Record companies have been unusually slow...

Record companies have been unusually slow in releasing noteworthy new product in 1990, so we’ll take advantage of the lull to reach back to 1989 for two year-end albums by artists whose impact has only begun to be felt: Soundgarden and Daniel Lanois. The $25 Guide outlines how to keep up with what’s fresh in pop music on a record budget of $25 a month (about $45 for CD buyers).

Record companies have been unusually slow in releasing noteworthy new product in 1990, so we’ll take advantage of the lull to reach back to 1989 for two year-end albums by artists whose impact has only begun to be felt: Soundgarden and Daniel Lanois. The $25 Guide outlines how to keep up with what’s fresh in pop music on a record budget of $25 a month (about $45 for CD buyers).

January

Jungle Brothers’ “Done by the Forces of Nature” (Warner Bros.)--Not quite as pop-minded nor dramatic an expansion of rap’s boundaries as De La Soul’s wonderfully eclectic “3 Feet High and Rising,” but still an enticing demonstration of the imagination and range of rap. Like “3 Feet,” “Forces” is an especially inviting starting point for those pop fans who still maintain they can’t stand rap.

Daniel Lanois’ “Acadie” (Opal/Warner Bros.)--Working with U2, Bob Dylan, Peter Gabriel and Robbie Robertson established Lanois as one of the most respected record producers of the late ‘80s. In his own solo debut, Lanois demonstrates that he may be one of the most rewarding singer-songwriters of the early ‘90s. There isn’t the epic scope here you find in U2’s “The Joshua Tree” or Gabriel’s “So,” but these gentle explorations of life’s mysteries and beauty are framed in ethnic and roots-conscious styles (including Cajun and blues) that echo the soulful purity of Ry Cooder and the artists whose works Lanois has produced.

Soundgarden’s “Louder Than Love” (A&M;)--From a distance, it’s to easy to dismiss this Seattle outfit as just one more hard-rock band that is trying to reap the rewards of the rock world’s continuing craving for another Led Zeppelin. What makes Soundgarden worth further inspection is that the quartet realizes the important thing isn’t duplicating the Zeppelin sound (remember Kingdom Come’s fate?), but reaching for the intensity reflected in the primal screams of Zeppelin’s most persuasive moments. Another reason for the quartet’s enormous potential is that the group doesn’t tend to be retrospective. Like Jane’s Addiction, Soundgarden is racing to the future.

February

John Wesley Harding’s “Here Comes the Groom” (Sire/Reprise)--This young British singer-songwriter may have borrowed his stage name from an old Bob Dylan album title and some of his musical direction from Elvis Costello, but his songs about human relationships and values carry a satire, wit and compassion that make this the first great album of the ‘90s. He kicks off a series of Southern California shows Wednesday at the Coach House.

They Might Be Giants’ “Flood” (Elektra)--The duo--John Flansburgh and John Linnell--is a pop-rock rarity: They write satire without a trace of smugness. The songs, about serious topics and loony ones, combine some of the ironic, poignant and biting edges associated with such diverse spirits as Ray Davies and Tom Lehrer. A feast of pop-rock imagination.

3rd Bass’ “The Cactus Album” (Def Jam)--Where the Beastie Boys forged a merger of punk, metal and rap, the second white group to catch fire in rap sticks fairly close to a hard-core rap style, mirroring more of the hip-hop authority of De La Soul’s “Me Myself and I” than the crossover dreams of the Beasties’ “Fight for Your Right (to Party).” There are some creative lapses on Side 1, but Side 2 kicks in with one of the most consistent half-hours of any rap album. Besides, how could you not warm up to a group that opens Side 1 with a nod to “Our Gang” and closes Side 2 with a wink to Abbott and Costello?