The Top Ten Record Makers of Today

As we enter this new decade, it is already apparent that in the rock production world, a changing of the guard is at hand. There is a whole new batch of producers, engineers, songwriters and arrangers that are setting a new standard for music today, and thanks to them, it seems we’ll have many more years of memorable tune-age to expect. This list compiles the people who, in my mind, currently stand out as the ones to watch, for their future potential as much as their already impressive achievements.

The Top 20 Albums of 2009

Honorable mentions: Noisettes “Wild Young Hearts”, Grizzly Bear “Veckatimest”, The Horrors “Primary Colours”, The Flaming Lips “Embryonic”, Atlas Sound “Logos”, Arctic Monkeys “Humbug”, M. Ward “Hold Time”, Yeah Yeah Yeahs “It’s Blitz!”, The Maccabees “Wall of Arms”, Fruit Bats “The Ruminant Band”, Tegan & Sara “Sainthood”, A.C. Newman “Get Guilty”, Passion Pit “Manners”, Regina Spektor “Far”, Sonic Youth “The Eternal”, Mastodon “Crack the Skye”, Circulatory System “Signal Morning”, Japandroids “Post-Nothing”, Lake “Let’s Build a Roof”, Manic Street Preachers “Journal for Plague Lovers”.

20. Future of the Left—Travels with Myself and Another

The most exciting punk rock band to emerge for quite some time, Future of the Left take the heavy, sludgy rhythm section assault of bands like The Jesus Lizard and combine it with their completely original, conversational lyrical delivery.