Another year, another 20 songs. Another exciting month of preparation leading in to a holiday countdown. 2015 was an interesting year for the countdown, as midway through the season, my hard drive crashed and I lost all of my countdown data. I knew things were getting a little haywire and I had thought about getting everything backed up, but it was too little too late once the pieces fell. All of my data was lost, including anticipated releases, previous countdowns, and the old school file that contained all of the code I had to write just to make the first two countdowns on Xanga. It was a dark time, but fortunately the majority of that data is stored inside of my head, and I was able to cobble everything back together and get the countdown wheels turning again.
I'm glad it's almost December. By any measurable standard, this year had been unbelievably frustrating and difficult. For many months I suffered through painful emotional abuse, and once again it was the music that helped carry me through it all. This actually might be a rather surprising countdown, as many of the songs are not typical to what you would usually find in a J1 countdown. But when has the year end celebration ever been typical? Last year we had our first non alt-rock champion, and this will be lucky year number 7, so who's up for a good time? I also want to say that if you are following along with me, I appreciate you being here. And not just you, Pete. Lol
I won't bang around the usual disappointments and anticipatory albums. Instead, let's jump right in with the songs that just missed the cut. I had a difficult time trimming down the excess fat this year. There were plenty of couldas and shouldas, but in the end there can only be 20!
Without further ado...
Papa Roach - Falling Apart
Papa Roach frontman Jacoby Shaddix seems to have turned a spiritual corner in his life and is now singing about the love of Jesus, or perhaps just referencing it. It's a weird twist for a band that has made their money singing about heartbreak, pain and suicide. The band has also adopted a palm-mute styling in some of their songs which has a lot of idiots labeling them as "djent". It's a shame that the genre Meshuggah pioneered has been lowered to the level of Papa Roach, but this song is actually really great and hit me at a really low spot in my life.
Sullivan - You Don't Mean It
Former Tooth and Nail alums Sullivan return with a indie-emo revival of their old sound with their new album "Heavy is the Head". This song got more plays than any other song that didn't make it to the countdown, and the boys can hang their hat on that at the end of the day. The song has a poignant message about the words we say to each other and how they affect our lives.
Genevieve - Colors
I really enjoy Genevieve Schatz and her music. Although I was never a big fan of Company of Thieves, I've enjoyed her solo efforts so far and I was happy that her first new single was so upbeat, fun, and full of self expression. Lots of fun dancing and silliness in the video as well, which makes for a good J1 hit.
Coal Chamber - The Bridges You Burn
You better believe I was pretty damn excited when one of the bands from my teenage years, Coal Chamber announced they were getting back together after Dez Fafara's successful tour with DevilDriver (also a countdown alum). I was pleasantly surprised with how Coal Chamber was definitely their own entity, even after all these years. I was hoping this song would garner enough momentum, and I really did like the new album, but in the end it just fell a few spots short.
Walk the Moon - Shut Up And Dance
Hey, maybe one of these years a song will repeat, eh? In the end, this song was on my last nerve by spring and never really gained any momentum down the stretch. One can dream, though...
Honorable mention: Matt and Kim - Get It; Cold War Kids - First; Incubus - Absolution Calling; Fall of Carthage - Dawn of the Enemy; Robert Delong - Long Way Down; Zao - Xenophobe; BØRNS - Electric Love; My Morning Jacket - Big Decisions; Kamelot - Veil of Elysium; Bring Me The Horizon - Happy Song
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