Superchunk - "Like A Fool"

Superchunk - "Like A Fool": "Sometimes it would be nice to turn the clock back..."

Afghan Whigs - "Conjure Me"

Afghan Whigs - "Conjure Me": "I don't know if this is a good thing or not, but I am really feeling the Afghan Whigs right now. This song is one of their finest - even though I like their whole body of work, this track lacks the pretension of their later work, leaving their bile more raw and very immediate."

Longwave - "I Don't Dare"

Longwave - "I Don't Dare": "I love the bass and drums on this song in particular - the drums, so militant, and the bass, so muscular. It helps give a nice contrast to the chime-y guitars floating in the high range of the mix. My favorite song on this record."

The Monkees - "Sweet Young Thing"

The Monkees - "Sweet Young Thing": "I've been reading a book on the Monkees (Monkee Business) that my friend Stephanie gave me - and also helped lay out - so I've had a lot of their songs in my head recently. This is one of the great early ones - agressively rocking yet somehow slightly country, all in under two minutes, making it more complex than they usually get credit for."

Placebo - "Slave To The Wage"

Placebo - "Slave To The Wage": "'Spite & Malice' first popped into my head this morning and was originally going to be the topic of today's post. Unfortunately, as much as I like the song, the 'rap' part doesn't hold up so well now and I realized this song was the better pick, especially since I'm posting from work right now! :)
[And, as I mentioned long ago, this may be the best (if only) song to sample Pavement, and one of the best Pavement songs at that.]"

Elliott Smith - "Alphabet Town"

Elliott Smith - "Alphabet Town": "Nick inspired this post with his own Elliott Smith post and totally agree with the late-night quality of it. Some of the lyrics seem determined, but they feel broken. Is it weird that it's my favorite Elliott Smith song when it feels so strangely hopeless?"

I Was a King - "The Wylde Boys"

I Was a King - "The Wylde Boys": "The intro could be Rocket From The Crypt, with the horns and the full on rock drumming, but suddenly the chaos breaks and it's 60s style pop somewhere between Lilys (in their own 60s pop phase) and Olivia Tremor Control. The chorus is pure money and my only complaint is that the song ends too soon."

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Bang"

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Bang": "Like yesterday's song equation, but switching the handclaps for drums...and it gets a lot messier, but it gets a lot more electric too. It's a rough and tumble number, but really the first thing anyone heard from the YYYs, so it's funny to think about how big they got down the line."

The Kills - "At The Back Of The Shell"

The Kills - "At The Back Of The Shell": "So minimal that it could be a demo, but I really don't see what you would want to add to this song. It's simple boy, girl, guitar and handclaps and that's all it needs."

The Spinanes - "Valency"

The Spinanes - "Valency": "Hearing songs like this, I am instantly reminded of my near-obsessive love for this band (and frontwoman Rebecca Gates) in the mid/late-90s. They could rock like this, but Rebecca always sounded so laid back and - dare I say it - sultry, or at least casually welcoming. I miss them so much."

Momus - "Nikon 2"

Momus - "Nikon 2": "This song kept popping into my head in France, when I meant to post it, so I'm just catching up now. If you don't know Momus, you should catch up too."

Nine Inch Nails - "The Only Time"

Nine Inch Nails - "The Only Time": "I haven't listened to this in ages...so of course it makes me flash back to when I first heard it. I always loved the drum part around 02:42 - and, in fact, often used my time on a real kit at drum lessons to figure out the part for myself. Kind of funny to think back that far, to remember I ever played the drums (sorta)...and realize how (sadly) old this record is. At the time it felt edgy, but it's so much lighter than anything that followed from NIN - but who would have known that at the time?"

Nancy Sinatra - "You Only Live Twice"

Nancy Sinatra - "You Only Live Twice": "One of my favorite James Bond movie themes and for a solid Bond movie at that. R.I.P. Bond composer (and co-composer of this theme) John Barry."