Though certainly odd enough itself, the title of Anton Barbeau's album, A Splendid Tray, is no match for the names of some of its songs. "Suicide Toad," "Cockroach Dream," and "Yum Yum Bubblegum" all vie for Most Strange, but top honors ultimately go to "Please Sir, I've Got a Wooden Leg." Barbeau writes fine melodies and obliquely compelling chord progressions, and his lyrics utilize the kind of wordplay found in George Harrison's Beatles tunes. Less cheesy than the Bare Naked Ladies but more substantial than They Might Be Giants, Barbeau could perhaps best be compared to a less punked-out version of the Pixies in musicianship and general weirdness. His album is available from Frigidisk.

The similarities between Bone Simple and Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention go beyond their shared fondness for lame puns. The Texas-based Bone Simple employs a Zappa-like brand of all-inclusive eclecticism on the 19 tracks of Skinny Atlas, their third album. The songs veer between pop ska, such as the faux-Police tune "All of a Sudden," and experimental funk a la Phish with patter-style lyrics, as on "I'm Turning Into Mel Torme." For a change of pace, listen to "Yellow Houses," which sounds like a lost Syd Barrett track. Find out more at the band's website.

Pianist/accordion player Tino Derado assembled his band for Aguacero from all over the planet. Derado himself honed his craft in Germany and Croatia, while percussionists Satoshi Takeishi and Jamey Haddad bring elements of Japanese and Iranian drumming, respectively, to the mix, rounded out by Americans Billy Drewes on reeds and Ben Street on bass. The resulting polyrhythms are as complexly textured as anything you're likely to hear on a jazz album. Aguacero moves fluidly from bop ("Aguacero") to cool jazz ("Gelsomina") to free jazz ("Mirocatu") to samba ("Tweaked"), incorporating throughout the elegance and drama of classical music. It's available through their site on mp3.com.

Lynch Mob's name might be in poor taste if their leader weren't ex-Dokken axeman George Lynch. Though vocalist Kirk Harper raps on most tracks, Lynch Mob's sound is less rooted in the Korn/Bizkit rap-metal synthesis of today than in the funk metal of Living Colour, Faith No More, or the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Lynch and company impose machine-like precision upon chaos; the result is a barely controlled maelstrom of gnashing power chords, wailing riffage, and effects of every imaginable kind. Clancy McCarthy's drumwork is especially commendable. For more, see the band's website.

Apparently unburdened by a first name, singer/songwriter Paxton provokes critical comparisons to such legends as Lou Reed, Bob Dylan, and Rod Stewart. For my money, however, more apt reference points might be Third Eye Blind and the Spin Doctors. This four-song EP is meant to tide fans over until the 2000 release of his second full-length album. Ginger’s Dish is full of pop philosophy and cutesy rhymes; the radio-ready "What's It Like To Be You?" treads the same ground Matchbox 20 covered with their hit "The Real World." His website can be found at www.paxtonband.com.

If you're going to knock off another band, you might as well knock off the best band around. That seems to be the theory behind Quincy's wholesale plagiarism of Radiohead's sound. That said, if you like Radiohead – and if you don't, for shame – you'll probably like Quincy. Their songwriting is quite solid, and singer/guitarist David Bray does a very serviceable Thom Yorke impression. Quincy aren't Radiohead, but with their slightly dissonant harmonies and futuristic sound effects, they may well be the next best thing.

There are plenty of Pink Floyd cover bands out there, but Size are one of relatively few groups trying to infuse original material with the Floyd sound and spirit. That said, "the Floyd sound" isn't an easily definable entity. Size deliver something more akin to the anguished howling and neatly packaged solos of The Final Cut and The Wall than to the trippy sonic voyages on Animals and Dark Side. Singer/guitarist Angus Clark's Roger Waters impression sounds like an unsteady Neil Young, and his rhymes are occasionally rather labored, but when it comes to riffing, he's obviously taken to heart many of the lessons David Gilmour has to teach. You can listen to "Ooh Babe," which sounds like a Final Cut outtake, at www.mp3.com/size.

Steamroller are an excellent example of what hard rock ought to be – what, in fact, it used to be back in the heyday of Alice Cooper and AC/DC. The Burbank, California-based quartet gets it just right on these four tracks; the playing is tight and focused, and the mix is perfect. Singer Marc Don Vito is a very competent vocalist and his harmonica solos add another dimension to the group's standard power trio-sound. Jason Felger is a monster on the fretboard; be sure to listen for his Eddie Van Halen-style guitar break on "Serpent." Their website is www.steamrollerrocks.com.