Happy Thanksgiving to all who read. I had an idea in July to start looking at where the songs from the 2014 countdown were in my life. It wasn't a very well thought out idea, so I figured I'd shore it up with a handy-dandy look back on the 5 years of countdowns that have come in the past.
So let's get started on the fun, shall we?
2009
20. Collective Soul - Staring Down
19. Parachute - She Is Love
18. Sick Puppies - I Hate You
17. Devildriver - Another Night In London
16. Chris Isaak - We Let Her Down
15. Silversun Pickups - It's Nice To Know You Work Alone
14. Red - Out From Under
13. Gorilla Zoe - Echo
12. Breathe Carolina - Show Me Yours
11. Kings of Leon - Use Somebody
10. Five Finger Death Punch - Bad Company
9. The Killer and the Star - Living With Musicians
8. Jordin Sparks - Battlefield
7. This Ending - Machinery
6. Kelly Clarkson - Already Gone
5. Micheal Buble - Just Haven't Met You Yet
4. Alice in Chains - Check My Brain
3. Owl City - Fireflies
2. August Burns Red - Rationalist
1. Morrissey - I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris
Before Facebook was the big thing, I posted countdowns to Xanga. This countdown was compiled exclusively in my head, which made for issues once the end of the year was reached. Either way, the majority of these songs were either big workout songs for me, or huge sing-a-longs. The best autobiographical tale comes with the #4 gem, "Check My Brain" by Alice in Chains. The first time I heard it on the radio, I actually had to pull my car off the road (on Taylor headed towards 256 in Reynoldsburg) so I could fully engage on the sheer overwhelming nature of the first AIC song in ages. Jordin Sparks? Chris Isaak? Parachute and Gorilla Zoe? It was at this time that many new songs that I heard came from the muzak at work, so there falls a heavy selection of pop hits. The Morrissey tune was unquestionably my favorite song of the year, but if I applied 2015 Countdown logic and decision making, 1 and 2 would probably go to ABR and Owl City.
2010
20. Dark Tranquility - The Fatalist
19. Demon Hunter - Collapsing (ft Bjorn Strid)
18. Rammstein - Fruhling in Paris
17. Slash - Baby Can't Drive (ft Alice Cooper + Nicole Scherzinger)
16. Gorillaz - Superfast Jellyfish (ft Gruff Rhys + De La Soul)
15. Day of Fire - Lately
14. Nevermore - Moonrise (Through Mirrors of Death)
13. Haste the Day - White as Snow
12. Mumford and Sons - Little Lion Man
11. Taio Cruz - Dynamite
10. Muse - Resistance
9. Dan Black - Symphonies
8. 30 Seconds To Mars - Kings and Queens
7. Iyaz - Replay
6. Them Crooked Vultures - Mind Eraser, No Chaser
5. Matt and Kim - Cameras
4. The National - Bloodbuzz Ohio
3. Fear Factory - Final Exit
2. Periphery - Icarus Lives!
1. Hockey - Song Away
Should you ever find yourself in a place where you needed to be equal parts happy and depressed, 2010 is here for you. This countdown was back-ended with heaviness and featured a couple of gorky "hip-hop" songs as well. Matt and Kim released their album in November, which made an immediate and humongous impact on the way 2010 ended, but Hockey ended up in the top spot as it was the song that picked me up from my deepest depressions this year. "Icarus Lives!" was gigantic as well but didn't have the "happy" factor that "Song Away" did, and this made two consecutive years where alt-rock beat out metal for the top spot. Autobiographically, I remember driving to work at 5am and just being blown away by the sheer beauty of "Bloodbuzz Ohio". I saw Day of Fire in concert with Cold, and picked up their album that night. And I can only assume that if Them Crooked Vultures decide to make another album, it'll have a place in said countdown as well.
2011
20. Avril Lavigne - What The Hell
19. The Knux - Razorblade
18. House of Heroes - Galveston
17. Lonely Island - Jack Sparrow (ft Michael Bolton)
16. Amaranthe - Hunger
15. Texas in July - Magnolia
14. Crystal Castles - Not in Love (ft Robert Smith)
13. Red - Feed the Machine
12. Fitz and the Tantrums - Don't Gotta Work It Out
11. Power Quest - Glorious
10. FM Static - F.M.S.T.A.T.I.C.
9. The Limousines - Internet Killed The Video Star
8. Emmure - Children of Cybertron
7. The Airborne Toxic Event - All I Ever Wanted
6. Nine Lashes - Anthem of the Lonely
5. Cold - The Break
4. Matt Nathanson - Kiss Quick
3. Matt and Kim - Good for Great
2. Owl City - Galaxies
1. Young the Giant - My Body
I fear we may never see a countdown quite like 2011 again. A new Cold album slowly simmered through the year before "The Break" dove into the top 5. Old favorites like Matt Nathanson, Red and Avril Lavigne peeked their heads into the collective foray, and Matt and Kim landed a second song off of their 2010 release "Sidewalks", making it the only album/artist to feature songs on consecutive countdowns. It was the 1978 Belmont all over again. Other horses may have ran, but you would only know of the top 2, neck and neck until the very last second with all the marbles on the line. And it wasn't even close. You can shuffle the deck and throw Emmure, the Limousines and Crystal Castles anywhere you want on any given day, but nobody is anywhere near Owl City and Young the Giant. It came down to the last week, last two days where I sat down at the computer and had to choose one as a winner and one as a runner up. Owl City had finished #3 in 2009 and on any other given year might have been able to take the #1 spot. But it was again the song that soared with happiness in "My Body" that took the top placement. I honestly feel that this was one of the weaker countdowns outside of the top 2, with many songs that wouldn't be anywhere near a countdown in 2015. But that's how the year shook out, and that's where it will forever stand.
2012
20. Reptar - Stuck in My Id
19. Silversun Pickups - Bloody Mary (Nerve Endings)
18. Santigold - Disparate Youth
17. Morning Parade - Headlights
16. Imagine Dragons - It's Time
15. A Plea For Purging - Heart of a Child
14. Metric - Clone
13. Veil of Maya - Punisher
12. Florence and the Machine - (A.) What the Water Gave Me; (B.) Shake It Out
11. Swimming With Dolphins - Sleep to Dream
10. Animal Kingdom - Strange Attractor
9. Of Monsters and Men - Little Talks
8. Demon Hunter - Dead Flowers
7. One Direction - What Makes You Beautiful
6. Lamb of God - King Me
5. The Shins - Simple Song
4. Garbage - Beloved Freak
3. Walk the Moon - Anna Sun
2. Meshuggah - Do Not Look Down
1. Fun. - Some Nights
One of the more interesting things about 2012 is that I had 19 songs that were very good and very much deserving, but when it came time to write the list, I was left with a mighty big "...and?". But this countdown had some massive titans making good on promises and another solid battle at the end. This would end up being the third year of 4 on the countdown where alt-rock beat out metal, with strong challenges from newbies Walk the Moon, the old school flair of Garbage, and that once-per-album charm of The Shins rounding out the heaviest hitters. And yes, that is the One Direction dropping in at #7. Forgive me for being in love. All in all, 2012 was filled with songs that I would hear and just jump out of my chair for once they were finished. I was faced with an odd spot with Florence and the Machine giving me two songs with equal play and equal meaning on the year. There was no distinguishing them in a field of greatness, so I started the double, which has happened every year since. A lot of good albums begat great songs, and another memorable year ended with the happiest song taking the top spot. Oh, how I yearned for my favorite metal act Meshuggah to take #1, but there was no justification in putting it ahead of Fun. this year.
2013
20. Grouplove - Ways To Go
19. Relient K - PTL
18. Biffy Clyro - Black Chandelier
17. Sevendust - Decay
16. Colossus - Beacons
15. The Features - This Disorder
14. Atlas Genius - If So
13. The Mowgli's - San Francisco
12. Shining - I Won't Forget
11. Vampire Weekend - Diane Young
10. The 1975 - The City
9. Deadlock - The Arsonist
8. Paper Route - Letting You Let Go
7. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. - If You Didn't See Me (Then You Weren't On The Dancefloor)
6. Tegan and Sara - Closer
5. Born of Osiris - M?chine
4. New Politics - (A.) Harlem; (B.) Goodbye Copenhagen
3. The Airborne Toxic Event - Timeless
2. Aeon Zen - Warning
1. Surfer Blood - Demon Dance
This year, the trend; right? #1 alt, #2 metal. Although 2013 definitely did not finish how I thought it would. For the longest time, Tegan and Sara were running away with things, but New Politics and Aeon Zen managed to work their way in, and The Airborne Toxic Event scored their second top 10 hit with an early release that gained steam late. But it was the song that danced me in my car and apartment that landed at #1 once again. This was a difficult year to cobble things together because there were just too many good songs bouncing around in my world. Vampire Weekend started hot, Paper Route managed to keep me out of the shower long enough to make an immediate splash in the summer, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. managed to drop the wackiest of the wacky songs on this year. But there was no unseating Surfer Blood once November and December rolled around, and they took a commanding lead into the end stretch. I would say that all 20 of the songs that actually made it got a solid amount of play this year, be it in my car, at work, or lying around the house. Truly a tremendous year all around.
2014
20. I The Breather - Swine:Cult (ft Ricky Armellino)
19. Destiny Potato - Take A Picture
18. Bleachers - I Wanna Get Better
17. Foster the People - Coming of Age
16. Winds of Plague - Say Hello To The Undertaker
15. Five Iron Frenzy - I Am Jack's Smirking Revenge
14. Weird Al - (A.) Foil; (B.) Handy
13. Beartooth - Beaten In Lips
12. Walk the Moon - Shut Up And Dance
11. Meg Myers - Desire
10. Cut Copy - We Are Explorers
9. Aurelio Voltaire - Captains All
8. Sleeper Agent - Waves
7. Impending Doom - Hellhole
6. Lo-Fang - When We're Fire
5. Chvrches - The Mother We Share
4. Eye of the Enemy - The Shift
3. Future Islands - Seasons (Waiting On You)
2. Morning Parade - Alienation
1. Cadets - A Drop In The Ocean
I don't really need to spend too much more time reminiscing about 2015, but boyo what a heavy lineup at the top. We also got the triumphant return of Weird Al and an amazing showing from my favorite live artist, Aurelio Voltaire. The thing that I might be most proud of in 2014 is that there really isn't a "WTF?!" song on this list. Two years in a row, top to bottom solidity. Plus, the return of FIF! You couldn't ask for terribly much more, and this year was the first to ever end with #1 not being an alt-rock jam. There also wasn't a metal track at #2, although on any other year Eye of the Enemy would definitely have been able to make it's case.
We are T-minus 4 days and counting on the 2015 Countdown! Let there be music!
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