Non-hip Music Pick of the Week

Somewhere in between Axl Rose and Jeff Mangum lived Shannon Hoon, both in terms of linear/temporal artistic production and vocal range. The Sherlock Holmes bit here is that around the time Mr. Hoon OD'd, he was making his own 'From A Basement On The Hill.' Released as 'Nico,' this record (named after his daughter) reveals to the listener the thoughts of a maudlin man with an acoustic guitar whose voice bends and cracks along with the tape hiss...it's perfectly imperfect.

While not as cerebral as 'In The Aeroplane,' his cover of Steppenwolf's 'The Pusher' is the aural definition of the word foreshadowing. If I was you, I'd head over to iTunes and scoop the aforementioned track along with 'Soul One,' 'John Sinclair,' 'All That I Need,' and 'Change.' Those tracks will treat you way better than an equivalently-priced super-sized combo.