Wilco

Alejandro Escovedo, “Chelsea Hotel ‘78”

Escovedo is one of those artists that has had a long recording career, and someone whose name I’d seen in a bunch of places, but I didn’t really know anything about him. I picked up what was, at the time, his latest record…and still don’t really know much about him. It’s good, but didn’t really grab me all that much either.

Wilco, “One and a Half Stars”

Ode to Joy is the latest Wilco album, from 2019. It comes after two solo Jeff Tweedy records, which I thought were better than the previous couple Wilco records. So, is it more like Warm (good) or Star Wars (bad)? More good than bad, I think? It’s not top-tier, but it’s a solid record.

Nine Inch Nails, “Just Like You Imagined”

I think I’ve blathered on about The Fragile before, so you can hit up the tags over there and do some spelunking. Or not! But, the novel (?) observation I can make is that as time goes on, this album gets better to me relative to his other work, and at this point, I think it might be his best album. Or my favorite, anyway. Same thing!

Wilco, “Kicking Television”

This take is from Alpha Mike Foxtrot, the collection of rarities, live versions, and alternate takes that covers the first twenty (!) years of Wilco. “Kicking Television” appears on a bonus EP with A Ghost Is Born, and was also the title track of a live album, so it’s a familiar song from them, but this is an alternate take here.

The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, “Hell”

Apparently, we’re doing rarities collections today. Works for me! Bring it the fuck on!

Jawbreaker, “Boxcar”

After Jawbreaker broke up in the wake of their sole Geffen record, there were a couple more releases to tie up the band’s catalog. In addition to a live record we got Etc., a collection of rarities, outtakes, and singles. Jawbreaker were great enough that even though this collection of stuff isn’t coherent, it’s still a good overall release. Some things I could probably do without, like this alternate take of “Boxcar”, but I’ll forgive those sins to have the rest of the material all in one place.

Crudbump, “My Dick’s On The Phone [Explicit]”

I don’t normally include the “[Explicit]” tags on songs, but I think you all need that warning when we’re facing something as nasty as Crudbump.

Has-Lo, “Got My Mind”

This is from Has-Lo’s tribute to Prince Paul, The Paul Tape, an instrumental record in the style of the legendary producer. And if anybody hasn’t encountered it yet, Open Mike Eagle’s podcast, What Had Happened Was, is tremendous and has an entire season with Prince Paul.

Pyrrhon, “Forget Yourself”

From Pyrron’s EP released after their second album, this is a good example of their hyperkinetic technical death metal. This is a short record, but they pack a lot into the thirteen minutes.

Common, “Go”

Common’s discography is uneven, but the high points are outstanding. I probably would take Be as my favorite, the Kanye West-helmed record which represented a bit of a comeback after the so-so Electric Circus. This was after Kanye West had become a star, but before he had become a megastar, and his ego didn’t get in the way here. The record is warm, full of soul, and has Common at the top of his form.

The Flaming Lips, “Assassination of the Sun”

We here at Five Songs are big fans of EPs, when bands treat them seriously. You get a good chunk of new material, enough to be satisfying, but they often come out as a surprise. It’s good stuff! This comes from Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell, an EP that came out in the wake of Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots, so during their peak period. The remixes of songs from Yoshimi are fine, whatever, but getting four new tunes from this period is fantastic.

White Stripes, “We’re Going To Be Friends”

Every now and again, a record breaks through into mainstream attention that surprises me. I would not have bet on the ascetic blues rock revivalists the White Stripes being anybody who would get mainstream attention, but somehow they broke through. White Blood Cells still doesn’t sound like a record that should have gotten huge, as it’s still relatively uncompromising in the vision they’re pursuing.

Man Or Astro-Man?, “Organ Smash”

The debut record for Man Or Astro-Man? (Is It Man…Or Astro-Man?) set the template for the rest of their career. All reverbed out and surf-y, with a thick layer of retro science fiction. And they would cheerfully mine the same vein for their entire career, while still somehow basically managing to sound fresh. It’s a neat trick!

Melvins, “see how pretty, see how smart”

The Maggot was the first of a trio of albums that the Melvins recorded for Ipecac after getting bounced off their major label, following a brief tour with Amphetamine Reptile. All the albums were recorded at the same time, but with a different focus. The Maggot is the most Melvins-y of the three, being pretty much wall-to-wall sludge. It’s also tracked super annoyingly, with each song being divided in half (this, technically, is only the first half of this song).

Led Zeppelin, “Since I’ve Been Loving You”

I dunno, I’ve just got a feeling, I’m not sure this band is really gonna ever make it big.

James Brown, “There It Is”

Awwww hell yes, if we’re going back, let’s get the Godfather of Soul! I always wonder a little bit with Brown, if his music sounds so fresh because so much of it was refreshed by hip hop making use of it. I don’t think so, but it’s also impossible for me to listen to this stuff totally clean.