To borrow from a somewhat controversial theme song, it's been a long road, getting from there to here.
Two-thousand and twenty. I feel as though it must be typed out to fully appreciate its gravity. Although this year (personally) has not been as bad for me and many have made it out to be, it still has been quite a hurricane. The COVID-19 pandemic shut down a good portion of Ohio for a few months and during the time of George Floyd, there were protests that turned downright violent in Downtown Columbus. Needless to say, it's been chaotic.
But music has survived and persevered, as it always does. As I have interviewed bands, the question and point of conversation that inevitably centered around how the pandemic affected things - tours being postponed, music being delayed, and even new bands coming together just to have something to do. A lot of local acts have actually found that the madness around us all served as a sort of fuel for their writing, while others found themselves paralyzed to continue.
And then, of course, there is the topic of the direction of popular music. Where albums are scarce, in favour of immediately released singles and easily recorded EPs. Everything these days just feels poppy... even the rock, rap, and country all follow similar schemes. Working in the local media has definitely helped me get through this - most of those bands aren't tied to a label telling them what sells.
Anyways... it's 2020, which means this is the 12th edition of the J1 Top 20 Countdown. Amazingness. Let's look back at last year -
20. Vampire Weekend - Harmony Hall
19. Sigrid - Sucker Punch
18. James Truslow - Overwhelmed
17. SYML - Clean Eyes
16. Blindside - Gravedigger
15. Syrian - We Are Stars
14. Rome - Uropia O Morte
13. Vesperteen - Operate
12. Bloody Hammers - From Beyond The Grave
11. Demon Hunter - The Negative
10. Fit For A King - When Everything Means Nothing
9. Sleeping With Sirens - Leave It All Behind
8. Billie Eilish - You Should See Me In A Crown
7. Cold - Shine
6. Rammstein - Radio
5. Within Temptation - In Vain
4. VHS Collection - Sign
3. Smith & Thell - Forgive Me Friend
2. The Broken Relics - Where The Creatures Roam
1. VNV Nation - Only Satellites
So yeah - super curious year. The return of Cold, Rammstein, Vampire Weekend, Vesperteen and Demon Hunter to the Countdown, a new VNV and Blindside track, and local music fell off a little, although The Broken Relics captured #2. Pop stars, worship music, electronica, martial industrial... we were all over the place, weren't we?
It really was a good year for returning favourite bands, which seems to have been a rarity in previous years. #1 was miles away from the rest of the songs, but the battle for the next 3 spots was hotly contested, and I think that in 2020 any of those songs would've been #1. It just kind of goes like that from year to year, doesn't it?
Anywho - we begin this year the same as every year prior - with the songs that didn't quite make it. Buckle up - this is going to be a wild ride.
Bowling For Soup - Alexa Bliss
Album: Alexa Bliss single
I mean, why not Bowling For Soup? They're still kicking, and still doing it well. When this song popped up in my New Releases playlist, I was immediately hooked. The riffs reminded me of the BFS that I loved in high school, the song is amusing, and the video has the actual Alexa Bliss hanging out with two teenage boys, doing all the fun stuffs. What's not to love?
August Burns Red - Defender
Album: Guardians
August Burns Red is essentially an institution in J1 lore, and when this song first dropped I knew it was going to be a mega-hit on the countdown. Guardians is another classic ABR record, with jams like "Dismembered Memory", "Paramount" and "Ties That Bind" also getting spins for me this year. By the end though, there just wasn't enough for it to punch on through to the actual big 20. The comic book style video is a great touch, too!
Arkells - Years In The Making
Album: Years In The Making single
Here's another one of those great fun alt-pop songs that you hear the first time and you're like "OMG, this is gonna be a huge jam for the Countdown!" and you spin it 4 or 5 times that day, and it just kind of falls off your radar after that. It's a good fun song, and "I've got the scars to show it didn't come for free" is one of my favourite lines of 2020.
The Devil Wears Prada - Chemical
Album: The Act
I've never been a huge fan of The Devil Wears Prada, although I've always appreciated their abilities. They usually go hand in hand with ABR when it comes to Christian metalcore acts, and even though this song has a different feel to it, it really just never gained a ton of steam at any point to crack the Top 20. "It's only chemical" was a rallying cry for the beginning of this year, though.
The Manatee Room - Pastel
Album: Pastel single
Although TDWP are from Ohio, The Manatee Room are the first "official" local band for the Countdown. I had the opportunity to interview them over the summer, and had a great time laughing and talking about off-the-wall things, including their particular blend of heart-felt rock music. One of the many I'm looking forward to actually meeting in (hopefully) 2021.
Honorable Mention: The Raquels - sexmoneydeathetc.; lovelytheband - Loneliness for Love; Girl In Red - Bad Idea! ; Thomas and the Work-Men - Sunshine; Titans in Time - Love Found // Love Lost; Neon Trees - New Best Friend; Hum - In The Den; System Syn - Knives; Alienare - The Colour Of My Soul; The Beths - Out Of Sight
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