Best Albums of the Decade, 89-80

Before you read any further, be sure to check out the first part of the list (along with Matt’s selection guidelines), Albums 101-90!

89. Love as Laughter, Sea to Shining Sea (2001)
When your name is Sam Jayne, and you title a song “Sam Jayne = Dead,” you might need to re-up with your therapist. But if you have more tunes and guitars than you know what to do with, and you need one shining moment in the sun, you might have made this record a few years ago. Sprawling, erratic, shambolic. Sam Jayne = awesome.

88. Itibere Familia Orquestra, Calendario do Som (2006)
The scenario: Brazilian bassist Itibere Zwarg gets together 20 or so young musicians, works with them on their jazz and classical and trad-Braz technique, then does a two-CD set of incredibly hard compositions by Hermeto Pascoal, the wonderful old hermit of Brazilian music. The result: absolutely stunning, if just a bit repetitive.

87. Amit Trivedi, Dev.D soundtrack (2009)
The first Bollywood soundtrack to appear on this list…but by no means the last. This movie presented an amped-up modern take on one of Mumbai’s most-filmed dramas, and the soundtrack does a lot of heavy lifting: not just lovely ballads and techno numbers, but multiple versions of “Emosonal Attachyar” (brass band, rock)! Groundbreaking.

86. Gretchen Wilson, Here for the Party (2004)
She didn’t shine long, but she shone brightly on her first and biggest record. But Fetchin’ Gretchen isn’t just the small-town ex-bartendress “Redneck Woman” she marketed herself as; she is a belter with power and range, and she knows how to spin a yarn…or at least find people who can write her a yarn to spin.

85. Orthodox, Amanecer en Puerto Escura (2008)
Punishing metal riffs that go on for weeks. Free jazz excursions. Fractured vocals. Rhythmic attack that sometimes disappears for minutes at a time. Whatever it is about Spain’s most promising doom band, we like it more every time we hear it. They care about categories about as much as a cow cares for flies; just brush them away.

84. Brooke Valentine, Chain Letter (2005)
This album came out of nowhere to kick our asses with its combination of hip-hop styled r&b (“Girlfight”!), strange 80s-influenced pop, and some stuff that probably hasn’t been invented yet. Not sure why she never broke through, not sure why no one’s ever heard her second album, not sure why I love it so. (I think it might be the songs, though.)

83. Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Lift Yr Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven (2000)
This is the kind of record that tries men’s and women’s souls. Two discs of atmospheric Quebeçois post-rock that sometimes rocks and sometimes just sits there. Is it slamming, is it ambient, is it safe to play in the car? So many questions, so few answers. But yes, Virginia, sometimes it rocks very hard, indeed.

82. Susheela Raman, Love Trap (2003)
There is no reason Susheela Raman isn’t a huge world-music star, except maybe bad luck or bad timing or something. She’s got the looks, the voice, the attitude (taking the title track melody from Ethiopian legend Mahmoud Ahmed), and the fierce intelligence for it. Ah well, we’ll always have Love Trap.
Other albums that could have gone here: Salt Rain (2001), Music for Crocodiles (2006).

81. Cee-Lo, Cee-Lo Green and His Perfect Imperfections (2002)
Before he was “Crazy” with Gnarls Barkley, Cee-Lo was a member of Goodie Mob and a fine hook singer-for-hire all over the U.S. But it is as a solo artist/rapper that I think he flew highest, and with this record in particular. It’s all over the place, it’s sloppy, it’s messy, it’s a big wet kiss to the world’s middle finger…and as such, we heartily approve of it.
Other albums that could have gone here: Cee-Lo Green…Is the Soul Machine (2001), Gnarls Barkley’s St. Elsewhere (2006).

80. The Mountain Goats, Heretic Pride (2008)
Mr. John Darnielle is a highly literate, highly sensitive singer-songwriter. He has done many great records in his career; this is our favorite for a few reasons, but really you never go wrong with this guy. Or these guys. It’s complicated. This record is all heart, all brains, all soul, and all everything.
Other albums that could have gone here: The Life of the World to Come (2009), The Sunset Tree (2005), Tallahassee (2003).