Jay-Z

Jay-Z's 1996 debut remains one of the all-time classic albums, inaugurating an entire era of rap music and hip hop culture that can now be heard, felt and seen all over the world. The album chronicles a hustler's life and aspirations (laid out in the Nas-sampling chorus of "Dead Presidents," "I'm out for presidents to represent me"), foreshadowing not only the rise of hip hop itself, but Jay's own ascendancy to the top as an artist, entrepreneur and CEO. Receiving the coveted "5 Mics" rating from The Source on its release, Reasonable Doubt has since been added to the magazine's top 100 albums of all time.

Songs For Tibet

Over a dozen of the world's most well-known musicians have come together to release Songs For Tibet - The Art of Peace, an all-star compilation meant to raise public awareness of the political situation in Tibet. The album features brand new tracks by Regina Spektor, Sting, Damien Rice, John Mayer, Dave Matthews Band, Ben Harper and many more, and is especially significant with the world's eyes on China for the 2008 Olympics.

Explosions in the Sky

The first album from Explosions in the Sky is another example of a landmark debut. How Strange, Innocence shows the dawning of a band that has become one of the biggest names in post-rock, entering into pop consciousness with music in Friday Night Lights (both the film and TV series) and an NBC retrospective on the awesome opening ceremonies of this year's Olympics. Once you get a feel for the highly emotional, sweeping music on this album, get ready to be blown away by the rest of their catalog, now available on Amie Street!

Kyle Andrews

Delivering a sound somewhere between Eels and The Postal Service, Kyle Andrews sidesteps the indie-guy-with-a-guitar cliché with his Casio-aided bedroom pop. His songs are short and so catchy you'll swear you've heard a couple before, as he's got "an ear for melody that's as strong as his songwriting ability" (NPR). Real Blasty is his latest album on Nettwerk Records, and is otherwise only available at his shows. Get your hands on a copy today!

Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors

Drew Holcomb knows how multi-faceted musicians have to be to survive in the music industry. Over the past four years, he has played over 500 shows, opening for Ryan Adams, Los Lobos, Susan Tedeschi, Marc Broussard, Sister Hazel, and the North Mississippi Allstars. He's also managed to get his song "Long Gone Away" featured on the Lifetime Television series Army Wives. We're not sure where you'll hear about Drew next, but we can tell you that Passenger Seat is filled with smooth country-rock a la Tom Petty.

Mock Orange

Out of Evansville, Indiana, the members of Mock Orange have been playing and recording together for 15 years. In that time they've toured the US, Europe and Japan and have landed features on many popular television shows including CSI Miami, Viva La Bam, and The Real World. Their newest album Captain Love is melodic and wistful, a must-listen for fans of Modest Mouse, Built to Spill and The Flaming Lips.