News

NME Lists 50 Artists and "Innovators" That Will Change Music

12:50 p.m. · August 6, 2009 · by Andrew Winistorfer

NME has devoted its latest issue to a listicle that counts down 50 artists, bands, innovations and TV shows that will impact music in the future. They put La Roux on the cover, making clear that this isn't about who will impact the future, but who will move magazines right now, and who is doing music that we liked 20 years ago the best.

Sort of unsurprisingly, they put Animal Collective at number one. I'm not sure how they can justify that pick though, beside Animal Collective being really awesome and making this year's best album. Sure, they use samples, but is that worth number one? Jack White is at number seven, and while he'll have a career in the future, all of his music is resolutely backwards looking. And The Knife is at number two, which seems to suggest that putting out a great record in 2006 is enough to make you the future.

There's some LOL inclusions on here too, especially Take That's Stageshow. What, people in the future will look back fondly at Take That's Stageshow and be like, "It's like when Kennedy was shot, dude. Or it's like when Ruben Studdard won American Idol, it is SOOOOO important." Not likely. 

Here's the list:

50. Gaggle
49. Xenomania
48. Invasion
47. Yo Gabba Gabba!
46. Diesel:U:Music Radio
45. Cooly G
44. Star And Shadow Cinema
43. Sonar Festival
42. Blackout Crew
41. 3OH!3
40. Stephen McGregor
39. Opera
38. Aldene Johnson and Hannah Marshall
37. Project Natal
36. Lady GaGa
35. Rostam Batmanglij
34. Hyperdub
33. Seb Chew
32. Sweden
31. Greg Kurstin
30. Beck
29. Sonic Boom
28. Take That’s stage show
27. Bandstocks.com/Patrick Wolf
26. Micachu
25. Salem
24. Gigbaby
23. The Dream
22. Ray Tintori
21. Platform
20. The Big Pink
19. Twitter
18. Popjustice
17. Mike Sniper
16. Nick Zinner
15. Norwich
14. Bradford Cox
13. Mattias Arrelid
12. Dan The Automator
11. Blocks Recording Club
10. La Roux
9. Little Boots
8. VBS.TV
7. Jack White
6. The XX
5. Omar Souleyman
4. Dizzee Rascal
3. Trent Reznor
2. The Knife
1. Animal Collective

[via Idolator]