News

NME Announces Its Annual Cool List

8:21 a.m. · October 20, 2010 · by Nick Neyland

It’s the time of the year again, where Brit music press titans the NME declares its list of all the people they consider to be the coolest in the business. As usual, it’s a mixed bag—quite what Will Smith’s daughter, Willow Smith, has done to make the list isn’t clear, and is Marcus Mumford, of execrable folk-lite twiddlers Mumford & Sons, really the eleventh coolest person in pop?

For some reason Laura Marling has come out on top of the list, but you’ll probably have to buy the applicable issue of the NME to find out exactly why, because none of the choices have been justified online. Janelle Monae makes a welcome entry at No. 2, but it’s mostly head-scratching stuff otherwise. Paul Weller? Matt Bellamy? Rivers Cuomo? These people haven’t known “cool” in many a year.

The full list looks like this:

75 Rivers Cuomo (Weezer)

74 Lewis Bowman (Chapel Club)

73 Caitlin Rose

72 James Blake

71 Bradford Cox (Deerhunter)

70 Soulja Boy

69 Matt Bellamy (Muse)

68 Nathan Williams (Wavves)

67 Avi Zahner-Isenberg (Avi Buffalo)

66 Cher Lloyd from X Factor

65 Elizabeth Sankey (Summer Camp)

64 Tom Hudson (Pulled Apart By Horses)

63 Ernest Greene (Washed Out)

62 Glasser

61 Ryan Olson (Gayngs)

60 Eva Spence (Rolo Tomassi)

59 Cee Lo Green

58 Jack White

57 Daniel Blumberg (Yuck)

56 Gucci Mane

55 Rose Elinor Dougall

54 Julian Casablancas

53 LoneLady

52 Tim Harrington (Les Savy Fav)

51 Josh Homme

50 Lady Gaga

49 Katy B

48 Plan B

47 Alexis Krauss (Sleigh Bells)

46 Dave Sitek (TV On The Radio)

45 Jack Donoghue (Salem)

44 Andrew VanWyngarden (MGMT)

43 Honor Titus (Cerebal Ballzy)

42 Nicki Minaj

41 Ethan Kath (Crystal Castles)

40 Ariel Pink

39 Orlando Weeks (The Maccabees)

38 Lee Spielman (Trash Talk)

37 Alex Hewlett (Egyptian Hip Hop)

36 Gerard Way (My Chemical Romance)

35 Win Butler (Arcade Fire)

34 MNDR

33 Willow Smith

32 Dan Devine (Flats)

31 Akiko Matsuura (The Big Pink/Comanechi)

30 Nicky Wire (Manic Street Preachers)

29 Skream

28 Jamie Reynolds (Klaxons)

27 Jenny Lee Lindberg (Warpaint)

26 Giggs

35 Jonathan Everything

34 Marina Diamandis (Marina & The Diamonds)

23 Dee Dee (Dum Dum Girls)

22 Jack Steadman (Bombay Bicycle Club)

21 Jay-Z

20 Ritzy Bryan (The Joy Formidable)

19 Kele Okereke

18 Theo Hutchcraft (Hurts)

17 James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem)

16 Yannis Philippakis (Foals)

15 Robyn

14 Zola Jesus

13 Hayden Thorpe (Wild Beasts)

12 Simon Neil (Biffy Clyro)

11 Marcus Mumford (Mumford & Sons)

10 Darwin Deez

09 Carl Barat

08 Jack Barnett (These New Puritans)

07 Jonathan Pierce (The Drums)

06 Paul Weller

05 Romy Madley Croft (The xx)

04 Beth Cosentino (Best Coast)

03 Kanye West

02 Janelle Monae

01 Laura Marling

[via Stereogum]