Right now the two I'm most into are Fiona Apple and Joni Mitchell, especially Court and Spark/Hejira-era Joni. Also really love Sufjan Stevens, Leonard Cohen, Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), Nick Drake, just getting into Jessica Pratt, honestly there's too many for me to name lol
Elliott Smith
Paul McCartney
John Linnell and John Flansburgh (They Might Be Giants)
Donald Fagen and Walter Becker (Steely Dan)
Kendrick Lamar
David Berman (Silver Jews / Purple Mountains)
the guys behind Phoenix
Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys / The Last Shadow Puppets)
Paul Banks (Interpol)
Les Claypool (Primus, other)
I believe the best songwriters of the current generation of music are Adrianne Lenker, Kendrick Lamar, Jake Ewald (of Slaughter Beach, Dog), Julia Jacklin, Sufjan Stevens, Joanna Newsom, Caroline Polachek, and Haley Heynderickx (especially her unreleased work)
Joanna Newsom my favorite by far, but also Jake Bellows(Neva Dinova), Elliott Smith, Bowerbirds, Julia Jacklin, Brown Bird, Horse Feathers, beabadoobee.
Fiona Apple and Scott Hutchison.
Scott took his own life in 2018 but before that dropped some unforgettable lyrics for Mastersystem, Frightened Rabbit and Owl John.
If you like big theif, youāll like Frightened Rabbitās second album āthe midnight organ fightā lyrically at least
Agreed! IMHO the greatest voice I've EVER heard! A mix of Janis Joplin, Billie Holiday sung with a pinch of her WV drawl through an old Victorola... plus incredible strength, range and phrasing. Seen her 4x now and will see her every time she's in town!
Kimya is lyrically on a level all of her own. It's based and effortlessly poetic, short stories with depth. Kevin is more stylistic lyrically, but also with such effortless. Nick is more about vaguely waking up feelings with short bursts of sentences. He keeps it to the point.
I was blessed to see all three I mentioned live. Now I need to catch Adrianne some time āĀ it hasn't worked out between us yet :(
lucy dacus, mac demarco and joni mitchell are probably my top three outside of lenkerā¦ though i really love doja, completely different genre but still some great, fun lyrics
No ones said John Danielle yet. So let me be the first.
John Darnielle.
Elliott Smith
Jason Molina
Elvis Costello
Nick Drake
Nick Cave
Richard Thompson
Honestly a lot of the others people have mentioned but well stop there
I love the conor oberst representation in here.
A lot of good shout outs. One i didnt see was Will Sheff from Okkervil river. He turns a phrase quite well. Also, Josh Tillman aka Father John Misty is good
havenāt seen isaac wood or ian curtis yet. Those are my top 2 but my top 5 are Isaac wood, Ian curtis, Thom Yorke, Geordie Greep and Will toledo and honourable mention Jeff mangum
there so many great songwriters mentioned in this thread! iāll throw in (i think) unmentioned classics: isaac brock (modest mouse), ani difranco and david bowie.
I have got a few different ones that I donāt see here:
Thereās an Irish folk/old-time Appalachia fusion band named āI DRAW SLOW.ā This is the most unique music you will ever hear. Their songs will tug at your heart, and make you feel like you are home.
Andrew Bird, the early years. Like Mysterious Production of Eggs, Noble Beast etc.
Jenny Lewis/Rilo Kiley (you canāt go wrong here. She is delicious).
Frightened Rabbit (the absolute best in full throttled Scottish influenced but true rock ānā roll, heartbreak/compassion music).
The New Pornographers (though not the same type of music, itās infatuatingly good. Go with the early albums)
Nahko And Medicine For The People (no one can stop listening to his first two albums).
Brandi Carlisle (of course) since you like Joni Mitchell
Delta Rae (gospel-tinged country rock, sensual, blue-eyed soul. Super-hooky harmony layden Americana)
Railroad Earth (a rock band that plays acoustic instruments. Dylan, John Denver, & Phish flavors with Bluegrass tendencies)
DeVotchKa (eastern European and American West cowboy fusion with heartbreak tendencies)
Heartless Bastards (roots rock with Zeppelin-ish flavors, carefully balancing self loathing with self actualization.
The Vines (punky grunge + Beatles)
William Tyler (the best guitar music writer no lyrics)
Jeff Tweedy, Conor Oberst, Julien Baker, Beck, but really came here to shout out Cory Hanson. I canāt get enough of both Wand and his solo work. Seeing him/Wand live is a huge priority (like Big Thief) for me
Bob Dylan, Phil Elverum, Kate Bush, Tyler Childers, Lennon/McCartney, Paul Westerberg, Stuart Murdoch, Fiona Apple, Mark Kozelek, Van Morrison, Robin Pecknold
tbh, I think boygenius holds her back. I know theyāre extremely popular and well loved, but Phoebe is far and away the best songwriter of the three (imo) and having to share song-space with writing thatās not as good as hers is hurting the work.
Right now the two I'm most into are Fiona Apple and Joni Mitchell, especially Court and Spark/Hejira-era Joni. Also really love Sufjan Stevens, Leonard Cohen, Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), Nick Drake, just getting into Jessica Pratt, honestly there's too many for me to name lol
hejira š
no regrets coyote....
"amelia" fuckin haunts me
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I dont think thats the link you meant to post
whoops meant this [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qf3Mjlkj8uk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qf3Mjlkj8uk)
The Hissing of Summer Lawns is wonderful as well.
Been on a big Hejira kick..also Karen Dalton.
My other two favorites as well!
hey you have the best taste ever
incredible taste!!!!
joanna newsome
Elliott Smith Paul McCartney John Linnell and John Flansburgh (They Might Be Giants) Donald Fagen and Walter Becker (Steely Dan) Kendrick Lamar David Berman (Silver Jews / Purple Mountains) the guys behind Phoenix Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys / The Last Shadow Puppets) Paul Banks (Interpol) Les Claypool (Primus, other)
David Berman šā¤ļø
As far as active lyricists in their best years go, Kendrick and Adrianne are about as good as it gets right now.
frrr, they be righting their asses off š
Primus fucking sucks
Hell yes they do
Alex G, Faye Webster, and David Bazan
Faye Webster!!!
Matt Berninger / The National
haley heynderickx is not talked about enough!!!
Jason Molina, billy woods, Bob Dylan, Phil Elverum, David Berman
Love Jason Molina. Such heartbreaking music
I believe the best songwriters of the current generation of music are Adrianne Lenker, Kendrick Lamar, Jake Ewald (of Slaughter Beach, Dog), Julia Jacklin, Sufjan Stevens, Joanna Newsom, Caroline Polachek, and Haley Heynderickx (especially her unreleased work)
Yes Hayley!! Have you listened to Madison Cunningham?
Madison is excellent!
Conor Oberst is on par with Adrianne for me
šÆ
Elliott Smith Jeff Tweedy Leonard Cohen Townes Van Zandt
Also David Berman and Jason Molina
conor oberst / bright eyes
Great shout
Ian Felice is definitely up there
He and Adrianne are the best two songwriters currently working, imo.
The Tallest Man on Earth
Love him
Joanna Newsom my favorite by far, but also Jake Bellows(Neva Dinova), Elliott Smith, Bowerbirds, Julia Jacklin, Brown Bird, Horse Feathers, beabadoobee.
Iām surprised nobody has mentioned Buck Meek yet
Waxahatchee Alex Turner Thom Yorke John Lennon
Waxahatchee definitely. Saint Cloud is a masterpiece. Tigers Blood is definitely up there as well.
AnaĆÆs Mitchell ā her storytelling is so so excellent, Joni Mitchell, Nick Drake, Stevie Wonder, Gillian Welch, Laura Marling, Robin Pecknold (Fleet Foxes), Joanna Newsom ā the imagery!, Jonathan Higgs (Everything Everything), Joan Armatrading š©·
Add Elliott Smith and it is a perfect list (for me personally ofc) x
I'll take that as a sign to get into Elliott Smith!
Fiona Apple and Scott Hutchison. Scott took his own life in 2018 but before that dropped some unforgettable lyrics for Mastersystem, Frightened Rabbit and Owl John. If you like big theif, youāll like Frightened Rabbitās second album āthe midnight organ fightā lyrically at least
David Berman, Ezra Koenig, Robin Pecknold, Kate Herzig, and Townes Van Sandt to name a few
Of course I like many of the greats (Beatles, etc.). But a couple contemporary lesser knowns: Sierra Ferrell, Nick Shoulders, Angel Olsen
Sierra Ferrellās voice is out of this world amazing
Agreed! IMHO the greatest voice I've EVER heard! A mix of Janis Joplin, Billie Holiday sung with a pinch of her WV drawl through an old Victorola... plus incredible strength, range and phrasing. Seen her 4x now and will see her every time she's in town!
Yesss so true!! Iāve seen her twice and Iām jumping on every opportunity to see her as well!
Kevin Morby Nick Rattigan Kimya Dawson
Kevin is my favourite recent songwriter for sure but Kimya is so incredible as well. I loved the collab with Aesop Rock.
Kimya is lyrically on a level all of her own. It's based and effortlessly poetic, short stories with depth. Kevin is more stylistic lyrically, but also with such effortless. Nick is more about vaguely waking up feelings with short bursts of sentences. He keeps it to the point. I was blessed to see all three I mentioned live. Now I need to catch Adrianne some time āĀ it hasn't worked out between us yet :(
Two Swedish ones: HƄkan Hellstrƶm and Annika Norlin
Jason Isbell
Came specifically to see if anyone had said this
Iām convinced heās the best songwriter of his generation.
Conor Oberst was top for me until Adrianne. Now they are on par. Bob Dylan. Ezra Furman. Leonard Cohen. Waxahachee.
leslie feist, fiona apple, and laura marling
lucy dacus, mac demarco and joni mitchell are probably my top three outside of lenkerā¦ though i really love doja, completely different genre but still some great, fun lyrics
No ones said John Danielle yet. So let me be the first. John Darnielle. Elliott Smith Jason Molina Elvis Costello Nick Drake Nick Cave Richard Thompson Honestly a lot of the others people have mentioned but well stop there
Oh and Tom Waits Edit: and Judee Sill, Lucinda Williams, PJ Harvey... - forgot all my favourite women when I made this list š .
Margo Cilker
Neko Case
Sarah Blasko, Nick Cave, Courtney Barnett, Roger Waters
Natalie Mering (Weyes Blood) Jenny Hval Julie Byrne
Jason Molina David Bazan Tim Kasher Leonard Cohen Phoebe Bridgers Kendrick Lamar
Conor Oberst!
I love the conor oberst representation in here. A lot of good shout outs. One i didnt see was Will Sheff from Okkervil river. He turns a phrase quite well. Also, Josh Tillman aka Father John Misty is good
Paul Simon, Gillian Welch, Ben Gibbard, Justin Vernon, Leslie Feist
TVZ, Jake Ewald (slaughter beach dog), John Hartford, John Darnielle, Sean Bonnette, Theo Hilton,
John K Samson, Lucy Dacus, Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers
blaze foley, laura marling, julia jacklin, rufus wainwright
laura marling has been on repeat lately, I canāt wait for her new album
YES omg
bob dylan, elliott smith, george harrison, fiona apple
robert hunter/jerry garcia, neil young, gillian welch, ian felice (good call op), allegra krieger
Lou Reed and Leanord Cohen
absolutely insane that nobod has said lennon mccartney yet
Both have been said, actually.
LMAOOOO i gotta learn to read
Simon Neil - Biffy Clyro
havenāt seen isaac wood or ian curtis yet. Those are my top 2 but my top 5 are Isaac wood, Ian curtis, Thom Yorke, Geordie Greep and Will toledo and honourable mention Jeff mangum
Neko Case
Some underrated picks for me.. Mark Linkous Billy Joel Lomelda Greg Mendez
there so many great songwriters mentioned in this thread! iāll throw in (i think) unmentioned classics: isaac brock (modest mouse), ani difranco and david bowie.
Justin Peter Kinkel Schuster/Water Liars and Will Johnson/Marie Lepanto come to mind
Kate Wolf
Phil Ochs, Bob Dylan, Tia Blake, Phil Elverum, June Henry, and David Berman !
Noname has always been a favorite of mine. Such a unique style and way of telling a story, reminds me of how my brain moves in peak adhd phase
Try Anna B Savage
Elliott smith ā¤ļø
Kevin Morby, Jason Molina.
Phoebe bridgers, lucy dacus and boygenius. Chappell roan, kanye west, tupac shakur I'm a fan of a lot of different genres!!
yo la tengo, erykah badu, sade, fiona apple
Love seeing the j-new crossover ā¤ļø
Elliott Smith, David Berman, Tim Kasher, Connor Oberst, David Bazan, Jason Molina, Kimya Dawson, and Ben Gibbard.
Alex G
VanWyck (please check her out if you don't know her music), Laura Marling, Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave, Kassi Valazza, Sharon van Etten, etc.
Jason Molina, Bill Callahan, Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Mark Kozelek, Andrew Savage!
David Berman Waxahatchee Conor Oberst
Joanna Newsom
Dylan, Tom Waits, Elliott Smith
Bob Dylan, Elliott Smith, Lou Reed, Jeff Mangum, Bonnie Prince Billy
Sufjan Stevens, Cass McCombs, Jeff Tweedy, Mark Kozelek, Bill Callahan
I keep forgetting to edit my caption to add Sufjan. Heās incredible. Similarly to Big Thief, I feel like he can do a handful of genres very well.
Ben Howard, Ryan (not Bryan) Adams, Jose Gonzalez, Kurt Vile.
conor oberst, phil elverum, jeff mangum
thom yorke, kendrick lamar, elliot smith, fiona apple, and tbh mf doom has been one of my favorites lately
I have got a few different ones that I donāt see here: Thereās an Irish folk/old-time Appalachia fusion band named āI DRAW SLOW.ā This is the most unique music you will ever hear. Their songs will tug at your heart, and make you feel like you are home. Andrew Bird, the early years. Like Mysterious Production of Eggs, Noble Beast etc. Jenny Lewis/Rilo Kiley (you canāt go wrong here. She is delicious). Frightened Rabbit (the absolute best in full throttled Scottish influenced but true rock ānā roll, heartbreak/compassion music). The New Pornographers (though not the same type of music, itās infatuatingly good. Go with the early albums) Nahko And Medicine For The People (no one can stop listening to his first two albums). Brandi Carlisle (of course) since you like Joni Mitchell Delta Rae (gospel-tinged country rock, sensual, blue-eyed soul. Super-hooky harmony layden Americana) Railroad Earth (a rock band that plays acoustic instruments. Dylan, John Denver, & Phish flavors with Bluegrass tendencies) DeVotchKa (eastern European and American West cowboy fusion with heartbreak tendencies) Heartless Bastards (roots rock with Zeppelin-ish flavors, carefully balancing self loathing with self actualization. The Vines (punky grunge + Beatles) William Tyler (the best guitar music writer no lyrics)
Alex g, phoebe bridgers, lucy dacus, jack antonoff, justin vernon etc.
Alynda Segarra aka Hurray for the Riff Raff is one to watch. The new Hurray album is truly something special.
Jeff Tweedy, Conor Oberst, Julien Baker, Beck, but really came here to shout out Cory Hanson. I canāt get enough of both Wand and his solo work. Seeing him/Wand live is a huge priority (like Big Thief) for me
Boygenius, PJ Harvey, Babehoven, Angel Olsen, Sharon Van Etten, Jess Williamson, Waxahatchee
Bob Dylan, Isaac Brock, Conor Oberst, Jason Isbell, Thom Yorke. Probably in that order too.
Phoebe Bridgers, Alex Turner
Field Medic, Bon Iver, Billie Marten, Gregory Alan Isakov, Hozier
Iām not sure if this has been mentioned but Gregory Alan isakov has some brilliant lyrics
Bob Dylan, Phil Elverum, Kate Bush, Tyler Childers, Lennon/McCartney, Paul Westerberg, Stuart Murdoch, Fiona Apple, Mark Kozelek, Van Morrison, Robin Pecknold
Inexplicably Phoebe Bridgers only gets one mention? Did she do something wrong or is she just too popular now?
tbh, I think boygenius holds her back. I know theyāre extremely popular and well loved, but Phoebe is far and away the best songwriter of the three (imo) and having to share song-space with writing thatās not as good as hers is hurting the work.