As promised, here's my favorite artists list.
1. Devin Townsend Why he's my favorite:
He has the ability to make his music into whatever he sees fit, whether it be bludgeoning, ethereal, or uplifting. He's the reason I usually play in open tunings when I play guitar, and always inspires me to push my abilities forward.
My favorite track by him:
There's so many, but I have to go with the title track from 2011's "Deconstruction."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lS2kKDdFGmM
Why it's my favorite track:
It's one of his most bipolar and all-over-the-place works, and yet it has a message that ties in so well with the album's themes of the beauty in the pointlessness of life. How long I've been listening to him:
Two extremely rewarding years.
2. Miles Davis Why he's my second favorite:
He's a household name in jazz. He was always pushing some sort of boundary with every jazz movement he took part in, from bebop to modal jazz into his fusion years. He was a trumpet mastermind; he didn't have the fastest licks or most intense playing, but he said in three notes the same thing that would take Charlie Parker ten notes.
My favorite track by him:
"Go Ahead John" from his 1974 masterpiece, "Big Fun."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuAmG39TROk
Why it's my favorite track:
It's one of Davis' most far out and off-the-radar moments, and features some intense drum manipulation that takes you outside of your own body when you hear it. How long I've been listening to him:
Two. Damn. Years.
3. Philip Glass
Why he's my third favorite:
He's my favorite classical composer. His music features "repetitive structures" (as he puts it), but there's a lot to dissect in everything he writes. It takes a trained ear to see the changes that occur very slowly throughout his pieces, which makes his music so interesting to hear for hours at a time.
My favorite track by him:
"Building," from his 1976 opera "Einstein on the Beach" in collaboration with Robert Wilson.
(I prefer the 1993 re-recording to this original version, but I couldn't seem to find it)
Why it's my favorite track:
It shows how well Glass is able to take a few very simple ideas and turn them into something that feels almost magical.
How long I've been listening to him:
Lightly since 2011, but on the regular for a year.