Things have cooled down at the time of this writing, but earlier this week, much of the country was seized in the grips of a serious heat wave. There’s no shortage of great songs about heat, and the latest Song of the Week is no exception: the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion’s 1994 ripper “Sweat.”
The band emerged in the grungified early ’90s with a sound that stood out: over-the-top punky garage rock with a frontman in Spencer who brought a level of showmanship that echoed the likes of James Brown and Little Richard.
The Explosion’s fourth album, 1994’s Orange, got some attention with its single “Bellbottoms.” But for our purposes here, the album track “Sweat” really conveys the band’s gritty swagger.
Spencer and the Blues Explosion continued playing periodically through 2018, when the band split up. Spencer has continued to play and release music with different musicians.