Who is the true genius of modern music?

[Adina Loki]

what do you think?

[butnut]

Me.

[butnut]

Haha great time for a double post!

[smoker]

simon cowell? evil genius

otherwise:

bjork
aphex twin
dj shadow

all leap from mind to fingertips

[TJ]

Jo O'Meara

[smoker]

seems you have a split personality there einstein ;)

[butnut]

Jo O'Meara

You've changed teams then?

[Neville Chamberlain]

Tim Smith of Cardiacs.

[El Unicornio, mang]

Lee Mavers

[thepuffpastryhangman]

Apart from Bob Dylan?

That'd be no one.

Or, do you mean someone who came to prominence this millenium?

That'd be no one.

Hehe.

[EDIT - due to my A star level GSCE spelling]

[Dirty Boy]

Is this for your college project? ;-)

Devin Townsend
Frank Zappa
Don Van Vilet
Mike Patton
DJ Shadow
Tim Smith
Tom Waits
Nick Cave
PJ Harvey
Las Ketchup

Are those that roll off the brain immediately.

[El Unicornio, mang]

Let's not forget Babylon Zoo's Jas Mann who said, and I quote "I will become a genius"...

[Frinky]

Albarn's better than most people realise, except for Albarn himself, becuase he thinks he's better than he really is.

Genius, though? I dunno. Skilled master craftsman of music, I suppose. Nowt we-owt Coxomophone, though

[Adina Loki]

Um it is something to do with college actually hehe!

[mayer]

Noel Gallagher (for his nack with melody)
Luke Haines (for the words)

[imitationleather]

I probably would say Damon Albarn. That new album by his cartoon band is really rather great.

[Adina Loki]

sarcasm?

[Neville Chamberlain]

Noel Gallagher (for his nack with melody)

Yoinks!!! You are joking, aren't you???

[Frinky]

sarcasm?

No, Albarn really is one of the finest modern musicians going, even if he is a tremendous, mate-firing, balding pillock with a tiny cock.

[imitationleather]

For once in my life I wasn't being sarcastic.

It's DARE!

[JesusAndYourBush]

つんく♂

[trotsky assortment]

For a story within a lyric - Tom Waits

For quirky melodies and stuff - Andy Partridge

[mayer]

Noel Gallagher (for his nack with melody)

Yoinks!!! You are joking, aren't you???

Do you honestly think he doesn't? (A nack of stealing it five times out of ten, sure, but yes, of course he does!)

[9]

Anton Newcombe.

And here's the proof:

The  Brian Jonestown Massacre - (David Bowie I Love You) since I was six

[Mediocre Rich]

Dr Dre certainly has a genius for producing Rap.

[Neville Chamberlain]

Noel Gallagher (for his nack with melody)

Yoinks!!! You are joking, aren't you???

Do you honestly think he doesn't? (A nack of stealing it five times out of ten, sure, but yes, of course he does!)

Well, putting aside for one moment that Oasis don't appeal to me at any level, I do think he's got a knack for melody, certainly (not melodies I like, but that's beside the point!). But I still don't hear anything particularly special with those melodies, certainly nothing that in any way elevates him to anywhere near the level of genius. I find that baffling...

[Paul's Boutique]

I would say Aphex Twin, because for a long period (1994-99) he was producing music that sounded like nothing previously created.

e.g. Hangable Auto Bulb EPs (1995)
Girl/Boy Song EP (1996)
Richard D James Album (1996)
Come to Daddy EP (1997)
Windowlicker (1999)

After buying his new record, I'd go home, stick it on and think: "WTF is this?"

To take the most famous example, the Windowlicker EP blew my mind the first time I heard it. Everyone knows the amazing title track, of course, which sounded positively Martian in 1999. The second track [equation] was again unique, although painful to the ears! To cap things off. Nannou was a delicate little song, seemingly played using children's toys, with a rattle supplying the beat.

Three unprecedented songs on one 3-track EP – not an easy accomplishment!

[V]

Donald Fagen

[mayer]

Well, putting aside for one moment that Oasis don't appeal to me at any level, I do think he's got a knack for melody, certainly (not melodies I like, but that's beside the point!). But I still don't hear anything particularly special with those melodies, certainly nothing that in any way elevates him to anywhere near the level of genius. I find that baffling...

You don't think that writing melodies with that level of mass appeal takes a certain amount of genius? There are hundreds of thousands of people who would love to write songs like that, if only for the financial gain, but can't, so yeah, I think that takes Genius.

(And that's what makes me think it is the point that you don't like them!)

[Frinky]

You don't think that writing melodies with that level of mass appeal takes a certain amount of genius? There are hundreds of thousands of people who would love to write songs like that, if only for the financial gain, but yeah, I think that takes Genius.

Yehbutnobutyeh:

It's quite easy to write a lot of music (and melodies) that appeal to the lowest common musical denominator - I don't mean that in a snobby way, but anyone with a good grasp on music, especially guitar music, know that there are three or four easy steps to creating a melody that you have to try very hard not to like.

I'm not saying he's not good with melody, far from it, but perhaps the mass appeal isn't so much as result of being a genius, but perhaps a shrewd player (or lazy, but, yunno).