Around three, four years ago, I wrote about the best young songwriters in the biz, so with two of them releasing new albums this week, I thought i would update them, and add a fourth. In descending order:4. Joe Steinhardt – Since I dubbed him the man to beat all those years ago after his terrific songwriting with For Science… nothing. Or at least nothing that has been released yet. I've heard various songs off his new band Modern Huts agonizingly slow birthing debut album. All the songs are great, all of them. My worry is he has fiddled with them so much they won't have the power of the early versions I've heard. Marissa Pastermayer of Screaming Females is handling production so I've got a feeling that won't be a problem but come on, release the damn thing.
3. Tyler The Creator – The new name on this list, "Bastard" and Goblin are the best hip hop writing since Kanye's Dark Twisted Fantasy. A brutally honest self portrait; the portrait of the artist as a young dog, with all the pain and disillussionment you can imagine from a boy emailing his absent father.
2. Taylor Swift – The kick is she can't sing. And maybe she can't. But she is the best songwriter in a generation and her latest is better than her last one. The songs are shorter, smarter and snappier and as she goes from ages 17 – 22, she leaves nobody behind.
1. Patrick Stickles – The thing to do with Stickles is to imagine him singing them without his band Titus Andronicus and seeing if they will stand up. They will stand up and then some. All of his songs could be stripped to just piano and guitar and still be the best songs around.