What does today’s music have in common with all the best of previous generations? Plenty, if you give it a listen. You’ll experience equal or better musicianship, songwriting and creativity. For example, here is my A-Z list of favorite artists spanning multiple generations. By all means, don’t hesitate to share your critiques and comments.
- Ryan Adams, Arctic Monkeys, Joseph Arthur
- The Beatles, Beck, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Blood, Sweat & Tears (with Al Kooper), Buffalo Springfield, The Beta Band / Steve Mason, Blind Pilot, Boxer Rebellion, Balthazar
- Joe Cocker, Chambers Brothers, Leonard Cohen, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Camera Obscura, Califone, The Coral, Caveman
- Bob Dylan, Death Cab for Cutie, The Dead Trees, Department of Eagles, Depeche Mode, Dr. Dog, Divine Fits*
- Echo and the Bunnymen, Editors, Empires*
- Future Islands (pictured above), French Kicks, Foals, Frightened Rabbit
- Gomez, Green Day, Gaslight Anthem, Grizzly Bear, Geographer, The Growlers
- Helio Sequence, The Head and the Heart, Hacienda, Hurricane Bells, Emmy Lou Harris, The Horrible Crowes, The Horrors
- Interpol, Idlewild, Jason Isbell
- James, Jesus and Mary Chain, Jethro Tull, Matthew Perryman Jones
- Kinks, Kings of Leon, Killers, Kasabian, Kongos
- Longwave, Annie Lennox, Lovin’ Spoonful, Little Feat, Lord Huron, Local Natives
- Van Morrison, Mando Diao, Morrissey (and The Smiths), Bob Marley, Mayonnaise
- The National, Noah and the Whale, New Radicals, No*, Night Beats*
- Okkervil River, Ought, Beth Orton, Oasis
- Grant Lee Phillips, The Pretenders, Robert Plant, Papa*
- Queen
- The Rolling Stones, REM, Chris Rea, Rogue Wave, Josh Ritter, Matthew Ryan, Rolling Blackouts C.F., Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Rodriguez
- The Stills, The Strokes, Rod Stewart, Simon & Garfunkel, Bruce Springsteen, Spirit, Stereophonics, Spoon, Cat Stevens, Smoke & Jackal*
- Teddy Thompson, TV On The Radio, Tanlines, Texas, Twin Shadow, Typhoon
- U2
- Velvet Underground, The Vaccines
- The Walkmen, Whiskeytown, Riley Walker, The White Stripes, Wilco, White Lies, White Rabbits, Steve Wynn, The War on Drugs, Tom Waits, Wolf Parade, Wild Beasts
- X Ambassadors, XX
- Neil Young, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Young the Giant, Yeasayer
- Zero 7
* Probationary, based on one solid album, so far
Love the list. I would add C, S, N, and Y, Counting Crows, and James Taylor.
You might like Passenger and George Ezra!!!
10CC or did they just change their name to Queen?
Appreciate the input … HERE-HEAR!!
How long did it take you to come up with that list?! Any method to your approach? What can we apply moving forward?
The first version of my favorite music list was compiled several years ago. It took only about an hour — most of which was used to pick through my hundreds of CDs to find the X, Y and Z artists. Ever since, the list encourages me both to listen to new music … and to enjoy old stuff (and sometimes realize the attraction was overly romanticized through the years.)