Home on Five Random Songs

Thanks for Confirming

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

All right, you’re confirmed now. Thanks again, and I hope you enjoy…whatever it is I’m doing here.

Thanks for Subscribing

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Hey, thanks for subscribing to the blog! I’m going to level with you: I don’t know why you did so. But I do appreciate it, and I’ll do my best to now waste your time. At least, not beyond the constraints of the blog.

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

The Site is Back

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

It’s been true, over the course of Five Songs history, that I’ve posted “we’re back!!!” on multiple occasions. And, sometimes that’s true, sometimes less so. This time around, though, it’s more of a technical sense than anything else. My other blog, House of Slack Games was hacked, probably due to an old version of Ghost. I decided I was sick of dealing with that kind of thing, security updates, things of that nature, and rebuilt it using a static site generator. Well, I don’t really want to run two blog systems, so I rebuilt this site as well.

2025 Year in Review

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 04 Jan 2026 07:30:18 +0000

Well well well, if it isn’t my old blog. Sorry about the false start the other day, turns out I wasn’t quite ready to bring this thing back full time. I did kick around changing formats and even got as far as discussing things with another person, and that was enough to derail me. But enough of the Jim Anchower routine, I have business to get to! It’s time to look at 2025 releases and absolutely fail to rank them. Massive respect for all the writers out there who do produce a list, that shit seems really hard. No, I’m going to cop out, put some half-assed “awards” here, and mostly just write a little about the albums that have really stuck with me for this year.

Five Songs, 9/17/2025

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 04:28:44 +0000

Negativland, “[untitled]”

(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.

Five Songs, 9/16/2025

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 19:00:36 +0000

The Dirty Nil, “Undefeated”

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.)

Five Songs, 9/15/2025

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 19:00:32 +0000

I wonder where the bursts of creativity comes from for me. There are times that I can make progress on writing here, move a programming project along, contemplate starting a new project, and even get a game moving ahead. And there are times where I do none of that. It’s unclear exactly what it is. Some of it is times of stress (or freedom from stress), of course. But work isn’t noticeably different now than it was six months ago, say. So, who knows?

Five Songs, 9/14/2025

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 14 Sep 2025 19:00:25 +0000

One thing about Five Songs that I always appreciate is that it always makes me stay in the habit of putting music on when I can. There’s just something about always thinking “oh, I could write a post” that sometimes decays into “oh, I could put on some tunes” that I appreciate.

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.

Five Songs, 9/13/2025

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 13 Sep 2025 22:17:27 +0000

No intro today, because I’m working on something Five Songs-related that will be fun, and I’m going to get back to that. So on to the tunes!

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.

Five Songs, 9/12/2025

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 13 Sep 2025 04:35:42 +0000

I missed yesterday, which is going to happen. Unlike when I was trying to maintain a perfect streak of daily posts as long as I could, this go around, I’m going to write when I feel like it. Which should be most days, I think, but not every day. I’m doing this for fun!

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.

Five Songs, 9/10/2025

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 19:00:31 +0000

HELLO FROM THE FUTURE

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.

Five Songs, 9/9/2025

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 04:04:31 +0000

As long as I’m resurrecting various hobbies and activities, for anybody that is curious, I’ve got a game design that I’ve been working on that’s pretty far along. I’ve been blogging about it on my other site, with the articles available here. I actually just made what I think is potentially a very cool rules change, and I can’t wait to try it out. OK! Let’s crank up the tunes!

Rocket From the Crypt, “Birdman”

For most of the summer, I’ve been listening to a lot of punk and various punk-inflected rock bands. It’s kind of me circling back to one of my forever loves in music, driven by discovering see/saw. It’s a genre that really just kind of thrives on execution, which is funny for a genre with a reputation for sloppiness. But execution doesn’t mean precision, just that the band’s songs, energy, and approach have to be aligned for things to really work.

Five Songs, 9/8/2025

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 09 Sep 2025 03:53:54 +0000

Hey, if for some reason you’re reading this, and you used to read via RSS, please note you’ll have to delete the feed and re-add it after the server rebuild. Of course, if you tracked this via RSS, I don’t know how you would be seeing this in order to find this out. Because I also posted it on Bluesky, which seems like the only other place you’d find out about this post, and I told people to do that over there. So, I dunno. This is pointless. Everything about Five Songs is pointless. Let the yawning intentionless void consume you!

Five Songs, 9/7/2025

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 07 Sep 2025 23:34:10 +0000

Lots of server maintenance this weekend - if anything seems off, let me know! (There’s nobody reading this.) Anyway, I think things are working properly. Mostly, it shouldn’t affect this blog, it’s primarily my discord bots today, which I think are all operational again. So let’s have some tunes!

Turnstile, “Glow On”

You know, a mystery I never got around to really solving is whether or not Plex’s randomizer has a preference for track ones. It probably doesn’t, I probably mostly just notice when it happens as opposed to some other random track. Especially because track ones have a stronger tendency to be intros/skits/other types of non-real songs. Plus, of course, every record on here has a track one, while they’re not guaranteed to have any other tracks. That said? It sure seems like they come up more than they should. Which is just proof that I’m a big, dumb idiot.

Five Songs, 9/6/2025

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 07 Sep 2025 05:41:42 +0000

I’ve been getting that itch again. It comes and goes, the urge to write here, and it’s unclear what’s causing it. I think it’s a combination of Music League, finding a new music newsletter to subscribe to, and getting some tunes corralled for a music library for my daughter. But whatever it is, I decided to jump back in here!

Which is when I discovered that this blog needed updates badly, and I wasn’t entirely sure how to get it upgraded, and the next thing I know I’m rebuilding the server, re-figuring out how to configure stuff…nobody cares. Anyway, I think it’s working again? We’re gonna find out, because it’s time for Five Songs! Back in the saddle baby! How in the hell do I write these things?

About this site

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 04 Sep 2025 04:26:24 +0000

Let's Talk About EPs

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 05:30:47 +0000

No, Five Songs isn’t back, not really. Probably soon, though. Why not! I figured out how to make emails on these things work, which would be nice. No, instead I’m taking a break from writing on my newly resurrected gaming blog about my new in-progress game design to write about music a bit. And this seems like the right place? Geez, why am I plugging my gaming blog here? Nobody reads either of these things.

Five Songs, 10/6/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 06 Oct 2023 19:00:46 +0000

The Good, The Bad & The Queen, “Herculean”

This is one of Damon Albarn’s side projects, kind of a supergroup. And it was sort of the record that convinced me that maybe Damon Albarn’s stuff isn’t really my jam. It’s not like I don’t like this or anything, but it doesn’t excite me either. And I think that’s mostly true of his other work: I have no objection to Blur or Gorillaz, but I don’t seek any of them out either. Just not for me (and not for lack of trying).

Five Songs, 10/5/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 05 Oct 2023 19:00:59 +0000

Lily Allen, “Lost My Mind”

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.

Five Songs, 10/4/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 04 Oct 2023 19:00:53 +0000

Dr. Dre, “Mix Tape 2 Track 1”

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.

Five Songs, 10/3/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 03 Oct 2023 19:00:40 +0000

Jake One, “Great Sound”

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.

Five Songs, 10/2/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 02 Oct 2023 19:00:58 +0000

The Smiths, “Miserable Lie”

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.

Five Songs, 10/1/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 01 Oct 2023 19:00:58 +0000

ALL, “Long Distance”

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?”

Five Songs, 9/30/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 30 Sep 2023 19:00:18 +0000

Cosmic Analog Ensemble, “Pourparlers”

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.

Five Songs, 9/29/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 29 Sep 2023 19:00:26 +0000

Chokebore, “Coat”

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.

Five Songs, 9/28/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 28 Sep 2023 19:00:30 +0000

The Mars Volta, “Eriatarka”

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.

Five Songs, 9/27/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 27 Sep 2023 19:00:24 +0000

Pigs, “Wrap It Up”

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.

Five Songs, 9/26/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 26 Sep 2023 19:00:29 +0000

MC Paul Barman, “UNDOING ALONENESS”

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.

Five Songs, 9/25/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 19:00:08 +0000

The Budos Band, “Ghost Walk”

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.

Five Songs, 9/24/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 24 Sep 2023 19:00:12 +0000

The Flaming Lips, “The Sparrow”

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.

Five Songs, 9/23/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 23 Sep 2023 19:00:37 +0000

Mort Garson, “Baroque No. 2”

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.

Five Songs, 9/22/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 22 Sep 2023 19:00:03 +0000

Noisem, “Birthing the Bestial”

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!

Five Songs, 9/21/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 21 Sep 2023 19:00:35 +0000

LCD Soundsystem, “All My Friends”

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.

Five Songs, 9/20/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 20 Sep 2023 19:00:54 +0000

Charles Mingus, “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat”

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.

Five Songs, 9/19/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 19 Sep 2023 19:00:16 +0000

Lollipop, “7 and 7 Is”

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!

Five Songs, 9/18/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 18 Sep 2023 19:00:09 +0000

Bim Skala Bim, “Sunshine of Your Love”

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.

Five Songs, 9/17/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 17 Sep 2023 19:00:59 +0000

竹村延和 (Takemura Nobukazu), “Meteor”

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.

Five Songs, 9/16/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 16 Sep 2023 19:00:46 +0000

Pinegrove, “Darkness (acoustic)”

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.

Five Songs, 9/15/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 15 Sep 2023 19:00:49 +0000

Prince Paul, “A Prince Among Thieves”

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.

Five Songs, 9/14/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 14 Sep 2023 19:00:53 +0000

Rocket From The Crypt, “Good Bye”

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.

Five Songs, 9/13/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 13 Sep 2023 19:00:06 +0000

Emperor, “A Fine Day to Die”

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.

Five Songs, 9/12/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 12 Sep 2023 19:00:45 +0000

James Brown, “I Got You (I Feel Good)”

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.

Five Songs, 9/11/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 11 Sep 2023 19:00:40 +0000

Spawn of Possession, “Bodiless Sleeper”

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!

Five Songs, 9/10/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 10 Sep 2023 19:00:34 +0000

The Mr. T Experience, “I’m Like Yeah, but She’s All No”

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.

Five Songs, 9/9/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 09 Sep 2023 19:00:46 +0000

Monsula, “Concession”

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.

Five Songs, 9/8/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 08 Sep 2023 19:00:11 +0000

Leprous, “Nighttime Disguise”

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.

Five Songs Special, 9/7/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 07 Sep 2023 19:00:56 +0000

Been a while since I’ve done a special, so let’s do this. For those who haven’t seen them, I usually pick a word, search the library for that word, and then randomize among those songs. Today, I’m going with “school” in honor of the kids going back to school. Let’s see what we get!

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.

Five Songs, 9/6/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 06 Sep 2023 19:00:20 +0000

Fennesz, “Endless Summer”

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.

Five Songs, 9/5/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 05 Sep 2023 19:00:53 +0000

Black Flag, “Loose Nut”

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.

Five Songs, 9/4/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 04 Sep 2023 19:00:04 +0000

Ari Lennox, “Whipped Cream”

I really know very little about modern R&B, and mostly I just kind of randomly stumble on albums from year-end reviews or whatever. And then even when things come up here, I’m not sure I can say a whole lot. This is good?

U-SCO, “high and rising”

oh hell yes goddamn fuck yeah gimme that shit i need it i wanna deliberately concentrate and inhale this

Five Songs, 9/3/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 03 Sep 2023 19:00:32 +0000

Rocket From The Crypt, “My Arrow’s Aim”

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.

Five Songs, 9/2/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 02 Sep 2023 19:00:25 +0000

Coil, “Dark River”

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.

Five Songs, 9/1/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 19:00:32 +0000

Pile, “touched by comfort”

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.

Five Songs, 8/31/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 31 Aug 2023 19:00:49 +0000

The Baseball Project, “¡Hola America!”

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.

Five Songs, 8/30/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 30 Aug 2023 19:00:40 +0000

Neko Case & Her Boyfriends, “Whip the Blankets”

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.

Five Songs, 8/29/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 29 Aug 2023 19:00:03 +0000

Stone Temple Pilots, “Big Empty”

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.

Five Songs, 8/28/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 28 Aug 2023 19:00:09 +0000

Destroyer, “Painter in Your Pocket”

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.

Five Songs, 8/27/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 27 Aug 2023 19:00:38 +0000

The Slackers, “Sabina”

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.

Five Songs, 8/26/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 26 Aug 2023 19:00:38 +0000

Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra, “When The Saints Go Marching In”

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?

Five Songs, 8/25/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 25 Aug 2023 19:00:50 +0000

Elvis Costello, “Alison”

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.

Five Songs, 8/24/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 24 Aug 2023 19:00:20 +0000

Black Taffy, “Corridors”

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.

Five Songs, 8/23/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 23 Aug 2023 19:00:49 +0000

fIREHOSE, “Blaze”

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.

Five Songs, 8/22/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 22 Aug 2023 19:00:09 +0000

Kvadrat, “Αποκοπή”

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!

Five Songs, 8/21/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 22 Aug 2023 00:53:20 +0000

Quicksand, “Thorn in my Side”

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.

Five Songs, 8/20/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 20 Aug 2023 19:00:24 +0000

The NY Citizens, “Brooklyn’s On Fire”

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.

Five Songs, 8/19/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 19 Aug 2023 19:00:08 +0000

The Atlas Moth, “Smiling Knife”

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.

Five Songs, 8/18/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 18 Aug 2023 19:00:15 +0000

NoFX, “Please Play This Song on the Radio”

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.

Five Songs, 8/17/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 17 Aug 2023 19:00:13 +0000

Deerhoof, “Department of Corrections”

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.

Five Songs, 8/16/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 16 Aug 2023 19:00:05 +0000

Waxahatchee, “La Loose”

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.

Five Songs, 8/15/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 15 Aug 2023 19:00:45 +0000

Japandroids, “Young Hearts Spark Fire”

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.

Five Songs, 8/14/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 14 Aug 2023 19:00:55 +0000

Elvis Costello & the Attractions, “New Amsterdam”

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.

Five Songs, 8/13/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 13 Aug 2023 19:00:56 +0000

Soundgarden, “Swallow My Pride”

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.

Five Songs, 8/12/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 12 Aug 2023 19:00:50 +0000

The Monorchid, “Abyss”

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.

Five Songs, 8/11/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 11 Aug 2023 19:00:03 +0000

Pixies, “Dead”

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.

Five Songs, 8/10/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 10 Aug 2023 19:00:19 +0000

Pavement, “Texas Never Whispers”

Time for a deranged opinion! Specifically: Watery, Domestic, the 1992 EP that Pavement released between Slanted & Enchanted and Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain is, pound for pound, the best Pavement release. Four songs, all killer, and from their peak period. These tracks would end up on various collections, re-issued, re-packaged, re-packaged, but I think it dulls the impact a little bit when they’re just mixed into a compilation or are bonus tracks to an anniversary re-release or whatever. You don’t necessarily realize that these were all in one place originally. Anyway, it’s fantastic, make a playlist of the four songs and have a go or pull it up specifically on Spotify or whatever.

Five Songs, 8/9/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 19:00:21 +0000

Polvo, “The Fighting Kites”

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.

Five Songs, 8/8/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 08 Aug 2023 19:00:38 +0000

Hammerhead, “Evil Twin”

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.

Five Songs, 8/7/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 07 Aug 2023 19:00:57 +0000

Revenge, “14K”

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!

Five Songs, 8/6/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 06 Aug 2023 19:00:31 +0000

Gob, “Beauville”

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.

Five Songs, 8/5/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 05 Aug 2023 19:00:00 +0000

Pyramids, “The Echo of Something Lovely”

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.

Five Songs, 8/4/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 04 Aug 2023 19:00:37 +0000

Pinkwash, “No Real Witness”

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.

Five Songs, 8/3/2023

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 19:00:29 +0000

Do I still remember how to do this? I guess I’ll find out!

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.

2022 Albums

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 09 Jan 2023 06:47:46 +0000

I wanted to write about music, and thought about writing about some 2022 albums I liked. I started typing it up for a private Discord and then remembered, duh, I actually have a music blog. So let’s blow the dust off this thing and post about some music I liked. “Best” is meaningless here, as any of these albums might strike my fancy on any particular day, and ranking them seems extremely iffy. Will any of these albums be in regular rotation next year? Five years? I have no idea. So, this is just a list of some releases you might have missed that I liked, and maybe you should check them out.

Five Songs, 10/28/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 28 Oct 2022 19:00:35 +0000

It’s a big day here on Five Songs. Exactly two years ago, I started updating this thing every day. Through vacations, work getting busy, moving twice, dealing with the fallout of a pandemic, I kept hitting my updates. I’m not sure why exactly I decided to do so. More than anything, it was to convince myself that I could commit to a grind like this and keep on top of it. Could I be a daily blogger? Could I keep a creative project going even when it got tough?

Five Songs, 10/27/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 27 Oct 2022 19:00:32 +0000

The Staple Singers, “I’ll Take You There”

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.

Five Songs, 10/26/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 26 Oct 2022 19:00:30 +0000

They Might Be Giants, “Can’t Keep Jonny Down”

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?

Five Songs, 10/25/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 25 Oct 2022 19:00:17 +0000

Kraftwerk, “Franz Schubert”

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.

Five Songs, 10/24/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 19:00:21 +0000

Screeching Weasel, “My Brain Hurts”

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.

Five Songs, 10/23/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 23 Oct 2022 19:00:55 +0000

Frisk Frugt, “Solhyldest 1. del”

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.

Five Songs, 10/22/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 22 Oct 2022 19:00:18 +0000

Stereolab, “Space Age Bachelor Pad Music (Mellow)”

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.

Five Songs, 10/21/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 21 Oct 2022 19:00:46 +0000

Pink Floyd, “Eclipse”

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.

Five Songs, 10/20/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 20 Oct 2022 19:00:49 +0000

U.S. Maple, “Rice Ain’t Afraid of Nothing”

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.

Five Songs, 10/19/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 19 Oct 2022 19:00:56 +0000

Tiny Moving Parts, “Warm Hand Splash”

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.

Five Songs, 10/18/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 19:00:59 +0000

The Wedding Present, “Let’s Make Some Plans”

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.

Five Songs, 10/17/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 17 Oct 2022 19:00:28 +0000

OutKast, “Ms. Jackson”

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.]

Five Songs, 10/16/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 16 Oct 2022 19:00:05 +0000

The Roots, “We Got You”

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.

Five Songs, 10/15/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 15 Oct 2022 19:00:20 +0000

Squarepusher, “Tundra”

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.

Five Songs, 10/14/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 14 Oct 2022 19:00:32 +0000

Stugots, “Ooh Poo Pah Doo”

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.

Five Songs, 10/13/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 13 Oct 2022 19:00:36 +0000

Throbbing Gristle, “Walkabout”

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.

Five Songs, 10/12/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 12 Oct 2022 19:00:18 +0000

Young Hunter, “Nothing Shakes the Void”

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!

Five Songs, 10/11/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 11 Oct 2022 19:00:44 +0000

Bitch Magnet, “Navajo Ace”

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.

Five Songs, 10/10/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 10 Oct 2022 19:00:31 +0000

Cursive, “Bad Sects”

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.

Five Songs, 10/9/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 09 Oct 2022 19:00:08 +0000

Chris Farren, “Red Wire Blue Wire”

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.

Five Songs, 10/8/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 08 Oct 2022 19:00:08 +0000

Dead Kennedys, “Soup Is Good Food”

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.

Five Songs, 10/7/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 07 Oct 2022 19:00:29 +0000

Tackhead, “Ticking Time Bomb”

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.

Five Songs, 10/6/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 06 Oct 2022 19:00:21 +0000

clipping., “Story 2”

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.

Five Songs, 10/5/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 19:00:04 +0000

Yautja, “The Spectacle”

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.

Five Songs, 10/4/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 04 Oct 2022 19:00:51 +0000

The Mighty Mocambos, “The Spell of Ra-Orkon”

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.

Five Songs, 10/3/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 03 Oct 2022 19:00:04 +0000

Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard, “Tralfamadore”

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?

Five Songs, 10/2/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 02 Oct 2022 19:00:19 +0000

Cave In, “Come Into Your Own”

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.

Five Songs, 10/1/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 01 Oct 2022 19:00:27 +0000

Idlewild, “These Wooden Ideas”

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!

Five Songs, 9/30/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 30 Sep 2022 19:00:04 +0000

Otis Redding, “Love Have Mercy”

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.

Five Songs, 9/29/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 19:00:40 +0000

Frank Black and the Catholics, “I Gotta Move”

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.

Five Songs, 9/28/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 28 Sep 2022 19:00:29 +0000

Murs, “Intro”

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.

Five Songs, 9/27/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 27 Sep 2022 19:00:31 +0000

The Afghan Whigs, “Matamoros”

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!

Five Songs, 9/26/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 26 Sep 2022 19:00:35 +0000

Mogwai, “Friend of the Night”

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.

Five Songs, 9/25/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 25 Sep 2022 19:00:39 +0000

They Might Be Giants, “Ana Ng (Live)”

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.

Five Songs, 9/24/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 24 Sep 2022 19:00:56 +0000

Don Caballero, “The Irrespective Dick Area”

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.

Five Songs, 9/23/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 19:00:06 +0000

Propagandhi, “Laplante/Smith Song (Live)”

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.

Five Songs, 9/22/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 22 Sep 2022 19:00:11 +0000

OutKast, “Chonkyfire”

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.

Five Songs, 9/21/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 21 Sep 2022 19:00:06 +0000

The Slackers, “Like a Virgin”

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.

Five Songs, 9/20/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 20 Sep 2022 19:00:01 +0000

MC Frontalot, “A Skit About Robots”

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.

Fine Songs, 9/19/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 19 Sep 2022 19:00:59 +0000

The Beatles, “Let It Be”

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.

Five Songs, 9/18/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 18 Sep 2022 19:00:21 +0000

Calexico, “Gypsy’s Curse”

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.

Five Songs, 9/17/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 17 Sep 2022 19:00:33 +0000

They Might Be Giants, “Particle Man (Live)”

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.

Five Songs, 9/16/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 16 Sep 2022 19:00:02 +0000

Hoover, “Electrolux”

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.

Five Songs, 9/15/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 15 Sep 2022 19:00:26 +0000

Wilco, “Kicking Television”

“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.

Five Songs, 9/14/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 14 Sep 2022 19:00:28 +0000

Judy and the Loadies, “I’m Not Drunk”

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.

Five Songs, 9/13/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 13 Sep 2022 19:00:57 +0000

Slant 6, “Semi-Blue Tile”

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.

Five Songs, 9/12/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 12 Sep 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Mogwai, “Remurdered”

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.

Five Songs, 9/11/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 11 Sep 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Hot Snakes, “Plenty For All”

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.

Five Songs, 9/10/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 10 Sep 2022 19:00:49 +0000

The Apples in Stereo, “IV. From Outside, in Floats a Music Box”

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.

Five Songs, 9/9/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 09 Sep 2022 19:00:34 +0000

The Young Fresh Fellows, “A Fake Hello”

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.

Five Songs, 9/8/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 08 Sep 2022 19:00:47 +0000

Ghostface Killah, “Run”

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.

Five Songs, 9/7/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 07 Sep 2022 19:00:44 +0000

Baroness, “Jake Leg”

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.

Five Songs, 9/6/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 06 Sep 2022 19:00:07 +0000

ALL, “Honey Peeps”

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.

Five Songs, 9/5/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 05 Sep 2022 19:00:14 +0000

People Under the Stairs, “Same Beat (The Wesley Rap)”

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.

Five Songs, 9/4/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 04 Sep 2022 19:00:57 +0000

Mary Wells, “My Guy”

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!

Five Songs, 9/3/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 03 Sep 2022 19:00:22 +0000

High on Fire, “Spewn From the Earth”

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.

Five Songs, 9/2/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 02 Sep 2022 19:00:54 +0000

Earl Sweatshirt, “Grief”

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.

Five Songs, 9/1/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 01 Sep 2022 19:00:09 +0000

Vulfpeck, “LAX”

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.

Five Songs, 8/31/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 31 Aug 2022 19:00:44 +0000

Cosmic Psychos, “Rain Gauge”

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.

Five Songs, 8/30/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 30 Aug 2022 19:00:38 +0000

L’altra, “Slow as Cake”

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.

Five Songs, 8/29/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 29 Aug 2022 19:00:42 +0000

Vaz, “The 2nd”

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.

Five Songs, 8/28/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 28 Aug 2022 19:00:48 +0000

Calexico, “Heart of Downtown”

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.

Five Songs, 8/27/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 27 Aug 2022 19:00:43 +0000

The Jimi Hendrix Experience, “Purple Haze”

‘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.

Five Songs, 8/26/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 26 Aug 2022 19:00:08 +0000

The Miracles, “You’ve Really Got a Hold On Me”

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.

Five Songs, 8/25/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 25 Aug 2022 19:00:17 +0000

Logic, “YSIV”

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.

Five Songs, 8/24/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 24 Aug 2022 19:00:26 +0000

Kowloon Walled City, “Diabetic Feet”

This is from the first Kowloon Walled City record, Gambling on the Richter Scale, where they are bringing back that Unsane sound. There’s something about that vocal style in particular that really reminds me of that band, which is of course a good thing.

Thou, “Corrupted Sanctum”

Thou contributed some songs to a video game soundtrack, which is kind of a funny phrase. I know absolutely nothing about the game except that it’s set in New Orleans, which presumably is how Thou got involved. Anyway, always happy to get new music from them, even if it’s a strange delivery like this.

Five Songs, 8/23/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 23 Aug 2022 19:00:59 +0000

Stubborn All-Stars, “Lieutenant”

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.

Five Songs, 8/22/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 22 Aug 2022 19:00:17 +0000

Destroyer, “Every Christmas”

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.

Five Songs, 8/21/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 21 Aug 2022 19:00:38 +0000

Boogie, “Save Me”

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!

Five Songs, 8/20/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 20 Aug 2022 19:00:35 +0000

The Mortals, “Hangin’ On”

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.

Five Songs, 8/19/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 19 Aug 2022 19:00:04 +0000

Bricks, “History of Lies”

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.

Five Songs, 8/18/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 18 Aug 2022 19:00:55 +0000

DJ Q-Bert, “Two”

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.

Five Songs, 8/17/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 17 Aug 2022 19:00:16 +0000

Gang Starr, “Take It Personal”

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.

Five Songs, 8/16/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 16 Aug 2022 19:00:32 +0000

Swingin’ Utters, “Here We Are Nowhere”

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.

Five Songs, 8/15/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 15 Aug 2022 19:00:42 +0000

The Queers, “I Like Young Girls”

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.

Five Songs, 8/14/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 14 Aug 2022 19:00:45 +0000

The Avalanches, “The Divine Chord”

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.

Five Songs, 8/13/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 13 Aug 2022 19:00:46 +0000

Hüsker Dü, “Divide and Conquer”

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.

Five Songs, 8/12/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 12 Aug 2022 19:00:07 +0000

Senyawa, “Menuju Muara”

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.

Five Songs, 8/11/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 11 Aug 2022 19:00:01 +0000

Ed Hall, “Luke Flukenstock”

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?

Five Songs, 8/10/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 10 Aug 2022 19:00:21 +0000

The Miracles, “You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me”

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.)

Five Songs, 8/9/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 09 Aug 2022 19:00:38 +0000

Autolux, “Becker”

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.

Five Songs, 8/8/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 08 Aug 2022 19:00:38 +0000

The Clash, “I Fought The Law”

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!

Five Songs, 8/7/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 07 Aug 2022 19:00:05 +0000

Einstürzende Neubauten, “Stella Maris”

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.

Five Songs, 8/6/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 06 Aug 2022 19:00:33 +0000

Big Audio Dynamite II, “The Globe”

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.

Five Songs, 8/5/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 05 Aug 2022 19:00:09 +0000

The Roots, “The Show”

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.

Five Songs, 8/4/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 04 Aug 2022 19:00:42 +0000

The Afghan Whigs, “The Spell”

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.

Five Songs, 8/3/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 19:00:13 +0000

Jawbox, “Static”

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”.

Five Songs, 8/2/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 02 Aug 2022 19:00:38 +0000

Floor, “Downed Star”

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.

Five Songs, 8/1/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 01 Aug 2022 19:00:04 +0000

Non Phixion, “Legacy”

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.

Five Songs, 7/31/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 31 Jul 2022 19:00:45 +0000

The Mooney Suzuki, “Oh Sweet Susanna”

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.

Five Songs, 7/30/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 30 Jul 2022 19:00:22 +0000

Hepcat, “The Secret”

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.

Five Songs, 7/29/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 29 Jul 2022 19:00:47 +0000

They Might Be Giants, “I Love You For Psychological Reasons”

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.

Five Songs, 7/28/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 28 Jul 2022 19:00:22 +0000

The Dramatics, “In the Rain”

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.

Five Songs, 7/27/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 27 Jul 2022 19:00:05 +0000

The Garbage & The Flowers, “Carousel”

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.

Five Songs, 7/26/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 26 Jul 2022 19:00:19 +0000

Can, “Mushroom”

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.

Five Songs, 7/25/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 25 Jul 2022 19:00:09 +0000

Zeke, “Runnin’ Shine”

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.

Five Songs, 7/24/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 24 Jul 2022 19:00:42 +0000

Squarepusher, “Iambic 5 Poetry”

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.

Five Songs, 7/23/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 23 Jul 2022 19:00:17 +0000

The Afghan Whigs, “Neglekted”

I always wonder a bit about song titles like this one. What does the spelling here represent? It’s not a common alternate spelling or anything, so what was it that they were choosing to capture here? A mystery that might be solved with some simple searching, but I choose to just let it remain a question instead.

Dag Nasty, “Circles”

Founded by Brian Baker of Minor Threat, Dag Nasty took the hardcore of that band in a more melodic direction, folding in some of sound of the Descendents, with whom they toured. In fact, if you took the midpoint of those two bands, you get pretty close to Dag Nasty.

Five Songs, 7/22/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 22 Jul 2022 19:00:52 +0000

Logic, “The Glorious Five”

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.

Five Songs, 7/21/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 21 Jul 2022 19:00:37 +0000

David Mead, “Girl on the Roof”

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.

Five Songs, 7/20/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 20 Jul 2022 19:00:12 +0000

The Sound Stylistics, “Get Ya Some”

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!

Five Songs, 7/19/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 19:00:05 +0000

Downtown Boys, “Wave of History”

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.

Five Songs, 7/18/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 18 Jul 2022 19:00:58 +0000

Polyrhythmics, “Lord of the Fries”

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!

Five Songs, 7/17/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 17 Jul 2022 20:35:29 +0000

The Mighty Mocambos, “The Spell of Ra-Orkon”

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

Five Songs, 7/16/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 16 Jul 2022 19:00:01 +0000

Alleged Gunmen, “Showdown at Sundown”

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.

Five Songs, 7/15/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 15 Jul 2022 19:00:54 +0000

Cobalt, “Gin”

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.

Five Songs, 7/14/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 14 Jul 2022 19:00:48 +0000

Steady Earnest, “Skin It Up”

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.

Five Songs, 7/13/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 13 Jul 2022 19:00:51 +0000

Fifteen, “The End of the Summer”

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.

Five Songs, 7/12/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 12 Jul 2022 19:00:13 +0000

Miles Davis, “Bitches Brew”

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.

Five Songs, 7/11/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 11 Jul 2022 19:00:57 +0000

Dasher, “We Know So”

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.

Five Songs, 7/10/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 10 Jul 2022 19:00:05 +0000

Vaselines, “Bitch”

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.

Five Songs, 7/9/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 09 Jul 2022 19:00:52 +0000

Fluf, “RK Wins”

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.

Five Songs, 7/8/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 08 Jul 2022 19:00:48 +0000

Haggard Cat, “Life and Limb”

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.

Five Songs, 7/7/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 07 Jul 2022 19:00:33 +0000

Witchcraft, “You Bury Your Head”

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.

Five Songs, 7/6/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 06 Jul 2022 19:00:55 +0000

Shudder to Think, “Baby Drop”

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.

Five Songs, 7/5/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 05 Jul 2022 19:00:52 +0000

Yo-Yo Ma, “Suite no. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: III. Courante”

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.

Five Songs, 7/4/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 19:00:27 +0000

It’s July 4th! Doesn’t feel right to celebrate anything, though.

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.

Five Songs, 7/3/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 03 Jul 2022 19:00:04 +0000

New Bomb Turks, “Girl Can’t Help It”

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.

Five Songs, 7/2/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 02 Jul 2022 19:00:10 +0000

Gob, “Cleansing”

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.

Five Songs, 7/1/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 01 Jul 2022 19:00:04 +0000

Torche, “Reverse Inverted”

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.

Five Songs, 6/30/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 19:00:43 +0000

Prefuse 73, “Eve of Dextruction”

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.

Five Songs, 6/29/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 29 Jun 2022 19:00:56 +0000

Public Enemy, “LSD”

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.

Five Songs, 6/28/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 28 Jun 2022 19:00:21 +0000

Uzeda, “Female”

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.

Five Songs, 6/27/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 27 Jun 2022 19:00:18 +0000

Elvis Costello, “Turpentine”

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.

Five Songs, 6/26/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 26 Jun 2022 19:00:19 +0000

Cap’n Jazz, “Little League”

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.

Five Songs, 6/25/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 26 Jun 2022 04:44:58 +0000

David Bowie, “Heroes”

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.

Five Songs, 6/24/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 25 Jun 2022 00:39:57 +0000

We’re still trying to clear the dust from the emergency remodel around here. Still lots of work to clean up the visuals, and the posting schedule is likely to be a bit erratic for a while. Apologies!

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!

Five Songs, 6/23/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 23 Jun 2022 19:00:49 +0000

Hockey Night, “For Guys’ Eyes Only”

[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!

Five Songs, 6/22/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 23 Jun 2022 05:11:22 +0000

Overwhelming Colorfast, “Coming Down”

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.

Five Songs, 6/21/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 22 Jun 2022 06:13:02 +0000

WE’RE BACK, BABY! The historical record of this blog won’t show anything, but for the record: on the 18th, I blew this damn thing up so thoroughly trying to update it that I had to re-install it from scratch, and then remember all the custom modifications I did to get a music player in here. It was a mess, but we’re back. And we have a new logo! Kick off the tunes, Plexasaurus Rex!

Five Songs, 6/20/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 20 Jun 2022 19:00:00 +0000

We Be The Echo, “Shredder of Wheat and Souls”

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.

Five Songs, 6/19/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 19 Jun 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Tortoise, “Charteroak Foundation”

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!

Five Songs, 6/17/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 18 Jun 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Touché Amoré, “Limelight”

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.

Five Songs, 6/18/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 18 Jun 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Xenia Rubinos, “Cherry Tree”

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.

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.

Five Songs, 6/16/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 16 Jun 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Lambchop, “Up With People”

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.

Five Songs, 6/15/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 15 Jun 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Seaweed, “Punchy (The Clown)”

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!

Five Songs, 6/14/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 14 Jun 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Uncle Tupelo, “Looking For A Way Out (Demo)”

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.

Five Songs, 6/13/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 13 Jun 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Sunless, “Spiraling into the Unfathomable”

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.

Five Songs, 6/12/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 12 Jun 2022 19:00:00 +0000

The Fearless Flyers, “Under the Sea / Flyers Drive”

A lot of covers like this one are basically just to generate the Leo DeCaprio pointing meme - excitement at recognizing a thing and little else. The Fearless Flyers (Cory Wong and Joe Dart of Vulfpeck, Mark Lettieri of Snarky Puppy, and Nate Smith of a whole bunch of jazz projects) are great enough players that it’s fun to listen to them add their flourishes here, but it’s still essentially a disposable track.

Five Songs, 6/11/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 11 Jun 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Advertisement, “Pretty Money”

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!

Five Songs, 6/10/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 10 Jun 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Bedhead, “Haywire”

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.

Five Songs, 6/9/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 09 Jun 2022 19:00:00 +0000

John Oswald, “O’hell (Sir Jim Moron)”

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.

Five Songs, 6/8/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 08 Jun 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Golden Dawn Arkestra, “Mama Se”

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.

Five Songs, 6/7/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 07 Jun 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Boogie Down Productions, “I’m Still #1”

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.

Five Songs, 6/6/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 06 Jun 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Eminem, “Guilty Conscience”

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.

Five Songs, 6/5/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 05 Jun 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Radiohead, “True Love Waits”

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.

Five Songs, 6/4/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 04 Jun 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Blackalicious, “World of Vibrations”

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.

Five Songs, 6/3/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 03 Jun 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Conlon Nancarrow, “Study for Player Piano No. 3a”

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.

Five Songs, 6/2/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 02 Jun 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Die Warzau, “Funkopolis”

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.

Five Songs, 6/1/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 01 Jun 2022 19:00:00 +0000

The Flaming Lips, “The Sparrow Looks Up at the Machine”

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.

Five Songs, 5/31/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 31 May 2022 19:00:00 +0000

I’m really wobbling here - I think at some point pretty soon, I’m going to stop updating this every day. It just consumes a little bit too much of my creative time, and I’d like to do something else.

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.

Five Songs, 5/30/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 30 May 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Versus, “Shower Song”

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'.

Five Songs, 5/29/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 29 May 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Afghan Whigs, “Retarded”

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.

Five Songs, 5/28/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 28 May 2022 19:00:00 +0000

The Skatalites, “Black Sunday”

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.

Five Songs, 5/27/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 27 May 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Skinny Puppy, “Riverz End”

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.

Five Songs, 5/26/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 26 May 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Let’s Go Bowling, “Identity Crisis”

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).

Five Songs, 5/25/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 25 May 2022 19:00:00 +0000

The Magnetic Fields, “The Way You Say Good-Night”

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.

Five Songs, 5/24/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 24 May 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Einstürzende Neubauten, “Haus der Lüge”

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.

Five Songs, 5/23/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 23 May 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Thou, “Prayer to God”

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.

Five Songs, 5/22/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 22 May 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Bim Skala Bim, “Wandering Soul”

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.

Five Songs, 5/21/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 21 May 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Flop, “Anne”

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.

Five Songs, 5/20/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 20 May 2022 19:00:00 +0000

I need some more high concept entries here. Something where I can actually have a connection between the elements. I’m stymied, of course, by my format. And the fact that I write these as I play the songs, so I don’t know what the next song will be as I’m writing about the current song. I guess I could play all five and then write?

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!

Five Songs, 5/19/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 19 May 2022 19:00:00 +0000

matt pond PA, “Measure 3”

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.

Five Songs, 5/18/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 18 May 2022 19:00:00 +0000

DZ Deathrays, “Reflective Skull”

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.

Five Songs, 5/17/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 17 May 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Mary Wells, “Bye Bye Baby”

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.

Five Songs, 5/16/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 16 May 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Jan Jelinek, “Universal Band Silhouette”

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?

Five Songs, 5/15/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 15 May 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Palmistry, “In The Mountains…”

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.

Five Songs, 5/14/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 14 May 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Boldy James and the Alchemist, “Scrape the Bowl”

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.

Five Songs, 5/13/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 13 May 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Pavement, “Stereo”

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!

Five Songs, 5/12/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 12 May 2022 19:00:00 +0000

The Decemberists, “Mistral”

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.

Five Songs, 5/11/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 11 May 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Forest Swords, “The Weight of Gold”

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.

Five Songs, 5/10/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 10 May 2022 19:00:00 +0000

The Roots, “Make My”

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.

Five Songs, 5/9/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 09 May 2022 19:00:00 +0000

The Minders, “Pass It Around”

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!

Five Songs, 5/8/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 08 May 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Ex Hex, “Hot and Cold”

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.

Five Songs, 5/7/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 07 May 2022 19:00:00 +0000

NoFX, “I Wanna Be Your Baby”

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.

Five Songs, 5/6/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 06 May 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Dr. Ring-Ding & The Senior Allstars, “Bad Company”

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!

Five Songs, 5/5/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 05 May 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Polvo, “Bridesmaid Blues”

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!

Five Songs, 5/4/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 04 May 2022 19:00:00 +0000

The Magnetic Fields, “Meaningless”

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.

Five Songs, 5/3/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 03 May 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Nicole Willis & the Soul Investigators, “Light Years Ahead”

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!

Five Songs, 5/2/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 02 May 2022 19:00:00 +0000

The Beatles, “I’m So Tired”

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.

Five Songs, 5/1/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 01 May 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Made it to May! Seemed like April lasted for double the usual days this year.

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!

Five Songs, 4/30/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 30 Apr 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Kid Koala, “Drunk Trumpet”

“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.

Five Songs, 4/29/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 29 Apr 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Skalpel, “Quicksilver”

Love me a good jazz/DJ thing.

Destroyer, “The Bad Arts”

Streethawk: A Seduction was the first Destroyer record that I heard, and this was the song that I heard on that record that really got me going. Something about how spare a lot of the song is, just his voice and either a simple groove or his guitar, just works super well. A delightful tune.

Cherubs, “Sooey Pig”

You know, it would have been just fine with me if that first thirty seconds of formless guitar noise just kind of kept going. I have objections with the rest of this crawl, mind you. But I love me a good wad of meandering feedback.

Five Songs, 4/28/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 28 Apr 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Death From Above 1979, “Black History Month (Josh Homme remix)”

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.

Five Songs, 4/27/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 27 Apr 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Zeke, “Action”

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.

Five Songs, 4/26/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Bananagun, “Mushroom Bomb”

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.

Five Songs, 4/25/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Television, “See No Evil”

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.

Five Songs, 4/24/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 24 Apr 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Richie Hawtin, “Aliens Don’t Boogie”

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.)

Five Songs, 4/23/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 23 Apr 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Joe Lally, “Day Is Born”

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.

Five Songs, 4/22/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 22 Apr 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Mule, “I’m Hell”

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.

Five Songs, 4/21/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Skavoovie & the Epitones, “Blood Red Sky”

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.

Five Songs, 4/20/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 20 Apr 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Steakdaddy Six, “Sweaty Betty”

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.

Five Songs, 4/19/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 19 Apr 2022 19:00:00 +0000

The Housemartins, “Flag Day”

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.

Five Songs, 4/18/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 18 Apr 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Pussy Galore, “Handshake”

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.

Five Songs, 4/17/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 17 Apr 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Mastodon, “The Motherload”

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.

Five Songs, 4/16/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 16 Apr 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Cursive, “Big Bang”

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!

Five Songs, 4/15/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 15 Apr 2022 19:00:00 +0000

And now, happy birthday to me! This concludes birthday week here at Five Songs.

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.

Five Songs, 4/14/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 14 Apr 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Well, this blog officially turns five today! There have been 1137 posts on this site, if my tagging is to be trusted, so a pace better than every other day. More than five thousand little capsules on songs and bands, and that’s a dang lot of vapid garbage. I’ve probably spent more time on this than any other creative project, and I’m really not entirely sure why. I guess in the end I’ll be a better writer, and it’s nice to do something consistently. I don’t have an endgame for this or anything. It’s just, you know, music is nice.

Five Songs, 4/13/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 13 Apr 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Cause for Effect, “Sonic Titanic”

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.

Five Songs, 4/12/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 12 Apr 2022 19:00:00 +0000

The Coup, “Get Up”

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.

Five Songs, 4/11/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 11 Apr 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Koenjihyakkei, “Angherr Shisspa”

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?

Five Songs, 4/10/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 10 Apr 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Cave In, “Come Into Your Own”

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.

Five Songs, 4/9/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 09 Apr 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Eddie Floyd, “My Girl”

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!

Five Songs, 4/8/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 08 Apr 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Calexico, “Voices in the Field”

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.

Five Songs, 4/7/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 07 Apr 2022 19:00:00 +0000

The Mighty Mocambos, “Calling the Shots”

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.

Five Songs, 4/6/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 06 Apr 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Cloud Nothings, “Sun Meat”

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.

Five Songs, 4/5/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 05 Apr 2022 19:00:00 +0000

A Forest of Stars, “A Prophet for a Pound of Flesh”

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.

Five Songs, 4/4/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 19:00:00 +0000

No Age, “Life Prowler”

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!

Five Songs, 4/3/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 03 Apr 2022 19:00:00 +0000

They Might Be Giants, “Experimental Film”

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.

Five Songs, 4/2/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 02 Apr 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Lambchop, “The New Cobweb Summer”

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.

Five Songs, 4/1/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 01 Apr 2022 19:00:00 +0000

The Decemberists, “The Perfect Crime #2”

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.

Five Songs, 3/31/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 19:00:00 +0000

The Apples in Stereo, “About Your Fame”

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.

Five Songs, 3/30/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 30 Mar 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Vince Guaraldi, “Christmas Time Is Here (Vocal)”

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.

Five Songs, 3/29/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 29 Mar 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Anti-Flag, “A New Kind of Army”

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.

Five Songs, 3/28/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 28 Mar 2022 19:00:00 +0000

The Dramatics, “In the Rain”

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.

Five Songs, 3/27/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 27 Mar 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Van Halen, “Jump”

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.

Five Songs, 3/26/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 26 Mar 2022 19:00:00 +0000

The Aislers Set, “Chicago New York”

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!

Five Songs, 3/25/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 19:00:00 +0000

H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society, “If I Were A Deep One”

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!

Five Songs, 3/24/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 24 Mar 2022 19:00:00 +0000

The Hidden Cameras, “Fear Is On”

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.

Five Songs, 3/23/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 23 Mar 2022 19:00:00 +0000

NoMeansNo, “Forget Your Life”

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.

Five Songs, 3/22/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 22 Mar 2022 19:00:00 +0000

METZ, “Drained Lake”

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.

Five Songs, 3/21/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 21 Mar 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Piss Vortex, “Voice of the Worthless”

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.

Five Songs, 3/20/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 20 Mar 2022 19:00:00 +0000

DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist, “[Part 2]”

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?

Five Songs, 3/19/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 19 Mar 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Talib Kweli, “Guerilla Monsoon Rap”

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.

Five Songs, 3/18/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 18 Mar 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Propagandhi, “Stick the Fucking Flag Up Your Goddamn Ass, You Sonofabitch”

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.

Five Songs, 3/17/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 17 Mar 2022 19:00:00 +0000

The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, “Hell”

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.

Five Songs, 3/16/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 16 Mar 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Ne’er-Do-Wells, “Skybolt X-66”

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.

Five Songs, 3/15/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 15 Mar 2022 19:00:00 +0000

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

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).

Five Songs, 3/14/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 14 Mar 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Tricky, “Brand New You’re Retro”

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.

Five Songs, 3/13/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 13 Mar 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Yo-Yo Ma, “Suite no. 4 in E-flat major, BWV 1010: I. Prélude”

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.

Five Songs, 3/12/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 12 Mar 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Iron Chic, “My Best Friend (Is a Nihilist)”

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?

Five Songs, 3/11/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 11 Mar 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Lungfish, “My Fool Heart”

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.

Five Songs, 3/10/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 10 Mar 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Kid Koala, “The Fundamentals”

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.

Five Songs, 3/9/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 09 Mar 2022 20:00:00 +0000

The Beautiful South, “Liars’ Bar”

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.

Five Songs, 3/8/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 08 Mar 2022 20:00:00 +0000

John Oswald, “Btls (Marco Integer)”

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?

Five Songs, 3/7/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 07 Mar 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Spawn of Possession, “Where Angels Go Demons Follow”

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.

Five Songs, 3/6/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 06 Mar 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Madlib, “Pyramids (Change)”

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.

Five Songs, 3/5/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 05 Mar 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Germs, “Shut Down (Annihilation Man)”

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.

Five Songs, 3/4/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Touché Amoré, “Just Exist”

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.

Five Songs, 3/3/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 03 Mar 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Lupe Fiasco, “The Emperor’s Soundtrack”

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.

Five Songs, 3/2/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 02 Mar 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Army of Juan, “Late Night Dining”

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).

Five Songs, 3/1/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Foetus, “Clothes Hoist”

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.

Five Songs, 2/28/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 28 Feb 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Another month in the books! Still hanging in there on the daily grind, but it’s definitely been a little more wobbly.

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.

Five Songs, 2/27/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 27 Feb 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Nitzer Ebb, “Control I’m Here”

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.

Five Songs, 2/26/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 26 Feb 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Melkbelly, “LCR”

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.

Five Songs, 2/25/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 25 Feb 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Matthew Sweet, “Divine Intervention”

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.

Five Songs, 2/24/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 24 Feb 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Pond, “Filler”

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.

Five Songs, 2/23/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 23 Feb 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Think Tree, “Everything Is Equal”

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.

Five Songs, 2/22/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 22 Feb 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Neat! Lookit all the twos!

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!

Five Songs, 2/21/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 21 Feb 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Monobody, “Curry Courier Career”

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.

Five Songs, 2/20/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 20 Feb 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Green Day, “Hitchin’ a Ride”

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.

Five Songs, 2/19/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Chuck D, “Mistachuck”

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.

Five Songs, 2/18/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 18 Feb 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Cypress Hill, “Hand on the Pump”

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.

Five Songs, 2/17/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 17 Feb 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Intermix, “Voices”

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.

Five Songs, 2/16/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 16 Feb 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Tilt, “Dental Wreck”

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.

Five Songs, 2/15/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 15 Feb 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Mac DeMarco, “The Way You’d Love Her”

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.

Five Songs Special, 2/14/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 14 Feb 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Valentine’s Day! Let’s do a special!

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.

Five Songs, 2/13/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 13 Feb 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Lard, “Forkboy”

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.

Five Songs, 2/12/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 13 Feb 2022 05:36:41 +0000

Powerrun, “Pulse of the Night”

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.

Five Songs, 2/11/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 11 Feb 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Japandroids, “Younger Us”

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?

Five Songs, 2/10/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Jonwayne, “Afraid of Us”

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.

Five Songs, 2/9/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 09 Feb 2022 20:00:00 +0000

They Might Be Giants, “Wait Actually Yeah No”

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.

Five Songs, 2/8/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 09 Feb 2022 03:30:38 +0000

The Story So Far, “Line”

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.

Five Songs, 2/7/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 07 Feb 2022 20:44:35 +0000

Jello Biafra with the Melvins, “Those Dumb Punk Kids (Will Buy Anything)”

Just a classic punk gallop here from the Melvins, with Jello’s warbling shout in fine form. Delightful stuff.

Polyrhythmics, “Cracked Pepper”

Those muted horns coming in at :32, that’s just lovely on top of this languid groove. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it agian: we need more horns in music. Gimme some grindcore with a trombone tearing it up. Some hardcore with someone on a trumpet blaring along beside it.

Five Songs, 2/6/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 06 Feb 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Prince, “Take Me With U”

Prince, yes please, take me with you.

The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, “‘78 Style”

The first JSBX was really very much a transitional record between Pussy Galore and what the JSBX would become. There’s just enough of the spastic, unpredictable energy in the proceedings to retain that gutter punk feel. Spencer would continue to draw on those sounds and attitudes throughout the JSBX run, but it’s nowhere as overt as on the first record.

Five Songs, 2/5/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 05 Feb 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Mary Wells, “My Guy”

Another classic Motown tune. I wish I could set up all my music streaming to just inject periodic Motown songs into whatever I’m listening to. Having a Four Tops song pop up in the middle of some Neanderthal death metal record would be pretty excellent.

Shenandoah Davis, “Gold Coast”

I like the choral bits in this, and the well placed additions to the piano. It’s a lovely piece.

Five Songs, 2/4/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 05 Feb 2022 19:21:00 +0000

Public Enemy, “Cold Lampin’ With Flavor”

The Flavor Flav joint on It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back is the scar that sets off the perfection of the rest of the album perfectly. As a little goof, it’s fine, but it’s a trifle compared to the rest of the thing. It’s not inevitable that Flav’s songs will always be like this, not in a world with “911 Is A Joke”, but he’s just goofing on this one. I mean, he just starts making mouth noises on it.

Five Songs, 2/3/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 03 Feb 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Michael Jackson, “The Girl Is Mine”

Corniest song we’ve had on here? Quite possibly!

Bim Skala Bim, “Sunshine Of Your Love”

This is from an early Bim Skala Bim album (Tuba City), from before they kind of settled down into a more traditional groove and started making their best tunes. It’s not a bad album, but it’s one of the last I’d go for from them as well.

Quasimoto, “Rappcats, Part 3”

Oh my god, that beat absolutely melted my brain. Sorry, can’t type more, it’s hard to see the screen nodding my head this much.

Five Songs, 2/2/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 02 Feb 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Two two twenty two. Neat date!

Guided by Voices, “Hot Freaks”

Bee Thousand, the Guided By Voices breakthrough record, isn’t really notably different from their previous records. It’s as ramshackle and distracted as their previous albums, with the same penchant for memorable melodies floating in as frequently as they stagger out. Just as soon as a tune gets going properly, it’s on to the next. The hit rate on this album is higher than the previous records, so it’s probably the apotheosis of their early approach. After this, they’d slowly start getting more professional, so if you want the raw shit, this is your starting point, and then you can work backwards as far as you can stand.

Five Songs, 2/1/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Deltron 3030, “Virus”

Hmm, gotta say this song hits a little different than it used to.

Cinerama, “Maniac”

Yet another live-in-studio thing! Two yesterday, another today. This is from John Peel Sessions, the progenitor of all these projects. Well, not this particular one, the John Peel sessions in general. John Peel loved David Gedge, so Cinerama did a bunch of these things (as did the Wedding Present). This session actually preceeds the release of Va Va Voom, and this song would end up as their debut album opener. If you’re a huge Cinerama fan, it’s fun to hear things in an earlier form.

Five Songs, 1/31/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 31 Jan 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Oneida, “Every Day is a Child With Teeth”

This is from the split EP that Oneida made with Liars, Athiests, Reconsider, where both bands contributed two originals and a cover of the other band. Both bands are pretty restless in their styles, and true to form, the EP covers quite a bit of territory. It’s not a bad introduction to both bands, honestly, although it frankly won’t really tell you that much about how each band typically sounds. But it’ll give you a sense for if you like the general approach of both.

Five Songs, 1/30/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 30 Jan 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Foetus, “Ramrod”

This track was originally the A-side of a single, and it was later pulled onto the compilation Sink. It’s a fantastic example of the mid to late 80s stuff that Foetus was up to, this kind of noir-inflected, orchestrated industrial noise stuff. There’s something familiar about this song, with gestures towards obsolete but recognizable types of music. But it’s all arranged in disquieting ways, like a musical Frankenstein’s monster, all bolts and dead flesh arranged in a groteque parody of life.

Five Songs, 1/29/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 29 Jan 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Curtis Mayfield, “Move on Up”

Curtis Mayfield was the leader of the Impressions, but when he went solo, he found another gear. This is the centerpiece of his first solo record, and it’s just incredible stuff. The urgency of the percussion, the punchy horns, just everything about this is a joy. This entire record is one of the greatest soul records ever made, and it along with Mayfield’s other early 70s records set a benchmark for other soul artists to try for.

Five Songs, 1/28/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 28 Jan 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Danny Brown, “Greatest Rapper Ever”

I love the hubris in naming the first track on your debut album “Greatest Rapper Ever”. It’s a little like the now forgotten Cinder Block naming their first LP Greatest Hits, something I think about a lot even though I’m probably the only person who ever thinks about Cinder Block. Including, likely, the members.

I’m sure other bands have done the same bit, but that one sticks with me.

Five Songs, 1/27/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 27 Jan 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Freddie Gibbs, “Careless”

Freddie Gibbs came off the triumphant Piñata, an album-length collaboration with Madlib, riding high. For his follow-up, Shadow of a Doubt, he worked with a variety of producers, and while the production is solid, it’s really all about Gibbs and his rhymes. I’m not the first to say it, but Gibbs comes across kind of like 2Pac, only with much more variation in his flow. I think this album really kind of demonstrate it, as there is so much focus on his delivery. While I think his work with Madlib is his best work, this is a very good record.

Five Songs, 1/26/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 26 Jan 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Gas Huffer, “Crooked Bird”

As Gas Huffer moved into the middle of their run, they added a little touch of sruf. A little more reverb takes us in a slightly different direction on their garage rock. Still very recognizable as Gas Huffer, mind you, but they didn’t just keep re-making Janitors of Tomorrow either.

Jr. Walker & the All-Stars, “Shotgun”

Goddam, listen to that recording. The compression on everything just adds so much to the urgency of the track. It’s so sweaty!

Five Songs, 1/25/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Buildings, “Smell the Pool”

I really kind of tend to think of noise rock as mostly a 90s thing, with it kind of falling out of fashion after that point. But, of course, it’s alive and well, and bands like yesterday’s Pile and today’s Buildings are showing that there’s plenty of excellent stuff being made. I miss you, Amphetamine Reptile, but there are plenty of bands keeping the sound alive.

Five Songs, 1/24/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 24 Jan 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Krallice with Dave Edwardson, “Rank Mankind”

For their seventh album, Krallice brough in Dave Edwardson (Neurosis) to change things up. It’s still very much a Krallice record, with all the dizzying ideas that entails, so Edwardson mostly just kind of inflects the proceedings some. He gives the vocals a certain visceral grounding that gives this all a little bit more of a gutteral feel, as opposed to the sometimes purely cerebral feel of Krallice. The band is incredible as always, and this album rips.

Five Songs, 1/23/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 23 Jan 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Your Old Droog, “Gyros”

That punishing, thick blanket of bass, backed up by the little clicky drums, is such a tasty combination. I just want to roll around in this beat, or spread it on my sandwich.

Mr. Lif, “Status”

If you listen to the story on the album, this is supposed to be a cheap beat that Mr. Lif could afford, but Insight absolutely kills it. It’s so funky! Shuffle is ON it today.

Five Songs, 1/22/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 22 Jan 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Circus Lupus, “Pop Man”

Post hardcore band Circus Lupus put out two albums in the early nineties, and I probably don’t have to mention that this is a Discord album. The most obvious feature is Chris Thomson’s rambling, half-shouted/half-sung lyrics, but looking past him, Arika Casebolt on the drums is the real highlight. Of the two albums, my favorite is this one, Solid Brass.

The Austerity Program, “Song 17B”

I’ll say, it’s a very good bit to have all the tracks on your album named either “Song N” or “Untitled”.

Five Songs, 1/21/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 21 Jan 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Bim Skala Bim, “Set Me Up”

This is another one of those songs that has a tremendous sense of place about it in my memory. This came out early in 1995, in my last year of college, and my friend Miranda and I listened to it over and over sitting in the lounge of my dorm. We’d get my roommate’s Super Nintendo with the floppy drive going, and fire up a bootleg copy of Super Bombliss and spend the afternoon blowing each other up. I can picture the crappy TV, the empty pizza boxes, and my shitty toaster in the corner of the lounge. It’s a gift for a piece of music to call up such a vivid memory like that, and I can become Captain Cheap Tetris again, if only for a couple of minutes.

Five Songs, 1/20/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 20 Jan 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Michael Kiwwanuka, “Rule the World”

There are times, doing this, that I feel like a real fraud. Who am I to be writing this stuff up? I’m not a musician, I’m not a writer, I have no training in any of this, I don’t fundamentally know what I’m talking about. On many levels. I feel like I’m just an ape, ooking at the pretty noises.

This feeling eventually passes, usually, but it’s hitting me pretty hard today.

Five Songs, 1/19/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 19 Jan 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Dead Kennedys, “Moon over Marin”

The closer to the second Kennedys album, Plastic Surgery Disasters, it’s one of those anthemic songs that the Kennedys would occasionally turn out. This is actually about as accessible as they ever got, although there’s still Biafra’s strange warble to contend with.

The Toasters, “T-Time”

I think the Toasters were at their strongest in their instrumentals (or near-instrumentals). This is just a groove, horns, and some soloing, and ain’t nothing wrong with that.

Five Songs, 1/18/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Wilco, “Bright Leaves”

Wilco returned from hiatus for 2019’s Ode to Joy, although their hiatus only lasted three years, which is like a normal inter-album pause for many bands. Anyway, the album kind of feels like it’s looped back to The Whole Love in terms of the song construction - setting aside the (relative) noise of Star Wars and the sort of confessional feel of Schmilco (this track notwithstanding). Is it good? Well, I think it’s good, but maybe not great. It’s not an essential Wilco record, but I like it just fine.

Five Songs, 1/17/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 17 Jan 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Mary Wells, “You Beat Me To The Punch”

Lots of Mary Wells recently, which is OK by me!

Olivia Tremor Control, “The Opera House”

Music From The Unrealized Film Script, Dusk at Cubist Castle is one of the key documents of the indie pop underground from the mid-90s. Although it hasn’t retained the level of enduring fame as In The Aeroplane Over the Sea, it’s very much a peer to that one. The record nerds who went nuts over Neutral Milk Hotel at the time were already nuts over Olivia Tremor Control.

Five Songs, 1/16/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 16 Jan 2022 20:00:00 +0000

The Ocean, “Bathyalpelagic I: Impasses”

You know, I think the zone is actually bathypelagic, not bathyalpelagic. Come on The Ocean, get your shit together!

Claw Hammer, “Succotash”

Jon Wahl really has one of the unique voices in rock, and certainly in underground rock. He sounds like he was transported out of a cartoon or something to front a blues-flecked rock band. Very strange! This was Claw Hammer’s third album, but the immediate prior one was a full-album cover of Devo’s debut record, and nobody heard the first one. Well, I certainly haven’t, and I’ve listened to a lot of this band. At any rate, coming off that cover record, this showed that they could really light it up with originals.

Five Songs, 1/15/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 15 Jan 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Feels like this month is dragging for these entries. Usually I can bang these things out without too much trouble (and you can tell the effort I put into them!), but it seems like it’s just painful so far this year. Alas. Well, once more into the breach!

Czarface & MF DOOM, “Bomb Thrown”

Czarface is Inspectah Deck (from the Wu-Tang Clan) teaming up with 7L & Esoteric, and they’ve gotten together for album-length collabs with MF DOOM and Ghostface Killah, which are their best records. Anything with DOOM on it is worth listening to, and these records are no exception. It’s not peak DOOM, but that’s too high of a bar.

Five Songs, 1/14/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 14 Jan 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Atmosphere, “Lovelife”

A thing that strikes me about listening to early Atmosphere (this is from their second album, 2002’s God Loves Ugly) is how young Slug sounds on these tracks. He still sounds like the same person later, but there’s less weariness in his tone here as opposed to his latest work.

Mastodon, “A Commotion”

Medium Rarities is a compilation that Mastodon put out in 2020 to gather all the miscellany from their career. This track is a good example: it’s from a split with Feist where they each covered each others’ songs. Mastodon are a strong enough band that a comp of their random crap is still worth listening to.

Five Songs, 1/13/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 13 Jan 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Sicko, “An Indie Rock Daydream”

We all have those bands that are special to us. We discovered them on our own, at the exact right time in our lives, and that connection carries them with us always. Sicko is one of those special bands for me. I hit them at the perfect time, I never get tired of listening to them, and I probably never will.

Andrew Bird, “Capsized”

Are You Serious, Andrew Bird’s 2016 album, found him introducing some new sounds to his palette to go along with a new home, Los Angeles. This song could almost be described as slinky, with the sort of soul sounds that are rarely heard earlier in his discography. Some of that comes from some new collaborators as side players, and I’m sure some of it is just conscious decision to change up his sound. It’s not a full reinvention or anything, but it’s different from the preceeding albums, which were gradually getting more and more stripped down and folky.

Five Songs, 1/12/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 12 Jan 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Latitudes, “Amnio”

I went and checked what I said about this band the last couple times they’ve come up, and I’ve described them as kind of doom, kind of post-rock each time. I stand by it! Good enough, let’s ship it!

Discordance Axis, “Oratorio in Grey”

And then we have the opposite end of metal, just pure grindcore speed and fury. It’s for the best that most of these songs are about a minute long.

Five Songs, 1/11/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 11 Jan 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Talib Kweli, “The Proud”

Black Star underwent a slow disintegration after their one and only record, one of the best hip-hop records ever. Mos Def pursued a solo career, leaving Talib Kweli and DJ Hi-Tek to make a record together. Then, Kweli broke from Hi-Tek and made his first solo record without any of his Black Star collaborators, Quality. It’s my favorite of his pure solo records, although it doesn’t rise up to Black Star. Kweli has made a lot of records of a relatively consistent level of success, but I really only consider the records he’s done with Hi-Tek to be essential.

Five Songs, 1/10/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 10 Jan 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats, “Down to the Fire”

Last time, I said that I liked Blood Lust more than The Night Creeper. And, yeah, I like this song! Go past me!

Benny Sings, “Familiar”

We don’t listen to a lot of stuff around here that’s just, you know, pop. But it can be a nice break every now and again to relax, put on something pretty and kind of undemanding. That sort of describes this record very well, but I enjoy it as a change of pace.

Five Songs, 1/9/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 09 Jan 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Mary Wells, “My Guy”

It’s a trifle, but it’s a very sweet one.

Muddy Waters, “You’re Gonna Need My Help”

We like to goof around with me not knowing shit about jazz around here, but I know so, so much less about blues.

Pussy Galore, “Solo = Sex”

Those trash can drums, disorganized but confident vocals, and primitive grooves are all hallmarks of Pussy Galore that Jon Spencer would carry forward and refine in JSBX, but even the neolithic version is plenty of fun.

Five Songs, 1/8/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 08 Jan 2022 20:00:00 +0000

All You Can Eat, “Family Matters”

Here on Five Songs, mostly, we like our punk to be DIY and forgotten, mostly. I’m fine with some of the glossier stuff, but the underground shit just feels a lot more vital. There’s nothing special about All You Can Eat exactly, but this is fun, they’re just having a good time, they’re outta there in two minutes, hell yeah buddy.

The Black Keys, “The Go Getter”

It’s really such a shame that the Black Keys broke up after Brothers, their triumphant return to their big stompin’ psychedelic songs. I wonder what would have happened to them had they had a chance to build on their increasing popularity, and where they might have gone from here.

Five Songs, 1/7/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 07 Jan 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Dave, “Streatham”

I wonder if Dave (this rapper, who is from the UK and is excellent) is frustrated by Dave, the guy from the TV show?

Ikebe Shakedown, “Unqualified”

The most recent album from Afro-beat/soul/funk band Ikebe Shakedown, who differentiate themselves from some of their peers with a bit more of a cinematic approach to these things, driven mostly by the horns. By this point, four albums in, their approach is very refined.

Five Songs, 1/6/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 06 Jan 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Oneohtrix Point Never, “Lost but Never Alone”

Magic Oneohtrix Point Never is probably my favorite record from him since Replica. In a lot of ways, it evokes that record, giving a rare treat of throwback sounds from an artist who is always restlessly exploring. There’s a metaphor of flipping around a radio that ties the record together, which also feeds into my love of plunderphonics.

Madness, “One Step Beyond”

The second wave of ska, the two-tone bands from the UK, did not last very long, and didn’t really encompass that many bands. Part of the problem is that by the time this stuff got noticed outside of the UK, the key bands had pretty much all broken up or stopped playing ska. But the highlights of the second wave are great, and Madness’ first album is one of those highlights. It’s a fine example of the melding of ska with punk energy, and it’s hard not to smile through this.

Five Songs, 1/5/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Buzzcocks, “Lester Sands”

The Buzzcocks were one of the best of punk’s first wave, but unlike a lot of the other greats of that scene, they didn’t totally disappear. The went away for a while, but re-formed in the early 90s, and then started putting out an album every few years. This is from their self-titled 2003 record on Merge, a fitting home given how many Merge bands were inspired by the Buzzcocks (especially Superchunk). It’s pretty nuts-and-bolts punk rock, but Pete Shelly and Steve Diggle are always worth listening to.

Five Songs, 1/4/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 04 Jan 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Stevie Wonder, “Pastime Paradise”

The capstone of maybe the best run of any artist, ever, Songs in the Key of Life is a sprawling double album covering an incredible amount of ground, both musically and lyrically. Wonder tackled social issues and spiritual ones, found time for some gorgeous pop songs, funk, just about everything under the sun. And he just pulls it all off with aplomb.

Spawn of Possession, “Apparition”

Symphonic tech death metal band Spawn of Possession had several albums, but I’ve only listened to this one. And mostly, it kind of drove home that this kind of symphonic stuff really isn’t my bag.

Five Songs, 1/3/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 03 Jan 2022 20:00:00 +0000

ZGTO, “Remedy”

I don’t remember getting this, but I did pick it up on Bandcamp. It’s apparently a collaboration between electronic musician Shigeto and a rapper named ZelooperZ, neither of whom I’m familiar with. Probably bought this from a year-end roundup and didn’t give it a proper listen. Pretty good, though!

Hockey Night, “Greet the Dawn”

I long ago ran out of ways to say “this band sounds like Pavement” in a clever way, so: this band sounds a shitload like Pavement. Diet Pavement.

Five Songs, 1/2/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 02 Jan 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Goblin Cock, “Something Haunted”

I’m sorry, nothing I’m going to say is going to change anybody’s mind here. Either you were 100% in when you heard the name “Goblin Cock” or you were not.

Helmet, “Pure”

As Helmet moved further away from their Amphetamine Reptile days, their sound just progressively got cleaner and cleaner. I mean, it’s still distorted guitars and all, but it was all kind of clockwork stuff eventually. Whether it was triangulation to try and capture a bigger audience or not, I think it didn’t serve them too well. This song is a pretty good example, this would have been much noisier in earlier days, with maybe a big squalling guitar solo or some wild screeching or something. Instead, there’s just kind of a few yells from Page Hamilton, and that’s more or less it. I can’t exactly call it tame, not really, but it’s…domesticated?

Five Songs, 1/1/2022

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 01 Jan 2022 20:00:00 +0000

I never write checks, so this blog is the only thing that I write the wrong year on after the calendar filps over.

Marvin Gaye, “I Heard It Through the Grapevine”

A stone-cold classic.

Polyrhythmics, “Cosimo”

A lovely EP from 2020, Fondue Party continues a string of winners from Polyrhythmics. That sax solo is delicious, I love that they gave it so much space.

Dr. Dre, “Still D.R.E.”

Damn, this album turned 20 today. I still think of it as the “new” Dre release. And there’s been a more recent Dre record!

Five Songs, 12/31/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 31 Dec 2021 20:00:00 +0000

As I stagger out of 2021, this thing has been more challenging to keep as a daily thing. I suspect that at some point in 2022, I’ll probably miss an update and break my streak. And furthermore, I might have to step back the frequency a bit to provide some room for other creative projects. I still haven’t decided, but this is the time of year for reflection, I suppose. I would like to spend more time learning the bass. I’d like to make more progress on a game design. It’s hard to get too far with those when I keep up with this blog at this pace.

Five Songs, 12/30/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 30 Dec 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Serpent Column, “Pantheoclasm”

The other day, Plague Rages Podcast was complaining that there’s no great term for this sort of band, which isn’t really death metal, not tech death, just really out there, chaotic, and dissonant. I proposed “omnicore”, and honestly, that’s not such a bad term.

Queens of the Stone Age, “Tangled Up In Plaid”

Lullabies to Paralyze is a record that kind of ties together the strands of their previous albums. It kind of picks up the psych of Rated R, the musculature of Songs for the Deaf, the stoner vibes of the self-titled, and pulls it all together into a single record. It’s a consolidation of their skills that allowed them to kind of tie a bow on period of their career, allowing them to really go nuts with their next record.

Five Songs, 12/29/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 29 Dec 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Archers of Loaf, “Web In Front”

This is the version from Seconds Before the Accident, the posthumously released live album. Archers of Loaf always toiled in Pavement’s shadow, relentlessly drawing comparisons to them. But they were not imitators, and their four studio albums are all excellent work. “Web in Front” in particular is a masterpiece, just a tremendous rock song, and one of those songs that I need to listen to sometimes and nothing else will do.

Five Songs, 12/28/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 28 Dec 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Nitzer Ebb, “Control I’m Here (live)”

I mentioned the other day that I kept up with the proliferation of Nitzer Ebb releases for a while, and this is a good example of what a pain in the ass that was. When they started picking up some momentum after Nine Inch Nails brought a lot of attention to the genre, the label decided to try and pick up some buzz for Ebbhead by releasing a live EP. But did they just release a live EP? Oh my, no. They released it in two separate discs you had to buy, with the first one including a slip case that would fit the second one. Did they release both halves at once to make it easier to pick up? Of course not! I did find both halves, and frankly, it’s just a live EP and totally not worth tracking down.

Five Songs, 12/27/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 27 Dec 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Gift of Gab, “Rat Race”

You know a song is banging when I’m nodding this hard along with it, even just listening to it on one shitty earbud.

Wilco, “Either Way”

The opener of Sky Blue Sky, and it’s one of my very favorite Wilco songs. There’s that breezy organ in the background, the little chord change going into the chorus, there’s kind of a fakeout after the second chorus where he drags it out and it seems like it’s going to crescendo to a huge bit but turns into just a pleasant solo. It’s a bright, optimistic sounding song, but there’s so much subtlety to it, it rewards a close listen.

Five Songs, 12/26/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 26 Dec 2021 20:00:00 +0000

BOXING DAY. I am not doing a special today.

Cosmic Analog Ensemble, “Camille 3000”

Cosmic Analaog Ensemble is the work of a single person, Charif Megarbane, who uses his band to explore different genres and styles. With Les Sourdes Oreilles he’s really going after what I’m going to call soundtrack funk - the sort of thing that seems like it should be in a gritty 70s movie. This entire record sounds like a lost David Axelrod record, and that’s a high compliment. If you like this track, you should pick up the whole album, it’s all of this quality.

Five Songs Special, 12/25/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 25 Dec 2021 20:00:00 +0000

CHRISTMAS DAY! TIME FOR A SPECIAL!

Vince Guaraldi Trio, “My Little Drum”

Oh yeah, Christmas music baby! This is from A Charlie Brown Christmas, a perennial favorite. What makes it such a lasting record is that it’s not insulting to its listeners. It doesn’t lean on treacle or anything to get the point across, and so you don’t get tired of hearing it.

Vince Guaraldi Trio, “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing”

Even when it’s going super traditional, it just turns in a lovely rendition of the song and doesn’t drag it out or anything. It’s pleasant!

Five Songs, 12/24/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 24 Dec 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, “Simmer Down”

Ska-Core, The Devil & More is an EP with mostly covers released in 1993, notably primarily for this nice cover of a Marley tune. Other than this, it’s far from an essential release.

Uncle Tupelo, “Sandusky”

March 16-20, 1992 might be the Uncle Tupelo album that has aged the best. I’m not sure it’s my favorite, I don’t think it’ll ever displace No Depression. But the stripped down, acoustic production suits the material so well, and the traditional songs they picked to go with their originals all mesh so well. I truly wish we could have gotten a few more of these before things fell apart.

Five Songs, 12/23/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 23 Dec 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Pink Floyd, “Is There Anybody Out There?”

In a different potential project of mine, I was looking at albums released in 1979, and it’s pretty amusing that the same year in rock produced London Calling and 154 and also The Wall. I know rock is pretty dead as a commercial prospect these days, but it’s just kind of fun to consider that those extremes were commercially viable in what was ostensibly the same genre once upon a time.

Five Songs, 12/22/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 22 Dec 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Sunless, “Spiraling Into the Unfathomable”

There’s a sort of genre of bands like Sunless who kind of approach metal from a similar direction, but don’t seem to have a consistent name for their subgenre. Bands like Gorguts, Portal, Pyrron, and others are extremely dissonant and technical, but there’s not so much of the wheedle-wheedle-whee solo pyrotechnics that characterize tech death. So, as a descriptor, I kind of go with dissonant death metal, and that seems to work OK. As an ill-defined subgenre, though, I quite like the stuff.

Five Songs, 12/21/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 21 Dec 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Belle and Sebastian, “The Stars of Track and Field”

The opening to my favorite Belle and Sebastian record, and therefore one of my favorite records period. We listen to a lot of really rancid shit around here, all grind this and noise that, and broadly engage deeply with the ugliness of music. The jagged edges and novel noises keep things fresh and surprising, and there’s an exhilaration in listening to that kind of stuff that is a consistent pleasure. But, at the same time, it’s also worth balancing all that savagery with something from the beautiful end of things, a reminder that music can lift spirits.

Five Songs, 12/20/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 20 Dec 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Crudbump, “Bite That Butt”

What can you say in the presence of true art?

Screeching Weasel, “Hey Suburbia”

I spend a fair bit of time kind of complaining about Screeching Weasel, and that’s probably a little unfair. This is from their second record, Boogadaboogadaboogada!, and it’s a lot of fun. Yes, very basic punk, but plenty of energy and it gets in and out.

The Isley Brothers, “Tell Me When You Need It Again, Parts 1 & 2”

An oddity of Go For Your Guns is that the first four tracks are all two-part songs. I’m not entirely sure why that was - formatting things for easier radio play, perhaps? We don’t have to worry about that, so we can just let the funk linger in our ears. Isn’t that nice?

Five Songs, 12/19/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 19 Dec 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Elvis Costello, “New Amsterdam”

This song is actually a demo that Costello recorded, and then included directly on the record instead of re-recording it. The result is one of the more distinctive songs on the album, a minimal arrangement that ends up letting the clarity of the melody shine through.

Girl Talk, “Still Here”

It’s always a little strange to hear one of the Girl Talk songs out of the context of the albums. It shouldn’t be, because they’re such chameleons, but the progression of songs is burned into my brain so it throws me off. In other news, I love the bit from The Band on this track.

Five Songs, 12/18/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 18 Dec 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Has-Lo, “Everything Is”

The minimal beat here really works well. Not every song can get by on something like this, but Has-Lo pulls it off.

Girls Against Boys, “(I) Don’t Got A Place”

A thing I sometimes wonder about is the extent to which I contradict myself in the archives here. After writing as many entries for songs and bands, I’m sure I’ve said stuff in the past that can’t be reconciled. And I thought to myself, “hey, this is from the Touch & Go records, the last good ones they made, but this isn’t their best record”. I checked the archive, six articles with them, and you know what? 100% consistent! I call the album before this one my favorite from them, twice, and mention that the last Touch & Go record is their last good record. From this sample of one, I can conclude that I’m totally consistent.

Five Songs, 12/17/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 17 Dec 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Samiam, “Blank Expression”

Samiam, the melodic punk band from Berkley, came out of the gate more or less fully formed. While I think their mid-career albums would be stronger and more refined, their first album still was solid work. I think Samiam was a little too early to catch on to the emo revival that would happen later, and so they’re kind of forgotten today.

Mustard Plug, “Away From Here”

I told my only real Mustard Plug story already, and I don’t want to tell it again. It’s sad! I think it’s understandable that I stopped listening after that, but I gotta say, this is a good little tune. It’s pretty Bosstones, but I like that sound. It’s not their fault they were part of the soundtrack to one of the worst nights of my life.

Five Songs, 12/16/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 16 Dec 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Marlowe, “Spring Kick”

Marlowe, the collaboration between L’Orange and Solemn Brigham, put out their second album (entitled Marlowe 2) and continued in the same vein. It’s all gnarly breakbeats, surprising samples, and rapid-fire rhymes. Lovely stuff.

Hybrid, “Doomed to Failure”

There are a lot of bands named Hybrid, if you go looking for them. This one is the extreme metal band from the US who put out a couple of albums and disappeared. It’s more like tech death metal than anything, although they’re clearly going for a blend of a lot of different things. This bit where other, non-metal genres are blended in can work, but it’s tricky, and I’m not really sure they pull it off.

Five Songs, 12/15/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 15 Dec 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Periphery, “The Gods Must Be Crazy!”

Just pure progressive metal here, with the clean singing and studio wizardry that are hallmarks of the genre. This stuff can be really hit or miss for me - for every Coheed & Cambria or The Ocean that hit for me, there’s a, uh, Periphery that doesn’t connect. It’s hard for me to put my finger on why, exactly, other than maybe the songs. This feels to me like it exists only as a showcase for instrumental prowess.

Five Songs, 12/14/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 14 Dec 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Steady Earnest, “Swim”

At this point in Five Songs’ evolution, we’ve had more than 1500 bands on here, and I honestly cannot recall which ones I’ve introduced properly and which ones I have not. The tags help some - if I haven’t tagged a band, I haven’t introduced them! - but are not perfect. Because sometimes I write random shit instead of talking about the band. This is where a more professional approach here would help. I could go back and look at entries for bands and figure out if I’ve said anything real about them. But let’s be honest: that’s not going to happen.

Five Songs, 12/13/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 13 Dec 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Killdozer, “Pour Man”

Killdozer were not a joke band. But they were a band that was never really being serious, with Michael Gerald’s vocal delivery on this thing being a good example. Why is he singing like this? Because it’s silly. Does it make the song silly? Well, not really? Kinda?

Beck, “Guess I’m Doing Fine”

Beck, on the other hand, is clearly a joke act.

Smut Peddlers, “Stank MCs”

OK, I’ll let the listener decide if this is a joke act.

Five Songs, 12/12/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 12 Dec 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Yazz Ahmed, “Bloom”

Yazz Ahmed is a jazz trumpeter and I have two albums from her that I really like. Wish I could describe them, but you know, I don’t know shit about jazz.

Death Grips, “Birds”

This is a great example of the unpredictability of Death Grips. Nothing about this song really makes sense, but it’s all intentional and hits the effect they wanted to achieve. That is, disorientation.

Five Songs, 12/11/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 11 Dec 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Vertigo, “Sit Down and Shut Up”

Psychedelic noise rockers Vertigo had one final EP in 1993, Driver #43, which might have been their best single release. By this point, they were playing pretty tight, and everything was really hitting. It’s a shame that they never had the chance to build further on this record.

Bummer, “Reefer Sadness”

Noise rock today! Bummer hail from Kansas, and it’s very Midwestern in style. All burly growling guitars and shouting, descended from the Chicago tradition. This is a satisfying record if you like the style.

Five Songs, 12/10/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 10 Dec 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The Dillinger Escape Plan, “43% Burnt”

I dunno, I’m 100% burnt now!

Neutral Milk Hotel, “April 8th”

I learned about a podcast called Neutral Cider Hotel the other day, and I have to say, I was probably way more amused than I should have been.

Superchunk, “Break the Glass”

Despite being a huge fan of Superchunk from the release of No Pocky For Kitty, I never once managed to catch them in concert until the tour for this record, 26 years after I started listening to them. And you know what? It was a total delight. I was just entranced watching Mac do his thing up there. I wish I could have seen them more often, but at least I got there once.

Five Songs, 12/9/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 09 Dec 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Prince Paul, “Psycho Linguistics (Convergent Thought)”

Before his masterpiece, A Prince Among Thieves, Prince Paul released an uneven first solo record, Psychoanalysis: What Is It?. There are some good tunes on it, but a lot of kind of self-indulgent meandering, so it’s probably not worth pursuing too much unless you’re very curious.

Thantifaxath, “Eternally Falling”

Thantifaxath have only made one album, Sacred White Noise, but it’s a banger. It’s black metal, but it uses a ton of atmosphere to generate a consistently creepy tone without just relying on howling fury. The ability to dial it back manages to throw the chaotic moments into greater contrast. Mastery of dynamics is such an important thing for all bands, but especially extreme metal bands. Keeping everything on 11 all the time just results in fatigue.

Five Songs, 12/8/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 08 Dec 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Black Eyed Peas, “Bringing It Back”

I’ve already talked about how different pre-Fergie BEP are from the band people know, and I’m not sure I have a second thing to observe about this record. So read that. Or don’t! Doesn’t matter to me!

Jurassic 5, “What’s Golden”

Best tune off their second record, this is just a total banger. If I can recommend it, just listen to this twice and skip the BEP track. Why not?

Five Songs, 12/7/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 07 Dec 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Ohio Players, “It’s Your Night / Words of Love”

Daaaaaaaamn. The mid-70s Ohio Players albums were all ridiculously good.

Karl Hendricks Trio, “The Official Shape of Beauty”

I have a hard time picking my favorite album from the Karl Hendricks Trio. I often lean towards the first couple records from them because it felt special I was listening to them that early, and I saw them so often in those early days. But the later albums probably on-balance have better songs? I think the sweet spot might actually be this record, A Gesture of Kindness. Pre-Merge Records, but Karl’s songwriting had advanced from his earliest stuff.

Five Songs, 12/6/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 06 Dec 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The Wedding Present, “Nobody’s Twisting Your Arm”

The first Wedding Present album is a perfect gem, full of the best kind of frantic jangle pop. And, of course, David Gedge’s heart breaking about every two minutes.

Emperor, “A Fine Day To Die”

Looks like this is the first time we’ve had Emperor on here, so we get to go over the history of yet another important and deeply shitty bunch of Norwegians. The lineup that produced In The Nightside Eclipse featured Ihsahn and three dudes who wound up in prison, for burglary, arson (of a historic church), and murder respectively. The album reflects a lot of that ugliness, reveling in horrible sounds and dark lyrical themes. But, for all that, it’s maybe the most influential black metal album of all time. Maybe because of all that. Many following bands cribbed their style from this record, with its chilly darkness and bleak relentlessness.

Five Songs, 12/5/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 05 Dec 2021 20:00:00 +0000

PJ Harvey, “My Beautiful Leah”

Is This Desire? is the album that really completed PJ Harvey’s transition from kickass rock artist to just plain ol’ kickass artist. Yeah, broadly, this is still a rock record, but she started doing so much more. The arrangements incorporate so much more beyond just stardard rock instrumentation, the songs range much wider, and the whole thing is so much more sophisticated. That’s not to say that the first couple records aren’t brilliant, they are, but this is just a different beast.

Five Songs, 12/4/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 04 Dec 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Xzibit, “Just Maintain”

Before he was a tv host, before he was an ubiquitous (and now old) meme, before he was a famous rapper who appeared in video games, Xzibit was a promising young rapper who put out a couple albums that were pretty good. This is from the first of those records, from 1996, sounding every inch like it was from 1996.

Blue Meanies, “When We Were Queens”

I kind of poke fun at the Blue Meanies here quite a bit, because, well, they just doesn’t appeal to me much any more. But the horns sound pretty good here!

Five Songs, 12/3/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 03 Dec 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Alejandro Escovedo, “Chelsea Hotel ‘78”

Escovedo is one of those artists that has had a long recording career, and someone whose name I’d seen in a bunch of places, but I didn’t really know anything about him. I picked up what was, at the time, his latest record…and still don’t really know much about him. It’s good, but didn’t really grab me all that much either.

Wilco, “One and a Half Stars”

Ode to Joy is the latest Wilco album, from 2019. It comes after two solo Jeff Tweedy records, which I thought were better than the previous couple Wilco records. So, is it more like Warm (good) or Star Wars (bad)? More good than bad, I think? It’s not top-tier, but it’s a solid record.

Five Songs, 12/2/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 02 Dec 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The Busters, “Rude Vibrations”

The Busters were something of a transitional band, firmly rooted in two-tone and sounding an awful lot like Madness, but on Moon Ska and chronologically more a part of the third wave. So they kind of bridge the gap, especially in things like the production here, which is extremely 80s. This hasn’t aged particularly well, and the production is at least a pretty big part of it.

Five Songs, 12/1/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 01 Dec 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Boris, “Party Boy”

This kind of sounds like a Death From Above 1979 track, a demonstration of the range that Boris have displayed over their long and incredible career.

The Shins, “Red Rabbits”

I’m not going to rehash my schtick with the Shins here (you can read it here), but I’ll instead note: I could have sworn I had a copy of Chutes Too Narrow (which is not this record), and I do not appear to have it in the library. Did I not rip it? Did I lose it? It’s the sort of question that kind of haunts me a little. How many records failed to make their way into my library or got lost during its peripatetic journey to its current home. Was I going to listen to it? Not the point!

Five Songs, 11/30/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 30 Nov 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Otis Redding, “Try a Little Tenderness”

One of Redding’s iconic hits, this is actually a much older song, more than thirty years old when he recorded what is by now the definitive version. The very slow build up throughout the song is such a delight, a masterclass in pacing.

Mastodon, “Steambreather”

After a couple albums of relatively accessible music in The Hunter and Once More ‘Round The Sun, where Mastodon kind of stepped away from their most elaborate tendencies, they made something of a return to the style with Emperor of Sand. Part of that is the return of the same producer who helped them make Crack the Skye, part of that is the desire to make a concept album again, but whatever it is, it’s my favorite of the latter-day Mastodon albums. Although I haven’t really fully digested the most recent one, so I don’t know about that record yet.

Five Songs, 11/29/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 29 Nov 2021 20:00:00 +0000

STS, “All I Wanted Was A Caddy”

I’ve sung the praises of this record, but the STS and RJD2 colab from 2015 is such a gas. RJD2 is in great form, and STS is able to really bring it home on that platform. A really delightful record.

Sharon Jones, “Got a Thing On My Mind”

Hell yeah!

Lambchop, “The Daily Growl”

Lambchop’s Nixon was something of a breakthrough, gaining a lot of press attention and elevating the profile of the band. Their arrangements had been getting more and more elaborate, and Nixon is pretty busy (as Lambchop goes). So the question was, on their followup, would they keep going in that direction? No, as it turns out. Is A Woman is something of a retrenchment. The songs are pretty languid, and it’s clear at this point that Lambchop was going to just blaze their own path through music, being impossible to categorize but recognizable as just being themselves. From this album forward, Lambchop albums pretty much just always sound like Lambchop albums, and not a whole lot else.

Five Songs, 11/28/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 28 Nov 2021 20:00:00 +0000

John Coltrane, “Naima”

I often feel inadequate on this blog. My words are woefully insufficient to describe so many of the beautiful songs we get on here. Writing about music is hard, even for somebody good at it. Writing about it for an idiot like me is basically impossible. I’m just banging rocks together here and ooking at the moon.

And then something like Coltrane comes up, and I really vanish. What can I possibly say that’s going to add to one of the true artistic triumphs any of us are likely to encounter? You either feel this in your heart, or you don’t, but it’s not like I’m going to be able to awaken your soul with my typing.

Five Songs, 11/27/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 27 Nov 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Pardoner, “My Sorry Ass”

We’re unabashed Pardoner fans here at Five Songs, who do a great job of bringing that 90s indie rock aesthetic into our ears. Go listen to them! They’re really good!

John Oswald, “Btls (Marco Integer)”

I think that’s the chord from “A Day in the Life” getting deconstructed. Fun!

The Exceptions, “Circles”

I generally like it when ska is mixed like this, with kind of an intimate mix putting the vocals forward and sounding like it’s in a small room. It’s nice!

Five Songs, 11/26/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 26 Nov 2021 20:00:00 +0000

μ‐Ziq, “Iesope”

I can remember bozos complaining about electronic music back in the early 90s, claiming that it wasn’t “real music” and that it doesn’t take any skill to play the instruments. And, of course, that doesn’t really deserve any refutation, but I think about it sometimes when I listen to stuff like this, and consider how careful the composition is. And that some knucklehead might dismiss it just because nobody chugged through any power chords on a guitar.

Five Songs Special, 11/25/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 25 Nov 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American reader/listeners! I don’t think I have any non-American reader/listeners! I barely have any American ones. Hmm, let’s do “dinner” for a special word. For those of you who haven’t seen me explain these before, when I do a special, I search for a word or phrase in the library and pick the random songs from that.

The Evens, “Dinner With The President”

The Evens (Amy Farina and Ian MacKaye) put out their second album, Get Evens, pretty quickly after the first one. And I think it’s a step forward, they seemed to be more comfortable with how to write songs to suit such a stripped down lineup. Is folk-punk a thing? I guess it is.

Five Songs, 11/24/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 24 Nov 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Godflesh, “Pulp”

When Streetcleaner was released, people would lump it in with grindcore, because Justin Broadrick cut his teeth in grindcore progenitors Napalm Death. But this isn’t grindcore, not the way we understand the genre today. Listen to yesterday’s Piss Vortex track again (it’s only thirty seconds!) to remind yourselves of what we think of grindcore. Instead, this really is either slowed down industrial metal (given the drum machine driving the proceedings) or more like doom. Either way, this is a touchstone for numerous heavy bands, who look to the plodding, punishing rhythems of this record for inspiration on how to make something really heavy.

Five Songs, 11/23/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 23 Nov 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Front 242, “Quite Unusual”

I’ve mentioned before on here, but I think Front 242 might have aged the best of the various industrial dance acts that I listened to in the late 80s/early 90s. I guess Nine Inch Nails aged better, but Reznor only really made one record of industrial dance before moving on. But this sounds pretty good! The synths here are very *wave, but that’s a good thing. And the vocal delivery avoids the histrionics that others used that sounds a little silly today.

Five Songs, 11/22/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 22 Nov 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Run The Jewels, “Blockbuster Night, Pt. 1”

El-P and Killer Mike first got together on the latter’s R.A.P. Music, which is an amazing album. When they announced a full collab, the first Run the Jewels record, I was pumped. And it was excellent, some of El-P’s best production ever (to that point), and it was just a great time all around. And they stuck with it, and somehow Run the Jewels 2 found another level. It’s pissed off, righteously so, and funnels all that rage into focused, punishing tracks. One of the best hip hop records ever.

Five Songs, 11/21/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 21 Nov 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Albert King, “Crosscut Saw”

A repeat! I think we’ve actually had it at least twice before. Still smokes, though.

Einstürzende Neubauten, “Good Morning Everybody”

God, the opening of this song is so menacing. This is from Grundstück, the second supporter-only album that they released in 2005, back when crowdfunding was still something pretty far out of the mainstream. They successfully funded and released a series of albums, relying primarily on word of mouth to find folks and doing payments directly. The resulting albums were no compromise, they’re full-on Neubauten records and this one in particular is excellent.

Five Songs, 11/20/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 20 Nov 2021 20:00:00 +0000

SOB X RBE, “Paramedic!”

Kendrick Lamar assembled the soundtrack to Black Panther, which ended up being a set of songs that are more inspired by the movie than necessarily being a traditional soundtrack. Kendrick is involved with everything, taking different roles depending on the song. As a result, even though there are a lot of different artists, it still feels like a coherent album. It’s not quite as magnificent as his recent proper albums, but really, what could be?

Five Songs, 11/19/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 19 Nov 2021 20:00:00 +0000

SNFU, “Costume Trunk”

I think I’ve said before I’m not a big fan of this record, and I think maybe part of it is the way the record is mixed. The vocals are too forward, and it throws the balance of things off.

Tuxedo, “Dreaming in the Daytime”

Just filthy, y’all. Listen to how fat those synths are! And come on, a guest verse from MF DOOM (R.I.P.)? Come on.

Five Songs, 11/18/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The Young Fresh Fellows, “Another Ten Reasons”

Tad Hutchison is really smokin’ on the drums on this tune, friends! I was going to say that this is from the last Young Fresh Fellows album, Tiempo De Lujo, but no! Turns out there was one last year, exciting!

Unsteady, “Darkie Love Affair”

I was going to say that Unsteady is one of the lost gems of the third wave, having put out two outstanding, unique albums that combine a sort of carnival atmosphere with a jazzy take on ska. But, uh, that song title is not great. Listening carefully, I think it’s an attempt to be clever, there’s no malice here, but yeah.

Five Songs, 11/17/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 17 Nov 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Mule, “Lucky”

Every now and again, bands will fuse redneck aesthetics with various rock genres, to greater or lesser effect. In this case, Mule bolts that stuff onto noise rock, bolstered by the usual good engineering job by Steve Albini. I don’t think that it’s really inventive enough to make the three-piece lineup shine, and I’m not super attracted to the hillbilly stuff, so, uh, I guess this isn’t great.

Five Songs, 11/16/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 16 Nov 2021 20:00:00 +0000

I’ve got bad news folks. You’re stuck with me again. Sad times! If anybody out there wants to have a whack at this thing, I guess just let me know.

Floor, “Downed Star”

This song, with the distant, buried vocals and deliberately thin drums, sounds a lot like an old Crystalized Movements track, which is something nobody else is going to care about. But I think it’s neat! And if you like this, hit up that link and see if you like their stuff.

Five Songs Guest Post, 11/15/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 15 Nov 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Folks, we’ve got a special thing today! Our first ever Five Songs Guest Post! That’s right! For the first time ever, Five Songs is an actual “we” instead of a royal “we”! This guest track listing was provided by Col. Hector Bravado, founder of Breakup Gaming Society, home to America’s Least Responsible Board Game Podcast. Riff with him on Twitter (@T1ChiefRocka) or listen. We’re going all instrumental today, and now I’m going to turn over the mic!

Five Songs, 11/14/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 15 Nov 2021 03:35:00 +0000

Therapy?, “He’s Not That Kind Of Girl”

Therapy? were kind of an industrial metal band, kind of an alt-metal band, kinda punk at times, I guess, sorta grungy…I guess they were just kind of heavy, you know? They were often pretty sardonic, which again sort of aligns them towards industrial metal, like the Revolting Cocks or Ministry. I guess there’s some Butthole Surfers here too.

Well, whatever - this is from a singles collection released in 2000, pulling together the usual grab bag of stuff. It’s not bad, but also pretty unnecessary.

Five Songs, 11/13/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 13 Nov 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Jurassic 5, “Gotta Understand”

Feedback is one of the most disappointing albums I can remember buying. I adored the first couple LPs from J5, and then this album just kind of thudded to the ground. It seemed so leaden and joyless at the time that I just listened to it a few times and shelved it. Honestly, it’s due for a re-visit, and this track is pretty good. Maybe I’m just a dope?

Five Songs, 11/11/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The Beastie Boys, “Hold It Now, Hit It”

I’ve mentioned before here the ability of certain songs to transport me to very specific places and times. The Proustian recollection for this song is rolling through a lovely Spokane fall evening, crammed in the back seat of a shitty Toyota, on the way to a party at a friend of a friend’s house, a high school debate connection. We had this cranked up as far as it would go, plastic interior panels rattling along with the bass, as we headed to this party hopeful of making a connection. Being a hopeless debate dork, I mostly just held up a wall and tried to figure out how to make conversation, ultimately failing, but nevertheless enjoying the novel experience of a house party that was recognizable as an actual party. As opposed the usual gathering for me, which was mostly nerds playing cards.

Five Songs, 11/12/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 20:00:00 +0000

De La Soul, “Intro”

The biggest exception to rap skits sucking is pretty much anything with Prince Paul involved. The framing device for De La Soul Is Dead, of an audio storybook detailing kids encountering the record for the first time, is delightfully self-refential and charming. And “cock snot” really is a vivid phrase.

Trigger Cut, “Coffin Digger”

If you call yourself Trigger Cut, you should really be twee indie rock. But no, we’ve got just pure muscular noise rock going here, sounding like nothing so much as vintage Hammerhead or maybe mid-period Unsane. So, yes, it’s throwing me back to the early 90s, just not in the direction the band name suggests.

Five Songs, 11/10/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 10 Nov 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Quasimoto, “Don’t Blink”

Quasimoto is one of Madlib’s many aliases, and probably the most unhinged of his various projects. The production in particular is spastic, with sounds popping in and out in unpredictable ways, giving the proceedings a lurching feel that is diquieting. Combine that with his disaffected, helium-accented flow, and it’s just a very strange record. Really good, though.

Tortoise, “Spiderwebbed”

The first Tortoise record is a landmark in post-rock, representing an approach to making music with guitars and drums that would help inspire lots of following bands. I don’t think it’s their best record, but it’s excellent stuff, and it’s easy to see why this album got people excited.

Five Songs, 11/9/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 09 Nov 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Ulthar, “Undying Spear”

Ulthar are a blackened death metal band from Oakland who have two records out so far. They’re apparently Lovecraftian, but I’d have to read their lyrics to hear that. I’m never really sure how I feel about blackened death (in this case, it’s mostly the vocals that are blackened more than anything), I think I generally prefer the two styles separate.

The Midnight Hour, “Gate 54”

The Midnight Hour is Adrian Younge (who had scored a bunch of things and has also worked with a bunch of folks, we’ve seen his work with Ghostface Killah on here) and Ali Shaheed Muhammad (from A Tribe Called Quest), putting together a jazz/hip-hop hybrid. As you’d expect from that pedigree, it’s outstanding stuff. Younge and Muhammad both are multi-instrumentalists, and combined with their immense compositional talents, you’ve got amazing stuff.

Five Songs, 11/8/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 08 Nov 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Less Than Jake, “Automatic”

As the majors decided that ska, and especially ska-punk, was Really Hot, a bunch of bands signed contracts even though it probably didn’t make a ton of sense. But, honestly, Less Than Jake wasn’t a bad bet by the labels. There’s enough catchiness in their songs that you could see Green Day’s audience becoming interested, and ska was also pretty trendy. It made some sense, and given that there were some pretty huge hits from similar bands, there’s no reason one of those couldn’t have been LTJ. But, it didn’t quite work out, so only two records came out on Capitol Records before they moved back to smaller labels. Good record, though.

Five Songs, 11/7/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 07 Nov 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The Safety Fire, “Mouth of Swords”

Mouth of swords. Arms of pikes. Feet of daggers. Butt of warhammers.

Couch Slut, “All The Way Down”

We’re big Couch Slut fans here at Five Songs. The torch of grimy NYC noise rock is ably carried forward by this band, who cheerfully (?) make their music as grim and churning as they can. But it’s not artless filth, there’s an intentionality to the noise that charms me. Charms me? Well, I’ll go with it.

Five Songs, 11/6/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 06 Nov 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Slimm Calhoun, “This Young G”

As you can probably hear, Slimm Calhoun is an OutKast protégé, famous for his guest spots with them. He did eventually release an album on their label, The Skinny, which is a decent record. If you really enjoy Stankonia-era OutKast (and you should!), this is a good listen.

Ennio Morricone, “The Mission”

Enjoy!

Noname, “Regal”

Always a treat for Noname to pop up! That flip when the verse starts is a delight, and her flow here is absolutely perfect. And those jazz/funk drums? Mmmm, just a banger all around.

Five Songs, 11/5/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 05 Nov 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Can, “Mother Upduff”

I still kind of lament Unlimited Edition being the first record I ever heard from Can. It’s so scattered, as befits an outtake compilation, that it’s hard to really appreciate it without the context of already loving the band. I decided to just ignore Can for another couple decades at that point, and I could have been listening to them that whole time. Big mistake!

Knxwledge, “kometostai.aintreallynootherwaytoputitro”

Yes, I copied and pasted that from Plex. I ain’t typin’ all that!

Five Songs, 11/4/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 04 Nov 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Nine Inch Nails, “Just Like You Imagined”

I think I’ve blathered on about The Fragile before, so you can hit up the tags over there and do some spelunking. Or not! But, the novel (?) observation I can make is that as time goes on, this album gets better to me relative to his other work, and at this point, I think it might be his best album. Or my favorite, anyway. Same thing!

Five Songs, 11/3/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 03 Nov 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Boris, “Flower Sun Rain”

This is apparently a cover, which I hadn’t really realized before. Smile, the album that opens with this song, is on the more accessible end of Boris’s work. There are plenty of vocals on the record, plenty of things that are recognizable melodies, and generally not as much of the harsh noise. That’s not to say that it’s easy listening or anything, just that in the context of their career, it’s pretty approchable.

Five Songs, 11/2/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 02 Nov 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Amon Tobin, “Back From Space”

The album opener to Out From Out Where, this record had the enviable task of following up the magnificent Supermodified. To Tobin’s credit, he didn’t really try and make Superdupermodified or whatever, he just continued evolving on his own path. This record moves a little bit away from the frantic excess of the previous, a little more towards orchestration, and just ends up full of cool textures.

Five Songs, 11/1/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 01 Nov 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Modest Mouse, “Tundra/Desert”

Before what I consider their breakthrough, The Lonesome Crowded West, Modest Mouse was making jagged, interesting music that sometimes was too much of a mess to really be great. But, I have to say, the older I get, the more I appreciate the early stuff. This is from Interstate 8, released in 1996, which is an “EP” because it’s just five new studio tracks. But, there are also six live tracks, so it’s also kind of a full album’s worth of music. Anyway, if you haven’t really listened to their pre-fame catalog, it’s worth your time.

Five Songs Special, 10/31/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 31 Oct 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Happy Halloween! Time for a spooky special!

Inter Arma, “Scarecrow”

Inter Arma released a covers album, Garbers Days Revisited, in 2020. This sort of thing is pretty traditional in metal, thanks to Metallica’s Garage Days Revisited. Inter Arma does nice work with their covers, as befits such a good band. This is a Ministry song here, so it’s supposed to sound like this.

Jake One, “Scared”

Seattle producer Jake One worked with a whole bunch of guest MCs on his album White Van Music, but thanks to being the product of a single producer’s vision, it still feels pretty coherent. There’s a lot of excellent stuff on this album, although its long running time kind of wears on you eventually.

Five Songs, 10/30/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 30 Oct 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Margo Price, “This Town Gets Around”

This album, Midwest Farmer’s Daughter, came out in 2016 on Jack White’s label, and is very much a throwback. It wears its inspiration on its sleeve, with Loretta Lynn’s influence heard everywhere in the music and of course the album title’s homage. Trying to live up to Lynn is of course a massive challenge, but Price does well. There’s nothing especially adorned about this album, it’s just very straightforward country, but it’s a lovely record.

Five Songs, 10/29/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 30 Oct 2021 04:07:00 +0000

Big day today! This marks a full year of perfect updating. That’s 1,825 songs, plus a few duplicates (which I don’t say much about). I write a little paragraph for each of these things, most of the time. Sometimes a throwaway, sometimes a bit more, but let’s say that I wrote about 60 words for each song. That’s something on the order of 100,000 words I’ve written about music over the past year. And not a damn bit of it useful! And if you compiled it in one go, it’s a novel’s worth of garbage.

Five Songs, 10/28/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 28 Oct 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Screeching Weasel, “The First Day of Winter”

Another cut from Television City Dream, which as far as I know is the last Screeching Weasel album (it absolutely is not). I’m kind of hard on Screeching Weasel in this space, but you know, I do like this junk, even if I know it’s kind of the Pringles of punk rock.

Gas Huffer, “Beware of Viking”

Meanwhile, I’m more likely to listen to something kind of garage-y at this point. I dunno, something a little grittier just kind of gets me going more than the Ramones-inspired stuff.

Five Songs, 10/27/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 27 Oct 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Queens of the Stone Age, “Un-Reborn Again”

This comes from the most recent QotSA album, Villains, where they worked with producer Mark Ronson. The result is a little bit of a different feel to things. It’s a slick, glossy record, full of moves that I would characterize as more glam than anything else. This song is a great example, this is just all shiny, swaggering glam. It’s not an unfamiliar aesthetic in the QotSA catalog, but it’s definitely to the fore on this album. I do appreciate that they’re willing to change things up, so I like it a lot. They don’t have to keep re-making Songs For the Deaf, I can just go listen to that if I want to.

Five Songs, 10/26/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 26 Oct 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Sloan, “Deeper Than Beauty”

Sloan are a rarity, a band who clearly should have been big in America, but instead settled for a long and celebrated career in Canada. This stuff, really smart power pop, absolutely could have broken through at basically any moment, and just kind of never did. If you like this sort of thing at all, this album and One Chord To Another are must-listens.

Yo-Yo Ma, “Suite no. 1 in G major, BWV 1007: III. Courante”

I feel too dumb to even type out that song title, much less listen to this.

Five Songs, 10/25/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 25 Oct 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Mantar, “Eternal Return”

I long ago ran out of stuff to say about Mantar, so let’s just have a close listen to this. The shift up to the double-time drums fifty seconds in is nice. And a nice change in the gallop shortly after the vocals kick in. There’s a restlessness here, where they’re refusing to totally settle into a groove, which is kind of nice. Although sometimes the fun of music like this is a nice punishing rhythm. Views differ, apparently even in my head!

Five Songs, 10/24/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 24 Oct 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Run-D.M.C., “Raising Hell”

I’m sure I’ve told the story before, but Raising Hell was the first album I remember buying for myself. I heard “Peter Piper” on the radio while we were driving to Pullman, WA, and I was entranced. I didn’t know exactly what that was, but I memorized the name of the act, and later found the cassette tape and bought it for myself. There was a certain excitement in buying a record with a bad word in the title, as well as just the unknown of not really knowing what to expect from it. I loved it, of course, and I still listen to this album to this day. While I didn’t become a music hound right away, this was my first step down that path, and will always hold a special place for me.

Five Songs, 10/23/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 23 Oct 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Slapstick, “She Doesn’t Love Me”

Yesterday, I mentioned I don’t listen to Pegboy much any more, and it’s largely because I’ve stepped away from most of the melodic punk I used to listen to. When I put on a punk record, I usually go for something a little more upbeat and poppy these days. Something like this! And of course, Slapstick had horns, the other thing from yesterday. And sure enough, I actually have listened to this record recently.

Five Songs, 10/22/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 22 Oct 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Lando Chill, “The King Of Salem”

This album is apparently inspired by the book The Alchemist, which I have not read, so I learned that only from reading about the record. That probably means I’m not really cool enough to be listening to this album, honestly.

Killdozer, “Richard”

The sample here at the front, about the cash value of carcasses, really sums up the aesthetic of Killdozer quite succinctly. There’s that sort of working-class Midwestern thing, the reveling in the grim details of existence, the sort of incongruity of Killdozer’s sound and sense of humor, all of it.

Five Songs, 10/21/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 21 Oct 2021 19:00:00 +0000

The Busters, “Candy”

The Busters are from Germany, which was a little bit of a hotbed of two-tone-styled ska in the late 80s/early 90s before the third wave really got rolling. The Busters were never serious about anything, and sometimes the goofiness could get grating. It’s well-done for what it is, but it doesn’t really quite connect with me.

Wire, “Start To Move”

I go through phases where I listen to lots of certain bands, like I suspect lots of people do. There are also some bands that never really fall out of rotation, and Wire is definitely on that list. I’m never sorry to spin this stuff.

Five Songs, 10/20/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 20 Oct 2021 19:00:00 +0000

They Might Be Giants, “Nanobots”

The title track of their 2013 album, which was the second album of a little renaissance from TMBG. Post-children’s albums, they put together two outstanding records, bursting with ideas and shimmering tunes. Join Us ranks in the first ranks of their albums, and Nanobots isn’t far behind. I think their next couple albums suffered a bit from attenuated creativity, as the Dial-a-Song project seemed stretch them a bit thin, but these two albums are really top work.

Five Songs, 10/19/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 19 Oct 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Einstürzende Neubauten, “Sand”

Every now and again, Neubauten will make a song that’s relatively conventional. And you still end up with a creepy torch song like this one, complete with strangled half-falsetto and tribal drumming.

Built to Spill, “Revolution”

Before going on their tear with their last three albums in the 90s, Built to Spill released Ultimate Alternative Wavers. It forms the missing link between the Dinosaur Jr. tribute of the Treepeople to the extended twisted pop of their next few records. There are plenty of things to like on this record, and it’s easy to see how Martsch evolved from here, but it’s not their best work.

Five Songs, 10/18/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 18 Oct 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Kid Koala, “The Observable Universe”

Oh, sure, “music to draw to”, huh? Well, what about music to blog to? How come nobody ever writes that? Huh?

U.S. Girls, “Rage of Plastics”

I’m not sure how U.S. Girls flew under my radar for as long as they did. They’ve been around for ages, and on paper seem to be right up my alley. And check that wailing sax! And yet, I haven’t gone back and explored other records, because I am a sloth.

Five Songs, 10/17/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 17 Oct 2021 19:00:00 +0000

The Delgados, “If This Is A Plan”

There are times when I kinda run out of things to say about a band. That’s not even interesting things, mind you, just things in general. I suppose I could just straight repeat myself, but the tags would betray that, if anybody cares. Besides, I’m sure I’m unintentionally repeating myself plenty as it is. I’ve written nearly a thousand of these articles, so nearly five thousand little stories. I haven’t had five thousand distinct things happen to me in my life!

Five Songs Special, 10/16/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 16 Oct 2021 19:00:00 +0000

It’s Megan’s birthday! Happy birthday! I picked a keyword today, can you figure it out?

The Budos Band, “Old Engine Oil”

The opening track of V, which I like a lot. This track in particular has a lot of classic rock vibes going, which go well with that big, brassy horn part.

The Beautiful South, “Old Red Eyes Is Back”

I adored the first Beautiful South record (Welcome To The Beautiful South), and was kind of disappointed with the followup (Choke). There just weren’t as many transcendent moments, there weren’t as many of the really acid moments in the lyrics, and it felt kind of rushed out. When 0898 Beautiful South came out, I was happy to hear it was closer to the first album. It’s still not quite as good, but it’s close, and it’s my second favorite album from them.

Five Songs, 10/15/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 15 Oct 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Eels, “Hey Man (Now You’re Really Living)”

Hey man, have you ever tried to write something interesting about five random songs every single day? Now you’re really living!

Foo Fighters, “My Hero”

I like this album just fine, sometimes I just want something tuneful and energetic. But I don’t really listen to it that often…on a stereo. On Rock Band? I’ve heard these songs a ton. I can just see the little colored lights if I close my eyes.

Five Songs, 10/14/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 14 Oct 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Descendents, “Victim of Me”

At this point, with the release of 9th & Walnut, the Descendents have now released as many studio albums after their breakup as pre-breakup (4). Does it even make sense to think of their career in two phases any more? I suppose it does, because during the 80s, they put out albums regularly, while these days it takes a while for them to pop up.

The New Pornographers, “The Laws Have Changed”

Maybe the best tune off of the second New Pornographers album, this is such a shiny song. This is a smile turned into music. I sometimes forget about this album, because I love the first one so much, but I really should spin it more.

Five Songs, 10/13/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 13 Oct 2021 19:00:00 +0000

The Suicide Machines, “Punck”

Punk!

UGK, “The Game Belongs To Me”

Underground Kingz is one of those rarities, a rap double album that doesn’t end up feeling totally shaggy and unnecessary. While, yes, it does have some filler here and there, it’s mostly a very likeable listen, and Bun B in particular is always a pleasure to listen to.

The Skoidats, “Rootsawalkin'”

It’s a bit of a ripoff using the horn intro from “Guns of Navaronne” and then not have it be the song. I paused this and went and listened to that song instead and then came back. That said, this isn’t a bad tune, thick with horns and with a nice, frantic groove to it. It’s not the Skatalites, but nobody is. Except the Skatalites, I suppose.

Five Songs, 10/12/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 12 Oct 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Wilco, “Kicking Television”

This take is from Alpha Mike Foxtrot, the collection of rarities, live versions, and alternate takes that covers the first twenty (!) years of Wilco. “Kicking Television” appears on a bonus EP with A Ghost Is Born, and was also the title track of a live album, so it’s a familiar song from them, but this is an alternate take here.

The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, “Hell”

Apparently, we’re doing rarities collections today. Works for me! Bring it the fuck on!

Five Songs, 10/11/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 11 Oct 2021 19:00:00 +0000

The Good People, “Windows Down”

We’ve had the Good People on here before, and it’s always nice to hear them. The Summer EP absolutely nails its purpose, this is totally music to roll around bumping loud with the sun shining.

Gift of Gab, “E2Mtro”

Rest in power, Gift of Gab.

Magic Hour, “Lower”

We had the Crystalized Movements the other day, featuring a tune from their swan song, Revelations from Pandemonium. After that band broke up, Wayne Rogers hooked up with Damon Krukowski and Naomi Yang (Galaxie 500) to form Magic Hour…which kinda sounds like Crystalized Movements. The name of this record (No Excess Is Absurd) really speaks to Rogers’s tendency to just go over the top on fuzz. Fun record, though.

Five Songs, 10/10/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 10 Oct 2021 19:00:00 +0000

The Queers, “Too Many Twinkies”

Eh. Next!

Guzzard, “Deaf Ears, Gamma Rays”

As the world moved on from Amphetamine Reptile once Helmet was no longer there, the later bands never got much attention even from the alternative press. But there were some real gems from the mid-90’s releases, with the third Guzzard record (The Alienation Index Survey) being one of my favorites. They started as a pretty straightforward punk band, but evolved over the course of their three albums to something more interesting. Maybe they just refined their songwriting, but this thing totally slams and is one of my favorite releases from the back half of AmRep’s fertile period.

Five Songs, 10/9/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 09 Oct 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Dance Hall Crashers, “All Mine”

Oops! All harmonies!

Holy Fuck, “The Pulse”

Holy Fuck play a sort of instrumental rock that, in its use of primitive electronics and hypnotic grooves, has more than a little in common with krautrock. It’s really delightful stuff, a recognition that some blips and a bitchin’ beat will take you a long ways.

Idles, “Mother”

I think the last couple times Idles has come up, I’ve mostly waxed on about how punk this record is. And, you know - it really is. There’s an immediacy and urgency to this that really calls back to the spirit of punk. This is one of those albums that just gets better the more you listen to it.

Five Songs, 10/8/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 08 Oct 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Rocket From The Crypt, “Guilt Free”

The essential insight of Rocket From The Crypt, that garage rock is even more fun with a saxophone involved, is an elemental truth of music. It’s a lesson that more bands should learn.

The Mr. T Experience, “Our Days Are Numbered”

Like, this is a perfectly good song. But, let’s add a sax and see how it smokes!

Helmet, “I Know”

I’m going to avoid the obvious joke of saying this song needs a sax. It absolutely does not. It just needs to be cranked to tooth-rattling volume to be perfect.

Five Songs, 10/7/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 07 Oct 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Dis, “I’m Not Sagan”

The Historically Troubled Third Album is a really fantastic album name.

Aretha Franklin, “Save Me”

I’m often at a loss for words when we have some of the all-time greats come up on here, particularly folks like the great soul artists. There’s nothing I can really say that’s going to add anything here. Of course Aretha Franklin was great. We should all listen to more of her!

Five Songs, 10/6/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 06 Oct 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Eggs, “Erin Go Bragh!”

Hmm. Time to find out what the translation of “erin go bragh” actually is, a phrase that I know only from associations, and not what it actually means. “Ireland to the end of time”, neat!

J Church, “The Versace Killer”

From Cat Food, a mini-album that features some new tracks, a couple re-workings, an Electric Light Orchestra cover (“Turn To Stone”), and the usual commitment to rocking from J Church.

Five Songs, 10/5/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 05 Oct 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Floor, “Find Away”

In some ways, there’s some real similarities between My Bloody Valentine and Floor. Both use a ton of guitar to sometimes disorienting effect, but leaven them with vocals that are kind of at odds with the overall tone. MBV uses dream-like vocals, and Floor uses clean singing (which is unexpected in something this heavy), but it results in a dual thing that gives them a really interesting feel.

Five Songs, 10/4/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 04 Oct 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Merle Haggard, “Are The Good Times Really Over (I Wish A Buck Was Still Silver)”

Personally, I look to my country music artists for trenchant commentary on monetary policy.

They Might Be Giants, “Bangs”

The opening of Mink Car, the last record TMBG released for Warner Bros. I suppose being released on 9/11 was probably an ill omen for the sales of the record. It contains some really good stuff (“Man, It’s So Loud In Here” is one of my favorites of all-time from them), but overall is kind of treading water a little bit. It was after this album that TMBG began making kids’ records, and after a few of those, I think they really kind of started progressing again.

Five Songs, 10/3/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 03 Oct 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Destroyer, “The Way of Perpetual Roads”

This is from Thief, a pretty early album from Destroyer before they became really big. Well, by indie standards. But even from this relatively early date, the ambitious melodies and elaborate pop were certainly present. The most frequent comparison I see people make with Destroyer is Bowie, and you can certainly hear why on this tune.

Tim Armstrong, “Translator”

Tim Armstrong is of course the man behind Operation Ivy and Rancid, but on his one solo record (A Poet’s Life), he lets a different side of his music shine. Backed by the Aggrolites, he put together a very straighforward ska record that embraces his influences and goes for it. It’s a fun record, and honestly, I wish he would do more like this.

Five Songs, 10/2/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 02 Oct 2021 19:00:00 +0000

2Pac, “2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted”

All Eyez On Me represented 2Pac’s commercial peak, with the double-album selling tons of copies driven by “California Love”. Of course, it would be the last album he would make while alive, so we don’t know what he would have done after moving on from G-funk. If he’d been alive, there would have actually been many fewer 2Pac records, as I think he would have just moved on to acting and not much music would have been released. Instead, essentially every noise he ever made on tape would eventually get released.

Five Songs, 10/1/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 01 Oct 2021 19:00:00 +0000

That’s 11 month of perfect attendance. NOT BAD AT ALL. On the 29th, we’ll celebrate a full year of Five Songs every day unless I totally biff it. Which I might! And we’re getting pretty close to one thousand entries on this blog, so I guess I’ll have another little celebration when we hit that. Or I’ll forget.

Vulfpeck, “3 on E”

You know what? I wanted to hear this song, and I wrote this entry back-to-back with the previous one. Screw it! This place is random enough! Please write to the Five Songs ombudsman if you have a problem with our editorial decision here.

Five Songs, 9/30/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 30 Sep 2021 19:00:00 +0000

The Toasters, “New York Fever”

I’d have to go back and listen to a bunch of early Toasters records to confirm this, but in my memory, New York Fever is the record where the Toasters’ sound kind of accelerated. There’s a more frantic pace to their work from here going forward, which kind of presages the ska-punk to come along in a few years.

UFO Or Die, “Old Cold Meat”

UFO or Die is a side project of Boredoms leader/genius/lunatic Yamatsuka Eye. It’s just pure experimentation, all sound collages, weird squawky noises, random hiss, and just general messiness. Is it good? I don’t think that’s really a sensible question to ask of something like this. Is it fun to listen to? Every now and again, sure.

Five Songs, 9/29/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 29 Sep 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Devin the Dude, “Do What You Wanna Do”

You’re never going to guess what this song is about! (It’s weed.)

The Pixies, “All the Saints”

23 years passed between Trompe Le Monde and Indie Candy, time where Frank Black spent a lot of time making records with a whole lot of people that weren’t the Pixies. But by the time he got around to making records with them again, it was only a partial reunion. Kim Deal didn’t return to the band, and as much as I like Santiago and Lovering, the first record really sounded like yet another Frank Black project and not the Pixies.

Five Songs, 9/28/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 28 Sep 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Big Audio Dynamite II, “Rush”

Whe Mick Jones left The Clash, he started a new band, Big Audio Dynamite. He wanted to explore the use of dance music techniques, sampling, and the like. That band too broke apart, but he took another run at things with Big Audio Dynamite II, where he was the only member in common. This is the first album from that second incarnation, and “Rush” was a decent sized hit. It’s pretty charming in how eclectic and playful it is, and the “rhythm and melody” section is a serious jam.

Five Songs, 9/27/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 27 Sep 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Beastie Boys, “The Sounds of Science”

My freshman year roommate couldn’t stand this track, and would insist on skipping it when we listened to this record. Which was often, it was an album we could agree on. I thought I lost that copy of Paul’s Boutique when it was in his car when the car got stolen. But! They found it, and he got the car back! The song that came on when he started it up? “Car Thief”.

Five Songs, 9/26/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 26 Sep 2021 19:00:00 +0000

The Wisdom of Harry, “Unit One”

I will look up little biographical details on acts when I’m doing this, to make sure I’ve got years right, or to spell names correctly, or whatever. And in the process, I’ll see some of what others have written about bands sometimes. When I did that for the Wisdom of Harry to check when this album came out (2000, which was earlier than I remembered), I noticed that the writer there compared this band to Mogwai, My Bloody Valentine, and Catherine Wheel. Uh.

Five Songs, 9/25/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 25 Sep 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Sweet Baby, “Baby Baby Baby Baby Baby Baby Baby (I Love You)”

I wonder if there was discussion about the correct number of “baby"s in the title, or if they just went with the line from the song and called it good.

UGK, “Life is 2009”

I don’t normally list the “featuring” in the title lines here, but it’s important that you all know that this features Oakland legend Too $hort, so of course this rules. I suppose you could have figured that out on your own. Well, whatever!

Five Songs, 9/24/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 24 Sep 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Floor, “Trick Scene”

Floor is one of the two bands that Steve Brooks leads. Initially, Floor broke up and Brooks formed Torche, but then he brought back Floor and a couple of Floor albums have been released while Torche has still been active. Because it’s the same guy singing and writing the songs, there’s not a ton to separate the bands. I suppose that Torche might be a little poppier? Anyway, both bands rule, and this Floor album (Oblation) in particular is outstanding.

Five Songs, 9/23/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 23 Sep 2021 19:00:00 +0000

The Marvelettes, “Please Mr. Postman”

“Please Mr. Postman” was the first ever number one hit for Motown, setting the precedent that so many other songs would later follow. And it’s easy to see, especially with that lead vocal performance. This is still a serious jam.

NxWorries, “Best One”

NxWorries is a delightful collaboration between Anderson .Paak and underground hip-hop producer Knxwledge, and it smokes. Knxwledge has always excelled at these kinds of dense, funky, kind of abstract beats, but working with .Paak gives them a purpose that showcases them better than his solo work. I’d love to hear a follow-up record to this thing.

Five Songs, 9/22/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 22 Sep 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Sleep, “From Beyond”

While doom metal in general traces back to Sabbath for inspiration, a lot of modern doom looks to Sleep’s Sleep’s Holy Mountain, along with a few other influences like the Melvins’ sludgiest work. This album really set the template though, which its ethos of staying exactly as slow and pounding as it wants to be. Much of metal had been getting faster and faster over the years, and the proof that you could be heavy while not trying to set any speed records really sunk in to a lot of bands. But even ignoring the influence, this stuff still smokes. But slowly.

Five Songs, 9/21/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 21 Sep 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Swans, “Half Life”

It’s stuff like this, from the early Swans career, that really drives home how appropriate the “no wave” label was for this. It just oozes nihilism.

Mos Def, “Mr. Nigga”

From Mos Def’s great first solo record, part of one of rap’s highest peaks, albeit a short one. This track is bolstered by Q-Tip appearing on it, driving home the song as a spiritual successor to A Tribe Called Quest’s “Sucka Nigga”.

Five Songs, 9/20/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 20 Sep 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Frank Black and the Catholics, “Bullet”

Frank Black went through a couple phases between v1 of the Pixies and v2 of the Pixies. After recording under just his own name, he apparently decided that his band rated a mention, and began recording as Frank Black and the Catholics. To my ears, this was the best phase of his post-Pixies career, and this record might be my favorite of the lot. There’s definitely plenty of the Frank Black madness here.

Five Songs, 9/19/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 19 Sep 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Andrew Bird, “Pathetique”

Bird Songs collects all three of Andrew Bird’s early records, when he was still recording as Andrew Bird’s Bowl of Fire. The first two records, Oh! The Grandeur! and Thrills, have a very old-timey feel, very similar to what the Squirrel Nut Zippers were making. The third record, The Swimming Hour, was really his breakthrough record, melding his older sensibility with more modern songwriting, with pretty special results. If you haven’t heard the records, this collection is a monster deal. If you, say, already have all three records and then pre-ordered this compilation without knowing what it was, it’s less of a bargain.

Five Songs, 9/18/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 18 Sep 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Witchcraft, “The Outcast”

Doom metal can sometimes just be code for “wants to be Black Sabbath”, and while that’s not such a bad thing, bands definitely have differing levels of skill at it. Sweden’s Witchcraft have been at it for a long time, and as a result, they’re pretty good at it. By the time they hit this album (2016’s Nucleus), the truth is that they’re actually channeling a whole lot of 70s rock and not just Sabbath. There are distinct notes of, say, Jethro Tull going on here.

Five Songs, 9/17/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 17 Sep 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Rockabye Baby!, “I Shot The Sheriff”

Oh god.

Mary Wells, “Bye Bye Baby”

MUCH BETTER

The Frames, “Headlong”

This is the only record I have from The Frames, and I have zero recollection of this band ever existing. I sometimes think Plexasaurus Rex is gaslighting me. At any rate, this DOES sound like something I would have picked up, and a little bit of research suggests that Steve Albini recorded this, which is another reason. I can’t judge the entire album (because I don’t remember ever listening to it), but this has a little bit of a vibe similar to the Wedding Present’s slower tunes. Not bad!

Five Songs, 9/16/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 16 Sep 2021 19:00:00 +0000

The Miracles, “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me”

The vocal R&B band the Miracles are mostly known for launching the career of Smokey Robinson, but they had a long string of hits in their own right as well. I mean, this is basically irresistable.

Hammerhead, “Once Again…With Feeling”

Can I just re-iterate how delighted I am that Hammerhead got back together and recorded a bunch of new material? Coming across multiple Hammerhead records that I’d never heard before at once was such a delight. Listen to this! The urgency of the rhythm, the noisy grumbling of all the guitar and bass, the spacey breakdown, I’m just so happy.

Five Songs, 9/15/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 15 Sep 2021 19:00:00 +0000

The Fiery Furnaces, “South is Only a Home”

Brother and sister duo the Fiery Furnaces kind of epitomize a certain quirky, challenging strain of indie band. They’re restless, always searching for new sounds, and often end up being kind of difficult as a result. It’s all for good reasons, it’s not just experimentation for the sake of experimentation, but it does require some concentration to really pick up.

Mudhoney, “Magnolia Caboose Babyshit”

A lively instrumental from their debut self-titled LP, this is actually one of my favorite songs on the record. Not that I don’t love Mark Arm’s singing, but they’re just in and out on this one, getting the point across in a tidy 1:07. Great stuff.

Five Songs, 9/14/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 14 Sep 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Negativland, “Announcement”

You know what? We’re trying it again today!

Keep of Kalessin, “Dark Divinity”

Better! WE DID IT, FOLKS

All You Can Eat, “Family Matters”

Long forgotten Bay Area punk band, they put out a couple albums in the early 90s and then disappeared. I’d characterize their sound as, uh, early 90s Bay Area punk. It’s fine, I listened to a ton of these bands at this time and a lot of them were pretty undifferentiated. This band included.

Five Songs, 9/13/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 13 Sep 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Less Than Jake, “Bridge and Tunnel Authority”

This was a companion piece for Anthem, one of the best Less Than Jake records. They took a bunch of unused material from that record, polished it up, and released it as an extra album. And, honestly, there’s not really that much drop off between the two albums. As another set of tunes from their strongest period, it’s a welcome addition to the library.

Five Songs, 9/12/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 12 Sep 2021 19:00:00 +0000

fIREHOSE, “Sometimes”

I know I bang on the drum every time fIREHOSE comes up, but I don’t care: it’s such a shame that people didn’t seem to give them a fair shake after the Minutemen. This is such a good tune! This album is really good (If’n)! fIREHOSE’s first three albums are all flat-out great.

Mogwai, “Heard About You Last Night”

Compare this to the Radiohead track from yesterday. Yeah, both contemplative, almost meditative. Plenty of space in both compositions. But this one feels like it has a point, like it’s going somewhere, not just an unfocused noodle.

Five Songs, 9/11/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 11 Sep 2021 19:00:00 +0000

The True Loves, “Kabuki”

Soul band from beautiful Seattle, this was one of those occasional finds from when I found myself trapped in a vehicle without Bluetooth and heard something good on KEXP. (Specifically, a U-Haul I was driving from Kingston to Bainbridge Island.) It’s a delight, of course, and I wish I had some way other than just serendipity to find something like this. Oh well!

The Slackers, “And I Wonder?”

In my mind, The Question is my least favorite Slackers album. I’m not really sure at this point exactly why. I adored Redlight (it’s still one of my favorite ska records), and I was super geeked for the follow-up. And something about it didn’t quite sit right with me. And I just kind of didn’t listen to it much and filed it away. It’s not that I fell off the band, mind you. The next studio record, Wasted Days, is ALSO one of my favorite ska records. I still eagerly buy everything they put out, love a bunch of their records, have seen them multiple times…but I’ve never really gone back to try this album again. Just one of those blind spots. I should really fix that!

Five Songs, 9/10/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 10 Sep 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Pop Will Eat Itself, “Bulletproof!”

After the anarchic fun of Cure For Sanity, which got some popular attention particularly on dance floors, their followup (The Looks or the Lifestyle) came out the next year trying to cash in on the popularity. But while there was a surface similarity, it all felt kind of pro-forma. Lots of chanting, repetitive lyrics gestured at being anthems, but nothing really lands on the record, and it should really be ignored.

Five Songs, 9/9/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 09 Sep 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Mission of Burma, “Red”

Signals, Calls, and Marches, the 1981 debut EP from Mission of Burma, is one of the foundational texts of what was known as college rock and eventually became indie rock. It’s a touchstone that many, many following bands would evoke and echo. It’s not really punk, not really post-punk, certainly not hardcore, but has parts of all those sounds. Mission of Burma would release this and an album in their original incarnation, and then unexpectedly pop up 22 years later with a new run of three (excellent) albums.

Five Songs, 9/8/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 08 Sep 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Clipse, “Virginia”

As always, the real attraction of the first Clipse record isn’t so much their rhymes, which are fine, but that lovely “produced by the Neptunes” label. And, yeah, this is great.

The Mortals, “Everything But Time”

Part of the Estrus stable of garage rock bands, the Mortals put out three records in the early to mid 90s, without making too many waves but certainly landing on my radar. This comes from the first of those records, Ritual Dimension of Sound, and is a reasonable representation of their sound.

Five Songs, 9/7/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 07 Sep 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Chuck D, “Generation Wrekkked”

In 1996, Chuck D released his first solo record, Autobiography of Mistachuck, which differs from a Public Enemy record primarily in that Flavor Flav wasn’t involved at all. Because Chuck D was always part of the Bomb Squad, and therefore was involved in putting together the beats, and of course his stentorian voice was always the driving force behind PE, the record really just kind of fits in with the other mid-90’s PE records. Probably better than He Got Game, maybe not quite as good as Muse Sick-N-Hour Mess Age.

Five Songs, 9/6/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 06 Sep 2021 19:00:00 +0000

200 johns, “the sun is a h0t m4ss”

Did you know that you needed hyperpop covers of They Might Be Giants songs? I didn’t, until I heard this this EP. And I realized, yes, I very much needed hyperpop covers of TMBG songs.

Nitzer Ebb, “Godhead (remix)”

I was just saying Nitzer Ebb hadn’t aged particularly well to a buddy yesterday! And, you know, it hasn’t particularly. But again, this is part of the whole thing where industrial dance also was just endlessly remixed and re-released, which didn’t help anything. Although there is one remix of “Lightning Man” (on ONE of the multiple singles for that song) that I remember as absolutely ripping. However, I lost that EP, and I haven’t listened to it in ages and had kind of forgotten it until now. I could still pull up the riff from it in my head though.

Five Songs, 9/5/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 05 Sep 2021 19:00:00 +0000

P.D.Q. Bach, “Six Contrary Dances, S. 39: VI. Moving right alongo”

P.D.Q. Bach, the parody composer, makes truly dumb music that can largely only be appreciated by smart people. Or, maybe more accurately, culturally educated people. The truth is, I sort of catch only a subset of the gags in it, because I’m nowhere near knowledgeable enough in Western classical music to get all of it. But even if you don’t catch all the jokes, the music itself is pretty fun even without them.

Five Songs, 9/4/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 04 Sep 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Hot Snakes, “Braintrust”

The third Hot Snakes album certainly announces itself with authority. “Braintrust” opens up my favorite record from them, with a song that would absolutely sit right at home on one of the legendary Drive Like Jehu records. Which is a high complement!

Nine Inch Nails, “Get Down Make Love”

As with most industrial dance acts, there were a bunch of singles released with Nine Inch Nails’ early work, usually featuring a bunch of remixes and the occasional half-assed b-side. This is one of those half-assed b-sides, in this case from the “Sin” single (which included three pointless remixes of that tune). But, you know, high school Josh was nonetheless kinda intrigued by it.

Five Songs, 9/3/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 03 Sep 2021 19:00:00 +0000

The Decemberists, “Summersong”

I’ve talked a little about the Four Album theory, which is that some great metal bands (Metallica, Krallice, Mastodon) will push things as far as they can with their sound over four albums, before taking off in a different direction. It’s half-baked, yes, but it’s a theory anyway.

But in thinking about it, these aren’t the only Four Album bands. The Decemberists, for instance, pushed their increasingly elaborate folk-rock storytelling thing further and further over the course of their first four albums, culminating in The Crane Wife, which is really kind of a concept record that stands as the final record of that approach. While The Hazards of Love is maybe more ambitious, it kind of seeks a more prog direction without as much of the folk stuff, so to my ears, represents the same kind of stylistic break as those metal bands.

Five Songs, 9/2/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 02 Sep 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Pardoner, “Silly String”

There’s something extremely early 90s about Pardoner’s sound on this track. It sounds like a lost track from a C/Z Records band, or maybe like some old Dinosaur Jr. track from the vault. That, of course, means I’m totally delighted by it.

Marvin Gaye, “Pride and Joy”

A single from 1963, with some jaunty piano really driving things here. A real charmer!

Gold Class, “Life As a Gun”

EXTREMELY post-punk stuff here out of Australia. There’s sort of a Discord feel to the guitars, and almost a Joy Division feel to the singing, which is a pretty potent combination. This is from their first album, It’s You, which is a pretty solid record.

Five Songs, 9/1/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 01 Sep 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Yet another perfect month in the books! The magic date is 10/29, which is the last time I missed a daily update. It would be pretty cool to go a full calendar year without missing one, honestly.

Lungfish, “Non Dual Bliss”

The repeated opinion of the Five Songs cognoscenti is the Lungfish is kinda boring. Like, this song is pretty good…for the first couple minutes. But it doesn’t really evolve, and the groove isn’t so interesting that it can support six minutes.

Five Songs, 8/31/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 31 Aug 2021 19:00:00 +0000

The Beastie Boys, “Pass The Mic”

Probably the most Beastie Boys song on Check Your Head, this is the kind of thing that anybody who parodies the band is kind of gesturing towards. Given that it was deliberately constructed to be kind of an update of the sound from their first album, it does make sense.

Screeching Weasel, “Falling Apart”

Have I expressed the opinion that I think Anthem For A New Tomorrow is the best Screeching Weasel record? They had a couple albums to refine the pop-punk/Ramones-knockoff sound they were going for, and there are moments that almost sound sincere on this album that work pretty well. Past this point, they kind of got snottier and snottier and it wasn’t pleasant, and before this, the sloppiness can sometimes get in the way.

Five Songs, 8/30/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 30 Aug 2021 19:00:00 +0000

They Might Be Giants, “The Mesopotamians”

A lethally catchy song, I’ll be humming this for the next several days. I feel like The Else gets really kind of ignored in the TMBG catalog. By that point, they were really kind of becoming known as a kids’ band, and they just slipped in this really lushly produced thing right in the middle of three kids’ albums.

[looks at “kids’”] That looks wrong. I think it’s right? Ain’t gonna look it up!

Five Songs, 8/29/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 29 Aug 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Bim Skala Bim, “Chief Inspector”

A big part of the ska scene in the late 80s and early 90s was an active trade in compilations. It allowed bands to get their music out and prime the audiences for touring, which is where bands built up a following. One series of comps was the Mashin’ Up The Nation series, which this was part of volume 2 of. It’s an unusually raw track for Bim Skala Bim, but a lot of the songs on these comps tended towards the raw, because many of them were low budget or live.

Five Songs, 8/28/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 28 Aug 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Marvin Gaye, “Can I Get A Witness”

It’s sometimes a little hard to reconcile the early Marvin Gaye with what he would eventually become. This is from 1963, and yeah, sure, it’s an excellent tune. But it’s just so far away from where he would end up. Popular music evolved so fast in this decade, it’s still hard to wrap my mind around it.

The Young Fresh Fellows, “View From Above”

The first Fellows record, The Fabulous Sounds of the Pacific Northwest, was kind of tied together with these little spoken word travelogue snippets, as a theme. The Fellows are light hearted enough that the gimmick comes off as charming, and the music is all just kind of loose, happy rock. While there’s plenty to like, they also didn’t really totally have control of their songwriting yet, so the record is kind of just for fans.

Five Songs, 8/27/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 27 Aug 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Felt, “Bass For Your Truck”

Repeat!

The Smiths, “Is It Really So Strange?”

I really need to get to the point where my kid can have visitors again, because I really want to try and mortify them by singing along to the Smiths really loud.

Belle and Sebastian, “Electronic Renaissance”

It’s tracks like this one that really demonstrate that Belle and Sebastian were still very much learning how things worked with their first album, Tigermilk, which was literally a university project. Luckily, they didn’t convince themselves that this sort of thing was their future.

Five Songs, 8/26/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 26 Aug 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Tar, “G7”

Well, I just mentioned Amphetamine Reptile Records the other day! Here’s one of my favorite bands from that label, but in their post-AmRep days. They put out two albums and an EP on AmRep and then left to put out some tunes for Touch & Go, producing the same amount of music (two albums and an EP). This comes from the first thing they put on Touch & Go, Clincher, the aforementioned EP. The notable thing about it was that the production was less murky than their earlier stuff, which allowed some of the grooviness that got lost to come forward. While on balance, I prefer the AmRep stuff, their final record for Touch & Go (Over and Out) is brilliant stuff. Tar was good! More people than me should remember them! I still have a shirt I bought at a show of theirs in 1992!

Five Songs, 8/25/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 25 Aug 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Andrew Bird, “You Woke Me Up!”

A companion piece to Noble Beast, Useless Creatures is an all-instrumental exploration which allows Bird to indulge his more exploratory impulses. As always, everything Bird does is interesting, but this is not one of his more loveable records.

Victoria Monét, “Experience”

Victoria Monét is primarily known for her work with Ariana Grande, which means I know zip about most of her music. I’m very out of touch! But I picked up this album (Jaguar) after it showed up on a bunch of year-end lists, and it’s very pleasant. I also enjoy the kind of electro-funk sounds on this track, I’ll take those any day.

Five Songs, 8/24/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 24 Aug 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Wasted Shirt, “Double the Dream”

Wasted Shirt is Brian Chippendale (Lightning Bolt) and Ty Segall, playing the sort of demented noise duo rock that Chippendale in particular is known for. There’s only one album of it, called Fungus II, but it’s well-worth picking up if you’re a Lightning Bolt fan.

Prefuse 73, “See More Than Just Stars”

From Prefuse 73’s 2015 album, Rivington Não Rio, an album that strikes me as more tuneful and a little tamer than his earlier work. Still pretty good, though, although I generally prefer the more chaotic stuff.

Five Songs, 8/23/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 23 Aug 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Eggs, “The Government Administrator”

Eggs was one of the Teenbeat bands, making indie pop at a time when that was pretty uncommon, running straight against the current of grunge and heavy rock that was dominating taste at the time. A lot of these bands also valued being very clever in their tunes, sometimes a bit too much. At any rate, this comes from the singles comp, ‘How Do You Like Lobster?’ A Collection of Crustaceans and Flotsam, the title of which kind of makes the point. For all that, they could really write some solid tunes, and I actually like this comp the most out of their records.

Five Songs, 8/22/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 22 Aug 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Gas Huffer, “Nisqually”

The first song from the first Gas Huffer full-length, it sets the tone for what they’re trying to do: straight-ahead garage rock with zero pretension. Although they were contemporaneous with grunge and from Seattle, they were doing something more parallel to that stuff, as there’s not really any metal at all in this sound.

Sweet Baby, “Year after Year”

More garage rock! This is from Hello Again, a comp that includes an album from Sweet Baby and an album from the successor band, Brent’s TV. It’s pretty good, but one of the virtues of this kind of music is that it gets to the point and gets out of the way. And, well, 40 tracks of it is not getting out of the way.

Five Songs, 8/21/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 21 Aug 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Pinback, “How We Breathe”

Well, that’s very pretty.

Here Lies Man, “Collector of Vanities”

A side project of Antibalas folks, Here Lies Man plays a meld of Afrobeat and psychedelic rock, often to pretty solid effect. This is from their latest, Ritual Divination, which pushes a little more towards the rock end of things, so depending on your preferences it’s either the place to start or the place to end up.

Five Songs, 8/20/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 20 Aug 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Black Moon, “Enta da Stage”

Black Moon’s 1993 classic, Enta da Stage, could not have been released at a worse time to get attention. The synthesis of the jazz-inflected beats of Native Tongues and the street rhymes of New York City would have been massively influential had it not landed at roughly the same time as Midnight Mauraders (showing how far these kinds of beats could be taken) and Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (showing how far these kinds of rhymes could go). Nevertheless, the album is a serious banger.

Five Songs, 8/19/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 19 Aug 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Chaos A.D., “Generation Shit”

Chaos A.D. is an Tom Jenkinson (Squarepusher), releasing a miscellaneous pile of tracks from his early years. It doesn’t show the same kind of sophistication of his later recordings, and honestly, it’s an easy skip. This is probalby the worst track on the album, though, so don’t totally judge on this song.

The Beatles, “Dear Prudence”

One of my simultaneously dumbest and proudest moments in Rock Band was five starring this song on the drums and vocals and the same time…except I whistled the entirety of the vocal track. Not bad!

Five Songs, 8/18/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 18 Aug 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Spanish Love Songs, “Routine Pain”

I missed the first couple Spanish Love Songs albums when they came out, because I’m an out of touch loser. So this is the first song I ever heard from the band, and it’s simultaneously a seriously impressive tune, totally affecting, and frankly kind of hard to listen to. I think this record is amazing and also I just can’t handle listening to it very often.

Five Songs, 8/17/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 19:00:00 +0000

The Mr. T Experience, “Bridge to Taribithia”

Thoroughly enjoyable instrumental from Our Bodies Our Selves, one of the stronger mid-career MTX albums.

Claw Hammer, “Uncontrollable Urge”

This song is a serious jam, even when it’s a very straightforward cover of the song. I’ve decided that I really like having Claw Hammer’s album length cover of Devo’s first album in the library just to increase my chances of hearing the tunes.

Five Songs, 8/16/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 16 Aug 2021 19:00:00 +0000

The Streets, “Who Got The Funk?”

Is…is it the Streets?

The Grifters, “Covered With Flies”

I periodically see “forgotten bands of the grunge era” and similar articles, because I’m old and I read old person things. Those articles invariably dig up one or two interesting bands (Love Battery, say), four different Pearl Jam predecessor bands, and then a couple bands that always sucked but the writer saw in a club early and thus has an irrational fixation on them. And you know who nobody ever mentions? That’s right, the Grifters. Who ruled and are now forgotten.

Five Songs, 8/15/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 15 Aug 2021 19:00:00 +0000

ALL, “Honey Peeps”

By the time they hit 1997’s Mass Nerder, ALL was on their third singer across seven albums, but the band still basically sounded the same. This was finally the album where I realized that I was very much done with them. The previous record (Pummel) had some awful lyrics, and I really wasn’t sure why I picked this one up. Kind of force of habit, really. At any rate, with the Descendents also having been resurrected by this point, ALL really served no purpose.

Five Songs, 8/14/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 14 Aug 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Mix Master Mike, “Positive Contact (Mario C remix)”

This is a remix of a track from Deltron 3030, the great left-field hip-hop classic featuring Del tha Funkee Homosapien and Dan the Automator. Mix Master Mike took that and turned it into this remix, which…isn’t as good as the original. Oh well!

Artie Shaw, “Frenesi”

When my oldest started playing the clarient, I decided to try and pick up something which might inspire her, so I grabbed this compilation (The Essential Artie Shaw). And while I don’t think she cared about it at all, it’s a perfectly enjoyable listen.

Five Songs, 8/13/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Benton Falls, “Sad Like Winter Leaves”

We don’t get a ton of emo around here. Not because I dislike it, but I think mostly because when emo has had its various peaks, I was kind of listening to other stuff, and sort of missed out on a lot of it. I’m definitely the target audience! I’ve sat in a completely dark room listening to Slint’s Spiderland, which is extremely My Emotions Are Hard To Handle. At any rate, I generally like emo, and Benton Falls’ two albums are really very good. And: special shout-out to that song title. That is TREMENDOUS hustle right there. Primo sad boy shit.

Five Songs, 8/12/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 12 Aug 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Pigs, “Bug Boy”

Side project of Unsane bassist Dave Curran, it’s easy to see the lineage here. This is just pure noise rock in the NYC form, all splattered riffs and yelling. So, yeah, of course I like this. Both Pigs albums are totally worth listening to if you’re a noise rock person.

Iron & Wine, “Pagan Angel and a Borrowed Car”

Iron & Wine is one of those acts where I always enjoy listening to his stuff, and simultaneously have trouble distinguishing it. If you asked me what made this album (The Shepherd’s Dog) different from his other work, I’d have to kind of shrug a little bit. It’s all good, but it’s tough to say what my favorite is.

Five Songs, 8/11/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 11 Aug 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Eugenius, “Breakfast”

The Vaselines’ leader, Eugene Kelly, formed a new band (called Eugenius) that got plenty of attention due to Kurt Cobain’s cheerleading for the band. Well, for the Vaselines, anyway. At any rate, that’s how I ended up with this album (Oomalama). And, well, it’s fine. It’s power pop, and plenty tuneful, but hard to get too excited about.

Sloan, “Before I Do”

Meanwhile, if you’re going to listen to power pop, you might as well just listen to Sloan instead. You can’t wave your hands without hitting a “they should have been big!” profile of Sloan, so I’ll save the space here. I’m not Canadian, so I’m not legally allowed to write that story anyway. Twice Removed is fantastic, anyway.

Five Songs, 8/10/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 10 Aug 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Kool & the Gang, “Funky Man”

The second Kool & the Gang record was a live album, including a couple tunes from the first record, but mostly otherwise new songs. They followed it up with another live record with more new material, which was an interesting move. Anyway, both live records rule, like all early Kool & the Gang material.

The Beatles, “Please Please Me”

It’s pretty fascinating that the band went from this to Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in just four years. I guess that sort of rapid evolution can happen when you release nine albums in those four years.

Five Songs, 8/9/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 09 Aug 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Fall Out Boy, “Saturday”

Pop punk is one of those genres that never really changes or evolves, and just relies on sappy emotion and snappy songs. You really need to nail the catchy songs and the energy or it’s going to come across as limp or manufactured. When done right, though, it’s delightful. That said, the first couple Fall Out Boy records totally nail it, so happy for this to come up.

Five Songs, 8/8/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 08 Aug 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Mad Caddies, “Nobody Wins at the Laundromat”

When ska-punk just kind of turns into punk with horns, I start some losing interest. Sure, it can still be good, but there are a lot of great straight-up punk bands that they’re going to be competing with. I’m not that desperate for horns.

Calexico, “Cumbia de Donde”

OK I LIED GIVE ME ALL THE HORNS I NEED THEM RIGHT NOW

Edge of the Sun is one of the more, uh, sunny albums from Calexico’s later career. This bouncy tune is the most sunniest of the lot, but it’s by no means alone being charming. If you’re a big fan of Feast of Wire (which you should be), this is a pretty good one to go to next.

Five Songs, 8/7/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 07 Aug 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Hayaino Daisuki, “Haiiro Ikotsu Gakidou”

A side project of Discordance Axis’s Jon Chang (that’s him howling), Hayaino Daisuki translates to “I like speed”. And, you know, fair enough. Personally, I enjoy the thrash rhythms and the flaming guitar solos. It’s not meant to be anything other than a lark, but it’s an excellent lark.

Bear vs. Shark, “What A Horrible Night For a Curse”

I’ll spare you all my questioning if this band really exists again, and just listen to it along with you all.

Five Songs, 8/6/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 06 Aug 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Zeke, “Action”

Fuck yeah garage rock! Spending a bunch of flowery words on this seems anthithetical to the spirit of things, so, again: fuck yeah!

Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats, “Black Motorcade”

Kind of a horror-themed psych band, Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats mostly trade in atmosphere. When it’s effective, it’s creepy and unsettling. But they miss as often as they hit for me, and when it misses, it’s just kind of meandering. This album (The Night Creeper) doesn’t work for me as well as the other album I have (Blood Lust).

Five Songs, 8/5/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 06 Aug 2021 04:54:11 +0000

Camper Van Beethoven, “One of These Days”

I think my tolerance (or even enjoyment) of the violin has been more or less a straight line upwards. I used to think that the violin was an obnoxious affectation in Camper Van Beethoven, irritating and not rockin’. Now, of course, I think it’s probably the best part of the proceedings.

The Kinks, “Animal Farm”

Even more broadly, my tolerance (and enjoyment) of folk inspired stuff has also increased over time. So something like this from the Kinks also hits me better. Am I mellowing as I get older? Well, I also listen to more extreme metal, so who knows?

Five Songs, 8/4/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 05 Aug 2021 04:29:24 +0000

East of the Wall, “Naif”

Hmm, some research shows that I bought this five years ago…and I don’t really remember it. It’s easy to see why I picked it up, though. Seems kind of up my alley. I guess it probably slipped through the cracks, and I should give it an honest spin.

Has-Lo, “Everything Is”

A delicate song here from Has-Lo, in a contemplative mood. He’s good in this mode, though.

Five Songs, 8/3/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 03 Aug 2021 22:10:31 +0000

Nots, “Rat King”

Their 2016 album, Cosmetic, is a relatively short record, but it makes up for it with the energy it has. I’m always down for some noisy punk, especially if it’s willing to get kind of strange, so of course I was always going to like this.

J-Zone, “Edit These”

Well, I would have played this on the radio for my audience of, like, four.

Ghostface Killah, “Mighty Healthy”

Supreme Clientele is widely regarded as the best Ghostface solo album, which I guess I have trouble arguing too much with. It also demonstrated that Ghostface could thrive even without the RZA doing all the beats, as he only had a few songs on the record. It’s still an extremely Wu-Tang-sounding recording, which of course is a good thing, but on later albums Ghostface would explore his sound more. But still, it’s just a great record, and still sounds fantastic today.

Five Songs, 8/2/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 02 Aug 2021 23:53:33 +0000

My music server died the other day, and I kept going. Now, my laptop died. Still here!

Boris, “Tu, la la”

From Heavy Rocks, the 2011 version, and is a good example of Boris at the more tuneful end of things. It’s a very solid record, definitely worth listening to if you like Boris.

Prefuse 73, “7th Message”

I think I like Prefuse 73 the best when he’s at his most hip-hop influenced. That’s one of the reasons his first record is still my favorite, and this song is a great example of what I love. The samples and cuts here are very hip-hop, and add a lot to the tune.

Five Songs, 8/1/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 02 Aug 2021 03:41:39 +0000

The streak is alive!

New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble, “Low Blow”

This is from the second New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble record, Low Blow. To recap, the NYSJE was assembled from a bunch of folks from various bands in NYC, including the Toasters, the Scofflaws, and one member of the Skatalites. They play a mix of originals and compositions by other people, with this being one of the originals. All three albums are solid, and I recommend them.

Five Songs, 7/31/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Jawbreaker, “Boxcar”

After Jawbreaker broke up in the wake of their sole Geffen record, there were a couple more releases to tie up the band’s catalog. In addition to a live record we got Etc., a collection of rarities, outtakes, and singles. Jawbreaker were great enough that even though this collection of stuff isn’t coherent, it’s still a good overall release. Some things I could probably do without, like this alternate take of “Boxcar”, but I’ll forgive those sins to have the rest of the material all in one place.

Five Songs, 7/30/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 30 Jul 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Big Boys, “We Got Soul”

An early hardcore band in Austin, the Big Boys inspired a bunch of bands that followed them, including folks like the Butthole Surfers. It’s also where Rey Washam (Scratch Acid, Rapeman) and Tim Kerr (Poison 13, The Monkeywrench) got their start. All of the Big Boys’ catalog was helpfully compiled into two discs, with The Skinny Elvis comprising the first half of their career and The Fat Elvis (which gave us today’s track) the second half. Among other things that made them great, they were totally unafraid to just straight up play some funk, which is delightful.

Five Songs, 7/29/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 29 Jul 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Propagandhi, “Resisting Tyrannical Government”

Less Talk, More Rock is such a good name for a Propagandhi record. I can only imagine how many knuckleheads brayed at them something along these lines. Anyway, it’s a delight.

Flop, “Act 1, Scene 1”

After Flop’s one record for Sony was a commercial failure, Flop went back to Frontier Records and banged out a third stone-cold pop classic. It’s tighter than the first record, and maybe sliiiiightly less catchy. But it’s still a ton of fun, and it’s sad that we only got three albums from them.

Five Songs, 7/28/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 28 Jul 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Cheetah Chrome, “Still Wanna Die”

It’s been a while since we’ve had a track from this record. This is from the Ork Records: New York, New York compilation from the Numero Group, which captures the early punk label Ork and the early New York punk scene. There’s a ton of really strong material here, and even the stuff that’s not great is at least energetic. Just a tremendous compilation.

Consolidated, “You Suck”

Proudly communist rap group Consolidated did everything they could do to try and piss off the troglodytes. In this case, pulling in the Yeastie Girls to guest on the track and rap about oral sex was a move that was pretty far out of the norm for 1992. Given how stiff they usually were on the mic, the guests make this one of the more memorable songs on this record.

Five Songs, 7/27/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 27 Jul 2021 19:00:00 +0000

It has been about a month since I’ve written one of these. How is that possible, with me not missing a day? Prior to going on vacation for a while, I had piled up a bunch of pre-written posts for you all to enjoy (?) while I was out. And then, when I got home, I managed to goof up my media server and then completely trashed the hard drive where all my music was stored! But I’ve replaced the server, restored my backup, gotten everything rolling, and I’m back in the saddle! The month off will do me good, I think. Let’s see!

Five Songs, 7/26/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 26 Jul 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Minor Threat, “Filler”

The first Minor Threat song ever released, and the birth of harDCore. From the very beginning, Minor Threat was absolutely killing it. And, as a bonus, this is still one of the very best rock band names ever.

Skinnerbox, “Help Me”

This song comes from Special Wild 1989-1994, a compilation pulling together non-album tracks from the band. There are really a couple different ways comps can go. Some bands just put out their best material all over the place, and the comps become essential for pulling all that stuff together instead of trying to piece things together from the singles and EPs (the Belle & Sebastian/Superchunk route). Others clearly save their best material for the albums, and the comps then are something of an afterthought and spotty. Skinnerbox, alas, falls in this second comp. This is a record only for the serious fan.

Five Songs, 7/25/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 25 Jul 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Indian Handcrafts, “Starcraft”

Hooray for rock duos! Major riffage here, you almost don’t notice the absence of a bass player.

Stevie Wonder, “Another Star”

Stevie Wonder allowed himself some space to stretch out on the second album of Songs In The Keys Of Life. That sort of thing can dissolve into self-indulgence, but of course Stevie is one of the best ever, so it’s really just more of his stuff. It’s great!

Five Songs, 7/24/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 24 Jul 2021 19:00:00 +0000

The Aggrolites, “Reggae Hit L.A.”

The Aggrolites, a ska and reggae band from L.A., are somewhat unusual. The got started after the third wave had receeded, and there aren’t that bands working in this space that didn’t get rolling back then and just keep going. Or, at least, not many that I know about. At any rate, Reggae Hit L.A. is full of energy and sounds good, so I recommend it.

Five Songs, 7/23/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 23 Jul 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Screeching Weasel, “The First Day Of Summer”

Bark Like A Dog is the first Screeching Weasel album that came out after I’d graduated from college. It was also the first record after Ben Weasel decided to end his Ramones worshipping band, the Riverdales. And, you know, return to his previous Ramones worshipping band. At any rate, this stuff wasn’t quite hitting me totally right, and it was the first Screeching Weasel album where I found myself questioning why I was still picking up the records. I did last one more, though, because of course I did.

Five Songs, 7/22/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 22 Jul 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Helium, “XXX”

Amazingly, despite having Mary Timony show up here with Ex Hex, Wild Flag, Autoclave, and even as a solo artist, we’ve never actually had her show up with the band she’s most famous with, Helium. That ends today! If you couldn’t tell with my following her career across five different acts (maybe the most of any artist in my library!), I’m a huge fan. And I really do love her later work, but Helium is my favorite of her bands. It’s indie rock, yes, but the songs are really interesting and just so well done. I think this song speaks for itself, though.

Five Songs, 7/21/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 21 Jul 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Flop, “Regrets”

I sometimes think about what band I would wave a magic wand and just make famous. The bands that have the widest gap between my love for them and the wider perception of the band. At this point, if you’re a close student of Five Songs, first: what are you even doing? Why? But, you can probably guess some of these bands. Hammerhead, for instance. Pond (the one from Portland). The Slackers. Bands that I adore that never really moved the needle. Well, add to that list Flop, who tossed off pop rock as effortlessly as anybody ever has.

Five Songs, 7/20/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 20 Jul 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Vampire Weekend, “Unbelievers”

Vampire Weekend’s third album was a return to form to my ears. Contra was a little bit too scattered, and sounded a little bit tired, and just didn’t quite hang together. But Modern Vampires of the City had some of that ineffable charm back, with this song serving as a good example. This could easily have gone on the debut album, and that’s a high complement.

Flying Saucer Attack, “Rainstorm Blues”

Hmmm. I wonder what I’ve said about Flying Saucer Attack in the past? I’m sure I had opinions. I am also not going to look. I shouldn’t have to do all the work here! I tag these things, go look it up yourself!

Five Songs, 7/19/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 19 Jul 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Ghostface Killah, “The Champ”

This production from Just Blaze (you can tell it’s him because he announces it in the track, in his his trademark understated manner) needs to be played at maximum volume to be properly appreciated. Just trust me on that.

The Spinanes, “72-74”

Been a while since we’ve had The Spinanes, the duo of Rebecca Gates and Scott Plouf, who put out three albums in the 90s before disbanding. Defined by Gates’s lovely songs and a generally spare sensibility that ran contrary to the prevailaing approach in rock (especially for a Seattle band), this stuff holds up really well today. This is from the third and final Spinanes record, Arches and Aisles, which has the biggest arrangements on it, but is still pretty uncluttered.

Five Songs, 7/18/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 18 Jul 2021 19:00:00 +0000

NoFX, “Dinosaurs Will Die”

By the time they reached 2000’s Pump Up The Valuum, it was clear that NoFX were dedicated to never evolving for any reason. Which just makes them writing a song about the impending destruction of the music industry for, uh, not evolving just that much funnier. At any rate, this is where I got off the train with NoFX, I figured I had more than enough music from them.

Five Songs, 7/17/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 17 Jul 2021 19:00:00 +0000

The White Stripes, “Fell In Love With a Girl”

White Blood Cells still strikes me as such an unusual breakout album. The White Stripes didn’t particularly soften their approach or anything, it’s still the same kind of garage rock they’d been making to this point, and yet it really got huge. I’m not sure why them and not some other act.

Tune in to this space tomorrow when I will be baffled by other commonplace things.

Five Songs, 7/16/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 16 Jul 2021 19:00:00 +0000

METZ, “Drained Lake”

The closest that noise rock ever really got to any kind of mass popularity was in the late 90s, when the grunge tide lifted up the boats of related acts like Helmet and some folks got major label contracts. But this stuff is intentionally abrasive, and none of it every broke through for good reason. While some grunge acts and followers became huge, noise rock went right back into the underground. But, happily, there’s still bands like METZ keeping the flame alive, and this is even from 2017! Recent! Although, again: I listen to the same shit, even if some of it was made not long ago.

Five Songs, 7/15/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 15 Jul 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Couch Slut, “The Mouthwash Years”

That ascending chord progression in this track, on the heavily distorted guitar, is a perfect summation of noise rock. Just really nails it.

Mattiel, “Sent It On Over”

Mattiel’s first, self-titled, debut record made a lot of noise among music critics on its release. And it’s easy to see why, it’s a very confident record with a ton of style. It certainly sounds like its own thing, and I think a lot of critics (and me!) prize music which finds its own path. But, all that said, I don’t know that I really care for it. It doesn’t really stick with me, and I don’t find myself wanting to explore it that much.

Five Songs, 7/14/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 14 Jul 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Built to Spill, “The Plan”

Built to Spill’s three album run culminating in Keep It Like A Secret is one my very favorite peaks of any band, ever. Doug Martsch’s songs were all incredible, there was heart, catchiness, tons of surprises, it’s just incredible stuff. Not only that, but they were able to pull off tight pop songs and epic tunes with equal aplomb. My favorite is actually the middle record, Perfect From Now On, which is…uh, perfect. But they’re all tremendous records.

Five Songs, 7/13/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 13 Jul 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Wolves in the Throne Room, “Face In A Night Time Mirror - Part 1”

All four of the songs on the debut album from Wolves in the Throne Room go over 12 minutes. Although it’s very black metal, even from the beginning there were a lot of non-standard moves. The clean vocals on this track, for instance, not to mention the pastoral interlude. Metal has always played around with folk, and there have been other bands that have merged the sounds, but Wolves in the Throne room do a better job of that sort of thing than most.

Five Songs, 7/12/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 12 Jul 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Black Flag, “Loose Nut”

When I finally got around to listening to Black Flag, I didn’t really know much about the band other than they were a legendary hardcore band, and that was kind of it. I wandered into a record store and just bought one of the records, this one, kind of at random. Little did I know that outside of the classic Damaged, their discography is kind of a mess. Loose Nut doesn’t seem to be anybody’s favorite Black Flag record, coming as it did during an extremely productive time for the band, with all the records in this period suffer a bit from kind of stretching things out. At this remove, I’m still of that opinion. Damaged and My War are the ones breaking new ground, and the rest of them are pretty hit-or-miss.

Five Songs, 7/11/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 11 Jul 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Pallbearer, “Over & Over”

This song comes from the 2016 single Fear & Fury, which was released after their breakthrough record, Foundations of Burden. It was a wise piece of striking while the iron is hot. Pallbearer plays doom metal, heavy and reliant on plodding tempos, and managed to kind of crossover by being fairly accessible due to the clean vocals. This stuff is pretty good, and I like it in the right mood, and Pallbearer does it as well as anybody does.

Five Songs, 7/10/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 10 Jul 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Boris, “Flower Sun Rain”

This comes to us from Smile, the US version, because Boris being Boris, there are different versions of this record with different track lists for different countries. I’m not a completist on this, and so I’ll just declare the US version is the best (inasmuch as it is the one I have). But enough of that, is it a good album? Of course it is, Boris doesn’t make bad albums. It’s more on their noisier side, coming on the heels of their most accessible record, but I like the noise.

Five Songs, 7/9/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 09 Jul 2021 19:00:00 +0000

They Might Be Giants, “Birdhouse In Your Soul”

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

When I die, and you cut my brain open (which I’m sure somebody will), you’ll hear a tiny echo of this song.

Devo, “Be Stiff”

From their landmark Freedom of Choice, which is a hell of a rock album, the one where they added enough synth pop into their sound to break through. But ignore “Whip It”, subtract it from the album, and the album would still smoke.

Five Songs, 7/8/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 08 Jul 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Rancid, “Time Bomb”

I sincerely wish that Rancid made more songs like this. It’s just such fun! Who is against this? Other than Rancid, I mean.

Mudhoney, “No End In Sight”

Have we had a lot of Mudhoney recently? It seems like we have. I’m not going to check, though, that would be against the Mudhoney Creed. Which I just made up.

Anyway, not going to analyze this one too deep, this is just a pure ripper in the classic Mudhoney mode. I’ll shut up and you enjoy it.

Five Songs, 7/7/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 07 Jul 2021 19:00:00 +0000

False, “Saturnalia”

The opening to the 2015 album from False (called Untitled, the same as their first EP, because fuck you!), featuring their blend of black metal with other elements like thrash. The stretch around 1:30-2, for example, is pretty thrash-y. The middle section of the song is pretty doom-y. These kinds of passages are a nice change of pace from just the crush of black metal.

Hüsker Dü, “Chartered Trips”

Hüsker Dü’s 1984 double-album Zen Arcade was a monumental landmark in the rock underground. It’s hard to really call it a hardcore album at this point, it’s really moved far beyond it, but so many bands after this would try and sound this good. Everything is still super loud, but the songwriting has stretched much farther than the first couple records indicated they were capable of.

Five Songs, 7/6/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 06 Jul 2021 19:00:00 +0000

The Avalanches, “Running Red Lights (feat. Rivers Cuomo & Pink Siifu)”

The anarchic and sweet pop of the Avalanches is usually at its best when it’s barrelling along, swirling and shimmering. You know when it is not at its best? When Rivers Cuomo shows up for some reason.

New Order, “All The Way”

I think Technique is the record when New Order really shook off the last vestiges of Joy Division. It’s fully a bouncy pop record, danceable and charming. Because of that, it’s probably my favorite record of those outside of Movement.

Five Songs, 7/5/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 05 Jul 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Pardoner, “Uncontrollable Salvation”

Another cut from the first Pardoner album, which is just a delightful rock discovery from a few years back. I went in totally blind, just a single review I’d read, and it hits me just right. There’s the right amount of stank on the guitars, the tempo drives nice, it’s just good stuff all around.

Earth, Wind & Fire, “Reasons”

So smooth. The lights in the room just spontaneously dimmed here.

Five Songs Special, 7/4/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 04 Jul 2021 19:00:00 +0000

I wanted to do a special, and decided to search for “explosion” in my library. That turns out to be an album from Explosions in the Sky and a whole shitload of Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. And so, fuck it, here’s five random Jon Spencer Blues Explosion tracks! Happy 4th!

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, “Train #2”

I think I’ve told this story before, but one summer, my job included about a month stretch where I pulled staples from telephone poles. All day long, just moving from telephone pole to telephone pole with a screwdriver. It was miserable, the summer Spokane sun beating down on me as I wrecked my wrists digging into those hateful things. Sometimes, my screwdriver would slip, and I’d drag my knuckles into the splintered surface. The only nice thing I can say for it is that I worked alone, and was able to smuggle headphones in under my hardhat (required by safety rules because I was working next to a road, as if the hardhat was going to save me when someone plowed over me in their F-150) despite the rules against it. Mostly, I listened to the same handful of albums over and over, one of which was Extra Width. This album kept me sane that summer, and a certain dusty heat has clung to it in my memory as a consequence.

Five Songs, 7/3/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 03 Jul 2021 19:00:00 +0000

The White Stripes, “Conquest”

Probably the most out-there song on Icky Thump, this flamenco goof is not only stylistically funny, but also happens to be a cover, making it another outlier on the record. It’s pretty fun, though.

They Might Be Giants, “Weep Day”

This is from Mightathon, a compilation of b-sides and non-album tracks from their early years, roughly around Lincoln. There’s some great stuff on this disc, many of which also appear on other comps, so it mostly can be skipped. I’m not sure it’s really very readily available these days anyway.

Five Songs, 7/2/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 02 Jul 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Arsonists, “Language Arts”

The Arsonists did their own production, which makes things like flipping these strings here so well all the more impressive. They never really got much attention at the time, but this kind of throwback stuff still sounds pretty fresh.

The Skoidats, “Last Night”

Ska punk, leaning heavily on the punk end of things, out of Missoula. They put out a couple records in the late 90s and then disappeared with most of the rest of the scene. It’s ok enough, as these things go, but can probably be skipped.

Five Songs, 7/1/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 01 Jul 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Doc Hopper, “She’s a Cokehead”

Canadian pop punk band Doc Hopper is really following in the footsteps of many other bands, especially Screeching Weasel here. Ask Your Mom is a really solid record, but this one (Zigs, Yaws and Zags) is just fine.

Zoom, “Flunkie”

This record, the 1992 self-titled release from Lawrence, Kansas rock band Zoom, was one of my white whales for a long time. I used to play the album on my radio show pretty often, but never picked up a copy for myself. By the time I realized that I hadn’t gotten around to it, they were almost impossible to find. I just got in the habit of checking the “Z” section of every record store I went in, in the hopes that maybe a copy of this album would show up. Their followup record, Helium Octopede, was not too hard to track down, but this one eluded me. Eventually, Megan finally found a copy of it, and I was reunited. In the intervening years, the stature of the record had built up in my mind. Could it live up to those memories?

Five Songs, 6/30/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 30 Jun 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Gojira, “The Shooting Star”

Technical death band Gojira took a little bit different approach on 2016’s Magma, where they actually slowed it down a little sometimes and have things approaching melody at times. It’s easily their most accessible album, but they’re good enough that simplifying their sound a little doesn’t spoil the proceedings. That’s not to say it’s not a very loud album, but it’s not the same kind of insanity as some of their earlier stuff.

Five Songs, 6/29/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 29 Jun 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Scratch Acid, “She Said”

In the mid-80s, Scratch Acid helped for the noise rock scene in America, taking the racket that the Birthday Party was kicking out and taking it another step further. Scratch Acid also provided half of the Jesus Lizard, which is certainly notable enough for any band. All of Scratch Acid’s work (one LP and one EP) are collected on The Greatest Gift, which is a must for any noise rock fan.

Five Songs, 6/28/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 28 Jun 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Dire Omen, “Malkuth”

I’m not entirely sure where this came from. Discogs says it was a 2018 release, and by then, I’ve been buying virtually all of my music on Bandcamp. But Bandcamp says I don’t own this. So, I dunno? Let’s listen together…pretty murky. Doesn’t particularly grab me. Oh well!

Courtney Barnett, “City Looks Pretty”

Everybody loved Barnett’s first album, your humble host included. Her proper followup, Tell Me How You Really Feel, doesn’t have quite the impact as the first one. It’s certainly still good, but it doesn’t have the same kind of outsider edge as the first album.

Five Songs, 6/27/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 27 Jun 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Mudhoney, “It Is Us”

If you got off the Mudhoney train back in the early 90s, you’re in good company. But it’s worth taking a look at their later catalog - they’ve got five studio albums after the 90s, and they range from solid to excellent. Under a Billion Suns is one of the very good ones, but not the best (that’s The Lucky Ones). But give it a whirl!

Five Songs, 6/26/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 26 Jun 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Steely Dan, “Change Of The Guard”

Steely Dan has such an interesting reputation. Unlike so many of their contemporaries, they’ve retained a cachet among music fans, and continue to be talked about in positive terms by so many folks. It’s not that it’s not deserved, it’s just not entirely clear why they haven’t just been thrown away as old fart music like so many other bands.

A Tribe Called Quest, “Electric Relaxation”

One of my forever bands and forever records.

Five Songs, 6/25/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 25 Jun 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Altar of Plagues, “Feather and Bone”

Altar of Plauges didn’t last very long, producing three albums, but the last two of those are masterpieces of metal. Fusing black metal with post-rock aesthetics, rooted in a willingness to let a song stretch out and breathe, I’d actually recommend the third Altar of Plagues album (Teethed Glory and Injury) to someone who wanted to give uncompromising black metal an honest try. However, I actually think their second record (Mammal, which gives us today’s track) is slightly better. It’s just a lot to take in, with only four tracks, the shortest of which is 8:17. But if you have the patience, and meet it on its terms, it’s brilliant stuff.

Five Songs, 6/24/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 24 Jun 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Palace Brothers, “You Will Miss Me When I Burn”

A repeat, but remains a lovely tune.

Fuck The Facts, “Shadows Collide”

Long running Canadian grindcore artists Fuck the Facts cranked out Desire Will Rot in 2015, producing an album that is interesting not just because of the stretches of blast fury, but thanks to the interludes in-between. I find grindcore more interesting when it provides those moments of contrast, it helps the crazy tempos stand out even more.

Five Songs, 6/23/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 23 Jun 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Ulthar, “Through Downward Dynasties”

Periodically, I kind of take a step back and really try and focus on some of the stuff I listen to, and this is utterly ridiculous. Why do I like any death metal? This is bonkers!

The Beautiful South, “You Keep It All In”

The first Beautiful South record is the peak that the band hasn’t ever really approached since. The later records were certainly pleasant enough, and it’s all nice to listen to, but there’s enough of an edge to the songwriting on the first record that it stands out from the rest. That mix of sweet and sour is an important dynamic, and they manage it at times later on, but never as consistently.

Five Songs, 6/22/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 23 Jun 2021 04:30:00 +0000

The Beatles, “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da”

Ob-la-di, ob-la-da, blog goes on!

The Du-Rites, “Bite It”

A thing that must be a delight about being an instrumental funk band is coming up with song titles. “Bite It”, that’s outstanding!

Eagles of Death Metal, “Secret Plans”

Heart On finds the Eagles of Death Metal not exactly taking things seriously, but taking things more seriously than the previous records. The previous albums sounded totally like tongue-in-cheek satires, albeit well-executed ones. This one feels more like it’s a genuine love letter to glam rock than it is a send-up of it. I’m not sure I like it better, though.

Five Songs, 6/21/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 21 Jun 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Superchunk, “Mower”

Unlike with OutKast, I have a lot of trouble picking my favorite Superchunk album. No Pocky For Kitty was the first album I bought, and it’s top notch, and it’s a sentimental pick. Here’s Where The String Come In has Superchunk at their best blend of their energy and more mature songwriting, and it’s a fantastic record. And then there’s On The Mouth, today’s album, which is just rock solid back-to-front. I think it’s probably my most frequent pick, but I really do swap around quite a bit.

Five Songs, 6/20/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 20 Jun 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Mombu, “Orichas”

Mombu!!! [honking intesifies]

Bedhead, “The Unpredictable Landlord”

You know, a thing I do very little here is look at the lyrics of songs. That’s largely because I don’t really pay any attention to them. I like that they’re there, and I even learn to sing along to songs, but I don’t really pay any attention to what they’re saying mostly. Is lyrics blindness a thing?

Russian Circles, “Kohokia”

So, whatever! Let’s lose the lyrics! Thanks, Russian Circles! This song is about…uh, [googles Kohokia] a Russian Circles song.

Five Songs, 6/19/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 19 Jun 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Glorior Belli, “The Great Southern Darkness”

Glorior Belli are a black metal band out of France, but they fuse in a lot of other things to their sound. Like, for instance, the opening of this is really kind of a Soundgarden song. But, I’m not sure it all works. Like, when they pivot to the metal vocals here, it seems really forced. This album doesn’t really do it for me.

Five Songs, 6/18/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 18 Jun 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Whiskeytown, “16 Days”

Ryan Adams’ first foray into country, the first Whiskeytown record is alt-country only in the sense that it wasn’t made for pop-country radio. Other than that, it’s a country record in every sense. It’s a pretty good record, but I don’t find it as compelling as other alt-country acts, so it doesn’t get played very often.

The Du-Rites, “The Mean Machine”

Among the many reasons to love the Du-Rites is that they produce a steady stream of singles, which all consistently smoke. This is the a-side to one of those 7"s, and come on, that’s tasty.

Five Songs, 6/17/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 17 Jun 2021 19:00:00 +0000

The Orb, “Blue Room [Edit]”

The Orb’s U.F.Orb was a big hit for ambient house, which is still a relative measure, but still. Like all electronic albums that got big, there were a host of remix singles and things that were put out. This comes from one of those singles, and is a tidy 3:12 mix of the song. This same single includes a 40:00 mix of the song, in case you wanted more. You can simulate it by playing this track thirteen times in a row.

Five Songs, 6/16/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 16 Jun 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Neutral Milk Hotel, “Song Against Sex”

In The Aeroplane Over The Sea is a record that sort of became a shibboleth among indie dorks, the sort of thing you had to pledge allegience to in order to fit in among certain crowds. Or make fun of, to piss off those indie dorks. But mostly, people don’t talk about the first Neutral Milk Hotel record, On Avery Island, which to my ears is pretty comparable. Sure, the second album is better, but I don’t think it’s so MUCH better to explain the different reputations.

Five Songs, 6/15/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 15 Jun 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Run the Jewels, “Early (feat. BOOTS)”

I still think Run The Jewels 2 is the best album from them. In fact, let’s do this!

Run The Jewels 2 RTJ4 R.A.P. Music (aka RTJ 0) Run the Jewels 3 Run the Jewels Meow the Jewels

Broham, “Nothing In Common”

Oh man, that is sweet. Listen to that bass! The horns!

Baby Elephant, “Turn My Teeth Up!”

Baby Elephant is eccentric genius Prince Paul teaming up with funk legend Bernie Worrell for an album of off-kilter funk. Worrell is incapable of not sounding like a million bucks, and Prince Paul is, as mentioned a sentence ago, a genius. So, this album rules.

Five Songs, 6/14/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 14 Jun 2021 19:00:00 +0000

The Flaming Lips, “Turn It On”

I tend to listen to the albums from Soft Bulletin on more than anything, but that’s kind of a mistake. The Ronald Jones albums (he left after Clouds Taste Metallic) are a different beast than the more symphonic stuff later, but that extra crunch goes really nice. This is a great tune! Now, if you go prior to In A Priest Driven Ambulence, you’re really getting some dodgy stuff, but this era (this is the opener to 1993’s Transmissions From the Satellite Heart) has lots to recommend it.

Five Songs, 6/13/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 13 Jun 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Astronoid, “Resin”

We’ve frequently talked here about the blurry space between black metal and shoegaze, and some of the bands occupying that liminal space. There’s a fair bit of distance to travel between My Bloody Valentine and Bathory, mind you, but because they do exist on something of a continuum, most of the spots in-between are viable. So, today, we have Astronoid: those drums and rhythms are pretty metal, but the dreamy vocals and triumphant tilt to the music is very shoegaze. This record really very much sits at the midpoint, I’d say.

Five Songs, 6/12/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 12 Jun 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Crudbump, “My Dick’s On The Phone [Explicit]”

I don’t normally include the “[Explicit]” tags on songs, but I think you all need that warning when we’re facing something as nasty as Crudbump.

Has-Lo, “Got My Mind”

This is from Has-Lo’s tribute to Prince Paul, The Paul Tape, an instrumental record in the style of the legendary producer. And if anybody hasn’t encountered it yet, Open Mike Eagle’s podcast, What Had Happened Was, is tremendous and has an entire season with Prince Paul.

Five Songs, 6/11/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 11 Jun 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Freddie Gibbs & Madlib, “Massage Seats”

We’ve had a lot of Madlib around here, in a bunch of different projects. In 2014, he got together with Freddie Gibbs, the upcoming gangsta rapper who also was comfortable as an underground MC. That collaboration, Piñata, was one of my favorite Madlib records ever (which is really saying something). The pairing felt natural, with Madlib’s gritty, fractured beats complementing Gibbs’s flows perfectly. This track is from the followup, Bandana, which is just as good, although because it was the second it doesn’t have the factor of surprise working for it. Both albums are very highly recommended.

Five Songs, 6/10/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 10 Jun 2021 19:00:00 +0000

The Hit Pack, “Never Say No To Your Baby”

A Motown track from 1965, the heavy horns here really sound a little more like Stax than like Motown, especially from 1965.

Rufus Thomas, “Funky Mississippi”

Yeah, see, those horns!

DJ Vadim, “Your Revolution”

DJ Vadim’s second album, U.S.S.R. Life From The Other Side, found the abstract hip-hop producer working with MCs on most of the tracks, which largely was an improvement. I think abstract hip-hop can sometimes get a little lazy, and having to make sure things will work with someone actually rapping makes sure that he tightens things up.

Five Songs, 6/9/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 09 Jun 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Fifteen, “Petroleum Distillation”

Fifteen is the successor band to Crimpshrine, who were one of the seminal bands of the entire Gilman/Lookout scene in California. Crimpshrine splintered, yielding Operation Ivy, the legendary Cometbus zine, and Fifteen. As you can hear, this is very much right in the middle of that Lookout sound, all melodic punk in the vein of Stiff Little Fingers. Quite enjoyable if you’re into this style.

Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet, “Good Cop Bad Cop”

The Shadowy Men would become famous as the band who provided the theme song and much of the music for the Kids in the Hall. But to me, they’ll always remind me of my friends Drew and Alex in college, and specifically Alex’s dorm where I first encountered them. They were really the first instrumental band I fell in love with, and one of the key ways I started broadening my taste. I’m glad that it still sounds great to me, and cherish the ability of this album to transport me back to that time.

Five Songs, 6/8/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 08 Jun 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Isotope 217, “Kryptonite Smokes The Red Line”

Is it post-rock or jazz? Half of the band is from Tortoise, so that’s a big post-rock vote. But, they have multiple horns! So, jazz? But Godspeed You! Black Emperor have multiple horns, right? [checks] Hmm, only one listed. I’m going to say that more than one horn makes you into jazz. Gonna have to see if the horn rule holds up.

Noname, “Regal”

Noname is from Chicago, and first gained some fame working with Chance the Rapper. Her 2018 album, Room 25, is fantastic - jazzy, smooth, she has great delivery, it’s a real delight.

Five Songs, 6/7/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 08 Jun 2021 04:30:00 +0000

The Adjusters, “Armstrong”

The Adjusters were a ska/soul act out of Chicago, who managed a couple albums before the ska scene imploded, but hung around with a couple more albums with much more narrow distribution. They also wore their left politics on their sleeve, and brought a lot of genuine passion to things. This tune comes from their most effective album, Before The Revolution, where their eclectic influences came together well.

Five Songs, 6/6/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 06 Jun 2021 19:00:00 +0000

The Pietasters, “Crying Over You”

I’m of the opinion that the Pietasters really fell off hard after Oolooloo, driven among other things by Stephen Jackson’s vocals getting much more gruff and the band really starting to emphasize rock more and more. That said, there are still some fun tunes on their later records, such as this one from Awesome Mix Tape #6.

Nine Inch Nails, “The Big Come Down”

The Downward Spiral was a leap forward in complexity for Nine Inch Nails, as Trent Reznor really made use of a much broader set of tools. But I don’t think it’s his best record. I think that goes to The Fragile, the eventual follow-up that emerged as a double record and again makes another leap ahead. If nothing else, there’s more of it, and when the quality is this high, that matters. He wouldn’t ever quite hit these heights again, although there are plenty of excellent albums in the future.

Five Songs, 6/5/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 05 Jun 2021 19:00:00 +0000

The Meters, “Funky Miracle”

Mostly, when we get a funk track on here, I just pull the textual equivalent of a stink face. “Goddamn,” I’ll say, or “holy shit” or some other incoherent blurt. It conveys nothing about the music other than my elemental appreciation for it. I’d like to apologize for my limitations as a writer here. I don’t really know what I’m doing, or even why I’m doing it. I just like being connected to my music a little bit more, and this blog is a way to do that. And, if I may add: godDAMN.

Five Songs, 6/4/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 04 Jun 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Irata, “Weightless”

I don’t really remember where I heard about this record, 2019’s Tower, but this rocks. But there’s some real Torche vibes going on here, and that’s a fine thing. This is good! I like this! Nice work, past Josh!

Don Caballero, “You Drink A Lot Of Coffee For A Teenager”

Hey, this past Memorial Day (I know this, because I’m writing this entry ON Memorial Day and I thought this today), I was thinking “huh, my oldest is at the age when I picked up a coffee habit”. So, yeah, I sure did drink a lot of coffee for a teenager. Mostly while playing cards in diners. An excellent pursuit that I heartily recommend.

Five Songs, 6/3/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 03 Jun 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Xasthur, “Purgatory Spiral”

Another track from Xasthur, the weird experimental metal act that I ended up with courtesy of a Hydra Head grab bag. It’s not really, uh, my bag.

Converge, “Sadness Comes Home”

All We Love We Leave Behind is my favorite Converge record, where their hardcore reached a pinnacle of bananas complexity that it ends up being compulsively listenable. It’s sometimes the case that hardcore bands lose their edge as they go, as increased polish starts exposing simple songs and reveals all the flaws. It’s a rare hardcore band that gets better as they go, but Converge managed that.

Five Songs, 6/2/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 02 Jun 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Japandroids, “The House That Heaven Built”

Everything about Celebration Rock is just unabashedly turned up to 11. It was impossible for me to not be absolutely charmed to death by it. It was deliberately written to be full of songs that would be massive played live, so the songs were kept simple and pumped just full of big moments. It’s not sophisticated, but it absolutely works.

Neurosis, “Grey”

Maybe the most incongruous record on Lookout Records, certainly the one I think of when I think of something standing out. After a pretty standard hardcore record on Alternative Tentacles, Neurosis put out this album that finds them really transitioning from that hardcore band into the progressive metal powerhouse that would help shape the metal world in the mid 90s. It’s something of a curiosity, but if you’re a big fan of the band and are wondering where you first see their potential, it’s on The Word As Law.

Five Songs, 6/1/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 01 Jun 2021 19:00:00 +0000

They Might Be Giants, “They’ll Need A Crane”

This song is a great example of how John Linnell is capable of writing a bouncy, charming song that nevertheless has a melancholy core to it. He usually bangs out at least one of those on each record, and there’s always some turn of phrase in them that really sticks with me. “There’s a restaurant we should check out / where the other nightmare people like to go / I mean nice people / Baby wait / I didn’t mean to say nightmare” just runs through my head all the time. Lincoln is real good, y’all.

Five Songs, 5/31/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 31 May 2021 19:00:00 +0000

It was wobbly a few times there, but another month in the books. As always, thanks for sticking with me here!

BIG|BRAVE, “Do.No.Harm.Do.No.Wrong.Do.No.Harm.Do.No.Wrong.Do.No.Harm.Do.No.Wrong”

If you were just given the data above, the name of this song and the name of this band, I wonder how close you’d get to guessing that it sounds like this kind of abrasive drone? I think I’d guess something pretty outré, at any rate, so I might get pretty close to “early Swans, I guess?” But that’s easy for me to say, I already knew what this sounded like.

Five Songs, 5/30/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 30 May 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Black Eyes, “Deformative”

Always enjoy songs that sounds like somebody set the wrong speed on the turntable.

Filibuster, “Fat Cat”

Well, here’s a real rarity for you. This album came out in 1995, pretty early in the third wave of ska, and I had totally forgotten about it until now. I can usually pull up some details about all these forgotten third wave acts, your Articles and Los Hooligans or whoever, but folks? I got absolutely nothing. Not bad, though!

Five Songs, 5/29/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 30 May 2021 04:50:12 +0000

Johnny Cash, “Cocaine Blues”

If you’ve got a blog, just a-read it to me.

Ivy Sole, “You Don’t Know My Name”

Ivy Sole is out of Philadelphia, and this song comes from her excellent debut Eden. I came across this record thanks to one of the Bandcamp spotlight emails, which are always a good source of learning about artists.

Ernie Hines, “Electrified Love”

Ernie Hines’s Electrified was a somewhat forgotten album released on Stax in 1972 until it was resurrected by hip-hop producers, which brought it to new audiences. It’s a fine album, and this lead track gives you an idea of what you’re in for.

Five Songs, 5/28/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 28 May 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Renegade Soundwave, “Murder Music”

I will always group Renegade Sounwave with Pop Will Eat Itself in my brain, and it’s almost impossible to separate them. But, if you’ve heard both bands, I think you can hear what I’m hearing. If you cannot, don’t tell me! I don’t care!

Silkworm, “Garden City Blues”

My library of bands I could compare people to back when I picked up this album in 1994 was fairly limited, and my big thought when I listened to this was “geez, Pavement much?” And, I suppose in my defense, this song still sounds pretty Pavement-y to my ears. That description sells Silkworm very short, of course, but when this was the first song on the record, I’m going to go ahead and let Young Josh off the hook.

Five Songs, 5/27/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 27 May 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Gorilla Biscuits, “High Hopes”

Gorilla Biscuits were one of the most influential hardcore bands, and their self-titled record set the stage for Start Today, which inspired tons of followers. This song, from that self-titled record, is a good example of how they were still pretty raw, but you could really hear the potential. Because this is still pretty straight-forward, it’s aged pretty well.

Prefuse 73, “Expressing Views is Obviously Illegal”

The third Prefuse 73 record, Surrounded by Silence, found Scott Herren starting to really branch out from the micro-samples and glitchy stuff that really made his name. He had a bunch of guest rappers on the record and generally tried to broaden his sonic palette. That said, there were still plenty of tracks that sounded like his classic sound, like this one.

Five Songs, 5/26/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 26 May 2021 19:00:00 +0000

The Shins, “New Slang”

I sort of mentally lumped the Shins in with a bunch of other indie bands (like Death Cab) as being “fine, but not for me”. Who had the time to differentiate all these bands? It wasn’t actually until I found “For A Fool” on Rocksmith and had such a good time playing it that I paid more attention, and hey - turns out I actually really like the Shins. We wander into the music we like through a lot of different ways, and it always pays to keep your ears open.

Five Songs, 5/25/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 25 May 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Pixies, “Here Comes Your Man”

A classic. Also a member of the group of songs where I can play both the bass and drums for it.

Fugazi, “Waiting Room (version)”

Another classic! Sounding like my dorm room in here today. Except this isn’t from 7 Songs, it’s the demo version from First Demo, which is a huge amount of fun if you’re a big Fugazi fan. Which I am!

Andrew Bird, “Polynation”

Goddamn! Really hitting some of my favorite artists here! However, this is a just a little interstitial tune from Break It Yourself.

Five Songs, 5/24/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 24 May 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Claude Fontaine, “Pretending He Was You”

Claude Fontaine’s self-titled 2019 album is a mix of reggae and a few other musical styles, such as the bossa nova of this track. It’s a charming record, helped considerably by her hiring Jamaican musicians who are deeply familiar with the music as her backing band. It’s an album that could easily have come off as inauthentic, but ends up working quite well.

Czarface & Ghostface Killah, “Powers and Stuff”

Czarface is Inspectah Deck (from the Wu-Tang Clan) and Esoteric, here teaming up for an album-length collaboration with Ghostface. As with most of Wu-related records, it’s very listenable, because the formula is so strong. Ghostface is great, of course, and the Czarface MCs are solid, so this ends up being a fun album.

Five Songs, 5/23/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 23 May 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Intronaut, “The Pleasant Surprise”

I’ve engaged in a fair bit of introspection around progressive metal around here. I suspect it’s because the music is sufficiently ambitious that it invites us to engage with it seriously and think about it. Today, instead, I’m going to take a step back and try and instead answer a different, much more visceral question with regard to this song, instead of the usual navel gazing: does it rock? Reader: this song rocks.

Five Songs, 5/22/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 22 May 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Skinny Puppy, “Killing Game”

This is what passes for a tender song from Skinny Puppy. It works probably way better than it should, which really shows how good cEvin Key and Dave Ogilvie were at their jobs. Last Rights was the last album from them before they went on hiatus, and it’s an excellent one. I haven’t actually listened to any of their records after this one, I wonder if they are any good.

Five Songs, 5/21/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 21 May 2021 19:00:00 +0000

U.S. Maple, “Rice Ain’t Afraid Of Nothing”

A thing about U.S. Maple is that they frequently sounded like they were playing three different songs at the same time. It legitimately sounds like they got their wires crossed while playing, but then it kind of comes into focus and you realize it was all deliberate. It’s very difficult to sound this chaotic on purpose.

Metallica, “Confusion”

Metallica’s throwback to their heyday began with 2008’s Death Magnetic, but 2016’s Hardwired…To Self-Destruct is the record that really brought things back. There’s no way for Metallica to really capture the fury of Master of Puppets at this point in their career, but they can certainly try and write songs in that vein. It’s certainly a decent album, but it kind of lacks a spark. There’s monster riffage all over the album, but it just doesn’t sink its hooks in.

Five Songs, 5/20/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 20 May 2021 19:00:00 +0000

They Might Be Giants, “Critic Intro”

This is the intro to Giants Jubilee, which is a comp album containing b-sides, EP tracks, and demos from the early years of the band. While there are some fun things on here, it’s really only for completists.

SPK, “Retard”

Uh, sorry about the song title here. I don’t really know what to do about this kind of thing, so I just leave it as is and trust my audience. Anyway, SPK were an industrial noise act led by Graeme Revell, who would go on to a long and successful career scoring films. Like a lot of early industrial acts, the ugliness was the point. There was little attempt to make this stuff appealing, it was all created as a way to get emotional reactions from people.

Five Songs, 5/19/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 19 May 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Consolidated, “This Is A Collective”

You know, if Consolidated had gotten rolling now instead of back in the early 90s, there would have been some Serious Discourse about them. Not just engaging with the politics of the band, but also probably a bunch of stuff around if what they are doing is cultural appropriation. I’m making up this whole thing and still making myself mad!

Ryan Porter, “The Psalmist”

Given how much I like ska and the horns in soul music, it should surprise nobody that this kind of thing is absolutely my jam.

Five Songs, 5/18/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 18 May 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Mary Timony, “Poison Moon”

This is Mary Timony’s first solo record, and you can kind of hear some pointers towards where here work would head, both with Wild Flag and Ex Hex. There’s more of a new wave feeling to some of this, and less of the indie feel of things. It’s a transitional record, but still very good.

LCD Soundsystem, “call the police”

LCD Soundsystem noisily retired in 2011, making a big deal out of their last show at Madison Square Garden and then riding off into the sunset. Until, of course, they returned in 2017 with a new album. New York, I Love You, But You’re Getting Ripped Off.

Five Songs, 5/17/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 18 May 2021 05:10:24 +0000

Boris, “Spoon”

2011 was an insanely productive year for Boris, with four albums showing up that year, all of them being unusual in some way from their standard. To the extent that Boris has a standard. Anyway, this is from New Album, which continues in the grand tradition of Boris albums being named things that are a pain in the ass (one of the other 2011 albums was called Heavy Rocks, which is the second time they’ve named an album that). At any rate, New Album is sort of a remix, with much of the material here being reworked songs from Heavy Rocks (2011) and Attention Please (another of the 2011 releases). If this is all confusing, welcome to the Boris discography!

Five Songs, 5/16/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 17 May 2021 05:33:09 +0000

Can-i-bus, “Get Retarded”

Hoo boy.

Steroid Maximus, “Quilombo”

Love that upright bass! We’ve had Steroid Maximus before, but this is one of J.G. Thirlwell’s (Foetus, Wiseblood, Manorexia, Clint Ruin, etc) many aliases. Steroid Maximus is all instrumental, tending towards jazz and cinematic stuff. It’s excellent, and this track gives a great sense for what you’d be in for.

The Slackers, “Don’t Forget The Streets”

From the excellent 2008 album Self Medication, this is as good a self-summary of the band as they’re likely to serve up. By the time they hit this album, it was clear that the Slackers were survivors. They started during the boom years of the third wave, and then endured the collapse of their first label, the implosion of the scene, and the derision of music fans. And through it all, they kept cranking out great tunes.

Five Songs, 5/15/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 15 May 2021 19:19:01 +0000

Rocket From the Crypt, “Shy Boy”

We had a track from this album just a couple days ago, and I guess my opinion hasn’t changed in those two days. Still a good record, still not totally put together. This riff is a classic RFTC riff, though.

Firewater, “Another Perfect Catastrophe”

Nice of shuffle to give us a saxophone after hitting us with a sax-less RFTC track. This is a good example of their “wedding band gone wrong” aesthetic right here.

Five Songs, 5/14/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 14 May 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Pitchblende, “Flax”

Now, that’s a tune! Kinda wish they had left the vocals off, they’re pretty unnecessary here.

Pardoner, “My Sorry Ass”

A end-of-year list discovery from 2017, I didn’t know anything about this band before getting this record. But listen to that Pitchblende song (from 1993) and then this, and there’s just a straight line connecting them. This album rocks, in case it wasn’t clear.

Wick-it The Instigator, “Everlasting Shine Blockaz”

Here’s a fun one! Wick-it took Big Boi’s magnificent Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son Of Chico Dusty and combined it the the Black Keys’ Brothers, resulting in a very fun mash-up. Listen to this track and then you can immediately decide if it’s your thing or not.

Five Songs, 5/13/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 13 May 2021 19:00:00 +0000

X (Australia), “Suck Suck”

This is a punk band named X, but not THAT one. This one is from Australia, which is why Amphetamine Reptile credited them this way after re-issuing the record. This album came out in 1979, actually pre-dating the first album by the Los Angeles X, although the latter had already formed. Parallel evolution! Anyway, as you can hear, this is pretty aggressive stuff for the time, and is a solid early punk record. This is one of those records that was more inspirational than it was popular but is worth hunting down to listen to.

Five Songs, 5/12/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 12 May 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Polvo, “Every Holy Shround”

My current favorite burn for doofy looking middle-aged dudes who look a certain way is to say that they look like they have strong opinions about the best Archers of Loaf EP. (This is mostly a self-burn.) Anyway, I’m now currently considering updating that to the best Polvo EP, but I’m not sure that that’s appropriately controversial enough (it’s this one). And I just continue to burn myself.

Five Songs, 5/11/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 11 May 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Danny Weinkauf, “Champion of the Spelling Bee”

After the success of the They Might Be Giants kids albums, which included a few songs written by bassist Danny Weinkauf, he set out on his own and recorded a couple records in a similar vein. They’re pleasant enough, but by the time they were out, I didn’t really play them for the kids and so they’re just kind of in my collection.

Five Songs, 5/10/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 10 May 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Medeski, Martin and Wood, “Hey-Hee-Hi-Ho”

If my search is to be trusted, there are about 102 blog posts on this site indicating that I don’t know shit about jazz. Sad that I’m so ignorant, given that I actually listen to a fair bit of it.

Calexico, “Black Heart”

My favorite Calexico record. If this song doesn’t grab you, I’m afraid to inform you that you’re hopeless.

Therapy?, “Nausea”

Therapy? was a band that kind of got tagged with an alternative metal label during the early 90s. It kind of makes sense - this isn’t as gritty as grunge, and it’s not robotic enough for industrial metal, but it also doesn’t really have any markers of any of the genres of metal going at the time. This is from Nurse, a record that got them signed to a major label. It’s a decent record, although I’ll confess I haven’t thought about this band in ages.

Five Songs, 5/9/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 09 May 2021 19:00:00 +0000

The Decemberists, “Billy Liar”

I think I still like Her Majesty, the Decemberists the best of their records. At least some of that is the halo effect of it being the first album of theirs that I picked up. I had skipped Castaways and Cutouts when it came out, but I was wandering in Sonic Boom records in Fremont (RIP) and was sufficiently charmed by the cover art to give this one a whirl. And from the moment I first heard that ship creaking, I was hooked. I think that probably Picaresque or The Crane Wife might be better, but whatever! This is my favorite!

Five Songs, 5/8/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 09 May 2021 04:12:45 +0000

Nitzer Ebb, “Shame”

Might get back into industrial dance again. I mean, sure, this shit is dumb as hell, but maybe that’s what the times demand. Get some Belgians yelling at me about vague Dystopian futures.

Cavity, “Spine I”

In case you were wondering what “Spine II” was a follow-up to.

Less Than Jake, “Johnny Quest (Thinks We’re Sellouts)”

Less Than Jake would regularly re-record songs for later albums, polishing up the previous version. It was an interesting habit because it clearly wasn’t for a lack of material - their albums were always a healthy length, and during their prime, they put things out regularly. So I think it was just a matter of them wanting to get things right. This song originally appeared on Pezcore, and they revived it for Losing Streak (this version) a year and a half later. I wonder why?

Five Songs, 5/7/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 07 May 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Arab Strap, “Flirt”

Folks, the streak of metal is over!

I wonder what proportion of my music library is various genres. I think just plain “rock” probably dominates, but I’d love to know what percentage is metal, rap, soul, ska, or whatever else. I wish I could trust the genre metadata on things.

Superchunk, “100,000 Fireflies”

This b-side comes to us from the “The Question Is How Fast” single. Superchunk took singles seriously from the beginning, all the way down to releasing actual 7" singles at a time when not many bands were doing that. As a result, their b-sides were always pretty good. Happily, they’ve done a good job of collecting these things together (this one makes it to Incidental Music: 91-95).

Five Songs, 5/6/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 06 May 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Wire, “Practice Makes Perfect”

The second Wire album, Chairs Missing, was a little less frenetic than the debut record. Many of the songs are given more room to develop, with a little bit more of a drone-y feeling to some of the songs. It’s still great, but it’s a different sort of record. This is how the record opens, setting the stage for how things would go.

Piss Vortex, “Abyss”

Hee hee, Piss Vortex. Sorry folks, couldn’t resist this band! A little grindcore never hurt anybody! (This is not true, lots of people have probably been hurt at grindcore shows.)

Five Songs, 5/5/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 06 May 2021 05:13:04 +0000

Simon & Garfunkel, “Cecilia”

I know that it is, literally, Boomer-ass music, but Bridge Over Troubled Water is really very good. Can I call this song a jam? I think it might be a jam.

The Scorpions & Saif Abu Bakr, “Forssa Saeeda فرصة سعيدة”

Speaking of jams! Also, it’s time for Petty Grievances With Josh: there was no way I was going to figure out how to type that, but stupid Plex won’t let me copy and paste song titles from it directly. I had to inspect the element in Chrome and copy it out of there! What kind of hell is this!

Five Songs, 5/4/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 04 May 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Touché Amoré, “To Write Content”

Touché Amoré is a bit of a genre Rorschach test: emo? Hardcore? Post-hardcore? All of them, I guess, and maybe folks will identify in whatever way that fits them into their tastes. Not me! I’ll identify them as whatever genre fits best with whatever through line I’m desperately trying to spot on any given day.

Krallice, “Wastes of Ocean”

Like…uh…maybe I could talk about the distinction between the speed of hardcore versus that of extreme metal, and how to my ears one of the distinctions is that the drumming often becomes almost unmoored from the guitars in extreme metal for long stretches, while hardcore is usually more locked in. Which is all kinda bullshit, but this blog is all just bullshit anyway. Moving on!

Five Songs, 5/3/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 03 May 2021 19:00:00 +0000

The Jesus Lizard, “Gladiator”

HELL YEAH MAN TIME TO GO BREAK STUFF FUCKIN’ LET’S GO GET DRUNK FUCK SHIT UP

Tha Alkaholiks, “Let It Out”

Tha Alkaholiks stood out from out other rap groups in the mid-90s in California by being mostly playful, in contrast to the dominant G-funk aesthetic at the time. E-Swift’s production also presented a different approach than the dense, deep funk jams of the time. This is from their second record, 1995’s Coast II Coast, which featured a whole bunch of fun guests (Madlib, Q-Tip, Xzibit, others), and is just a solid album.

Five Songs, 5/2/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 02 May 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Wolves in the Throne Room, “Permanent Changes in Consciousness”

This is what counts for an interstitial track for Wolves in the Throne Room. Only 1:54!

Gino Parks, “Don’t Say Bye Bye”

Meanwhile, Gino Parks cranks out an entire song with an actual structure in a tidy 1:51. It’s actually kind of funny to think about how far music has gone from 1960, and to think that you can actually draw a lineage between these two songs without much backtracking on the family tree.

Five Songs, 5/1/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 01 May 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Bark Psychosis, “A Street Scene”

Bark Psychosis’s first run consisted of this album, Hex, after which they broke up. They did reunite ten years later for another record, but I haven’t listened to it. This album is hard to characterize. It’s kind of dream pop and kind of post-rock, and it’s unabashedly ambitious which is always nice. The compositions are big and the arrangements even bigger. This blurring of genre boundaries and fearlessness about incorporating technology is something that was unusual in pop or rock at the time.

Five Songs, 4/30/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 30 Apr 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Another month in the books here! NOT BAD.

Boss Hog, “Winn Coma”

Straight-ahead rock from the most straight-ahead record Boss Hog made.

Krallice, “Inhume”

The third Krallice album, Diotima, was the last they did with Profound Lore before striking out on their own. It contains the usual elaborate black metal craziness, and while it’s good, it’s maybe the Krallice album that sticks with me the least.

Ulthar, “Undying Spear”

Shuffle is in a metal mood these last couple days. This is from the 2020 album Providence, and if you were wondering what black metal vs. death metal was like, these two tracks might help. The pounding riffs here are very death metal, as opposed to the tremelo picking madness of the Krallice song. The vocals here are kind of black metal, though.

Five Songs, 4/29/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 29 Apr 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Bob Marley, “Keep On Moving”

This comes from the second collection of Bob Marley’s singles collection, The Complete Bob Marley & The Wailers. The second collection is called Soul Revolution, and I think I generally prefer the previous volume on the whole. Of course, it’s all great, and it’s a shame these collections aren’t still in print, they’re excellent.

Explosions In The Sky, “The Birth And Death Of The Day”

I have to say, while I think that Godspeed You! Black Emperor is probably the platonic ideal of post-rock bands, this band/track name combo here is really incredible form. If you give these names to an informed music listener, they’re going to guess post-rock pretty much every time. It sounds exactly like you’d expect.

Five Songs, 4/28/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 28 Apr 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Phono-Comb, “Grip ’n’ Grin”

Phono-Comb is a successor band to the great Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet, which you probably guessed if you’re familiar with that band’s work. Two-thirds of the band (Don Pyle on drums and Reid Diamond on bass) played in the band, and their lone LP (1996’s Fresh Gasoline) is great. If you’re not familiar with the Shadowy Men, I just found out that Yep Roc has brought their three outstanding records back into print, and you need to go check them out now.

Five Songs, 4/27/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 27 Apr 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Pete Rock & CL Smooth, “For Pete’s Sake”

From the stone-cold classic Mecca And The Soul Brother, this song is typically excellent. Every song on this record hits hard, it’s incredible.

PJ Harvey, “Ascending”

squinting Yeah, I suppose that this IS an ascending track, isn’t it?

Thantifaxath, “The Bright White Nothing at the End of the Tunnel”

Sometimes, you just want black metal, unadulterated by other genres. We don’t always have to mix it up with everything else! Thantifaxath does that well, and this hits the spot.

Five Songs, 4/26/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 26 Apr 2021 19:00:00 +0000

The Emotions, “I Could Never Be Happy”

Late period Stax single here, which you can hear in that much more 70s funk sound. And of course, the production at this point is much richer than some of the earlier stuff.

The Slackers, “Feed My Girl Ska”

This comes from the 2007 album Boss Harmony Sessions, which is sort of a bit of an odd record from them. They have some originals, some arrangements of other people’s songs, and some songs written by other folks from the band than Vic Ruggiero. It’s tied together with an intro and outro by “Boss Harmony”, which I think is one of King Django’s (Skinnerbox) many aliases. At any rate, the Slackers are great, so this is a pleasant listen, but it’s not one of their top tier records.

Five Songs, 4/25/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 25 Apr 2021 19:00:00 +0000

DJ Logic, “Abyss”

My kids and I often joke about “dog logic”, where dogs try to reason about the world from their first principles, and it leads to some funny places. So now, I’m trying to figure out what are the axioms of DJ logic, and what the precepts you’d reach based on them. But it’s late, and my head hurts, so I can’t really follow this through to its conclusion.

Five Songs, 4/24/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 24 Apr 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Superchunk, “Precision Auto”

Superchunk’s No Pocky For Kitty is one of the records that really busted up my listening habits and helped broaden my tastes. That sounds stupid for someone that listened to a fair bit of punk prior to this, but it was pretty much all California punk. At any rate, I adored that record, and had high hopes for the followup. This is how it started, and my head was blown clean off.

Five Songs, 4/23/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 23 Apr 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Eddie Purrell, “The Spoiler”

There’s that early Stax sound here. Dig those Memphis Horns!

Otis Redding, “Let Me Come On Home”

Hell yeah! Stax/Volt forever, y’all!

Ghost Funk Orchestra, “Fuzzy Logic”

Staying super cool today, I see. Ghost Funk Orchestra play around in that funk/soul space, with their spin being a fair bit of psychedelia and jazz folded into the mix. It’s not a totally unique formula, but they handle it well, and there are some real cinematic elements to their sound that is super appealing.

Five Songs, 4/22/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 22 Apr 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Eddie Floyd, “Don’t Tell Your Mama (Where You’ve Been)”

We Love Song Titles (With Parentheticals)!

The Books, “Smells Like Content”

Can I engage in some old-fart bloviating? Of course I can, nobody else has the password to this site so nobody can stop me! The labeling of all videos as just “content” is really unfortunate. It signals a commodification of creative work that only serves the massive aggregators that control what we see, and yet people have willingly adopted the nomenclature. And lumping together criticism, reviews, buying guides, how-tos, and everything else together as just a homogonized slurry doesn’t even help viewers find what they want. I hate it!

Five Songs, 4/21/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 21 Apr 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Negativland, “I Am God”

It’s always kind of a difficult thing to categorize Negativland as music. Usually, they’re more performance art who happens to use audio as their medium. There are exceptions in their catalog, though. Escape From Noise has plenty of things on it that you can characterize as songs, fractured as most of them are. Free, their full album that followed up the whole U2 imbroglio, is maybe the most musical thing they’ve ever put together. Which isn’t to say it’s full of toe-tapping tunes. But hey, this song has a beat, and you can dance to it! Not bad for an album which is mostly a meditation on free will and freedom in general.

Five Songs, 4/20/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 20 Apr 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Mudhoney, “In My Finest Suit”

Ever the self-sabotaging band, Mudhoney found themselves on a major label during the grunge gold rush and released Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge, one of the least grunge-y records they ever released. Sales were not great, and by 1995, Kurt Cobain was dead and the grunge bubble was collapsing. So, of course, they headed back and released one of their MOST grunge-y records, My Brother The Cow. This song, for instance, would have sat comfortably on their self-titled record without anybody really noticing stylistic problems.

Five Songs, 4/19/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 20 Apr 2021 05:05:30 +0000

At The Drive-In, “Pattern Against User”

At The Drive-In is probably best known for one of their successor bands, the Mars Volta, but they also totally ruled. They were less prog-y than the Mars Volta, with more post-hardcore and straight up punk going on. But despite being more conventional, that doesn’t at all mean that the songs were uninteresting. This is from my favorite album by them, Relationship of Command, their final album (before the 2017 reunion).

Five Songs, 4/18/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 18 Apr 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Mastodon, “Black Tongue”

I spent a bunch of time with The Hunter last year, seeing if I could really get to the point of appreciating the record. It was a really big break with their previous two albums, and my initial reaction when it came out was that I didn’t care for new path. After that time spent, I can say that I still prefer the big prog-y compositions, but there’s a lot to like in this leaner album. It’s probably the right on-ramp to begin listening to Mastodon, truthfully.

Five Songs, 4/17/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 17 Apr 2021 19:00:00 +0000

James Plotkin, “Caught In Your Orbit”

Well, I don’t remember getting this one. It’s from 2002, old enough that I don’t think it was from a grab bag or anything. It does sound like the kind of thing that might have caught my attention, some kind of strange combination of grindcore and drum’n’bass. At any rate, this is pretty interesting, might put on the rest of this album after I’m done with this entry.

Five Songs, 4/16/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 20:53:33 +0000

Conjurer, “Blood and Thunder”

Conjurer followed up their excellent 2018 album Mire by doing a couple of collaborative records in 2019. They put out Curse These Metal Hands (which is great!) with Pijn, and then the record with today’s track, Conjurer x Palm Reader. It’s, uh, a split with Palm Reader. It’s just a four-song EP, with Conjurer contributing this cover of Mastodon’s song along with a cover of Slipknot’s “Vermillion”. It’s certainly an inessential record, but fun enough.

Five Songs, 4/15/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 15 Apr 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Happy birthday to me! I’m…more than 4 years old.

Labradford, “S”

There’s a lot I like about Labradford, and Mi Media Naranja in particular. And then it kicks of with “S”, that beautiful reverbed out guitar…and then you get that high pitched tone. And it drives me crazy. I wish it weren’t there! It’s unpleasant!

clown core, “flat earth”

I came across clown core through their absolutely insane videos (here’s the one for “flat earth”). But honestly, this kind of thing is really right up my alley. Sure, it’s avant-garde as hell, but it’s also goofy, the drumming is extreme, it’s noisy. Good stuff!

Five Songs, 4/14/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 14 Apr 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Happy birthday, Five Songs! Four years ago, I kicked this thing off. If I’m counting properly, this is entry 776. At least. It’s possible I missed a tag or two somewhere. That’s 3,880 songs! Approximately! Because I’m sure I’ve missed duplicates somewhere. But I did do 26 songs from the Melvins, which helps make up for it.

Anyway! It’s come and gone a bit, and I’m not sure how much longer I can keep up the updating every day pace. But I thank everybody who has tuned in to one of these, who has commented here or on Twitter, and just generally said kind words. It’s very appreciated when it’s acknowledged that somebody besides me is paying any attention. So thank you! And on to the tunes!

Five Songs, 4/13/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 13 Apr 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Rancid, “Ruby Soho”

As an unabashed Operation Ivy guy, I was always a little disappointed with Rancid. They always just seemed a little more dour, a little less tuneful, and a little less fun. That said, the album of Rancid’s that I like enough to listen to pretty often is …And Out Come The Wolves. Just listened to it earlier today, actually!

Clem Snide, “I Got High”

This song is from The Meat Of Life, which I think is the better of the two albums from the second incarnation of Clem Snide (the other being Hungry Bird). It’s a warm, comfortable album, with the usual sweet (and subtly dark) songs from Eef Barzelay. It’s not the album to start with, but it’s a solid record.

Five Songs, 4/12/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 12 Apr 2021 19:00:00 +0000

The Flaming Lips, “Once Beyond Hopelessness”

This is from the Lips’ Christmas On Mars, the soundtrack to their movie project, and it’s very much a soundtrack. As a result, it feels disconnected when you’re just listening to it, and it doesn’t really do a whole lot for me. The Lips can sometimes tend towards the abstract to begin with, and this album goes very far in that direction.

Arrested Development, “People Everyday”

This was the huge Arrested Development hit, featuring a hook borrowed from Sly and the Family Stone and a fun storytelling vibe. This album was huge, driven by this single, and then got completed wiped out by Dr. Dre taking gangsta rap to the top of the charts with The Chronic. At the time, critics lamented that this album represented a path not taken, but I think that really erases the direciton rap had already been heading. So instead, this is just kind of a footnote.

Five Songs, 4/11/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 11 Apr 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Son Lux, “Change is Everything”

Ryan Lott’s project Son Lux went from a one-man project to recording as a full band on Bones, and the resulting input of two more people has resulted in a more expansive and interesting album to me than the previous ones. There’s a lot of this that kind of gives off Flaming Lips vibes, honestly.

Uzeda, “What I Meant When I Called Your Name”

Noise rock out of Sicily, Uzeda have been active for 28 years and made only four albums and an EP in that time, a blistering pace that even Shellac have managed to best. Well, whatever, those albums are pretty excellent.

Five Songs, 4/10/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 10 Apr 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Palace Brothers, “I Tried To Stay Healthy For You”

This is from the first Palace Brothers album, when it was not at all clear exactly who Palace Brothers were or who was playing on the album. It turned out to be Will Oldham, of course, who played with the Palace moniker for a while before recording under his own name and then Bonnie “Prince” Billy. While I think he’d do better work later as he settled in, the starkness of the arrangements and the gloom of the lyrics result in a super effective album for setting a mood. (That mood is “bummer”.)

Five Songs, 4/9/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 09 Apr 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Monobody, “Country Doctor”

Monobody is one of those bands that has a real mismatch of names. For whatever reason, I don’t think this should be a math-rock/post-rock kind of band. “Monobody” seems like it should really be a garage rock outfit, all galloping guitars, distortion, and sneers. No horns should be involved.

Quelle Chris, “Guns”

The title track to his 2019 release, this was one of the best hip-hop albums released that year. The sort of dream-like production really sets off against the serious subject matter of the lyrics. A great album.

Five Songs, 4/8/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Hella, “Women of the 90’s”

I was chatting with my friend the other day about some of the absolutely bonkers drum videos you can watch these days, stuff that just seems totally impossible. And this makes me think I should go watch some videos of Zach Hill doing his thing.

Khemmis, “Torn Asunder”

Just some good ol’ heavy metal going on here. All fuzzed out guitar solos and shit. This should ideally be listened to in a custom van.

Five Songs, 4/7/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Nirvana, “About A Girl”

“About A Girl” might be the song on Bleach that would best fit in on Nevermind, which makes it a little surprising that it didn’t get a single release at the time. It did eventually make it out as a single, but from the Unplugged album.

Modest Mouse, “Fire It Up”

This is one of the standout songs on We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank, inasmuch as it’s one of the few songs on that record that my brain will occasionally just call up out of nowhere. That’s the real mark of quality, after all.

Five Songs, 4/6/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 06 Apr 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Parliament, “Testify”

Up For the Down Stroke is the record where George Clinton brought back the Parliament name and it represented the band going big on party friendly funk tunes. It’s the record where they really hit the big time, and the start of their essential records.

George Harrison, “Any Road”

Released posthumously, Brainwashed is the final record from Harrison, and the only one I’ve actually picked up. I’m not sure I’m really the audience for this, fundamentally. It’s pleasant enough, but not something I’m going to really throw on.

Five Songs, 4/5/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 05 Apr 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Killdozer, “New Pants and Shirt”

This is the opener of Twelve Point Buck, a pounding exercise in downtempo noise that really is a statement of purpose for the band. It can be a bit much in extended doses, and my copy of this album is actually a double album with Little Baby Buntin’, which is a lot of Killdozer at once.

The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, “Bellbottoms”

Extra Width was truly mind expanding for me, a record that I played over and over, and one of the sole things that kept me sane during one stretch of a summer job that involved pulling staples from telephone poles 40 hours a week for an entire month. And when I got Orange, slapped it on, and this thing melted my face? I couldn’t believe that they managed to top it. Thank YOU very much, JSBX!

Five Songs, 4/4/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 04 Apr 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Gaunt, “I Don’t Care”

I praise Gaunt pretty shamelessly on here, because they’re one of those bands (along with yesterday’s Hammerhead) that click perfectly with me. That, combined with the fact that they’re mostly forgotten today, makes me want to really push them on folks. But, I can’t make a better argument for Gaunt than what they’re making here today. This is just pure energy and tunefulness, and every bit of it makes me happy. I hope you love this song, I certainly do.

Five Songs, 4/3/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 04 Apr 2021 00:49:02 +0000

American Music Club, “Nightwatchman”

Speaking of night watchmen, we watched Night at the Museum with the kids last night, and I was kind of pleasantly surprised that the effects didn’t look too janky. I mean, sure, the whole premise was ridiculous, but I thought there was a good chance that it was going to look so stupid as to totally jar me out of things. But no, held up just fine as a family movie.

Five Songs, 4/2/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 02 Apr 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Future of the Left, “the male gaze”

This is a pretty straightforward song from Future of the Left, perhaps to kind of match the subject of the song.

The Delgados, “Accused of Stealing”

There’s another band that this is really reminding me of, and I’m totally unable to put my finger on it. That sensation, of a band or song remaining just outside of your grasp, is one of the most frustrating things for my brain. Super painful, and I don’t know how I can clear this one out.

Five Songs, 4/1/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 01 Apr 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Leatherface, “Mush”

Well, we’re back at Leatherface, and I once again confront my opinion that this basically sounds just like late 80s/early 90s southern California punk, except for the vocals. And I’m not wild about the vocals. We need to get Dave Smalley involved here!

Jesus Jones, “Right Here, Right Now”

I think it’s easy to be cynical about overnight successes and huge pop hits, especially when your taste sort of runs towards the less popular end of the pool. If you’re not really that much of a fan of popular genres, the simplest take is to just assume that popular songs are all pandering garbage, made by bloodless producers milking the latest fad for all its worth. And sure, there’s plenty of pre-fab trash that gets popular, but that cynical take is really a dead end. Who cares? Where does that cynicism lead you? If you don’t like pop music, you can just ignore it, but that’s true of any genre. The popularity or otherwise of a song does nothing to change its artistic merits, and the only question worth evaluating is what a song does for you or those around you.

Five Songs, 3/31/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 31 Mar 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Five months in a row of a daily updates every single day. I can’t keep this up forever, but I’m hoping the consistency is nice for folks out there. (looks at analytics) Well, a few of you, anyway.

Gauche, “Pay Day”

Gauche is a supergroup featuring members of Priests and Downtown Boys, playing new wave music in what sounds like nothing so much as an updated B-52s. I’m not really a huge new wave guy, but it’s hard not to have fun listening to rhythms this infectious.

Five Songs, 3/30/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 30 Mar 2021 19:00:00 +0000

YACHT, “I Love A Computer”

Aww, the computer loves you too, YACHT.

The Band, “I Shall Be Released”

The Band’s Music From The Big Pink seems like a super impressive debut album, but of course, they had been Dylan’s backing band, so they were not rookies. There’s been far too much written on the music of the 60s, and I was nowhere near existing, so I have nothing fresh to say. Good record, though.

Five Songs, 3/29/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 29 Mar 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Labi Siffre, “I Got The…”

This is from the 1975 album Remember My Song, a record that became famous due to sampling (especially in Eminem’s “My Name Is”). As with so many of these great old funk records, it’s a delight that it was resurrected by interest in the source material, because it’s absolutely incredible. I mean, yes, the break that Dre flipped is astounding, but listen to this entire thing. The temperature in this room dropped about ten degrees when this kicked on, it’s so cool. And, for real, look at this album cover. Goddamn!

Five Songs, 3/28/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 28 Mar 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Russian Circles, “Vorel”

Russian Circles usually gets tagged with the post-rock label, which doesn’t really hang together to me. There’s nothing really post- about most of their stuff. To me, this is really just straight up instrumental metal, and it’s faaaantastic at that. They’ve been cranking out fantastic albums for years now, and it seems like it would get tired, but it absolutely does not. This is from the magnificent Guidance, which is as good a place to start as any.

Five Songs, 3/27/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 27 Mar 2021 19:00:00 +0000

fIREHOSE, “Sophisticated Bitch”

We’ve had this Public Enemy cover before, so bonus song today!

The Hidden Cameras, “Music Is My Boyfriend”

You know, I have this band squirreled away in my brain as “extremely twee, not my favorite”, and so I haven’t listened to this album much. I pulled up a little writeup to get a little bit of background, and apparently I needed to pay more attention to the lyrics on these songs. But I do not, I pay very little attention to lyrics, so I missed that apparently some of these twee songs are really filthy. Oh well, they’re staying in that twee bucket.

Five Songs, 3/26/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 26 Mar 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Blue Scholars, “Cornerstone”

The lead-in to the The Long March EP, this really tells you what to expect on this record. And, honestly, this is an extremely generous EP - 9 tracks, 35 minutes, that’s plenty of material for a full LP.

Blackalicious, “On Fire Tonight”

Aw, hell yeah, hip hop day! This comes to us from Imani, Vol. 1, released in 2015 after a 10 year break between records. Alas, there is no Vol. 2 (yet?). There’s actually some similarity in approach between Blackalicious and Blue Scholars, with both broadly approaching hip hop from a sort of modernized throwback stance, if that makes any sense. [reads what I wrote] It does not make sense.

Five Songs, 3/25/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 25 Mar 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Panopticon, “Bodies Under The Falls”

This is one of the three epic (10+ minute) songs on Kentucky, where Panopticon really lets the black metal blast out. But even among the fury, he takes the time to have that interlude in the middle. It’s just a super interesting fusion. Listen to the…flutes? pipes?…on the outro. Just good stuff.

Ezra Furman, “Love You So Bad”

I knew exactly zip about Ezra Furman when his 2018 album Transangelic Exodus showed up on some end of year lists. I know slightly more than zip now, with the thing I’ve learned: this album rips. Listen to this, this is basically a Cars song but with cello, which is bitchin'.

Five Songs, 3/24/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 24 Mar 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Willie Nelson, “Are You Sure”

We’ve had a couple tracks from this record, which is Crazy, The Demo Sessions. Every time it comes up, I’m reminded how much I like this, and then I go look at his discography, get intimidated, and kind of give up. Not very laudable of me, I suppose.

Let’s Go Bowling, “Rude 69”

See, the beginning to this song is the sort of thing that got people dismissive of the third wave. There’s no real point to adding the “rude 69!” bits to the song other than to just have the whole enterprise be all smirky. Other than that, it’s a totally reasonable instrumental. Well, whatever.

Five Songs, 3/23/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 19:00:00 +0000

9353, “East of Sudan”

This is really pretty avant-garde for the punk scene of 1984. I mean, sure, there were plenty of post-punk bands working in kind of adjacent spaces, but this is still pretty far out there.

Imarhan, “Ehad Wa Dagh”

We’ve had Imarhan on here before, but as always, I feel kind of inadequate writing about bands from other cultures that I’m not familiar with. Sure, I can write about, say, punk bands from the US plenty, but I guess I’m not really up to the task of writing about a rock band from Algeria, esepcially as they’re clearly blending their own influences with those of rock. It’s very cool stuff, though.

Five Songs, 3/22/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 19:00:00 +0000

The Emotions, “My Honey And Me”

This comes to us from early in the third phase of Stax Records’ life, after they reached an arrangement with CBS Records. This period still contains plenty of fantastic songs, but Stax was also on a slow decline. Luckily for them, they had plenty of space to decline in to.

The Jam, “Start!”

I wonder if I could play this on the bass? I should try. (I cannot.)

Five Songs, 3/21/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 21 Mar 2021 19:00:00 +0000

milo, “pure scientific intelligence (quantum)”

This track sounds like at least three different songs being played simultaneously, which is delightful.

Bananagun, “Out of Reach”

One of the things that the Internet promised us is that we’d be connected to people all over the world, opening up new cultural horizons. That’s mostly worked out by allowing all the worst people in the world to find each other, which isn’t exactly a positive development. However, it did connect me to multiple folks in places like Australia and New Zealand, who sometimes recommend music to me like Bananagun. So, I guess it’s all a wash.

Five Songs, 3/20/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 20 Mar 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet, “You Spin Me Round ‘86”

The rare Shadowy Men track with a voice on it! Very little, mind you, but judged on a curve, it’s a ton.

Pond, “Magnifier”

Great stuff so far today! I’ve sung the praises of Pond repeatedly in this space, but seriously: this album (The Practice Of Joy Before Death) totally rules. If you want to listen to more, you can hit up the tag, but just fire up the album.

Five Songs, 3/19/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 19 Mar 2021 19:00:00 +0000

The Slackers, “Married Girl”

One of my favorite songs from one of my favorite bands. The bits where the band lays out and Vic Ruggiero comes in first, I love that move. Just a delightful song.

Revolting Cocks, “Crackin’ Up”

During industrial’s commerical heyday, Wax Trax was one of the biggest labels in the scene. One of the things that folks associated with the label did was remix the bands, not just the music. The Revolting Cocks were one of those recombinations, featuring the core Ministry folks and a bunch of other associated people. They were intentionally sillier than most of the other bands in the scene, with the whole thing kind of being a big joke. Occasionally they would produce good stuff, but mostly it ends up being a little bit tedious.

Five Songs, 3/18/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 18 Mar 2021 19:00:00 +0000

NoFX, “Six Pack Girls”

Another track from the bootleg Maximum Rocknroll, which wasn’t authorized by the band and contains a bunch of pretty poor quality stuff. Not great!

Claw Hammer, “Uncontrollable Urge”

This is such a good song, goddamn. Claw Hammer really nails it, too. Uh, not a lot else to say here, really.

The Ocean, “Pleistocene”

I’ve meditated on pretension here before, so I’ll spare you all that guff again. But just for a moment, please admire the hubris involved in naming your album Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic | Cenozoic. It’s a really good album, though, so whatever.

Five Songs, 3/17/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 17 Mar 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Jan Jelinek, “If’s, And’s and But’s”

I honestly think that Jan Jelinek might be the artist I can consistently identify the fastest in my collection. That glitch is just so recognizable. Also, love the grocer’s apostrophe’s here!

Crunt, “Unglued”

Been a while since we’ve had them here. (checks) We’ve never had them here! Crunt were a side project of Kat Bjelland (Babes in Toyland), Russell Simins (Jon Spencer Blues Explosion), and Stuart Gray (Lubricated Goat). They produced one album, which rips, but that was it unfortunately. It’s basically totally forgotten at this point, but it’s a good time.

Five Songs, 3/16/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 16 Mar 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Bad Brains, “Re-Ignition”

Greatest hardcore band during the 80s has been a common argument through the years. A lot of the time, it comes down to a preference between the east coast (Minor Threat), the west coast (Black Flag or the Dead Kennedys), or the midwest (Hüsker Dü). I know I first encountered this argument on Usenet in 1991, and it hasn’t really stopped. But if you asked for the best hardcore album, there was often an extra one that people would mention. I Against I didn’t exactly fit the mold of those other bands, and given how many other genres get blended in here, I’m not sure it totally qualifies as a hardcore album. Kind of the same way I’m not sure that the Minutemen qualify. Nevertheless, it’s a hell of an album, and I can understand why people put it in the company of so many other classics from the 80s.

Five Songs, 3/15/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 15 Mar 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Frederick Knight, “Trouble”

Hell yeah, that’s the stuff.

Front 242, “Gripped By Fear”

This is from a remix EP called Mixed By Fear, containing remixes of songs from Tyranny For You. It’s every bit as forgettable as that sounds, and is incredibly inessential.

El Michaels Affair, “Easy Access”

This is a repeat! It smokes, but we’ll do a sixth song today.

Mombu, “Stutterer Ancestor”

We just had a Mombu track the other day, so enjoy another track of their chaotic drum and bari sax styling!

Five Songs, 3/14/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 14 Mar 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Calexico, “Fake Fur”

The Black Light is the album where Calexico became CALEXICO. The dusty desert aesthetic was in full flower on this album. The recording is soaked in reverb, there’s tons of space for the atmosphere, and it’s just a lovely experience. It’s not their best album, because they would marry this sound to better songwriting on later records, but this is still a fun album.

Elvis Costello, “Crawling to the USA”

This comes to us from the bonus second disc from the This Year’s Model reissue. The bonus material on a lot of these types of reissues can be pretty dodgy, but Costello’s songwriting in this period was so strong that even the leftovers are pretty darn good. I mean, this is an excellent tune!

Five Songs, 3/13/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 13 Mar 2021 20:00:00 +0000

RJD2, “Sell The World”

I think we’ve had a couple tracks from The Horror by now, which is kind of a companion EP/remix project to go along with Deadringer. Unlike a lot of these kinds of revists/companion pieces, it’s very much a worthy release in its own right and not just riding the coattails of another album.

Vaz, “Chartreuse Blues”

Why, it seems like just the other day that I got really fired up about Vaz and Hammerhead. And here they are, back for another tune. “Tune”? Blast. Whatever! Love this stuff.

Five Songs, 3/12/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 12 Mar 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Valentine Six, “Always Is My Name”

Here’s a little bit of an oddball. Valentine Six put out one album in 1997, full of this kind of lounge-y sort of thing. Clearly more than a little Tom Waits in the DNA here, maybe just a little bit of Nick Cave. It’s pretty good, and I haven’t thought about this band in ages.

Morrissey, “He Knows I’d Love To See Him”

Like lots of other people, I was curious to see what the various members of the Smiths would get up to after that band broke apart. I picked up a couple of Morrissey’s EPs, and honestly, didn’t really follow him from there. I mean, yeah, this is clearly a Morrissey song, but I guess I had enough of him from the Smiths’ albums?

Five Songs, 3/11/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 11 Mar 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Jungle Fire, “La Kossa”

Jungle Fire, out of LA, play Afro beat and funk, clearly heavily inspired by the usual folks like Fela Kuti and James Brown. Nothing wrong with that! Anyway, this is from their 2017 album on Colemine records, and I really appreciate the drama of this. There’s a lot of Kool & the Gang that I hear, and that works for me.

Lee Alan, “Set Me Free”

Look, not every single Motown put out during their heyday was a slam dunk. But even the goofier ones are still short, at least.

Five Songs, 3/10/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 10 Mar 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Bell Witch, “Suffocation, A Burial: I - Awoken (Breathing Teeth)”

First things first, that is a MAGNIFICENT name for a metal song. A roman numeral, a parenthetical, just all kinds of extra junk. Spectacular.

At any rate, the other day I referred to Pallbearer as the standard bearers for doom metal, but I think that’s maybe not quite right. They’re probably the most popular, but Seattle’s duo of Bell Witch is probably more critically acclaimed. A lot of that praise comes more from their 2017 release (Mirror Reaper), but this from 2015’s Four Phantoms gives a good idea of what the band is about. The microgenre they play in is called funeral doom, and you can see why.

Five Songs, 3/9/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 09 Mar 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Squarepusher, “Dust Switch”

Music is Rotted One Note is such an incredible album. I am always blown away by it. I recognize that’s not insightful, but it’s where we are.

Trumans Water, “Speeds Exceeding”

I think I’ve mentioned before my early 90s experiment of finding a band like They Might Be Giants (there’s no such thing). Trumans Water was one of the bands mentioned sometimes on Usenet (that’s one of the places people yelled at each other about their opinions before Reddit and Twitter existed) as being broadly similar, so I picked up Spasm Smash XXXOXOX Ox & Ass. And, it’s not really anything like TMBG. I suppose I can sort of squint and see some of the same restless experimentation, but without the eclectic arrangements, good natured pop sensibility, and gentle humor, it’s not really at all the same thing.

Five Songs, 3/8/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 08 Mar 2021 20:00:00 +0000

New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble, “Haitian Fight Song”

This version of the great Charles Mingus song is actually the version that got me to go look up Mingus and learn more about him and buy a bunch of his records. It’s such a great song.

Pallbearer, “Atlantis”

This is the a-side from the Pallbearer single from 2019 on Sub Pop. Thanks to their 2017 record, Foundations of Burden, breaking free from the metal press and getting broader attention, Pallbearer have become the standard bearers of doom metal. But there are certainly times that Pallbearer doesn’t sound like doom metal so much as just plain ol’ heavy metal. Which is totally fine! They sound good, and there’s nothing wrong with just heavy metal.

Five Songs 3/7/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 07 Mar 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Pyrrhon, “The Invisible Hand Holds A Whip”

Every three years, discordant death metal masters Pyrrhon fire off a new album, and every three years, it whips. I first encountered them with their second record, The Mother of Virtues, and have eagerly followed them since then. While they were dropped by Relapse records after that masterwork, they haven’t slowed down. I recognize totally that this stuff is repellant and bizarre, but it’s compelling in ways I don’t totally understand.

Five Songs, 3/6/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 06 Mar 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The Orb, “Into The Fourth Dimension: Essenes Beyond Control”

Little Fluffy Clouds was one of the first things that ambient electronic artists The Orb released, and I picked it up as part of a foray into whether I liked electronic music at that time. I knew some folks that were into going to raves and things, and thought, eh, I like industrial enough, maybe I’ll like this too. I never really got into it, though, at least not at that time. Wasn’t too wild about raves either. It wasn’t until I encountered more frantic genres of electronic music that I really got it.

Five Songs, 3/5/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 05 Mar 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Green Day, “Basket Case”

I know they became clownish and bad, and that continuing to like them is evidence of creeping Boomerism, but I don’t care, this album rules and this song rules.

Yves Tumor, “Romanticist”

I had my annual tour through the year end album lists a month or so ago, and this Yves Tumor album was one of the big winners. It’s very good! I’m not sure what I was expecting from a band named Yves Tumor, but I don’t think it was this. Among other things, Yves Tumor isn’t a band, it’s a person. Anyway, excellent album.

Five Songs, 3/4/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 04 Mar 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Samiam, “Head Trap”

Samiam were part of the punk scene that would eventualy spawn Green Day. As the labels moved in, hunting for the next big thing, Samiam found themselves on Atlantic Records for a single album, which is as close as they got to breaking through. I always felt like they deserved a bigger audience, and it was a little sad that they didn’t connect. At any rate, this actually comes from the album right before their major label record, Billy, which is my favorite album from them.

Five Songs, 3/3/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 03 Mar 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Frisk Frugt, “Solsorte Synger Solen Op”

Frisk Frugt is the alias of Anders Lauge Meldgaard, who makes experimental pop music using modified toy instruments and various homemade instruments. He’s an artist I found through The Quietus, which can be a good source of music out of left field. It’s an interesting album, unlike anything else I really have, and there’s always room for stuff like that in my collection.

Hepcat, “Prison of Love”

You know what else we always have room for around here? Ska. Always! Can’t wait for a fourth wave.

Five Songs, 3/2/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 02 Mar 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Wolves in the Throne Room, “Ahrimanic Trance”

Wolves in the Throne Room are one of the biggest bands in black metal, by showing a path that could take the aesthetics of the music but apply a different frame. They merge an ecological consciousness and an atmospheric approach at times that is not just pure fury. It’s hacky to say that their music evokes the distant, misty forests of the Pacific Northwest, so I definitely will not do that.

Five Songs, 3/1/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 02 Mar 2021 05:30:00 +0000

Invisibl Skratch Piklz, “Cocaine”

I need to go find some turntable artists operating today. I love this shit.

Gob, “I Hear You Calling”

The bit where the collapse the tune to just the main riff at :40 in, that’s such a pop punk cliche, and it works on me every time. Especially when the drummer leads out of it by opening up the high hat just a little? Some of these things are cliches for good reason.

Five Songs, 2/28/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 28 Feb 2021 20:00:00 +0000

That’s month four of hitting every day! Woooo!

Mr. T Experience, “I Just Wanna Do It With You”

Too late, Mr. T Experience! Valentine’s Day was two weeks ago! What are you even doing!

Don Caballero, “Our Caballero”

Singles Breaking Up is, indeed, a singles comp. Pittburgh’s instrumental maestros put everything into their singles, so the comp is a solid album, if maybe not quite as coherent as their records due to not being recorded at once. You can do a lot worse than this record!

Five Songs, 2/27/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 27 Feb 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Kings Destroy, “W2”

You know, there just aren’t that many metal songs about tax forms, so let’s enjoy this one.

The Beatles, “Here Comes The Sun”

I’ve mentioned it before, but it’s been a while: it’s really disorienting listening to the Beatles with only one headphone in. I recommend it!

Big Black, “Dead Billy”

This song comes from the first Big Black release, Lungs (later collected with a couple other EPs on The Hammer Party). While it shows off Steve Albini’s dark sense of humor, the rest of his sound is still extremely embryonic here. This was a solo effort by him, and the lack of other contributors also helped produce the spare tunes.

Five Songs, 2/26/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 26 Feb 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The Beatles, “It Won’t Be Long”

With The Beatles is easily my least listened to album from them. It’s kind of hard to construct the thought process that would lead me to throw it on, honestly.

House of Rhythm, “Rudi”

There’s more than a little first wave in House of Rhythm, making them something of an outlier from the rest of the third wave of ska. That’s a common comment you’ll find on a lot of the third wave bands we get here, and that’s because I tried to seek out the ska bands, rather than the ska-punk and ska-adjacent stuff.

Five Songs, 2/25/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 25 Feb 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Swans, “Better Than You”

The late 80s/early 90s vesion of the band is probably the one that is most different from the other iterations. The period began with Burning World, the first (and last) Swans major-label release, which was a commercial disaster and an artistic mess. The other albums of that period (White Light From The Mouth of Infinity, Love of Life, and Ten Songs For Another World which was technically from World of Skin but who cares) were better artistically, but this is kind of the “pretty” Swans period. The albums all went out of print, and stayed that way for a while.

Five Songs, 2/24/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Rage Against the Machine, “Calm Like A Bomb”

The last proper Rage album, The Battle of Los Angeles is also my favorite of their records. It shows the most focus, and they refined their attack to the point of total relentlessness on this one.

The Dillinger Escape Plan, “Jim Fear”

Meanwhile, about a month before Rage released that record, the Dillinger Escape Plan put out Calculating Infinity which…uh, kind of puts “total relentlessness” into perspective.

Five Songs, 2/23/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 23 Feb 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Moses Sumney, “Lonely World”

Sumney’s Aromanticism pivots around “Lonely World”, a song that goes from gauzy and shimmery and gradually ramps up to a frenzied finish, reflecting the inherent duality in this album. It’s an album that sounds like a love album but is all about not being capable of experiencing romantic love.

J-Zone, “It’s a Trap!”

J-Zone has had multiple musical lives in his career. His early career, as a producer/rapper, ended with a miserable tour, a retirement, and a memoir recounting his struggles. His second act began with this album, Peter Pan Syndrome, where he came back as a rapper but added the drums to his skill set. He sounds energized on this album, doing something new, but full of the same types of sophomoric (but funny!) gags as his first go-around.

Five Songs, 2/22/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 22 Feb 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Skinnerbox, “Trying To Be Cool”

Skinnerbox’s What You Can Do, What You Can’t is a charming album from the third wave, full of personality and a distinctive sound, especially King Django’s vocals. Alas, the followup record Demonstration, which gives us this tune, feels really flattened. It sounds to me like a bit of a cynical shot at radio play by injecting some punk into the sound, and it just kind of makes Skinnerbox sound like everybody else.

Five Songs, 2/21/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 21 Feb 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Seam, “Shame”

I love EPs! I miss rooting around in record stores and coming across them, because they were often a surprise. It doesn’t happen very much any more, or at least, I don’t come across them very often. Probably just means I’m out of touch. I’m very old!

Anyway, this is from the Kernel EP, but this song is just an alternate take of a song from Headsparks, so this EP is pretty inessential. Buuut, I do miss EPs.

Five Songs, 2/20/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 20 Feb 2021 20:00:00 +0000

clipping., “Nothing Is Safe”

There was probably a time in my life when I would have regarded clipping. askance. I’ve long been OK with noise in my music, having picked up an affection for industrial as a teenager that continued forward with noise rock, various gnarly forms of punk, etc. And, of course, hip hop has been a staple of my listening for even longer. But for a long time, I thought I didn’t like pretension in music. It led me to avoiding things like prog rock, various forms of art rock, all kind of ambitious music for a long time. Or, at least, things that were ambitious in particular ways that set me off.

Five Songs, 2/19/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 19 Feb 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Tool, “Intolerance”

I picked up Tool’s first album when it came out, because they kind of ran parallel to bands like Helmet, who I loved. But they never really did it for me, and I fell off them after this album. I think it’s just too clinical for me. Yeah, you can hear some similarities to bands I like, but it needs to be grittier. At any rate, after not falling in love right away, the door was permanently closed by one of the most annoying fan bases in music at the time.

Five Songs, 2/18/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 18 Feb 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Thundercat, “Daylight”

Thundercat is very hard to describe. Jazzy, yeah, but with some R&B, some fusion, some soft rock, some soft jazz? This is from his first album, and he doesn’t get any easier to categorize down the road.

Upsilon Acrux, “Death Before Disharmonic”

Upsilon Acrux is very hard to describe too. Math rock, prog, little bit of krautrock here and there, maybe even the occasional jazzy excursion? In the end, I’ve got to be in a mood to listen to this sort of thing, but in the right frame of mind, nothing else will do.

Five Songs, 2/17/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 17 Feb 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Claw Hammer, “Gut Feeling”

One of the things that we rail against around here are pointless covers. Especially in an age when so many of the originals are easily accessible, a cover really needs to add something. This is doubly true when it’s something truly beloved or original. However, it is possible to wrap around on the pointlessness scale of things and loop back around to cool. Claw Hammer turn that neat trick by covering the entirety of Devo’s landmark Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!, playing it pretty straight. Jon Wahl’s oddball strangled wail is the primary distinguishing factor, but otherwise, it’s Devo’s record. Just listen to Devo! And yet…there’s a strange attraction. It’s pretty bizarre alchemy.

Five Songs, 2/16/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Azymuth, “Laranjeiras”

Far Out Recordings released a comp of demos from Azymuth from 1973-5 in 2019, capturing this Brazilian jazz/funk group’s sound at the height of their powers. I don’t know jack shit about them other than this, but this record seriously smokes.

The Apples In Stereo, “Energy”

You know what? Sometimes it’s ok to just enjoy a pop song. This is pleasant. It’s nice! It doesn’t matter that it’s extremely unchallenging.

Five Songs, 2/15/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 15 Feb 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Grandaddy, “Now It’s On”

I think I’ve used this space before to kind of lament how Grandaddy hasn’t really connected with me. I can see the quality, but it’s just never really clicked. This is a fine tune, though.

American Music Club, “Outside This Bar”

American Music Club were still kind of finding their way with their second album, Engine. Musically, they would eventually open up some of the arrangements which would help give some more space to Mark Eitzel’s lyrics. But as you can hear on this song, the often harrowing storytelling was definitely there.

26 Songs Special, 2/14/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 14 Feb 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Valentine’s Day! Let’s do something special! How about a giant pile of Melvins, along with a survey of all their records? Breaks the formula, but who gives a shit! The Melvins are for lovers!

THE BONER YEARS

Not everything they released in this period was on Boner Records, but it’s a convenient way to label things. Buzz Osborne formed the band in 1983 with Matt Lukin (who would later go on to help found Mudhoney) and Mike Dillard (who actually rejoined the band for an album thirty years later). Dale Crover pretty quickly replaced Dillard and that lineup stuck around for at least a little while. The Melvins are kind of legendary in the Northwest music scene for how much of the ball they got rolling. Not only did Lukin help form Mudhoney, one of the pillars of grunge, but Crover was Nirvana’s original drummer (on Bleach). Not only THAT, but Buzz is the guy who introduced Dave Grohl to Cobain. It’s not like things wouldn’t have gotten going up here otherwise, but the Melvins family tree is pretty extensive.

Five Songs, 2/13/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 13 Feb 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Ice Cube, “No Vaseline”

Ice Cube ended the explosive Death Certificate with a savage diss track on N.W.A, one that N.W.A wasn’t able to remotely respond to. They kind of didn’t really even try. While the homophobia in the song makes it jarring to listen to these days, I still can’t help but admire how hard Cube went at his former bandmates.

Firewater, “Some Strange Reaction”

I was pretty bummed out by the dissolution of Cop Shoot Cop, another band that seemingly was destroyed by a major label contract. The marriage of the punishing rhythms and samples of industrial dance with Tod Ashley’s emotional lyrics and delivery was something pretty special. Luckily, Ashley didn’t wait too long to start up a new project which would quickly surpass Cop Shoot Cop. The first Firewater album, Get Off The Cross, We Need The Wood For The Fire, set the template for the rest of the band’s career. Borrowing bits and pieces from all sorts of music traditions, but centered around Ashley’s cynical world view, he described the band as a “wedding band gone wrong”. This is the first song on the first album, and what a way to kick things off.

Five Songs, 2/12/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 12 Feb 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Hot Hot Heat, “Le Le Low”

Victoria, BC’s Hot Hot Heat had a real moment in the 2000s, although I’ll confess, I don’t really remember how far they got penetrating the mainstream. I just remember that they were doing well there for a little while. That’s the kind of information you can’t get just anywhere! At any rate, this is from the beginning of their debut EP, so this is how they kicked it off. Not bad!

Five Songs, 2/11/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 11 Feb 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Foetus, “Red and Black and Gray and White”

Soak is the most recent Foetus album, from 2013. I sort of don’t believe it’s going to be the last Foetus album, but maybe I’m wrong. At any rate, it carries on in his late career form, a howling whirlwind of orchestration, noise, and barely constrained chaos. It’s like a big band possessed by a demon.

Shabazz Palaces, “When Cats Claw”

Shabazz Palaces went to record a few bonus tracks for their 2017 album Quazarz vs. the Jealous Machines, but the sessions ended up going so well that they turned it into an entire companion album, Quazarz: Born on a Gangster Star. Given that both albums were recorded roughly at the same time, it’s hard to pick between them, so I’d recommend just listening to both.

Five Songs, 2/10/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 10 Feb 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Stevie Wonder, “Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)”

Music Of My Mind was the album where Stevie Wonder found another gear. He was a one-man band at this point, and he had really mastered writing a complete record. From here through Songs in the Key of Life, there was nobody better, and that five album stretch might be the best anybody has ever made.

Vampire Weekend, “A-Punk”

I’m not going to say anything revelatory about this song or album, so lemme just say that this song is such a goddamn blast in Rock Band, both on the drums and singing. Both at the same time is fuckin’ hard, though.

Five Songs, 2/9/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Tilt, “Annie Segall”

This is from the last Tilt album, in 1999, and I’ll be totally honest: I’m not entirely sure why I picked all of them up. It’s not bad, it’s just that it’s not really any different from the other three albums.

SWANS, “Amnesia”

What Is This? is a record of demos that Michael Gira assembled to test out songs prior to cleaning things up for a full release (what would become leaving meaning.). It’s an interesting record, but very much for completists only. Which is good, because it was released in a very limited edition as a crowdfunding project to raise money for the new record. I’m glad I have it, but that’s because I’m a huge SWANS fan.

Five Songs, 2/8/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 08 Feb 2021 20:00:00 +0000

400 Blows, “The Ugly Are So Beautiful”

There’s a ruthless, efficient logic at the heart of 400 Blows. The find their groove, riff, or idea and just hammer away at it. It’s not that they’re robotic or simplistic or anything, but they recognize that repetition has a power of its own, and are unafraid to make use of it. It’s the sort of music you can disassemble an engine to.

Five Songs, 2/7/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 07 Feb 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Funkadelic, “Into You”

The world is divided into two groups: those who think Mothership Connection is P-Funk’s finest moment, and those who think One Nation Under A Groove is. (I’m ignoring Maggot Brain perverts.) My opinion largely rests on whichever one I’ve listened to most recently.

No, but seriously, it’s Mothership Connection.

Front 242, “Television Station”

Official Version is the first good Front 242 album, the one where the menacing synths and icy vocals really came together. And I have to say, this stuff has largely aged better than a lot of their peers. There are elements of it that kind of presage the *wave bands of today.

Five Songs, 2/6/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 06 Feb 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Soccer Mommy, “yellow is the color of her eyes”

This seven-minute tune is the centerpiece of Soccer Mommy’s record from last year, Color Theory. This record showed up on a lot of year end lists, and while I think it’s good, I’m a little lyric blind at times, so I’m not sure it’s grabbed me quite the same way it did others. But take a listen, if you like this, you’ll like this album.

Five Songs, 2/5/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The Arsonists, “Underground Vandal”

The Arsonists’ debut album, released in 1999, was very much a throwback record. Not just in sound, but in the way it was created. By 1999, hip-hop had moved into an era of producers being stars separate from rappers. But the Arsonists did everything as a group, including the production, which was unusual for the time.

Times New Viking, “My Head”

There’s something so abrasive and unhinged about Times New Viking’s particular racket that listening to them really kind of scrambles your brains. Strip away the fuzz, the overdriven amps, the squalls and washes of feedback, and what you get is pretty simple pop songs at the center. Personally, I don’t find the artiface all that convincing, so this is the only album I ever picked up from them.

Five Songs, 2/4/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 04 Feb 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The Chemical Brothers, “Where Do I Begin”

We’ve talked before about how “Block Rockin’ Beats” was (deservedly) a galactic scale hit. I have to wonder how people who bought the record thought about the rest of the album, which is excellent, but which gleefully throws genre after genre into the blender and is pretty all over the map. I’d like to think that people put it on and thought “fuck yeah”.

Five Songs, 2/3/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 03 Feb 2021 20:00:00 +0000

De La Soul feat. Usher, “Greyhounds”

De La Soul launched a Kickstarter in 2015 to record their new album using a new method. Tired of chasing and clearing samples, they decided to bring musicians in to the studio to record them playing a bunch of different things, and then used those sessions as their library of music to sample and construct the tracks. The resulting album, …And The Anonymous Nobody, isn’t one of De La’s best albums, but how could it possibly be? It is very good, though, and clearly a different record from the ones that come before it. If you haven’t listened to anything from De La Soul from after the Prince Paul years, you should listen to…well, Stakes Is High. And then The Grind Date. And then probably this one!

Five Songs, 2/2/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 02 Feb 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Ghostface Killah, “Wildflower”

Ghostface’s first solo record, Ironman, is very good. A RZA produced record from 1996 couldn’t help but be good. But I think Ghostface’s unique personality hadn’t quite fully come through, and the production hadn’t quite yet differentiated totally from the Wu-Tang Clan. So it doesn’t reach the heights of many of Ghostface’s later records.

Algiers, “Blood”

The first Algiers record is a heady mix of gospel and murky post-punk, a combination that immediately stands out from basically anybody else out there. While there are moments when you can kind of see the seams, it’s a prety incredible record, especially for a debut.

Five Songs, 2/1/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 01 Feb 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The Cinematic Orchestra, “Flite”

Last time, I described this band as sounding like a movie soundtrack from a Ninja Tune band. Not a bad description! But this sounds like maybe something that got left off of Music Is Rotted One Note. Still good!

Inquisition, “Darkness Flows Towards Unseen Horizons”

Don’t listen to these assholes! This album is from 2013, which I picked up before a bunch of bad shit came to light about them, but fuck these guys!

Five Songs, 1/31/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 31 Jan 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Third month in a row without missing a day! 94 day streak going here. NOT BAD AT ALL.

Smut Peddlers, “That Smut”

Well, here’s a ridiculous album from 2001. While obsession with sex has a long and storied history in music, it’s seldom quite so forward as with this record, and the focus on porn in particular is relatively unusual. But it’s not unheard of in hip-hop either, not with Too $hort around, so this isn’t even really breaking new ground. At any rate, outside of the outlandish lyrics, the record itself is a bit of a time capsule of that time in rap.

Five Songs, 1/30/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 30 Jan 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The Police, “King of Pain”

“King of Pain” is the first song I can recall reading the lyrics sheet for in order to try and figure out what was going on in it (the lyrics sheet didn’t help much). While I’m fully on board with digital delivery for music, and I’m happy to not fill my house with CDs and stuff, I do think that there are certainly small pleasures lost without the physical packaging.

Five Songs, 1/29/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 29 Jan 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Jesus Jones, “The Devil You Know”

After the enormous success of “Right Here, Right Now” carried Doubt everywhere, Jesus Jones was faced with the prospect of following up a massive hit, a task which has broken many bands. The followup came a couple years later, and Perverse achieved nowhere the same level of success. Partly, those two years hurt. Partly, it was due to the pop music world having moved on to other shiny objects. It certainly didn’t help when one of the biggest bands associated with the scene, the Stone Roses, remained adamantly MIA. But for the last part, it was due to Perverse being not a terribly likable album. The shiny, crowd-pleasing stuff just wasn’t there. It’s very electronics focused, an emphasis on only one half of the Madchester formula, but it winds up feeling imbalanced. It’s really almost trending towards industrial dance, but kind of falls into an uncanny valley.

Five Songs, 1/28/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 28 Jan 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Robustos, “My Little Suede Shoes”

The bands that got famous in the third wave of ska were those that took the second wave and went further towards punk. No Doubt, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, folks like Goldfinger, Save Ferris, a bunch of others, they all leaned heavily on rock to make the sound more appealing to a broader audience. But that left out a bunch of other bands who drew more on the first wave and the original sounds, and who didn’t get the attention. Those are the bands that I mostly continue listening to these days. The Robustos are one of those forgotten bands, who played just straight ska, without mixing stuff in, and this album (Introducing…The Robustos) is a good listen.

Five Songs, 1/27/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 27 Jan 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Gnarls Barkley, “Gone Daddy Gone”

It takes a lot of guts to cover anything from the sui generis Violent Femmes. It’s such a beloved album, and such an iconic set of performances, that you’re very much always going to be compared against perfection. I think the only way to go would be to really re-imagine the songs, but Gnarls Barkley doesn’t do that. So, uh, I’d rather just be listening to the Violet Femmes.

Five Songs, 1/26/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 26 Jan 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Monorchid, “A Was For Anarchy”

Monorchid features two alumni from post-hardcore band Circus Lupus, which will be immediately obvious to anybody who listened to Circus Lupus. This comes from their second album, Who Put Out The Fire?, and it’s a solid chunk of DC post-hardcore. Post-harDCore? If I were to rank this against the Circus Lupus records, I’d probably put it behind Solid Brass and ahead of Super Genius.

Jan Jelinek, “Universal Band Silhouette”

Boy, some songs today that would have been really fast picks for me on “Name That Tune”. The glitchy warmth on the first part of this track is instantly recognizable as Jelinek, in the same way that Chris Thomson’s yelp is instantly recognizable.

Five Songs, 1/25/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The Solids, “Over The Sirens”

Guess how many people are in this band? Correct, two! That places them square in one of the major interests of Five Songs: Loud Rock Duos. They’re not as outre as someone like Lightning Bolt, they’re more towards the Big Business end of things. Only the one record from them, though.

Pavement, “Two States”

You ever wonder how often you’ve listened to albums you love? Slanted & Enchanted was released in April of 1992, and I bought it the day it came out. I think I probably listened to it a couple times a week for the first year or so, and then maybe once a week on average for the rest of my time in college, and then maybe every other week for the next decade. And then down to maybe…once a month? For the next fifteen years? Let’s add that up - have I listened to this album 400 times? Jesus.

Five Songs, 1/24/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 24 Jan 2021 20:00:00 +0000

NoFX, “The Longest Line”

This is from a 1992 EP, also called The Longest Line, so from the White Trash, Two Heebs, and A Bean era. This is basically my favorite era of NoFX, probably due to how old I was at this time. There’s no real reason for anybody to really care about this EP though.

The Slackers, “Stereo On”

This is from an EP also, the 2013 release My Bed Is A Boat. Unlike the NoFX EP, though, I can heartily recommend this. It’s not so much that it’s notably better than any other Slackers, but that basically everything they’ve released is good.

Five Songs, 1/23/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 23 Jan 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Monobody, “Raytracing”

Monobody is an instrumental math rock band from Chicago, with a couple of albums so far. This is from the second, Raytracing. Their music has more than a little bit of jazz fusion going on in things, and is definitely more towards the cerebral end of math rock.

Coalesce, “Cowards.com”

Hey, it’s the other end of math rock! Always enjoyable when songs from the late nineties have web references in them.

Five Songs, 1/22/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 22 Jan 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The New Year, “Half A Day”

We just had The New Year on, uh, the New Year, so I won’t go over it again. Slowcore! It’s pleasant!

Marlowe, “The Places We Stay”

Marlowe is producer L’Orange and Solemn Brigham on the mic, here with a little instrumental track from their first, self-titled album. It’s a solid record, recommended particularly if you like L’Orange’s production. It turns out there’s a second album from them, I’m going to pick that up right now.

Five Songs, 1/21/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Miles Davis, “Pharaoh’s Dance”

Bitches Brew didn’t create the category of jazz fusion, but basically everything in the genre after it builds on it.

Uh, or so I’m told.

The Men, “Dreamer”

Brooklyn quartet The Men returned to their earlier sound and approach with Devil Music, producing a ripping set of ten songs that clocks in at a little over a half hour. We’re softies around here for this kind of garage punk, so of course this is a delight.

Five Songs, 1/20/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 20 Jan 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The Jam, “All Mod Cons”

Title track of the first of their essential albums, and just a quick little gem. I wonder if I could learn this bass line?

Ice Cube, “The Bomb”

AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted is really a hybrid album, with the vintage Bomb Squad production married to Ice Cube’s flow. It’s a little bit of an awkward fit at times. Both artists are, of course, legends for a reason and some of the best ever at what they do. And it’s a great album, but I think Cube’s following couple albums bring things together a little bit better.

Five Songs, 1/19/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 19 Jan 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Television, “Venus”

Television’s Marquee Moon is a landmark album for good reason. It’s a key album in establishing post-punk, with its sophisticated winding guitars and complex songs. But anybody who describes Television always makes it sound so much more clinical and cerebral than it really is. The experience of listening to the record is really just so pleasant.

craft, “The Cosmic Sphere Falls”

craft is a black metal band from Sweden that has been around for ages, putting out an album every five years or so. This is their most recent one, which I picked up for some reason, and it didn’t stick with me at all.

Five Songs, 1/18/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 18 Jan 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Young Fresh Fellows, “Barky’s Spiritual Store”

There was a nine year break between 1992’s It’s Low Beat Time and 2001’s Because We Hate You, with Scott McCaughey spending time in the interim both touring with R.E.M. and spending time with his other band, the Minus 5. And when this album came out, it was actually a double album, with the other album from the Minus 5. So, all McCaughey, but with different people accompanying him.

Five Songs, 1/17/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 17 Jan 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Firewater, “This Is My Life”

One of the highlights on the best Firewater album, Golden Hour. It’s an album that attempts to answer the question “what if we just made the whole album out of highlights”.

Calexico, “Yours and Mine”

Hot damn, shuffle bringing the fire today! Garden Ruin was the follow-up to my favorite Calexico record, Feast of Wire. With this album, Calexico nudged slightly further away from the mariachi sounds being quite as dominant as prior records, with a little more country and folk creeping in to replace it. There are also no instrumentals on the album, another break with the past. That’s not to say there aren’t any southwestern sounds on the album, just that there is a little less influence. This song is a fine example, this is pretty much just pure country. But lovely!

Five Songs, 1/16/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 16 Jan 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Bathory, “Possessed”

Bathory’s second album, The Return of the Darkness and Evil, was one of the touchstones in black metal’s first wave. Most of the traits of the genre were in place at this point, with the murky production, shrieked vocals, satanic themes, and punishing pace. The template would get refined on Bathory’s next record, but this is one of the establishing albums.

The Unsemble, “Krishna”

The Unsemble are an experimental outfit consisting of Alexander Hacke (Einstürzende Neubauten), Duane Denison (The Jesus Lizard, Firewater), and Brian Kotzur (Silver Jews). There’s nothing really rock about it, and it doesn’t sound much like any of these folks’ other bands, other than some of Neubauten’s quieter moments. It’s an interesting listen, though, and I recommend it.

Five Songs, 1/15/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 15 Jan 2021 20:00:00 +0000

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

DJ Shadow’s third album, The Outsider, is kind of a mess. It was four years after The Private Press and ten after Endtroducing, and all that time apparently created a lot of ideas that all tried to burst out at the same time. That doesn’t let the whole thing hang together as an album, but it does have plenty of fun songs. It’s also an album that I have learned to appreciate more as time has gone on. It turns out that he didn’t need to make another Endtroducing!

Five Songs, 1/14/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 14 Jan 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Murs, “I’m Innocent”

Murs found himself on Warner Bros for Murs For President, and he turned in a big album to celebrate. There are a lot of ideas, a lot of big beats, a lot of targets. It’s a good record, but it feels like it’s a little much.

Mayhem, “A Wise Birthgiver”

I went a little bit into Mayhem’s history the last time they came up, so I won’t repeat that here. I’ll just reiterate: these were bad people, and even this later version of the band contains folks like Hellhammer who have said terrible things and never really recanted past links to repugnant beliefs. I bought this album unaware of the band’s history outside of Vikernes and Euronymous. Knowing what I now know, I would have avoided it.

Five Songs, 1/13/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 13 Jan 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Albert King, “Born Under a Bad Sign”

Majestic. I’m just going to fuck this up if I try and write something.

Chemical Brothers, “Block Rockin’ Beats”

Last time we had a track from this album, I expressed mystification that the Chemical Brothers had a moment. But you know what? This song is a fuckin’ force of nature, of course it was huge. Listen to it!

Indian Handcrafts, “Starcraft”

We’re big fans of noisy duos here at Five Songs, so of course Indian Handcrafts is up our alley. They’re more towards the Melvins end of things, putting them in the vicinity of Big Business more than anybody. Big stoner vibes, and huge riffs. It’s impressive that this is just a guitar and drums.

Five Songs, 1/12/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 12 Jan 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Thou, “Sifting”

Thou released a bunch of stuff in 2020. One of them was a compilation of Nirvana covers that they’d released in various other places, gathered together as Blessings of the Highest Order. This, of course, is the last song from Bleach, and it’s a real punisher here. The entire album is a good time.

Head of David, “Bugged”

Head of David is notable mostly for inspiring a bunch of other bands, not to mention being Justin Broadrick’s proving ground for the sound he would later refine as Godflesh. As for the band itself, a lot of their stuff sounds pretty leaden, but this track is pretty good.

Five Songs, 1/11/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 11 Jan 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Joe & Barbara, “You’re Astounding”

This comes from very late in the Stax run, from 1975, just before the label’s bankruptcy brought things to a close.

Aceyalone, “Five Feet”

Aceyalone was one of the founders of the Freestyle Fellowship, which we just had the other day. He went solo and had a string of albums ranging from solid to excellent. This comes from his 2001 album Accepted Electric, which is probably my favorite solo album of his.

Five Songs, 1/10/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 10 Jan 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The High Back Chairs, “Miles To Inches”

Jeff Nelson is one of the co-founders of Discord Records, as well as the drummer for the legendary Minor Threat, a legacy that would be the envy of so many people. I was just listening to Minor Threat the other day, and it still holds up incredibly well.

He also drummed in the High Back Chairs.

Anagnorisis, “This Cursed Blood”

While listening to metal might not be good for much in terms of self-enrichment, if you look up band and song names, it’ll at least increase your vocabulary.

Five Songs, 1/9/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 10 Jan 2021 06:45:00 +0000

Ghost Bath, “Golden Number”

There’s a continuum in music that relies heavily tremelo picking going from black metal at one end to shoegaze at the other end. The placement of any band on this spectrum kind of comes down to the vocals, the use of dissonance, the melodies (if any), and the production. And bands can move around on the spectrum (Alcest, for instance). Ghost Bath isn’t pure black metal, so they’ve moved along that spectrum some. “Blackgaze” is sometimes used for these sorts of bands, and I can’t decide if that’s a good name or not.

Five Songs, 1/8/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 08 Jan 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Einstürzende Neubauten, “Nagorny Karabach”

Alles Wieder Offen (“All Open Again”) represents Neubauten fully completing their new model of creating albums. In 2002, Neubauten wanted to get themselves total creative freedom to create the music they wanted, without any label interference. They managed to get 2,000 people signed up at $35 a piece, which was enough to fund some sessions. Those recordings would turn into Supporter Album No. 1, which I have a copy of somewhere around here. However, the band turned to Mute records to turn it into a full release (Perpetuum Mobile, which re-worked some of the songs from it), which allowed them to fund a tour.

Five Songs, 1/7/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 07 Jan 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The Beatles, “Birthday”

Stupid Beatles! It’s not my birthday! Or this blog’s birthday, which is a day off of mine! I can’t put them in charge of anything.

christian fitness, “all ghosts to medicine counter four”

When you make really elaborate song or album names, it can easily tip over into pretension or tweeness. Andrew Falkous does a really good job with it, though. I mean, this album is called Love Letters In The Age of Steam. That’s really good!

Five Songs, 1/6/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 06 Jan 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Dr. Ring-Ding and the Senior All-Stars, “Big Man”

Love a trombonist/singer!

Madvillain, “Curls”

Madvillain, the collaboration between MF Doom and Madlib, is such an incredible record, it’s a shame that there’s no followup to it. This is a great example of the wizardry - it’s only a minute and a half, but the beat sounds amazing and Doom is on top of his game, so it feels like a whole song. With the belated announcement of Doom’s death last year, this is a perfect time to listen to this album again.

Five Songs, 1/5/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 05 Jan 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Rapeman, “Monobrow”

The disconnected guitar skronk at the front of this song is weirdly something that kind of sticks with me. I think because it kind of lays bare what noise rock kind of sounds like when its stripped of all the layers. And, of course, when the rest of the band joins in, it’s thunderous magic.

Claw Hammer, “Three Fifteen”

I guess we’re going to open all the songs today with a lil’ guitar wank. OK by me!

Five Songs, 1/4/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 04 Jan 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, “Cowboy Coffee”

The Bosstones’ second album, More Noise and Other Disturbances, is really where the band hit their stride. The ska and punk were really in balance on this album, with plenty of both livening things up.

The Game, “Intro to the Documentary”

Yup, that’s an intro.

Two Inch Astronaut, “At Risk Student”

Last time they came up, I thought to myself: dang, this is a good song. And I’m pleased to say that I picked up another record from them in the interim, including this song. Still good! Put one in the win column for Five Songs!

Five Songs, 1/3/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 03 Jan 2021 20:00:00 +0000

SNFU, “Reality Is A Ride On The Bus”

SNFU’s 1993 album, Something Green and Leafy This Way Comes, came out on Epitaph and marked a turn more towards pop punk as opposed to their earlier hardcore. And, honestly, it doesn’t suit them. This song, for instance, is really only good when it’s galloping.

Squarepusher, “Tomorrow World”

Having taken drum and bass to the pinnacle with Hard Normal Daddy, Squarepusher decided to head straight into jazz fusion with Music Is Rotted One Note. It’s a brilliant record, and a serious break with his past. On his next record, Selection Sixteen, he charted a middle course between the two previous albums, featuring some of the fusion as well as some of the drum and bass, albeit in a little less frantic form. It’s a tweener record - good, but not as good as his more focused albums.

Five Songs, 1/2/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 02 Jan 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The Beatles, “Eleanor Rigby”

This song might be my favorite for making up bogus new lyrics: “Joshua Buergel / Sits on the couch trying to think of a bit / Noone reads iiiit”

Oneohtrix Point Never, “Sleep Dealer”

Hot take time: Replica is real fuckin’ good!

…

I’m being informed that this take is ice cold.

The Exceptions, “Trailer Park Girl”

While The Exceptions are not remotely in the top tier of third wave bands, this is still plenty enjoyable, and you don’t have to just listen to the top bands in a genre. Well, you can do whatever you want. Except when you listen to this blog!

Five Songs, 1/1/2021

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 01 Jan 2021 20:00:00 +0000

L’Orange & Mr. Lif, “A World Without Music”

As is his penchant, Mr. Lif’s 2016 album was a concept record, this one based around the idea of a society that had stamped out culture completely. As with his other concept albums, it connects better on some tracks than others, but I appreciate the ambition. Meanwhile, the collab with L’Orange on the beats is all great, so overall, it’s another great record.

Five Songs Special, 12/31/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 31 Dec 2020 20:00:00 +0000

It’s the end of the year, and the end of a second full month of Five Songs hitting every day. NOT BAD. I’m not sure how long this all will keep going, as I’d like to resume blogging about other stuff over on Game and Tonic, and it’s hard to keep both of these going. Not to mention the fact that if illegal streaming becomes a felony, uh…

Anyway, it’s a special today! I searched for “new year” in the library, which matched 21 tracks, and randomly picked five of them.

Five Songs, 12/30/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 30 Dec 2020 20:00:00 +0000

The B.U.M.S., “When She Walked”

We’ve had this record show up before, but In Wanna Smash Sensation should have been an absolute classic pop punk record. Cheerful and breezy, great tunes, great production from Kurt Bloch behind the boards, it’s just a delight all the way around.

Hum, “Pinch & Roll”

This comes from the second Hum LP, but the first one that really started to get them attention. Electra 2000 was distributed by Cargo Records, getting it into a lot more hands. It would lead to a major label deal, a couple of well-recieved records, and eventually an outstanding reunion record after 23 years. But going back to this album, it’s a very good indie rock record, a good picture of where the underground was in 1993, and worth a listen to see where a long-lived band really got rolling.

Five Songs, 12/29/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 29 Dec 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Eagles of Death Metal, “Anything ‘Cept The Truth”

The opening track of Heart On, the third Eagles of Death Metal album of greasy rock before they went on hiatus. For me, I think that the previous album is a little better - a little scuzzier, a little less slick. Love the handclaps here, though. Five Songs is very much a pro-handclaps space.

Dawnbreed, “Volvoteen”

This album is from 1997, from Trans Solar records out of Koblenz. Dig the CompuServe email address on the back of the album! At any rate, this is a Very Josh sounding album, certainly for that time period. Thing is - I don’t remember it! Might have bought it at a show? Might be an album that Megan bought? Did I buy it in a big batch and forget about it? Who knows?

Five Songs, 12/28/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 28 Dec 2020 20:00:00 +0000

The Kinks, “Picture Book”

This song is why I started listening to the Kinks, thanks to the cover of the tune by the Young Fresh Fellows on This One’s For The Ladies. It’s such a jam that I went and looked up where it came from, and I was glad I did. It’s such a good album! The Kinks - check ’em out!

Waxahatchee, “Air”

Waxahatchee has been one of the most consistent bands in indie rock over the last bunch of years. Each album just doesn’t miss. This is from Ivy Tripp, which is the first album I heard, and it’s very good.

Five Songs, 12/27/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 27 Dec 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Botanist, “Nourishing the Fetus (Mandragora IV)”

This is from the third Botanist album, helpfully labeled IV: Mandragora. There’s a I and a III, I just don’t know what happened to II. Down the memory hole, I guess! The next album is a VI. Who knows?

King Crimson, “I Talk To The Wind”

I didn’t really pay much attention to King Crimson for a long time, mostly because the dude I knew in college who was into King Crimson was way, way too into them. So, I just kind of ignored them, just sort of picking up little bits about them. I think I was surprised by how quiet a bunch of In The Court of the Crimson King was when I finally heard it. It really wasn’t at all what I was picturing. It turns out I was really kind of picturing Discipline, but I didn’t realize it yet.

Five Songs, 12/26/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 26 Dec 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, “Got A Thing On My Mind”

More from Miss Sharon Jones! This is the first proper song on the first Sharon Jones album, and my goodness, what a way to announce themselves. This is one of the albums that really got Daptone rolling, and it’s a great record.

The Nation of Ulysses, “Shakedown”

A thing that is pretty incredible about the Nation of Ulysses is that Ian Svenonius was able to keep up this kind of shredding vocals for any period of time. Impressive stuff!

Five Songs, 12/25/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 25 Dec 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Fuckin’ Christmas! YEAH! Gonna find some Christmas tunes for us today! Just going to pick some recent Christmas albums and take a random track from them. Ooh, bonus: PUP playing a Christmas adaptation of “Kids” with some puppets dancing around!

Calexico, “Seasonal Shift”

The title track from Calexico’s just released Christmas album, Calexico is a natural for making a lovely Christmas album. Everything this band does is beautiful, so it’s going to fit totally in with the season. I heartily endorse this record!

Five Songs, 12/24/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 24 Dec 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Poster Children, “Clock Street”

Unlike a lot of rock bands putting out records in the early 90s, the Poster Children were not signed in the wake of Nevermind. They found their way onto Sire for their 1990 album Daisychain Reaction, putting them ahead of that particular game. Nevertheless, Nirvana’s success put them in a good spot for their followup album, Tool of the Man. It’s more Pixies than Nirvana, with a bit too much brightness to really break through in that scene. But, listening 17 years on, this stuff sounds fresher than a lot of grunge does these days.

Five Songs, 12/23/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 23 Dec 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Panopticon, “Blåtimen”

Panopticon, the band that is actually just Austin Lunn, gained attention with Kentucky, where Lunn merged his love of Appalachian folk music with his love of black metal and produced an amalagam of the two, creating one of the most distinctive and interesting black metal albums ever. A couple albums down the road from his breakthrough, and he was still playing both of his loves. The Scars of Man on the Once Nameless Wilderness is a double album, and unlike Kentucky, it’s more two halves rather than a melding of the two styles. There’s a midpoint in the double album where it switches from the black metal to the folk. Lunn is an expert at both, so as long as you’re OK with both styles, it’s a great record. This, uh, is from the black metal half.

Five Songs, 12/22/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 20:00:00 +0000

The Replacements, “Waitress In The Sky”

This is an inner-circle member of the “Songs That Randomly Pop In Josh’s Head” club. Which isn’t the catchiest name, I know. I’ll bring it up at the next meeting.

The Replacements, “I Will Dare”

Well, that’s a first. I ain’t mad!

I’ve said it before, but the Replacements have made the best album named Let It Be.

Negativland, “The Perfect Cut (Canned Music)”

In the wake of getting some minor success, Negativland planned to tour to support Escape From Noise. It quickly became apparent that the tour was going to be a financial disaster, so the band decided to cancel it. Being who they are, they made up a story about why they were canceling it, and fed nonsense to the media that it was a consequence of legal trouble as a result of a kid murdering his parents after listening to “Christianity Is Stupid”. This was at a time when the media was ready to believe all kinds of nonsense about music and games, with satanic panic everywhere, so they got a local news station in California to bite.

Five Songs, 12/21/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 21 Dec 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Eddie Holland, “Take A Chance On Me”

Alas, no, this isn’t a predecessor of the ABBA song, but now I want to hear Motown style covers of ABBA songs.

The Pietasters, “Without You”

Seems like we’ve had a lot more of the Pietasters live than we have from their studio work, which is kind of a shame. A rational person might ask, well, why don’t I just remove the live record from the collection? To which I say to you, Rational Person, why the hell are you even paying attention to this dumb blog? Shouldn’t you be doing some imaginary figment business or something?

Five Songs, 12/20/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 20 Dec 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Tuxedo, “So Good”

It is so good, Tuxedo, you’re right.

Swarvy, “Lesson With Julian”

Kiiiinda regretting not writing more for that first track.

Has-Lo, “Utero”

Well, on track here for the shortest Five Songs entry ever, at least by word count. Maybe by running time also, I don’t know. I’d have to actually do some research to figure that out, and that is absolutely not going to happen.

Cynic, “Celestial Voyage”

Cynic’s 1993 album Focus is one of the foundational documents of progressive metal, as they took death metal and mashed it up with prog and jazz, resulting in an album that was very, very far out there for the time. The constant showy playing can get kind of exhausting, honestly, but it’s hard not to at least respect what they’re up to here. They actually put just this album out, which would have been an impressive one-record legacy…before ruining that by reforming 15 years later. I have not listened to any post-reunion records, though.

Five Songs, 12/19/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 19 Dec 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Mephiskapheles, “Satanic Debris”

As a statement of purpose for a band, it doesn’t get a whole lot stronger than this one. From the opening backwards masked vocals, to the dark lyrics, the subtle distortion of the guitar lending some additional menace, to the hallmark solo trading, you just have a perfect encapsulation of the (wonderful) Mephiskapheles aesthetic. The odds that a band named Mephiskapheles would turn in one of the finest albums of the third wave seems slim, but God Bless Satan is legitimately a treasure.

Five Songs, 12/18/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 18 Dec 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Godflesh, “Pure”

Godflesh were pioneers in heavy music, bringing together the guitars of extreme metal with the rhythms of industrial, inspiring bands on both sides of the fence. Streetcleaner is considered a classic, and after an interim EP, they returned with Pure, after some changes in personnel. The drum machine and sampling was even more forward than in the previous album, and the results aren’t really as strong. It’s something of a transitional record, where you can see the seams between the industrial and metal, rather than merging together as a whole.

Five Songs, 12/17/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 17 Dec 2020 20:00:00 +0000

The Allstonians, “Mikey Dee”

After the collapse of Moon Ska Records left a smoking crater in the scene, it took some bands a while to get back on track. The Allstonians were one of them, with a gap of 6 years between The Allston Beat and Bottoms Up!. The time didn’t really do them any favors - it’s a decent album, but it doesn’t really have the same energy or charm as the first two, which are some of my favorites from the third wave.

Five Songs, 12/16/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 16 Dec 2020 20:00:00 +0000

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

Just a reminder: this is a white dude from Germany.

Sly & the Family Stone, “Poet”

Sly & the Family Stone’s 1971 record There’s A Riot Goin’ On is a landmark of soul, rock, and funk, even as it’s essentially impossible to put into any of those categories. The band’s optimism on previous records had essentially evaporated, and this record also marked the point at which Sly Stone’s drug issues and interpersonal problems starting affecting the music. The album was recorded with overdubs in the studio, with Sly handling most of the playing, instead of the rest of the band playing it directly. It’s murky, dark, and often strange, and it’s completely compelling.

Five Songs, 12/15/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Swans, “Stay Here”

Filth is maybe the best named album ever made. Belching forth from the no-wave scene in New York City, it’s just 36 minutes of pure punishment. Grinding, scraping, the nihilism is palpable on every part of the record. From Roli Mossimann’s relentless pounding on the drums, to Norman Westberg’s doom-laden guitar work, and especially Michael Gira’s howling vocals, the Swans are operating in a primal mode here that would inspire countless other noise bands. They would tune their attack, add in a lot more variation and complexity, and would end up as one of the most majestic bands ever. But when they started? They were the avatars of everything murky and gross.

Five Songs, 12/14/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 14 Dec 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Gaunt, “Different Drum Machine”

Every time Gaunt comes up, I say more or less the same thing. But, dammit, I’m write. Gaunt should have been huge! This song is such a beast.

Snuff, “The Damage Is Done”

A minute and a half of just pure punk rock, this is plenty enjoyable. Just going to rip through five tunes today apparently!

The Cinematic Orchestra, “Man With The Movie Camera”

Or not! The Cinematic Orchestra are a jazz/orchestra that married cinematic tunes with, uh, jazz and some of the rhythms of dance music. It sounds like a soundtrack as created by a Ninja Tune band, which is pretty much exactly what it is. Very cool stuff.

Five Songs, 12/13/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 13 Dec 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Obits, “Spun Out”

Who is making music with this kind of reverbed out surf guitar these days? Honest question, I have no idea, and I like it a lot. Comment down below! Or don’t! I’m not the boss of you.

People Under The Stairs, “Montego Slay”

This song is actually assembled out of a bunch of micro samples of music from commercials for Jamaican tourism, which is pretty impressive given how coherent it all sounds. This sort of careful, detailed assembling is something that always impresses the hell out of me.

Five Songs, 12/12/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 12 Dec 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Modest Mouse, “Fire It Up”

I really need to go back and re-evaluate this record. Given how much I like the previous three albums from them (and the various EPs), it wasn’t really fair to kind of dismiss the record after only a couple listens. Sometimes it’s easy to just move on when a record doesn’t click right away, especially for a band that you love, because you expect to love it right away.

Five Songs, 12/11/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 11 Dec 2020 20:00:00 +0000

They Might Be Giants, “Put Your Hand Inside The Puppet Head”

While the first TMBG album certainly sounds primitive compared to where they’d end up, there are still plenty of their hallmarks present even with this early song. They were capable of writing catchy tunes from the beginning, they had the clever lyrics, and the charm was certianly present. The first album has too many incidents of wackiness, too many throwaways to be really great, but there are some fine tunes on it.

Five Songs, 12/10/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 10 Dec 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Bathory, “Song To Hall Up High”

Black metal pioneer Bathory (which was pretty much just Quorthon) pivoted away from the pure black metal of their earlier albums towards Viking metal, more or less establishing that genre too. Hammerheart is one of the key albums of that genre, and if you wanted more bombast in your black metal, Bathory can help you out.

Nine Inch Nails, “Gave Up”

After Pretty Hate Machine, there wasn’t any new music from NiN for several years, due to label disputes. When the dry spell lifted, it brought a six-song EP (not counting the two bonus tracks that weren’t really connected) of fury. Broken sounded to my ears like a totally new direction for the band, which was actually OK with me, as I had really moved away from industrial dance. It really was a preview of what The Downward Spiral was, and is just an excellent set of tunes.

Five Songs, 12/9/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 09 Dec 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Helmet, “Better”

Helmet’s debut album on Amphetamine Reptile Records was a savage and self-assured record, and they backed it up by touring heavily and blowing people away. Then, Nirvana blew up huge and the major labels started looking for heavy rock acts to sign to satisfy a market suddenly hungry for them. Every single one of them landed on Helmet, and a ferocious bidding war erupted. Interscope were the winners, signing Helmet to a million dollar deal and sending them into the studio. As a teaser, they released a CD single with three of the songs from the upcoming album (including this one) along with one live track, and I got to see what Helmet would sound like with serious dollars behind them. The answer? Helmet!

Five Songs, 12/8/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 08 Dec 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Son Volt, “Back Into Your World”

Can I talk about some of the strange artifacts that my music collection has accumulated over the years? Oh, that’s right, you can’t stop me! The process of ripping CDs (often with dodgy info databases), matching via iTunes and Amazon Music, storing and then re-downloading from Amazon Music, moving from computer to computer, and a bunch of other things have caused mutations in a lot of this stuff. It’s mostly harmless, but every now and again a tic is interesting or odd. This album has one of those mutations: the album name is recorded as Straightaways (Warner Bros) for some reason, suggesting that someone once input it that way into a database and these tracks picked it up. And you may think, well, did they release this album on multiple labels? Nope, every version in Discogs is from Warner Bros. Somebody apparently just annotated all their album names with labels for some goblin reason, and it got swept up into some aggregated database, and now it’s here perplexing me.

Five Songs, 12/7/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 07 Dec 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Built to Spill, “Conventional Wisdom”

Probably the best song on You In Reverse, it’s also one of the longest. But Built to Spill were often at their best when they take the time to really elaborate on a melody and play around with it. The first half of this song sounds like a good Dinosaur Jr. track, and then it mutates into a very Built to Spill thing during the second half, and both halves are very enjoyable.

Five Songs, 12/6/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 06 Dec 2020 20:00:00 +0000

BADBADNOTGOOD & Ghostface Killah, “Stark’s Reality”

This tune is very like David Axelrod, especially in the engineering of the recording and the strings. I would have loved to hear Ghostface actually rhyme on top of it.

Oranssi Pazuzu, “Uraanisula”

Looks like the first time we’ve had Oranssi Pazuzu around here - they’re a Finnish black metal band that plays around a lot more with psychedelic stuff than a lot of other bands. They can sometimes feel pretty spacey as a consequence, which can be fun, or maybe a little proggy. I guess you can just listen to this! There are many variations of people howling over guitars out there, folks.

Five Songs, 12/5/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 05 Dec 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Mighty Mighty Bosstones, “Hell of a Hat”

Let’s Face It is the album that broke through for the Bosstones, but I think their previous record (Question the Answers) is easily their best. The songwriting is both sharper and rougher, which suits them well. Take this song, for instance. The “sharpest motherfucker” stuff leading into the chorus is great, they aren’t afraid of some huge guitars during the chorus, they have a noisy breakdown to conclude things, and this song that could have just been a smirk is actually much more interesting than it initially seemed.

Five Songs, 12/4/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 20:00:00 +0000

The Maytals, “Daddy”

The first Maytals album, 1965’s The Sensational Maytals, was later re-issued with a bunch of extras and alternate takes as Sensational Ska Explosion. The extra junk is unnecessary, but the album is a great view into the early career of one of ska and reggae’s great acts. As this was very early in the development of the style, there is a fair bit of R&B on the album, such as this track.

Five Songs, 12/3/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 03 Dec 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Ministry, “Just One Fix”

Psalm 69 represents the last time Ministry was fun and not just a repetitive mess. “Jesus Built My Hotrod” is the highlight, but the album is chock full of similarly punishing industrial metal. I think the way to approach Ministry is to probably start with this album and then work your way backwards until it stops appealing, and just pretend that this is their last album.

Five Songs, 12/2/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 02 Dec 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Earth Wind & Fire, “Help Somebody”

There are several bands that I really only knew from later radio hits that were on when I was a kid. So, to me, they were just these bands that had some corny hits that I didn’t think much about. Kool & the Gang are absolutely in that cateogry, and Earth Wind & Fire is another. This is both an unfair evaluation of the hits that they had on the radio, but also fails to account for the long careers of these bands. Take EWF’s first album! It’s a fantastic blend of funk, R&B, jazz, and rock, and is incredibly impressive for a debut.

Five Songs, 12/1/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 01 Dec 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Hey, a quick note here before we get to the main act - we went all of November with a post every single day! NOT BAD

Nickel Creek, “Somebody More Like You”

One of my favorite Nickel Creek songs, with the acid lyrics really carrying things, and of course the lovely harmonies are as fun as always. One of the things that I really like about Nickel Creek is how percussive the playing is, so you don’t even really notice that there’s no drums.

Five Songs, 11/30/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 30 Nov 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Belle and Sebastian, “I Want The World To Stop”

I’ve written before about how I don’t love Write About Love, so I won’t rehash that here. It’s fine, but it’s just a little too slick and it just doesn’t resonate with me. I think this song is probably a good example of what I think. All the moves are there for this to be an excellent song, some horns, some handclaps, sweet backing vocals - but it just doesn’t quite land. Stuart just doesn’t sound like he’s really throwing himself into it, there’s a little too much repetition in the lyrics, and it just doesn’t seem too inspired.

Five Songs, 11/29/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 29 Nov 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Morrissey, “He Knows I’d Love To See Him”

This is from the non-album single November Spawned A Monster, where he continued working with ex-Smiths bassist Andy Rourke, and is some of the better stuff from his solo career. It’s just three songs, but they’re good songs. You know, if you can stand Morrissey.

Sharon Van Etten, “Comeback Kid”

I haven’t followed Van Etten too closely, but her most recent album (Remind Me Tomorrow) got strong reviews based on having added a lot richer arrangements, and I picked it up. It’s pretty good! I should actually recommend it to my sister, she would like it (she does not read this blog).

Five Songs, 11/28/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 28 Nov 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Edan, “Emcees Smoke Crack”

Edan is one of my favorite hip-hop artists, even though he hasn’t released a lot of stuff. Primitive Plus was his first album, and is chock full of left-field stuff like this. Listen to that beat! That baseline is amazing, the scratching, the extra samples, and Edan is lots of fun on the mic - clever and with an excellent flow.

Priests, “Youtube Sartre”

We just had this song! SIX SONGS TODAY

Five Songs, 11/27/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 27 Nov 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Obits, “I Want Results”

There’s an interesting comparison to make between Obits and Rocket from the Crypt. We know what John Reis and Rick Froberg sound like when they’re writing songs and performing together (great!). But their bands apart give a window into what they sound like on their own, and what they bring to the combined work. Outside of his distinctive yelp, it turns out that Froberg sounds like a more traditional blues and psych influenced rock band than anything else. It’s very well-done, of course, but it’s interesting to observe that the punk energy seems to be coming more from Reis.

Five Songs, 11/26/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 26 Nov 2020 20:00:00 +0000

The Grifters, “Spaced Out”

By the time the Grifters arrived at this record, album number five, they were recording for a mid-major (Sub Pop), in a real studio, and they were sounding like a real full-on band instead of the ramshackle act they used to sound like. There are some bands that get exposed as boring when you shine them up, but happily the Grifters are not one of them. This is their slickest album by a lot, but their country/blues/rock songs sound great, and it’s a shame that their ride ended here.

Five Songs, 11/25/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 25 Nov 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Infesticons, “Night Night Theme”

Infesticons is Mike Ladd and some assorted helpers, making grimy underground hip-hop. Gun Hill Road came out in 2000, and is chock full of noise, gritty beats and loops, and frankly uneven rapping. It’s an interesting album, I think, but not really a great one.

Note that there’s a couple minutes of silence in the middle of today’s track, and then there’s an un-named instrumental bonus track. I’m delighted that the era of CD hidden bonus tracks is over.

Five Songs, 11/24/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 24 Nov 2020 20:00:00 +0000

The Jam, “That’s Entertainment”

I wasn’t following music during the Jam’s heyday, what with being too young, but they were pretty big shit. Specifically, according to Wikipedia, “That’s Enterainment” is still the best-selling single in the UK ever. Pretty impressive! Lovely song, too.

The Mr. T Experience, “More Than Toast”

Here’s MTX doing what they do best, laying down a catchy pop-punk tune for three minutes and then getting out of here. I will honor them by doing the same.

Five Songs, 11/23/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 23 Nov 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Filastine, “Singularities”

Electronic artist Filastine draws widely from musical traditions from across the globe, pulling in bits and pieces from many cultures to assemble his songs. What could sound eclectic doesn’t come off that way, it instead is more like a kaleidoscope - assembling a fractured image into an interesting whole.

The Dead Milkmen, “Tiny Town (Live)”

Is this one of the rare live albums that elevates past just being a worse-sounding collection of their studio hits? One of those shining gems that comes across just often enough for me to keep buying live albums like a big fuckin’ chump? Reader, it is not. It is fine.

Five Songs, 11/22/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 22 Nov 2020 20:00:00 +0000

The Baseball Project, “Don’t Call Them Twinkies”

There’s a Venn diagram you can draw, with “Baseball Nerd” as one circle and “Seattle Music Nerd” in the other. In that fantastic overlap sits The Baseball Project and your faithful Five Songs correspondant. Where else can you go for a lovely rock song that name checks Zoilo Versalles? Just the best.

Uniform, “Habit”

And from that piece of charm, we move to the menacing Uniform, sounding like Thaw-era Foetus here. All growling noise and lyrics spit through gritted teeth. The sort of song with a relentless pursuit of “ugly” as an aesthetic.

Five Songs, 11/21/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 21 Nov 2020 20:00:00 +0000

The Toasters, “Dub 56”

We’re mid-career with the Toasters here, with the Toasters basically having found their sound with Dub 56. They’d further refine it a bit on the next couple albums, but this is more or less where they ended up. You can very much hear their debt to two-tone ska here.

Foetus, “I Hate You All”

After Flow and Blow in 2001, J.G. Thirlwell didn’t release another record under the Foetus moniker until 2006, releasing Damp. When he came back, he was in a very strange place. Like, I’m not even sure what to call this? Deranged big band, I guess? There’s nothing else really like it, and I love it.

Five Songs, 11/20/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 20 Nov 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Torche, “Admission”

When we had My Bloody Valentine the other day, I confessed that I didn’t really love Loveless. In turn, that means that I’m not really much on shoegaze, which is true. What I do often like is when bands take shoegaze-style wall of guitar and bring it in to other places. Like, Torche’s muscular riff-y rock has those washes of sound, and it’s great.

Jean Knight, “Mr. Big Stuff”

We’ve had “Mr. Big Stuff” on here, but it’s such an all-time jam, I’m not mad. But let’s do six today!

Five Songs, 11/19/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Manorexia, “Zithromax Jitters”

I think I mention this every time Manorexia pops up, but that’s infrequent enough that I think it’s OK: Manorexia is one of J.G. Thirlwell’s (Foetus, Wiseblood, Steroid Maximus, Clint Ruin, etc) aliases. Like Steroid Maximus, Manorexia is dedicated to cinematic instrumental music, and it’s not at all clear what differentiates the two aliases. At any rate, this is an interesting album.

Veda Brown, “Living A Life Without Love”

You can tell within seconds that this is a Stax record. This is obviously from relatively late in the Stax run, when the soul sound of the label had evolved in this lush direction. I’ve always preferred the rawer style of the earlier records, but this is still a lovely sound.

Five Songs, 11/18/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 18 Nov 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Boris, “Furi”

The first Boris album I encountered was Akuma No Uta after reading a good review of it online somewhere, and I was blown away. To have “Introduction” get followed by two absolute rippers like “Ibitsu” and today’s track, from the same band, I was just in love. Boris has paid that love back with a ton of classic records, many of them better than this album. But it’s still one I return to again and again, because your first album is often special with a band.

Five Songs, 11/17/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 17 Nov 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Naked City, “Bonehead”

I can often write these little blurbs while each song is playing, as most songs give me enough time to bang out a little bit of garbage for you all to read. Naked City, though? Forget it. Should change their name to Pause City!

Girls Against Boys, “Super-Fire”

This is the opening of House of GVSB, the last album from Girls Against Boys for Touch and Go, not to mention their last good album. Their brand of driving, almost danceable post-hardcore was in fine form here, which makes it a shame that they fell off so hard.

Five Songs, 11/16/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 16 Nov 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Screeching Weasel, “Leather Jacket”

Ben Weasel started letting some of the songs on Anthem For A New Tomorrow stretch out a little bit, and let the Ramones worship go just a tiny bit. The result is probably his best record - still very much punk, still very familiar, but tuneful and fun.

Aphex Twin, “Radiator”

The second Selected Ambient Works album from Aphex Twin doesn’t quite hit the same way the first one did. It’s very long (two discs of 70 minutes each), and it doesn’t seem like it was edited down enough. The first one is the most important ambient electronic album ever, and this one is more of a curiosity. Add in that I’m not a huge ambient guy, and this album hasn’t really gotten much play since I got it.

Five Songs, 11/15/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 15 Nov 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Priests, “Youtube Sartre”

This is a fantastic song name, and I’m afraid to search to see if there is anybody who refers to themselves as this. I hope not!

Canibus, “Get Retarded”

Canibus mostly made battle rap, and this track kind of gives you more or less the full range of his subject matter on this album (called Can-I-Bus). He never really evolved from here, and I didn’t follow him after this album.

Five Songs, 11/14/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 14 Nov 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Operation Re-Information, “Autonomous Auto”

This 100% sounds like something I would have picked up at some point, and I have zero recollection of it. It looks like it’s from 1999, and at that time, I don’t really remember picking this up. Well, whatever, it’s pretty fun. Sometimes we both listen to something new around here!

My Bloody Valentine, “When You Sleep”

It’s hard to describe exactly how horny the rock underground and the music press was for My Bloody Valentine when this album came out. Expectations were already high given the previous album, the band spent a couple years (which was an eternity at the time) prepping this album, and then everybody went nuts when it came out. It seemed like overnight that there were a billion soundalike shoegaze bands, each one more mumbly than the last.

Five Songs, 11/13/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 13 Nov 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Flamingosis, “Those Eyes”

Discogs describes Flamingosis as “chillwave” and “disco”, and, sure, whatever. There’s some synth pop here, some electro-funk, some straight up pop - the sort of thing that sounds nostalgic without actually really evoking anything specific. In this song, there are actually some Soul II Soul vibes going on here. Which, in turn, brings me to two memories of Soul II Soul. The first is that they were weirdly one of the contemporary (at the time) bands that my dad and I both really liked. He bought his own copy of a couple of their albums, we used to listen to them in the car, it was great.

Five Songs, 11/12/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 12 Nov 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Rocket From The Crypt, “I’m Not Invisible”

As a result of Five Songs, I’ve actually been on a Rocket From The Crypt kick lately. It’s been great! I don’t ever see them get mentioned any more, but they kicked ass across seven albums (not even counting the excellent compilations!) and people should listen to them. This is how their final studio album kicked off, and it smokes.

Autoclave, “I’ll Take You Down”

Autoclave was not around long, putting out a couple EPs on Discord before disappearing. But the members wouldn’t disappear - Slant 6 arose from their ashes, but more significantly, this was Mary Timony’s (Helium, Wild Flag, Ex Hex) first band. Imagine doing this in high school! Incredible.

Five Songs, 11/11/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 11 Nov 2020 20:00:00 +0000

The Jam, “Private Hell”

The middle album of the Jam’s peak trio, Setting Sons, is probably the slickest and most commercial sounding of the three. While the songs are of course fantastic, the overall approach makes it my least favorite of those three records. But just to be clear, it’s still a fantastic record, I just liste to the other two albums a little more often.

Powerrun, “In A Dream”

Powerrun is a *wave band, maybe a synthwave band? I can keep decent track of metal microgenres, but I get out of my depth pretty fast with electronic stuff, even though I listen to a fair bit of it. ANyway, this is just a little trifle, but it’s a fun record.

Five Songs, 11/10/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 20:00:00 +0000

The Toasters, “East Side Beat”

Your first instinct might be to think that Rob “Bucket” Hingley’s accent here is a terrible put-on. But no, Rob was born in England, so he earned this. At any rate, this is from the first Toasters album, and it captures a band still developing their sound.

Foetus, “Mandelay”

One of the centerpieces of Flow, an album where J.G. Thirlwell ramped up the cinematic nature of his music to another level, while making sure that the perversion of that sound was also present. The noise, the disturbing sounds, the strange interludes - it all combines to a disorienting song that really takes you on a journey. To somewhere. This is one of his very best albums.

Five Songs, 11/9/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 09 Nov 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Squarepusher, “Come On My Selector”

Early Squarepusher is very much drum ’n’ bass, albeit pretty frantic even for a genre known for punishing tempos. Squarepusher is still primarily cutting up the Amen break for the drums, for instance. You can hear his bass playing front and center here, of course, and it’s great despite being firmly in a genre. This EP, Big Loada, would kind of mark the last of the pure drum ’n’ bass, as the next album found him heading in a much more marked fusion direciton.

Five Songs, 11/8/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 08 Nov 2020 20:00:00 +0000

New Bomb Turks, “Double Marlon”

Garage punks out of Columbus, OH, the New Bomb Turks exploded (heh!) onto the scene with their brand of aggressive rock, and they kept it rockin’ for a while. However, they did eventually fell off, and this EP (Beruhren Meiner Affe, “Touching My Monkey”) is kind of where the dividing line is. It’s a perfectly good five songs of their Stooges-esque stuff, but after this, it seemed like the were just kind of tired.

Five Songs, 11/7/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 07 Nov 2020 20:00:00 +0000

The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, “Mars, Arizona”

Damage was the last album before a hiatus, and so I kind of group it with the other albums from their initial sequence, and think of the post-hiatus records as a different thing. Two of these albums kind of stand out as different from the others, by virtue of having outside producers working extensively with the band and adding some new sounds into the mix. There have been electronics around since the days of the theremin, but on both Acme and this record, there is more variety to the sound. It’s all still unmistakably the Blues Explosion, of course, with the rock and blues sounds front-and-center. But the additional texture gives the two records a new sounds. Of the two, I slightly prefer Acme, but they’re both a bunch of fun.

Five Songs, 11/6/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 06 Nov 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Two Fingers, “Moth Rhythm”

Most of the tracks on the Amon Tobin side project feature Sway rapping on them, but this is one of the two songs that does not. As a result, this just sounds like an Amon Tobin song. Contemplative for him, sure, but still a Tobin song. Not that that is a bad thing.

British Sea Power, “Be Gone”

British Sea Power play pretty nuts-and-bolts indie rock. This is from their second album, which doesn’t show a ton of evolution from the first record. It’s good, but I’m not sure it’s super memorable.

Five Songs, 11/5/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 05 Nov 2020 20:00:00 +0000

The Police, “King Of Pain”

By the time Synchronicity came out, the Police were really out of gas. There are some fine pop songs on it, but lots of filler, and even the good songs are kind of tame compared to some of their previous songs. I really liked this album a lot back when it came out, but find myself listening to it only very rarely now.

Budos Band, “Old Engine Oil”

There are about three seconds at the beginning of this song when you think it’s going to be a classic rock vamp. But then the horns kick in, and it’s a regular Budos vamp. But with some classic rock touches here and there in the guitar, which is a lot of fun. It kicks off another classic record from the Budos Band, an album which dials back the psych stuff from Burnt Offering just a little bit. It ends up being right in the middle for their albums, behind Burnt Offering and I, but ahead of III and II. I haven’t placed Long in the Tooth yet, but I think it winds up probably right around III somewhere.

Five Songs, 11/4/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 04 Nov 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Homeboy Sandman, “Name”

I first encountered Homebody Sandman through his (excellent) collaboration with Edan. I liked it enough to pick up his next record, Dusty, which I also enjoy. Lots of jazzy loops providing a great backdrop for his flows, which are a good time.

David Bowie, “Sound and Vision”

I’m not a Bowie scholar (I find myself saying a lot what kind of scholar I am not around here!). I have tried to stick to just some of his essential albums. In practice, for Bowie, that means I have five albums, Low being one of them. I’m not sure what else to say about it, other than it’s one of his essential albums.

Five Songs, 11/3/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 03 Nov 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Rockabye Baby!, “Beautiful Day”

This is ostensibly a cover of the Green Day song. This was a gift to us, I think, a while back. And I suppose you can see the intended joke here - it’s lulliby music! But also Green Day! Har! But overall, this is so far from anything resembling the original that you’d probably have to explain it to anybody to attempt to convey the levity. Please try to slip it in-between the giggle-snorts.

Five Songs, 11/2/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 02 Nov 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Flying Lotus, “Takashi”

It’s a little hard to describe Flying Lotus accurately. “Electronic” feels wholly inadequate. “Fusion” is accurate, yes, but also feels like it’s not really highlighting what he’s fusing. There’s lots of jazz and experimental electronic music here, some funk…just kind of lots of everything. It’s great! But hard to describe. Luckily, you can just listen to it.

The Mekons, “Wicked Midnite”

I don’t always have a ton to say about bands. The Mekons were good!

Five Songs, 11/1/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 01 Nov 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Dodecahedron, “Interlude”

Dodecahedron is a black metal band that plays in the very dissonant end of the pool like a bunch of my favorite metal bands. It’s all murky noise and ugly churn, warty and unpredictable. They only have two albums out, and I’ve only got this one based on a positive reivew I read somewhere, but I like it pretty well.

A Forest of Stars, “Drawing Down the Rain”

Almost seems wrong to put this in the same genre of black metal as Dodecahedron, doesn’t it? I mean, there are blast beats and tremelo picking, I guess, but there’s something resembling melodies here, not to mention some clean singing, strings, and other non-grim shit. If you played this to somebody who had no exposure to modern metal, it would at least make some sense. Dodecahedron? Not so much.

Five Songs Special, 10/31/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 31 Oct 2020 19:00:00 +0000

Goin’ with a theme today!

Sleater-Kinney, “Buy Her Candy”

Now, seriously, what’s the point of a Sleater-Kinney song without Janet Weiss?

Andrew Bird & His Bowl of Fire, “Candy Shop”

Very early material from Andrew Bird, when he was still recording with a band credited as His Bowl of Fire. This version lasted for three albums, with the first two albums staying pretty close to a hot jazz formula like you hear on this track. The third album found the band adding some more rock influence, to great effect, leaving the first couple albums as just sort of a fun dead-end. He does have many of his strengths on display here, though, especially his great vocal delivery, the maserful violin, and the dynamic songwriting.

Five Songs, 10/30/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 30 Oct 2020 19:00:00 +0000

Modest Mouse, “3rd Planet”

The opening of The Moon & Antarctica, “3rd Planet” sets the expectation that Modest Mouse had moved beyond the sound of The Lonesome Crowded West to a little bit more of a melodic place. While this is still unmistakably the same band, it’s a cleaner, more mature sound. It suits them very well, and the album fulfills the promise of this first song.

Phil Ranelin, “Vibes From The Tribe”

Another cut from Soul of a Nation, this falls squarely into music I’m not qualified to talk about. But goddamn, just listen to that!

Five Songs, 10/28/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 28 Oct 2020 19:00:00 +0000

No Age, “Turned To String”

Long running punk duo No Age fill out their sound by using the occasional sample, which helps keep things a little fresher than the formula might otherwise result in. At this point, six albums in, they’re really getting by on the strength of their strongwriting, but that songwriting is keeping up. This is from their 2020 album Goons Be Gone.

The Toasters, “Thrill Me Up”

The Toasters were one of the key bands of the third wave, as they not only got things rolling very early and blazed a trail for other bands in New York City to follow, but they ran the most important label of the third wave, Moon Ska. Early on, the Toasters didn’t have as much punk in their sound, as this track from 1988 demonstrates.

Five Songs, 10/27/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 27 Oct 2020 19:00:00 +0000

Phoenix, “Long Distance Call”

The alchemy on this song of the durms and that slow bleat on the keyboard is kind of magical. This entire album is chock full of fun pop rock.

Ruder Than You, “Misskaculation”

Does it get cornier than this? It does, once I tell you that this album is called Horny For Ska.

Little Otis, “Baby I Need You”

Early Motown here, from 1962. Pretty by-the-numbers, but pleasant enough. This was actually the B-side, so it makes sense that it’s not totally a barn burner.

Five Songs, 10/26/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 26 Oct 2020 19:00:00 +0000

Mudhoney, “Endless Yesterday”

Mudhoney is never really going to sound mature, not with Mark Arm sounding like he does. But as they went along (this is from their seventh album), they picked up a lot of moves that make them sound so much more put together. I mean, this is pretty damn melodic for a Mudhoney tune! There’s noise here that doesn’t come from a guitar!

The Pietasters, “Freak Show”

Hey, speaking of mature, the lyrics to this are really a model for how to handle sensitive subjects carefully.

Five Songs, 10/25/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 25 Oct 2020 19:00:00 +0000

Future Of The Left, “Chin Music”

The bass tone for Future of the Left always sounds like a million bucks. And they wisely make sure that it stays up front plenty so we can all enjoy the hell out of it.

…And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, “Bells of Creation”

This album, The Century of Self, marked the point where I kind of lost track of Trail of Dead. Not because I stopped liking the music - they’re still their normal bombastic selves here, making huge, emotional tunes - but just because sometimes we just fall off of bands. I think that maybe I wasn’t hearing a lot of evolution in the band, and I kind of had heard what they had to say. That’s maybe unfair, but there’s not a lot separating this from the previous three records.

Five Songs, 10/24/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 24 Oct 2020 19:00:00 +0000

Poster Children, “0 For 1”

There was a decent sized indie rock scene in Champaign-Urbana in the late 80s/early 90s, with Hum, the excellent and forgotten Steakdaddy Six, Honcho Overload, and the Poster Children all emerging to varying levels of success. Of that group, the Poster Children had the most success at the time, signing to Sire and producing a string of well-received albums. Hum is probably the one with the best enduring reputation (especially given a comeback), but the Poster Children still hold up today as well-executed indie rock.

Five Songs, 10/23/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 23 Oct 2020 19:00:00 +0000

Arab Strap, “The Clearing”

Arab Strap was a band from the same music scene that produced Mogwai and Belle & Sebastian, but unlike those two bands, they’ve never done that much for me. This comes from their first album, and it’s kind of unfocused, and there’s nothing that I find really memorable on it.

The Rolling Stones, “Love In Vain”

Huh, never heard of this band.

Lorelle Meets The Obsolete, “Unificado”

Psychedelic rock out of Mexico, this is from the 2019 album De Facto which showed up on some best-of lists that year. I think this is good, but as with a lot of psychedelic rock, it doesn’t tend to stick with me. I’m kind of the same way with Tame Impala - I can tell it’s good and all, and can even see what people hear in it, but it just doesn’t hang with me. I guess it’s Not Memorable To Josh day?

Five Songs, 10/22/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 22 Oct 2020 19:00:00 +0000

Amon Tobin, “One Shy Morning”

Amon Tobin put out two albums in 2019, with this one (Long Stories) being the more ambient, quieter one of the pair. It’s well done, and it’s a good record, but honestly, I prefer Tobin when he’s more out there than this.

Fela Kuti, “Igbe”

The inventor of Afro-beat, Fela Kuti is one of the key musical figures of the 20th century. I’m not a Kuti scholar, truthfully, owning only a handful of albums, and if I roll out a bunch of biographical info here, I’d largely be cribbing from some other site. But just listen to this, and then try and imagine any of the Daptone bands sounding the same. Even beyond the influence, though, this just flat cooks. This is from Gentlemen, which seems to be considered his best album - that’s why I picked it up in the first place.

Five Songs, 10/21/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 21 Oct 2020 19:00:00 +0000

The Reindeer Section, “If Everything Fell Quiet”

The Reindeer Section is a Scottish supergroup, featuring members of Belle & Sebastian, Snow Patrol, Arab Strap, Mogwai, and others. The resulting album actually sounds a lot more coherent than what you normally expect from a supergroup, primarily because the songs were all written by Gary Lightbody (of Snow Patrol). The rest of the folks here fill out the roster, and they do it quite ably.

Five Songs, 10/20/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 19:00:00 +0000

Michael Kiwanuka, “Black Man In A White World”

Kiwanuka’s second album, Love & Hate, is an ambitious album that roams all over the R&B and soul maps, unafraid to stretch out the songs, play with lush arrangements, and challenge listeners. It’s an album that I really prefer to listen to as a full album, because I think it builds on itself well.

DJ Shadow, “Good News”

DJ Shadow followed up his excellent 2016 album The Mountain Will Fall with an EP the next year, called The Mountain Has Fallen. It features a couple of nice collaborations with Nas and Danny Brown, and then it has this. The spastic pace, blurting synths, and swaths of noise seem deliberately hostile paired up with some of his most accessible stuff. Overall, though, it’s a solid EP.

Five Songs, 10/19/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 19 Oct 2020 19:00:00 +0000

Primitive Man, “Loathe”

Primitive Man is very aptly named, a knuckle-dragging sludge/doom act from Denver, putting out punishing, bleak records that are unsubtle in the extreme. This little ditty comes from Home Is Where The Hatred Is, an EP from 2015 that is just basically sunless and crushing like this.

Thou, “Feral Faun”

Thou is actually one of the bands I think of as being closest to Primitive Man, so nice pull, shuffle. I suppose there’s more nuance to Thou than Primitive Man at times, as you can hear in the intro to this song. But, overall, it’s the same kind of bleak approach to things. There’s more melody here, I suppose, if you squint hard enough.

Five Songs, 10/18/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 18 Oct 2020 19:00:00 +0000

The Pietasters, “Without You”

You know, for a dude who claims to not like live albums, I sure have a lot of live albums. The Pietasters only have one good studio album, Oolooloo, but it’s tremendous. I bought this album because it was the next thing they put out, and I wanted more. This live album captured them at about the same time as their studio masterpiece, and it finds the band in roughly the same form. As a result, it’s probalby their second best album, which doesn’t say a ton about the rest of their career.

Five Songs, 10/17/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 17 Oct 2020 19:00:00 +0000

Windhand, “Halcyon”

Windhand are usually categorized as playing doom metal, which is to say that they kind of follow in the footsteps of Black Sabbath or at least Sleep. There’s aspects of the sound here which really kind of blur into adjacent genres, which is to say that there’s a certain psych-rock thing going on here, as well as more than a little grunge. Genre categorization aside, this is pretty easy listening for heavy music, and is just kind of pleasant. At least for me.

Five Songs Special, 10/16/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 16 Oct 2020 19:00:00 +0000

Happy birthday to the most important listener/reader of Five Songs! YES, YOU.

The Pixies, “Where Is My Mind?”

I’m not sure a week doesn’t go by where Dave Lovering’s entry into this song doesn’t go through my head. And that’s without talking about how often the rest of the song goes through my brain. Where is my mind? It’s on the Pixies, most of the time.

The Jesus Lizard, “Mouth Breather”

Speaking of drum parts that go through my head all the time, Mac McNeilly’s drums here are indelibly printed into my head. When I die (probably crushed by a stack of board games falling on me), you’ll be able to slice me open and find the chunk of gray matter assigned to keep track of this. This is essentially a perfect rock song.

Five Songs, 10/15/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 15 Oct 2020 19:00:00 +0000

We’ve talked around here a lot (well, I talked…typed…whatever) about metal’s many genres. One thing that these genres can do is result in pigeonholing your listening too much. So, I periodically sample from genres that I’m not big on. Usually it doesn’t work! This album was one of those experiments, where I decided to go for a modern heavy metal record. It doesn’t really do much for me. Oh well!

Five Songs, 10/14/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 14 Oct 2020 19:00:00 +0000

Muddy Waters, “You Can’t Lose What You Ain’t Never Had”

For as much as I joke about not knowing shit about jazz (and I do not), I know even less about blues. I’m clueless! So, I’ll just say that this comes from his 1978 album I’m Ready and get out of the way.

Noisem, “Voices in the Morgue”

Well, that’s jarring. Noisem, a death/thrash act from Baltimore, got some positive press a while back, so I picked up this album. But I don’t know, I think I’m pickier about this end of metal, and this doesn’t do a whole lot for me.

Five Songs, 10/13/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 13 Oct 2020 19:00:00 +0000

Modest Mouse, “So Much Beauty In Dirt”

This comes from the 2001 EP Everywhere and His Nasty Parlor Tricks, which in turn pulls a few songs from an earlier EP and adds a few new ones. This is from the peak Modest Mouse period, from their three album run from The Lonesome Crowded West through Good News for People Who Love Bad News, so it’s good stuff.

Mudhoney, “Here Comes Sickness”

If there’s one album I’d point to that defines grunge to me, it’s not Nirvana’s Nevermind. Sure, that’s the commercial breakthrough, but I’d instead point at Mudhoney’s first, self-titled record as really being the heart of grunge. It marries the energy of punk and the power of metal, with a certain grime that really sets the genre off. This is basically the sound that so many bands were chasing in their own way before grunge got huge and changed into sour grunting.

Five Songs, 10/12/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 13 Oct 2020 04:05:27 +0000

Jan Jelinek, “John Cage, I’ve Been Told To Ask You The Following Question: Where Are You Going?”

Jan Jelinek, expiremental sampling wizard, is best known for creating glitchy, minimal electronic work. Loop-Finding-Jazz-Records is a masterpiece, one of my favorite electronic albums. This, however, comes from a much later album, Zwischen, distinguished by being more avant garde, with more vocal samples. Also, the song names are something else. This is not remotely the longest song title.

Five Songs, 10/7/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 07 Oct 2020 19:00:00 +0000

Czarface & Ghostface Killah, “Back At Ringside”

Czarface is Inspectah Deck, 7L, and Esoteric, making the sort of superhero/villain inspired hip-hop that MF Doom and Ghostface used to make. So, of course, they have teamed up with both Doom and Ghostface, which makes all the sense in the world. Ghostface managed to outshine the other folks on this album, but it’s still kind of a fun romp.

The Olympians, “Sirens of Jupiter”

The Olympians are a Daptone act featuring a remixed set of the same kind of usual suspects, with members of the Dap-Kings and Menahan Street Band, among others. They’ve put out just one album thus far, and it’s a fine slab of instrumental soul, if not at all groundbreaking. If you need more of that Daptone sound, you can certainly do a lot worse.

Five Songs, 10/6/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 06 Oct 2020 19:00:00 +0000

Queens of the Stone Age, “If I Had A Tail”

There were six years between the majestic, jagged Era Vulgaris and the return album …Like Clockwork, and that time was apparently spent with Homme thinking about bringing things back to the turn of the millenium. To my ears, this album sounds more like Songs for the Deaf than anything else, which is not a bad thing at all. It took a little bit for the album to grow on me, and while I’m still not sure I’d place it at the top of their pile, it’s a fine album from one of the best rock bands around.

Five Songs, 10/5/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 05 Oct 2020 19:00:00 +0000

The Gotobeds, “Calquer the Hound”

Indie rock out of Pittsburgh, the Gotobeds’ third album, Debt Begins At 30, sounds fanastic. There’s a real kind of Discord-y/post-hardcore thing going on here, which as you all know goes over well here at Five Songs HQ. This is actually the first album I listened to from them, and kind of forgot to go backwards, and I should really fix that.

Nine Inch Nails, “Came Back Haunted”

After his burst of productivity in the mid/late 2000s, with three albums in four years (four if you count Ghosts, which you should not), Trent Reznor did his usual thing and went away for five years between NiN albums. Unlike previous pauses, he was still making music. He was doing film scores and releasing music as How To Destroy Angels. But he came back to NiN and released Hesitation Marks in 2013, featuring a whole bunch of guest artists and a sound that is probably as close to Pretty Hate Machine as any other record he’s done. Much more sophisticated, of course, but fairly upbeat (as these things go) and kind of bouncy. It’s a fun record, which is not something you can say about most NiN records.

Five Songs, 10/4/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 05 Oct 2020 05:36:40 +0000

The Roots, “Becoming Unwritten”

Rising Down is fantastic. But this song is just an interstitial thing.

Army of Juan, “Chicken”

We’re deep into Moon Ska’s bench here with this band, who released one album in 1997 and then disappeared. It never caught on with me particularly, and I’ve never heard anybody else mention it, so thank you for bringing this one up, shuffle.

MU330, “Ireland”

MU330, meanwhile, might be obscure today but at least put out multiple albums and I have actually seen them brought up by someone who isn’t me. This comes from Crab Rangoon, which was released right in the middle of their career, and is probably their best record.

Five Songs, 10/3/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 03 Oct 2020 19:00:00 +0000

Nine Inch Nails, “The Beginning Of The End”

Year Zero marked the fastest followup that Trent Reznor had produced to date, with the album appearing a mere two years after With Teeth. At least five years had separated studio albums up to this point. Perhaps as a result of the relatively short gestation of this album, it’s not a lot different musically from the predecessor. It’s a theme album of sorts, examining a dystopian United States in the near future. It was marketed with an augmented reality campaign, which was genuinely new in 2007. The music itself is solid, but isn’t one of NiN’s essential albums.

Five Songs, 10/2/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 02 Oct 2020 19:00:00 +0000

Hot Chip, “One Pure Thought”

Hot Chip is dance music, basically, with some nice melodies. But while this is perfectly nice, it’s never really clicked with me very much, and I just have the one album from them. I guess the closest thing I listen to regularly is LCD Soundsystem, and it’s not totally clear why I prefer one over the other.

Pond, “Perfect Four”

As always, a quick clarification that this is the rock band from Portland in the mid-90s, not the Australian band in the 2010s. Pond more-or-less arrived fully formed with their first, eponymous album. While their songwriting would get sharper, this album is still chock full of excellent rock. That they should be claimed by the anti-grunge vortex is one of the shames of the 90s.

Five Songs, 10/1/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 01 Oct 2020 19:00:00 +0000

Mastodon, “Black Tongue”

With Crack The Skye, Mastodon had kind of reached the end of an exploration, into very prog-y songwriting. In a lot of ways, it mirrored where Metallica had reached with …And Justice For All, and with both bands, the next album represented a real break in style. In Metallica’s case, it was driven by tragedy, with Cliff Burton’s tragic death. In Mastodon’s case, it seemed to be driven by just a desire to move in a new direction. The Hunter, the album in question, is not their best work. It’s still very good, but I personally find the epic stuff from their previous albums more engaging. It’s not until Emperor of Sand that I’m not back fully on board.

Five Songs, 9/30/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 30 Sep 2020 19:00:00 +0000

The Allstonians, “One Day”

The Allstonians produced two fantastic albums in the heart of the third wave, their self-titled record and Allston Beat. Both were fine, tuneful examples of what the third wave did well, horn driven tunes that borrowed liberally from ska history. There were a few moments when the lyrical approach was a little bit on the smug side (a common problem in the third wave), but overall, both are albums I still listen to frequently to this day. After the collapse of Moon Ska records, the Allstonians disappeared for six years, only to come back with a new record. Alas, the shine just isn’t there any more. We don’t get the fun solos, the horn playing is mostly just simple ensemble work, and the songs aren’t especially memorable.

Five Songs, 9/29/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 29 Sep 2020 19:00:00 +0000

Philip Cochran and the Artistic Heritage Ensemble, “Malcolm X”

This is from a compilation called Soul of a Nation: Afro-Centric Visions in the Age of Black Power - Underground Jazz, Street Funk & the Roots of Rap 1968-79, and, well…it’s pretty much that. I’m afraid I’m extra unqualified to talk about this album, but it’s outstanding.

They Might Be Giants, “Nanobots”

I always like it when TMBG build a chorus out of two distinct vocals lines like this. And the arrangement is lovely on this song, the horns adding a richness that really helps it stand out. Nanobots has too many only OK tunes for to be top-tier, but it’s still a good album. I’m going to create an album ranking for them one of these days. Multiple albums have been released since I started doing this!

Five Songs, 9/28/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 28 Sep 2020 19:00:00 +0000

Stereolab, “Changer”

Switched On collected a bunch of early Stereolab singles, before they had really developed their sound fully. It’s more guitar-forward and less drone-heavy than their later music would be. I think it’s not as essential as their later records, but it’s an interesting comp, and worth going back if you’re already a Stereolab fan. We’ll discuss thme more when they come up again.

Mr. T Experience, “Tapin’ Up My Heart”

In Dan Ozzi’s excellent Reply All newsletter, Dr. Frank of the Mr. T Experience ranks his own records, and places this album at the top of the list. I actually usually think the previous record (and #2 on the list) Love is Dead is their best work, but hey, who am I to argue?

Five Songs, 9/27/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 28 Sep 2020 05:02:52 +0000

Tilt, “Partial Birth”

Tilt started their career recording for Lookout Records and then moved to Fat Wreck Chords, which is going to create a picture for you if you know these labels. And that picture is completely correct with one minor detail - the woman singing, Cinder Block, is considerably different from the typical sneering dude. Other than that, this is straight ahead California punk.

Belle and Sebastian, “Slow Graffiti”

I’ve sung the praises of Belle & Sebastian’s early EPs here before, I’m pretty sure, but I’m going to do it again. Between the release of the standard-setting If You’re Feeling Sinister and the below-standard Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like A Peasant, the band released five EPs with new material, and they range from excellent to fantastic. Among that set, This Is Just A Modern Rock Song might be the best of them. This is the last song on the record, and is just a sweet little tune.

Five Songs, 9/25/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 25 Sep 2020 19:00:00 +0000

Pyrrhon, “Forget Yourself”

From Pyrron’s EP released after their second album, this is a good example of their hyperkinetic technical death metal. This is a short record, but they pack a lot into the thirteen minutes.

Common, “Go”

Common’s discography is uneven, but the high points are outstanding. I probably would take Be as my favorite, the Kanye West-helmed record which represented a bit of a comeback after the so-so Electric Circus. This was after Kanye West had become a star, but before he had become a megastar, and his ego didn’t get in the way here. The record is warm, full of soul, and has Common at the top of his form.

Five Songs, 9/24/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 24 Sep 2020 19:00:00 +0000

Pinkwash, “Gumdrop”

Legitimately don’t remember picking this up. Apparently this is a band out of Philly, and this is their only record.

[listening]

Not bad! I can see why I picked this up! It’s shame I’m getting dumber and more forgetful.

Farside, “I Hope You’re Unhappy”

This is probably the most likely Farside song to get big, a straightforward power-pop song about longing, one almost designed to get MTV play. I have no idea if it did so, because even by 1999 I was thoroughly unplugged from the zeitgiest. It’s a pretty good tune, though.

Five Songs, 9/23/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 23 Sep 2020 19:00:00 +0000

Quelle Chris & Chris Keys, “SUDDEN DEATH”

Quelle Chris has been on quite a tear. 2018’s collaboration with Jean Grae, Everything’s Fine, was one of the best rap records of that year. 2019? Guns was again one of the best. 2020 has seen him return to collaborating with Chris Keys, producing Innocent Country 2, another excellent record, this one featuring plenty of jazzy beats. This song will give you a taste of the beats on the record, but you’ll have to wait until some future date to hear Quelle Chris.

Five Songs, 9/22/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 23 Sep 2020 04:19:53 +0000

The Rolling Stones, “Happy”

It’s time for True Stupid Facts About Josh’s Musical History (yes, I know nobody cares). Despite Exile on Main St. being part of the rock ’n’ roll canon, regarded by many as the Stones’ best album, I actually heard the Pussy Galore full-album cover of this record first. The Pussy Galore interpretation is chaotic and deliberately ramshackle, a total mess released only on cassette in small numbers out of fear of getting sued into dust. WRCT had a copy of this record, legendary among the underground, and I checked it out after reading about it on Usenet. It was ridiculous, and I wasn’t sure what to make of it, and didn’t get around to listening to the actual Stones record for probably another ten years. The list of people who listened to the record in this order might be limited to just your very stupid correspondant.

Five Songs, 9/18/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 18 Sep 2020 19:00:00 +0000

Throbbing Gristle, “Beachy Head”

Industrial pioneers Throbbing Gristle’s third album, 20 Jazz Funk Greats, is their best and most influential album. Ranging widely around the musical map, the restlessness is part of what makes it great. This song, for instance, is just a bit of atmospheric disquiet named for Beachy Head, a notorious suicide location that the band is actually pictured standing on for the cover. It’s easy to forget that this is from 1979.

Five Songs, 9/17/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 18 Sep 2020 04:28:50 +0000

Claw Hammer, “The Day It Rained Pigeon Shit”

Have we had Claw Hammer before? I think we have. The tags say we have. Whatever. Anyway, Claw Hammer sort of had a blues-y take at punk, like if you took Mudhoney and dialed up the blues end by a bunch. And, of course, they had Jon Wahl’s idiosyncratic vocal style powering things. This tune comes from their final album, their second for a major label of all damn things. That Interscope thought something as offputting as this was worth signing is one of the clearest signs that the mid-90s saw some very stupid behavior from the labels.

Five Songs, 9/16/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 16 Sep 2020 19:00:00 +0000

Yo La Tengo, “Raw Power”

Yo La Tengo Is Murdering The Classics is a compilation of Yo La Tengo’s fundraising appearances for WFMU where the band plays whatever songs are requested. You can usually tell when it’s a song they’re more familiar with than others, because they can usually muster more energy in the performance, although they’re game for whatever. Here, they put in a nice run on the Stooges classic.

Five Songs, 9/15/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 15 Sep 2020 19:00:00 +0000

The Queers, “From Your Boy”

We’ve been over this, but it’s been a while: yes, this is shameless Ramones worship. Yes, it’s incredibly sophomoric. Yes, you can do much better.

The Decemberists, “Rox in the Box”

After The Hazards of Love, the Decemberists stepped back from the increasingly elaborate prog-folk thing they had going on and made a much more straightforward folk-rock album with The King is Dead. As a fan over that super ornamented stuff, I found the record a bit of a disappointment. It’s pleasant enough, and I’m not sorry to listen to it, but it’s not one I seek out often.

Five Songs, 9/14/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 15 Sep 2020 04:04:17 +0000

Look, this is every day-ish.

A Forest of Stars, “A Blaze of Hammers”

This is A Blog of Gummi Worms.

Kings Destroy, “W2”

I want to say this was from a Humble Bundle? It’s kind of plodding, and sort of sounds like something that should only be played in the background by some kids playing D&D.

The Channels, “To The New Mandarins”

After the end of Jawbox, J. Robbins primarily focused on being an engineer and producer. This did not stop him from leading a whole string of bands, including Burning Airlines, Office of Future Plans, and today’s band, The Channels. Surprising nobody, this sounds a lot like a J. Robbins record. To my ears, it sounds the most like the final Jawbox record. The Channels only put out this one album, but it’s a good one, and it should go on your list if you like his stuff.

Five Songs, 9/9/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 09 Sep 2020 19:00:00 +0000

Bergraven, “Ekot av bikt”

Black metal band out of Sweden that I otherwise know nothing about. I ended up with this from a blind sampler from Hydra Head Records. It’s got more melody than a lot of black metal going on here. I dunno, this is the first I’ve listened to this since I first got it, I think! Write your own review!

Bim Skala Bim, “Popcorn”

Bim Skala Bim checks in here with a little bit of an oddity from their final album, Krinkle. This is a cover, a version of synth pioneer Gershon Kingsley’s song. Bim Skala Bim didn’t often go for these sorts of covers, and didn’t record too many purely instrumental songs, so this is kind of a treat.

Five Songs, 9/8/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 08 Sep 2020 19:00:00 +0000

Bob Marley and the Wailers, “Midnight Ravers”

By and large, I tend to prefer the early material from Marley, where there’s some more ska rhythms as opposed to reggae. Of course, that doesn’t mean that his later material isn’t brilliant. At any rate, Catch a Fire is pretty early, his first album for Island Records, and it’s the one that really put him on the map for most folks. It’s a tremendous record, and probably where I’d recommend folks start with to move beyond Legend.

Five Songs, 9/7/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 19:00:00 +0000

Hepcat, “Marcus Garvey”

Y’all, it’s ska weather right now in Seattle. It’s still sunny, but not oppressive, and some breezy tunes to go with it is just perfect. I’ve had Hepcat on while making dinner a few times recently, and it’s going down niiiice. Right On Time is my favorite record from them, but Scientific (which provides this song) is excellent as well.

Mudhoney, “Twenty Four”

Mudhoney’s singles were pretty great, kind of across the board. They’d pretty consistently turn in either bruising performances, excellent covers, or fun larks. As a result, March to Fuzz, a collection of those singles, is a very good time. The guitar tone is just all-time on this song.

Five Songs, 9/6/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 06 Sep 2020 19:00:00 +0000

See! Two days in a row! Nice job team, let’s take the rest of the month off.

Hattie Littles, “Conscience I’m Guilty”

Shuffle in a Motown mood! We’re in 1965, and you can really hear how much Motown has upped their game. This song isn’t that far from the previous one in terms of composition, but the arrangement and especially the production are so much more sophisticated. Of course, by 1965, Hitsville U.S.A. was really rolling, so it’s not really a surprise. It’s still fun to hear these back-to-back and hear the leap forward.

Five Songs, 9/5/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 06 Sep 2020 05:55:12 +0000

Sorry about that, I kind of got out of the rhythm of doing this daily. I’ll get there!

Pigs, “Massive Operator Error”

I’ve been listening to a lot of noise rock recently. It’s a genre that really opened my ears up to a lot of possibilities, what with encountering Big Black pretty early, and then being huge into the Midwest scene in college. Weirdly, it’s kind of comforting to me to go back and lean kind of heavily on this genre again.

Five Songs, 9/2/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 03 Sep 2020 06:31:18 +0000

Well, it’s been an interesting seven months, I guess. I stopped updating Five Random Songs because I was doing another blog (Game & Tonic) and that was taking up my time. And then, uh, a global pandemic hit (you may have heard about it!), and my creativity just went to shit.

So, yeah. Without any fanfare, I’m back. I wanted to listen to more of my music, simple as that.

Five Songs, 2/1/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 02 Feb 2020 05:13:54 +0000

Leatherface, “Scheme of Things”

UK punk band Leatherface play it pretty much straight ahead, but they do a nice job with it. The thing that’s hard to adjust to is Frankie Stubbs’s voice, which is rough, to put it mildly. But, this entire album (Mush) is pretty good overall, and it’s worth giving it a try if you like this song.

Screeching Weasel, “Claire Monet”

Sure, why not. Apparently it’s Punk With Vocals You Really Have To Adjust To Day around here.

Five Songs, 1/31/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 31 Jan 2020 21:00:00 +0000

Zion I, “Radio”

Zion I always incorporates other styles of music into their hip-hop, and here, we’ve got something that kind of sounds kind of like conventional adult contemporary rock. Maybe there’s a reason other bands haven’t tried this sort of thing much?

Elvis Costello, “Party Girl”

From the extras on the deluxe reissue of Armed Forces, I sort of wish that the first bit here turned into the live version of “Surrender” from Cheap Trick. Or, uh, “Jimmy James”, which used the sample from the live version of “Surrender”.

Five Songs, 1/30/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 30 Jan 2020 21:00:00 +0000

The Regrettes, “Hot”

The Regrettes’ debut record from 2017, Feel Your Feelings Fool!, is a delightful slab of garage rock. Like any good garage rock, it’s full of energy, hooks, and attitude. This kind of record is perpetually welcome as far as I’m concerned, and I really recommend it.

The Birthday Party, “Figure of Fun”

Groundbreaking post-punk band The Birthday Party, featuring a young Nick Cave, in a lot of ways set the template for noise rock. While there are plenty of bands after them that kind of sound like them, or tried to, there aren’t really any predecessors that I’m aware of. One of the truly inspirational bands in music history, at least for the kind of stuff I listen to.

Five Songs, 1/29/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 30 Jan 2020 05:29:12 +0000

Tortoise, “TNT”

One thing I’ve always loved about Tortoise is their willingness to name songs things totally different from what they might sound like. A song called “TNT” should sound like, I dunno, an AC/DC knock-off, not a cerebral post-rock tune with a trumpet solo.

Secrets of the Sky, “V”

That’s the Roman numeral for 5, not the letter. All of the songs with Roman numerals on this record are little interstitials. I, uh, remember listening to this record several years ago, but that’s the extent of what I remember.

Five Songs, 1/28/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 28 Jan 2020 23:00:00 +0000

The Flaming Lips, “Assassination of the Sun”

We here at Five Songs are big fans of EPs, when bands treat them seriously. You get a good chunk of new material, enough to be satisfying, but they often come out as a surprise. It’s good stuff! This comes from Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell, an EP that came out in the wake of Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots, so during their peak period. The remixes of songs from Yoshimi are fine, whatever, but getting four new tunes from this period is fantastic.

Five Songs, 1/27/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 28 Jan 2020 06:41:37 +0000

The Evens, “Dinner With The President”

After Fugazi went on hiatus (I refuse to say they’re broken up!), Ian MacKaye started a band with his wife, Amy Farina, on drums. They play as a duo, playing a stripped down indie rock that still has touches of Fugazi’s post-punk. It’s not as incendiary, but there are definitely pleasures to their records, so it’s worth checking out.

The Roots, “Stay Cool”

Flipping the same Al Hirt sample as De La Soul’s “Ego Trippin’”, this kind of call back to hip hop history is the sort of thing that the Roots did regularly, which was always a pleasure. And, of course, Black Thought kills it, providing one of the highlight tracks on The Tipping Point.

Five Songs, 1/24/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 24 Jan 2020 21:00:00 +0000

The Range, “1804”

The Range makes electonic pop, mostly, but the interesting bit is that the vocals are sampled off tracks from YouTube. It gives the entire album a little bit of a strange feel, but one that is welcome to offset all the shiny, shimmering music.

Ruder Than You, “Skahall Connection”

So, yeah, this is from an album called Horny for Ska. The management would like to apologize.

Clinic, “Welcome”

A cut from Clinic’s second album, it retains the same chilly, distant tone that the first record had, while kind of cleaning things up a little bit. It’s still a strange, off-kilter record. Especially the use of those vintage keyboards, which always lends an otherworldly feel to their songs.

Five Songs, 1/23/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 23 Jan 2020 21:00:00 +0000

Bullfrog, “Mark After Dark”

We’ve had Bullfrog here before, but as a reminder, this is one of Kid Koala’s many projects. Most of their album is pretty straight ahead funk, but they mix in some other stuff, such as the tune here which closes the album.

The Meters, “Running Fast”

Hell yeah, Meters! Fire On the Bayou is the last essential Meters record, as it was followed by a poor disco record and an OK funk record. While I tend to prefer their earlier, non-vocal stuff, this is still a great record.

Five Songs, 1/22/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 23 Jan 2020 05:49:49 +0000

Y’all, I’ve listened to that Hello, Summer album three times since it popped up randomly here, and folks: it’s good. Real good! I love that my own blog is teaching me about music…from my own collection.

Less Than Jake, “She’s Gonna Break Soon”

What makes late model Less Than Jake work is that, yeah, it’s more or less just standard pop punk with horns. But it’s catchy, cheerful, energetic, and just the musical equivalent of comfort food. It’s not exactly ambitious, but there’s space in my world for well-crafted music like this.

Five Songs, 1/21/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 21 Jan 2020 23:00:00 +0000

Voodoo Glow Skulls, “[Hidden Track]”

There are some things I miss from physical media. Browsing through music stores, looking at cover art, reading through booklets for liner notes and credits, all that stuff was fun. But it’s nice not having to shuffle around CDs, it’s nice not to have to lug stuff around when I want to listen to something different, and it’s really, really nice not to have to deal with stupid hidden tracks.

Five Songs, 1/20/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 21 Jan 2020 05:21:33 +0000

Announcement time! I suspect everybody reading this is aware, but just in case, my friend Grant and I have started a new blog over at Game and Tonic. We’ll be chatting about games, booze, music, all kinds of stuff. Just a warning: it’s entirely possible that I’ll end up posting here less, as I only have so much time to spend writing. Anyway, on to the music!

The Karl Hendricks Trio, “You’re The Man”

There aren’t that many people that were as good as Karl Hendricks at the quietLOUDquiet thing. It’s a combination of his aggressive guitar tone during the loud parts, his ability to project emotion in both sections, as well as a fine sense of buildup and release. He also recognizes that sometimes you turn up the guitars and stay even on the vocals.

Five Songs, 1/19/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 19 Jan 2020 23:00:00 +0000

Lily Allen, “Not Big”

Huh, there are two Lily Allen albums that I’ve never heard. I should fix that.

Kanye West, “Slow Jamz”

Always really enjoyed the chorus on this song.

I guess I’m full of insight today!

Ugly Duckling, “Einstein Buys a Monkey”

The guitar loop immediately makes this recognizable as an Ugly Duckling song. I’m not sure I really needed a 6:24 DJ track from them, though.

Napalm Death, “M.A.D.”

OK, now I’m really not going to say much. Wouldn’t be right with this.

Five Songs, 1/18/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 19 Jan 2020 05:30:43 +0000

The Aquabats, “SHOWTIME!”

When the Aquabats got rolling, they always had this kind of corny, cracked Saturday morning cartoon vibe. Like they were making songs for a show-within-a-show on some arch adult animation cartoon. And, of course, given the world we’re in, the show eventually showed up. Now, I haven’t actually seen the show, but I have the soundtrack, and…well, just listen to this. This is Very Aquabats.

clipping., “Back Up”

I’m kind of sitting here thinking about how great it would be to hear somebody rhyming over Kollaps-era Neubauten.

Five Songs, 1/17/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 17 Jan 2020 23:00:00 +0000

Versus, “Mermaid Legs”

This song comes from Hurrah, which was the last album from Versus in their first run. They would later come back ten years later for another album, and apparently another new one just came out last year, which I didn’t know about. At any rate, Versus were largely out of steam with this album. It’s pretty enough, especially the vocal harmonies, but not terribly exciting.

Ron Sexsmith, “Never Been Done”

I read a really good review of this record way back in the day, and popped for it. At the time, it didn’t stick with me at all. I thought it was perfectly nice to listen to, but not particularly memorable. I’m really enjoying this tonight, though!

Five Songs, 1/16/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 17 Jan 2020 06:20:36 +0000

Nots, “Cold Line”

Another surprise record! Feels like we’ve had a lot of those recently. I wonder what the actual count of surprise records is in the ol’ collection. I’m not sure I want to know.

The Dillinger Escape Plan, “The Running Board”

I know what this is!

The parts of songs where the Dillinger Escape Plan drops into something like the post-hardcore in the middle of this song were always effective. It can be easy for that kind of thing to just sound like a lame gimmick, but they always pull it off with aplomb.

Five Songs, 1/15/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 15 Jan 2020 23:00:00 +0000

Khruangbin, “Maria También”

What the hell is this? This is really good! I feel like past Josh sent me a present. I almost certainly picked this up from an appearance in a year-end roundup, and it got lost in the shuffle last year. I do that with a few albums every year. I’m excited!

High On Fire, “Downing Dog”

Don’t drown dogs! That’s not nice! And not especially metal!

Kanye West, “Hey Mana”

The artist who made Late Registration seems so distant from the Kanye West of today. This is a really beautiful beat, though.

Five Songs, 1/14/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 14 Jan 2020 23:00:00 +0000

Sharon Jones, “Make It Good To Me”

Fuck me, listen to that organ. I try and play a decent amount of soul around the kids, because it’s just such amazing music, and with luck, they’ll get the same appreciation of it. I try not to make a big deal about it, but my dad used to do the same thing, and it just kind of seeped into my brain. I’m trying the same approach, as it worked on me!

Five Songs, 1/13/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 13 Jan 2020 23:00:00 +0000

Parliament, “(You’re A Fish And I’m A) Water Sign”

While I always prefer the more upbeat stuff from Parliament, their ballads were also often great, certainly during their peak period. This comes from the last great Parliament record (Motor Booty Affair), but not the last great record from the Parliament/Funkadelic collective.

Black Eyed Peas, “BEP Empire”

Before the Black Eyed Peas became massive pop music successes, before they were cranking out deeply irritating hits, before they entered the collective consciousness as THE BLACK EYED PEAS, they were an underground hip-hop act that put out a couple of decent albums. There’s a little Black Star here, which is of course welcome. So, what happened? Well, one major thing you’ll notice about those first two records is that one familiar member of the band isn’t there. Fergie joined on the third record, and, well, only the first two albums are worth anything.

Five Songs, 1/12/202

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 12 Jan 2020 23:00:00 +0000

Lucious Jackson, “Strongman”

When the Beastie Boys took the leap to playing their own instruments with Check Your Head, they also started expanding the reach of their label, Grand Royal. Lucious Jackson was one of the artists that they signed, putting out their first record, Natural Ingredients. It made a fair bit of sense, as the sensibilities of Lucious Jackson fit in well with the more funk/soul elements of the reinvented Beasties sound. Despite critical acclaim, the record never really seemed to catch on, but it still sounds pretty good.

Five Songs, 1/11/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 12 Jan 2020 04:30:00 +0000

Logh, “The Smoke Will Lead You Home”

Absolutely no recollection of buying this record! Let’s listen together!

…This sounds like something I would have been really into circa 1994.

Cobalt, “Pregnant Insect”

OK, you ready for some shit? Cobalt is a duo! Listen to this! Goddamn!

Sleep, “Nain’s Baptism”

Hell yeah, metal today! Sleep’s Holy Mountain is one of the absolute untouchable classics of doom/stoner metal, a record that inspired countless imitators, proving that there was still plenty of creativity in the old Black Sabbath formula. It still sounds great today in the same way that peak Sabbath records sound great, because it’s just so elemental.

Five Songs, 1/10/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 11 Jan 2020 06:15:00 +0000

White Stripes, “We’re Going To Be Friends”

Every now and again, a record breaks through into mainstream attention that surprises me. I would not have bet on the ascetic blues rock revivalists the White Stripes being anybody who would get mainstream attention, but somehow they broke through. White Blood Cells still doesn’t sound like a record that should have gotten huge, as it’s still relatively uncompromising in the vision they’re pursuing.

Five Songs, 1/9/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 09 Jan 2020 23:00:00 +0000

Big Black, “I Can Be Killed”

From the first Big Black release, Lungs (later collected on The Hammer Party), this was all done entirely by Steve Albini. After this EP, Albini was able to put together an actual band, and the Big Black sound would come together. Despite that, you can still hear Albini’s approach developing on these songs, which read almost New Wave at times.

The Supremes, “A Breathtaking Guy”

Hell yeah!

Five Songs, 1/8/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 08 Jan 2020 23:00:00 +0000

Prince, “All The Critics Love U In New York”

Somehow, 23 years before their first record, Prince laid a pretty savage burn on LCD Soundsystem.

Jawbox, “Meathook”

Jawbox put together a comp, My Scrapbook Of Fatal Accidents, which gathered together most of their non-album releases in one place. There’s some solid stuff on it, and I recommend it for Jawbox fans. What we have here is one of the real oddities, a cover of the Cure’s “Meathook”, which serves best as a companion piece to their cover of Tori Amos’s “Cornflake Girl”.

Five Songs, 1/7/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 07 Jan 2020 23:00:00 +0000

Autoclave, “Bulls Eye”

Before Mary Timony formed the brilliant Helium (and Wild Flag and Ex Hex!), she was in Autoclave, who put out a couple of EPs for Dischord Records which were later collected on a single comp. It’s an interesting piece of history, and for Timony fans, I do think it’s worth picking up, but it’s not on the same level as her later work. It IS extremely early 90s Dischord, though.

Five Songs, 1/6/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 06 Jan 2020 23:00:00 +0000

Clinic, “Voodoo Wop”

Imagine having the confidence to open an album this way. A distant, chilly vibe, acutal ocean noises, a complete change a minute in in both mood and sound, no vocals until the last five seconds. Just bonkers. It was a true declaration of intent, though, as the whole album basically fulfilled the promise of this opening track.

Cursive, “Driftwood: A Fairy Tale”

One of the fun things about The Ugly Organ, if “fun” is the right word, is that they made great use of the cello in order to really fill out the sounds on the record. Tim Kasher’s songs are very good, as always, and the album is one of my favorites of theirs.

Five Songs, 1/5/2020

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 06 Jan 2020 05:48:32 +0000

New year, same old flaky schedule! My apologies, we here at Five Songs were on the road intending on keeping the rock going, even lugging our laptop all over the place. But, alas, Plexasaurus Rex back home decided to die, and needed a reboot, and nobody was around to push the button. So, a bit of a break. We’re back! We’re ready to rumble! HIT IT, PLEXASAURUS REX!

Green Day, “Minority”

I was playing Rock Band with the kids the other day, and a couple of Green Day tracks popped up. The kids declared that all Green Day songs sounded the same, and I’ll be honest, I thought I had a couple more years before they started roasting my taste in music. Disheartening! I grounded them for a decade.

Five Songs, 12/23/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 23 Dec 2019 23:00:00 +0000

The Presidents of the United States of America, “We Are Not Going To Make It”

The Presidents were viewed as a novelty act, which is kind of inescapable when your hits are things like “Lump” and “Peaches”. And, yeah, there’s a lot of breezy nonesense in Ballew’s lyrics. But there’s some genuinely charming stuff in there, some real wit, and of course, some self-deprecation like in this tune. But, more importantly, the songs themselves were crisp, memorable, and catchy, and that means that their rock/pop/punk melange is just plain fun.

Five Songs, 12/22/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 22 Dec 2019 23:00:00 +0000

They Might Be Giants, “Let Me Tell You About My Operation”

I always enjoy the manic stuff when they really roll it out. A nice performance from Marty Beller on the drums here.

DJ Muggs & Roc Marciano, “White Dirt”

DJ Muggs was always the best part of Cypress Hill, and it’s nice to hear him working with Roc Marciano on Kaos, which is a solid pairing. Marciano does good work, and Muggs rolls out a bunch of his signature claustrophobic sounds on the album.

Five Songs, 12/21/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 21 Dec 2019 23:00:00 +0000

Man Or Astro-Man?, “Organ Smash”

The debut record for Man Or Astro-Man? (Is It Man…Or Astro-Man?) set the template for the rest of their career. All reverbed out and surf-y, with a thick layer of retro science fiction. And they would cheerfully mine the same vein for their entire career, while still somehow basically managing to sound fresh. It’s a neat trick!

Melvins, “see how pretty, see how smart”

The Maggot was the first of a trio of albums that the Melvins recorded for Ipecac after getting bounced off their major label, following a brief tour with Amphetamine Reptile. All the albums were recorded at the same time, but with a different focus. The Maggot is the most Melvins-y of the three, being pretty much wall-to-wall sludge. It’s also tracked super annoyingly, with each song being divided in half (this, technically, is only the first half of this song).

Five Songs, 12/20/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 21 Dec 2019 06:14:00 +0000

Elvis Costello, “Just a Memory”

The deluxe reissues of Costello’s albums are mostly not worth it. There are some highlights from the bonus material, but you’re just better off listening to the actual album again.

Matthew Sweet, “Looking at the Sun”

This entire album is just so charming. It’s really hard to think about how it might possibly be improved, this is just power pop perfection.

Dead Kennedys, “Kill The Poor”

Now we’re talkin’! Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables is a singular achievement: deeply political, savagely sarcastic, fantastically well-written, and simultaneously both alien and incredibly familiar. It’s one of the albums that really kicked off hardcore, and judging by the kids walking around in Kennedys gear, it still resonates today.

Five Songs, 12/19/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 19 Dec 2019 23:00:00 +0000

Earl Van Dyke, “Soul Stomp”

We’re in 1964 here, with a well-named song, as this really is quite a stomp. The organ is just fantastic.

The Beastie Boys, “Fight For Your Right”

I think that more than half of the times in my life that I’ve wound up in some stranger’s car, aimlessly wandering towards or away from a party, either this album or Paul’s Boutique was playing. It’s basically the soundtrack to unfocused teenage ennui to me.

Five Songs, 12/18/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 18 Dec 2019 23:00:00 +0000

Gorillaz, “New Genious (Brother)”

Gorillaz, the band featuring Damon Albarn (Blur) and Dan “The Automator” Nakamura (Dr. Octagon, Deltron 3030, others), is one of the weirder success stories in popular music. The icy, detached compositions don’t scream out “radio success”, and the big radio hit of “Clint Eastwood” was a particularly strange song to get huge. This song is a typical example of what you find on the record, which is interesting primarily by managing to not really sound like anything else.

Five Songs, 12/17/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 17 Dec 2019 23:00:00 +0000

De La Soul, “Rap De Rap Show”

There’s a concept of a “difficult second album”, which is mostly just a farm for confirmation bias, but hell, let’s talk about De La Soul’s difficult second album. Their first album was a huge smash, a groundbreaking album, and an artistic statement that truly came from left field. But the flower power personas that De La Soul wore during that record began to feel stifling pretty quickly. They set out to break that mold on the next album, starting with the name of the album, and proceeding with rejecting the hippie approach throughout. The results are rough in spots, a little overly laden with filler and skits, but there are also some legitimately amazing tracks on the record. This, alas, is not one of them.

Five Songs, 12/16/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 17 Dec 2019 06:35:35 +0000

King Crimson, “21st Century Schizoid Man Including Mirrors”

The early pinnacle of prog rock, In The Court of the Crimson King set a standard that a bunch of other bands would strive uselessly to surpass, including King Crimson themselves for a while. Now, prog is inherently ridiculous, but it’s also hard not to enjoy the unbounded artistic ambition here. I’m not a huge King Crimson guy, because I think a little of this can go a long way, but this is very easy to just sit back and listen to.

Five Songs, 12/15/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 15 Dec 2019 23:00:00 +0000

Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, “Hora Cero”

For those who are only recently tuning in to these things, I don’t always have much to say. And usually nothing significant. So, given that, here’s the tremendous insight we have for this song: I like the trumpet.

Wormed, “57889330816,1”

I’m told that Wormed lyrics are about, like, space and shit. An assertion that I can only respond to by tilting my head like a confused dog. This is a little interstitial track during the tech-death madness that is Krighsu. If this sounds intriguing to you, congratulations! You have brain worms!

Five Songs, 12/14/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 14 Dec 2019 23:00:00 +0000

WIFE, “Salvage”

WIFE is the new band started by James Kelly, after the sublime black metal band Altar of Plagues disbanded. He clearly wanted to pursue a different direction, focusing on electronics to make his noise. It does share some of the same oppresive atmosphere of Altar of Plagues at times, and What’s Between (the only album so far) is a very interesting record.

Fountains of Wayne, “Michael and Heather At The Baggage Claim”

After three great records in a row, Fountains of Wayne put out Traffic and Weather, which on the surface seems similar, but it’s just not in the same league. The songs are shallower, they’re not as catchy, they’re not as sly. It’s just a big step down, which is a shame. The record is OK, and I do listen to it occasionally. But mostly, I do that just to check and see if my opinion has changed. It has not yet.

Five Songs, 12/13/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 13 Dec 2019 23:00:00 +0000

Tame Impala, “Desire Be Desire Go”

Innerspeaker seemed universally beloved, so I went ahead and picked it up. And I like it fine, but it doesn’t really blow me away. It doesn’t really stick with me particularly, so I like it while it’s on, and then totally forget about it later. Like, this song: it sounds good, but it also kind of sounds like a billion Elephant 6 bands.

Polyrhthmics, “Lord of the Fries”

Track from the most recent Polyrhythmics album, Caldera, which is excellent as always. The compositions are getting more ambitious as they go along, which you can really hear on this song.

Five Songs, 12/12/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 12 Dec 2019 23:00:00 +0000

The Magnetic Fields, “Two Kinds of People”

There are two kinds of people: those with the patience to pick through 69 Love Songs to find the good bits, and those who cannot be bothered.

The Skatalites, “Woman A Come”

The Skatalites didn’t often have a vocalist working with them, but pretty much every case I can think of, it’s delightful. This comes from the Foundation Ska collection, which is the best single spot to get on the Skatalites train. And everybody should be on that train.

Five Songs, 12/11/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 11 Dec 2019 23:00:00 +0000

Sam & Dave, “Said I Wasn’t Going To Tell Nobody”

Seems like it’s been a long time since we’ve had any Stax stuff up in here. So, it’s a delight to get some Sam & Dave, which I just tried to write Save & Dam. Which is a solid name, and is officially my Sam & Dave cover band.

The Reigning Sound, “Wait and See”

I remember buying this record, and I can remember repeatedly sorting it into the correct place in the old CD collection, and I can even recall pulling it out on multiple occasions and listening to it. And I have no recollection of what it sounds like. My stupid brain keeps thinking that it’s like The Hold Steady, and it’s not really.

Five Songs, 12/10/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 10 Dec 2019 23:00:00 +0000

Conor Oberst, “Get - Well - Cards”

Conor Oberst is known primarily as the guy fronting Bright Eyes, a band that I never got into. Like, I don’t even have one of their albums in the collections. No real reason, mind you. Hell, they might even be a band I’d like. So, how did I end up with one of his solo records? Excellent question! Uh, well, I’m VERY stupid, and incredibly impressionable. So, I’m sure at some point I read a positive review and thought to myself “maybe it’s time to try out some of this guy’s music”! What do I think? I honestly had forgotten I owned it.

Five Songs, 12/9/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 09 Dec 2019 23:00:00 +0000

Zeal and Ardor, “Fire Of Motion”

We just had Zeal and Ardor in here recently. This is always a challenge: I have so little interesting to say about anything, that if we have a band show up twice too quickly, y’all will notice that I’m hopeless. Notice more that I’m hopeless.

I love the echoing guitar part that opens this track, this whole thing actually reads more industrial than black metal in a lot of ways, which kind of makes me nostalgic for 1990.

Five Songs, 12/8/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 08 Dec 2019 23:00:00 +0000

Led Zeppelin, “Since I’ve Been Loving You”

I dunno, I’ve just got a feeling, I’m not sure this band is really gonna ever make it big.

James Brown, “There It Is”

Awwww hell yes, if we’re going back, let’s get the Godfather of Soul! I always wonder a little bit with Brown, if his music sounds so fresh because so much of it was refreshed by hip hop making use of it. I don’t think so, but it’s also impossible for me to listen to this stuff totally clean.

Five Songs, 12/7/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 07 Dec 2019 23:00:00 +0000

Polyrhythmics, “The Mendo Mulcher”

I sometimes wonder if I’m going to look back on all the instrumental funk and soul that I listen to these days and think how a lot of it has aged poorly, in the same way that so much of the third wave of ska has aged poorly. But then I remember, none of this shit got popular, so it’s all good! And it allows me to get my horn fix without feeling like a dope! (I still love ska, though.)

Five Songs, 12/6/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 06 Dec 2019 23:00:00 +0000

Soundgarden, “Outshined”

Badmotorfinger was the big leap forward for Soundgarden, where they married the murky hard rock homage of their early stuff to clean enough productions and songs to really appeal to a broader audience. And, carried forward by the contemporaneous releases of Nevermind and Ten, that broader audience found them. Soundgarden had always had potential to be a big band, as the core of that Sabbath/Zeppelin sound had a built-in appeal to a bunch of folks, and they would be one of the breakout acts of the grunge scene.

Five Songs, 12/5/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 05 Dec 2019 23:00:00 +0000

Stephen Malkmus, “Discretion Grove”

Do you detect a little echo of “Wounded Kite” there in the aborted first bit of song on this track? No? Just me?

The Suicide Machines, “Our Time”

No, we’re leaving the “Days Since Last Listless, Anonymous Third Wave Song” sign alone on this one. There’s nothing listless about this! The Suicide Machines are very much a chip off the Operation Ivy block, and the energy here carries them plenty far.

Five Songs, 12/4/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 04 Dec 2019 23:00:00 +0000

Nation of Ulysses, “The Sound of Young America”

I need more art punk in my life. Nation of Ulysses was unafraid to just go for it, with their over-the-top political polemics, the atonal honking of the trumpet, the odd song structures, or whatever other pretensions they were willing to put on. They also carried it off with straight faces, which just helped carry things. As I get older, I’m happier with bands that staked out their own territory. Nobody really sounds like the Nation of Ulysses, and that’s really valuable.

Five Songs, 12/3/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 03 Dec 2019 23:00:00 +0000

De La Soul, “Church”

After the lackluster Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump and the uneven AOI: Bionix, I was wondering if De La Soul were done. The answer was answered definitively by the next album, The Grind Date: no, they were not done. At least part of that was the production they got on the record, with good work from folks like J Dilla, Mad Lib, and 9th Wonder (who is on this track). It’s not groundbreaking in the way their early work was, but it’s a just a solid record all the way through.

Five Songs, 12/2/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 02 Dec 2019 23:00:00 +0000

Flying Lotus, “Eyes Above”

You’re Dead!, the incredible 2014 album by Flying Lotus, is a shimmering mass of fantastic ideas, with constant shifting across tracks, well-chosen guest artists, and lots of surprises across the length of the album. However, it’s one of those records that really works best as an album, and not as isolated cuts, as you miss the overall context of each song if you just listen to a piece.

Five Songs, 12/1/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 01 Dec 2019 23:00:00 +0000

Arsonists, “Session”

My favorite song on As The World Burns, powered by that savage bass line. I’m basically a sucker for any upright bass. And, of course, it’s fun to hear them trading verses back and forth.

Prefuse 73, “Last Night”

One of the less glitchy or fractured tracks on Vocal Studies + Uprock Narratives, that also makes it one of my least favorite songs on the record.

Dance Hall Crashers, “Street Sweeper”

An old song from Dance Hall Crashers, this was when their style could best be described as “straightforward” (or “boring”, if you’re not inclined to be nice). As they would go on, they would get more interesting, with songs that were less reliant on paint-by-numbers third-wave ska.

Five Songs, 11/30/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 30 Nov 2019 23:00:00 +0000

Killer Mike, “R.A.P. Music”

I often refer to Killer Mike’s R.A.P. Music as “Run The Jewels 0”, featuring as it does the core duo from RtJ. The approach that El-P takes on the beats is definitely on the continuum that would develop into RtJ, and of course, Killer Mike is on point. The only real difference between this and a full RtJ album is that El-P stays off the mic. Every fan of RtJ owes it to themselves to get this record.

Five Songs, 11/29/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 29 Nov 2019 23:00:00 +0000

Crackerbash, “Bad Karma”

I know we’ve had Crackerbash on here before, but by way of reminder, they’re a forgotten punk/power pop band out of Portland who were active for just a little while in the early 90s, producing a very good album and outstanding EP, along with a few singles. Then, right as the music scene in the Pacific Northwest blew up, they disappeared. Like fellow Portland band Pond, their stuff stands out by having more of a melodic sense than some of the more dour bands of that time and place.

Five Songs, 11/28/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 28 Nov 2019 23:00:00 +0000

It’s Thanksgiving! I wrote this way ahead of time! Happy turkey day! I hope everybody gets stuffed and your families do not fight!

Fugees, “Fu-Gee-La (Sly & Robbie Mix)”

The Score is a masterpiece, one of the great records in rap history, but I do find the remixes of “Fu-Gee-La” at the end of the album largely unnecessary. I’d rather just listen to the original of it instead.

Snoop Dogg, “Imagine”

More or less every Snoop album after Doggystyle has been kind of, uh, shaggy. He often sounds like he’s mailing it in at least a little bit (and sometimes more than a litte), and Tha Blue Carpet Treatment is no exception. That said, it’s still one of the better albums he’s put together. It would probably be even better cut down to half its length, but Snoop is still very charismatic, so it’s a pleasant listen.

Five Songs, 11/27/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 27 Nov 2019 23:00:00 +0000

The Decemberists, “When The War Came”

There’s a lot to really like on The Crane Wife, especially the epic songs on it, but this song isn’t really one of the highlights. It’s fine, I don’t mind it, but it’s not one of the songs I would seek out.

J Church, “I Can’t Be Nice To You”

Meanwhile, here’s a song that I can easily belt out all the lyrics to without even half thinking about it. Prophylaxis is one of the albums I love the most that nobody has really heard of. Is it available on Spotify? Friends, it is not.

Five Songs, 11/26/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 26 Nov 2019 23:00:00 +0000

The Mighty Mocambos, “In The Dark”

Funk group out of Hamburg, German, the Mighty Mocambos have excellent taste in guest artists, and consistently delightful percussion. Hell, they have a side line as a steel drum band. This song comes from Showdown, which is an excellent collection of tunes.

Zeal and Ardor, “Waste”

We just had a post-black metal band, and here’s another. As you can hear, Zeal and Ardor certainly make use of plenty of the markers of black metal, but marry it to African American spirituals, to create something new from the genre. This kind of blending is super interesting, and I’d like to see it more often.

Five Songs, 11/25/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 25 Nov 2019 23:00:00 +0000

Shenandoah Davis, “Seventeen”

Kind of remember the last time Davis came up saying that I didn’t know anything about her. Still don’t! We don’t do any research around here! That would be against the Five Songs ethos, where we put the “ass” in “half-assed”.

Dis, “Whiteness”

Does it get more early 90s than this? The guitar tone, the sung and spoken parts, the vocals buried in the mix, all that shit. I was big into this stuff, and it still sounds great. Beacuse I’m old and fossilized.

Five Songs, 11/24/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 24 Nov 2019 23:00:00 +0000

Jay Farrar, “Different Eyes”

If you’re wondering what the difference is between a Son Volt record and a Jay Farrar record, the answer is “not much”. This album (Sebastopol) was recorded after the very good Wide Swing Tremelo, and honestly, you could scramble up the track listings between the two and not really think anything was off. That makes this album also very good, just so I’m clear.

Deerhoof, “Son of Sorn”

You can see where Deerhoof earns the name “noise pop” on a song like this. It’s about a third aimless noise, a third pounding rhythm, and a third sweet but fractured pop song. They don’t always explore all three of those in the same song, but this is a compact little package of what Deerhoof is about.

Five Songs, 11/23/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 23 Nov 2019 23:00:00 +0000

Fugazi, “Intro”

There’s not a ton to say here, other than The Argument is a tremendous swan song for the band, and I really wish that there were more records after it.

The Jam, “That’s Entertainment”

One of the crowning achievements of mod, Sound Affects is chock full of great songs, and this one is one of the sweetest of the bunch. It’s straightforward, but it sounds fantastic, and certainly still sounds totally fresh.

Five Songs, 11/22/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 22 Nov 2019 23:00:00 +0000

Led Zeppelin, “D’yer Mak’er”

Little known band out of the UK, Zeppelin presaged…uh, sorry, I can’t do this.

Grandaddy, “Jed’s Other Poem (Beautiful Ground)”

I really only have a couple things to say about most bands, and I’m legitimately terrified of just repeating them. Individual bands mostly don’t come up often enough for me to really remember what I’ve said before, and goodness knows I don’t go back and read previous entries before writing something. I’m not going anywhere here with this. I’m mostly just positing that I’m just a bag of random associations doing a stimulus/response over here, and I’m constantly concerned that I’m going to be revealed to be the worthless hack that I am at any moment.

Five Songs, 11/21/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 21 Nov 2019 23:00:00 +0000

John Oswald, “x24”

I’d say that most of Oswald’s work doesn’t make sense out of context of the rest of the album, but let’s be clear, it doesn’t really make sense in context either. But, hell, enjoy Oswald jacking “Thus Spoke Zarathustra” here. Why not?

Propagandhi, “Government Cartoons (Live)”

Where Quantity Is Job #1 is a fantastic name for an album, even if the album itself is kinda dodgy. This was also the last album with the original lineup, as John (bassist/vocalist) left after this record, which was a loss for the band.

Five Songs, 11/20/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 20 Nov 2019 23:00:00 +0000

Violent Femmes, “Out the Window”

Everybody knows the Femmes for their sublime self-titled debut, and with good reason, as it’s legitimately one of the all-time great records. But, they didn’t actually stop there! I know! This song was on the solid compilation Add It Up, but originally appeared on Why Do Birds Sing?, which is a little all over the place, but does have its moments.

The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, “Lovin’ Machine (Automator)”

One of the delights of my new approach here on Five Songs is that I don’t have to search around YouTube for whatever remix or whatever popped up. Luxury!

Five Songs, 11/19/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 19 Nov 2019 23:00:00 +0000

Dām-Funk, “Floating On Air”

One-man band Dām-Funk does a nice job of collaborating with a wide range of interesting folks, often to fine results. This cut is the first peak on Floating on Air, featuring Flea and somebody called Computer Jay. It wanders around a little bit, but I’m totally fine with that in my electro-funk.

Calexico, “Victor Jara’s Hands”

2008’s Carried To Dust was a return back to the sounds of their best album, Feast of Wire. (As an aside, it was super gratifying when the band themselves agreed with my opinion, proving that Five Songs is never wrong.) It’s actually super admirable that Calexico will try out different styles on their records, but I’m also not sorry to get a second helping of that super lush, dusty beauty either. As always, Calexico kind of sounds like they’re making a soundtrack to a movie that doesn’t exist.

Five Songs, 11/18/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 18 Nov 2019 22:00:00 +0000

This is almost the full Five Songs experience today, we’re just missing some incomprehensible metal.

Edna’s Goldfish, “World Over”

Ahh, 1998. With The Mighty Mighty Bosstones at the peak of their popularity, with “The Impression That I Get” as a pretty big hit, it’s not a surprise that there were lots of followers who got record contracts in their wake. And so, Edna’s Goldfish. Difficult not to picture my old Civic when I listen to this.

Five Songs, 11/17/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 17 Nov 2019 22:00:00 +0000

You know, now that I’m not linking out to YouTube, I suppose I don’t have to do these intros, do I? I mean, I don’t have to do any of this, I suppose.

Oneohtrix Point Never, “Same”

Our first go-around with Oneohtrix Point Never, with a track off his best album since Replica. Rather than diving deep on a time period and exploring all the sounds from there, Age Of draws widely from whatever noises Daniel Lopatin wants to use. The result is unpredictable, but always interesting, and not a bad spot to start listening to OPN.

Five Songs, 11/16/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 17 Nov 2019 05:14:54 +0000

Still on that train!

Merle Haggard, “Go Home”

Well, I certainly like to kick things off with a story about how a guy’s racist friends broke up his relationship. Just some real cheerful shit here!

The Coup, “Me And Jesus the Pimp In a ‘79 Grenada Last Night”

Oh, it’s gonna be like that? Let’s follow up that song with a kid whose relationships were totally warped by his mentorship from a pimp, who later beats his mother to death. Heartwarming!

Five Songs, 11/15/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 15 Nov 2019 23:00:00 +0000

Super bitchin’ day today.

X-Ecutioners, “3 Boroughs”

Built From Scratch really is just a fantastic name for an album.

…And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, “Insatiable Two”

I love the Trail of Dead, but can we just talk about the album cover. That is some middle school-ass shit right there! I’m gonna bet without looking that it was done by either a band member or a family member of the band.

Five Songs, 11/14/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 14 Nov 2019 23:00:00 +0000

Aden, “New Fast”

During the early 90s, parallel to grunge, there was a growing movement of indie pop bands that didn’t make a lot of headway, but were a recognizable subculture. As the 90s went on, a billion of these pillowy soft indie bands popped up. The pressure from all these bands ensured that, eventually, one or more of them would break through (it was Death Cab for Cutie, mostly).

Five Songs, 11/13/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 13 Nov 2019 23:00:00 +0000

Back in the swing of things, the ol’ muscles are starting to come back! And I 100% mail it in on a couple of these songs. It happens!

The Enemies, “Moesha”

I got nuthin’. Kind of a post-rock/math rock sort of thing going on here. I like it! Sometimes Past Josh makes good decisions!

Common, “Break My Heart”

I find Common to be a little uneven, with Finding Forever being one of the spotty records. There are high points to it, like the fat synths behind the verses on this song, for instance. But when you compare it to its immediate predecessor, Be, it just feels like it’s a half a step behind.

Five Songs, 11/12/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 13 Nov 2019 05:59:22 +0000

Well, that was fun! Nothing like coming back after a big hiatus. I mean, the music was still the same routine, and I’m just typing the same nonsense, so…uh, why do I do this again?

The Greyboy Allstars, “Jack Rabbit”

There are times when I end up with a record, and can’t figure out where it came from or why I have it. This record, I can’t figure out where it came from, but can at least can figure out why I have it. I’m sure I read a good review of it, and I’m just a sucker for instrumental funk, so here we are. Good tune! I should listen to the rest of this, and I would, except I’m going to listen to five random songs. Well, four more.

Five Songs, 11/8/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 09 Nov 2019 20:00:00 +0000

WE’RE BACK AT IT! HIT IT, PLEXASAURUS REX!

Baroness, “Rays on Pinion”

This is how the first Baroness album opens up. While they’re usually grouped with metal, and in particular often brought up in the same breath as Mastodon, they’re not really the same thing. Yeah, there is some serious riffage in here, but the separation between this and, say, some of noise rock or post-punk isn’t exactly clear. Music categorizing is a sloppy thing, y’all. Anyway, this album is good! Listen to it!

Five Songs is coming back!

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 09 Nov 2019 07:15:13 +0000

So, back in May, I stopped posting to Five Songs because YouTube were being incredible bastards (they still are), and I didn’t really want to contribute to them in even the puny, pathetic way that I was. I needed to find a new solution to stream music, with my criteria being:

It needed to have the ability to specify a playlist in one place
It needed to have the ability for me to upload my music to it, because a non-trivial percentage of the songs we have here won’t be in streaming services
It needed to not throw stuff out on copyright claims whenever I try and add stuff
It needed to not be YouTube

The first of these is pretty easy, but means I can’t just Frankenstein something together with a bunch of services. Uploading cuts out pretty much all of the big streaming services like Spotify. SoundCloud has copyright controls, so that’s out. And that leaves YouTube, which, uh, fails the last of these tests. As a result, I gave up for a while.

Five Songs, 5/23/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 24 May 2019 05:26:24 +0000

A rare double clueless day!

Radiohead, “We Suck Young Blood”

A carefully placed comma makes this song title pretty funny.
Handclaps are bitchin'.
The recording on this is beautiful.

Summerlands, “Lost My Mind”

Power metal, as a genre, usually features lethal amounts of cheese. By and large, I don’t mind some cheese with my music every now and again, but it has to be a rare treat, and I usually don’t myself craving it. But beyond the inherent corniness of the genre, the songs usually don’t appeal to me that much, being kind of heavy on wailing (both from the singer and lead guitarist). As a result, I mostly tend to avoid power metal. So, I’m not sure how I ended up with this. I must have read a good review somewhere? Or sometimes, I like to sample records from genres that I don’t love just to see if maybe my tastes have changed.

Five Songs, 5/22/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 23 May 2019 05:56:04 +0000

Mostly rock today.

The Strokes, “When It Started”

Every so often, rock “comes back”, brought back into cultural relevance by some release that critics declare revinvents the genre. Meanwhile, of course, rock never goes anywhere between these “breakthrough” albums, mainly because old boring people never shut up about it.

(cough)

Anyway, most of the time, these albums are often pretty darn good. Is This It, for instance, is a pretty tasty album! It doesn’t break any ground, not really, but it’s energetic and plenty fun.

Five Songs, 5/19/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 20 May 2019 05:14:52 +0000

We open and close today pretty funky! And, you know, track four is built on the Amen break, so I’ll count that too!

Parliament, “Oil Jones”

Parliament’s first album was in 1970, and Medicaid Fraud Dogg came out in 2018. When I think about the idea that I might do the same job for 48 years, I can’t really wrap my head around it. And I got an early start in my career! Sure, this isn’t George Clinton’s best work. But nevertheless, it’s still impressive.

Five Songs, 5/18/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 19 May 2019 04:58:31 +0000

All over the map today.

Common Market, “Slow Cure”

It’s been a while since we’ve had Common Market, so a little re-introduction: this is a Seattle duo, featuring Sabzi (more famously known as half of the Blue Scholars) and RA Scion. Given that it’s Sabzi on the beats, it’s going to share a certain feel with the Blue Scholars, but Scion is different enough from Geologic that they don’t sound totally the same.

Five Songs, 5/16/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 17 May 2019 05:49:27 +0000

Here’s today, but check out the bonus song I link down below.

The Goats, “Rumblefish”

The second Goats album seemed like it was chasing the trends of early 90s rap, with plenty of stabs towards rock, jazz, and other types of hybrid styles. It doesn’t hang together particularly well, and it’s mostly forgettable. There are some fun moments on the album, but overall, it’s a miss.

They Might Be Giants, “Someone Keeps Moving My Chair”

The opener to the second side of Flood, the album that really put the group on the map. And while it has some truly great tunes on that first half, my HOT TAKE here is that the second half is only so-so. It’s that second half that puts this album nowhere near the top of my favorite albums from TMBG.

Five Songs, 5/12/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 13 May 2019 05:28:30 +0000

Here’s today!

The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, “Born Bad”

Freedom Tower: No Wave Dance Party 2015 was a throwback for the Blues Explosion, bringing back the stripped down sound that they had really moved away from after Now I Got Worry. It’s pretty much just back to two guitars, Jon’s strange yelping/posturing, and of course Russel Simins wrecking it on the drums. What’s nice about it is that it doesn’t really sound like a throwback, it mostly sounds like a lost recording from that time. Which is great!

Five Songs, 5/11/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 11 May 2019 19:00:00 +0000

SIX SONGS

Buck-O-Nine, “Tear Jerky”

I often wonder at the functioning of the human brain. I frequently have trouble using the correct “M” name for the various folks and dogs who live in this house with me (in my defense, I’ve never used the dog’s name for one of the humans, but that time is probably coming). But I can still whistle along to the horn lines of forgotten ska records. Good use of gray matter there!

Five Songs, 5/10/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 10 May 2019 19:00:00 +0000

Excellent one today.

Joe Lally, “Message From Earth”

I don’t know why I’m surprised at how minimal Lally is willing to get, given how even the most spare Fugazi songs still had a lot going on. But, it’s silly to get surprised by that, as Lally has always clearly been talented, and there’s no reason to believe he’d just make Fugazi Light once on his own.

J Church, “Chemicals”

We’ve discussed many times how J Church has put out a ton of compilations in their time, but when I look at their normal albums, I think Prophylaxis is my favorite of the bunch. It’s hard to pinpoint why exactly, as J Church didn’t really vary their sound much over the years. I suspect some of that is just that it was one of their earliest, so I spent more time with it. When you encounter an album at 19, it makes an impression! But, whatever, it’s my favorite! You can’t take that away!

Five Songs, 5/9/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 10 May 2019 05:12:04 +0000

Today!

Thou, “Find the Cost of Freedom”

Metal has links to folk in a bunch of ways, ranging from the atavistic impulses of black metal, the explicit crossover of various folk metal acts, the lack of fear of being totally uncommercial, or even just the willingness of metal bands to strip things down to provide contrast, like Thou is doing here.

Louis Armstrong, “Ain’t Misbehaving”

We, of course, are well aware that I don’t know shit. About anything, really. But I have to do something to entertain myself while listening, so I read a little potted bio of Armstrong. Why not? And this bio declared that Armstrong is the most influential figure in jazz. Huh.

Five Songs, 5/8/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 09 May 2019 04:42:47 +0000

Finished a big thing at work, so let’s celebrate Five Songs style! (sitting in a basement, drinking, listening to music through one headphone) HIT IT PLEXASAURUS REX!

TV/TV$, “Liberal 4 Me”

One day, I’m gonna put together “Screeching Weasel or Not Screeching Weasel?” as a quiz, and it’s gonna be fuckin’ hard.

Violent Femmes, “Kiss Off [Live]”

Violent Femmes is one of the grand treasures in all of modern rock, the purest distilled essence of teenage frustration, captured and frozen in amber for all time. “Kiss Off” is, of course, one of the highlights of that record (an album composed almost entirely of highlights), with its instantly memorable count-up section that everybody loves singing along to. It sincerely gives me chills.

Five Songs, 5/4/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 05 May 2019 05:59:08 +0000

Here’s today.

Mouse on Mars, “First: Break”

A thing that unifies a lot of my music taste is a certain amount of boundary pushing and unpredictability. It’s why on the electronic side I tend to prefer noisy, hyperactive stuff rather than music from the ambient side of things. This spastic…tune?…is a good example. It doesn’t make any goddamn sense at all, but whatever, it’s fun.

Chance the Rapper, “Summer Friends”

There’s a warmth and humanity in Chance’s work that is lovely to hear. It’s as human as that Mouse on Mars track is cold and mechanical. We here at Five Songs contain multitudes!

Five Songs, 5/2/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 03 May 2019 06:01:00 +0000

Today!

Atmosphere, “Next To You”

On one hand, I think it’s admirable that Atmosphere is willing to experiment with their music and stray very far from the hip-hop that they originally made their names with. On the other, though, when they do too much of this kind of thing, it can get pretty old. This song, from Fishing Blues, is fine, but isn’t really why I listen to Atmosphere.

Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Apache Rose Peacock”

OK, let’s take a moment to step back and just admire the production job on this. Not because it’s great, or adds a ton to the music, or anything like that. No, just listen to how immaculate it is. It’s squeaky clean! Every sound is perfectly isolated, perfectly recorded. There’s not an iota of accidental noise anywhere in this. You could perform surgery inside this song, as long as you got the boys to, I dunno, put surgical masks on their junk or whatever.

Five Songs, 4/30/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 30 Apr 2019 19:00:00 +0000

Good one today.

All, “Vida Blue”

Even on their later albums, All could still sometimes summon up some nicely soaring power pop stuff. I mean, this is basically just Cheap Trick, but whatever, Cheap Trick is fun.

Sonic Youth, “Dirty Boots”

Meanwhile, this is basically what it sounds like when Sonic Youth tries to play a pop song. This is the song that opens Goo, and it lets you know that the band has not fallen off at all from Daydream Nation. There are some bands and albums that are unmistakably at their time, and they only really make sense when viewed within their original context. Then there are bands like Sonic Youth, who at their best sound totally outside of time, as fresh now as when they first made this record [checks] almost 29 years ago? Goddammit, I’m old.

Five Songs, 4/29/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 29 Apr 2019 19:00:00 +0000

SIX SONGS TODAY

Mix Master Mike, “Supa Wyde Laces”

We had a track from Hello Nasty yesterday, today we’ve got a track from the DJ that joined them with that record. Mix Master Mike was a member of the Invisibl Skratch Piklz, the most successful DJ collective around. This is from his solo record, which came out the same year as Hello Nasty, and which at the time, I liked more. Probably wouldn’t be true these days.

Five Songs, 4/28/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 29 Apr 2019 05:47:56 +0000

Music!

Less Than Jake, “Automatic”

Forget the horns, forget the rest of the surrounding scene, this is just a hell of a fine pop-punk song. Chris DeMakes turns in a great vocal performance here, and there’s nothing I’d change about this tune.

Queen, “Soul Brother”

Geez, speaking of vocal performances. This is one of the bonus tracks on the deluxe re-issue of Hot Space, and it’s a fun addition. By and large, bonus tracks don’t add a ton, but frankly, that album was kind of a mess in the first place, so having a fun vamp like this added is an improvement.

Five Songs, 4/23/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 23 Apr 2019 19:00:00 +0000

Well, the Public Enemy intros were fun for a while. I’m a little disappointed we didn’t summon any PE. Oh well. Here’s today!https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLexe714An2Qj2ckZ0tlku3JJQbEgfzSmQ

Death Cab For Cutie, “Little Fury Bugs”

…

Sorry, dozed off for a second there.

Whores., “I Am Not A Goal-Oriented Person”

Fuck yeah noise rock! If I had started this thing in 2009, I’d probably have a Tumblr called exactly that. But this is not that world, so I just have to resort to blurting it out here for my reader/listeners. Who I suspect would all agree with the sentiment! Also, “I Am Not A Goal-Oriented Person” is an excellent song name.

Five Songs, 4/22/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 23 Apr 2019 05:07:59 +0000

Next to the bass / turn up the radio!

J Church, “The Heroic Trio”

Cat Food is a quickie album that J Church threw together by recording some songs in a day, adding in a couple compilation tracks, and calling it good. But punk never really suffers from being a little slapdash, and the resulting album is pretty entertaining. Basically, Lance Hahn is good enough that most everything he does is worth listening to. This is how the album opens. It’s good! Listen to that solo!

Five Songs, 4/20/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 20 Apr 2019 19:00:00 +0000

Uh oh, the roll below the level / ‘cause I’m livin’ low

…And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, “Intro: A Song Of Fire And Wine”

My goodness, this is so corny. But, this song does set you up for the cheese sculpture that is this record, which is probably good. And I authentically love the album (So Divided), so I’m happy to hear this. I’m just bummed I’m not going to hear the rest of it right now.

Five Songs, 4/19/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 19 Apr 2019 19:00:00 +0000

It’s a new thing / check out this I bring

Mix Master Mike, “Now You’re Mine”

One of my real weaknesses is horns, as faithful listener/readers of Five Songs know. Prominent horns in a hip-hop track? That is, in fact, my jam.

The Postal Service, “Brand New Colony”

A danger in having written 470-whatever of these things is that it has legitimately reached the point where I have trouble remembering what I’ve said before. And, honestly, I have managed to bork my indexing system, so it’s not easy for me to look things up. So until I unbork my indexing system, you’re at risk of repeat stories. This is relevant, because I have basically two things to say about the Postal Service, and I cannot shake the feeling that I’ve said one or both of them before. So, instead, I’ll just drop this FASCINATING meta-note here. Nothin’ but fuckin’ professionalism on this here blog, my friends!

Five Songs, 4/18/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 18 Apr 2019 19:00:00 +0000

Back! Caught you lookin’ for the same thing!

M83, “Go!”

I don’t really know what to think about M83. At times, it’s kind of bland, emotionally manipulative but forgettable post-rock. But there are times when it’s energetic and nostalgia driven fun. Junk leans into the past especially hard, which makes it my favorite M83 album. This song, corny as it is, is a blast.

Tortoise, “Learning Curve”

Uh, speaking of post-rock. Well, nobody would describe this as “energetic”. Or “fun”.

Five Songs, 4/17/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 18 Apr 2019 05:39:06 +0000

Y’all, I screwed up. 4/14 is this project’s birthday, and I just flat missed it. I didn’t forget, I just didn’t get around to posting, and that’s a shame. I don’t want to neglect this! 471 entries over the first two years, right around two-thirds of days. Not bad! But, you know, I haven’t been carving out as much time recently. But nevermind that, I’m going to try and pick up the pace again! HIT IT, PLEXASAURUS REX!

Five Songs, 4/2/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 03 Apr 2019 05:41:55 +0000

Today!

Joe Lally, “Reason to Believe”

Joe Lally was, of course, bassist for the incomparable Fugazi, and one of the biggest reasons why the bass is one of the instruments I choose to butcher. All of the members of Fugazi have pursued various projects in the wake of Fugazi’s break (I choose to pretend that it’s just a really long pause), with one of the first being Lally making a solo record, There to Here. This is how that album opens, and it sets the tone for what you might hear. It’s fairly experimental in feel, with a lot of differences between songs, and a musical approach that varies from sparse to lush. While there are other post-Fugazi projects I like more (the Evens, the Messthetics), this is still an interesting album.

Five Songs, 3/26/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 27 Mar 2019 04:34:36 +0000

I’m back!

Fog, “Pneumonia”

What do you get when you cross lo-fi indie rock with turntablism? You get Fog, pretty much, with this song sounding like Silkworm ran into Kid Koala. Which is a solid pitch! This kind of hybrid really only works when the constituent parts are good, and mostly, this album succeeds on that basis. I had kind of forgotten about it, honestly, and I’m glad shuffle dug it up.

Five Songs, 3/17/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 17 Mar 2019 19:00:00 +0000

Emerald City Comic Con today! I’ve been going every year, since the oldest was around four, because it’s nice to just kind of check out what’s going on in comics. It’s not really ever been my hobby, I’ve only dabbled in it. But it’s an adjacent hobby to my biggest, tabletop gaming, and it’s just fun being in that atmosphere. Being crammed into the convention center with all those people is less than awesome, but it’s still one of my favorite annual rituals.

Five Songs, 3/16/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 17 Mar 2019 05:42:48 +0000

Today!

Goldfinger, “Answers”

I was all set to make fun of Goldfinger here as a bunch of flash-in-the-pan trend chasers, as their 1996 debut (which has this song) hit in 1996 right around the commercial peak of the third wave, and this album was even on a major label. But you know what? Unknown to me, these guys made seven albums! That certainly demonstrates a certain dedication that really takes the air out of my planned jokes. So I take it back, take it back, take it back.

Five Songs, 3/13/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 13 Mar 2019 19:00:00 +0000

Well, it starts out pretty well.

Boards of Canada, “Smokes Quantity”

A little bit ago, when Seattle was pretty snowed in, I trundled in to work, and my travel mug popped open in my bag. Everything was soaked, ruining a nice deck of cards, a notepad, and, oh yeah, my work computer. Most of the IT offices were closed, due to snow, but I found the closest open one and headed down. The three guys in there seemed kind of bored and happy for something to do. I mentioned that I liked what they were listening to, mentioning Boards of Canada by name, and they lit up. Next thing I know, I’m included in their joking around, we’re talking about music, and I had a pleasant little afternoon instead of what could have been a lousy day. Thanks, Board of Canada! You made me seem almost kinda cool for a brief period!

Five Songs, 3/12/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 13 Mar 2019 05:05:13 +0000

Today!

Apathy, “The Grass Ain’t Greener”

I know that this is dumb of me, but I still find the idea of a rap album exploring the darker side of Connecticut kind of hilarious. And, you know, there’s plenty of material there! The album itself is very good, and Apathy did a bunch of the production himself, which is always fun. This song wasn’t one of the ones he did himself, though.

Five Songs, 3/11/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 12 Mar 2019 05:52:08 +0000

I’ve now posted almost five hundred playlists on this thing. This is indisputably one of them.

DJ Krush, “Intro”

Uh, yup, that’s an intro.

Danny Brown, “Juno”

Danny Brown kicks off The Hybrid with a song called “Greatest Rapper Ever”, which is exactly the kind of hubris I like to hear from rappers. The album followed several mixtapes, and put Brown towards the front of Detroit’s rap scene. The album itself is plenty of fun, carried forward by Brown’s relentless energy.

Five Songs, 3/7/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 08 Mar 2019 07:20:42 +0000

Today’s tunes!

Queens of the Stone Age, “The Way You Used To Do”

2013’s …Like Clockwork never really grabbed me (despite extensive critical acclaim), so I was pretty delighted that 2017’s Villains got me pretty fired up. Mark Ronson helped to sharpen things up, and the whole thing feels pretty glam-y and fired up. This song, for instance, is just razor sharp, from Homme’s guitar tone to the vamp of his lyrics.

Five Songs, 3/6/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 06 Mar 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Today!

The Beatles, “Two Of Us”

This is from the Let It Be…Naked reissue that was put out in 2003, where they (I assume mostly Paul) revisited the songs and stripped away most of the Phil Spector stuff. It’s most noticable on the songs that originally had all those strings, but overall, it’s a superior version of the album, as it lets the songs shine through more and just has less farting around on it.

Five Songs, 3/5/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 06 Mar 2019 06:05:13 +0000

Pretty fun one today.

Mastodon, “North Side Star”

Mastodon released Cold Dark Place in 2017, an EP of miscellaneous songs that were recorded during the sessions for Emperor of Sand and Once More ‘Round The Sun. Like most leftovers EPs, it’s a bit of a mixed bag, but basically fits in well with those albums. If you really want more latter day Mastodon, you can do worse than this record. For instance, you could buy an album from a totally unrelated band. That would be a bad move!

Five Songs, 2/28/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 28 Feb 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Good one today!

Mr. Lif, “Mo’ Mega”

Mo’ Mega features a bunch of tracks produced by El-P, so you know I’m down with this record. This, of course, is one of them, which you could probably guess by listening to it. It has all of the sci-fi feel you expect from his beats. As Mr. Lif is also always good, this album is worth checking out.

(NB: this song starts at 28:19)

Five Songs, 2/27/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 27 Feb 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Today!

Creeper Lagoon, “Naked Days”

At first, I thought this was one of those random tracks that got sucked up into my music collection by an overly aggressive upload process in my past. But no, I appear to have this entire album. And, uh, I have no recollection of this record. Zero. It kind of sounds like somebody was trying to write an album to try and smuggle it into the rotation of a classic rock station. Also, Creeper Lagoon? Like, a reboot of Gilligan’s Island, only the tour was just Reddit users?

Five Songs, 2/26/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 26 Feb 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Today!

The Flaming Lips, “Be Free, A Way”

On 2013’s The Terror, The Flaming Lips were using their psychedelia to explore not shiny wonder but the depths of despair. With Wayne Coyne’s romantic life falling apart and Steven Drozd again struggling with substance abuse, the Lips were not in a good place in their personal lives, and it comes through in the stark bleakness of their music. Piercing and melancholy, The Terror is one of their best records, although it’s not always a whole lot of fun.

Five Songs, 2/25/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 25 Feb 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Little dodgier today.

Starlight Mints, “Irene”

You know what? I remember this band being very, very Pavement-ish. Like, if you had asked me what they sounded like, I would have said something like “imagine Pavement, but shittier” or something equally facile. But, let’s face it, this isn’t Pavement-y at all! I mean, this is giving off some Robert Palmer kinda vibes here. Maybe I should listen to this album again? Maybe I should stop being a dipshit?

Five Songs, 2/24/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 24 Feb 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Pretty good one today.

John Coltrane, “Mr. P.C.”

I’ll have you know that I tried to insert a big ASCII barphic here saying “Josh is not qualified to talk about jazz”, but this stupid editor kept mangling it, and I’ll only go so far for a throwaway joke.

The Black Keys, “Sinister Kid”

Is this the first Black Keys we’ve had? Brothers is the last Black Keys album I’ll have anything to do with. It’s a little strange - I like it quite a bit, there’s a lot of fun stuff on it, and I nevertheless didn’t even glance at the follow up to it. I’m not really sure why, exactly, but from reading reviews, it doesn’t seem like I’m missing much.

Five Songs, 2/23/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 24 Feb 2019 06:37:22 +0000

Not a ton to say today.

James Brown, “It’s A Man’s World”

So, uh, sometimes the sexual politics of Brown’s music wasn’t great. You know, it happens. I’ll just observe that Brown had a co-writer for this song, Betty Jean Newsome, which is kind of interesting.

(NB: on Star Time, this track has the above name, not “It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World”))

Fugazi, “Public Witness Program”

I don’t want to take too much away from the majesty of this pure slab of punk, so just enjoy.

Five Songs, 2/13/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 14 Feb 2019 06:40:11 +0000

Here’s today!

Bruce Springsteen, “Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street?”

Have I talked about Springsteen before? I’m not gonna look. And nobody is going to tell me!

Uh, I don’t listen to a lot of his stuff. I only own this album. I dunno, you can’t keep up with everything! Don’t tell me about him!

Hell yes, look at that insight.

The Skatalites, “Black Sunday”

After the second wave of ska fired up, led by Two-Tone Records, interest in the first wave bands increased. The Skatalites, the greatest of those first wave bands, got back together in 1983 and recorded an amazing live set, featuring their entire original lineup, minus the sadly deceased Don Drummond. While I think the outstanding compiliation Foundation Ska is probably slightly better on balance due to its historical value, the release of that live set (Stretching Out) is more coherent and is their best album that was recorded as an album.

Five Songs, 2/12/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 13 Feb 2019 07:06:05 +0000

PUNK AS FUCK TODAY

White Lung, “Kiss Me When I Bleed”

Been a little while since we’ve had any Canadian punk! I’ve missed it! They’re from Vancouver, it’s lovely to have some singing not from a dude, and the guitar work is righteous.

Sicko, “Kenny (Live)”

Yeah! More punk! Seattle is basically in southern Canada, I’m going to count it. The live stuff is inessential, but I’ll take any Sicko material I can get.

Five Songs, 2/11/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 06:47:16 +0000

Today!

Girl Talk, “Ffun Haave To”

Before he became the best mashup artist around with Night Ripper, Greg Gillis was much more into noise. Yeah, you still have bits and pieces of recognizable songs floating in and out, but this stuff has much more in common with experimental artists like Negativland than it does with the kaleidoscope of party music that he would later create. In other words, don’t go back further than Night Ripper and expect to find more stuff like that.

Five Songs, 2/10/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 11 Feb 2019 06:44:47 +0000

Today!

Handsome Boy Modeling School, “Megaton M-Boy 2000”

Guest Alec Empire here was a big thing for a hot minute back in, what, 1996 or so. Critics feigned interest in his noisy, overdriven form of techno for a while, but that quickly passed. It lasted long enough for him to pop up in a few places, including on the iffiest track on the first Handsome Boy Modeling School album.

Steady Ernest, “Wear You To The Ball”

So, if he’s going to wear her to the ball, and he wants her to put on a dress, he…wants to wear a dress? I think that’s what we’re looking at here. Go for it, Dan Vitale! Nobody is going to mind!

Five Songs, 2/7/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 08 Feb 2019 06:21:45 +0000

Here’s today’s menu.

Leviathan, “-”

This is the intro to Scar Sighted, Leviathan’s 2015 album, a fearsome black metal album. Leviathan is the solo band of Jef Whitehead, who is also notable for starting one of the premier metal labels around, Profound Lore. This track is really just a build up to the start of the of the record, so I guess we’ll tackle it properly next time it comes up, along with maybe the controversy surrounding him.

Five Songs, 2/5/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 06 Feb 2019 06:30:57 +0000

Six songs!

Lostbone, “Destroy What Destroys You”

uhhhuhuhuhhuhuh…lostbone

Pretty sure I ended up with this as a result of a grab bag of some variety or another. Among all the ways of discovering music, grab bags are certainly one of them. I’m not sure I’ve ever actually discovered a band I love from one of them. I suppose I should try a bunch more just in case.

Also, this appears to be a repeat. Onward!

Five Songs, 2/4/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 04 Feb 2019 20:00:00 +0000

One of the most important songs in my personal history today.

Run-D.M.C., “Walk This Way”

Run-D.M.C. had already declared themselves the Kings of Rock before 1986’s Raising Hell was ever released, but it took “Walk This Way” being a massive hit on both the radio and, more importantly, MTV for Run-D.M.C. to really actually take that throne. This crossover song not only brought rap into countless homes in America for the first time, it also was responsible for resurrecting Aerosmith’s career, so it also has a lot to answer for.

Five Songs, 2/3/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 04 Feb 2019 05:55:29 +0000

Here’s today!

Skankin’ Pickle, “Hit My Brain”

Yes, the band is named Skankin’ Pickle. No, there are essentially no depths that the third wave wouldn’t sink to in terms of naming themselves. Yes, this kind of sounds like an outtake from an early Chili Peppers album. But, you know what? They had some good tunes! They really did! One day we’ll get them (today is not that day).

Mike Park of the band also went on to found Asian Man Records, who are, somehow, still going. So have some respect! Or at least as much as you can muster for an outfit named “Skankin’ Pickle”.

Five Songs, 1/31/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 31 Jan 2019 20:00:00 +0000

I dunno, sometimes this stuff just is what it is.

The Beatles, “Octopus’s Garden”

I enjoy all of the songs Ringo sings. There, I said it!

…And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, “Naked Sun”

Listen to how shamelessly huge that drum beat is! This band is absolutely not afraid to throw a corny vamp like this on their album, and commit to it completely. Fearlessness is underrated in a rock band.

Five Songs, 1/30/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 31 Jan 2019 05:40:06 +0000

All over the map today!

Wu-Tang Clan, “Maria”

There were more of this sort of filthy song on Wu-Tang Forever than there were on their debut album. And, honestly, this song falls a little flat. It seems to think it can skate by on the explicit lyrics, but everybody’s rhymes here are really kind of by-the-books. Wu-Tang is always at its best when you have some contrast in styles. What’s the point of having this many MCs otherwise!

Five Songs, 1/29/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 30 Jan 2019 07:23:21 +0000

Here we are!

The Wedding Present, “I’m From Further North Than You”

One of the best songs from Take Fountain, the “comeback” album from the Wedding Present that was really them just renaming themselves. Gedge always sounds great in this kind of conversational/confession mode, and the extended outro is nice. This song could easily have been on Watusi, which is a high compliment.

The Microphones, “The Moon”

Well, this song certainly takes its time getting going, doesn’t it? And then it sounds like a couple different songs playing at the same time. Honestly, the wall of sound here is sort of the musical equivalent of mumbling really loud. But, I still kind of like it.

Five Songs, 1/26/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 27 Jan 2019 06:35:06 +0000

Good one today!

Albert King, “Playing On Me”

This merger of King’s blues guitar with the Stax horns, with funk folded in, is just delightful. I need to find some more shit like this. You can add blues to the long list of music that I fundamentally know jack squat about. I’m starting to think I’m not qualified to write a music blog at all!

MU330, “Dropping The Ball”

If you’re going to combine ska and punk, you can’t half-ass it. Full tempo punk with horns, hell yeah! Yeah, this shit’s a laughingstock, but I don’t care. It’s fun! Screw y’all!

Five Songs, 1/25/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 25 Jan 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Here’s today!

Jeanne And The Darlings, “How Can You Mistreat The One You Love”

How sweet is that Memphis sound? This is a song from late in the Atlantic run for Stax/Volt, from 1967. That’s a tasty break in this song! Jeanne and the Darlings just ended up recording four singles in their career, so there isn’t a lot of followup to this tune.

Einstürzende Neubauten, “Bildbeschreibung”

There have been times in my life when I’ve bought a record that was intimidating, when I wasn’t really sure what I was getting into. Buying this album, Strategies Against Architecture II, was one of those moments. I had heard of the band, in mostly hushed tones, and I wasn’t really sure I was up for it. So strange! So noisy! So German! I didn’t honestly know if I was up for it. And the album was, indeed, something pretty far beyond what I could have expected. But I certainly liked it!

Five Songs, 1/24/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 24 Jan 2019 20:00:00 +0000

I had to upload three of these tracks today. I know nobody cares.

Marvin Gaye, “Flyin’ High (In The Friendly Sky)”

I’m pretty confident I’ve posted my contrarian/asshole take on What’s Going On, which is that it has some seriously great tunes, but actually is kind of flabby as an album and as a consequence is a flawed record. This song is an example - it’s kind of meandering and doesn’t add much to the album.

Five Songs, 1/23/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 23 Jan 2019 20:00:00 +0000

And another one!

Aesop Rock, “No Regrets”

Aesop Rock’s Def Jux debut, Labor Days, is widely considered to be his best record. It’s the one where the beats really started keeping up with his complex, wordy flow. Rock can be a little exhausting to listen to at times, but in the right mood, he’s a lot of fun.

Bim Skala Bim, “For The Turnstiles”

This track, from How’s It Goin’?, is an example of Bim Skala Bim at its best. A warm, organ-driven groove, some fun trombone bits, a cheerful tune - it’s just super pleasant.

Five Songs, 1/22/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 22 Jan 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Here’s today!

Nickel Creek, “You Don’t Know What’s Going On”

This project has now gone on long enough that I can’t really remember which bands I’ve introduced and which ones I have not. And, honestly, it’s not reasonable to assume everybody has read/listened to every one of these. So, if I happen to repeat myself on anything, I apologize, but let’s just pretend that it’s because I felt like enough time had passed and not because I have a tenuous grasp on my marbles.

Five Songs, 1/21/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 21 Jan 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Let’s hope we do better today!

The Clash, “Julie’s Been Working for the Drug Squad”

This is a repeat from, geez, a year and a half ago.

Bruce Cockburn, “If A Tree Falls”

Well, it’s been a good, long time, but we’ve got a completely unknown song here popping up. There were a handful of songs pre-loaded on some device of mine in the misty, distant past, and some automated scan swept them up into my library. I didn’t catch them, and now they’re sprinkled in among the songs I actually want to keep, and I haven’t been able to root them out. And now you have to deal with them too!

Five Songs, 1/20/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 21 Jan 2019 06:55:57 +0000

Short and Sweet today. Because it has Matthew Sweet! HAHA! (it’s not very sweet)

Matthew Sweet, “Smog Moon”

Sweet, during his peak period, was a reliably great power pop songwriter. But there were times when he’d kind of tip over into a cheesier territory, and this song is a prime example of that particular beast. You don’t want to evoke Billy Joel’s cornier moments, in general.

Kid Koala, “Pinballer”

This is one of the tunes from Kid Koala’s soundtrack to the video game Floor Kids, because he hasn’t tackled enough media yet. I wish I could say something about the game, but while I bought it, I haven’t tried it yet. I only have so much time, people!

Five Songs, 1/15/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 15 Jan 2019 20:00:00 +0000

We’ve got several folks here who are reaching high for art here.

Godspeed You! Black Emperor, “Peasantry or ‘Light! Inside Of Light!’”

Pretension is not, in and of itself, a bad thing. If you have the bombast and chops to pull it off, pretension really just turns into ambition. And Godspeed You! Black Emperor really do have the chops to make it work. Yes, their song and album titles are nonsense, but who cares when you get to listen to something like this. The brigaded violins, the sweep of guitars, the stately waltz of the whole thing, it’s just gorgeous. Also, this song is close to being as long as the entire playlist yesterday.

Five Songs, 1/14/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 14 Jan 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Tidy list today!

christian fitness, “love letters in the age of steam”

I really enjoy tom-heavy drum beats like this. Yeah, I wouldn’t want it for every song, but for the occasional tune, bring it on. Also, this song gets in and out in two minutes. Nice work!

Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, “Third Finger, Left Hand”

I gotta say, you can count your fingers differently and really change the intent of this title by quite a bit! This isn’t the best song from Martha Reeves, when it comes down to it. It’s pretty predictable and a little too syrupy. Not unpleasant, but not great.

Five Songs, 1/13/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 13 Jan 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Back to Five Songs!

Don Drummond, “Jet Stream”

I was actually listening to this album (the excellent Don Cosmic, a compilation of a bunch of his Studio One tracks) in the car today, and was marveling at the warmth of the record. There’s an alchemy in the way this stuff is recorded, the ambient studio noise enhancing the intimate feel of it. It sounds like Drummond and his band are just playing for you, right in your room. Or head. Whatever. I kind of poke fun at vinyl guys, because how could you not, but there is a legitimate thing to having some of the organic noise of the recording come through as you listen.

Five Songs, 1/12/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 13 Jan 2019 05:29:41 +0000

Folks, I don’t know if I can keep up this pace. Seven songs AGAIN?

Dälek, “The Son of Immigrants”

As you’d probably imagine based on the stuff that shows up here, I’m 100% here for the merging of noise into hip-hop. There are a bunch of acts that are exploring this territory right now, and one of the better albums in the area is Dälek’s Endangered Philosophies. There’s an urgency that the noise adds to these songs that gives a pretty different feeling from more conventional hip-hop.

Five Songs, 1/9/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 09 Jan 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Overstuffed one today!

Steady Earnest, “Put It On”

Yes, this is the Bob Marley song. Yes, this song rules. Yes, this cover is probably pushing the tempo too much, but whatever, see point #2 above.

The Police, “One World (Not Three)”

Ghost In The Machine is easily the worst Police album, with neither of the energy and catchiness of the best of their early work, but not yet settled into the progressive pop of Synchronicity. It just doesn’t really hang together well for me, and I basically never listen to it.

Five Songs, 1/8/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 09 Jan 2019 05:19:35 +0000

Today!

Sam & Dave, “A Place Nobody Can Find”

Early stars on Stax, Sam & Dave are always super enjoyable to listen to, and this song is of course no exception.

Knxwledge, “Bodies[Totw]”

Knxwledge’s solo album, Hud Dreems, is all instrumental and most of the tracks are on the short side. In a lot of ways, it sounds like a portfolio rather than a proper album, with Knxwledge presenting his skill in making beats as an audition. It’s perfectly pleasant, but as with most abstract hip-hop, not super memorable.

Five Songs, 1/7/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 08 Jan 2019 06:41:23 +0000

IT STOPPED AT THREE DAYS, WHO COULD HAVE GUESSED? Eh, whatever, it’s not like I said I’m going to do these every day or anything. At least, not after I edit this place. NEW STREAK HERE!

Negativland, “Keep Rollin”

Negativland’s No Business is a meditation on copyright, art, and the nature of culture in general. Or, more succinctly, it’s a Negativland album. On the spectrum of experimental noise to something that could be described as music, it falls closer to the musical end, making it one of the easier Negativland albums to absorb. Which isn’t to say it’s easy listening. By the time they made this record, they had decades of experience in assembling these kinds of oddball things, so they had gotten very good at the sound manipulation required.

Five Songs, 1/5/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 06 Jan 2019 06:13:00 +0000

Three days, when will it stop? NOT TODAY! HIT IT, YOUTUBE!

The Microphones, “I Want To Be Cold”

There’s something almost shoegaze-y about this track from the Microphones, with the buried vocals and washes of noise. I love it when everything lays out about a minute in as well. It’s a short tune, but it packs a punch.

Kid Koala, “3 Bit Blues”

Kid Koala assembled the entirety of 12 Bit Blues out of layers and layers of samples of old blues, adding scratching over the top when everything was put together. It’s a fascinating experiment, as with just about everything he does, sounding ancient and dusty while simultaneously modern.

Five Songs, 1/4/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 04 Jan 2019 20:00:00 +0000

TWO DAYS IN A ROW

The Roots, “Proceed”

While it wasn’t really their debut album, Do You Want More?!!!??! feels like it SHOULD be their debut album. Organix feels more like a practice run or a demo, a band trying to find its voice, and several of its songs appear on the next album in re-worked forms. Anyway, this is the first full song on Do You Want More, and it really sets the template for the album and indeed their first couple albums, with the jazzy groove of the band revolving around Scott Storch’s keyboards and ?uestlove’s drums. I think Black Thought is better on the subsequent albums, but he’s certainly good on this record. Basically, this is where to start with the Roots in exploring their early career.

Five Songs, 1/3/2019

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 04 Jan 2019 06:43:22 +0000

Five Songs is back from the holidays! I’m going to try and keep to a more regular posting schedule around here, rather than the very erratic one from the last several months. It would be nice to get three or four a week at a minimum, anyway. Let’s hear what we get for the first one of 2019!

Taylor Swift, “Shake It Off”

I’m sure I’ve posted this sentiment multiple times, but I’ll suggest it again: this might be the biggest hit we’ve had on here (a mere 2.7 billion views on YouTube!). I trust I don’t need to really introduce this song. But this is what an infectious pop song should sound like, and it’s delightful.

Five Songs, 12/18/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 18 Dec 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Today’s play list!

Otis Redding, “She Put The Hurt On Me”

There’s so much to love about this song. The rubbery bass especially on the chorus, the interplay between the horns and the organ, and of course Redding’s always great vocal performance. It’s hard to pick Redding’s best record, but I think I’d take Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary Of Soul as first among equals.

Your Old Droog, “Help”

One of my favorite discoveries from 2017 was Your Old Droog’s second album, Packs. Coming out of the East Coast, his vocals frequently are compared to Nas, which makes sense in terms of delivery, and the beats on his record have a sort of psychedelic feel to them. When I first heard it, it reminded me a lot of Edan, which turns out to be for good reason as he worked with Edan on a couple of tracks (including this one). The overall feel is just square in my wheelhouse.

Five Songs, 12/17/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 18 Dec 2018 06:39:28 +0000

Confidential to Megan: there’s a playlist on Plexasaurus Rex for today! For the rest of you, you have to first put up with my crap for about 25 years, and then you can have a private playlist. In the mean time, you can at least get the YouTube-ized version.

Pussy Galore, “Dick Johnson”

There are lots of moments, especially on Dial ‘M’ for Motherfucker, where Pussy Galore presented the vision which Jon Spencer would bring to full fruition with the Jon Spencer Blue Explosion. There’s a pretty straight line from this song to the tunes on the first JSBX album, for instance. Those are also invariably the most interesting Pussy Galore songs.

Five Songs, 12/12/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 13 Dec 2018 07:01:06 +0000

A bit scattered today.

Dog Faced Hermans, “Love Is The Heart Of Everything”

“Anarchist” is always kind of an interesting descriptor when applied to a band. For whatever reason, there are some bands where that’s called out for them, and I’m sitting here thinking that I’ve pretty much liked every band I’ve ever encountered that has been described as anarchist. The Dog Faced Hermans, for instace. I’m looking at this list of anarchist-punk bands from Wikipedia (of course there’s a list on Wikipedia), and it’s pretty bitchin’, even if I question the inclusion of some bands. Black Flag! The Dead Kennedys! Napalm Death! NoMeansNo! Propagandhi! That’s some good shit, y’all.

Five Songs, 12/10/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 11 Dec 2018 07:09:30 +0000

Today’s tunes!

J Church, “Lines”

One of the great things that punk is able to do when it’s on is produce a short song that nevertheless is complete and satisfying. This thing clocks in at 1:40 and you’d hardly notice that it’s not the usual three minute pop song. Lance Hahn was able to pull this off time after time, in way that should shame so many people out there writing rock songs.

Five Songs, 12/4/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 05 Dec 2018 06:04:46 +0000

I don’t have a ton to say today.

Game Theory, “Exactly What We Don’t Want To Hear”

You know, you should all thank me that I haven’t yet made a “it’s time for some game theory!” joke! Or “joke”, really. Uh, until now, I suppose.

The Spinanes, “Meridian”

There should be more rock duos, in my opinion. The Spinanes don’t suffer from the spare instrumentation at all. It gives more space to focus on the individual elements of the band, which is totally OK with me! I wonder what Rebecca Gates is up to these days? Probably shouldn’t look. Never learn anything, that’s my motto.

Five Songs, 12/1/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 02 Dec 2018 07:13:57 +0000

Took a little break over the holiday. Why not! Anyway, I’m back, let’s see what we get!

Tenement, “Crop Circle Nation”

Not bad! Tenement play melodic punk, I suppose you’d call it, although it’s really stretching the work “punk” pretty far. I guess it’s just kind of “rock” at this point. If you were to guess where they’re from, you might guess the Midwest, given the long pedigree for this type of music in that area. And you’d be right! You’re so smart, person who doesn’t exist!

Five Songs, 11/19/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 07:18:55 +0000

Pretty much a mess today.

The Gabriel Construct, “Arrival In A Distant Land”

At what point does a prog rock album cross the border from rock into something else? How far can you stretch rock before it breaks? These aren’t questions being asked directly by Gabriel Riccio, who is the force behind this album, but those questions are certainly present. This is a concept album about…something, I dunno. It’s all very high concept. Let’s put it this way: this is the opening track to the album. This is how it kicks off. So clearly, he’s not going for accessible here.

Five Songs, 11/15/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 16 Nov 2018 06:44:30 +0000

I dunno, feels like we’ve had a good mix recently. Today is no different.

Sebadoh, “New Worship”

Sebadoh’s Sub Pop debut, Smash Your Head On The Punk Rock, would prove to be a transitional album. Taking the sprawling, brilliant mess of III and at least partially taming it, the focus and professionalism that Sebadoh started exhibiting here would eventually result in much more coherent albums. This period is my favorite one of the band, as I like a little chaos in my music, so when they mostly worked that stuff out of their sound, I stopped paying as much attention. So, the three album stretch from III through Bubble and Scrape is where I mostly listen.

Five Songs, 11/14/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 06:06:05 +0000

Here’s today’s tunes.

Action Bronson & Statik Selektah, “Cocoa Butter”

Action Bronson bubbled up from the underground after making the transition from chef to rapper. After breaking his leg, he decided to try making his hobby into his main career, putting together his debut Dr. Lecter, a fun album full of energy, food metaphors, and tons of rhyming. It’s an entertaining listen, but it remained to be seen if Bronson would move past the Ghostface worship. His next album, Well-Done, a collaboration with Statik Selektah, answered that question: no. No, he would not.

Five Songs, 11/13/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 14 Nov 2018 07:02:05 +0000

Today!

Clem Snide, “Donna”

Long time reader/listeners (both of you!) know that I’m a huge Uncle Tupelo stan, but my favorite alt-country album isn’t one of theirs. It’s probably Your Favorite Music, Clem Snide’s second album. Thanks to their willingness to stretch out and leave space for Eef Barzelay’s intimate delivery and elliptical lyrics, the entire album manages to create a mood of melancholy without really giving you a specific reason for it. It’s a little disorienting that way, but then you get to the end, and you want to give it another spin.

Five Songs, 11/10/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 11 Nov 2018 05:46:18 +0000

We here at Five Songs often find ourselves apologizing for our content around here. With the random nature of what shuffle coughs up, sometimes it’s not great.

Uh, in other news, here’s today.

clipping., “Taking Off”

The lesson of clipping., beyond any other, is how much space there still remains for rap to continue to stretch out across other types of music and how much there remains to experiment with. We’ve seen noise marry with rap with tremendous success, and that should indicate that there still remains so many frontiers left to conquer.

Five Songs, 11/9/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 10 Nov 2018 07:26:27 +0000

SIX SONGS WOOOO

The Temptations, “Hey Girl”

Goddamn, listen to those strings! With Cloud Nine, the Temptations laid down some of the building blocks of funk, as they departed from the traditional Motown sound and pointed the way to the 70s.

The xx, “Heart Skipped A Beat”

Indie pop band The xx kind of exploded out the door and were critical darlings right away with their electronic take on the genre, especially with the dual vocalists. And it’s here where I admit that a) I can never keep straight who The xx are and b) I clearly bought this at some point and I’m not entirely sure I’ve listened to it before. But I know I’ve read about them at various times! I totally didn’t have to look up stuff about them!

Five Songs, 11/8/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 09 Nov 2018 07:28:32 +0000

Two songs that I had to upload today! That’s when you know you’re getting the good stuff. And by good stuff, I mean “probably forgotten underground rock or C-list third-wave ska.”

Eric B. & Rakim, “I Know You Got Soul (Acapella)”

Paid In Full, one of the foundational albums of rap, was later reissued in a deluxe edition called the Platinum Edition. It featured a second disc of various rarities, including this tune. And all that is fine, but what made it awesome is that they went and photoshopped the gold jewelry on the original cover to be platnium. It’s that attention to detail that can really make a reissue. Anyway, the bonus junk is totally inessential.

Five Songs, 11/7/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 08 Nov 2018 06:41:13 +0000

Today!

The Exceptions, “Mean Ole Malley”

I come to you today with an important piece of information: buying records from a band based entirely on a particular comic artist doing the cover art has a pretty shaky track record. NEWS YOU CAN USE. Blah blah books and covers or something. Anyway, Evan Dorkin is really good!

Son Volt, “Windfall”

An underrated aspect of country, whatever the variety, is that it’s often a lot of fun to sing along with. Jay Farrar further has the advantage of being pretty reasonable to keep up with across his bands. I really only know Trace well enough among Son Volt’s work to sing along with, but it’s fun.

Five Songs, 11/6/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 07 Nov 2018 06:58:24 +0000

Good one today!

Queen, “The Prophet’s Song”

I’ve made the comparison before, but I don’t know if I’ve made it here or not: power metal is just Queen played fast. All the over-the-top theatrics and corn are there in spades. Sure, there are usually fewer elves in your average Queen song, and there are more wheedly-weedly solos in power metal, but nevertheless, they’re basically the same.

Sharon Jones, “Pick It Up, Lay It In The Cut”

The first Sharon Jones record was rawer than what would follow, which is A-OK by me. Not to say that all of her records aren’t great, but there’s something about the filthy sound of those drums that gets me going.

Five Songs, 11/5/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 06 Nov 2018 07:08:21 +0000

Just missed a Vince Staples song that I’m enjoying very much as I type this intro. But, sorry, rules are rules. Today is solid, though.

The Isley Brothers, “This Old Heart Of Mine (Is Weak For You) (Alternate Mix)”

Sort of low-key wondering exactly what the longest parenthetical is in a Motown song title. At any rate, we find ourselves in 1966 with this Isley Brothers track. At this point, the Isleys were already veterans, four albums in. And it turns out that their career was really just getting going, with many stylistic changes and lineup changes to come, not to mention just a bunch of great records.

Five Songs, 11/4/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 05 Nov 2018 07:15:25 +0000

Hooray, Five Songs!

Uncle Tupelo, “Graveyard Shift”

If you type the words “Uncle Tupelo” into a blog twice within an hour of midnight, it summons the band. Or so I’m led to believe by the worst horror story in the world, “Attack Of The Alt-Country Band That Apparently Was Bloodthirsty For Some Reason”.

You know, that dumb joke assumes that anybody read yesterday’s entry, and it occurs to me that that’s quite arrogant. Whatever, that joke owns. As does this song! It’s the opening track of the opening album from Uncle Tupelo, and while it’s a pretty straight ahead rock song, you can hear the lyrical themes that they would develop in their career.

Five Songs, 11/3/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 04 Nov 2018 04:45:00 +0000

Today!

Dave Hillyard & The Rocksteady Seven, “Someone Else’s Love Song”

Dave Hillyard has been in a bunch of ska bands during his time, most notably as part of The Slackers from the beginning. He has his own solo project where he plays his own compositions and sings. He put out a new record this year, The Giver, and this song gives you an idea of what you’re in for.

Five Songs, 10/29/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 30 Oct 2018 06:27:03 +0000

Strange mix today, but some great stuff.

The Meters, “Here Comes The Meter Man”

I hope one day to make a sound even half as cool as the noises that Ziggy Modeliste is making on the drums on this song. You get those ten hour loops on YouTube of every annoying noise on the planet, can I get a ten hour loop of the drum break on this song? (Answer: probably, yes.)

Five Songs, 10/23/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 24 Oct 2018 06:17:11 +0000

Today!

They Might Be Giants, “Last Wave”

They Might Be Giants released their 20th studio album, I Like Fun, this year, and it’s a solid entry into their discography. While not their best, it’s still a very good record, and I’m always happy for more music from them. They. Whatever.

Guided By Voices, “Cigarette Tricks”

Remember, Alien Lanes is the album where most people agreed that Guided by Voices seemed to be getting their shit together (graded on a curve, of course).

Five Songs, 10/22/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 22 Oct 2018 19:00:00 +0000

A repeat today, so you all know what that means. SIX SONGS BABY

De La Soul, “Pain (Radio Edit)”

Feels like we’ve had this song on here before. (looks) Yeah, we have. I have to fix all the tagging/index stuff around here.

Neutral Milk Hotel, “You’ve Passed”

The focus for Neutral Milk Hotel is on In The Aeroplane Over The Sea, but On Avery Island is very good as well. It’s maybe a little more predictable, a little more just pure indie pop, but Jeff Magnum knows what he’s doing here.

Five Songs, 10/21/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 21 Oct 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Today!

Ashanti Afrika Jah, “Onyame”

One of the tremendous things about today’s music scene is that we have so many quality reissue labels that are looking through the past and finding great stuff to bring back to light. This comes from the Nigeria 70: Lagos Jump compilation which is just a delight to listen to all the way through.

De La Soul, “Church”

De La Soul seemed pretty done after the second Art Official Intelligence record came out. However, The Grind Date turned out to be an excellent record, proving they still had plenty left in the tank. First Serve was also good (although, technically, it was only two-thirds of De La Soul), so they ended up having a bit of a late career renaissance.

Five Songs, 10/20/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 21 Oct 2018 05:08:46 +0000

One of the things I’m doing with my restart of this project is really kind of taking the schedule as it comes. If I don’t feel like doing an entry some day, I’m not going to sweat it. Hopefully, that will make sure that I keep going for plenty of time. So, let’s see what we’ve got today!

NoFX, “The Cause”

I wonder if my kids will listen to this kind of punk when they get older. I wonder if any kids do? It is absolutely true that I haven’t got a clue what most kids listen to, so all I really know is that I still see kids wander around in Dead Kennedys gear and the like. So maybe?

Five Songs, 10/15/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 16 Oct 2018 06:02:04 +0000

Folks, they can’t all be winners.

Scissorfight, “Victory Over Horseshit”

Can we just admire the naming going on here? Scissorfight? “Victory Over Horseshit”? That’s good stuff. I mean, the album isn’t that great or anything, but whatever.

DJ Food, “Dark Blood (Mlo Nu Blud 2 Mix)”

Yeah, there’s no way this is going to be on YouTube, is it?

(looks)

Hooray! I’m very lazy, so that’s great news.

OK, Plexasaurus Rex, let’s get some meat on the bone here, not much to talk about so far.

Five Songs, 10/14/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 15 Oct 2018 06:04:39 +0000

I was at Shut Up & Sit Down Expo over the weekend, and it was fun, although I think that that was mostly because it was a getaway weekend for Megan and I. But, it was a good pretext to get out of town! Also, somebody asked me for my autograph. Super cool!

Today’s tunes.

Ministry, “I Prefer”

We’ve now gone back in Ministry’s catalog far enough to reach their first good album. The flaccid synth-pop of With Sympathy and stilted semi-aggro synths of Twitch had finally metastasized into the aggressive Land of Rape and Honey. This, arguably, is the most industrial of their albums, with less of the metallic riffing of their later stuff but all of the mechanical pounding you might want. I haven’t listend to this in ages, I should give it a spin.

Five Songs, 10/11/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 12 Oct 2018 06:10:01 +0000

New verison of Ghost! So far, I don’t like it. Whatever. Still basically works. I have music for you!

Lungfish, “Reveal Me”

I have a very distinct memory of listening to this album while wandering around Wean Hall at my college, and paying a lot of attention to it, and deciding that I just didn’t really like it very much. I’m not sure what set me off about it, but I very much decided that Lungfish weren’t for me. This is from their debut album, and apparently they lasted for a long time, and I stuck to my guns. I haven’t heard anything else from them. Maybe they were good! I don’t know!

Five Songs, 10/10/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 11 Oct 2018 05:31:55 +0000

Hey, y’all! I’m going to be in Vancouver this weekend for SHUX! If you happen to be going, say hi!

Today’s music!

Boogie Down Productions, “Remix For P Is Free”

Criminal Minded is at the root of so much of New York rap. It’s really one of the foundational documents of the East Coast scene. There are so many echoes of this album in so many other records that it’s almost hard to even pick them out. At this point, the original sounds like a cliche, which is unfair, as this record is where all that stuff comes from.

Five Songs, 10/9/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 10 Oct 2018 05:28:23 +0000

Fantastic one today!

J-Zone, “Zone For President”

More old shit from J-Zone! I mentioned his persona last time, but here you can really hear the cheapass side of things. Also, dig that circus beat! And the shots at internet losers. All good stuff!

Pond, “Forget”

Pond’s third and final record, Rock Collection, came out on a major label, which probably did it no favors. While Sub Pop would know what to do with a band like this, when Pond didn’t hit it big quickly with this record, Sony basically just forgot that it existed. It’s a shame, because it’s a an excellent album full of rock gems like this, all of them at least a little off-kilter. There’s also some really touching songs on here as well. Overall, a lost gem.

Five Songs, 10/6/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 07 Oct 2018 05:34:28 +0000

Pretty good one today!

Cop Shoot Cop, “All the Clocks are Broken”

One of the things that set Cop Shoot Cop apart from the other acts they were usually lumped with, often other industrial bands, was that Tod Ashley was never afraid to deploy some genuine emotion in his songs. It wasn’t all just pummelling, fury, noise, and aggression. Songs like this would presage the work that Ashley would later turn in with Firewater.

Five Songs, 10/5/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 06 Oct 2018 06:20:16 +0000

Barely got this done today.

Sharon Jones, “Natural Born Lover”

Look, I don’t think I’m a great writer, or even a good one, when it comes to music. Hell, I probably don’t really rise to “adequate”. My failing is that a lot of these entries are pretty shallow. I’m also unable to really evoke what it’s like to listen to these folks. Also, my comparisons are not great. And…

…hang on, let’s try this again. I’m saying that these mostly suck, but whatever, listen to this fucking song. Goddammit, this is some great shit.

Five Songs, 10/4/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 05 Oct 2018 05:24:06 +0000

Good news! No Japanese noise today!

Tribulation, “Cauda Pavonis”

Listen to this track, and think about the other stuff featured on Five Songs in the past. What do you think this band normally sounds like? Some kind of soundtrack-y kind of thing? Something closer to post-rock? Foetus tribute act?

If you look into your heart, you know the correct answer. Something like this? Yeah, it’s metal.

Lambchop, “Jan. 24”

Lambchop chose to release two albums on the same day in 2004, Aw C’mon and No, You C’mon. It’s not entirely clear why they chose to release them as separate records, instead of a double album. There’s not really any distinction between the types of songs on the two albums, and it’s not like one is all b-sides or anything. They just decided to release two records, a bit of an odd decision from a band that has always been a bit odd themselves. At any rate, the world is a better place for more Lambchop songs, so may they release fifty albums on the same day.

Five Songs, 10/3/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 04 Oct 2018 05:15:51 +0000

Kind of wiplashing around today.

Art Brut, “Formed A Band”

This might be the platonic ideal of the Art Brut song, a song where you legitimately can’t tell if they’re putting you on or not. I think they’re doing both, it’s dead serious as well as an arch joke. Like, it’s many layers of put on that just wraps around itself. Putonception.

They Might Be Giants, “Destroy the Past”

You know, I never actually saw Inception.

Five Songs, 10/2/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 03 Oct 2018 05:40:36 +0000

Some bonus tunes today!

Morcheeba, “Blindfold”

We’ve had several trip-hop acts around here in the past, and here’s one of the lesser known bands from that scene. Morcheeba, like all of the trip-hop bands that hung around for a while, pretty quickly expanded beyond just straight trip-hop. For example, beyond the drums and a little bit of scratching, this is more jazz than trip-hop. At any rate, this album (Big Calm) is very good.

Five Songs, 10/1/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 02 Oct 2018 05:33:11 +0000

You know, I didn’t think it could really get more third wave-y around here, but it seems like New Shuffle might be even more fond of the stuff. But, you know, here you go!

Death From Above 1979, “Never Swim Alone”

Pounding drums and bellowing through distortion is a time honored formula that almost always gets me going. Just big, pounding, and shameless. Delightful!

Less Than Jake, “Glumble”

Lots of Less Than Jake recently. This comes from Losers, Kings, And Things We Don’t Understand, a compilation of the various non-album cuts that they produced before and around the time of their first proper album, Pezcore. In these early years, Less Than Jake was really more of a punk band than anything else, but they did a good job with it. As always, it’s more down to the energy and hooks than anything else with pop punk.

Five Songs, 9/30/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 01 Oct 2018 06:21:29 +0000

Today!

J Church, “Bomb”

Camels, Spilled Corona, and the Sound of Mariachi Bands is a great name for an album, in this case the first of multiple singles comps that J Church put together. As befits a band as prolific as they were, J Church was constantly putting out songs on 7"s, random comps, splits, and other places. They had the good grace to collect that stuff together periodically, and the comps are really basically on a par with their normal albums.

Five Songs, 9/29/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 29 Sep 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Almost like a Special in here today!

Mr. Lif, “Success”

I feel like I haven’t bought a new concept record in a while. I suppose some of the unintelligable garbled metal I listen to could be concept records, I’d have no real way of knowing. You could tell me basically anything about the lyrics or themes or whatever of some of those slabs and I’d probably believe you. At any rate, many of my favorite concept records are rap records, and I Phantom is one of the very best.

Five Songs, 9/28/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 28 Sep 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Lots of electronics today.

Prefuse 73, “140 Jabs Interlude”

Rivington Não Rio, the 2015 album from Prefuse 73, was something of a return to form for Scott Herren, his best work since Surrounded by Silence for my money. This track takes a little bit to get going, by turns downright pyrotechnic by the end, and Herren’s beats are great when he’s really going for it.

RJD2, “Shot In The Dark”

Prior to firing shuffle up for Five Songs, I had just been listen to STS x RJD2, a delightful collaboration featuring some absolutely ferocious work from RJD2. He’s still never beaten Deadringer, mind you. But I wanted to plug the fact that he’s done some cool shit otherwise.

Five Songs, 9/27/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 27 Sep 2018 19:00:00 +0000

I’ve legitimately missed this. It was a bit of a grind at times, and I’ll have to find the right pace, but it’s nice to be back in the saddle. And it’s nice to explore the dusty corners of my music again. Here is today’s trip into the vault.

Edan, “Humble Magnificent”

One issue that I have with this thing is that I stopped doing “previously"s, which was a huge hassle, but I haven’t gone back and re-tagged everything. So, I’m not entirely sure what I’ve covered. At any rate, Edan is a rapper/producer/DJ out of Boston who has thus far only made two albums (Primitive Plus and Beauty and the Beat) and a mixtape, but it’s all magnificent. His beats in particular are fantastic, the perfect blend of dusty loops and filthy drums. One of the best pieces of music news in 2018 is Edan’s return to music, with a new album coming out soon. I couldn’t be more excited!

Five Songs, 9/26/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 27 Sep 2018 05:35:35 +0000

It occurred to me that I didn’t explain who Plexasaurus Rex is. That’s my music server! As you might have guessed, I’m using Plex, and I have to say: so far, it’s pretty good! Did a good job organizing my music, interface seems solid. No complaints thus far. And, of course, I gave it a dumb name, the same dumb name that every other sad nerd who thinks they’re funny gives their server. Anyway, here’s today’s tunes,, now that we have today’s sad exposition out of the way.

Five Songs, 9/25/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 26 Sep 2018 05:09:01 +0000

WOAH. Kinda blacked out there for a little bit. But we’re back! We’re using a new service! This time it’s all running on all our own shit so it should be solid! I’m only at the mercy of the software! And the device it’s running on! And my home network! And…hang on, I’ll come in again.

Aw, who cares? The rock stopped, and now it’s going again. I think I even have most of my own music back. Let’s do this! HIT IT, PLEXASAURUS REX!

Where is Five Songs?

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 12 Aug 2018 01:16:18 +0000

Well, right now, Five Songs is on hopefully a brief hiatus. Amazon has shut down their music locker service, and downloading all that junk has taken time. And, somehow, I ended up with about 5k extra songs in the process. So, I’ve written a script to walk the library, look for anomalies, call into the Discogs API…look, it’s complicated. Once I get the library cleaned up, I’ll need to get a new solution put together for streaming it, and then I can resume. Sorry, everybody. I know this is the only source of music on the Internet, and it kills me to disappoint you all. You’ll have to, like, talk to your friends and family or something.

Five Songs, 7/31/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 01 Aug 2018 05:32:31 +0000

Today!

Buck-O-Nine, “Voice In My Head”

We like to mock the third wave of ska here at Funf Songs, because it’s eminently mockable. But, there’s a reason why we have so much of the damn stuff, and that’s that when it’s done well, it’s sprightly and charming and summer-y. In the winter, it reminds of long, bright, warm days. In the summer, it just ups the mood to another level. Buck-O-Nine weren’t amazing, but they were pleasant and good and it’s worthwhile to just listen to some pleasant and good things sometimes.

Five Songs, 7/26/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 27 Jul 2018 05:49:46 +0000

Nice one.

Gaunt, “Powder Keg Variety”

The formula is so simple. Just big guitars, big choruses, and a fun tune. It’s Cheap Trick, basically. But, dammit, it’s still delightful, and I can’t get enough of this. I miss Gaunt, y’all.

Metallica, “The Judas Kiss”

The formula is so simple. Just big guitars…aw, fuck it.

Crackerbash, “Chesham”

The formul[gunshot]

One of the things I always liked about Crackerbash is is how rubbery their bass always sounded. It’s so propulsive, especially when it separates a little from the main guitar line.

Five Songs, 7/24/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 25 Jul 2018 06:11:10 +0000

Hell yes.

Less Than Jake, “Scott Farcas Takes It On The Chin”

Less Than Jake, especially during their heyday, put out tons of singles and compilation appearances. They’ve collected those on various comps, which are usually worth looking into. This is an alternate take of “Scott Farcas Takes It On The Chin” (which originally appeared on Hello Rockview), this time showing up on the comp Goodbye Blue & White.

Son Volt, “Satellite”

I have an idea that Son Volt’s range is not as wide as Wilco. (Before you say anything: no, you’re not allowed to discuss Son Volt without a comparison to Wilco, it’s part of the Universal Music Critic And Adjacent Commentator Standard Contract and Practices that we all have to sign before we get our blogging license.) Anyway, that notion is probably horseshit, but it’s my horseshit. And now it’s yours?

Five Songs, 7/23/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 24 Jul 2018 04:59:50 +0000

Today!

The Rolling Stones, “Stray Cat Blues”

Because they hung around so long and turned into basically Rolling Stones Inc., a licensing corporation with a neglected music production arm that would occasionally squeeze out a desultory album, it’s easy for folks of my generation (old, but not super old) to lose track of the fact that for for a while there in the late 60s and early 70s, the Rolling Stones were pretty amazing. The run from Beggars Banquet through Exile on Main Street is one of the foundations of modern rock, and still sounds pretty great today.

Five Songs, 7/22/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 22 Jul 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Today!

Ice Cube, “No Vaseline”

One of the most famous diss tracks in hip-hop history, “No Vaseline”, the closer to Death Certificate, laid bare how rancorous the split between Ice Cube and N.W.A truly was. Those who were paying attention to the press knew, but after the release of this song, everybody knew. And the song was savage - calling N.W.A out in every possible way. While the homophobia makes me cringe now, Cube’s creativity in dragging his former bandmates is still super impressive. N.W.A never really responded to the track. MC Ren says that it’s because they broke up, but honestly, there was no coming back from this.

Five Songs, 7/20/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 20 Jul 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Today!

Queens of the Stone Age, “You Think I Ain’t Worth A Dollar, But I Feel Like A Millionaire”

This is one of those songs where that little opening background riff will just pop into my head and stay there for hours and hours, just looping. It’s not unpleasant! This album just smokes, front to back.

Gorilla Biscuits, “(Untitled Hidden)”

I think I’ve introduced this old-ass straight-edge hardcore band before, so instead, I’ll just mention that they contributed personnel to Quicksand, which we heard from yesterday. As for the track itself, on my copy of Start Today, there is a series of little sub-10 second “songs” which are indistinguishable and unnamed. And, because of stupid tech limitations, I can’t tell which one this is. So, I’ll do another song today.

Five Songs, 7/19/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 20 Jul 2018 05:19:43 +0000

Fantastic list today.

Melvins, “Holy Barbarian”

This all has gone on long enough that I can’t really be certain any more which albums and songs I’ve talked about, so I’m just going to assume y’all can’t remember either. This comes from the great Freak Puke album, where the Melvins (calling themselves “Melvins Lite”) made an album with Trevor Dunn (Mr. Bungle) on bass. Upright bass. The texture that he provides with all the variety of sounds he cranks out makes for one of the most unique albums in the Melvins’ very long discography, and I highly, highly recommend it.

Five Songs, 7/18/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 19 Jul 2018 04:53:28 +0000

Lots of good stuff today!

Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, “Niño Diamante”

Oh, hell yes. The piano! The swinging drums! Those horns! Goddamn, y’all.

The Police, “Tea In The Sahara”

I have a pretty simple opinion on the Police: first three albums yes, last two, no. It’s really kind of that simple. The energy of the punk-influenced early stuff had finally dissipated entirely by the final album, which was chock-a-block with Dad Rock. That’s not to say that I can’t enjoy bits of it, but I just don’t find myself wanting to listen to it either.

Five Songs, 7/17/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 17 Jul 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Today!

Run-D.M.C., “Dumb Girl”

This song is so stripped down that there aren’t even any keyboards on it. Unless you count them putting “dumb” into a sampler and using that. It’s proof that the alchemy of a drum machine and rapping really didn’t require anything else.

Black Tusk, “Bleed On Your Knees”

Sludge metal in the vein of Mastodon or Baroness, Black Tusk do a nice job on their second album of keeping up the energy and making sure the tunes are appropriately propulsive. While maybe not as memorable as the heights of those bands, it’s still fun stuff.

Five Songs, 7/16/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 16 Jul 2018 19:00:00 +0000

It’s not great today.

Ghostface Killah, “Woodrow the Base Head”

I like the way that the music keeps coming in and out of this interstitial. That’s about the best I can say.

Jean Grae, “Fade Out”

The last track from her debut record, Attack of the Attacking Things (which is an amazing name), this album established Grae as an excellent new artist in hip hop. Her rhymes were really interesting, often twisty things, and it made for a pretty different record from most of what you could hear at the time. The only problem with her is that she just hasn’t made very many records. And this song is kind of short.

Five Songs, 7/15/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 15 Jul 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Six songs today!

Belle & Sebastian, “Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John”

From Write About Love, a mostly forgettable album, but this is one of the songs that sticks with me from it. There’s not a whole lot to it, musically, but it’s certainly pleasant.

Jr Walker And All Stars, “Cleo’s Mood”

You don’t find that many instrumental soul tracks like this in the Motown catalog, but here we are with a sweet little tune from 1965.

Five Songs, 7/14/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 15 Jul 2018 04:29:08 +0000

Today!

The Perceptionists, “Breathe In The Sun”

A side project of Mr. Lif, Akrobatik, and DJ Fakts One, the Perceptionists are a good band to check out if you’re a fan of any of the individual artists. Since I like Mr. Lif a lot, that’s what brought me here. I think the star of this album is really Fakts One, who does a great job on the beats. This is the closer to their first album.

Five Songs, 7/12/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 13 Jul 2018 05:26:17 +0000

Some nice stuff today.

Hot Snakes, “Think About Carbs”

Listening to just the right channel on this song is kind of magical. Just Rick Froberg howling along with the drums except for the occasional burst of guitar until you get to the end. Just listen to those toms! Hell yes! Hot Snakes wooo!

Foetus, “The Ballad of Sisyphus T. Jones”

From Hide, this is Foetus at his bombastic, ridiculous best. I like this mode of Thirlwell’s, of making over-the-top songs that sound like songs from corny movies, but through a funhouse mirror.

Five Songs, 7/10/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 05:17:24 +0000

Excellent one today.

Alex Chilton, “All of the Time”

Alex Chilton, of Big Star, is one of the leading influences on a ton of later rock bands in the underground. Here, for instance, you can really hear the Replacements. This song was on his solo record Bach’s Bottom, but this actually comes from the excellent Ork Records: New York, New York compilation.

Slapstick, “The Geek”

This is what ska-punk should sound like when it’s done well. Lots of speed, lots of energy, it gets in and out without hanging around too long. For your “Operation Ivy substitute”, you really can do so much worse.

Five Songs, 7/9/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 10 Jul 2018 05:48:05 +0000

Does it seem like I’m getting flakier with this things? I think I’m getting flakier. Whatever. I’m back!

Floor, “The Key”

This song is only 46 seconds. I really wish it were longer.

Crimpshrine, “Rearranged”

Crimpshrine didn’t last long as a band, producing only one album and a smattering of EPs, singles, and compilation appearances. All of that latter material got collected into a single comp, The Sound Of A New World Being Born, which is an excellent document of the early Bay Area punk scene. As that scene would end up being hugely influential over rock, and Crimpshrine would be one of the key bands to help form that scene, this album is kind of like a glimpse into the future. Well, the past now. Whatever.

Five Songs, 6/29/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 29 Jun 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Don’t have a ton to say today!

The Goats, “The Boom”

The Goats were an underground rap act out of Philadelphia, notable for using a live band during their second album, from which this song comes. Musically they would have fit in with the Tommy Boy acts of the time, such as House of Pain. Overall, the first album was pretty charming, and the second one kind of dragged. Honestly, I can’t remember listening to this stuff for probably 20 years.

Five Songs, 6/28/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 29 Jun 2018 04:52:43 +0000

Pretty good one today.

Public Enemy, “Give It Up”

Pretty sure I’ve talked about how uneven Muse Sick-N-Hour Mess Age is, and it really is. It’s the album that marks the sharp decline of PE from the legendary band to the often baffling outfit that’s still out there still making stuff. But the album really has some peaks. This is one of them. The beat is dense and bouncy, Chuck kicks several different flows, and they basically capture their glory days. The verse that kicks off “I never did represent doin’ dumb shit” is one of my favorite verses from him ever.

Five Songs, 6/27/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 28 Jun 2018 06:10:00 +0000

Good one today! Well, if you ignore that we have a rap skit.

De La Soul, “Skit 5”

The closer for De La Soul Is Dead, the final skit that imagines some bullies discovering stealing the album and deciding it blows. De La Soul was clearly reflecting on a break they were attempting from the first album, of trying to shed their image as rap’s flower children. While De La Soul Is Dead contains plenty of shimmery, bouncy, light tunes, it also features darker material like “My Brother’s a Basehead” and (especially) “Millie Pulled A Pistol On Santa”, a tragic tale we’ll talk about when it comes up.

Five Songs, 6/26/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 26 Jun 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Today!

Thou, “There There”

This is how Thou’s album Algiers ends, which is a collection of assorted EPs and singles. There’s something so elemental about the way that Thou sounds. Something about the entire sound of the band is downright contemptuous. Lots of bands manage to sound ugly, or grim, or noisy, or just generally awful. Thou somehow manages to sound spiteful, which is a neat trick. Well, I dunno about neat. Anyway, this collection isn’t a bad place to start with Thou. Or Heathen, which is a great metal album name.

Five Songs, 6/25/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 26 Jun 2018 05:24:14 +0000

Today? Fun!

Iron & Wine, “Lion’s Mane”

I think it can be easy to dismiss all these neo-folk types as posers, as just boring sensitive white guys with guitars. And yeah, but some of them are clearly playing something pretty inspired as well. Sam Beam, doing business as Iron & Wine, is one of those worth paying attention to. His debut album, The Creek Drank The Cradle, is pretty precious, but it’s just filled with really nice songs. It’s just Beam’s voice and guitar most of the time, with just the occasional touches of slide guitar or banjo, as you can hear on this song. And while obviously, we here at Five Songs go pretty far in to pretty grim and noisy stuff, sometimes you just really need a pretty song, and Iron & Wine delivers.

Five Songs, 6/21/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 21 Jun 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Today’s list.

Pavement, “Krell Vid-User”

I’ve complained about the total lack of quality control on Pavements non-album material. For every “Texas Never Whispers” or “Unseen Power of the Picket Fence”, there were a dozen songs like this one lurking in the wings. But hey, at least we’ve got basically every studio dropping ever put on tape by the band lovingly preserved in deluxe editions! That way you can listen to that junk once and never again!

Five Songs, 6/20/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 21 Jun 2018 04:34:55 +0000

Today!

Dale Crover, “Hillbilly Math”

Here we find Dale Crover playing one of the most straightforward rock songs that he’s probably ever been involved with. I guess you can see how this might not really be a Melvins song, and I’m not sure it’s really necessary, but whatrever, it’s totally fine.

Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, “Such Is Love, Such Is Life”

We’re in 1963 with this song today. Frankly, Smokey is sounding a little Chipmunk-y on this song, making this a little less than the best from him.

Five Songs, 6/19/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 20 Jun 2018 04:28:09 +0000

Well, it’s not as good as yesterday.

Pitchblende, “Ambient Noise”

Pretty much what it says on the tin. I knew today wasn’t going to be as good as yesterday, but this is not a great beginning.

Mr. Review, “One Way Ticket”

This comes from an album called One Way Ticket To Skaville. Say what you want about Skaville, but it’s very clean. Basically no litter. After all, everybody there is just so willing to pick it up, pick it up, pick it up.

Five Songs, 6/18/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 18 Jun 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Great one today!

Run The Jewels, “Early”

Run The Jewels 2 is just perfect. El-P’s beats have never sounded better, Killer Mike’s rhymes have never soudned better, the guests are fantastic. It’s just such a great album, one of the highlights of music this decade.

Hepcat, “The Secret”

It’s a repeat! Still, Hepcat is always welcome around here.

Minutemen, “Martin’s Story”

I always feel like categorizing the Minutemen as a hardcore band is such a bad idea. They get lumped in there because they would occasionally take that tempo, and of course they were labelmates with a bunch of hardcore bands. But they’re so much different, so much more open to experimentation. Just listen to this!

Five Songs, 6/17/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 17 Jun 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Six songs today! I should probably just automatically skip everything with Jay-Z in it.

The Slackers, “Real War”

I don’t listen to Close My Eyes very much. Primarily because the second song on it, “Old Dog”, really kind of upsets em. It’s a good album, though, and I really should listen to it more often. Here, we catch the Slackers going into dub some, which they do every now and again.

Five Songs, 6/16/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 16 Jun 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Today!

Unsane, “Dispatched”

I mentioned last time Unsane came up that they didn’t evolve that much between albums. And this song (from their second album) is a good example - this could easily have just slotted into the first album without skipping a beat. Finding your lane and staying to it is fine, of course, but it does mean that maybe you’re not going to want to keep up with a band for forever.

Five Songs, 6/15/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 16 Jun 2018 04:43:21 +0000

Here’s today’s list.

Destroyer, “Mad Foxes”

Your Blues is maybe the most Bowie of Destroyer’s albums, which is really saying something. I feel like I’ve made that comparison before. (looks) Hey, I haven’t! Anyway, this is very Bowie-ish. BOOM FRESH INSIGHT

411, “The Naked Face”

“Samiam or 411” would be a challenging game at times. It’s also a game that, like, four people are qualified to play.

Floor, “West”

Listen to how huge those guitars are, they wound like the inside of an industrial machine. And then they all lay out and let the drummer have some? Bliss! It’s a move that so many bands have pulled, and it’s because it works. If I were in a band, I’d have everybody get out and let the dummer have plenty! In fact, maybe we should just have the drummer! Hell yes just drums.

Five Songs, 6/14/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 19:00:00 +0000

I think this is the longest Five Songs yet!

Inter Arma, “The Cavern”

Oooh, have we got a treat today! Doom metal band Inter Arma have always played around with doom’s template and exploring where it could go. On today’s track, they check in on what happens if they stretch things out to 45 minutes. That’s right, this is the entirety of the album as one single track. It’s a delight, and I’m just going to let you all lean in to it.

Five Songs, 6/13/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 13 Jun 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Today’s list!

Gang of Four, “5.45”

Entertainment!, from 1979, is one of the keystones of post-punk, a wiry, edgy blast that countless followers would attempt to mimic. The sort of vaguely dance-y rhythms, the bursts of guitar, the monotone singing, these would become hallmarks of bands even down to today. As a consequence, it’s an album that still sounds pretty fresh.

Gang of Four would keep coming and going, with hiatuses of various lengths, but I’ve never really listened to anything beyond the first two albums.

Five Songs, 6/12/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 12 Jun 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Today’s list!

Baba Brooks & Tommy McCook, “River To The Bank”

The name A Tribute To The Ska-talites probably would get you (rightfully!) worried that it would just be a bunch of lame covers of the greatest ska band of all time. But no, instead, this is a bunch of artists from the actual first wave of ska doing Skatalites tunes. Including several, you know, actual Skatalites such as Tommy McCook here. So, what could have been a lame record instead turns out to be a super warm slab of the original stuff.

Five Songs, 6/11/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 12 Jun 2018 05:27:07 +0000

Five Songs took a little break there. Had to recharge our batteries. It’s a grind getting out here and writing nothing of consequence about music nobody has heard or cares about! Well, we’re back!

A programming note: I’m really tired of doing the “previously"s. I think they’re charming, but they’re also a hassle to put together manually. I’m going to use the tagging on this platform instead. It’ll take a while to convert all the old entries, but this will make it easier for me going forward.

Five Songs, 6/1/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 01 Jun 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Welcome to Five Songs, where we have six songs for you!

Kid Koala, “Cardboard Stars, Sea Shells (Page 100)”

A repeat! Since there’s not much to say about it exactly, I’ll instead mention that Kid Koala did the score for the video game Floor Kids, which I haven’t tried yet, but will.

Dillinger Escape Plan, “Weekend Sex Change”

Listen to the space on those drums. They sound so live! Awesome.

Ihsahn, “After”

Leading force behind Norwegian black metal legends Emperor, whose In The Nightside Eclipse is one of the touchstones of the genre, Ihsahn has continued forward as a vital force in metal over the decades since. His solo work has tended more towards the progressive and symphonic end of things rather than the black metal grime of his earlier career, but he’s shown a pretty wide range in general.

Five Songs, 5/31/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 01 Jun 2018 04:32:13 +0000

Today!

5ive Style, “Father Time”

Composed of folks from various post-rock bands such as Tortoise and Isotope 217, 5ive Style are themselves very post-rock themselves. They have a looser, groovier kind of vibe compared to their parent bands, however. Overall, their two albums are both pretty fun.

Chemical People, “I Gotta Know”

From their self-titled record. It’s kind of funny to listen to this stuff now. It’s a little hard to see exactly what I saw in this back in the day. This song is just a by-the-numbers tribute to really old rock. It’s fine?

Five Songs, 5/30/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 30 May 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Today!

Mono Men, “Don’t Know Yet”

Garage rock revivalists Mono Men, from Bellingham, WA, were dedicated to the proposition that back-to-basics rock was all anybody really needed. They were sufficiently dedicated to the idea that not only did they put out a ton of albums on their own, but they formed Estrus Records to put out records by like-minded bands (like The Mortals). In one of the bummers of indie rock, the building where they kept the masters for all of the Estrus records releases burned down, although I suppose that matters less in the digital age than it might have in previous eras.

Five Songs, 5/29/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 30 May 2018 05:55:23 +0000

Took a little break there. No worries, we’re back in business!

Wiccans, “Pageantry”

I mentioned last time that Wiccans kind of sound like an old Amphetamine Reptile act, and they really do. This kind of sounds like maybe old Cows, or perhaps something like the Cosmic Psychos.

UFO Or Die, “Kendo Machine Smokin'”

Well, uh, that’s a thing, huh?

Botanist, “Gleditsia”

The closer to VI: Flora, this is the coda to an excellent album, but this song doesn’t have a lot to say.

Five Songs, 5/25/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 25 May 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Today!

Mr. Lif, “Jugular Vein”

A repeat! But still a good song.

Simon & Garfunkel, “Feuilles-O (Demo)”

I don’t think Simon & Garfunkel need an introduction, do they? Anyway, my copy of Bridge Over Troubled Water has a couple of demos whacked onto the end. They’re kind of pointless.

Merle Haggard, “I Can’t Hold Myself In Line”

OK, we’re doing quieter today, apparently. Cool, cool.

Mark Eitzel, “Gentle On My Mind”

Mark Eitzel was the main force behind American Music Club, and he embarked on a long a solo career as well. I always preferred American Music Club, but he’s a good songwriter, so his solo work usually has something to recommend it. This album, Music For Courage & Confidence, a mid-career record that is uneven. Another pretty quiet song!

Five Songs, 5/24/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 24 May 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Here’s today’s music.

The Apples In Stereo, “I. Her Room Is A Rainy Garden (Wallpaper Reverie Theme)”

The throwaway intro to Her Wallpaper Reverie.

The Wedding Present, “Cattle and Cane”

In 1992, the Wedding Present decided to release a single every month for the entire year. Normally, this kind of gimmick would indicate a band that was just trying to attract attention, but the Wedding Present in 1992 were at the peak of their powers, so these singles are all pretty great. They’re collected in Hit Parade 1 and Hit Parade 2, and both compilations are worth seeking out as companion pieces to their other albums from the early 90s.

Five Songs, 5/23/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 23 May 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Today!

Gaunt, “Duh”

Does any song ever need to be longer than the 1:36 of this song? Yeah, of course, why would you ask that question? But damn, this shit is EFFICIENT at getting the rock into your face. Gaunt ruled, y’all.

Gift of Gab, “Everything Is Fine”

This song features the legendary George Clinton as a guest, which is fun. And honestly, this beat sounds like something from The Streets, and now I kind of want to hear a collaboration between Gift of Gab and the Streets for real. And maybe George Clinton? Why not!

Five Songs, 5/22/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 23 May 2018 04:34:42 +0000

Today’s songs.

The English Beat, “I Confess”

We haven’t had very many second wave ska bands around here. That’s mainly because I was around with the third wave was a thing, so I know those bands well. And when I spend time learning about previous scenes, I mostly spend that time on the first wave of bands. The English Beat are one of the few second wave bands that I know reasonably well, with their poppy take on the genre standing in contrast to so many bands that mostly combine it with punk.

Five Songs, 5/21/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 22 May 2018 05:52:01 +0000

Took a few days off there. I’d apologize, but did anybody notice? If you Five Songs on a blog and nobody is there to hear it…

Anyway, cue the tunes, Amazon!

Melvins, “Laughing With Lucifer At Satan’s Sideshow”

We’ve discussed the Melvins getting dropped from their major label after a stellar run artistically, upon the discovery that the Melvins don’t actually sell any records. They found a home on Amphetamine Reptile Records, who apparently encouraged them to do whatever they wanted. So here, we have a little throwaway making fun of their time on their major label. And they called this record Honky. Why not!

Five Songs, 5/17/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 18 May 2018 05:19:24 +0000

Today!

Preston School of Industry, “Blu Son”

This is some straight-up They Might Be Giants shit right here.

The Fiery Furnaces, “Guns Under the Counter”

Indie duo the Fiery Furnaces were a sister/brother act, dedicated to playing singular art rock. Employing a wide range of instrumentation, often within the same song, and rife with literate, obtuse storytelling, the Fiery Furnaces could be equal parts fascinating and exasperating. This comes from one of their more challenging albums, Rehearsing My Choir, which is their collaboration with their grandmother. Centered around her memories of growing up in Chicago, it’s a meandering look into one family that can be interesting if you’re paying attention but isn’t something that you can just kind of throw on in the background.

Five Songs, 5/16/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 16 May 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Today!

Daft Punk, “Give Life Back To Music”

As a teenager, I took it for granted that disco sucked. Everybody knew it sucked, right? It was shiny and for dancing! I didn’t really interrogate the reasons why there was a cultural backlash against disco, it was just a thing that happened, and obviously it had to happen to pave the way for what followed. It took a while for me to really think about it. Why were so many people so dead set against disco? That they were willing to not just dislike a genre but adopt hating it as part of their identity. And, of course, the penny finally dropped one day: disco was a haven for people outside the rock mainstream, a place where gay folks, people of color, and just loads of diverse folks could be accepted and be themselves. It was a scene that wasn’t just welcoming of these differences, but embraced them. So, of course it had to go. People couldn’t just ignore it if they didn’t like it. That scene had to be destroyed.

Five Songs, 5/15/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 15 May 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Great stuff!

They Might Be Giants, “What Is A Shooting Star?”

You know, now that I’m doing this on a platform with a functional tagging system, I could have just tagged each of these entries with each band, and then I wouldn’t need the index. But we wouldn’t have the “previouslys” either, and I kind of like them? But this is also a hassle to maintain this. And, well, I don’t know if I want to convert everything over.

Five Songs, 5/14/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 14 May 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Nice one today.

Fugazi, “Break-In (version)”

Fugazi released First Demo in 2014, putting out a session from just a year or so into their existence. The songs here would appear on several of their proper releases in a different (and more polished) form. But as a Fugazi obsessive, it’s great to hear how these songs first started shaping up.

New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble, “Nelson Mandela”

One of the great questions being debated by Five Songs scholars everywhere is whether I am, in fact, qualified to talk about the New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble. It’s well-established in canon that I’m not qualified to talk about jazz, of course. But half jazz? The pro camp: clearly I know some shit about ska, right? The con camp: I’m demonstrably a terminal dipshit.

Five Songs, 5/13/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 13 May 2018 19:00:00 +0000

OK, let’s see if we can do better than that low energy thing yesterday. Whatcha got, shuffle?

Dawnbringer, “Nobody There”

Pure heavy metal revivalism, Dawnbringer has decided to see if they can just play this stuff totally straight and manage to not sound totally cheesy. Do they pull it off? Well…I don’t know. It’s reasonably well done, I guess, but by and large I’d pretty much rather just listen to Sabbath. Decent for an occasional change of pace.

Five Songs, 5/12/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 12 May 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Pretty uninspiring today.

Hurl, “Faceman”

Another fine song from old Pittsburgh band Hurl. There’s an expansiveness, a warmth here that’s really pleasant to listen to.

Negativland, “In The Beginning, So Many Different Kinds Of Gods…”

Yeah, I’m kind of mad at some of the choices that Past Josh made. This is, of all damn things, a live album of a recreation of a radio show.

And, look, I couldn’t get this “song” uploaded. My conversion things keep crashing. So, screw it, we’re going to do an extra today.

Five Songs, 5/11/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 12 May 2018 05:03:04 +0000

Skip track 3.

NoMeansNo, “You’re Not One”

I was just listening to Wrong today, and was reminded of how awesome it was. Folks, check it out! In the meantime, here’s NoMeansNo kicking off the In The Fishtank project, which was a project where an independant label invited bands to record an album in just two days in the studio. Occasionally a couple bands at the same time! NoMeansNo are pros, so of course it sounds great.

Five Songs, 5/10/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 11 May 2018 04:19:36 +0000

Do you love Five Songs?

Screeching Weasel, “You’ll Be In My Dreams Today”

It probably says something about me that I own a lot more Screeching Weasel than I do the Ramones. Specifically, it says how old I am.

Jay-Z, “I Know”

One of Jay-Z’s strengths is how he has a bunch of different flows that he uses on different songs. Unlike some rappers, including plenty of famous ones, he always seems to change things up to really play along with the beat. And Pharrell Williams put together a great one here.

Five Songs, 5/9/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 09 May 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Today!

Melvins, “Skweetis”

This is how Stoner Witch opens. I put this on when it came out, and just thought “holy shit, this is going to crush my head”. And it did. My head remains crushed to this day.

Chris Clark, “Don’t Be Too Long”

And then my head became uncrushed. Thanks, Motown!

Deathspell Omega, “Si Monumentum Requires, Circumspice”

EDITOR’S NOTE: Deathspell Omega turn out to be Nazi shitheads, and you should not in any way patronize them. I’m leaving the original text here, but fuck these guys.

Five Songs, 5/8/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 08 May 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Six songs today!

Murs, “3:16”

The beat that 9th Wonder put together on this track is smoking hot.

They Might Be Giants, “Can You Find It?”

This song makes more sense if you watch the accompanying video for it. But, uh, I’m not sure if I’d worry too much about it. Also, I think we’ve had this song before, but looking through all these entries to confirm that is a hassle. Uhhh, I’m going to say we did?

Five Songs, 5/7/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 07 May 2018 19:00:00 +0000

All frequent fliers today!

Public Enemy, “Lost In Space Music”

This comes from Man Plans God Laughs, which is deep into the long run of somehwat undifferentiated albums that Public Enemy has been making for years and years now. They’ve lasted long enough and produced enough records that they have way more non-peak albums than they do peak albums. Which is kind of a bummer. It’s also hard for me to fairly evaluate most of these these records. They’re competing with such indelible memories.

Five Songs, 5/6/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 06 May 2018 17:54:59 +0000

Good set today.

Modest Mouse, “Autumn Beds”

From a later EP from the band, No One’s First, And You’re Next, these are songs that were largely left off of Good News For People Who Love Bad News and We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank. If you’re looking for more songs that would have fit into those albums, this EP is worth looking into.

Sleater-Kinney, “Oh!”

Another good song from Sleater-Kinney which I will undoubtedly totally forget the tune for after the song has finished.

Five Songs, 5/5/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 05 May 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Today!

The White Stripes, “Suzy Lee”

From their first, most primitive record, the White Stripes nevertheless still sounded like themselves right from the beginning. Some of that is Jack White’s distinctive yelp, some of that is the spare blues, some of it is the plodding drums. But they’re instantly recognizable.

Crudbump, “England (Last Year)”

It takes somebody pretty sharp to write something this aggressively dumb.

Bob Marley, “Gonna Get You”

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned it before, but I’m crediting everything to Bob Marley even when it’s credited to him and the Wailers. I’m erasing the Wailers just to make my categorization easier. That makes me shitty. Always nice to listen to Marley, Wailers or no.

Five Songs, 5/4/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 05 May 2018 06:06:28 +0000

Sorry we’ve missed a couple days around here. I’m gonna lie and say it’s not going to happen again. All good now! Here’s today.

Tricky, “Demise”

We’ve heard from Portishead and Massive Attack, and now it’s time to hear from the other giant of trip-hop, Tricky. Tricky’s debut, Maxinquaye, ranks up there with Dummy and Blue Lines as one of the masterpieces of electronic music from the early to mid 90s. Alas, this does not come from Maxinquaye, but from the much later Angels With Dirty Faces, which is only so-so.

Five Songs, 5/2/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 03 May 2018 05:34:36 +0000

Today!

Gaza, “Skull Trophy”

Gaza, out of Salt Lake City, played a brand of metal that crossed a bunch of arbitrary genre boundaries, usually a combination of sludge and doom. I recognize that these kinds of categorizations are deeply unhelpful for folks unfamiliar with metal, and yet I provide them anyway. It’s loud and angry! It sometimes slows down to a drag along ala doom, and is often centered around big riffs, like sludge. And has a lot of shouting.

Five Songs, 4/30/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 30 Apr 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Good stuff today!

Devo, “Uncontrollable Urge”

The first track from the first album, here’s how Devo first planted their flag. And listen to how sharp they sounded right out of the gate! My god, this is such a tight song. For people of my age, who really only knew Devo as the weirdos who did “Whip It”, discovering that they had such great songs in their past was a real shock.

Five Songs, 4/29/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 30 Apr 2018 06:49:00 +0000

A Motown artist! A fake Motown artist! Big Business playing with two bands!

Mayer Hawthorne, “The News”

We’ve heard from Mayer Hawthorne before with Tuxedo, but here he is with his solo act. Hawthorne, who grew up in Ann Arbor, Michegan, not far from the home of Motown, didn’t really intend to be a soul revivalist. He made some songs mostly as a goof, but attracted attention from them, with legendary hip-hop label Stones Throw initially thinking that they were authentic, lost 60s singles. A full-length album followed, with Hawthorne following through on the promise of authentic sounding soul. Only, you know, with swearing. As his career has moved forward, he’s moved away some from the pure Motown revival, but my favorite of his albums is the one this song came from, How Do You Do, which is very much a revival record.

Five Songs, 4/28/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 28 Apr 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Great set today!

Hüsker Dü, “Somewhere”

One of the greatest bands of the 80s rock underground, Hüsker Dü took a big leap forward with this album, the sprawling double album Zen Arcade. They went from a (great) hardcore band to a band that explored the limits of what hardcore was capable of. Along with their contemporaries and label mates the Minutemen, Hüsker Dü seemed capable of just about anything. By refusing to be constrained in any one style, Hüsker Dü inspired countless future bands to keep exploring and keep moving rock forward. Zen Arcade is one of the key albums in understanding the evolution of the American rock underground.

Five Songs, 4/27/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 27 Apr 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Today!

The Beautiful South, “Song For Whoever”

Finally, we get some peak Beautiful South! This is the first song from their debut album, and my god, it’s such a good song. Paul Heaton’s sardonic lyrics are delivered so perfectly, the piano is gorgeous, I just adore it. This was a regular part of my high school rotation, and it just made perfect sense to play this right after the Dead Kennedys.

Five Songs, 4/26/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 26 Apr 2018 19:00:00 +0000

All rock today.

Jonathan Coulton, “Glasses”

Every now and again, I just sieze when a song comes on. I just have nothing to say. I like this song! I like this album! But, uh, here it is.

A.C. Newman, “All Of My Days And All Of My Days Off”

We’ve had Carl Newman before, with the New Pornographers and Zumpano, but here he is recording under his own name. And, frankly, it pretty much just sounds like the New Pornographers, but with less Neko Case.

Five Songs, 4/25/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 25 Apr 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Today!

BIG|BRAVE, “Look At How The World Has Made A Change”

Au De La, the album by BIG|BRAVE that we’re listening to, is an odd beast. Mostly drone, kind of post-rock, sort of metal-y, it’s atmospheric and pounding and pretty different from most stuff out there. It’s not the kind of thing I always want to listen to, but it’s good stuff at times.

Claw Hammer, “The Spawning Of A New Error”

We’re discussed how Claw Hammer made their first album a full-length cover of Devo’s first album. Well, this is the first track on that album, before they launched into the thing. It kind of describes the idea. Oh, and they called it Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are NOT Devo!.

Five Songs, 4/24/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 24 Apr 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Hip-hop and indie rock.

Waxahatchee, “La Loose”

Waxahatchee (Katie Crutchfield’s band that started as a solo project) appeared on a bunch of best-of lists for 2015 for Ivy Tripp. To my ears, it sounds very much like many of the underground pop/rock bands of the 90s, with lots of echo and jangle all over the place. This, of course, is totally OK with me, I loved the 90s underground! I haven’t had a chance to listen to her most recent album, Out In The Storm yet, but people seemed to really like it also.

Five Songs, 4/23/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 23 Apr 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Some great songs today.

Wilco, “ELT”

You know, this might be the first time I’ve had a song come up on Five Songs after I had listened to it by choice earlier that day. This is not an interesting fact.

Anyway, Summerteeth is fantastic. Tweedy made a basically clean break entirely from the alt-country that had been present on all of his albums up to this point, and made just a straight up pop record. And it’s so good! Lush and orchestral at times, slow and contemplative at others, it’s a tour de force.

Five Songs, 4/22/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 22 Apr 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Today’s music.

DJ Food, “Cookin'”

A collaboration between Coldcut (who we haven’t had yet) and a couple other guys, DJ Food sits between electronic music and abstract hip-hop. They’ve put out a bunch of records, and as befits the guys behind Coldcut, the ones I’ve listened to are good quality. I think I prefer the main act, but they’re still worth a go.

The Stingers, “Do The Cissy”

Kinda feel like this song name has aged oddly.

Five Songs, 4/21/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 21 Apr 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Bought tickets to see Shellac today. Nice! Today’s music.

The Cows, “Camouflage Monkey”

More old stuff from the Cows. This was originally on Daddy Has A Tail, when the Cows were still very much still figuring out what the hell they were doing. I’m not suggesting they ever figured it out, exactly, but they became more confident in their nonsense.

Sorcier des Glaces, “The Frozen Sword of Midnight”

I hope that, one day, there will be some rapper or something who makes a song called something like “The Frozen Sword of Midnight” (it will probably be one associated with the Wu-Tang Clan). In the meantime, you’ll have to rely on metal bands to get your “somehow this sounds like a doodle on a Trapper Keeper” vibe. Does this song start with weather noises? You know it! Are there candelabras on the album cover? Fuck and yes there are! Is the track longer than nine minutes? GODDAMN RIGHT IT IS!

Five Songs, 4/20/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 20 Apr 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Here you go!

TV/TV$, “Ignorance Is Not Bliss”

More of this California punk band, I’m not sure there’s a lot to say about it.

Gaunt, “Jerkin’ Yourself Around”

Yeah, now we’re talkin’! Compare these two tracks. There’s just more energy, more interesting guitar work, just…more with this song. Gaunt could sure write a punk song.

Devo, “Girl U Want (Live)”

Another live track from another deluxe reissue of a different Devo record. By virtue of having “Whip It” on it, Freedom Of Choice is the Devo album most people will have heard of. But the album is great even outside of that, with a full-on synth pop sound running through the whole thing. Devo’s control of their aesthetics are impressive across the board.

Five Songs, 4/19/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 19 Apr 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Good stuff today.

Wilco, “Old Maid”

Fundamentally, I just like hearing Jeff Tweedy sing. I think it kind of comes down to that. This isn’t a revolutionary song or anything, but it’s a pleasant, the arrangement is nice, and Tweedy is great. That’s just the bottom line for me.

Guided By Voices, “Queen Of Cans And Jars”

Like a Wilco song, if half of the players were located in a different room from the mic and the singer was in a different house.

Five Songs, 4/18/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 18 Apr 2018 19:00:00 +0000

We finish on a couple of great notes here.

They Might Be Giants, “B19 Spare The Rock (bumper)”

It’s a bumper that was included with a Dial-a-Song download package. Not much else to say.

Descendents, “Coffee Mug”

And this song from the Descendents isn’t a whole lot longer than that bumper! The Descendents were fueled by coffee, including what they called the “bonus cup”, described by Bill Stevenson: “We took ⅓ of a cup of instant coffee grounds, added some hot water, threw in about 5 spoonfuls of sugar, and proceeded to play 10 second songs. The Bonus Cup became a part of everyday Descendents life”.

Five Songs, 4/17/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 17 Apr 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Today!

Young Fresh Fellows, “Whatever You Are”

Scott McCaughey managed to play a show a couple of weeks ago, which is just a delightful piece of news. I hope he has many more in him, and I hope I get to see one! In the meantime, enjoy this vintage song from him, off the entertaining and off-kilter It’s Low Beat Time.

Beulah, “Your Mother Loves You Son”

Beulah is a band that always managed to sound like other bands, and a pretty wide variety of other bands to boot. Honestly, this song has more than a little Young Fresh Fellows in it. I’m OK with that!

Five Songs, 4/16/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 16 Apr 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Less talk, more…rock? today.

Negativland, “Seat Bee Sate”

This is another track from an Over The Edge compilation, this time Volume 8: Sex Dirt. Still nonsense, of course.

Weezer, “Butterfly”

Pinkerton really is their best album, y’all. I still don’t know why I have four of their albums.

Another good song from Broken Social Scene. I guess I have to pay more attention to them, huh? We’re all learning around here! I’m learning I like bands I already own music to, and you’re all learning that Five Songs is run by a dumbass!

Five Songs, 4/15/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 16 Apr 2018 04:32:18 +0000

Meanwhile, happy birthday to me! I’m going to see what shuffle got me.

Steady Earnest, “Rumors”

From Take It! Take It! TAKE IT!, this is a great horn line in this song. I’m OK with my present so far, shuffle!

KC Bowman, “Matterhorn”

We’ve had a couple of Lawsuit songs recently, and now KC Bowman will make more sense. You can really hear the similarity in the songs (Bowman was one of the songwriters of Lawsuit). I do miss the rest of the band, but I’m happy that Bowman made another album.

Five Songs Special, 4/14/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 15 Apr 2018 04:05:45 +0000

It’s our birthday! I posted the first Five Songs one year ago! In that time, assuming I’ve gotten my tagging right, I’ve posted 313 of these things, meaning you all have gotten a minimum of 1,565 different songs (plus a few bonuses along the way). NOT BAD. I’m still thinking about what to do for the second year of Five Songs. I might retire this thing, because it is a fair bit of work for something that is usually looked at by a number of people I can count on one hand. But, at the same time, it’s still fun, usually.

Five Songs, 4/12/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 12 Apr 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Some titans today.

Crazy Baldhead, “Funky Drummer”

A repeat! No regrets! Bring on the juice!

Rob Swift, “Hip Hop On Wax”

A member of the X-Ecutioners, Rob Swift is a turntablist from New York who has had a long solo career as well. Always rooted in the traditions of hip-hop, his records feature his pyrotechnic scratching, which is worth seeking out just on its own. The overall quality of his albums often tends to be driven by the quality of the guests he’s working with, with this being an example of one of his better tracks. If you like the sound of this, try out one of his early albums (this is from Sound Event).

Five Songs, 4/11/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 11 Apr 2018 19:00:00 +0000

I don’t have a lot to say today.

Man Or Astro-Man?, “Lo Batt”

Man Or Astro-Man? made (mostly) instrumental rock, in sort of a surf rock vein, but with this kind of retro-future 50’s thing going on. Their records were pretty similar and uniformly good, so you can just start with one at random and it’ll work out fine. This is from Made From Technetium, for the record.

The Drapels, “Wondering (When My Love Is Coming Home)”

I think the bit where soul artists would name a song something short and pithy and then whack on some big ol’ parenthetical to the name is adorable. More bands should do that.

Five Songs, 4/10/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 10 Apr 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Some good stuff today.

Pond, “Wheel”

My favorite bands to highlight here are those that haven been largely forgotten, maybe because they were on the periphery of their scenes, and never really left the kind of critical mark that makes future listeners discover them among the thousands of bands of the past. Portland’s Pond is a great example of that. Pond began making records for Sub Pop during the height of grunge, with their first album coming out in 1993. It was a great time to get discovered, yes, but it was also a hard time to stand out among all the bands chasing fame. Like Flop, Pond just got lost in the suffle, and they deserved better. Their first, self-titled album was, yes, pretty grungy, but it was also tuneful in ways that hinted something greater to come. And their second album, The Practice of Joy Before Death, fulfilled that promise. Fantastic songs, great, jagged guitars, just an amazing record. One of my very favorites to come out of the entire grunge scene. They recorded one more fantastic record, Rock Collection, for a major label before breaking up. All three albums are worth your time.

Five Songs, 4/9/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 09 Apr 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Here’s today.

Mudhoney, “Beneath The Valley Of The Underdog”

A little bit of a slow burn, psychedelic number from Mudhoney here. This comes from Tomorrow Hit Today as well as appearing on the compilation March To Fuzz, which I believe I’ve sung the praises of before. I’m not going to check, as professionalism isn’t something we really go in for here at Five Songs. Which, you know, explains our love for Mudhoney.

Five Songs, 4/8/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 08 Apr 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Today!

Jurassic 5, “Sum Of Us”

I wish I could bottle the first verse of this song, just so I could always have it handy when I need it. Just, absolutely nailed.

Isaac Hayes & David Porter, “Ain’t That Loving You (For More Reasons Than One)”

Here we have Isaac Hayes really sounding a lot like what I think people think of when they think “Isaac Hayes”. Well, OK, most people probably think of “Theme From Shaft”. But beyond that, the song in their head probably sounds like this. This is from pretty late in the Stax run, from the early 70s.

Five Songs, 4/7/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 07 Apr 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Another good one today!

Belle & Sebastian, “I Fought In A War”

Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like A Peasant was Belle & Sebastian’s first real misstep as a band. Stuart Murdoch ceded a lot of songwriting control to the rest of the band, and the results were not super inspiring. There are some highlights on the record, and I still like it, but there are also too many so-so songs on the album. This song, the opener, is one of the highlights though.

Five Songs, 4/6/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 06 Apr 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Today’s music.

Algiers, “untitled”

The last track from their self-titled debut album from a few years ago, Algiers combined furious post-punk with a whole host of other influences, fusing into a wholly original album. It was one of the very best albums of 2015, and proof that there were still surprises left in rock (of course, I’ve always thought that). They followed it up with another great album a couple years later, and are one of the bands that I really hope keeps going for a while. Hopefully we’ll hear plenty from them around here as well.

Five Songs, 4/5/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 05 Apr 2018 19:00:00 +0000

All over the map today.

Dr. Ring-Ding & The Senior Allstars, “green pepper”

All I can think about for the intro to this song is that this is authentic third-wave gibberish.

Chain Reaction, “Even If”

Well, it’s happened again: I have no recollection of how this metal album ended up in my collection. As I re-started paying attention to metal, about nine or so years ago, I ended up with a few grab bags and bundles, and I didn’t always digest every album in them. I think this must have been included in one of them.

Five Songs, 4/4/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 04 Apr 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Damn, good one today.

PJ Harvey, “Hair”

Last time we heard from PJ Harvey, we got “Sheela Na Gig” from Dry. That song smokes, of course. And this is the song right after it on that album! What I’m trying to say here is that this record is amazing.

Ne’er Do Wells, “Green Blooded Love”

I think I’ve mentioned this before, but there was a period of time where I bought more or less everything Lookout Records put out. This wasn’t a great policy. Aside from ending up with considerably more pop punk than I needed, there was some pretty low wattage stuff down roster on that label. This album being a good exhibit. This is from a split LP, and as you can hear, this is just straight ahead vintage rock. It’s inoffensive, but also pretty unexciting.

Five Songs, 4/3/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 03 Apr 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Today!

Mu330, “Around You”

There’s sort of a darker edge to this song, with the horns especially, which is fairly unusual among the third-wave bands that were Mu330’s peers. Of course, this isn’t ska, this is rock with horns.

Beck, “Strange Apparition”

Mostly, I look goofy, funky Beck more than the other versions of Beck, so I’m more drawn to those albums where he lets that side loose. The Information is the followup to Guero (which is one of the ones I like), so I was clearly hoping for more of the same. And, it’s not really the same. It’s not as loose, as spontaneous. But, you know, some of it works. Listen to how beautiful the production on this song is!

Five Songs, 4/2/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 02 Apr 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Hot damn, some great songs today.

Sleep, “Some Grass”

Sleep is one of the titans of doom metal, as we’ve talked about in the context of High on Fire. But, alas, this is just a little throwaway on Sleep’s Holy Mountain, so we’ll have to wait for another day to really bear witness to the majesty of their good stuff.

The Delgados, “Witness”

The Delgados came out of the same Glasgow scene that birthed Belle & Sebastian and Arab Strap. And, like Belle & Sebastian, their take on pop evolved from something more folk oriented to something much more orchestrated. This comes from The Great Eastern, the peak of their discography, although they were always good.

Five Songs, 4/1/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 01 Apr 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Three months in the books, three months of Five Songs every day! And we’re still rollin’!

The Clash, “Remote Control”

Have we talked about the Clash’s debut album yet? What separated the Clash from so much of the rest of the new punk scene is that the Clash brought more than just energy and fury to their music. And while early punk should be lauded for how egalitarian it was, and for its emphasis on just getting out there and doing it, the Clash really demonstrated what happened when you took that DIY ethos and married it to some tremendous songs.

Five Songs, 3/31/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 31 Mar 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Four new bands! And a reminder, if you have thoughts about the future of Five Songs, let me know!

The Counts, “Pack Of Lies”

There are endless great soul records out there from the 70s, and even with how many of these records have been revived by hip-hop artists, there are always still more to discover. J-Zone has mentioned several times that What’s Up Front That Counts by the Counts is one of his favorites, and goddamn, of course it’s great. Also, dig that bit that Dre flipped on “Who Am I (What’s My Name)?”!

Five Songs, 3/30/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 30 Mar 2018 19:00:00 +0000

We’re a couple of weeks away from the first birthday of Five Songs. I’m thinking about changing up the format a little. Anybody have any thoughts? Here’s today’s music.

Freeway, “Hear The Song”

While I think Freeway usually has great beats, this is not one them. This song just feels kind of disjointed.

The Dead Kennedys, “I Am The Owl”

This comes from the second Kennedys full-length, Plastic Surgery Disasters, which is probably the album in their discography that I hear the least about. It’s not the debut, which was the most purely hardcore of their albums, and it doesn’t have as much of the baroque strangeness of their later releases. But, like all their albums, it’s still very good, and worthy of listening to.

Five Songs, 3/29/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 29 Mar 2018 19:00:00 +0000

I had to upload three of these songs myself. You know you’re in for the good stuff!

Lawsuit, “Thank God You’re Doing Fine”

I just noticed now that I have a typo in the song title for my rip of this song. Huh. Anyway, Lawsuit were a local band that my friend Bill encountered in Davis, CA. They played a super fun sort of horn-and-bongo-driven rock. They never got any kind of national profile at all, or really anything outside of California, but they put out an album and EP that are both brilliant. One of the band member, KC Bowman, has showed up here before. Paul Sykes, the singer who also contributed to the songwriting, in particular was a real treasure. His mix of bounciness and despair was unique, and there’s nobody really quite like this band.

Five Songs, 3/28/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 28 Mar 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Today!

Bob Marley, “Fussing and Fighting”

I find myself listening to early Bob Marley more than his later, better produced stuff. Something about the raw nature of these recordings really appeals to me.

Buzzkill, “Me”

Are Buzzkill sending up Slint here? I think they might be sending up Slint. We haven’t had Slint yet. I used to sit around in the dark in my dorm room in college and listen to Slint’s Spiderland and just feel so goddamn sorry for myself. It’s really good, y’all!

Five Songs, 3/27/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 27 Mar 2018 19:00:00 +0000

If I wanted to point to a “lol random!” kind of playlist, today might be the day.

Minutemen, “Tension”

This song, from The Punch Line, really shows off what made the Minutemen so great. Listen to that rhythm section! Listen to D Boon hanging back on guitar until he can come in for maximum effect! And it’s only 1:20! That this is from their debut album makes it all the more impressive.

Five Songs, 3/26/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 26 Mar 2018 19:00:00 +0000

A couple of sweet hip-hop beats today.

Quasimoto, “Blitz”

You can just hear the dust on the vinyl on that drum loop. And that sax! My god, for a short track, this is just great. Madlib is a genius.

G.E. Smith & The Saturday Night Live Band, “Sloozy”

I can just picture the faces G.E. Smith is pulling while playing this song. Which led me here, for pictures of guitarists making faces. Also, apparently G.E. Smith is a big Trump supporter, as I learned from the search “G.E. Smith making faces”.

Five Songs, 3/25/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 25 Mar 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Really excellent set today.

They Might Be Giants, “Whirlpool”

A b-side on the “Why Does The Sun Shine” single, I’ve always loved this song. I don’t think they’ve put it on anything else, so this counts as a little bit of a rarity.

Green Day, “409 In Your Coffee Maker”

A very early song from Green Day, this originally appeared on the “Slappy” EP, and was later included on 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours, the compilation that combined the LP 39/Smooth with “Slappy” and another EP, “1,000 Hours”. It’s a solid collection of songs, one that really showed the potential for the band that later turned into massive stars.

Five Songs, 3/24/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 24 Mar 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Six songs today!

Amon Tobin, “Precursor”

One of the big trends of rap beats was taking old soul music and speeding it up so that it sounds like the Chipmunks. Here, Amon Tobin sounds like he’s doing kind of the same thing, only with cartoon sound effects. Why not?

Arsonists, “Underground Vandal”

Beautiful drum loop on this song.

Negativland, “Fruitcakes, Suka-Brand Coffee, Power Failure, Citizens Band Parakeet etc.”

Negativland hosted a show called Over The Edge on Berkley’s KPFA, providing an outlet for surreal radio strangeness. I actually caught the show once while going to camp in Berkeley, and it was a mess but also entertaining. They also put out a set of (lightly) edited shows on CD, and I have a bunch of those. This is from Volume 6, the Wilsaphone Stupid Show, which was pieced together out of old found audio and family recordings from David “The Weatherman” Wills. What you hear on this, um, song is pretty representative of Over the Edge in general.

Five Songs, 3/23/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 23 Mar 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Seems like we’ve had a lot of new bands recently. That’s cool! Here’s the music for today.

Girls Against Boys, “In Like Flynn”

Early 90s underground rock act Girls Against Boys stood out from the pack for a couple reasons. First, the sound wasn’t just all grim pounding or punk gallop. Instead, Girls Against Boys always sounded like a rock band you could dance to, which was kind of a rarity. The second distinguishing feature probably drove the first, which is that the band had two bassists, a good idea that far too few bands take advantage of. This album, Venus Luxure No. 1 Baby, is probably their best.

Five Songs, 3/22/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 22 Mar 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Nice stuff today.

The Mars Volta, “This Apparatus Must Be Unearthed”

This is from the first Mars Volta album. So, as you can tell, the Mars Volta were swinging for the fences right away. You never really know where they’re going, and that just was more and more true as things went along.

Señor Coconut, “The Robots”

Oh man, you’re all in for a treat. Señor Coconut is a project of electronic artist Uwe Schmidt, who created this album to document a fake Latin group doing an entire album of Kraftwerk covers. It’s pretty much all note-for-note covers of the originals, but with little flourishes here and there. It’s all played with a totally straight face, and it’s 100% delightful. I never knew that I needed fake Latin covers of Kraftwerk, but I did. Very much.

Five Songs, 3/21/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 22 Mar 2018 06:07:00 +0000

Today’s list.

CROOKED BANGS, “Out”

I discovered this album via Bandcamp’s Album of the Day feature, which is always deadly. I like it, it’s always nice to pick up on random punk records now and again.

Yo-Yo Ma, “Suite for Solo Cello No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012: VI. Gigue”

As before, still don’t know anything about this.

Leatherface, “Discipline”

Long-running UK punks Leatherface made ten albums, which is probably about eight more than we actually needed. They play very back-to-basics punk that evokes all the first-wave punk bands from the UK. I’ve got two albums from them, and I’m not totally sure I could tell them apart.

Five Songs, 3/20/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 20 Mar 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Today!

Rocket From The Crypt, “Suit City”

I love the urgency in this song, it’s always driving forward hard. And it sticks around for just two and a half minutes. Get in, do what you want to do, get out. Nice.

Nine Inch Nails, “Let’s Hear It For Nine Inch Nails”

OK, you ready for what is probably the most obscure and dumbest thing we’ve had on here yet? Right. This is from the “Head Like A Hole” extended CD single. Four different mixes of “Head Like A Hole”, two of “Terrible Lie”, three of “Down In It”, a b-side, and then this. Four seconds of someone saying the title of the track to close out the CD single. And now, you’ve all listened to it. Somehow, it was already on YouTube.

Five Songs, 3/19/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 19 Mar 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Nice one today!

Yautja, “for naught”

Kind of math-rock, kind of death metal, this kind of hybrid makes me happy. Which it probably shouldn’t! This comes from the EP Songs of Lament, the followup to their excellent Songs of Descent. Both are worth looking into.

Bathory, “Shores in Flames”

Bathory were black metal pioneers, with the singer Quorthon’s strangled croak setting the template for black metal vocalists that persists today. The primitive recording and washes of guitar noise also formed one of the pillars of the genre. But, not content to provide some of the building blocks for one type of metal, Bathory re-invented themselves. The album prior to this one started experimenting with breaking out of the template, but Hammerheart showed that the template was gone. This song is the opener of that album, featuring Quorthon actually singing, and the songwriting now was focused on the epic rather than the squalid. And, indeed, Bathory had now invented the subgenre of Viking metal which, yes, is a thing. Bottom line: there aren’t very many bands that have ever been as metal as Bathory, and there aren’t very many bands more influential on the genre.

Five Songs, 3/18/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 18 Mar 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Today’s music.

Presidents of the United States of America, “Blank Baby”

This song comes from Freaked Out And Small, by which time most people had long since moved on. The major labels certainly had, as the Presidents found themselves back on an indie label. But that’s fine, they were still putting together fun stuff. And maybe that’s what’s so enjoyable about the Presidents. They always legitimately sounds like they’re having fun, and it’s infectious. I don’t think this album beats their second one, but it’s still very good.

Five Songs, 3/17/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 17 Mar 2018 19:00:00 +0000

This was so close to being great today.

Sam & Dave, “I Thank You”

I was wondering when we’d get Sam & Dave, one of the top acts from Stax and reliable hitmakers for the label. The drought is over! This comes to us from 1968, an Isaac Hayes song, and goddamn, listen to that.

Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, “Heat Wave”

Hell yes, shuffle, keep it going!

For a long time, I’ve always thought that at some point, the rats in one of the Muppet movies sang a little bit of this song. Well, my memory was only a little right, the scene had just a little echo of this song.

Five Songs, 3/16/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 16 Mar 2018 19:00:00 +0000

And the beat goes on!

Terrace Martin Presents The Pollyseeds, “Wake Up”

From Sounds of Crenshaw, Vol. 1, this album is from producer Terrace Martin, who is best known for his work with Kendrick Lamar. On this album, he also has other folks in the Lamar orbit, such as Kamasi Washington (whose playing on the sax you’re listening to). A mix of R&B and jazz, it’s a very interesting album, and absolutely worthy of further exploration, although don’t expect anything as banging as, say, “LOYALTY.”

Five Songs, 3/15/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 15 Mar 2018 19:00:00 +0000

The Management would like to apologize for yesterday’s entry. Those responsible have been sacked. Let’s try this again today.

Less Than Jake, “Just Like Frank”

We’re not rid of the ska, apparently! Actually, Less Than Jake really are barely ska at all. They have the occasional ska song, but they’re really a punk band. And a good one! Have I made that point before? I probably have. Whatever. Here at Five Songs, Quality is Job Six or Seven On A Good Day.

Five Songs Special, 3/14/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 14 Mar 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Happy Pi Day! I do not celebrate Pi Day usually. I have occasionally done something for Pi Approximation Day, though. Let’s do a special!

The Pietasters, “Night Owl (Live)”

So, in case you haven’t guessed, our special word for today is “pie”. As with some previous specials, I searched my library for our magic word, and shuffled between those songs. There was a significant risk of a lot of Pietasters today. (UPDATE: indeed there was.) Anyway, the Pietasters were a third wave ska act who made one out-of-character tremendous album (Oolooloo) and an assortment of lesser albums. This is from a decent live album, Strapped Live!, where most of the best songs are from Oolooloo. So, you know, that album is really good!

Five Songs, 3/13/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 13 Mar 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Nice set today!

Baroness, “Desperation Burns”

I mentioned last time around that everybody would have called these guys grunge if they had been around in the mid-90s. Tell me I’m wrong after listening to this!

Elvis Costello, “Pay It Back”

A jaunty little tune from his debut album, I’m not even entirely sure how to describe this. That’s because I’m shitty at writing about music. Good thing I go ahead and fail at it every day!

Five Songs, 3/12/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 12 Mar 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Al count for today: two.

Ministry, “Death & Destruction”

I was just making fun of the fact that Ministry just released a new record called AmeriKKKant with the Statue of Liberty doing a facepalm on the cover. That’ll teach me! Anyway, as I’ve mentioned in the past, I was big into Ministry in high school. In-your-face attitude! Super fast crunchy guitars! Edgy vocal samples! It pretty much hit 15-year-old Josh square where he lived. The thing is, I grew up. Ministry didn’t. The window in which I loved Ministry was only a few years.

Five Songs, 3/11/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 11 Mar 2018 19:00:00 +0000

A hazard of this project is that I won’t always have much to say. Sorry about that! At least I have music for you.

Claw Hammer, “Caravan”

Claw Hammer was a bit of a strange band in the underground of the 90s. For starters, their first album wasn’t really their album. It was just a cover of the entirety of Devo’s first album. Jon Wahl sang in some kind of demented John Fogerty meets Joe Strummer kind of howl. They sounded like a blues band crashed into a punk band and decided they liked it that way. Through it all, they clearly were just doing their own thing. They were often exasperating, but sometimes brilliant.

Five Songs, 3/10/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 10 Mar 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Here’s today’s list.

Wilco, “The Late Greats”

I’ve been kind of hard on this album (A Ghost Is Born), but that’s mostly due to the somewhat aimless wankery found on some of the songs. Outside of those, though, it’s a pretty sharp album.

The White Stripes, “Little People”

We’ve had Jack White pop up with The Raconteurs, but this is the first time we’ve had the band that made him famous. I’m not sure I need to introduce the White Stripes, do I? Stripped down blues-y rock that explored specific creative constraints, the White Stripes strike me as relatively unlikely stars. But stars they were, propelled by some anthemic hits. But this song comes from before they were huge, off their self-titled debut, when the primitivism of the songs was really at the forefront. I don’t think they really hit their stride until the following record, personally.

Five Songs, 3/9/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 09 Mar 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Here’s today.

Temprees, “Dedicated To The One I Love”

Old Stax track here, from the mid-point of their Atlantic years.

Atmosphere, “She Don’t Know Why She Love It”

This is a bonus track from the deluxe version of Southsiders, which is probably my second favorite Atmosphere album (after Seven’s Travels). There are some missteps in Atmosphere’s discography, with the records between those two being pretty uneven, but those are excellent.

Five Songs, 3/8/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 08 Mar 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Today’s tunes.

Death Cab For Cutie, “No Joy In Mudville”

This song comes to us from We Have The Plans And We’re Voting Yes, which I think is the first album I picked up from Death Cab. And…hang on, I stopped paying attention there for a bit. Hey, it’s the next song!

Nine Inch Nails, “The Warning”

Year Zero represented a return to form for Nine Inch Nails. The Fragile had restless experimentation, but the quality was uneven. With Teeth was better constructed, but also felt kind of paint-by-numbers at times. The artist that had made The Downward Spiral seemed to be gone, but Year Zero proved that that was emphatically not true. There are even times that I think it’s Trent Reznor’s best record. Paranoid and angry, the whole thing hangs together extremely well.

Five Songs, 3/7/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 07 Mar 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Pretty happy with today’s set. La Gritona is exactly the kind of band I had hoped to highlight here.

Atmosphere, “When The Lights Go Out”

Atmosphere with Doom and Kool Keith guesting? That sounds amazing. Does it live up to it? Well, Doom is great! Solid song, overall.

Samiam, “Mr. Walker”

Been a few months since we’ve heard from melodic punk rockers Samiam. This song comes from their fifth album, You Are Freaking Me Out, the last of what I consider to be their peak albums (along with Billy and Clumsy). This stuff is just musical comfort food to me.

Five Songs, 3/6/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 06 Mar 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Kind of a mess today.

Negativland, “Proud To Be An American (Lip-Sync)”

Yes, we’ve hit a new low here. This live track is mostly Negativland lip-syncing to this song, which of course, we can’t see. Five Songs International apologizes for the inconvenience.

Crystalized Movements, “Close Your Eyes”

And let’s follow that up with 9+ minutes of psychedelic guitar wankery. The biggest problem the Crystallized Movements always had was that their vocals were mixed weird, often far too high in the mix. Also, this album has some of the worst cover art ever inflicted on the record buying public.

Five Songs, 3/5/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 05 Mar 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Today!

Labradford, “Sliding Glass”

More of Labradford’s drone-y version of post-rock, with that lovely build up during the song.

The Mad Lads, “Whatever Hurts You”

No, this isn’t actually a Motown song, this is actually from Stax, from 1968 even. Usually, it’s easier to spot which label we’re dealing with.

Frankly, the fact that a band appearing on here called “The Mad Lads” turned out to be old soul and not some fifth-tier third-wave ska band is a massive upset.

Five Songs, 3/4/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 05 Mar 2018 05:21:25 +0000

Still hanging in there on my streak. It’s been close for a few days!

Hattie Littles, “Here You Come”

I know nothing about Hattie Littles, but this song is such an exemplar of that early Motown sound, it’s hard not to smile. This comes from 1962, by the way.

Jets to Brazil, “Chinatown”

After Jawbreaker imploded, at least partially due to the pressure of their major label contract, Blake Schwarzenbach thankfully didn’t hang up his guitar for good. His next band, Jets to Brazil, continues in the same vein. While I think Jets to Brazil is a little more polished (and therefore I’m not sure I love them quite as much), they’re a worthy successor, and all three of their albums are worth looking up.

Five Songs, 3/3/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 04 Mar 2018 07:44:33 +0000

Lots of new folks today.

Clem Snide, “Accident”

For some reason, “alt-country” as a label always kind of irritates me, even though the thought it’s expressing (country music that stands distinct from the popular variation) is directly analagous to alternative rock, which doesn’t bother me. The lesson, as always: I’m dumb. Anyway, Clem Snide (named after the character from Naked Lunch) is absolutely alt-country. Propelled by Eef Barzelay’s passionate singing and Jason Glasser’s multi-instrumental prowess, Clem Snide cranked out five outstanding albums in the late 90s and early 2000s, starting with this record (You Were A Diamond) up through 2005’s End of Love. They started to lose some steam after that, but at their peak, they were incredible. I mean, just listen to this!

Five Songs, 3/2/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 03 Mar 2018 07:00:13 +0000

Some good stuff today.

Crackerbash, “Trinkets”

Sub Pop rock artists out of Portland, Crackerbash were part of the very prolific Pacific Northwest scene in the early nineties that still flew below the radar. While they only made one self-titled album and one amazing EP (Tin Toy), they were excellent for their short run, and don’t deserve to be totally forgotten. There were several bands out of Portland from that time frame that deserved to be bigger - these guys, Pond, the Spinanes.

Five Songs, 3/1/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 01 Mar 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Well, we here at Five Songs Amalgamated managed to go two entire months without missing an entry! Not bad! Our ones of listener/readers must be pleased! Here’s today, and here’s to another complete month!

The Housemartins, “There Is Always Something There To Remind Me”

You know, the Housemartins should really be on my regular rotation of bands to listen to when I’ve got the kids around. I wish I wouldn’t forget this right after I finish this article.

Five Stories, 2/28/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 01 Mar 2018 05:05:37 +0000

Superchunk was great! I can’t believe I didn’t see them until about 25 years after I first listened to them, but whatever, at least I got the chance. I’m really pleased that their second act has gone well. Today’s music!

Flop, “Sorry Henry Maartens”

Well, we’ve now gotten a song from all three of their albums. This one, Whenever You’re Ready, sort of is a classic demonstration of the “troubled second album” idea. It’s unfocused, and just doesn’t snap the way their debut album did. It’s not bad, exactly, but it just kind of feels diluted compared to the sugar rush of the debut.

Five Songs, 2/27/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 27 Feb 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Going to see Superchunk tonight, pretty excited about that! Here’s today’s music.

Nicole Willis & The Soul Investigators, “A Perfect Kind Of Love”

Hey, I asked for more soul yesterday, and shuffle delivered! Nice. OK, uh, uh, how about…some mid 90s indie rock?

Marvin Gaye, “You Sure Love To Ball (Single Mix)”

Yeah, more soul, that’s what I said!

One of the things that you can really appeciate about old soul is how subtle it all was. Just sly innuendo and clever wordplay.

Five Songs, 2/26/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 27 Feb 2018 06:01:04 +0000

Fun set today!

Foetus, “Take It Outside Godboy”

We’ve encountered this song before, but last time it was a live track. Instead, we’ve got the studio version here. So, this isn’t a repeat from where I sit. At any rate, Gash is an excellent album, if you’re into Foetus’s thing.

DJ Vadim, “Who The Hell Am I?”

Another track from DJ Vadim’s debut album, U.S.S.R. Repertoire (The Theory Of Verticality). As usual, I think it’s fine, but it’s not really super engaging.

Five Songs, 2/25/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 25 Feb 2018 20:00:00 +0000

I could get used to sets like today.

Hayaino Daisuki, “Aka”

A delightful EP from a Hydra Head grab bag, this is just pure speed. It doesn’t quite sound to me like grindcore, more like thrash being played extra fast. It’s sort of comical, but also kind of charming.

What is wrong with me that I find this charming?

The Grifters, “Hours”

This song is from the Grifters’ last album, Full Blown Possession. By the time they wrapped things up, most of the truly ramshackle stuff had been worked out of their sound. They no longer were a lo-fi band that sounded like they were recorded in a basement. To be totally honest, I kind of preferred more grit in their sound, but they also never made a bad record.

Five Songs, 2/24/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 24 Feb 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Solid set today.

Two Fingers, “Not Perfect”

Another track from the self-titled Two Fingers album, featuring another collaboration with Sway. As before, this is just delightful.

Modest Mouse, “Tundra/Desert”

I wonder what Isaac Brock sounded like as a kid. Did he sound like, well, himself? Did he warble when he yelled at his siblings? Does he have siblings? I wonder if his parents thought “damn, listen to this kid, he’s gonna be a rock star, just listen to that!”

Five Songs, 2/23/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 23 Feb 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Stick with this, it gets good.

Negativland, “The Copyright Law (Part 2)”

The opener to the second disc of the bootleg/semi-official Negativconcertland, and while I think live albums are mostly pointless, a live album of Negativland (which had a big mixed-media audio/visual show) is extra pointless. Feel free to skip this one, y’all.

Snoop Dogg, “10 Lil’ Crips”

The Blue Carpet Treatment had multiple moments where Snoop didn’t sound totally sleepy, which means it’s one of the better late career albums for him. And then I looked, and he’s had, like, a billion albums since that one. So, this is now kind of mid-career.

Five Songs, 2/22/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 23 Feb 2018 06:59:38 +0000

Hey! I think everybody reading this probably knows that I also design games. My most recent game got a glowing review from Shut Up & Sit Down. Pretty neat! Oh, we have music, also.

Unwound, “All Souls Day”

I just kinda want to hug the drums from this song. And then the guitars kick in, and goddamn, you guys, this is what I want in my ears.

Matthew Sweet, “Sick Of Myself”

This is from 100% Fun, his second best album after the magnificent Girlfriend. As with that album, he’s breaking no new ground here at all, but it doesn’t matter when you have just a shamelessly huge pop song like this.

Five Songs, 2/21/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 22 Feb 2018 07:15:53 +0000

Still haven’t missed a day yet this year!

Ghostface Killah, “Ghost Is Back”

I think Ghost’s skits just kept becoming less comprehensible as time went on. They’re not even really skits any more. There appears to be no bottom to the gibberish. Anyway, this is from More Fish, which isn’t as good as Fishscale. But still a decent album. Good song once it actually gets going.

The Mortals, “Hangin’ On”

The Seattle grunge scene wasn’t really the only game in town at that time. While those acts became nationally famous, there were other robust rock scenes in town at the same time. Estrus Records was at the center of a garage and surf revival, including bands like the Mono Men, Gas Huffer, Man Or Astro-man?, and today’s act, the Mortals. This is pretty nuts-and-bolts rock, but played with plenty of energy, so that’s welcome. The second Mortals record, Bulletproof, is probably their best.

Five Songs, 2/20/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 21 Feb 2018 05:54:26 +0000

Today’s songs.

Bim Skala Bim, “At Wo’s (Live)”

Mostly, ska bands are really fun live. Dancing is fun! But, you know, live albums are mostly pretty lame. This one is no exception. It took me a depressing number of years to finally figure out that I don’t really like live albums.

(NB: The song in question is at 21:12 in the linked track.)

People Under The Stairs, “Hit The Top”

From Carried Away, a typically solid album from the act. Gotta love this kind of party rap. The lyrics in a typical PUTS song don’t amount to much, but it doesn’t really matter.

Five Songs, 2/19/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 20 Feb 2018 05:42:12 +0000

Playlist is here.

Dr. Dre, “Talking To My Diary”

Depending on if you count the record The Aftermath as a Dr. Dre album or not, Dre has either made either two or three albums in the 24 years after The Chronic was released. That level of output has rendered each of those records an event. What makes it even stranger is that Compton, the most recent of those records, was supposedly made in just a year. While nothing has ever matched The Chronic, Compton is excellent, and this closing track finds Dre in a meditative mood. Given how brief his solo discography is, and how important he is to the development of the genre, all of his work is worth listening to. But, you know, not right now, because apparently this track can’t be posted on YouTube. I guess we’ll do six songs today.

Five Songs, 2/18/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 18 Feb 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Today’s music.

Down By Law, “The Last Brigade”

Does it seem like Five Songs has been kinda punk lately? I think we’ve been kinda punk. No objections here!

We Were Promised Jetpacks, “Conductor”

Part of the indie rock underground, We Were Promised Jetpacks remind me of a bunch of other bands, like Band of Horses, say. There are some post-rock-ish elements to their music as well. It adds up to a formula that should probably grab me more than it does, but I find all their songs kind of slippery in my brain. Pleasant enough while they’re going, but I can’t pull up the tune later.

Five Songs, 2/17/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 17 Feb 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Good set today.

Hepcat, “You And I”

Hepcat could really straddle the line between ska, rocksteady, and even something like soul. This song is just a low-key delight.

Wu-Tang Clan, “Shame On A Nigga”

I love it when rappers deliberately use a bogus word and correct themselves in their rhymes, like Method Man does in his verse. This song, of course, comes from Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), one of the revolutionary records of rap, and one of my very favorites. I listened to this song a second time when I put together the play list. And then YouTube pulled up “Da Mystery Of Chessboxin’”, so I listened to that too.

Five Songs, 2/16/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 17 Feb 2018 04:59:17 +0000

Excellent, punk leaning set today.

Joyce Manor, “Eighteen”

I don’t think there’s been any period of time after the punk explosion where there were not bands making pop punk of some variety or another. You can basically draw an unbroken line from, say, Stiff Little Fingers up through the bands of today. So, here’s Joyce Manor, very much in that classic pop punk tradition. And it’s fun!

christian fitness, “other men’s wives”

Andrew Falkous with another track from his solo act, which really does pretty much just sound like Future of the Left. Which I mentioned last time, but whatever.

Five Songs, 2/15/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 15 Feb 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Music over here.

Pharmakon, “Intent or Instinct”

Pharmakon is the avant garde noise project of Margaret Chardiet, one that is unflinchingly unpleasant. We go in for a fair bit of legitimately difficult music here at Five Songs, and Pharmakon is towards the top of the list. Chardiet was inspired to write it as a reaction to her own emergency surgery for a cyst, and it’s supposed to represent her abandonment by her own body. And, well, it sounds like it. Made of electronic noise and her own howls, shrieks, and agonized breathing, it’s disquieting in a way that many other extreme artists try for and don’t quite reach.

Five Songs Special, 2/14/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 14 Feb 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Happy Valentine’s Day! We’re going with a Special this day, searching using “love” in the old collection and then randomizing among those songs. It returned 500 songs, which makes me think it’s only the first 500 results. But whatever. Let’s hear what we got!

The Ramones, “Today Your Love, Tomorrow The World”

I kind of feel like, in tribute to the Ramones’ consistency and committment to making the same album over and over, I should just make every Ramones entry the same.

Five Songs, 2/13/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 13 Feb 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Here’s today’s music.

Norska, “Too Many Winters”

Portland band Norska combine elements of doom metal with parts of noise rock, which means I am very much interested in their ideas and would like to subscribe to their newsletter. And it pretty much delivers on that promise, with the stretched out songs of doom and guitar patterns of noise rock. The various side projects of Yob (their bassist Aaron Rieseberg is in Norska, their singer is in VHOL for example) continue to explore what metal can do when cross-polinated with other genres, an exploration that gets me excited.

Five Songs, 2/12/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 12 Feb 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Songs over here.

Mudhoney, “Make It Now Again”

It takes a bit for this to turn into a classic Mudhoney song, but once it gets rolling, it’s aboslutely vintage. This is from that rarities collection March to Fuzz, which really is a lot of fun.

Rogue Wave, “Publish My Love”

Underground pop band Rogue Wave kind of sound like an amalgam of about a half-dozen other underground pop bands from the early 2000s. It’s certainly well done, but it never really got me excited. I mean, I only own two albums!

Five Songs, 2/11/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 11 Feb 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Today’s music.

Dis, “Untitled”

Back in the day, when CDs were still fairly novel, some bands felt compelled to goof around with the medium. The best known of these goofs, and one of the most annoying, was the “hidden track”, where bands would put in a long period of silence and then follow with an extra song. Not only was the silence super annoying, but the extra song was seldom any good.

Five Songs, 2/10/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 10 Feb 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Songs!

Scarface, “In Between Us”

Scarface is one of the elder statesmen of rap, having gotten his start with the Geto Boys, who terrified the hell out of mainstream white America back in the day. After leaving them and going solo, he’s had a long string of solid records, sometimes rising above that level and making something great. He’s also someone who has had the respect of everybody in hip-hop, bridging even the east coast/west coast beef when that was going on. This song comes from The Fix, one of my favorites of his.

Five Songs, 2/9/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 09 Feb 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Nice list today.

Floor, “Kallisti”

This sounds like it could have been from an early 90s band in the Squirrel Bait family. Like, some long-lost Bitch Magnet track or something. There’s nothing wrong with that, for the record!

(NB: this is a different take than the version shuffle pulled up.)

Dr. Dre, “Housewife”

As is often true with songs from 2001, you’re best off just concentrating on the beat here.

Five Songs, 2/8/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 08 Feb 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Six songs today!

Xzibit, “Carry The Weight”

Before he was on MTV, before he became a meme, Xzibit was a hardcore rapper, which sometimes kind of seems like it’s forgotten. His debut album, featuring production by E-Swift and Muggs among others, is a strong piece of work. Xzibit is a solid rapper, and his storytelling is very good here. It’s not essential, but it’s a good album that seems mostly forgotten at this point.

Five Songs, 2/7/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 07 Feb 2018 20:46:03 +0000

Much better than yesterday.

Clipse, “Chinese New Year”

Backed by the Neptunes (Pharell Williams and Chad Hugo) doing all the production, Pusha T and Malice made gangsta rap that always sounded vicious and lean. Their first two records, fueled by those fantastic beats, are pretty outstanding, even if the lyrical content is…let’s go with questionable.

Rites of Spring, “Persistent Vision”

You know, I think Guy Picciotto was more comprehensible with Rites of Spring than he was with Fugazi. I’m not entirely sure how that happens, it’s not like he wasn’t yelling with both bands.

Five Songs, 2/6/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 06 Feb 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Look, they can’t all be winners.

Sebadoh, “Red Riding Good”

Just the other day, we had a pointless bonus track from the reissue of III. Well, here’s another one.

Merle Haggard, “If We Make It Through December”

I should play Down Every Road for the kids. I think they might enjoy it.

Pigs, “Bet It All On Black”

I wonder what the longest period of time we’ve gone around here without some kind of noise rock? Not long. I wonder if it’s longer or shorter than the time between ska?

Five Songs, 2/5/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 05 Feb 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Back to those solid playlists.

High On Fire, “The Sunless Years”

More stoner rock from High On Fire, this time from Luminiferous, the most recent record from the outfit. Although, frankly, there’s not a ton of variation among their records. You pretty much know what you’re getting with them. I guess I’d point to Surrounded By Theives as the best, due mostly to a bitchin’ title and dude with an axe on the cover.

Five Songs, 2/4/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 04 Feb 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Well, not our best list from recent days.

They Might Be Giants, “They Got Lost”

Another cut from Long Tall Weekend, this is kind of a fun song, although I like the live version on Severe Tire Damage a lot more. You know you listen to a band too much when you have favorite renditions of songs.

Ozomatli, “Balloon Fest”

Ozomatli made a kids’ album. I bought it, because I was curious. Um, that’s about all I have to say.

Five Songs, 2/3/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 04 Feb 2018 06:19:56 +0000

Keeping that streak alive.

Grandaddy, “The Warming Sun”

I sometimes wonder why some bands don’t connect with me. Grandaddy, for instance. Highly regarded by lots of people, so they’re a good band by most measures. They are mining a similar vein as Wilco, who I love. They obviously know what they’re doing. And yet? Nothing. It’s not clear why that is, how the aesthetics of Grandaddy just don’t turn my crank. But there we are.

Five Songs, 2/2/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 02 Feb 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Today’s music. Just missed a Naked City track, a shame.

Destroyer, “Poor In Love”

We’ve talked some about A.C. Newman with respect to The New Pornographers, who we just heard from yesterday. But we haven’t really talked much about Dan Bejar, who writes something like a quarter of the songs for the Pornographers, and is the guy behind Destroyer, his main band. For years and years, Bejar has been writing ornate pop songs, moving from influence to influence, but always with interesting results. There’s something inescapably retro about the sound of Destroyer, whether that touchstone is 70s or 80s pop. This is from Kaputt, an album where Bejar went for even prettier than usual tunes, and isn’t a bad place to enter into Destroyer’s catalog.

Five Songs, 2/1/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 01 Feb 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Full on rock today.

Descendents, “I Wanna Be A Bear”

There’s only so much one can say about a 40 second hardcore song.

New Pornographers, “Champions of Red Wine”

From the New Pornographers’ sixth album, Brill Bruisers, this album felt like something of a return to form for the band. I don’t think Challengers or Together were bad, but they didn’t really seem to have quite the same energy as their previous records. This song isn’t a barn burner, but the record overall is quite good.

Five Songs, 1/31/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 31 Jan 2018 20:00:00 +0000

I’m pleased to announce that I managed to post an entry for every day this month. Not bad! I can’t imagine I’ll manage to keep it up for the whole year, but still: solid work, me! Here’s our final entry for January.

Danny Brown, “Generation Rx”

It seems like just yesterday I was saying I liked it when electronic music met rap, and this beat here is a fine example of that kind of thing. This is from Detroit rapper Danny Brown’s debut album, The Hybrid. I haven’t had this album long, and damn, there’s some bad shit in these lyrics. Hadn’t noticed that before.

Five Songs, 1/30/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 30 Jan 2018 20:00:00 +0000

From rap’s origins to its future.

Run-D.M.C, “Hollis Crew (Krush-Groove 2)”

It sounds downright primitive today, but this album (Run-D.M.C., their debut) was a massive milestone in the development of rap as a cultural force. Somewhat forgotten now, Run-D.M.C. were the first rap act to have a gold record, proving that this new genre could have significant commercial appeal. They would follow that up with rap’s first platinum album and first multi-platinum album, as their sales and fame kept increasing (they would, alas, peak with that third album, Raising Hell). Run-D.M.C. changed the way rap sounded, the way it was made, and the way it looked. Rap wouldn’t ever be the same.

Five Songs, 1/29/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 29 Jan 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Another good one, as Five Songs continues its roll.

matt pond PA, “It Becomes Night”

A charming little pop song from matt pond PA.

Presidents of the United States of America, “Volcano”

Here’s a delightful song off that second album that the Presidents made that nobody really paid attention to. The loose charm is still present, the hooks are solid, and the wordplay is fun. Basically, this album is a goofball winner.

Five Songs, 1/28/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 28 Jan 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Rockin’!

Wiccans, “Witches”

A hint for anybody trying to sell records to Five Songs International: get somebody to drop “noise rock” somewhere in your review, and I’m all over it. Wiccans fit that category. And yeah, they basically sound like a vintage Amphetamine Reptile band. Maybe a little shoutier than some, AmRep bands often had the vocals buried in the mix, but musically it’s very much in that tradition. So, of course I like it!

Five Songs, 1/27/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 27 Jan 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Hell yes.

Black Star, “Definition”

We’ve had Mos Def, we’ve had Talib Kweli, but now it’s time for their collaboration. Black Star loomed large over the later careers of both men, and for good reason: this is easily one of the greatest hip-hop records ever made. Off the top of my head, there are only a very small handful of records I’d put ahead of it. The spare, precise, jazz-inflected beats married perfectly with the impossibly deft rhyming from Mos and Kweli. This album is basically perfect.

Five Songs, 1/26/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 26 Jan 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Good stuff today.

Foo Fighters, “New Way Home”

Every now and again, we get a huge band around here, and I’m never really sure what to say about them. I mean, sure some random-ass Canadian punk band, I can give a little capsule biography, talk about their discography. The Foo Fighters, though? Everybody knows them. Or, probably everybody reading this. So, I guess I’ll just say that I only have this album, The Color and the Shape, which I like just fine. But I never got around to picking up other albums.

Five Songs, 1/25/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 25 Jan 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Today’s music.

Coil, “Who By Fire”

Peter Christopherson is one of the true innovators of underground music, performing as a member of industrial/noise pioneers Psychic TV and Throbbing Gristle. He then went on to become part of Coil, a band dedicated to electronic music in all its forms. Coil worked with an impressive list of collaborators over the years, and their career is hard to describe. While usually lumped in with industrial acts, usually due to the company they kept, Coil was much more organic and human than most of industrial music. It usually made them all the more unsettling as a consequence. Coil tended to explore the underbelly of human existence, and their lyrics were usually pretty unflinching and often pretty out there.

Five Songs, 1/24/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 24 Jan 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Good set today.

Two Inch Astronaut, “Can You Please Not Help”

Prolific post-punk act Two Inch Astronaut are keeping the Dischord sound alive. It’s interesting to me how subgenres of rock splinter off and just keep going forward once established. All it takes is a band or two to set the template, and we’ve got an entire new set of bands to keep track of. Anyway, I like this album, it sits squarely in my interests.

Five Songs, 1/23/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Today’s songs.

David Bowie, “Sound and Vision”

A song from Low, the collaboration with Brian Eno that I brought up last time. A record jammed full of synths and ideas, this might be the most conventional and accessible song on the album. I’ll be honest, I kind of don’t feel totally qualified to talk about Bowie. I like a lot of his music, but I’m far from an expert.

Pussy Galore, “Nyc:1999”

This song gives a good idea of what Pussy Galore sounded like when they kind of had their shit together. To the extent their shit was ever together. Manic garage rock with atonal shouting was basically the order of the day.

Five Songs, 1/22/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 22 Jan 2018 20:00:00 +0000

A slow start today, but it picks up.

Aceyalone, “The Jabberwocky”

Yes, it’s a reading of the Lewis Carroll poem, complete with pitch shifting.

Shabazz Palaces, “MindGlitch Keytar TM Theme”

Another track from Lese Majesty, although this is kind of a throwaway. Not a great start to today.

Fugazi, “Dear Justice Letter”

Our second visit from my favorite band. Here we find a track from Steady Diet of Nothing, their second full album (13 Songs was originally released as two EPs). On Steady Diet, they took yet another big step away from the hardcore of Minor Threat, and a further step towards the angular art-rock that would define the post-hardcore sound. The songs on Steady Diet are slower and more deliberate than those on Repeater, and the album is just less direct overall. That makes this a little bit of a transitional album, with Fugazi learning some new tools, tools they’d master with In On The Kill Taker. That album would find them synthesizing the fury of Repeater with the more elliptical sound of Steady Diet.

Five Songs, 1/21/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 21 Jan 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Here’s today.

Benton Falls, “Trail and Terror”

I’ve always been a little fuzzy on the genre “emo”. I’m old enough that it’s come around multiple times as a genre label, being applied to bands ranging from Rites of Spring to Touché Amoré. And it seems like the only thing really tying all these various scenes is some kind of punk sensibility married to heartfelt lyrics. Benton Falls usually gets described as emo themselves, but to my ears, this is pretty much just post-punk. But it’s good post-punk! If this is emo, so is Jawbox, is what I’m saying. And I don’t think anybody has described Jawbox as emo. (OK, somebody certainly has.)

Five Songs, 1/20/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 20 Jan 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Today’s music.

Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet, “They Don’t Call Them Chihuahuas Anymore”

I want to call to attention how immaculate this recording sounds. All three instruments just have so much space to operate in. At any moment, you can focus entirely on any instrument and really concentrate on it. Or, of course, you can just relax and enjoy the charming song.

Arctic Monkeys, “Do Me A Favor”

Honestly, the way this song starts, it could have been a Shadowy Men song. At least until the vocals kick in. British underground rock Arctic Monkeys became pretty big deals, propelled by the Internet, but it was pretty justified. The first couple albums were very much in the vein of bands like the Strokes and Franz Ferdinand, but done very well. I didn’t really follow them beyond the first two albums, though.

Five Songs, 1/19/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 19 Jan 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Shuffle’s kind of been killing it lately.

Marvin Gaye, “Your Unchanging Love”

Marvin Gaye, here on a single from 1967. It’s impressive to listen to the difference between this and what he’d make a mere four years later with What’s Going On.

Mephiskapheles, “Plan B”

I went to go compare the hi-hat intro here to the bit in “B-Boy Bouillabaisse” (at 8:01), and then realized the bit I was thinking of wasn’t just on the hi-hat, and then I got caught up listening to that song. And then I kind of got lost for a bit.

Five Songs, 1/18/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 18 Jan 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Your periodic reminder that there’s an index to this nonsense. And here’s today’s music.

Ghostface Killah, “Be Easy”

From one of his best albums, Fishscale, and the best album he’s made that wasn’t produced by the RZA. This album finds Ghostface in top form, energetically spitting crazy nonsense, and he’s paired with some great production. On this track, Pete Rock is absolutely laying it down.

Paris Combo, “Moi, Mon Âme Et Ma Conscience (Live)”

This is the second time we’ve had Ghostface and the Paris Combo in the same playlist. This is Five Songs, baby!

Five Songs, 1/17/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 17 Jan 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Nice set today!

James Brown, “The Payback”

Sometimes on this blog, I talk about things that are cool. It’s hard to put your finger on what cool is. It’s the kind of thing that you can’t really define, but can only find the outlines of by looking at examples. Look at enough cool things, and you will finally get a sense of what’s cool. It also helps to have something to center things, a north star of cool to find your bearings.

Five Songs, 1/16/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 16 Jan 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Today’s music.

Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, “Come On Do The Jerk”

Smokey Robinson here with the official anthem of red pillers everywhere.

Slick Rick, “The Ruler’s Back”

Slick Rick’s classic debut, The Great Adventures Of Slick Rick, was tremendously influential. While there’s nothing super special about the beats, Rick’s flow (complete with odd delivery) and storytelling were groundbreaking at the time. You can see his influence just by listening for how many great rappers pay homage to him, ranging from Ice Cube, to Snoop Dogg, to Black Star, among many, many others.

Five Songs, 1/15/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 15 Jan 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Today’s music.

μ-ziq, “Johnny Mastricht”

Electronic artist μ-ziq is the moniker of Michael Paradinas. Designed not for clubs but for headphones, μ-ziq had a great run of really interesting, inventive albums. The prize record is the fantastic Lunatic Harness, but the follow-up Royal Astronomy is great as well. This album, Bilious Paths, is very good but is a little off his peak.

Einstürzende Neubauten, “Mei Ro”

This track is from The Jewels, a compilation of a series of tracks that Neubauten posted on their site. The tracks themselves were the product of a series of formal experiments, with the band participating in games to generate constraints, and the songs were all put together very rapidly, a day or so. The results are interesting but not always super gripping.

Five Songs, 1/14/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 14 Jan 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Excellent set today.

Danger Doom, “Mince Meat”

This is a collaboration between Danger Mouse (Gorillaz, a bunch of his own work) and MF Doom. And, like basically all Doom projects, it’s a pleasure to hear him rhyming. His patterns are so fascinating, and Danger Mouse’s production is as solid as always. This is a really good album, is what I’m saying.

De La Soul, “Change In Speak”

Speaking of great production, Prince Paul did such an amazing job with Three Feet High And Rising. The album I’m maybe most looking forward to this year is Superblack’s album, as it’s a collaboration between Prince Paul and J-Zone. I’m fired up!

Five Songs, 1/13/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 13 Jan 2018 20:00:00 +0000

This playlist is rescued by the last two tracks.

Death From Above 1979, “Black History Month (Josh Homme Remix)”

Death From Above 1979 made only one proper album during their initial run, but there was also a remix album. Which is as inessential as basically every other remix album. There is something interesting about Josh Homme doing a remix of a dance punk band’s song, but eh.

Robustos, “Nigel Thornhill”

Totally forgotten third wave ska act the Robustos had even been basically forgotten by me up until this moment.

Five Songs, 1/12/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 12 Jan 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Excellent set today.

Recloose, “Permutations”

There’s something called “Detroit techno” that I only kind of vaguely understand, beyond knowing that Detroit is a city, and techno is a type of electronic music. I mean, there’s a Wikipedia page for it and all, but what does that tell you? Not much. Anyway, Recloose supposedly fits into this genre, for whatever that’s worth. To my ears, this combination of relatively minimalist beat, video game bloops, and slowly building melody is great fun.

Five Songs, 1/11/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 11 Jan 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Please listen to these songs. They need love. Or don’t, but if you don’t, I don’t know why you’re here.

Secrets of the Sky, “Eternal Wolves”

Obviously, this is metal. I mean, come on. “Eternal Wolves”? So corny. Anyway, this is doom metal, one of the more theatric branches of the metal family tree, which is all about long build ups. I’m pretty hit or miss on doom in general, as sometimes the payoff isn’t really there for me.

Five Songs, 1/10/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 10 Jan 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Here are today’s tunes.

Richie Hawtin, “Call of the Wild”

Last time this album came up, in one of the cutting bits of analysis that Five Songs is known for, I mostly bitched about the ID3 tags on this album. TRENCHANT! Anyway, I managed to say nothing about the album or the artist last time. I see no reason to change that today.

Wilco, “Ashes of American Flags”

In the first entry on Wilco, I ranked their albums, which remains the INDUSPUTABLE and DEFINITIVE rankings of their records. I am here to point out that despite the definitive nature of those rankings, the first three albums are very, very close. If you argued for a re-ordering of those three, you’d be wrong, but only barely. You’d also agree with various versions of Josh. That three album peak, from Being There to Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, is just an incredible stretch of songs. If Being There established that Wilco was going to be far more than an alt-country band, and Summerteeth established that the band was going to be a tremendous pop act, YHF showed that their palette would even expand to include some sonic experimentation around said pop songs.

Five Songs, 1/9/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 09 Jan 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Here’s your music today.

Ghostface Killah, “Be This Way”

From what I can tell, 2004’s The Pretty Toney Album didn’t seem to go over that well with critics. Perhaps because it’s an album where Ghostface started really pulling away from the Wu-Tang Clan. However, I think it’s really good - Ghost seems to be pretty loose, and while the album is sloppy in parts, it’s nevertheless really fun. After the relatively dreary Bulletproof Wallets, it was a relief for him to get back on track.

Five Songs, 1/8/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 08 Jan 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Some music for you!

Booker T. and the MGs, “Time Is Tight”

Always love it when Booker T. and the MGs show up. This is from early in volume 2 of the Stax compilations.

Melvins, “Magic Pig Detective”

Stoner Witch was one of the trio of albums that the Melvins made for Atlantic, as part of their most accessible period. So, of course, right smack in the middle of it is an abstract piece of pure noise leading off a track. Because Melvins. Anyway, Stoner Witch is magnificent, and I highly recommend it.

Five Songs, 1/7/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 07 Jan 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Today’s music.

Mr. T Experience, “A Weekend In Hogboro”

There’s something sort of Young Fresh Fellows-y about this track, particularly the drumming. Anyway, a nice little instrumental here, proving that the Mr. T Experience’s appeal isn’t all about the often goofy lyrics.

Vince Staples, “Yeah Right”

Big Fish Theory showed up on a lot of year-end lists, and for great reason. In a year without a Kendrick Lamar record, it would have been a real contender for the best rap album of the year. And, would you look at that, this track is actually a collaboration between the two. It is, of course, magnificent. One of the things to love about this album is how Staples worked with a bunch of electronic artists on the production end, adding some really interesting noises to the beats.

Five Songs, 1/6/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 06 Jan 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Spastic noise punk, power pop, third wave ska, rap, bombastic post-rock: this is just about the full gamut for Five Songs!

UFO Or Die, “0 Or 1ers”

Uh, yeah. UFO Or Die isn’t exactly random noise, but it’s not THAT far from it, either.

The New Pornographers, “Centre For Holy Wars”

We’ve heard from A.C. Newman before with Zumpano, but here he is with the band he’s best known for, the New Pornographers. Started as something of a supergroup with Newman, Dan Bejar (Destroyer), and Neko Case (all of whom we’ll hear from with their other acts), the New Pornographers took a while to turn from a lark into a real band. But, they finally put out their debut album, Mass Romantic, and it’s a corker. Fully embracing power pop, it’s one of the catchiest and most fun albums in my collection. And, sorry, if you don’t love “Letter From An Occupant”, you’re dead inside.

Five Songs, 1/5/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 05 Jan 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Hey, let’s do another roundup! This time, it’s an aggregation of different metal lists. Useful! And, of course, some music for today.

Pegboy, “Spaghetti Western”

Yup, more or less hit the wall on things to say about Pegboy. It’s still the usual melodic punk sound that is perfectly pleasant to listen to. That’s more dismissive than I intend it to be.

Sebadoh, “Mean Distance”

This comes from Smash Your Head On The Punk Rock, the first album from Sebadoh to be released on Sub Pop, as they made the leap from the minor leagues to…well, the bigger minor leagues. But Sub Pop in the early 90s was a pretty big deal, and it was news that the slacker kings of low fi were making their way to the home of grunge. This album is itself a compilation of sorts, with bits and pieces of previous releases collected into an incoherent record. But all Sebadoh records were incoherent, mostly due to the three different song writers and how they approched things. This song is itself a bit of a microcosm of that, as it’s credited to all three and goes bananas with a minute left in the track.

Five Songs, 1/4/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 04 Jan 2018 20:00:00 +0000

A short little year-end roundup today, from Jamie Zawinski, who I’ve maybe been reading stuff from longer than any other person online, as I recall first encountering reading something from him back in 1995. I’m going to see about putting up some kind of year-end wrapup here myself towards the end of the month, I’d like some time to spend time with all the new stuff I’ve picked up.

Here’s today’s tunes. It’s a good set today!

Five Songs, 1/3/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 03 Jan 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Yet another year-end roundup! This time from Pitchfork, so prepare to be enraged! And [here’s today’s music].(https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLexe714An2QjMniBJQbnevydhM3HcuMaL)

Flop, “Asthenia”

Lost among all the other Seattle bands of the early 90s, Flop was never the slightest bit grungy so they never broke it big. They did, of course, end up on a major label, but the majors were signing every band who had even toured through Seattle in those days, so that’s not that surprising. Instead of being grunge, Flop evoked the power pop bands of the Pacific Northwest, bands like the Posies and the Young Fresh Fellows. With Kurt Bloch (The Young Fresh Fellows, the Fastbacks, tons of producing credits) behind the boards, they even had some real continuity with all the other great bands in that tradition. And their first record, & The Fall of the Mopsqueezer, is an absolute gem, one of the best power pop records in my entire collection, a fuzzy piece of genius.

Five Songs, 1/2/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 02 Jan 2018 23:47:28 +0000

Another year-end roundup, this time from Heavy Blog. I love this time of year. And here’s today’s music.

Outkast, “Infatuation (Interlude)”

A skit from Idlewild, a shaggy album that has some highlights, but is a mess and is the worst of Outkast’s career.

Public Enemy, “Son Of A Bush”

Somehow, anti-George W. Bush songs sound quaint these days. And he was a deeply terrible president! This is a track from Revolverlution, another later album from a Hall of Fame rap group that is also a mess.

Five Songs Special, 1/1/2018

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 02 Jan 2018 05:31:23 +0000

Welcome to the new year! I wonder how many times I’ll type 2017 into the post titles around here? Anyway, here at Five Songs Ltd., one of our resolutions this year is to actually resume making progress learning the bass, which will be fun. But rest assured, we’ll keep bringing you this nonsense as well.

Anyway, today we’re doing another special: searching for the word “new” in the library and then randomizing among those tracks. Let’s see what we get? I had 500 hits for this, a suspiciously round number, so this might just be randomized among the first 500 tracks with “new” in the name. Whatever. To the music!

Five Songs, 12/27/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 27 Dec 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Some high quality indie rock today. And, um, that same dumb Evita track.

Evita, “Myself To You”

This is the same song that we had last time. I still don’t like it.

Unwound, “Summer Freeze”

I love the recording on the drums. Just listen to them, they sound so organic. This is from the tremendous Leaves Turn Inside You, a double album of art rock goodness. This song appears on the “Right” disc. I’ve always liked it when bands name the individual discs in double albums.

Five Songs, 12/26/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 26 Dec 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Back to the usual thing around here, with our usual random playlist.

Johnny Cash, “Darlin’ Companion”

I engaged in my self-flagellation about my Johnny Cash collection last time, so I’ll spare you all. This is from Live at San Quentin, and is a lovely duet with June Carter Cash.

Discordance Axis, “The Inalienable Dreamless (Complete)”

I have a friend who says The Inalienable Dreamless is one of his favorite albums (maybe his favorite), so I ended up giving the band a try. It’s very extreme and virtuosic grindcore, which means it’s incredibly fast and the changes come at whiplash speed. Just to make things more confusing, this song is NOT from that album, it’s from Our Last Day, which was a compilation of odds and ends of related projects. And just to make things even MORE confusing, this is a cover of the entire The Inaliable Dreamless album by Merzbow. So, you know, buckle in for sixteen minutes of total noise freakout! I, um, understand if people skip this.

Five Songs Special, 12/25/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 25 Dec 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Merry Christmas! Five Songs got you a playlist. Today, I searched for “holiday” in my collection, and then randomized those songs. And thank you all for reading and listening this year! There’s a few dozen of you checking in here, on and off, and I appreciate that there are even that many of you willing to put up with a self-indulgent project like this. Please stick around with The Worst Music Blog on the Web, we’ve got more planned for next year!

Five Songs, 12/24/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 24 Dec 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Christmas Eve! This is all pre-recorded, so I hope you all are enjoying your holidays! Here’s your decidedly non-Christmas playlist for today!

The Minus 5, “The Town That Lost Its Groove Supply”

Another song from Down With Wilco, a thoroughly charming album that I heartily recommend everybody pick up right now. Why right now? Scott McCaughey, one of my personal musical heroes and somebody I’ve been listening to for the last 27 years, suffered a stroke a few weeks ago. Given how much trying to recover from something like that costs, he’ll need every cent he can get. So, buy a great album, and help a great musician. If you’d like to contribute directly, there’s also a GoFundMe.

Five Songs, 12/23/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 23 Dec 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Here is today’s music. Some real ugliness, in the cover art of the first album and the lyrics of the last one.

Unsane, “Organ Donor”

I could have sworn we had hit Unsane before, but the theoretically infallible Five Songs Index says otherwise, so here we are. Unsane were a noise rock trio from New York, part of the same general underground as bands like Helmet, Cop Shoot Cop, and others. I was huge into that entire scene, and really liked Unsane a lot. That, however, wasn’t really what they were known for with most people. No, what they were known for was the cover art on their debut album, depicting a decapitated person on subway tracks. They would continue with the violent album covers, covers which set the mood for the dark music within. And that dark tone affected the band as well, with their original drummer dying of a heroin overdose.

Five Songs, 12/22/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 22 Dec 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Well, I hope people find the brief essay down below interesting. Probably not. You can listen to something while you read, though.

Duke Ellington, “Braggin’ In Brass”

A monolith appears on primitive Earth. Agitated apes cluster around it, screeching, trying to ascertain its meaning, its message. Curiosity overcoming their fear, they eventually touch the monolith as the music swells. The music is “Yakety Sax”. Flickering neon words appear on the monolith: “JOSH IS NOT QUALIFIED TO TALK ABOUT JAZZ”.

Five Songs, 12/21/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 21 Dec 2017 20:00:00 +0000

I’m not entirely sold on this new version of Ghost Blog that I’ve installed. I feel like the editor is worse. Oh well. Music here!

Doreen’s Jazz New Orleans, “12th Street Rag”

My oldest daughter started learning the clarinet in school last year, so I wanted to get some music in the house to give her some examples of the possibilities with the instrument. Doreen’s Jazz New Orleans was suggested as a possibility, so I picked up this album.

Five Songs, 12/20/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 20 Dec 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Hooray, music!

VHOL, “The Tomb”

The new band of guitar genius John Cobbett (Hammers of Misfortune and Ludicra, who we haven’t hit yet), and featuring various other veterans of the underground metal scene, Vhol came storming out of the gates with their self-titled release in 2013, which might have been my favorite record that year (except whatever I’m forgetting about). Their follow-up, Deeper than Sky, came out a couple years later and didn’t skip a beat. Usually sounding like something close to thrash, but with drums that sound a lot like hardcore punk, there’s something really elemental about this music that just makes me want to break stuff. Anyway, both records are amazing, and it just now occurred to me that we’re about due for a new one.

Five Songs, 12/19/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Today’s music.

The Flaming Lips, “Stand in Line”

Prior to turning into the atmospheric, melancholy, fuzzed-out band they are today, the Flaming Lips were an experimental, drugged-out psych band that really didn’t know where things were going, but didn’t particularly care. They released a series of albums that you can charitably describe as “uneven” but most would probably categorize as “unlistenable”. They started going in the right direction with 1990’s In A Priest Driven Ambulance, which gives us today’s song. Somehow, Warner Brothers signed them to a major label based on this record. Anyway, I actually like it better than the immediately following album, and this albums is where to stop if you’re going backwards through the Lips’ discography.

Five Songs, 12/18/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 18 Dec 2017 21:03:06 +0000

Six songs today! Repeats are your best value here at Five Songs Incorporated!

Nitzer Ebb, “Higher (Barry Adamson Mix)”

This is from an obscure EP called As Is, a little four song thing with a grab bag of tracks on it. It was put out to precede Ebbhead, which was to be their major label debut, and was supposed to get people hyped up. It’s not a bad little EP, you know, if you’re into Nitzer Ebb.

Five Songs, 12/17/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 17 Dec 2017 22:49:15 +0000

Today starts out as slow as it gets, but don’t worry, that part doesn’t last long.

TV On The Radio, “Black”

Yes, it’s another 15 seconds of silence. TV On The Radio is, thus far, by far the clubhouse leader in “Most Annoying Contributions to Five Songs”.

(NB: I searched for “fifteen seconds of silence” and put that in the playlist instead of, you know, TV On The Radio’s fifteen seconds of silence. Think of it as a cover version.)

Five Songs, 12/15/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 15 Dec 2017 19:27:57 +0000

Maybe the most dangerous of the year-end roundups is Bandcamp’s, which always results in a lot of stuff for me. As for today’s music, well, I really like two of today’s songs an awful lot. The other three are a little…slapdash, let’s say.

The Skatalites, “Wood and Water”

We get a lot of third-wave ska acts around here, and usually, we make fun of them. Or, at least, a good percentage of them. We get enough of them that maybe a quick refresher is worth our time? When we talk about waves of ska bands, we’re referring to:

Five Songs, 12/14/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 14 Dec 2017 18:15:09 +0000

Another year-end roundup, this time from NPR. Meanwhile, another good set today. I feel like shuffle has been doing well for a little while.

Bim Skala Bim, “Shoes”

I’m surprised we haven’t seen Bim Skala Bim yet. One of the earliest bands of the third wave, arguably early enough to not be part of the third wave at all. They certainly reached their peak of fame during the third wave, though. With a stable lineup and an approach much like the 2 Tone second wave acts, they produced a solid series of records throughout the late 80s and 90s. This comes from Tuba City, their second album, which somehow got miscategorized in my collection with this album art:

Five Songs, 12/13/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 13 Dec 2017 18:42:25 +0000

Another year end roundup, this one from Allmusic. More will be coming! Today’s music.

Camper Van Beethoven, “Turquoise Jewelry”

You know, up until listening to this now, after listening to some Firewater earlier today, I’d never really made the connection between the bands. But I think there’s some similarity between them, especially with the last couple Firewater albums.

Wilco, “The Jolly Banker”

Back to Alpha Mike Foxtrot for a delightful little tune that basically sounds like an Uncle Tupelo number. That’s, of course, a good thing.

Five Songs, 12/12/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 12 Dec 2017 17:21:20 +0000

Yay for year end roundups! First one I’m looking at is The AV Club’s roundup and their ballots. So far, I’ve already picked up two records, Infinite Wave by Vagabon and The Incessant by Meat Wave. Fun! Today’s music!

Isaac Hayes, “Walk On By”

Oh my. With the untimely passing of Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes became probably the most important artist at Stax, writing and contributing to innumerable hits. He was also, of course, a tremendous performer in his own right, with songs like this being a great example. This appeared on the album Hot Buttered Soul, which is just tremendous.

Five Songs, 12/11/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 11 Dec 2017 17:17:31 +0000

Another fun set today.

Plaid, “New Bass Hippo”

As I mentioned last time, Plaid was around for a long time, but I only picked up a couple of albums. I feel like you can really only deeply know a few genres, and electronic stuff has gotten squeezed out of my brain for no good reason. I’m sure I’ll go on a binge at some point.

The Beastie Boys, “Pow”

I’ve always loved Mike D’s drum break in this song. I should try and play it. That’ll probably bug Megan proper!

Five Songs, 12/9/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 09 Dec 2017 17:10:35 +0000

Today’s set is a real barn burner.

Art Brut, “People In Love”

This song, from It’s a Bit Complicated, is a solid encapsulation of Art Brut’s unique brilliance. Art Brut only makes sense to someone that has consumed a ton of pop and rock, and internalized all the cliches from them. If you’re that person, Art Brut’s send ups of all that stuff will just hit squarely.

Blackalicious, “The Fabulous Ones”

We’ve had Gift of Gab as a solo artist, but here he is on the breakthrough Blackalicious LP, Nia. From the lush, jazzy beats to the incredible rhymes, Blackalicious immediately became one of the highlights of hip-hop. This record still sounds fresh, 18 years later (OH GOD I’M OLD), and it and the follow-up Blazing Arrow are one of the strongest one-two punches of any rap act ever.

Five Songs, 12/7/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 17:18:16 +0000

Hey, the AV Club’s “The Year In Band Names” is out! Oh, and we have music for today.

Two Fingers, “High Life”

Side project of Five Songs favorite Amon Tobin, Two Fingers is a collaboration with another producer named Doubleclick, along with some assorted MCs. In particular, Sway appears on most of the tracks here, including this one. And, damn, but it all works great. Stuttery and spastic in all the right ways, with some fun vocal work, this is a very entertaining album.

Five Songs, 12/6/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 06 Dec 2017 18:15:40 +0000

Five Songs today features the most skippable song we’ve had yet! Enjoy!

PDQ Bach, “Classical Rap (S. 1-2-3)”

Oh god, I’m sorry. This is from Oedipus Tex and Other Choral Calamities, the best (?) of the PDQ Bach releases, I think. Oh, this is credited to “Grandmaster Flab and the Hoople Funkharmonic”. He won a Grammy for this thing.

(NB: The video I’ve included here includes the introduction to the piece, which provides some important “context”.)

Five Songs, 12/5/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 05 Dec 2017 19:44:19 +0000

Very metal today.

Zu, “Rudra Dances over Burning Rome”

Hell yes. Do Zu play heavily rock-inflected jazz? Is it instead jazzy avant-garde metal? Who cares, is it fun? (It is.) I wandered into Zu after learning that Mombu was a side-project of parts of Zu, and I’m glad I did. I love this kind of genre-hopping mishmash of stuff.

Blut Aus Nord, “Paien”

Black metal band out of France, Blut Aus Nord has been making an unholy racket for twenty something years now, cranking out a ton of albums including multiple trilogies. If that sounds overwrought, that’s probably because it is, overwrought theatrics being part of the classic black metal playbook, along with strangled vocals, blast beats, and furious tremelo picking. This comes from Memoria Vetusta III: Saturnian Poetry which, yeah - overwrought. This song would probably tell you if you want to listen to more Blut Aus Nord or not.

Five Songs, 12/4/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 05 Dec 2017 02:50:50 +0000

This set was going pretty well for a while! Oh well.

Meat Beat Manifesto, “I Got The Fear, Pt. 3”

Meat Beat Manifesto had a bit of a strange start to their career. Their first album was destroyed in a studio fire prior to release, a story that the band has stuck to but their label denied happened. Their debut album then instead became Storm the Studio, which was really just four songs, but they put out multiple parts and variations of everything. That was then followed by Armed Audio Warfare, which was their attempt to re-create their actual debut record, so they kind of released their first couple albums out of order.

Five Songs, 12/3/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 03 Dec 2017 16:50:22 +0000

I really like this set a lot.

Live Human, “Quick Eleven”

We just had DJ Logic a few days ago, and Live Human is a similar premise: a trio of a bassist, drummer, and DJ. There’s the same kind of loose, jazzy, improvisational feel to the proceedings. DJ Logic tends to be more towards the jazz end than the hip-hop end compared to Live Human, but they’re really very similar bands.

Shudder To Think, “Rag”

Goddamn, listen to that song. Shudder to Think, where have you gone? (looks) Apparently Craig Wedren did some soundtracks, cool.

Five Songs, 12/1/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 01 Dec 2017 17:07:44 +0000

December! Fear not, there will be no Christmas themed Five Songs to contend with here, unless shuffle pulls something up randomly (and there’s very little Christmas music in my collection). Maybe I’ll do some obnoxious metal-themed special on the 25th though. Here’s today’s tunes.

Mantar, “Cult Witness”

One of the things I like doing is going through “Best of the Year” roundups from various music blogs that do good work and just trying a bunch of stuff I’ve never heard of. Mostly, I do pretty well through this process, and even if they’re not all favorites, it gives me a chance to break out of my established loops and try and find some new bands. It can be easy, especially as I get older, to just rely on the same stuff I’ve always listened to, and this sort of explicit process helps shield against that.

Five Songs, 11/30/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 18:16:40 +0000

Rap heavy today.

Common, “The 6th Sense”

First appearance for Common here, this coming from his masterpiece, Like Water For Chocolate. With production from a bunch of underground greats, Common put everything together and made a landmark of underground rap that brought back the feel of the Native Tongues bands. While it might run on a bit too long, it’s still a huge pleasure to listen to, so smooth and assured.

Five Songs, 11/28/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 28 Nov 2017 21:51:39 +0000

Pretty experimental today.

Death Grips, “Black Quarterback”

From the double album The Powers That B, as with most things Death Grips, this is pretty singular. It’s really unclear what you’d call this, other than experimental. Maybe Dadaist?

Tilt, “Small Bills”

This comes from Play Cell, a pop-punk album on Lookout distinguishable primarily for the rarity of a female singer in a scene where you didn’t find very many of them. It’s a decent album, but not great, and somehow I ended up with four albums from them.

Five Songs, 11/27/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 28 Nov 2017 00:46:50 +0000

I kind of feel like I should give a Jim Anchower-style apology here for disappearing for a while, but the truth is, I was traveling and didn’t queue up any entries for while I was gone. Sorry about that! Back into the music mines with me, though!

The Microphones, “I Am Bored”

That was not the triumphant, rockin’ return I was hoping for. Oh well. Live by the shuffle, die by the shuffle. Anyway, I like the breakdown at the end of this song.

Five Songs, 11/16/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 17 Nov 2017 06:07:45 +0000

Just a quick one today, Five Songs is on the road!

Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet, “You Spin Me Round ‘86”

Surf-ish instrumental band Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet are probably best known as the band who did the theme song for Kids In The Hall. That’s a bit of a shame, as they put together three very strong albums. Strong enough that at one time, underground luminary Steve Albini called them the best band recording. Anyway, thoroughly charming and full of personality, their albums are all worth giving a try, with Dim The Lights, Chill The Ham being my favorite.

Five Songs, 11/13/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 14 Nov 2017 00:57:14 +0000

Just a quick entry today, but some fun songs.

Big Black, “Seth”

An early song from Big Black, this was on the EP Bulldozer, the first one that featured Santiago Durango and so is really the first real recording from them. This song was later found on The Hammer Party, which collected the first couple (or three, on CD) EPs. It’s an interesting document of a band that is kind of finding their sound, and there are some strong songs on the collection.

Five Songs, 11/12/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 13 Nov 2017 07:08:21 +0000

Today’s set is, frankly, a mess. The hazards of the random number generator.

Andrew Bird, “The Water Jet Cilice”

210 songs in my collection from Andrew Bird, and this stupid thing picked a repeat song. Sure, we get Six Songs today, but come on. I do feel like the number of repeats I’ve seen is higher than I would expect. I also know that humans are TERRIBLE at estimating the randomness of a system and related probabilities. I should work it out for real.

Five Songs, 11/10/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 11 Nov 2017 07:36:39 +0000

Today’s music. Sometimes, while I’m assembling the play list, the next song that pops up is something I desperately want to add. And yet I resist. Why do I do that? The rules on this thing are dumb.

Cretin, “Mister Frye, The Janitor Guy”

I don’t feel like I acknowledge great band names enough when they come up here, so for the record: Cretin is a great band name. Playing something between death metal and grindcore, Cretin are either going to get you banging your head and wrecking stuff at your desk, or are going to seriously try your patience for the next couple minutes.

Five Songs, 11/9/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 09 Nov 2017 18:34:04 +0000

One of these songs is not like the others.

Negativland, “Ain’t No Baby”

Another piece from Deathsentences of the Polished And Structurally Weak. This album was really more about creating a mood and atmosphere than it was about anything as conventional as songs. It’s a pure exploration of sound for its own sake, and as such, forms quite an interesting experiment.

Jan Jelinek, “They, Them”

From one experimental electronic artist to another. Jelinek works with small bits and pieces of sounds, up to and especially including glitchy noises and artifacts, and reassembles them into warm, understated songs. This track, from the magnificent Loop-Finding-Jazz-Records, is a great example of the kind of music he creates. Subtlety is an underappreciated skill for musicians.

Five Songs, 11/8/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 09 Nov 2017 01:13:33 +0000

Hey, I know somebody playing on one of these! (SPOILER ALERT: not the first one.)

Pink Floyd, “Bring The Boys Back Home”

It feels really wrong to just have one track from The Wall in here. It further feels like this is the wrong time to discuss Pink Floyd. Maybe I’ll do a Pink Floyd special at some point. Anyway, suffice it to say, The Wall is over the top and ridiculous, and nevertheless I still love every part of its hammy majesty.

Five Songs, 11/7/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 19:28:16 +0000

Sorry about the second song in the playlist. You’ll see when you get there.

People Under The Stairs, “You”

From Stepfather, an album that featured some pretty experimental songs, distinguishing itself from its more straightforward predecessors. “You” is built around a nice, conventional funk sample, though.

Front 242, “Tragedy (For You) [Instrumental]”

To the extent Front 242 ever had a “hit”, it was this song, briefly a staple of a certain sort of dance club. And just in case you wanted to hear that industrial dance beat more clearly, they helpfully provided an instrumental remix on the inevitable 12" single of the song, along with six more versions of it. Say what you want about the purveyors of industrial dance, but they got their money’s worth out of any song that got traction.

Five Songs, 11/6/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 01:00:34 +0000

Today’s play list.

Head of David, “Wolf”

Oh god, this is a bad song. I’m so, so sorry, if anybody is listening to this. This is like something straight out of the cheesiest fever swamps of power metal, but with no ridiculous flaming guitar solo.

Burning Airlines, “A Song With No Words”

Much better! One of the slower songs from Burning Airlines, but still with that little keening guitar line to keep things interesting. And I love the way that they recorded the bass for their albums.

Five Songs, 11/4/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 05 Nov 2017 05:22:10 +0000

Late night Saturday tunes!

Battles, “Rainbow”

Ex-Helmet drummer John Stanier joined with Ian Williams of Don Caballero to form Battles. Given the pedigree, it’s no surprise that the focus was on complex, prog-y songs. Somewhat surprising, given the muscular nature of those two bands and the tough-sounding name, is the fact that Battles actually ends up playing pretty playful stuff. It’s not just wall-to-wall power, but ends up instead focusing on finesse.

Five Songs, 11/2/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 02 Nov 2017 18:31:47 +0000

Some strong hip hop, some great reggae, an instrumental trifle, and some classic rock. It’s Five Songs!

A Tribe Called Quest, “After Hours”

Part of a blossoming reaction to the preeminent aesthetic of late 80s hip hop, A Tribe Called Quest quickly became the greatest of the acts rejecting the posturing of so many of their peers. From their very first album, People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm (which this song comes from), they were already executing a fully realized artistic vision, one perfected in their next album, The Low End Theory. The focus on addressing topics that other groups weren’t talking about along with a sonic palette that included far more jazz than was the norm helped them stand out from just about anybody else, excepting maybe De La Soul (who were frequent collaborators). Simply put, A Tribe Called Quest is one of the giants of hip-hop, and their first three albums are all essential listening.

Five Songs, 11/1/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 01 Nov 2017 23:51:21 +0000

Today’s music!

Eddie Floyd, “I’ve Never Found A Girl (To Love Me Like You Do)”

I get itchy when we go too long without a Stax track. This is one of Eddie Floyd’s biggest hits, later covered by Al Green on his magnificent Let’s Stay Together.

400 Blows, “A Man of Many Words”

There have been multiple bands called 400 Blows (all named after the Truffaut film, one presumes), but this is the noise rock one from California. This song comes from Black Rainbow, and is full of this kind of start/stop fun and yelling. Good times!

Five Songs, 10/31/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 01 Nov 2017 05:24:32 +0000

Happy Halloween! This is coming to you late, because I forgot to put it together before now. Well, better late than never.

Radiohead, “The Numbers”

You know, up until this track came up, I had kind of forgotten that A Moon Shaped Pool existed. I pre-ordered it, and then forgot to listen to it when it arrived. Well, no time like the present! Dig those strings!

(NB: I pulled up a live version, because the studio version seems to be missing.)

Five Songs, 10/30/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 30 Oct 2017 23:11:07 +0000

Here at Five Songs, we never stop working for you, the tiny handful of people who put up with this, day in and day out. So, today, we’re going the extra 20% with six songs! Such generosity!

Johnny Too Bad And The Strikeouts, “Nineteen Fifty Two”

If you look at that band name and say to yourself “that sounds like a fourth-tier third-wave band”, congratulations! You’ve probably consumed too much Five Songs!

Five Songs, 10/29/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 29 Oct 2017 23:11:23 +0000

Without noticing, I passed six moths of doing this stuff. Nice. Here’s today’s tunes.

Unsteady, “Me”

Another track from Unsteady’s fantastic Double or Nothing, this sarcastic song contains the genius line “I’m a blessed martyr to the church inside my head”, which I think about a lot. Anyway, the ratio of “how much I like this album” to “how much the rest of the world has heard of this album” is just about as high as it gets on this record.

Five Songs, 10/28/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 29 Oct 2017 03:26:21 +0000

Today’s music.

La Luz, “I’ll Be True”

Seattle band that plays a combination of 60’s pop, surf, and a bit of garage rock. Everything is super reverbed out, is what I’m saying. It’s a lot of fun! I like the second album, Weirdo Shrine, the best of the two studio records.

Seaweed, “Turnout”

Another local band! Seaweed were out of Tacoma, WA, and were active on Sub Pop during the grunge explosion. Despite that, they were always more of a punk band than a grunge band, and consequently kind of got lost in the shuffle. The middle couple albums, Weak and Four, were excellent, and are worth digging up to try out.

Five Songs, 10/27/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 27 Oct 2017 18:39:53 +0000

I’m delighted by this set today.

The Popgun Seven, “The Waiting Feeling’s Fine”

As before, this is truly a strange artifact in the ol’ collection. Once again, it’s a pretty pleasant listen, and kind of makes me wish that there was more of this around.

Butter 08, “Shut Up”

It’s obscure day here at Five Songs! Well, as I mentioned last time, if Russell Simins is involved, I’m there. I mean, come on, listen to this shit! Groovy as hell.

Five Songs, 10/26/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 26 Oct 2017 16:31:49 +0000

Today’s selections.

J Church, “Sweet and Sour Plums”

WRCT, the campus radio station at Carnegie Mellon, used to get tons of records from just about every label. Primarily, that was because we actually would play stuff from smaller labels, having largely rejected the idea of “college rock” as well as “coherence” and “professionalism”. From that wave of incoming stuff, somebody on the staff would listen to everything and write a little note on an index card to stick to it. You’d suggest which songs might make sense to play on the air, which songs you should avoid unless you were in the “safe harbor” (in other words, which ones had swearing), if a record was hopeless, whatever. If you really liked a record, you’d put it in the booth with the other notable new releases.

Five Songs, 10/24/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 24 Oct 2017 17:25:32 +0000

Every now and again, I catch myself thinking, “geez, this playlist really sounds like something I’d love!” And then I think, come ON brain, what are you thinking? But my brain has already moved on. Well, anyway, today’s playlist is pretty indie rock-y. And Haggard-y, I suppose.

The Wedding Present, “Big Boots”

I’ve always really liked the Wedding Present’s slower numbers. The contrast with the usual hyperactive pop really centers David Gedge’s lonely, weary lyrics. And sometimes you want that extra bummer, you know? This comes from Saturnalia, the last album from their first incarnation, before Gedge recorded with Colorama for a while. It’s an excellent album, as is everything that that version of the band put out.

Five Songs, 10/23/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 23 Oct 2017 22:01:17 +0000

Today is not the most coherent set.

Wu-Tang Clan, “The M.G.M.”

A repeat! Six songs today, people!

Gorguts, “Nostalgia”

This comes from Obscura, a landmark album in death metal where Gorguts explored how dissonant and downright strange they could make a metal album. This kind of unhinged musical exploration is where I’ve always found my favorites in death metal, and this kind of spastic noise really has as much in common with the avant garde as it does with traditional metal. This kind of thing can take a bit to absorb, as it’s disorienting to listen to at first, but I find it all really interesting.

Five Songs, 10/22/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 23 Oct 2017 04:16:54 +0000

Music!

Raekwon, “Guillotine (Swordz)”

Now we’re talkin’. After a couple songs from his followup, we have a cut from Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, which is on the short list for the finest Wu-related albums released. Really, what you’ve got here is basically just a great Wu-Tang track, as you’ve got several of the Wu MCs on here. Most of this album has Ghostface Killah on it, which is one of the things that makes it so strong. Really, I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Five Songs, 10/20/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 20 Oct 2017 18:18:48 +0000

Some titans of the rock underground today! I really like this set a lot. Shame it didn’t go one more song, Einstürzende Neubauten popped up next with “Vanadium-I-Ching”, which would have been a fun addition to the list. Oh well, can’t go changing the rules any time I like!

Pixies, “Alec Eiffel”

Here, we’re getting a track from the last pre-breakup Pixies album, Trompe Le Monde. At the time, I was pretty disappointed in Bossanova, for whatever reason, but really liked this one. At this remove, it’s not clear what my beef was with Bossanova and it’s pretty similar to Trompe. While both records are off from the peak of their first records, they’re still both excellent and well worth having.

Five Songs, 10/19/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 19 Oct 2017 17:18:43 +0000

I have a new sweatshirt! I’m sort of really excited for it. Also, I come bearing music.

Fishbone, “End The Reign”

Fishbone played a mix of funk, punk, and metal, coming out of the same Los Angeles scene that birthed the Red Hot Chili Peppers. And for a while, until the Chili Peppers became one of the biggest bands on the planet, you really couldn’t mention one band without mentioning the other. I was never really that big into either of them, truthfully, although I gave them both a try. Anyway, this comes from Give A Monkey A Brain And He’ll Swear He’s The Center Of The Universe, an album that skews more towards the metal end of Fishbone’s sound (as you can hear).

Five Songs, 10/17/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 17 Oct 2017 20:26:05 +0000

Takes a bit to get going, but we close with a couple outstanding songs.

The Might Be Giants, “Can You Find It?”

This song, from Here Come the ABC’s, really doesn’t make any sense without the accompanying video. I mean, to the extent it makes sense. Or that anybody cares.

Johnny Socko, “Next Big Thing”

I think this is some kind of meta-commentary on trend hopping in music? From…a third-wave ska band? OK, Johnny Socko.

Five Songs Special, 10/16/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 16 Oct 2017 21:02:07 +0000

Happy Birthday, Megan! Today’s just about giving her songs that will make her happy. It’s super difficult to just limit this to five songs, for the record.

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, “Orange”

From one of the albums that we played the most after we first met, it’s difficult to pick just one song from the record. It’s really best enjoyed as an entire album, but I went with the title track mostly because I love the breakdown in the middle of the song so much. This marks the first appearance of the JSBX in this thing, but I’ll talk more about them during a non-special blog. Also, the version of this song I picked is not great quality, but fuck it, it’s still plenty filthy.

Five Songs, 10/15/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 16 Oct 2017 06:44:50 +0000

Super late night tunes for y’all!

They Might Be Giants, “Alienation’s For The Rich”

From TMBG’s first album, when they sort of put on different musical styles more like outfits than playing them with any real conviction. The album has some real gems on it, but there are also tracks that come across as just pure goofs. The goofs wouldn’t really go away, but got more sophisticated.

MC Frontalot, “Very Poorly Concealed Secret Track”

The standard bearer of “nerdcore”, MC Frontalot will give you a good idea of if the idea of people rapping about nerd shit is something you love. I think I own one nerdcore album, this one, which probably tells you what I think.

Five Songs, 10/14/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 15 Oct 2017 19:35:42 +0000

Music!

The Beautiful South, “The River”

Another relatively toothless song from the later period of the band. I can’t wait for some early tracks to show up.

Melvins, “The Mechanical Bride”

Another tune from the “double duo” years, when they had an extra drummer to augment their usual trio. This comes from (A) Senile Animal, a great album. One of the many thing I love about the Melvins is their use of space. Yes, they can just crank out headbangers, but they’ll often leave plenty of space for menace to build up, for the drums to breathe, for the compositions to evoke a mood beyond “GRRRRR”. (That mood is “GRRRR…(pause)…GRRRRRRRR”.)

Five Songs, 10/13/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 13 Oct 2017 16:31:11 +0000

Nice set of songs today. I am not posting this on Twitter today because I’m boycotting today in support of the #WomenBoycottTwitter protest going on.

Dumptruck, “Watch Her Fall”

Underground pop act Dumptruck was a favorite of college radio before I really listened to that sort of music, and I eventually gave them a listen after hearing so much about how great they were. They were made out to be The Band That Should Have Made It. And I like them, but I don’t have the connection to them that so many folks who were there seem to have. This comes from the only album I have, Haul of Fame, a retrospective compilation of their entire career that I recommend checking out.

Five Songs, 10/12/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 16:30:48 +0000

Sorry I’ve been flaky a bit recently! I have tunes for today, though!

Yo-Yo Ma, “Suite for Solo Cello, 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008: VI. Gigue”

Nope, still don’t know nothin’. Nice to listen to, though.

Fake Limbs, “Stugots II”

What is this? I like this a lot! I don’t remember getting this! I suspect it must have been in a year-end round up last year, and I spaced listening to it. This sounds like it’s from Chicago. (looks) Yes, it’s from Chicago. Hell yes. I know what I’m listening to when I’m done here.

Five Songs, 10/10/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 10 Oct 2017 17:54:25 +0000

Fun batch of stuff today.

NoFX, “Louise”

Have we had a lot of NoFX lately? Feels like we have, even if the “previously"s tell me that we haven’t. Well, anyway, here’s some more.

Radiohead, “Backdrifts”

Well, there’s always NoFX’s opposite, Radiohead. I never got along that well with Hail To The Thief, although I suspect that’s at least partially because I haven’t really given it the sustained attention it probably needs. Anyway, I’m enjoying this song.

Five Songs, 10/8/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 09 Oct 2017 01:18:41 +0000

Today, honestly, is kind of a mess.

Fuck The Facts, “The Wrecking”

Fuck The Facts are mostly grindcore, although there are some death metal tendencies in spots. This song, for instance, is more towards the death metal end of things. I mean, this track is over four minutes long!

Frank Black, “Hang On To Your Ego”

Oh, Frank. “Hang On To Your Ego”? Anyway, yes, this is a cover of the Beach Boys song.

Five Songs, 10/7/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 07 Oct 2017 19:36:46 +0000

Can you tell the Voodoo Glow Skulls and Suicide Machine apart? Most people can’t.

Nicole Willis & The Soul Investigators, “Blues Downtown”

Soul revivalist Willis leans more towards the Motown end of things than the Stax/Volt side, although obviously there’s still plenty of Stax influence here as well. And my god, those drums at the start of the song. Anyway, this album (Keep Reachin’ Up) is fantastic.

Voodoo Glow Skulls, “Thrift Shop Junkie”

Voodoo Glow Skulls are usually at their least interesting in their generic hardcore mode. This is, um, a pretty generic hardcore song.

Five Songs, 10/5/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 05 Oct 2017 21:01:47 +0000

Here’s today’s music.

Bola Johnson & His Easy Life Top Beats, “Ezuku Buzo”

This song comes to us courtesy of the compilation Nigeria 70: Lagos Jump, an exploration into the funk and afrobeat coming out of Nigeria. I don’t really know that much about the scene, but this compilation is excellent.

Mule, “Mississippi Breaks”

Midwestern band Mule were veterans of several previous bands, and came together to play something that sounds something like Midwest punk combined with Southern rock. I like most of the music on this album, but never really got along that well with the vocals, so I never really listened to it all that much. Oh, and looking at this record, the second song is called “What Every White Nigger Knows”, so, yeah. Didn’t remember that.

Five Songs, 10/4/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 04 Oct 2017 20:48:28 +0000

I think it’s been a little while since I’ve mentioned it, so just in case: there’s an index of all these entries if you want to check it out. And here’s today’s music.

Wilco, “Let’s Not Get Carried Away”

And we’re back to Alpha Mike Foxtrot, that Wilco rarities collection. Seems like we’re hitting it a lot. So I checked: just a tiny bit under 40% of all the Wilco songs in my collection are from that rarities collection. This has been One Useless Fact to go with your Five Songs. Anyway, this song was originally on Sky Blue Sky in a different form.

Five Songs, 10/3/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 03 Oct 2017 17:02:04 +0000

Some all-time greats today. And, I suppose, the Beatles.

The Beatles, “I’m Only Sleeping”

I think Revolver is The Beatles’ best record. But can we talk about that cover? Terrible. And it won a Grammy for “Best Album Cover”, which is a thing they apparently hand out awards for! Apparently it wasn’t just the Beatles who were high all the time.

(NB: of course it’s impossible to find the original on YouTube. So, I picked Elliot Smith doing a cover.)

Five Songs, 10/2/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 03 Oct 2017 04:35:00 +0000

Music!

Bob Marley, “Exodus”

From the album of the same name, Exodus was recorded in London after Marley lived there for a couple years after surviving a murder attempt. It’s a strong album, featuring some of his most famous songs, and should be on the list for anybody interested in reggae.

Chevelle, “Prove To You”

This is a pretty convincing Helmet impression.

Ice Cube, “Until We Rich”

This is from War & Peace, Vol. 2 (The Peace Disc), a very late career album, about which the less said, the better. It’s amazing how much less dangerous Cube sounds here than in his prime.

Five Songs, 10/1/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 01 Oct 2017 16:41:47 +0000

Happy October! It’s a little ska-ish in here today. Sorry about that.

Magic Hour, “Sally Free and Easy”

Magic Hour is Wayne Rogers (Crystalized Movements) and another guitarist along with the rhythm section from Galaxie 500. They lasted a couple of albums, sounding exactly like the combination of their two progenitor bands - alternately dreamy and psychedelic. I was mostly here for the psychedelic guitar, personally.

The Specials, “A Message To You Rudy”

This track kicks off the Specials’ self-titled debut album, which just to reiterate from last time, is probably the best ska album ever made.

Five Songs, 9/30/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 01 Oct 2017 16:41:25 +0000

Back and forth between cerebral stuff and straightforward things. It’s the Five Songs way!

The Jam, “Boy About Town”

From Sound Affects, this is just a great song. I could listen to this stuff all day long.

Negativland, “I Believe It’s L”

Negativland’s 1997 album Dispepsi was all about advertising, with a focus on the “cola wars” between Coke and Pepsi. Constructed out of bits of found sound and with a fair number of things that might actually pass for songs, it’s one of the most accessible Negativland albums, along with Escape From Noise and Free. It’s still not normal, mind you, but I’m grading on a curve here. I doubt that this record would resonate with anybody who didn’t grow up surrounded by these ads.

Five Songs, 9/29/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 29 Sep 2017 17:16:26 +0000

Shuffle is trying to make me look dumb today. It probably succeeded.

Channels, “Mercury”

Channels is basically impossible to search YouTube for. Well, it was only a few days ago we first encountered them, so hopefully you all remember them well. This song is about as ballad-y as J. Robbins gets.

New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble, “Naima”

A side project of a bunch of folks in the New York third-wave ska scene, this is basically what it sounds like: a bunch of ska artists getting together to play a bunch of jazz standards. It’s a pretty enjoyable listen. This, of course, is the John Coltrane song. I’d say more, but, well, you know the score.

Five Songs, 9/28/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 28 Sep 2017 23:33:23 +0000

I don’t have a lot to say about today’s songs. Sorry about that.

NoFX, “Total Bummer”

Yup, that’s a NoFX song. Damn, I have a lot of NoFX albums. I really did enjoy them a lot at one time.

Mr. Lif, “World Renown”

Yeah, that’s more like it. Always happy to hear Del the Funky Homosapien show up on something. This is from Lif’s comeback album, Don’t Look Down, a welcome record to show up. I’ll always have room for a guy rhyming “Charybdis”.

Five Songs, 9/27/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 27 Sep 2017 17:50:23 +0000

One of my favorite bands showing up here for the first time today.

Calexico, “Coyoacán”

I’m surprised we haven’t heard from Calexico before now. Calexico is a long-running band out of Arizona that makes an unmistakable mix of spaghetti western soundtracks, surf, jazz, mariachi, and some pop. There’s nobody else that really sounds like them, and they’ve kept up the tremendous quality now for about twenty years. This song comes from their latest, Edge of the Sun, and gives you at least a good idea of one type of song you’ll find on their albums.

Five Songs, 9/26/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 26 Sep 2017 17:10:24 +0000

Here’s today’s music.

Channels, “$99.99”

We’ve encountered J. Robbins before, with Jawbox and Office of Future Plans. Channels is yet another of his post-Jawbox projects, and occupies a very similar space. What all of his bands, from Jawbox on, share is a similar focus on the same fundamentals: tightly wound songs, melodic choruses, fantastic drumming, and a certain essential artiness. Personally, I love it, and a new album from him is always a treat.

Five Songs, 9/25/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 25 Sep 2017 16:54:05 +0000

Soul, a couple rap songs, some metal, and an electronic artist cutting up Fugazi. What could be better?

The Olympians, “Pluto’s Lament”

I don’t think we’ve talked that much about Daptone Records around here. Daptone is a retro soul label out of Brooklyn, releasing records by Sharon Jones, The Budos Band, Charles Bradley, and many others. While most of the artists on the label are very retro in sound, it usually still sounds pretty fresh in no small part because a lot of these types of music kind of disappeared from the music scene for a while.

Five Songs, 9/22/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 22 Sep 2017 16:12:14 +0000

Tons of new releases that I picked up this week!

Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Luciferian Towers
METZ, Strange Peace
The Du-Rites, Greasy Listening
Wolves in the Throne Room, Thrice Woven
Moses Sumney, Aromanticism

I think that’s it? Sometimes I get confused about what releases when, because I pre-order things when I hear about them. I haven’t had a chance to listen to them all yet, but that Du-Rites record is tight, and the Moses Sumney record is fantastic. Meanwhile, it’s all rock of various stripes today.

Five Songs, 9/21/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 20:52:40 +0000

Make! The most! Of my! Toe toast! Hey, while we’re giggling over this first Descendents track, a Five Songs correspondent pointed out the existence of this masterpiece, which is really breathtaking.

Descendents, “Enjoy”

A couple albums into the Descendents’ snotty punk career, the casual observer might have wondered if they were ever ACTUALLY going to grow up, despite an album title declaring otherwise. With the opening track of Enjoy, the band gave a definitive answer. An ode to bodily smells of all types, “Enjoy” was defiantly sophomoric in a way that exceeded even the low maturity standards of their first few releases. I will say this, the little descending baseline is very memorable.

Five Songs, 9/20/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 20 Sep 2017 17:10:13 +0000

I don’t have a ton to say about these tracks, although there are a couple of truly great songs on the list. I figure, if I don’t have a ton to say, better to keep these things simple.

Kendrick Lamar, “The Blacker The Berry”

To Pimp a Butterfly was my favorite album of 2015, and this track is one of the hardest hitting songs on it.

Boss Hog, “Gerard”

Another scuzz rock track from Cold Hands, full of the same kind of distorted churn that that record is populated with.

Five Songs, 9/19/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 19 Sep 2017 16:02:45 +0000

Kind of distant and/or futuristic there for a while, until we hit the last song.

Sigur Rós, “Untitled 8”

Icelandic post-rock group Sigur Rós make long, abstract songs that pretty much all sound like the soundtrack to something. Despite this theoretically being something I should be very into, this album (( )) did nothing for me, and I haven’t picked up any of the rest of their stuff. I’m not sure why.

Five Songs, 9/18/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 18 Sep 2017 20:08:47 +0000

Pretty cool stuff today.

Amon Tobin, “Proper Hoodidge”

It feels like we’ve had Tobin before, but the mighty and infallible Five Songs Index says no, so here we are. Tobin is probably my second favorite electronic artist after Squarepusher, with Supermodified being my favorite album of his. It’s sometimes difficult to say what he does differently from others. I suppose, fundamentally, that there’s more of a sense of narrative with his songs. He seems to be going somewhere with his stuff, and sometimes electronic music can seem a little unfocused or aimless.

Five Songs, 9/17/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 18 Sep 2017 05:07:04 +0000

Starts slow, but some interesting stuff today.

Coldplay, “Swallowed In The Sea”

Like I said last time, I’ll defend the first couple albums, but this album (X&Y), NOOOOPE. Too boring.

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

Well, I’m not sure what to do with this album. This is from Zaireeka, the transitional album between *Clouds Taste Metallic and The Soft Bulletin. So, what’s the problem? Well, at the time, the Flaming Lips were doing a lot of experimenting with how music is played back. They were doing “car stereo orchestras”, where they got a ton of cars together and gave each of them a specific tape, to be played in unison to produce a single piece. They decided, hey, that’s cool, and went for an at-home version of that with Zaireeka.

Five Songs, 9/16/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 18 Sep 2017 05:06:45 +0000

A couple of very influential releases today.

Eric B. & Rakim, “My Melody”

This is a track from Paid in Full, a groundbreaking record where Rakim raised the bar for MCs far beyond where it was before. It’s a record where his rhyming still sounds fresh, a testament to how far he was ahead of the game. The beats haven’t aged quite as well, but the record as a whole is still a great listen, and is one of the crucial records for understanding where hip-hop came from.

Five Songs, 9/15/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 15 Sep 2017 18:12:55 +0000

Punk, punk, “punk”, ex-punk, “punk”.

Buzzkill, “Soft Insides”

More forgotten hardcore from Buzzkill. The instrumental section after the first verse is just delightful.

Sicko, “Ya Ya”

I don’t think I’ve taken a run at ranking Sicko’s albums, have I? (checks the previouslys) Nope, I haven’t! Here we go:

…this is really hard. Fundamentally, all their albums are very good, but here goes:

You’re Not The Boss Of Me
You Can Feel The Love In This Room
Chef Boy R U Dum
Laugh While You Can Monkey Boy

Green Day, “Church on Sunday”

This is from Warning, which seems to get pretty overlooked in their discography. Everybody knows about Dookie, and it seems like American Idiot gets talked about a lot, but I actually like Warning the best out of their post-Dookie albums.

Five Songs, 9/14/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 14 Sep 2017 15:57:58 +0000

I do love it when something random to even me pops up. Listen along, won’t you?

Bob Marley & The Wailers, “Feel Alright”

This song is part of those “Complete Wailers” compilations, this coming from the period from 1967-1972. That makes it an early track, possibly pre-dating any of their full albums. As always with many Jamaican artists, their discography can be very confusing to try and get on top of after the fact.

Five Songs, 9/13/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 13 Sep 2017 16:47:34 +0000

Pretty rugged set today. Starts off soft, but doesn’t stay there.

Big Ass Truck, “Return to Thermopolis”

I encountered Big Ass Truck when their first record showed up at WRCT while I was working there. How was I not going to play a band called Big Ass Truck? Turned out to be a funk record, and I somehow ended up with not only that record but the followup, Kent. I’ll be honest, I haven’t thought about these guys in a long, long time. Maybe I should listen to one of the records again, see how it’s aged?

Five Songs, 9/12/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 12 Sep 2017 17:07:08 +0000

Sheesh, this one is all over the map.

Here Lies Man, “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere”

Like some kind of fuzzed out combination of stoner rock and Afro beat, Here Lies Man is another one of those Bandcamp discoveries that come from checking out their daily blog. It’s pretty fun stuff!

De La Soul, “Pain”

From one end of De La Soul’s career to the other, this comes from their most recent album, And the Anonymous Nobody. As I mentioned in the first entry on them, this album was produced using Kickstarter, and all the samples came from their own recording sessions. I’m curious to see what their followup will be like. Will they use the same methods to make their next record?

Five Songs, 9/11/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 16:00:33 +0000

Where else can you get a TMBG kids’ song and a wordless Negativland piece?

De La Soul, “De La Orgee”

So, uh, 14-year-old Josh was PRETTY BIG into this song. I actually greatly preferred the second half of 3 Feet High and Rising, and would usually play it over and over again. Not just because this was on it, of course, but the second half also started with my favorite song from them (“Say No Go”), had “Plug Tunin’” and “My Myself and I”, and, um, “Buddy”. I’m just saying, I was 14.

Five Songs, 9/10/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 05:41:21 +0000

Gettin’ ska-tastic in here today.

Steady Earnest, “Scrumpy”

Dan Vitale’s Steady Earnest, back with more straight ahead ska from Dr. Earnest’s Nerve Steadying Spirits. It seems like it’s been a while since we’ve had some ska around here, which seems unusual.

Meat Beat Manifesto, “10 X Faster Than The Speed Of Love [Radio Mix]”

This song was originally on the excellent 99%, but this version was on an interesting sampler, Tonal Evidence, put out by Mute Records. There was quite a range of stuff on that compilation, ranging from the dance of Meat Beat Manifesto and Renegade Soundwave, to tracks from industrial pioneers like Throbbing Gristle and Cabaret Voltaire. It was a nice pickup at the time, and was my first exposure to several of these artists.

Five Songs, 9/9/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 09 Sep 2017 20:19:29 +0000

Today’s tunes.

The Nation of Ulysses, “Maniac Dragstrip”

There’s a search for authenticity in rock music that goes back decades, where bands are judged to be real or poseurs based on a variety of markers, many of which make no sense at all. And in this view of music, artifice is usually heavily discouraged. A band that is self-consciously trying to be different, to make art as opposed to just blasting raw emotion is seen as inauthentic. I get it, the drive for the visceral, particularly in rock. But clinging to this structure leaves out so much interesting experimentation, and ultimately can be so limiting, that you just want to sometimes embrace artiness.

Five Songs, 9/8/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 08 Sep 2017 18:34:31 +0000

I think this is my longest writeup yet. Sorry about that! Here’s the music for today.

Jawbreaker, “Face Down”

During the 90s, there was a gold rush as major labels were suddenly hunting down every underground rock act they could find and trying to sign them to contracts. The major labels figured they could all find the next Nirvana or Green Day, somewhere, and the upside for the major label was obvious. Pop punk, in particular, was a hot sector after Dookie sold a billion records.

Five Songs, 9/7/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 07 Sep 2017 16:59:41 +0000

In other music news, one of my very favorite blogs of all time is now a book. Go look at the outstanding Ruth & Martin’s Album Club! Also, here’s today’s music.

Ghostface Killah and Adrian Younge, “Blood on the Cobblestones”

Another track from the cinematic Twelve Reasons to Die, which is just a fantastic album. The various Wu-Tang projects were always at their best when drawing inspiration from movies and other visual media, and this album is no exception.

Five Songs, 9/6/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 06 Sep 2017 20:42:59 +0000

Here’s today’s music.

The Four Tops, “If You Don’t Want My Love”

We’re visiting 1967 with this song from the legendary Four Tops, one of the breakout stars of Motown’s roster, becoming staples of radio. I’m not a Four Tops expert or anything though, so we’ll just enjoy this song.

Le Grand Miercoles, “Commin’ Home Baby”

A Bandcamp find via a gaming friend, Le Grand Miercoles play some kind of weirdo combination of surf, ska, and, like Ennio Morricone. So, of course, I love it to death. I know nothing else about the band.

Five Songs, 9/5/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 05 Sep 2017 18:11:05 +0000

A brief discussion popped up on Twitter, and I realized how strong 1989 was for albums. In no particular order: Bleach, 3 Feet High and Rising, Pretty Hate Machine, Doolittle, Energy, 13 Songs, Wrong, Bizarro, Paul’s Boutique, and Mudhoney were all released that year. And I’m sure I’m missing others. Although I’m sure I’d come up with similar lists for other years. I did look at 1990, and at first glance, it doesn’t seem as strong. Anyway, here’s today’s music.

Five Songs, 9/1/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 01 Sep 2017 17:11:02 +0000

125 entries in this series and counting. Is everybody still having fun? I am! Also: I have music for you!

Craw, “Drugs”

You know, I should really be backing more music on Kickstarter. The Craw reissue project is one of my very favorites among things I’ve backed on the site.

Elliot Smith, “Ballad of Big Nothing”

Indie rock genius Elliot Smith here with a song from his best album, Either/Or. Discussing his biography always makes me sad, given his tragic early departure at 34, possibly by suicide (it was never definitively ruled a suicide). And there I go, starting to discuss his biography. Well, Either/Or is one of the triumphs of the 90s, and is just a tremendous album front to back.

Five Songs, 8/31/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 31 Aug 2017 18:13:39 +0000

Happy birthday to my oldest! 10 years! Mind blowing. Let’s see what shuffle pulls up to celebrate!

Arsonists, “Backdraft”

One of the things to like about the Arsonists is the way MCs are coming into and out of this song, weaving their verses. I love that kind of thing.

The Adjusters, “It’s Like That”

A soul/ska act out of Chicago, the Adjusters were lumped in with the rest of the third-wave, which was a little bit of a mischaracterization. They were probably more reggae than ska, for starters. For second, the soul side of the band was substantial, and probably more of their songs would be soul songs than ska or reggae. When they were on, they were amazing, particularly when Joan Axthelm and Jessica Basta were doing the lead vocals. They also stood out for having an explicit political view for their music, as avowed socialists. This song comes from their third album, Otis Redding Will Save America, but I think their second album (Before the Revolution) is their best.

Five Songs, 8/30/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 30 Aug 2017 20:54:22 +0000

Today’s music. And, I recognize that people bitching about redesigns is the worst, but can I just say I hate the YouTube redesign? There, that’s out of the ol’ system.

The Sunshine Fix, “Everything is Waking”

The Olivia Tremor Control was a legendary indie pop band, producing Beatles-esque psychedelia that was beloved of basically every music critic. Will Hart retired from music to focus on art, and Bill Doss started The Sunshine Fix to continue in the same vein. And yeah, it’s very, very Beatles-y.

Five Songs, 8/29/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 29 Aug 2017 17:36:34 +0000

I try and mention it periodically: there’s an index of these posts. Just in case you want to go poking around in there. We also have music for today!

Rocket From the Crypt, “Strangehold”

I know I brought up the horns before, but it really is a shame that the sax is regarded as hopelessly cheesy in a rock context. We should reclaim the sax! Rocket From the Crypt did their part, anyway.

Five Songs, 8/28/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 28 Aug 2017 16:46:35 +0000

Some authentically old music, and some music that wishes it was older than it is.

Craw, “Eidolons”

I really cannot emphasize how happy it makes me that there are folks that are going back into our past and bringing bands to our attention. Craw’s revival via Kickstarter is one great example, but also labels like Light in the Attic and Numero Group are doing great work. There are so many amazing bands who might have not gotten a fair shake the first time around, and finding them is fantastic. Anyway, Craw is really good!

Five Songs, 8/25/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 25 Aug 2017 18:00:05 +0000

Pretty angry set of songs today, mostly.

Ice Cube, “I Wanna Kill Sam”

Here, we have Ice Cube from one of his peak albums, in full-on fury at the state of America. I love the break in the middle of the song. At any rate, when Ice Cube was at the top of his form, there wasn’t anybody better.

Jesus Jones, “Your Crusade”

There was a brief boomlet in “Madchester” music, centered around the Stone Roses and Happy Mondays, which combined alternative rock with dance music, giving an interesting hybrid. Technically, being from London instead of Manchester, Jesus Jones weren’t actually part of that scene, but spiritually, they were. Doubt, their second album, was a massive hit, thanks to “Right Here, Right Now”. Their followup record, Perverse, is impressive in one way: they could have basically made a carbon copy of their huge breakthrough album, but they chose instead to make some big changes to their style. In particular, they pushed the electronic stuff to the fore, rather than leaning more in the rock direction.

Five Songs, 8/24/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 25 Aug 2017 04:04:11 +0000

Music!

The Microphones, “You’ll Be In The Air”

There are going to be a fair number of artists where I exhaust what I know about them or have to say about them fairly quickly. The Microphones are one of them. You can check out the previouslys down below for my previous tepid takes!

Overall, this is one of my concerns of this project - will I just run out of things to say about everything? Will it just devolve into random junk? Probably. I could critique the exact song in question, I suppose, but I’m not sure I really have the musical vocabulary to make that work consistently.

Five Songs, 8/23/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 23 Aug 2017 17:43:39 +0000

Another day of all bands we’ve had before. I think that’s fun! Here are your repeat offenders!

Napalm Death, “Moral Crusade”

Even though it sounds like it was recorded at the bottom of a murky pond, you can still hear what stunned people about Napalm Death’s debut. It sounds so extreme, so otherworldly, that it’s pretty hard to comprehend at first. Mick Harris’s drums, in particular, sound almost incomprehensibly fast.

Farside, “I Hope You’re Unhappy”

Farside here are operating in sort of a mid-tempo alternative rock mode, but I still find it enjoyable despite that. I also enjoy it when bands break the fourth wall like this.

Five Songs, 8/22/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 22 Aug 2017 20:01:31 +0000

There’s nothing special about today. Sorry about that, after yesterday being our first special and all. Just some tunes for you.

JD And The Evil’s Dynamite Band, “My Beach, My Waves, Fuck Off!”

Funk revivalists on Soul Fire records, you’ll encounter few artists quite as dedicated to re-creating the feel and experimentation of the original funk scene as these folks. There’s only one album from them, though, and I don’t really know much more about them than that.

Five Songs Special, 8/21/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 21 Aug 2017 21:16:09 +0000

It’s eclipse day! I hope everybody had a chance to check things out. I did here, and I thought it was pretty neat, but the boy didn’t seem to care very much. Ah well. In honor of the event, we have our first Five Songs Special! I searched for “moon” in my library, giving 261 tracks. I then used random.org to generate five numbers, picked those tracks, and got us this list! Enjoy it along with me, won’t you?

Five Songs, 8/19/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 20 Aug 2017 04:50:07 +0000

Totally forgot to post yesterday. I’m super flaky this week. Sorry about that! Here’s some music for today, at least.

Less Than Jake, “The Troubles”

A few things distinguish Less Than Jake from the many other ska-punk bands that all started up at roughly the same time. The first is that they were more punk than ska, refusing to be tied down to the gimmick. The second is that the quality of their songs was, in general, much stronger than most of their peers. The third is probably the most important, which is that they lasted for forever. I’ve got eight albums from them, and I don’t think I have their entire discography. I think their sweet spot is from Losing Streak through Anthem, personally. This song comes from their most recent album, though.

Five Songs, 8/17/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 17 Aug 2017 18:13:13 +0000

METAL WOOOOO \m/ \m/ \m

Deathspell Omega, “Sola Fide I”

EDITOR’S NOTE: Deathspell Omega turn out to be Nazi shitheads, and you should not in any way patronize them. I’m leaving the original text here, but fuck these guys.

One of the attractions of extreme metal is the virtuosity that bands can display. A talented band like Deathspell Omega can really make you wonder exactly how they can manage to create that kind of racket. But it’s not just the spectacle with this band. Deathspell Omega is incredibly adept at evoking a mood, and they create songs that go to very interesting places. This track, from Si Monumentum Requiris, Circumspice (“if you seek his monument, look around”, from an inscription on the grave of Sir Christopher Wren inside St. Paul’s Cathedral), is a good example of the drama that they can create within a song.

Five Songs, 8/15/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 15 Aug 2017 17:01:05 +0000

A bit of a mixed bag today. Too bad we missed the Amon Tobin track that immediately followed these!

Arsonists, “Blaze”

Underground rap act out of Brooklyn, Arsonists are odd simply for the fact that they signed to legendary indie rock label Matador for their two records. The two turned out to be excellent, with the group itself doing all the production as well as the rhyming, which is always a pleasure. I can’t really think of any other rap artists who ended up on Matador off the top of my head, so this remains just a fascinating experiment for the label.

Five Songs, 8/14/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 15 Aug 2017 05:43:18 +0000

Yeah! Old Primus! Soul! Kid music?

Labradford, “WR”

The other day, we had Kranky labelmates Jessamine, but here’s the band I associate most with that label, Labradford. Post-rock-y, drone-y, sometimes very experimental, Labradford had a very interesting run of a half dozen albums on Kranky which were all very interesting. Most of the time, they were working with instrumental stuff, and I find it to be really pleasant stuff to put on when I’m working. That sounds like a backhanded compliment, but it’s not intended to be.

Five Songs, 8/12/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 13 Aug 2017 04:53:14 +0000

Should I mention when I buy albums here? I probably should. Maybe I’ll do that on future Fridays. Today’s music.

Andrew Bird, “Pathetique”

The first couple of Andrew Bird albums (officially credited to Andrew Bird and His Bowl of Fire) were more affected and more self-consciously arty than his later work. In a lot of ways, you can hear a lot of Squirrel Nut Zippers in this stuff. You can also hear some of the hallmarks of his later work, especially in the way he uses his violin to provide several different types of sounds, but the early stuff is definitely the sound of an artist finding his way.

Five Songs, 8/11/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 12 Aug 2017 06:33:44 +0000

From a musty 70s basement to the sound of future rap, today’s Five Songs has you covered.

Space Rock, “Dark Days”

So, here’s a true oddity for you. Numero Group, a record label primarily doing reissues (and doing a great job!), released Cities of Darkscorch, a fantasy board game where you’re playing as a hard rock band, traveling around the world defeating monsters and questing. It was accompanied by a double LP, Wayfaring Strangers: Darkscorch Canticles, which was full of Sabbath and Zeppelin inspired heavy rock from a variety of acts. It all kind of tries to function as a time machine back to the early days of gaming, and ends up being a pretty unique package. I’m not sure it’s all good, exactly, but I’m sure glad I own it.

Five Songs, 8/10/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 10 Aug 2017 18:25:48 +0000

Some legendary names today.

Pixies, “Nimrod’s Son”

From their very first moment, the Pixies were already themselves. This song, from their debut EP Come on Pilgrim, already shows all the elements that people would come to love. What’s even more impressive was that this was just from a demo they recorded themselves. They sent the demo to 4AD, and 4AD turned around and released it. This EP used to be sold on the same CD as Surfer Rosa, making that one of the best single discs in my entire collection.

Five Songs, 8/9/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 10 Aug 2017 03:26:21 +0000

Punk rock, wooo! And, you know, a DJ track.

Dwarves, “Lesbian Nun”

Really, a song title of “Lesbian Nun” probably tells you everything you need to know about what you’re going to hear. Punk rock shock merchants out of Chicago, Dwarves were every bit as sophomoric as you might expect from a band that put blood drenched nude women on the cover of an album. I never actually ended up with any of their actual releases, but this song showed up on a Dope Guns-n-Fucking In The Streets compilation. It appears to be the only one of their songs I have.

Five Songs, 8/8/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 08 Aug 2017 21:58:34 +0000

Just to clarify the stance of us here at Five Songs Amalgamated: if it’s a single track, it counts as a song for the purposes of providing you with five of them. You’ll see why that’s relevant today.

Beck, “Round the Bend”

I’m not really sure I’m on board with sad Beck. I mean, Sea Change is clearly a good album, but I don’t really enjoy listening to it very much. Give me prankster Beck any day of the week.

Five Songs, 8/7/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 07 Aug 2017 23:04:02 +0000

I wonder at what point I start hitting diminishing returns on this thing. 200 articles? 300? 500? I suppose I’ll find out. Let’s fire up the music!

Yo La Tengo, “The Summer”

Well, personally, I remain resolutely un-fired up. This is from Fakebook, a quiet covers album that is the least noisy thing they ever made by a long ways. Yo La Tengo have always had two sides, and this album really only emphasizes the folk-ish side of the band.

Five Songs, 8/6/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 07 Aug 2017 06:34:09 +0000

Your music is over here!

John Oswald, “Way”

John Oswald, a composer, coined the term “plunderphonics” to describe the process of composing a new song using recognizable parts of existing songs. The “recognizable” portion was something he considered key. It involves the composer making using of existing associations in order to raise emotions in the listener that might otherwise not be possible. This can distinguish it from some of the sampling used in hip hop and the like, which might be considered plunderphonics or not, depending on how much the source is widely known.

Five Songs, 8/5/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 06 Aug 2017 06:25:49 +0000

Hey, if anybody is curious what stuff I’ve bought on Bandcamp, you can see my profile here. The top eight are the ones I picked up yesterday. Here’s today’s music.

Future of the Left, “Failed Olympic Bid”

Glitchy and bloopy at first, and then pounding, this song is delightful.

Jello Biafra with the Melvins, “The Lighter Side of Global Terrorism (Extended Space-Melt Version)”

After the breakup of the legendary Dead Kennedys, Jello Biafra has hooked up with a variety of collaborators for albums. He’s done pretty well picking those collaborators - Lard’s first album (with Ministry) was great, for instance, and I love everything Melvins. So, how is this album? Pretty good! It’s the Melvins with the usual unhinged Jello ranting on top. Both of their records are pretty fun. This track is actually an extended version of a song that appears on the other record, with a big ol’ freakout. I do love me some extended Melvins freakouts.

Five Songs, 8/4/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 04 Aug 2017 17:40:20 +0000

Reminder! Go to Bandcamp today and buy some tunes to support artists and transgender rights! You can listen to these while you do it!

Shellac, “Steady As She Goes”

Let’s do a quick ranking of Shellac’s albums:

At Action Park
Excellent Italian Greyhound
1000 Hurts
Dude Incredible
Terraform

But really, they’re all good albums. I look forward to another Shellac album in another three years or so.

Duke Ellington, “The Tattooed Bride [Album Version]”

Wow, my rip of this song is hopelessly goofed up. Ugh. I should really re-rip it, but that would require digging it out of the boxes, and ugh, I’m not going to do that either. This is from the collection The Duke: The Columbia Years (1927-1962). Also, as always, I’m not qualified to write about jazz.

Five Songs, 8/3/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 03 Aug 2017 18:18:31 +0000

I already know the first record I’m going to buy tomorrow: new Pyrrhon album! WOOOOO! Pyrrhon makes totally insane atonal noise, which I adore. Super fired up about it! Here’s today’s noise!

Ghostface Killah, “Theodore”

This track is from Bulletproof Wallets, which stands out among Ghostface’s discography as a bit of a misstep. It mostly feels pretty flat, and while his next album would be quite a bit better, this is one that you can pretty easily skip.

Five Songs, 8/2/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 02 Aug 2017 23:47:06 +0000

This Friday, 8/4/2017, Bandcamp will be donating all their revenue to the Transgender Law Center. I’m planning on buying a bunch of stuff from them that day, I hope you join me in supporting both human rights and musicians at the same time. Here’s today’s music.

Astronoid, “Trail of Sulfur”

In the wake of Deafheaven’s Sunbather, I’ve noticed more bands that are working in that same area: incorporating elements of black metal, but removing some of the ugliness that’s usually associated with the genre. It’s sort of partway between the old genre of shoegaze and black metal. Astronoid (and this track) is a good example. You have some of the hallmarks of the genre in terms of the tempo and drumming, but none of the shrieks or noise that you might otherwise get. It’s an interesting hybrid.

Five Songs, 8/1/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 01 Aug 2017 21:23:14 +0000

As we head into August, I’m probably going to start throwing in the occasional special now. Focus on an artist, random Bandcamp albums, I dunno. We’ll see. Today, though, the usual.

NxWorries, “Intro”

NxWorries is Knxwledge and Anderson Paak, putting out one album so far along with an EP. I think it’s great, and I wish you had a real track to listen to here.

The Beatles, “Birthday”

Well, now we get to discover if I have anything to add to the millions of words already written about the most famous of bands. I have a scattering of memories associated with the Beatles, and I suppose I’ll just dole those out as the Beatles come up.

Five Songs, 7/31/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 01 Aug 2017 06:18:19 +0000

Nice grab bag today. Also, have I mentioned my game is out? It is! Pick up Fox in the Forest from any good hobby store, or online, or wherever! OK, ad is over.

Joanna Newsom, “Cosmia”

Joanna Newsom made a lot of waves in the indie music community with Ys, a folk album driven by Newsom’s harp work and her bizarre vocal style. I picked it up to check it out for myself, and I couldn’t ever really get past the vocals. Listen for yourself, this track is a good example of what’s going on with her music.

Five Songs, 7/30/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 31 Jul 2017 06:38:14 +0000

Shuffle is continually reminding me of things that I had forgotten about, and occasionally never knew about in the first place.

Medeski, Martin & Wood, “Just Like I Pictured It”

Jazz artists who add in more than a little soul and funk, Medeski, Martin & Wood have been around for a long time, but I only bought this one album. I think it was mentioned somewhere that there were some hip-hop touches on the record, but it’s been long enough since I bought this that I can’t really recall exactly what the original attraction was. I have to say, I’m really enjoying this song a fair bit.

Five Songs, 7/29/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 30 Jul 2017 03:25:43 +0000

Music!

The Sea and Cake, “There You Are”

Chicago band featuring Sam Prekop and various other post-rock folks, working in a similar vein as Tortoise and Gastr del Sol. Like most other post-rock outfits, you’re in for a pretty wide variety of influences, and as time went on, you get more and more stuff added in to the sound. Still, due mainly to Prekop’s vocals, they’re more grounded than some of their peers in that scene.

Five Songs, 7/28/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 28 Jul 2017 20:44:37 +0000

I’m a little surprised that shuffle will permit two songs from the same artist in a row. I guess we all learned something today? Something totally useless. Here’s your music.

Zumpano, “Let There Be Girls”

Rap albums have skits. The rock equivalent is the fuckin’ around track, like this one.

Foetus, “Kreibabe (Pan Sonic mix)”

Blow is an album that’s just filled with remixes of Foetus by various producers. Bucking the tradition of most guest remixes, this version of the original “Kreibabe” (from Flow) is actually a lot shorter than the original. It also bears very little resemblance to the original track. Overall, Blow is inessential.

Five Songs, 7/27/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 27 Jul 2017 22:17:46 +0000

We’re majority rap today, which is totally ok with me. Hopefully it happens more often!

Devin the Dude, “Highway”

Here we find Devin in a rare contemplative mood, examining the sociopolitical origins of…naw, he’s rapping about women and weed. HIGHway, geddit?

De La Soul, “D.A.I.S.Y. Age”

Some seriously old De La Soul here, but still somehow sounding fresh. This was the proper album closer, although most versions of 3 Fee High And Rising have a second version of “Plug Tunin’” after it in the track list.

Five Songs, 7/26/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 23:34:00 +0000

No intro today, just tunes!

Coheed & Cambria, “Island”

Prog rock is a bit of a weird category for me. There are times that I really want to listen to it, and then the reality is often disappointing. Songs far too often take a back seat to just demonstrating technical prowess. Still, sometimes you just want something over the top, and prog rock goofballs Coheed & Cambria aren’t a bad choice. They spent more than a decade and seven albums making some big ol’ conceptual rock opera thing that frankly never made any sense to me. This track is from their first album after all of that, The Color Before the Sun, which is honestly more of the same, but not weighed down by as many pretentious trappings. This song is actually a relatively straightforward rocker.

Five Songs, 7/25/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 05:39:54 +0000

Back in town, so hopefully I’ll be able to start posting these during the day again. Today’s tunes!

Melvins, “Your Blessened”

What gives a band longevity? How are some bands able to just keep going for forever, while most flame out after only a few albums (or even one)? It’s not just creativity, although the Melvins certainly have shown plenty of experimentation. They also have a certainly Melvins-y formula that they’ve applied plenty. Tt still manages to sound fresh and interesting. You listen to a song from Bullhead and a song from, I dunno, Hold It In, and you hear so many things that are similar. But I’m still happy to listen to them. What is the formula that King Buzzo and Dale Crover have discovered?

Five Songs, 7/24/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 25 Jul 2017 05:22:52 +0000

Still on the road! Still posting music!

Smashing Orange, “All Girls Are Mine”

Part psychedelic pop, part shoegaze, Smashing Orange are a largely forgotten act which probably deserves better. If you’re looking for washes of fuzzy guitar and pop melodies, you can do a lot worse. Apparently few enough people have ever written about them that I actually got a random person writing to me a while back, referencing a review I wrote for a Usenet group ages ago, asking if I had any bootlegs or live performances or anything. Alas, I did not.

Five Songs, 7/23/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 24 Jul 2017 04:52:05 +0000

Posting from the road! Are we going to get road trip music? Probably not.

DJ Krush, “Chie No Wa”

I should listen to more Japanese hip-hop. Anyway, DJ Krush is mostly instrumental, but here we have some rhyming. I’ve got a couple of his releases, and they’re pretty entertaining, if not quite the top of the pile for DJ records. Allmusic tells me this album is actually a mixtape of stuff he did with other artists?

Five Songs, 7/22/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 02:36:19 +0000

At some point, these things are just going to be wholly unrelated to the music. I wonder if I’ll have the good sense to stop? Who knows? MUSIC

Freeway & Jake One, “Money”

As we talked about last time, Freeway’s always had good taste in producers. For The Stimulus Package (great name!), he teamed up with Seattle’s Jake One, and the result was my favorite album of his.

Why yes, I am kind of a Seattle homer, why do you ask?

Five Songs, 7/21/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 01:58:17 +0000

Another repeat today, this time that same Dr. Octagon track. The more I do this, the more I think Amazon’s randomization thing is pretty wonky. Oh well. Today’s tunes!

The Housemartins, “I’ll Be Your Shelter”

Speak of the devil! Here’s the Housemartins taking on Luther Ingram’s “I’ll Be Your Shelter”. As with most of their covers, it’s thoroughly enjoyable (as is the original). Basically, soul music rules.

This song appears on both London 0, Hull 4 as well as the rarities/singles roundup Now That’s What I Call Quite Good, which are both outstanding.

Five Songs, 7/20/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 01:57:57 +0000

My first repeat song today. I decided I’m going to skip repeats, because they’d be boring. Here’s your minty fresh songs for today.

Kendrick Lamar, “Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe (Remix)”

This remix was included as a bonus track at the end of Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City, at least on the version I bought. Complete with unnecessary Jay-Z verse! Anyway, this album is fantastic, and as I mentioned last time, is part of an unbroken winning streak. I think Lamar is the closest person we have to George Clinton working today.

Five Songs, 7/19/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 19 Jul 2017 22:39:54 +0000

Really happy to get more Neubauten in here, that’s some good working music.

Foetus, “Mighty Whity”

This song, from 1995’s Gash, makes me wonder exactly how you get Sony to distribute a song about killing whity, all set to a grinding slice of noise and a jaunty trumpet line. But thank goodness somebody figured it out! The whole album is very good, by the way.

Freestyle Fellowship, “Dedications”

Just a little interstitial track in the middle of To Whom It May Concern…, over a Delfonics sample. Good record, though.

Five Songs, 7/18/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 18 Jul 2017 17:53:53 +0000

Been a little while since we’ve hit any ska. Fixed that today! PICK IT UP, PICK IT UP, PICK IT UP!

The Scofflaws, “Spider On My Bed”

Another New York third-wave band, the Scofflaws were distinguished by…well, let’s be honest, nothing. But, they had solid chops, were amusing without being too smug, and wrote some good songs, so they’re worth a go. This is from Ska In Hi-Fi, their best album, featuring as it does odes to nude beaches and William Shatner.

Five Songs, 7/17/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 17 Jul 2017 18:15:36 +0000

Was camping this weekend with no network access, so I deprived everybody of music. Sorry! It’s a shame there’s no other way to listen to music! Anyway, here’s your relief.

Outkast, “Take Off Your Cool”

Outkast, at the top of their game, was breathtaking. Up through Stankonia, they were just incredible. At then, 2003 saw them release Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, two solo records just packaged as one release under Outkast. And for the first time, they were really showing some cracks. Big Boi’s Speakerboxxx was outstanding, while Andre 3000’s The Love Below was uneven at best. He delivered the standout hit (“Hey Ya!”), but most of his album is frankly a mess, wandering around too much for me to truly love it. This song, a collaboration with Norah Jones, is a good example - it doesn’t really go anywhere.

Five Songs, 7/14/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 14 Jul 2017 19:51:02 +0000

Sorry about the flakiness in posting over the past week. I’ll try not to make a habit of it. Today’s playlist!

The Dead Kennedys, “D.M.S.O.”

This, from the Kennedys’ final album Bedtime for Democracy, is a pretty atypical track from them. Far from their usual blazing hardcore attack, we’ve instead got something that sounds more like a noir-ish song. Of course, Jello Biafra’s usual sarcasm and unique delivery are still present. The Kennedys were a staple of my high school years, and a lot of their work has held up pretty well over the years, but this is their least essential studio album.

Five Songs, 7/13/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 14 Jul 2017 19:20:14 +0000

At some point, I’m going to do a full writeup of just Amphetamine Reptile Records. I loved that label so much. Here’s today’s music.

J-Zone, “Caddy Coupe (Instrumental)”

Another J-Zone track, and another one that isn’t actually him rhyming. This is the instrumental of one of the better songs from Fish-n-Grits, his most recent hip-hop album. The original is a meditation on what his grandfather considered luxury, and what a Cadillac meant to him, along with Has-Lo contributing a verse on the same subject. Anyway, you can’t hear all that. Sorry!

Five Songs, 7/12/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 12 Jul 2017 18:32:11 +0000

Some serious immortals today! And, um, 17 seconds of silence.

Smokey Robinson, “Swept For You Baby”

We’re visiting 1967 with this song, with quintessential Motown artist and arguably the soul behind the soul, Smokey Robinson. It would be futile to list all the tremendous songs he’s been involved with, and I couldn’t really do him justice. Just enjoy this song.

Einstürzende Neubauten, “Partynummer [Live]”

This track comes from Strategies Against Architecture II, a roundup of singles, live tracks, and various unreleased music primarily from the late 80s. In a lot of ways, this documents the end of the first phase of their career, as after this album came out, their music trended away from the power tools and more towards ambient pieces and electronics. It’s a great collection, though, and one of the better entry points to Neubauten’s catalog.

Five Songs, 7/11/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 11 Jul 2017 19:59:26 +0000

Just missed “Scentless Apprentice” by Nirvana. I guess we’ll have to wait for another day for my indisputable Nirvana album rankings. Alas. Well, here’s today’s music, anyway.

Sleater-Kinney, “All Hands on the Bad One”

Sleater-Kinney is a little bit of a strange one. I always enjoy them thoroughly while they’re playing, and then everything disappears from my brain afterwards. Sitting here, I can’t really call up the tune for any of their songs, despite having listened to them a lot. I like them! I’ve listened to them a bunch! And yet, they’re still invisible inside of my brain. Strange.

Five Songs, 7/10/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 17:00:20 +0000

New Melvins album! It’s a double album, a first for them. Word is that the first album is good, the second is ambient nonsense. I guess I’ll find out. Meanwhile, here are your tunes for today.

Also, I totally had this entry ready to go, and forgot to post over the weekend. Broke my streak!

Preston School of Industry, “Monkey Heart and the Horses’ Leg”

There are times when you can really hear the Pavement in Preston School of Industry. This is one of those times.

Five Songs, 7/7/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 07 Jul 2017 18:05:08 +0000

I had kind of forgotten about this Marnie Stern record, and I’m so grateful that shuffle pulled it up. Check out this song, and then go listen to the rest of the album.

Iron Maiden, “Another Life”

This song is from Killers, which pre-dates Bruce Dickinson joining the band. Overall, the band had a more raw sound during this time period, although the dual guitar attack and galloping bass is still present. I actually really like the album a lot, while recognizing that the band is a bit different of a beast without Dickinson around.

Five Songs, 7/6/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 06 Jul 2017 18:29:39 +0000

Usually, when I do one of these, I go and listen to a bunch of music by one of the artists that popped up. Today, that’s Sicko. Go listen to Sicko, people! Here’s one song of theirs!

Also, new record: I had to upload three of these songs myself. That’s annoying!

Surgery, “Mistake”

Every now and again, a band sometimes puts out a thing that’s way above their average. Surgery, a scuzz-rock Amphetamine Reptile band, managed that trick with their EP, Trim, 9th Ward High Roller, a release that was inexplicably far better than anything else they’d done. This song, however, is not from that record, but from the earlier Nationwide, which is only ok.

Five Songs, 7/5/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 05 Jul 2017 23:34:03 +0000

The 4th of July was excellent! I hope everybody reading this who had a celebration also had a great time. I want you all to party as much as you can! I have music for you! It might even be party music?

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, “Drums and Chicken”

Yeah, OK, I can party to the Bosstones. This song appears on the Mashin’ Up The Nation: The Best of American Ska Volumes 1 and 2 compilation, which was indisputably a collection of American ska bands. I’ve never known if this was a misprint on the comp, as this same song is on Devil’s Night Out as “Drunks and Children”. Baffling. Anyway, the compilation is deeply inessential.

Five Songs, 7/4/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 04 Jul 2017 20:02:54 +0000

Happy 4th of July! A non-trivial percentage of my readership is probably at my house eating BBQ today. If you’re not here, next time, plan better! Your holiday playlist.

Ghostface Killah and Adrian Younge, “An Unexpected Call (The Set-Up)”

Here’s one of the reasons why Ghostface is tops among the Wu MCs - projects like Twelve Reasons to Die, where he collaborated with film composer Adrian Younge on a concept album inspired by a comic book (which was published by the RZA). And the execution of the album carries it all off brilliantly with one of the most cinematic sounding rap albums around. Just a fantastic album.

Five Songs 7/3/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 03 Jul 2017 16:56:24 +0000

Four day weekend? You know what that means around here at Five Songs? IT MEANS…HANG ON…TWENTY SONGS! HERE’S FIVE OF THEM! ROCK ‘N’ ROLL!!!

Chevelle, “Peer”

I was sure that shuffle was going to pull up something distinctly un-rock. Well, I bought this album (Point #1) based entirely on Steve Albini recording it. I thought it was fine, and didn’t really go any further. Imagine my surprise when reading a bit about this band to discover that they lasted forever and apparently became huge sellers. Huh. Wouldn’t have guessed.

Five Songs, 7/2/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 03 Jul 2017 16:56:09 +0000

Some all-time great bands in this go around!

Parliament, “(You’re a Fish And I’m A) Water Sign”

About time funk legends and intergalactic weirdos Parliament showed up around here. I’m never really sure if it makes sense to do a little potted biography of famous acts here or not. Parliament is one of the names that George Clinton and his ensemble recorded under, Funkadelic being the other primary one. The two names grew out of a legal dispute over the name Parliament, and even after it was settled, Clinton and company continued releasing records under both names. Despite the name, Funkadelic actually concentrated more on psychedelic rock, and Parliament was the outfit that mostly played funk, although there was plenty of crossover in both directions. Mostly, what they were, was restlessly creative, always trying new things.

Five Songs, 7/1/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 02 Jul 2017 05:11:12 +0000

Another month, same old nonsense. Still having fun, though. Let’s listen to some tunes!

Skinny Puppy, “Dogshit”

Skinny Puppy returns with a track off of what I think is their second-best album, VIVIsectVI. What made the album great was how surprising it all managed to sound. Between the abrasive noises, sampled vocals, synth lines that would layer up, and Ogre’s variety of vocal attacks, it all manages to keep you completely on edge while listening.

Five Songs, 6/30/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 30 Jun 2017 17:03:44 +0000

Hooray, I made it the whole month without missing a day! Another meaningless milestone! Music!

Conlon Nancarrow, “Study No. 45a”

This is a pretty jaunty piece that still manages to sound really otherworldly, thanks to the alien nature of the playing. In some ways, Nancarrow presaged electronic composition, of using a tool to create music that otherwise couldn’t exist if it had to be created by human hands.

The VSS, “Effigy”

This was from a blind grab bag from Hydra Head records, and I’ll be honest, I think this is the first time I’m hearing this. Well, snap impression: in some ways, it goes pretty well with the Nancarrow piece above. Maybe I’ll listen to the rest after these five songs are over.

Five Songs, 6/29/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 29 Jun 2017 22:37:18 +0000

I shared the blog at work. I fully expect my readership to…well, probably stay where it is. Welcome, purely hypothetical extra readers! The music is over here!

Wilco, “The Jolly Banker”

It’s another track from Alpha Mike Foxtrot, the rarities collection that they put out. Here, we have Wilco basically operating in Uncle Tupelo mode, which is totally OK with me. It occurs to me that when I put up my INDISPUTABLE RANKING of their albums last time, I actually omitted this album. That’s because I usually skip compilations in those sorts of rankings, but I’d put it somewhere in the middle of the pack.

Five Songs, 6/28/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 28 Jun 2017 16:28:31 +0000

Just to be clear, when I joke about a lack of readers or whatever, it’s just poking fun at myself. I’m doing this project as a fun exercise in going through my own music. The presence or absence (mostly absence) of reader/listeners doesn’t change my desire to do it.

There, that should clear things up for both of you! Let’s listen to some tunes!

Beastie Boys, “Ricky’s Theme”

This song seems like a long, long ways from the snotty party rap of their first record. Always slow to make music, the mere two years between Check Your Head and Ill Communication turned out to be the shortest gap between records in their entire career. And, perhaps not surprisingly, the two records are probably the most similar of any two in their discography. I prefer the former record, both for being more groundbreaking but also more fun, but both are very strong.

Five Songs, 6/27/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 27 Jun 2017 17:59:39 +0000

Something special for today! Our first Reader/Listener Q&A! All of the questions here are actual questions from reader/listeners of Five Songs! Let’s get started!

OK, that was great! If you’ve got a question for me, eh, that seems unlikely. Here’s some music, though.

Richie Hawtin, “User (02)-A2”

This is one of the most irritating albums (Decks, EFX & 909) in my collection. Not because of the music, mind you - it’s techno, sometimes pretty minimal, mixing together a whole bunch of stuff. No, because of the tags on the songs. Because this is kind of a compilation (and kind of not), the tags on the songs on the album are credited to something like 20 different artists, instead of just Richie Hawtin. In particular, the featured artist on a track is listed as the primary artist. It’s really annoying, and because of how Amazon handles it, means I essentially cannot listen to this album in one go.

Five Songs, 6/26/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 26 Jun 2017 17:10:51 +0000

I can’t count the number of times I’ve listened to “!!!!!!” by The Roots, which is the song I get if I go to all my songs and hit play without turning on shuffle. I’ll probably get really confused if and when I ever hit it legitimately. Here’s today’s tunes.

Johnnie Taylor, “I Ain’t Particular”

I kind of wish I was a better historian of these old soul records. I’m mostly familiar with the big names, but I can’t tell you anything much about a lot of these folks. It’s a shame, as I’m sure there’s some great stories for many of them. Well, at any rate, this is from the first Stax/Volt collection, coming at the very end of the Atlantic run (this is actually the last track from that set).

Five Songs, 6/25/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 26 Jun 2017 04:19:48 +0000

Some unrepresentative tracks today. I’m always tempted to link out to other songs for bands, but I usually restrain myself, telling myself that they’ll come up again. This is probably a dumb policy! Music is over here.

The Dillinger Escape Plan, “*#..”

This track, with the ominous intro and escalating drums, is really designed to lead into the ferocious “Destro’s Secret”. Standalone, like this, it’s all foreplay and no climax. Oh well.

Five Songs, 6/24/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 25 Jun 2017 07:05:36 +0000

I think it’s been a bit since I’ve mentioned tools, so I’ll bring them up. The key thing I’ve been using to upload music is this MP3 to FLV converter. There are a bunch out there, but the others I’ve tried have been flaky or slow. This one has the tremendous advantage of pulling the cover art from the tags on the MP3, which saves a step of finding separate cover art. It also has the advantage of not being flaky or slow.

Five Songs, 6/23/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 23 Jun 2017 16:58:53 +0000

I’ve been rumbled! If you look at my YouTube profile, you can often see the playlists for upcoming days, because I’ll write some of these ahead of time. It’s the only way to make sure I reliably have stuff on the weekend, for instance. I figure, hey, it’s not like these things are timely. WHAT ABOUT THAT CURRENT EVENT I TOTALLY KNOW ABOUT, HUH?

Oh, right, music.

Run the Jewels, “MEOWRLY (BOOTS Remix)”

Run the Jewels are, after Kendrick Lamar, my favorite rap artists working today. All three of their proper albums (and, in fact, Killer Mike’s R.A.P. Music which was more or less Run the Jewels 0) are amazing. Meow the Jewels is not, however, on that list of proper albums.

Five Songs, 6/22/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 22 Jun 2017 20:25:51 +0000

Will we get a repeat artist again? I’d figure out the odds, but seriously, nobody has time for that. Will we get five songs? PROBABLY!

Mr. Lif, “The Unorthodox”

Boston MC Mr. Lif was one of the highlights of the early 2000s rap underground, along with others like Edan, who collaborated on this release, Emergency Rations. Concentrating on political and social commentary at a time when that was pretty rare, Mr. Lif was a breath of fresh air. After a long hiatus, he returned last year with another strong album and EP, which was a welcome development. I’d start with I Phantom for a first record, but he’s been strong all throughout.

Five Songs, 6/21/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 21 Jun 2017 22:56:30 +0000

More news about Fox in the Forest: official street date is July 19th! I’m so excited! Let’s listen to music!

Public Enemy, “I Stand Accused”

There’s always been a paranoid streak going through Public Enemy’s music, reflected in the claustrophobic beats and siege mentality lyrics. It goes back all the way to their first album, and certainly hasn’t eased off with later work. This is from the uneven Muse Sick-n-Hour Mess Age, an album rife with that paranoid feel, and which at least still had Chuck sounding authoritative in his rhymes.

Five Songs, 6/20/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 21 Jun 2017 00:15:19 +0000

Final rules are available for Fox in the Forest, if anybody wants to check them out. Reviews have started coming in and they’re very positive so far. I’m sure I’ll get clobbered soon, but it feels good right now.

Oh, you came for music?

Steady Earnest, “Wear You To The Ball”

Steady Ernest is a side project of an assortment of Boston-area area ska musicians, most notably Dan Vitale of Bim Skala Bim on vocals. Overall, with Vitale’s involvement, it sounds a lot like Bim Skala Bim - pretty straightforward ska patterned after two-tone bands like The Specials. I think Bim Skala Bim is great, and Steady Earnest is where you go after you’ve gone through their discography. Out Of Line is the album to start with for this band.

Five Songs, 6/19/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 19 Jun 2017 22:56:39 +0000

This is ostensibly a game blog still, so I’ll just mention that copies of Fox in the Forest are in people’s hands! We had a limited number available for sale at Origins, and people seem pleased so far. And by people, I mean my friends who have played it. Still, it’s a good start! Here’s today’s music. For the first time ever, every entry has a “previously” associated with it.

The Wedding Present, “Don’t Be So Hard”

The Wedding Present arrived as a more-or-less fully formed band, with all the frenetic pop and downbeat lyrics that would be their signature for years. This song is from their first album, George Best, which is fantastic. I first encountered it when a listener made a request on my radio show, and I picked a track randomly to play. I loved it instantly.

Five Songs, 6/18/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 19 Jun 2017 01:17:43 +0000

Quite a mixed bag today, with a smattering of electronics, a weird-ass rock band, and one of the foundations of funk. Sounds pretty good, right?

Diamond Fist Werny, “Fountain Head”

A Seattle band that got going in the early 90s, but not playing what you think. In particular, one of the founders played the bass clarinet, which is not an especially grunge instrument, let’s be honest. As you can hear on this song, they also added electronics to their sound as time went on.

Five Songs, 6/17/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 19 Jun 2017 01:17:26 +0000

Back in those music salt mines, bringing you more sparkling treats!

(NB: the last track is only on Bandcamp - I didn’t upload it to Youtube, because that seemed kind of dodgy.)

Conlon Nancarrow, “Study No. 2a”

Nancarrow is one of the most avant-garde artists in my entire collection. An American who fled the US fearing persecution as a result of his activities in the Spanish Civil War, he lived in isolation in Mexico. While there, he took to composing for the player piano, which enabled him to create incredibly complex compositions that a human player wouldn’t be able to perform. Many of his compositions strike you as alien when you listen to them, because he was able to create so many layers and strange patterns within his work. A bunch of his works were collected into a single volume, Studies For Player Piano, Vols. 1-5, which is what I have. I used to play his stuff on the air at WRCT occasionally, when I felt like my audience needed to be weirded out a little bit.

Five Songs, 6/16/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 16 Jun 2017 20:32:01 +0000

Just narrowly missed “Buffalo Soldier”, as played on a xylophone today. Dodged that bullet! Here’s what we do have today.

Taylor Swift, “Style”

I try to not be totally ignorant of current pop music, but let’s be honest: I usually am pretty ignorant. Every now and again, though, I’ll just pick up an album that’s been getting really good reviews, and I’ll often enjoy it as a break from the usual grim frowny stuff we typically have around here. All of which is a long way of saying that, yeah, this album is pretty good.

Five Songs, 6/15/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 15 Jun 2017 21:45:18 +0000

From noise nonsense to gangsta rap to classic soul, we’ve got you covered today!

OK, it’s just those three genres.

Sightings, “Chili Dog”

I originally mistyped this as “Chill Dog”, which is a title I like better. I like it when dogs are chill.

Sightings are an electronic rock-ish trio creating waves of noise on top of often primitive songs. It’s all designed to be difficult to listen to and punishing, and really needs to catch me in the right mood.

Five Songs, 6/14/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 14 Jun 2017 20:42:47 +0000

Queens of the Stone Age have released a trailer for their next record. I’m excited! Mark Ronson produced it, which might be really interesting. Here’s today’s tunes.

Helms Alee, “Revel!”

Could have sworn we had Helms Alee in here earlier, but the index says no, and I trust it. Helms Alee are a Seattle noise rock band, playing a sludgy and yet still poppy kind of heavy music with fun vocal harmonies. I’d recommend everything they’ve done, with Stillicide being my favorite of the lot. This comes from Weatherhead, put out by the gone and lamented Hydra Head Records.

Five Songs, 6/13/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 13 Jun 2017 20:56:52 +0000

No intro today, just tunes.

De La Soul, “Jenifa Taught Me (Derwin’s Revenge)”

I remember being pretty baffled by a lot of the slang that De La Soul used on Three Feet High and Rising. This is mainly because I was a sheltered 14-year-old boy living in Spokane, and the internet didn’t exist to sort things out for me (or misinform me, to be fair). I worked out the general gist of a fair bit of it, and it never really bothered me or stopped me from listening to the music, but I was nevertheless baffled. I think it was an album designed to baffle folks.

Five Songs, 6/12/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 12 Jun 2017 22:29:14 +0000

Prompted by it coming up during an off-blog shuffle, at some point The Beatles are going to come up here. I have all their albums, after all. Can you even find them on YouTube? I don’t know, I guess I’ll find out. Today is not that day, though.

Agalloch, “…And The Great Cold Death of the Earth”

At some point, black metal experiments with enough other instrumentation and flirts with folk enough that it really stops being metal, doesn’t it? Agalloch sort of sets out to answer that question, with this track being a good example. There’s really not a whole lot that ties it to black metal, but the band is still considered to be at least adjacent to that community. Part of it is the themes that Agalloch writes about, which are similar to some of the things explored by black metal bands. But if you played this for just somebody random who is knowledgable about music, it would be a while before they came up with black metal as a descriptor.

Five Songs, 6/11/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 12 Jun 2017 06:08:06 +0000

Fun set of songs today, with some obscure but worthy music popping up. Listen in, won’t you?

Gob, “Censorshit”

More pop-punk out of Vancouver from the 90s! Yes, this is basically the same stuff you’ve heard before, even several times during this column. I don’t care, I like it! As with most punk bands that are trading mostly on energy, the first Gob record is the best (Too Late, No Friends in this case).

Five Songs, 6/10/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 11 Jun 2017 03:46:31 +0000

Will I figure out how to schedule posts for this, a Saturday post written ahead of time? Probably not! At least music doesn’t really expire.

Ice Cube, “Record Company Pimpin'”

At his peak, Ice Cube was the best. Lyrical content aside, his rhymes were amazing, and his first three solo albums (and the Kill At Will EP) are all essentials. Things fell off pretty fast for Cube, though, with essentially everything from Lethal Injection on being skippable. This is a late-period track, with an interesting message, but is otherwise a pedestrian song.

Five Songs, 6/9/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 09 Jun 2017 18:32:40 +0000

I’m considering doing the occasional “Five Songs Special”, where I choose an artist I love and pick five songs from them that best tell that artist’s story. Good idea? Bad? Totally fail to let me know! Today’s music is over here.

Another note: when we have an artist that has appeared before, I’m going to skip basic background stuff. I think that makes sense, because I provide the “previously” links if anybody jumps into the middle and wants to know more about an artist.

Five Songs, 6/8/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 08 Jun 2017 16:40:28 +0000

If I’m counting this right, this is number 50 for these articles. Not bad! Now then, let’s do some math, that means…250 songs? Except, of course, there are two extra tracks in there due to the Dillinger Four being unpostable on Youtube. So, 252 tracks! NICE ROUND NUMBER. Here’s today’s tunes.

Black Tusk, “Walk Among The Sky”

Out of Savannah, Georgia, Black Tusk play a murky take on stoner metal which isn’t dissimilar from fellow Georgians Baroness. As always with all of this sort of music, it’s all about the riffs, and this record has them in spades.

Five Songs, 6/7/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 07 Jun 2017 18:40:59 +0000

Time to check in on analytics. It says here I’m consistently above 10 people a day. Not bad! If you’re one of those 10 people, feel free to let me know down below. Or not, it’s cool, I love talking about music to myself. Speaking of music…

Built to Spill, “The Weather”

The closer for Ancient Melodies of the Future, this almost sounds more like a Belle and Sebastian song at times instead of a Built to Spill song. Compared to monumental closers like “Broken Chairs” or “Untrustable Pt. 2”, this song comes off as limp. In fact, the lack of epics like those two songs are one of the reasons Ancient Melodies is not as great as the preceding albums.

Five Songs, 6/6/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 06 Jun 2017 18:55:07 +0000

It’s D-Day! Let’s listen to music!

Samiam, “You Looking At Me”

Bay Area pop-punk that was part of that lively scene, best known for producing Green Day. At their best, during the Billy/Clumsy/You Are Freaking Me Out peak, they wrote great anthem-like songs that were just flat out fun to listen to. This is a song from their first album, before they were really fully polished, but you can hear their later potential.

Five Songs, 6/5/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 05 Jun 2017 21:56:07 +0000

Sorry I get sloppy on the weekends sometimes. I need to figure out the automated post capability on this thing. Or, not. Nobody looking through the archive is ever going to notice! And nobody is going to look at the archive! Whatever, here’s some songs.

Superchunk, “Not Tomorrow”

The attributes that made Superchunk one of the truly great bands were all present on the debut album. The catchiness, the energy, the tight songs, and the sheer fun were all there, and showed what the band would turn into. But it’s all just a little sloppier, and a little muddier, and just not quite firing on all cylinders yet. The next album would be the big step up, but the debut album is still a worthy listen.

Five Songs, 6/4/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 05 Jun 2017 17:03:41 +0000

I recognize that saying you listen to everything is kind of a lame move. It’s a refusal to put a stake in the ground and express your preferences, and mostly seems to be used by people who aren’t really that into music. What this project really brings home, though, is I really am kind of into everything. I feel good about that. Today’s tunes!

Kool and the Gang, “Jungle Boogie”

If you’re my age, there’s a good chance the first thing you think of when somebody says “Kool and the Gang” is “Celebration”. And that’s a damn shame, because for years, Kool and the Gang were an amazing funk band. Records like Live at PJ’s, Spirit of the Boogie, and this one, Wild and Peaceful, were just filled with incredible tunes. This song is actually the one that really brought Kool and the Gang to my attention, as it was used in Pulp Fiction, and I had to figure out what it is. It took some time before I could find some of their albums, but it was worth the wait.

Five Songs, 6/3/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 04 Jun 2017 06:59:45 +0000

As certain part of me wonders what I’m doing with these descriptions. Should I ramble about whatever? Talk about the artists? Historical context? Recommendations? I have no idea. Well, here’s some more dancing about architecture.

We just dodged a super long rap skit, by the way.

R.L. Burnside, “Alice Mae”

Longtime blues guitarist Burnside didn’t really start getting much attention until the early 90s, when his albums first started appearing on Fat Possum Records, despite playing since the 60s. I first noticed him when he worked with Jon Spencer for A Ass Pocket O’ Whiskey, which is where this track comes from. If you like Jon Spencer, then this is an easy buy.

Five Songs, 6/2/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 02 Jun 2017 16:30:02 +0000

I think there’s something goofy about the shuffle algorithm they’re using at Amazon. I’ve seen it pick the same song from the same band multiple times, and for now, I’m treating that as a glitch and reloading things. I don’t consider that cheating. I have to bring you all novel stuff!

Forest Swords, “Panic”

Hey, something pretty new! This was released less than a month ago. Forest Swords makes atmospheric music that invariably sounds like a soundtrack pretty much at all times. I haven’t had that much time to delve too deeply into this new album yet, but I like what I hear so far. The horn at the end of this song in particular sounds great.

Five Songs, 6/1/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 01 Jun 2017 23:44:13 +0000

Should I re-think the policy of putting in Bandcamp links instead of the Youtube videos? It occurs to me that maybe I should put in both? I dunno. Feel free to let me know down below or on Twitter. Or email, because frankly, anybody reading this probably has my email. Today’s tunes are here, by the way.

Mudhoney, “Inside Out Over You”

Mudhoney was grunge. Nirvana might have been the band that everybody knew, but it was Mudhoney that really laid down the template for the scene. Fuzzed out and beer soaked, they combined elements of punk, metal, and garage rock to form the sound that would come to define Seattle music in the early 90s, and indeed much of rock music. Not only that, but the extended Mudhoney family tree includes other huge Pacific Northwest bands - Mark Arm and Steve Turner were in Green River with Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament (Pearl Jam), and Matt Lukin was in the Melvins, to choose two examples.

Five Songs, 5/31/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 31 May 2017 17:10:58 +0000

I didn’t quite make it all the way through May without missing a day. I didn’t put anything up for 5/7, and I kind of wish I’d managed to hit every day. Well, June is coming up, and maybe I can nail every day in that month! As always, there’s music around here.

MU330, “Around You”

At this point, third-wave ska band MU330 has to be the most obscure band that’s been on here three times. It’s pretty funny, I haven’t listened to most of this stuff for a long time, but it’s all come right back to me upon listening again. I can still whistle a fair number of the horn lines. And for that, I’m sorry for anybody near me.

Five Songs, 5/30/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 30 May 2017 18:05:47 +0000

Back from the holiday weekend, let’s see what kicks off the work week for me!

Minor Threat, “It Follows”

Our first Ian MacKaye track! I don’t think it’s any big secret that Fugazi is my favorite band (says the guy who has a daughter with the middle name “MacKaye”), but Minor Threat is obviously great as well. Originators of the entire straight edge scene (“don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t fuck”), and hardcore punk pioneers, Minor Threat inspired so many earnest young people to start bands and make a racket. For that alone, they should be commended. They only put out one album and an assortment of singles, and they’re all collected on Complete Discography, which is an essential release if you’re into punk at all. I kind of want to stop here and just listen to this whole album. But I won’t, because I’m a pro.

Five Songs, 5/29/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 29 May 2017 20:01:47 +0000

Memorial Day! We here at Five Songs Multinational Holdings never sleep in order to bring you the freshest beats and finest jams.

Diamond District, “Intro”

The times when I’m most tempted to cheat at this is when shuffle pulls up a skit, or an intro, or something like this. This is, um, an intro to the excellent In The Ruff by the throwback hip-hop group Diamond District. Maybe they’ll come up again soon!

Five Songs, 5/28/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 29 May 2017 20:01:34 +0000

I continue to love this project for digging up things that I just forget to listen to. I should really just devote a certain percentage of my listening to shuffle all the time. Like, maybe a few songs a day? Five sound good to anybody? Music ahoy!

The Housemartins, “Step Outside”

Jangly pop band from Hull, the Housemartins played beautiful songs, driven by Paul Heaton’s singing. They especially were known for witty, often sarcastic lyrics, as well as their leftist politics. They released two proper albums, both fantastic, and later had a singles/rarities collection, Now That’s What I Call Quite Good, which is where this song comes from. I recommend all three records heartily. Paul Heaton would go on to form the Beautiful South, whose first album stands with the Housemartins albums, and Norman Cook would later be known as Fatboy Slim.

Five Songs, 5/27/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 28 May 2017 04:28:30 +0000

I’m not sure anybody cares about milestones, but I’ve now been doing this thing for more than a month. And it’s still fun! According to analytics, I’ve had 91 different visitors for the past week, which is actually pretty cool. If anybody out there is reading, feel free to leave a comment! Here’s what you came for!

Foetus, “Take It Outside Godboy”

We last encountered J.G. Thirlwell in one of his side project guises, Wiseblood. Here, we encounter his main project. First, a quick note on band names. For a fair bit of his career, he actually changed the name of the band frequently, although it always had “Foetus” in the name somewhere (“Foetus Interruptus”, “Scraping Foetus Off The Wheel”, etc). At some point, around the release of Flow or so, he knocked it off, acknowledging that everybody just called the band Foetus anyway. Oh, and the “proper” Foetus albums are all four-letter words for the names.

Five Songs, 5/26/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 26 May 2017 17:00:48 +0000

No intro today, straight to the tunes!

Propagandhi, “Utter Crap Song”

Propagandhi, avowed anti-capitalists and purveyors of radical left-wing politics, played catchy punk with lyrics that were largely polemics. But they made things work, and their best albums (largely their first two records) didn’t let the propaganda totally take over the proceedings. This song is from a compilation of singles, Where Quantity is Job #1, which is as uneven as most singles comps are.

Five Songs, 5/25/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 26 May 2017 00:46:37 +0000

I’m excited to see what comes up today! After yesterday’s contrasts, what twists and turns can we expect?

Toots & the Maytals, “Reggae Got Soul”

One of the great bands of the first wave of ska, Toots and the Maytals delivered some of the most memorable songs of that period, including the oft-covered and incredible “Pressure Drop”. Toots Hibbert is also credited with coming up with the term “reggae”. Like a lot of his peers, his discography can be a little confusing to follow, as a lot of his stuff was spread out across a bunch of places and there are innumerable compilations that you can find, with overlapping track lists. The Very Best of Toots & the Maytals is an excellent compilation as a starting point, though.

Five Songs, 5/24/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 24 May 2017 20:20:14 +0000

Today’s entry is probably the most divided one we’ve ever had. Two songs of pure pop (separated by over 40 years), two disparate slabs of uncompromising noise, and one song of old, yet futuristic sounding hip hop. That’s the stuff.

Lily Allen, “Him”

Lily Allen’s first album, Alright, Still is thoroughly charming, pure pop delivered with wit and tons of catchy songs. One of those albums that’s hard not smile your way all the way through. Her followup album shares at least some of those same attributes, but I never found it as bouncy or memorable as the first record.

Five Songs, 5/23/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 23 May 2017 16:46:38 +0000

We have another Bandcamp embed here, so the YouTube playlist only has four songs instead of the usual five. I assume you’ll all survive.

YACHT, “The Denver Nuggets”

Whimsical electronic music, sounding here like nothing so much as a video game song. I used to keep a list of albums to check out in a document that I carried around in various electronic devices (Palm OS represent!), and sometimes albums would make their way onto it and stay for a really long time until I found them. This was before most everything was instantly available digitally. I remember Y.A.C.H.T. getting on that list and staying there for so long that I couldn’t remember why they were on there or what they purportedly sounded like. I was somewhat nonplussed upon finally finding the record at the old Easy Street Records in lower Queen Anne.

Five Songs, 5/22/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 22 May 2017 21:48:29 +0000

Back from a hectic weekend, with camping and a charity gaming tournament, where we collectively raised more than $110K for Treehouse. Which is amazing! I think the antidote will be some nice, calming songs.

(get ready for five songs of extreme metal)

Dead Rider, “The Blue Flame”

An experimental rock band started after the end of US Maple by Todd Rittman. US Maple was dedicated to deconstructing rock as far as it would go and still have it be rock music, and Dead Rider retains some of that sensibility. They also feature a saxophone, a relative rarity among bands these days. I would say, if you’ve gone through US Maple’s discography and still want more, this band is a good place to move to.

Five Songs, 5/21/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 22 May 2017 01:52:27 +0000

When this posts, I’ll be at the charity gaming tournament The Gauntlet, probably losing at Caylus and Ponzi Scheme. Should be a good time! While it’s too late to donate to my team, it’s never too late to donate to the fine folks at Treehouse. Here’s today’s playlist.

Crystalized Movements, “By Unseen Hands”

Psychedelic noise band Crystalized Movements was mostly Wayne Rogers, seeing how far guitar noise could take him. By the time they hit their last album, Revelations From Pandemonium, they were at the top of their form. At the time, I remember thinking that that album was the best record of 1994, a year that included amazing albums from Drive Like Jehu, Portishead, Nas, Jawbox, Jawbreaker, the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, and Green Day, among others. I wouldn’t hold that opinion today, probably taking the Nas record first, but it still says something. This track is from an earlier album, where you can hear that psych/pop/noise aesthetic really starting to coalesce.

Five Songs, 5/19/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 19 May 2017 16:08:25 +0000

Post-rock, rap, stoner rock, whatever the hell the Flaming Lips are…this is a good cross-section of the kind of music I listen to. Check it out!

M83, “Let Men Burn Stars”

Fitting alongside bands like Godspeed You Black Emperor in the “post-rock” bucket, M83 plays mostly instrumental music that always sounds like the soundtrack to something. In some ways, this stuff is kind of shameless emotional manipulation, but if you just ignore that and let yourself be manipulated, it can be fun. This is a bit of a throwaway track, though.

Five Songs, 5/20/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 19 May 2017 16:08:00 +0000

Without fanfare, I’ve been doing this more than a month now. I think I’ve missed two days. Not bad! I think I’ll keep going for now, I’m still having fun. Here’s today’s music!

The Couch of Eureka, “I Got The Boom”

This is a track from a Lookout Records sampler called Heide Says, released in 1996. Despite being on Lookout, this sounds more like a song from a Dischord band than the typical pop punk of Lookout. I actually like this track a fair bit, and don’t really remembering noticing it when I got this sampler.

Five Songs, 5/18/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 18 May 2017 17:53:26 +0000

Yesterday, I actually briefly had six songs in the post. I only discovered it when I was going to put the entries in the index. I have one job! I only need one hand to count! Anywhere, here’s today’s random count of songs (hopefully five!).

Preston School of Industry, “History of the River”

When Pavement broke up, Stephen Malkmus went solo (later adding a backing band called The Jicks), and Scott “Spiral Stairs” Kannberg founded Preston School of Industry. He put out two records under that name, neither reaching anywhere near the heights of Pavement (but, to be fair, neither has Malkmus). They’re both decent records, but they’re missing the spark that really elevated Pavement.

Five Songs, 5/17/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 17 May 2017 17:26:58 +0000

In most of these playlists, I try and find the actual version of the song I’m listening to. But, if I can’t find it exactly, I’ll go with something close, because I don’t think it’s necessarily that important that it matches exactly, and I don’t want to go through the hassle of uploading if I don’t have to. I hope that’s OK with folks! Here’s today’s playlist, which does feature one of those “close enough” tracks.

Five Songs, 5/16/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 16 May 2017 17:43:08 +0000

Would anybody be interested in weekly summaries, or merged playlists of this stuff, or a “best of” thing periodically? I’m not sure if I want to do it or not, but it might be interesting. I’m also unsure if people want me to throw in random related songs onto these playlists or not. As always, I await your deafening silence down below. Accompany that silence with some tunes!

Ooh, we had our first repeated song today! MU330’s “Tune Me Out” showed up again. I’m going to skip it, because repeating songs is not what this project is about.

Five Songs, 5/15/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 15 May 2017 21:00:24 +0000

I’ve made the decision to try and just embed Bandcamp stuff directly here, in cases where the track isn’t easily available on YouTube. I could upload it, but since Bandcamp embeds well, I think this will work fine. Let me know if that’s too big a hassle! Your playlist today (but note, Kröwnn is down below!)

Kröwnn, “For the Throne of Fire”

Any metal track that begins with a quote from the Conan movie is really leaning into the camp. And this track sounds exactly like you’d expect a metal track starting with a Conan quote to sound. It’s pretty much just overt Black Sabbath worship. I mean, come on, the band is called “Kröwnn”. The proper place to be writing about this band is on the side of a van. I mean, look at that album cover! There’s a wizard on it!

Five Songs, 5/14/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 15 May 2017 05:54:42 +0000

Driving on through Sunday! Even though I’m actually writing this on Friday! Time is confusing! Music is forever!

Einstürzende Neubauten, “Trinklied”

We haven’t hit Neubauten proper yet, although we did encounter Alexandre Hacke with his work with The Unsemble. Einstürzende Neubauten (literally, “collapsing new buildings”) is sort of the prototypical industrial band, as opposed to industrial dance. They make use of noise, atypical percussion, and the sounds of industry to make challenging music. Early in their career, it was about noise and chaos. Towards their mid-period, there was a steer towards more recognizable rhythms and even, yes, some danceable stuff. Later on, things moved more towards ambient compositions. Always, though, their music and art has had an edge, and they’ve always been one of the most interesting bands working. They even did crowdfunding way before the crowd did, way back in 2002.

Five Songs, 5/13/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 14 May 2017 05:14:08 +0000

I think we’re on a streak here, with another strong collection of songs for this entry. Take a listen and see if you agree.

Willie Nelson, “Undo The Right”

This is from Crazy: The Demo Sessions, a compilation of very early demos of Nelson performing a bunch of his songs, some of which ended up becoming very famous. “Crazy” as recorded by Patsy Cline, for instance. The songs on this album are all pretty spare arrangements, mostly just Nelson and his guitar. I’m far from a Nelson expert, so I have no real pointers on where to go with his discography, but this album is very good. Makes for a disorienting duet when you have two copies of the song going at once, though.

Five Songs, 5/12/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 12 May 2017 17:25:29 +0000

See, this batch of tunes is a good example of the kind of thing I wanted. Obscure Seattle ska band! Old-ass straight edge hardcore! More of that stuff! Here’s your eclectic bunch of tunes for today.

Easy Big Fella, “Joey & Ranma”

The third wave of ska even reached Seattle. There aren’t really any bands other than Easy Big Fella that I listened to back in the day that were part of that scene here, but they were a good one. The last two albums in particular, Eat At Joey’s and Tasty Bits and Spicy Flicks (both on Moon Ska) were very strong, and good examples of what the third wave could do well when it was on.

Five Songs, 5/11/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 11 May 2017 17:35:34 +0000

Just in case anybody is curious, I’ve started using ToVid to upload songs to YouTube. It seems to work with a minimum of hassle, the only drawback being that I sometimes need to convert songs to MP3 before uploading them. For that job, media.io seems to work pretty well. Between the two of them, it means I don’t really need to do very much to get things uploaded. As for today, let’s hope today’s songs are a better bunch than yesterday.

Five Songs, 5/10/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 10 May 2017 17:54:00 +0000

Hey! There’s an index to these things, meticulously maintained. I’m going to periodically mention it here, because these intros are dumb and why am I still typing I could just say here’s the music and you’d all be happier if any of you existed that is…

By the way, shout out to the song “!!!!!!!” by the Roots for being one of my most listened songs, simply by being virtue of the first song in my entire list. I hear it whenever I forget to switch on shuffle.

Five Songs, 5/9/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 09 May 2017 22:05:09 +0000

I listened to yesterday’s songs again with Megan on the couch, and it was kind of a lackluster set. Not that some of those artists haven’t done good things, but it sure didn’t hang together. I guess that’s the hazard of this thing, but here’s hoping today’s songs rock!

Oh, I’ve also added a tasty treat to the front of the playlist today for those that don’t follow me on Twitter. LINK! HE COME TO TOWN!

Five Songs, 5/8/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 08 May 2017 19:28:17 +0000

Five Songs International took a break yesterday, which is going to happen occasionally. I’m going to try to never miss two days in a row, but I’m sure that’ll happen as well. But I’m back today with some new tunes!

Ulver, “The Spirits That Lend Strength Are Invisible”

From black metal beginnings, Ulver has wandered around unpredictably among various styles, with seemingly the only thing tying some of them together is a penchant for drama. This piece, from Atgclvlsscap (and yes, I had to cut and paste that), finds the band working in an ambient mode, obviously far away from the black metal thunder of their origins.

Five Songs, 5/6/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 07 May 2017 05:38:49 +0000

This is the first time I’ve written one of these entries not listening on headphones. Instead, I’m pumping out the jams from my laptop while sitting on the couch next to Megan. Nobody cares, Josh! Get to the music!

De La Soul, “Snoopies (featuring David Byrne)”

As I mentioned in the first entry on They Might Be Giants, De La Soul is probably the only band that I’ve been listening to longer than TMBG. I bought Three Feet High and Rising on the strength of being blown away by “Say No Go”, and I haven’t ever stopped listening to them. While they’ve had some ups and downs (the two Bionix albums being the major downs), every De La Soul record release has been an event for me. Their most recent record was an even bigger departure than usual: they crowdfunded it on Kickstarter, and decided to use a pretty novel method of making it. They brought a band into the studio, recorded them playing a wide variety of stuff, and then used that work as a basis for their sampling to make beats. Thus, they didn’t need to clear any samples: they were only sampling themselves. The results are interesting, and worth looking into.

Five Songs, 5/5/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 05 May 2017 21:10:04 +0000

When I started doing this, my only real hope was to find and remember some great music from the dusty corners of my own collection, and maybe help somebody else discover a new favorite. Well, mission accomplished on the second point! Feels pretty good. Here’s today’s stuff, maybe you’ll find a new favorite too?

The Blue Meanies, “Camaro Man”

You know what would make ska punk better? A bar band vibe! At least, that’s the conclusion the Blue Meanies reached before recording this song. Also, note that there’s so very little ska left in this track that coming into it cold, you’d never guess that this is ostensibly a ska punk band. I’m moving on.

Five Songs, 5/4/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 04 May 2017 16:46:50 +0000

Sorry about six songs yesterday. I don’t know what I was thinking! I was intoxicated with power, I guess. It won’t happen again! At least, until next time. Y’all just missed “Cop” by Swans here, by the way. I’m sure they’ll be back soon, though. In the meantime, enjoy today’s selection.

They Might Be Giants, “Stuff is Way”

I divide They Might Be Giants into five eras: pre-Elektra, the Elektra years, post-Elektra, the kid album years, and the current era. Note that even during the kid album years, they put out a couple of non-kid albums (2004’s The Spine and 2007’s The Else), so things aren’t really that neatly divided here. But, personally, I saw something of a creative renaissance after those years of mostly kid records (which are mostly very good, by the way), starting with 2011’s Join Us and continuing to the album this song is from, 2013’s Nanobots. If you fell off the TMBG train a couple decades ago, those two records are something to look into.

Five Songs, 5/3/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 03 May 2017 20:36:09 +0000

Just wall-to-wall rock today, except for the bonus track. These things are going to happen! On another note, I stuck in some analytics to see how many of you are reading this. Something like a dozen. Not bad! As always, listen along with me, won’t you?

An admin note: the Dillinger Four track has been excised from YouTube on copyright grounds before, and when I tried to upload it, they rejected it again. Because of that, I’ve done a sixth song here, so there’s still five in the playlist.

Five Songs, 5/2/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 02 May 2017 17:37:41 +0000

New arrival at Five Songs Manor is Engravings by Forest Swords, a record I found by reading the upcoming releases for May and wondering about the new record coming. So far, it’s really interesting, although I have to pause it for now to write about some songs. These songs, specifically.

Common Market, “Back Home (The Return)”

This is a Seattle rap group featuring Sabzi (of The Blue Scholars) and RA Scion on the mic. If you’ve heard the Blue Scholars, you’re familiar with Sabzi’s beats, and if you haven’t, you should fix that. At any rate, you’re likely to equally enjoy both groups. Since I like Sabzi’s work, I like this album a lot. I particularly like the piano on this track. And, as always, I’m always a sucker for artists repping the 206.

Five Songs, 5/1/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 01 May 2017 18:30:22 +0000

A new month for Five Songs! How long will this keep going? I don’t know, but I’ve managed to get past the first couple weeks just fine, so maybe this has some legs. This entry also has a playlist.

Oh man, we just miseed Steel Pole Bath Tub’s “Train to Miami” for this collection. Ugh, such a good song. But rules are rules!

NoFX, “Mean People Suck”

NoFX delivering a super sophisticated message with this song, which can be summed up as “mean people suck”. The breathtaking nuance they display here would be a hallmark of their punk career. Anyway, NoFX is one of those immutable yardsticks of music, a benchmark that you can use to explain other bands. “Yeah, they’re like NoFX crossed with…” or “they sort of sound like NoFX, only they…”. That sort of thing.

Five Songs, 4/30/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 01 May 2017 07:22:46 +0000

You know what I should do in these intros? I should probably just mention new music I’ve picked up recently. christian fitness has a new record that I just picked up, and it’s good so far. And I bought the new album from Nightbringer, a black metal album that I’m looking forward to diving into.

As always, we have today’s songs!

Cypress Hill, “Valley of Chrome”

When they first started out, Cypress Hill was something really strange, with super squeaky beats based around dusty jazz samples and the odd nasal flows of B Real. The first two Cypress Hill records are unique and a lot of fun, although, um, fairly limited lyrical content. By the time we hit this, their fifth album, they were really kind of on fumes. This was a double album, with one rap record, and the other being a rock crossover. It didn’t exactly go well. Rap/rock crossovers seldom do. The rap disc is better, but still won’t make you forget the first two albums. This song, needless to say, is from the rock one.

Five Songs, 4/29/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 30 Apr 2017 04:02:19 +0000

A peek behind the curtains here at Five Songs International (a subsidiary of Songsanto): I sometimes write these things ahead of time. Like the weekend ones are usually paved out ahead of time. Still the same rules, though: I pick a time, start shuffle, and write about those five songs. But, in order to keep the flow of quality (?) stuff flowing, sometimes they’re not written on the day that they’re posted. Like, for instance, this was written on Friday while I ate lunch. Doesn’t make the songs any less good (or bad? I don’t know yet!).

Five Songs, 4/28/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 28 Apr 2017 16:45:34 +0000

After I kept shuffle on yesterday, I got Silkworm, Mono Puff, The Roots - lots of bands I wanted to talk about. It can be agonizing letting stuff like that go away, but rules are rules. Without rules, this whole thing just becomes “Josh writes about music however he wants” and then I’ll probably stop doing it. And then ones of people will be deprived of this scintillating work!

Up in the sky! It’s a playlist!

Five Songs, 4/27/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 27 Apr 2017 18:00:12 +0000

I’m going to have to make myself an index of these bands in order to keep linking back to previous entries, but I suspect I’ll be happy to have done that in the end.

Look out! Behind you! It’s a playlist!

Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band, “Laventille Road March”

The Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band is a side-project/alter ego of The Mighty Mocambos, a funk group from Germany. For this album, the band has added steel drums to the arrangements as a lead instrument, giving the whole enterprise a pretty unique feel, while still very much being instrumental funk. It’s a fun project, and works better than it probably has any right to. This album is about half covers and half originals, and is recommended for anybody wanting more funk in their lives.

Five Songs, 4/26/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 26 Apr 2017 17:48:48 +0000

The Wedding Present was great last night! Nice mix of older material and newer stuff, including playing “Dalliance” (included on the playlist), one of the great songs about longing ever.

We have music sign!

Knxwledge, “onlijournitro”

This is from yet another DJ album, with this one being basically just a collection of beats. Some of them are quite good, they’re mostly pretty short, and this overall feels like more of a collection of ideas than a coherent work. They’re actually pretty ideal to pop up in a shuffle format, honestly.

Five Songs, 4/25/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 25 Apr 2017 16:24:30 +0000

I’m going to see The Wedding Present tonight! I’m super excited, I haven’t been to a show in a bit, and they’ve been a favorite band for a long time. I’m super tempted to break my own rules to have them come up, but no, I’ll behave! If you’re behaving, you’ll throw on some tunes! Kick out the jams, Google! (Google has never kicked out any jams.)

RJD2, “The Horror”

Here we encounter another artist that is probably most famous for something other than their albums. In this case RJD2 composed the theme for “Mad Men”, which isn’t a bad encapsulation of his style. The track here is the opening from his outstanding debut album Deadringer, which is mostly instrumental tracks but does have some songs with guests rhyming on them. As opposed to DJ Vadim’s that we just heard, there’s personality on every track here, with a variety of moods, lots of great samples, and fun twists throughout. Too often, DJ albums can end up kind of self-indulgent, but this is one of the great ones.

Five Songs, 4/24/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 24 Apr 2017 23:37:53 +0000

Big day at Five Songs Inc.! We’re…ok, that’s a lie. It’s just me, and I’m just doing the usual. But I have music for you, so I can’t be all bad, right? Not our best playlist today, though.

Eagles of Death Metal, “Bag O’ Miracles”

Sadly, most people will only recognize the Eagles of Death Metal due to the tragic terrorist attack at their concert in Paris. EoDM is one of Josh Homme’s (Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age) side projects, playing a booze-soaked bluesy hard rock with an aggressively skanky edge to things. It’s music that really wants you to have a good time, and by god, it’s going to define “good time” for you! Truth be told, after about half an album, I’m usually done, but it’s fine in smaller doses.

Five Songs, 4/23/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 24 Apr 2017 05:06:31 +0000

I don’t know about anybody else, but I still haven’t adjusted to new releases being on Fridays. For a long, long period of my life, Tuesdays were just a little more exciting than other weekdays, because it was when new music came out. I miss that. I’m old. But I have music for you!

Craw, “Days in the Gutter/Nights in the Gutter”

Craw was an underground rock band from Cleveland playing music in the vein of bands like the Jesus Lizard, Bitch Magnet, etc. Note my delicate avoidance of the “post-hardcore” label! Note, also, that I still managed to get it in there. At any rate, despite being very plugged into that scene at the time, and even living not far away in Pittsburgh, I managed to completely miss them. However, thanks to a Kickstarter project, their three albums got reissued, and it’s great stuff. It really was a pleasure discovering a new band from that scene and suddenly having three albums of material to listen to. There’s a strong Steve Albini vibe to this track, which is OK by me!

Five Songs, 4/22/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 23 Apr 2017 06:06:36 +0000

The intro to this series has been pushed off the page, so a brief mention might be in order. I’m writing about five random songs from my collection on a daily-ish basis, and giving everybody a link to listen along. Here’s the intro to the series, and here’s the link to today’s songs.

Prefuse 73, “Tel Aviv’s Gravel Toothbrush”

Prefuse 73 is one of the names that Scott Herren records under, mixing up hip-hop influences with electronic music. He’s at his best when you’ve got stuttering bits and pieces of recognizable hip-hop running through, but broken up in strange ways. When he wanders too far from that into pure electronic stuff, he gets less interesting to me. This is a short piece from Extinguished, which is outtakes from his excellent One Word Extinguisher album. On the whole, you can see why he left this material off the main album, so this record is for completists only. Vocal Studies + Uprock Narratives and One Word Extinguisher remain the pick of the litter for him.

Five Songs, 4/21/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Fri, 21 Apr 2017 16:24:32 +0000

I hope people are listening to all of the songs that I’m posting here, including the ones that I’m suggesting are not for me. They might be for you! They might suck! Only one way to find out. Speaking of, here’s today’s playlist. Listen to it all! Or don’t. I’m not your boss.

Richard Lloyd, “Connection”

Richard Lloyd was part of Television, who made one of the all-time great punk albums, Marquee Moon, but I haven’t really paid any attention to any of his solo career. This song comes from an outstanding compilation, Ork Records: New York, New York, which Numero Group recently reissued. It’s a document of the very early New York punk scene, and I cannot recommend it highly enough if you have an interest in that whole era.

Five Songs, 4/20/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Thu, 20 Apr 2017 16:56:40 +0000

Writing these up is a little strange. In the end, it’s a way for me to tour through my music, remember assorted bands, and write down some stories for myself. It all feels pretty self-indulgent, but then again, I’m not really inconveniencing anybody. I guess I’m having fun, so that’s good enough. Links to the music? Why of course!

Skeletonwitch, “My Skin Of Deceit”

Let me just say, “Skeletonwitch” seems like the kind of name somebody would cook up just to mock metal. And the cover art! Are there be-antlered undead things screaming? YOU KNOW THERE ARE! It all seems like a parody act. Sometimes, it’s hard to tell with metal, really.

Five Songs, 4/19/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Wed, 19 Apr 2017 17:51:59 +0000

I’ve updated the blogging software on this thing, and I’m even poking around with new themes. Look at me, I’m…well, not professional exactly. Wasting my time? Yeah, let’s go with that. As is now traditional here at Five Songs Inc., you can listen along with me, if that’s something you’re into. Great set of songs this time around!

NoMeansNo, “Machine”

NoMeansNo started as a hardcore band, but unlike most of their peers, hung around for a long time and managed to evolve as they went along. Songs started stretching out more, some jazz started creeping in, and more than a little overt artiness. They were driven by the rhythm section, brothers Rob and John Wright, who were relentlessly inventive. NoMeansNo made my second favorite hardcore album ever, Wrong (two Wrights made a Wrong!), and continued with a string of strong albums including the source of this song, Why Do They Call Me Mr. Happy. I’m not sure how much people know them outside of folks living on the west coast during the late 80s/early 90s, but it’s a shame, they should have a higher profile.

Five Songs, 4/18/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Tue, 18 Apr 2017 17:09:23 +0000

I’ll often leave shuffle running for a little while after doing one of these things, and sometimes I get these fantastic runs of songs and artists that would make for some great writeups. I have a lot to say about Operation Ivy! But, alas, that would be cheating. The way I’m doing things is that I decide I’m going to write about songs, and then start up the shuffle machine to see what I get from that moment forward. No retroactive choosing of shuffle runs for me! Luckily, there’s almost always something worth talking about. Listen along with me, won’t you?

Five Songs, 4/17/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Mon, 17 Apr 2017 19:19:35 +0000

It has been pointed out that I should probably have comments enabled on this blog. I’ll see what I can do about turning those on, although fiddling around with Ghost kind of makes me want to turn myself into a ghost. In the meantime, we soldier on! As always, you can listen along here.

Ugly Duckling, “Pay or Quit”

Ugly Duckling is a bit of an odd band, a proud throwback rap group that tries to recall a percieved golden age, with the result that they seem really disconnected from other rap acts. This ends up giving them a bit of a sui generis feel, which is dumb for a band that is explicitly trying to reference and revive the past of their musical genre. Well, whatever. Expect lots of loops, trading the mic back and forth, word-play focused rhymes, and a total lack of profanity. When the formula works, it can be pretty lively, bouncy fun. When it drags, it drags painfully.

Five Songs, 4/15/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sun, 16 Apr 2017 05:13:42 +0000

It’s my birthday! Hooray! Let’s listen to some music (you can listen along here)!

Spawn of Possession, “Spiritual Deception”

Metal, as a broad genre, is one that I’ve always been perpetually coming to grips with. Despite having embraced plenty of other extreme genres - noise, hardcore, lots of experimental music of all forms - I had always held metal at arms’ length. I certainly listened to a few carefully selected bands, but I never really explored things fully. I mostly looked at many of the ridiculous trappings and endless subgenres, and kind of gave it a miss.

Five Songs, 4/14/2017

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 15 Apr 2017 06:14:53 +0000

Let’s get started! I assume everybody has read the intro, because I posted it right below, but briefly: I’m going to listen to the five random songs from my collection, link them as best I can, and write about whatever comes to mind while I’m listening. You can listen to a playlist of the songs on YouTube.

Kid Koala, “Page 165: The Date”

Aaaand we’re off to an inauspicious start. This is a little atmospheric piece, which is an accompaniment to a graphic novel, Nufonia Must Die. He’s a turntablist and electronic artist, mostly, and towards the playful end of the spectrum. There’s not much to talk about with this song withouth the graphics, so instead, I’ll just talk about how Kid Koala is one of these infuriating people who is a talented artist in multiple media. In lieu of linking to this song, which doesn’t make any sense, I’ll instead just bring your attention to another of his songs, “Nerdball”, from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome:

Five Songs Intro

jbuergel@gmail.com (Joshua Buergel) — Sat, 15 Apr 2017 00:18:00 +0000

Since nobody is reading this blog, I don’t think anybody is going to care if I branch out beyond just the game design things I’ve been posting (which nobody reads). So, today, I’m going to start a daily-ish series that will, if nothing else, provide more things for nobody to read. I’m pumped!

ConsimWorld is a gaming community that I’ve been part of for a really long time, long enough to meet several good friends. One of those good friends has a folder where we just discuss things. A frequent topic is music, and a frequent game is to list the last five songs that shuffling your music collection produces. I usually participate in that, and usually try and provide links to the songs as well as some commentary on them. I think the commentary is often mundane, is probably of interest only to me, and likely isn’t well-written. So, what am I going to do? I’m going to hoist it into visibility, where more people can be exposed to it. In the theoretical case where people actually read this, of course.