Special Agent Dale Cooper

Mudcrutch, "Mudcrutch"

This is in no sense an obscurity like everything else I try to list here, but screw it. Tom Petty just put the band back together - in this case, the country/rock band he played bass in before there were Heartbreakers. Fans of stuff like Gram Parsons and early Wilco should check this out. Petty hasn't done anything this good since "Wildflowers."

Graveyard, "Graveyard"

Not a death metal band like they sound (in fact there have been a few death metal bands with that name), but rather a rock revival act that sounds like a cross between Cream, Blue Cheer, and Sabbath. And they write some really incredible guitar riffs. Fans of Witchcraft should check this out also; fans of The Sword or Wolfmother should stop listening to plastic fakery and listen to Witchcraft and Graveyard instead.

Bloodstone, "Hour Of The Gate"

Totally obscure early Swedish death metal (of the Sunlight Studios/Stockholm variety) that was just reissued on vinyl. This reminds me strongly of the somewhat blacker bands of that scene, e.g. Necrophobic.

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.