A Big Ranked List of My 200 Favorite Musical Artists
(in preferential order, with certain artists segmented into multiple entries for their bands, side projects, solo forays and collaborations, but others rather arbitrarily not)
Japan
The Blue Nile (+Paul Buchanan/PJ Moore and Co.)
Leonard Cohen
Coil
New Model Army
Ryoji Ikeda
Talk Talk (+Mark Hollis)
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Dexys Midnight Runners
Susanna and the Magical Orchestra (+Susanna/ Susanna Wallumrød)
David Sylvian
Richard Shindell
Solveig Slettahjell
The Divine Comedy
Van Morrison
Billy Bragg
Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto
The Cure
Alog
Luxuria
Stevie Wonder
Kate Bush
Sinead O’Connor
The Comsat Angels
Iris DeMent
ANBB
James
White+
Modified Toy Orchestra
Mary Margaret O’Hara
Prince (+Prince and the Revolution/Prince and the New Power Generation)
Stump
Tom Waits
Hiperson
Yaz [aka Yazoo]
The Smiths
Hothouse Flowers
Phoebe Bridgers
Tindersticks
Otis Redding
Roxy Music
Björk
Cocteau Twins
Frank Tedesso
The Chameleons
Sam Cooke
The Verlaines
The Creatures
Harry Nilsson
Naked Eyes (+Pete Byrne)
Alison Moyet
Randy Newman
Laurie Anderson
Robyn Hitchcock (+Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians)
Rilo Kiley
David Massengill
Herbert (+Matthew Herbert/Doctor Rockit/The Matthew Herbert Big Band)
Wildbirds and Peacedrums (+Mariam the Believer)
The Beatles
Depeche Mode
Jack the Ripper
The Jean-Paul Sartre Experience
Greg Brown
Eurythmics
Cabaret Contemporain (+Fabrizio Rat)
The Waterboys
Aztec Camera (+Roddy Frame)
The Zombies
Time Machines
The Beach Boys
Jarle Bernhoft [aka Bernhoft]
Big Star
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Adam Ant (+Adam and the Ants)
Erasure
Nick Drake
Cheryl Wheeler
Sidsel Endresen
Phil Ochs
The Art of Noise
Ray Charles
Fine Young Cannibals
Rowland S. Howard
Roberta Flack
Jim Bianco
The RAah Project (+True Live)
Ambitious Lovers
Bauhaus
DeBarge
A-ha
Holy Other
Maxwell
Galaxie 500
Marvin Gaye
They Might Be Giants
Martin Dupont
George Michael
Thompson Twins
The Books
Alva Noto
Burial
Barbara Buccholz
The Bees [aka A Band of Bees]
Dead Can Dance
Duran Duran
The Sundays
Klaus Nomi
FKA Twigs
Billy Joel
Dhafer Youssef
Prefab Sprout
Jimmy Scott
Soft Cell
Ryuichi Sakamoto
John Foxx
Bonnie “Prince Billy (+Will Oldham/Palace Brothers/Palace Music)
David Bowie
The Lover Speaks
Clocks
XTC
Siouxsie and the Banshees
Bark Psychosis
Einstürzende Neubauten
Dar Williams
Bryan Ferry
Howlin’ Wolf
Bill Morrissey
Lewis Taylor
Širom
Adem
Ane Brun
Cristina
Echo and the Bunnymen
serpentwithfeet
Alex Cameron
The Durutti Column
The Drifters
Mario Biondi
The Magnetic Fields
The Sisters of Mercy
Cyndi Lauper
Handsomeboy Technique
Jóhann Jóhannsson
Laura Marling
Pulp
Roy Orbison
This Mortal Coil
Feist
Donny Hathaway
Food
Jon Hopkins (+King Creosote and Jon Hopkins)
Ex-Easter Island Head
Arve Henriksen
Queen
Neutral Milk Hotel
Ted Hawkins
Rick Springfield
Al Green
Karin Park
Arto Lindsay
Dave Mallet
Was (Not Was)
John Gorka
Kings of Convenience
Scott Walker
Aretha Franklin
Tuxedomoon
Sheena Ringo
Nina Simone
Bruce Woolley and the Camera Club
Swamp Dogg
Aphex Twin
Sparks
Talking Heads
Black Devil Disco Club
Horse
Supersilent
Don Dixon
The Cars
The Four Tops
Jessy Lanza
Gillian Welch
Lotte Kestner
Lyle Lovett
Arthur Russell (+Loose Joints/Lola/Dinosaur L)
Future Bible Heroes
Elton John
Tears for Fears
Tim Buckley
Negativland
The Bureau
Liquid Liquid
The Pogues
Mustafa
The Postal Service
R.E.M.
Dawn of Midi
Spandau Ballet
Colter Wall
Jenny Hval (+Rockettothesky)
— July 26, 2026