I can't begin to go into this remarkable album in this small space. It needs a whole page of its own. Click here.

The twisted album that begat the twisted movie of the same name. Depressing as all hell, but genius nonetheless.

Throw into a pot some tribal African rhythms, some Celtic melody, some ancient instruments, some electronic keyboards, add a dash of multi-lingual lyrics, and stir. Innovative doesn't even begin to describe their sound. In a world of boy bands and hip-hop singers that all sound the same, Afro-Celt Sound System is welcome weirdness with a rock-solid sound.

The album that established Erasure as a force to be reckoned with in the synth-pop world of the 1980s. While other bands were cranking out mindless dance tunes, Erasure decided to give the dancers something to think about while they gyrated. Songs like "Ship of Fools", "Hallowed Ground", and "Phantom Bride" proved that Erasure could get your butt moving on the dance floor as well as deliver some poignant and world-aware lyrics at the same time.

One of the best albums by a band with a lot of really good stuff on the market. I Say I Say I Say has Erasure distancing themselves from the 80's europop dance scene and delving into deeper lyrics, layered sound textures, and experimental arrangements. Sure, you can still dance to it, but this one involves the brain as much as the feet.

Big Daddy remakes the entire Sgt Pepper's album track-by-track as if it were recorded in the 50's rather than 1967. Each song is done in the style of a popular singer or group. Johnny Mathis, Buddy Holly, the Coasters, Jerry Lee Lewis... everyone is skewered on this one. Once you quit laughing at the absurditiy of it all, there is some really good music here. Out of print, but check ebay from time to time.

If you loved the movie, but hated the music, this CD will redeem everything for you. Yes, the crappy songs from the movie are here, but these versions are better. Furthermore, the songs here that were not in the film are spectacular. Elton John gets tossed aside and Lebo M picks up the slack. This can only be a good thing.

If you want JUST the good music from the Broadway version without having to skip the Elton John songs, then search high and low (and ebay) for this out of print masterpiece. Two songs that were deleted from the movie (for good reason!) appear here just so they could call it a Lion King CD, but you can ignore those. The rest is awesome.

When you're sick to death of mall muzak carols, and you've heard all the Mannheim Steamroller you can stand, this is your refuge. Carols and other Christmas songs get edgy. Forget the tinkling bells and children's choirs and pick up your electric guitars. Christmas finally ROCKS.

Eerie... as it should be, since it's a sort of companion piece to her brother's creepy book. The book in question is Mark Z. Danielewski's "House of Leaves", one of the strangest things I've ever read. The CD here uses themes from the book as a starting point, pulling lyrics directly from the pages. Poe inserts her own angst into the mix, using samples from tapes that she found of her deceased father's voice. She uses the album as a means of saying goodbye to him, and it's a very personal journey. The last line is to him: "It's okay. You can go now."

Disturbing lyrics, dissonant chords, and loud. This is what you expect from a punk album, right? Someone forgot to tell Green Day that punk isn't supposed to have catchy melodies, memorable hooks, and an overall sense of fun and irreverence. It's a good thing, too. Nice to have a punk band that doesn't take itself too seriously.

While this band's first album "Dookie" (see above) is great, I generally listen to the first two-thirds or so, then switch to something else. Not so with this one. There is literally not a bad track on the entire CD. Call it a concept album, call it a punk opera, call it what you want... it's still GREAT music.

Something of a "greatest hits" album for the Dead Kennedys. There is very little I can say about this disc that's family-friendly (and don't click the Amazon link and look at the song titles if you're easily offended). This is the CD that I'm only allowed to play when I'm by myself.

I have a fairly large collection of Carmina Burana recordings. This one isn't the best in terms of musicality... but it most closely recreates the experience of hearing it live. You'll need a set of good speakers, neighbors that won't make disturbance calls to the cops, and a bottle of aspirin. Once the first track gets going, set your volume to a comfortable level. When the orchestra goes from pianissimo to fortissimo, you will KNOW IT. Furniture will shake, windows will rattle, and pets will find shelter. Just as it should be. Carmina isn't about lush orchestral landscapes, it's about sonic warfare... and this recording uses the big guns.

If you shy away from contemporary Christian music because it's bland, sugar-coated, and formulaic... I don't blame you. Here, on the other hand, is an album that is musically good enough to be in every library, Christian and non-Christian alike. Any fan of contemporary acappella music should consider this one a must-have.

As long as we're talking about contemporary acappella music, let's talk about the Nylons. Superstars in their native Canada, the Nylons provide multilayered soundscapes with nothing more than four voices and a drum machine. They have several good albums out there, but this one is my favorite.

Record producers David and Don Was somehow managed to make an album that has practically every pop music style represented, yet still holds together as a whole. How diverse is the music? How about Mitch Ryder, Ozzy Osborne, and Mel Torme all on the same album?

Between founding Depeche Mode and Erasure, keyboardist Vincent Clarke got together with Alison Moyet and her silky, smoky vocals and produced one of the best debut albums of all time. This (and to a lesser extent, the follow-up album "You and Me Both") proved once and for all that electronic pop could have soul. From high-energy techno dance (Didn't I Bring Your Love Down) to heartbreaking ballads (Winter Kills) and back, the album is a rollercoaster of emotions. And like any good coaster, once it's over, you want to take it for another spin.

Weird. Just weird. Weird clothes, weird sounds, weird songs, weird videos. So why is it so catchy and danceable? Oh, and that guitar player they call "Baby Daddy" is pretty hot, too.

Today's pop music: grab a drum loop, repeat it over and over, then add some variation with melody and lyrics.
Lil Beethoven: use the lyrics and vocals as the repetitive "drum loop" and change up everything else.
What results is mind-bogglingly original, catchy, quirky, and brilliant. It's satire mixed in with biting commentary of today's society, mixed with some really good music.

This followup to Lil Beethoven takes the concept begun on that album and not only tweaks it, but pushes it so far past the limits that it's almost another form of music entirely.

Songs go from symphonic to jazz to swing to hard rock to chorale to hard rock again... with such ease that when the song ends, you can't believe that so many styles got wedged in there without you being jarred with transitions.

Several reviews of this album have stated that this may well be the future of pop music. I sure hope so!