My understanding of Alt. Rock is when you call up your neighbor, your aunt, your boss's daughter's babysitter, and your cablewoman's husband and say, "Let's play music."
They Might Be Giants has been my favorite band for 11 years now, beating out the Beatles, which lasted 4 years before video
game music took over. They're like if a classic Lego Set were transmogriphied into musical instruments.
I love music with complicated melodies and cryptic lyrics. I love messages that go over my head. It's something of a riddle for me. A quote from 33 1/3's Flood, written about the TMBG album of the same name:
"If nonsense, variety, and excess are the hallmarks of cornucopia, then clarity, focus, and restraint are the stuff of famine."
I'm also developing a taste for Cosmo Sheldrake. He is as if Dr. Seuss started composing music (although that description also applies to Danny Elfman, I know).