Musically, I've always been out of step with the times. In middle school, while everyone else was boppin' to Paula Abdul and Janet Jackson, I was living the dystopian future with Emerson, Lake and Palmer. In high school, when everyone was thrashing and brooding with Nirvana, I was jamming in a smoky bar with Steely Dan. In college, I couldn't tell Bush from Blur from Oasis, but I could name (and play bass to) every song XTC ever recorded. These days, I know nothing about Britney Spears except that she has serious issues ("Hit me baby one more time?" "Sometimes I hide/Sometimes I'm scared of you?" Seek counseling, child.) But I sit in traffic during my evening commute and sing Moxy Früvous at the top of my lungs.

And yes, I was a "Weird Al" Yankovic fan. (So were you. Admit it.)

The music I love is what we shall call Geek Rock. And it's no surprise that there's a thriving branch of rock music devoted to us nerds. Music is mathematical. It's made for the pocket-protector set. This is why socially dysfunctional Mozart was a genius, and court smoothie Salieri had to kill him. But ever since Elvis sold his first million records, pop music has been the domain of the popular. Like fireflies, hip people flash the names of Eminem and Ja Rule and know they're in the presence of cool. What music is left for people like me, who think "Coldplay" is what you do on a snow day?

Here's my attempt at a partial answer to that question. What follows is far from exhaustive; even defining "Geek Rock" is problematic, since the definition applies to both a band and its fans. But I think it's safe to say this music makes the list:

Thomas Dolby, "Aliens Ate My Buick"
Had he never made this album, Dolby would get the nod on "She Blinded Me with Science" alone. But "Aliens Ate My Buick" is better: complex yet catchy, with that outsider-knowingly-looking-in perspective that informs songs like the hilarious "Airhead."

XTC, "English Settlement" and "Skylarking"
How's this for a Geek band: a bunch of country yokels from the south of England ride the New Wave almost to the brink of success - then abruptly stop touring (lead singer Andy Partridge has debilitating stage fright) and devote the next twenty years to making some of the most brilliant pop music ever. Every bar of an XTC song contains something unexpected - a weird chord, an unusual arrangement, an odd turn of phrase, a time bomb. These two albums are the must-haves, containing the singles "Senses Working Overtime" and "Dear God," respectively. Despite having few hits and generally mediocre album sales, XTC (minus a couple members) are still together - and, in true Geek fashion, now release new material out of their home studio in Swindon for their devoted cadre of fans.

They Might Be Giants, "Flood" and "Apollo 18"
Any album with a song called "Mammal" (the lyrics of which read like a high school Biology class) has to be a Geek album. TMBG are touring with a full band now, but back in the days of "Flood" and "Apollo 18," it was just two guys and a roomful of synthesizers, and we were all much better for it. My buddies and I used to sing "Istanbul" at the top of our lungs to piss off all the popular kids, and we used to play "Apollo 18" with the CD player set on "shuffle." Try it and you'll see why.

Moxy Früvous, "Bargainville" and "You Will Go to the Moon"
They started out busking on the streets of Toronto. Their first demo cassette sold 50,000 copies. On any given album, you're likely to hear them sing folk, rock, rap, barbershop, and Saturday morning cartoon, sometimes all at once. (Only Früvous could make "Michigan Militia," a hip-hop tune about white supremacists.) Stellar harmonies, dazzling wordplay, and an accordion -- what more do you need?
In their early days, Moxy Früvous were often compared with their fellow Canucks, the Barenaked Ladies -- another fine Geek band. (Rock stars that golf? Cool!)

John Mayer, "Room for Squares"
Looking at my list thus far, I see I've got a disproportionate number of 80's and early-90's bands. So I'll throw in this relatively recent offering. John Mayer's runaway success is the envy of Geek musicians everywhere - so much so that I feared it would go to his head. Thankfully, his latest single, "Bigger Than My Body," appears to retain that gee-whiz quality that is the mark of a true Geek. Keep the faith, John.

About Matt Besterman

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What bands did Matt leave off the list? Talk music at the The Water Cooler