Best new songwriters of the decade
Blog: Give It a Spin
December 30, 2009
With all the end-of-decade blogs coming out, I began to think: "What can I blog about?" With too many topics, it was difficult to make a decision because I either lacked or was overwhelmed by information. But there was one topic I found conclusive: songwriters.
It seems a lot of people worry that there's "nothing new under the sun"; the music people write today is inorganic and uninspired. I say not so. In fact, a marvelous number of songwriters have emerged this decade to prove that theory wrong.
1. Dan Auerbach
Granted, you can detect the influence of greats such as Muddy Waters and Led Zeppelin in the music of Dan Auerbach, but what he creates bridges the gap between generations of music fans while still sounding fresh. This is why Auerbach gets my vote as best new songwriter of the decade.
An Auerbach song made number two on my favorite 40 songs of 2009, and a Black Keys album sits as number three on my list of top 20 songs of the decade. This is not a mistake. Auerbach is just that good.
The Black Keys (guitarist Auerbach's duo with rhythm section Patrick Carney) put out its first album in 2002, has since released four more full-length studio records — as well as a couple of EPs — and has a new one planned for 2010. Most recently, Auerbach issued his debut solo album, "Keep It Hid," which at times shows a softer side of the musician, though is not a complete departure from the grungy garage-blues sound fans recognize from his Black Keys projects.
What Auerbach does is both classically and contemporarily relevant, and the guy's got the kind of talent that will last a lifetime (at the very least).
2. John Vanderslice
John Vanderslice is a very close second to Auerbach, though their sounds are nothing alike. Vanderslice has more of what I would classify as an experimental folk-rock sound. With very unique patterns of percussion and creative melodies, his music challenges and opens the mind.
His first full-length studio album came out in 2000, followed by six more since. In some cases, when an artist produces a lot of work in a short amount of time, it's because they aren't working hard enough and what you get is not of high quality. That is not true here. In this case, Vanderslice simply has too much magic going on in his head to take a break.
3. Jonathan Coulton
When it comes to novelty songs, lyrics tend to take the spotlight while songwriting itself is largely ignored. This is what makes Jonathan Coulton more special than the rest.
As a novelty artist and hero of geek culture, the Yale graduate began releasing music in 2003, going on to begin a weekly songwriting endeavor on his Web site which became "Thing-a-Week One" through "Thing-a-Week Four," his second through fifth full-length albums. Coulton continues to write new songs and sell them from his Web site, several of which have yet to be released in album form.
His lyrics are light and humorous; his music a fitting blend of folk and pop. The songs are appealing enough on their own, with or without the geeky subject matter backing them up.
Runner-up: Jens Lekman deserves a mention as one of the best new songwriters of the decade. The Swedish-born indie-popster writes sweet little tunes with offbeat lyrics. After a series of EPs, Lekman released his first full-length album in 2004, his second in 2007. His sound displays subtle roots in the pop music of the ’50s and ’60s, but Lekman is supposedly not influenced directly by it.
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joanne 2 years, 1 month ago
Best new songwriters of the decade
Surely, Abby, 'you are putting us on', as the saying goes.
feil 2 years, 1 month ago
Best new songwriters of the decade
I know very little about songwriters, but I love the stuff on here (except for Coulton, sorry). The Black Keys are awesome. And how could anyone not like Vanderslice? I don't know if I've ever heard Jens Lekman before, but I'm impressed. Good stuff, good stuff. Thanks.
douglas 2 years, 1 month ago
Best new songwriters of the decade
I like that Dan Auerbach song. Listen to the chord progressions and it almost immediately reminded me of the Dick Dale and The Del-Tones school of surf music. Heavy on the minor keys, and that slide bridge that starts off with an Am is a surf staple....
holmes 2 years, 1 month ago
Best new songwriters of the decade
This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
holmes 2 years, 1 month ago
Best new songwriters of the decade
Oh, and Doug, I'm glad you like Auerbach. I think you might really dig a lot of his other work. You can listen to most of his solo work for free on his myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/danauerbachmusic
holmes 2 years, 1 month ago
Best new songwriters of the decade
Haha, Rochelle, "Re:Your Brains" may have been a poor example, but it is one of my favorite songs of his. Apparently that ASL group really likes him though because they've made videos for lots of his songs ... Here are some other good ones: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tD04NI... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OS2jm... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A33u4X...
But maybe it's just a geek thing. ;)
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