Dinosaur Jr., Steve Gunn

Dinosaur Jr. are a blessed hard-rock institution at this point. True, their best work occurred in the last half of the 1980s, peaking with the one-two punch of You’re Living All Over Me and Bug. But J Mascis, Lou Barlow, and Murph are still issuing robust guitar-hero showcases and blustery melodic gems. They’ve honed their formula to a science and, against odds, it’s still moving as hell. Chill psych-folk-rock artist Steve Gunn slowly but surely has ascended the indie-music food chain with several albums that pit lustrous, liquid guitar playing against flat yet appealing vocals. He’s a rare example of a quality musician gaining popularity on his own terms, without slipping creatively.