Me Without You- [A->B] Life... These guys own one of the best concerts I've seen. Thier cd isn't half bad, either. Rock that leans toward the harder side with some heart-felt vocals.

Miighty Flashlight- Miighty Flashlight... Indie/countrty one-man-and-his-guitar (and macintosh) cd. He can do with one accoustic guitar what I can only dream about.

Buddy Miller- Midnight and Lonesome... Guitar player for country veteran Emmylou Harris, Buddy Miller has been in the business for a while. He skillfully crafts twangy country with his wife, Julie Miller. Julie Miller lends her angelic voice on most of the songs, too.

Moth- Provisions, Fiction and Gear... Alternative Rock that stays interesting.

Norma Jean- Bless the Martyr and Kiss the Child... A rough n' tough metalcore cd. Nothing new for the scene, but done well.

Operatica- Shine... opera and electronica mix. spellbinding.

Pedro the Lion- Control... Indie rock gods, Pedro the Lion, scores again on this rock opera.

Pet Shop Boys- Release... Sappy electronica songs. Good for the broken soul.

Queens of the Stone Age- Songs for the Deaf... Delightful rock and roll songs that spell fun.

Sixpence None the Richer- Divine Discontent... This release slipped under the radar of popular music. A cd chock full of great pop songs.

16 Horsepower- Folklore... Alt.country with a stark gothic feel.

Souljahz- The Fault is History... Catchy r&b/rap songs.

System of a Down- Steal this Album... The only hard group in the popular music scene that matters. This cd was intended as a B-sides and rarity disc. However, it comes off better than thier previous regular album, Toxicity.

t.A.T.u.- 200 KM/H in the Wrong Lane... Sure, this is a teeny-bop mainstream cd made by the corporate music industry. But I'll be damned if this isn't catchy.

twothirtyeight- You Should Be Living... Indie rock which bounces with great guitar lines.

Wilco- Yankee Hotel Foxtrot... My favorite cd for 1/4th of 2002, this cd had to make the list. While I burned out on it a few months ago, it's still a testament to some great songwriting for the genre-bending Jeff Tweedy.

peace.