WRAD

If I had a radio station those would be its call numbers. "WRAD, Rad Radio: playing only the best of everything." In high school I was strictly a classic rock boy, with the occassional exception (Radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins). These days I have much more ecclectic tastes; Hip hop, jazz, modern rock, some techno, and even Icelandic spacey post-rock. However, having broader interests doesn't mean I've lowered my standards. In exploring these other fields of music, I've realized that, just like with rock, 90% of everything released in other genres is pure crap. Since you obviously want my knowledge (you're reading my blog for crying out loud), I'll give you some recommendations. I'll try to list them in order of "normalcy," starting with the most normal-sounding (but still sensational), and ending with the most weird or experimental. I recommend them all with gusto.

Bruce Springsteen -- Devils and Dust
The title track gives me chills. This is a man who can take current world politics and bring them down to a personal level, inject them with powerful images, and set them to music.

Audioslave -- Out of Exile
The super-group's second album is solid, but falls just short of their outstanding first. Still, this solidifies Audioslave as one of the best rock bands in America right now...

Foo Fighters -- In Your Honor
Dave Grohl is a master songsmith, not to mention rocking guitar player and frontman. All of his talent is on display here, in what sounds an awful lot like a tribute to Kurt Cobain.

Jack Johnson -- In Between Dreams
Quiet, elegant acoustic guitar rock at its best. Johnson has a strikingly natural sound, like he's sitting in the room with you. Maybe it's just me :p

Aimee Mann -- The Forgotten Arm
The fact that Aimee Mann is still relatively unknown is one of the surest signs that American music is in trouble.

The Roots -- The Tipping Point
These guys get my vote for best hip hop group out there. Just check out "Web" and try to convince me otherwise.

Keane -- Hopes and Fears
Those crazy Brits. They made a rock band with no guitars. This, their first album, sounds very dramatic. At times it's downright epic.

Kanye West -- Late Registration
Could "Diamonds from Sierra Leone" become the first great political rap of the decade? Unless my memory fails me, I think it might be.

Norah Jones -- Feels Like Home
Norah's second album is better than her first in almost every way. I can't get enough.

Common -- Be
I am blown away. His raps are intelligent, touching, and potentially world-changing. Common is not only a sophisticated rapper, but also a great humanist.

Blackalicious -- Blazing Arrow
Gift of Gab spins rhymes at the speed of light around the themes of love, natural disasters, and the beauty in every moment.

Black-Eyed Peas -- Monkey Business
These guys have a unique energy that just makes you feel good. I challenge you to listen to "Pump It" without smiling.

Coldplay -- X&Y
Coldplay has followed a pretty consistent evolution across their three albums. By now they sound a little like something from outer space. I like the change.

Radiohead -- Hail to the Thief
If you like the direction Radiohead has been moving in then you might find this their best album to date. But even if you hate it, there are a few throwbacks to their older sound.

Beck -- Guero
Wacky Beck at his best. Video game beeps and other weird sound effects somehow make surprisingly infectious tunes.

The White Stripes -- Get Behind Me Satan
Damn it I love these guys. This is their most ecclectic, and best, album so far. All I'll say is that there is a genuine bluegrass song (Little Ghost).

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou Soundtrack
Yeah, I know it's a soundtrack and soundtracks suck. But this has David Bowie songs in Portugese.

M.I.A. -- Arular
Don't ask, just listen. She sounds like a slightly techno version of Stomp!, but that is a very flimsy comparison. This is from thousands of years in the future though, so you haven't heard anything else like it.

Macho Man Randy Savage -- Be A Man
Don't be scurred.