Echo & the Bunnymen
Wilco
Pixies
Flaming Lips
Led Zeppelin
New Order
Spoon
Modest Mouse
The Avett Brothers
My Morning Jacket

The Cult
Kent
American Analog Set
Eels
Led Zeppelin
Modest Mouse
Weakerthans
Foo Fighters
INXS

Stone Roses
The Clash
Public Enemy
The Replacements
Pearl Jam
New Pornographers
The White Stripes
The Hard Lessons
New Bomb Turks
Bob Mould's assorted works

This doesn't take into account my all-time favorites from yesteryear, like The Who, Steely Dan and Elvis Costello, but I posted a list of my current favs a short while back on my blog (as a kind of primer for my non-Obnish friends who aren't aware of our cool indie tastes) and thought it was appropriate:

10. The Black Keys

Loud and raunchy guitar-drum duos may have been brought into vogue by The White Stripes, a band I am also quite fond of in their own right, but nobody does it louder and raunchier than Akron, Ohio’s own The Black Keys. Their most recent album, Attack & Release (2008), is one of their best.

9. Hayden

He’s Canadian, he’s introspective and he knows his way around a guitar. Though that seems like an apt description of Neil Young, I’m actually referring to Hayden Desser, who performs sans surname despite the risk of being confused for the cheerleader from Heroes or teen Anakin Skywalker. But his voice and music are much more reminiscent of a young Neil than a young Darth.

8. The Long Winters

Based in Seattle, this band features John Roderick and a revolving cast of musicians, including Harvey Danger frontman Sean Nelson. Their melodious and intellectual brand of power pop has gotten better with each passing album, culminating with their best release to date, Putting the Days to Bed (2006).

7. Neko Case

Blessed with one of the most beautiful voices on the planet, Neko Case has lent her immense talents to many projects, most notably the Canadian indie supergroup known as The New Pornographers. But Neko is at her most majestic when on her own, as evidenced by her brand new album, Middle Cyclone (2009).

6. M. Ward

Best known as the “Himâ€

1. Sonic Youth
2. Pete Seeger
3. Wilco
4. The Minutemen
5. Low
6. The Band
7. The Grateful Dead
8. The Replacements
9. Sebadoh
10. Hüsker Dü

always seem to be making a run at my top 10.

You mean, BESIDES The Beatles, right? Let's see if I can get it right, just off the top of my head:

Kinks
Brian Eno
Nick Lowe (all incarnations)
Harry Nilsson
Martin Newell/Cleaners From Venus
Super Furry Animals
Tom Zé
John Cale
Neutral Milk Hotel
XTC

Also:
Wire
Meat Puppets
Guided By Voices
The Move
Daniel Johnston
Big Star
Pavement
Velvet Underground
Shrimp Boat
Los Lobos

The Kinks
Sonic Youth
Can
Neil Young
Flaming Lips
Low
John Coltrane
Fugazi
Deerhoof
The Fall

This is damn near impossible, but:
The Rolling Stones
Bob Dylan
The Drive By Truckers
Johnny Cash
The Strokes
Ike Reilly Lucero
Bruce Springsteen
Creedence
Outkast

I guess I'll have a go for this particular year.

1. Leonard Cohen
2. David Bowie
3. The Blue Nile
4. The Church
5. New Model Army
6. Kate Bush
7. Half Man Half Biscuit
8. Minutemen
9. The Kinks
10.Van Morrison

But you know there's so much music.

Not in any order really....

Afghan Whigs
Nine Inch Nails
Radiohead
Our Lady Peace
Queensryche
David Bowie
The Cure
The Ramones
Nothingface
Hum

Beulah
Throwing Muses/Kristin Hersh
Beatles
Billy Joel
Cat Power
Sleater-Kinney
The Kills
Les Savy Fav
Mates of State
Mirah

surprised and disappointed that Al Kooper didn't make the cut. also, less disappointed but surprised that Pot Liquor didn't get an honorable mention.

I thought about putting together my own list but I don't think I could do one smaller than 30 and even that would be pretty hard.

This is the only way I could take a stab at this:

Old School

1. Velvet Underground
2. Rolling Stones
3. Beatles
4. The Band
5. Bob Dylan
6. Kinks
7. James Brown
8. Johnny Cash
9. David Bowie
10. Bruce Springsteen

Middle School

1. R.E.M.
2. Smiths
3. U2
4. Echo & The Bunnymen
5. Cure
6. INXS
7. Joy Division
8. Pixies
9. Clash
10. Replacements
11. Talking Heads

New School

1. Radiohead
2. Magnetic Fields
3. LCD Soundsystem
4. Bon Iver
5. Interpol
6. Flaming Lips
7. Beck
8. Guided By Voices
9. My Morning Jacket
10. Shins

Public Enemy
Radiohead
Built to Spill
Joy Division
Bauhaus
The Jesus Lizard
The Stone Roses
Pixies
The Prodigy
Suede

I've never seen the deterioration of the quality of popular music summed up quite so succinctly before.

Radiohead
Modest Mouse
Pixies
Fugazi
Wilco
The Replacements
The Mountain Goats
Sigur Ros
The New Pornographers
The Flaming Lips

Another one that flirts with top 10 depending on my mood.

i was a little surprised this wasn't on your list.

i'm gonna try to stop putting to much thought into this and just rattle off a list:

the stone roses
wilco
grateful dead
sigur ros
my morning jacket
iron & wine
the clash
the rolling stones
nick drake
neil young

I guess I shouldn't be surprised at how "reg rock" this ended up but it is what it is. I have pretty varied tastes I think but all in all these people have provided the soundtrack to my life more than any others:


The Rolling Stones
AC/DC
Bruce Springsteen
The Replacements
REM
The Ramones
The Pixies
Bob Dylan
The Drive By Truckers
The Allman Brothers Band


Hurt me to leave off:

Jesus and Mary Chain
My Morning Jacket (along with the Truckers probably my most played band that came from this decade)
CCR
Velvet Underground
Widespread Panic

top 9 and in no order
--------------------------------
beatles
radiohead
the cure
afghan whigs
guided by voices
pixies
smashing pumpkins (everything before machina)
peter gabriel
jellyfish

1. Orange Juice
2. Aztec Camera
3. Josef K
4. The Go Betweens
5. Paul Quinn
6. James King & The Lonewolves
7. Fire Engines/Win/Nectarine No.9/Sexual Objects
8. Memphis
9. Vic Godard & The Subway Sect
10. Jock Scott

Dedicated to BeeG and the Bard of Tangiers.

Yeah, I really had to think a little. Though, chances are I'm going to reach for a Husker Du or Replacements before Sigur Ros, just because its easier to get into and pop on. Sigur Ros needs the right mood more times than not. I love 'em, but they aren't a band I just pop on. Its a definite decision when I do. That was probably the main deciding factor.

Wire
The Velvet Underground
The Clash
Echo & the Bunnymen
Built to Spill
Bob Dylan
Radiohead
Rolling Stones
The Smiths
The Jam