Favorite (song)writers

I think you have to put Rhett Miller up there as one of the best in the game right now. Consistently writes great songs. And The Instigator, his solo debut, is tremendous.

I'll list the obvious ones I love: Lennon-McCartney, Dylan, Townsend, Strummer, Neil Young.

But from my generation, give me Paul Westerberg, Joey and Johnny Ramone, Black Francis, R.E.M. (they write as a collective mostly), Ryan Adams, Josh Rouse, Eddie Vedder, Colin Meloy, Ben Gibbard, Marc Olson and Gary Louris, Avett Brothers, Brandi Carlile, jenny Lewis. Ther are others, but these always put out consistently good music.

 

Here's a YouTube clip of LaMontagne with Elvis Costello on "Spectacle."

Ray's voice is definitely an acquired taste. I think he's fantastic. His harmonica on this song is killer, too.

 

I'm guessing I'm not alone in that I can point to the first song from my youth that sealed my love of lyrics. I was 11 and was listening to a cassette of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Second Helping" my brother had given me. Until that time, I listened primarily to top 40 and paid little attention to the words. But sitting in my bedroom that day, "The Ballad of Curtis Loew" triggered what can best be described as a running movie in my head. From that point on, I was hooked on musical storytelling. To this day, when I hear that song, I picture that kid, willing to face the wrath of his parents to sneak off and listen to an old man play music that allowed both of them to escape temporarily from an unfair world.

 

Many great choices already and maybe I missed this one: Van Morrison

 

Another I don't think I've seen .... Thom Yorke.