Mudhoney

Mudhoney, “Endless Yesterday”

Mudhoney is never really going to sound mature, not with Mark Arm sounding like he does. But as they went along (this is from their seventh album), they picked up a lot of moves that make them sound so much more put together. I mean, this is pretty damn melodic for a Mudhoney tune! There’s noise here that doesn’t come from a guitar!

The Pietasters, “Freak Show”

Hey, speaking of mature, the lyrics to this are really a model for how to handle sensitive subjects carefully.

Modest Mouse, “So Much Beauty In Dirt”

This comes from the 2001 EP Everywhere and His Nasty Parlor Tricks, which in turn pulls a few songs from an earlier EP and adds a few new ones. This is from the peak Modest Mouse period, from their three album run from The Lonesome Crowded West through Good News for People Who Love Bad News, so it’s good stuff.

Mudhoney, “Here Comes Sickness”

If there’s one album I’d point to that defines grunge to me, it’s not Nirvana’s Nevermind. Sure, that’s the commercial breakthrough, but I’d instead point at Mudhoney’s first, self-titled record as really being the heart of grunge. It marries the energy of punk and the power of metal, with a certain grime that really sets the genre off. This is basically the sound that so many bands were chasing in their own way before grunge got huge and changed into sour grunting.

Hepcat, “Marcus Garvey”

Y’all, it’s ska weather right now in Seattle. It’s still sunny, but not oppressive, and some breezy tunes to go with it is just perfect. I’ve had Hepcat on while making dinner a few times recently, and it’s going down niiiice. Right On Time is my favorite record from them, but Scientific (which provides this song) is excellent as well.

Mudhoney, “Twenty Four”

Mudhoney’s singles were pretty great, kind of across the board. They’d pretty consistently turn in either bruising performances, excellent covers, or fun larks. As a result, March to Fuzz, a collection of those singles, is a very good time. The guitar tone is just all-time on this song.

The Presidents of the United States of America, “We Are Not Going To Make It”

The Presidents were viewed as a novelty act, which is kind of inescapable when your hits are things like “Lump” and “Peaches”. And, yeah, there’s a lot of breezy nonesense in Ballew’s lyrics. But there’s some genuinely charming stuff in there, some real wit, and of course, some self-deprecation like in this tune. But, more importantly, the songs themselves were crisp, memorable, and catchy, and that means that their rock/pop/punk melange is just plain fun.

Little dodgier today.

Starlight Mints, “Irene”

You know what? I remember this band being very, very Pavement-ish. Like, if you had asked me what they sounded like, I would have said something like “imagine Pavement, but shittier” or something equally facile. But, let’s face it, this isn’t Pavement-y at all! I mean, this is giving off some Robert Palmer kinda vibes here. Maybe I should listen to this album again? Maybe I should stop being a dipshit?

Meanwhile, happy birthday to me! I’m going to see what shuffle got me.

Steady Earnest, “Rumors”

From Take It! Take It! TAKE IT!, this is a great horn line in this song. I’m OK with my present so far, shuffle!

KC Bowman, “Matterhorn”

We’ve had a couple of Lawsuit songs recently, and now KC Bowman will make more sense. You can really hear the similarity in the songs (Bowman was one of the songwriters of Lawsuit). I do miss the rest of the band, but I’m happy that Bowman made another album.

Here’s today.

Mudhoney, “Beneath The Valley Of The Underdog”

A little bit of a slow burn, psychedelic number from Mudhoney here. This comes from Tomorrow Hit Today as well as appearing on the compilation March To Fuzz, which I believe I’ve sung the praises of before. I’m not going to check, as professionalism isn’t something we really go in for here at Five Songs. Which, you know, explains our love for Mudhoney.

Songs over here.

Mudhoney, “Make It Now Again”

It takes a bit for this to turn into a classic Mudhoney song, but once it gets rolling, it’s aboslutely vintage. This is from that rarities collection March to Fuzz, which really is a lot of fun.

Rogue Wave, “Publish My Love”

Underground pop band Rogue Wave kind of sound like an amalgam of about a half-dozen other underground pop bands from the early 2000s. It’s certainly well done, but it never really got me excited. I mean, I only own two albums!

This playlist is rescued by the last two tracks.

Death From Above 1979, “Black History Month (Josh Homme Remix)”

Death From Above 1979 made only one proper album during their initial run, but there was also a remix album. Which is as inessential as basically every other remix album. There is something interesting about Josh Homme doing a remix of a dance punk band’s song, but eh.

Robustos, “Nigel Thornhill”

Totally forgotten third wave ska act the Robustos had even been basically forgotten by me up until this moment.

Super late night tunes for y’all!

They Might Be Giants, “Alienation’s For The Rich”

From TMBG’s first album, when they sort of put on different musical styles more like outfits than playing them with any real conviction. The album has some real gems on it, but there are also tracks that come across as just pure goofs. The goofs wouldn’t really go away, but got more sophisticated.

MC Frontalot, “Very Poorly Concealed Secret Track”

The standard bearer of “nerdcore”, MC Frontalot will give you a good idea of if the idea of people rapping about nerd shit is something you love. I think I own one nerdcore album, this one, which probably tells you what I think.