Who are the best songwriters right now? Hm?

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

HMMM?

― billstevejim (billstevejim), Thursday, 23 June 2005 22:45 (twenty years ago)

i dunno, we'll have to wait til they finish the song

― shine headlights on me (electricsound), Thursday, 23 June 2005 22:55 (twenty years ago)

Devendra Banhart.

― sleeve (sleeve), Thursday, 23 June 2005 23:08 (twenty years ago)

Kevin Barnes

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Thursday, 23 June 2005 23:53 (twenty years ago)

I assume we're talking "classic" pop-style songwriting (verse chorus verse HOOK), in which case:

Kurt Heasley
Britt Daniels

... uh, that's all I got. I haven't been listening to too much "song-based" stuff lately...

― Shakey Mo Collier, Thursday, 23 June 2005 23:56 (twenty years ago)

I'm a big Britt Daniel fan too.

― BanjoMania (Brilhante), Friday, 24 June 2005 00:03 (twenty years ago)

Sufjan Stevens...witness his work with point of view on "John Wayne Gacy, Jr."...it's like Springsteen's "Nebraska" taken to an extreme degree.

― Matthew Oldridge (mao), Friday, 24 June 2005 00:08 (twenty years ago)

I've always been perplexed by this notion of "songwriting," as if there's a classic (McCartney-esque) canon that's to be lauded, in and of itself.
As if hip hop "producers," or techno "producers," or dub "producers" aren't doing something as important as "songwriting." (most times they're doing something much more interesting).

but, yeah, britt daniels is brilliant, fwiw.

― paulhw (paulhw), Friday, 24 June 2005 00:32 (twenty years ago)

phil elvrum

― chris andrews (fraew), Friday, 24 June 2005 00:34 (twenty years ago)

As if hip hop "producers," or techno "producers," or dub "producers" aren't doing something as important as "songwriting." (most times they're doing something much more interesting).

Why can't questions be a little rockist sometimes without people raising a stink?

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Friday, 24 June 2005 00:37 (twenty years ago)

Matthew Adam Hart + many dancehall DJs & grime artists

― Paul (scifisoul), Friday, 24 June 2005 00:38 (twenty years ago)

Because how is "songwriting" somehow related to rock music? What do those in other genres do? Fiddle with beats?

― paulhw (paulhw), Friday, 24 June 2005 00:40 (twenty years ago)

I will give you a guitar and/or keyboard. Play me some King Tubby songs or Juan Atkins songs. Thank you.

― Keith C (kcraw916), Friday, 24 June 2005 00:45 (twenty years ago)

Beck
Mike Skinner
OutKast
Dean and Gene Ween
The Flaming Lips

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Friday, 24 June 2005 01:10 (twenty years ago)

Mike Skinner OTM.
Joanna Newsom (amazing arrangements and interesting lyrics).
Bruce Springsteen (still my guy).
Jack White (overlooked lyricist..."Fell in Love with a Girl" being an example...."As Ugly As I Seem" is a beautiful song on the new album...).

― PB, Friday, 24 June 2005 01:29 (twenty years ago)

oh man, dean and gene ween

― chris andrews (fraew), Friday, 24 June 2005 01:44 (twenty years ago)

David Berman maybe?

― Suzy Creemcheese (SuzyCreemcheese), Friday, 24 June 2005 01:46 (twenty years ago)

rich harrison
john shanks
whoever writes mastodon's songs
big & rich
r. kelly may be up there too

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Friday, 24 June 2005 02:02 (twenty years ago)

then,now and always - lennon/mccartney

― maul pccartney, Friday, 24 June 2005 02:04 (twenty years ago)

Hands down.
The best songwriter alive today...
Dan Bejar.

― marybeth, Friday, 24 June 2005 02:27 (twenty years ago)

Dan Bejar vs. just about anyone... Bejar loses.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Friday, 24 June 2005 02:30 (twenty years ago)

Bejar vs Weird Al.

Al wins.

― Suzy Creemcheese (SuzyCreemcheese), Friday, 24 June 2005 02:31 (twenty years ago)

Hello? Bob Pollard?

― Shel, Friday, 24 June 2005 02:33 (twenty years ago)

thread lapses into parody....as people come to grasp the silliness of "best songwriter"

― paulhw (paulhw), Friday, 24 June 2005 02:38 (twenty years ago)

Well I thought it was a fine question. What's wrong with asking opinions on the best current musical craftsmen? And I never said Timbaland or anyone labelled as a producer had to be excluded. Feel free to interpret my question as rockist, but that was not my intention.

― billstevejim (billstevejim), Friday, 24 June 2005 02:51 (twenty years ago)

anton alfred newcombe

― mullygrubbr (bulbs), Friday, 24 June 2005 02:58 (twenty years ago)

Diplo

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Friday, 24 June 2005 03:03 (twenty years ago)

Big & Rich seconded. Even their ballads work.

― edward o (edwardo), Friday, 24 June 2005 03:05 (twenty years ago)

ween
the unicorns
kings of convenience
clinic

― Charlie, Friday, 24 June 2005 04:28 (twenty years ago)

clinic

There are lyrics?

― C0L1N B... (C0L1N B...), Friday, 24 June 2005 04:44 (twenty years ago)

The Big and Rich ballad, the new one, is the only Big and Rich song Ive heard thus far that Ive liked. I didnt like the save a horse song, but I'm loving the harmonies on this one.

― angry wanton slip nuts (we're slippin on nuts) (David Allen), Friday, 24 June 2005 07:11 (twenty years ago)

xp- Isn't there is a very clear difference between songwriting and sound manipulation, one of which originates, the other arranges? That's the story of music, a form which did not begin in the last forty years when recording techniques advanced. Or we'd all be nominating Joe Meek.

This is a very good question.

― snotty moore, Friday, 24 June 2005 07:26 (twenty years ago)

r-kelly seconded.
also, julian casablancas.

― AleXTC (AleXTC), Friday, 24 June 2005 11:28 (twenty years ago)

Ted Leo
Patterson Hood/Jason Isbell/Mike Cooley
Sufjan Stevens seconded
Matthew Adam Hart (Russian Futurists)
Joel Gibb (Hidden Cameras)
Big and Rich thirded (they wrote alot of Gretchen Wilson's album, didn't they?)
Loretta Lynn

― Josh Love (screamapillar), Friday, 24 June 2005 12:17 (twenty years ago)

oh yeah, and Kevin Barnes seconded too.

― Josh Love (screamapillar), Friday, 24 June 2005 12:17 (twenty years ago)

whaoh i gotta get that gretchen wilson disc.

joe pernice.

― mullygrubbr (bulbs), Friday, 24 June 2005 12:20 (twenty years ago)

Not all music is songs (and that's OK).

― Mark (MarkR), Friday, 24 June 2005 12:24 (twenty years ago)

Well, if we stick to the rockist (folkist?) interpretation of a song as something that you could do a passable rendition of on a piano or acoustic guitar (while singing of course), then I would say that some people who are still turning out good "songs" of that kind are: Stephen Malkmus, Stephin Merritt, Joanna Newsom, Pharrell Williams, Keren Ann, Devendra Banhart, and Carl Newman.

― o. nate (onate), Friday, 24 June 2005 12:40 (twenty years ago)

OK, somebody's got to do it.

Bob Dylan

After all, he's responsible for Love and Theft, the best "song" album of the decade thus far.

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Friday, 24 June 2005 12:44 (twenty years ago)

Wot, no Frank Black????

― matulageci (matulageci), Friday, 24 June 2005 12:46 (twenty years ago)

i still like will oldham.

― The Landlord's Daughter (The Landlord's Daughter), Friday, 24 June 2005 12:50 (twenty years ago)

Kurt Wagner. On the basis of Lambchop's "Is A Woman" alone, which is one of the best pure 'songwriting' records I've heard in ages.

― william fields, Friday, 24 June 2005 13:35 (twenty years ago)

Bernard Sumner.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Friday, 24 June 2005 13:38 (twenty years ago)

nina nastasia. lyrics arrangements melodies all unique and fulfilling

― katie, a princess (katie, a princess), Friday, 24 June 2005 13:48 (twenty years ago)

this thread is hilarious. (because the opinions seem so homogeneous, and fairly akin to my own.)

def, of the people i've listened to, like so:

joanna newsom
will robinson sheff
nina nastasia
mike skinner
owen pallett (?)
and my man win butler!

some of these, though, are so lol.

― Sean M (Sean M), Friday, 24 June 2005 13:58 (twenty years ago)

John Frusciante
Kanye West

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 24 June 2005 14:02 (twenty years ago)

dude from russian futurists is a pretty shitty songwriter.

― Fetchboy (Felcher), Friday, 24 June 2005 14:20 (twenty years ago)

thom yorke/radiohead
jeff tweedy
beck

― Nigel (Nigel), Friday, 24 June 2005 15:04 (twenty years ago)

Luomo!

― a real bear behind the microphone (nordicskilla), Friday, 24 June 2005 15:10 (twenty years ago)

bejar seconded. or thirded; whatever.

― ken taylrr (ken taylrr), Friday, 24 June 2005 16:20 (twenty years ago)

Max Martin
Beat-In-Azz
Matt Goias/Keith Grady
Big & Rich

― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Sunday, 26 June 2005 23:01 (twenty years ago)

it's Bill Callahan. Nina Nastasia is close.

― jed_ (jed), Sunday, 26 June 2005 23:10 (twenty years ago)

who knows

― c/n (Cozen), Sunday, 26 June 2005 23:12 (twenty years ago)

matthew adam hart

― c/n (Cozen), Sunday, 26 June 2005 23:12 (twenty years ago)

you do.

― jed_ (jed), Sunday, 26 June 2005 23:24 (twenty years ago)

joel gibb.mark kozelek
sufjan.devendra.

― dogonwheels (dogonwheels), Sunday, 26 June 2005 23:32 (twenty years ago)

Jason Molina.

― Mr_Adolph_Bin_Streisand, Sunday, 26 June 2005 23:55 (twenty years ago)

paddy mann (a.k.a. grand salvo) runs rings around the likes of dudvendra et al.

― shine headlights on me (electricsound), Sunday, 26 June 2005 23:57 (twenty years ago)

is john darnielle not a songwriter?

― AaronK (AaronK), Monday, 27 June 2005 11:50 (twenty years ago)

two months pass...

I like joseph arthur

― El carnal, Sunday, 28 August 2005 16:55 (twenty years ago)

r kelly? LOLOLOL

― okokok, Sunday, 28 August 2005 17:12 (twenty years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.