PJ Harvey

For her first few long-players, Harvey tapped into a raw, blues-influenced, primal mood that ultimately found its way down to players like Jack White and Dan Auerbach. Harvey is a craftswoman who erred first on the side of minimalism, isolating the tension between her and her instrument in the mix. And whether it left by way of her throat or her fingers there's no way to escape such tight-gripped intensity.

Most Heroic Moment: The seething, inescapable crescendo that is 1993's "Rid of Me." D.B.