Los Fabulosos Cadillacs

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.

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!

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.

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!

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.

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.