The Jester One Music Countdown By The Numbers - #2

#2

2009 - August Burns Red - Rationalist

Album: Constellations

An all-time song from an all-time record. August Burns Red's journey on the countdown started at #2, fittingly. Is every song on this record fantastic? Probably. "White Washed" is arguably ABR's biggest hit, but you've also got songs like "Paradox", "Marianas Trench", "Thirty and Seven", "Indonesia", "Meddler".... the list goes on and on. This song has always been one of the best workout jams I could ask for, so much so that it pushes me beyond my limits to a dangerous level. I suppose that means it's also one of my worst workout songs... hahaha. 

There wasn't really any question what song was going to be #1 the first year of the countdown, but it was an interesting battle between ABR, Owl City and Alice in Chains at the top. As time has passed, I think I see that these songs had a better and longer lasting effect, whereas #1 was really just the jam for that year. It's still a great song, but it's hard to place anything about "Rationalist" or "Check My Brain" from AiC.  I cannot imagine any other ABR song being better than "Rationalist", but I could see future songs from them claiming the top spot. It's a paradox, I suppose. Haha.

2010 - Periphery - Icarus Lives!

Album: Periphery

Oh man. Where one metal band ascended the charts, Periphery came in with a ton of promise and crashed. The self-titled record was a hit machine - "The Walk", "Insomnia", "Light", "Letter Experiment", "Zyglrox", etc etc etc. Unfortunately, after listening to the record a dozen times, I realized that several of the riffs were directly lifted from Meshuggah songs. No, seriously. Go listen to "Ow My Feelings". It doesn't taint the record for me; it's still solid, experimental and outstanding. "Icarus Lives!" is the pinnacle of that record, but it lives on as one of the strangest oddities. The song was initially written by vocalist Casey Sabol, who left the group. The vocals were then recorded by Chris Baretto, who wrote and sang most of the rest of the songs on the record.... except that he left the band before it was released. So then current vocalist Spencer Sotelo added his voice to several of the songs, creating a bizarre 3 screamer melody in some of the tracks, including "Icarus Lives!". 

You still with me? Periphery has lived their existence with at least 3 guitarists on every record. They have tried to one-up their personal strangeness code on every record, which is probably why "Icarus" is the only one of their songs to ever even sniff the countdown. It's a shame, but I also don't think Sotelo is a good lyricist. As it stands, this song broke my ears on several occasions in 2010, and very much deserved its #2 ranking. I think my falling out with the group started late in 2010 when I saw them perform live. For all the editing and technical work they do to make their songs great, they can't actually play them live. It's a curse that a lot of cut-and-paste, tech heavy metal bands face; they make a glimmering project in studio but can't actually reproduce it live. 

Howwwever, that show was not all for naught. I went to grab a beer between sets of the opening acts (The Contortionist was the best performer of the night) and Misha Mansoor (guitarist extraordinaire and machine behind Periphery) was standing at the bar. I was slightly star-struck, but I extended my hand, introduced myself and offered to buy him a beer. He said "nah man, if you're a fan then I wanna buy you a beer!". I must've had the dumbest look on my face because he grabbed one for me, shook my hand and went back to his business. I also met 4 dudes from The Netherlands who were in the US and wanted to see their favorite band, Textures. It was a great show minus Periphery's set. The end. Long live metal.

2011 - Owl City - Galaxies

Album: All Things Bright and Beautiful

Ah, so here's the story about Owl City that I alluded to the other day. 2011 was essentially a battle between two songs, with a sporadic filter of solid songs throughout the rest of the year. As far as I'm concerned, it was the weakest year for the countdown, but there was an epic battle happening for the #1 spot. Back then, I didn't write detailed articles on each song, just a short blurb on my Xanga as well as posting the song on Facebook. I had already written and posted numbers 20 through 3, and I remember sitting at my parents house for some pre-Christmas decorating, desperately agonizing over which song would be #2 and which would be #1. I listened to the songs, back-to-back-to-back for a good half an hour, and I still didn't have a clear view on which one could be #1. When I say that the Countdown is truly serious business for me, this is the year I'm really referencing.

"Galaxies" was such a great jam. "Oh telescope, keep an eye on my only hope" was a bridge that knocked me off my feet that year, but All Things Bright and Beautiful had a couple of other jams for me that year too, including "Deer In The Headlights" and the embarrassingly silly "Honey And The Bee". But by the end of the night, I decided on which song would be the champion of the year, and there was no turning back. Unfortunately Adam Young was on the outside looking in, and you'll have to wait until next Friday to find out who beat him. Sorry!

2012 - Meshuggah - Do Not Look Down

Album: Koloss

It felt like half of forever in between Meshuggah releasing obZen and Koloss. Of course, by that team I had had enough time to truly appreciate the former, which made the latter so much better. The group was super cryptic about releasing the record as well, playing cat-and-mouse about releasing the first two singles. The first one was "Break Those Bones Whose Sinews Gave It Motion", a preposterously heavy song that is equal parts slow and trudging. I was hoping that Meshuggah wasn't going in a slower direction, and had to wait an agonizing week before "Do Not Look Down" was released. Haha, yeah. It was well worth the wait after hearing that song, and everything that followed.

Now, where 2011 was a battle for 1 and 2, 2012 was more similar to 2009, where there was really only 1 song that could've been #1, and a couple of really great runners up. Walk the Moon, Garbage and The Shins gave the top 2 a run, but nobody was catching Meshuggah at the end of the race. I mean, they're frigging Meshuggah, what do you want me to say? Now, alls fair in love and war, but their newest album has a weird feel to it. Yes, it's heavy. Yes, it's lethal. But... it just doesn't measure up to the last 18 years of Meshuggah's poisonous reign. 

Here's the thing - all of the dudes in the band are pushing 50. Tomas Haake is one of the all-time greats on the drumkit, but he can barely swing the sticks these days. Jens Kidman's voice is worn down, and Fredrik Thordendal had to take leave from their most recent tour. I saw the boys in 2012 after Koloss dropped, and believe you me it was the best metal show I've ever had the pleasure of enjoying. I just don't think their bodies can keep up with it. There's no shame in it, and I'm sure they've got a few more his up their sleeves. I sure would love to see them one more time before that time comes, though.

2013 - Aeon Zen - Warning

Album: Enigma

Meshuggah and August Burns Red are two of my all-time favorite metal bands. They both have extensive catalogues that I love, and have made huge jumps on every countdown they've been included within. Then you've got Aeon Zen, a band I had never listened to before 2013, who just happened to release the biggest metal song of that year. "Warning" has the biggest and most incredible opening 2 minutes of any song in recent memory, building slowly and exploding into you eardrums. The rest of the song is really good too, but it was that opening 2:42 that really cemented the song in the #2 spot.

It's an interesting thought; as a man who appreciates great music, I tend to obsess over lyrics first. "Warning" was musically the best song of the year, but certainly not lyrically. The entire Enigma album is a concept record that lyrically tells an intriguing tale, but it's not the greatest thing ever. It's good, yes, but it's that minute and a half from when the rest of the band joins in until the vocals kick that really makes the song. The chugging guitars, the splashing drums, and the symphonic keys - it's a soaring tribute of a song for a tremendous record. In hindsight, is it better than "Timeless"? I don't think so, because it doesn't have that emotional lyrical connection.  Musically, it's still the best song of the year and I don't have any shame having it at #2.   I could use another record from the band, though...

2014 - Morning Parade - Alienation

Album: Pure Adulterated Joy

Morning Parade is certainly a curiosity. The band had two records, two J1 hits, and hung it up. I legitimately did not like any of the other songs off of either Pure Adulterated Joy or their self-titled records. It was just "Alienation" and "Headlights".  Of course, one was way up at #17 and the other hung around #1 before being surpassed late in the year. I've said it before, but 2014 was all hammers, and "Alienation" is no slouch. It's just a shame that the band broke up shortly after releasing the record.

The interesting story that comes from this song is that I first heard it while driving to work in the morning one day. I can't remember the specifics other than the fact that I was running a little late and didn't have the time to look the song up. I knew that I wanted to hear it again, so I made a mental note to make sure to look it up later in the day. As I was driving home that day (I remember where I was on 270, in fact), the song came on again and I focused in on it's exciting lyrics. The DJ announced that it was the newest song from, who else, Morning Parade. That's about all I've got for this band. I don't much listen to their songs anymore, and although they have a special place in their respective years, it's really more of an oddity than anything else.

2015 - Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness - Cecilia and the Satellite

Album: Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness

I don't care if Andrew McMahon is the yuppy vocalist from Something Corporate or Jack's Mannequin. "Cecilia and the Satellite" is a beautiful song that I was constantly singing the harmonies to in 2015. "Through all the places I have been, I'm no place without you" is just one of the great lyrics in a song full of brilliance. The video was pretty, the keys were lovely... there really isn't much else to say. I cannot stand McMahon, but for some reason he keeps creeping up on me these days.

2015 was similar to the year before in that there was one song holding the top spot early, only for another to surpass it late and claim the #1 spot. I'm actually grateful for that, because I really like the bands that got #1 in 2014 and '15, and I really don't like McMahon and don't care for Morning Parade. They're just there. End of story.

2016 - Broods - Free

Album: Conscious

2016 had another great battle for the top spot. Not quite as deep as 2011, but Broods very nearly became the second consecutive female fronted synth-pop duo to take the grand prize. Featuring the most scintillating video of the year (which is weird to say, because I don't really find Georgia Nott attractive?), "Free" was a rocket straight to the top from the moment it first dropped until long into 2017 when I finally put the song down. For what it's worth, the song features one of the greatest chorus lines I've ever heard in my entire life.

"Gritting your teeth, you hold onto me. It's never enough; I'm never complete. Tell me to prove, expect me to lose. Pushing away, I'm trying to move. Hoping for more, wishing for less, when I didn't care was when I did best. I'm desperate to run, desperate to leave, if I lose it all at least I'll be free."

I listened to that over and over and over again in 2016. It was all I needed to hear it uttered over and over again. It defined the shackles I felt in my life from both my job and my family at the time. I tried to listen to the rest of the record, but I really only wanted to hear this song continually.  I really thought it might take the #1 spot, and if I had to do a do-over, it might even make it up there. The beauty of the countdown is that it is entirely linear and captured at the moment of its completion.

2017 - Future Islands - Ran

Album: The Far Field

I said the other day that I had just seen Future Islands perform live, and that they were fantastic. They opened with "Ran", and incredibly strong song for a band that is incredibly single-heavy. I actually spent a lot of time in 2017 trying to decide whether "Ran" was as good as "Seasons", 2014's #3. The former is such a fantastic and monumental song; I honestly thought it was going to be #1, or at worst #2 behind The Naked and Famous by the end of the year. The latter has the emotional attachment of being the first song I heard from the group, and the first true explosion of sentimentality towards the band. I really cannot put one above the other, as they are very similar to each other yet oh so different.

I can tell you that the song that did end up at #1 last year very much deserved it, and it will be nice to look back and talk about it next week. I've actually seen that band live several times. #2 is a good spot for bands that I've seen though - I saw ABR two years ago, Meshuggah in 2012, and Periphery in 2010. Morning Parade played here a few times and I actually won tickets to see them around the time of Pure Adulterated Joy, but I didn't end up going because of work. I don't think Aeon Zen have toured in the US since I started listening to them, and Broods will probably be touring again soon since they're making new music. Owl City would be a fun one, too. Anyways, I'm gonna hold the final installment of this series until next Friday. I hope you've all enjoyed it so far!

The Jester One Music Countdown By The Numbers - #3

#3

2009 -  Owl City - Fireflies

Album: Ocean Eyes

One of the more surprising bands that I fell in love with around this time was Owl City. It was a bizarre transition for me because while I liked darker EBM, techno and industrial, I wasn't as much into the bubbly synth-pop genre. Adam Young's earlier stuff was heavily auto-tuned and downright silly but somewhere in between getting signed he found the right balance for a good amount of his music. "Fireflies" was the breakout single on an album that has a lot of goofy tracks ("The Bird and The Worm", "Hot Air Balloon") but a lot of more serious numbers ("The Saltwater Room", "Meteor Shower") that really dig into you. I had been hearing "Vanilla Twilight" everywhere and assumed that it was Deathcab for Cutie transition their sound to a more keyboard heavy approach.

Instead, I found a dude who was genuinely talented at writing catchy hooks and intertwining the silly with the solemn. The band struck massive gold with their next record landing at #2 and just missed out in 2012. It seems like Adam has transitioned his focus into more profitable affairs (e.g soundtracks) and has gotten significantly more serious about writing songs. I haven't had the chance to listen to his newest record, but I still love listening to him sing on his record, and I feel like he's a good enough guitarist to make good music to matter what direction he takes his mega-project.

Still, in thinking back to this time, I felt downright silly loving "Fireflies", even if the song is about insomnia and such things. I didn't realize it would be a band that would get MASSIVE amounts of play for me over the next several years. Hindsight, hah.

2010 - Fear Factory - Final Exit

Album: Mechanize

I was excited when it was announced that Dino Cazares had rejoined Burton Bell in Fear Factory. Divine Heresy was a great project for Dino, but he belonged making beautiful industrial jams with the Factory. One of the beautiful things about Mechanize is that they brought in Gene freaking Hoglan, the Atomic Clock, on drums. That brought another level of drumming heaviness to the record, and it shows on songs like "Powershifter", "Controlled Demolition", and "Designing the Enemy". The album was a thunderous return to form for the band, and showed that even after a long hiatus, they had the gel to keep the engine running.

2010 was a great year for metal records, including Periphery's 1st disc, Haste the Day's final offering before breaking up, new Demon Hunter, Rammstein, and Nevermore's last disc. In listening to the record for the first time, I was pumped about every track leading up to the very end. It's a killer record, but "Final Exit" was the song that cut me straight to the core. Assisted suicide, whew. What a serious topic. Living with the pain you can no longer tolerate, in a world that no longer cares. "Contemplate your last breath, as you see the face of death", wow. Just every line in this song really stings me. There was no way this song was escaping the top 5 this year.

The group dropped a somewhat lame concept album, The Industrialist, which had a lot of bad programming, including some exceptionally lame sounding drum machines. Not that anything could compare to Gene freaking Hoglan, but it was mediocre at best. Fortunately they put everything back together for 2015's Genexus, including our #12 from that year. I've heard rumblings that they might bring original bassist Christian Olde Wolbers and drummer Raymond Herrera.

2011 - Matt and Kim - Good for Great

Album: Sidewalks

After spending 1 month scaling the Countdown up to #5 in 2010, it was an almost certainty that Matt and Kim were going to make an appearance again in 2011. At first I thought it might be their 2nd single off of the record, "Block After Block", but the inescapable keyboard melody on "Good for Great" and catchy synths propelled the song past the rest, ending up all the way at #3. "Today, leave good for great" was a solid message I needed to keep me going that year. The interesting thing about 2011 is that #'s 1 and 2 were in a dead heat all the way til the final bell (more on that later this week), but after that it fell off massively. In fact, I would say this was a rare year where only 2 songs really had a chance at taking the top spot the entire year. That doesn't detract from the excellence of "Good for Great", it just makes for an interesting footnote for the future. Like I said, more on that on Friday!

2012 - Walk the Moon - Anna Sun

Album: Walk the Moon

Before Walk the Moon became a massive alt-pop juggernaut, they were a small band out of Cincinnati just trying to make things work. "Anna Sun" quickly caught the attention of the national media, and a music video shot in the OTR area of Cincinnati (of which I love to visit) got significant play on MTV. The rest, of course, is history. But in looking back, it feels like "Anna Sun" was the perfect mix of fun, catchy, and energetic. The song touches on living in college, and has a feeling to it that just about any 20something in the world can relate to. Amusingly, I had listened to and sang along with the song about a dozen times before my wife asked me "did he just say, 'your shoulder in my mouth'?". I had to laugh, because I hadn't really thought about the depth of the lyrics until that very moment.

Part of me wishes that Walk the Moon still subscribed to this smaller, more DIY approach to music. Another half of me is happy that a local group of kids from Cincy made it big and are touring the world. You just never know where you're going to find the next great group of musicians, which is why I love doing my job in the scene. I love this song, too. 6 years later and it's still the perfect dance tune.

2013 - The Airborne Toxic Event - Timeless

Album: Such Hot Blood

Ye gods. Can we have this version of The Airborne Toxic Event back? After the brilliance of All At Once, TATE was primed to go just about anywhere they wanted in the rock world. At the beginning of 2013 they dropped a new EP titled The Secret. I immediately got the download code and got work. All 4 of the songs were solid, but oh my God, "Timeless" legitimately knocked me off my feet. I was listening to the EP while driving to work one morning and I had to go back and listen to it about 4 more times before really processing what had just happened. Even in hindsight, I don't understand how a song so amazing came out in the past 5 years.

Such Hot Blood ended up being a tremendous record, with hits like "Elizabeth" and "Bride & Groom" to go with the 4 standout tracks from The Secret. But for my money, nothing could reach the heights of "Timeless". It almost put the band on such a pedestal that they could never even dream to reach again, but it didn't help that the band ditched their strings for synths on the next record. As I said previously, Mikel Jollett is more interesting in getting views on Twitter these days than making great music, but hey, that's his prerogative. As far as I'm concerned, there will probably never be another song that emotionally touches me like "Timeless", and it just speaks to the massive nature of 1 and 2 from 2013 that it is only #3.

2014 - Future Islands - Seasons (Waiting On You)

Album: Singles

I'm gonna do a little post edit on this one. I just saw Future Islands perform life for the first time on Tuesday, and my goodness they're amazing. After hearing this song for the first time in 2014, I looked up the video, and found a performance of them on Letterman shortly after Singles was released. There I found raw emotion and passion, and a performance ethic that remind me of myself on stage. Singer Samuel T Herring was literally throwing himself into every note, dancing and swaying and jumping and fist pumping and everything in between. The live version of Herring is even more excitable; punching his face, pounding his chest, rolling around on stage, and singing with a ferocity you would not expect from a band that makes synth-pop music.

The production on Singles is tremendous. "A Dream of You and Me" is the other song that I loved off of the record, but I'm going to say honestly I did not truly appreciate the group until Tuesday night when I saw them live. I'm going to have to re-examine their entire catalogue to see what I've missed over these years. I honestly saw them as a group who makes great singles and a bunch of filler, but I can see now that I was tragically mistaken.  As it stands, they actually made it to #2 last year, which makes me believe that their next record will probably produce a #1 hit. Haha.

2015 - Slipknot - Skeptic/The Devil In I

Album: .5: The Gray Chapter

Brother, I waited six long years between All Hope Is Gone and The Gray Chapter. It honestly felt longer because All Hope Is Gone was easily the weakest of Slipknot's records, even if it did spawn a hit like "Psychosocial".  It was basically half of an album, falling to pieces early and never really recovering.  With Paul Gray passing in 2010, Joey Jordison taking off for his own projects in '13, and Corey and Jim making big $$ with Stone Sour, I figured that Slipknot was essentially done. They had a good run; 3 blistering albums plus their demo EP and the better parts of their 4th record. Happy to be proved wrong, news started percolating in 2014 that there was NEW Slipknot with two new members.

Unfortunately, the band decided that the first single they'd release would be "The Negative One", which is a solid song but was not a good precursor for what they were about to unleash. A few weeks later "The Devil In I" dropped, and the band laid waste to any preconceived notions that they might have gone soft or were just writing Stone Sour knockoffs. While "The Devil" was the first song to really concuss me, it was "Skeptic" that really hit me in the nards. A tribute to their late bassist that was equal parts heavy and heinous. I'm glad this record was made, because it perfectly re-asserts Slipknot's dominance on the world of metal.

2016 - POP ETC - What Am I Becoming?

Album: Souvenir

See now, here's an interesting one. Every other artist leading up to this song at #3 had either been on the countdown previously or were featured again later. Most of them are bands that I really like, love, or for a while had good feelings for (ahem, Matt and Kim). And that's not to say that POP ETC won't have another hit on the countdown in the future, but in listening to Souvenir you could tell that the band caught their lightning in a bottle for one song and tried to build a record around it. It's not a failing for the group; plenty of bands only ever have one worthwhile song, and no amount of record labels or money can change the fact that sometimes you're just a really good one hit wonder. Again, it's not fair to say that after just 2 years, but I really didn't feel anything else coming from this group.

However, the line "I couldn't smell the smoke, and now I watch the flames" really rocked me around in 2016. "What Am I Becoming?" is a great song for someone as self-destructive as me; almost like a softer Slipknot. Ha! What a bizarre comparison. I got nothing else on this one.

2017 - The Naked and Famous - Higher

Album: Simple Forms

 If memory serves, I was listening to this record before I pulled out the Christmas music, and I must've played "Higher" a dozen times in a two day span. In spite of The Naked and Famous just missing on their previous record, they sat at the top of the chart throughout 2017, battling with #2 before #1 exploded past the two of them. #3 is quite a respectable spot, and it's worth every little bit of its ranking. "Better believe the sea of changes, and put these battered bones to rest. Nothing invisible or nameless, leave no reason to confess", that was the lyric of the year for me. There's just something about Alisa Xayalith's voice that hits me in the right spot.

The Jester One Music Countdown By The Numbers - #4

#4

2009 - Alice in Chains - Check My Brain

Album: Black Gives Way To Blue

Some of my favorite Top 20 moments are the ones that come with a memorable story. I've told this one dozens of times but it always bears repeating. As a huge Alice in Chains fan, I had spent the 2000s living off of Dirt being one of the greatest rock albums of all time, and living with the sadness that there would never be new AIC music. It was a given, same with Nirvana and any other band who broke up following a death like that. So when I heard that they had found a new singer and were recording new music, I was somewhat skeptical. Jerry Cantrell's solo stuff was pretty good, if not a bit out there. But Alice in Chains was the relationship between the four musicians, not just the musicians themselves. I ended up just holding my breath any waiting. If it was good, I'd probably love it. If it was bad, I'd probably just brush it off. A lot of bands live beyond their time; this would essentially be just like that.

As it happens, I was driving down Waggoner Rd, getting close to the 6 way stop at Livingston and 256. I was landed on 99.7 and Ronni Hunter announced that *new* Alice in Chains was going to be debuted. My ears perked up, and I had gotten to a spot where everyone was stopped and I was just listening. I was not prepared for the opening riff; one of the best Cantrell has ever written. Traffic started again and I was unable to drive and process what I was listening to, so I ended up pulling off the road in a little gravely area and listening to the entire song, just breathing and feeling the electric tingles shooting through my veins. The rest, of course, is history. The album dropped late in '09 but the song had already cemented its place in the "all-time" lair of J1.

On Black Gives Way To Blue, there are plenty of solid tracks. "Last Of My Kind" and "Your Decision" feel like they could be released on just about any record from the group. "Acid Bubble" and "A Looking In View" are so massively heavy that they almost crush everything else. However, AIC's newer material is... bizarre. Not bad, not great... good enough I suppose? They just released their newest disc, and from the singles I've heard it seems to be a solid record. Maybe they'll make the cut in 2018, we'll see!

2010 - The National - Bloodbuzz Ohio

Album: High Violet

While we're on the subject of great stories, or at least memorable ones, I also remember the first time I ever heard "Bloodbuzz Ohio". Call it my introduction to The National. I was driving to work at 5am, half awake and feeling exceptionally melancholy. A normal morning for the last two years that I worked at that job. This time, it was the pulsing opening drums and hum of the song that caught me. I just sat there, in awe that I had never heard anything quite like that before. I remember walking around work that day, and all I could say was "I was carried to Ohio in a swarm of bees". Needless to say, the song struck a chord with me and I immediately came home and picked up High Violet. There was no going back from there. There were 2 cathartic songs hanging out at the top of the Countdown in 2010 and they ended up finishing at 3 and 4, so it was a good time to be pensive.

Since High Violet, the boys over at The National have released two records, just missing in 2013 before connecting again last year. After listening to High Violet I went backwards and found that they were a band that I absolutely loved, especially in hearing Matt Berninger's voice. For me, it's a top-to-bottom classic of a record, with hits like "Lemonworld", "Terrible Love", "Afraid of Everyone", "Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks"... I could go on. It's a band that does not disappoint, and hopefully one day they will come to Columbus again.

2011 - Matt Nathanson - Kiss Quick

Album: Modern Love

For me, Matt Nathanson seemed like the second coming of Jason Mraz. Fascinating person who had a lovely voice and plays a mean guitar. Toiled in relative obscurity playing small coffee shops and venues before finally catching a break and putting out a phenomenal record. Major touring, failure to live up to that original record, and then a lot of great past memories, wishing for better. For Nathanson, it was 2007's Some Mad Hope that catapulted him into the national spotlight. It took a few years before he dropped Modern Love, and interestingly "Kiss Quick" is another one of those songs that wasn't actually a single, just a song that I loved. I remember being at a movie and hearing "Faster", the lead single off of the record and thinking "oh boy, here we go again!"

Sadly, it was not meant to be. In fact, although I have listened to each of Nathanson's new records since 2011, I haven't really been able to pick out specific songs that I just love. I'm grateful that he's still making decent music and that I don't have to rely on people like Ed Sheeran and Shawn Mendes for male pop music, it just isn't what it was when I was feeling it in 2007. Actually, Nathanson released a new single a few weeks ago and it feels like it was pulled straight from Sheeran's catalogue, so we'll see.

2012 - Garbage - Beloved Freak

Album: Not Your Kind Of People

It took a LONG time for Garbage to reconcile their differences and make music again, but when they finally did it was songs like "Beloved Freak" that almost made the wait worth its while. Other hits on this record include "Blood for Poppies" and "Sugar", but it was "Beloved Freak" that resonated with me beyond all others. The songs obvious connotations and meanings dig deep within me and form a barrier around my heart when I am at my weakest. Shirley Manson being one of my favorite singers doesn't hurt along those lines, either. Something about female Scottish vocalists really twinges me. 

Amusingly, "Beloved Freak" is also a non-single track. I guess #4 is a good spot for that. Garbage did put out a new record in 2016, with "Sometimes" almost making it in. I'm looking forward to seeing what else this band has to release. Their career now spans 25+ years and they're still making really solid, crazy music. They are a testament to doing what you want and making good out of it.

2013 - New Politics - (A.) Harlem; (B.) Goodbye Copenhagen

Album: A Bad Girl In Harlem

New Politics absolutely exploded in 2013 with "Harlem", a catchy fun song that had me dancing in  my car and anywhere else I heard it. In fact, A Bad Girl In Harlem had several fun dancy songs, including "Fall Into These Arms", "Tonight Your Perfect", and of course "Goodbye Copenhagen". Of course, the only song you really ever heard on the radio was "Harlem", but "Copenhagen" spent a ton of time in heavy rotation for me. I ended up getting tickets to see the guys later in the year but was unable to attend. Since the release of this record, New Politics has gone the way of Fitz and the Tantrums and The 1975 before them - somewhat abandoning their catchy fun sound for a poppier, more accessible repertoire. I always hope that a band can follow up their massive first or second records, and while NP have managed to stay relevant, they're essentially the Imagine Dragons of pop-rock. Eh, what can you do?

2014 - Eye of the Enemy - The Shift

Album: The Vengeance Paradox

Just the name The Vengeance Paradox and all of the song titles being "the--" was enough for me to take a peek at this record. It was a decent record worth listening to, but nothing really stood out to me through the first 4 tracks. I was about to shelve it and go on to the next new metal record of the week when the opening acoustic guitar of "The Shift" started. It reminded me of the acoustic outro to "Twelve-Vals for the Legions" by Allegaeon, so I let the track play. After just over a minute of that, the song absolutely explodes, and I had myself thinking I was getting a repeat of 2013, where "Warning" by Aeon Zen had the massive opening that catapulted it all the way to its top 3 spot. The song highlights every single member of the band, with specific drum, bass, and of course guitar pieces weaved throughout. The timing jumps around a little, but it was well worth picking up the record specifically for this single. 

Unfortunately, the record kind of falls off from there, but in listening to it again today I was reminded what I did enjoy about it. It's a solid piece of tech metal, and it definitely deserves a follow up. The band has recently finished writing and mixing their newest record, and hopefully it will drop sometime early next year. Here's to ya, chaps. Thank you for this six minute sonic assault.

2015 - Jason Derulo - Want To Want Me

Album: Everything Is 4

Jason Derulo is kind of a silly guy, throwing his name into most of his hit singles in one way or another. There's no doubt he has massive selling power, what with his voice, looks, and dancing abilities. He's not normally someone I would spend a lot of time listening to, but "Want To Want Me" was an unavoidable collision between the need to dance, and a really great groove on a song. Plus, every now and again I find myself sucked into the sappy goodness of a love song, regardless of how its presented. Hence, "Want To Want Me". It's a song that makes anyone listening to it bounce, regardless of whether you like it or not. Everyone working in the kitchen would callback "I wouldn't do!" when the part hits on the song. I figured I'd give 4 a spin and there are actually a couple of other solid songs in "Cheyenne" and "Love Like That" on there. But it was absolutely the lead single that will be stuck with me for the rest of my life. It's just too damned catchy. Lol

2016 - Graceful Closure - Choices

Album: Rev

Graceful Closure are local boys, although they run with a different crowd than I do. Not that I don't occasionally enjoy trivial hipster music, it's just not something I normally seek out. "Chasing Fears" was the song that they initially dropped on 88.7 over here, and it proved to be a solid melancholy juxtaposition to the upbeat, driving sound of "Choices". In fact, if you were to listen to the songs in succession you would swear you were listening to two different groups with a similar singer. They're both good songs, and Rev is a good EP, I just wish the band would actually record a full length LP (or at least another EP) rather than just dropping a single as a whole. I want to be able to enjoy them as the sum of their musical skills, not just a flavor of the quarter. 

Anyways, I have a lot of memories of spending time lying around my new apartment listening to this song and willing myself to persevere against a tidal wave of madness. It definitely reaches inside of you and scoops your heart up to push you forward. The band almost broke up last year but reformed as a duo and have continued to get a solid amount of independent airplay both around town and online, despite their enigmatic personalities. I hope to see them live some day, but they just don't play out as much as they were around the time that they released this record.

2017 - The Birthday Massacre - All Of Nothing

Album: Under Your Spell

There probably wasn't a day after this record came out that I didn't listen to "All of Nothing". It plunged a dagger into me and featured some of the most clever lyrical work in the history of the J1 Countdown. Any song that opens with "once upon a waste of time" is certain to catch my attention, but "I was searching for an ending when I fell into you, you were like a dream cuz you never came true" pulsated through me like nothing else. As the end of the year came about, I found myself listening to "One" a little bit more, and both songs have continued to receive massive attention for me in the past year and a half since the record was released. 

Who will be #4 this year? Will it be as big as The Birthday Massace was last year, or more of an outlier like Matt Nathanson was in '11? Will be it an old favorite band like Garbage or AiC, or will it be someone newer, perhaps another local gem from someone like Graceful Closure? Stay tuned!

The Jester One Music Countdown By The Numbers - #5

#5

2009 - Michael Bublé - Haven't Met You Yet

Album: Crazy Love

This song, for me, is just a love song for a girl who never loved me. Infatuation can do silly things with the mind, and in my case is had me driving all the way to Indianapolis to meet up with an internet crush who I had known since I was a sophomore in high school. In my mind, there was a true opportunity for love there, and within a year of meeting each other we didn't even really talk any more. I'm not sure what she was in it for, but I wanted her and at the time she wanted me as well. It just didn't mesh, but I do have this catchy as hell song to fall back on. It's a great karaoke number, but it does come with a slight blemish. Before this record, Michael Buble was almost exclusively doing lounge covers pop classics and old traditional pop numbers. "Haven't Met You Yet" catapulted him to super-stardom, and now you can't escape hearing him 147 times a day during the Christmas season. I still enjoy him as a singer and he's a really great dude, and it's not even that his Christmas stuff is bad. It's just so damned overplayed. Anyways, that's love. Thanks, Bethany Lucas.

2010 - Matt & Kim - Cameras

Album: Sidewalks

Here's the truth. This album came out in NOVEMBER of 2010 and this song skyrocketed all the way to #5. It's not a misprint either - they absolutely belonged there. The opening clink-clank and keys are forever etched in my head. The video is great, the song is incredible and the memory is set in stone. There was a brief time in 2011 when I thought Cameras might make it on that countdown as well, but instead a different song made its ascent after this one had burnt me out. After that sort of ascension, I thought for sure that the band was going to be a mainstay in future countdowns, but they haven't made it back since. The closest they came was in 2015 with "Get It". That's not to say that I didn't like their 2012 disc Lightning, but they've since abandoned their DIY approach and settled for a poppier, more polished sound. I suppose that's just how things go.

2011 - Cold - The Break

Album: Superfiction

Cold is, and always will be, my all-time favorite band. The bond is impossible to break and the story behind their songs is tied to me in ways that I cannot even begin to explain. They initially broke up while I was in high school, only to reform and drop the heartstring-tugging A Different Kind Of Pain in 2005. Things were looking good for the band until they imploded a year later and laid dormant for 3 plus years. They reformed, toured, and took forever to finally drop Superfiction, a solid but strange disc for a band dripping with bizarre.  It took me a few years to truly embrace the disc, but "The Break" was a song that immediately sunk its teeth into me. It's still as sad for me today as it was the first time I heard it, and for me I think that's the mark of a phenomenal song. 7 years later and we're all still waiting for the follow up to Superfiction. Will it ever happen? The band has been cryptic and elusive, but in my heart I have hopes for at least one more record.

2012 - The Shins - Simple Song 

Album: Port of Morrow

The Shins. Their first record had exactly 1 song I liked on it, and I loved "New Slang".  "Phantom Limb" is one of my all-time favorites, but it's the only song I can even tolerate on Wincing The Night Away. Did I think Port of Morrow would be different? Not really, but I didn't think they would strike gold a third time. You really only need to hear "Simple Song" once to realize that you've stumbled upon, essentially, a perfect song. It's brilliant - chords that ascend and drive forward, a beautiful love story, and James Mercer's uncanny delivery style that sneaks into your ear and lies dormant until you least expect it to knock you over. As far as I'm concerned, this is the best guitar riff the band will ever write, and deserves to be highlighted as such. This was one of those songs that I would listen to 3 or 4 times in a row, living through the sheer bliss and enjoyment of its auditory excellence. And it was NUMBER 5 in 2012. Woo buddy! 

Now, The Shins did put out a record last year, and it had a song or two that I somewhat enjoyed, but nothing really knocked me off my feet. Maybe next time?

2013 - Born of Osiris - M∆chine

Album: Tomorrow We Die ∆live

Best metal album, without question in 2013.  Although "M∆chine" didn't end up being the highest ranked metal track, it served notice upon release that it was the summer smash track that was here to lay waste to your eardrums. "Divergency" and "Illusionist" also got massive play then and in years since, but it was "M∆chine" that I was blaring in my headphones, in my car and anywhere else I could produce sound. From the dramatic opening, to the slamming drums, to the splintering keys layered throughout, this song was about as good as it was gonna get for this year. It's a phenomenal workout song that keeps you pounding the pavement as you go. BOO was just barely on the outside looking in in 2015 with "The Other Half Of Me" and have been teasing a 2018 release. If they can drop it soon enough, they might just challenge the 2018 edition.

2014 - Chvrches - The Mother We Share

Album: The Bones of What You Believe

It wasn't my plan to fall for Lauren Mayberry. She didn't have to have such a captivating voice, be so jilted, and be a beautiful Scottish singer. But, there's no going back from here. Chvrches have 2 big time records and both have landed in the land of J1. For what it's worth, I think I could still listen to this song any time, any day. It's good for happy moods, sad moods, angry times, and really anywhere in between. "The way is long but you can make it easy on me" is such a strong line that it almost shocks you to hear it aloud. This record features "Gun", "We Sink", "Recover" and a whole bunch of other good stuff. Thank you, Lauren.

2015 - August Burns Red - Identity

Album: Found in Far Away Places

Despite only being in two countdowns, I can safely say that August Burns Red is one of the most consistent bands in the history of J1. I'm still curious how "Poor Millionaire" and "Salt & Light" ended up being on the outside looking in on 2011, and I'm still kicking myself for almost letting a song off of Sleddin' Hill make it in for 2012, but the band just keeps making great records with knockout hits. The only true lapse for me would've been 2013's Rescue and Restore, but even then "Fault Line" and "Count It All as Lost" are classic ABR hits. "Identity", goodness, it really bashes with a screaming solo and a breakdown that with literally shake your knees. "Now I realize, this who I and I've made my decision. You're either with or against me". Damn. Will their newest record surface this year? You'll have to wait a few more months to see... stay tuned!

2016 - blink-182 - Built This Pool

Album: California

When blink-182 got back together and dropped their first new single in years, I don't think it was a matter of whether they'd make the 2016 Countdown, it became a matter of what song and how high would they come. California is a humongous record, unquestionably my #1 record of 2016.  "Bored to Death", "Rabbit Hole", "She's Out Of Her Mind", "Los Angeles"... the hits just don't stop coming. How then, you ask, did "Built This Pool" end up at #5?

The day the album dropped, my co-worker picked it up and played a few tracks for me at work. "You have to hear this little 20 second interlude they threw in though". It was "Built This Pool". At 16 seconds, it barely even qualifies as a song. And so I had to wrestle with myself, because "Los Angeles" would've been the actual song choice had I decided not to go with "Built This Pool". But the song itself literally transcended the year of 2016. It became a hashtag (#WhyIBuiltThisPool) and a part of our daily vernacular at work. It's hilarious and excellent and, well, it's blink-182. Unfortunately, it's so short that Last.FM doesn't even recognize that I've ever listened to it. But it's still as good as it gets for this record, and it's an amusing story near the top of the chart. Classic Blink.

2017 - Chris Cornell - The Promise

Album: The Promise

And, speaking of events that shook the foundation of an entire year, here's the last song ever released by Chris Cornell before his death.  Where Cold is my all-time favorite band, Chris Cornell is far and away my all-time favorite singer. Be it with Soundgarden, Temple of the Dog or Audioslave, he knew how to make great music, and his solo stuff wasn't slouching either. I remember on the day he died, I had a massive anxiety attack and ended up calling off work. After an hour or so of trying to cope, I pulled up Spotify and started listening to any and all things Cornell. Fortunately, Spotify had put together a "This Is: Chris Cornell" playlist for me. I started it, and immediately was blessed with "The Promise". I was so overwhelmed by emotion that I had to stop after it finished. I started playing the playlist again, and "The Promise" once again came on. I skipped it and listened to the next song, and then suddenly it played again. It was as if the world was trying to tell me something. The rest, as they say is history. Thank you for everything, Chris.

The Jester One Music Countdown By The Numbers - #6

#6

2009 - Kelly Clarkson - Already Gone

Album: All I Ever Wanted

I think that if you've been following these countdown throwbacks or know anything about me at all, it's that singers like Kelly Clarkson aren't exactly my cup o' tea. However, Miss Clarkson has the voice and the innate ability to really reach in and pull things out of you. Her jilted lover schtick got tired after a few albums, but in 2009 she had a massive comeback record in All I Ever Wanted, featuring the worlds greatest breakup song, "Already Gone". "My Life Would Suck Without You" is a pretty fun one as well, but these days Kelly has upped her sappiness and is basically intolerable. But "Already Gone" is just massive. Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic made a massive stamp on the song and shot it into the stratosphere. It sounds unlike anything else she did - in fact it sounds like a OneRepublic song featuring Kelly Clarkson. It's solid. I give myself a pop-pass on this one. Lol

2010 - Them Crooked Vultures - Mind Eraser, No Chaser

Album: Them Crooked Vultures

Josh Homme has his hands in so many projects that it's almost difficult to ascertain how he has any free time at all. But when he teamed up with Dave Grohl and John Paul Jones he basically announced that he was going to raze the rock world. Them Crooked Vultures lived up the the hype and while "Mind Eraser, No Chaser" wasn't the lead single, it was unquestionably one of the most memorable tracks to land in J1 history. "New Fang" and "Elephants" are my other favorites on a record that is solid from top to bottom. Grohl and Homme have their own massively successful bands in the Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age (and Grohl's many other side projects, of course) that TCV have become somewhat of an afterthought. Every few years the question bubbles up and the group says that it'll happen someday... but if the world ends with only one record from them, I might be somewhat disappointed. Although... it's such a great record. So freaking good.

2011 - Nine Lashes - Anthem of the Lonely

Album: World We View

Late in 2011 there was a song bubbling through Christian Rock and online rock stations that was catching a ton of attention. Nobody knew much about Nine Lashes except for a few pictures posted online and an enigmatic website promoting a release that would be coming "soon". I remember being quite frustrated at the lack of information coming from the band; you'd think that if your debut single was blowing up as big as it was at the time, that you'd want to go out and promote yourself a little better. The few promotional pictures out there made the band look like a bunch of kick-ass dudes ready to rock hard and fast and in your face. "Anthem of the Lonely" was a sonic scorcher, punching listeners in the face with its attitude and power.

Unfortunately, the band really doesn't sound much like the song other than that. There's a lot of keyboards and whiny vocals, but the rock element has been whittled away to where some of their more recent singles have essentially been straight up electronica. It's kind of a bummer, but the band isn't in any way bad, they're just not really rock oriented or exceptionally gifted at writing lyrics - two things that this song would make you think they had in plentiful amounts. The album finally dropped in 2012 but by then I had been burned out from "Anthem of the Lonely" and couldn't find much else to latch onto. If not for a late rush from #s 5 and 4 in 2011, this song was poised to crack the top 5. 

2012 - Lamb of God - King Me

Album: Resolution

In 2009 Lamb of God dropped "Wrath", a largely disappointing album that strayed away from the formula the band had built with their 3 previous records that had catapulted them to the top of the America metal empire. In 2011 they just missed cracking the countdown with the in your face single "Hit The Wall", but in 2012 they released Resolution, with the lead single "Ghost Walking", an essential announcement that they were back and ready to re-ignite their machine. The album is colossal, with hits like "Insurrection", "The Undertown", and "Straight for the Sun", but it was the final track off of the record that really caught me. The song works around a softer guitar opening with Randy Blythe telling a spoken-word tale, similar to the opening of their previous hit "Omerta". Right around the 1:45 mark the guitars drop and Blythe unleashes one of his signature growls before the band just flat-out crushes anyone within listening distance. To think that this wasn't the biggest metal song or metal album of 2012 is almost mind blowing, but we'll talk more about that in a few weeks. In fact, we've got more LoG coming in this segment. Stay tuned!

2013 - Tegan and Sara - Closer

Album: Heartthrob

One of music's great mysteries - why are Tegan and Sara so popular and held in such high regard? Is it because they're identical twins? Canadian? Lesbians?  Is it because you'll never meet someone named Tegan? Or is it really as simple as that The White Stripes covered one of their songs and everyone got caught up in the rest of the fuzz? "Walking with a Ghost" isn't even a catchy song, but sure enough they're everywhere and every time they put out a record, the alternative world collectively freaks out.

"Closer", however, is a really great song. Lightning in a bottle, for sure. Heartthrob is an utterly boring record, and it's nice that they decided to put the best song first so people wouldn't have to skip through other ones before getting there. It's just a hot, sexy, catchy anthem about hooking up (or wanting to hook up) that cannot be overlooked. The girls did contribute "Everything is Awesome" to the Lego Movie soundtrack, so I cannot completely write them off, but I don't think anything they release going forward will catch the J1 chart off-guard.

2014 - Lo-Fang - When We're Fire

Album: Blue Film

You want to talk about a song that absolutely shattered my world in 2014? There are a few years on this countdown where this song could have been #2, maybe even #1. Heck, if the song came out this year I'm pretty sure it'd be #1 now.  2014 was just an exceptionally heavy year, and all of the songs that ended up in front of "When We're Fire" are deservedly there in hindsight, so there's no crying on that topic. Blue Film is a deep, passionate record with pangs of anguish and torture throughout. Lo-Fang has such a great voice and NEEDS TO GET ON TO RECORDING ANOTHER ALBUM, DAMMIT. As it is, there are hits like "Light Year" and "Blue Film", as well as a wickedly twisted cover of "You're The One That I Want" that I have to hold while I wait. There was even a cello version of the song released shortly after this record dropped, as if you needed your heartstrings to be pulled any tighter.

2015 - Lamb of God - 512

Album: VII: Sturm und Drang

Here's the thing - I've been listening to Lamb of God for a long time, and even I don't think they could release a song that tops "512". The song deals with singer Randy Blythe's time in solitary confinement in a Czech prison, as if Blythe needed any more inspiration to write exceptionally dark lyrics. Give credit to the rest of the fellas in the group for laying down the perfect musical structure for Blythe to tell his story through. The question in 2015 was whether it would be Lamb of God, August Burns Red, or Slipknot's comeback record that ended up higher on the chart. Metal's last stand, if you will, as in 2016 the highest metal track was #11, and even then it was more of an industrial song. Sturm und Drang featured other hits like "Still Echoes" and "Footprints", but it was "512" that crushed my eardrums the hardest that year. 

2016 - Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown - Loaded Dice and Buried Money

Album: The Wayside EP

Thank goodness for internet radio. At the moment I cannot recall what the TuneIn station was that I found Tyler Bryant on, but "Loaded Dice and Buried Money" was a refreshing rock and roll kick that hearkened back to rock's youth, with an infusion of heavier grooves. I think it had some generic name like "Rock Now" or "New Rock!" or something lame like that. The station disappeared less than a year after I found it, but it gave me some great tracks to jam to in the meantime (although it seemed like Motorhead's cover of "Sympathy for the Devil" was played twice an hour on there). Anyways, I haven't listened to a lot of Tyler & Co after this EP; not because it was bad music or anything, but it just didn't catch me as well as "Loaded Dice..." did. The song tells a good tale and had a chance to make it to #1 in 2016 before fading away late.

2017 - Assemblage 23 - Bravery

Album: Endure

Both Lamb of God and Assemblage 23 are bands I'd consider in my top 15 all-time favorites. In 2010 "Smoke" almost made its way into the 2nd J1 countdown, but in 2012 they released what is probably my least favorite album in Bruise, which did not come even near to making it.  It was a long couple of years between that release and Endure, which dropped late in 2016. I had the pleasure of seeing A23 live a few months later, and it cemented this song as a heavyweight coasting through 2017. If the song had been released later in the year it probably would have carried itself to the top of the mountain, but as it stands it fell behind 5 other titanic jams and landed at #6. I would absolutely love to see them again live, but right now I'll settle for the fantastic memories I made two years ago.

The Jester One Music Countdown By The Numbers - #7

#7

2009 - This Ending - Machinery
Album: Dead Harvest

It's interesting to think that back in 2009 I only had so many different ways to experience music. Generally it was from the radio and from whatever I was listening to at work, with a little bit of internet downloads sprinkled in. These days there's Pandora and Spotify and all sorts of internet radio, plus the regular radio, plus any number of other ways to access new music. I can remember back when I would eagerly check out the new metal releases every week on RockBox back in 2009, which was where I found This Ending. This album was one of the best finds from there, with hits like "Trace of Sin", "Parasites", "Tools of Demise", and more. "Machinery" was the song that got the most play as I was aggresively headbanging while biking and working out this year. It's a shame that the band went on hiatus in 2013 and didn't return with another full length record until 2016. I'm hoping there's more where that came from, although the dudes in this group are getting up there.



2010 - Iyaz - Replay
Album: Replay

Where Taio Cruz's "Dynamite" was a late addition, "Replay" was a year-round driving and dancing jam. It also spawned one of my favorite misheard lyric quotes of all time - "it's like my eyeballs stuck on a plate". Ha! In spite of the amount of autotune he uses, I kind of like Iyaz's voice, although his lyrics are pretty flat. Of course, "Replay" was one of those "hey I'm falling in love with my future wife" songs, so there's that as well.  I don't really have much else on the guy - at the time there were so many people like him, Sean Kingston and Akon that they all started blending together in my head. It's not really my style, but this is still a fairly fun jam.



2011 - The Airborne Toxic Event - All I Ever Wanted
Album: All At Once

The Airborne Toxic Event: A Story. First record? Couldn't stand them. First single off of their second record? Annoyed the hell out of me. Second single off of that record... holy cow. I went out and got the record, and all of a sudden I had a new favorite band. The downside  of TATE is that Mikel Jolett is a smart liberal musician from California, which means he's overly pompous and arrogant and gets his kicks more from being a social media personality than a musician. The band has put out two records in the past 3 years and they've been downright horrendous. They essentially transitioned into a synth-heavy band, ditching the strings and the catchy lyrics as well. To each their own. All At Once is a great record - "Welcome to Your Wedding" and "Changing" did end up getting a buttload of play for me in 2011, but it was the beautiful strings and lyrics of "All I Ever Wanted" that ended up taking the cake. 2011 was so top-heavy that in other years this song might have been much further down the list, but it is still a great and worthwhile love song.



2012 -  One Direction - What Makes You Beautiful
Album: Up All Night

Oh... speaking of love songs, and pop, and bands that are garbage... yikes. Okay, garbage is a little harsh. Of all the "boy bands" to come around in recent years, One Direction is probably the least offensive and only lasted for a couple of years before going their own solo ways. At this time in my life, I had decided that I did want to marry my then-girlfriend and was pushed on by songs like this that just made me happy through and through. It's catchy, it's cute... it's pop music. At least it's not totally idiotic.



2013 - Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. - If You Didn't See Me (Then You Weren't On The Dancefloor)
Album: The Speed Of Things

Far and away still the champion of the longest song title in J1 history. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. has since changed their name to simply Jr. Jr. for the sake of avoiding confusion, but are still making whimsical silly synth-pop music. "If You Didn't See Me..." is full of fun sounds and catchy buzzes, and is again another great dance-and-drive hit. The entire band is built around not taking itself too seriously, which is what the song is about. I really thought that this was a band that I would enjoy when I initially checked out the EP that this song was on, but the rest of the record came off as unimpressive and they haven't splashed back since.



2014 - Impending Doom - Hellhole
Album: Death Will Reign

Impending Doom are brutal, plain and simple. They are what deathcore music should sound like. Brook Reeves is the perfect deathcore frontman. The opening of this song just throttles you, and the riffs scream all the way along with Reeves from top to bottom. I've been anxiously awaiting a follow-up for this record, and just over a month ago they finally dropped The Sin And Doom, Vol II. We'll see if it doesn't make its way near the top of the 2018 Countdown. Metal has kind of fallen off in the past two years, but a good release from a band I really enjoy could be just what I need to kick things back into gear.



2015 - Matty Mullins - More Of You
Album: Matty Mullins

I made the mistake of thinking that Matty Mullins' solo record would be something more along the lines of a Memphis May Fire album, when in fact it was much softer, more piano based and much more personal than most of his other writings. It wasn't an awful record, but it did disappoint me slightly because of my initial expectations. "More Of You" was definitely the standout track for me. I've somewhat burnt myself out of metalcore these days, but the new MMF sounds pretty good and I'm looking forward to a new record from them next year. Matty put out another disc last year that did not make it, but I think he's re-focused on his main act right now.



2016 - Justin Timberlake - Can't Stop The Feeling!
Album: Trolls OST

Gosh, #7 is definitely a pop spot huh? There's no shame in loving the hurricane force of Justin Timberlake, though. This song was absolutely unavoidable in 2016, and even though I never saw the Trolls movie (come on, man) I was reminded of it on an almost daily basis, whether it be at work, in the car, watching TV or anywhere else in between. It's just a flat-out fantastic song that will outlast a lot of its other pop contemporaries released in 2016. I mean, unless you think people will still be talking about "I Took A Pill in Ibiza" or "Broccoli"  in 10 years?



2017 - Cold War Kids - Can We Hang On ?
Album: LA Divine

It took them long enough, but Cold War Kids finally cracked the Top 20 in a major way last year. They're one of those bands that gets a lot of deserved hype, but only ever has 1 or maybe 2 songs off of every record that I enjoy. That goes back many years and I respect the hell out of them for remaining relevant without really selling themselves dry in the process. I guess in a couple of years we'll be hearing from them again? As always, stay tuned!

The Jester One Music Countdown By The Numbers - #8

#8

2009 - Jordin Sparks - Battlefield

Album: Battlefield

Different life, different time I suppose. I always felt like Jordin Sparks had a really nice voice and this song played a lot at work when I was feeling like I needed some strength to get through bad relationships. I don't think I've watched any episodes of American Idol since season 2 so I don't know too much about what happened while she was on there, but I know she is a phenomenal singer and seemed like a really great person. "I guess you better go and get your armor" was a battle cry for me this year, and so this song carried me along. Weird to think that I spent so much time with this song, though.

2010 - 30 Seconds to Mars - Kings and Queens

Album: This Is War

You know, Jared Leto could have stuck with acting. Or he could have kept with the space-rock theme of 30 Seconds to Mars' first record, which was actually a solid disc. But no, he wanted to be a popstar as well as Mr fancy actor, and so we now have this atrociously overrated pop-rock outfit that pretends that they're hot shit when indeed they just make trash music. In 2010 they were evolving away from their rock sound, and they showed that somehow, they had enough catchiness between them that they could pump out an actual solid hit in "Kings and Queens". I was still biking a lot back then and this was a great song to really mash the pedals to, along with the previously mentioned "Resistance" by Muse. Amusingly, both bands essentially traveled along different paths to become bands I can no longer stand. Music... haha.

2011 - Emmure - Children of Cybertron

Album: Speaker of the Dead

Emmure is such a volatile act, it's no surprise that their music is as chaotic as it is. Unfortunately, Frankie Palmeri is a total yutz and has spent most of his career careening down a path of self-destruction that has blown up Emmure multiple times, to the point that they're essentially a shell of the fantastic music that they used to be and are a clone of a copy of the original act. Fortunately, in Speaker of the Dead they were still on top of their collective games and dropped some massive songs, including "Last Words to Rose", "Solar Flare Homicide", and "A Voice From Below". "Children of Cybertron" was a rallying cry for the Blue Jackets this season for me and has been ever since. I just wish the band had stuck to their guns rather than combusting.

2012 - Demon Hunter - Dead Flowers

Album: True Defiance

Remember what I said a few weeks ago about life, death, and Demon Hunter songs on the Countdown? Here you go. The downside of True Defiance is that upon my initial listen I wasn't totally sold on any of the individual songs until I got to the very last track. Of course, that was "Dead Flowers" and they released a video for it, and the rest is history. 10 years after their first record changed the way I listen to music, they were at it again with another song that I legitimately could not stop listening to for anything. True Defiance is probably my least favorite of their records; it's solid but doesn't really have the stand-out punch of their previous efforts. "Tomorrow Never Comes" and "I Am A Stone" are my other favorites, which goes to show that their slower efforts are still their best in my opinion.

2013 - Paper Route - Letting You Let Go

Album: The Peace of Wild Things

Far too many times there are bands that release entire records that sound absolutely nothing like their lead singles. I've found it could be a combination of many different things - the band had been riding that one song until they finally got signed, the band had previously written the song in a different sounding incarnation of their group, or even the record label just wanted to work off of one song without giving much help going forward. Whatever it is, there is nothing else that Paper Route has recorded that sounds anything like "Letting You Let Go", which is a beautiful, passionate fantastic hit of a song. The band still gets plenty of airplay on stations like RadioU and has a decent online following, but I just can't latch on to anything else they've done since this song. 

I do of course remember the first time I heard this song: getting ready to take a shower in my old apartment listening to the Ten Most Wanted of the day. It was one of those OMG moments where I immediately dug up as much as I could about the band and listened to the song on repeat for about 3 days.  But that's really all I have for these guys, unfortunately.

2014 - Sleeper Agent - Waves

Album: About Last Night

Dear Sleeper Agent - why you break up in 2015?!?  "Waves" was one of those songs that I legitimately thought had a chance at being #1 in 2014. It's SUCH a good song that just goes on and on and digs deep into you. "Be Brave" was another song I enjoyed off of this record, but nothing else compares to "Waves". The band had a couple of solid hits off of their debut record as well, it's just a shame that they decided to hang it up on top. I really liked Alex Kandel's voice and unfortunately she hasn't been active in music since 2015 either. Alas, what's a man to do?!

2015 - Ellie Goulding - Love Me Like You Do

Album: 50 Shades of Gray OST

Ellie Goulding is silly, man. I'm silly for loving this song so much, but there's something about the way she sings in it that just captivates me. It's not my style and honestly she's not my type of singer, but it just works. 50 Shades, blech. All of it is strange but that's what music is, right? I had fun singing this one at work to the horror of my co-workers who know me as staunchly anti-pop music though. Lol

2016 - Jess Lamb and the Factory - End of the Line

Album: End of the Line

On the flip side, I love Jess Lamb. Seeing her live, meeting her, following her for the past two-plus years has just been phenomenal. She's so wonderfully quirky, positive and uplifting. Her music always surprises me but her voice feels like home.  When we went to see Assemblage 23 at the end of 2015 we expected a bunch of electronic acts, and we were treated two 2 industrial openers, a noise group, and Jess and the Factory. It was a fantastic breath of air that I needed, and she's one of those people who has helped me recapture myself as a person. "End of the Line" is beautiful but oh so grim - a perfect mixture of what Jess does in all of her music. Love, love, love.

2017 - Circle of Dust - Machines of our Disgrace

Album: Machines of our Disgrace

Very rarely in the history of the countdown has one artist/record featured songs in back to back years. The combination has to be perfect - the previous album has to be released late enough in the previous year that it qualifies for the next, but has to have a song that's good enough on both discs to make it. Generally any band who made it the year before rides off of the wave of that song long into the next year and doesn't catch much else. In 2010-11 Matt and Kim hit the double, landing at #5 and #3 in what can only be considered the biggest single-handed crushing in countdown history for a record.  Circle of Dust repeated that feat after having "Contagion" land at #11 in 2016 and the title track of their new record in at #8. As much as I love CoD, I didn't draw it up like that; but I'm happy the dominos fell that way. Here's to more of that soon!