Stereolab - Emperor Tomato Ketchup (1996)

Stereolab was one of the first bands to be described as post-rock, but fans of the genre today would be at a loss trying to listen to them on that information alone. Instead, the band operates in the same jazzy electronic niche as Tortoise and Broadcast. They're notable for using analogue synths and drum-machines from the early 70's to get their lounge-inspired krautrock noise. Start with Metronomic Underground (obviously, it's the first cut), but all tracks on the album deserve multiple listens.

Get it in flac.

You Know Them Stakes Is High

This isn't flac because it's not an audio file, but you'll want it anyway.

The Wood Brothers - Up Above My Head

The Wood Brothers are amazing as always.

Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings - I learned the Hard Way

Ive seen her live now 3 times in about 2 months and she killed it every time. One of the most fun live performances. Check out their latest album here.

Phil Spector

Look at this man- he doesn't give a fuck what you think of him. Yeah, he shot an actress and is serving 19 to life, but before the wigs, the reclusion, and the psychosis, he made some of the sweetest jams put on vinyl. Working with The Ronettes, The Crystals, The Righteous Brothers, The Beatles, and even The Ramones, Phil Spector created a sound that the last 50 years of pop music has tried to replicate, again and again. Trouble is, no one can do it quite like the master.

Titus Andronicus - The Monitor

Though Titus Andronicus' newest album, The Monitor, is the most dynamic punk album I've heard in a while (5 of the 10 songs are over 7 minutes long!), it can be boiled down to a simple RIYL equation:

The strained vocals and lyricism of Conor Oberst + the drunken snarl and occasional bagpipe of the Dropkick Murphy's + the large-scale songwriting of fellow New Jersey native Bruce Springsteen = Titus Andronicus

Now add that solution into the following equation:

Titus Andronicus + Ear-bleeding volume + Whiskey on the rocks + PBR = Just want you want in life.

or

Titus Andronicus + Night + Driving + Open Highway = Excessive speeds and a good time

Thanks Eric for the recommendation. I can't stop spinning this.

FLAC.

P.S. Kit Wilson would be so proud. The whole album has Civil War themes spun throughout it. The Monitor was the ship that fought the Merrimack in the Battle of Hampton Roads. Also note the clips from Lincoln's speech in "A More Perfect Union."

I ask you: what more could a liberal arts graduate want in a punk album?

Lou Reed- Street Hassle

Lou Reed had it tough after leaving the Velvet Underground- how do you follow up some of the best rock and roll ever recorded? Instead of playing it straight, he got weird, glamming it up with Bowie on Transformer and inventing noise rock on Metal Machine Music. In 1978, he released Street Hassle. The album is flawed, sure, but Lou never really made masterpieces. He's as broken and dirty as his characters, all used up and ready for more. Here, especially on the title track, he's doing what he does best: finding beauty in the tragic, the absurd, and rocking the shit out of it. And speaking of that title track, that little beatnik rap thrown in at the end is delivered by none other than Mr. Bruce Springsteen. The song itself is epic enough, one of Reed's best, but The Boss really sets it over the edge. Check it.