I really don't get rap, and I am completely aware of why. I'm a STEM guy, specifically a Ph.D. student in mathematics. Although my verbal intelligence is quite high, it's still about a standard deviation below my quantitative intelligence. Therefore, it should not be too surprising that I prefer melodies to lyricism, and that a genre based on the latter doesn't wow me. I know I'm pretty far out of step with public opinion on this one, but that can easily be attributed to the fact that hipsters with humanities degrees (i.e. extremely verbal-dominant people) are considered the ultimate arbiters of taste for some reason. (Side note: this also explains why prog rock is seen as being for losers.) Best song: Be (Intro), which had a decent instrumental part at the beginning. Everything else just sort of ran together.

This is one of those albums that sounds like its cover. It has the atmosphere of walking down a back alley full of deranged bums at night, and I mean that in the best possible way. It's the saying "I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it" in musical form. It's the kind of thing that Lou Reed probably wished he had made. That being said, it's a bit too wacky to go in my regular rotation, although I'd definitely bring it out on Halloween, or after a Fearnet binge if Fearnet still existed. Best song: Hamlet (Pow Pow Pow), which reminds me of the "The killer awoke before dawn" part of The End.

Not really a huge fan of the whole diva thing (it sounds too much like when people sing the Star-Spangled Banner and they feel compelled to go "AND THE ROCKETS' RED GLAAAAAEEOUUOOAAIIIEEEEEUUUUUER" for some reason). Also not a huge rap guy. Best song: Close My Eyes, which was the only one I really liked and wouldn't be out of place on a Zero 7 album.

I tend to associate the more extreme forms of metal with a vocalist shrieking and making guttural noises while a guitarist and drummer produce a wall of atonal noise, like if Merzbow used acoustic instruments. For the first three minutes or so of this album, these guys proved me wrong, but for the rest of it they mostly proved me right. Best song: Instinct of Survival, because it had an actual melody and came before I tuned everything out.

Not really a huge fan of the whole diva thing (it sounds too much like when people sing the Star-Spangled Banner and they feel compelled to go "AND THE ROCKETS' RED GLAAAAAEEOUUOOAAIIIEEEEEUUUUUER" for some reason). Also not a huge rap guy. Best song: Close My Eyes, which was the only one I really liked and wouldn't be out of place on a Zero 7 album.

I tend to associate the more extreme forms of metal with a vocalist shrieking and making guttural noises while a guitarist and drummer produce a wall of atonal noise, like if Merzbow used acoustic instruments. For the first three minutes or so of this album, these guys proved me wrong, but for the rest of it they mostly proved me right. Best song: Instinct of Survival, because it had an actual melody and came before I tuned everything out.

Wow, I'm really impressed. This is sort of like what Radiohead might have ended up doing if they had kept their The Bends-era sound. Occasionally it was a little poppy for my tastes, but if I did a PCA on this there's no way it would end up in the John Mayer cluster. Anyone who thinks it's uncool to like these guys is a moron. Best song: Daylight (although there are quite a few to choose from). Musically dense, and I'm a sucker for the combo of strings and loopy bass.

Really solid and really honest folk album, I'm impressed. Great atmosphere, almost like I just stepped into a pub after a long day's work of harvesting vegetables or something. Fiddles and mandolins are both top tier instruments in my opinion. Best song: When Ye Go Away. It has just the right blend of jangly acoustic rock and trad Celtic folk.

Synthpop is a genre that I'm often conflicted about: I like the "synth" part, but the "pop" song structures often leave much to be desired. Additionally, the sound palettes available to electronic musicians in the early '80s were much more limited by the technology of the day, meaning that a lot of the genre's pioneers had pretty much the same sound. However, given these limitations, this album was about as good as it could have been. Best song: Architecture And Morality builds nicely, although I'll also mention the irresistible '80s banger Joan Of Arc.

Not as bad as I thought it would be, but nonetheless very, very repetitive. I suppose if you've got a bad case of Saturday night fever, you've just done some lines of coke in the bathroom, and you just want something steady that you can go all night to, then this would do the job. However, I don't think I will ever find myself in such a situation. Best song: Can't Stand to Love You, because it didn't wear out its welcome.

This is one of those albums that sounds like its cover. It has the atmosphere of walking down a back alley full of deranged bums at night, and I mean that in the best possible way. It's the saying "I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it" in musical form. It's the kind of thing that Lou Reed probably wished he had made. That being said, it's a bit too wacky to go in my regular rotation, although I'd definitely bring it out on Halloween, or after a Fearnet binge if Fearnet still existed. Best song: Hamlet (Pow Pow Pow), which reminds me of the "The killer awoke before dawn" part of The End.

I am not a hippie. I've never used any sort of recreational drug, nor do I intend to in the future. As a result, if a piece of music was made with the intention of listening to it while high, there's a pretty good chance that I just won't "get" it. This album had a few decent parts and was pleasant enough overall, but most of the melodies sounded strange and just didn't click. I'm reminded fairly strongly of Animal Collective, whose music I feel similarly about. Best song: The Daily Planet, which was one of the ones that did click.

That was really good. If punk rock is the kid that shows up late every day, possibly drunk or high, and proceeds to ask the teacher smart-ass questions from the back row of the classroom, then Fugazi is what would happen if that kid went on to become valedictorian. There are a lot of musical ideas packed together here, and the songs feel longer than they actually are (which I mean in the best possible way). I'm also a big fan of the interplay between instruments and the loud-soft dynamics; it reminds me of Slint at times. The 3 Songs EP (sometimes included with Repeater) is also worthwhile. Best song: Shut The Door is absolutely killer, but there are so many others to choose from as well.

I really don't get rap, and I am completely aware of why. I'm a STEM guy, specifically a Ph.D. student in mathematics. Although my verbal intelligence is quite high, it's still about a standard deviation below my quantitative intelligence. Therefore, it should not be too surprising that I prefer melodies to lyricism, and that a genre based on the latter doesn't wow me. I know I'm pretty far out of step with public opinion on this one, but that can easily be attributed to the fact that hipsters with humanities degrees (i.e. extremely verbal-dominant people) are considered the ultimate arbiters of taste for some reason. (Side note: this also explains why prog rock is seen as being for losers.) Best song: Be (Intro), which had a decent instrumental part at the beginning. Everything else just sort of ran together.

Not half bad. It felt like something that The Smiths would do if they had started in the '90s rather than the '80s, with some of the twinkly arpeggios swapped out for fuzzy or acoustic hooks. The quasi-genre of "crooner sings while his backing band plays a chord progression" isn't usually one I go for, but with the right accoutrements it can be a fun listen (see also: early Scott Walker). Best song: Billy Budd, which is punchy and melodic enough for my tastes.

In 1973, Alice Cooper would have been considered shocking and depraved, what with the New York punk scene still half a decade away and the Slim Shady LP twenty years further still. By today's standards, he comes across as a bit goofy. Musically, this album is about as Q 104.3 as it gets, to the point where it gave me a bit of nostalgia for driving around suburban North Jersey in high school even though I'm not sure how much airplay it actually got. While I'd definitely leave it on if it the DJs at the Q decided to give it a spin, most of it is too similar to the other items on the '70s hard rock menu. Best song: Unfinished Sweet blows everything else out of the water with its multi-part structure, synth sweeps and jangly interpolation of the James Bond theme, and sounds like something Brian Eno would have come up with.

I like electronic music. That's something that people who know me well tend to pick up on. However, there are many different kinds of electronic music, and I usually go more for the kind that I sometimes self-deprecatingly describe to my friends as "photocopiers murdering each other" than the more oonts-oonts varieties. This is at least partly because I don't like dancing. The music of Daft Punk, on the other hand, is made specifically for the dancefloor, and if you want to bust a move for 74 minutes then they have you covered with this one. Sometimes I really wish I was the type to hang around in fancy nightclubs. Best song: Revolution 909 is silky smooth.

Do I like '90s alt-rock? Yes. Do I like Alanis Morissette's voice? Honestly, not really. Do I like the concept of Alanis Morissette singing in that voice about how much her exes are missing out on her? Again, that's probably a no. As far as mid-'90s not-quite-grunge goes, there are quite a few other options available that do it better, although I'd be lying if I said that this album doesn't have its moments. Best song: Right Through You was pretty decent, and All I Really Want would have been great as an instrumental.

Going in, I had no idea who these guys were, but after a couple songs I was absolutely sure they were from Australia or New Zealand. A jangly guitar sound and an intuitive understanding of Western music theory make for songs that are both catchy and beautiful, and for one reason or another they're pretty strong signals for a band being from Oz or NZ. (However, it was a little surprising that these guys weren't from Dunedin.) I'm going with a 4 for now, solely because I'm extremely sparing with my 5s, but there's an extremely strong probability that I bump this up on RateYourMusic a year or two from now. Best song: It's Only Natural was really good, and How Will You Go was a magical closer, although there are a ton to choose from.

Since I'm from Jersey, I'm pretty much contractually obligated to appreciate Bon Jovi to some extent. I definitely do have some sentimental attachment to the boys from Sayreville, at least more than I would have for the likes of Dokken or Motley Crue. The album itself is listenable if a bit samey, and not bad if you've got the sudden urge to drive down the shore in your IROC. Best song: Wanted Dead Or Alive is utterly flawless as an '80s hard rock song, but that's about the most entry-level choice I could make, so I'll go with Let It Rock for the sake of contrarianism.

I remember when I was in elementary school around the turn of the millennium, all the girls seemed to be obsessed with TLC, Destiny's Child, Aaliyah, and whoever was on American Idol. I was not, since I wasn't really part of the target audience for any of those people. Around two decades later, I guess I'm still not, but this album was pretty listenable compared to other pop music of its era. Best song: Waterfalls is a better version of Still Rock and Roll to Me by Billy Joel, and If I Was Your Girlfriend fooled me for the first 40 seconds into thinking it was made by Trent Reznor.