The Best Current Musical Artists (as of 9/21/04)
Submitted by lbangs on Tue, 09/21/2004 - 04:47
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- The White Stripes - With De Stijl, White Blood Cells, and especially Elephant, this duo has tackled rock with both a wild abandon and a creative craftiness not often seen nowadays. One for the ages, I'll reckon...
- Outkast - With Stankonia and the double blast of Speakerboxxx and The Love Below, Dre and Big Boi are mixing R&B, rap, pop, and general wigginess into a creative, assured mix that goes down as fresh and smooth as a deluge of Purple Rain...
- The Streets - Original Pirate Material announced the odd UK talent of Mike Skinner that the latest album, A Grand Don't Come for Free, only confirms. Imagine Beck, a young Brian Wilson, and Eminem laying down tracks together, and you get pretty close...
- Queens of the Stone Age - By coaxing some of the major indie talents of the 90s to often jump on board, this stoner-rock group gave us R and Songs for the Deaf, two terrific examples modern hard rock. They claim they're through, but we know how those sorts of claims can change...
- Dizzee Rascal - Dylan Mills came from pretty much the same scene as Mike Skinner, but he replaces The Streets' youthfulness with a bit more grime. Both Boy In Da Corner and what I've heard of the new Showtime work for these ears...
- Interpol - Alright, only one album, Turn on the Bright Lights, so far, but a new one hits this month, and that first work surely suggested a wired band that can write tunes. I am hoping for a future...
- Cat Power - Singer/songwriter-oriented sad core, Chan Marshall's latest, You Are Free, is a modern standout in that intimate field...
- The Flaming Lips - Sure, they're the only rock band from my home state worth giving a rip about, but with The Soft Bulletin and Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, they are on a dreamy, psychedelic career high, and not many bands can claim that after ten albums...
- Boards of Canada - Ambient techno stuff, and therefore probably off the radar for most folks, but their Music Has the Right to Children is already a milestone of the genre, and the follow-up, Geogaddi, was pretty terrific as well...
- Modest Mouse - The college darlings of the year, Modest Mouse has already given us The Moon & Antarctica and this year's Good News for People Who Love Bad News, swirling a pleasant brew of pleasant, whimsical noise that at least can claim to be in the same universe as the Lips...
- Sam Phillips - From Beatlesque pop candy to a guitar and a room, this songwriter has one of the best around since the late 1980s, and she is still delivering albums this decade (Fan Dance, A Boot and a Shoe) that battle with her best...
- Green Day - I am trying to think of a band in a situation like Green Day finds themselves in , and I can only conjure up Crowded House. Both bands had a popularity heyday, and both bands actually improved as America ignored them more. As the twenty thousand horrible imitators hit the scene, Billie Joe Armstrong did the unexpected and sharpened his songwriting skills more than I suspected he ever would. So, oddly enough for a band best known for mid-90s' singles, Green Day's albums this decade (Warning, American Idiot) are actually the band's best. I love being surprised...
Author Comments:
In no order...
I selected this crew thinking mostly of artists' post-2000 output and considering their consistency as much as their brilliance!
Good list.
I would like to offer this list my opinion by adding:
The Strokes (reshaped the face of music with the image of Velvet Underground and the force of Nirvana)
Beck (pretty sure you love him already, and brilliant 'Sea Change' was a post-2000's album)
Wilco (one of the most consistent bands this decade as well as 90's)
Radiohead (see above)
The Shins (could be more popular than Modest Mouse, thankfully they're not)
My Morning Jacket (loads of potential to be great)
Worthy of mention: Air, The Walkmen, The Rapture, The Arcade Fire, Ryan Adams
Good suggestions. I was very close to including Beck, and I only balked because of the lack of much recent output. Perhaps I should switch; Sea Change is terrific...
Consistency is what knocks most of these bands out for me. The Strokes' second album came nowhere near the terrific first one to these ears, Wilco's last one also was a bit of a slump (a good listen, just not near the band's best), Radiohead's last few just don't impress me nearly as much as they do others (I like most of them, but OK Computer and The Bends tower so high, the others for the most part can't keep up), and Air and Ryan Adams suffered a like fate.
I shudder to confess that I don't believe I am much of a fan of The Rapture. Forgive me; perhaps the band will grow on me.
I have only heard My Morning Jacket's debut, so my ignorance keeps them out.
And speaking of my ignorance, I haven't heard the Arcade Fire album yet. I will have to check it out.
Still, I am considering Beck and begging your fogiveness on the others!
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Wow, I strongly recommend you hear the recent My Morning Jacket record asap.
Thanks for the suggestion! We will see what I can do with limited funds and an internet provider that has clamped down on online sampling...
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
I want to find a place for The Arcade Fire on my equivelent list, but I'm gonna wait to see their live show before I make a decision. After all, one album is hard to make a choice with.
Nice list; you've certainly nailed three of my favorites (Stripes, Lips, Mouse), and this list will serve as a good reminder of some albums I should really pick up (Turn on the Bright Lights, Songs for the Deaf, You Are Free).
I would join dcstar in recommending the Shins, and also, what do you think of P J Harvey's post-2000 work? Worth checking out?
PJ's post 2000 has been uniformly pretty good, but not very consistent. I love Stories, but while I like her latest, I can't quite rank it with her best. Sonic Youth gets a like reaction from me (good stuff, but nowhere near Sister or Daydream Nation).
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
I third The Shins!
Wow, I hear the Shins chorus! I am going to have to spend more time with the latest release. While I love the single (Kissing the Lipless), the rest of the album disappointed me a bit after the last. Maybe it just needs to grow on me...
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
I would mention The Rapture. Boards of Canada album is incredible. Perhaps the greatest mix of ambient sounds ever, excluding Another Green World.
You should also check out Manitoba and I bet you would love Stufjan Stevens, Michigan or Seven Swans. Both incredible records, though Michigan is more inspiring.
I have heard Stevens' Swans, but I will certainly try to check out Manitoba soon. Thanks for the suggestion!
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
What do you think of Green Day's new album? They haven't changed their sound, but neither have AC/DC in 25 years.
I have only listened to it a few times, but I think it is certainly a keeper! Between American Idiot and Warning, Green Day continues to defy expectations.
Great stuff.
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
I totally agree with your selection of Boards of Canada. Are you into electronic music much? I like quite a bit of it and there are a people I will always buy records from. I wondered what you thought of Jason Forrest, who produces really interesting glitch pop with unexpected sampling and Prefuse 73 is another current favorite of mine. Check em out if you haven't already. I'm working on a list of my favorite electronic albums and artists right now, I'd be interested in your opinion.
I am far from an expert on electronica. I sample it often, and some of it I love, and some of it...
Boards of Canada, however, are amazing.
I will try to check out Jason Forrest, who is pretty much off my radar right now.
Repeated listening has convinced me that I should probably add Wilco and Radiohead above, but I am waiting for inspiration to strike...
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs