Nominating Moby Dick as a candidate strikes at the heart of the very notion of "the Great American Novel" itself.  The book was kept alive only by a coterie of critics and devoted readers, and it did not begin to garner widespread acclaim until ~WWI.

He hasn't released anything as Smog since '07. Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle is fantastic, but I haven't heard his two most recent albums, one of which was released today.

Add Bill Callahan to this list.