Music: By Rating

Wire is quickly becoming one of my favorite bands. Sure they’re arty and all, but I can’t get over... more

Wire continues its slide towards mid-eighties dance music with this collection of songs. There’s a dreamy, goth-y quality to... more

A great follow up to their first Christian garage-rock album. The one is even scuzzier and louder and ends... more

Toy Dolls second album has a little more polish than the first and even includes a radio spot for... more

After creating three of the greatest records of the early punk years, Wire fractured into various solo projects. As... more

Neil’s premiere long player is an instant classic. It’s much less off the wall (e.g. there’s no obvious laugh... more

This is basically a CD repackaging of New Clear Days with about a third of the songs from Magnets. The Vapors are... more

One of the best indie rock records released after I stopped caring about indie rock. Every Shellac album is... more

WOW!!! Neil provides the side-splitting fun on this awesome work of comedy genius. It includes his take on religion,... more

El Perro Del Mar is the alter ego of Swedish singer/songwriter Sarah Assbring. Her style has covered a wide... more

Extremely cool Japanese all-girl garage rock. All six songs on this release are amazing this was one of my... more

Of all the Wire releases, this one is my favorite. The music ranges from dreamy (“French Film Blurred”) to punky... more

For this record the band finished recording songs that they had been writing back when they broke-up in the... more

This is a great compilation of mostly 60’s era spy movie theme songs (and a few T.V. series themes... more

Sometime between The Flowers of Romance and this record P.I.L. imploded. P.I.L. had finally shed the noise and experimentation and took... more

The last great Kraftwerk record and probably their funkiest release. Yet they maintain most of their analog minimalism throughout.

Speaking of David Nudelman, I think it would be mistake to leave this record off this list. This is... more

The first of many singles compilations from MorA? These early singles were some of the best racks the band... more

Toy Dolls skirt the edge of punk rock and novelty music. As such there will be some people who... more

Not much to say here. Another great collection of instrumental perfection from Shadowy Men.

The major label follow-up to Ditch Diggin’ is every bit as good and the production sounds much better. Even thought it... more

Probably my favorite record by SCOTS. All of the checklist items are here: a little twangy country rock, a... more

This band was perhaps the best kept R’n’R secret in the nation. Hailing from the not-so-exciting Peoria, IL, these... more

This is the better of the two Supercollider CDs. The sound is much bigger and they had gotten much... more

This is an absolutely perfect compilation of Ennio Morricone songs all of which feature the theremin-esque vocals of Edda... more

Unlike his debut album, this one feels much more complete and less like a singles collection. The production is... more

Spinout remains my favorite Elvis record. You could pair it with thirty minutes modem noises and this CD would still... more

Where have all the good schtick bands gone? Servotron were an awesome concept and the music was equally great.... more

This is my favorite Killing Joke album. It’s a great fusion of the more mainstreamed, dancable Joke that would... more

For most people, this is Superchunk’s finest moment. When this came out, I didn’t like it and it took several... more

Peter Thomas’ arrangements live somewhere between the wacky space-age pop of Esquivel and the brassy action movie scores of... more

This is a killer single from Planet Pimp. This group is headed by two screaming chicks that know how... more

Jesus Lizard’s finest record. Crazy bluesy licks on top of a pounding rhythm section and off-the-wall vocals. This could... more

This is an essential item for your record collection. It contains the best Bond song from the best Bond... more

Drums, Guitar, and a howling blues freak. Need I say more? Well, I will anyway. These songs rock to... more

I’d have to say it’s a toss up between Goat and Head as my favorite Jesus Lizard album. Pure/Head... more

A masterpiece of epic, symphonic goofiness and left-of-center pop structuring. This, along with Lil’ Beethoven is Sparks best since Kimono my... more

I may have to reassess where Foolish resides in the Superchunk pantheon. This CD pretty much took the direction set upon... more

Great hillbilly tunes. These are perhaps some of the most talented hicks around.

Don’t be dissuaded by the fact that all the tracks lest one are titled, “I Bambini Ci Chiedono Perche.”... more

This is the last truly great Toy Dolls record. It could have been their best release, but it suffers... more

In my mind, this ranks up there with The Good, The Bad and The Ugly as one of Morricone’s most memorable... more

Man or Astroman? at their surf-iest. This is pretty much the blueprint for all of their pre Touch and... more

This probably is Tar’s best record. It’s a wall of loud, lumbering guitars and driving bass lines. This is... more

I have yet to wipe the tears of joy that flow down my cheeks since I bought this disc.... more

This is Poster Children at their very best. After pretty much defining the drone-tastic Champaign-Urbana style of the early... more

This was the last band my brother was in before he left college. Great walls of guitar sound mixed... more

Morricone’s subsequent Giallo soundtracks would rely heavily on improvisational and experimental music. However, this one retains quite a bit... more

For a brief period, this CD was my holy grail of Morricone soundtracks. I took to eBay in search... more

A very mellow, bossa nova tinged soundtrack from a film I’ve never seen. It includes the fantastic “La Moda” which... more

FINALLY!! Part 3 in the incredible Las Vegas Grind series. This disc, like its predecessors, is simply incredible and... more

Another great soundtrack from the Maestro box set. This one is a split between easy listening bossa numbers and avante garde... more

I was never much into this band when they were making waves in the late nineties. At some point... more

After a decade and a half of creating dance floor music, Sparks decided to ditch the beats and try... more

The band’s second Touch ‘n’ Go release is one of their best. For the most part, they have abandoned... more

Ever since the release of the movie Drum Line, percussion ensemble music has been all the rage. 50% of Marassa... more

I know I say this about every Morricone record I own, but seriously, this is one of his absolute... more

One of my favorite records from the early nineties. This is a great mix of vocal numbers and surf... more

Punk rock for the dance floor! One of my most listened too albums during my late high school years.... more

This was my introduction to Superchunk so, although I don’t think it’s their best, it still is one of... more

The first full-length outing by Servotron. More songs about the elimination of the human race. Includes songs about Small Wonder,... more

A concept album from the Oblivians, the kings of overdriven blues trash?!? Well, kinda… this is a collection of... more

Although it can be a toss-up between On the Mouth and Foolish, it think this is my favorite Superchunk record. It has just... more

I finally bought this CD after hearing so many good things about it from various sources. I found this... more

Rhino knows how to put together a great compilation and this 24-track “Best of” Sam the Sham & The... more

Wire’s first album is the one that all my punk rock friends consider their best. For me, it’s a... more

One of the best releases from Planet Pimp Records is this Star Trek themed collection of surf music. A rare benefit... more

Another amazing release from these lo-fi Memphis rockers. Buy this record! It will change your life… well, not really, but sure... more

This two-disc compilation was my introduction to 70s era Sparks. It covers their best songs all the way from... more

I forgot how much I liked this score. I tend to only remember the prog-rockish opening number because it... more

The third Read & Burn EP is the best of the lot. The band has moved beyond simply revisiting their punk... more

It took a while warm up to this record. Not nearly as aggressive sounding as the most of post-2000’s... more

Everything that was great about What’s THIS for…! has been condensed and refined on Revelations. One of my favorite CDs.

One of three discs included on the Crime box set of Poliziotteschi soundtracks. The highlight of the soundtrack is the nine minute long “Revolver.”... more

Rhino knows how to create an excellent compilation and they have done it again her with this Link Wray... more

The title is very appropriate for this posthumous release from one of the greatest garage rock bands. These two... more

I am not sure why Richard H. Kirk released this as Sandoz because it doesn’t really sound anything like... more

While technically I could say that my love of surfy, guitar-based instrumental music started when I would listen to... more

Silver Apples are a wild sounding collection of Radio Shack grade electronic noises backed with some great drumming. It’s... more

rockabilly reissue series. Contains 30 Rockabilly and R&B “Howlers.” A must from Crypt records (Along with the Las Vegas... more

Hott DAMN!! Insane steel guitar-guitar combo. It’s kinda like the Ren and Stimpy theme but more insane and with... more

Unlike Volume 1, which focused on a more rockabilly and countrified Link, this compilation of rarities is full on chains... more

The Pixies finest recording. Great raw, live-sounding production by Abini. Many people like Dolittle better than this, but I prefer this... more

I found this used for $4! A 1967 collection of the best of this clever band from the 60’s.... more

“I Know What Boys Like” was a personal new wave favorite for me as a kid. It was featured... more

This is a great Rhino Records compilation of Ken Nordine’s “word jazz”—basically, spoken word stories told over free form... more

Guitarist and switchbladist extraordinaire “Blind” Rage is said to be the illegitimate son of Link Wray. From the liner... more

As if annoying music couldn’t possibly get more annoying (and by annoying I mean awesome) P.I.L. followed up Metal Box (a.k.a. Second Edition) with The Flowers... more

Admittedly, I was originally drawn to this band because of the cover of their first album, The Fun of Watching... more

After 154, Colin Newman picked up where 154 left off with A–Z and Graham Lewis went the experimental route and formed the almost unlistenable... more

Although it contains two selections from Michael Kamen’s score, this is mostly a collection of songs featured in the... more

This was a very important CD in the development of my musical tastes. It was the starting point of my love... more

This is a great record, from the futurist (actually Russian constructivist) art direction to the sci-fi themes, pure perfection.... more

This record fits nicely along side Virtual State. This is atmospheric electronica that the laptop kids probably have a specialized... more

Another winner from Sven-Erik and the gang. New David Nudelman song “Vegetabless” and also Deke Dickerson song and a... more

An absolutely fantastic collection of themes and incidental music from the sixties cult T.V. show, The Prisoner. I use this... more

The Rutles make you realize just how unique, yet weirdly predictable the Beatles were. Although intended as a joke,... more

Supercollider is my favorite band from the nineties that no one seems to know about. I found about them... more

This was a weird import CD when I got it and it turns out there are about two dozen... more

This was perhaps one of the first non-Spaghetti Western Morricone soundtrack that I discovered and it remains one of... more