Twenty-five Artists Who Matter to Me
Maybe it's all the lists I've been reading on Facebook or my recession-era spending down-turn, but lately I've been going back to the the artists who matter most to me. After an album or two some artists are cemented into the architecture of my personal pop culture while others will forever hang on the walls like cherished but interchangeable decorations. Some have earned my unyielding devotion without an album I'd put in the top ten and some will get a second listen no matter how much I disliked their last performance. Absent are the acclaimed luminaries who simply don't resonate the way they probably should, the artists whose importance I understand and respect intellectually but who never really took hold.
Ranging from blindly reverent to heavily qualified, these are the artists whose personae, politics, mythology and - most importantly - music have established an artistic integrity that will keep me coming back in good times and bad.
Can Do No Wrong I will likely enjoy and defend these artists no matter what.
Jeff Tweedy (Wilco) If I were twenty years older it might be Dylan, but I'm not so it's Tweedy. I get what he's doing and what he's doing gets to me every time.
Steve Earle An easy fit in the next category as well, Earle's willingness to speak truth to power earned my respect but his peerless songwriting places him in the bedrock of my musical landscape.
Will Oldham (Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Palace...) Keeping Americana wonderfully weird with music rooted equally in the heart, soul and loins of a wickedly protestant South.
Radiohead Well before pioneering the zero-carbon-footprint tour and pay-what-you-want pricing, Radiohead had my devoted attention. It's the consistency of their trajectory as well as the height of its peak (Kid A) that I continue to admire and trust.
Neko Case She could sing the phone book and it would suddenly be full of intrigue and beauty. She's not just a singer she's a major weather event, a force of nature.
Yeah, What He Said! Artists whose music and politics are all but impossible to separate, and that's a good thing.
Billy Bragg He carries a torch once held by Woodie Guthrie, lighting the way for the disadvantaged and oppressed and killing fascists one song at a time.
Chuck D Fighting the power with a voice like a bomb, his message and music are far bigger than hip hop.
Neil Young Also a living legend (see below), he achieved his status with a haunting voice, his enduring skill as a songwriter and, beyond all, for being an immovable protester in the face of war.
Jon Langford Welshman, musician, artist and rabble-rouser, Langford's Pine Valley Cosmonauts raised money and awareness to assist in his adopted home state of Illinois' successful Moratorium on the Death Penalty Project. Plus there are those other bands he's in; The Mekons and The Waco Brothers.
Ted Leo New Jersey native and outspoken lefty vegetarian strikes just the right balance of piss, pop and punk.
Always Interesting, Always Interested These artists seem to thrive on the fringe of one genre or another, testing barriers of weirdness, volume or both - and always come out sounding a step ahead of the pack.
The Flaming Lips It's totally the drugs, but it's not just the drugs. Psychedelics can make the music weird but the band's dedication to honest exploration and a big good time is what makes it so good.
Liars From arty punk firebrands to space stalker noise rock monolith, Liars make a mess of boundaries and defy expectations like a ball peen hammer through sliced bread. More importantly, what they're doing remains intensely interesting.
Phil Elvrum (Microphones, Mt. Eerie) Atmosphere is the meaningful space around things, the tone being set for the things being said. Elvrum is making a career out of crafting perfect atmospheres in which to say impossible things.
Fugazi ...should also be filed in the previous category. Enduring post-hardcore punks remain consistent without being repetitious, keeping me coming back whenever I need to yell at somebody.
Jon Spencer ...cuz sometimes when I'm yelling at people I also want to shake it. Nobody does plugged in white boy blues rock as big and dirty as the JSBX, but listen again and you'll hear plenty of soul, funk and even folk.
That One Album Was So Good I'm Willing to Forgive (insert disappointment here) How do Cubs fans stay loyal with so little to show for it? It just takes one breathtaking record - no matter how long ago - and the rest is forgiven.
Jeff Mangum (Neutral Milk Hotel) In the Aeroplane Over the Sea One of the greatest albums of modern times, then... well, the fact is there aren't any subsequent albums to forgive, but Aeroplane earned many willing and forgiving ears should Mangum choose to one day come out of hibernation. Please?
Sam Beam (Iron & Wine) Creek Drank the Cradle His output since Creek, while very good, has become increasingly broad in its scope and appeal. My daughters still request "Bird Stealing Bread" at bedtime and for that I will always owe Mr. Beam my thanks and appreciation.
Jay Farrar (Son Volt) Trace Farrar and Tweedy both had a free pass after Uncle Tupelo. Trace picks up that band's steam train country line and forces it dangerously around familiar curves. It's been bumpy since, but I'll buy a ticket for one more ride until he's run it completely out of steam.
Ryan Adams Heartbreaker No one tests this category the way Ryan Adams does. Rock-n-Roll was nearly unforgivable and 29 was beyond bad, but then I hear Heartbreaker again and I'm willing to believe. It must be like seeing baby pictures of the teenager who is suddenly skidding out of control. He used to be so beautiful. He'll be beautiful again.
Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) For Emma, Forever Ago Speaking of beauty, Bon Iver's debut earned my long term interest which has so far been rewarded by the intriguing Blood Bank ep. I eagerly await whatever comes next, prepared to forgive and return to Emma.
The Living Legends These artists have been doing something special, something hard to explain or repeat, for a very long time.
Emmylou Harris Everything she touches turns to gold.
Elvis Costello The only thing he seems unable to do is compromise. Whether he's teaming up and branching out - chamber pop with the Brodsky Quartet, piano lounge with Bacherach, Americana folk with T Bone Burnett, comedy with Steven Colbert - or expanding the politically minded punk-pop genre he helped pioneer Costello remains engaged and remarkable.
Buddy Miller No Depression's Artist of the Decade and Emmylou's right hand axe man might be the most universally respected man in Nashville. He's worked with or been covered by Dolly Parton, Brookes & Dunn, the Dixie Chicks, Shawn Colvin, Steve Earle and countless others. He's also a wildly underrated guitar player, second only to Dave Alvin in my book.
Lyle Lovett Statesman of the understated, the thin man with the big hair, dark suit and sideways smile somehow walks on a higher plane, placing his own indelible brand on Texas swing, Memphis soul and dust bowl folk.
The Pixies Without the Pixies there would be no alternative music in the 90s or thereafter. Long live the Pixies!
* Like any list, there are more things missing than not. Dead or defunct artists were deemed ineligible for consideration no matter how worshiped they may be (Johnny Cash, The Beatles, Beach Boys, Townes Van Zandt, Woody Guthrie, Zeppelin...)
Jeff Tweedy (Wilco) If I were twenty years older it might be Dylan, but I'm not so it's Tweedy. I get what he's doing and what he's doing gets to me every time.
Steve Earle An easy fit in the next category as well, Earle's willingness to speak truth to power earned my respect but his peerless songwriting places him in the bedrock of my musical landscape.
Will Oldham (Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Palace...) Keeping Americana wonderfully weird with music rooted equally in the heart, soul and loins of a wickedly protestant South.
Radiohead Well before pioneering the zero-carbon-footprint tour and pay-what-you-want pricing, Radiohead had my devoted attention. It's the consistency of their trajectory as well as the height of its peak (Kid A) that I continue to admire and trust.
Neko Case She could sing the phone book and it would suddenly be full of intrigue and beauty. She's not just a singer she's a major weather event, a force of nature.
Yeah, What He Said! Artists whose music and politics are all but impossible to separate, and that's a good thing.
Billy Bragg He carries a torch once held by Woodie Guthrie, lighting the way for the disadvantaged and oppressed and killing fascists one song at a time.
Chuck D Fighting the power with a voice like a bomb, his message and music are far bigger than hip hop.
Neil Young Also a living legend (see below), he achieved his status with a haunting voice, his enduring skill as a songwriter and, beyond all, for being an immovable protester in the face of war.
Jon Langford Welshman, musician, artist and rabble-rouser, Langford's Pine Valley Cosmonauts raised money and awareness to assist in his adopted home state of Illinois' successful Moratorium on the Death Penalty Project. Plus there are those other bands he's in; The Mekons and The Waco Brothers.
Ted Leo New Jersey native and outspoken lefty vegetarian strikes just the right balance of piss, pop and punk.
Always Interesting, Always Interested These artists seem to thrive on the fringe of one genre or another, testing barriers of weirdness, volume or both - and always come out sounding a step ahead of the pack.
The Flaming Lips It's totally the drugs, but it's not just the drugs. Psychedelics can make the music weird but the band's dedication to honest exploration and a big good time is what makes it so good.
Liars From arty punk firebrands to space stalker noise rock monolith, Liars make a mess of boundaries and defy expectations like a ball peen hammer through sliced bread. More importantly, what they're doing remains intensely interesting.
Phil Elvrum (Microphones, Mt. Eerie) Atmosphere is the meaningful space around things, the tone being set for the things being said. Elvrum is making a career out of crafting perfect atmospheres in which to say impossible things.
Fugazi ...should also be filed in the previous category. Enduring post-hardcore punks remain consistent without being repetitious, keeping me coming back whenever I need to yell at somebody.
Jon Spencer ...cuz sometimes when I'm yelling at people I also want to shake it. Nobody does plugged in white boy blues rock as big and dirty as the JSBX, but listen again and you'll hear plenty of soul, funk and even folk.
That One Album Was So Good I'm Willing to Forgive (insert disappointment here) How do Cubs fans stay loyal with so little to show for it? It just takes one breathtaking record - no matter how long ago - and the rest is forgiven.
Jeff Mangum (Neutral Milk Hotel) In the Aeroplane Over the Sea One of the greatest albums of modern times, then... well, the fact is there aren't any subsequent albums to forgive, but Aeroplane earned many willing and forgiving ears should Mangum choose to one day come out of hibernation. Please?
Sam Beam (Iron & Wine) Creek Drank the Cradle His output since Creek, while very good, has become increasingly broad in its scope and appeal. My daughters still request "Bird Stealing Bread" at bedtime and for that I will always owe Mr. Beam my thanks and appreciation.
Jay Farrar (Son Volt) Trace Farrar and Tweedy both had a free pass after Uncle Tupelo. Trace picks up that band's steam train country line and forces it dangerously around familiar curves. It's been bumpy since, but I'll buy a ticket for one more ride until he's run it completely out of steam.
Ryan Adams Heartbreaker No one tests this category the way Ryan Adams does. Rock-n-Roll was nearly unforgivable and 29 was beyond bad, but then I hear Heartbreaker again and I'm willing to believe. It must be like seeing baby pictures of the teenager who is suddenly skidding out of control. He used to be so beautiful. He'll be beautiful again.
Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) For Emma, Forever Ago Speaking of beauty, Bon Iver's debut earned my long term interest which has so far been rewarded by the intriguing Blood Bank ep. I eagerly await whatever comes next, prepared to forgive and return to Emma.
The Living Legends These artists have been doing something special, something hard to explain or repeat, for a very long time.
Emmylou Harris Everything she touches turns to gold.
Elvis Costello The only thing he seems unable to do is compromise. Whether he's teaming up and branching out - chamber pop with the Brodsky Quartet, piano lounge with Bacherach, Americana folk with T Bone Burnett, comedy with Steven Colbert - or expanding the politically minded punk-pop genre he helped pioneer Costello remains engaged and remarkable.
Buddy Miller No Depression's Artist of the Decade and Emmylou's right hand axe man might be the most universally respected man in Nashville. He's worked with or been covered by Dolly Parton, Brookes & Dunn, the Dixie Chicks, Shawn Colvin, Steve Earle and countless others. He's also a wildly underrated guitar player, second only to Dave Alvin in my book.
Lyle Lovett Statesman of the understated, the thin man with the big hair, dark suit and sideways smile somehow walks on a higher plane, placing his own indelible brand on Texas swing, Memphis soul and dust bowl folk.
The Pixies Without the Pixies there would be no alternative music in the 90s or thereafter. Long live the Pixies!
* Like any list, there are more things missing than not. Dead or defunct artists were deemed ineligible for consideration no matter how worshiped they may be (Johnny Cash, The Beatles, Beach Boys, Townes Van Zandt, Woody Guthrie, Zeppelin...)
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