The Locust – Safety Second, Body Last

The band are perhaps best known for their varying screamed vocal styles, dadaist lyrical content, and noisy, synth-infused, non-stop beat-your-head-against-the-wall grindcore, all while somehow managing to be at least a little catchy.

Gwen Stefani – Love. Angel. Music. Baby.

Gwen Stefani's Love. Angel. Music. Baby. was an unexpectedly influential pop record, and is one of the 2000's best.

New Found Glory – Tip of the Iceberg EP

Several members of New Found Glory have long been involved in hardcore side-projects, but kept NFG around presumably to make a living. The band's never so much as hinted at a hardcore background, but here they mix these sounds to surprising effect.

Sugar Ray – 14:59

Sugar Ray hardly get respect. It's not difficult to understand why. They'll certainly never be considered cool, and nearly everything post-14:59 proved to be utterly tasteless and poorly conceived. None of this speaks to the quality of this record.

Idiot Flesh – Fancy

Nils Frykdahl's and Dan Rathbun's pre-Sleepytime Gorilla Museum experimental "rock"/performance art troupe is about as far out and varying as you'd expect from these guys.

The Damned – Grave Disorder

In a late-career dose of inspired song-making, The Damned combine their disparate musical interests into a cohesive musical statement, unheard of in this fashion since The Damned's own 1982 release, Strawberries.

In Flames – Come Clarity

Come Clarity finds In Flames somewhere between the melodic death metal of Whoracle and the alternative sound of Soundtrack to Your Escape. The mixture here provides for a highly emotive and energetic set of songs.

Into Eternity – Buried in Oblivion

There are few bands who can play as technical of music while still being able to write even halfway decent vocal melodies, never mind the truly top-notch vocal melodies (and harmonies!) contained herein.

Snakefinger – Live at the Savoy 1981

Compared with Lithman's work in The Residents, I'd dare say this release is a bit more accessible, but don't let this fool you... This band isn't "normal" by any means.

Cynic – Carbon Based Anatomy

 Cynic's most experimental release, the 2011 EP Carbon Based Anatomy, is a stunning synergy of Cynic's many seemingly divergent musical interests.

Ideamen – Schemata

Ideamen have created an impressive and cohesive musical statement with Schemata. Being one of the most accessible experimental/art rock groups puts them in a strange place: too left-of-center for most, too normal for others.

Dog Fashion Disco – Adultery

Dog Fashion Disco's Adultery is an incredible journey in sound and storytelling.