Dear Obner,

My biggest complaint with today's music is so much of it is style over substance. Quality songs seem to be a lost art. Even much of the new stuff I am drawn to is more based on the general sound/vibe than the lyrics. And this is even true for me in the singer/songwriter genre.

There are some good active ones around, but most of the ones I think of have been around for awhile (eg Nick Cave, Leonard Cohen, Alejandro Escovedo). With Elliott Smith gone, who are the leading young shining lights that I've been ignoring? Please don't say Ryan Adams or Conor Oberst. Not a fan of either at all.

Signed,

Old curmudgeon who probably listens to too much Dylan & Van Zandt

My favorites are Badly Drawn Boy, Damien Rice, and Iron & Wine.

darnielle, oldham, adams, ghostface

Travis Meeks - Touch of Anger

http://s46.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3FH8 ... 3KRN59F4YS

Joseph Arthur
Peter Gabriel
Gregg Alexander
Trent Reznor
Chris Martin

I like Iron & Wine & Oldham, but more for their sound than their lyrics. Do you really like all that them much as writers? Not saying they are bad...

Markus Acher
Tim Finn
Neil Finn
John Vanderslice
Steve Kilbey (I know he doesn't write all of their stuff, so let's just say "The Church")
PJ Harvey
Carina Round
Tori Amos
the dudes from Calexico
Mandy from Skydivers

Slaid Cleaves
Joe Henry

not "young", but so what.

nina nastasia?
joe pernice?

Mark Kozelek pops to mind.

yeah vanderslice and the dude from the silver jews are good songwriters too, eventho i'm not so sold on their music.

Michael Penn
Trent Dabbs

those are two good ones

Jeff Tweedy or Joe Henry (not exactly young....)

otherwise as far as 'younger' singer/songwriters':

James Blunt

Josh Rouse

Johnathan Rice

Josh Ritter

**What is with the "J" names..Jesus Christ

Jason Collett.... another "J'.....geez

Jamie Cullum....AARRHHHH

ani difranco.
ben gibbard.
jeff tweedy.

A few of my favs. Both of them are in my Top 20 for the year.

Aidan Smith [check out both "Early As the Trees" and "Fancy Barrel"]
http://www.aidansmith.net/

Paul Duncan [His "Be Careful What You Call Home" album is fantastic]
http://www.splendidezine.com/review.htm ... 5745285837

Frosted-

I heard a recent song by Cleaves (off a Paste sampler, maybe?) that I really liked. Never did buy the disc, but I saw an older one by him I picked up used called Broke Down. To me, it's kinda meh. Would I like the newer stuff better, you think?

Thanks.

The guys from Fountains of Wayne come to mind.
Just heard "Hey Julie" yesterday and was struck by just how good a song it is.

Also Gruff Rhys from Super Furry Animals is a pretty damn good writer, when you get down to it. The band just happens to be brilliant and brilliantly produced, as well.

haha...borg you are REALLY REALLY into the new radicals arent you?

some of my favs
Damien Rice
elliot smith
uncle bob pollard

as did borg, i will throw in Peter Gabriel
how about bono as well

Beth Orton
Seven Swans-era Sufjan Stevens
the Hold Steady guy
Josh Rouse
Richard Hawley

Oh, and another couple...
Linus Of Hollywood
and
Paul Caporino from M.O.T.O.
and
Jeff Lescher from Green

He's new-folk singer-songwritery, not in a cloying way, but I don't know if you'd like him more or not. A lot of experience in his voice and an excellent storyteller. From Maine, but based in Austin now. Songs are pretty dark for the most part, along the lines of dark Springstreen with a major Guthrie influence. He's got six albums, but the first three were done in Maine and I don't have them. I've read that they're more acoustic folk than is newer material. Newer stuff has brushes of old blues, honky tonk and alt-country.

RIYL: Steve Earle, Greg Brown, Luka Bloom, Joe Henry, Lucinda Williams, Bruce Cockburn, DBT, Peter Case, Robert Earl Keen, etc.

ray lamontagne

lucksmiths

go betweens

mojave 3

I'll stand by Iron & Wine's lyrics. They're not terribly specific, but he's one of the few artists I would say actually puts nearly credible poetry to music. I also think Okkervil River's Will Sheff has some very bright moments in this category, though not all of his lyrics fit the bill.

From what I've heard of Will Oldham, he's in your style-over-substance category. There are a lot of artists doing the old-timey folk act, but his is the one I believe the least, right down to the wink-wink lyrics.

I agree on Ray Lamontagne.

I also don't think this is a "today's music" issue.

I love the debut. He may be ripping on Van Morrison but I think he's solid.

I can't remember the guy's name who is the main songwriter for South San Gabriel but that album from this year is damn good. I don't care that the whole thing is about a cat and his owner. If anything I find it more impressive that he made such a beautiful album about something so simple. I really didn't fully appreciate it until I sat down with the lyrics sheet and followed along.


Also, a friend gave me a copy of Mary Gauthier's "Mercy Now" a couple months ago and I'd recommend checking her out if you dig Townes Van Zandt. She's in that vein along with the likes of Steve Earle, John Prine, and Lucinda William. A stellar effort.

darnielle and ghostface.
my kind of lilst.

who is adams?