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.

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?

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.