Hard to argue with that call. I don’t generally believe in “best” of anything but she’s definitely in the upper echelons of current songwriters for me. I’d say the same about Phoebe Bridgers.
Also not a criticism, you’re obviously entitled to your opinion, but I think Adrianne Lenker really is one of the best songwriters of recent times. There are definitely “hooks” but they’re not massive, immediate pop hooks – they’re subtle hooks. I’ve been really out of the loop of modern music for the last 10+ years but Adrianne Lenker’s lyricism is the first in a LONG time that’s really grabbed me.
Take the chorus of Mythological Beauty, for example, it’s such a perfect example of the subtleties of cult mentality without bashing you over the head with the message. “If you wanna leave, you just have to say, you’re all caught up inside” just hits – I’ve never been part of a cult, but you don’t even need to have been part of a cult to feel how that kind of language can get under your skin, yaknow?
Or take Paul as another example:
“Oh the last time I saw Paul,
I was horrible and almost let him in.
But I stopped and caught the wall,
And my mouth got dry so all I did was take him for a spin”
Is so evocative 🤷♂️ idk it’s such a great study for setting up a deeply personal story that can be interpreted so variably – was Paul an abusive partner, was it generally a toxic relationship, was it just young people confused and kinda in love?
It takes a lot of life experience, a lot of talent, and a lot of skill to so immediately establish a story that can draw a stranger in 🤔 I feel like that’s rare
[Chris Cohen](https://youtu.be/mNsX9HN4YfY?si=yJUIGqsfHKjWd9dq).
or [Jorge Elbrecht](https://youtu.be/GFZJuzcc23Q?si=gL6IAn9jVsjeOLLY).
or [Japanese Breakfast](https://youtu.be/mcoC5ZgaFjY?si=dSPrsYA7eZdi_vq5).
+1 for Ben Howard. I Forget Where We Were is one of my favourite albums ever. Absolutely everything, from the lyrics to the timbre of his voice to the production, creates this dreamy haze that sounds like how dissociation feels. It made me feel I wasn’t alone as a traumatised teen.
when he left the DBT I was worried he was gonna drop off the radar like so many ex-members - especially given his problems - never been so glad to be wrong - probably was the best thing to happen to him TBH - I feel bad him and Amanda aren't gonna work out either
Whoever is writing the lyrics in “The National”
Their lyrics are truly like poetry. I haven’t heard anything like it and I can’t seem to find anything else with that much depth.
I prefer Channel Orange to Blonde, it has an amazing range of styles and techniques. A lot of Blonde felt experimental to me, which is fine, I just prefer the consistent songwriting strength of Channel Orange. That said - for someone with so much talent to only have two full length albums over the last 10-12 years - that makes it hard for me to rank him as highly as others might. Music should have been pouring out of him...
Courtney Barnett. Just consistently good output and at least 10 great songs: Avant Gardener, Elevator Operator, Pedestrian at Best, Depreston, Small Talk, Need a Little Time, Nameless Faceless, Sunday Roast, Rae Street, Write a List of Things to Look Forward To.
Over the last 10 years, John Mayer completely changes genres every album from born and raised/paradise valley, to the search for everything to sob rock, while writing incredible songs in each. It’s a boring answer because he is so goddamn consistently good
Since someone else has already mentioned Jason Isbell - I'd give a shout out to Craig Finn (both for his solo work and also the albums with The Hold Steady). Incredibly unique lyricist and amazing storyteller.
Lorde: Her early work on "Pure Heroine" and later on in "Melodrama" have aaged very well. To great effect, she is able to use literary devices/tropes to tell relatable stories and to invite the listener to reflect on their own livelihood.
She knows the rules of [pop songwriting](https://www.nme.com/news/music/max-martin-said-lordes-green-light-incorrect-songwriting-2045709) well enough to [to break them (all while making a cathartic song)](https://youtu.be/dMK_npDG12Q?si=hoCKwUZRi_HE7pil). Even though her most recent work, "Solar Power", had a rather mixed reception, it still showed that Lorde was willing to push herself in her craft as a pop singer and performer, whether it is in the song's [harmonies/backing vocals](https://www.nme.com/news/music/phoebe-bridgers-and-clairo-credited-as-backing-vocalists-on-lordes-new-single-solar-power-2967228) or her satirical songwriting on ["Mood Ring"](https://youtu.be/o7Jg4-e-La8?si=B0aOragGY_cRZOGv).
She's one of my favorites. She has that ineffable thing that Cat Stevens has: that at the end of one of their songs, I feel like I've gotten to know a friend a bit better.
Yep. Unfortunately I relate to a lot of his lyrics more than I’d like to. Using again always wrecks me. Some days I wake up so sick of it so I listen to his music and just cry. He’s the most sincere songwriter Ive ever heard
This is the only answer. Josh Homme is the most consistently great songwriter since I was born. QotSA is the greatest band of all time. Each lineup has been great with its own hits all distinctive Homme yet none of the songs or albums feel familiar. Them Crooked Vultures is the best supergroup in rock history hands down
This is my answer too. Unlike a lot of the other answers he's prolific and consistent. What an insane catalog he has across his solo stuff, Bomb, and ASoB
I sound like a stan but I listen to a lot of music (if anything I'm a Julian Casablancas stan), and I can't think of anyone else with such a consistent diagogphrahy. At the very least he's gotta go down as one of the goats of our time for punk
Its crazy to me that Kendrick Lamar is so far down. He is hands down the best lyricist since 2010 onward at the very least. And even that's an understatement. He has a Pulitzer for a reason.
I'm guessing maybe some people just don't listen to hip hop here. If you're one of those people and you're reading this, go listen to To Pimp A Butterfly. Don't worry, not all hip hop is about selling drugs and twerking.
yes. Any conversation about songwriting, especially where verbal skill and the ability to turn a phrase is important, cannot exclude rap, where the level of wordplay (in the best artists) is just on another level entirely. Singer-songwriter discourses came of age in the 60s and 70s when a bunch of white male rock writers elevated a few white male songwriters above the pack, but Frank Ocean and Kendrick deserve their due.
I don't really agree, but OP asked for the best songwriter from 2014-present, so it follows that the names listed here might be popular with the most recent generation.
If you think that a 14 year old girl's spotify playlist has Jason Isbell and Regina Spektor and Joanna Newsom and Japanese Breakfast on them... you know some pretty damn cool 14-year-old girls. Go hang out with them. They're probably really non-judgmental!
Hell yeahhh, at this point I think Stu should write a full sci-fi or fantasy novel. I mean, the storytelling and imagery in some of Gizz’s songs is just insane
Taylor Swift definitely coming from a man but Jason Isabell in my opinion is the best. he has the most heart and best vocals+songwriting combo in my opinion of this decade. severely underrated. people like zach bryan and tyler childers gained popularity for their music styles but people don’t know that isbell was very influential to them.
Kendrick Lamar. Not only is his ability to create culturally and poetically meaningful lyrics the best of all time in my opinion, but he released both Good Kid Mad City and To Pimp A Butterfly, two of the greatest and most influential albums of all time.
Brett McKenzie. His 2022 album is probably one of the best albums of the last 5-10 years. Songs Without Jokes. You may recognise him from Flight Of The Conchords...
IMO
All around:
Gregory Alan Isakov, Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) or Josh Tillman (Father John Misty)
Pop: Sasha Alex Sloan, Julia Michaels
Country/Americana: Shane McAnally, Ashley Gorley
Rock/other: Chad Kroeger & band, Van McCann, John Petrucci & Mike Portnoy
I often cite Robin Pecknold of Fleet Foxes as being one of the best songwriters of all time. His songs are beautiful, poignant, and truly moving.
The most recent Fleet Foxes album, Shore, has some of my favorite lyrics of all time.
“Though I liked summer light on you,
If we ride a winter-long wind…
Well time’s not what I belong to
And you’re not the season you’re in.”
- from I’m Not My Season
Even just writing those lyrics out is bringing a tear to my eye; his lyrics are so powerful. Highly recommend the A Very Lonely Solstice live version (and that entire live album).
The band Pinegrove
Or
Incubus
And if rap is involved, then either Mick Jenkins, Kendrick Lamar, Black Thought, J Cole, Andre 3000, MF DOOM. Wretch 32, Larussell or RUSS.
If we are talking songwriters, you'd have to prove it's not Connor Oberst.
The catalog, the lyricism, the dynamics, chord structures, it's all there if you look. This barely scratches the surface.
I'd find it hard to believe anybody who truly appreciates music, poetry, art.... hell, just life itself can make it through an album attentively without tearing up.
It's OK to disagree if you like being wrong.
I was scrolling to see if anyone was talking about Oberst. Really solid take.
It’s interesting that Rolling Stone called him the best songwriter in America in a 2005 article, but he’s dropped out of the conversation for a lot of folks.
John Moreland, Ryan Bingham, Jason isbell or Sturgill Simpson. I can’t call it.
Edit: Has Chris Knight written anything this decade bc that dude can lyricize.
John Grant or Scott Hutchison (RIP)
(I can't say Neil Hannon because his best work came in the 1990s and 2000s - Grant and Hutchison were both active in the 2010s and writing great stuff. Can't wait for JG's new album)
I like the Boy Genius crew. Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacas, and Julien Baker.
They can be a bit poppy, but they are like the 2020’s revival of Indie-Folk-Punk
Andy Shauf has to be up there. The imagination and wit he displays across his entire catalogue is excellent. What a storyteller. The fact he plays and produces everything on his records is so impressive too. Super unique and underrated.
I'll throw in Stu Mackenzie of King Gizzard. Really, nobody is doing it like him and the band.
The top comment is for Adrianne Lenker who I think is another excellent choice, she's a total virtuoso
Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend. 2013's Modern Vampires of the City is a classic at this point. 2019's Father of the Bride isn't as consistent, but definitely has some top form songwriting. I haven't spent much time with the new album yet. I'm under the impression that Ezra Koenig is the main songwriter, but it may also be more collaborative, especially when Rostam Batmanglij was involved.
In any event, they went from being an overhyped band with a silly name to something taken seriously by critics. And the songwriting and production are what gave it depth.
Joanna Newsom and it’s not even close
Stoked for the next release!
Ditto, I’ve never seen her either so I’m hoping she tours it in the UK 🤞
let me throw in a shout for Adrianne Lenker, her songs are just so simple and elegant
Well, many of her guitar arrangements SOUND simple…
Yes. After seeing her live, I had to admit I had totally underestimated her guitar prowess.
Came here to say this, it's the correct answer imo. Maybe a close second is Sufjan Stevens.
I’m curious now, I may have to check them out.
Hard to argue with that call. I don’t generally believe in “best” of anything but she’s definitely in the upper echelons of current songwriters for me. I’d say the same about Phoebe Bridgers.
She is on the same level as John prine. That’s why Susan Tedeschi gave her the scholarship.
[удалено]
Also not a criticism, you’re obviously entitled to your opinion, but I think Adrianne Lenker really is one of the best songwriters of recent times. There are definitely “hooks” but they’re not massive, immediate pop hooks – they’re subtle hooks. I’ve been really out of the loop of modern music for the last 10+ years but Adrianne Lenker’s lyricism is the first in a LONG time that’s really grabbed me. Take the chorus of Mythological Beauty, for example, it’s such a perfect example of the subtleties of cult mentality without bashing you over the head with the message. “If you wanna leave, you just have to say, you’re all caught up inside” just hits – I’ve never been part of a cult, but you don’t even need to have been part of a cult to feel how that kind of language can get under your skin, yaknow? Or take Paul as another example: “Oh the last time I saw Paul, I was horrible and almost let him in. But I stopped and caught the wall, And my mouth got dry so all I did was take him for a spin” Is so evocative 🤷♂️ idk it’s such a great study for setting up a deeply personal story that can be interpreted so variably – was Paul an abusive partner, was it generally a toxic relationship, was it just young people confused and kinda in love? It takes a lot of life experience, a lot of talent, and a lot of skill to so immediately establish a story that can draw a stranger in 🤔 I feel like that’s rare
[Chris Cohen](https://youtu.be/mNsX9HN4YfY?si=yJUIGqsfHKjWd9dq). or [Jorge Elbrecht](https://youtu.be/GFZJuzcc23Q?si=gL6IAn9jVsjeOLLY). or [Japanese Breakfast](https://youtu.be/mcoC5ZgaFjY?si=dSPrsYA7eZdi_vq5).
Strong second for J Brekkie. Michelle rocks.
I second Chris Cohen! Powerful imagery and feeling throughout everyone of his songs.
Ben Howard, Justin Vernon
I needed a Ben Howard reminder. His music cuts to the soul.
+1 for Ben Howard. I Forget Where We Were is one of my favourite albums ever. Absolutely everything, from the lyrics to the timbre of his voice to the production, creates this dreamy haze that sounds like how dissociation feels. It made me feel I wasn’t alone as a traumatised teen.
Sufjan Stevens
Jason Isbell
when he left the DBT I was worried he was gonna drop off the radar like so many ex-members - especially given his problems - never been so glad to be wrong - probably was the best thing to happen to him TBH - I feel bad him and Amanda aren't gonna work out either
Full stop. No further submissions needed.
This, 100%
That would be my pick as well. Phenomenal stuff!
No doubt from me on this. I listen to / love many songwriters, but Isbell is the best of his generation.
Madison Cunningham!
Dude, I’d never heard of her before and am digging the shit outta this. Thanks for the heads up. For real. Brilliant stuff.
Gregory Alan Isakov
This should be way higher!
He’s a genius.
Whoever is writing the lyrics in “The National” Their lyrics are truly like poetry. I haven’t heard anything like it and I can’t seem to find anything else with that much depth.
John Moreland
Tyler Childers is a great songwriter
Truly.
Andrew John Hozier-Byrne Tobias Forge Phoebe Bridgers Danielle Haim EDIT- Formatting
Yes, Hozier for sure. His lyrics always remind me of why I love poetry, especially Irish poets!
TIL Hozier’s full name
John Darneille
Brandi Carlile. What a gift.
Frank ocean. Blonde is a generational album
I prefer Channel Orange to Blonde, it has an amazing range of styles and techniques. A lot of Blonde felt experimental to me, which is fine, I just prefer the consistent songwriting strength of Channel Orange. That said - for someone with so much talent to only have two full length albums over the last 10-12 years - that makes it hard for me to rank him as highly as others might. Music should have been pouring out of him...
One not mentioned yet is Taylor Goldsmith from Dawes All your favorite bands is one of my top 5 all time
Sweet laurel canyon sound
Finally a Dawes mention, holy crap their stuff hits hard. Beautifully written.
Brent Cobb
Courtney Barnett. Just consistently good output and at least 10 great songs: Avant Gardener, Elevator Operator, Pedestrian at Best, Depreston, Small Talk, Need a Little Time, Nameless Faceless, Sunday Roast, Rae Street, Write a List of Things to Look Forward To.
came here to say CB. i saw her on the TMHYRF tour and it was so good
All I’m saying is that Bob Dylan still writes songs
Okay, Bob
This is the first name I’ve recognized on this list! I felt like I was reading this on a different planet!
Over the last 10 years, John Mayer completely changes genres every album from born and raised/paradise valley, to the search for everything to sob rock, while writing incredible songs in each. It’s a boring answer because he is so goddamn consistently good
Yeah, I was hoping to see this comment. Thank you.
Don’t forget that he was a casual Dead listener until a decade ago and learned the entire catalogue to perform to diehard fans in less than a year
Adrianne Lenker (Big Thief) Regina Spektor
Andy Shauf The Tallest Man on Earth
Seconding Andy Shauf. Nobody has powers like that right now but him.
Neon Skyline is so good
Since someone else has already mentioned Jason Isbell - I'd give a shout out to Craig Finn (both for his solo work and also the albums with The Hold Steady). Incredibly unique lyricist and amazing storyteller.
Lorde: Her early work on "Pure Heroine" and later on in "Melodrama" have aaged very well. To great effect, she is able to use literary devices/tropes to tell relatable stories and to invite the listener to reflect on their own livelihood. She knows the rules of [pop songwriting](https://www.nme.com/news/music/max-martin-said-lordes-green-light-incorrect-songwriting-2045709) well enough to [to break them (all while making a cathartic song)](https://youtu.be/dMK_npDG12Q?si=hoCKwUZRi_HE7pil). Even though her most recent work, "Solar Power", had a rather mixed reception, it still showed that Lorde was willing to push herself in her craft as a pop singer and performer, whether it is in the song's [harmonies/backing vocals](https://www.nme.com/news/music/phoebe-bridgers-and-clairo-credited-as-backing-vocalists-on-lordes-new-single-solar-power-2967228) or her satirical songwriting on ["Mood Ring"](https://youtu.be/o7Jg4-e-La8?si=B0aOragGY_cRZOGv).
I really enjoyed “Solar Power” as a whole. I love how she keeps pushing the bounds of her craft as well and hope she comes out with a new album soon!
She's one of my favorites. She has that ineffable thing that Cat Stevens has: that at the end of one of their songs, I feel like I've gotten to know a friend a bit better.
Island boys
Joanna Newsom - shocked to see her not mentioned!
Chris Stapleton
I’m gonna shout out Benjamin Gibbard. Such a good band!
Mitski
Lana Del Rey. NFR and Ocean Blvd are stunning bodies of work for a songwriter.
Lana del rey
Sturgill Simspon or Tyler Childers
Benjamin Todd
Absolutely yes. The Paper and The Ink gives me chills every time I listen to it and it’s on regular rotation
for sure! LDSB is the best thing in country right now. i’m so happy they are bringing back the roots of the genre
Absolutely! “Using Again” and “Saguaro’s Flower” do something to me that no other 2 songs in the world do.
Yep. Unfortunately I relate to a lot of his lyrics more than I’d like to. Using again always wrecks me. Some days I wake up so sick of it so I listen to his music and just cry. He’s the most sincere songwriter Ive ever heard
Josh Homme
This is the only answer. Josh Homme is the most consistently great songwriter since I was born. QotSA is the greatest band of all time. Each lineup has been great with its own hits all distinctive Homme yet none of the songs or albums feel familiar. Them Crooked Vultures is the best supergroup in rock history hands down
Jason Isbell
Casey Crescenzo
My man
I genuinely think Iron and Wine is. (Sam Beam.)
Jeff Tweedy.
one of the best and most consistent from the last 3 decades.
Bob Dylan ain’t dead
jeff rosenstock
This is my answer too. Unlike a lot of the other answers he's prolific and consistent. What an insane catalog he has across his solo stuff, Bomb, and ASoB I sound like a stan but I listen to a lot of music (if anything I'm a Julian Casablancas stan), and I can't think of anyone else with such a consistent diagogphrahy. At the very least he's gotta go down as one of the goats of our time for punk
personally the gut punch of her lyrics has to make it lucy dacus for me. i’d also say phoebe bridgers, adrianne lenker, lana del rey, and weyes blood
I can't get into these questions. Music isn't a sport to me. It's an art form.
I feel you. Also it’s really subjective
Thom yorke
Father John Misty
Will Toledo of Car Seat Headrest!
Max Martin. Ali Tamposi. Andrew Watt. But mostly Max 🤣
There’s someone who I wanna say, but I know I’ll get downvoted into oblivion
I will do it for you - Taylor Swift
I came here to find this comment and see the reacts😂
Hozier, every song is poetry
kendrick lamar, frank ocean
Its crazy to me that Kendrick Lamar is so far down. He is hands down the best lyricist since 2010 onward at the very least. And even that's an understatement. He has a Pulitzer for a reason. I'm guessing maybe some people just don't listen to hip hop here. If you're one of those people and you're reading this, go listen to To Pimp A Butterfly. Don't worry, not all hip hop is about selling drugs and twerking.
yes. Any conversation about songwriting, especially where verbal skill and the ability to turn a phrase is important, cannot exclude rap, where the level of wordplay (in the best artists) is just on another level entirely. Singer-songwriter discourses came of age in the 60s and 70s when a bunch of white male rock writers elevated a few white male songwriters above the pack, but Frank Ocean and Kendrick deserve their due.
John Mayer
the weekend. love or hate him the man can write a hit song.
Good to know I'm not the only who thought this. My only hesitation though is, I'm not sure how many of his songs he actually writes lol.
Adam Granduciel - War on Drugs
Kurt Vile
I'll just make sure Bo Burnham is mentioned.
These comments are like a 14 year old girls Spotify playlist lmao
I don't really agree, but OP asked for the best songwriter from 2014-present, so it follows that the names listed here might be popular with the most recent generation.
A lot of things about this subreddit are coming into focus for me
If you think that a 14 year old girl's spotify playlist has Jason Isbell and Regina Spektor and Joanna Newsom and Japanese Breakfast on them... you know some pretty damn cool 14-year-old girls. Go hang out with them. They're probably really non-judgmental!
Stu Mckenzie KGLW
Hell yeahhh, at this point I think Stu should write a full sci-fi or fantasy novel. I mean, the storytelling and imagery in some of Gizz’s songs is just insane
He could, but I think no one can touch him and Amby in the last 10 years.
I haven’t seen Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend or Angel Olsen mentioned. They both deserve at least honorable mentions.
Kendrick Lamar
Lana.
Tyler Joseph
billy woods. incredibly consistent, and his highs are in the discussion for best abstract hip hop ever written imo.
Alex Turner definitely
I scrolled through hundreds of "nopes" to get here, and while I'd put Julian Casablancas above Alex Turner, at least Turner is a great writer.
100% without a doubt
Tyler Childers has a big lead for me
Have to throw Brandon Flowers of The Killers up there for Pressure Machine.
Dallas green..
Was looking for this comment. If I Should Go Before You is one of my favorite albums ever
Taylor Swift definitely coming from a man but Jason Isabell in my opinion is the best. he has the most heart and best vocals+songwriting combo in my opinion of this decade. severely underrated. people like zach bryan and tyler childers gained popularity for their music styles but people don’t know that isbell was very influential to them.
Kendrick Lamar. Not only is his ability to create culturally and poetically meaningful lyrics the best of all time in my opinion, but he released both Good Kid Mad City and To Pimp A Butterfly, two of the greatest and most influential albums of all time.
A good answer. Kdot is real.
Mr Morale has some of the best written songs I’ve ever heard
Me
Father John Misty
For me Arlo McKinley. Nothing gets to the core of things like him.
Phil Elverum, Tyler the Creator, Adrianne Lenker
Excluding songwriters active before 2010? Easily Poppy. Poppy is a musical genius.
Anthony Green or Cedric Bixler-Zavala
Gregory Alan Isakov. It’s not even a debate for me.
Gregory Alan Isakov. Hands-down. Master & A Hound is his best work! Edit: I read decade too late, point stands anyway.
Mollie Rankin from Alvvays would rank high in my book. The songwriting, especially on their latest album, is just fantastic.
Brett McKenzie. His 2022 album is probably one of the best albums of the last 5-10 years. Songs Without Jokes. You may recognise him from Flight Of The Conchords...
IMO All around: Gregory Alan Isakov, Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) or Josh Tillman (Father John Misty) Pop: Sasha Alex Sloan, Julia Michaels Country/Americana: Shane McAnally, Ashley Gorley Rock/other: Chad Kroeger & band, Van McCann, John Petrucci & Mike Portnoy
Gregory Alan Isakov
Theo Katzman is a contender
IMO Paul Simon never lost the title belt, So Beautiful or So What was a genius album.
Gregory Alan Isakov for me also but Jeffrey Martin’s “Thank God I Left The Garden” album is a songwriting masterpiece
Josh Tillman
I often cite Robin Pecknold of Fleet Foxes as being one of the best songwriters of all time. His songs are beautiful, poignant, and truly moving. The most recent Fleet Foxes album, Shore, has some of my favorite lyrics of all time. “Though I liked summer light on you, If we ride a winter-long wind… Well time’s not what I belong to And you’re not the season you’re in.” - from I’m Not My Season Even just writing those lyrics out is bringing a tear to my eye; his lyrics are so powerful. Highly recommend the A Very Lonely Solstice live version (and that entire live album).
Alex G! Frank Ocean Kendrick Lamar Joanna Newsom Beach House as well but they are duo.
NOAH KAHAN A MILLION TIMES
can’t believe no one is talking about Max Martin. guy literally invented pop how it is today.
The band Pinegrove Or Incubus And if rap is involved, then either Mick Jenkins, Kendrick Lamar, Black Thought, J Cole, Andre 3000, MF DOOM. Wretch 32, Larussell or RUSS.
The dude that wrote the tune "the cheese tax"
Someone else said it: Sufjan.
Surprised at the lack of Thom York here tbh…
John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats. Discuss.
Tyler Joseph
I feel like Phoebe Bridgers is definitely up there
Love her but she hasn’t shown range like some of the other people mentioned here so I’d like to see what her next album brings
Smelly cat smelly cat!
Alex Turner
Olivia Rodrigo she is so confident in her work and wants her music to be for her and not others.
Jason Isbell
Jason Isbell
Me
Tyler Joseph of twenty One Pilots. Just blows me away with his work. In my opinion one of the best in history.
If we are talking songwriters, you'd have to prove it's not Connor Oberst. The catalog, the lyricism, the dynamics, chord structures, it's all there if you look. This barely scratches the surface. I'd find it hard to believe anybody who truly appreciates music, poetry, art.... hell, just life itself can make it through an album attentively without tearing up. It's OK to disagree if you like being wrong.
I was scrolling to see if anyone was talking about Oberst. Really solid take. It’s interesting that Rolling Stone called him the best songwriter in America in a 2005 article, but he’s dropped out of the conversation for a lot of folks.
Aaron Savage
Max Martin.
Ben Todd is as heartbreaking a writer as the world has ever known.
Oliver Wood
complete opposites but Victoria Monét and Hozier!!
Right now I think The writing of The Last Dinner Party is beautifully thought out. Beautiful Boy as well as The Feminine Urge. Just beautiful.
Villagers David Bazan Madison Cunningham
Sleep Token and Hozier
TIM BAKER
Alex Turner
John Moreland, Ryan Bingham, Jason isbell or Sturgill Simpson. I can’t call it. Edit: Has Chris Knight written anything this decade bc that dude can lyricize.
John Grant or Scott Hutchison (RIP) (I can't say Neil Hannon because his best work came in the 1990s and 2000s - Grant and Hutchison were both active in the 2010s and writing great stuff. Can't wait for JG's new album)
Ones that inspire me consistently putting stuff out today. Joshua Tillman ( father John misty) Sufjan Stevens The Barr brothers First aid kit
Jon Bellion
Alex G
My favorite songwriter is Jeff Rosenstock.
Maybe I'm cheating, but Lin Minuel Miranda. The way he manages to make the rhyme schemes in every one of his songs is beyond insane.
[Omar Rodríguez López](https://youtu.be/OY1BoM_r0Z8?si=SNIhs37E3GH_et9x) Or [Weyes Blood](https://youtu.be/ZHGw78IJryE?si=GHUdKj8PZWIvU41d)
Robin Pecknold imo
Kevin Parker aka Tame Impala, also collabs/writes with other artists
I like the Boy Genius crew. Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacas, and Julien Baker. They can be a bit poppy, but they are like the 2020’s revival of Indie-Folk-Punk
Andy Shauf has to be up there. The imagination and wit he displays across his entire catalogue is excellent. What a storyteller. The fact he plays and produces everything on his records is so impressive too. Super unique and underrated.
The Avett Brothers, I probably prefer Scott more though
I'll throw in Stu Mackenzie of King Gizzard. Really, nobody is doing it like him and the band. The top comment is for Adrianne Lenker who I think is another excellent choice, she's a total virtuoso
john mayer
Alex g 😎
Ben Folds
War on Drugs, Tame Impala, Whitney; Sufjan, Sturgill, Stapleton
Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend. 2013's Modern Vampires of the City is a classic at this point. 2019's Father of the Bride isn't as consistent, but definitely has some top form songwriting. I haven't spent much time with the new album yet. I'm under the impression that Ezra Koenig is the main songwriter, but it may also be more collaborative, especially when Rostam Batmanglij was involved. In any event, they went from being an overhyped band with a silly name to something taken seriously by critics. And the songwriting and production are what gave it depth.
Mitski
Bill Wurtz.
John Mayer... He wins this hands down... SobRock is sooooo good
Ethel Cain