hellnation”

While I would come to realize Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables was their best record, the first Kennedys album that I really figured out was Frankenchrist. I think the variation in musical styles on the album let fifteen-year-old Josh have an entry point into the record. These days, I don’t listen to it much, but I should fix that.

Fog, “Fuckedupfuckfuckup”

A bit of electronic weirdness, I’m pretty sure I just got this because I was a big fan of Ninja Tune records at the time. I dunno, I appreciate oddball stuff, but I never really listened to this much even at the time.

Amon Tobin, “Bridge”

Yeah, Amon Tobin is in fact a big reason why I was a Ninja Tune fan.

Actually, hang on, ignore all that. Let’s go with: inside you, there are two Ninja Tunes…

The Coup, “Outro”

Just a little reprise of the intro, a tiny morsel of funk for you.

Vulfpeck, the funk band that met in Michigan and is now in LA, have just been moving their own way through the music industry from the beginning. They’ve self-released their stuff, they’ve produced a ton of releases not always neatly organized in albums, there are a bunch of related acts that they release music from, and it’s all frankly kind of inspiring that they’ve had success kind of creating their own cottage industry.

The Ergs, “Vampire Party”

At any given time, I think there are pretty much a constant number of bands that sound more or less just like this. Your affection for any particular band is likely going to be driven simply by which ones you encounter when you’re a teenager. Other stuff from other times might sound good, but you probably won’t truly love it.

ION, “I, II, VI”

Ye gods, thirty minutes. For the record, yes, I listen to every song posted here all the way through, even if maybe I’m not feeling it.

Stevie Wonder, “Girl Blue”

I’m cooked! I guess Stevie Wonder is probably a good antidote, though.

This is from Music Of My Mind, the record where Stevie Wonder really entered his peak. While his previous record had its moments, this is the one where he stepped up into the stratosphere and tore off a series of five records that might be the best five album stretch of any popular artist ever.

NoMeansNo, “Kill Everyone Now”

Every now and again NoMeansNo would produce a long song to let their epic tendencies kind of flood out. Why Do They Call Me Mr. Happy? is probably the peak of that pattern, featuring four different songs longer than seven minutes. I sort of prefer it when they mix things up, with some shorter burners mixed in with the longer pieces, so this isn’t my favorite record from them. But it’s still a very good album.

Super straightforward garage rock out of Australia, the Cosmic Psychos have been banging out records since 1987. According to Discogs, they’re apparently still out there making a ruckus - they have a release in 2021. My contact with them is isolated to the early 90s, when they were releasing records on Amphetamine Reptile Records, and I enjoy those albums as the pretense-free punchers that they are. I’m not sure I need to check out their recent work, though.

Brand Nubian, “Slow Down”

In case you’re having trouble placing it, that’s the Edie Brickell tune that Brand Nubian flipped here. Brand Nubian’s debut record is a revered album, featuring fantastic technique across the board. I’m not sure if people remember this album these days or not, but it’s a fine one to check out if you haven’t yet and are interested in early hip-hop.

Aaron Frazer, “Bad News”

Aaron Frazer plays drums and sings occasional vocals with Durand Jones & the Indications, and last year he released his first solo record. As you’d expect from an Indication, it’s very much a soul revival record, but he’s more channeling Curtis Mayfield than maybe some of the inspirations of his home band. It’s a solid record, but we’ve already established that I’m a sucker for soul revival.

Wilson Pickett, “Don’t Let The Green Grass Fool You”

Or, let’s be honest, the original deal.

RJD2, “Smoke & Mirrors”

Hell yeah, man. Good one today!

Is cake slow? I don’t think of cake as a particularly slow food. I suppose it takes a while to pre-heat the oven, bake the thing, let it cool, and then decorate it. So…maybe they are slow. But they’re not what I think of when I think of slow food. Beyond the obvious molasses, I think of, say, smoking things as slow.

The band Cake isn’t really slow either.

Samiam, “Calloused”

Samiam isn’t slow either.

Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band, “Pimp”

For the most part, I take a dim view of rap songs getting covered in other genres. Mostly because a lot of it seems to be a winky sort of “aren’t I a stinker” kind of thing. If I’ve heard my last sensitive acoustic cover of a hardcore rap song, I’ll be delighted. That said, something like this, where it’s instrumental and a totally different style, I don’t mind this at all. Here, the fact that this is a 50 Cent song is just an amusing side note.

Shining, “Burn It All”

Jørgen Munkeby has taken Shining more and more towards industrial over the years even since Blackjazz started in that direction. International Blackjazz Society, two albums later, has him really mining the industrial vein pretty thoroughly. If I had heard this in 1991 as a Wax Trax! release, I would have been very impressed but I would not have considered it a big change in direction for the label.

Superchunk, “Rainy Streets”

I really need to revisit this album. When it came out, I just thought Superchunk sounded tired, but now I am also tired, so it might resonate more.

Every now and again I encounter a record that I can’t seem to be able to buy on digital, but is available on physical media. Usually it’s some older release that nobody has bothered putting onto digital marketplaces, but sometimes there will be some new vinyl-only release by somebody. Or worse, cassette-only. Chartreuse Bull was one of those when I first bought it, although it subsequently showed up on Bandcamp. But included in the LP when I bought it was a code to download a digital copy, and I appreciate that so much, thank you to their label.

Arctic Monkeys, “Flourescent Adolescent”

I always forget about these guys. I like both of the albums I have from them, and nevertheless just forget they exist. I should figure out some way of reminding me to visit the dustier corners of my music collection.

Ugly Casanova, “So Long For the Holidays”

A supergroup featuring most prominently Isaac Brock (Modest Mouse), Ugly Casanova just released this one record. Brock made up some story about the lyrics being ones from songs a fan performed for them backstage one day before fleeing, but the story was probably a fabrication. It winds up just kind of sounding like Brock working out some tunes that weren’t quite ready for a Modest Mouse record.

Ice Cube, “Hello”

I don’t list feature artists in the headers here, but this song (the opener of War & Peace, Vol. 2 (The Peace Disc)) is notable for those featured artists: Dr. Dre and MC Ren. In other words, this is the N.W.A reunion (minus Eazy-E, RIP) finally happening after a dozen years. Alas, while this track is good, the rest of the record doesn’t live up to it, nor are there any other reunion tracks.

Black Happy, “Chicken in a Biscuit”

I think at any given time, every region has its own beloved party bands that locals who go to lots of shows adore and nobody else does. I kind of miss having one of those bands.

This comes from Calexico’s Christmas album, Seasonal Shift. The major concession here is that the guitar line is a little more filled out, and there’s a little bit fuller chorus. It’s a Calexico song otherwise, which is a perfectly good thing.

Mastodon, “Divinations”

Crack the Skye is Mastodon at its most Mastodon-y, with their prog-metal thing reaching a logical endpoint. They’d back off a bit from this sound later, but I kind of wish they hadn’t. I want a band to just keep getting more and more elaborate and decorated. I want them to get ten albums in and have the whole damn thing be totally unparseable by normal humans. Have it sound like it fell to Earth from outer space.

Silkworm, “Xian Undertaker”

By the time of their last album, It’ll Be Cool, Silkworm was stretching out more often. The album is the sound of a band gracefully settling in to a comfortable middle age, heading wherever they chose. I wish we could have gotten more from them, but I treasure the records that we did get.

Foetus, “Warm Leatherette”

Geez, leave it to Foetus to come up with a title as disquieting as “warm leatherette”.

I’m feeling today, though, let’s see if shuffle can stick the landing.

Gorguts, “Le Toit du Monde”

Oh yeah, I suppose Gorguts kinda did the unparseable thing, huh?

‘Scuse me while I fuck this blog!

Steady Ernest, “Roll On”

Didn’t we just have Steady Ernest? I wonder what the most frequent ska band we’ve had show up here is? Seems like it should be the Slackers, just going off the number of albums I have from them. 22 tracks from the Slackers. Geez. I don’t remember them showing up that much. I guess I’ve been doing this for a while.

J Church, “Alone When She Dies”

This is an alternate version of a song that’s on Drama of Alienation, which is frankly a better version. But I suppose that’s what you get from a comp like this one, they’re always going to be kind of uneven.

Eight Bells, “Fate and Technology”

This is from the first album from Portland, OR’s Eight Bells, The Captain’s Daughter. There’s sort of a bit of post-rock feel to some of this, in the way that the narrarives of the songs kind of unspool, but there’s not as much of the abstraction you sometimes get from post-rock. It’s much more visceral, especially when you get to the vocals which help ground things. Anyway, I really like all three of their albums, so have a listen.

Tortoise, “The Lithium Stiffs”

See, now, that’s the abstraction I’m looking for in post-rock.

1962, baby!

McKinley Dixon, “Chain Sooo Heavy”

I really enjoy the sax blowing while he’s rhyming, it really sets things off, and makes my ears kind of ping back and forth between what sounds like competing leads. That tension really provides a lot interest in the tune.

The Dead Milkmen, “Big Lizard (Live)”

Chaos Rules: Live at the Trocadero is sort of a live career retrospective by the Dead Milkmen, but I gotta say, it’s hard to recommend it. The live renditions don’t add a ton, and the sound quality isn’t great. Uh, as you can hear.

Joe Lally, “Day Is Born”

Joe Lally was, of course, Fugazi’s bassist. He’s also released three solo records on Dischord Records, of this sort of…well, rock. I’m not sure you can really describe it as anything else. Of course, the bass sounds great on it, so that may be an attraction here.

Link 80, “Pretty Girls”

So, Link 80 are a now forgotten ska-punk band on Asian Man Records who put out a few albums. When clicking around in Discogs to look for band connections, I found out that a former member of the band is Danielle Steel’s (the author) son, which kind of tickles me.

There are a bunch of long songs on YSIV (Young Sinatra 4), but I’m not sure that it totally works for me. Goodness knows I don’t have a problem with long songs in general, but I really kind of want more evolution over the course of a track than this exhibits.

christian fitness, “Endless North London Police Helicopter”

See, now, this makes a point. Bellow through a bullhorn, pound away with some bass and drums, get the point across. Done.

Cloud Nothings, “Baur’s Woods”

The intro to this song reminds me so much of another song that I can’t put my finger on, it’s driving me absolutely crazy. Dammit! Now I’m going to have to stare at my library until I can figure it out.

[time passes]

Oh, oh, I got it! I replayed it far enough into my head to get to the chorus, it’s “That’s When I Reach For My Revolver”!

Anyway, it diverges after the intro, so I’m not sure what my point was here, other than “Let’s Remember Some Post-Punk”.

Cretin, “It”

I love calling myself a “cretin”. It’s such a fine word, so dismissive. Try it out!

No, don’t call ME a cretin!

Vampire Weekend, “My Mistake”

On Father of the Bride, Vampire Weekend was now wholly Ezra Koenig’s band. Rostam Batmanglij left after Modern Vampires of the City, and so the artistic partnership that had driven the band to that point was gone. And I have to say, I don’t like it nearly as much as the records with Rostam involved. It’s not bad, but it just doesn’t quite have a spark for me.

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?

The first Stubborn All-Stars record definitely had their laid-back ska groove going, but I think they took it up a notch on the next record. That said, if you’re looking for something pretty traditional, bordering on rocksteady, you can do a lot worse.

The New Bomb Turks, “Never Will”

After an absolutely raging debut record, the New Bomb Turks followed it up the next year with another ripper full of garage punk. It’s pure adrenaline, with sawtooth guitars and snotty vocals leading the way. Alas, they’d land on Epitaph for their subsequent records, and the cleaned up version of the band isn’t quite as fun.

Fabolous & Jadakiss, “F vs J Intro”

I do not remember buying this. Seems like it’s an album length collaborative tribute to Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street, and I suppose I probably got it because I’m always curious about horrorcore rap. I dunno, it’s OK.

Hot Snakes, “I Need a Doctor”

Hell yeah, Hot Snakes and old New Bomb Turks! Nice one, shuffle!

This is from Jericho Sirens, the reunion record that Hot Snakes put out after a 14 year break, during which Reis and Froberg worked on their own projects. They picked up right where they left off, and it’s as good as their original records.

Mastodon, “March of the Fire Ants”

Oh, I’m loving the energy today.

This is the earliest Destroyer record that I’ve heard, I haven’t gone any earlier than this one. This album is very much a Destroyer record, full of Dan Bejar’s elaborate melodic pop and winding lyrics. I think he’d largely keep getting better, as his style of music pretty much always benefits from additional craft.

Badly Drawn Boy, “This Is That New Song”

Meanwhile, despite mining a similar vein of music, Damon Gough’s stuff didn’t get better as time went on. So, I suppose it doesn’t always work that way, and the lesson as always is I’m an idiot.

Built To Spill, “Carry the Zero”

Frequently called out as the best song on Keep It Like a Secret, the second best Built to Spill record, this song rules. But it’s also not the best song on the album, that’s “Time Trap”. My blog, my rules!

Viktor Vaughn, “Modern Day Mugging”

One of MF DOOM’s many aliases, Vaudeville Villain followed up on an album where he went by King Geedorah. But, anyway, it’s all DOOM when it comes down to it. He didn’t produce the tracks on this record, unlike his earlier stuff, but he was a genius on the mic, so this is of course a delight.

George Harrison, “Stuck Inside a Cloud”

Who the hell is this?

God only knows how I heard about this, which is the debut from Boogie but was self-released. Therefore it’s a surprise that it found its way to my old, out-of-touch ass. It’s good, though, kind of sunny with the beats and with contemplative lyrics.

Webbed Wing, “Perfect”

I think this is a record that a friend told me about, maybe they knew someone in it? I’m having trouble recalling, but they’re from Philly, so it’s a decent bet. Anyway, assuming that that’s correct, you all should get this!

The Four Tops, “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)”

A repeat, but I’m not going to complain.

Iron Maiden, “Run To The Hills”

Number of the Beast, man. Maiden’s breakout album, powered by Bruce Dickinson’s arrival, featured some of their iconic songs. At the front of that group is probably this one, a dramatization of the conquest of Native Americans complete with their trademark gallop and soaring vocals. I’m required to use the word “gallop” when describing Maiden.

Ugly Duckling, “Left Behind”

An urgent pace, a fun piano loop, and some mic trading makes this song one of the highlights of Bang for the Buck. The high spots on this album are just plain fun, although when the songs aren’t hitting they wind up feeling pretty repetitive.

Piss Vortex, “Those Who Labor”

I try and throw in an extra track when I spot a repeat (although I forgot to do that with the Bricks song the other day). Today, that extra song is 44 seconds of grindcore mayhem. Enjoy!

(Feels sacrilegious to have Piss Vortex and the Four Tops in the same playlist.)

The Mortals played garage rock, like a lot of the Estrus Records bands, but with a little bit more of a greasy edge to things. The reverb and sneer on the vocals give things a twist from just playing it straight up.

Steady Ernest, “Promises”

There’s a live-in-studio feel to this tune that suits it well. There’s a presence to the horns, they feel organic, and it works well.

The Dirty Nil, “Doom Boy”

I kind of want them to keep that thrashy gallop going from the beginning of this song. I mean, I enjoy a pop punk song as much as the next guy. More, probably. But I guess I kind of want a little bit of thrash right now. I’m not even drinking!

Azymuth, “Castelo (version 1)”

I could just listen to those drums go for forever. Or at least, I think so, before the rest of the music jumps in. looks at hand Huh, that’s weird, where did that Harvey Wallbanger come from?

Negativland, “A Rash of Rabid Skunks”

This is from one of those recorded radio shows released as an album. Specifically Over the Edge, Volume 6: The Willsaphone Stupid Show. Just let the phrase “Willsaphone Stupid” roll around in your brain a little bit, it’s a real pleasure.

I think this might be a repeat, but I’m gonna be honest - it’s a little hard to tell with Bricks songs. Let’s check.

OH MY GOD, this is the fourth time this song has come up! And we’ve never had another Bricks song from this record. This is the first tune, so that feeds into my pet theory that the Plex randomizer prefers the first track of albums.

Lambchop, “The Old Gold Shoe”

Another first album track. Coincidence??? IT CANNOT POSSIBLY BE

Jon Bap, “Come Back Home”

A throwaway, but at least it’s not the first track on this album.

Wilco, “Either Way”

I’ve mentioned before that I’ve gradually warmed to Sky Blue Sky. That warmth has reached the point where I’d probably put this record very close to the front of their albums. Probably not past Summerteeth or Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, but very close. Oh, probably not ahead of Being There. Dang, Wilco was really good for awhi…WAIT A MINUTE THIS IS THE FIRST TRACK

GosT, “Garruth”

I cannot describe this, I’m too distracted by my crappy randomizer. Now I want to do data analysis on this stupid blog to see which ordinal number all the songs on here are.

This is a track from Demolition Pumpkin Squeeze Musik, where Q-Bert pretty much goes out of his mind. Some of the finest turntable work around, I highly recommend this whole record.

Atmosphere, “Yesterday”

Goddamn, I’m a sucker for a loop built on a piano riff. Here, “Love Finds Its Own Way” by Gladys Knight & the Pips is the source, and the resulting beat is a thing of wonder. I just can’t get enough of this.

NoFX, “Brain Constipation”

Ribbed is probably where NoFX really came into their complete sound. They would more or less sound like this for…well, at least until I stopped buying records. I guess there’s a certain value in consistency.

Can, “Vitamin C”

Meanwhile, there are more surprises in this one track than in an entire NoFX album. Leibezeit is on fire on the drums here.

Dogleg, “Bueno”

Fuck yeah!

DJ Premier is one of the best to ever do it, and Daily Operation captures him near the top of his form. His beats are spare but bracing, with everything having a purpose, which is to hit hard. Guru is similarly direct, without a lot of embellishment, leading to a record that sounds almost businesslike. That’s not a complaint or anything, it’s nice to hear something that takes itself seriously and has the chops to back it up.

A Forest of Stars, “A Prophet for a Pound of Flesh”

What if we mash black metal up with Jethro Tull?

Rocket From The Crypt, “Thumbmaster”

On their debut record, Paint As a Fragrance, Rocket From The Crypt wasn’t yet fully formed. For one, Apollo 9 wasn’t yet part of the band to lend his sax to the proceedings. The production on the record didn’t help either, it all sounds more flat than the dynamic records that would follow. There are some of the hallmarks of their sound popping up here, but things weren’t yet in full roar. As a result, it winds up being their weakest record, a data point against the whole “punk bands release their best record first” theory.

Bomb The Music Industry!, “493 Ruth”

A delightful track off my favorite BTMI! record, Get Warmer. This band is great because they combine powerful exuberance with undeniable tunes in a way that many bands attempt but few achieve.

The Wedding Present, “No”

Some of the frustrated jangle drained out of the band on the second album, but only the jangle part. Plenty of frustration was still present, it was what powered the Wedding Present through their early years. Instead, things soar and groan where they might have shined previously. It makes for an album that’s as good, but of a different character. Another step down this road of toughening up their sound and a session with Steve Albini would result in their masterpiece on their next record, but again, that’s not to slight Bizarro, which I dearly love.

A while back, I wrote some code to pull data from Discogs for my collection to see what year albums were released for another project that I was working on. That project might still see the light of day! But I’m wondering if there’s some way I could pull data for genres. Discogs doesn’t have genre tags in their structured data, but I could scrape the band description for specific words, I suppose. It would be neat to see what percentage of my collection is, say, punk.

Turnstile, “Mystery”

100%, apparently.

The Temptations, “I Wish it Would Rain”

Right, right, forgot about Motown. AKA “the original punk”, so still 100%.

McKinley Dixon, “Make a Poet Black”

Sorry, can’t keep that bit going. Feels wrong, disrespectful. Although I suppose I should interrogate why I’m willing to poke gentle fun at the Temptations but not a contemporary artist. Probably not good!

The Housemartins, “Hopelessly Devoted To Them”

In the pre-Discogs, pre-Allmusic era, the excitement of discovering about the existence of something like an import-only album for a favorite band was truly electric. Now That’s What I Call Quite Good, a comp that was never released here in the US, was one of those discoveries, and one that I couldn’t wait to special order. After weeks of waiting, I was absolutely charmed to my core, it was absolutely worth all the hassle to hear some new (to me) Housemartins tunes.

There are a lot of questions raised by this blog, most of them unanswerable. Foremost among those questions is “why do I have so many damn albums from the Queers?”

American Music Club, “Patriot’s Heart”

After ten years apart, during which Mark Eitzel pursued a solo career, American Music Club got back together in 2004 for a new album, Love Songs for Patriots. Not only did they pick up where they left off, they really picked up earlier than that. I like it better than San Francisco, and maybe better than Mercury. I think it has a little more vigor than those two albums, although that’s always kind of a relative thing with a band this downbeat.

Common, “Pyramids”

Common’s keeps stretching his bars across an extra measure here and there, providing a propulsive feeling to things that really makes this track feel extra urgent. It’s such a great feeling.

Slint, “Good Morning, Captain”

Music can transport us to places and times effortlessly, a small part of its magic. This song transports me to my bed in a dorm room with the lights off, lamenting a rejection from a woman that seemed like it was going to completely break my heart.

Samiam, “Capsized”

See, now, are you taking notes, the Queers?

A thing I admire about Johnny Marr (who guested on this song) is that he’s cheerfully helped on about a zillion things in his post-Smiths career, and they’re pretty all over the map. And he seems happy to do it. Good for him!

Mastodon, “Stargasm”

I’ve tried on multiple occasions to love The Hunter, and I just haven’t gotten there. It’s not that it’s bad or anything, but I dunno, I just want them to be more elaborate than this. Although it’s pretty funny to call this tune as not elaborate.

Fall Out Boy, “Dance, Dance”

There’s a relatively common idea out there that the first album of a punk band is most likely to be their best album. The rawness of things suits punk better, and that most bands decline from there, goes the thought. I’m not sure how true it actually is, I’d have to be systematic about it. But for some bands, yeah, absolutely. Fall Out Boy is one where I liked each album less than the previous one, as they became more professional and smoother. This, their second, is still good, but it’s the last album from them that I really liked.

Eels, “Railroad Man”

This is probably my favorite song on Blinking Lights and Other Revelations, which is a strong if eclectic record. There’s something about the fuzziness of the track melding with the roughness of his voice that provides a delightful combo.

Karen O & Danger Mouse, “Drown”

I got this record because J-Zone plays drums on the album some, and why not. And, I like it! I need only the flimsy of excuses to try a record, and that attitude mostly pays off.

A thing that is easy to forget about Hüsker Dü is how ridiculously productive they were in their salad days. Zen Arcade, New Day Rising, and Flip Your Wig all came out within a 14 month period, a rate of output that’s even more impressive when you remember that Zen Arcade was a double album. Adding to the awe here is that all three records are bangers, with New Day Rising being my favorite hardcore record (which I’ve definitely never said about any other album!). Flip Your Wig somehow is the weakest of the three, and it’s great! It’s a little lighter, a little poppier, but it’s still full of energy and is probably a bit easier to get into than the other two.

Snoop Dogg, “10 Lil’ Crips”

I never know how to handle someone like Snoop, who is famous enough for everybody to all have formed their opinions. You don’t need to be told who he is! So, uh, moving on!

Sicko, “80 Dollars”

For a band that never had much of a national profile or anything, and that didn’t last that long, Sicko still managed to warrant two different comps that are both worthwhile. The first of those, A Brief History of Sicko, collects singles and EPs along with a live show, and is an excellent release. One of the finest pop punk bands to do it.

The Pietasters, “Same Old Song”

Yes, a Four Tops cover. Stephen Jackson really nails the vocals on this one, and it’s just a delight with those warm horns. It’s a shame that they never really replicated this soulfulness on their other albums.

Radiohead, “Burn the Witch”

I think every time a track from A Moon Shaped Pool has showed up here, I’ve been snotty about it. Probably not a good look. So, I’m going to say something nice about this!

Or at least nothing.

Indonesia duo Senyawa are avant garde in just about every possible way. They play homemade instruments. The music is experimental. The album was released by a bunch of different labels across the globe with no ownership rights to any of them, to challenge the way music is distributed today. And it’s truly unusual stuff, with a sensibility that is at odds with a lot of what I listen to. I genuinely enjoy listening to things that surprise me, so I really like this record.

Guided by Voices, “Exit Flagger”

This tune is on Propeller, which is the earliest GBV album that has really gotten much traction. It’s certainly not as big as Bee Thousand or anything, but Discogs lists 12 version of Propeller, and nothing earlier has more than 6. And it’s easy to see why Propeller works for people, it has plenty of the ramshackle charm and tunefulness of the later records.

K.C. Bowman, “Cactus League Game”

K.C. Bowman was one of the leaders of Lawsuit, a band obscure enough to not even appear in Discogs, and that I only know of because a friend saw them open a show in California and sent me a couple records from them. Bowman only made this one solo record, but I like it a ton, there’s a lot of charm to his songwriting. And Lawsuit was amazing.

Lollipop, “Whey Face Down”

Lollipop made two albums of absolutely primal gutter rock for Amphetamine Reptile Records in the mid-90s. Music with no pretense, no higher ambitions, no grace, just all sneer and grime and racket. I mean, this album is called Dog Piss On Dog, you pretty much know what you’re getting.

Is there any equivalent label to AmRep these days? I miss them.

Rage Against the Machine, “Without a Face”

Twitter has a lot of problems, but one thing in its favor is that it surfaces a constant stream of people somehow only now discovering that Rage Against the Machine is a political band, which is always a delight.

After yesterday, it’s nice to get some noise rock in here to offset that kind of thing. Variety is the spice of life, after all, and around here, loud rock is salt. Uh, or something like that. I’m saying it’s a lot of what we do get around here? So it’s salt, the biggest component of the spice mix? I think analogies work best when they’re laborious and opaque, how about you?

Idlewild, “Little Discourage”

Folks, the singer for Idlewild is named Roddy Woomble, and I’m afraid I don’t have any room for anything else in my brain at the moment.

The VSS, “Sibling Ascending”

The VSS are a post-hardcore band who lasted for just one album, Nervous Circuits, before breaking apart into a couple of bands that I don’t know anything about. There’s a bit of a proggy kind of feel to this that nudges it slightly towards Coheed and Cambria territory, although it’s still pretty post-hardcore. Not a bad record, I guess maybe I should check on some of the successor bands.

DJ Krush, “Only the Strong Survive”

This is the opening of Meiso, the 1996 joint from DJ Krush. And yes, that’s CL Smooth on the mic, sounding great as usual. It’s to Krush’s credit here that you could easily hear this beat coming from Pete Rock instead of him, the way that it fits so well with CL Smooth’s flow.

Leatherface, “I Want the Moon”

Punk rock, baby!

Even over the course of just a few years (this is from 1962), the Motown sound evolved very rapidly. That’s not to say anything wrong with this, it’s delightful, but Motown moved really fast, and by 1965 they would be in a pretty different place. I mean, “Nowhere to Run” is from 1965.

The Beatles, “Good Day Sunshine”

Man, Revolver was really revolutionary! (For the record, this is from 1966, after that Martha & the Vandellas ripper.)

The Supremes, “Baby Love”

Geez! 1964 checking in!

I wonder what the oldest music in my collection is? Probably a jazz record of some kind.

Anderson .Paak, “Who R U?”

Aw, damn. Well, whatever, this track rules man, I’ll forgive it for not existing in the 60s.

Eric B. & Rakim, “I Know You Got Soul”

Back to the 60s!

Hm. What is this? I like it! I don’t remember buying it, that’s all. I suspect I picked it up in a sweep of year end lists and then forgot about it. It’s good! Looks like there’s a connection with Failure here, but I don’t know if that’s why I got it. Anyway, enjoy!

Krallice, “Set”

This is from Krallice’s 2020 release Mass Cathexis. Cathexis is one of those words that must disproportionately appear in a metal context - it sounds badass and nobody knows what it means. I mean, I’ve never seen it outside of a metal context! But I must be misremembering things, it looks like only three albums with the word in it, and 12 songs, none of which I’m familiar with other than this album.

kid606, “Secrets 4 Sale”

kid606’s Down With The Scene appeared on Mike Patton’s Ipecac Recordings, and Patton himself showed up on this track. The glitchy experimental electronic music is outside of Patton’s usual bailiwick, although I suppose he’ll lend his voice to anything as long as it’s weird.

Doughboys, “Every Bit Of Nothing”

Melodic punk out of Canada, the Doughboys cranked out a half-dozen albums in relative obscurity. At least, here in the States, I have no idea how big they were in Canada. Anyway, it’s perfectly pleasant if not especially memorable.

Andrew Bird, “Tin Foiled”

I saw Andrew Bird the other day! My view was, uh, less than ideal.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: this image was lost during a changeover on the blog. At some point. Sorry to anybody reading this in the future. It was a picture at an Andrew Bird concert, where the only part of him that is visible is his legs. The rest of him was obscured by a bunch of equipment.]

The US release of The Clash had a different track listing than the original release, swapping in some songs from UK singles onto the album in place of some of the weaker tunes. Overall, it’s probably a better version of the record, with “I Fought The Law” being one of the additions to the record.

Gas Huffer, “The Rest of Us”

Gas Huffer spent three albums in the majors…well, the high minors, with albums out on Epitaph. But then they went back to their roots: Estrus Records, Jack Endino on the boards, and back to wall-to-wall garage rock. The return to their basics suited them well, it’s a strong record, although I suppose nobody really listened to it. I guess it’s relative: their last Epitaph record has 25 ratings on Rate Your Music, compared to 7 for this album. So, nobody really listened to either of them. It’s a shame, Gas Huffer was good!

The Counts, “What’s Up Front That Counts”

A forgotten funk record from 1971 out of Detroit, they only had a few records, and I’ve only ever listened to this one. But it’s a beast, with that kind of funk/rock hybrid sound from the early 70s creeping in a bit here and there, but mostly going in whatever direction they want. Stretched out, a little bit stoned, but always feeling good, it’s a great album that should be better known.

The Staple Singers, “I’ll Take You There”

Oh my goodness! fans self

Future of the Left, “Johnny Borrell Afterlife”

Good list today!

Ende Neu felt like a bit of a reset for the band, which makes some sense after one of the founding members departed. There’s a lot more things on here that you’d characterize as songs, even nice ones. That’s not to say that it’s conventional, just that the surface of it is pretty conventional. But as always, Neubauten is in the details, and it’s a good album after you dig in, although they’d get more comfortable in this new format on subsequent records.

Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, “Matter of Time”

The opener of Soul of a Woman, this is a slinky groove they’re laying down here for Jones, and she really makes the most of it. Go listen to this and then complain about soul revival to me.

Shellac, “Crow”

The End of Radio is two radio shows recorded for the BBC ten years apart. They bracket Shellac’s overlap with the beloved John Peel, with the first session actually pre-dating their first album, and the last recorded just after he passed away. This is from that earlier session, capturing the punishing, mechanical “Crow” in fine form. Shellac are so good at what they do, and the sessions are so clean, that I’m not sure how important this record really is even for fans. But I also am not going to complain.

The New Pornographers, “Sing Me Spanish Techno”

After being slightly (slightly!) disappointed with Electric Version, Twin Cinema came roaring back. With the gift of hindsight, all three of the first Pornographers albums are really of consistent quality, but first impressions are very hard to shake. I suspect strongly that whatever order the three albums were released in, I would love the first as a blast of fresh air, the second couldn’t possibly have lived up, and the third would therefore seem like a bounceback. That narrative was going to construct itself and attach to the records as long as there were no underlying quality issues that would disturb what my brain was going to cook up. Brains are dumb!

LCD Soundsystem, “I Can Change”

That is a Devo-ass synth noise there.

Well, this is quite a time capsule, isn’t it? This whole early 90s thing of guitar dance music really didn’t age especially well, although at this point, there’s a certain goofy try-hard charm to this, with all the little samples and bits floating in and out.

Swallowed, “Black Phlegm”

Silly Swallowed. Black is for bile, not for phlegm! That’s colorless! Metal bands should really know medieval medicine better than this.

Girl Talk, “I Want You Back”

Before he became known for ultra-smooth, ultra-quick mashups, Girl Talk put out a couple albums of much more noisy mashups. They’re still assembled out of the raw material of other songs, but there’s a lot more manipulation of the source material, and a lot more injected noise and chaos. It’s a pretty different experience, less of a nostalgia bomb and more of a challenging listen, but I still like ’em.

Minutemen, “Take 5, D.”

Just some fuckin’ around, gotta let D. Boon take a break.

Nine Inch Nails, “Not Anymore”

By 2017, Atticus Ross was an official member of Nine Inch Nails, and this was the middle release of a trio of EPs. This is maybe the most like NiN’s classic records of the three, although it does end with a twelve minute thing, so maybe not. They’re all strong releases, and if you haven’t been paying attention to NiN’s later output, this is a decent starting spot.

While I really like their later work, Rising Down is probably the last record I consider a truly great Roots record. It’s hard to say it’s their best, given how much I love Things Fall Apart and Game Theory (and Phrenology), but if it’s not quite there, it’s very, very close. It’s super focused and the band knows exactly what they’re doing. It feels like it didn’t get a ton of attention, but it should have, it’s awesome.

Meat Beat Manifesto, “Dogstar Man / Helter Skelter”

This is the central track of 99%, sort of the best demonstration of their merger of the noises of industrial dance with the rhythms of hip-hop. The album as a whole is a bit uneven, but there’s an enthusiasm to it that has helped it age OK. Probably not the record to start with, though - their later work is more accomplished, and their earlier work is rawer, depending on your preferences.

Melvins, “At a Crawl”

A perfect song title, it’s got that classic Melvins sound, 10/10 no notes.

The Smiths, “Panic”

♫ Burn down Five Songs / hang the blessed blogger ♫

Yazz Ahmed, “Jamil Jamal”

Jazz, my one weakness!

After a sixteen year hiatus, the Afghan Whigs got back together, meaning Greg Dulli decided to start recording music under that moniker. I think there are some shared folks with 1965 besides him, hard to tell from Discogs. Anyway, the music post-hiatus seems like it continues on a straight line from where they left off, but as if they kept making albums in the meantime. If that makes sense? That is, if there were four albums missing in-between and they kept evolving in the same direction, you’d end up where they are now.

At any rate, it’s Dulli singing about his usual subjects, with things being more orchestrated than they used to be, with less emphasis on guitars. It’s not their peak work, but it’s a decent record.

The Adjusters, “Loose Roots”

The Adjusters combined soul with ska to mixed results, but they hit their peak on this album (Before the Revolution). They were willing to drop down to a slower tempo, and the willingness to go into the realm of rocksteady was absolutely to their credit and something a lot of other bands at the time weren’t willing to do.

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, “Kinder Words”

The best Bosstones record, Question the Answers, opens with this tune, a classic bit of Bosstones ska punk. One of the things that I like about the album is that the horn arrangements are really well-integrated into the whole thing, rather than having songs that are more towards punk and having fewer of the ska elements.

Aden, “Green”

Indie pop on Teenbeat Records. If that phrase makes sense, you can already kind of picture what this is, and you’d be absolutely correct. Which, I suppose, you can hear. Sometimes I forget that there’s a playlist on this thing.

Elvis Costello, “Radio, Radio”

Delightful!

With Novelty, Jawbox added a second guitarist to the lineup and the fuller sound really brought them to another level. While I like Grippe, this is the album where Jawbox became Jawbox. “Static” is one of my favorite songs on the album, with my fondness bolstered by the fun novelty 7" they put out as a split with Tar, where each band covered the other band’s song named “Static”.

Prefuse 73, “Busy Signal (Make You Go Bombing mix)”

The first minute or so of this track sounds like the feeling of holding in a sneeze.

Louis Armstrong, “When the Saints Go Marching In”

I generally don’t have a lot of older jazz in my collection, as I have to draw lines somewhere. I can’t listen to everything! Anyway, this comes from a career retrospective of Armstrong put out to accompany the Ken Burns documentary, and I guess I have to assume it’s a decent single-disc overview. But I’m a jazz idiot, so maybe it sucks. Well, Armstrong certainly doesn’t, so I guess I’m rambling.

The Fearless Flyer, “Introducing the Fearless Flyers”

I covered who the Fearless Flyers were last time, but: Vulfpeck, Snarky Puppy, other jazz projects. It’s just good time intrumental funk.

Claude Fontaine, “Our Last Goodbye”

A fitting end for today.

There’s a longing feel to a lot of Floor, an almost wistful tint to the vocal style. When it’s married to the thrumming music, it’s a fun combination.

Beastie Boys, “5-Piece Chicken Dinner”

I love Paul’s Boutique, but this is just a goof out-of-context. OK, it’s a goof in-context also, but it makes sense with the album sequence.

Pyrrhon, “Goat Mockery Ritual”

Oh hell yeah. One of my favorite metal bands, Pyrrhon takes death metal and adds so much dissonance and spastic experimentation that it can sometimes seem overwhelming. I think at some point, it’s gone so far that my expectations are just shot. I don’t know what’s coming next, so I can just relax and revel in the twitchy glory of this whole thing. It’s hard to pick a favorite album from them, you can’t go wrong with any of the three most recent LPs.

Dude York, “Love Is”

Seattle band alert! This is indie rock pretty distilled, with more than a little Weezer going on. I’m not the first person to make that comparison, and it might not be as obvious on this track, because this is one of the rare tracks with bassist Claire England singing. For the other tracks, trust me, you’ll hear it. Anyway, it’s a perfectly enjoyable record, if not exactly groundbreaking.

Botanist, “Light”

Good day for oddball metal! Black metal bands, for the most part, don’t stay black metal for forever. Stuff starts creeping in, whatever that stuff might be. In Botanist’s case, as with so many other black metal bands that aren’t traditional grimdark kvlt bands, is shoegaze. It fits pretty well here, though, as Botanist by inclination has always been an organic, brighter band. Generally, I don’t have a ton of patience for this sort of blackgaze stuff, but they do it about as well as it can be done on Photosynthesis.

This is from the comp Fat Beats Compilation, Volume 1, a nice release from 2001 of a bunch of cats going mostly pretty old-school. Yes, there are multiple DJ Premier tracks on the comp. It’s a fun record, worth just settling back and nodding your head along to.

Death Cab For Cutie, “Grapevine Fires”

As always, I can’t really tell Death Cab records apart, other than Transatlanticism. This is not that record, so I dunno, it’s from Photos About Narrow Voting Plans or whatever. It’s fine, I enjoy this just fine! I’m just going to forget it shortly. This is probably a me problem.

Artificial Brain, “Brain Transplant”

See, it’s been sandblasted completed out of my head now. Of course, this ultra-ultra-ultra technical death metal will do that to just about anything. It’s a real flenser.

Wiseblood, “Someone Drowned In My Pool (12” Version)"

Wiseblood is J.G. Thirlwell (Foetus, about twenty other aliases) and Roli Mosimann (Swans), putting together an album (Dirtdish) and a few singles. It’s more towards the theatrical end of Thirlwell’s sound, as I suppose you can hear here. This song in particular was originally the b-side of the “Stumbo” single, which is this 12" version. A different version of the song is also on the album. Are you going to like this? Well, either you’re a Foetus fan and are suddenly excited to learn about the existence of an entire album of late-80s work from Thirlwell you didn’t know about, or no, you won’t.

Oh, and this is far, far from the most repetitive Wiseblood song. Let’s hope we don’t encounter the most repetitive, which I will refuse to name out of superstition. But it’s the b-side to the “Motorslug” single.

Strange Ways, “Hello Eastside”

From deep on Moon Records’ bench, these guys put out a couple records and then disappeared. Yeah, you’ve heard that story a bunch with ska bands from this period, but that’s kind of how it went. A record or two on Moon, then one more on some tiny successor label, that’s an incredibly common story. Anyway, this record is, well…ok. It’s not one of the ones I’d highlight as a hidden gem.

Sometimes, we get a band on here that I just want to describe as “rock”. Just rock. This is a rock band, playing a rock song. Rock. You want rock? Have rock.

Yautja, “A Killing Joke”

Yautja is most frequently described as a combination of sludge and grindcore, which are two genres that don’t sit very naturally together in my head. There’s a monomaniacal relentlessness to grindcore, a commitment to aggression above all else, that doesn’t marry to sludge’s necessity for timing being key and the flexibility to stretch or compress things. But Yautja makes it work, and it’s a unique sound they’ve assembled. This is from last year’s The Lurch, and I recommend it.

Skinny Puppy, “The Choke (Regrip)”

I’m telling y’all, I’m finding myself Puppy pilled again. I should introduce my teenager to them.

Quasimoto, “Greenery”

I just don’t really know how to describe Quasimoto. I mean, sure - it’s Madlib, channeling his paranoid alter ego Lord Quas, a helium voiced, weed obsessed…thing. But that just scratches the surface. It’s a place where Madlib lets loose all of his oddest musical ideas, his dustiest samples, and his dankest loops. I hate to use the word “dank” these days, but I think it really applies here. Everything is about weed, and everything kind of makes you feel like your head is spinning just a little bit.

They Might Be Giants, “Istanbul (Not Constantinople) (Live)”

The other day, I noted that “Istanbul (Not Constantinople)” might be my most listened-to song, and here’s one of the reasons: I have a bunch of live versions of it. And I’ve listened to this record (Severe Tire Damage) a bunch, which adds to my listens of the song.

The first Hepcat record found the band hitting their first-wave ska sounds right out of the gate. They’d keep moving in this direction with later records, growing more assured as they went, and creating lusher arrangements. But all that said, every one of their records is a good one, even if I might go for them in reverse release order. I guess you can compare this to the version from Right On Time to see how they developed.

Laughing Hyenas, “Seven Come Eleven”

I forgot about these guys! Noise punk out of Ann Arbor, these guys have connections to Mule, and put out four records along the way. I’ve got the middle two of their career, and there’s a rough kind of Birthday Party charm to this stuff. There’s an endless deep library of this sort of forgotten band out there - deep enough that I can’t remember all these bands until I’m reminded of them.

Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”

Ain’t no words sweet enough.

The Dismemberment Plan, “Time Bomb”

Discordance Axis started more than 20 years ago, the Dismemberment Plan even longer, and I’ve been aware of both bands from their beginnings. And to this day, my brain mixes them up, to where I see the Dismemberment Plan come up on shuffle and I brace for grindcore.

Lootpack, “Questions”

Seriously, I’m pretty dumb.

Another tune from the big Dial-a-Song year of 2015, when they revived the old service and kept it going every week. Most of those songs got retooled a bit and re-recorded for a later record, with this one later appearing on Phone Power. It’s a classic bouncy Linnell tune, the sort of song that I’ll never get tired of.

Duke Ellington, “Sophisticated Lady”

As I wrote down the title of this song here, I had a memory of someone with a deep voice singing “soooooo-phisticated” that I couldn’t immediately place. Took me a bit to figure out it was Mike Watt, and then a little bit after that to recall that it’s from fIREHOSE’s cover of Public Enemy’s “Sophisticated Bitch” from their Live Totem Pole EP. So, you know, that’s what Duke Ellington brings to mind for me.

Heh, I forgot that Watt bellows “yo Griff!” in this cover before his solo.

Edan, “Emcees Smoke Crack”

God, that beat is just so buttery, I want to spread it on some toast right now.

Superchunk, “Lying in State”

Superchunk released the Hit Self-Destruct EP (single?) shortly after No Pocky For Kitty, and it rips. “Cadmium” is a banger, as is this. The acoustic “Throwing Things” is also pretty good, so I guess I recommend this whole thing highly. You know, if this stuff wasn’t gathered on some comp or another (Incidental Music 1991-95, for the record).

Richie Hawtin, “What The Hell Was That?”

The Five Songs theme song.

A repeat, but happy to listen to it again.

Dirty Three, “Last Horse on the Sand”

Dirty Three are an instrumental post-rock band out of Australia, distinguished primarily by being led by a violinist. I’m actually more into this sort of sound than I was in the late 90s when this album came out, so maybe it’s worth sitting with the band some more. They certainly have a lot of records out there.

Frank Black and the Catholics, “Bad Harmony”

There’s something immediately recognizable about a Frank Black tune. Sure, this isn’t peak Pixies or anything, but it’s very much him, even before you hear him singing. I think the Catholics records are decent overall, but not earthshaking or anything. But, you know, I do really like listening to Black.

T.I., “Why You Wanna”

In looking, it appears that I only have this one album from T.I. I guess I wasn’t paying too much attention to rap in the mid-2000s, huh?

Mule, “Sugarcane Zuzu”

I ran out of things to say about Mule.

Whiskeytown, “Factory Girl”

I should really listen to this album more often. This is hitting just right.

Oh yeah, that’s that Five Songs insight right there!

This is from a comp from the Twisted Village label (Deep Funnels of Entry) featuring a bunch of the psych rock bands the label had. I don’t even know who was the most famous of these bands - maybe the Crystalized Movements? The answer is “none of them”, I guess. I bought this because I really liked Crystalized Movements, and the rest of the comp didn’t really turn up any new favorites for me.

Let’s Go Bowling, “You Take Me”

I think I’ve mentioned a few times that for the most part, the more traditional the sounds from a band in the third wave of ska, the better I liked them. So yeah, I enjoy this. The harmonica is probably a bit unnecessary, though.

Ihsahn, “Scarab”

I don’t know why, but I’m finding this absolutely hilarious tonight. The vocals, that solo, the pomposity of it all. It’s just impossible to take this seriously.

Antipop Consortium, “Laundry”

It’s hard not to think of Kool Keith when you listen to this, especially given that they shared a label with Deltron 3030. And yeah, it’s broadly in that same vein of cracked beats and elaborate rhymes. Uh, I guess I’m not sure where I was going with this, other than acknowledging the obvious.

Blu, “To the East”

I’m still confused by that last entry, folks, I’m not sure there’s any coming back from that.

Can is the sort of band that intolerable rock dorks will never shut up about, but frustratingly, they’re also right about them. Tago Mago is a double-album, stuffed full of hypnotic rhythms, oddball sounds, plenty of shout-singing, and stretched out compositions. This is one of the founding documents of Krautrock, but that’s not really an argument for the album as Krautrock itself was mostly an influence on other things. So don’t focus on that, focus on the fact that the album is still a great listen. Sometimes even rock docks are worth listening to.

Ed Hall, “White House Girls”

If you’re a noise rock band from Texas, you’re going to get compared to the Butthole Surfers. And most bands will suffer from that comparison, but this record (Motherscratcher) certainly has plenty of reason to exist even if it’s not the Surfers.

Screeching Weasel, “(She Got) Electroshocked”

You know, I’ve pointed to a decline for Screeching Weasel after Anthem For A New Tomorrow, but I sometimes wonder if it was just listener fatigue for me. Had I just gotten my fill and was ready to move on?

Eels, “Hey Man (Now You’re Really Living)”

Even when making a vapid bubblegum pop song, Eels were dialed in enough on Blinking Lights and Other Revelations to make it a fun tune.

King Crimson, “Matte Kudasai”

Oh geez, rock dock bait again!

I’m not going to egghead this for you.

Lifesavas, “Soldierfied”

That beat is structural, you could build an office building on that thing and it would be bomb proof.

Czarface & Ghostface Killah, “Masked Superstars”

This beat is fine, but I’m not quite as excited about it as I was the last one. I kind of feel like Czarface is good, but doesn’t stand out particularly. It’s sort of the shelf-filler of the Wu-Tang supermarket.

The Supremes, “I’m Gonna Let My Heart Do The Walking”

Apparently my copy of the Supremes’ breakthrough album, Where Did Our Love Go, has some bonus tracks on it. My copy has 15 songs, against the expected 12, and this is one of those extras. Did I get some re-issue with this single tacked on? Apparently! Was I able to track down my edition on Discogs? I was not.

christian fitness, “Kill the Bored”

If I kill the bored, I will have no audience!

Budakhan Mindphone is an EP that was released just a few months after Music Is Rotted One Note, where Tom Jenkinson broke free of the gravity of drum’n’bass and moved into really doing his own thing. The lever that broke him free was fusion, but this EP is really more of an experimental thing than pure fusion. It’s a worthwhile companion to the album, well worth looking up if you like this period of his music.

Dis, “A.”

Just a little throwaway bit here.

BIG|BRAVE, “Sound”

Goodness, that’s the opposite of a throwaway. BIG|BRAVE are a metal band, but don’t really fit neatly into any subgenres. Encyclopaedia Metallum doesn’t even have them in there. There’s a lot of drone going on here, there’s some post-rock vibes, there’s a lot of Godspeed You! Black Emperor-style drama. Metal, but blazing its own trail. Ardor is just three songs, and this is the shortest of the bunch.

Yo La Tengo, “For You Too”

There’s a Riot Going On is a quiet album, a contemplative one. It doesn’t have really any of the noise freakouts that stud most YLT albums, nor does it have any really hooky pop songs. It’s honestly a little flat: it’s a warm summer day, but there’s no variation to it, and nothing that makes you really remember anything other than a pleasant time.

The Du-Rites, “Gamma Ray Funk (Live)”

Since their first release in 2016, the Du-Rites have been banging out an album every year, along with some singles to keep things warm. The fourth record, in 2019, was a live album, with some nice variations from the album tracks. As a sampler to get into things, it’s a good place to start.

I’m old, so I’m out of touch with music. Keeping up with the latest artists and releases requires a lot more hustle than I can really perform. Not to mention that my own personal network just doesn’t dig up stuff for me as much as it used to. It’s a natural thing, and it’s just a fact of agint. Music is a young person’s game. But I’m relatively more in touch with some scenes and genres than others. Hip-hop? I’m hopeless. I’ll just randomly come across artists, and I have no idea of how big they are or aren’t, or their reception. So, Logic - I have this record, I like it. He has a billion records though. How is he perceived? How is the rest of his body of work? No idea! It didn’t used to be this way.

Big Boi, “Shutterbugg”

Big Boi, though, I know him!

Death From Above 1979, “Nomad”

DFA1979 put out a banger of an album and then quit, before unexpectedly reforming a decade later and picking up where they left off. The Five Songs affection for rock duos is well-known (to us), so yeah, of course we like this. It’s pretty much a hooky rock song stripped down to its essentials, but there’s nothing wrong with that. I still think the first album is the best, but the revival records are solid work.

Bear vs. Shark, “Catamaran”

Can’t they just get along? Why do the bear and shark have to fight?

Marnie Stern, “Shea Stadium”

The elaborate finger tapping and trash can drums, that is just absolutely my shit right there. Just let me marinate in this right here.

I picked up this record because it was produced by Adam Schlesinger (Fountains of Wayne), and…uh, yeah, you can tell. As Fountains of Wayne light, sure, why not? I have a limited appetite for this kind of pop rock, but hell, I can’t say anything bad about it either.

Skavoovie & the Epitones, “Cat Juice”

I can’t say for sure, but I believe that Skavoovie & the Epitones are the only band in the ol’ library featuring a euphonium. Skavoovie are one of my favorites from the third wave because the horns are so fat and up front, the tunes are bouncy, and while they’re not serious, they’re taking the music seriously. They also tend towards the more traditional sounds of ska rather than a ska-punk hybrid, which has always appealed to me more. Of the three albums, the first two are my favorites, with Ripe probably the pick of the litter.

Eagles of Death Metal, “Wannabe in L.A.”

I think there’s an interesting contrast between these two bands. Both are clearly tongue-in-cheek, but I guess there’s just a bit too much tongue with Eagles. They cross a line a bit for me, and I find it a just a little hard to kind of buy into it with them. I dunno, it’s hard to put my finger on it. If you want sharp analysis, I’m afraid you’re in the wrong place!

Mint Royale, “Don’t Falter”

Mint Royale took some of the electronic sounds of the time (1999, in this case) and softened them a bunch, marrying them to a pop sensibility to make it all go down easier. But, in removing much of the edge, it ends up being pretty forgettable. Pleasant enough, but I’ll forget this as soon as the next track starts.

Dawnbringer, “Nobody There”

What did I say about them last time? Huh. Yeah, that about covers it. This sort of heavy metal revival without really anything new doesn’t provide a great argument for listening to it instead of whatever they are reviving. If you adore this sort of thing and want something new to listen to, sure. But that’s not me.

From the Mocambo Funk Forty Fives, a comp collecting, uh, funk forty fives from Mocambo Records. The label is a reliable source for this kind of stuff, so this collection is a very fun time. Listen to this, the flute lead is delightful.

J Church, “Violent Motions Created”

This is a darker palette than J Church usually work with, both in the music and the vocal delivery. But, as always with them, their instincts for not letting a song drag on serve them well. Get it out there, get the point across, get on to the next thing. You want more? Listen to it again!

Baroness, “Tourniquet”

John Baizley is the only original member of Baroness who is still there with the latest record, Gold & Grey, meaning they’re tantalizingly close to realizing the true rock dream, that of achieving the Jefferson Airplane trick of eventually evolving into a band with no original members left.

johnboy, “Yellow”

A noise rock trio out of Austin, they made two albums in the early 90s and that was that. There weren’t any other bands before or after, just these two records. But they’re good records, so it’s a shame they’re forgotten. I hope they look back on these records fondly!

The Flaming Lips, “Unconsciously Screamin'”

There’s an event horizon for the Flaming Lips - prior to In A Priest Driven Ambulence, the records are too messy for me to really listen to very much or at all. They just got torn apart by the chaos. But this album coheres enough to let the fun parts come through, so it’s one that will get played occasionally.

It’s official Five Songs policy to say that more bands should have horns. Everybody, no exceptions! So, yes, of course we love this stuff. Punk rock, but with a couple saxophones thrown in? Hell yeah! This is how the album opens, which is a great way to get our attention, that’s for sure.

They Might Be Giants, “Istanbul (Not Constantinople)”

I sometimes think about what song I’ve listened to the most in my life. I suspect strongly that it’s either a song from Flood or maybe a song from It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back. I don’t know for sure, but I suspect strongly that they’re the albums I’ve listened to the most. Given that this song had a single released for it, has showed up on various live albums and things, and that my kids like it, this is as good a bet as any song I can think of off the top of my head.

Plebian Grandstand, “Mass Critique”

Well, that’s the Five Songs experience right there. We go from my favorite album of 1990 to my favorite album of 2021. And, uh, there are some differences.

Actually, wait, that’s not true about Flood. No Depression came out that year. And Repeater and Goo. Oh, damn, and Fear of a Black Planet.

Fine. ONE of my favorite albums of 1990.

Vince Staples, “Life Me Up”

The first album from Vince Staples (Summertime ‘06) didn’t come out in ‘06, it’s from 2015. What’s going on here! I’m old and easily confused! Also, this album rules.

The Pyramids, “Consilience”

Right on, solid one today.

A repeat!

New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble, “Call Me”

It seems like a concept that would be kind of evergreen - ska up some jazz standards, add a few originals, off you go. But somehow, it had diminishing returns? Each album worked a little less than the previous one, and by the third, it was down to just “fine”. It’s fine! But that’s all.

The Meters, “Can You Do Without?”

Goddamn!

(It’s been a while, I can have a “goddamn” entry, as a treat.)

Squirrel Nut Zippers, “Suits Are Picking Up The Bill”

I know they’re probably regarded as hopelessly corny, but I’m sorry, this is just a delight. The exuberance of the whole thing is charming, and I love me a trumpet lead. Revivals can be tiresome, but they can also be done properly. Anyway, Perennial Favorites is my favorite record by the Zippers. It’s more self-assured than the previous records, they’re comfortable with what they’re doing, and some of the most affected stuff is by the wayside. It’s just catchy tunes and giant arrangements everywhere.

Dilated Peoples, “Work the Angles”

Broadly part of the back-to-basics movement in the hip-hop underground in the late 90s/early 2000s, Dilated Peoples’ first album The Platform is indeed refreshingly old school. They weren’t quite able to keep it up for forever, but that doesn’t make this record any less fun.

The Police, “When The World Is Running Down, You Make The Best of What’s Still Around”

Remember when I said there’s an art to long song titles? This one is bad.

Well, isn’t that just a party? Those horns, baby. And the bari sax solo!

Sleater-Kinney, “All Hands on the Bad One”

A thing I just noticed: I own four Sleater-Kinney records, and it’s the four Kill Rock Stars ones. Is that because of some label affinity or something? I think it’s a coincidence, but if I were more of a bullshitter, I’d spin some yarn here about that label giving them the right support and freedom to be at their best. But, no, it’s just dumb luck. OR IS IT

De La Soul, “TrainWreck”

While fans waited eagerly for the crowdfunded …And The Anonymous Nobody, De La Soul snuck out an EP to tide us all over. Entitled For Your Pain & Suffering, it was intended to be both an apology for the delay and a teaser for what was to come. It’s a nice showcase for their approach on that record, and it certainly worked in getting me excited for the new record.

Sprain, “Slant”

Can you bolt post-hardcore, post-rock, and noise rock together and make something that doesn’t just sound like a pastiche? Or, to put it another way, is a noisier Slint worth pursuing? It’s hard to avoid that comparison here, of course. The band name (hell, the track name!) point in that direction, and the juxtaposed roar and chime of guitars is really out of Slint’s playbook. But, hell, “noisier Slint” is a fantastic idea, and this album is one that grew on me as I listened to it. Hopefully they don’t follow Slint and only make two records.

Pink Floyd, “The Post War Dream”

The Final Cut is a real downer. I know, shocking, but someone has to say it.

I don’t remember getting this, it’s apparently from 2004, so it wasn’t some random Bandcamp find. They don’t seem to have any links to other bands in Discogs, despite sounding very familiar. And, I’m sad to say, it’s a depressing thing to search for right now, so I guess I’ll leave it at that.

Common, “Be”

Be didn’t break open new ground, not really. But it’s such a good album from start to finish. It’s my favorite from Common because everything is just dialed in perfectly. This is just the intro song, and it goes incredibly hard thanks to that upright bass and the sweet strings, and Common just relaxing into it and slinging his verses. I listened to this twice while I was making this list.

JPEGMAFIA, “Rainbow Six”

Murky and strange, this seems to be actively hostile to the listener in many of the same ways that a lot of the metal we get around here is. It’s offputting initially while our brains have to rearrange to make sense of what’s going on. I find that kind of thing interesting, intoxicating even, so I actively seek out things that mess with me.

A Tribe Called Quest, “We The People….”

I’ve already mentioned my wonder at the reunion A Tribe Called Quest album being good, but it bears repeating: it’s excellent. And that’s not just grading on a curve against expectations. It’s not that I expected it to be depressing and it was OK. No, it’s just straight up a good Tribe record.

Descendents, “Nightage”

There are lots of throwbacks to various eras in punk, but 9th & Walnut is the Descendents throwing it back to themselves. The albums is named after their original practice space, the songs were written in the late 70s, the musical tracks were laid down a couple decades ago by the original members of the band (Tony Lombardo, Frank Navetta, and Bill Stevenson), and just recently were the vocals added and the album was released. The Frankenstein approach to the album doesn’t really come through in the music, but honestly, these guys have their formula and can crank things out. Is it a great record? No, not really. Is it necessary? Again, no. Is it fun? Yeah, it’s fun for me, a guy who listened to a lot of the Descendents as a kid.

Gin, that’s a very good idea.

Television, “Friction”

Forever the song before “Marquee Moon”.

The Beatles, “I Me Mine”

We’re skewing old today, which is fine, because I am old. So old.

Fine, I’ll say something more: Let It Be has some memorable songs, but there’s a lot of wankery on it and it’s kind of a shame that their discography ends with this instead of Abbey Road.

Bob Marley, “Sun Is Shining”

Still old! You know, Marquee Moon and Kaya were released within about a year of each other. I’m not sure why that surprises me - different genres and all. It just hits me a little strange. In addition to being old, I’m also stupid.

Booker T. & the MG’s, “Green Onions”

[whispering] sooo oooolllld

Steady Earnest is an all-star band of Boston ska bands, most importantly featuring Dan Vitale of Bim Skala Bim on vocals. Because he fronts it, Bim is the closest comparison, and if you like one band, you’ll like the other for sure.

James Brown, “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World”

After complaining about not being able to remember if we’ve had songs before, I can say: we definitely had this one. It’s too distinctive to not remember.

Sannhet, “Moral”

Sannhet is an instrumental metal band out of Brooklyn, having made three albums so far of this sort of post-rock meets black metal kind of thing. Of the three records, I think the first one (this one, Known Flood) is the best, sounding the freshest of the bunch. There have been somewhat diminishing returns on the albums afterwards.

Mono Men, “Swampland”

Here we find the Mono Men on their first record, playing a sort of primitive garage rock. But that’s not because they didn’t know what they were doing, the primitivism and back-to-basics was the point of the exercise. If you like your rock music without frills, just down in the dirt, these are your boys. Alas, true to form, this stuff isn’t available on Spotify.

OutKast, “Good Day, Good Sir”

There were not very many skits on Speakerboxxx / The Love Below, thankfully. But here’s one.

Paris Combo, “Attraction”

Boy, we’re all over the place today.

Fifteen is one of the descendent bands of the legendary Crimpshrine, one of those bands that helped spawn an entire scene. Fifteen is where Jeff Ott ended up, and they kept going in the same vein, playing the melodic pop-punk that the Bay Area would soon become internationally famous for. If you love the style, you should check them out as one of the early bands in the scene.

Bad Brains, “I Against I”

One of the most distinctive bands in American hardcore, which is an impressive statement given that bands as diverse as the Minutemen, the Dead Kennedys, and NoMeansNo (among many others) were counted by at least some as hardcore. H.R. is the main show here, with his vocals really setting the band apart, but the fireworks provided by the entire band are not to be missed. I Against I is their best record, and it’s mandatory if you’re at all interested in hardcore.

Rebecca Gates, “Harlesden to Vals”

Rebecca Gates led the Spinanes through three excellent albums, and then set out on her own. She only made one solo record, though (and honestly, the Spinanes were just her with a drummer anyway, so it wasn’t that different) before stopping releasing music. But a decade after, The Float popped up, and it’s like she never stopped, picking right back up with her dreamy take on indie rock. Given how much I love the Spinanes, it was such a delight to hear from her again.

Future of the Left, “Back When I Was Brilliant”

This is currently the most recent Future of the Left studio record, and if this is it, they will have gone out on a high note. Made in 2016 with the help of a crowdfunding campaign, it features the band sounding particularly focused, with this song being one of the best on the record. It’s hard to pick my favorite - ok, it’s not, it’s Curses, but it’s hard to pick my second favorite, but it might be this.

milo, “Landscaping”

who told you to think??!!?!?!?! was the first milo record that seemed to get a lot of attention. I, at least, haven’t heard anything before this, and so obviously that proves it. Anyway, it’s great. Uh, I wish I could say more. Gotta run!

Woo, I am seriously unequipped to comment on this. Kinda feel like I should call it a day.

Butthole Surfers, “Human Cannonball”

We’re with Locust Abortion Technician here, part of the great Surfers run prior to ending up on Capitol Records, somehow. It’s a record that just wanders wherever the band chooses with no particular regard to genre boundaries or anything else, something that can be very difficult to pull off but I wish more bands did.

Highball Holiday, “Why?”

A late release from Moon Records, Highball Holiday have a sort of ska/lounge music hybrid going on. It’s interesting, but for the most part it’s a little tame, so it’s not some hidden lost gem.

(For the record, there was a different track here, by a band that I have in the library who I later learned are very sketchy, so I skipped ’em. I don’t know why I feel I need to mention this.)

Michael Jackson, “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin'”

While it’s not the first record I bought, I think this is the first record that I owned. My sisters and I all received a copy of it in 1982 during the craze for the album, which meant there were, I believe, four copies of the record in the house for some reason.

Bob Marley, “Lively Up Yourself”

Delightful!

Here’s a rarity: Dasher is led by Kylee Kimbrough, who sings and plays drums. Pretty neat! It’s sorta post-hardcore, sorta noise, and is a fun record.

Swans, “The Wolf”

So, this little song leads into the centerpiece of double-album The Seer, the 32-minute epic “The Seer”. Michael Gira manages to capture drama in a way very, very few people manage in music. He doesn’t sound cheesy or overwrought, because his music can carry the weight he places on it. This stuff is best experienced in album form, but it’s an amazing record.

The Maytals, “Pressure Drop”

If you can listen to this and sit still or not smile, we can’t be friends.

Melvins, “Evil New War God”

Seems like it’s been a bit since we’ve had the Melvins around here! This ditty comes to us from The Bride Screamed Murder, the last of the “double-duo” albums where Buzz and Dale were joined by Coady Willis (drums) and Jared Warren (bass) who together are Big Business. It’s a fun period, as the dual drummers give a different feel than some of the Melvins iterations. Buzz can of course keep up his end of things, and all three of the studio records from this partnership are excellent.

NoMeansNo, “Brainless Wonder”

Fuck yeah! Wrong might be my favorite hardcore record (I’ve probably said this about five different albums during the course of this project.) If it’s not my favorite, it might be my most listened to. Well, top three. I’ll come in again.

NoMeansNo’s elaborate take on hardcore peaked with Wrong, where they used their fearsome chops in service to equally fearsome songs. The twists and turns they were capable of weren’t deployed capriciously, but instead to surprise the listener and highlight the times they were just straight burning. After this record, the aggression started draining out a little bit. It doesn’t hurt the music, it’s just that they evolved a bit more in a prog-ish direction. So if you like your music rippin’, this is the record for you.

Eh.

New Bomb Turks, “Professional Againster”

The New Bomb Turks arrived on Epitaph with Scared Straight, and immediately things got more professional. And that’s not a good thing when you’re dealing with this sort of thing. Listen to this - it’s certainly not bad, but there’s a certain theatrical edge here that really cuts against the proper energy of the band. I just don’t think we need the Jerry Lee Lewis thing going on. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy this record, it’s just not as much fun as the earlier stuff.

Kid Koala, “The Observable Universe”

OK, so, where’s my “Music to Blog To”, huh?

Mary Wells, “My Guy”

I have a bunch of those Motown singles collections and highly recommend them, but a thing about them is I put them on and don’t pay a ton of attention to individual artists and just let them wash over me. I recommend it! But this project, by forcing me to credit individual artists, has caused me to notice more about them as we go. So: Mary Wells has a bunch of serious bangers, y’all.

Arrested Development, “People Everyday”

This is one of the singles off of their debut record, one that got a lot of radio play that year. Listening from our vantage point here, it’s a good song, but it doesn’t stand out quite as much because we’re not listening to it in the context of what hip-hop was like in 1992.

At some point, I stopped being able to keep track of which songs have already appeared in this thing. It’s been five years? 6,000+ songs, anyway, and I’ve just lost the ability to be sure if we’ve heard something. Part of me thinks this was a repeat, but I don’t want to check. So we’ll just enjoy it again. Or for the first time?

Run the Jewels, “Call Ticketron”

One of the things about Run the Jewels 3 is that it sometimes feels a little more distant than some of the other records, 2 and 4 especially. Both of those feel visceral and immediate, and 3 seems a bit more cerebral and chilly. Still a great record, of course, but it’s just not quite at the same level as those two.

They Might Be Giants, “Particle Man”

This is from a live show where they played the entirety of Flood, which is…well, exactly that. TMBG put on a good live show, and I love them with all my heart, so I’ll hear nothing bad about this.

The Undercover Dream Lovers, “Up All Night”

Seriously, I’ll cut you!!!

Jawbox, “Chinese Fork Tie”

For the first forty seconds of this song, it sounds like it’s all about to trip down the stairs. There’s an urgency to everything, but not quite the same urgency, and things are lining up in kind of unpredictable ways. That anxious feeling is lovely, propelling one of the best songs on this record (and presaging Burning Airlines quite well).

Silence is a Dangerous Sound: A Tribute to Fugazi is a huge comp, featuring a bunch of bands each doing one Fugazi tune. The interpretations range from pretty faithful to pretty decomposed, as is de rigueur for this sort of thing. I think you have to be a pretty big Fugazi dork to enjoy something like this, but I am one of the biggest, so it’s fun. Most of the pleasure is in doing the Leonardo DeCaprio pointing meme at the songs (metaphorically speaking), but whatever, stupid fun is still fun.

Funkadelic, “Can You Get To That”

The ten minute bookends of Maggot Brain often obscure the rest of the record, which is a shame, as there’s plenty of good stuff in-between. The gravity can really pull your ears one way or another, though.

The Feelies, “Forces at Work”

The Feelies are part of the connective tissue between the Velvet Underground and the college rock scene of the 80s, an important element of the fossil history of that entire branch of rock. Everybody talks about the Velvets inspiring much of underground rock, but the Feelies were a big part of it as well, showing a path forward.

CeeLo Green, “Fuck You”

“Fuck You” was the “song of the summer” in 2010, with its undeniable charm and irresistable (and vulgar) hook propelling it everywhere. Even away from its inescapable year, it’s still a serious jam, and I’m happy to hear it again.

The Temptations, “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg”

That’s perfect: “Fuck You” is basically “what if the Temptations could swear”, so here we get to compare. Nice work, shuffle!

If you’re thinking to yourself “this damn thing sounds like it was recorded in a basement”, congratulate yourself on your fine ears. It was recorded in a basement, proudly, using vintage equipment. Plenty of bands are out there trying to recreate Black Sabbath, but few go to quite these same lengths. Do you need to actually listen to this instead of just listening to Sabbath? What’s the point of ce n’est pas Black Sabbath? Man, I dunno, sometimes I just like my noise to be different.

Fucked Up, “Raise Your Voice Joyce”

I should love Fucked Up, I really should. Ambitious punk rock with plenty of variety in their approach? Sounds great! Except that I don’t like the vocals at all. And while I recognize the ambition, it also feels kind of flat to me. I dunno, it just doesn’t quite work for me, and you have to feel punk in your gut.

Edward Holland Jr., “Leaving Here”

Motown in 1963, folks!

DJ Krush, “Anticipation”

I just never have a whole lot to say about ambient hip-hop. I mean, it’s all kind of vibes. Writing about music is like dancing about architecture, writing about abstract hip-hop is like dancing about architecture, but you’re hogtied.

Negativland, “Clowns and Ballerinas”

Negativland has used children singing on their recordings in several places, often really effectively. This comes from A Big 10-8 Place, their first great record, and this is one of the things that generates the surreal feeling on the album.

Your Choice Records was a DIY label that mostly (entirely?) released live records by established bands. I’ve got several of them, and they’re all very good records. Here, Shudder to Think is in fine form, and this album almost functions like a greatest hits record.

Colossus, “Tsunami”

Colossus is a collaboration betweeen Ayatollah and Widowmaker, with an instrumental hip-hop record coming out of the partnership, which was created using Kickstarter. The compositions are pretty big, and they feel more like full songs, not just beat demos. It’s a nice one to check out if you like this track.

…And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead, “Mistakes & Regrets”

You know, I always think of Madonna as the first Trail of Dead record, but it’s not. I’ve never heard the actual debut. Huh.

Anyway, Trail of Dead are just so incredibly earnest in what they do, it’s hard not to root for them. They do a good job of combining prog and punk rock in a way that sounds organic and not just fussy or weird. Well, mostly. The records actually vary a fair bit in the success of merging their two halves, but Madonna is a solid one.

Merle Haggard, “White Line Fever”

“White Line Fever” was also the name of an expansion to Games Workshop’s crappy Mad Max knock-off game Dark Future, which is what it’ll always be associated with in my head. I actually lost my copy of that game in a move, and despite knowing it wasn’t very good, I also still miss it and want it back. Among other things, I’d like to verify that it wasn’t very good. It’s a sickness.

Floor, “Scimitar”

That groove is mighty, it sounds like a turbine gone wrong.

I don’t know shit about any of this, but I have to say: that song title looks like something from a prog-metal band’s record.

Built To Spill, “Aisle 13”

If I played the first ten seconds of this to you, I wonder how long it would take for you to guess that it’s a Built to Spill song? By a minute, of course, it’s obvious, but still.

The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, “Fuck Shit Up”

Goddamn right, JSBX.

Deerhoof, “The Devil and His Anarchic Surrealist Routine”

Deerhoof, right there to take Spencer’s advice and make it fucked up.

Duckwrth, “Super Bounce”

I guess it’s just one of those days where I’m not saying much. Folks, they can’t all be winners! They mostly can’t be winners. The winner ratio around here is poor.

Fugees, “Ready or Not”

This album was really huge, driven by a rapturous critical reception (and, of course, some seriously bangin’ singles). It represents a little bit of a path not taken for hip-hop at large, though, as the Bad Boy Records era was really taking over around this time, which didn’t leave a lot of commercial space for other approaches. That it didn’t generate a lot of followers is no comment on the quality, of course, as it remains a classic.

Yo La Tengo, “Sugarcube”

A nice confection from I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One, the album that you might describe as their breakthrough, although I think that gives short shrift to a bunch of their earlier records. But, regardless of how much I enjoy New Wave Hot Dogs or Painful, this is the album that seems to have gotten them more attention. It remains as good a place as any to explore their music.

Pallbearer, “I Saw The End”

The third Pallbearer album followed up on the critically acclaimed Foundations of Burden, which was one of those metal albums that crossed over and got attention from non-metal critics. And it’s easy to see why, it’s very approachable music. The clean vocals certainly help the crossover appeal. But enough of that, you’re here, you’re used to having things that sound like a dispeptic grizzly stepped on a broken bottle, so what do we think about it around here? Well, the consistent position of Five Songs (I just checked!) is that it’s fine in the right mood. And yeah - this stuff is actually pretty tame in a lot of ways, and so I really only want to listen to this if I want something kinda heavy but not too heavy. It sounds like a fork in the road in the 80s, where heavy metal could have gone but largely didn’t.

Boris, “Riot Sugar”

Now, Boris, I’ll always listen to Boris.

Tommy McCook, “Armageddon Time”

This is Skatalites founder Tommy McCook doing stuff under his own name, and so of course it rules.

Pissing Out The Poison is a compilation of the early 90s singles and miscellaneous appearances by the New Bomb Turks. As that’s their garage-iest period, this is my second favorite release by them. As you would expect from a comp, it’s pretty uneven, but they’re always bashing away, so it’s never boring.

Floor Baba, “Neon Sands”

There’s kind of a Prefuse 73 feel to this track, with the way that the bass line sounds kind of inverted in parts of it, and the initial spastic rhythms. As the track evolves, it kind of loses that feeling, but it’s kind of a fun connection to make at first.

The Fall, “Winter (Hostel-Maxi)”

I’ve mentioned before that I’ve tried repeatedly over the years to click with the Fall without a lot of success. But I’m pleased to say that microdosing the Fall over the years of this project has worked, and I’ve now taken to listening to their albums and having a great time. So I’ve got that going for me now, I get to be a “guy who listens to the Fall” now, which is an ambition finally fulfilled.

The Coup, “I Know You”

Kill My Landlord was the Coup’s first record, and while from the jump they combined their funk grooves with their social conscience, they hadn’t quite totally dialed in their approach. They would refine things on the next record and then really nail it down on the one after that, but even in a bit rougher form, the Coup are always worth listening to.

All Natural, “Elements of Style”

Now I kinda want somebody to rap Strunk & White.

This song sounds weird in only one earbud.

Green Day, “Nice Guys Finish Last”

nimrod. is the Green Day album I listen to the least. It’s not because of the songs that break out of the pop punk mold, but because the punk songs on it just sound kind of worn out. This song, for instance, sounds like a third-generation xerox of a thing from Dookie. Even on their final record, American Idiot, they brought more energy to the tunes.

Sly & the Family Stone, “M’Lady”

Sly & the Family Stone’s peak isn’t long, either three or four albums depending on how you feel about Fresh, but this album is unquestionably the start of it. An unabashed slice of party funk, it’s relentless in its catchiness and good humor. That good humor wouldn’t last, of course, but this is an irresistable record.

Stevie Wonder, “Uptight (Everything’s Alright)”

When I’m listening to this, everything is indeed all right.

Radiohead, “Motion Picture Soundtrack”

OK, I like Kid A like every other pretentious rock dork, but we had a nice thing going here today. Read the room, Radiohead! This doesn’t cook! Or smoke! Really bringing us down. Complete with a pause before a pointless hidden track and then another pause. Ugh.

For how often I mention Torche, it’s nice to actually get the band in here. Always loud, always delightful.

Samiam, “Factory”

Just going full-on big rock today. With luck, everything we get will soar, and it’ll be a rare feel-good Five Songs list. But, knowing my library, we’ll probably get Einstürzende Neubauten mic-ing up a construction site and hammering on it with a ladle instead.

The Slackers, “Wasted Days”

Well, it doesn’t exactly soar, but it’s still a summery thing, so I’ll count it. The spare guitar in the opening, the gentle unison of the sax and the trombone, all leading to Vic Ruggiero’s plaintive question is one of my favorite moments by the Slackers. They’re willing to just let this languid bouncer cook, resisting the temptation to layer on too much, and it’s such a great tune as a result. The hottest it gets is Hillyard’s solo, but even there, the extra ornamentation is really just limited to some “oooooohhhs” in the background. And bonus points for Ruggiero’s tremendous delivery of the word “sober”. Great tune.

Isaac Hayes, “Walk on By”

Another tune that’s been sampled a billion times, but it’s worthy of visiting the original, because it absolutely smokes. This is the single version, the album version is twelve minutes, maybe we’ll get it some day.

Hammers of Misfortune, “Dead Revolution”

Well, it’s not exactly the sweet finish we were hoping for, but if we were going to get metal, the campy Hammers of Misfortune were probably the best choice. Anyway, solid set today!

Way, way back in probably 1995, I remember making fun of some prehistoric website where someone clearly wanted to be a music reviewer but had no idea how to approach it. He attempted to a bunch of songs, but after writing a sentence or two for the first couple tracks, he just devolved into saying “CLUB BANGA” for the rest of the songs. And that simple phrase, all-caps, CLUB BANGA, has stuck with me now for twenty seven years or whatever. A friend and I used to just text that phrase to each other sometimes, and it never failed to hit.

As this blog grinds inexorably onward, squeezing every last stray thought and limp opinion out of me like I’m a spent tube of toothpaste, we gradually but inevitably approach the day where I finally run out of things to say. The CLUB BANGA event horizon isn’t yet detectable, but it’s out there, it looms in my brain. I will one day become one with that poor, overmatched soul that I once mocked.

Clem Snide, “Nick Drake Tape”

But today is not that day. Today is the day I tell you all about CLUB BANGA, which puts it off by at least a day.

The Midnight Hour, “Better Endeavor”

As a reminder, the Midnight Hour is a collaboration between renowned hip-hop producers Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Adrian Younge, with a studio album and a live album to their credit. As you’d expect from two folks like this, it’s super high quality, and if you like this, you’ll like the album.

Karl Hendricks Trio, “Get Out Your Hankies For This One”

There’s an art to a long song title. If you push it too far, it crosses the line from being charming to pretentious, and you just kind of look desperate. You’re the kid wearing a lampshade on your head at a house party, not because you think it’s funny, but because it’s the least creative way you could come up with to get attention.

Anyway, the Karl Hendricks Trio usually nails it. There’s some substance there to put a picture in your head, but not so much verbiage that you get tired waiting for the title to end.

Negativland, “Chicken Diction”

I really thought we were getting “Good Morning Good Morning” there for a second.

Flavor Flav belting out “cancer!” in the first verse always kills me. Also, I always appreciate it when rappers Remember A Guy, with Nick Van Exel getting name checked here.

The Grifters, “Spaced Out”

I’m pretty sure that I’ve lamented this before, but it’s a real shame that the Grifters managed to get to Sub Pop, the relative big time, and only released one record there before breaking up. I suppose they didn’t exactly fit into the general grunge aesthetic (grunty guitars and gruntier singers), but they at least fit pretty well alongside both Pond and the Afghan Whigs, both of whom made the majors. Well, anyway, all five of the Grifters records are worthwhile, with this one being the most polished of the bunch.

Pitchblende, “Karoshi”

I should run some analytics to see what percentage of my collection comes from what years. I’m guessing that the early- to mid-90s are probably my densest period, just because I was in college and all I did was collect and listen to music. At any rate, here’s more early 90s rock!

Jeff Rosenstock, “You, in Weird Cities”

Jeff Rosenstock’s second solo record, We Cool?, is where I think he found another gear. This album and the ones following it are rivaled only by PUP’s records from the same time period for my favorite punk albums of the past bunch of years. It at least proves that I am capable of loving recent punk releases!

Mary Wells, “You Beat Me To The Punch”

Delightful!

You know, there’s more than a little similarity between Uzeda and the Dog Faced Hermans. There’s no personnel connection between them, but there’s a shared space of a kind of arty noise rock. Excellent stuff.

Squirrel Bait, “Kick the Cat”

No! Squirrel Bait, I just said nice things about you the other day. Don’t kick the cat!

N.W.A, “Express Yourself”

When I worked at WRCT, there was shelf in the DJ booth with all the new releases that the program manager wanted us all to work into our shows. We were required to play a couple songs from that shelf each hour. You could choose whatever you wanted and there were always plenty of things across genres. To assist us with the task, every new release that came into the station was listened to by a member of the staff and we wrote up some quick notes on an index card to help DJs make good choices. A key thing to note on those cards was which songs were safe to play outside “safe harbor” - in other words, which ones didn’t have profanity.

I remember getting this album out of the stacks one day, looking at the review card, and seeing that both this track and “If It Ain’t Ruff” were both profanity-free. I couldn’t believe anything on this album qualified, and I’d never actually noticed in all the times I’d played it.

Anyway, I played “Fuck the Police”, because it was 4 AM on a Tuesday and nobody was listening.

Dr. Dre, “Intro”

Aw, just an intro track, it would have been fun to get a full track from Compton after that one.

Young Fresh Fellows, “Rock ’n’ Roll Pest Control”

The first song on the first Fellows album! This is where it started, enjoy!

I have largely ignored Costello’s work past his salad days. Imperial Bedroom is more or less the last of his records I regularly listen to. No real reason for it, honestly, I just kind of feel like I have enough Costello. I broke that rule of thumb with Momofuku, his 2008 release, after I heard it was banged out in a matter of a few weeks. I thought the urgency might be fun to listen to. And, it’s fine? It’s a Costello record, there’s nothing wrong with it. But I still just go back to his earlier records.

Gilla Band, “Going Norway”

Note that this album was recorded when they still called themselves Girl Band, but they have changed the name. Anyway, this is experimental noise rock out of Ireland, and fuck yeah I like it. If you’re a longtime reader of Five Songs (and, as always, I’m sorry), you know that anything credibly describable as noise rock is pretty much always going to be our jam. And so it is here.

Laika, “Coming Down Glass”

Given that this was released in 1995 and had a strong groove, it’s kind of an upset that nobody ever really described this as trip-hop. Spiritually, I suppose it’s not too far. Like if you used Meat Beat Manifesto as your base for trip-hop inspiration.

The Avalanches, “Since I Left You”

Is it possible to announce yourself with authority this smoothly? This is the title track and opener from the first Avalanches LP, and it sets the tone beautifully for the proceedings. There’s something nostalgic about it, without actually making it clear what old world it’s evoking. But the plunderphonic approach feels so familiar, it just kind of scratches your brain in a very specific way to make you think you’ve heard this before. A truly great record.

Dog Faced Hermans, “The Hook and the Wire”

In the past, we’ve strongly endorsed the Dog Faced Hermans as one of the 90s forgotten weird bands, but it truly does bear repeating: this shit rules. Pretty good lineup today!

Analphabetapolothology gathers together Cap’n Jazz’s one LP with their non-album releases onto one delicious record, capturing the entire work of one of the great but forgotten bands of the mid-90s underground. Like Squirrel Bait, they’re more known for their successor bands than their actual work, as both Joan of Arc and the Promise Ring came out of Cap’n Jazz. But also as with Squirrel Bait, ignoring the parent band’s output would be a huge mistake, as it’s bursting with ideas and energy. This comp really is one of the highlights of the 90s, and if you haven’t listened to it, my goodness, you’re in for a treat.

Jay-Z, “Encore”

I know I’ve clowned on the whole “this is my final album” thing about The Black Album, but nevertheless, it’s extremely funny. Depending on what you count as proper albums, this is getting very close to being the midpoint of his career, instead of the end of it. Good album, though.

The Story So Far, “Growing On You”

At some point, I just lost track of the punk and emo scenes. It’s not that I stopped listening to music in that style, it’s just that I mostly stuck with the stuff I already knew (like, say, Cap’n Jazz). I suppose each generation creates its own stuff like this, so it’s not really for me. It hasn’t stopped me from picking up essentially random records at times, like this one, and there’s nothing wrong with any of them. But mostly I just go back to my standards. It’s because I’m old.

Primitive Man, “The Lifer”

“Knuckle dragging” is the sort of thing you read a lot in descriptions of metal. It implies a certain caveman approach, a hammering lack of subtlety, a band that just bashes until things stop moving. But if you’re wondering what the actual sound of knuckles dragging is, well, here you go.

Bitch Magnet, “Valmead”

God, I want to just take off all my clothes and roll around in that rhythm section.

I know that as an underground rock dork, and a fan of experimental music, I should really regard Heroes (or at least the Eno years) as Bowie’s peak. But I just can’t do it. Gimme the Ziggy Stardust stuff first, please.

Daft Punk, “Revolution 909”

Daft Punk’s first LP (Homework) took house music and brought it to disco, and by resurrecting that sound of the 70s, managed to sound fresh. I think they’d do a lot more with the formula later, but this is where it started.

Really obscure stuff today, huh?

Clipse, “Intro”

Goddamn, those Neptunes beats hit so hard. This album bangs so hard.

Keeping it underground so far!

Full of Hell, “Industrial Messiah Complex”

OK, you all have your opinions of Full of Hell, so you probably don’t need my thoughts here.

Sicko, “fB Song”

Gonna break out of the conceit here to just mention that A Brief History of Sicko is a comp of their miscellaneous non-album tracks, and as a certified Sicko sicko, I adore it. The Sicko discography isn’t super long, but we here at Five Songs celebrate all of it.

Jonathan Coulton, “Still Alive”

Yes, the song from “Portal”. But even though some of the worst dudes you know get far too excited about this, it’s a fun tune. Don’t let the nerds ruin shit!

Hath, “Apparition”

No recollection hath I of picking this up. Given that this wasn’t released on a label, and given the time, I’m guessing this was from a bundle that I picked up somewhere. Metallum tags these guys as “progressive blackened death metal”, and I dunno, doesn’t seem especially blackened to me. I guess I sorta buy the progessive modifier? Ehh, I guess it gets blacker towards the end. Also, I absolutely zoned out for about four minutes there.

The Mr. T Experience, “Parasite”

Making Things With Light is where I think MTX really put it together, and the run from here through Love Is Dead is charming. Just fun stuff all throughout.

Steely Dan, “Monkey In Your Soul”

I’ve read several folks saying something to the effect that Steely Dan is sort of the ultimate Dad Band, but I’m not really sure that’s true. There are too many music critics who are enthusiastic and vocal about them, and there’s just a little bit too much cache among the underground. I dunno, it’s hard to knock the Rolling Stones off this particular perch.

Gas Huffer, “Overworked Folk Hero Guy”

Always a delight for Gas Huffer to show up here.

[don’t mention Pavement don’t mention Pavement don’t mention Pavement]

Hey, that doesn’t actually sound much like Malkmus! It’s more like Spiral Stairs.

[nailed it!]

Beck, “Sexx Laws”

Midnite Vultures starts off like this, letting us know that we are in for Party Beck instead of Sad Beck. I like Party Beck a lot more, personally.

Cannibal Ox, “Ox Out the Cage”

It’s always fun to hear a record that still sounds fresh more than twenty years later. El-P’s production on this record is so good that it still sounds futuristic even after all this time. A great record!

The Du-Rites, “Gamma Ray Funk”

Another J-Zone track today! The Du-Rites’ third LP has them creating a soundtrack for a non-existent TV show, their tribute to the funk of the cop shows of the 70s. As with everything the Du-Rites have done, it’s a fantastic time.

Mastodon, “Where Strides the Behemoth”

Mastodon’s first record found the band with plenty of their stylistic markers already in place, from the prog-ish tendencies to the fill-tastic drumming. I think they would only improve from here (at least for a few records), but a point I’ve often made here is that it’s a mistake to only focus on a band’s best records to the exclusion of the other worthy records in their discography. So instead of spinning Blood Mountain again next time, I’m going to give Remission a go.

It’s another largely forgotten mid-90s underground rock band! Overwhelming Colorfast put out three records, all of them pretty solid exercises in Hüsker Dü-esque melodic loud rock. That comparison, by the way, is pretty much required due to Bob Reed’s singing so strongly resembling Bob Mould’s. Although, truthfully, this is more like Sugar than it is like Hüsker Dü. Anyway, it’s decent stuff if you’re into this sort of thing.

Pile, “Rope’s Length”

There are some bands that kind of don’t fit neatly in any particular genre, leaving me to just describe them as “rock”. Or indie rock, I suppose, although that’s not a super important distinction these days. Pile wander a bit, sounding a bit post-hardcore sometimes, a bit noise rock sometimes, a bit this, a bit that. It’s a nice mix, and I quite like them, but I also throw my hands up a bit. It’s rock, have a listen, what do you think?

Oh yeah, that’s good critic-ing!

Soul Supreme, “Let’s Ride”

This is from an EP, a tribute to J Dilla, featuring re-workings of a bunch of his tunes. This is a Q-Tip joint originally, and this version features J-Zone rockin’ it on the drums, so it’s all very tasty.

Mary Timony, “The Golden Fruit”

After the breakup of Helium, Timony went solo for a bit, and this is from her first solo record. It’s more eclectic than Helium was, with more of a space-y vibe to the whole thing. It’s not my favorite work of hers, but it’s of course interesting.

Negativland, “Electricity (1987)”

Negativland’s Don Joyce started a radio show on Berkeley’s KPFA in 1981, and it continues to this day even after his passing on in 2015. While it started as just a regular radio show, it gradually evolved into a strange collage thing, featuring a cast of regular characters and an overwhelmingly surreal feeling. Some of the episodes were released as standalone records, giving us a glimpse into the bizarre world lovingly created by Joyce and his collaborators. It’s hard not to see echoes of this in something like Welcome to Night Vale or other oddball narrative podcasts.

Gojira, “Lizard Skin”

FUCK YEAH

Conlon Nancarrow, “Study for Player Piano No. 3a”

There’s only so much one can really say about any particular Conlon Nancarrow track. At least, if one is not a music theorist or music egghead or whatever you want to call a smart music person. How many ways can I say something sounds like an alien wrote it? Anyway, this isn’t random or anything, it’s just messed up.

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, “Hell of a Hat”

I know that it’s deeply unfashionable to still like the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, but Question the Answers is an undeniably fun record. It’s the right amalgam of their punk tendencies and juicy horns, giving a great platform to lett Dickie Barrett’s charisma shine through. It’s not their breakthrough, but it’s their best record.

Cinerama, “You Turn Me On”

This song appears on the first Cinerama record, Va Va Voom, but here comes from the John Peel Sessions record from 2001. David Gedge is in his best Watusi mode here, sounding intimate and confessional, and this is just a sweet tune. This is Cinerama at their best, really.

Krallice, “Autochthon”

FUCK YE…oh, I did that already today. Well, dammit. Now I have to say something intelligent. Dimensional Bleedthrough, the second Krallice album, is an endurance test. This song, at 9:31, is far from the longest on the record, with four songs handily crossing 10 minutes. Krallice is still very much operating in black metal mode at this point, although it shows plenty of the sophistication the band had from the beginning. This is endless winding guitar lines, always with purpose, but never in a rush to get you where they’re going. It’s meditative in a way, or it would be if it weren’t such a racket.

I have no recollection of getting this record, but I can say: that is a very funny song title.

Unrest, “Firecracker”

On Imperial F.F.R.R. (that stands for “full frequence range recording”), Unrest not only delivered an excellent album of jangly indie pop, but also managed to sneak in some fun experimental stuff. Like this bad boy. This whole album very much does not sound like this, but it’s nice to break things up.

Vaz, “Blue Lip Special”

Jeff Mooridian (drums) and Paul Erickson (guitar) formed Vaz shortly after Hammerhead’s breakup, carrying forward the noise rock of the previous band. While it doesn’t quite get to the heights of Hammerhead, it’s still excellent stuff, and I’m glad that they kept making music.

Sticky Fingaz, “Money Talks”

Sticky Fingaz was part of Onyx who eventually set out on his own. He kicked things off with a bang with [Blacktrash] The Autobiography of Kirk Jones, a hip-hop opera in the vein of Prince Paul’s A Prince Among Thieves. It’s fun having a narrative running through the album, and it’s a very good listen.

The Toasters, “Keep Going On”

Got some real marching band vibes to the horns here. I kinda want to shove this track in a locker.

Tortoise had five years between this record and the previous one (not counting their collab with Bonnie “Prince” Billy), and when they came back, they were sounding pretty energized. This track is a good example - it starts out sounding like a contemplative piece of post-rock, but it eventually turns into what sounds like at least two different songs being played at the same time. Fun stuff!

Pig Destroyer, “House of Snakes”

The most recent Pig Destroyer album (Head Cage) is a long ways away from the grindcore that they are known for. Nowhere is that more apparent than on the album closer, this little ditty, seven minutes of what’s basically sludge instead of grindcore. They added a bass player to this album, and I guess it all went to their heads.

Jurassic 5, “Freedom”

The second Jurassic 5 album isn’t quite as raw as the first one, but it’s also not quite as energetic and playful. It has plenty of bangers on it, but that trend towards taming their sound would unfortunately sink the band, as this is their last good album.

One Groovy Coconut, “Now or Later”

Yet another side-project of the New York City ska scene, One Groovy Coconut was also a one-and-done band. And it’s a shame, because their take on the sound was delightful - bouncy and sprightly, it’s an extremely good time. For some reason, I also pick up some Elvis Costello vibes from them. It’s a totally forgotten record at this point, but it’s legitimately one of the hidden gems of the third wave.

Apollo Brown & Joell Ortiz, “My Block”

A pretty good day today!

Now, I’m kinda sitting here wondering what it would sound like if Touché Amoré covered Rush. Or the other direction! Maybe a split single, with them covering each other. I’d listen to that.

Harvey Milk, “Brown Water”

Just had Harvey Milk the other day, this is nice. Well, not nice exactly. It’s nice they came up again? Anyway, it seems like I don’t even see much discussion of the band, they don’t seem to be anybody’s touchstone or point of comparison. I guess I don’t really know why that is, except that I suppose I don’t ever reference them either. Anyway, this record (Courtesy and Good Will Toward Men) is excellent, you should listen to it.

Kool & the Gang, “Winter Sadness”

To my ears, Spirit of the Boogie is the last essential Kool & the Gang record. As they moved away from funk and more towards disco, they stopped clicking with me, but that still leaves a half-dozen or so great records.

Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard, “Tralfamadore”

It’s never not funny.

Drive Like Jehu, “Do You Compute”

A masterpiece. Old farts like me won’t shut up about Drive Like Jehu, and in my defense, they extremely rule and I’m right to not shut up about them. If Drive Like Jehu isn’t playing, the other people in the room should be asking “why is Drive Like Jehu not playing?”

A thing that always strikes me about this project is that it seems like past me always had better judgement and taste than present me. It’s very strange living in your own shadow and constantly having your own diminishment displayed so clearly.

Tilt, “Lips Tits Hips”

I mean, sometimes.

Sacred Son, “The Blind and Feral Whiteness”

Well, here’s another one of those records that I remember buying, and even recall listening to, but don’t remember why I picked it up. I actually usually retain some context around albums and why I pick them up, but occasionally, a contextless record bobs along in here. I guess it just arrived on my doorstep one day.

Destruction Unit, “The World On Drugs”

Psychedelic noise punk out of Arizona, honestly, they had me at “noise”. There’s something about a good squalling roar paired with clattering drums that never goes out of style. Especially if it sounds like it was recorded inside an unfinished basement. Lovely!

Bricks, “History of Lies”

There are some flashes here that are extremely Superchunk, which is fun, as this stuff all preceeded that band. This album is only really recommended for Superchunk sickos, but if you are, it’s worth checking out to hear where they came from.

A difficult question to answer is “what is the best Lambchop record?” Part of the problem here is that they’ve evolved gently over their existence, but don’t really have recognizable periods where one could really say that that style is your favorite. Another problem is their consistency, where the albums are pretty uniformly excellent, but there’s not really noticeable jumps and dips. It’s all a big, good plateau.

But, if I had to answer, I suppose my answer is Nixon? But probably just because I’ve listened to it more than any others.

Jon Spencer, “Beetle Boots”

This is from Jon Spencer’s solo record in 2018, Spencer Sings the Hits, which sounds pretty much exactly like a Jon Spencer solo record in 2018 is going to sound like. He’s such a distinctive singer/yelper, and he’s got his songwriting groove, and he does what he does. It’s not as good as JSBX, there’s just not quite the same edge to things, but even Spencer a step down is still plenty fun.

Swingin’ Utters, “Picture’s Perfect”

The Swingin’ Utters cranked out nuts-and-bolts punk rock, wearing their Clash influences on their sleeve, and were perfectly enjoyable if perhaps a bit uninspiring. This is actually the last album of theirs I picked up, and it looks like they just kept chugging along. Maybe they evolved? I probably won’t find out.

They Might Be Giants, “Nanobots”

Delightful! A thing that TMBG usually manages to pull is that they can be clever without being cloying. They aren’t constantly winking at you, waggling their eyebrows, just begging you to acknowledge their cleverness. They do this because they want to, and it’s fun, not for you to be impressed.

Nipsey Hussle, “Status Symbol 3”

Nipsey Hussle’s first major release, Victory Lap, would turn out to be his only, as a result of his murder a year later. I didn’t really follow his early stuff during his underground phase, so I can really only lament that his life was so tragically cut short.

Not much to say about the song, but I do think it’s funny that Hollywood Records (a Disney label!) had Seaweed signed at one point.

DJ Vadim, “Your Revolution”

Damn, that drum resonating in this beat, that’s delicious.

Teengenerate, “Stink”

Perfect name for a band like this, perfect song title, no notes. Looks like a short one today!

No Use For A Name, “Exit”

Oh god, nine minutes. Nothing on Fat Wreck Chords should last nine minutes, unless it’s an entire release. I don’t remember if this is one of those CD things where they merged two songs together, with some silence in-between, to create a hidden track. Often a cover. Let’s find out together!

[minutes pass]

HELL YEAH NAILED IT. I swear, I didn’t remember that, but it was such a common move in the mid-90s. Anyway, this is like a Weird Al polka track, only not amusing.

Crudbump, “King Me”

Well, that’s a palette cleanser.

This comes from the deluxe reissue of Uncle Tupelo’s second album, Still Feel Gone. And, you know what? I’m just going to get sentimental here. I really miss Uncle Tupelo! I know that we ended up with plenty of great music from Tweedy and Farrar, so it’s not some tragedy or anything. And maybe their partnership breaking down is one of the things that unleashed their creativity, sure, sure. But, their alchemy was special, and Uncle Tupelo was brilliant and still touches me. I miss ’em.

The Mekons, “Trouble Down South”

Wow, going full alt-country here! Fear and Whiskey is widely credited with kicking off the category of alt-country, a category which Uncle Tupelo seized and became the standard bearers for. I could do with an all alt-country special.

Gang of Four, “Natural’s Not In It”

Dang, we’re just going with the influential shit today, I guess. Well, Entertainment is not just one of the foundational records of post-punk, but it’s also more or less the ur-text of the jittery dance punk bands that would be all the rage at various points, especially the early 2000s. As a result of all that later stuff, this 1979 album still sounds pretty modern.

Jawbreaker, “Boxcar”

As per usual, even if a band is great, live albums are pretty unnecessary. So it is with Jawbreaker’s live album, although I gotta say, this is a killer lineup today so far.

Steel Pole Bath Tub, “Park Night”

OK, maybe not the same historical reputation as the other four, but still pretty darn good. Nice job out there today! (slaps Plex on the butt)

Has it been a while since we’ve had extreme metal on here? It seems like it has been. Sunless’s 2021 release, Ylem, is a fine example of the sort of dissonant death metal that I usually go for in the death metal space. While I’m not sure it’s super stuck with me like my favorites in the genre, it’s crunchy and plenty surprising, so I like it.

Yung Bae, “Intro”

I’m not sure I’m actually allowed to listen to somebody named “Yung Bae”, frankly.

Booker T. & the MG’s, “Melting Pot”

You know, were it not for the presence of that first track, we’d have ourselves a nice little summer playlist building up here!

Reflection Eternal, “Africa Dream”

Reflection Eternal is Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek, who made this record after Black Star fell apart. While it can’t quite scale those same heights, it’s an excellent record, as Hi-Tek is a great partner for Kweli’s dextrous rhyming.

Hmm, according to Discogs, Reflection Eternal got together for another couple albums much later, I’ll have to check those out.

The Dead Milkmen, “In Praise of Sha Na Na”

As the references the Dead Milkman make recede further and further into the past, their music makes less and less sense. But it didn’t even make that much sense in the first place! Ah well, I’m sure kids these days have their equivalent. The Dead Milkmen can neither be created nor destroyed, but merely transformed.

I’m a huge Seattle homer, so when I mention that this is a Seattle act, just deflate your ratings appropriately. But after a charming EP (on cassette!), they put out their first LP in 2020, and it’s quite good. Their lineup is pretty extensive (six people), resulting in some nice, full arrangements for their tunes. I don’t know that it’s surprising, but I just enjoy having some rock sometimes, especially from the Pacific Northwest. Listen local!

People Under The Stairs, “Selfish Destruction”

The first track on 2012’s Highlighter, it’s a little further away from the bouncy, party grooves that they usually lay down. The whole album isn’t quite like this, but it’s nice to hear them depart from the formula now and then.

Einstürzende Neubauten, “Silence is Sexy”

God, it’s so good. I think it would have been simple and hacky to make a song titled “Silence is Sexy” turn into some giant tumble of noisy savagery halfway through. It would have been the obvious punchline. But Neubauten didn’t go there - the song still is loaded with drama, still builds, but you do not predict where it’s going.

Rockabye Baby!, “Just Like Heaven”

Goddammit, I was having a good time.

Amogh Symphony, “Osir”

Some real whiplash going on today. Whatever, I’m not going to try and parse it. Enjoy!

Bedhead is the musical equivalent of a weighted blanket.

Lambchop, “The Gusher”

Lambchop is, uh, a velvet smoking jacket, a faded photo of your grandparents, a mostly empty bottle of rye, and a ticket stub for a concert that you can’t actually tell who it was for but you know it was an excellent concert.

PIG, “Valley of the Ignorant”

PIG, meanwhile, is what you get when it’s J.G. Thirlwell who was trapped in amber and they weren’t preoccupied enough with whether they should.

OK, I think we’re done with this.

Has-Lo, “Paulie”

A lot of the time, when you’ve got a hip-hop track at 1:26, it’s an abstract song that is just a showcase for a beat, so it’s fun to have a full song in that 1:26 with lyrics and everything.

Negativland, “Favorite Things”

I wish I knew why I enjoy this sort of thing so much, but I do.

Beyond the disorienting pluderphonics thing being totally in Five Songs’ wheelhouse, anything which calls Jim Morrison a moron is A-OK with us here.

The Melvins, “Honey Bucket”

The Melvins’ 2021 release, Five Legged Dog, is an all-acoustic exploration of their sound. It features songs from across their entire catalog, alongside some assorted covers of other bands. This tune comes from their major label breakthrough (?) Houdini, and it’s fun to hear an alternate take on it like this. It’s impressive how heavy they can get this to sound without the usual roaring amps. This is an inessential record, but any Melvins weirdo needs to hear it.

UFO Or Die, “Barny Love Tape (Big Frame)”

As disorienting as plunderphonics is, it’s got nothing on UFO Or Die.

The Perceptionists, “Frame Rupture”

The Perceptionists are Mr. Lif, Akrobatik, and DJ Fakts One, with a couple early 2000s albums before Mr. Lif went solo. But even as a solo artist, he still collaborated with both of the other guys, so the Perceptionists kind of sounds like a trial run for his later work. They would release a record in 2017 under this name as well, and if you like Mr. Lif, it’s worth tracking this stuff down. If you don’t, you’re a goof.

PUP, “Matilda”

I love PUP so much.

Any time you hear the word “collective” in relationship with a band, you know you’re in for something. Golden Dawn Arkestra are one of those, from Austin, and are inspired by Sun Ra, trying to do the whole cosmic exploration stuff. Some funk, jazz, Afrobeat, whatever else occurs to them gets thrown in the blender. It’s a lot, and I don’t know, it seems a little unfocused to me. I only have this one record, and I think as a drop-in here, it works, but the whole album is a bit exhausting.

The Strokes, “Last Nite”

You’ve got your opinion on the Strokes, and so do I. The very short version is that I think the narrative around the band saving rock or whatever is super, duper dumb. But judged just as tunes, this is fun stuff.

The Suicide Machines, “Permanent Holiday”

The first Suicide Machines record (which saw any real distribution) was a bracing blast of ska-punk, played at blistering speed and with a fantastic sense of fun. The returns kind of kept decreasing on each subsequent record, though. We’re now at the third (proper) release here, and this is fine? But not super exciting.

Public Enemy, “2 (resPEct)”

Did you all know that Public Enemy just kept going? There have been a few multi-year gaps in their releases, but they’ve never stopped putting out records. I wish I could say you’ve been missing out on some groundbreaking stuff, but alas, I cannot. A lot of what they’ve released since their salad days kind of sounds like a prelude to something, instead of a fully formed record.

The Dramatics, “In The Rain”

This song has been sampled so much, particularly by the RZA for the Wu-Tang and related projects. But aside from the pleasure of hearing the original source of things, this song is also a proper jam.

The first two BDP records are landmarks in rap. BDP managed to both bring in a lot of the hardcore style that would later be pushed further into gangsta rap, but also introduced a lot of the socially conscious elements that would be picked up by acts like the Native Tongues. The second BDP record in particular demonstrated that KRS-One was still a force even after the tragic death of Scott La Rock between the two albums. You can draw a straight line from this to so much of 90s rap, but KRS-One’s delivery is so strong that it sounds good on its own even without the historical interest.

Tar, “Mach Song”

After two LPs and a handful of singles with Amphetamine Reptile Records, Tar moved up the independent records ladder by signing with Touch & Go. The first album from that partnership, Toast, finds the band with their clearest recording ever, but still preserving some of the essential murkiness of their sound. There’s a certain distance to the vocals in particular that they would have across all their records. In terms of the music, alas, this is probably my least favorite album from them. It’s not bad, but it does feel a little caught between worlds. The AmRep records are gritty and noisier, and Over and Out has the band in a more melodic mode, but this record is a bit of an ugly duckling. I still like it, but I’d go for the records on either side of it first.

Holy Fuck, “Milkshake”

Everybody loves the song “Milkshake” from Holy Fuck!

Belle and Sebastian, “Fuck This Shit”

The B&S record I always forget exists, Storytelling makes an appearance here, and I will have re-forgotten about the album once it is done playing.

Dead Rider, “Feb Five”

There’s something elemental about Todd Rittmann’s vocal style, which helped propel U.S. Maple’s spastic music to a whole extra level. Rittmann’s next band, Dead Rider, isn’t quite as off as U.S. Maple was (what could be?), but because his brain is fundamentally cracked, the band is as well. I give it the heartiest possible endorsement, of course.

I am amused at Dr. Dre playing someone’s guilty conscience.

Bitch Magnet, “Motor”

Oh yeah, that’s the stuff. That late 80s/early 90s production really just connects to me, because of how old I was during that time. Anyway, this is how Bitch Magnet’s first album (Umber) kicked off, and it’s a good record. Ben Hur is probably a little better, but that’s not a knock on this one.

They Might Be Giants, “I Should Be Allowed To Think”

As part of their fan club, TMBG released a set of demos for their excellent John Henry. As you might expect, it’s rougher than the final versions, especially given that John Henry is one of the most lush albums they’ve ever made (thank you major label money). For me, an authentic TMBG weirdo, it’s fun to hear different takes on these songs. For you, it’s unlikely you’re going to care.

The Aquabats!, “Sequence Erase!”

This is how The Aquabats! vs. The Floating Eye Of Death! And Other Amazing Adventures Vol. 1 opens up, and geez, that album title is a mouthful. It doesn’t quite land as well as their previous record, but it’s nevertheless still very much in the same vein: goofy pseudo-superhero ska nonsense, presented as straightfaced as you could present such a thing. It’s fun!

The Wedding Present, “Felicity”

Tommy is a compilation that gathers together the Wedding Present’s earliest singles, released just after their debut album. As with all their early work, it’s chock full of anxious energy and jittery songs, and while it’s not quite as polished as the albums they put out at this time, there’s still plenty of goodness here.

Hmm. I guess maybe Radiohead used Conlon Nancarrow?

Elvis Costello, “(I Don’t Want To Go To) Chelsea”

A friend used to do a bit where he’d refer to song titles or whatever with synonyms or just slightly wrong words, and it always killed me. Two of his titles from This Year’s Model always stuck with me. “Inflate It” and this one, “Chelsea (Fuck It)”.

Report Suspicious Activity, “Goldstein”

Yup, that’s J Robbins in yet another one of his bands that put out a couple albums before calling it good. It’s a good one, but that’s kind of redundant. Where does it rank in the list of bands? Probably below Burning Airlines and Jawbox, but probably above Office of Future Plans and Channels.

Windhand, “Pilgrim’s Rest”

We don’t really call bands grunge bands if they didn’t exist outside of one very specific scene. But, maybe that’s kind of bogus. I think you could make a case for Windhand being pretty grunge. Jack Endino producing this record is, of course, a good head start towards the sound. But this tune could easily have sat alongside plenty of classic grunge records. Let’s bring it back, people!

Rainer Maria, “Ears Ring”

Rockin'!

It wasn’t clear if there would be a follow-up to the masterful Blazing Arrow, but three years later, The Craft showed up. And while it’s not quite as good, that’s an unreasonable expectation. It’s an excellent record, Gift of Gab was a master, and the beats are urgent enough to provide a strong platform and not disappear.

Caspar Babypants, “Cotton Eyed Joe”

I think last time we had the Presidents of the United States of America on here, I mentioned that Chris Ballew was occupying himself with making kids’ records under the moniker Caspar Babypants. Well, here he is, and it’s a testament to his basic affability and deft hand with a tune that he managed to turn the curdled anthem of canned baseball stadium antics from a rancid abomination to a totally pleasant listen.

It enterains me to no end that my two autocomplete suggestions for a tag when I type “Caspar” are this and Caspar Brötzmann Massaker.

Buzzcocks, “Alive Tonight”

To be clear about that last statement: we here at Five Songs Agglomerated are generally a fan of rancid songs, as long as it is the good kind of rancid. Intentional ugliness, not oafish tunelessness.

Edward Holland, Jr., “Leaving Here”

This song sounds like it’s from earlier in Motown’s run to me, not from 1963, where things were generally sounding a little bit more like the Motown we’re all familiar with.

Bim Skala Bim, “Go Back”

Much to my surprise, the first Bim Skala Bim record in 21 years (!) showed up last year, with Sonic Tonic strolling onto Bandcamp like nothing happened. Dan Vitale sounds like he’s got some more miles on the ol’ voice, but other than that, it pretty much picks up where Krinkle left off. Pretty good! That is a vintage trombone solo.

Has anybody flipped Nancarrow into any beats? Seems like it would be a fun thing to hear.

Freddie Gibbs & Madlib, “Crime Pays”

What a lovely beat here. As someone who grew up listening to the radio in cars in the early 80s an awful lot, that late 70s vibe here just sparks something really primal in me.

Tame Impala, “Lucidity”

Another of my breaks with music critic orthodoxy (although I don’t really feel like I’m a real critic) is that I think Tame Impala is kind of boring. I’m not sure why that is - I like other psychedelic stuff just fine, I don’t have any problems with any elements that go into this. It just glides past my brain and nothing finds any purchase. It’s pleasant, but it’s like taking a nap.

Nine Inch Nails, “The Day the World Went Away”

At this point, I can’t remember what I’ve gone on record about with regard to Nine Inch Nails. I’ve probably declared something stupid about at least one of the records, maybe more than one. Anyway, The Fragile might be the best NiN album. There we go.

La Dispute, “Footsteps At The Pond”

Post-hardcore, baby! All right, I’m done here for today.

Die Warzau mostly got lumped in with other industrial dance acts, mostly due to a name that looked like an industrial band and a vocal style that sounded like Nitzer Ebb after some vocal lessons. But in retrospect, there’s really very little that connects them to other industrial dance. There’s nowhere near enough noise, it’s not chilly enough, there’s no disaffection on display. This is just dance music that somebody has darkened ever so slightly.

Pink Martini, “Bukra Wba’do”

The little potted biography of Pink Martini I’m looking at says that they’ve collaborated with the great-grandchildren of the Von Trapp family, which seems like the best possible description I could possibly put here.

Spoon, “The Way We Get By”

One of the bands that has clicked with me as a result of this project, in a way they never used to, is Spoon. I don’t really know why that’s the case, and I guess I was just missing the boat before, but it’s still nice to have that happen.

Hum, “Shovel”

You know, if you slipped this song onto a Floor album, I’m not sure I’d even notice right away. At least until the vocals kicked in, anyway.

Cloud Nothings, “Last Song”

And if you slipped THIS onto a Hum album, I’m again not sure I’d notice right away. And by the transitive property, lesse…carry the two…that makes me a jackass. (“Hey! No callbacks! Jackass!”)

They should have kept that noise from the first few seconds going throughout. Just go full abrasive. It would make me happy, anyway.

Mudhoney, “Burn It Clean”

One of the delightful bits of early Mudhoney is how often you can just hear someone yelling, belching, or otherwise making noise at the beginning or ending of tracks. It’s an excellent choice to leave that stuff in. The “hey jackass!” at the start of this really sets the tone.

Janelle Monáe, “Make Me Feel”

A “hey jackass!” in front of this track, on the other hand, probably wouldn’t contribute the correct atmosphere.

Durand Jones & the Indications, “Sea Gets Hotter”

I will not just make “hey jackass!” comments for every other song today, even though it would be an easy way to have something I could say for everything. That would be a cheap rhetorical trick, and we don’t go in for cheap rhetorical tricks around here. No, we favor bland meta-commentary when we need to fill things up. That’s the only legitimate way to waste people’s time.

1.8.7, “Stigma”

You know, I do remember buying this record a while back, and even listening to it back then. But then it got shelved with the CDs, towards the front, and my memory slowly transformed this act in my brain into a scruffy DIY punk act. It is not. Apparently it’s an NYC drum’n’bass producer. Who knew? Me, twenty-something years ago, I suppose. The things you learn around here.

400 Blows, “The Root of Our Nature”

The opener of Black Rainbow, and you know within seconds if this thing is going to be your jam or not. Some bands are growers and it takes some time to decide if something is for you or not. Others…are not.

Kid Koala, “Goodbye (Page 8)”

As the title indicates, this piece is intended to accompany a comic book, making this really just a part of the overall mixed-media work. I encourage everybody to try and seek out the full thing.

The Allstonians, “Mikey Dee”

There was a substantial gap between their second and third album, and a little bit of the vitality of the band drained away a bit in that interregnum. That said, the instrumentals on Bottoms Up! are still very enjoyable, so it’s not all bad.

Skinny Puppy, “Sleeping Beast”

Back around this time, there were clubs that were industrial clubs, or at least had industrial nights. And it’s amusing now to think about, but at the time, it was pretty fun going there and seeing people doing their best to dance to something like this. (I was mostly holding up the wall.) Is there an equivalent today? I have no idea.

Noname, “Window”

I can’t really describe it, but this rules so much.

Nice drums on this tune! This is from the second Versus record, and it’s a more muscular tune than I remember them putting out. I’ll be honest, I haven’t listened to Versus in decades (outside of the tracks that show up here), and it’s kind of interesting reflecting how bands collapse down into stereotypes in our memory. Versus is a pop band in my brain, but this is pretty rockin'.

Silkworm, “Little Sister”

Even a Blind Chicken Finds a Kernel of Corn is a compilation, pulling together the first Silkworm album (L’ajre), along with some EPs and singles from the same time period. It’s a little rougher than their later work, but there’s still plenty of excellent stuff on it, and it’s definitely recommended if you’re a fan of the band.

NoMeansNo, “I See a Mansion in the Sky”

Multiple six minute songs in a row, I’m loving it. This is from the final proper NoMeansNo album, All Roads Lead to Ausfahrt, which if streaming services are to be believed, is the only NoMeansNo record. Or at least was, I’m not going to check.

SWANS, “Annaline”

And then in an upset, a latter-day SWANS song that clocks in under six minutes. Upside-down world here. This is from What is This?, an album of demos that was a limited edition release to fund recording for Leaving Meaning. As you might expect from that description, it’s largely just for fans, but that’s me.

Sebadoh, “Sorted Up Wonder (Supernatural Force)**

Not a bad wrapup here today.

Uh, yikes.

“Television’s gone / I’m alone with Lucifer / what a drag” is such an outstanding summary of Greg Dulli’s lyrical work with the Whigs. Shame about the slurs, though.

The Temptations, “I Wish It Would Rain”

A thing that gets a little lost about Motown is that a lot of it is reduced to just the same handful of the biggest hits these days. And those songs are great, sure, but there’s so much awesome stuff just a tiny bit deeper in their catalog. This was a decent hit back in the day, but has largely disappeared from people’s memory, and it’s a great tune.

Mono Puff, “Dr. Kildare”

Mono Puff is John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants doing a side project which frankly just sounds like TMBG, only with no Linnell songs. If that sounds like your bag, they put out two albums, just in case you get through the estimated 802 TMBG albums.

They Might Be Giants, “Santa’s Beard”

Right on time, shuffle! This song was originally on Lincoln, but this comes to us courtesy of They Might Be Giants in…Holidayland, a holiday EP that means there are at least 803 TMBG releases.

Firewater, “The Man on the Burning Tightrope”

This album, of which this is the title track, represents in my mind the final act of Firewater’s first phase. This record really took the demented cabaret thing about as far as it was going to go, and with the subsequent albums, Tod A took the band in more of a demented world music direction. And on this record, there are no songs that are more like a carnival gone wrong than this one.

I’ve mentioned it before, but Stretching Out is probably the best single Skatalites album. This is a double live album from 1983, during a time when all of the eight surviving original members were back together in the wake of the second wave reviving interest in ska. It catches the band at the top of their form, full of energy, playing many of their greatest songs. If not for the sad absence of Don Drummond, I’d say it catches them at the absolute height of their powers, a neat trick for a band that has played music across six decades.

King Crimson, “Walking On Air”

I think it’s kind of interesting how prog rock has evolved from something like this (or earlier King Crimson) to the spastic show-offery of modern prog.

Logic, “100 Miles and Running”

Lemme tell you, that “Apache” loop will always get me riled up. It’s been sampled a zillion times, and still sounds fresh.

Rogue Wave, “Salesman at the Day of the Parade”

Every Rogue Wave song sounds like the sensitive, touching song that indie bands would throw into an otherwise rock record. But they’re all like that. Kind of messes with me.

The Lion’s Daughter, “Suicide Market”

See, this gets described as progressive, at least as a modifier to other genres. I rest my shitty case.

At this point, I find it charming when I find an edgy-z spelling. This was cutting edge stuff at one point. You saw a “z” instead of an “s”, and you knew you were in for some attitude.

Foetus, “Sick Minutes”

Limb is a compilation of un-released material from Foetus pulling from the very early years of the band. It’s an interesting historical document, showing where J.G. Thirlwell came from, but it’s largely going to only be interesting to fellow Foetus sickos.

Stevie Wonder, “I Was Made to Love Her”

I should just start shuffling Stevie Wonder instead of the garbage I usually play around here. It would just be better for everybody.

Queen, “Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon”

Every time this song comes up somewhere, my kids will invariably say that it sounds like the Muppets. And they aren’t wrong.

H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society, “Arkham Dunwich”

Yes, this is from a Lovecraftian musical called A Shoggoth on the Roof. Yes, you basically know what this sounds like.

The final Let’s Go Bowling album, Stay Tuned, feels a little like they were finally letting the commercial winds blow them along towards rock. While their previous records had been pretty traditional, this one definitely feels more of a piece with the other ska bands who were hitting it big. But, of course, by 2000 the commercial appetite for ska was collapsing, so if it was a bid for fame, it didn’t really work out. My least favorite of the four records I have from them (there’s apparently a debut out there that I’ve never heard).

The Feelies, “Fa Cé-La”

This is the debut single from the Feelies, who were one of the most influential bands in the rock underground, although they never made much of a commercial impact. A lot of the later post-punk rock would have nods towards this stuff, and they would get name checked in just about every interview with American underground rock bands for the next decade or two.

Less Than Jake, “The Science Of Selling Yourself Short”

Less Than Jake always made their bones by making music that was more punk than ska, and did it well. But they were perfectly capable of slowing it down when they wanted, and this is one of my favorite songs from them.

Black Happy, “Garlic”

Lotta horns today. We’ve introduced Black Happy before, but for those who missed it, they were ubiquitous for a while in Idaho and Washington, supporting basically every appropriate band who came through the place. And they always put on a great show. This is the first song on their first album, so I guess they really set the tone here. I’m sure that there were plenty of regional bands like this that people remember fondling but nobody else cares about, but this is one of mine.

The Mars Volta, “Drunkship of Laterns”

A thing that stands out about the first Mars Volta is the urgency of everything going on. There’s so few moments when it doesn’t sound like it’s barreling from idea to idea, and you’re just kind of hanging on for a ride. It’s a kinetic album, and that’s a lot of fun.

You know, the only Magnetic Fields record I’ve ever heard is this one. There are a lot more, and I have no idea if this record is an outlier in their sound or not. When they started making records, I wasn’t into this sort of music, and I just never looped back to check it out. I guess I’ll just keep the mystery alive. They could sound like Meshuggah or whatever on their other records, and I’ll never know.

The Boards of Canada, “Turquiose Hexagon Sun”

One time, I had a travel mug open up in my work bag and get tea all over my laptop. It was completely shot, so I headed in to IT to try and get it fixed. I’m standing in line and waiting, and the IT guys had this album playing. I lean over and say “Boards of Canada? I love this record.” and next thing you know, they’re not giving me any shit about spilling tea all over the damn place and they’re getting me all fixed up. Most albums have never done that much for me!

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, “Calvin”

An IT department bumping JSBX seems like it would be kinda chaotic, though. Deliberately throwing fans off so they whine. An inexplicable smear of grease across the screen. Your computer suddenly gives off a musky scent for some reason. The touchpad is sweaty. But hell, it’s probably worth it, it would be a party.

The McRackins, “Bittergreen”

Somehow, this seems like kind of a median IT department song. I’ve known a lot of people in IT who were into punk, it just seems natural.

Stevie Wonder, “For Once In My Life”

If I’m going to rank an IT department by how much I trust them based on which of these songs they’re rocking, I’m going:

1. Boards of Canada
2. The McRackins
3. Stevie Wonder
4. JSBX
5. Magnetic Fields

Sorry, that’s just not appropriate IT music.

As the wave of industrial dance started to crest in the late 80s, Einstürzende Neubauten’s 1989 record Haus der Lüge was released with a couple of songs on it that, if you squinted hard enough, kind of fit in. This song, while being far more interesting than a lot of stuff under that industrial dance umbrella, nevertheless shares some of the same groove and had some crossover potential. They even released “Feurio!” as a single with remixes. I have no idea if it succeeded, my little bubble found Neubauten and gleefully dove into the back catalog. But I like to think that maybe some Nitzer Ebb fans got Neubauten-pilled by this album.

Anderson .Paak, “Winners Circle”

There are a lot of rhythmic changes in this song that are really neat to pick up on if you pay close attention to it. It’s nice to have a record that really rewards active listening.

Crimpshrine, “Another Day”

Crimpshire? Not as much!

Slick Rick, “Kit (What’s The Scoop)”

The Great Adventures of Slick Rick is a massively influential record. The production was very much of a piece with other rap records of the time, but his wordplay, storytelling, and willingness to be filthy all were groundbreaking in their own ways. For better or worse with the latter. In return, there are literal echoes of this record still happening in hip-hop records to this day, with nods and references to it constantly appearing, alongside occasional covers and direct homages. Rick’s delivery still sounds very smooth and modern in a lot of ways, further showing how his style became mainstream. It’s an important record to understand where hip-hop came from.

The Minus 5, “There Is No Music”

Au contraire, there certainly is music! Five songs worth.

Thou released two covers collections in 2020, with Blessings of the Highest Order being all Nirvana covers, and A Primer of Holy Words being miscellaneous tracks from other artists. This, of course, is the Shellac tune, a feel-good ditty from 1000 Hurts. Pretty much everything Thou does is worthwhile, so I recommend this album.

Big Ass Truck, “Lil Tico”

Is frat-boy funk a genre? Seems like it should be.

Thelonious Monk, “Nice Work If You Can Get It”

Well, as usual, I’m not going to pretend I know anything significant about jazz. Instead, I’ll just relate to you the little factoid I just learned in a bit of reading: Thelonious’s middle name was Sphere. Incredible.

Rancid, “Unwritten Rules”

Rancid’s first album was a clean break with Operation Ivy. Other than Matt Freeman’s bass, there’s nothing really that sounds the same between the bands. I admire the move, but of course, I would have preferred more Op Ivy.

Murmur, “Water From Water”

You know, I was going to write a bit about Murmur, and realized that I wasn’t sure if they were sketchy or not. Some searching around, and I guess not? And it’s sad that I feel like that’s a thing I have to do.

Yeah, let’s hear it for 90s ska! Hey, what are you doing with that tomato?

Bim Skala Bim’s Bones is the one where they really cemented their sunny sound, sort of a pop/ska approach that they would more or less carry through the rest of their records. I think I’ve listened to their version of “Brain Damage” more than Pink Floyd’s original.

Elf Power, “Upside Down”

That’s a pretty tough sound for Elf Power! I’d like them better with more of this kind of thing.

The Toasters, “Social Security”

I guess shuffle has been in a ska mood recently.

This looked to be the final studio Toasters record for a while (they did have one final one eventually), released after their label Moon Ska collapsed and the overall ska scene fell apart. At this point, they were doing their thing and you know exactly what the record is going to sound like. It’s fine?

Portastatic, “Reverse Lester”

Well, you could have gotten thirty seconds of aimless music instead of more ska, so be grateful!

J Church, “Tide of Fate”

The title cut from an early EP, this established J Church as a band in my mind where everything they release was probably worth checking out. And, indeed, they released music whenever it was ready, seemingly without regard to the actual collection of tunes it was on. Album, EP, single, comp, tour-only release, whatever, the music must flow.

If you’re a longtime reader/listener of Five Songs, first, I deeply apologize. But second, you’re probably tired of me moaning about how Flop was unfairly ignored when they were active. Well, guess what? They were! I’ll keep saying it, because dammit, the world needs to know.

Also, I thought the name of this album was & the Fall of the Mousesqueezer for a really long time until someone on Usenet corrected me.

Public Service Broadcasting, “Spitfire”

The debut release for Public Service Broadcasting, which is kind of post-rock and kind of Kraftwerk, overlaid with vocals that are all dervied from old public service broadcasts. Hence the name. Anyway, I’m a sucker for vocal samples, and I like the synth stuff, so I enjoy this. I guess I’m also a sucker for a high concept band. I’m a sucker!

New Bomb Turks, “Spanish Fly by Night”

This is just a throwaway, but I’d like to just mention that I appreciate the New Bomb Turks doing the Jeopardy “Before and After” thing with song titles. “Born Toulouse-Lautrec” will always be the best of that genre, though.

Helmet, “Driving Nowhere”

Aftertaste was kind of a back-to-basics record for Helmet, after some exploration on Betty. But it doesn’t really work, unfortunately. Without the rawness of the first record (and, to a lesser extent the second), it just feels kind of flat. I’m not sure if it’s all down to the production, or if the songs don’t have enough surprises, but it just ends up feeling like background music. Not unpleasant, but not super inspiring. Although I do like the solo in this song.

Stubborn All-Stars, “Tired of Struggling”

We’re finding the Stubborn All-Stars in a rocksteady mood here, off what I think is probably their most consistent record, Back With a New Batch. As always, I think the best bands of the third wave were the most traditional ones, so this record hits me right.

Judy and the Loadies, “I’m Not Drunk”

OK, I swear, I was going to try it, and then that terrible trombone bit happened, and I had to mention it. I’m sorry, I’ll try again tomorrow!

Clem Snide, “I Believe Your Lies”

After “Moment In the Sun” had its, uh, moment in the sun when it was the theme song to a network television show (“Ed”, which I never watched), Clem Snide hustled out an EP featuring it. Complete with a radio edit, which is so unnecessary. Anyway, the three originals are decent, so it’s actually a pretty good EP, it’s nice that they didn’t just mail it in. Unlike, say, industrial acts from the late 80s.

Touché Amoré, “New Halloween”

Unbidden, the name “Torche Amoré” has presented itself to me, and now I can’t decide if Torche songs played by Touché Amoré or Touché Amoré played by Torche would be better. Probably the latter, I’m thinking.

Skanic, “Last Call”

But I’d like to hear both versions!

Oh, nice trumpet solo here.

Part Chimp, “Bouncer’s Dream”

I don’t know a ton about Part Chimp - I only have this one record, and I’m not entirely sure I know much about them other than what I could learn from a shallow web search. Frankly, I don’t even really remember listening to it when I got it. So, kinda sludgy here, pretty nice.

Well, that was informative. See you tomorrow!

I ran out of interesting (?) things to say about matt pond PA a couple tracks ago. So, as per the standard Five Songs Style Guide, that gives me license to just blather here.

…

Turns out I don’t have anything interesting to say that’s not about matt pond PA either. Oh! The new Belle and Sebastian is pretty good! That’s almost relevant to this band.

Naked City, “Torture Garden”

I have successfully cleared multiple parties with this record. Which is a shame, because a Naked City party seems like it would be a very good time.

Presidents of the United States of America, “Good Morning Tycoon”

After a six year hiatus, during which Chris Ballew started cranking out kids’ records under the name Caspar Babypants, the Presidents got back in the studio just to see if they had another record in them. They did, as it turns out, which isn’t a surprise given how prolific of a songwriter Ballew is. As with all Presidents albums, it’s feathery light but always charming. It’s a solid entry in their catalog.

The Jesus Lizard, “Tight n’ Shiny”

The Jesus Lizard came roaring out of the gate fully formed, with Head being an excellent album that immediately established them as one of the best rock bands around. It’s probably not that big of a surprise, though, given that this wasn’t the first band for most of the guys in it.

Torche, “Loose Men”

I’ve said it before, but Torche is really pop rock, played extremely loudly and heavily. But if you compare this song with that Presidents song up above, they differ more in timbre than they do in structure.

I’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating - make some friends in Australia and hit ’em up for music recommendations. You can’t miss! This is from a different friend than the last time I mentioned this particular life hack, that’s how I know that it just works generally.

Circus Lupus, “Cyclone Billy”

Delightful post-hardcore here from the first Circus Lupus record. They would only get better on their second album, but both are excellent if you’re into the sound.

People Under The Stairs, “Listen”

Seven albums in, Carried Away finds the People Under the Stairs settled into a groove. They were comfortable at this point banging out what they did best, and were great at it. As usual, it’s the beat driving things here, and it’s super tasty. I want to spread that on my toast.

Hammerhead, “Anemia”

Speaking of bands that would get better on subsequent releases! Hammerhead’s debut record showed them wielding the same blunt instrument they would subsequently employ so well, with them pounding relentlessly away and braying. They would add just a little bit more nuance on the next album (the sublime Into the Vortex, maybe my favorite Amphetamine Reptile Records release), and it would turn out to be the missing element. But that’s not to say that the first record isn’t good, it’s just that they would take a step forward.

Cows, “Shaking”

Speaking of AmRep! One of the musical things I most regret losing were my two CDs that compiled the first four Cows records into a convenient package. I’m not sure where they went, frankly, I can’t imagine. They did eventually release Old Gold (1989-91), a collection of the standout tracks from the early years, and frankly, that’s probably a better thing to listen to anyway. Those early albums could get a little rough.

A real rager here from the early Motown days from Mary Wells. It’s certainly easy to see how this did so well for them.

Labradford, “Disremembering”

Here’s a track from the first drone record by Labradford, the record that found them with their most minimal lineup. Labradford was always most effective setting a mood, and I think that the mood comes through the most with fewer tools in the arsenal.

Action Bronson, “Shiraz”

The breakbeat-laden debut record from Action Bronson often kind of comes across as Ghostface-lite. But when it’s hitting, when the beats are super fresh, it’s delightful. And this jazzy number is my favorite song on the record, just a banger all the way across.

Meat Beat Manifesto, “United Nations (E.T.C.)”

By the time Meat Beat Manifesto reached their 1996 double-album Subliminal Sandwich, they had really begun mellowing out a fair bit. Some of the industrial noises were still there, and they could get frenetic when they wanted to. But they had moved their sound to be more a little more contemplative overall, less abrasive. Me being me, I generally like abrasion in my music so I still like the early stuff better, but Meat Beat Manifesto is always interesting.

J Dilla, “Pause”

Another cut from Welcome 2 Detroit, and just listen to that beat, it’s tremendous.

Sounds like being slowly dipped in warm syrup.

Jean Grae & Quelle Chris, “Gold Purple Orange”

Goddamn, Jean Grae absolutely kills it on this track. Somehow, she always startles me when she comes in, and then my skull melts.

Dance Hall Crashers, “Beverly Kills”

A lot of the Dance Hall Crashers songs were really not super inspiring or anything. And really, the point of the band is just listen to the harmonies and vibe. Isn’t that pleasant?

The Fall, “Spoilt Victorian Child”

Well, you listen to something like this, and you can certainly see why the curmudgeons were all complaining that the first Pavement record was just the Fall with the serial numbers filed off. I don’t think that’s really true, but there is for sure a thread running between the bands.

Prefuse 73, “It’s Crowded”

Solid one today, let’s call that good!

A mystery here. This is from a release just labeled Demo, and it doesn’t appear to be from Bandcamp. It’s from 2017 according to the metadata (and Metal Archives), but I don’t know where else I would have gotten it other than Bandcamp. Well, whatever. Let’s listen! Pretty basic doom here, not unpleasant, but not lighting me on fire either.

Hüsker Dü, “Something I Learned Today”

This opens one of the most impressive and important albums in all of hardcore, Zen Arcade. Hüsker Dü proved that hardcore could still be recognizable and even thrive in an environment of trying unorthodox things. That they pulled this off with a double album that was recorded in as much of a rush as the music itself makes it doubly impressive. Pound for pound, it’s probably not their best record, but for the ambition and impact, you can’t argue with it as a holistic piece of work.

Aphex Twin, “Avril 14th”

Drukqs is a mess. It’s all over the map, nothing hangs together, and unlike the last record, probably shouldn’t be a double album. It’s just too shaggy.

Deafheaven, “Vertigo”

10 Years Gone is a live-in-studio album that Deafheaven put together in lieu of a tour that was canceled due to COVID-19. It draws from across their entire existence as a band, so it wanders a bit as they themselves have. This tune, of course, is from Sunbather, Deafheaven’s breaththrough record and official Black Metal Album For People Who Don’t Like Black Metal. That’s not to disparage it, Sunbather rules, and this track rules, so enjoy.

Otis Redding, “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay”

Not technically a repeat, as this is the single version, which differs slightly from the version on the album. Somewhere in the archives, I get maudlin about Otis, so I’ll spare you all.

Boldy James and the Alchemist got together for a second record, The Price of Tea in China, seven years after the first record. They’ve got great chemistry together, something they must agree on as they subsequently went on to make a third record. It’s very good, and if this track strikes your fancy, you’ll definitely enjoy it.

Public Enemy, “Miuzi Weighs A Ton”

I was going to use the phrase “old school” in my description back there, but thought better of it because I’m not even entirely sure I know what old school means to people these days. Sometimes it seems to just mean “in a style I like”. Anyway, to me? This is what it means.

Eminem, “Guilty Conscience”

With every year that passes, the moral panic centered around Eminem in particular just seems sillier and siller. I mean, that’s the way of moral panics in general, but going back and listening to his helium-voiced cartoonery really makes it seem very goofy indeed.

Sturgill Simpson, “Breakers Roar”

With A Sailor’s Guide to Earth, Simpson continued broadening his approach to country music to pull in more and more influences from outside the tradition. It was already clear from his previous records that he was going to make the music he wanted to make, but he really found another gear here. Nobody really had “proggy country concept album” on their bingo cards, but he made it, and it’s a delight.

Medeski, Martin & Wood, “Just Like I Pictured It”

Pretty good set today, Eminem aside.

I dunno, I just love Pavement. Just hearing the intro to this song puts a grin on my face. I haven’t gotten sick of it yet, and I hope I never do. Pavement will probably be one of those bands that my kids will look back on fondly as reminding them of their old man, and maybe they’ll even listen to them occasionally as a result. I’ll still be distorting their taste from beyond the grave!

Green Day, “American Idiot”

Another band my kids might listen to in order to ring up memories of my crappy taste, although if they’re paying attention, it’ll be older Green Day.

Mudhoney, “Thirteenth Floor Opening”

Mudhoney made no particular concessions to the popular market despite arriving on a major label for Piece of Cake. They continued to cheerfully evolve their fuzzy psych garage rock in the directions they chose, without really paying attention to what was getting lots of radio play (mostly dour grunting). This song, for instance, is a classic dirge in the mould of “Come to Mind”, and is the sort of tune that mostly wasn’t in the repertoire of other grunge bands.

I’d say that today sounds like my dorm room, but alas, that’s just not accurate. These three bands, yes, but not these three albums.

Succumb, “Lilim”

You ever accidentally have a couple tabs open playing music, and it’s really disorienting for a while until you figure out what’s going on? Succumb answers the question of what happens if you make an entire album out of that feeling.

Eric Clapton, “Tears in Heaven”

That’s maybe the funniest song that could follow Succumb.

I wonder what’s next up for the Decemberists. The last three albums haven’t been very much like each other - The King is Dead is like R.E.M., What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World is like Hazards of Love but without a theme, and I’ll Be Your Girl is like a bad record. How will they mix it up next time?

Man or Astro-Man?, “DNI”

Man or Astro-Man? were insanely productive in the early to mid-90s, cranking out basically two albums a year before arriving on Touch and Go records, where the recording budgets got a little shinier but the sound remained the same. The productivity slowed a bit, they were only doing an album a year at this point, but these years are probably a little more reliable, so this record (the first of them) is probably a good starting point.

Raekwon, “100 Rounds”

Raekwon’s first solo record (calling it that feels like a misnomer, given Ghostface’s and especially RZA’s work on it) is a stone-cold classic, one of the best records to come out of the Wu orbit. His follow-up, alas, is merely good instead of legendary. Much of that is the absence of the RZA on it. While the production is clearly designed to sound like his work, it doesn’t have quite the same paranoid life to it, so you end up with something that just quite feel dialed in.

Bear vs. Shark, “Buses/No Buses”

I think that even if I do nothing, post-hardcore albums will just kind of spontaneously materialize in my collection.

Monster Rally, “The Tiki Room”

I don’t remember getting this, but I’m delighted by it! Good call, past Josh!

Always nice to heart from Forest Swords! I’d like to hear a new album from him, actually, although I suppose the wait between the first two albums is about what we’ve waited since the second album. So maybe soon! I’ve convinced myself!

Negativland, “Either Or”

True False, the 2019 record from Negativland, is something of a return home for them, although without some dearly departed members. It’s based around the same kind of collage work that they used on their biggest albums, and the sound is in the same vein as those records. For people like me who have been listening to them for decades, it’s comforting in a way to hear it. But, of course, as befits Negativland, it’s not wholly comforting, as the material on the record is mostly downer stuff around the media’s negative effects on the well-being of society and our own minds. As always, it’s a thoughtful record, and the world would be a better place if something like Negativland was more prominent.

The Wedding Present, “Give My Love to Kevin (Acoustic)”

This is from the later CD edition of George Best, the brilliant debut record by the Wedding Present, which is the distilled sound of sexual frustration. The CD version includes a couple singles and some alternate takes, including this acoustic take on “Give My Love To Kevin”, which alas is not as good as the album take.

Zion I, “The Taking”

Always painful when writing something here takes longer than the actual track. But this is how you know I’m being honest about just doing five random tracks!

UNKLE, “Bloodstain”

UNKLE is a long-running act that has put out a ton of albums, with James Lavelle being the continuity between them. But this is the only one I’ve listened to, because it’s the only one with DJ Shadow on it. If you’ve run out of DJ Shadow work under his name, you could do worse than to move here.

Geez, it’s been more than a decade since undun was released. Every now and again, I go look up a band that pops up on here and discover that there are albums they’ve released that I was unaware of. Always a treat! But alas, I was unable to manifest any new Roots records I didn’t already have. I’m sorry I failed you all.

Big Boi, “Apple of My Eye”

Oh, and I am aware of …And Then You Shoot Your Cousin, I just realzed that that might not be clear.

Meanwhile, not a great chorus on this tune. Honestly, it kind of doesn’t hang together at all. Well, the horns in the last third are fun.

Abyssal, “Forebode”

Foreboding indeed.

Krallice, “The Wheel”

I try not to descend to onomatopoeia very often around here. I think it’s a bit of a lazy reaction, so…well, honestly, I don’t know why I don’t. Lazy is one of our watchwords! Interesting to discover one of my lines in real time here.

Anyway, I just wanted to point that out before I present my reaction here to this song: WHEEEEEEEEEEE!

Orquesta Akokán, “Mambo Rapidito”

I already had a grin pasted on my face, and then we get this? An absolute delight, sometimes this whole random shit really rocks.

Have I done the zalgofied text gag before? Feels like I have. Look folks, I ran out of material about a thousand of these ago. And it’s not like it was good material back then.

The Mono Men, “I’m Hangin'”

Just pure garage rock from the Mono Men, with a tune that closed their second album Wrecker!, although it comes to us courtesy of the comp Back To Mono! Yes, they used a lot of exclamation points. This record collects the first two Mono Men albums into one release, with some minor changes in track order, so it’s a solid pickup. You know, if people still bought CDs or anything. Because it’s not like any of this stuff is available on streaming. Unless you’re in my house. Come on over! We have garage rock and Chex Mix!

Roni Size / Reprazent, “Out of the Game”

Roni Size is the singer fronting Reprazent the band, who together released a few drum ’n’ bass albums in the late 90s. For the most part, I’ve never really gone for the repetitive vocals thing you get in some electronic music, so this doesn’t really make my bass drop or anything. I only ever got this one album.

Kanye West, “Hey Mama”

Contemplative Kanye is one of my favorite versions of Kanye, so I really like this tune.

Pedro the Lion, “The Bells”

I read this as “The Balls” at first, and thought geez, that’s pretty out-of-character for Pedro the Lion.

There’s an extremely 80s feel to Ex Hex. I get a false sense memory of sitting in the back of Monza when we pick up the college radio station at Washington State University, and being intrigued by hearing something a little different from the usual classic rock.

Weezer, “Butterfly”

Where are we at on the “the only good Weezer album is Pinkerton” cycle? Seems like we’re due for a reaction to it at this point.

Jimmy Eat World, “The Middle”

I’ve played this song in Rock Band so much that I just instantly see floating colored dots in front of my eyes when I hear this. At least, I hope that’s what it is.

Mustard Plug, “Yesterday”

OH GOD THEY DIDN’T GO AWAY

The Black Keys, “Hard Row”

pͧ̄l̗̘͗͐e̙̹̪̖̋a͎̠͓͋̓̆͐s̭̣̮͇ͩ̏ͦͥe͕̹͈̳͕ͩ̓̄̚̚ ̝̖̫͓̣̄̅ͬ̅ͮͫȟ̗̺͔̭̄̔͊̿ͣ̐̚ͅe͓̼̲̘̱ͧͮ̉̆̔ͬͪ͌ͧḽ͙͈̙͓̻̤̈̃ͫ̃ͩͧ̔ͯͩp̲̫͓̬ͣͪͮ̉ͤ̾̒̽̀͂͛͌̚ ̹͚̗͈̯̫͖͙̣̭ͪ̏̓̌ͤ̎̅ͮ̊ṃ̥̯̞͙ͣ̃̓̓̇̌̄͋̽͂͊ͧͬ̂̚ḛ͎̹͙͉͉̳̺̪͍͍͚͐ͩ͋̽͌̂̾ͤ͒ ̙͕̻̙̹̝̩̝̹̗̖͛̊͒̇̂͂͌͆̒ͭ͒̍t̯̮̗̮͍̱̱̣̼̱̑̊͋̓̊̑͛̐͊ͫ̇͌͌̍ḫ̩̰͚̞̭̘̻̠̱̼̻̘̞͗̍̾͗̾͑̍ͫ̇̍̿ẹ̫̦͉͙͙̖̝͙̜͙̮̊͆ͭ͂ͦ͑̃̄̍̒̿̓ͪͦ ͔͎̥̖̫͇̺̘͔̘̝ͨ̅͛͌ͩ̎͗͗́͂͛͛͊ͦ̌̌̚ḽ̗̝̜̳̹̟͇̘͖̤̾ͩ̿̓̅̌͂ͩ̏̓ͭͪ͌̓ͫ͐̔́i̮͍̞̫͎̘̯̮̤̹͕̣̮̋ͪ͋̒̓ͩ͋̐͐̔̏͑ͧ͛ͫ̑ͣg̰̫̤̹̤͚̳̦͙̫̩̩̯̎ͨ́̑ͧ̓̐̓ͮ̑͗͂͌̓̊ͤͅͅh͓̗̝̯̺̥̖̝̺͉̗̤̮̮͖͉̟ͤ̽́͐ͮ́ͯͭͨ̀̍ͫ̍̿ͥt͕̣͈̝̺̝̹͎̙͚̼̮̘͎̩͌̅͐ͪ̑̇̈́̉̀͒̽̒̎̿ͭͣ̃ͅs͍̪̱̠̬̦̺͚̖̞̙̖̝̩͊̊ͪ͗ͦ̓͑ͧ̐̃͌ͪ͗͐ͬͧ͐ͥͫ̚ ̠̺̳̟̬̖͚̭͎̯̤̠̼̱̭̇̿̍ͫ͌̊͂͒ͯ͛̊ͤ͒ͫ̍̃̅̅̋̚a͖̳͕͈̹̩̥̼̖̫̥͍͙̩̭͌̇̉̇ͨ̋̆͑ͧͭ̍͛̽͂̀̑̏͂̍̄ͅr͕̮̬̫͓͈̟̝̥̠̳͓̫͖͙̺̝̺͐͌̂̌̏͋ͤ̍ͯ̀͂̄̎̎̄̅ͩ͂̾e͉̮͉͈͍̝̠̤̼̣̳̹̖̭͙͓̫͇͔̰ͦ̂͊͐ͯͪͯ̓͛͛̿̄̇̃͋̚̚ ̯͉̠̝̤͙͖̯̱̭̻͉̲̖͆ͬͦ̔̿ͬ̌ͪ̊̆̔̌ͯ́͗̉̓́͆͐ͬ̄̚̚ğ͕͉͕̣̪̰͚͉͔̻͙̳̗̼̼̬̣͕̱͐͗̏ͨ̐̐̃̊̀͊̾͗́͑ͥͥ͆ͪ̚r̺̖͕͎̱̫͎̬̻͔̘̥̻̼̝̼̋̄̏͊́̽̏͊̅̀̃͊̈̒ͮ̌ͥͯ̌͂̚̚ͅo̙͖͉̟̮̘͇̦̺̭̤͖͓̮̣̺͍̣̘͒ͨ̒̂ͫ̈̍ͮ̒͌́ͪͩͯͪ̎͒̅̓̌ͅw̝̦͖̤̱͇̖̳͓̠̳͓͈̲̪̮͔͖ͥ̊̒ͫ̀ͣ̂̓ͮͧ̋͑̏̔̔̎̄̊̊̽ͅͅi̘̞̲̞͖̘̺̳̟̘͎͖͚̞̼͓̖͈͓̣̐̃̈́̇́ͩ̌̓͂̐͛̍͊̿ͥ̃̍̇͋̏̚ǹ̘̣̪̯̬͎͖̭̠̣̯̳͍̬̪̝̤̟͖͔ͨ͐ͬ̀̎̌͊̃̈́͋ͤ͒͐̈̂ͭͨ̇ͯ̈g̪̟͉͉̜͈̯̤̠͔̘̳̞̝̲͚̅͛ͥ͑͋̓̍̇̽̽ͦ̓̆̔ͬͦ̏͊͛͆́͛͛̆ͦͅ ̲͕̫̱͓̹͖̺̫̟̞͔̰̼̙͓̩̭͔̹̱̦ͨ̒̌̓ͪͯ͛̈́̑͗ͨͫ̎ͮ̓̏̾̍̓̂ḽ̹͍͙͇͚̘̘̫̮̪̱̦̫̝̘̼ͮͤ̇ͬ͒̓ͣ͑ͫ̎̊ͮͮ̾̿ͬ̽̌ͯ̃̑ͦ̄̚̚a̰̘̖͓̲̤̼̺̱̹̟̝̜̼̦̤̹̠͎̓̍͑ͯ̏̊ͤ͗͂ͮ̉͗͐́͐̔͂͐̈̓͋̌̋ŕ̫̹̞̗͚̼̦̬̰̮̼̦͖̭͕̺͕̞̙̳ͨ̾́̑͛ͧ͛͋̑͂͒ͦ̔̎̆̊ͭͧͤ̊̊g̬̲̪̤̹̟̰̲̻̖̞͉͇̭̥̺̮͈̮ͯͤ̾̍ͥͤ̍ͩͫͫ͂̏ͥ̏͐͊ͮ̃͑ͯͯ̑ͅe͎̱̣̘͖͚̠̫̰̤͎̠̹͔̜͙̬̫͎̬̦͋̿̄̊ͫ̈́̋̃ͦ̓͊ͦ͋̋ͦͪͦ̎̽͛̇r͉̠̝̩̗̤̯͔͕̲̳̞̒͐̈̃̈̈̒ͥͥ̊ͭͥ̇̈́̏̎ͨ̃̀̔̆̄ͣͫ͆ͥͅͅͅͅ ͈͚̲̠̗̙̠͍͈̣̱̩̼͍͈ͯ̈̊ͥ͆̓͂͊͊ͣͬ͆ͮ͐̉̑̊͛͂͊ͦͥ̒͛ͫ͆̍ạ͕̞͈̠̬̞̹̱̬̟̭͙̟͍͚̬̗̱̐͊̅̑͒̈́͌͊̈́ͫͨͪ̍̎͒͊̐̆̎͐ͣ͒̅n̻͎̩͙̞̥̬̻̬͎̱̲͎̰ͣ̍̈́ͤ͛̊̊̾ͨ͒ͯ̿ͫͣͯͯͯ̉͋̋͒̆͂͗ͯ̀ͣ̓d̥̫͚̤̱̦̥͚̝͕͇̻͕̲͍͔͍͉͚̼͋͆̌̊͂ͫ̎̒̋̈͌̅ͭ̀ͫ́ͨͫ͆ͯ̚ͅ ͕̥̙̣̠̥̪̫̼̹͖̬̞͎̬̭̞̳̹̫̓ͯ͌͂͂̇ͥ͛ͬ̿ͨ̉͆̑̎͆́̓̀ͮͬb͓̖̟̝̺̠̙̠̙̖̪͍̜̪͓̠͕̝̅ͥ͑ͮ̇̇͑ͫ͐͛͋̌̉̅ͧ̽ͫͦ͌̂͐̚ͅr͖͍̰̘̜̦̬̱̩͔̠͉͖̜̼̭͔͖ͦ̈ͦ̄͋̓͐̓ͦ̂ͥ̊̈͌ͯ̅̀͋͂̎̍̚í̜͖̰͍̼̼̮̖̟̤̭͚̻͈͛̈̇̇̌ͭ̔͒ͨ̒̀ͯ͋̅ͬ̎ͧͬͯ͗ͩ̆͊͊̚g͎̥̲̜̳̙͔̣̤̺͍̱̻ͮ̎͋͂͂̍̂̐́͗͂ͫ̄̄ͩ̆ͦ̐̆̄̔̍̐ͥͅͅh͈̲̲̟̗̳͉̮̯̻̥̦̣̳͖͆͗̈́ͨ͛ͭ̂ͫ̈ͬͣͥͥ̓̓ͥ͋͆̈ͯ͐̿ͣͬṯ̦̪̘͕͕̠̦̠̮̩̥̋ͤ̂ͥͣ̊ͤͫͥ̇͊͑ͤ͋ͤ̽ͯͧ͑ͤ̄ͮͦ̒͊̓e͙̼͇͇̭̱̟͈͉̼̳̹̮͔͖ͬ̈ͭ̏̅ͨ̾͂͐͂͂ͤ̅ͮͮ̀ͤͥ̃̐ͅͅŕ̬̠̦̝͉̤̠͚͙̹̘̗̏̈́̄̆ͤͦͥ̄̓̈̌̓ͫͤ̐̆̽́ͫ̅͂ͦͮͅ ͕̖̻̣͚̯̮̪͓̫͇ͩ́̓͋ͯ͌̑̈́̆ͦ͛͂́̆̍ͮ̉ͥ̂ͥ̓ͮ̚̚ͅị͎̫̥͚̮͚̟͈͈̺͔͚͂̐͛ͥ̄̇͌̄́ͤ̓̒̔ͤͯ͛͐̐͆ͯ̚̚ ̤̟̼̗͇͖͎̦̱̹̗̠̟̪̮̥́̏ͬ̓̍̄̑̑ͧͮͩͧͣ͂́ͥ͐͌c̖̤̳͈̱͙̱͇͍̰̪̳͎̩̫͛̋͆̾̾ͬ̅̑̔̍͗̎̑̾ͦͭ͐̈ȃ͚̬̞̥̦̯͈̬̭͔͇͈̲̺͊̑̇̏ͬ̏̅̎̍ͨͭ̉̔̔̓̿̂n̙͈̯͕̬̼͔̳͔̪̫͙̪̜̙̗̠ͯ͆̔̀̅̐̓ͧͧ̄̍͂ͅͅn̤̰̖̗̫̮̩̹͔̬̳̠̮̗͐̂̈́̈́̈́̎ͪ̏͐͂̒̉ͦ̍ͅͅo̭͓͕̦̟̻̫̺͓͔͓ͯ̑̂̈́͌̈́̆ͨ͒̆̈́͆͛ͦ̽̂ͭ̓t̟̘͎̩͙̘̭̣̩̪̻̻̘̺̹̣ͯ̎̾ͪ̐ͪͥ̅̂ͦ̚ ̗̻̼̳̙̼̖̹̰̰̻ͦ̒͗̍ͨ̏ͫ͒̎͗ͨ͐̋̍ͅs̱̩̳̻͎͍̭̙͓͕̳̳̓̒̈͛͊͆͛͊̒ͩ̚ͅͅe̫͇̰̫͍͍͇ͯ̅̂̈́̀͑̂͑̉̆ͬ̇̽͑̽̓ͩĕ̜͙͉͖̻̗̣͚̥͔̤͂̆ͨ̉̑͌͌̋̊͐ ̮̩͙͎͖̘̩̯͓̤͇͇̈́ͩͨ͛̔̾̓̇͊a͚͖̰͚̬͙̮̗ͭ̄ͨ͂͐ͤ̐̐̓͗̊ͅl̝̫̥̰̮͓̳̪̺̓ͭͣ̽̓͗͗̈ͅl̪̼͉̻͙̼͎̼ͭͫ͗͒͊͋̈́͊̈́ ̜̟̟̳̭͈̫̆ͨ͛͊̓̃̆̚í̭̭͖̪̰͕̘͇̓̈̏̉͂s̖̗̝͖̼ͨ̋̊̓͛̄͌ͬ ̠̦̳̓̉͒̓͑͗ͅͅl̻̝͍̩̗̞̇̔̏͂i̬̣͈͇͑ͩ͊̄g̰̬͎ͩ͒ͦh͉̣̹͆̋ṭ͕̻s̯̺

A misfire from this record, I just really don’t want to hear Fat Mike singing this, you know?

Unsteady, “Breaking Up”

A real treat! Unsteady put up a handful of unreleased tracks onto the web in 2001 or so, and I managed to grab them and hang onto them for forever. They never released a followup to their masterful Double or Nothing, so these four tracks are the only things we have. More than I think anybody else in the third wave, they’re the band that I wanted to hear more from. Alas.

Andrew Bird, “Auld Lang Syne”

HARK! is Andrew Bird’s holiday album - not fully a Christmas album, as it includes songs like, well, “Auld Lang Syne”. As always, I’d listen to Andrew Bird playing literally any song.

El-P, “Tasmanian Pain Coaster”

El-P is teamed up with Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala, better known as the people behind At the Drive-In and the Mars Volta, known for their elaborate and often over-the-top songs. It’s a pairing that kind of makes sense to me, as both sides of the collaboration are often pushing the limits of their genres. Anyway, fun song, it works out well.

Palace, “Work Hard/Play Hard”

Will Oldham really cranking it up here! Viva Last Blues is such a delightful album.

I like how I have tags for “Palace”, “Palace Music”, and “Palace Brothers” here as separate tags like a goof.

I wonder what the Junior Allstars sound like?

The Orb, “Close Encounters”

I think last time, we talked about ambient, and how it doesn’t always work that well for me. Well, let’s see if anything has changed, because we have ten minutes of it to listen to together! I’ll see you on the other side, if I’m still awake.

Death Grips, “Spikes”

What’s the opposite of ambient? Anyway, I’m awake now!

The 2016 Death Grips album, Bottomless Pit, is…well, not accesssible. But more accessible? I mean, it’s still frantic noise and bellowing, so it’s never going to be to the taste of most people. But the production is really nice on this record, and the songs are pretty coherent, so it’s a decent on-ramp.

Ryan Porter, “The Instrumental Hip-Hoppa”

Delightful! I wish I could say more.

Built to Spill, “The Weather”

A thing I’ve always wondered a little about is if the pause between Keep It Like a Secret and Ancient Melodies of the Future didn’t hurt the songs on this album. This could have been just a lovely little love song, something that would have fit on There’s Nothing Wrong with Love, but then the arrangement got kind of intrusive. And maybe that’s not the sort of thing that would have happened with less time between the records? Eh, I’m probably wrong.

I just looked and realized that Cor-Crane Secret, the first Polvo album, is missing fromy my library. I’m not sure where it went, I absolutely had the CD back in the day. Lost? Never got ripped? Dropped on the floor during one of the library’s migrations from place to place? Who knows? But thanks to the magic of Bandcamp, I can replace it. And Shapes, which was also missing. It’s Polvo day here!

People Under the Stairs, “Left Foot, Right Foot [Instrumental]”

While I appreciate them throwing in the instrumentals for Highlighter like this, I’m not sure it’s really that nice to have them come up on shuffle.

Shellac, “Dude Incredible”

As a dipshit music writer, I’m constitutionally required to make my review of this song like this: it’s incredible, dude.

The Housemartins, “Five Get Over Excited”

In my search for more Housemartins, I paid to import Now That’s What I Call Quite Good, a rarities/singles/greatest hits collection that is, as advertisted, quite good. And then lost it. And then imported it again. It was worth it! Of course, this song is also on The People Who Grinned Themselves To Death, so maybe I’m a bozo.

All You Can Eat, “I Saw Your Girlfriend in a Movie”

I love the little “Tom Sawyer” quote in here.

Pretty sure this is a repeat!

The National, “Afraid of Everyone”

This is also a repeat!

(That’s a lie, I just don’t want to figure out anything to say about the National. Don’t want to make people mad!)

La Gritona, “Jack Passion”

La Gritona were a noise rock band out of Boston, active in the second half of the 90s, who put out one album and some EPs before ending things. And they smoke, all heavy skronk and yelling, exactly the kind of stuff that’s up my alley. But I had no idea they existed, because by the time their album came out in 1997, I was out of college and slowly losing touch with music. Luckily, their entire catalog was compiled together into a re-release in 2010, where a postiive review brought it to my attention. And maybe this will bring them to someone else’s attention, because this stuff rules.

The Wedding Present, “Greenland”

I was going to say that Going, Going… is the last Wedding Present album, but in the process of verifying that claim, I discovered that no, it’s not. There’s apparently Locked Down and Stripped Back, which is a live set but includes some new material. So, uh, I don’t remember what my point was going to be here.

J Church, “Unrequited”

J Church operating in a very Jawbreaker kind of mode here, which more bands should probably try. Although most bands would suck at it. Oh well!

Foetus, “Corrodia Gravis (remix by Tom Recchion)”

Vein is a remix album of tracks from Love, and already you know that it’s inessential. I don’t really know why I do this to myself. This came out in 2007, I was a good 25 years past being remix crazy. And still, here we are. Ah well.

With the strings here, this is reading very “late Stax” to me, or perhaps Curtis Mayfield. Interestingly, it’s an era of soul that for the most part hasn’t seen as much of a revival as earlier Stax or Motown. I’m not sure why that is, exactly, although perhaps the lusher arrangements are just harder to put together for independent artists.

The Queers, “Drop The Attitude Fucker”

You first, the Queers!

Indian Handcrafts, “Starcraft”

squints This is very early Baroness, isn’t it? That sort of groovy kind of thing, but with a bit of classic rock kind of feel to it? No? Just me?

The Gutter Twins, “All Misery/Flowers”

The Gutter Twins are Greg Dulli (Afghan Whigs, The Twilight Singers) and Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees, tons of collaborations under his own name). They put out just this one album, Saturnalia, which sounds pretty much like Mark Lanegan singing for the Afghan Whigs. You’ve already decided if that’s a good thing or not.

No, instead, I’m going to instead contemplate which record named Saturnalia I like better: this one or the one from the Wedding Present. Discogs suggests there are plenty of other albums called “Saturnalia” out there, but I haven’t heard them, so I assume they suck. So, which do I want? Greg Dulli in his “wandering the wilderness” phase, or post-peak Wedding Present? I think if I had to keep just one, I’ll probably keep this. Mark Lanegan is a distinctive enough singer that this does things that Dulli’s other work doesn’t, whereas other Wedding Present records are just better than their Saturnalia.

Skeleton Key, “Panic Bullets”

This record doesn’t sound like it’s from 2002. It sounds like it’s from 1994. (That’s a good thing.)

Big same, Beatles.

DJ Krush, “Jikan no Hashi 2”

Do I need to hear “Jikan no Hashi” for this song to make sense?

Abstract hip-hop artist DJ Krush’s 1996 MiLiGHT featured a bunch of collaborations, resulting in a bit of an uneven record. But at the heart of it are always his jazzy beats, so it’s still a pleasant listen.

The Skunks, “The Chairman”

Well, that’s pointless.

Tricky, “Abbaon Fat Tracks”

I’m sitting here thinking, geez, this entry is pretty light. I gotta step it up and really write something for this song! What insight do I have? Anything I can cook up that really makes people think “yeah, I’m so glad I stick with this dumb blog every day”. Then, the first thing on the track is “fuck you” and you know what? Fuck you too! I ain’t writing shit.

Señor Coconut y su conjunto, “Showroom Dummies”

Not you, dear reader. I was referring to Tricky on that last one. You’re lovely, my favorite. Yes, you.

Anyhoo, I’ve listened to this record and this song specifically so much that it’s actually replaced the Kraftwerk version in my head as the actual “Showroom Dummies”. And I’ve listened to the Kraftwerk version a non-trivial amount too!

Minus the Bear, “Lotus”

I’m not sure I would have placed this in the past, but you know what? I’m getting some pretty heavy Yes vibes off of this.

The Bruce Lee Band, “Mr. Hanelei”

Sometimes, I wish I was enough of a professional to click onto my own tags and read what I’d already written about bands. But, I’m not, so I have to rely on my own crummy memory. I don’t want to repeat the same stories about bands, but I also don’t want to work any harder than I do for this thing. So here we are, I’m writing nonsense and you’re left with a meta comment here instead of something useful. Or even “useful”. Well, anyway, the song is over!

Einstürzende Neubauten, “Selbstportrait mit Kater”

Einstürzende Neubauten is going back into the studio! They sent out a notice on their Patreon, and that’s fantastic news. I can’t wait to hear what they do next!

See, this is what happens when I know I’ve talked about something before. I’m lucky when I know even one thing about one of these songs. I’m supposed to come up with two?

Therapy?, “He’s Not That Kind Of Girl”

I can’t decide what this sounds like. Kinda like Foetus in spots, a little bit of Tom Waits, dunno, maybe that’s close. Given the vintage of this and the title, it wouldn’t surprise me if the lyrics of this weren’t really bad, but I’m not really listening closely enough to tell. I hope not!

Fennesz + Sakamoto, “haru”

Sure, let’s wrap up with this.

“Drunk Trumpet” appears on Kid Koala’s first record, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, and this is a fun live version of it from Live From The Short Attention Span Audio Theater Tour. As always, Kid Koala is a gas.

Jay Dee, “Pause”

Before his legendary Donuts, J Dilla’s first record under his own name was Welcome 2 Detroit, part of the first set of records for BBE’s Beat Generation series. Dilla’s record is probably the second best of that group, after Pete Rock’s, and if you haven’t looked it up but enjoy his other work, you should.

Jimbo Mathus & Andrew Bird, “Encircle My Love”

Jimbo Mathus is better known as one of the founders of the Squirrel Nut Zippers, which is where he first worked with Andrew Bird. The pair got back together last year for a folk record called These 13, and if that sounds like something you’d like, you’re absolutely in for a treat.

J-Zone, “Chump Change”

J-Zone’s penny-pinching persona from his rapping days was always a good pairing with the circus music beats he put together. Ballin’ on a budget indeed.

Jonwayne, “TED Talk”

Lotta hip-hop today. We should do this more often!

After the explosive success of You’re A Woman, I’m A Machine, a remix record was hustled out the door. I didn’t realize it was a remix record, I just saw it in Sonic Boom here in Seattle and thought “neat, a new DFA record!” Friends, it wasn’t a new record, not really, and is as pointless as any other remix record.

T.I., “I’m Straight”

I know I just did this, but…hi Straight, I’m Five Songs.

Phoenix, “1901”

You know, I’ve listened to Girl Talk so much that I just expect this song to have Ludacris bellowing on it nowadays. More things should have Ludacris over the top of them, frankly.

Supernova, “King Ding Dong”

Supernova’s 1998 release, Rox, is one of the last Amphetamine Reptile Records releases before they went into hibernation, and it seems like nobody really paid any attention to it. It doesn’t appear to exist in Rate Your Music, for example. Is it good? Well, I wish I could say it’s a lost gem, but it’s just OK. Not that you can tell from this 12 second thing.

Cut Chemist, “Lesson 4: The Radio”

Tear it up, Cut Chemist! I love old radio stuff getting cut together, it’s always enjoyable to me for some reason.

There are times when I think we should just ban all rock songs longer than two minutes. If you can’t get your point across in two minutes, go play some jazz or something, loser!

Atmosphere, “Besos”

I typed this first as “Beos”, and then thought, huh, I wonder what a veteran hip-hop duo was doing writing a song about a near-forgotten niche operating system. You all should be thankful I’m not going to even attempt a verse here.

Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard, “The Spaceships of Ezekiel”

There are musicians that are brilliant, that take music in suprising directions and create an artistic legacy that is admired and emulated for years, decades, centuries. There are bands that are excellent, near the top of their genre, that stand out from their contemporaries and might be your favorite if it’s a genre that you love. Then there are plenty of bands in popular music that are fine - they do good work, they’re pleasant enough to listen to, but maybe they don’t necessarily stand out particularly. Which of these bands you might follow and enjoy might come down to the circumstances of when you encounter them. Who knows how and why an artist catches our ears.

There’s nothing novel about those observations. But what I can add, is that perhaps if you’re in the latter category, just go ahead and name your band something like Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard. You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Kendrick Lamar, “King Kunta”

Kendrick is the best.

A Tribe Called Quest, “We The People…”

A Tribe Called Quest’s legendary career ended in acrimony with a lackluster final album, 1998’s The Love Movement. Phife Dawg’s tragic death in early 2016 sealed away the possibility of a reunion. Except, it didn’t. Surprisingly, the band managed to release a record late in 2016 that, yes, included Phife (it was recorded in 2015). What were the odds that this album, almost two decades after their run ended and more than two decades from their last great album, was going to be good? Incredibly, it’s actually excellent, maybe their third best record. It seems miraculous that we were granted this one final gift, but it’s so nice that we were.

A thing I can recommend as a solid move is to befriend some people in Australia, and then get some music recommendations from them. You’ll get plenty of stuff that you never otherwise would have heard, and if my experience is anything to go by, they’ll be absolute delights - the people, and the bands.

The Supremes, “You Can’t Hurry Love”

Surprised there’s not a parenthetical in this title. I mean, even a “(You Can’t) Hurry Love” or something, come on, it’s like they’re not even trying.

Tar Babies, “Walking Dead”

You know, up until just this very moment I hadn’t made this connection, but that is a seriously Mac DeMarco-ass sound they have going here. Or, given that the Tar Babies preceeded him by a couple decades, the other way around.

The Dead Weather, “Three Dollar Hat”

A supergroup comprised of members of the Kills, Queens of the Stone Age, the Raconteurs, and, uh, Jack White, the Dead Weather are more fun than is the norm for supergroups. They’re probably my favorite post-White Stripes work from White - he’s fun on the drums, and Alison Mosshart in particular is a great foil for him.

Thinking Fellers Union Local 282, “Star Trek”

A tasty little instrumental here from TFUL282, which…I’m not sure I’ve spelled that out. I don’t like it! Thinking Fellers? Ugh.

There have been bands as cool as Television was when they released Marquee Moon, but I’m not sure there have been any cooler.

SWANS, “In My Garden”

On Children of God, Jarboe’s contributions to the band were placed much more at the center of things. The transition from the sound of nihilist, crushing despair over to spooky, creepy despair was thus complete. This era of the band is probably my least favorite, but that’s mainly just due to how much I like some of their other periods. As always, SWANS are never less than interesting and frequently much more than that.

Yo La Tengo, “Beanbag Chair”

Didn’t we just have a track from this album? I think we did. This album rules! Yo La Tengo: they’re good!

They Might Be Giants, “Stuff is Way”

Speaking of a record that isn’t a band at their best, Modern came out in 2020 and feels a little slapped together. TMBG always have tons and tons of songs lying around, and they are capable of hauling together some of them for a record with little notice. Which kind of sounds like exactly what they did with this thing. All that said, it’s still charming, because they put together this record to raise money for their crew, because their tour got canceled by the pandemic, and they wanted to make up the income for those guys. All the proceeds went to their tour folks, so at least I feel like I did some good in picking up this album.

The Pietasters, “Stone Feeling”

The previous Pietasters album, Oolooloo, had an interesting take on ska by melding in a fair bit of soul, which resulted in an infectious record. Unfortunately, their followup (Willis) stumbled pretty hard. The soul elements felt forced, Stephen Jackson’s voice kind of sounded shot, and the whole thing just didn’t hang together.

I’m never really sure how to credit this record. It’s Richie Hawtin putting together a mix record, so do I credit him? Or the artist that did the original track? I choose the former on purely utilitarian grounds, which is that if anybody listening to this wants to hear more, they’re going to do better looking up Hawtin than they will the original artist (Thor, in this case. Not the Norse god.)

Nothing, “ACD (Abcessive Compulsive Disorder)”

Philadelphia’s Nothing went more shoegaze on their second album, producing something that absolutely would have fit in alongside the first wave of shoegaze bands just fine. It’s certainly a pleasant listen, although shoegaze isn’t really my genre.

Gastr del Sol, “The Seasons Reverse”

Camoufleur opens with this track, a jittery little song that’s about as conventional of a rock song as Gastr del Sol made. Which means blurting trumpet, twitchy drums, and two minutes of languid coda.

Less Than Jake, “You’re the One That I Want”

A friend got really upset one time when I put on this EP of covers from “Grease”. I honestly couldn’t tell if she was just annoyed at the smirky stuff (which would be fair enough) or if she was genuinely pissed at the sacrilege of some dumb punk band covering these songs. She really loved that movie! Anyway, since I don’t actually care about the movie, I spun this EP a couple times and then filed it away.

Johnny Socko, “Save Yourself”

Well, bit of a mess today, but this is a cheerful little tune.

The first track to Lally’s second record, giving a good idea of what sort of bass-forward tunes you can expect to hear from him. If you’ve listened to Fugazi’s instrumentals, you’ll have a decent picture in mind also, even though Lally does sing.

House of Lightning, “James Brown”

Part of the Floor family tree, House of Lightning shares members with Floor and, as you can hear, aesthetics. If you’re looking for more stuff in that vein, of really big riffs and melodies and some clean singing, you’re in the right spot.

Edna’s Goldfish, “Veronica Sawyer”

When people say they hate ska, this is what they’re picturing - a sort of by-the-numbers punk/ska, something that was just everywhere in the late 90s. And yeah, this is awfully forgettable, I’m not going to mount much of a defense here.

The Miracles, “Mickey’s Monkey”

What can you say about Smokey Robinson, even on a trifle like this, he still sounds so damn good.

PUP, “Free At Last”

Stefan Babcock is a genius at writing choruses that sound cathartic, even when they’re still downers. The magic trick of sounding uplifting and like a giant bummer at the same time is an incredible one. Like popping a truffle in your mouth just to discover it’s stuffed with marmite.

Hi Hell, I’m Dad.

Cannibal Ox, “Iron Galaxy”

It’s difficult to overstate how much this album sounded like the future when it came out. And while it sort of does represent a path not taken in hip-hop, at least by the mainstream, I suppose it did eventually find full flower with El-P’s work with Run the Jewels.

Atmosphere, “Stopwatch”

Mi Vida Local, Atmosphere’s 2018 record, continues their pattern of staying in the realm of the personal. Slug continues to mostly contemplate and explore his life in his lyrics. Supporting that, Ant’s production relies more and more on live instrumentation, giving again a more organic feel to things. It’s a decent album, but I’m not sure it stands out from their other 2010s work.

Bomb the Music Industry!, “Cold Chillin’ Cold Chillin'”

The opener to Scrambles, featuring that move where it sounds like the band suddenly snaps into focus, but we don’t really get that until the second track. So, this kind of feels like half of a song. Oh well!

Atmosphere, “Lovelife”

Well, I suppose Slug has always talked about his life, huh? Well, fuck it, you can just listen to what 16 years sounds like, I suppose.

We had the Skatalites yesterday, and now we hear another take on the genre thirty years later. And you know what? This stuff whips also, horns rule.

Olivelawn, “Hate”

San Diego’s Olivelawn released a couple albums in the early 90s, with this one sounding like a Seattle record mostly because it was recorded in Seattle in 1992 by Jack Endino. Very, very grunge. Anyway, it’s pretty good stuff if you’re looking for something a little off the beaten path with those 1992 vibes. Half of this band would go on to form Fluf, who banged out four excellent records in the 90s also.

Yo La Tengo, “Black Flowers”

One of the genuine delights of Yo La Tengo is that they are capable of writing songs across a wide spectrum of emotion. I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass is a fine example, with songs ranging from the 10+ minute opening and closing tracks to a lovely little confection like this.

Lake of Dracula, “Lake of Dracula”

We got ourselves a trifecta! This is “Lake of Dracula” from Lake of Dracula by Lake of Dracula. Anyway, it’s a side project of Al Johnson (US Maple), Heather Melowic (Scissor Girls), and Weasel Walter (lots of bands). But who cares, trifecta!

Harvey Milk, “Plastic Eggs”

This is an early album from the Athens, Georgia doom metal band Harvey Milk. Rest assured that they never really pick up the pace on later records, pounding anger remains the name of the game for their entire career.

Indie rock out of Champaign-Urbana, Steakdaddy Six released two solid albums in the early 90s before ending their run. This is from the second of those records, Houstonia, but they’re pretty comparable. The most notable thing about the band is that they featured an extra drummer in the lineup, which distinguished them from most of their contemporaries. Not very many bands roll with two drummers, but more should.

Coheed and Cambria, “Island”

The Color Before the Sun is the only Coheed and Cambria album that isn’t part of their extended space opera thing, meaning it’s probably the most accessible record in their catalog. Added to that is that the songs on it are big, friendly rockers. Really, this album sounds kind of like a 80s radio-friendly metal album, although with maybe more sensible pants.

Duke Ellington, “In a Sentimental Mood”

There may be reader/listeners here who don’t know one of the key facts about me, your friendly DJ/writer/head bozo: I don’t know shit about jazz. It’s important to know, I guess.

The Skatalites, “Eastern Standard Time”

One of the Skatalites’ most famous songs, “Eastern Standard Time” is one of their sweetest tunes. It was written by Don Drummond, which explains the trombone taking center stage. Just a breezy delight, I defy anybody to listen to this and still claim to not like ska.

Marvin Gaye, “Pride and Joy”

Got real old in here today!

I don’t want to profane this with my witless scribbling.

Panopticon, “Trauerweide II”

From a split release with Panopticon and Waldgeflüster, where the bands each contributed a long black metal song and a folk cover of a song from the other band. This is Panopticon’s cover, and I’m not familiar with the original, so I can’t really comment on how it differs. But it’s a nice listen, anyway.

System of a Down, “Toxicity”

I’m not a nu-metal guy, at all. I’ve picked up an album or two here and there, usually when the din of positive reviews got sufficient for me to decide to give a record a whirl. I try and give pretty much every genre an honest chance by picking up well-regarded releases and really giving them a listen. And so, Toxicity, which reviewed very well back in the day. I’m not wild about it!

The Black Keys, “Next Girl”

You know, it’s been a really long time since I’ve listened to this record. Instead, I have listened to The Brothers of Chico Dusty, the mash-up of this album with Big Boi’s Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty a lot. I think that should count.

Prince Paul, “Open Your Mouth (Hypothalamus)”

That “I Can Sing A Rainbow” loop always gets me whenever it pops up. Prince Paul is just the master of finding these sorts of great bits in off-the-beaten-path records. I don’t know if this is the first place anybody used it - WhoSampled seems to think it is, but I know of at least one song that isn’t there (Edan’s “I See Colors” where he acknowledges that “Prince Paul already used this loop”). So who knows for sure? But probably.

Somehow, Pussy Galore manages to sound greasy. Some of that is the trashy production - the clattering drums, the bullhorn vocals, the squalling guitars. But even beyond that, there’s a feel to things that kind of make you feel like you need a bath after listening to it. It’s great!

Killdozer, “Space: 1999”

There’s nothing more reliable in this world than Killdozer grimly pounding away. It’s always going to sound like power equipment being used improperly, and leave you feeling like perhaps you shouldn’t have listened to it.

Ministry, “Roadhouse Blues”

I’m not sure why I picked this thing up. I was over Ministry as of Filth Pig (really, Psalm 69), more than a decade before this release. I’m sure I read a review of it somewhere that liked it, and I’m a sucker. Anyway, it’s…well, it’s Ministry. The solo is more elaborate than on their earlier records. Totally unnecessary, though.

The New Pornographers, “The Surprise Knock”

You know, “The New Pornographers” kind of sounds like the sort of thing that Al Jourgensen would name a Ministry side project. The sort of thing that put out three EPs in the early 90s and consisted primarily of meandering vocal samples and looped drums.

The Four Tops, “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)”

Part of me feels bad to have a song like this in the same batch as something like Ministry or Killdozer. Feels disrespectful. But what am I going to do, rethink the entire premise of this dumb project?

Once More Around The Sun is definitely a Mastodon album, what with all their stylistic tics being present. But for the most part, it’s all packaged in a much more accessible way. Much of this song, for example, really is just a half-step away from something like Soundgarden. I, of course, prefer the denser and more elaborate songs of their earlier albums, but this is still a decent listen.

Flop, “Regrets”

Flop’s middle album is their only major label release, and I think the production doesn’t really do them any favors. It’s a fancier production, a little bit denser and polished than the first record, but that’s not really the ideal way to listen to them. It’s still full of great, tuneful power pop, but just a bit behind their other records.

Skinny Puppy, “Glass Houses”

You know what? I’ve always thought of Skinny Puppy’s first album as being called “Bites and Remission”, and today is the first time I realized that what I own is a CD containing their first album Bites and their debut EP Remission. Look, what can I say? Discogs didn’t exist in 1989.

Swingin’ Utters, “Jackie Jab”

Fuck yeah!

Wolves in the Throne Room, “I Will Lay Down My Bones Among the Rocks and Roots”

Hmm. Do the kids today who would have been listening to Joy Division and Skinny Puppy if they went to high school with me instead listen to stuff like Wolves in the Throne Room? I mean, almost certainly not, there’s got to be no way that kids listen to anything that I do. But I guess I’m wondering what overly dramatic music goth kids listen to in order to piss their parents off?

Dang, friends, that’s a hell of a groove there. “Big Bang” indeed!

Bedouine, “Nice and Quiet”

This is not a groove. Too pretty.

De La Soul, “Drawn”

I wonder what the shortest Five Songs has been? I mean, five songs long, but in text.

Man or Astro-Man?, “The Sound Waves Reversing”

I’m absolutely not going to figure it out, mind you.

Union Carbide Productions, “Swing”

But I gotta figure this one is the “winner”. I’ll do better tomorrow!

Seam, “Sweet Pea”

I think this 1993 EP, Kernel, is actually my favorite Seam release, pound-for-pound. I’m not really sure why that is, exactly. It’s not necessarily super differentiated from their other stuff. I just think the songs on here work really well for me. Pump it loud!

Silkworm, “Written on the Wind”

We’re still in Josh’s College Years here, my friends. It’s a cut from my favorite Silkworm album, although it’s tough to pick just one record. What I really like about Libertine in particular is that many of the songs have a tons of space in them to let Michael Dahlquist and Tim Midgett do their thing. Just a lovely record.

Built to Spill, “Strange”

Aw, not There’s Nothing Wrong With Love? Couldn’t keep it at the same time frame? Anyway, Ancient Melodies of the Future was the first post-peak Built to Spill record - still a fine album, but unable to keep pace with the previous records. I have grown to appreciate it more over the years, as I got over the disappointment that they were never going to make another Perfect From Now On. I’m able to just enjoy it for what it is instead of measuring it against the least fair yardstick ever.

The Isley Brothers, “Summer Breeze”

I’m here listening to this, having a gin and tonic, and it almost really does feel like summer! Except I’m inside a house and it’s night.

Pat Van Dyke, “Clockwork”

And now a cut from Hello, Summer. Our theme today was “indie rock on the patio in the summer”, and I think we’re done here today!

Wire, “Different To Me”

Wire’s music is consise. I’ve decided that that’s the best way to describe it. It’s incredibly lean, there’s no wasted anything in their songs. They have their idea, they get it out there, and move on. And their ideas all rule! I wish we could get Wire to edit other bands.

Big Boys, “We Got Soul”

The rules of what made a hardcore band in the late 70s/early 80s were much looser, resulting in bands like the Minutemen and the Big Boys being labeled hardcore bands. But the Big Boys could really let it all hang out - this is an original, and it’s damn funky. Name another hardcore band that could also credibly cover Kool & the Gang? Anyway, the Big Boys ruled.

The Fabulous Three, “Nightbird”

Why don’t people use flutes more often? Do people just automatically think of Jethro Tull, so now they’re poisoned?

The Counters, “Do You Love Me”

I wonder what Motown song has appeared in the most media over the years. I’m sure their licensing department knows, but it would be fun to discover. It would surprise me if this song didn’t place pretty high on the list.

The Flaming Lips, “Convinced of the Hex”

For a while, this sounds like some experimental industrial act, like it’s going to be a found sound/noise pastiche. And honestly, even once the vocals get going, it still sounds like kind of an underground electronic song and not really a Flaming Lips tune. That’s a good thing, mind you, it’s good to hear them break out a little sometimes.

This will never fail to make me laugh. It’s just so absurd! Demented prog/grindcore fusion, complete with brutal vocals, come on, how could you not love this! I listened to this three times in a row before moving on.

Palm Reader, “Tire Me”

Palm Reader got together with Conjurer for a split covers EP. That’s a pretty inessential premise, but it’s a fun release. This, of course, is a Rage Against the Machine track, and they do a nice job with it.

DJ Jazzy Jeff, “We Are”

I think in the popular imagination, DJ Jazzy Jeff is a pop guy, just the companion of the Fresh Prince and not the most important part of that act. But for his solo record for BBE, DJ Jazzy Jeff really steps up and delivers some super nice beats for a cast of rappers. He makes the case that while Will Smith became the famous one, he was an essential part of the original winning formula.

Pound, “x-.+.+.x-.+.x-.x-.+”

Yeah! We got ourselves a couple metal duo weirdos today! Pound is from Seattle (represent!) and they make this kind of math-y grindcore-y sort of stuff. Like a less treble-y Lightning Bolt, which, fuck yeah!

Aceyalone, “The Guidelines”

Got a full house today, metal over hip-hop.

Nearly had that rarest of day today, with five new artists, but alas - we’ve had Aceyalone before.

The Coup got together with one of their peers on this one, Dead Prez, combining two of the most political acts in hip hop at the time for one great track. I don’t know what else there is to say, they’re both bringing their A-game. Also, I love it when rappers imitate sirens, always a good move.

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, “Where’d You Go?”

This is the first Bosstones song I ever heard, when I saw it on 120 Mintes back in probably summer of 1992. I really enjoyed it as a total change of pace from what I was listening to at the time, but didn’t go back and visit the band under later, after I’d found the Specials, and started teaching myself about ska. It’s still a charming little tune, it’s hard to resist the big horns.

Sebadoh, “Total Peace”

A classic Lou Barlow ballad here, with the slowly ramping urgency of the strumming lending a weight to the song that eventually pays off, complete with denouement. If you don’t like this song, stay away from Sebadoh.

Turkey Mallet, “Braang”

Hee hee, Turkey Mallet. One of the forgotten bands from Immune Records, who are notable mostly for early Buck-o-Nine and Unsteady’s very good first record (which, uh, isn’t super notable). But Turkey Mallet were actually pretty interesting, and probably deserve a closer listen if you like the third wave and missed them. Of course, actually listening to them is basically impossible, so, you know: come on over!

Black Happy, “Chicken in a Biscuit”

Obscure bands with horns today! Black Happy were from Northern Idaho and originally started off as kind of a joke band, trying to answer what would happen if some metal guys started playing with a horn section. But as they went along, they ended up going in more of a Fishbone kind of direction, and put out several fun records in the early to mid-90s. They were never more than a regional band, but their live show ripped, and I remember them fondly.

Koenjihyakkei is a band led by Tatsuya Yoshida, the drummer/lunatic in Ruins. It’s an off-kilter take on prog, inspired by Magma, and it’s every bit as unhinged as Ruins ever was. Just with a bigger band. I mean, I suppose I don’t really need to describe it, you can hear it just fine. How would I go about describing this, anyway?

The Mars Volta, “Askepios”

Oh, is this what we’re doing today, shuffle?

The Toasters, “Everything You Said Has Been A Lie”

It’s an interesting thought experiment is if the Toasters would have been more successful with a different front man. Rob Hingley wasn’t really terrible or anything, but he also didn’t really add to the mix either. For the most part, their instrumentals were their best work. With a more dynamic singer, they might have been able to break through, and might have joined the Bosstones as one of the breakthrough bands of the third wave.

Witchcraft, “Breakdown”

This damn thing gets seven full minutes before it gets going. Good thing I like those squeaky riffs once it finally gets off the starting line.

Frank Black and the Catholics, “Bad Harmony”

[squints] Getting some real Pixies vibes here from this one, maybe this band should try and disguise their influences at least a little bit.

I was a latecomer to Cave In, only really starting to listen to them around 2015 or so when I got a Hydra Head sampler with this EP among the stuff. And I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but it sure wasn’t this. This is pretty indie rock, and while I know it’s not representative of all of their sound, it’s still kind of jarring to listen to this and try and square it with the reputation of Cave In as a hardcore band.

Priests, “Appropriate”

When the guitars kick in, that’s a fine moment in this song. You know, I hadn’t really thought it before, but this is almost a kind of Dead Kennedys groove going here. Great tune!

Gas Huffer, “More of Everything”

Pleasant day so far today! It feels wrong to describe the garage rock of Gas Huffer as easy-going, but I think it fits. Or good-natured? They want to have a good time, and want you to have a good time. Sure, there’s plenty of energy, but there’s no real heat here. Anyway, always a delight.

Metallica, “Ride the Lightning”

Well, so much for easy-going. I kind of go back and forth between this record and Master of Puppets as the best Metallica record. This is the one where they took a leap in ambition and fulfilled it, but Master of Puppets is more refined and a better take on the same concept. Ultimately, I suppose I pick this one just because it was more of a game changer, but you can’t really go wrong with either. Metallica still sounds like a million bucks today.

The Bar-Kays, “Montego Bay”

Folks, Five Songs!

The soul artists of the 60s and 70s went ahead and just covered each other, including even covering truly huge songs. Songs don’t really get bigger than “My Girl”, but that didn’t stop Eddie Floyd here, who was no slouch himself. The comparable situation just doesn’t seem to happen much with rock, certainly not with the same frequency.

Royal Headache, “Wouldn’t You Know”

Pretty straight ahead rock out of Australia, a recommendation from an internet friend, and a fun album. I know nothing about them other than the fact that they’re from Australia, though. Sorry!

The Dead Science, “Clemency”

A truly strange record. The vocal delivery is so over the top and theatrical, and the musical portion helps reinforce that. Big time theater kid energy on it! But it’s also kind of refreshing to hear a record that’s really going for it like this, and so I enjoy it occasionally as a change of pace. Nothing else really like it in my collection. I just have this record from them, I don’t know if the rest of their discography is as unhinged.

Knocked Loose, “Belleville”

On the border of hardcore and metalcore, Knocked Loose sound probably most to me like early metalcore, I suppose. I picked up this record after reading positive reviews of it as a hardcore record, but to my ears, it doesn’t read very hardcore. So, not my favorite record, as I’m not really a metalcore guy.

The Meters, “Ease Back”

I’ve praised A Message From The Meters before, the singles collection covering a whole ton of their 7" singles, but for those who haven’t heard it (or read that praise): it might be my single favorite funk release. It’s not coherent the way other albums are, but it’s very hard to argue with 40 tracks of the Meters at the top of their form.

For a split second, at the beginning of this track, there’s a burly menace to the sound that the seasoned Five Songs reader/listener would suspect is going to descend into some nightmare basement howling and guitarpocalypse. But no, it’s just Calexico being a little dramatic at the start of this tune.

Calexico has always taken inspiration from their surroundings, and they’ve taken on the habit of recording their albums in different places in order to change up that inspiration. As a result, they’ve moved away some from the habitual desert sounds some on their latest records.

Silver Scooter, “Terrorism Lover”

No! Bad indie band!

Big Lad, “With Thanks Rave On”

Electronic noise act Big Lad were originally known as Shitwife, and I’m sorry, but I have trouble getting past that fact to say much more about them. Shitwife! Incredible.

Bob Marley & the Wailers, “African Herbsman”

The collected The Complete Wailers compilations, gathering together basically everything Marley did from 1967-1972, are absolutely chock full of fantastic tunes. The quality of a lot of the recordings are ragged, of course, and there are demos and things that aren’t fully baked. But those misses overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of charming stuff on the records.

Crackerbash, “Human Alarm Clock”

Portland, OR’s Crackerbash lasted for only one album, an EP, and a handful of singles, but they were really good while they lasted. Like a lot of their contemporaries in Portland at the time, there’s a little more tunefulness going on with their rock than what was going on up I-5. Portland was never really going to be Grunge City South, despite what people were saying at the time. But because it wasn’t, a bunch of these records have gotten lost in the shuffle, and that’s a shame.

The immediacy of the drums here, both in their entry into the song as well as the production, really drives things here. That insistent bell, the grit and echo, it’s fantastic. On top of that, those punchy horns, goddamn, I could just listen to this all day. And bari sax! Love it.

L’Orange & Mr. Lif, “Strange Technology”

I wonder what it is about hip-hop that pairs with sci-fi so successfully in a way that, say, rock music can struggle with. A lot of the time when rock tries to go sci-fi, it comes across as corny or ridiculous. But hip-hop can go futuristic without any real struggle, and there have been some awesome sci-fi hip-hop records. I suppose the beats can get kind of inorganic without stretching the genre too much, and that can help things.

Gas Huffer, “Psycho Devil Girl”

Now, head into a garage, and rock is right back at home!

This tune comes from the Estrus Lunch Bucket, a three 7" comp full of the sort of garage rock that Estrus kicked out so well. Alas, Estrus Records’ discography is basically non-existent on streaming services. Some of that is because they were a small label, but I suspect much of it is that there was a tragic fire at their warehouse that destroyed many of the masters of their releases. At any rate, this is a fine example of the reason why I host my own music library. The streaming services are big and convenient, but by no means comprehensive.

Sicko, “Where I Live”

Pacific Northwest represent! Sicko rules! Gas Huffer rules! Fuck yeah rock!

Merle Haggard, “Teach Me To Forget”

BOOOOO GET OFF THE STAGE MERLE BRING BACK THE PUNK

You know, cranking out a monthly EP for an entire year is an absolutely tremendous achievement, one of the more impressive ones I’ve seen from an artist in years. I think it’s kind of a shame that they didn’t have a wider audience for them. It looks like 5-600 people subscribed, judging by how many people have them in their collections on Bandcamp. Maybe they’ll package stuff up and release them later.

Curtis Mayfield, “Eddie You Should Know Better”

The title of “Coolest Album I Own” is definitely a funk or soul record from the 70s, without a doubt. There have been plenty of cool albums since then, primarily rap records, but nothing really beats that era. And among that group, I think Superfly might be the coolest in the end. Of course, I’m not the one who should really be judging this kind of thing, I’ve never been even remotely cool.

Flying Saucer Attack, “Rainstorm Blues”

This really does sound like a flying saucer attack.

Wiccans, “Intro”

Yeah! That’s how you start an album! Some pounding, some skronk, a big riff, “aaaaaaargh”, and a total of fifty-six seconds of noise. I’m ready to break stuff, you?

Today Is The Day, “The Guild Barber”

Today Is The Day’s debut album, 1993’s Supernova, is a strange one. It got them rolling on a long, also strange career, but as an album, it’s not super coherent. It’s certainly full of ideas, but it’s also full of musical cul-de-sacs, where Steve Austin (not that one) seemed to wander somewhere without any particular notion of where he was going. Just like how I don’t know where this metaphor is going. Look, the blog is over!

The rolled Rs are a bit much, don’t you think, A Forest of Stars guy? There’s always a line that metal bands walk, where if they go too far and seem like they’re taking themselves too seriously, they cross into Theatre Kid territory. Now, you can lean into the ridiculousness, of course, and that’s fine and good and not what I’m talking about. It’s just if you get too dramatic and don’t seem to be tongue-in-cheek at all, well, it gets extremely silly.

Craw, “405”

Now, see, that’s about a hundred times more effective as a nasty piece of work.

Isaiah Rashad, “R.I.P. Kevin Miller”

Real Five Song heads (which is nobody) might remember Isiah Rashad popping up as the first mystery artist we ever had on here, someone that I have no recollection of adding to the library. But here we are, I have two albums from him, and no: still no idea.

Mastodon, “Fallen Torches”

You know, a thing that’s kind of neat about Mastodon is how recognizable Brann Dailor’s work is on the drums. From the first second of that intro fill, this is instantly a Mastodon song.

OutKast, “Chronomentrophobia”

Man, I miss OutKast.

As always, Five Songs is a pro-duo place, which is something we feel compelled to mention every single time one comes up. It’s just one of our loveable quirks, like not knowing shit about jazz or using the royal we, but only inconsistently! Shoddy, rushed writing, or deliberate, stylistic choice? Nobody knows!

Solids, “Cold Hands”

Another duo! Solids only made this one album, 2013’s Blame Confusion, but it’s a ripper. If you like what you hear, you’re in for a treat!

The Cows, “Walks Alone”

Some punk bands tighten up and lose some of their magic. A looseness or roughness in their sound is part of the alchemy that makes things work, and losing that often removes some of the magic. It’s why so many punk bands’ first record is their best record. But for the Cows, they really hit their peak when they did tighten up. The previous four records were all over the place - not devoid of their highlights, but also a mess and not always in a good way. But by Cunning Stunts, their sound was so much tighter that you realized they could sling some seriously good songs, and they made their best record and one of the best Amphetamine Reptile Records releases of all.

Samiam, “Don’t Break Me”

Samiam decided to open up their fourth album, Billy, with one of the biggest songs on the record, bucking the trend at the time of ending records with a showstopper. It’s an interesting choice that lends a bit of a strange feel to the record, it almost feels like you just looped it on repeat. It’s a great record, though. And, of course, it actually still ends on a song even bigger than this one, which is impressive.

Firewater, “Some Strange Reaction”

Man, I miss Firewater. I wish Tod Ashley would put out a new album!

The Spine is a very elaborate album from TMBG. The production is really lush and layered, and it pays off in songs like this one. As the years go on, I actually end up appreciating this album more and more.

Idylls, “Fagged Out On The Beach”

Just a little transitional track here, not a ton to say about it.

Crystalized Movements, “The Second a Siren”

The production on This Wideness Comes is like an extra member of the band. There’s something about the way the fuzz and compression interacts with the band that gives it a distinctive feel. I think it’s the separation of the vocals from the rest of the band that is part of it, it almost sounds like two different recordings.

Cinerama, “And When She Was Bad”

We had the final (pre-reforming) Wedding Present record yesterday, and here we have Gedge in his final (pre-reforming) Cinerama record. Unlike Saturnalia, I don’t think he was out of steam or anything, he just resumed making records without Sally Murrell and so the original moniker came back.

The Sound Stylistics, “Back on the Streets”

Fuck yeah, man! Mocambo, the record label run by the Mighty Mocambos, put out a series of funk 45s and later collected this on this comp. And it goes so hard, y’all. It was tough finishing listening to this, actually, so much smoke was pouring out of my headphones.

Aw, I just want to enjoy this. I’m not going to say anything!

The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, “She Said”

Plastic Fang is an album that feels a little bit unfocused to me. They’re experimenting with tweaks to their formula in a few different ways on the album, and I’m not sure it all totally works out. But that said, Spencer still writes some bangers on it, and this is one of the highlights of the record. Just a roaring groove in the mold of Orange.

Andrew Bird, “Capsized”

I’ve mentioned it before, but on Are You Serious?, Andrew Bird is actually kind of getting groovy. In some of his early work, you might hear a little of this, but only a little, and nothing like what you hear on this tune. Pretty good!

The Wedding Present, “Real Thing”

The final album from the first incarnation of the Wedding Present did genuinely feel a little like the end of an era. Gedge had gone from furiously frustrated to plain ol’ furious to wearily frustrated across the previous records, but now kinda sounded a little bit tired. As a result, it’s my least favorite of the five proper albums from their first go around, although it’s still a good record.

The Violent Femmes, “I Hate The TV”

Add It Up (1981-1993) is a comp collecting not just tracks from their records of that era, but miscellaneous singles and non-album stuff. Like a lot of records in this vein, it’s a mess, but there’s plenty of good songs on here even beyond their well-known tracks.

My favorite Decemberists album really rotates around quite a bit, but it’s usually between this one, Her Majesty The Decemberists, and Picaresque. I suspect that if I could listen to all three with fresh ears with my current musical preferences, that I might land on this one permanently, as the most elaborate of the three.

Black Milk, “Deion’s House”

Black Milk is known for being as good on the mic as behind the boards, but this song actually has an outside producer on it. Still an excellent track, and this album across the board is outstanding.

The For Carnation, “Being Held”

Another band far down on the Squirrel Bait family tree, The For Carnation is a project of Brian McMahan (who was also in Slint), along with a rotating set of musicians. It’s a much more contemplative band, as I suppose you can tell, but retains the same sense of drama that infused Slint’s work. They only put out two records, but are worth pursuing if you’re exploring that entire family of bands.

Fugazi, “Afterthought”

This is from Instrument Soundtrack, the black sheep of Fugazi’s discography. It’s the soundtrack to Instrument, a documentary that the band worked on, and it’s mostly just bits and pieces of ephemera from their career rather than anything coherent. Truthfully, I don’t really listen to it much.

Channels, “The Licensee”

Yup, that’s J Robbins, in yet another of his short-lived post-Jawbox projects. Channels, a trio including his wife Janet Morgan, only put out this one record, but it’s a good one. It’s not as good as the two Burning Airlines records, but it’s still a solid chunk of post-hardcore.

I do enjoy poking fun at the Apples in Stereo around here, but this is a sweet tune. So, yeah, some of their stuff can be unambitious, but when the pop is dialed in, it’s pretty excellent.

Nine Inch Nails, “Corona Radiata”

2005 through 2008 has been Trent Reznor’s most productive period, with three full albums and an instrumental one coming out in less time than it usually takes him to make one album. The Slip is the final record of that sequence before he went back into hibernation, and it’s generally the most straightforward of the four. Uh, this track notwithstanding. While I think Year Zero is the best of that bunch, there’s a catharsis with this record that is satisfying. Again, this dry hump of a song aside.

The Skatalites, “Wood and Water”

Always happy to hear the Skatalites here, this tune coming from their Greetings from Skamania album. As an aside, there actually is a Skamania county here in Washington, a fact that never fails to make me smile. I don’t know if they’ve ever been there, though. I have, it’s nice. Don’t remember if I listened to this album while there, though.

They Might Be Giants, “If Day For Winnipeg”

I need a term for these sorts of songs that TMBG puts together. Songs that are assembled out of strange instrumentation, with odd rhythms, and a sort of toy-like quality to them. There are often a couple of these things on each of their albums, and they aren’t goofs, or at least not more goofy than anything else they do. It’s instead clearly playing around with their arrangements and seeing how far they can stretch things, but not for wackiness’ sake. Toy rhythms?

The Slackers, “For the Money”

Good ska day! No, the Slackers weren’t in the first wave, they’re the best (and most traditional) of the third wave. As always, this is irresistable to me. Listen to the Slackers!

We’re not the most distant from Christmas on the calendar, but I think early spring is spiritually as far as you can get. So, nice timing, Plexasaurus!

Young Hunter, “After Death”

Desert-inspired heavy rock, this is from their self-released and self-titled 2016 release, which is full of psychedelic semi-doom. Overall, I kind of wish they were just purely instrumental, as that’s the most interesting part of this whole thing.

Kryptonyte, “Swang Lo”

Well, it’s been a while since we’ve had one of these, but I don’t remember getting this at all. I can confirm that it’s in my Bandcamp library, so I bought it at some point. From a year-end roundup whereupon it got lost in the, uh, shuffle. Kind of like the murky drums and sort of distant feel to the production on this. Nice, pretty good, past self!

Marvin Gaye, “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)”

One of the places I break with music critic orthodoxy is that I don’t really revere What’s Going On. It’s of course a good record, and of course it was politically significant, but there’s also a lot on it that feels kind of repetitive. There are songs that “Flyin’ High (In The Friendly Sky)” that are just unnecessary. But that said, the high points on the record are tremendous, and there are no points higher on the album than this song.

Beulah, “Emma Blowgun’s Last Stand”

When the horns straight out of a game show theme song kick in, I can’t help but smile. More bands should do goofy shit like that!

Love that anthemic punk rock sound. This is a classic winning formula here, and it feels wrong to be listening to it on an earbud instead of through loud speakers.

matt pond PA, “Bring On The Ending”

Been a minute since we’ve had matt pond PA around here. This is from 2004’s Emblems, a glossy, shiny pop album full of gentle but catchy songs. There’s a real Shins feel to this, which is definitely a compliment. Anyway, they aren’t exactly breaking new ground here, but it’s a pleasant listen.

Pusha T, “Nosetalgia”

God, that loop is hair raising, it’s so good. Almost every song on My Name is My Name has a guest artist on it, and because this one has Kendrick Lamar, that automatically makes it a top track on the record. The way he comes in is incredible, nobody has more flows than Kendrick. And let’s remind you again that that minimal beat is still back there, letting the rappers take center stage but adding quite a bit of menace. This is such a great tune.

Ritual Chamber, “Void Indoctrination”

One-man death metal band Ritual Chamber put out one album, Obscurations (To Feast on the Seraphim), in 2016. This is one of the more effective songs on the album, with the variation in tempo providing some interest from just bashing away. Not that I’m opposed to just bashing away or anything, but it’s nice to have some variety.

Helmet, “Give It”

And then we have Helmet, who were mostly about kinda just bashing away. And I love it! Just settling into a great groove and hammering at it until everybody stops moving.

Oh baby. Listen to that reverb! Those strings and horns! I don’t think I’m cool enough to listen to something like this, frankly. The Suede Denim Secret Police are going to haul me off.

Deerhoof, “Department of Corrections”

There’s something really uplifting about the alchemy of Deerhoof. The contrast of the spastic guitar lines, powerful drums, and sprightly vocals is genuinely irresistable. It’s just really fun stuff, and the fact that Deerhoof is still out there cranking out tunes like this is really reassuring. We’re almost twenty years out from Reveille, the first great Deerhoof record, and they’re just chugging along.

Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet, “Who Painted Whistler’s Mother”

One of the magic tricks of the Shadowy Men was that they managed to conjure some genuine emotion out of their instrumental tracks with nothing but guitar, bass, drums, and some reverb. Well, and a bit of whistling here. But there’s a real arc in this song that kind of gets me every time. They didn’t need lyrics, it would have been superfluous to this tune.

Bathory, “Possessed”

While Venom and Mercyful Fate were huge influences on black metal and extreme metal in general, even more than them Bathory really defined the shape of black metal to come. The early Bathory records (this is the second) sounded like they were recorded in a garage (because they were), but from that primordial sludge emerged genre markers that are still there to this day: strangled vocals, relentless drums, furious walls of guitar, and a savagely raw production. There are plenty of black metal bands and fans who still believe that if you don’t mimic the production in addition to the other sounds that it’s not proper (“trve”) black metal. At any rate, beyond the historical impact, you can understand why people found this compelling, there’s a fascination to this murk even today.

Waldgeflüster, “Der Traumschänder”

This is from a split LP with Panopticon, and…well, here’s some more modern black metal. As you can tell, Waldgeflüster aren’t doing the crappy production thing, so I guess just enjoy the contrast. As with Panopticon, Waldgeflüster are incorporating some folk into their formula, and it’s reasonably effective here.

Geez, I can remember being really intimidated by Van Halen back when this album came out. In my defense, I was 8 when this record released. But it’s pretty funny to listen to this today and think about that initial reaction. Of course, even back then, this wasn’t the most intimidating song from them.

Grotus, “Good Evening”

Experimental goofballs out of San Francisco, Grotus (sorry, not doing all the rock dots!) featured a lineup with two bassists, two drummers, and a guy on samples. The lyrics were a goof, the songs were out there, and the band just kind of projected this kind of ridiculous aura. In a lot of ways, they were kind of Cop Shoot Cop’s evil twin. Wait, other way around. They were the good twin.

The Birthday Party, “Cry”

The Birthday Party laid down the template for so much of what would become noise rock that I think you could make the argument that they birthed the genre. They weren’t the first to use noise, of course, and there were lots of bands in the No Wave scene that could make a similar argument. But the way they wrote their songs and the types of noises they employed directly influenced the bands that would make up the noise rock scene. And, incidentally, this stuff absolutely still rips.

Bergraven, “Av saknad släcker jag ljuset”

On an album where every other song is at least six minutes long, this is just a little atmospheric kind of throwaway. Not a whole lot to be said about this.

Porridge Radio, “Give/Take”

It might seem like we’re immune to the pleasures of just a straight up rock song around here. It’s all noise rock this, and first-wave ska that, and blackened polka the other. But I swear, I listen to plenty of just regular ol’ rock. Like this! 2020’s Every Bad is a charmer, you should listen to it! Like me, the Regular Rock Listener.

No, this isn’t some Belle & Sebastian tribute band. Chicago’s Aislers Set do play pop very much in that vein, uh, obviously. But there’s more variation on this album than this song might suggest, as this is probably the most B&S song on the record. It’s a solid set of tunes, so if you’re looking for some new pop, it’s worth a go.

Rilo Kiley, “A Better Son/Daughter”

Turn of the millennium indie bands represent!

J-Zone, “Gadget Ho”

The “are you inept?” at the beginning of this song always kills me. While I’m obviously super happy with J-Zone’s re-invention as a badass funk drummer, I do miss him playing this persona just a bit.

Jawbreaker, “Do You Still Hate Me?”

I get to see Jawbreaker soon! I never actually had a chance to see them back in the day, I kept being not in the city when they rolled through the various places I lived. So while it’s obviously not the same, I’m pumped, it’s a chance to fill in a little gap in my musical history. I will refrain from yelling song titles at them to play, though, because I’m not 19 any more.

G. Love & Special Sauce, “Nancy”

The description of G. Love & Special Sauce that has always stuck with me is “slacker blues”, which seems pretty apt to me. Their laidback approach is a fair bit of the charm here, but I’ve only got a couple albums from them under the assumption that it would wear thin if I went any further.

The arc popularity of Lovecraft’s writing has been kind of an interesting one to watch. When I was a kid, Lovecraft was largely unknown outside of only a handful of turbo nerds. Call of Cthulhu, the tabletop RPG, did exist, and it slowly brought awareness to Lovecraft’s writing, which was extremely niche in prior years. As the years ground on, and as nerd “culture” continued infiltrating the broader culture, referencing Lovecraft’s writing became just a general shorthand for cosmic horror, a way of gesturing at the ineffable horrors of the universe. Thus, it was invevitable that Lovecraft would slowly become more of a punchline, a cheap gimmick to gain some laughs of recognition from people who understand that this stuff is supposed to be horrible, but look! It’s being played for laughs! SO SUBVERSIVE!

At this point, it wouldn’t surprise me if there were more Lovecraft-related crap that was somewhere on the joke spectrum than there is stuff that is intended seriously. Given how crappy of a dude he was, I don’t really have a problem with this, but it’s funny to observe the path of assimilation, and how inevitably it arrives at the black hole that is parody.

But what do I know? I’m the dipshit who bought this record.

The Polyphonic Spree, “Section 19: When the Fool Becomes a King”

Meanwhile, the Polyphonic spree is over here showing us real horror.

Otis Redding, “Try a Little Tenderness”

A repeat, but always a welcome one.

Guided by Voices, “14 Cheerleader Coldfront”

I’m not sure it would be possible to parody Guided by Voices successfully. Anything that even remotely evokes their spirit would be indistinguishable from a deep cut on an early record.

Skeletonwitch, “Shredding Sacred Flesh”

So, you can basically blacken any metal genre - get some strangled vocals in there, some blast beats, off you go! (This is blackened thrash, for instance.) But now, I’m sitting here contemplating blackening other musical genres. Blackened ska, say. Or a blackened polka. Blackened bluegrass.

Has-Lo, “Fiber Optics”

Yeah, good one, blackened rap! Hmm. Might be problematic, I’ll work on the name.

This is far, far too twee. I want to knock the books out of this song’s hands and then stuff it into a locker.

Destroyer, “An Actor’s Revenge”

Your Blues is extremely Bowie. There’s always some Bowie in a Destroyer record, of course, but this one has always struck me as the most Bowie. Can it be more Bowie? The answer is none. None more Bowie.

(You’ll note that I avoided doing a “More Bowie than Bowie” Rob Zombie riff here. You’re welcome.)

Front 242, “Television Station”

Yeah, Industrial Dance 2022 is on, baby! We got us some disaffected Belgians, some sweaty Brits, couple deranged Canadians, let’s fuckin’ go!

Zoom, “Balboa’s Cannon”

Great indie rock band out of Lawrence, Kansas, I fell in love with them when we got the “Ernst & Son” single at WRCT, but they proved elusive when I searched for their first album literally across multiple countries and in tons of cities. I did eventually find a copy of it and the followup Helium Octipede (which provides today’s tune), and they’re lost classics from the early 90s. But you know what? You don’t have to do that! You can just go listen to “Ernst & Son” right here, with that anxious intro, that fantastic main riff, the roar of the guitars as the verse goes on, god it’s good. Anyway, get both records!

Polvo, “Missing Receipts”

Little bit of a throwaway from Exploded Drawing here.

NoMeansNo mostly played super dextrous, complicated hardcore, but they were capable of slowing down the tempo for pounding tunes like this one. It’s the doom metal equivalent of hardcore. Doomcore? A quick search suggests that doomcore is some EDM subgenre. Harddoom doesn’t work either? Eh, fuck it.

Devin the Dude, “To tha X-Treme”

Sorry, couldn’t write an entry here, too busy nodding my head the entire time.

Don Drummond, “Green Island”

Trombonist Don Drummond was one of the architects of ska. He was one of the founders of the Skatalites, he composed of a bunch of their classic tunes, and played on a ton of Studio One records back in the day. Don Cosmic is a collection of a bunch of his songs for Studio One, either credited to him or him with various collaborators (this is actually him playing with the Skatalites). If you’re interested in the origins of the music, it’s a fantastic collection.

Trenchmouth, “A Man Without Lungs”

Eclectic Chicago band Trenchmouth refused to be tied down to any particular genre, although I would probably maintain that “art rock” probably describes them sufficiently for most people to probably figure out roughly what they are on about. They honestly remind me of nothing so much as the Talking Heads. Anyway, this record (Vs. The Light of the Sun) is probably their best album.

clipping., “Block”

The first clipping. release was a three-song EP, released only on cassette. It was later re-issued with some extra material to flesh it out, but it’s interesting to hear the band in its original, elemental form. This is one of those original songs, and you can see the shape of things to come. It’s nice to hear they were this avant garde from the beginning.

There’s a relentlessness in this kind of noise rock, where the songs specialize in a propulsive beat that just keeps chainsawing ahead regardless of what else is going on. I’ve compared the sound to a malfuntioning machine, and I think in both the steadiness of it and in the harshness of some of the noises it fits. Brilliant stuff.

The Squirrels, “Money”

There’s plenty of hay to be made in mocking the pomposity of big 70s rock. Punk rock, of course, is largely a reaction to it, both in defining everything the aesthetics of punk were not as well as providing a source for mockery. But it’s not limited to just punk, the bloated blimps of AOR are juicy enough targets that everybody takes a shot.

And so we get to Seattle’s Squirrels, musical anarchists led by Rob Morgan and featuring various members of the Seattle scene at various times. His magnum opus is this, an album-length skewering of Dark Side of the Moon called Not-So-Bright Side of the Moon, which works because of a clear affection for the source material that lets him weave the originals through the mockery. But it’s also unsparing. It’s absolutely ridiculous, but what the hell, it’s plenty fun also.

Big Boi, “Daddy Fat Sax”

Big Boi rules.

Fugazi, “Facet Squared”

The first song on the best Fugazi record, which means it’s the first song on one of the best albums ever. I remember buying this on release day and starting to head home on the bus. I had some other album on that I decided to finish before playing it, which meant that I got back to campus before I actually fired it up. I played the first song, and just sat down on a bench to listen to the whole thing through. Not walking, not reading, not doing anything but just letting this thing hit me. And then I immediately played it again.

SiR, “Something Foreign”

Yeah, ok, this song is great, but seriously, I’m so happy with that Fugazi tune coming up.

Now, see, if you remember that Iskra track from yesterday, you might say that this sounds like the same shit. But if you listen to enough of this garbage, you’ll hear differences: the vocals sound like they are yelled through a bullhorn instead of strangled, and this is just relentless blasts. So, grindcore, not something else. If it’s just focused on speed and aggression, you’ve got yourself some grindcore.

Or, to put another way: horrific guitar assault, genres are fake, hail Satan.

Melvins, “Beer Hippie”

Over the course of their 35 plus years as a band, the Melvins have gone through a lot of bass players. Buzz Osborne and Dale Crover have just accepted it, and even turned it into a way to approach changing up the sound some from album to album. On Basses Loaded, their 2016 album, they just went totally for it, featuring 6 different bassists, one of them being Crover himself. As a result, there’s a fair bit of variation on the tracks, although that’s also true of the Melvins across their career. As always, it’s a solid record from one of the greatest rock bands ever.

Elvis Costello, “Love for Tender”

I never have a ton to say about Elvis Costello. He was so good in his core albums that there’s not a ton to really say about it. This is about as good as pop rock gets. I’m a big fan!

PIG, “Volcano”

Raymond Watts is the voice and vision behind PIG, where the former KMFDM founder took those industrial dance ideas and married it to orchestration and a theatrical sensibility seemingly borrowed from Foetus. The resulting hybrid is really appealing, and honestly, I think this whole blog has me kind of wanting to go listen to a bunch of industrial dance again. Gonna pump some Skinny Puppy, Front 242, Nitzer Ebb, and PIG. For a long time, I regarded this stuff as hopelessly corny, but I’m now at a point where I don’t care about corny, so let’s do this!

The Raconteurs, “Old Enough”

Kinda forgot about this band. I wonder what happened to them, I guess Jack White moved on to other things.

[looks]

Huh, 2019 album? Might pick that up.

Oh shit! Enjoy! This is the second half of Product Placement, the breakbeat extravaganza collaboration between two break experts. Incredible stuff, and honestly, I could probably just end today after this. This project ties together the songs that provide the key breakbeats that hip-hop was built out of, but provides more context for them, and it rules.

TWRP, “Need Each Other”

Gleeful electro-funk outfit TWRP are entirely about cranking up a good time with the fattest grooves they can conjure. Is it pointlessly retro or not? I don’t think it matters, frankly. If they can bring it, does it matter that they’re conjuring the sounds of the 80s?

Shuffle is in party mode today!

Son Volt, “Windfall”

PARTY OVER

Consolidated, “Consolidated”

Geez, things must have been bad in 1990. It’s a good thing we’ve improved so much since then!

Iskra, “Ruins”

OK, so - the most accurate micro-genre to apply to this band is “blackened crust”, and I’m so sorry that this blog contains that phrase. Crust being the political, metal-influenced hardcore style originating out of England, and the blackened in this case mostly being the vocal style and some of the blast beats which are borrowed from black metal. So, yeah, accurate, and if you’re familiar with the genre markers, it gives you a good idea of whak Iskra is up to. But if you aren’t, this is going to just sound like another version of the same curdled noise that we often have around here. Anyway, it rips.

I don’t normally list guest artists on the title line, but check it: Black Thought and Pharoahe Monch. Super nice! Kweli is at his best when he’s got other top-tier MCs to work with, part of the alchemy of Black Star.

Conlon Nancarrow, “Study For Player Piano No. 14”

As always, there’s nothing really like Nancarrow, with music that feels about as alien as possible while still seeming like there’s a plan. Even if you can’t actually put your finger on that plan.

Shellac, “Copper”

Terraform is the Shellac record I listen to the least. Not because it’s a bad record or anything, Shellac has always been excellent. I think just when it dropped in 1998, it kind of got lost in the shuffle for me, and I never really went back and sunk my teeth into it.

Oranssi Pazuzu, “Uusi teknokratia”

Psychedelic space black metal out of Finland, they’re surprisingly not sketchy for a band with a dude named “Evil” in it. If you can get over (or like!) the strangled vocals, the scope of the songs here are a lot of fun. It’s nice to hear a band borrowing some of the psych sounds and folding them in like this. And “pazuzu” is really fun to say. And some good rippin’ guitar sounds in the solo here. What’s not to like!

Loss of Self, “The Free Intelligence”

Sunbather was released in 2013, instantly putting hybrid black metal onto a lot of people’s radars and introducing tons of people to the pleasures of the genre, if in a shinier than usual package. I bring up Deafheaven’s breakthrough because it wasn’t the only album in that general area that released that year. Loss of Self’s Twelve Minutes also came out in 2013, and also presenting that same kind of slightly adulterated black metal. Loss of Self is maybe a bit more true to the original sound, and it just didn’t get the same hype, so it didn’t break through. But it’s a solid album and definitely a good second step for anybody who liked that pink record.

Preach it, Propagandhi! Used to crank this tune driving around Spokane with the windows down, which was probably less risky in 1995 but not without risk.

The Gabriel Construct, “Ranting Prophet”

This is a progressive metal project led by Gabriel Lucas Riccio with help from a bunch of guest artists, and it’s a real trip. I suppose you can tell from this track if you’re going to like this thing or not. I admire the ambition of it, certainly.

Ambulance LTD, “Heavy Lifting”

This is from a 2003 self-titled EP, and it’s pleasant enough. Kind of shoegaze-y at times, sometimes just big reverbed out pop. I didn’t end up getting anything else, though.

Belle & Sebastian, “(I Believe In) Travellin’ Light”

A Stevie Jackson song from the I’m a Cuckoo, and I guess we’re doing pleasant today. As always, Belle & Sebastian singles are a good time, as they don’t just mail in the b-sides, they’re usually perfectly good tunes that could have been on the album.

Johnny Socko, “Old School Master”

Y’all wanted a rap song from a third-wave ska act, right?

This, from Xtra-Acme USA, is kind of a sketch of a song, but it still cooks pretty good. I mean, just one good “weeeeeeeeeeellllllll” from Spencer is enough to get me going.

Pile, “appendicitis”

There’s some other song that I can’t quite put my finger on that the intro to this song reminds me of. I feel like the guitar tone is very Black Francis, but I’m not entirely sure what song it’s trying to trigger for me. Once you get into the meat of the song, though, that feeling of reminding dissipates.

Nickel Creek, “Can’t Complain”

Why Should The Fire Die? is my favorite Nickel Creek album, at least in a big part because the songs are mostly pretty huge, dramatic things. Because their musicianship can keep up, they’re able to make the bombast sound genuine and honest.

Dog Faced Hermans, “Love Split With Blood”

Post-punk weirdos Dog Faced Hermans deployed a bunch of non-rock instruments in the course of making their racket, something I appreciate now a lot more than I did in 1994. This is tasty!

Viktor Vaughn, “Lickupon”

I should have more aliases. I should be posting these blogs under, like, five different names.

[contemplates]

No, that would be ridiculous. I’m too big of a dipshit.

Rock ’n’ roll! Straight outta the 50s! Or 1993, whatever.

Don Caballero, “Room Temperature Lounge”

From Singles Breaking Up, Vol. 1, which is a singles comp, as you could probably guess. Kind of hard to believe that you can consider this song and the previous one (separated by a mere four years!) as both being products of the 90s rock underground.

They Might Be Giants, “All Time What”

2015-2018 was an extremely productive period for TMBG, with a flurry of albums driven in part by a revival of the Dial-a-Song project. Of that burst of records, the gem is I Like Fun, a record loaded with catchy tunes, but also some pretty fun song structures. This isn’t one of the killer tunes from it, but even as one of the lesser tracks, it still has that big horn arrangement and is a good time.

Gob, “Soda”

A pure ripper, this is a delight.

Tommy Guerrero, “Slow Roll”

Tommy Guerrero is both a jazz-funk musician but also a professional skateboarder, so as per official Five Songs policy, we have to hate him. You’re not allowed to be good at multiple things around here! Anyway, Road to Nowhere is a pleasant record full of these kinds of jams.

Back in the day, there were troglodytes on Usenet that hated the Nation of Ulysses for being too arty, too pretentious, just too much. How stupid is that? This shit rocks, people are dumb.

Death Cab For Cutie, “I Will Follow You Into The Dark”

OK, you’ve all heard this song a billion times, on radio stations, as various crappy covers, and as the background music to a weepy scene on a middlebrow TV drama. So, whatever. What I want to talk about is this bit from the Wikipedia entry on the song, which I went to go look at to see how high this thing charted (which I no longer care about).

“Nearing age 29, [Ben] Gibbard had never lost anyone really special in his life.”

That’s right: this song was written because Gibbard HADN’T lost anybody. I find that incredibly hilarious.

Bob Marley, “Cry to Me”

Acoustic guitar ballad battle!

They Might Be Giants, “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Theme”

This is totally fucking off the rails now! I sincerely hope we get some rancid pile of guitar dissonance next.

Squarepusher, “Come On My Selector”

Sure, full-on gonzo Squarepusher works also. Big Loada was an EP originally, but the US release tacked on another EP for a full album-sized release. And it’s great, all frantic breakbeats, rapid-fire blurts of bass, and stutters of electronic noise. It’s like an aural fireworks show.

Maxinquaye is one of the three pillars of trip-hop, along with Blue Lines and Dummy. What’s striking about all three records, besides them all being great, is kind of how dissimilar they all end up feeling. There’s a murky darkness at the core of them all, but they take different paths to get there. Tricky is probably the most hip-hop of the three, although the swirling noise is still pretty distinctly foreign to the hip-hop of the time.

Meat Beat Manifesto, “Nereus Rov”

After some absolutely raging albums in the late 80s/early 90s, full of clattering industrial noise married to ferocious breakbeats, Meat Beat Manifesto eventually slowed down. But they never went away entirely, and they actually have put out a couple records recently. This is from 2018’s Impossible Star, and the original formula is largely still in place. Listen to the way there’s just some stank on each of the snare hits, there’s still a noisy soul to this stuff that is always going to be there. That said, it’s probably a little more abstract, a little less aggro than their earliest stuff. But of course, this is also thirty years later, we’re all less aggro.

Karl Hendricks Trio, “Painted My Heart”

The first Karl Hendricks Trio found them already basically doing their thing, laying out big power pop tunes, straight from the heart. There’s an earnestness at the center of the band, a sincerity that isn’t found much among underground bands that often prize emotional distance.

The Staple Singers, “I’ll Take You There”

Oh my god, those first two horn stabs, the vocals, everything about this song is just perfect. Folks, I don’t know why anybody reads this stupid thing, I’m not entirely sure why I write it. But goddamn, sometimes it serves up a tune like this.

Less Than Jake, “Shotgun”

You can tell this band is in its infancy by the thin production here, and just the overall kind of amateur attack. But it’s a deeply charming performance all the same, intimate and enthusiastic, and it’s a good reminder that energy makes an enormous difference in performance.

These pieces, which come up occasionally, really don’t make a lot of sense in isolation. Shuffle is good at some things - surprises, shaking up your routine, serendipity - but is bad at an album like this.

The Meters, “Africa”

Rejuvenation is my favorite album from the second Meters phase of life. The grittier, mostly- or all-instrumental Meters of the first few albums had changed into a brighter sound, with vocals and more bounce. Still incredibly funky, of course, but a different feel. Generally, I lean towards the earlier sound, but this album is undeniable.

Le Grand Miercoles, “Caravan Party”

Who wants some surf reggae ghost cowboy funk? YOU KNOW I DO

Trans Am, “Casual Friday”

Trans Am were (are?) tricksters, with a musical style ranging all over the map, but always with kind of a playful edge. A lot of what they do is centered around playing with rhythms, which is why this pure piece of drumming kind of makes sense in context on the album.

The Queers, “Brush Your Teeth”

The Queers here carrying the flag for that most frequent cause in punk rock: personal hygiene.

Had I encountered this when I was 17, I’m sure I would have adored it. As it is, I like it just fine, but I’m also far more likely to listen to the punk that I encountered when I actually was 17. It’s nothing personal, we just make emotional connections with this kind of thing when we’re young.

Alarmist, “Expert Hygiene”

squints Jazz fusion? Elaborate post-rock? Post-math-rock? Math jazz?

Elf Power, “Nothing’s Going To Happen”

This is a cover album from Elf Power, one of the twee-est Elephent 6 bands. As you might imagine, this is an incredibly inessential release. For the record, this is a Tall Dwarfs song.

Screeching Weasel, “Mad at the Paper Boy”

Hey! It’s a punk album I actually DID encounter when I was 17! Shout out to Matt for introducing me to this record. Now, I gotta go break stuff!

J Church, “Disappear”

It’s kind of another one from when I was 17! OK, 18! “Disappear” appeared on Quetzalcoatl, the first J Church album, and one that I remember listening to when it showed up at WRCT and falling in love with it. But, I’m lying again, this is not that version, this is some kinda dance remix thing from the compilation Meaty, Beaty, Shitty Sounding, one of those periodic things where J Church pulled together all their odds and ends. Those comps vary quite a bit in quality, and this isn’t one of the best of them. Anyway, J Church rules.

I’ve kind of run down Lungfish often enough here to make it clear that I’m not a big fan, so I won’t rehash it. I do wonder occasionally (usually whenever they come up here) if I’m missing something by not going for their later albums and seeing if my opinion would change.

And then I realize that I do have a couple later albums, and had just forgotten that they existed. Whoops! I already answered this for myself.

Looking forward to this whole cycle again in a few months!

Apollo Brown & Joell Ortiz, “My Block”

I really like how there are multiple producers out there who will collaborate with rappers on album-length collaborations. It’s a formula that results in a more coherent album than the common late 90s/early 2000s model of having a bunch of producers contribute tracks to an album for a rapper. If I can find a producer I like operating like this, I get both some variety from different rappers and still have be confident I’m going to like the music.

Fontella Bass, “This Little Light of Mine”

This appears to be from a Smithsonian compilation, Folk Masters: Great Performance Recorded Live at the Barns of Wolf Trap, which I assume is from Megan. I don’t really know anything about folk, though, so I’ll just listen along with you.

The Baseball Project, “From Nails to Thumbtacks”

I never really shared that much music with my dad when he was around, although there were a few bands that we found common ground with. As I’ve gotten older, some of my tastes have converged with his. He would have loved Sharon Jones, for instance.

But a band he super duper would have loved would be the Baseball Project. He both would have adored the lyrical content, but he also would have appreciated the tunes. It’s nice to sit here and think about that connection with him, as hypothetical as it is. Connecting with a memory is still pretty good.

Descendents, “Lullaby”

He wouldn’t have cared for the Descendents, though.

Floor Kids is the game soundtrack that Kid Koala did, because it’s not enough for him to be a musican, composer, and artist, it was time to work on a game also. It’s a fun rhythm game around breakdancing, and I recommend it, and of course the soundtrack is a good time.

The Skoidats, “Running Riot (live)”

A cover of the song by Cock Sparrer, in case you couldn’t make out the intro. Uh, not a whole lot else to say here.

Crudbump, “Chomping Dub”

I mean, what can you say about this. Crudbump takes it to another level with a dub release, and it’s just a hell of a thing.

The Pixies, “I Bleed”

Another in the “drums that go through my head all the time” genre, Dave Lovering’s work on this song, especially that little roll on the toms during the chorus, will rattle through my brain with little warning. And, really, this entire song will come to me unbidden, which as curses go, really isn’t too bad at all.

Samiam, “Cakewalk”

I noted the other day that my appetite for garage rock is more or less bottomless, even if it’s not all super differentiated. Well, the same can be said for early 90s pop punk, I listen to tons of it, and I’m sure it all sounds the same to most people, but I don’t care, I love it.

Yeah, not the best choice here for a band where the delightful vocal performances are such an important part of their sound.

Madvillain, “Operation Lifesaver aka Mint Test”

A thing about Madvillain which is always impressive is that a lot of these tracks are pretty short, often under two minutes, but they feel fully realized and don’t at all feel skimpy. They’re just so packed with ideas that even a brief track is satisfying.

Beige, “Yakumo Dippel”

I’m all for minimalism in my techno, but this track also kinda doesn’t really go anywhere in particular. Except in the last four seconds, which I want to hear more of.

Freeway, “Flipside”

Hm, I wonder who produced this track?

While I like Freeway’s debut record, I think he gets stronger in the next couple albums, as he acquires more coherence in his records and differentiates himself more.

Foetus, “Hot Horse”

A thing about Foetus that is hard to ignore is how fundamentally weird all this stuff is. It’s sui generis, nothing else even really approaches sounding like it. Thirlwell creates these deranged worlds and characters, and seems to fully inhabit them, and while a lot of it doesn’t make any sense, you can still tell it’s all menacing. And it’s married to a truly off-kilter musical sensibility, which I also find myself having trouble describing. It doesn’t matter where you go with his discography, it’s going to be baffling.

Chopping up the Beatles is really playing with fire, copyright-wise. It’s powerful source material, of course, so I’m glad he went for it. But you know, there’s a reason this stuff was so hard to find for a while.

The Minders, “Now I Can Smile”

An Elephant Six band, the Minders were very much, uh, an Elephant Six band. I mean, you can hear them. They were pretty good at it, but it’s kind of…I guess I’d rather just listen to the Kinks instead?

Step Brothers, “Draw Something”

The Step Brothers are Evidence from the Dilated Peoples and the Alchemist, who has worked with a ton of folks, including producing some work by Dilated Peoples. After a Dilated Peoples track appeared in the movie “Step Brothers”, the duo decided to work together and put out an album in 2014 under that name. If you like either of these folks, you’ll like this album as well, it’s a fine piece of work.

Merle Haggard, “It’s All In The Movies”

This little ballad isn’t his best work, it’s kind of a trifle.

Young Fresh Fellows, “Let The Good Times Crawl”

A thing that I actually think about a lot doing these is that I’m totally happy with and enthusiastic about garage rock from any and all comers, and I won’t sit here and bitch about them not being the Sonics or MC5 or whatever. But indie pop bands, I get all judgy and hell, you just read what I wrote about the Minders. I’m not sure why my tolerance for minor variation in garage rock is infinite but my patience wears so thin with pop rock. It’s a mystery!

I dunno, the vocals on this track are really amusing me tonight. Something about the cadence here is extra ridiculous.

Negativland, “Cityman”

Negativland, in their roles as cultural and social critics, were usually on their strongest footing when they took aim at consumerism. They would always have such rich vocal samples to draw from, and their pointed sarcasm always landed well. And it’s not like it’s super easy to nail this target. Yes, consumer culture in America is a giant blimp, but criticism can come across a smug or facile here because it is such a easy path. Negativland succeed because they mix the absurd in, and they also let our consumer culture speak for itself. The most powerful criticism can be just a simple mirror.

Anderson .Paak, “The Bird”

Anderson .Paak seems to be reaching new audiences with Silk Sonic (who are great!), and I hope that people go back and check out his solo records for more of his sublime grooves. There’s more variety here than the wall-to-wall slinky funk and soul of Silk Sonic, but it’s so good. This track is pure sunshine, with the piano, trumpet, and of course .Paak’s fantastic drumming. I’d start with this record, Malibu, to explore his tunes.

PUP, “Free At Last”

I have tickets to see PUP in a couple months, and I could not be more excited about it. That’s it, I know, nobody cares.

The Roots, “75 Bars (Black’s Reconstruction)”

Sometimes, I mention how certain drum beats just pop into my head and stick around all the time. ?uestlove’s absolute barn-burner here, especially the way he inverts it around :12, has a decent chance of playing in my head any time you speak to me. If I look distant, it’s not that I’m not paying attention. I’m just contemplating the Roots.

This is from Beat Konducta, Volume 1 & 2: Movie Scenes, a record intended as a soundtrack to a non-existant movie as well as a companion piece to J Dilla’s revered Donuts. The thing that makes it a little different from Madlib’s usual work is that there are a lot of vocal samples, helping give it a little more of that cinematic feel. Among Madlib’s instrumental work, it’s not my favorite, but everything he does is interesting.

Buzzcocks, “Certain Move”

I wonder what the longest time period is between a band’s first album and releasing a self-titled record. The Buzzcocks here have our first entry, a robust 25 years. I can’t think of a longer stretch off the top of my head.

Ihsahn, “A Grave Inversed”

I’m a sucker for a saxophone lustily honking over an aggressive song. There’s just something so comical about it, it really tickles me. There’s an inescapable circus feeling to it, no matter how much the saxophonist tries to skronk it up.

J-Zone, “Zodiac”

Lesse, we had J-Zone yesterday on the Du-Rites, and we have Madlib today, who had a helium-voiced alter ego, Quasimoto. So, combine those, and you have J-Zone’s helium-voiced alter ego, Chief Chinchilla, who he used a bunch on Live at the Liquor Sto, a collection of fake jingles for malt liquors. Sometimes things rhyme around here, you know? Anyway, I really like this album, it’s absolutely absurd, but it knows that so it’s fun.

Black Moth Super Rainbow, “Gold Splatter”

Kind of a fun list today!

An outlier on the one and only Germs LP, (GI), this is a live track that is triple the length of anything else on the record. A loose wander of a song, it’s all sneer and skronk, without a whole lot of direction. But the Germs were never really about having a point, so it fits in just fine.

Joey Bada$$, “Christ Conscious”

It’s impossible to not nod your head along here. I tried, I’ve done the science.

Badly Drawn Boy, “Nothing’s Gonna Change Your Mind”

After a string of records that I quite liked, Born in the U.K. was David Gough’s first misfire to my ears. It’s not that he really changed directions radically or anything, but fewer of the songs quite catch me, and it all seems so much more burdened with orchestration which can obscure the underlying tunes. This would be a better song with a more stripped down arrangement.

The Du-Rites, “Can’t Buy Groove”

I wish I could buy groove. That would be nice!

The Minutemen, “The Big Foist”

I don’t think they were really part of the same scene or anything, but it’s pretty remarkable that a very broadly constituted LA hardcore scene could produce two bands as far apart as the Germs and the Minutemen and still have people mostly categorize them as the same kind of music.

I sometimes find screamo to be a little bit tiring. Musically, it’s my jam, but the vocals wear me out sometimes. This seems like a stupid thing for someone who listens to as much metal with vocals that sounds like someone caught something important in a home appliance. But I am very stupid, so here we are.

Luscious Jackson, “LP Retreat”

You know, if Luscious Jackson had made this record another fifteen years later, I’ll bet they would have found a much bigger audience. It sounds pretty ahead of its time, and I’m not sure people in 1994 really knew what to make of it.

Phoenix, “Lost and Found”

Prior to their breakthrough record, It’s Never Been Like That laid down the path that would lead them to their fame: super crisp, modern sounding rock with a crowd-pleasing steady beat. It’s a winning formula, and I’m certainly not immune to its charms, even if it’s kind of junk food.

Pavement, “Black Out”

Pavement is one of those bands where I’m so familiar with all of their stuff that I can and often do re-rate their records in my brain. Often this is just a mental trick to go spend some quality time with a record: I convince myself that it’s their worst album, think “that can’t be right”, and then spend a bunch of time listening to it.

So, Wowee Zowee. I made the mistake of mentioning my current, bogus mental list out loud on a Discord, and everybody made fun of me for saying it’s my least favorite. And so I listened to it a bunch, and yeah: I’m an idiot, part 1,080. Obviously, Terror Twilight is their worst record, even though it’s very good.

Grandaddy, “Now It’s On”

Not now, Grandaddy!

There’s something so grandiose about Lupe Fiasco’s stuff. The beats are so layered, and they’re structured in a way to feel really huge, and the production of the rest of the track reinforces that massive impression.

Sebadoh, “Junk Bonds”

A Jason Loewenstein song from Smash Your Head on the Punk Rock, which is a comp of tracks from a couple import EPs. Like a lot of material from them at this time, it’s a schizophrenic record, but that’s also part of the appeal of the band. Tracks like this threw the tender material into even sharper relief.

The Flaming Lips, “How??”

From Oczy Mlody, an album where they really went all-in on the orchestral psych stuff. By this time, Wayne Coyne sounded pretty haggard on these things, which makes the proceedings feel a little more forlorn than sometimes the songs might otherwise be.

μ‐Ziq, “Meinheld”

Bilious Paths picks back up where Lunatic Harness left off, with frantic drill’n’bass taking center stage, and some of the more symphonic stuff from Royal Astronomy less present. Because I like this kind of splattery stuff in my electronic music, I’m fond of this record.

Devo, “Girl U Want”

Three albums in, Devo had fully embraced the synths, and were fully new wave, although still in an absurdist kind of way. It’s not a coincidence that this also produced their biggest hit, even if it’s kind of a surprise that it did so.

I wonder how many ska-punk bands put out one record in 1997 and were never heard from again? I’m sure there have been comparable fads in music, but it’s hard for me to think of something quite comparable in my lifetime, where a style peaked so hard and petered out so quickly. Grunge wasn’t the same - the peak lasted longer, and a number of the grunge bands continued being popular even post-peak (like Pearl Jam), not to mention important bands still being revered today (such as Nirvana).

Public Enemy, “Revolutionary Generation”

One of the reasons why I don’t think Fear of a Black Planet is their best work is that the second half can kind of drag a bit. There are a number of tracks on it that kind of blend together. They’re not bad songs exactly, but kind of undifferentiated, and that weakness puts this record a step behind It Takes a Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back.

Black Flower, “Clap Hands”

Kinda jazz, kinda Afrobeat, it should surprise nobody that I’m into this. Really, I’m in the tank for basically anything with a baritone sax. Even if it is from Belgium.

Oh shit, they have an album that just came out a few weeks ago! NICE.

The Pollyseeds, “Chef E Dubble”

Gettin’ pretty jazzy in here. Probably shouldn’t say much more!

All Natural, “Renaissance”

VERY jazzy. Well, at least there’s rhyming on top of this, that means I can talk about it!

Uh.

It’s good? I like the little piano riff?

Foetus released live albums pretty often, which were usually pretty good. The live show was often more direct and noisier, driven by having a live band making a racket. So it’s not just a re-hash of the album tracks, making them good listens if you like Foetus. This is from Boil, and the track is originally from Hole.

Antipop Consortium, “Splinter”

I got totally lost in the rhymes in the first verse.

Dr. Ring-Ding & The Senior Allstars, “Big Man”

It’ll never not be funny that this is a German band.

Rage Against the Machine, “Mic Check”

When Rage’s first album came out, I was a college idiot who would go on mailing lists and try and make fun of people for listening to them, saying dumb stuff like “Rage Inside the Machine”, trying to make hay out of them being on a major label. When you’re 17 and think only underground stuff is worth listening to (because you’re an idiot), you think this is a really quality burn. Anyway, the upshot is that I didn’t really give them an honest try for years, until this album came out. And, turns out, 17yos are still undefeated at being dipshits.

The Creators, “The Coming”

Uh, nice trumpet?

Leprous, “Alleviate”

Like clockwork, Leprous puts out a record every other year, and with each passing album, they just get more and more theatrical. Is this even metal any more? I don’t think so! This is some serious theatre kid rock at this point. Doesn’t stop me from buying each of these records, mind you.

Bitch Magnet, “Clay”

We heard from Dis yesterday, and I made a comparison to Hum. But Bitch Magnet would be another good example of the form, although from a couple years earlier. Bitch Magnet also totally ruled, listen to this, I cannot get enough of it.

Yo La Tengo, “Roundabout”

We’ve had plenty of funny songs here on Five Songs, of both the uninentional and intentional variety. But this cover of “Roundabout” from Yo La Tengo Is Murdering the Classics might be the funniest. I had to listen to it twice in a row.

Cosmic Psychos, “Hooray Fuck”

Australian punk band Cosmic Psychos ended up on my radar thanks to releasing a couple records on Amphetamine Reptile Records, and I basically bought everything they put out. And it’s fun! Also fun: I got a beer thrown on me by the band when they opened for the Cows and the crowd got a little obnoxious with them. (Not me, I was just collateral damage.)

New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble, “Harlem Nocturne”

A jazz standard, “Harlem Nocturne” is well-suited to the ska-jazz approach thanks to that sax lead.

That Total Age was more towards the industrial end of industrial dance, with more clanking machines in the sound, and Showtime found them pushing a little more melody in things and varying their arrangements more. This comes from the album in-between, Belief, where they kind of blended those two approaches, and arguably made their more interesting record. There’s a risk in industrial dance in ending up in parody, but this album is so direct in its intention that it feels pretty good.

Dis, “Cage Me Safely”

This is from the first Dis record, Small Fry Sessions 1 & 2, where they kick out some of those early 90s indie rock sounds, in a vein similar to bands like Hum and many others. I’m a huge sucker for this stuff, and I also knew Rob Sieracki (bass) back in the day, so this is great! Listen to it!

Amon Tobin, “Stoney Street”

This is the opening track to the first Amon Tobin record, and my god, what a way to arrive. Just a tasty jazz composition assembled out of parts, and sounding incredibly cool. Tobin would go on to try about a billion things with electronic music, and would succeed at most of them.

Lando Chill, “The King of Salem”

I’m still a little disoriented by hip-hop that doesn’t center drums in the music. Not that I can’t like it, but I just find it a little hard to navigate through it. Like this track, it’s interesting stuff, but it’s also a little slippery to me. My brain just can’t quite hang on to things.

Weezer, “No One Else”

I went to go look at the Discogs page for this album, because I was looking something up. But whatever it was, it immediately fell out of my brain when I noticed that, hilariously, the second credit on this album after Rivers Cuomo is an A&R guy. Pretty much!

LCR is also the name of maybe the worst board game that has achieved any substantial success. I don’t know how many copies it has sold, but LCR is an embarrassingly bad game design that has been successful enough to appear in stores for years and years. Just appalling shit.

Zeke, “Rid”

Around here, we have a love for pure, hard-charging garage rock that cannot ever be sated. There is no quantity of fast riffs and shouted vocals that will slake our thirst. So, add Zeke to the pile of bands that have attempted to satisfy our hunger, but we need more.

Geryon, “Lys”

Geryon is half of Krallice, specifically, the rhythm section half. This is all just bass and drums, which is impressive, given the noises kicked out here. As always, we love rock duos around here, and Geryon is no exception,

Lots of royal we today.

We Are The Union, “Boys Will Be Girls”

Ska isn’t dead! Ska has never been dead, of course, with the “waves” of ska just representing popular cultural penetration, not necessarily numbers of bands or energy in scenes. We Are The Union is just one band that is carrying it forward, with this coming from their most recent album, 2021’s Ordinary Life.

The Beatles, “The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill”

The White Album is really a mess, huh?

When someone says “power pop”, this is the song that pops into my head. I know that there are plenty of other bands that really defined the genre, and that I should be thinking of them. But I don’t. It’s this song.

Juggaknots, “Liar, Liar”

I found the Juggaknots after falling in love with Prince Paul’s A Prince Among Thieves, where Breezly Brewin just kills it. So I went to track down more of his stuff, and sure enough, the Juggaknots also rule.

Fluf, “If I Could Feel Good”

San Diego’s Fluf kicked out massive pop-rock songs in the mid to late-90s, cranking out four quality albums of super catchy stuff. I know I’ve made this comparison before, but I really feel like they kind of presaged Torche in a lot of ways. They never made much of a dent in the popular consciousness, for reasons I’m unclear on, but this stuff is timeless, so check it out.

Boris, “Electric”

Pink is the accessible one, the album where Boris are at their most approachable. It’s mostly garage rock, and actual tunes, instead of head-crushing explorations of guitar noise. It’s a charming record, if possibly a little deceptive if it is what gets you into Boris.

Del tha Funky Homosapien, “Mistadobalina”

Del’s debut record, on a record deal he swung by being Ice Cube’s cousin, is chock full of Parliament samples and features Del kicking out agile and breezy rhymes. In a lot of ways, his work here reminds me of C.L. Smooth, where the rhymes just wash over you and you’re left wondering at his skill at keeping things connected.

And here is where I realize that this record actually predates Mecca and the Soul Brother. Time is strange!

As always: not the Australian band, but the grunge-adjacent band from Portland. And also, as always, I’ll recommend all three Pond records as being some of the finest from the grunge scene, peripheral as they were. This tune is off their worst album, but it’s still a solid slab of rock.

P.D.Q. Bach, “The Preachers of Crimetheus: Ballet in One Selfless Act, S. 988: I. Prologue (Bottomless Sorrow; Topless Gaiety)”

There’s a referential thing going on in most P.D.Q. Bach albums, where he’ll call back to figures and bits from prior in the album, and listening to single tracks kind of blunts what he’s up to. So I’ll just recommend sitting down with an album (this one, 1712 Overture & Other Musical Atrocities is a fine choice) and sitting with it.

Fifteen, “The End of the Summer”

One of the seminal bands in the Gilman/Bay Area punk scene was Crimpshrine, whose members went on to do a bunch of other things as well as inspired a lot of folks. Fifteen is one of those successor bands to Crimpshrine, and they rip.

Arsonists, “Venom”

I dunno, feels like shuffle has kind of been on a tear recently. Just all killer shit. Always happy to hear the Arsonists tear it up.

Claw Hammer, “Mongoloid”

And finishing up with Claw Hammer covering Devo. NOT BAD.

Sometimes, I think about just listening to stuff that was released between 1991 and 1995, just to capture my college years. I don’t think I’d hate it!

This is extremely college radio circa 1991. If you wanted to know what that sounded like. (Nobody should.)

Portishead, “The Rip”

Portishead put out an absolute stone-cold classic in Dummy and a fine follow-up, Portishead, before disappearing. Nobody really sounded like them then, despite plenty of people trying. But, surprisingly, they weren’t actually done. 11 years after their second, they put out Third, and there’s still nobody sounding like them. The album isn’t really the same cinematic trip-hop that they used to make, instead blazing their way into a brand new direction. I’m not even really sure how to describe it, honestly. I guess it’s just experimental rock? For a band that was always an outlier, Third is the outlier-iest.

Whores., “Ghost Trash”

OK, this I can describe. This is pure NYC noise rock, even if it comes out of Atlanta. Like a vintage Unsane record.

Heart Attack Man, “Fake Blood”

The title track of their 2019 album, this sort of big, hooky rock is comfort food. Not a lot of calories, but it goes down pretty easy.

Why am I describing this as food? It’s called “Fake Blood”!

Swans, “Just a Little Boy (For Chester Burnett)”

By the time the Swans reached their 2010s form, they were almost more of an ensemble than a rock band. It’s all very carefully composed and orchestrated, and there’s not really much attempt at conventional rock song structure. It’s hypnotic and dynamic, and nothing else is really like it. I guess I said that twice here today, but I’ll stand by it: both bands are true originals. Unlike Portishead, nobody even really tries to sound like the Swans. Some of the more ambitious post-rock bands are probably closest, I suppose, like Godpeed You! Black Emperor.

The Supremes, “Baby Love”

I don’t usually have a ton to say about these iconic Motown hits, based on my assumption that people have all heard them a thousand times and are intimately familiar with them. But I’m not sure how true that is, as I reflect on it. Did the generation after me have oldies stations on in cars, restaurants, and other public places as they grew up? I’m not sure, and it’s possible this stuff is more novel. Well, anyway, enjoy!

Doreen’s Jazz New Orleans, “Bill Bailey”

We picked up this album when my daughter started learning the clarinet, to give her some music featuring clarinet in the house. She never really cared about it much, though.

Car Bomb, “Fade Out”

At some point, I ended up with a “Car Bomb” Negativland bumper sticker, and I was too chicken to ever actually put it on my car, and I will always regret that. I also never found a place to put my “No Other Possibility” bumper sticker, because I didn’t want to waste it, so I never stuck it on to anything. I’m very dumb!

Slapstick, “My Way”

Ska-punk, when ripped off at a fast pace and without pretension, is just fun. Everybody making fun of this stuff still should probably pick something new and fresh for their jokes, like making fun of airplane food or “parkway” jokes.

Big Ups, “Capitalized”

The guitar bit at :48 sounds like something from Slint’s Spiderland played at double speed.

Is there such a thing as a math jam band? I think there might be.

Trigger Cut, “Fireworks”

This is just pure throwback to mid-90s Amphetamine Reptile stuff. It makes the Pavement band name a little off, though, they should have called themselves “Shitbeard” instead. Anyway, you know I’m a sucker for this stuff.

Vampire Weekend, “Horchata”

This is actually the song that kind of clangs the most from the second Vampire Weekend record. It just feels far too clever, like it’s trying too hard, and ends up ringing false to me. It seems more like the result of a computation than something genuine. I don’t know exactly why that is, but that’s what I get from it, and largely from the entire album. Like Ezra Koenig decided to build the song around that horchata/balaclava rhyme, just to get it out there.

Thou, “Something In The Way”

Anyway, enough of that. Here’s Thou plodding their way through a Nirvana cover, part of their full-length tribute. Thou rules.

Belle and Sebastian, “Stop, Look, and Listen”

This was originally on the I’m a Cuckoo single, and later appeared on the The Third Eye Centre compilation. B&S are very much in a Simon & Garfunkel mode here, but they pull it off with aplomb.

Nimrod is an uneven record, but I really like the high points of it, and this is one of them, I think. It’s nice to hear them expirimenting with their formula some, as Insomniac really did not at all.

The Budos Band, “Arcane Rambler”

Burnt Offering found the Budos Band referencing hard rock pretty explicitly in their music, and it was a really nice breath of fresh air. The following album returned to their numbering system, and V represents kind of the midpoint between III and Burnt Offering. There are still some of those same hard rock riffs here and there, but the Afrobeat is clearly back in the driver’s seat. It’s a great album from a band that have really taken it up a notch in their last few albums.

The Aquabats!, “Plastic Lips!”

There was a six-year gap between Aquabats vs. The Floating Eye of Death! and Charge!!, and that gap also corresponded to a musical change. Gone are the horns, leaving the band in more of a pure pop-punk mode. Say that three times fast! It’s still as lightweight and silly as ever, a breakfast cereal in musical form, but I do miss the horns. Still, I can’t hate this kind of stuff, it would be like hating a goofy dog.

Baroness, “Borderlines”

By the time they arrived at Gold & Grey, Baroness was fully John Baizley’s band. All other members had departed, and so this is really a different band than it was when it started out. That said, it’s still working in the same genre, and Dave Fridmann behind the boards allows them to indulge in their expansive, progressive tendencies fully. This song really will tell you what this album is like.

fIREHOSE, “Riddle of the Eighties”

I’ve been on a Minutemen/fIREHOSE jag recently, and as always, that’s a good call. I know I say it every time they come up, but if you love the Minutemen and haven’t given fIREHOSE a fair shake, give it another whirl. Especially if you’re an old fart like me.

If you don’t love the Minutemen, you aren’t allowed on this blog.

Chuck D put out one solo album, Autobiography of Mistachuck, which really very much fits in alongside the mid-90s Public Enemy stuff, neither notably better or worse than the main band’s stuff from that time. It has the same issue as those records, which is that it’s kind of let down by not enough editing, but there’s plenty of hard hitting stuff on here, such as this track.

Margo Price, “Hands of Time”

The opener of Midwest Farmer’s Daughter, which as we noted last time very much owes an acknowledged debt to Loretta Lynn. But this is just irresistable stuff, if you have any willingness to listen to country.

Eric B. and Rakim, “I Ain’t No Joke”

Eric B. and Rakim’s Paid in Full is a landmark record in rap, with Rakim’s technique on the mic inspiring generations of following rappers. For a long time, he was regarded as the best ever, and while that may not still be true, adjusted for his time, he stood out more from the rest than anybody ever has. Just listen to him wrecking it here.

NoFX, “I Don’t Want You Around”

The second NoFX album, Ribbed, had them already focused on snotty jokes and sophomoric humor. The songs weren’t as tight as they would later be, and this stuff just doesn’t have very much of a shelf life.

Wilco, “What Light”

The older I get, the more Sky Blue Sky grows in my estimation. Maybe it’s because it’s one of the most classic rock records in their discography, but it’s just a warm embrace to settle into.

It’s kind of incredible that a song as weird as this one made as much of an impact on popular culture as it did. Not that it doesn’t smoke, it does, but everything from the odd vocal loop, to B-Real’s nasal vocal, to the squeaky noises all over, to the sing-song chorus is off-kilter. It’s fantastic stuff! Just odd.

Common, “Black America Again”

The title track from Common’s 2016 album, he used a lot of guest artists on the record, with the biggest one on this track. Stevie Wonder sounds great, as always, and Common in general turns in a fine performance across the whole album. I think it’s his best record since Be.

Kool & the Gang, “Jungle Boogie”

I first heard this song in Pulp Fiction, where it’s so striking on the soundtrack. I had to go track it down after that, and it was so worth it. I know that admitting that it was Tarantino of all people who put me on to Kool & the Gang is probably very silly, but whatever, Kool & the Gang rules and so does this.

Thundercat, “Dragonball Durag”

Thundercat’s falsetto always kind of makes it seem like his tunes are a bit of a put-on, and the playful touches like that little sax thing a little way into the song play in to that impression. But, of course, playful isn’t silly, and this is a great tune even if it has some less than serious elements.

Homeboy Sandman, “Wondering Why”

Nice list today!

We encountered Delerium the other day, and now we have another side project from the same folks. While their main act, Front Line Assembly, was squarely in the industrial dance category, Leeb and Fulber used different monikers to explore different kinds of electronic music. Intermix was more focused on a more techno oriented approach. Like Delerium, it’s not really my bag, so I just have the first album from them.

Natalie Merchant, “My Skin”

Natalie Merchant first found fame as the leader of 10,000 Maniacs, and then had a string of successful albums as a solo artist. I have just this one album, and it’s a good record, but once again, not really my bag. It’s worth mentioning here that the music collection we’re drawing from here includes plenty of records that might have been a gift, or I might have bought without hearing it first, or that ended up in the collection for some other reason. Everything in here is something that somebody at some point (usually me!) thought I might like, but they don’t all work out either.

Steroid Maximus, “Big Hedda Meets Little Napoleon”

There’s always something disquieting about J.G. Thirlwell’s stuff, no matter which band name it’s under. Like, is this song name unsavory in some way that I don’t really understand? And, of course, the atmosphere of this track is extremely threatening. It sounds like a piece from a horror movie, which is a bit of a cliche, but I think fits here totally. It’s kind of making me a little anxious.

They Might Be Giants, “E Eats Everything”

Unfortunately, I have to mention that despite trying to interest my recalcitrant kids in this song to encourage them to eat everything, the song did nothing. It was worth a try.

Hard Girls, “Sign of the Dune”

What a delight! It’ll surprise you not at all that Hard Girls guitarist Mike Huguenor has spent a lot of time with Jeff Rosenstock, and this album shares much of the same energy and tunefulness. Just a ripper.

There are certainly things that can be bad about punk. But there’s a floor on how bad it gets - if you keep things energetic and the songs short, it’s always going to hit at least reasonably well.

They Might Be Giants, “Lost My Mind”

Nanobots had a decent number of these kind of big, dramatic songs from TMBG. It’s a bit of a theatrical album, and a solid one from them.

James Brown, “The Payback”

What an iconic track, it still hits like a ton of bricks nearly 50 years later. It was originally going to be part of a blaxploitation soundtrack, but got turned down by the producers, if you can believe that.

El-P, “The Overly Dramatic Truth”

This is from what is really El-P’s second proper album, I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead. One of the things about this record is that he had a lot of guest spots on it, and weaves them all in extremely well. It gives a pretty varied feel to the album, which he underlines by exhibiting a wide range of styles in his productions. It’s proof that El-P was still improving as a producer, which he has continued to do over the years, which is extremely impressive.

Emperor, “The Burning Shadows of Silence”

I briefly went over their history last time, so I won’t rehash. I’ll just say that it’s easy to see how the aesthetics of this record became compelling for people determined to make the ugliest possible record they could.

Like a lot of people, I first encountered DeMarco with Salad Days, which is a charming, reverb-soaked album full of ringing guitar tone and low-key songs. It’s really enjoyable in the right mood, but I have to say that for me, the rewards declined pretty quickly. It’s not that Another One is bad or anything, all the charms of the other album are present. It’s just that I don’t really listen to it much, it’s sort of redundant for me.

J Church, “Viva La Muerte”

J Church in something of a hardcore mode here, which isn’t an area that they often occupied. They do it well here, of course.

Duckwrth, “Kiss U Right Now”

Every now and again, I find myself without a whole lot to say about a track. Not anything related to the quality, but sometimes I have no real light to shed on something, no insight into an artist, genre, or whatever. I read about this album in a Bandcamp roundup, and it’s good, I like it. That’s about all I can really say.

Sleater-Kinney, “Dig Me Out”

Longtime Five Songs readers, first: what are you doing? Second, you may have gradually noticed a slow shift in my response to Sleater-Kinney over the years I’ve been doing this thing. It started at “I can see the appeal but I can never remember anything from them” and has gradually moved over to “hell yeah, man, put that on”. I only had to arrive at that point, like, twenty-five years after everybody else.

Gorilla Biscuits, “(Untitled Hidden)”

And four second of hardcore. We’re done here!

The Twilight Singers, “Candy Cany Crawl”

No! That’s the wrong kind of candy! Stupid randomizer.

Snoop Dogg, “Candy (Drippin’ Like Water)”

That’s the wrong kind of candy also! Starting to think that “candy” is mostly used as a metaphor in songs for other things than, you know, candy.

The Spinanes, “Kid in Candy”

First, before we examine the candy content of the song, let’s just take a moment and just marvel at how much fun it is to listen to Scott Plouf go on the drums. And Rebecca Gates is always a marvel. What a pleasure.

Anyway, it’s a metaphor here again. No mention of candy at all in the song!

The Dambuilders, “Candy Guts”

You know, special gimmick aside, this is a pretty solid list. For the record, I searched for the word “candy” in the library and then randomized among the tracks that showed up. And continuing our bit here: haven’t really got the foggiest what this song is about. I guess it’s about solos.

Led Zeppelin, “Candy Store Rock”

OK, I don’t think anybody is taking our theme today seriously. Guess we’re done here!

Lard, the collaboration between Jello Biafra (as you can clearly hear) and Ministry, usually sounded just like what you might expect that collab to sound like. But Ministry were having fun with it, and were just in full-on raging hardcore mode, and Jello was in fine form, so this album winds up being probably my favorite post-Kennedys Jello record.

People Under the Stairs, “Reflections”

People Under the Stairs hit their fifth album, and at this point, had really reached maturity as artists. They were now confident enough to not just crank out their old-school loop-based beats, but to add in some more compositions like this one. And to be able to write rhymes that can work together with this new style. It’s a nice addition to their toolbox, and as a result, this is probably my second-favorite album from them.

Squarepusher, “Tomorrow World”

In a lot of ways, Squarepusher’s career is defined by a push-and-pull between his experimental side and his drum’n’bass side. Once past Music is Rotted One Note, you sort of hear him moving back and forth between jazz fusion stuff and more nuts-and-bolts things. It keeps me on my toes, which is always nice.

Elvis Costello and the Attractions, “High Fidelity”

Costello’s album Get Happy!! is his love letter to soul, and he ends up producing a fine record of blue-eyed soul, one of the better ones around. As with pretty much everything from this period, it’s so very listenable, it’s hard not to have fun with it.

Art Brut, “Nag Nag Nag Nag”

Art Brut started out arch, and after the first album made some waves, their second album just kept heading in that direction. They’re not a joke band, but there’s a winking, post-modern feel to things that sort of makes it feel distant. But at the same time, it’s very straight rock, so it’s also approachable. That tension sort of defines the strange experience of listening to Art Brut. But also? It’s just rock, don’t overthink it.

As someone who actually lived through the 80s, I have a real mixed opinion of stuff like this. Yes, there’s a nostalgia that tugs at me, and some of these sounds are genuinely fun. At the same time, it also evokes a lot of boring, dreary stuff from that period. I suppose that nobody is really trying to recreate the lame stuff, but a whiff of that stink still clings to it in my memory. Well, anyway, I do enjoy listening to stuff like this sometimes.

Queens of the Stone Age, “Song for the Deaf”

I go around in circles on which is my favorite QotSA album, but I think I usually land on this one. But never mind that, I want to just mention that while I knew that Dave Grohl played drums on this record, I had no idea that Dean Ween was on it. Seems strange to me!

Sunny Day Real Estate, “Grendel”

Emo was around before this album, with it often traced back to Rites of Spring. But it never made much of an impact until about ten years later, when Sunny Day Real Estate made a lot of noise and really fired up the scene. Tons of emo bands would follow, taking these sounds and running with them, but this record really was the starting point for the explosion.

American Analog Set, “The Only One”

I read a good review of this record somewhere and picked it up, and it doesn’t really do much for me. It’s just kind of unexciting.

Kendrick Lamar, “A.D.H.D.”

Much better!

Lots of music gets described as “anthemic”, and I’ve sometimes wondered what people mean by it. I think for me, it describes something that you want to shout along with, preferably with other people. Not sing, mind you. Shout. That’s an anthem, something to get you pumped up. The song has to ring, you know? Japandroids, of course, perfectly fit that template. How could you not want to shout along with this?

The Descendents, “Grudge”

The Descendents got together last year to record a “new” album, 9th & Walnut, named after the location of their first practice space. It’s actually a collection of their earliest songs, which hadn’t ever been released, played more or less as they originally wrote them. It’s kind of fun!

Radiohead, “The Numbers”

I’m not sure why I don’t really care for A Moon Shaped Pool. Probably I just haven’t paid much attention to it. I guess I don’t really feel like I want to tackle it, because I’m not convinced that I’ll get the payoff I’d be hoping for. Maybe I’m just lazy! But, I mean - I could listen to that Descendents song three times in the time this song takes.

Cloud Nothings, “Running Through The Campus”

From October 2020, this finds the Cloud Nothings in an almost Apples in Stereo mode. But nothing wrong with a pop song! Except the ones that suck. Don’t care for those.

Avail, “Monroe Park”

Rip it! This is from a Lookout Records sampler from 1996, and I know nothing about Avail. But who cares, this is a a buck twenty-six punk song, let’s roll!

A tasty drum loop here, and a nice lightweight structure up on top of it. Appropriate for a contemplative track like this one, this is just a solid song all around.

Delerium, “Sorrow”

A project from a couple of guys from Front Line Assembly, the industrial act out of Vancouver, Delerium goes in an ambient direction, as I suppose you can hear. This sort of thing doesn’t make my wheels squeak, so I only have this one EP from them. Maybe their other stuff is banging? Probably not.

Thelonious Monk, “Misterioso”

Goddamn, love that vibraphone, whew!

DJ Vadim, “Are You Sure”

Fuck me up with those drums, DJ Vadim!

The Replacements, “I’ll Buy”

And let’s finish up today with a classic Replacements track, and I again don’t have a lot to say. I really love Tim. It’s good! We’re done here!

The latest TMBG album finds them returning to their mixed-media approach, producing a combination album/book entitled, uh, Book. It’s a typical late-period TMBG album, with lush arrangements and plenty of hooks. At this point, they know what kind of album they want to make and are very good at it. It’s the sort of thing that those of you who are into this sort of thing will like.

Town Portal, “Roko’s Basilisk”

This song sounds like a lost track from a Squirrel Bait spin-off band, like Bitch Magnet left something off of Ben Hur or something. That means I think it rules, of course. Listen to this! I want to concentrate this in a bag and spend all day huffing it.

Howlin’ Wolf, “Killing Floor”

“Killing Floor” is one of the most famous songs of electric blues, having become a standard peformed by countless others, and famously inspiring Led Zeppelin’s “Lemon Song” (which Howlin’ Wolf is credited as a co-writer on) among many other songs. As usual with the blues, I’m just sitting on the margins listening to some of the biggest names, but a single person can only know so much. (Especially me.)

The Skatalites, “Skamaica”

The Skatalites’ first run was in the mid-60s, where the band came together from members who had played on a whole bunch of recordings in Jamaica, and decided to start making their own music. They helped define the sound of ska, both under their own name and with their work with other acts. Alas, the first incarnation of the Skatalites ended in tragedy when founding trombonist Don Drummond was arrested and convicted of the murder of his girlfriend and sent to an asylum. The Skatalites would periodically get together for reunions in the 70s and 80s, with those recordings showing up on various labels with new versions of old songs and some new tunes. Some of those reunion records are great, with Stretching Out in particular being one of their best.

In the late 80s, they decided to stick together, and sort of never stopped recording until time took its toll. Their 90s albums are all of a consistent quality, full of the traditional ska sound they pioneered, and it’s hard to recommend any one recording over another. This comes to us from one of those 90s records, Ska Voovee, which is very good albeit chock full of ska puns.

Titus Andronicus, “(I Blame) Society”

It’s a fair cop.

I don’t remember picking up this record, but I guess it’s not a huge surprise. Pure Noise Records might be how I found it? Anyway, pleasant enough.

But enough of that. Somehow Plex thinks that this album came out on something called “Ice Grill$”, and I really like an alternate universe where that was the only change, and thinking of baffled consumers on both sides encountering the album.

Chance the Rapper, “Same Drugs”

As always, it’s a delight to hear Chance show up here. I often think about Stevie Wonder when I listen to him. I think the willingness to directly reference spirituality and gospel is probably the big thing for me, even if they’re using different musical ideas.

Guided by Voices, “Quality of Armor”

We had a track from Bee Thousand the other day, and like everybody talking about Guided by Voices, I just couldn’t shut up about what a mess they were, especially as you go backwards. And, yeah, they were sloppy as hell a lot of the time. But this is two records backwards from that one (Propeller), and this is just a charming slice of raw pop rock. It’s easy to see why people got into them, they weren’t always a wreck.

The Flaming Lips, “Hit Me Like You Did the First Time”

Meanwhile, the Flaming Lips were still in their fairly primitive period when they made Hit to Death in the Future Head for Warner Bros. This is some of the most expensively produced guitar fuzz in music history. It’s funny to hear these two songs back-to-back, actually, since they reside on far ends of the lavishness of their production, but there’s nevertheless a ton of kinship between them.

Chain Reaction, “Twinge”

This was a pickup from a music Humble Bundle, and, it’s not really my thing. Maybe it’s yours? (Probably not.)

Just a classic punk gallop here from the Melvins, with Jello’s warbling shout in fine form. Delightful stuff.

Polyrhythmics, “Cracked Pepper”