36LYKKE LI YOUTH NOVELS “For you I keep my legs apart,” this young Swede confides in her breakthrough single, “Little Bit.” The provocation could be Katy Perry’s, but the steely passion is pure Lykke Li—this is her proclamation of absolute fidelity. There’s vulnerability and fearlessness in her makeup; studio finesse from Björn Yttling (of Peter Bjorn and John) brings out both in an unconventionally stark yet nuanced debut that complements Li’s pop instincts and complicates even her most straightforward serenades. B.W.

32THE GUTTER TWINS SATURNALIA No big surprise that the long-awaited collaboration between ’90s-vintage gloom kings Mark Lanegan and Greg Dulli wasn’t exactly the feel-good hit of the year. But the former’s narcoleptic, baritone moan and the latter’s mischievous, soulful wail give these mid-tempo dirges, awash in revelations and Revelation, a touch of grace that recalls their classic work without repeating it. The most upbeat moment: the synthy “Idle Hands,” in which the word suffer pops up only four times. S.K.

31BON IVER FOR EMMA, FOREVER AGO In a strong year for austere folkies, no one did more with less than Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon. Looking like he just returned from the woods and sounding like maybe he wanted to stay, the Wisconsin resident built a cathedral to lost love from a base of acoustic guitar and his astonishing, frequently multitracked vocals. As posed by Vernon’s gorgeously earthy falsetto, a question as simple as “Who will love you?” takes on shattering emotional force. As it should. DAVID MARCHESE

ED MILES NME IPC+ S YNDICATION LYKKE LI

35 THE RACONTEURS CONSOLERS OF THE LONEL Y In 2006, Jack White’s just-one-of-the-boys-on-the-bus spiel seemed no less an affectation than his red pleather pants. But two years (and one Meg anxiety attack) later, the Raconteurs, and his role within them, feel much more natural and assured. “Hold Up” and “Salute Your Solution” are blistering rockers served well by an actual rhythm section, and sidekick singer-guitarist Brendan Benson fully becomes White’s equal with his lead turns on the brassy “The Switch and the Spur” and “Many Shades of Black.” S.K.

34 MILES BENJAMIN ANTHONY ROBINSON MILES BENJAMIN

ANTHONY ROBINSON

The drums rush to find footing, the woozy harmonies scrape together harshly—this is clearly not the debut of someone who has all the answers. But Robinson, a Brooklyn singer-song writer who has survived terrible spells of depression and drugs, is propelled by the hope that his ruddy folk rock will reach a spiritual place, though the Dylan-esque strain in his voice is a study in wild abandon. S TACEY ANDERSON

33 EL GUINCHO ALEGRANZA Barcelona’s Pablo Díaz-Reixa samples and psychedelizes deliriously happy records to evoke the chaos of carnival time. Alegranza’s overdubbed choir of voices and endlessly layered beats conversely suggest miseries temporarily escaped. “All of the joy of young people in love is conveyed in this delightfully simple melody,” announces a sound bite on “Fata Morgana,” which, like the rest of this delightfully warped album, sounds like a crowded island merry-go-round spiraling off its axis. B. W.

30 LUCINDA WILLIAMS LIT TLE HONEY After 30 years of weepers and heartbreakers, Williams proves she can also sing he-done-me-right songs. The aggrieved ex who growled, “You took my joy / I want it back” on 1998’s Car Wheels on a Gravel Road is now singing “Tears of Joy”—though still slinging stormy riffs, honky-tonk harmonies, and bourbon-soaked soul. Apparently, not even domestic bliss (the recently engaged singer reveals she found love “standing up behind an electric guitar”) can water down her liquor. ELLEN CARPEN TER

EVERYONE WINS AT SPIN.COM JANUAR Y 2009 47