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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?”

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.

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.

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.