Album: One Beat

Sleater-Kinney are no more, but they left some seriously good music behind, not to mention a major influence on any "girl band" worth their salt. Carrie, Corin, and Janet received all kinds of cred for their political, often feminist message as well as for their solid musicianship. Make no mistake, they shouldn't be labeled (read: dismissed) as some riot grrrl band, but as a band that simply rocked. All of this is evident on the stellar One Beat from 2002. (If you like this, please try their final studio album, The Woods, released in 2005...and while you're at it, 2000's All Hands On the Bad One.)

A good choice for: fans of Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Breeders, Hole; thoughtful/thought-provoking lyrics; rrrock.

Tracks to try: One Beat, Oh, Light Rail Coyote, Step Aside, Hollywood Ending

Listen here.

Album: The Sophtware Slump

Like Radiohead's incomparable Kid A (which no description can serve nearly as well as a proper listen), Grandaddy released their second album in the year 2000. This timing seemed appropriate for both, considering their overall aesthetic and thematic content. The Sophtware Slump is what Kid A might have sounded like if Radiohead hailed from sunny California and felt considerably less ambitious...Sort of like Kid A-lite.

A good choice if you dig: songs about technology, alienation, robots, etc.; cool atmospherics; electronica seeming simultaneously impersonal and intimate.

Tracks to try: Hewletts Daughter, The Crystal Lake, Chartsengrafs, Broken Household Appliance National Forest, Miner At the Dial-A-View

Listen here.

Album: Partie Traumatic

If you don't like dance pop records, best skip this one. That said, if you do like dance pop records, there's lots to like here. Groundbreaking material it is not, but Black Kids made just the sort of infectious, danceable, sometimes silly, no-brainer of an album everybody needs now and then.

A good choice if you like the sounds of: '80s-tinged house party music with the occasional hint of disco flair; Cut Copy; Ghostland Observatory (check Delete.Delete.I.Eat.Meat and Paparazzi Lightning).

Tracks to try: Hurricane Jane, I'm Making Eyes At You, I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You, Look At Me (When I Rock Wichoo)

Listen here.

Artist: Hank Williams

There are some singers whose impact simply cannot be measured, and the late, great Hank Williams was absolutely one of those singers. The legend of his tragically short life has been told and re-told. But, the most important part of that story is the incredible influence he had in the musical lives of so many country and rock 'n roll artists to come. As proof, Hank was the first inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1961 and was honored with an induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. He wrote over 100 songs, spanning across the genres of country, blues, gospel (recorded under the pseudonym Luke the Drifter), and what would later become rockabilly.

A good choice if you enjoy: music that broke new ground and paved the way for a number of genres; music that transports you to another time and place; the convincing manner in which a 20-something sang songs about extreme loneliness, unbearable heartache, and seasoned world-weariness; hits your grandparents might have danced to in a honky tonk (I know mine did).

Tracks to try: Wedding Bells, Lost Highway, I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry, Long Gone Lonesome Blues, Cold, Cold Heart, I Can't Help It (If I'm Still In Love With You), Hey, Good Lookin', Ramblin' Man, Honky Tonk Blues, You Win Again, I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive, Your Cheatin' Heart, Take These Chains From My Heart, I Saw the Light

Listen here.

Song: Ex-Factor

Lauryn Hill recorded one of the best songs ever about loving the wrong person way too much. "Ex-Factor" poignantly describes the pain of a love lost with the harsh clarity that hindsight always provides. A perfect combo of words for the mind and beats for the body. (This song is from her impressive, Grammy-winning debut The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.)

A good choice for fans of The Fugees, India.Arie, Erykah Badu or just plain good R&B.

Album: If You're Feeling Sinister

Belle and Sebastian, godfathers of "twee" that they are, wove their Scottish magic all through this 1996 album. Ironically, between its quirky melodies and Stuart Murdoch's delicate vocals, If You're Feeling Sinister feels about as sinister as a basket of kittens. However, beneath these precious-sounding tunes lie very witty and sometimes subversive lyrics.

A good choice if you like: songs that reveal a little more with each listen; to hear a guy sing with a cool accent; Camera Obscura (whose debut album happened to be produced by Murdoch).

Tracks to try: Seeing Other People, Like Dylan In the Movies, The Fox In the Snow, Judy and the Dream of Horses

Listen here.

Artist: Yeah Yeah Yeahs

One could nearly put the Yeah Yeah Yeahs under separate classifications depending on which album is being referenced. In many ways, their sound has changed from their 2003 debut Fever to Tell to their latest, It's Blitz! What hasn't changed is the quality of their output and their overall attitude (and they have plenty to spare). YYY are an NYC trio, fronted by the fabulous Karen O, whose voice can go from plaintive to power screech and back before you can blink. They're a garage/punk/rock/often dancefloor-friendly band, who don't disappoint no matter which mood they're in.

Listen here to Fever to Tell, which includes the incredibly gorgeous (and for this album, anomalous) "Maps"

Listen here to Show Your Bones, their 2006 release

Listen here to It's Blitz!, their most recent album

Album: Walking With Thee

Clinic are very British, very serious, very moody. Walking With Thee sounds rather chilly and even a tad uh, clinical, on a couple of tracks, but most often they find a nice groove. I'd call it 1 part gloomy Brit rock mixed with a smidge of trip hop.

A good choice for fans of Doves, Pulp, British Sea Power.

Tracks to try: The Equaliser, Welcome, Mr. Moonlight, For the Wars

Listen here.

Album: Beasts of Seasons

Laura Gibson's second album Beasts of Seasons was released last year on the HUSH label. Incidentally, that alone tells you a great deal about what to expect. It's an intimate, folk-y, sparse, often lullaby-like collection of songs. Laura's voice sounds like a combination of Stina Nordenstam, Zooey Deschanel from She & Him, and Cat Power (Cat Power's You Are Free and The Greatest deserve a listen as well). A word of warning: Do not listen to Laura Gibson while driving overnight or operating heavy machinery.

A good choice for: listening through headphones (some albums really lend themselves to that, you know?); playing late in the evening when feeling particularly stressed; accompanying a cold winter's day.

Tracks to try: Come By Storm, Spirited, Sleeper

Listen here.

Song: Beautiful & Very Smart

Harlem are an Austin-based trio most commonly classified as "noise pop." That's a fairly accurate assessment based on the stripped down, jangly, dive bar sound happening in their great track "Beautiful & Very Smart." Harlem self-released their first album last year and their follow-up is due April 6 on Matador.

A good choice for fans of Black Lips, Sic Alps, maybe The Pixies.

[Thanks to Meghan G-H for the heads up on these guys!]

Album: Is This It

Nearly 10 years after its release, The Strokes 2001 debut Is This It has definitely still got whatever "it" is. This album is all youthful energy and garage rock aesthetics, with the swagger of the early Stones, and a New York City vibe (appropriate, since they're all NYC boys). Basically, it's just a fun listen without a weak song in the bunch.

A good choice if you: want a great soundtrack to your cardio workout; like straight ahead, no-nonsense rock 'n roll; need an up-tempo start to a sleepy Monday morning or a kick off to a Friday night.

Tracks to try: The Modern Age, Soma, Someday, Hard to Explain

Listen here.

Song: Naked Eye

"Naked Eye" is essentially the lone hit from Luscious Jackson's album Fever In Fever Out. Maybe the only real hit the band ever had. Even if that's the case, this mid-1990s "alternative" song (from a time when that term probably still had some meaning) remains pretty dang catchy and sounds mighty fresh.

A good choice if you: are of a certain age (um, 30-ish) and occasionally wax nostalgic about the '90s; like a catchy hook and lyrics that are fun to sing along with; are simply intrigued by the name Luscious Jackson (Fun to say, right?).

Artist/Songwriter: Kris Kristofferson

Whether or not you're a fan of country, folk, Americana, etc., there can't be any doubt that Kris Kristofferson is a master songwriter. He has written so many classics, but the majority have been made popular by other artists. Probably his most well-known tune is Janis Joplin's famous rendition of "Me and Bobby McGee." So, an attentive listen to a few of his other masterworks is highly recommended.

A good choice if you appreciate: relatable, timeless lyrics; Bob Dylan's songwriting abilities; the emotiveness of a time-worn voice.

Tracks to try:
Listen here For the Good Times (and the classic from Ray Price)
Listen here to Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down (and the famous version by Johnny Cash)
Listen here to Loving Her Was Easier (and a popular cover from Willie Nelson)
Listen here to Help Me Make It Through the Night (and the big hit for Sammi Smith)
Listen here to A Moment of Forever (from Kristofferson himself)

Album/Artist: A Girl Called Eddy

Erin Moran, better known as A Girl Called Eddy, produced some truly beautiful work in her self-titled 2004 debut. As of this writing, she unfortunately has yet to release another album. Most of these songs sound as if they were written fresh off an excruciating break-up. But, she has an ability to make that heartache sound utterly lovely. (For another fine example, check out Beck's Sea Change).

A good choice if you: are trying to recover from a heart wrenching break-up or divorce; need a warm and soothing voice to cozy up to late at night; like solid songwriting and the sound of gorgeous melancholy; yearn for a real good cry.

Tracks to try: Tears All Over Town, Girls Can Really Tear You Up Inside, Somebody Hurt You, Little Bird, Golden

Listen here.

Album: In Ghost Colours

Cut Copy's 2008 album In Ghost Colours is like one big candy cane, gumdrop, swirly-twirly dancefest of electronic goodness. 15 songs that meld seamlessly from one into the next, lending itself to a beginning-to-end listen. It all adds up to a fabulous (if imaginary) party that you really, really wish you could attend.

A good choice if you enjoy: getting your groove on; pretending you're in a European disco in the 1980s; having a natural high; listening to Australian dudes sing.

Tracks to try: Feel the Love, Out There On the Ice, Unforgettable Season, So Haunted, Hearts On Fire

Listen here.