...and we're back! 2011 was one of my most favorite countdown years. Music was really fun for me that year, and it featured the craziest ending to a countdown to date. In a little bit you'll also see the song that I have dubbed the worst song to ever grace my countdown. Enjoy!
First up, 5 songs that didn't make it!
The Joy Formidable - Whirring
Chick rock never sounded so good.
CSS - Hits Me Like A Rock
Hahaha... what? This song is way too fun.
Cake - Long Time
A classic return album from a phenomenal band.
August Burns Red - Poor Millionaire
Still a classic track. In hindsight, I wish this song had made it over a few others.
Deathcab for Cutie - You Are A Tourist
I still have a hard time accepting liking Deathcab. But I'll let it slide this time.
Now, we start for real.
20. Avril Lavigne - What The Hell
In 2002, Avril Lavigne was the hottest thing in the world for me. I listened to her debut album constantly. Her following two albums went from great to good, and then in 2011 she dropped "Goodbye Lullaby". The sellout process was complete. She went from punk princess to Mrs Chad Kroeger. Yikes. Deep down I know we're still meant for each other, but our roads have taken different paths. Anyways, "What The Hell" is an incredibly fun song, filled with spunk and "la-la's", but the rest of the album falls pretty short. It's not terrible per se, but it's definitely not up to snuff with her first three efforts. I can't say much more than that. Her most recent album is garbage, and I don't see her rebounding any time soon. 'Tis the state of popular music.
19. The Knux - Razorblade
The Knux! Alternative hip-hop still works! Krispy and Joey are smooth as butter in this song, telling a tale of "Razorblade". One of my favorite lines of the year - "They found you on a milk carton, performing disappearing acts". The flow is there, the bass-line is unavoidable, and the instruments just dance through in perfect harmony. It's a great track that only gets better with age. I wish I could think of my positive adjectives to describe the song itself, but you'll just have to give it a listen yourself. As far as the record goes, "Eraser" is a big time statement for the band, and I'm disappointed they haven't had another release since. They brought true confidence to a genre dripping with fakeness. "Run" and "Beautiful Liar" are my other favorite hits.
18. House of Heroes - Galveston
House of Heroes is such an interesting band. I knew of them as No Tagbacks and when they changed to House of Heroes they actually played shows at the church I was going to at the time. Fast-forward to 2005, when they were signed to Goatee Records, and 2010-11 for the release of "Suburba". The album itself was released in the summer of 2010, with a re-release featuring bonus tracks in 2011. That is where we find "Galveston". My dear friend (and popular DJ of Radio U fame) Obadiah played it during the morning show one day and I immediately fell in love. If you're not dancing or rocking out in your car, then you're just not listening to the same song as I am. As far as "Suburba" goes, it's nothing but great fun. "Elevator", "Relentless", "So Far Away", "God Save Us The Foolish Kings"... I could go on the suffice it to say it's a fantastic album and I still enjoy it to this day. Their follow up disc "Cold Hard Want" is equally jam packed with goodness. Also, Reese Roper (of Five Iron Frenzy) has stated that HoH is the best band playing these days. A MASSIVE endorsement!
17. Lonely Island - Jack Sparrow (Ft Michael Bolton)
Nope, no joke here. The Lonely Island make some ridiculously silly songs, but they are absolutely solid musically. Andy Samberg is a good writer, solid actor and all around funny guy and deserves his place on Saturday Night Live. It was "Dick in a Box" that brought them fame, but on their second album, Michael Bolton provided a brilliant boost. While the boys from Lonely Island are trying to make a serious rap song, Bolton professes his love for the Pirates of the Caribbean! It's crazy, too crazy in fact; but it works to perfection in this track. This album is also highlighted by the tracks "I Just Had Sex" with Akon, and "Shy Ronnie 2: Ronnie and Clyde" with Rihanna. I'm sure that as long as they continue to make music, they'll be interesting.
16. Amaranthe - Hunger
I'm digging through my brain to try and find where I first heard Amaranthe. It might have been just an album I picked up because the name and tracklist sounded good. Regardless, it was a great choice. "Hunger" is the obvious lead track, featuring driving keys, crushing guitars and beautiful singing from both the female and male leads. 3 singers, you say? I can dig it. Now, Amaranthe is about a "melodic pop metal" as it gets, but they pull it together well, and I feel like Elize Ryd has one of the better female metal voices. The band also knows how to put together a freakin' video! I often pull thing song up when I need to get pumped, but there are other standout tracks on here as well. "1,000,000" almost delves into a dance track, and "Automatic" has great vocal harmonies. Their second album had a few good songs but was much of the same formula from the 1st album. Their next disc drops in two weeks, and I'm looking forward to giving it a spin.
15. Texas in July - Magnolia
As I'm compiling this list of nostalgia, I've been revisiting each year and listening to each song to recapture the feeling of where I was when I made these lists. I've also been reading my previous blurbs to see what I had to say at the time. Apparently, in 2011 I thought this was a pretty freaking sweet song. Well, in listening to it the other day, I found my interest fall off after the first verse. And I remember disliking the album pretty hard as well. But apparently, I heard it on my way home from work one day and knew I had to get it. I don't remember this, and I don't know how this song ends up at 15 for being a song I barely remember listening through. Also, their newest disc is about the worst August Burns Red rip off I have ever heard. I'm disappointed in you, TiJ. I expected better. I think?
14. Crystal Castles - Not In Love (ft Robert Smith)
The ultimate irony of this song is that it was introduced to me by my then-girlfriend (now fiancee). It's actually a cover from new wave acts Platinum Blonde, but the duo of Crystal Castles put an incredible twist on it by featuring (the legendary) Robert Smith from The Cure on vocals. Crystal Castles are a decent synth-pop band who put out decent synth-pop albums, with this track being their only charting hit. In fact, the actual album release of "Not in Love" only had CC on it, and failed to make any waves. It was the 2011 re-release of the disc that featured the more popular version. Either way, Robert Smith is outstanding on this song, and it represented all the sadness I had to give that year. I feel as though just about anything Smith lends his voice to will be outstanding. And let me say - the fact that this song is only #14 means that there are HUGE songs coming up.
13. Red - Feed the Machine
And, let the hugeness begin! "Feed the Machine" is the first track off of Red's third release, "Until We Have Faces" I was bouncing off the walls in anticipation for this disc, and caught a leak of the first 4 songs a month before it dropped in February. I listened to those 4 songs while babysitting my favorite little buddy Justin mere months after his birth. That means that he gets his good taste in music from me! Hah. Anyways, "Feed the Machine" is a heavy driving smash in the face that let's you know that even though Red lost a member, they're still here to smash! It follows their 2009 #14 hit "Out from Under" but has been the last Red song to track. I wrote about them in the 2009 Countdown so I won't say more on those topics. Other great songs off this disc are "Denial (Lie to Me)", "Watch You Crawl", and "Faceless". I really thought "Feed the Machine" would be a top 5 hit until fall, when better songs surfaced and this one faded on me.
12. Fitz and the Tantrums - Don't Gotta Work it Out
Fitz and the Tantrums exploded on the alternative scene with their fun and soulful debut release "Pickin' up the Pieces" in 2010. The two singles "MoneyGrabber" and "Don't Gotta Work It Out" propelled them to mainstream fame and their second release last year was even better than this disc (although only featuring an honorable mention for "Spark" from J1), but let's stick with this spot. I have fond memories of screaming along with the two songs while driving out to Marysville to visit a few friends. Despite my enamoring feelings, I didn't love this disc so much when I first heard it. However, "Don't Gotta Work It Out" is a wonderful tale to spit in the faces of all your bad exes when they try to call on you to mend things. The piano opening works it's way into your head, with the bass and sax parts building it up to it's eventual chorus apex. The vocal dynamics of Fitz and Noelle Scaggs work wonderfully throughout all of their work, and are found beautifully synced on chorus here. My only worry about the future of this band is that they'll sell out to a more poppy sound rather than the soulful fun sound they built up in this disc.
11. Power Quest - Glorious
Let there be POWER METAL! At the time, I was much bigger on the genre, with bands like Rhapsody of Fire, Evergrey and Kamelot resonating in my head. So, I went on a quest (see what I did there?) to find the best power metal discs I could. Sadly, "Blood Alliance" was not one of them, but "Glorious" is a standout track by itself. The guitars soar, and the lead singer belts out a love song for the ages. Unfortunately, after a few lineup changes, the band dissolved after this release and the members have gone on to do their own thing, but I'll always have this one song to remember them by. "Over rainbows and stars, you can be sure I'll be there. When you're feeling alone, these are the words that will life up your heart". I often sing this song to my fiancee, as she has an affinity for rainbows. Hah!
10. FM Static - F.M.S.T.A.T.I.C
FM Static came together in 2003 as a side project for Thousand Foot Krutch singer Trevor McNevan and drummer Steve Augustine. Trevor can do essentially what ever he wants in the Christian Music community, as referenced in the sappy pop-rock he brings to FM Static (a stark contrast to the nu-metal sounds of TFK). Anyways, I was pretty big on their first disc, but hadn't really given them a second listen after their flop of a sophomore release. I'm still not terribly fond of them, but golly did I ever sing along to this sing-along of a song. Cheerleaders chanting the letters of the bands name? "Throw up your hands like ohh"? Sure, why not? I'm still embarrassed by this one, but it's a lot of fun. So we'll let it slide, right guys? #10, yikesies.
9. The Limousines - Internet Killed The Video Star
And, we've arrived. #9, the unjustly named Limousines with their tale of the death of music (videos apparently). The song may allude to The Buggles new wave hit "Video Killed the Radio Star", but it seems to be self-defeating in both the lyrics and musical content. But, as I have referenced before, this is quite possibly the worst song ever to find it's way to the countdown. The lead synths are annoying, the singer is an incredibly annoying tool, and the song (assumedly made to be a statement) ends up flopping as a flaming pile of glaring trash. The album is actually the "Worst Album of 2011", with the singer painting a pompous tale of drug use, bad sex and bad music. and I'm wondering who it was at Dangerbird Records (home of Silversun Pickups, Fitz and the Tantrums, Hot Hot Heat, and more) thought it was a good idea to bring about these jokers. Their badness is magnified by a story I heard from my sister in which the lead singer, Eric Victorino, got into a war of words on Twitter with a friend of hers who had tweeted that he was going to see "Neon Trees, but not The Limousines". Victorino sent several abrasive and obscenity-laden tweets in response to the friend, who found it quite amusing. What a chode. But.... damn, this song is unbelievably catchy. Kill it with fire! #9 guys!!
8. Emmure - Children of Cybertron
Well, we didn't escape the chode brigade in finding our #8 track (at least for singer Frankie Palmeri), but at least Emmure can make some solid deathcore music. Children of Cybertron shows Emmure's love for Transformers in the title reference, and many of their song titles and lyrical content are based around fantasy characters as such ("Demons with Ryu", "I Am Thanos", "Last Words to Rose" from this album). The album punches hard, with "Children" leading the way. The main theme? "You can't fuck with us!". It was a great theme for the Blue Jackets that season, and it's also a great motto for life. Right? Well, their next two discs have been a bit lacking and seem to border on ridiculous (for instance, their first song of their 2014 release is titled "Bring A Gun To School"), but they still rock out pretty hard. From this album, check out "Solar Flare Homicide", "A Voice From Below", and "Last Words To Rose".
7. The Airborne Toxic Event - All I Ever Wanted
I remember despising The Airborne Toxic event when I first heard them. And when the initial single "Changing" dropped, I remember hating it as well. But, as most pesky earworms do, it worked it's way into my life and then I got the album. And everything changed from there. Top to bottom, "All At Once" is a disc for the ages. Standout tracks include "Welcome To Your Wedding Day", "The Kids Are Ready To Die", "All At Once", and of course, #7 "All I Ever Wanted". How do I describe this song? It's a love song laced with trepidation and fear. Falling in love never felt so... scary. But that's the way love is. And this song perfectly embodies it. Anna Bulbrook's viola work drives the song up and down, and the song stays solid until the very final verse, when singer Mikel Jollett utters the words "Love is defying". It will go down in life as one of my favorite love songs, especially with it's story telling and lyrical work. TATE's next album "Such Hot Blood" spawned last year's #3, "Timeless". So the future looks bright for the band. This album was definitely my favorite for the year.
6. Nine Lashes - Anthem of the Lonely
Holy lashes. This track dropped on Radio U in July and immediately skyrocketed through 2011. The unfortunate thing is that the band (at the time) had no website, no record, and not much was known about them. So, here's one of the best songs of the year and a promise for more? COME ON MAN. The album was well received by I didn't find it as powerful as this song or the follow up single "Get Back". It's a decent album that shows promise, but I think they're going to be one of those bands that makes great singles but lackluster albums. Either way, Anthem of the Lonely is a phenomenal song about the crisis of faith that many Christians face in a secular world. The opening drums ready for you the sonic assault, and the guitars and keys take it from there. They have a 2014 record that may or may not chart on the J1 countdown for this year. Stay tuned for that in December!
5. Cold - The Break
What can I write about Cold that I haven't already written? They're my all-time favorite band, but from 2006-2009 they were on indefinite hiatus. Then, suddenly a tour and promise of a new record. Then a second tour in support of the new record, And finally in 2011, SUPERFICTION. It took me a handful of listens to get used to the newer, cleaner sounding Cold, but man Scooter Ward still brings it. "The Break" is a track that reminds you that there is still sadness in Scooter's world, and that he is still one of the best at delivering that message. "On my way home - the saddest thing she said on the night that she went away from me". You can go top to bottom on this disc to find stand-out songs with Cold's signature sound. "The Park", "Wicked World", "Welcome2MyWorld", "The Crossroads"... just make sure to give it a few listens before passing judgment. It's grown on me a lot since 2011. This is also the last rock/metal song on the countdown, marking the highest position that the genre has bowed out.
4. Matt Nathanson - Kiss Quick
Although I've never seen him live, Matt Nathanson is one of my all-time favorite performers. I've seen his live videos and I absolutely love him. Interestingly, "Modern Love" is his seventh disc, although he was unknown to me before 2009 when his hit single "Come On Get Higher" blew up big time. Anyways, "Faster" was the lead single from this disc, and while it's a good song, it was "Kiss Quick" that got my attention. It's a soft and pretty song with an amazing message hidden in the chorus. "Kiss quick, I've got a line out the door who all think they can save me. One by one, they lay their world at my feet, one by one they drive me crazy". This is another song that captured the emotion of 2011 so well that it's been difficult for me to listen to it ever since. Matt has a beautiful voice and composes really beautiful songs, and this is a testament to his greatness. But, if I was doing a do-over in 2014, I'd probably have this song in the teens.
3. Matt and Kim - Good for Great
As I wrote last week, Matt and Kim burst out in November 2010with "Sidewalks" and the hit single "Cameras". Once the glitz and glamour of that song and album wore off, I put it aside and focused more on 2011 releases. It wasn't until this song randomly skipped through on auto-play that I realized how good it was. The opening synths beep in and drive you down a street of discovery into a beautiful world. I can't say much more about the disc that I didn't already say on Cameras, but it's worth noting that while "Good for Great" was not released as a single, it still garnered significant airplay from alternative stations.
Since that was such a short blurb, I will fill you in on what was happening here. As I wrote the countdown and shifted the songs around, I find myself with a huge conundrum. I had two songs that I knew were going to be 1 and 2, I just didn't know what order they would fall. It was worth noting that it was two alternative songs vying for the #1 spot and the last rock/metal song fell at #5. Regardless, in December I was posting a daily song and from week to week, I'd look at my little notepad file (with the songs coded out and in order) and decide that #2 was #1, and then a few days later I'd change it back. I couldn't decide. Both had incredible merit on their side, with hundreds of plays to their credit as well. Here's how they eventually fell in the middle of December..........
2. Owl City - Galaxies
When I say that I didn't know which would be #1 until the last two days of the countdown, I wasn't lying. For the better part of December, I actually thought it would be "Galaxies" that would take the #1 spot. The Owl City juggernaut rolled through 2011, with hits like "Deer in the Headlights", "Dreams Don't Turn to Dust", "Honey and the Bee", "The Real World" and "The Yacht Club" bouncing and blasting me through the year. But it was "Galaxies" that carried the torch with it's message about being lost and found by the love of God. The final bridge blew my mind when I first heard it, and still blows my mind to this day. "Oh telescope, keep an eye on my only hope. Let's a blink and get swept off the narrow road. Hercules, you've got nothing to say to me. Cuz you're not the blinding light that I need. For HE is the saving grace of the galaxies". Boom! This is still a great and powerful song that is still often found on my MP3 playlist. My fiancee was quick to point out to me that I initially disliked this song and the direction the Adam seemed to be going with Owl City. Hindsight! Haha.
1. Young the Giant - My Body
...but, it was newcomers Young the Giant who battled long and hard with Owl City and inevitably took the #1 spot. On December 23rd, I sat at my computer, trying to decide whether it would be "Galaxies" or "My Body" that would be #1. The inevitable conclusion was that "My Body", much like the previous #1 ("Song Away" by Hockey), "My Body" was simply the song that made me the happiest in 2011. And when happiness is the paramount emotion that you strive for, that becomes the #1 derivative for a countdown like this. All of that technical jargon aside, it's a great fun song from a great up-and-coming alternative rock band. "My body tells me no, but I won't quite cuz I want more" is a simple philosophy that lends itself perfectly to the life of young adults and teenagers. The album has a few more high notes, most notably "Cough Syrup", which ended up being a more lasting track for me than the eventual #1. Like many of the 2011 songs, YtG recently released a disc and they will probably be featured on the 2014 countdown. As I stated before, stay tuned!
What a fun year. Next Thursday we'll do it again with the year 2012! The end of times, nooo! Lol
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