Punkabilly legends X continue to provide a razor sharp soundtrack for murderous 1980s Los Angeles with their third album Under the Big Black Sun.

Veteran hypnagogic pioneer Ariel Pink stirs up ghosts of our cultural past while recording in isolation to create the lo-fi masterpiece Dedicated to Bobby Jameson - a sonic celebration of individuality that actually benefits from lack of focus.

As the rhythm of Cumbia evolves throughout South America during the 1960s it finds a Martian groove in Peru. In 1972, Juaneco Y Su Combo strap on their parrot-feather headbands and ayahuasca jammy packs and bang out the Chicha classic El Gran Cacique.

Led Zeppelin's first two years as a band was a wildly successful but tremendously hectic affair and the band was looking to retreat into nature to contemplate their next move. What emerges from the hills of the English countryside is the band's experimental 'timeout' album - Led Zeppelin III.

L7 are a monolithic all-female band celebrated in the annals of the hairy-chested Seattle grunge scene, but they actually originated outta Los Angeles. Armed with riffs and wit quick enough to capture the love of everyone they met, the band's third album Bricks Are Heavy is their catchiest buzzer.

Despite mounting a legacy as a pioneer of experimental rock and roll, Captain Beefheart really wanted a slice of mainstream popularity - his debut album Safe As Milk provides the most substantial musical evidence of this desire in his double-digit discog.

The only thing The Stone Roses did right during their smug ten-year existence was release this infectious debut album - which has enough juice to cover-up the career flubs and fraps that would lead the Roses into the loo.

Blasting from the copper-enriched Republic of Zambia during the mid-1970's comes Paul Ngozi and the Zamrock scene - loaded with enough psychedelic fuzz guitar to fill your colorful floppy hat!

The Slits prove that passion can eclipse technical ability with their debut Cut - a unique sonic soup of punk, dub and art pop powered by their collective self-determination.

On their fourteenth studio album, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds age gracefully with an end-of-days swing whilst flooring the gas on aggression. Out of the fumes comes the perfect soundtrack for a resurrection party.

Easy listening studio maestro Mort Garson contributes to the healthy development of houseplants by composing an album solely on a Moog synthesizer for them to listen to.

For her third album, Madonna aims to grab a more adult audience and ends up with a definitive pop masterpiece that reaches the entire world - including the Johnston Gang of Pennsylvania.

Billy Bragg fawns over Woody Guthrie lyrics on one side of the room while Wilco makes a pretty good album on the other.

Chan Marshall's songs get hit by the plushest pillow in Memphis.

Lou gets accessible in London with the help of Ziggy Stretchpants, Herbie Flowers and Thunderthighs.