I figured we might as well give this list a ponder as well. Gonna do Artist, Top Track, and where that track ended up in the grand scheme of plays in 2018.
#25. Five Iron Frenzy
Top Track: Far, Far Away (T250 in 2018)
FIF holds a high place with both my wife and I, and we listened to a lot of them on our trip to Baltimore last autumn. They generally take the lead when it comes to ska artists, and my ska moods happen often enough that they're up at #25.
#24. De/Vision
Top Track: Your Hands On My Skin (#15 in 2018)
De/Vision benefited from a new record released in 2018, although it didn't make a huge splash as far as the Countdown and such goes. "Your Hands On My Skin" did propel the band into a place where I was listening to them quite often, though.
#23. And One
Top Track: Military Fashion Show (T112 in 2018)
"Military Fashion Show" was actually the song that got me hooked on And One, but there were 4 distinct hits off of the Bodypop record that got spins in 2018 - "Enjoy the Unknown", "Stand the Pain" and "Love You To The End" got plenty of spins as well.
#22. Fuel
Top Track: Hemorrhage (In My Hands) (T143 in 2018)
Fuel released a new album a few years ago but it was mediocre at best. There's enough from their first 4 albums to keep me satisfied for years to come, with "Hemorrhage" and "Falls On Me" once again leading the charge.
#21. Korn
Top Track: Did My Time (T356 in 2018)
There wasn't really a time where Korn was assaulting my eardrums or needing to be splurged. If I'm angry or feeling angst, they're usually a good starting point. Similar to Fuel, the older materiel gets the most play.
#20. mind.in.a.box
Top Track: Attack (#19 in 2018)
"Attack" made the Top 20 Countdown and the top streams this year, while "Command. Decode" got a ton of spins on its own. I found a new respect for this group through their newest album, and obviously if you get in the Top 20 and are worth anything, you're probably on this list
#19. Rammstein
Top Track: Wo Bist Du (T436 in 2018)
I'm gonna guess that this will be the lowest of the track rankings. Again, Rammstein was a band that didn't have any individual songs that exploded for me, but I listen to them as a whole quite often. Some friends of mine are in a Rammstein tribute group, and any time I go to see them I brush up on my stone ramming.
#18. Colony 5
Top Track(s): Synchronized Hearts, My World, Trust You (T294 in 2018)
"My World" and "Trust You" were the songs from Colony 5 that I always listened to in the past, but in listening to the "Lifeline" album I found a bunch of new binge-worthy songs.
#17. Soundgarden
Top Track: The Day I Tried To Live (T62 in 2018)
For years, "Outshined" was far and away my favorite track from Chris and the guys. With his suicide I found new life in "The Day I Tried To Live". Soundgarden, Audioslave and Chris' solo work would all have been top 10 last year.
#16. The Birthday Massacre
Top Track: One (#14 in 2018)
"One" and "All Of Nothing" made their waves in 2018 again, with a handful of other tracks sprinkled in. I found a couple of cool covers from them - Tiffany's "I Think We're Alone" and Madonna's "Open Your Heart".
#15. Florence + The Machine
Top Track: Sky Full Of Song (#4 in 2018)
Florence had a new record, the top song in the 2018 Countdown, and her usual array of excellence this year. Her cover of Ben E King's "Stand By Me" made a lot of waves as well.
#14. Apoptygma Berzerk
Top Song: Kathy's Song (Victorian Mix by VNV Nation) (T88 in 2018)
Long before I loved VNV or Apop (or EBM/EDM for that matter), there was this remix of "Kathy's Song". It's still an all-time jam for me and I don't see it going anywhere.
#13. Circle of Dust
Top Track: Waste of Time (T537 in 2018)
Alright, I lied. I listened to a TON of CoD this year but it was mostly just binging their albums. For what it's worth, being tied at 537 equals six streams in 2018. Lol
#12. Solitary Experiments
Top Track: Epiphany (#2 in 2018)
Because of my love for "Epiphany", I've slowly been sprinkling more Solitary Experiments into my daily life. I haven't listened to a full record from them yet, even though it's been on my list of musical things to do. I suppose that means they'll also be on this list next year, perhaps higher!
#11. Audioslave
Top Track: Like A Stone (#26 in 2018)
As I said earlier, all of Chris Cornell's projects have exploded for me in the last year and a half. "Be Yourself" was another heavy bop that kept me going this year.
#10. Andrew WK
Top Track: Music Is Worth Living For (#20 in 2018)
"Ever Again" was the first track to bubble in, and with a new record came new-found appreciation for Andrew's older works... not that I ever put "I Get Wet" down lol.
#9. Demon Hunter
Top Track: Dead Flowers (T164 in 2018)
It's always a wonder which DH track will be tops in any given year. Will it be a sadder slower ballad-style song like "Dead Flowers" and "I Am A Stone", or will it be a rocker like "The Latest and the Last" or "One Thousand Apologies". This year it was a ballad, and there's a new DH record coming in 2019 so I assume they'll be way up on this list.
#8. Wolfsheim
Top Track: Blind (#8 in 2018)
With every passing year, the legend of Wolfsheim grows. The band is known for "The Sparrows and the Nightingales", and rightfully so, but it is their "Spectators" album that tends to get the most play for me.
#7. Anberlin
Top Track: Retrace (T98 in 2018)
There's no list of favorite artists for me that doesn't include Anberlin in the Top 5. If they never release another record, they will still always be high on this list. They also have a Christmas song that helps puff these numbers in December.
#6. Solar Fake
Top Track: Until It's Over (#1 in 2018)
I mean, obviously. A new record that got tons of plays and landed in the Top 20, and the most streamed track of the year. Come on man. Solar Fake is the only "newer" band on this list, but they're here to stay.
#5. Curse of Cassandra
Top Track: Re-Bind (#18 in 2018)
Curse had 4 songs in the top 75 steam list, including "Bastet", "Grimhilde" and "Bellatrix". It was never really a matter of if, but where on all of my year-end lists they would arrive.
#4. Mesh
Top Track: The Last One Standing (#6 in 2018)
Mesh got a boost from "The Fixer" late in the year, but they were never really on the outside, especially with "The Last One Standing" leading the charge.
#3. Assemblage 23
Top Track: Disappoint (T56 in 2018)
There was a general consensus the entire year of which 3 bands would be the top 3 for me. In the end the dominos fell with A23 in 3rd. The novelty of their record last year had worn off but they're still as strong as ever in my book.
#2. VNV Nation
Top Track: The Farthest Star (#7 in 2018)
It's crazy to think that "The Farthest Star" had as many streams as the next two songs ("Arena" and "Illusion") combined. That song has some serious staying power, and VNV has a new record so I'm pretty sure they're gonna be way up here again in 2019.
#1. Cold
Top Track: Cure My Tragedy (T43 in 2018)
Was there ever really any doubt? Cold is still my favorite band and they had a whopping 105 more streams than VNV. For refence, only the top 16 artists on this list even had a total of 100 streams on their own. Cold is just its own brand of wrecking balls in my life. They accounted for 2.07% of all music I listened to in 2018, VNV ended at 1.54%, Assemblage 1.14%, and Mesh just barely over 1%.
Notable bands missing... The War On Drugs, a band that I decidedly dislike yet had the 3rd most streamed song in 2018. They checked in at 53, with a whopping 92% of their streams being "Pain". Compare that to Alphaville, whose hit "Forever Young" was 100% of their plays in 2018. That was good for the 11th most streamed song, but tied for 96th in the artist category.
Again, fascinating stuff! I really wish I had been using this service the past few years; at least as long as I've been using Spotify. Love you, music!
Thursday, January 10, 2019
Tuesday, January 8, 2019
Jester One 2018 - 30 Most Played
I wish I wasn't so late to the Last.FM parade. It's fascinating seeing listening trends and histories from the previous days/weeks/months/etc. Here are my 30 Most Played Songs of 2018!
#30. Creedence Clearwater Revival - Have You Ever Seen The Rain?
Much like The Beatles, it's almost impossible to believe that CCR only released albums from 1968-1972. Even crazier to think that two of their best songs revolve around rain. I suppose it's a local thing. Hah.
#29. The Benjamin Gate - How Long
True story - all 29 of those plays happened from November 12th on. "How Long" was always a good, but not great BenGate song for me until Pastor Simon's death. Since then it's been binge-city, including a day-high of 10 plays on 11/12.
#28. Plumb - God-Shaped Hole
This is a strange one, because I never really loved this song back when Plumb was a big deal. I heard it on RadioU's Throwback Channel when it first started and it's been on repeat ever since then. I was grateful to learn that Plumb is still making music and inspiring people these days.
#27. Bloc Party - I Still Remember
Sometimes, I try to listen to Bloc Party. I just can't figure out how to do it. I don't care for the music, the lyrics, the accents, any of it. But "I Still Remember" crushes me every time. I might as well be driving down the street just yelling "I Still Remember!!!" over and over again.
#26. Audioslave - Like A Stone
Never let there be any doubt what Audioslave's best song is. This song still gets heavy play on rock stations, and it's hard to skip it once you hear that opening riff. Hell, can Tom Morello's solo be topped? I listen to a ton of Chris Cornell music, but this is usually the top dog most years.
#25. Plushgun - Sarah's Locker
My de facto sad/suicide song. Simple as that. It was my top played song last year, despite the small sample size (I only started using Last.FM last September).
#24. Fashion Week - Tell Me Something
#12 on the Top 20 this year, this song found new life near the end of the season. Hearing it live I knew it was going to be a jam. I sometimes wish FW was more prolific, but it's nice to have a handy small amount of jams because it allows me to appreciate them more.
#23. The Night Game - The Outfield
#10 on the Top 20. This song was only released in September. I'm hoping for big things from The Outfield.
#22. Jukebox The Ghost - Everybody's Lonely
#7 on the Top 20. This song got a lot of actual radio play, which unfortunately isn't accounted for on here. Needless to say, these days I might listen to 3-5 songs on the radio each day, whereas I average about 50 Spotify spins.
#21. Mr Mister - Kyrie
"Kyrie" is a song I already enjoyed but it jumped up the chart this summer as it became the rallying cry to get me through the 2 months my boss was on maternity leave.
#20. Andrew WK - Music Is Worth Living For
#5 on the Top 20. Such a great jam. I never thought AWK would be back, considering his history.
#19. mind.in.a.box - Attack
#9 on the Top 20. Proof that the Top 20 is much more than just spins. By comparison I spent a lot of time singing "Music Is Worth Living For" and dancing around my apartment than I did with "Attack", inspite of the latter having 1 stream more.
#18. Curse of Cassandra - Re-Bind
#4 on the Top 20. I'm actually surprised this one didn't end up higher on the list. We'll see where CoC ends up on our the Top Artist list.
#17. The Birthday Massacre - All Of Nothing
The highest hold-over from last year's countdown. This song is an absolute juggernaut and I'm pretty sure it'll keep on rolling into 2019. For reference, last year's #1 finished at #85, 2 at #63, 3 at #95 and 5 at #116.
#16. Mesh - The Fixer
Mesh is one of 2 bands with two songs in the Top 30. That was a lot of numbers all in a row. "The Fixer" picked up a lot of steam over the summer, as I was playing the role of a fixer in a lot of things in my life.
#15. De/Vision - Your Hands On My Skin
Sometimes you just get caught completely off guard by a song. De/Vision was a "okay, I kind of like them" band before this one caught fire for me.
#14. The Birthday Massacre - One
Where "All Of Nothing" was the big hit last year, "One" superseded it and rocked hard in 2018. As you can see, both got equal play throughout the year, just at different times and for different moods.
#13. So Long, Stargazer - Walk Away
One of the top plays from 2017 that kept going strong due to seeing the band a few times in 2018 and continuing to fall more in love with them each time.
#12. Turnspit - Walk Away
#6 on the Top 20. It's difficult to imagine a time when I wasn't jamming Turnspit, considering how much they blew up for me this year. What will the future hold?
#11. Alphaville - Forever Young
Another automatic sad song play. "so many adventures given up today, so many songs we forgot to play". Such a jam.
#10. Vesperteen - Medicine
#3 on the Top 20, top ranked and top played Ohio song. It wasn't expected but I'm certainly not disappointed. The difference is that I don't "love love" Vesperteen like I do other local acts, I just like him. A lot. Lol
#9. Rush - Limelight
Does this song ever die? No, and it never will. Rush is an all-time of a band, and this is a song that I hear in my head almost every day. Where each song was a gradual increase before, "Limelight" has 10 more plays than "Forever Young", a huge jump.
#8. Wolfsheim - Blind
It's surprising how many situations in my life that "Blind" touches on. This is the first song that averaged at least 1 play per week for me. It's a song that I don't really play on repeat a lot - it just comes up a lot.
#7. VNV Nation - The Farthest Star
The best VNV song on the best VNV album. They just released a new record and it's pretty damn good so I think you might see some of those songs in the 2019 list.
#6. Mesh - The Last One Standing
I'm honestly shocked this song didn't make the top 5. Perhaps it's because I was listening to a more varied group of Mesh songs this year and not just playing this one every single day and banging my fists into the steering wheel.
#5. Necessary Response - Forever
Another one that doesn't really get played on repeat, just comes up more often and is never skipped. None of the top 10 songs are much of a surprise to me, but I would've had this one lower and the last two higher.
#4. Florence + The Machine - Sky Full Of Song
#3. The War On Drugs - Pain
There's our Top 20 #1 and #2, respectively. It was a bitter battle all year between Florence and The War On Drugs, and only 1 stream seperated the two of them. I can only hope the top songs are that well balanced next year, but it isn't usually the case.
#2. Solitary Experiments - Epiphany
"Epiphany" had 8 streams more than "Pain", another huge jump near the top. It's an intriguing song in that it's equal parts depressing and uplifting. "Try to get the balance right!" was another rallying cry for the year.
#1. Solar Fake - Until It's Over
There wasn't much of a question which would be #1 most played for me this year. Amazingly, I had never heard this song before February 1st, when I decided to give a deeper listen to "Another Manic Episode", the record of which it is on. Thank goodness for that! There was no looking back from there.
Interesting list. Like I said, no big surprises for me since, duh, I listen to these songs all the time. Lol. For what it's worth, I had 19,622 individual streams on Last.FM this year, and the top song accounted for 75 of them, or .38% of them. I listened to 8096 individual songs, which would average out to 2.42 streams per song. 3085 of those 8096 (38%) had at least 2 streams, while the other 5015 had just one. Talk about reaching out and trying to find new/different music.
Fascinating stats! More soon!
#30. Creedence Clearwater Revival - Have You Ever Seen The Rain?
Much like The Beatles, it's almost impossible to believe that CCR only released albums from 1968-1972. Even crazier to think that two of their best songs revolve around rain. I suppose it's a local thing. Hah.
#29. The Benjamin Gate - How Long
True story - all 29 of those plays happened from November 12th on. "How Long" was always a good, but not great BenGate song for me until Pastor Simon's death. Since then it's been binge-city, including a day-high of 10 plays on 11/12.
#28. Plumb - God-Shaped Hole
This is a strange one, because I never really loved this song back when Plumb was a big deal. I heard it on RadioU's Throwback Channel when it first started and it's been on repeat ever since then. I was grateful to learn that Plumb is still making music and inspiring people these days.
#27. Bloc Party - I Still Remember
Sometimes, I try to listen to Bloc Party. I just can't figure out how to do it. I don't care for the music, the lyrics, the accents, any of it. But "I Still Remember" crushes me every time. I might as well be driving down the street just yelling "I Still Remember!!!" over and over again.
#26. Audioslave - Like A Stone
Never let there be any doubt what Audioslave's best song is. This song still gets heavy play on rock stations, and it's hard to skip it once you hear that opening riff. Hell, can Tom Morello's solo be topped? I listen to a ton of Chris Cornell music, but this is usually the top dog most years.
#25. Plushgun - Sarah's Locker
My de facto sad/suicide song. Simple as that. It was my top played song last year, despite the small sample size (I only started using Last.FM last September).
#24. Fashion Week - Tell Me Something
#12 on the Top 20 this year, this song found new life near the end of the season. Hearing it live I knew it was going to be a jam. I sometimes wish FW was more prolific, but it's nice to have a handy small amount of jams because it allows me to appreciate them more.
#23. The Night Game - The Outfield
#10 on the Top 20. This song was only released in September. I'm hoping for big things from The Outfield.
#22. Jukebox The Ghost - Everybody's Lonely
#7 on the Top 20. This song got a lot of actual radio play, which unfortunately isn't accounted for on here. Needless to say, these days I might listen to 3-5 songs on the radio each day, whereas I average about 50 Spotify spins.
#21. Mr Mister - Kyrie
"Kyrie" is a song I already enjoyed but it jumped up the chart this summer as it became the rallying cry to get me through the 2 months my boss was on maternity leave.
#20. Andrew WK - Music Is Worth Living For
#5 on the Top 20. Such a great jam. I never thought AWK would be back, considering his history.
#19. mind.in.a.box - Attack
#9 on the Top 20. Proof that the Top 20 is much more than just spins. By comparison I spent a lot of time singing "Music Is Worth Living For" and dancing around my apartment than I did with "Attack", inspite of the latter having 1 stream more.
#18. Curse of Cassandra - Re-Bind
#4 on the Top 20. I'm actually surprised this one didn't end up higher on the list. We'll see where CoC ends up on our the Top Artist list.
#17. The Birthday Massacre - All Of Nothing
The highest hold-over from last year's countdown. This song is an absolute juggernaut and I'm pretty sure it'll keep on rolling into 2019. For reference, last year's #1 finished at #85, 2 at #63, 3 at #95 and 5 at #116.
#16. Mesh - The Fixer
Mesh is one of 2 bands with two songs in the Top 30. That was a lot of numbers all in a row. "The Fixer" picked up a lot of steam over the summer, as I was playing the role of a fixer in a lot of things in my life.
#15. De/Vision - Your Hands On My Skin
Sometimes you just get caught completely off guard by a song. De/Vision was a "okay, I kind of like them" band before this one caught fire for me.
#14. The Birthday Massacre - One
Where "All Of Nothing" was the big hit last year, "One" superseded it and rocked hard in 2018. As you can see, both got equal play throughout the year, just at different times and for different moods.
#13. So Long, Stargazer - Walk Away
One of the top plays from 2017 that kept going strong due to seeing the band a few times in 2018 and continuing to fall more in love with them each time.
#12. Turnspit - Walk Away
#6 on the Top 20. It's difficult to imagine a time when I wasn't jamming Turnspit, considering how much they blew up for me this year. What will the future hold?
#11. Alphaville - Forever Young
Another automatic sad song play. "so many adventures given up today, so many songs we forgot to play". Such a jam.
#10. Vesperteen - Medicine
#3 on the Top 20, top ranked and top played Ohio song. It wasn't expected but I'm certainly not disappointed. The difference is that I don't "love love" Vesperteen like I do other local acts, I just like him. A lot. Lol
#9. Rush - Limelight
Does this song ever die? No, and it never will. Rush is an all-time of a band, and this is a song that I hear in my head almost every day. Where each song was a gradual increase before, "Limelight" has 10 more plays than "Forever Young", a huge jump.
#8. Wolfsheim - Blind
It's surprising how many situations in my life that "Blind" touches on. This is the first song that averaged at least 1 play per week for me. It's a song that I don't really play on repeat a lot - it just comes up a lot.
#7. VNV Nation - The Farthest Star
The best VNV song on the best VNV album. They just released a new record and it's pretty damn good so I think you might see some of those songs in the 2019 list.
#6. Mesh - The Last One Standing
I'm honestly shocked this song didn't make the top 5. Perhaps it's because I was listening to a more varied group of Mesh songs this year and not just playing this one every single day and banging my fists into the steering wheel.
#5. Necessary Response - Forever
Another one that doesn't really get played on repeat, just comes up more often and is never skipped. None of the top 10 songs are much of a surprise to me, but I would've had this one lower and the last two higher.
#4. Florence + The Machine - Sky Full Of Song
#3. The War On Drugs - Pain
There's our Top 20 #1 and #2, respectively. It was a bitter battle all year between Florence and The War On Drugs, and only 1 stream seperated the two of them. I can only hope the top songs are that well balanced next year, but it isn't usually the case.
#2. Solitary Experiments - Epiphany
"Epiphany" had 8 streams more than "Pain", another huge jump near the top. It's an intriguing song in that it's equal parts depressing and uplifting. "Try to get the balance right!" was another rallying cry for the year.
#1. Solar Fake - Until It's Over
There wasn't much of a question which would be #1 most played for me this year. Amazingly, I had never heard this song before February 1st, when I decided to give a deeper listen to "Another Manic Episode", the record of which it is on. Thank goodness for that! There was no looking back from there.
Interesting list. Like I said, no big surprises for me since, duh, I listen to these songs all the time. Lol. For what it's worth, I had 19,622 individual streams on Last.FM this year, and the top song accounted for 75 of them, or .38% of them. I listened to 8096 individual songs, which would average out to 2.42 streams per song. 3085 of those 8096 (38%) had at least 2 streams, while the other 5015 had just one. Talk about reaching out and trying to find new/different music.
Fascinating stats! More soon!
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