My 50 Favorite Bands and Artists

Here is a list of my 50 favorite bands/artists and their most notable album releases. I urge everyone to check out as much of this music as you can. Some of it will seriously change your life. I have been obsessed with Sufjan Stevens recently, and his 2005 album Illinois is my current favorite album of 2010.

50. Blur (1994: Parklife)

49. Beck (1996: Odelay, 2002: Seachange)

48. Captain Beefheart (1967: Safe as Milk, 1969:Trout Mask Replica)

47. Minutemen (1984: Double Nickels on the Dime)

46. Massive Attack (1998: Mezzanine)

45. Queens of the Stone Age (2000: Rated R, 2002: Songs for the Deaf)

44. Iron Maiden (1982: Number of the Beast, 1983: Piece of Mind, 1984: Powerslave)

43. Franz Ferdinand (2004: Franz Ferdinand)

42. Soundgarden (1994: Superunknown)

41. Karate (2000: Unsolved, 2004: Pockets)

40. Nirvana (1991: Nevermind)

39. Beach House (2010: Teen Dream)

38. Jimi Hendrix (1967: Are you Experienced?)

37. Led Zeppellin (1969: Led Zeppellin I and II, 1971: Led Zeppellin IV)

36. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy (1999: I See a Darkness)

35. Neutral Milk Hotel (1997: In the Airplane Over the Sea)

34. Built to Spill (1997: Perfect From Now On, 1999: Keep it Like a Secret)

33. Interpol (2002: Turn on the Bright Lights, 2004: Antics)

32. Grizzly Bear (2009: Veckatimest)

31. Gang of Four (1979: Entertainment!)

30. Leonard Cohen (1967: Songs of Leonard Cohen, 1988: I'm You're Man)

29. Pavement (1992: Slanted and Enchanted, 1994: Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain)

28. The Pixies (1989: Doolittle, 1990: Bossanova)

27. Nick Drake (1969: Five Leaves Left, 1970: Bryter Layter, 1972: Pink Moon)

26. Pearl Jam (1991: Ten, 1993: Vs.)

25. Godspeed You Black Emperor! (1997: F#A#, 2000:Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven)

24. The Flaming Lips (1999: The Soft Bulletin, 2002: Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots)

23. King Crimson (1969: In the Court of the Crimson King, 1974: Red, 1981: Discipline)

22. Sonic Youth (1988: Daydream Nation, 1990: Goo)

21. The Clash (1979: The Clash)

20. Tom Waits (1983: Swordfishtrombones, 1985: Rain Dogs)

19. Tool (1996: Aenima, 2001: Lateralus)

18. Love (1967: Forever Changes)

17. Brian Eno (1974: Here come the warm jets, 1975: Another Green World)

16. Black Sabbath (1970: Black Sabbath, 1970: Paranoid, 1971: Master of Reality)

15. Talking Heads (1979: Fear of Music, 1980: Remain in Light)

14. David Bowie (1972: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, 1973: Aladdin Sane, 1977: Low)

13. The Cure (1980: Seventeen Seconds, 1981: Faith, 1982: Pornography, 1989: Disintegration)

12. Radiohead (1997: OK Computer, 2000: Kid A, 2001: Amnesiac, 2007: In Rainbows)

11. Red Hot Chili Peppers (1991: Blood Sugar Sex Magik, 1999: Californication)

10. Sufjan Stevens (2003: Michigan, 2004: Seven Swans, 2005: Illinois)

9. Metallica (1984: Ride the Lightning, 1986: Master of Puppets, 1988: ...And Justice for All, 1991: Metallica)

8. Joy Division (1979: Unknown Pleasures, 1980: Closer)

7. Modest Mouse (1997: The Lonesome Crowded West, 2000: The Moon and Antarctica, 2004: Good News for People Who Love Bad News)

6. Frank Zappa (1969: Hot Rats, 1973: Over-nite Sensation)

5. Pink Floyd (1973: Dark Side of the Moon, 1975: Wish you were Here, 1977: Animals, 1979: The Wall)

4. The Beatles (1965: Rubber Soul, 1966: Revolver, 1967: Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, 1968: The Beatles (White Album), 1969: Abbey Road)

3. The Arcade Fire (2004: Funeral, 2007: Neon Bible, 2010: The Suburbs)

2. The Smiths (1984: The Smiths, 1985: Meat is Murder, 1986: The Queen is Dead, 1987: Strangeways, Here we Come)

1. The Doors (1967: The Doors, 1967: Strange Days, 1968: Waiting for the Sun, 1970: Morrison Hotel, 1971: L.A Woman)