KILL CREEK - St. Valentine's Garage CD (Mammoth)
College-styled indie rock that will appeal to fans of Superchunk, Inch, and Hazel.

COP SHOOT COP (Big Cat/Interscope)
Almost every one of their releases has at least two great songs, most of which sound the same. CSC are one of the few bands who incorporate samplers into their mix, yet still manage to appeal to indie rockers. Recommended songs: "Traitor/Martyr" and "If Tomorrow Ever Comes" off White Noise, "Interference" and "Any Day Now" off Release, and "Room 429" off Ask Questions Later.

OPERATION IVY - self-titled CD (Lookout)
They only released one CD, but their brand of ska punk is quite infectious. This defunct band is essentially Rancid, but with a guy named Jessie on vocals.

N.W.A. - Straight Outta Compton CD (Priority)
Although I have a low tolerance for most gangster rap due to its derivative nature, this release was one of the first that I got into. I still enjoy the hardcore compositions on this disc more than all of the laid back funk which predominates the current wave of hip-hop.

DESCENDENTS - All CD (SST)
This excellent Southern Californian band made the ultimate pop-punk release entitled All. After All, their vocalist Milo quit the band and the remaining members formed the less-than-stellar All. The Descendents have reunited to release an album on Epitaph.

DAG NASTY - Can I Say CD & Wig Out At Denko's CD (Dischord)
These guys did pop punk like the Descendents, but their songs are catchier and more innovative. Beware of their latter day material which features a fraction of the members from their classic years.

SCORPIONS - Love At First Sting CD
Hey, I grew up in Tucson, Arizona where the radio options were rock or hard rock.

WARLOCK PINCHERS - Circus Size Peanuts CD (Boner Records)
White boy punk rap that doesn't try to appropriate ethnic slang. Their previous albums were okay, but this disc was the bomb! Unfortunately, they disbanded and the members went on to form the second-rate Fourskin 500 and the Manson-covering Scramblehead.

BEASTIE BOYS - Licensed To Ill (Def Jam)
Although I respect their innovative evolution, I still think that L.T.I. is their catchiest release to date. Even with it's juvenile themes and simplistic programming, it's still gets everybody in the car singing along. Kick it over here baby pop...

BABYLAND - You Suck Crap & A Total Let-Down (Flipside)
There are plenty of cyber songs that I like, but only a few synthcore albums have made it to my list of timeless offerings. Babyland, however, has made two releases that each pack at least six songs I can still enjoy today. Their style is a bloated bed of electronics augmented with organic industrial percussion and unprocessed passionate punk rock vocals.

MADONNA - Ray of Light CD (Maverick)
Guilty as charged.

VOLTAIRE - The Devil's Bris CD (Projekt)
Voltaire makes sinister and darkly comical orchestral music with a folky bent.

FIRE WATER - Off The Cross, We Need Wood For The Fire
This project features COP SHOOT COP's frontman and some other indie rock hipsters. The Bourbon-drenched music covers a lot of ground, at times sounding like CSC songs with Nick Cave and Tom Waits doing the instrumentation. The Klezmer influenced songs, however, are the best.

BRENDA KAHN - Epiphany in Brooklyn CD (Columbia)
While her first and third discs are fair, this CD is packed with incredible emotive minimal acoustic rock.

LIZ PHAIR - Exile in Guyville CD (Matador)
Many folks probably avoid this CD because it received so much critical acclaim, but trust me, it was worth it.

SPAHN RANCH - The Coiled One (Cleopatra)
Athan has always known how to sing, but it took him awhile before he showcased his pipes with his Spahn Ranch material. When he started crooning on The Coiled One, it gave his band a more human edge, and consequently won me over. The Songs that moved me were "The Judas Cradle", "Compression Test" and "Heretic's Fork."

BENNY GOODMAN - FEATURING HELEN FOREST (Columbia)
After recently engulfing myself in this genre, it's difficult to appreciate other styles of music. The complexity of the instrumentation, the full sound of an orchestra, and vocalists with godlike range, are a few of the key factors. An alternative to raiding your grandparent's Big Band collection is checking out the instrumental Big Band sample collage project called Ether Bunny (Fifth Colvmn).