Special Agent Dale Cooper

Mortuary Drape, "All The Witches Dance"

Crazy, obscure Italian metal band with silly lyrics but a hell of a lot of atmosphere. They seem to be legitimately interested in writing the soundtrack to a night of sacrificing infants to the dark lord. In (almost) the words of Elaine from "Seinfeld," got to love the Drape.

Anthony B, "Justice Fight"

Anthony B is a solid reggae singjay (meaning a guy who does DJ-style chatting mixed with actual melodic singing - see also: Sizzla, Buju Banton, Capleton, Turbulence, Jah Mason) and this album is good, but not one of his best. However, this is the one I happen to be listening to today. For the best Anthony B has to offer, check out "My Hope" or "Black Star." His voice is forceful, sometimes a bit off-pitch, and rather nasal - nearly perfect for modern reggae.

Ahab, "Call of the Wretched Sea"

Ponderous, thunderous, slower-than-slow doom metal concerning the plot of "Moby Dick." This album really evokes what it might be like to drift to the bottom of the ocean and rot there.

Neutral Milk Hotel, "In the Aeroplane, Over the Sea"

Indie rock in the best sense of the expression (since it's morphed into a kind of perjorative lately). Neutral Milk Hotel is classic pop with gorgeous, sunny melodies that sound like they're blasting out of a radio with broken speakers across the street from a jubilant parade. They get this kind of description a lot, I guess, and there's really no better way to get the idea across.

The Chantells, "Children of Jah"

Despite having a name that sounds like a lesser-known arm of the Motown hit factory, The Chantells were actually a lesser-known roots reggae band that recorded singles in the golden era (the late 70s) for Studio One in Jamaica. Like many groups of the time, they were a sweetly harmonizing vocal trio that sang over instrumentation provided by the Studio One musicians. They didn't prove to have the longevity or visibility of the Wailers or the Wailing Souls, but this is an excellent collection nonetheless.

David Bowie, "Low"

I just bought a big stack of Bowie CDs - I knew I liked the guy but had avoided really engaging with his formidable body of work for a long time. Out of what I have spun so far, "Low" is one that really jumps out at me. After the obviously great work of his glam rock period (Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, etc.) this collaboration with Brian Eno is both a startling turn and still very, very Bowie. Until the 2nd half, that is, where it turns into an instrumental album that combines Steve Reich and Phillip Glass with classic Eno ambient. Weird. Awesome.