The Best Music of Right Now *

*(and just a little bit ago)

A very common experience befell me the other day. I was listening to my music library and the desire came over me to introduce Band X to Friend Y. “Ohmigod! I know Friend Y would die for this band!” I said. Yes, I talk to myself. But in the end, in the interest of serving email-forwarding etiquette and keeping myself free of an RIAA water-boarding interrogation, I thought I might share these sentiments with the world at large. They are of course yours to impugn or love. Feel free to tell me who I missed. Who do you hate? Let us know.

Aesop Rock

Highlights: No Regrets, Daylight

Why You Should Give a Fuck:

Hard Core Rap. You know you love it. Hell, we all love it, but at times it leaves something to be desired with its constant dropping of ‘bitches’, and ‘get money or die.’ So when you listen to a song with the following, still sounding like the most hard-core, mad syllable-dropping you’ve ever been enlightened with, refreshing is an understatement.

She’d never spoken once throughout the spanning of her life
Until the day she leaned forward, grinned and pulled the nurse aside
And she said:
“Look, I’ve never had a dream in my life
Because a dream is what you wanna do, but still haven’t pursued
I knew what I wanted and did it till it was done
So I’ve been the dream that I wanted to be since day one”

Infected Mushroom

Highlights: Bust A Move, The Messenger

Why You Should Give a Fuck:

Not everyone enjoys electronic music. The most common criticism I’ve heard is of the repetitive (read, boring) nature, and the subsequent pigeon-holing of it as “club music.” Israeli producers Duv Duv and Erez, despite their obviously “DJ” sounding names, instead follow a more classical focus on music shared by other electronic musicians in this list. Repetition never enters into it. In fact, you will be challenged to keep up, as their melodies dive and swoop over heavy bass-lines and of course, the oh-so-important mind-fragging addition of sounds you have never heard… make that, never imagined before.

Iron & Wine

Highlights: Sodom, South Georgia, Naked As We Came, Such Great Heights Postal Service cover

Why You Should Give a Fuck:

A fluke of popularity; a basement-recording musician-cum-lately, Samuel Beam of Iron & Wine plays songs that you are sure you’ve heard before. They resonate with that nostalgic register, but rest assured that they are all original. Beam is rife with talent and a musical force to be reckoned with despite his unassuming sound.

Skeetaz

Highlights: Slain and Pimple, Duck Sauce

Why You Should Give a Fuck:

If you misspell Skeetaz in Google, you will get no help. In a list full of “indie” projects, this electronic duo (“Skeetaz is James Watts (KiloWatts) and Bil Bless (SOTEG/The Disciple Grin)”) represent about the most cutting-edge future of electronic music.

While the electronic medium has suffered a period of “been there, done that” lately, Skeetaz’ particular sound relies heavily on mistakes. That is, a sub-genre often called glitch, Skeetaz’ tracks feature sound clips resultant from an application crash. As any producer will tell you, the death throes of their favorite audio-manipulation program can include the most alien of sounds. Glitch capitalizes on this xenephobia, and serves it back to you the listener, re-imagined of course.

Nickel Creek

Highlights: Ode to a Butterfly, Spit on a Stranger Pavement cover, Brand New Sidewalk

Why You Should Give a Fuck:

Another genre of music that may be particular to taste, the sound of Nickel Creek is often described as bluegrass. More interesting than Nickel Creek’s genre, however, is the relative youth of its band-members.

The oldest of the children, Sean, was only twelve years old at the time. Upon forming, the band decided the name of the band, which comes from a song by Byron Berline, who was Sara Watkins’ fiddle instructor at the time. Nickel Creek played many renowned bluegrass festivals throughout the nineties, but by the mid-nineties, the three members of the band had to be home-schooled to accommodate their busy schedule. (1)

Recognizing unparalleled musicianship, Alison Kraus produced the bands first official album, to critical acclaim.

Rodrigo Y Gabriela

Highlights: Tamacun, Diablo Roja

Why You Should Give a Fuck:

Two Mexicans; a man and a woman who met in the Mexican metal group, Tierra Acida. While it may be hard to trace their current sound to their formative incarnation, the classical-guitar duo of Rodrigo Y Gabriela represent the best of the complex melodic interlacing of classical guitar with the modern fervor of popular music.

Given metal’s obvious classical influence, it is not too much of a stretch to classify this sound as the impossible fusion of metal and Spanish classical guitar. But given the general hate that musicians have towards classification, I won’t bother. Oh, and by the way, this Mexican group was discovered and maintains their highest level of popularity on the Emerald Isle, aka Ireland.

Squarepusher

Highlights: My Red Hot Car, Port Rhombus, I Wish You Could Talk

Why You Should Give a Fuck:

“It’s coming from so far out that you can’t even imagine what he’s thinking.” (2) (Outkast’s Andre 3000)
Quite possibly the most difficult artist of this list to write about (or at least categorize), most will initially isolate Squarepusher (Roy Jenkins) as an electronic artist. To be fair, Jenkins is a highly-trained jazz musician, and seen live, a virtuoso improv-god on the electric bass. While his music is produced and recorded, his live shows pay homage to the fast and furious solos of Miles Davis. Truly a whirlwind of talent, like the pillars of jazz, his music is not always at first appreciated by the casual listener.

Sufjan Stevens

Highlights: Chicago, Casimir Pulaski Day

Why You Should Give a Fuck:

A multi-instrumentalist, Stevens is known for his use of the banjo, but also plays guitar, piano, drums, and several other instruments, often playing all of these on his albums through the use of multi track recording. While in school, he studied the oboe and English horn, which he also plays on his albums. String and horn sections figure prominently in his compositions, giving his music a symphonic sound. In contrast, he also plays achingly beautiful small-sound songs with primarily Stevens and an acoustic guitar, creating a sound reminiscent of Ryan Adams.

Perhaps a tad over-ambitious, Stevens “is an earnest and whimsical young man who aims to record an album based on every state in the union, though this(Illinoise) is just his second attempt since 2003′s Michigan.” (3)

Silversun Pickups

Highlights: Panic Switch, Lazy Eye

Why You Should Give a Fuck:

The band originated in L.A.’s Silver Lake music scene, home of Elliott Smith and Rilo Kiley. They were originally called A Couple Of Couples. Their current name comes from a liquor and convenience store across from the Silverlake Lounge and near their house at Sunset and Silverlake Blvds in Los Angeles. Their greatest influence, Smashing Pumpkins, is obvious right from the get-go, but their level of talent and passion soon separates them as not necessarily above the revered Pumpkins, but at the very least, original.

Danny Johnson

Highlights: I’m Ready, Moves

Why You Should Give a Fuck:

Well, first, as his original guitar teacher (in a case where the student became the master) I may be biased, but this wunderkind locked himself up with the thoughts in his head, and returned to the world a jazz musician. Some kind of weird transformation took place. Now he looks like a badass rocker, plays like a pretentious jass musician, and is just about the most affable down-to-earth cat you’ll ever meet.

Have a listen; last I heard he was chillin’ at a bar in Japan during a CD release party, girlies wishin’ they could speak English better to get with him, and guys wishin’ the same if only to hang around him a bit.

Artists You Have Heard Of **

** (but should give a second listen to)

Not to sit too high upon my horse, but… ah, fuck it. From up here I can see all, and if you haven’t heard of these bands than where the hell have you been?? The proverbial cave?? At any rate, for the rest of you who have heard of these cats on popular radio, I recommend a listen to some deeper cuts of the album, or their older work. I guarantee that while these artists may classify as pop, they also have a label that most in the pop charts cannot claim: artist.

John Mayer

You Know Him and You Should Give a Fuck:

Um, duh. This kid is about as popular as popular gets without a flashing of the shaved-head and nether-parts so often required for fame. Backlash? Wussy. Girl’s music. To be fair, this isn’t the most hardcore rocker of our day. With tracks like Comfortable, his audience is likely to be populated with tweens-in-love, and MILFs obsessed with the idea of some kind of phoenix rebirth. Enough.

It’s all true. But look past this for a second, and hands-down, you will bear witness to the most gifted white blues-man since Eric Clapton. You think I’m talking out of my ass? Sure, every pop-music artist gets to play with BB King. Check out the John Mayer Trio for some more blues-centered tracks.

Elliott Smith

You Know Him and You Should Give a Fuck:

Two Ls and two Ts and me of two minds. Surely this artist belongs on the list of less-recognizable artists? But, considering the popularity of the movie, Goodwill Hunting, I had to include this grammy-winning artist on the popular list. Besides Hunting, this indie-favorite-son still manages to fly below radar, despite falling victim to the rock’n'roll curse of early demise.

The grisly tale of suicide and addiction alone reflects the annals of Rock fame, but it is the poignant, always heart-breaking song-writing that merits Elliott’s appearance on this list. Often compared to Nick Drake, I would warn you to listen to Smith only sparingly. He is easily the Sylvia Plath of the music world.

Muse

You Know Them and You Should Give a Fuck:

Oh alternative rock, how I have loved thee! Since grunge and the early nineties gave rise to the term, alternative rock has slowly sunk into a more generic miasma of pop, hip-hop and whatever else record companies deem popular. But with a swoop of its powerful arm, technology seeks to free us of this titan’s grip!

Muse is clearly a very popular band receiving airplay and adoration alike. My point (if I indeed have one) is that you should not ignore them for this fact. Critics will decry them as a Radiohead ripoff, but one listen will tell you that, musical complexity and a love of an orchestral sound notwithstanding, Muse and Radiohead maintain identity enough to rock the drums out of each ear independently. Concerts are often described as a “wall of sound.”

Ani Difranco

You Know Her and You Should Give a Fuck:

OK, OK, we’re not even being serious anymore. As we come to the last two artists on our list, I really must protest their inclusion. If you haven’t heard of this fiery folk-pixie, then… Ani Difranco is the very definition of prolificacy. Self-produced, a performer from the streets at a tender age, this genre-striding paramount deserves just a small part of that sprawling emptiness on your over-sized iPod. If talent could be measured in megabytes, said space could barely contain a single song.

Modest Mouse

You Know Them and You Should Give a Fuck

The final band on the list, I include only for the chance that someone may not have yet had the opportunity to listen to this most derelict of bands. Oh yes, derelict. A necessary adjective to describe a rock-band that revels in disharmonious composition, screeching vocals, and about the most varied combination of electric guitar this side of My Bloody Valentine. Drugs, sex, oh ho ho, and yes rock and motherfuckin’ roll are all contained herein.

“The band has attained significant mainstream success since being signed to Sony’s Epic Records in 2001 and have been one of the leading bands in the commercialization of indie rock, beginning with The Moon & Antarctica and Good News for People Who Love Bad News, which have been certified gold and platinum by the RIAA respectively. (4)”

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(1) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickel_Creek
(2) www.warprecords.com/emails/squarepusher/
(3) www.amazon.com/Illinoise-Sufjan-Stevens/dp/B0009R1T7M
(4) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modest_Mouse

(5) safeguard365.com