With the release of their latest LP, Akron/Family has become my favorite artist in recent years. Thanks to moofman for introducing me to this incredible band.
Can't recall a thread like this in a long time. Last time was maybe two years ago when Grandaddy still topped my list. Times have changed... so list your favorite artists since 2003?

1.Akron/Family










2. Andrew Bird

3. Arcade Fire





4. Neko Case

If we're talking artists that have just emerged in the last 4 years. In no order.

1. Field Music/School of Language -- First album was strong, a pleasant surprise. Tones of Town kicks all kinds of ass though. Like an old school R&B inflected XTC, these guys are writing great songs w/ inventive production. What I've heard of the School of Language album set for next year is extremely promising.

2. Kanye West -- Obvious, but I can't leave him out.

3. Jens Lekman -- I can see some backlash forming, but damn if he isn't coming up with catchy, endlessly charming material that is holding up well over time. A very original voice in a time of pale imitations.

4. Six Organs of Admittance -- Chasny's work stretches back beyond 2003 a bit, but he really didn't come into his own until around then. I like that he's ambitious and not afraid to take his sound in new places that don't always work, but are always interesting. Vastly underrated.

Midlake could crash this list easily if their next record delivers on the promise of Van Occupanther

Based on that description, I'll be looking to buy Field Music this week. I agree about Midlake. Others that could knock off Neko on my list with a top 5 album in 08- Sufjan, M Ward, Sierra Leone's Refugee All-Stars, Silver Jews...and at least a handful I'm forgetting.

New P's
Kanye
Maritime
Spoon

New Pornographers.
Kanye West.
Rainer Maria.
White Stripes.
Timbaland.

Mucca Pazza
The Decemberists
Polyphonic Spree
The Redwalls

(EDIT: oops Sufjan, too)

Arcade Fire
Sufjan Stevens
Spoon
New Pornographers
Jay Reatard










j/k about Jay.

1) TV on The Radio
They have arguably made the best record of the decade (Return to Cookie Mountain, which is actually my second favorite of the decade, but since Yo La Tengo's And Then Nothing... is too old for this talk, I will leave that out.), and their debut album and ep are both enthralling listens. Actually "Young Liars" might also one of the best releases of the decade.
Plus they absolutely killled live.
2) Spoon
Their three record from this time span are all at least great (Gimmee Fiction being the worst). Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga is probably one of the better records released this year, and Kill The Moonlight is probably one of the best records of the decade. Enough said, their consistancy is what really puts them in another league.
3) Andrew Bird
What is left to be said about how talented I think this guy is. I honestly think he might be the best songwriter around.
4) Liars
Probably the most unique band that I can think of. Their last three records have all been pretty amazing. (Drum's Not Dead being one of the best of last year, if not decade).

Honorable mention:
Stars of the Lid. Sure they have had only one album in the last five years. But the album is a double disc effort, and it is marvelous. And The Dead Texan album is pretty great, and that falls under the SoTL umbrella.
Stars. Their new album is a bit of a mixed bag (3/4 album of the year material, 1/4 filller). But their last two are some of the best indie pop around.

Sufjan Stevens
Jens Lekman
Architecture in Helsinki
Hot Chip

Right now:
Xiu Xiu
M.I.A.
N/A
N/A

British Sea Power
Dizzee Rascal
The White Stripes
Franz
Arctic Monkeys

Yeah, I think you'll dig it based on the above.

I tried to limit my list mostly to artists who kind of arrived on the scene loosely since 2003. I know that wasnt stated at the beginning of the thread, just thought it would be an interesting way to look at it. Saying all this to say, basically that yes, Spoon deserves to be on this list otherwise, but I disqualified them for my purposes since they've been at it since 1996.

King Khan and the Shrines x 4

no pix, but

1. The Fiery Furnaces


2. The Hold Steady
3. LCD Soundsystem
4. My Morning Jacket

Wolf Parade (Or just Spencer Krug, if that's allowed)
Final Fantasy (Owen Pallet)
Stars
Joan Of Arc (Tim Kinsella)

Tough, tough, tough list to make.

Arcade Fire (shocker!)
M. Ward (a VERY close 2nd)
Andrew Bird / The National (tie)
Broken Social Scene
Drive-By Truckers

edit: My Morning Jacket are close, but my fave records and shows of theirs are all pre-2003...

Sigur Ros
Bjork
Tim Hecker
Isis/Wolves in the Throne Room/Sunn 0)))

The National
Phoenix
New Pornos
My Morning Jacket

(M. Ward, Drive By Truckers, Jenny Lewis)

If they hadn't turned into Bruce Springsteen wannabes, I probably would have included Arcade Fire.

Charles Dexter Ward and the Cases
The Necronomicons
Dagon
Innsmouth Shadows

Joanna Newsom
Flaming Lips
M83
The Drive By Truckers

Faves among artists I got into the last 5 years?

Lamb of God
Coheed & Cambria
The Black Crowes Cornelius
Jeremy Enigk

Fave artists period during the past 5 years?

Tool
King's X
Chris Whitley
Incubus (new album sucks though)

Animal Collective
Spencer Krug
Arcade Fire
Broken Social Scene

off the top of my head, and in no order

Dungen
King Khan
HummingBiird
Outrageous Cherry

Is this supposed to be new artists in the last 5 years? or people who have done the best work.

New People:

The Black Keys
Matisyahu
Kanye West
Antibalas

Honorable Mentions:
Arctic Monkeys

In general, these are my 4 favorite artists of the last 5 years:

Michael Franti (Spearhead)
Mike Patton (mostly for Peeping Tom).
Modest Mouse
Jeff Tweedy (counting THF as a 2002 release, along with the two Loose Fur CDs, the Solo Acoustic DVD, AGIB and the live album. Sky Blue Sky, notsomuch.)

Keeping it to artists that have emerged during this time period:

1. Mastodon
2. High on Fire
3. The Hold Steady
4. Interpol

Gutted. I've not heard it, but thought A Crow Left of the Murder ruled. Is it worse than Morning View?

Arcade Fire
My Morning Jacket
Kings Of Leon
New Pornographers

Jens Lekman
Joanna Newsom
Dungen
Boris

This is tough but I'd probably go with:

Deerhoof
Converge
Liars
Boris

My Morning Jacket
The Twilight Singers
Interpol
Audioslave (yes I'm serious--I really like most of all 3 of their records--state of the art commercial rock)

(Honorable mention to QOTSA, White Stripes and The National)

I haven't heard the new M83, but if it bests the last one then add them to my list.

The new official followup to "Before the Dawn" isn't out until January. There's a new chilled out ambient release that just came out though:

http://www.myspace.com/m83


Couple vids:


<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/dmLnFuLXloA"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/dmLnFuLXloA" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>



<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/uQ5-vCsQXlM"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/uQ5-vCsQXlM" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>

i'm surprised at how much i fell in love with Franz Ferdinand. Actually, i was just listening to them last nite too.

Kanye West too.... even though he throw fits/tantrums. The guy has it and he's been against the odds his whole career. From being told all he'll be is a ghostwriter and he isnt thug enough for hip hop, i can't believe it fueled this much energy. My fav album of his has to be Late Registration (partial to Jon Brion)

Thanks.

bright eyes
my morning jacket
snowglobe
oxford collapse

Based on material from the last five years:

Boris - a million albums. Since 2003: Akuma no Uta, Pink, Mabuta no Ura, Altar...
Mars Volta - debut is my favourite album of the last five years, second album had hints of greatness, third album was massive.
Kayo Dot - two awesome albums.
Converge - two brutal slabs of truth. Maybe Genghis Tron could take this spot with their EP and album.

Honourable mentions: Burial, Shackleton, Villalobos, MF Doom, Wolf Eyes, Liars, Dangermouse, Wildhearts, Melt-Banana, Boards Of Canada

Can't argue with that.

High on Fire
Mastodon
Ulrich Schnauss
Bjork

Patrick Wolf
British Sea Power
Arcade Fire
Arctic Monkeys

Mine looks really generic but it's all about the consistency:

1. White Stripes
2. Andrew Bird
3. Kanye West
4. Modest Mouse
5. TV on the Radio
Honorable mention: Decemberists


Would love to include more like Beirut and Akron/Family, as I'm really into their new LP's right now, but that's really all the knowledge I have of them. Need to do more back catalog stuff from those two before they make this list.

Bejar
Fiery Furnaces
Guillemots
Daft Punk, based solely on the Lolla set

1. Butch Walker
Five years is the perfect time frame to make him my #1. His first solo album was released just over five years ago. I've seen him live countless times since. Later albums have dropped off in quality (what could match Left of Self-Centered?), but a half decade of stellar tours, the second best voice in rock'n'roll, and his prolific songwriting/production work for other artists make Butch my main squeeze in popular music this decade.

2. The Ark
I've only been into this band for a little over a year, but man, what a year it's been. Discovering State of the Ark, experiencing an all-time top 5 live show, and having my sky-high expectations met with their new album Prayer for the Weekend... the only thing missing is a stateside tour for the new record. Ola Salo, come back. We miss you. And that thing I said about Butch Walker having the second-best voice in rock? Yeah, this motherfucker is number one with a bullet.

More to come.

If the next is as good or better than Cassadega, I'm with you.

1. Fiery Furnaces
2. Boris
3. Dizzee Rascal
4. MIA

hmmm...okay...

The National
Spoon
TV on the Radio
The Decemberists...

and I'm tempted to also say Radiohead, but Kid A was seven years ago...so maybe not.

so the way i interpret this question is that the artist has released uniformly excellent work since october 2002, AND that their first release in that period was a "breakthrough" album of sorts. In other words, that puts someone like sonic youth ineligible.

Indisputable picks according to those guidelines (in no order):
My Morning Jacket
The Black Lips
Kanye West
Iron and Wine
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Decemberists
M. Ward
Justin Timberlake (justified just BARELY makes the cutoff)



Close but debatable (ie. "big" records were released by these bands in 2001 or 2000):
Spoon
The White Stripes
Ted Leo + The Pharmacists
Ryan Adams
The Strokes
New Pornographers
The Shins
Sigur Ros


I have a STRONG feeling The National will end up on the first list once I give their earlier stuff a spin (alls i've ever heard is Boxer)

That's a typo. You meant the Black Keys.