The Comas - "Invisible Drugs"

The Comas - "Invisible Drugs": "A little gleeful noisepop for you today...happy Friday!"

Ministry - "Revenge"

Ministry - "Revenge": "I know I blogged Ministry pretty recently, but I had to share my amusement at finding this album in Rhapsody - it's virtually impossible to reconcile this release with anything that Ministry did afterwards. I mean, this is goth-y synth pop at its most pure, so it's hard to imagine that this is from the man who soon would blow up Industrial music. A total guilty pleasure."

Fat Boys - "Fat Boys"

Fat Boys - "Fat Boys": "Yesterday should have been my friend Joe's birthday, but it isn't anymore. I know this is a funny song to remember someone by, but I'll always remember when he used The Fat Boys as a very loud wakeup call when I was crashing on his couch years ago. I miss him."

Nada Surf - "Do It Again"

Nada Surf - "Do It Again": "I can't explain this, but I think I just got a postcard from Matthew from Nada Surf... from France. I can't be sure if I'm right either...so, what the hell, just enjoy this Nada Surf song."

Harry Nilsson - "Cuddly Toy"

Harry Nilsson - "Cuddly Toy": "...in honor of this song actually coming up in conversation during a party I was at on Saturday night! To be honest, I prefer the Monkees version (because it's what I grew up with), but I have to tip my hat to the song's writer, Harry Nilsson, with his version instead."

Queen - "Stone Cold Crazy"

Queen - "Stone Cold Crazy": "OK, so it's American Idol that's (disturbingly) brought them back to the forefront again, but since Queen's back (in one way or another), I figure I should highlight one of their more rockin' songs (and my easy personal favorite). I also have a great Trent Reznor remix of this on a promo CD, don't know if it ever saw the light of day in a commercial release, but it takes the greatness of the original and makes it just a little bit sharper."

Rachael Yamagata - "Collide"

Rachael Yamagata - "Collide": "I have to admit that I first saw Rachael perform this song at a label conference - not even a showcase - but this song still grabbed me immediately. From the slippery piano intro to aching chorus, the song bleeds a dreamy sadness. Pretty and sad."

Courtney Love - "Mono"

Courtney Love - "Mono": "I've been catching a lot of random Love lately - from an old special on her on CourTV (!) to her appearance on the Pam Anderson Roast on Comedy Central to her selling part of her stake of Nirvana on the news - it just seemed appropriate to pull this song back out. I hate to give her any kind of credit (partially for the aforementioned appearances) but this song actually rocks out. Besides, there are little girls with chainsaws in the video and she gets points for that too. (Although I will ALWAYS question the lyric "I wanna hear you say that I'm so much better than him" because I can't figure who "him" is, if it's not Kurt. Although I do hope it's Billy Corgan or something...)"

Spank Rock - "Sweet Talk"

Spank Rock - "Sweet Talk": "Sounds like being in the middle of a big party - the frantic guitar pickings, the chanting female vocals, the percussion - all with Spank Rock's rapping leading the rhumba line through the whole thing."

Built To Spill - "Conventional Wisdom"

Built To Spill - "Conventional Wisdom": "Yay! New Built to Spill! My friend Ted played me this in his car last Friday and it reminded me to check out their new album - this is one of the new tunes."

The Damnwells - "While You Can"

The Damnwells - "While You Can": "Continuing yesterday's theme of "new to digital" - very excited to see this EP go up online because it's so solid and it's gone out of print physically. So much of this EP sounds like two people trapped in a doomed relationship with a Replacements-like soundtrack (if the `Mats were more sober and solid) but the guitar twang, loops and horns on various tracks give their sonic palate a deeper texture."

Primal Scream - "Exterminator"

Primal Scream - "Exterminator": "Yay! Finally available digitally!"

Ministry - "Stigmata"

Ministry - "Stigmata": "My favorite Ministry song. All the yelling in the song is kind of cathartic - especially with great lines like 'my favorite weapon is the look in your eyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees!!!!' I never get tired of it."

David Bowie - "Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)"

David Bowie - "Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)": "It's 26 years old now, so can I finally call this a rock classic? From the chugging acoustic strumming over the metallic guitar riffs up until the end with the most amazingly atonal - yet still wonderful - group hollering, this bridged Bowie's 70s weirdness with his 80s gloss and still sounds like he could have recorded it just yesterday."

R.E.M. - "Crush With Eyeliner"

R.E.M. - "Crush With Eyeliner": "Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore steps in to give R.E.M. a little bonus cool, the video turns the band into Asian hipsters (including a female member!) and R.E.M. jumps as far away from Automatic From The People as they possibly can. I'm back in 1994 reading all about it in SPIN magazine..."

Prince - "Black Sweat"

Prince - "Black Sweat": "From his new album - this isn't the best of Prince by any means, but at least he's sounding more like his old funky, dirty self than he has in years. Welcome back, we missed you!"

The Who - "A Quick One While He's Away"

The Who - "A Quick One While He's Away": "Back to the Rolling Stones Rock 'n Roll Circus again. When I first heard this track, I wasn't that into it - mainly because I'm not so much a fan of the 'rock opera' scene - but all the different parts of this track are so catchy that it's hard to dismiss them. And then when factoring this all being played live, running from one part to another - well, it's pretty impressive. Also impressive is the Keith Richards introduction that invites you to 'Dig The Who' - outtasite!"

Al Green - "Love Ritual"

Al Green - "Love Ritual": "I'm sure Al's speaking in tongues for the Lord, but here it sounds like some crazy voodoo - but with all the disco strings, organ and percussion, it's certainly understandable."

No Knife - "Riot For Romance"

No Knife - "Riot For Romance": "The kind of menacing song you'd expect from a band named No Knife...except they just wanna riot for romance and what's so wrong with that? Not only that, but the great atmospherics touches on the track, leading up to the big finish, are first rate."

Marianne Faithfull - "Something Better"

Marianne Faithfull - "Something Better": "I watched the Rolling Stones Rock 'n Roll Circus on DVD the other night and my real discovery was this song. I have never been very familiar with early Marianne, but this number has a certain grace and fragility that's truly captivating."