Old Farts & New Music

Even though I now qualify as an “old fart,” I still listen to music every day; and more importantly, I still buy albums. Yes, I'm one of those dinosaurs that still walks into retail stores and buys CDs without downloading them first. Due to my advanced age, I listen to lots of music that some might call “oldies,” but I also buy new stuff on occasion. I suspect a lot of us are the same: we treasure classics from our past, but still have an open ear for good new music, too.

A post on the Mojo Magazine (http://www.mojo4music.com/) website this week asked people to pick the "Best Bands" that have formed in the last 15 years. Anything before 1990 is ineligible. Lots of people chose acts such as Radiohead, White Stripes, Super Furry Animals, Black Crowes (although, if my memory is correct, they started in the late 80s), Beck, Stereolab, Mercury Rev, and the Dave Matthews Band. Some good music there, but none of those artists would have been at the top of my list.

What about you other music freaks out there? I’d like to know if there are any other “musts” that I’m missing. It doesn’t have to be a “band” necessarily; any recording artist will qualify.
Here are my own picks of “new artists” from the last 15 years that I've enjoyed the most:

Jayhawks
Fountains of Wayne
Wilco
Spearhead/Michael Franti
Ben Folds
Patty Griffin
Josh Rouse
Kings of Leon
Coldplay
Ryan Adams/Whiskeytown
Strokes
East River Pipe