This is my general list of music recommendations (as in, if you like rock, get something out of the rock category). I'm not very good at describing certain styles of music, so I've just sorted them into the genre that they "fit" best. If you want personalized recommendations, just throw an e-mail at me that contains A) some bands you like and B) some bands you don't like, and I'll work my magic.

Pop

Beulah - Yoko: A very fine indie-pop album, probably the best one, in fact. Everything about it is perfect from the vocals to the lyrics to the music itself. Can't recommend this one enough, really.

Mando Diao - Bring 'Em In - This CD is somewhat strange (read: Swedish band) but it's got some awesome songs (read: because they're a Swedish band).

Phantom Planet - Negatives: If you've heard of Phantom Planet, it's probably because they've done the theme song to The O.C. Please don't hold this against them as they're actually a good band (and this isn't the CD that has the theme song).

Radiohead - The Bends: With a band like Radiohead, you can't really say which is their "best" album because they're all different, so I went with the one that more people would like (and note that I'm not saying Radiohead is pop, I'm saying this CD is pop).

The Dandy Warhols - Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia: Hurray for local-ish music, eh? Quality poppy stuff, or something.

The Features - Exhibit A: Catchiness to the max, every song's above average and most are even better.

The Minders - The Future's Always Perfect: Hurray, another local-ish band! The only bad thing about this album is that it's incredibly short at only 26 minutes long, but that's still 26 minutes of kickass music.

Rock

Blonde Redhead - Misery Is A Butterfly: I don't know how to describe this album outside of "weird." The vocals might not appeal to some (a lot, really), but there's two singers so give 'em both a chance, eh?

Calla - Televise - Quality post-rock (no, I don't know how do define that) featuring very nice vocals.

Dover - I Was Dead For 7 Weeks In The City Of Angels: Probably the most rocking band (not so much this CD, though) I've ever heard and they've got a female singer. Kickass vocals and music are present throughout this album, and I'm pretty sure that repetition isn't (it is on their other albums, unfortunately).

Eels - Souljacker: Great vocals and even greater lyrics to boot.

Elliott Smith - Either/Or: Elliott Smith is the best musician ever and he was musically born in Oregon, so hurray! Acoustic indie-pop-rock to the max. This is his 3rd solo CD and arguably my favorite.

Elliott Smith - Figure 8: More Elliott Smith; he is the best musician ever, after all. This was the last CD that he released before he died (he's got a post-humous one, however) and it's amazing, as usual.

Elliott Smith - XO: Even more Elliott Smith; he's the best musician ever, remember? His 4th solo CD, it strikes me as sadder than the rest for no discernable reason.

Heatmiser - Dead Air: Hah, you thought I'd be done with Elliott Smith, didn't you!? Heatmiser was "his" band (along with the capable Neil Gust) and they're basically a more rocking form of his solo days. Grunge, yo.

Heatmiser - Mic City Sons: Still more Heatmiser, this CD is closer stylistlcally to his solo days.

Metal

8 Foot Sativa - Hate Made Me: 8 Foot Sativa's metal is as heavy as metal can be without devolving into the demonic growls of death metal.

In Flames - Colony: Melodic death metal at its finest; great music and entirely listenable vocals... just what one expects from melodic death metal.

Manticora - 8 Deadly Sins: The only power metal album that I've heard and liked.

Paradise Lost - One Second: I find it hard to describe this as metal because it's so goddamn melodic.