The 2018 Jester One Music Top 20 Countdown - Intro and Songs That Didn't Make It

We're back! 10th anniversary!!


It's weird for me to think that I've been doing Top 20 Countdowns for 10 years. It was never my intention to create an institution - I simply wanted a better way of keeping track of the music I enjoyed. I wanted to watch my musical tastes evolve, as well as keep better track of what was out there. This was before the likes of Spotify and Apple Music dominating the way we access and absorb music. This was back when I had a little 4GB Walkman MP3 player and listened to the radio for hours on end. You know - the good old days.

These days, I only spend an hour or so per week with the radio. Everything has been pushed online, and the ways to access artists have exploded. People are getting famous off of YouTube performances and Soundcloud accounts. Local bands still plug away and record labels still crush those whom they snatch up, but the landscape of music has changed significantly from when I started doing the countdown.

Fortunately, we've still got YouTube to link the videos, and a blog platform to share them. These days everything is shared through social media as well, but in recent years I've noticed a lot less chatter about music on those platforms. Back in the MySpace days (dating myself, I know) it was fairly constant, whereas now social media is more about how many clicks can corporations and websites get, as opposed to sharing our lives together. It's a bizarre intertwining spiral, and it honestly does feel like something straight out of the dystopian epics of the 80s. Advertising always wins, hell even in music advertising is working its way into the lyrics of the most popular acts. Yuck.


Anyways, it's Year 10 and it's time to get started. I'm going to stick with the format I've used in recent years - every day at noon, starting tomorrow (December 1st). As we always do, we begin with a handful of songs that were on the cusp this year but didn't quite break through. There's actually a lot more to work with this year than I had last year, which is definitely a breath of fresh air.  There are several new bands this year, plus a few returning acts that might surprise you.  The only way to find out is.... to stay tuned!


Here we go!

Breaking Benjamin - Psycho
Album: Ember


Despite being an all-time favorite band of mine, Breaking Benjamin has never actually made the countdown on account of being on hiatus and not releasing album from 2009-15. They came close this time around, with an excellent album that surpasses their last two releases (both pre and post breakup). "Red Cold River" was the first song to be released and immediately punched the rock world int he mouth. "Psycho" was my personal favorite, and I'm hoping the band has more in the tank for one or two more great releases going forward.




Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness - Ohio
Album: Upside Down Flowers

Didn't Andrew McMahon just just land at #18 last year on an entirely different album? Yes! But, apparently he's back with a bunch of new material that just couldn't wait, so here's another record! The album was released two weeks ago, giving it the opportunity to make a splash on next years Countdown, but McMahon usually has just 1 song per record that I enjoy. This one is a sweet little ditty though!




Red Sun Rising - Fascination
Album: Thread

Make that two great Red Sun Rising albums and two almost's on the Countdown. "Fascination" is the lead track on one of my favorite records of the year, spawning the massively popular single "Deathwish". It's pretty cool that an Ohio band is turning rock music back in the right direction.





Machine Head - Beyond the Pale
Album: Catharsis

Catharsis is another crushing album from Robb Flynn and the guys at Machine Head. The band has 25 years under their belt and show no sign of stopping. "Beyond the Pale" has everything you'd expect from a MH song - screaming solos, crunchy guitars, angsty lyrics and lots of faced paced, in your face action. Freaks and zeroes, baby!



DREAMERS - Screws
Album: Launch EP

DREAMERS is a fun little 3 piece outfit  who has started making waves among the alternative crowds with their catchy lyrics and fuzzy guitars.  They're also another band who is bucking LPs for releasing multiple EPs.





 
Honorable Mention: Beck - Up All Night; Toni Cornell - Nothing Compares 2 U (featuring Chris Cornell); August Burns Red - King of Sorrow; Gorillaz - Humility (featuring George Benson); Miller and the Hunks - Sided System; Marc Gunn - Why Do You Torture Me?; NF - Let You Down; Kamelot - Amnesiac; Pop Evil - Waking Lions; Pettidee - Off Hiatus.

Delayed

My apologies for the delays, folks. I've dealt with a hectic personal and work-life schedule the past two months and haven't been able to devote much time to writing anything out. The 10th Anniversary Show will go on as planned, there just won't be as many bells and whistles as I had hoped for when I started. I suppose that's appropriate considering the first year was essentially throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks.

Here's to music. It's gonna be a crazy countdown this year!

-J