Trans Am

LCD Soundsystem, “All My Friends”

This is my favorite LCD Soundsystem song, by a fair ways, as the melancholy mood and nostalgic lens here is just kind of irresistable. And that piano, this is just such a damn jam. Please enjoy.

Trans Am, “Diabolical Cracker”

Is this, like, a sulferic Wheat Thin? Or just, you know, a cop?

The Streets, “Never Give In”

The Streets should be, maybe even are, the corniest act ever. But they’re saved by a core of sincerity at the heart of things which let them bypass all the corniness. It’s a high-wire act in the extreme, to be sure, and the vast majority of people who tried this sort of thing would sound awful. But he sticks the landing.

Quicksand, “Thorn in my Side”

Post-hardcore might be the genre that I enjoy the most that I’ve lost the most touch with, if that makes sense. There was a time when I listened to more or less all the post-hardcore that there was, devouring it all and staying on top of the scene and bands. When I kind of became dislocated from music a bit in the early 2000s, I lost track of a lot of things, and then as I gradually found ways to stay on top of music in the post-Usenet-and-magazine/pre-social-media era, I just never got traction with any of this stuff again. Is it still being made? Are there still post-hardcore bands out there kicking ass? I’m sure there are, and I’m equally sure I’m unaware of them. Well, you know, other than Quicksand’s reunion record.

Yo-Yo Ma, “Suite no. 4 in E-flat major, BWV 1010: I. Prélude”

These pieces, which come up occasionally, really don’t make a lot of sense in isolation. Shuffle is good at some things - surprises, shaking up your routine, serendipity - but is bad at an album like this.

The Meters, “Africa”

Rejuvenation is my favorite album from the second Meters phase of life. The grittier, mostly- or all-instrumental Meters of the first few albums had changed into a brighter sound, with vocals and more bounce. Still incredibly funky, of course, but a different feel. Generally, I lean towards the earlier sound, but this album is undeniable.