EWB's Top 100 Artists of 2012

[Skummy]

Couldn't have said it much better than Cloudy. Cash was an absolute legend, and an incredible talent. The entire American Recordings series is fantastic and, for a long time, was practically the only music I listened to.

[Matt]

I love Johnny Cash, I'm not sure I voted for him but I do love him. I'm struggling to think who the third member of the top 3 is, I know who 2 are... the other I'm not sure about at all, like even looking at last year's list I can't see anyone that's ranked highly that hasn't featured yet... except one artist but I'll be shocked if they've come top 3. Does EWB have a new flavour of the month like The Gaslight Anthem that has completely passed me by?

[Your Mom]

I've never listened to a full Johnny Cash album but every single I've ever heard I really loved

[GoGo Yubari]

Johnny Cash is great. Pleasantly surprised he's in the top 5. At Folsom Prison is a must for any record collection.

[Josh]

Gutted.

Because I had begun to think he was a lock for #1, which is clearly where I'd put him.

Everyone go get all of the American Recordings, At Folsom Prison, and Live at San Quentin right goddamn now.

I could go on and on about his unmistakable bass register, the simple catchiness of his boom-chicka-boom guitar playing, his devotion to socially progressive causes (while still maintaining a hold on the hearts of Southerners), his influence on a zillion different artists in wide variety of genres, his ability to combine folksy humility with End Times-level rhetoric, and his appeal to both wholesome, whitebread Christians and strung-out, fuck off punks.

But, in the end, I love him most for the absolute conviction with which he wrote, played, sung, and performed.

The. Fucking. Legend.

[gunnar hendershow]

"Man I can't stand Johnny Cash" said no one ever. It's great to see him reach 4. He didn't crack my top 15 because it would be doing him a disservice to rank him there without knowing a lot of his library, but next year he just might and he just might go to number 1 next year too.

Also, I wasn't sure whether to have Josh or Cloudy do the write-up. Looks like I got both of them to do one in the end.

[GoGo Yubari]

Cash didn't make my 15 because I can't honestly say I listen to a ton of his music on a regular basis or go "man, I'm in a Johnny Cash mood right now." But he's fantastic.

[MalaCloudy Black]

Some of my earliest memories are of being woken up to go daycare or kindergarten by my dad, who would be playing Johnny Cash on the stereo in our living room - Ring of Fire or A Boy Named Sue, usually.

[Quom]

I wish they would remaster his older stuff or pull the audio and stick it to modern backing or something. All of the older songs I have heard on CD sound washed out and like they have come off a tape of a tape of a tape recorder in a club.

[Cactus Drags]

I think I like Maiden solely because Bruce Dickinson is also a pilot and I like that kind of thing.

And a fencer! He was in the British top ten at one point.

I love Iron Maiden. They do sound a little ridiculous now, but they were one of the first bands I ever properly got into when I was at school (before them I'd listen to odd songs from loads of different bands or artists rather than specifically pursuing particular albums or anything). Fucking Run to the Hills though. They'd probably not have the "cheesy" rep they sometimes get if not for that bloody song. I don't hate it, but it's far from their best. Wonderful live act, too.

I think I've pretty much only heard the American Recordings stuff for Cash, so I don't know if I can really count myself as a fan, if that makes sense. Like, I don't know the old stuff that he was originally known for. But those American Recordings albums are fantastic. Love his covers of Sting, NIN and Soundgarden and Ain't No Grave is probably one of my favourite songs of all time. God's Gonna Cut You Down is also excellent.

[Ruki]

Reel Big Fish is all right but more confusing than anything--did they have a new album or something, or does EWB just have this ska contingent that I didn't know about?

Did Ruki vote?

I know this post was awhile ago....but yes! I did!

And yes, RBF does have a new album out!

Most of my favorite bands were very, very low on the list/not very liked (Blink and Rise Against)

[Skummy]

Ah, Bruce Dickinson, yes. A friend of mine had a fencing match against him once. Being able to say "I had a sword fight with the singer from Iron Maiden" put a smile on his face for months.

My brother's been on a plane he's flown, my ex-girlfriend's Mum had a fling with him when they recorded an album in Jersey, and literally every old biker I know that lived in Jersey in the '70s and '80s (which is a fair few) has a story about partying with Maiden. Bloody lovely chap, by all accounts.

[apsham]

So I gave Childish Gambino another chance based off this, and I'm glad I did.

[Monkey D. Lars]

So I gave Childish Gambino another chance based off this, and I'm glad I did.

So did I

[gunnar hendershow]

With a very special write-up for the 3rd entry on our list is metalman.

The Black Eyed Keys are a phenomenon. These days everyone is familiar with "I Gotta Feeling" "Lonely Buoy". It's the highest selling single ever and on practically every TV programme ever moderately popular, for heavens sake.

But it wasn't always this way. Like many of us, I first became familiar with them when they released "Where Is The Love?" "Midnight In Her Eyes" back in 2003 back whenever. 2003! Can you believe it was that long ago? Can you remember the hope? Can you recall the feeling of hope and forgiveness this song bestowed upon everyone? Do you remember the whole debate: is it really Justin Timberlake? From there A few years on from there, the group barely looked back. But it wasn't always this way. Before Elephunk Brothers the group had been plugging away for several years, virtually unheard of apart from their closest fans. Isn't it incredible that one high-profile collaboration changed all this? (Dangermouse!)

Now they are a major marketing force. I would warrant that they make more money from commercial tie-ins and advertising than they do from album and single sales, astronomical as they may be. In terms of marketing aptitude as well as hard-headed business nous, they are very much a band of the zeitgeist. But perhaps this is to be expected. After working away for so long, perhaps they are well within their rights to reap the rewards of their success. However cynical and hypocritical this may appear to their older fans.

Nowadays, a lot of their songs sound a bit like other songs, but they always put their own spin on it, and they never fail to win their fans over.

Whatever your opinion of the Black Eyed Keys, you must surely respect their drive and determination. You must admire their willingness to constantly change and evolve, their ability to imitate prevailing tastes and to set new trends. Whatever your opinion of their music, they must be acknowledged as one of the defining bands of our era.

"My Humps" Their Cover of "She Said She Said" is still shit though.

#3 - THE BLACK KEYS

(408 points | 6 votes)

[MalaCloudy Black]

... really? Did they do something special or something in the past year to warrant a placement this high? They've sort of always struck me as "generic indie band", with a handful of catchy singles.

[gunnar hendershow]

They had an album come out this year.

[MalaCloudy Black]

Makes sense, I guess. I think I saw them on Colbert or something but I switched it off not too far into the song because it wasn't jiving with me.

[Matt]

OK... well at least I'm going to be more than happy with the top 2. In fact they might have even been my top 2 picks. Black Keys are alright and they were decent enough live, being this high is pretty astounding though.

[GoGo Yubari]

Black Keys at third stuns me. I would have never ever predicted that. They're alright. I love "I Got Mine," though. It's the song that Seattle Sounders come out to at home games.