16. Arise, Therefore (1996)

After the effortless alt-country masterpiece, Viva Last Blues, Oldham retreated into the shadows once again (neither his name nor any of his aliases appear on this album sleeve). On Arise, Therefore, he’s armed with an incongruous drum machine, a fresh batch of lyrics that could be charitably described as “esoteric erotica,” and no intentions to please his growing fan-base. Far be it from me to accuse an album of lacking confidence when it includes a song called “You Have Cum in Your Hair and Your Dick Is Hanging Out.” But Oldham’s wavering voice, perhaps meant to sound vulnerable, simply sounds unsure of itself. Few would call him a traditionally great singer, but like Morrissey and David Byrne before him, Oldham’s vocal strength lies in his unwavering faith in own voice and its stylistic tics.

The album isn’t without highlights like the hypnotic title track and the deceptively sunny closer, “The Weaker Soldier.” But between the reluctant vocals and the cheesy drum machine, it sounds less like the work of one of the most significant voices of the past two decades and more like your blacked-out uncle bought a karaoke machine.