If we were picking the best albums

“LeTigre,” LeTigre: Front woman Kathleen Hannah’s first band, Bikini Kill, was the nexus of the ‘80s Riot Grrrl movement and the Olympia scene. Their raw punk politics seared a trail for female musicians. These days, chick bands are no longer an anomaly, but a fact of life. Hannah’s second outfit, LeTigre, is the next mighty step in the evolution Hannah helped begin.

On first pass, LeTigre’s self-titled debut is like a shower of giggle-inspired tears from a 12-year-old girl’s first slumber party (with '80s-era MTV on in the background). Once you catch your breath, however, and the synth-pop and hip-hop beats wash over you, Hannah’s politics sink in. Her helium phrasing has a Johnny Rotten sophistication, and her lyrics are just as witty and sly. Soulless rock bands, misogynistic auteurs and evil New York City mayors are all targets of insults so smooth it might take a month for her cuts to finally bleed. Throw in an homage to other female trailblazers with beats you can dance to, and it’s the perfect party mix to your next sleepover. — Helen A.S. Popkin

“Turn on the Bright Lights,” Interpol: Joy Division! Afghan Whigs! The Chameleons! I figured I’d just get that out of the way since nothing ever gets written about Interpol without mentioning all the bands they sound just like. And, well, that’s fair. It’s not their originality that earns their place here. It’s that their spot-on post-punk revival is wildly enjoyable. That, and they make a great cheater pick for someone who listens to way too many tunes from over twenty years ago. — Ree Hines

“Debut,” Bjork: From the first couple of notes on the cheekily named "Debut," you know you're in for something different — after all, "Human Behavior" starts out with the pounding of a huge kettle drum. Different is what the Icelandic pop princess has always delivered, from the beginning through last year's all vocal masterpiece "Medulla." With “Debut,” though, Bjork lets you know that having fun is a full-time adventure for her, an idea that's beautifully captured in "There's More to Life Than This". What you get with "Debut" is the full range of Bjork, from the tinges of darkness on "Human Behavior" to the soaringly happy "Big Time Sensuality". On later albums, Bjork touches on these ranges, like the brilliant "It's Oh So Quiet" on her follow up, "Post", but it's on "Debut" that she's absolutely sublime. — Jim Ray

Virgin Records

“Key Lime Pie,” Camper Van Beethoven: Too bad this was the bizarro Santa Cruz posse’s swan song; it was one of the best albums of the ‘80s. Their mix of roots rock, punk and country had reached a powerful, atmospheric peak. The songs transport you to a steamy tropical bungalow, or maybe to a dusty road outside Bakersfield. They radiate burning sunshine, even as they reek of decay and loss. — Jon Bonné

“If You're Feeling Sinister,” Belle & Sebastian: My friend Ben says Belle & Sebastian’s first major release, “If You’re Feeling Sinister,” is great because it “finally gave disenfranchised youth an alternative to the Smiths.” I think it’s more accurate to say this twee folk-rock band from Glasgow, Scotland, gave grownups (who wore out their Smiths records as teens) something to listen to as disenfranchised adults. Songwriter Stuart Murdoch, with his fey vocals, is more puckish than sardonic Smiths front man Morrissey — perhaps closer to folkster Nick Drake. But like the Smiths, Murdoch skips the obvious pop themes, opting for witty, bittersweet songs about “The Stars of Track and Field” and “Judy and the Dream of Horses.” The lush and delicate instrumentation concocts a hazy, otherworldly feel, like a French film in an air-conditioned theater on a hot Saturday afternoon—foreign but altogether comfortable. — Helen A.S. Popkin

“Emperor Tomato Ketchup,” Stereolab: I suspect you’re not actually meant to like all of Stereolab’s music. Each of their albums had flaws, each also contained addictive standouts. Consider how 1996’s “Emperor Tomato Ketchup” effortlessly blends three decades worth of pop, funk and minimalism in tracks like “Metronomic Underground” and “Tomorrow Is Already Here.” (As good as the refined, thoughtful Euro-bop that filled year’s “Margerine Eclipse.”) Inscrutably weird, true, but Stereolab’s ability to synthesize so many styles has long made them my most-cherished band. — Jon Bonne

“Endtroducing,” DJ Shadow: There are some albums that are the product of a given era or zeitgeist, but it's entirely possible that each track on "Endtroducing" is the product of the exact minute that it was produced. On this brilliant debut, Shadow, aka Josh Davis, literally spliced the otherworldly and organic sounds together from taped samples that he scrounged from years of digging through Bay Area record store basements. Unlike so many of his contemporaries, though, "Endtroducing" is still as fresh a listen today as it was when it first inspired an entire genre of hip-hop DJ's to look beyond the emerging bling rap and reach for something deeper. — Jim Ray

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