Catch 22

Sweet New Jersey ska band that plays a lot in my area (CT). They do an awesome American Pie cover and just have too many great songs. Trumpet fans, trombone fans, enquire here. Top.

Reel Big Fish

Very well known ska band. Their brass players are way above par. They recently toured with Goldfinger, and I was stupid enough to miss out. My favorite album is definetely Turn The Radio Off. Their music is just too enjoyable and fun to hear. Top.

Goldfinger

More punk than ska. Goldfinger does not utilize the Brass instruments like Catch 22 and Reel Big Fish. Instead they have better guitar and concentrate on a louder sound. One of their best songs, Superman, is featured in the game Tony Hawks Pro Skater! Top.

Dispatch

For the most part, I stay away from soft music. Dispatch, however, is that exception. Not yet corrupted by MTV, but still known enough to sell out both their Roseland's Ballroom and Central Park shows. Absolutely awesome live. I know they have at least 3 Cd's, but maybe more I am not sure. If you like Dispatch also check out Guster and Jack Johnson. Top.

Tool

Here is were I am going to get opinionated. I think very, very, very highly of Tool. Their music is incredible. Guitar, bass, drums, its all their. Maynard, their lead singer, has perhaps the greatest singing voice ever. Creepy best describes it, but he is just so brilliant with his style. Aenima is favorite CD right now, but i highly recomend Lateralus as well. Top.

Deftones

The Deftones are undeniably a good band. In no way do they compare to Tool or Rage in quality, however. Their most redeeming factor I believe is their drummer. This guy is what makes the band enjoyable. The guitar is decent too, and the vocals are good but their is better out there. Top.

Rage Against The Machine

My favorite band ever. Rage Against the Machine combines the Godly guitar of Tom Morello with Zak's amazing lyrics. Rage combines all that is good about hip hop with meaningful lyrics. Their music is like Cypress Hill or Public Enemy with a guitar. The image shown is off the back of one of the many Rage shirts that I own. Top.

KRS-ONE

For the most part, I am not tolerant of rap. In most cases rap is just a mediocre background beat with some "artist" slurring off explatives and slurs at a faster-than-normal speed. KRS-ONE, on the other hand, send a message out with his music. Not only that, but he is the master of freestyle. Half the tracks on the album, I Got Next, are freestyle sessions from a concert that he performed at. Top.

Phillip Glass

Now its time for everyone favorite... Classical music! Well, its not exactly fair to call Phillip Glass classical. Glass is a modern composer, and his music is closer to techno than Bach. I was graced with the opportunity to see Phillip Glass live recently and I was completely blown away. A good place to start would be to either buy or download his 5 Metamorphosis. Although similar, each piece contains a unique riff while background beat remains constant. Another thing that he performed were several of his Etudes, but unfortunately they must not have been recorded yet since I was unable to find any on morpheus. Top.

The Beastie Boys

Another exception to the rap rule. The Beastie Boys have funny and catchy lyrics plus a Godly DJ (Mix Master Mike). I am not too impressed with some of their earlier work, but Grand Royal is a masterful CD with tons of great tracks. Top.

Group X

Group X is best described as the Tenacious D of rap. Not only are the lyrics hilarious but the singer(s) use an arabic accent to add even more humor to their singing. I have actually heard that they perform in Atlanta, their home town. I wouldn't buy the CD, but their songs are worth the space on your harddrive. Top.

The Crystal Method

One of the best CD's I actually purchased would be Vegas. Every song on this CD is worth listening too, and the order in which the CD was arranged is near perfection. Crystal Method has been featured in at least one car commercial, along with the movie Gone In 60 Seconds. I know there are at least 2 other Crystal Method CD's out there, but I am far to content with the one that I have right now. Top.

The Chemical Brothers

Definetly my favorite techno group. I have all their CD's except for their first one. What is great is that their Music evolves with each album. Dig Your Own Hole was this funky feeling to it with fabulous drum work. Surrender has more of a surreal sound and some of the tracks actually make me motion sick (I don't know why). Their newset release, Come With Us, is far more than I expected. This album is phenomenal. Some tracks are better than others, but this is one of those rare CD's that you can listen all the way through without skipping a track. Top.

Honorable Mentions

Here are the bands that should have their own little section, but aren't going to get one due to time restraints on this project.

• BT
• Moby
• Soulfly
• Offspring
• Fatboy Slim
• Cypress Hill
• Jack Johnson
• Yoko Kanno and the Seatbelts

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