Read part one, including an intro, here.

Read part two here.

Contributors for this list include 29-95ers Sara Cress, Jordan Graber and Joe Mathlete, Houston Chronicle entertainment writer/29-95 contributor Andrew Dansby and the Skyline Network's Ryan Clark. Where available, we try to give purchasing information.

Defend the Ghetto -- Demo, 2004 -- Heavy rock that's either paying tribute to Karp or blatantly ripping them off. Fast pounding drums that sound like John Bonham is back from the dead, rumbling bass and a guitar that sounds like it's being played through a telephone amplified through a tin can, came together to form one of the loudest band's Houston has even heard. Both tracks "Hammer of the Gods" and "None More Black" are a must hear. Available at Texas Punk Treasure Chest -- J.G.

Three Fantastic -- self-titled, 2006 -- Any project with guitarist Kelly Doyle in it is going to be outstanding. Add to his talent the eccentric growls of Conroe country-boy scenester Charles Peters and you've got the pillars of a unique rock band that found a modest following via The Buzz. This album was the culmination of efforts on other recordings, including some great songs: 20,000 Worlds Away, 5 Seconds, Etude de Pop, Prison. Any of those would be good places to start with this band that has taken an indefinite hiatus. The disc doesn't appear to be available online anywhere, but you can listen to a few songs on 29-95. -- S.C.

Listenlisten -- Hymns From Rhodesia, 2009 -- The waltz is so pretty to watch, but in the hands of this band it makes for eerie and unsettling music. Haunting, spare and haunting because it's spare. Available on iTunes. -- A.D.

Fatal Flying Guilloteens -- Quantum Fucking, 2007 -– Sometimes bands make the mistake of having a song that should close out their catalog not be the final track on their final record. Presciently, the Guilloteens broke up shortly after releasing this direction-shifting LP of loosey-goosey Texas art-punk, which climaxes in the sort of drone-on-drone finale that might make Johnny Mnemonic nonplussed. Available on Amazon.com. Freak out to Reveal the Rats, Tiger vs. Gator and Legion of Serpents. -- R.C.

Bring Back the Guns -- Unmastered Futures / Dry Futures, 2005/2007 -– The indie-rock heroes’ lone full-length (that was released locally in 2005, officially in 2007) is a powerful mix of spazzy Les Savy Fav-isms and thoughtfully furious math-rock of Polvo. The unpredictable M.C. Escher compositions and angular guitar workouts dovetail perfectly with Matt Brownlie’s Everyman-comes-undone lyrics. An album as likely to get a party started as it is to convince you to burn it to the ground. Available on iTunes; recommended track: The Art of Malnutrition. -- J.M.

David Brake and That Damn Band -- Lean Mean Texas Machine, 2003 -- There are likely thousands of people in this city who make great music, write great songs, and you'd never know it. Brake is a guy who can write the hell out of a pop-rock song, but just hasn't ever connected to a pop-rock audience. To make money, he plays covers or country music. (Or "played"; I can't find any recent news on the guy.) So great songs on both of his discs got ignored. Lean Mean Texas Machine featured some great piano-pop songs, including 101 Tattoos and Sounds of the Sacred. Available on iTunes. -- S.C.

Linus Pauling Quartet -- All Things are Light, 2007 -– The shortest album by these psych-rock guitar heroes is also their finest, offering up a concise vinyl-only overview of everything they do well: sprawling stoner-rock jams, bluesy garage bangers, moody psychedelic tunes that give way to noisy squalls of feedback and endless solos, even a sword metal epic. Gentlemen, start your bongs. Recommended track: Southern Pine. Available at http://sakistore.net/product_info.php?products_id=22064 and at Sound Exchange. -- J.M.

Little Joe Washington -- Houston Guitar Blues, 2003 -- This isn't the most fluid album to play start to finish, but documentation of this blues institution is so scant, sometimes you just have to take what you get. The title is understated given Washington's wild way with his instrument. Available on iTunes. -- A.D.

Robert Glasper -- In My Element, 2007 -- Glasper announced early on that he planned to find a way to make hip-hop and jazz work together. The former was downplayed on his Blue Note debut, but he subtly begins moving in that direction here. Available on iTunes. -- A.D.

Com Voce -- Com Voce, 2006 -- Near the beginning of my exploration of Houston music, I was ragged on for my lack of local jazz knowledge. So I had a long lunch with local pianist/teacher Paul English, wherein he urged me to try listening to different styles and not be so hard on myself if I didn't understand what was going on. So I opened my ears and began a journey that has led to explorations of bossa nova, hard bop, cool jazz, and a handful of delightful visits to Cezanne. Local bossa nova group Com Voce appeared in my life at the right time and it was the first local jazz album that I enjoyed. Granted, bossa nova isn't challenging, and this is an album of standards that I knew well, but that doesn't detract from beautiful, thoughtful performances. Cover albums seem so often turn into cheese-fests, but Maggie Grebowicz and Stan Killian treated the songs with a delicate hand. They have since moved on to NYC and Com Voce appears to be Grebowicz' solo project. It appears to have been re-released in 2007 with the title Candeias, which is available on iTunes. -- S.C.

Pamela York -- The Way of Time, 2006 -- Continuing on that theme, I was at the Kemah Jazz Festival in 2007, where I caught pianist/vocalist Pamela York. I'm now a sucker for piano jazz, and York's original compositions are lovely, lithe pieces that are made that much sweeter when she sings. Available on iTunes. -- S.C.

B L A C K I E -- Wilderness of North America, 2008 –- Dense, abrasive, confrontational, controversial, chaotic, and even at the quietest of volumes it seems louder than any other record you’ve ever heard. Wilderness of North America is a landmark achievement in the still-nascent intersection of rap and noise music. Recommended track: Regrets of an Average African American Amateur Drug Lord. Available at http://blackieallcapswithspaces.com. -- J.M.

Port Vale -- The Music The Lights The Fire, 2001 -- Houston indie-pop at its best. Some may be a little thrown off by Lance Walker's out-of-tune vocals, but they are perfectly paired with jangly guitars, steady drumming and rolling bass creating some of the best 3-minute pop songs to come out of this town. The sound quality on this one is fantastic. Musicians, take note: spending the extra money on recording and mastering really makes a difference. Pop gems include The Roof's Fell In! and Hushed Singles. Available on Amazon. -- J.G.

John Evans -- Lucky 13, 2008 -- The best songs are as witty as they are infectious, and with guitar whiz Chris Masterson producing and playing there's a sturdy drive to the whole thing. Available on iTunes. -- A.D.

Balaclavas -- Inferno, 2008 -- Dark post-punk that's heavy on the bass and echoed vocals. This record is the perfect soundtrack for walking around Montrose on a cold night with nowhere to go. An extremely anxious sounding album. The title track is definitely worth a listen. Available at http://phonographicarts.blogspot.com/ -- J.G.

Craig Kinsey -- The Burdener, 2008 -- The Sideshow Tramps create a carnival of festive folk-rock sound, but front man Kinsey's solo album isn't about groups or festivities. It's like Heart of Darkness backed by some soul-shaking Appalachian instrumentation. Not for the faint of heart. Available on iTunes; recommended track: Waiting On a Train. -- A.D.

Sideshow Tramps -- Medicine Show, 2007 -- The album that I just can't shake from the past few years is Craig Kinsey's The Burdener, but since Andrew already mentioned it, I'll mention Kinsey's fantastic band of crazy people: the Sideshow Tramps. Folk, gypsy jazz, bluegrass, blues, homemade instruments, yelling, crowd surfing, revivals; it's a circus, really. The album captured the circus well, which couldn't have been an easy task. Here's hoping the Tramps keep making mischief for many more years to come. Available on iTunes. Recommended track: Lady Vodka. -- S.C.

Sugar Bayou -- Dance Hall Incident, 2007 -- Sugar Bayou isn't a name on the lips of the hipsters at Mango's, but they're big at the Mucky Duck and with good reason: this album shows off a very fine bluegrass/Americana band that takes risks with torch songs, jazz, blues, and pop. Available on iTunes, recommended track: Galveston. -- S.C.

OHR -- Demonstrational Field Recordings, 2004 -- Psychedelic tribal pop from space. Four tracks clocking in at over 45 minutes, OHR was a short-lived band that was the precursor to the more classically song-structured Graustark. Even though OHR only had two members, the self-released recording is filled with lush guitars, steady drums and whirling vocals comprised of chanting, breathing, chirping and everything else the voice can do without saying a single word. The CD is beautifully packaged in a screen-printed (intaglio) jacket. -- J.G.

Daniel Johnston -- Is and Always Was, 2009 -- I've enjoyed Johnston's recordings with brand-name producers, but Jason Falkner seems to have best succeeded at making the case for Johnston as a Beatle from another planet and not just a tortured and tormented songwriter of note. Available on iTunes. -- A.D.

Read part four here.

Read the final installment here.