If I Only Had a Brain by MC 900 Ft. Jesus

I rediscovered this hit in my collection. I remember the video where he tries to mail himself in a big box but gets returned for not having postage on the box. Silly, but it was good. And the track is great. Fun lyrics and a funky beat that is not too dated for being 10 yrs old. The One Step Ahead of the Spider album itself is an eclectric mix of electronica and Miles Davis style fusion jazz. Some may not like the semi spoken word stylings of the MC, but I dig him.

FischerSpooner - The 15th

This one is a beauty. Minimalist electronic compositions are something I've always held in high regard. Casey Spooner and Warren Fischer are a great team. Spooner's vocals fit nicely over the arrangement. Their first album, which this track comes from, differs from their latest offerings. Lately their sound is more organic and classic rock-influenced, but the digital austerity of their earlier compositions is what drew me to their work a couple of years ago. This is a cover of a 1979 song by Wire. Words don't really do the piece justice, so my suggestion is to go to the FischerSpooner website and watch this video. Take the day off and watch all the other ones too.

Caca Man - Stinky Shit

I'm not sure if this blog is meant for parody songs but this one I enjoyed immensely. It's a parody of Gwen Stefani's Hollaback Girl. I can finally admit that I like the beat. The Neptunes make some very slick beats and this faux marching-band one has a real groove to it. With improved lyrical content, the tune really moves. The work of the Caca Man is only available online.

Sparkle Inner Eye by Big Ass Truck

I have never listened to the Deftones but reading Troy's post made me think of bands with DJs and one I like is Big Ass Truck.
This track is a up-beat rocker with some good scratching in the breakdown. The loopy guitar is almost like hard-rock circus music, and it keeps the groove going. BAT can play hard and they can play slow and funky which makes for some fun albums.

Señor Coconut y Su Conjunto - Tour De France

Their Kraftwerk cover was brilliant. Few realize the beauty of its beaty brilliance. The never made album about the Tour De France was such a great concept that Kraftwerk finally realized it in the Tour's Centennial Year.
It is a beautiful barrage of rhythm in the merengue framework. Few works of music these days are this reworkable. That is why I appreciate the work of Mark Kozelek more than ever.
The breakdown in the middle is above and beyond. Funky and odd beyond words.
The ability to rework a song is a hard thing to accomplish in a tasteful manner and I give props to el Sr. Coconut.

Deftones - Change (In The House Of Flies)

I was kind of ashamed at how mellow the last track I chose to spotlight was. So I decided to go with something harder. But straight-ahead rock is not exactly the Deftones. I don't exactly own everything they have made or anything, but I've always appreciated what they've done.
They make interesting music because they seem to share an appreciation for both end of popular music's testosteronic spectrum. (I don't think 'testosteronic' is actually a word, but allow me this one.) Their cover of The Smiths' "Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want" clued me in to this one. I was ready to dismiss them as style over substance in their early releases, but they really bring it. I kind of like how they have a DJ in the band. It's an old idea now, but it was fresh before the days of Linkin Park.
This is a beautiful track. The entomological references are a little perverse but it makes the song all the more raw. So I like this one.
That's all I have to say about it.

The Sound of Worms by Tony Burrello

Another wacky one from the stacks, this 7 inch by Tony Burrello is weird, and what is ever weirder is the fact that it was recorded way back in the day. A little net searching tells me that it was often played by Dr. Demento. They song has an unnerving feel to it as he sings about the "new sound, so deep down in the ground" with the refain basically as a weird squirming sound that is supposed to be the sound of worms.
There is some info on Doctor Demento's Page but not much else about this wacky act.

Too Much Coffee by Gwil Owen

Considering the billions an billions of recordings out there, it is quite easy to realize that there are some tracks that are just good but that nearly no one knows about them. Gwil Owen's 7 inch record "Too Much Coffee b/w Hot Black Coffee" is one of those gems. It is on the Diesel Only label, which only produces small limited presses of vinyl, and it is mostly all country. This track starts with a nice toe-tapping bassline followed in by the fiddle and then Gwil (I love that name) starts in on his ode to coffee. If I had a turntable in my 18 wheeler, I'd sure be listening to this.

Blue Buddha by My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult

Even after "graduating" from industrial music, I still like T.K.K. alot. This track is a classic groove from the 13 Above the Night album. It's like disco dance music with a dark quasi-Satanic feel. TKK aren't real hard core Satanists. I think it's just for show.
The beat and bass are groovy and the lead singer's voice is raspy. It all blends well with the female vocals and weird samples.
Made in 1993 or so, it has become dated but still fun every once in a while

Rain Tree Crow - Blackwater

David Sylvian reunited with his Japan bandmates in the early nineties for a project called Rain Tree Crow. Although the band included all the members of Japan and could have been called a reunion as such, Sylvian felt that they should have a different name to reflect their new direction and scope. To the dismay of the record companies and other profiteers involved, the project was released under the Rain Tree Crow moniker instead of as a new Japan album.
It's a very mellow track and Mick Karn's bass is pushed further down in the mix which further separates it from Japan's work. Although it would probably be out of place in this track, one of the things which made Japan's sound so distinctive was the way in which they took advantage of the improvements in bass guitar technology in the early 80s.
It's a superb performance and when all expectations and comparisons to their former work are put aside, this track is cinematic in its own right.