It's almost an inconceivable achievement, but despite the explosion of Radiohead imitators that have sprouted up since the success of the band's back-to-back '90s masterpieces The Bends and OK Computer, Thom Yorke and company have managed to stay consistently ahead of the curve. Continually reinventing themselves, this year they have found a new way to stay innovative.

We, the music-listening public, find ourselves in the midst of the incubatory period of a classic hard rock revival. On paper, this seems like a great idea, since so much of the honest power of '60s and '70s hard rock is lost in the current indie punk-pop craze (to steal from the title of a new Foo Fighters song, "Cheer up, boys - your makeup is running"). The results so far, however, have been less than stellar.

It could be a premature generalization or an unfortunate reality, but it seems that the Foo Fighters' best days are behind them. Post-grunge rock stud Dave Grohl hasn't allowed the band to explore much musical territory beyond their signature steady rock stomp, and while they execute this style seamlessly, it's beginning to get a bit stale in the post-1990s air.

What a strange, fascinating career Tom Waits has had. A visual and musical drunken bulldog slumped over a piano, Waits is continuously evolving and constantly surprising, popping up in films like Coffee and Cigarettes and The Outsiders like a friend that hasn't called in years.

So many aspects about Seattle's Minus the Bear point to a band destined for certain failure. They're an indie band that plays dance beats, emblazes their songs with bizarre head-scratchers such as "Hey, Wanna Throw Up? Get Me Naked" and "Let's Play Guitar in a Five Guitar Band," and rips out finger-tapped guitar riffs in the vein of Eddie Van Halen. The band does manage to sound off-kilter at times. But gorgeous layers and clean production have propelled the talented quartet into an emerging rock outfit teetering on the fringe of popular music relevance.

There once was a time when the biggest punk band in the world could put out a record drawing influences from reggae, blues and Chuck Berry which would be hallowed by many as the greatest punk rock album of all time.

"No matter what you are/ I will always be with you," writes Pete Ham on the supremely delightful single, "No Matter What." Those words, and the song itself, sounded off the arrival of one of the '70s most talented and likeable bands. Unfortunately, they also served a purpose of tragic, ill-fated irony.

The lighthearted, radio-friendly pop sound of 60s sensation The Supremes has always been misleadingly easy to swallow. In fact, success was hardly an overnight phenomenon for the group, and throughout their careers they withstood dim-witted yet stinging criticisms about their stylized sound being too "pop" and not "soul," enough and about the girls not "being black enough."

It wouldn't be fair just now, with the release of their third LP, Wincing the Night Away, to add the Shins to the growing list of indie bands finding a faithful and growing audience with today's young adults.

With his debut album Food & Liquor, it is clear that Lupe Fiasco wants his name to be known in the hip-hop world. His arrangements are layered with sweeping string sections and sensationalistic sound combinations which, while at times overwhelming to the listener and distracting from the lyrics, are often strong showings from this talented young rap artist.