Chrisboard's Top 40 (+13)

I want to be a rock snob.  Few people aspire to be such, but I do.  I seek elitism in all its forms.  I want to think highly of myself, little of others and assert my obviously superior views on the world around me.  Unfortunately I don’t have the time or money to be a real rock snob.  But in an effort to move in this direction I’ve compiled a list of my favorite 150 bands/artists.  I’m only posting the top 53, which seems random, but actually was actually done for a wise purpose.  I fear Erin’s wrath if I don’t have Coldplay in my list, and that’s how many it took to get to them.  Before you read the list I have a few caveats you need to keep in mind.

This list is highly ephemeral.  I’ve never actually made such a list before, but if I did I think it would vary considerably from week to week, or even day to day.  

I didn’t spend much time (well too much time considering my 3 tests next week, but I could’ve spent at least three times as long on it) so the rankings aren’t terribly accurate.  I’d give each artists +/- 5 positions.  So Weezer is number 18 on this list, but may really fall anywhere from 13 to 23 were I to analyze this further.  

This isn’t who I consider the greatest, but who I most enjoy listening to.  The Beatles are number 31, but I consider them more important and generally “greater” than Moxy Fruvous, my number 1.  But the facts is I like listening to MF more, and do so considerably more often.

The ranking of new artists is even less accurate than those of established musicians.  I love the Kaiser Chiefs and The Streets at the moment (both in the 20s), but they may not even be in the top 200 in a years time.  And just to contradict myself there are several bands I just started listening to that I think have a lot of potential but I didn’t include at all in my extended list.

Certain genres of music aren’t included in these rankings.  I have to be in a very specific mood for classical, comedic, religious etc so didn’t include them in these rankings.  

Without further ado: the top 53 musicians in the land of Chris.  Get cultured and take a listen.


1.  Moxy Fruvous
2.  Radiohead
3.  Beastie Boys
4.  Blur
5.  Soul Coughing/Mike Doughty
6.  Ben Folds
7.  Gorillaz
8.  Cake
9.  Flaming Lips
10.  Garbage
11.  Hot Hot Heat
12.  Queen
13.  The Pixies
14.  Offspring
15.  Beck
16.  The Pillows
17.  Korn
18.  Weezer
19.  Ani DiFranco
20.  Kaiser Chiefs
21.  Postal Service
22.  Barenaked Ladies
23.  The Streets
24.  Basement Jaxx
25.  Splashdown
26.  Fiona Apple
27.  Gomez
28.  Eminem
29.  Polyphonic Spree
30.  Nine Inch Nails
31.  The Beatles
32.  David Bowie
33.  Guster
34.  Jurassic Five
35.  Joydrop
36.  Rasputina
37.  OK GO
38.  Dropkick Murphys/Flogging Molly
39.  Reel Big Fish
40.  Green Day
41.  The Cure
42.  Elliot Smith
43.  Tori Amos
44.  Prodigy
45.  Save Ferris
46.  Rage Against the Machine
47.  U2
48.  The Clash
49.  Evanescence
50.  REM
51.  Dar Williams
52.  The Smiths/Morrisey
53.  Coldplay