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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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”.

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.

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!