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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.