Cuma 8 Oca 2010, 10:10
I've wanted to do this for quite some time now, but for one reason or another it got delayed till now.
This is basically a list of my favorite artists, which is obviously subject to constant change as time passes. In addition to the music they make, the other factor that I took in consideration when making this list was how much I liked these people as a "person". Well, the image they have created of themselves actually, as one can't really know how someone is unless they know them personally.
I don't plan to update this list or anything, but if it'll be subject to a lot of change I'll just post a new one.
Without further ado, the list:
#10 John Rzeznik
http://media.collegepublisher.com/media/paper309/stills/kzv7sox3.jpg
I'm not the biggest fan of his band - the Goo Goo Dolls - nor I like the guy very much, but he sang a song that pretty much sums up my teenage years. It's the song used in the 2002 Disney movie Treasure Planet, I'm Still Here. That song was something special for me, and if I scrobbled music back in 2004 I believe it would be on the 1st spot of most listened song on my last.fm page. Yeah, I used to listen to it on repeat a lot. Oh and I like Iris, a lot.
#9 Karen O
http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/21947953/Karen+O+K.jpg
When I was thinking of this list I had originally included Björk and Sharon den Adel in it but turns out the only female musician to make it into the final list is our lovely Karen O. Every one of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs albums are great, but there are a couple of songs that I really adore. Dragon Queen and Phenomena, for instance, make me realise that I am in love with her voice. Plus the music video for Heads Will Roll is badass.
#8 Danny Carey
http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/500/201203/Danny+Carey.jpg
Danny Carey is a beast. His drumming is abnormally good. I usually don't try to listen to only one of the instruments when listening to music but I find myself paying attention to Carey's drumming a lot. His style is so damn distinguishable that it happens subconsciously. I won't say "he is the best drummer alive" (although many do) because to claim that you should know every single drummer, and I don't. He is my favorite drummer though, higher than Phil Selway which is an awesome drummer on his own. I'm not even that interested in his occult business, but his drum kit is cool stuff. An example of his godly drumming can be heard in Lateralus.
#7 Jónsi
http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/38852961/Jnsi+Lilikoi.jpg
Frontman and biggest crative force of one of the best bands of the world: Sigur Rós. That's Jón Þór Birgisson, aka Jónsi. The music this guy and the rest of the band makes is… magical, for a lack of a better word. Heima is like, one of my favorite movies ever and it's not even a movie! I admit I wasn't expecting anything special from Jónsi's solo album, Go, but man isn't it an amazing record. Sigur Rós alone makes me want to travel to Iceland.
#6 Billy Corgan
http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/261491/Billy+Corgan.jpg
The Smashing Pumpkins are one of the bands that I recently fell in love with. It's not that I like them only because of him, or viceversa, but he's the only member I can really like at this moment. It's a shame that they split, but I really admire Corgan's will to continue. Corgan about the Pumpkins revival: "We didn’t come back for the cash, we came back to be great again. It made me mad that people thought we’re done, that we don’t have a future. Get out. We don’t want you. We’ve never been that band. That happy band. We picked up where we left off. We’re not the retirement band playing our old hits. We’re in the polarizing business. We don’t want a pat on the back: Good to have you back. We want a reaction, even if it’s a negative reaction." By the way, I already really like the 4 new tracks from Teargarden by Kaleidyscope. It's also a shame that his solo material is so underrated, I think TheFutureEmbrace is a really solid record.
#5 Josh Klinghoffer
http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/178539/Josh+Klinghoffer.jpg
Does being one of John Frusciante's best friends make someone automatically cool? It indeed does, in my opinion. Luckily, that is not the only reason why I think Josh is great. I am currently half-obsessed with his voice, mainly because of his fantastic backing vocals in Omission. His contribution to John's solo material is massive, and his work in Ataxia is bloody great. He recently became Red Hot Chili Pepper's guitarist, and I would personally consider the band dead if anyone else other than him replaced John.
#4 Omar A. Rodriguez-Lopez
http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/500/41051475/Omar+A+RodriguezLopez+recording+of+terra+incognita.jpg
This guy is one hell of a guitar player. Coupled with Cedric Bixler Zavala's vocals, the music produced is absolutely mindblowing. What I really like about Omar is that he's like an unstoppable force, he's always trying new things, changing musical direction and even doing other stuff like directing films. It's also very interesting that he used to hate the guitar and that he "wrestled" with it insted of playing it (his own words). Needless to say, he's also one of John Frusciante's best friends.
#3 Maynard James Keenan
http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/4279733/Maynard+James+Keenan+MAYNARD.jpg
Maynard is nuts. He's fucking crazy, seriously. But that's what makes him awesome, he's just as insane as he is talented. Who else would be able to turn a recorded message of a pissed guy swearing in two languages into the beauty that Message to Harry Manback is? No one. His song-writing skills are unparalleled. His work with A Perfect Circle is amazing too, Thirtheenth Step has been one of my most listened albums lately. I haven't even listened to much of Puscifer yet, but something tells me when I do I will enjoy it. But just listen to one of his masterpieces, like Lateralus, and tell me it isn't musical genius. Plus, his scream in The Grudge is mindblowingly beautiful.
#2 Thom Yorke
http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/500/357894/Thom+Yorke.jpg
Anyone that knows me even one little bit knows that Radiohead is my favorite band and nothing else ever comes close to it. But (contrary to popular belief) Radiohead does not equal Thom Yorke. He is without a shadow of doubt one of the most talented musicians of the last 2 decades and a musical genius. How his band evolved from Pablo Honey and Creep to their newer material still amazes me. I also dig his rather unusual and blunt personality. Even his solo album, The Eraser oozes genius from every pore, although still inferior to Radiohead. Can't wait for the next album.
#1 John Frusciante
http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/331594/John+Frusciante.jpg
I will admit it, I am completely obsessed with him. Not only do I think he is the best guitarist ever, I also think he is the best person in today's music industry. I invite everyone to listen to his interview with MusicRadar, especially the third part. Some may think I am exaggerating and that someone who used to play in a band like RHCP can't be as good as I say. Thing is, it doesn't matter at all as he transcends music in my opinion. I personally think his last album, The Empyrean, is musical perfection. His life is also very interesting and attracting to me; the quick rise to fame, the fall to drugs and near self-destruction, his glorious return, his second departure from the band… He has been where few have returned from, and he is not even ashamed or regretful of it. His views on the music industry, people and life in general is truly fascinating. He is my favorite musician ever.
——————————————————————–
Yeah, That's it. Deciding about who to include and who to leave out was really difficult, so I thought of making an honorable mentions Post Scriptum:
Jonny Greenwood, Cedric Bixler Zavala, Jack White, Kurt Cobain, Steven Wilson, Win Butler, Régine Chassagne , Gavin Hayes, Dino Campanella, Ed O'Brien, Phil Selway, Colin Greenwood, Bjork, Sharon den Adel, Brandon Flowers, Matthew Bellamy, Rivers Cuomo, Kele Okereke, Chris Martin, Howard Shore.
"""""""""""