Musicians By Name
All of the Rock Music artists reviewed on this site. Alphabetical by name of the artist or last name of a solo artist.
*If a name is smaller and un-clickable it is because it is a work in progress or I am about to review them next.
Completed Artists
(220 artists reviewed)
A to M N to Z
Aesop Rock has been honing his craft for a while and his fantastic expert vocabulary-driven hip hop songs reach an apex.
Albini, Steve
Steve Albini is no doubt one of the greatest producers who ever lived. His music contained the attitudes of punk rock with the clanging / noise rock of industrial music and clashing guitars of noise rock.
Alcest
French black metal band that specializes in shoegaze and dream pop melodies.
Algiers
A furious and original band worth hearing, Atlanta's Algiers have unequivocally made the greatest debut album of all time. Mixing the fury of a hundred post-punk bands of the 1980's with the holy gospel of the south, a new sound is born that goes beyond mere soul music imitations.
Aloha
Aloha are the perfect band for the 21st century, mainly because they form a cohesive sound in a digital age.
Amen Dunes
Damon McMahon’s project is music made with a sense of great history. Like his biggest influence Van Morrison, the songs carry a sense of gravitas to them hammering the listener with heavy emotions.
Arcade Fire, the
The Arcade Fire defined the sound of the 2000’s better than any other band. Starting with their genius debut Funeral, their sound was emotional and orchestrated, but the bombast was contained within the context of the rock music song format.
Whatever Corinne Bailey Rae was before this, her R&B has mixed with the rock music world in an unpredictable way and created some kind of bizarre step forward.
Band of Susans
They believed in adding distorted guitars to rock music and making songs that were in many ways very catchy.
Barnett, Courtney
Barnett hits all the right notes and proves that she can master any rock music style. A very welcome presence in rock music.
10
Bergman, Natilie
Bergman took the tragedy of her father’s death and made a truly artful experience out of it, something many people try to accomplish but few actually do.
Chuck Berry
Most opinions of Chuck Berry give him credit for inventing rock music and especially rock guitar soloing. Its hard to say if just one person invented a whole artform of course, but Berry probably gave it credibility if nothing else.
Besnard Lakes, the
The Besnard Lakes take the atmospheric and ethereal side of rock music to a whole new level, using slow motion textures to put the listener into a heavenly realm.
Beths, The
The Beth’s bring joyful, hopeful music back to the forefront of 2020’s, and I can’t wait to hear more in the future.
Big Black
Steve Albini’s First Band (see Steve Albini)
Big Star
Big Star was a band that existed in the early 70’s that not many people knew at the time, but their sound is as radio friendly so to speak. Like Badfinger, The Raspberries and other “Power Pop” groups around the same time, the band was very Beatles influenced and accessible.
Birds of Maya
Birds of Maya are one of the more obscure and best straight up rock bands in the 21st century that look into the past while diving into the future.
Black Angels, the
The Black Angels have always excelled at making music of a certain blend of older Psychedelic rock icons, but now they have finally branched out into a more soul-searching kind of sound.
with the addition of Henry Rollins on vocals, something quite different is present: there is an air of intensity by a person who seems to be taking on the world around him, and something about him just cuts right to humanity’s souls.
Black Keys, the
This band tries to make creative blues music, and they can do it very well. Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney are only two people but together they sound like a whole band.
20
Black Midi
Of all the over hyped British next big things over the years, this band is deserving of their accolades. If practice makes perfect then Black Midi must have practiced their asses off.
The world owes a huge debt to Black Thought these days, as his multiple projects throughout the last couple years he really has made an impact on our collective musical landscape.
Blondshell aka Sabrina Teitelbaum is the revelation of 2023, a singer-songwriter who is actually a part of a hard rock band, and not a pretender the throne like so many others of her time making music that matters
Bon Iver
Justin Vernon has been in a variety of bands throughout the decade but he has been responsible for some of the best folk songs this century has had to offer.
Books, the
Music by nature is just organized sound and the two songwriters in The Books just take that to its most minimal and random point by sampling either guitar licks or naturally occurring noises
Bowie, David
So just who is David Bowie? I guess the answer is: whoever he feels like being. Bowie is often praised for his journey through the styles of glam rock, techno, electronic, and pop, and depending on the album he can be quite good in any style.
Brown, Danny
The vulgar, silly, and exuberant style of Danny Brown was a welcome change of pace for hip hop of the 2010’s.
Bug, the
Kevin Martin has been doing this dark, grimey electronic rock for years under different monikers (Techno Animal, God, Ice) and refining his craft so that each of his albums keep getting better and better.
Built to Spill
Built to Spill are often labeled as just another “indie rock” band, but they are at least the kings of that specific genre. At most, they were among the top five bands of the 1990’s, and deserved to be known as one of the all time greats.
As a founding member of the VU, he not only mastered a bit of pop music perfection and some strange erratic timbres, but also found a nice middle ground based in solid songwriting.
30
Calexico
Known for using the sounds of the southwestern USA such as mariachi, Latin America, and the Mojave Desert, the group grew to incorporate even more mainly European sounds as French, Mediterranean, and Baltic influences could also be heard. This makes Calexico not only a world class band full of world class musicians, but also a band that will stand the test of time.
Camper Van Beethoven
The lyrics sung by songwriter/ lead singer David Lowery are tales that also only make the minimal amount of sense.
Can
Can are a band to get into when you want two exact things: to know how adventurous rock music can be, and to discover that popular music steals most of its ideas from alternative artists.
Cannibal OX
See El-P
Case, Neko
Some people truly seem to have come from heaven to gift us with their voices, and Neko Case is one such person. She deserves every bit of acclaim and attention she gets.
Cave, Nick
Cave has constantly swayed back n forth between some beautiful symphonic rock music ballads and some of the craziest, harsh screaming and mad preacher vibing music I have ever heard. Either way, his songs tend to be beautiful.
Charly Bliss
Bands as fun and naïve sounding as Charly Bliss should never go out of style.
The Clash
The Clash’s songs were rally cries to change their surroundings or society itself. There was something about their attitude that made them sound like they could do anything, and each album dared to evolve into a brand new thing.
Cocteau Twins
The Cocteau Twins have one of the most interesting sounds out there: definitely 1980’s music and production, but this angelic woman named Elizabeth Fraser singing duets with herself over this spaced out, guitar and synth workouts.
Company Flow
See El-P
Coyne, Kevin
Few albums are as confident and as original as Kevin Coyne’s debut, double album statement Marjory Razorblade.
40
Cream
Cream were indeed the best of the rock musicians in Britain of the time, three people who could do about anything and had the amazing songwriting of Jack Bruce to guide them.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
It’s not that CCR never made an album that wasn’t good, they never really made one that wasn’t vital in someway.
Crowell, Rodney
Any Country artist transcends whatever genre they are in if they are worth their salt, and Rodney Crowell is one of those people.
Cult of Luna
For black metal / sludge metal whatever subgenre you want to call it, it doesn’t get much better than these shifting epics that change tempo and melodies several times over the course of nine to thirteen minutes.
Darkside
This is the type of music that feels like an alien species that hides in the background then pounces on your ears when you least expect it.
Daughters
This is Music that shakes you to your soul and makes you question your sanity.
Dead can Dance
Some people would not even say they are a rock group, which shades of New age or World Music or Neo-Classical, but they definitely carry any of these genre on their back while having the major instruments of any rock music group.
Death Grips
One of the best bands of the 2010’s for sure, even though I never completely understand what they are yelling at me about.
Underrated band from the 2010’s, The vocals by lead singer Bonnie Bloomgarden are on the border of beautiful and shrill.
Decemberists, the
The Decemberists have evolved into a band that has control over every aspect of their sound. They self-crafted a niche for themselves over the years, based on old fashioned pop music and elegant chamber sounds.
Divine Fits, the
ironically the album was rather over looked by everyone except devout followers of each group, perhaps it should have been called simply ‘Brit and Dan’?
50
Dogbowl
Steve Tunney is way underheard, perhaps one of the most underrated artists of all time. I want to live in a world where “Flying Saucer Over Magnolia“ and “Love Bomb” are # one hits on the radio.
She is on Grimes’s label which should be no surprise since her vocals are so close to hers, but the real surprise is the way the music looks back to rock music history in general.
the menagerie of influences was a sight to behold in the January of 1967. Influenced by Love, Willie Dixon, and the straight forward rock pop jangles of The Byrds and Jefferson Airplane.
Doves, the
Doves sound like something and nothing you’ve heard before: atmospheric, employing electronics sometimes to enhance sound, pulsating rhythms, and nice melodies.
Dream Syndicate, the
While they combined a lot of the classic rock of Tom Petty and Neil Young, they also were obsessed with the alternative scenes like The Velvet Underground and the Soft Boys.
Drive Like Jehu
The songs are not sang, they are expelled form Rick Froberg’s vocal chords.
Ducks Ltd.
We have heard of too much of a good thing, but I actually wish this rejuvenating record was about twice as long.
El-P
He started Company Flow in the late 90’s, he produced many hip hop artists on his DefJux record label including Aesop Rock and Cannibal Ox, and he has had several solo albums.
Feelies, the
Every record they have made since the 1980s has depicted stillness as a mood. They will never get into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame, but they are always waiting for discovery to the true fans of music.
I just love how he mixes humor with insight, fast rapping that makes you dizzy, and moments of real emotional truth each time out, over and over, ever expanding.
Fiery Furnaces
In the years between 2003 and 2009, the band was very prolific and makes a certain impression on anyone listening. It goes without saying that they make great records.
60
Fleet Foxes
The songwriting of Fleet Foxes has always been between beautiful, shimmering melodic songs and sudden, progressive rock leanings with massive instrumentation.
Floating Points
Influenced by some of the better post-rock artists around, Sam Shepherd’s Floating Points project subtly knocks out any competition in terms of electronic music.
Frances, Hannah
She has perhaps above all, the power to haunt us.
Freak Heat Waves
The slow motion rock of this album tries to make a new genre of its own, and brilliantly succeeds.
Fugazi
One of the beest Rock bands ever, though definitely not immediately accessible, but once you have got into their world of music it will be impossible to imagine your life without them.
Game Theory
At its core, Lolita Nation is made by five people who just know what they love and sing about it.
Gatley, Katie
Gately occupies a world that probably best defines the music of our future. The overlapping effects and vocals she uses, all at different volumes and timbers, create their own kind of sound.
Germano, Lisa
Lisa Germano is the greatest female artist in rock music history. I’ve heard most of the others, and while some come close, Germano just gets everything right.
Gibbons carries all the emotional torch, her songs delve deep in to the pain and longing of Portishead’s best music.
Godflesh are a band of purpose, and they have been that way for almost 40 years. The purpose is to pummel us into submission.
If there was ever a post-rock / classical band, these guys are pretty much set the standard.
Gunn, Steve
I believe Gunn channels the best of influences to make something completely his own. It’s folk music at its core, the rock is definitely an after thought as wild as the guitars can get.
70
Hanson displays both a guitar virtuoso attitude as well as the soul of a 70’s singer songwriter.
PJ Harvey has changed quite a bit since her beginnings as an angry songwriter in the clothes of a 1990s grunge queen. Her progression with different produces and making each album an almost political statement has been fascinating to watch.
Holly Herndon
Holly Herndon writes songs using a computer as her muse and guide. The songs are snippets of vocals and drum patterns some times randomly placed, but made into things that make sense based off of what ethereal singer songwriters have done before.
Hopkins, Jon
What Jon Hopkins creates here is a kind of music that probably could not exist without computers and therefor usually has an ‘inhuman’ sound. But again, it is the sound of the future.
Hendrix, Jimi
Jimi Hendrix was a rarity - a musician that was very popular but also very experimental.
The hard rock of this band is a nice change of pace, slowly proving the grungy rock n roll of the 1990’s is not dead.
I am imagining that this is a high dimensional space where anything is possible, and getting lost in these long sonic wordless soundscapes you have carves out for us.
Holter, Julia
Women in rock n roll have taken the 21st century by force for sure, and at the top of the list is Julia Holter.
Hoop, Jesca
Hoop’s is a female voice that blows all her male counterparts away, though at times it’s merely a whisper.
Hurray for the Riff Raff
She brings it all home using all the magic of a great singer/songwriter tradition, like the best of Bob Dylan.
Husker Du
I can honestly not think of a band I enjoy more than Husker Du. No band is perfect, but when these guys were on fire they really impressed. A band that truly evolved, moved against any trend at all, and had two great songwriters that however different, always sounded great together.
80
Iglooghost
Iglooghost is such an artist, you could call his music electronic yet it is rarely purely rhythmic. He also uses vocalists, more for the feeling of the vocals- like vocals as an instrument.
Injury Reserve
This group throws everything into a blender- rap, rock, soul, techno, industrial – and look at what magic comes out.
Interpol
he band mixes influence from all of rock’s best “gloom” bands into something new and unique that actually stacks up with the mentors.
Jenkins, Cassandra
Ethereal singer-songwriters can be a dime a dozen these days, but I’m always a sucker for a pretty voice singing songs of substance and Cassandra Jenkins certainly knows how to write a good song.
Jesus and Mary Chain
The Jesus and Mary Chain are a band that use simple emotions to great effect. Their songs might be “easy” sounding to some with only a few chords and drum patterns used over and over, but to do a lot with nothing is just as hard AND as interesting as doing something complicated.
JPEGMAFIA
definitely the sonic terrorist of our time. He is cataloged as a hip hop artist, and the art of sampling is definitely on display with a lot of rapping inside, but there are also so much punk rock fervor and electronic manipulation.
Valarie June
June starts of her career with her unique approach to the folk world, its a mix of folk music tinged with elements of soul and her bizarre singing voice is icing on the cake.
Killer Mike’s version of emotional release is different than his work with Run the Jewels.
King Hannah
While they could probably coast by on the ballad front, whether its the slow kind now in style like the opener "Big Swimmer" or closer country throwback "John Prine on the Radio", the band has a ‘base’ sound that is much more entertaining.
King’s X
One of the few truly accessible rock n’ roll metal acts, King’s X are above all a very independent group.
Kinks, The
They were very original in the way they approached music, arrangements, and melodies in their time and helped transform blues rock into something that was all their own creation.
Kweli, Talib
Kwali constantly states about his old school conventions- listening to albums on vinyl, talking about issues that matter like music over money, and he does it all with the grace he is known for.
90
Lanegan, Mark
He sounds like no one before, although many try to copy his style and his influence resonates strongly in rock music today.
This band occupies an odd space in the world currently, a gourmet of musicians that like to cover traditional Irish folk songs but are also in love with droning instrumentals and gothic soundscapes.
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin began in the 1960’s with one of the most creative fusions of the blues, to say the least. At the time, they were revolutionary not only for their individual sounding rock n’ roll but also for making the album stand out as the true medium of rock music.
Libertines, the
The Libertines are a band who make fast pop music in the vein of 1970’s and 1990’s lighthearted punk , with a lot of attitude.
Lightning Bug
Reminiscent of bands of the late 80’s and early 90’s only in the most psychedelic pop kind of way.
I admire Lil Yatchy's zeal, he made an album that is said to be influenced by the sound of 1970’s era Pink Floyd but incorporates modern hip hop tropes and patterns within.
Lone Bellow, the
A great blast of gospel infused folk rock, that reminds one of a more upbeat Cowboy Junkies.
Love
Love is never a band that you will hear of on the radio, or even in a conversation among most people about “1960’s bands”. In this author’s opinion though, they were the best 60’s band to come out of America.
100
Low
Patient listeners are a rarity in any time period, but bands like Low are always going to be in a hard category to define. It's not that this is just some slow music, but it is also beautiful, haunting, atmospheric, meaningful, and majestic.
Mach-Hommy
The heated fervor of Mach-Hommy is just right for the climate of the 21st century.
Magnetic Fields
Steven Merritt. His contributions to pop music are astronomical, because not only has he written more great songs than anyone in the last 50 years, quite a number of these songs are perfect examples of the “pop song” and continuing its evolution.
Malibu Ken - see Aesop Rock
Maquiladora
Though very obscure and unknown for even the most die hard music fan, when anyone mentions Americana or country music in the 21st century I always think of Maquiladora.
Amber Mark
Amber Mark’s debut album is a nice slab of R&B that is all over the spectrum from production choices.
Manic Street Preachers
The Holy Bible is a true testament of what rock and roll can be, as it successfully combines personal and political philosophies.
MbongWana Star
The music created by the ensemble Mbongwana Star on From Kinsasha is a joy to behold, not merely a highly danceable record but one that strikes emotional chords as well.
Jon McKiel
His music is an amazing listen, leaving us wanting more of this type of creativity in modern pop artists.
METZ
But every once in a while I need a band like METZ to remind me why I started listening to music in the first place, which is to rock n roll.
110
Mitski has worn many faces over the years, but the last couple of albums have this 1970’s singer songwriter-light vibe and she definitely excels at.
The Modern Lovers
How exactly do people write these one and two chord songs and get away with it? There is no answer for this, but if there was an album that personified this kind of “simple” but great rock ‘n roll, Modern Lovers is it.
Molina, Juana
Argentina’s Juana Molina is a lot of fun and transcends boundaries of language. The Portuguese language has never sounded as charming as when it comes from her multi-vocal approach.
The Monks
A sound this wild and of its time would be rare for a band out of Great Britain or America in the 1960’s but even stranger that it came from American army members living in Germany.
Montgomery, Roy
The song titles paint a picture of each song, some titles could even flow together, but really they could mean whatever you want. It is a minimalist experiment reminiscent of instrumentals.
Whether he is rocking hard or chilling on a chord for over ten minutes, Thurston Moore definitely makes a mark on rock history.
Morphine
Morphine’s music is a new twist on traditional rock music. With a two-string bass, lead singer Mark Sandman glides the listener along with soothing life lessons.
Mountain Goats, the
John Darnielle takes great stories, seemingly autobiographical, and mixed them with great acoustic music and minimal production, so all of these songs would sound good even if they were played with one man and his guitar.
My Bloody Valentine
Guitarist Kevin Sheilds and vocalist Bilinda Butcher are among the greatest at what they do, even if they only really made two full length albums in their original incarnation