Sometimes, there's nothing better than a musically-indexed memory. Every song, artist, album links directly to an event or time in your life; hearing the first few bars immediately stirs the feelings and images associated with when the song entered your life.

However, at other time, it's nice to have music that doesn't remind you of anything (but unlike commercial radio, is still enjoyable to listen to). Simple listening pleasure, uncomplicated by flashbacks of memory.

Worst/best offenders:

• REM - Bittersweet Me [good times, played the song to death]
• Tom Waits - Ol' 55 [bad times, good song]
• Weezer - O Girlfriend [good times, never tire of it]
• Deep Blue Something - Breakfast at Tiffany's [good times, godawful song]
• Radiohead - Karma Police [good times, who couldn't love such a bass line?]
• Blur - There's No Other Way [spent an excellent 8 weeks with this in my head, never want to hear it again]
• Metallica - King Nothing [good times, good song]

(Temporarily) doesn't remind me of anything:

• Audioslave - Doesn't Remind Me
• Frank Black - I Burn Today
• Bloc Party - Positive Tension