Five Alive! (No. 5)

The Download These Songs Edition

1. Souls of Mischief - "93 'til Infinity"; Mos Def - "Umi Says": I had completely forgotten about these songs for a few years. The first: I was floating around on my computer and I ran across Modest Mouse's celebrity playlist on iTunes. On it there is a Tribe song and Isaac Brock (I assume) says my favorite is not this Tribe song but SOM's "93 'til Infinity". Undoubtedly, this is one of the best hip-hop songs of all time. Laid back and smooth like A Tribe Called Quest and sooo smooth. This is a perfect jam for the summertime. The second: I was at Buffalo Billiards in Philly with my brother playing some pool. We decided to play some music on the jukebox and I ran into Mr. Def's Black on Both Sides. I don't know much about the rest of the album, but I did really love this song (you may remember it from the Nike commercial). There's not much rapping going on--in fact, it's more of a jazzy/funky song. Another summertime hit--the vocals float like a cool summer breeze, smooth and easy.

2. DJ Shadow - "Midnight in a Perfect World": An absolutely unbelievable and essential track. This is a documentation of a man perfecting his art: it is a distinct possibility it is a documentation of a man perfecting the art of DJ-ing. (I can hear the X heads groan.) I'm slightly unfamiliar with the rest of Shadow's Endtroducing..., but I'm pretty sure most of the downtempo tracks on The Private Press were trying to grasp what this track fully realized. The slowly lumbering pace is perfect, the title is perfect, the creepy vocals are perfect, the orchestrated build-up is perfect, the vocal cuts ("Now-n-n-n-n-ow approaching midnight!") are perfect. This is, quite possibly, the untouchable pinnacle of (downtempo) instrumental hip-hop because, well, it's perfect.

3. Jackie Wilson - "(Your Love Keep Lifting Me) Higher and Higher": Who the hell is this Jackie Wilson character and how did he sneak so swiftly into my playlists? I've never heard another track by him (maybe I'm uninformed), but goddammit, this is right up there with the best of them: Green, Gaye, Mayfeild, whoever. I can see why some wouldn't like it: after all, it is kind of the optimist's anthem. But holy shit! I get fucking goosebumps when I hear this shit! "Com'on, sock it to me!" Once that bass gets rolling, man, everything just fits right into place. Smooth Soul strings and horns, smooth yet powerful vocals, and that addicting tambourine. Even if you don't like this song, put it on a mixtape. She'll love it.

4. Bob Marley - "Could You Be Loved": One of my favorite Marley tracks. Instead of starting out with the requisite Marley intro ("Pop! Puka, Puka.) of drums, this track (off of his last, Uprising) starts with that sexy little guitar line that ends up following the song wherever it goes. It gives the song that bouncy, I-know-your-swinging feeling. But then, as good as the verses are, the chorus comes. Music doesn't get much more life-affirming than this. One of the most pleasing parts to any song. I prefer the 12" version because its 1:30 longer.

5. The Clash - "Police and Theives": One of their best tracks, without a doubt. I first heard it in The Royal Tenenbaums (I think its when Eli Cash goes to score drugs with Margot in the car) and it immediately sounds like something you've heard before. But it isn't. It's a pretty perfect mixture of punk and dub. Another track whose 6 minutes do not seem long enough, I could listen this over and over.