Jester One 2021 - Top 15 Albums

  2021 Jester One Music Top 15 Albums

 

15. The Blue Stones - Hidden Gems

14. Five Iron Frenzy - Until This Shakes Apart

13. Imperative Reaction - Mirror

12. Goodnight Fear - What's Holding You Back?

11. Foo Fighters - Medicine at Midnight

10. NF - Clouds

9. Turnstile - Glow On

8. Daymare - Everything is Fine

7. '68 - Give One Take One

6. Spiritbox - Eternal Blue

5. Beartooth - Below 

4. AFI - Bodies

3. A Tiger Made of Lightning - It's Chaos, Be Kind

2. Teenage Wrist - Earth is a Black Hole

1. Assemblage 23 - Mourn

Also Meryl Creep's Drift EP... I couldn't figure where to place a 3 song EP amongst a list that is mostly LPs. Somewhere between 4 and 6.

I made it a point to listen to more albums this year, thinking back to my teenage years and how a good CD would get worn out from continuous replay. What I learned is that my first instinct is usually correct, and that streaming services are often very good at pinpointing similar musicians.

Something that has become very apparent to me in the last few years is that music just isn't what it used to be. But I don't look at that as a bad thing. When I was in high school, there was a dozen or so stations that played newer music around town, and then there was your friends, family, and what you saw on TV and movies. Nowadays, my goodness, I can just open up Spotify/Pandora and find bands I never would have dreamed of before.

The top 3 records this year (plus the Meryl Creep EP) are absolutely what new records I spent the most time with, by far. AFI and Beartooth got a lot of love too, but after that it was hard for me to really fall in love with new music. A lot of my favorite new songs were on mediocre/bad albums, and a lot of records I really liked didn't have standout songs to keep me locked into them. A bizarre dichotomy, but not anything new for me.

I will say that it was a really good year for newer music, far better than 2020. It was nice to be able to go out and find new favorite bands at shows, if only for a few months. I'm looking forward to more recovery next year. As for J1 Music, I have to wait until January 1st for the official stats to be registered on Last.FM, but then it will be time for the 30 Most Played and Top 25 Artists. Stay tuned!

The 2021 Jester One Music Top 20 Countdown - #5-1

  Note - instead of doing the usual blurb and song per day, I'm just going to post a paragraph about each song, 5 per day. We've reached the final day, with the top 5 hits coming in hot.

#5. Meryl Creep - Spiraling
Album: Drift EP
Favorite line: "I can't remember how I got to this place - now I shave in the dark cause I hate looking at my face"


Maybe I haven't spent all year telling you about how much I LOVE Meryl Creep, but here's a reminder. Shoegaze vibes forever, and tremendous lyrics to boot. Also, talk about the low-budget music video of the year. 

 

#4. A Tiger Made of Lightning - Little Birds
Album: It's Chaos, Be Kind
Favorite line: "I need to take in everything and pay attention to these moments and cement them in my brain"


I literally cried the first time I heard this song. I know a local song finished at #1 last year, but this is the most beautiful local song I've heard in years.

#3. Acceptance - At the Edge of the Earth
Album: Wild, Free
Favorite line: "Suddenly, it comes to me, when we meet in the fields at the edge of the earth"

I probably listened to this song 25-30 times before I even paid much attention to the lyrics. The CHORUS on this song is so preposterous. I'd just be walking around going "WHEN WE MEET IN THE FIELDS AT THE EDGE OF THE EARTH". 

Another weird one, as I don't care for the band and didn't like the album.

#2. The Struts - Another Hit of Showmanship (ft Albert Hammond Jr)
Album: Strange Days
Favorite line: "it gets me and the night never ends, but it's getting harder to mend"


Fun album, fun song, and the addition of Albert Hammond Jr. really kicks this song up a notch. The world needs more bands like The Struts, just out there embodying the rock'n'roll attitude in the 2020s.

#1. Teenage Wrist - Taste of Gasoline
Album: Earth is a Black Hole
Favorite line: "We all still feel the same, and we live in sleep for days. We love the things we know will leave the taste of gasoline"


As if there was any doubt... if you knew me for more than 5 minutes this year, you knew the inevitability of this being the #1 song. Actually, the title track is what took off first for me, but damn if I wasn't screaming THE TASTE OF GASOLINE the entirety of the 2nd half of the year.

Another Countdown in the books... after 13 years, it figures I'd finally hit a big hiccup. We'll see how next year goes!

The 2021 Jester One Music Top 20 Countdown - #10-6

  Note - instead of doing the usual blurb and song per day, I'm just going to post a paragraph about each song, 5 per day. 

#10. Echo Image - Walk My Mind
Album: Walk My Mind single
Favorite line: "rethinking what we could have been, a feeling that we never had a chance to finish our last dance that time"


I just don't know how you can go on a 20 year hiatus and return with a song that SLAMS SO HARD. What a song. Wow. I'm excited to see what comes next for Echo Image.

It's only hammers from here on out - 10 songs that at one point could've landed at #1.

#9. Assemblage 23 - Factory
Album: Mourn
Favorite line: "We do a great disservice to our young, and feign surprise at what one day they become. We reap a consequence we don't intend - we build a factory for broken men"


I don't think there was any doubt that there'd be an A23 song on this Countdown when this album dropped, but holy smokes I didn't realize how good this album would be. This song is an homage to my childhood, serious. Tom Shear writes songs about my life and it boggles my mind every time.

#8. Manchester Orchestra - Bed Head
Album: A Million Masks Of God
Favorite line: "Oh my god, let me extinguish the habit, the sequence, the loss, in my mind - now I believe in the ghost"

One of the best songs of the year, lyrically. The concept of writing about spirits haunting us in our daily lives is one of my favorite lyrical topics, and, cheesy music video aside, this song is almost perfection.

#7. '68 - Bad Bite
Album: Give One Take One
Favorite line: "we're just bones and teeth"


The most fun song of 2021, no doubt. What a wild and awesome video, too. Josh Scogin is the truth, and this album is phenomenal. I got a lot of weird looks quoting this song throughout the year.

#6. Gang of Youngs - the angel of 8th ave.
Album: the angel of 8th ave. single
Favorite line: "God, it was state of the art - you called each of my sorrows by name. And a tide of tender mercies - shook my body from the grave"


Lyrically, this is the best song I've heard in the last two years. I'm so mad that I had never heard of this song before our Godify series at church. So, thank you David for turning me onto this. I look forward to following this band in the future.

No's 5-1 tomorrow. Stay tuned for the finale of The Jester One Music 2021 Top 20 Countdown!

The 2021 Jester One Music Top 20 Countdown - #15-11

 Note - instead of doing the usual blurb and song per day, I'm just going to post a paragraph about each song, 5 per day. 

#15. AFI - Begging for Trouble
Album: Bodies
Favorite line: "Don’t take tears in your dress seriously. Don’t take wounds in my chest seriously"


This is the best AFI album probably since Sing the Sorrow. All bops. I liked their last album but most bands from my high school years just don't recapture their glory 15+ years later. This album defies that and cements Davey Havok as one of my all-time favorite musicians.

#14. beabadoobee - Last Day On Earth
Album: Our Extended Play EP
Favorite line: "and if it all goes wrong, and it looks like we'll soon be gone, we should all just get along, and sing a song I wrote..."


Shoop doo doo, shoop do be dooby doo... every year there's a wacky song like this that makes it. Like Sigrid in 2019 and Superorganism in 2017, there's always a song that surprises the heck out of me. A band that I'll probably never peep again outside of the song.

#13. The Dirty Nil - Blunt Force Concussion
Album: Fuck Art
Favorite line: "gimme one half dozen blunt force concussions, crack my head in two. Just don't put me through saying I love you"


This is the best '90s song I ever heard in 2021. Also, what an atrocious album. I hate it when that happens.

#12. Romy - Lifetime
Album: Lifetime single
Favorite line: "oh, this is a high that I can't get from nobody else"


If you ever wondered what The xx would sound like if they weren't utterly dull, here you go. This was one of those songs that came out early and I thought would carry throughout the year.

#11. The Birthday Massacre - The NeverEnding Story
Album: The NeverEnding Story single
Favorite line: "Rhymes that keep their secrets will unfold behind the clouds. And there upon a rainbow is the answer to a neverending story"

I don't even like the original version of this song, that's how great of a cover it is. You will never extinguish my love for Chibi, and TBM just make solid music album after album.

#10-6 come tomorrow - stay tuned!

The 2021 Jester One Music Top 20 Countdown - #20-16

 Note - instead of doing the usual blurb and song per day, I'm just going to post a paragraph about each song, 5 per day. 

#20. Grabbitz - Pigs in the Sky
Album: Pigs in the Sky single
Favorite line: "What if all the songs you never thought you would sing start coming out?"

The opening bassline on this song slapped me in the face the first time I heard it, and I ended up hearing it both on my way to work and on the way home that day. It stuck with me from there on out.

#19. Royal Blood - Typhoons
Album: Typhoons
Favorite line: "All these chemicals dancing through my veins, they don't kill the cause, they just numb the pain"

I really want to like Royal Blood but gosh, they're predictable. Every song builds around similar chords, but every album has a single or two that slap hard.

#18. Daymare - Control
Album: Everything is Fine EP
Favorite line: "I won't lie, everything's fine, everything's just so fuckin' perfect"

First of many local jams on the countdown this year - I think local bands are working harder at making better music videos than regional and national acts. I've known lead singer/guitarist Dustin Rinehart for almost two decades and he just keeps making solid music.

#17. Porter Robinson - Look at the Sky
Album: Nurture
Favorite line: "Look at the sky, I'm still here. I'll be alive next year"

This video is INTENSE. I still don't know why this song stuck in my ear other than the uplifting chorus. I couldn't get into the album and I must've skipped this song a dozen times when it came up in playlists. It's very much a mood song, but it makes for very good moods.

#16. PEABOD - Love Everybody (ft Tedashii)
Album: Growing Up Pt 1
Favorite line: "Scribble 'big grin winner' on my name tag, faking out the negativity with zigzags"

PEABOD is probably my favorite thing that I discovered last year. What a fun artist. His videos are fun, his music is enjoyable and the content is relatable. 

 

 

#15-11 tomorrow - stay tuned!

Top 20 Change-up / Stay tuned!

2021 has thrown me a pretty big curveball, and I have been unable to write or post anything for the Countdown. Starting tomorrow I'll be doing a revised version of the usual effort. The Top Artist and Song posts are still going to happen, I just never found the energy to get everything running correctly for the big show. Thank you for your patience!

The 2021 Jester One Music Top 20 Countdown - Intro and Songs That Didn't Make It

Last year was tough. I couldn't go to concerts for the last 8 months. Bands couldn't record their music, and I think the general unease of the world handcuffed songwriters as well. Within 2 or 3 months of 2021 I realized that this year's Countdown was going to have bigger and better songs on it, just because people are finally getting back into the swing of making great music. That's not to knock the songs that made the list last year, but it just felt different this time around.

Of course, it seems like with each of the last 3 or 4 years I reach a point where I say "could this be the last time I do the Top 20 Countdown?". It's a curious thing to pose to myself, but at the end of the day I never saw this thing spanning over a decade, much less into year 13 as we are now. I still remember making notes and hastily scribbling down new releases way back in 2010 trying to make the 2nd Countdown something really official. Nowadays there are full paragraphs, entire pages dedicated to song, etc. It looks nothing like it did, but I'm glad I'm still doing it.

Let's take a look back at 2020's final list. 

 20. Seether - Dangerous
19. The Broken Relics - Goodbye Tennessee
18. Little Hurt - Alaska - Alaska
17. Corduroy Brown - To My Younger Self
16. Sir Sly - Material Boy
15. The Unlikely Candidates - High Low
14. The Anix - Renegade
13. Slimfit - Pineapple Pizza
12. Alright Years - Something I Can Dance To - Show Me Something
11. Nightwish - Harvest
10. Loathe - Two-Way Mirror
9. Apollo LTD - You
8. Ships In The Night - Lost Times
7. King Princess - Ohio
6. TRVSS - All The Bugs
5. Empathy Test - Monsters
4. Forever Unknown -  Bury Me
3. White Reaper - Real Long Time
2. Purity Ring - stardew
1. Lilieae - Level

 

I can honestly say that I've never seen a list quite like that. Only one returning artist (Purity Ring), and almost everyone on the list was someone that I hadn't really ever listened to before. It was a serious change-up from 2019's veteran heavy list. 2 of the top 5 are locals, 3 of the top 5 female fronted, and a decent mix of genres to boot.

Having an Ohio band at the top again is pretty cool, and if we look back on previous years we can follow the trend of locals gaining high grades. 2019 had #2 in The Broken Relics, '18 had Vesperteen and Curse of Cassandra at 3 and 4 respectively, and of course 2017 had Morning Theft taking the first local #1. I think it adds to the uniqueness of this Countdown.

 We start 2021 where we always do, with the songs that just missed the cut.

 

The Band CAMINO - 1 Last Cigarette
Album: The Band CAMINO

The opening riff and handclaps on this song are just what 2021 needed to break free from the doldrums of the year prior. The video is as chaotic as their debut record, but it's a fun song with a great sing-a-long chorus.

Beartooth - Hell of It
Album: Below

We last saw Beartooth in 2014 when they landed at #13 with "Beaten In Lips" from their debut record Disgusting. Their last two albums have been pretty good, but Below turns the vitriol up an extra notch with Caleb Shomo's signature agonized screams. Other bops on this album include "Skin" and "Fed Up". Definitely one of my favorite records of the year.

Turnstile - Mystery
Album: Glow On

One of the last bands to catch my ear with a new release this year was Turnstile, who was recommended to me by several friends. After listening to the record, I was disappointed that I hadn't caught on to it earlier. The drums drive forward and the song has an old school HxC feel to it, with some alt-rock twists. Another solid full length LP to check out if you haven't already.

Best Foot Back - Give It A Go
Album: Give It A Go single

The first local offering of the year quite literally came out of nowhere. Michael from BFB reached out to me about doing an interview, and we got together for one of the first in-person offerings I had written all year. The song is one of those that you genuinely cannot listen to just once. It's fun, catchy and upbeat, and features a great solo for those who need one of those as well.

Uncreated - Hand Grenade (ft Mark Hockings of Mesh)
Album: Symbiosis

You put Mark Hockings on a song, chances are it's gonna be a banger. Although he's a little repetitive in his writing, his stuff is super poignant and he has one of the best voices in electronic music. Uncreated only just dropped the album Symbiosis which I suppose means something from that could make the '22 Countdown... only one way to find out!

Honorable Mentions: Black Birch - Boxhead; Rhapsody of Fire - I'll Be Your Hero; Blutengel - Forever Young; Foo Fighters - No Son Of Mine; Goodnight Fear - Write My Own Story; April Art - Break the Silence; Spiritbox - We Live In A Strange World; The Scratches - Inside Out; The Protest - Greater; Jade Bird - Headstart

Countdown goes live tomorrow at noon! Stay tuned!

October 2021 Recap

 The month of spooking also brought along the return of concerts in regularity, which means local tracks are going to have a boost in the coming months. In October there was 3139 scrobbles, equaling 101 per day. Individually 2317 songs from 1063 artists equally 2.180 per.

Rock reclaimed the top genre, with Classic Rock, Oldies, Soul and 60s taking up the top 5 again. Something tells me those will be the most populous by the end of the year due to work streams. 12pm and 9am were the top two hours, while 1pm and 10am were tied for third.

 

Top Tracks for October

 

10. Children 18:3 - Homemade Valentine

 A late entry to the big show, I've never listened to a lot of Children 18:3 but this one is solid.

 

9. A Tiger Made of Lightning - Little Birds

8. A Tiger Made of Lightning - Exhausted

The ATMoL tank continues to roll.

 

7. '68 - Bad Bite

 YA YA YA YA! How can you top such great riffs and hand claps??

 

6. Teenage Wrist - Taste of Gasoline

5. Manchester Orchestra - Bed Head

4. Gang of Youths - The Angel of 8th Ave.

Three bops that I guarantee you'll see near the top of the Countdown.

 

3. TRVSS - Reset My Head (Live)

2. TRVSS - All The Bugs (Live)

Finally seeing TRVSS really built their numbers up for the month.

 

1. AFI - Beggin' For Trouble

This album is pretty great as well. It's been a surprisingly solid year for albums I'm not expecting.

Top Artists of October 

 

10. Unheilig

I really do enjoy this band - why did I wait so long to listen to them??

9. Anberlin

Comfort food in crazy months.

 

8. Creedence Clearwater Revival

If I'm ever thinking "what album should I listen to?" then usually something from CCR pops into my head. So good.

 

7. A Tiger Made of Lightning

6. The Broken Relics

I saw ATMoL in October and I'm about to see The Broken Relics next week. It's great to have local music back.
 

5. Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Little known fact perhaps, but TSO has a Halloween album to go with their Christmas trilogy. And other music, too! They're amazing. A year-round experience, truly.

 

4. TRVSS

I tell you what, kind of like many of the other locals - if TRVSS had more songs, they'd have more scrobbles. They're just outstanding.

 

3. Cold

The top dogs looking to reclaim their throne here in 2 months.

 

2. The Beatles

How high will the Beatles be by the end of this year? Even with listening to oldies all day at work, I'd be intrigued to see if any make it really high.

 

1. Curse of Cassandra

Spooky band for spooky month. Easy as that.

 

Thanks to Last.FM and The Universal Scrobbler.

September 2021 Recap

 September, as the year slides away it's almost time to get things ready for the 2021 Countdown. As for the scrobble report - 2577 scrobbles in the month, a slight drop off from August. 86 per day equally 6 days and 10 hours worth of music. 1938 individual songs from 876 artists, nabbing 2.213 per.

60's took the top genre spot from Rock, which fell off for the 2nd time in three months. Oldies, Classic Rock and Soul rounded out the top 5. 12pm, 1pm and 8pm were the three most popular hours. 

Top Tracks for September

 

10. Sam and Dave - Soul Man

9. Martha and the Vandellas - Dancing in the Street

Well, you saw the top genres. Can't be terribly surprising, right?

 

8. A Tiger Made of Lightning - You Are Who You Choose To Be

7. A Tiger Made of Lightning - My Friends, You Bow To No One

6. A Tiger Made of Lightning - It's Chaos, Be Kind

The ATMoL album is great and I was slamming it in September.

 

5. The Byrds - Turn! Turn! Turn! 

The Byrds have a great amount of hits but Turn Turn Turn and Mr Tambourine Man are just beyond incredible.

 

4. Dion - Runaround Sue

I don't remember listening to this song more times than any of the others above it. Haha

3. Assemblage 23 - Endure

Gotta keep yourself built up as the year expires.

 

2. Best Foot Back - Give It A Go

 I did an interview with BFB and they just released their new single which is a JAM.

 

1. A Tiger Made of Lightning - Little Birds

I first heard this song acoustically several months ago - the recorded version is beyond incredible.

Top Artists for September

 

10. Alessia Cara

Catching up on new releases - somebody mentioned Alessia Cara and man, this album is wild. Very minimalist for a popstar.

 

9. Neuroticfish

8. VNV Nation

In spite of not having any electronic stuff at the final genre count, I did still listen to plenty of the goods.

 

7. NF

A friend of mine had been telling me how great NF was for a long time, and for some reason I had never checked him out.  Dude hits hard.

 

6. Assemblage 23

Like I said before, the new A23 record is simply majestic.

 

5. Anberlin

Why Anberlin? To escape the doldrums of the oldies, I suppose! Why not?

 

4. Caleb Miller

Caleb Miller released a 67 track album fresh from the pandemic... so I guess he got 67 streams in September...? lol

 

3. A Tiger Made of Lightning

 Like I said, what an amazing album. If there were more than 5 tracks, there'd probably be more scrobbles.

 

2. Teenage Wrist

Album of the year, no doubt in my mind.

 

1. Blindside

Didn't see that one coming, didja? Yeah, me neither. Someone sent me a Blindside song and it ignited some heavy nostalgia. Even after all these years, they're tremendous.

Thanks to Last.FM and The Universal Scrobbler.

 

August 2021 Recap

 Back to work meant a hearty 67% increase on streams, with 3295. That's also the highest number for any single month in 2021. 2412 tracks from 1170 artists meant more exploration, with the average only being 2.062 for the month.

Top genre was Rock again, followed by the old guard of Classic Rock, Oldies, 60s and Pop. 10am and 11am were the top hours, with 5pm rounding out the top three. 

Top Tracks for August

 

10. Bob Dylan - Like a Rolling Stone

The oldies influx was back after spending two months away.

 

9.  Acceptance - At the Edge of the Earth

This song continues to climb as the year pushes forward. For being a band I never really cared for, I am definitely surprised at their ability to put out such a bop-worthy jam.

8. '68 - Bad Bite

I'm disappointed in myself for not listening to this album for four months after its release. Shame, shame. This song is a ROCKET.

7. Eagles - Take it Easy

6. Asia - Heat of the Moment

5. Everly Brothers - Bye Bye Love

Like I said... it was an oldies/classic rock reunion party with all the old bros showing back up.

4. Manchester Orchestra - Bed Head

This song is as good as this album is bad. Every now and then there'll be a song on the Countdown that ends up really high in spite of me hating the record it's from.

 

3. Dexter Freebish - Leaving Town

I mean, this is my all-time favorite song, right?

 

2. Assemblage 23 - Factory

So, so good. Oh my stars, Tom Shear can write some slamming sad music.

 

1. The Stuts - Another Hit of Showmanship (feat Albert Hammond Jr)

At the rate this song is going, it might end up the #1 played song as well as the top entry in the 2021 Top 20 Countdown.

Top Artists for August

 

10. Sam Cooke

It wouldn't be an oldies-heavy month without The Man Who Invented Soul.

9. VNV Nation

8. Cold

Cold definitely wants their crown back from VNV this year.

7. Joy Electric

"Who haven't I listened to much in the last two decades that I used to love?"

6. Fashion Week

First concert back after a year and a half? My old friends Fashion Week, who I think are looking to move up on the Local Artists list at the end of the year.

5. Vanessa Carlton

-see Joy Electric-

 

4. The Rolling Stones

There are some years where I love The Beatles more, there are some years I prefer The Stones. Who knows what that is.

3. Dead Schembechlers

Ohio State football was back so I figured I'd give Ohio State's unofficial band a good spin.

2. Assemblage 23

That new record... whew. I put it down for a few months but it's in full rotation right now.

1. John Reuben

Listen, Linda. When I saw my current friends Fashion Week announcing a show at my church with an artist I grew up obsessed with, I had to get back on the Reubonic train. He was SO good live, and I'm not just saying that because it was the first concert I had attended since last March.

Thanks to Last.FM and The Universal Scrobbler.

July 2021 Recap

Yeah yeah, I'm late again...........

July was a month that I had figured would be a big time blow up for scrobbles. I spent most of the month sitting on the couch or doing activities to heal from knee surgery, but I really didn't spend a lot of extra time listening to music. I was more invested in watching TV and such, so the numbers were a bit down. 

1984 scrobbles is actually the lowest for any month since October of 2019. It equals out to 64 per day, which I guess is still a lot, all things considered. 1612 tracks from 544 artists, equalling out to a beefy 2.963 per artist. 

Metal was the top genre for the first time in my memory, and it's the first non "rock" month since March. Rock, Industrial, Futurepop and Nu Metal filled out the top 5, with 1pm, 12pm and 2pm being the most popular hours. 

 

Top Tracks for July

 

10. Superchick - Get Up

Don't ask me where I started listening to that album again. Something spiked in the back of my head, and so this was a big song for that month.

9. Eisbrecher - Vergissmeinnicht

When I first started dating my wife, this was a song that she used to play all the time. I had no idea that it was really atypical to Eisbrecher's style, but it's still one that bops for me.

8. Common Children - Strange Rain

Jamming to Common Children 20+ years later really is something strange. But they were great songwriters with a tremendous sound. Honestly one of those albums and bands that should've been bigger.

7. Apoptygma Berzerk - Kathy's Song (Victoria Remix by VNV Nation)

This song is the ultimate 7 minute comfort blanket for me.

 

6. Acceptance - At The Edge of the Earth

This song just keeps kicking hard through the year. I guarantee it's top 10 for the Countdown this year.

5. Zeta- Transcend

One day I will meet someone else who knows this band and this album. Until then, it's almost like my own beautiful hidden treasure.

 

4. Wrench in the Works - Gethsemane

I was talking to my buddy Matt about the old Christian metalcore scene and I remembered one of my all-time favorite records. It still holds up, too. Brutal stuff.

 

3. Icon of Coil - Dead Enough for Life

This song pops up on just about every EBM playlist I ever find. Just a timeless bop.

 

2. Teenage Wrist - Taste of Gasoline

I think the winds are changing on what Teenage Wrist song will be on the Countdown.

 

1. The Struts - Another Hit of Showmanship (ft Albert Hammond)

I don't love love this album, but this song pumps me up every time I hear it.

 

 

Top Artists for July

 

10. Assemblage 23

That new album is really clicking with me right now.

 

9. Eisbrecher

The NDH Metal playlist was fully activated for July

 

8. VNV Nation

There are so many months where I just listen to VNV and Assemblage 23 without even noticing it. Haha

 

7. Wrench in the Works

The odd thing about Wrench for me is that Decrease/Increase is a top 5 all time metal album for me, while Lost Art of Heaping Coal is wholly mediocre in my book. 

6. Unheilig

Considering how much I listen to NDH stuff and how much my wife loves this band, I was surprised to realize that I had never actually listened to any of their albums. Oops.

 

5. Rammstein

4. Megaherz

One begats the other, right?

 

3. Icon of Coil

 Icon of Coil is an interesting one for me, because I really don't like much of anything Combichrist does, but the Machines Are Us album is so fantastic, I just can't believe they abandoned the project for a different sound.

 

2. Psychostick

At one point I was listening to P-Stick and I realized that a lot of their "skit" material isn't actually on streaming sites. Fortunately I own all of their albums, and so I spent a lot of time in July catching up with them.

 

1. Slipknot

In spite of the fact that it happened at the end of the month, the passing of Joey Jordison made Slipknot the most important artist for me for July, and they had almost twice as many as any other artist.

Thanks to Last.FM and The Universal Scrobbler.

June 2021 Recap

 Alright... we're all caught up for now. June!

2493 scrobbles... I kind of thought not being at work that I'd spend more time listening to music, but that was not the case, as it was only 83 per day. 2095 tracks from 862 artists, for a hearty 2.430 per. 

Top genres... Rock, Alternative Rock, Industrial, Nu Metal, and Alternative. The oldies definitely fell off from the lack of work, which makes for a curious comparison between the time spent between the two. 12p was the most popular hour, followed closely by 9 and 10pm.

Top Tracks for June

 

10. Megaherz - 5. Marz

Megaherz has some bops but this song always stands out for me and gets me amped up.

 

9. Goodnight Fear - Anxious

8. Goodnight Fear - Open Road

7. Goodnight Fear - 10

I did an album review for Goodnight Fear in June, and it was a pretty solid record. I think this is more of a statement that not too many songs got a lot of plays.

 

6. Cold - Rain Song

I really don't remember spending a lot of time with this song, but I listen to so much Cold that anything is possible lol.

 

5. Neuroticfish - Illusion of Home

I'm pretty sure Neuroticfish will show up on the top artists at years end. I have really been leaning into them and especially this song.

 

4. Goodnight Fear - Write My Own Story

This was the standout track on the GF album for me.

 

3. The OC Supertones - Dedication

It was a Supertones refresher month, and honestly they were better than I remembered. Those first five albums were just fantastic.

 

2. Oomph! - Tausend Neue Lugen

Still chugging along, and bringing more NDH with it!

 

1. Cold - Cure My Tragedy

 This song has steadily increased its presence over the last few months. I mean, there's a reason why it's almost always Cold's most streamed song at the end of the year.

 

Top Artists for June

 

10. Matchbox Twenty

 One of the things I've been doing a lot of since I was sidelined with surgery was listening to old albums that I loved. M20's first 3 albums are simply that. Brilliant records.

9. Lamb of God

In listening to LoG's newer stuff, I needed to remind myself of how much I enjoyed their earlier stuff. And by earlier, I mean Ashes of the Wake and Sacrament.

 

8. Sevendust

You know, I don't remember listening to this much 7D?

 

7. Puddle of Mudd

A friend of mine told me her band was getting the chance to open for Puddle of Mudd and so I knew I had to look back on their early stuff. They're a running joke now, but those first two records had some jams.

 

6. Voltaire

 I was wondering when the Captain would make another appearance here. He's actually had a fairly steady presence this year.

 

5. Kidneythieves

It hit me midway through June that I had never actually listened to a full Kidneythieves record, for as much as I enjoyed tracks off of Zerospace. Well, I learned that hard way that that album is all I can tolerate from them. But it's SO good!

 

4. Goodnight Fear

It did feel good doing an album review again.

3. Cold

For not specifically focusing on Cold this month, they still registered the third most scrobbles, just behind the Supertones.

2. The OC Supertones

 So good. Ska forever, man.

 

1. Korn

 The thing about Korn is that I still fully enjoy all of their albums up until Untitled. And even after that, there's good stuff to be found. I'm not angry like I was back then, but I still feel the power of those riffs and such.

Thanks to Last.FM and The Universal Scrobbler.

May 2021 Recap

 A new month, another strong showing of scrobbles. Lots of time at work to spend listening, but also a lot of time spent outside enjoying the weather now that things have started opening again. 3217 scrobbles, equaling a hearty 104 per day, and 8 days 14h worth of music. 1120 artists doing 2407 individual songs, an average of 2.149 per artist. 

Rock, Oldies, 60s, Soul and Alternative Rock continued their runs as the top genres. 12pm was the most prolific hour, just edging by 9 and 10am. Nothing really jumped out as a time where there were a heavier amount of songs being played, which is somewhat unusual.

Top Tracks for May

So here's a fun sidenote... there were 21 songs tied for 8th this month. Highly unusual.... so I guess I'll have to flip some coins for where they land. 

Random spin initiated... 5, 4, 3, 2, 1....

T8. Sam Cooke - Chain Gang

There were actually 4 Sam Cooke songs tied at 8, including Twistin' the Night Away, Wonderful World and Bring It On Home To Me. A good week for soul.

T8. Cold - Insane

Amusingly, there were also two Cold songs, along with Sad Happy. I love the self-titled love, though.

T8. Argyle Park - Leave Me Alone

The angstier I feel, the more I listen to Circle of Dust and Argyle Park.

7. The Wallflowers - One Headlight

Feels like every time I flipped on a playlist that wasn't oldies, this song popped up. It's the one I want played at my funeral. lol

6. Teenage Wrist - Earth is a Black Hole

The TW assault continues. This album is better than anything I've heard in the last two years.

 

5. Oomph! - Tausend Neue Legend

Fell back in love with Oomph while working in the garage in May. This song is a thousand hammers, for sure.

4. Carole King - So Far Away

Boy, you couldn't pick two more disparate songs to come back to back, huh?

3. beabadoobie - Last Day On Earth

This one came out of nowhere. I was looking at our local alt station's playlist and suddenly I was listening to it on repeat.

2. Bill Haley and His Comets - See You Later, Alligator

Bill Haley was just fun, fun music back then. I wish I could've lived in the days where this was the norm.

1. Teenage Wrist - Taste of Gasoline

The opening track off of this record hits harder sometimes. It's a bit poppier but it slams just the same.

Top Artists for May

T11. Johnny Cash
T11. KMFDM

Oh, sure, two artists from complete opposite ends of the spectrum. Why not? Lol. So many ties this month, what gives??

9. Audioslave

I mentioned Cornell Forever last month, and so here we are. I'd expect the other two to be here as well.

8. Anberlin

Anberlin is red hot in 2021 for me. I mean, they always are, but just the same. The flame is continually fed.

7. Sam Cooke

I genuinely thought Sam would be higher this month.

 

6. Argyle Park

See above for angst.

5. Cold

Cold was way ahead the last two months, but slid back a little. They still have a massive lead on the year, unsurprisingly.

 

4. Chris Cornell

For whatever reason, there's always a time for Soundgarden and Audioslave in my daily life, but not usually his solo work. Not because it isn't great, it just doesn't fit into the nooks and crannies of my normal day to day operations.

3. Evanescence

In anticipation of their new album, Amy + Co got some spins in May.

 

2. Oomph!

Oomph actually almost landed at #1, which would have been a massive surprise...

 

1. Soundgarden

...considering it was Cornell Forever month. Still, there was just 3 scrobbles between the two.

I'm almost caught up, lol

 

Thanks to Last.FM and The Universal Scrobbler.

April 2021 Recap

 April! Scrobbles were up 47% from last month's drop off, generating 2972 unique listens, an average of 99 per day. 2066 individual tracks from 999 artists, equalling 2.068 per. 

Top genres were Rock, Classic Rock, Alternative Rock, Soul, and Oldies. Top hours were 9am, 1pm and 8am. 

Top Tracks for April

 

10. Sam Cooke -  (What A) Wonderful World

For my money, this song will always be one of the greatest compositions of all time. 

 

9. Ricky Nelson - Garden Party

I honestly know so little about Ricky Nelson other than his great voice. I should do more digging.

 

8. Eddie Cochran - Summertime Blues

There are millions of guitarists around the world trying to duplicate the brilliance of the riff on this song. Not bad for a song released 63 years ago.

 

7. Echo Image - Walk My Mind

This might just end up being my #1 song on the J1 Top 20 this year. It has rocketed off to a huge start in its first two months.

 

6. Wings - Band on the Run

Such a tremendous song... I can't think of many songs that segue from one part to another so seamlessly and perfectly.

 

 

5. Parralox - Eye in the Sky

 I accidentally fell into this song messing around with covers and remembering that Parralox had some bopper electronic versions of songs that seemed unlikely. This one truly came out of nowhere.

 

4. Cold - Cure My Tragedy

The emotional rollercoaster of this month's most played songs is somewhat troubling, although it was nice to finally take off the N95 and face shield.

 

3. Eagles - Take it Easy

Yes, I'll take "Prevalent Oldies" for 200, Alex.

 

2. Teenage Wrist - Earth is a Black Hole

 The battle for top song will be tight this year, but I'd say Teenage Wrist has already run away with top album.

1. Tom Petty - I Won't Back Down

...same as it ever was...

Top Artists for April

T10. Creedence Clearwater Revival, Eagles, Marvin Gaye

Oldies, oldies, oldies. This is an accurate spelling of a good oldies mix for me. Lol

9. Mudvayne

Mudvayne is (apparently) BACK! At least, for some concerts. New music? Who knows.

8. Sam Cooke

Any time I listen to oldies, I mean real oldies, Sam Cooke is there.

7. Rammstein

At the end of the month, I had an urge to splurge on some tanz-metal. Not just R+, but they were prevalent.

6. Alice in Chains

A few weeks into April, I was thinking about how I really hadn't given AIC's post Layne records a fair shake. I figured it was a good time to revisit. I still don't love them but I liked them better than I remembered.

5. Anberlin

With Anberlin doing a new stream every month, they are engraving their names in the top 10 artists for each month.

4. Chris Cornell

3. Soundgarden

2. Audioslave

Even though Cornell Forever is in May, I was really feeling him in April this year.

1. Cold

...s... same as it... ever was?

Thanks to Last.FM and The Universal Scrobbler.

March 2021 Recap

 March marked a severe fall-off, as I spent less time playing music at work. Only 2032 scrobbles, averaging 66 per day. That's the least I've scrobbled in a month in over 2 years. 

Top genre was Futurepop, unseating Rock's reign of the last 3 months. Synthpop, EBM, Rock and Electronic filled out the top 5. Top hours were 9pm, 10pm and surprisingly 3pm, which is usually a rather docile hour. 

Exactly 1600 tracks played by 764 artists, averaging out at 2.094 per track. 40% new tracks from 18% new artists, which are rather high numbers considering I'm usually playing oldies and classic rock. 

Top Tracks for March

 

10. Demon Hunter - My Throat is an Open Grave

 The DH nostalgia was still pretty heavy for the month of March. I was chatting with a friend about the times we had seen them on tour and this song was anchored in my mind.

9. And One - Steine Sind Steine

I honestly think this track got me back on the EBM kick. It's a shame that so few of And One's records are on streaming platforms.

8. Tom Petty - I Won't Back Down

I think it's pretty clear that this song is going to repeat as #1 most played.

7. Teenage Wrist - Earth is a Black Hole

I'm genuinely upset that I had never heard about this band before hearing this song. The entire album has been on repeat for a while now.

 

6. Echo Image - Walk My Mind

Hard to believe that a band who has been dormant for 20 years had a song up their sleeve that was this good. Here's to more EI in 2021.

 

5. Apoptygma Berzerk - Kathy's Song (VNV Nation Remix)

Eternal.

 

4. Nightbirde - It's OK

This song continues to help me battle through difficult times as the pandemic wanes down.

 

3. VNV Nation - Illusion

2. Assemblage 23 - Endure

If EBM and Electronic music are the head genres, you can bet these two songs will always be there

 

1. And One - One And

 This album is tremendous and I'm disappointed that I had never listened to it before, either. Thank goodness for the internet.

 

Top Artists for March

 

10. mind.in.a.box

From time to time I really try to understand mind.in.a.box. The storyline is great, the music is solid, yet on every album there's only ever 1 or 2 songs that stand out, if any. I don't know what it is other than the vocals that would catch me.

 

9. Demon Hunter

 N o s t a l g i a. It's eternal in this pandemic where we cannot do anything

 

8. Assemblage 23

Where there's smoke, there's fire. I'll let you guess what artists are coming up next, lol.

 

7. Tom Petty

Surprise! I know, right? Tom sneaking in amongst all this dark music.

 

6. Neuroticfish

NF finally got their discography onto Spotify, and I've finally been able to dig in and DAMN they're good. I mean, I knew they were good, but they're better than I expected.

 

5. VNV Nation

Ok, that makes more sense. With A23 comes VNV. It's like a rule or something.

 

4. Circle of Dust

Long live electronic music. I'm not sure how COD snuck around all the EBM and Synthpop, but here we are.

 

3. And One

Finding the rest of And One's discography was a blessing - their S.T.O.P. album is a jam. 

 

2. Solar Fake

I can't say I love the new Solar Fake disc, which is highly surprising considering the last two were massive hits for me.

 

1. Apoptygma Berzerk

One day, I was just sitting out on the patio and I was like, you know what, I'm just gonna listen to everything AB has released. They had just put out a b-sides record and I needed more. It was a good couple of days going through all of that.

 

Thanks to Last.FM and The Universal Scrobbler.

February 2021 Recap

 I'm late, I know.

February! The shortest month of the year still accrued 2329 scrobbles, which is 3 more per day despite being 7% less than last month. Played back to back it would cover 6 days and 8 hours. 1762 tracks from 840 artists, good for 2.098 per track. 

 

Top 5 genres were Rock, Classic Rock, Oldies, Pop and 60s. The top 3 were unchanged from last month, while 9am, 8am and 12pm were the most popular hours. 

Top Tracks for February 

 

10. Don Henley - The End of Innocence

You know it's an emotional month if this song is in the top 10

 

9. Cold - End of the World

...then again, maybe it was an angry month? Nah, it was just a very Cold heavy month.

 

8. Bobby Darin - Beyond the Sea

I really don't think Bobby Darin gets enough credit among the old great crooners.

 

7. Avril Lavinge - I Don't Give A Damn

 6. Avril Lavigne - Fall to Pieces

 Yeah, well, sometimes you fall back on your old crushes. I don't know where Fall to Pieces came from, but IDGAD was what started the Avril nostalgia. 

 

5. The Lovin' Spoonful - Do You Believe In Magic

One of those great old earworms that overtakes your mind when you hear it.

 

4. The Cars - You Might Think

At some point, I just started listening to this one on repeat.

 

3. Crowded House - Something So Strong

 A popular karaoke staple, and since I couldn't sing karaoke in February, I just belted it out for myself.

 

2. Common Children - Strange Rain

 I can't remember what specific day it was, but it was raining and I was playing my Rainy Days playlist, and this song smacked me like a ton of bricks at lunch time.

 

1. Tom Petty - I Won't Back Down

Last year's king looking to reclaim his crown!

Top Artists for February

10. The Monkees

Just one of those months, I guess. Sad and happy, happy and sad, all over the place.

9. Foo Fighters

I'm not gonna say I love the new FF album, but it has a few good tracks on it. Not bad, for sure.

 

8. Fats Domino

Is there ever a bad time for Fats? Or the Big Bopper? Just feels right in the oldies factory.

 

7. Colony 5

Still riding that Colony 5 high. I just wish they had more music to discover.

6. Switchfoot

I got to see SF to an anniversary livestream for The Beautiful Letdown and I had somehow forgotten how much I loved that record.

 

5. The Frozen Ocean

I think the most interesting thing about pandemic-times is the random artists that I just want to binge on.

 

4. Common Children

Still as good as they were in the 90s, and still criminally underrated.

 

3. Anberlin

Two great livestreams this month, with both Anberlin and Switchfoot rattling my brains. 

 

2. Avril Lavigne

Once she sucked me in, I was all locked up. It's like I was a soph in high school all over again, lol.

 

1. Cold

The big dogs are swinging heavy in 2021.

Thanks to Last.FM and The Universal Scrobbler.

January 2021 Recap

 I've decided to bring this feature back. I always enjoyed doing it, and I feel like it helps me bust through mental blocks in regular writing.

January, the first month of the year. It's a month where I'm detoxing from the Top 20 Countdown and Christmas music. For the month of January in 2021, I had 2482 scrobbles, an average of 80 per day, equaling 7 days and 2 hours of music. 1937 tracks from 860 artists, making for 2.25 streams per song.

Top 5 Genres were Rock, Classic Rock, Oldies, 80s and Alternative Rock. The 3 most scrobbled hours of the week were 12p, 1p, and 10a. 

Top Tracks for January

10. Tom Petty - I Won't Back Down

Last year's most streamed song continues to rack up plays. 

9. Nightbirde - It's Ok

Considering the lyrical content, this is a song that I expect to be kicking around on the top lists for a while.

8. John Mayer - Clarity

An old favourite that had fallen off the radar and came back with a fury. It's bizarre that this is a Mayer song considering how out of place it feels with his poppiest hits.

7. Five for Fighting - Superman (It's Not Easy)

If you're wondering where my headspace was in January, here's the ultimate "I don't believe in myself" song.

6. Elvis Presley - All Shook Up

 I honestly didn't realize I listened to this song so many times last month. Lol

5. VNV Nation - The Farthest Star

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

4. Romy - Lifetime

 Keep your eyes on this one in the year end Countdown... I have a feeling.

3. Fleetwood Mac - Say You Love Me

2. Eagles - Take It Easy

Both of these are songs that once I hear them, I have to play them again. And again, and again.

 1. Eleventyseven - All The Doubt In Town

 Kind of a surprise at the top of the list. I think this song just hit me in a sad place and pulled me to a happy place, so here it is.

 

Top Artists for January

 

10. Foo Fighters

The promise of new Foos had be scrolling through old Foos.

9. Colony 5

I can't remember what it was at the beginning of the month that told me I needed to spend more time with Colony 5, but I went and found some of their rarer stuff and was hooked back in.

8. Elvis Presley

Again, I don't remember listening to a lot of Elvis. Lol

7. Brave the Sea

 Now that sea shanties are apparently a huge deal on TikTok, I had to spend some extra time with Brave the Sea.

6. Wolfsheim

 With Colony 5 came Wolfsheim, except in heavier doses.

5. VNV Nation

 Last year's top streamed band comes in at #5 for the first month.

4. Five Iron Frenzy

Two words. New FIF record. Okay, so that's 5 words. Oh well.

3. Cold

Cold is looking to reclaim their crown from VNV in 2021.

2. Sevendust

1. Demon Hunter

I wanted to listen through the old catalogue of old favourite bands, so I hooked into Dust and DH in January. This might be a theme throughout the year, we'll see.

Thanks to Last.FM and The Universal Scrobbler.

Jester One 2020 - Top 20 Local Artists and Most Played Songs

With another year in the books, I figured I might as well take a look at the top local artists and songs that I was spinning this past year. We'll start with the top artist list.  For reference, in 2020 I listened to 4090 unique artists. I'll put each one in how they fell in the overall rank in parentheses. I'm also excluding the signed artists from this list, such as Relient K, The National and House of Heroes.

Top 20 Most Played Local Artists

20. Hello Emerson (T334)

T18. The Raquels (T279)

T18. Glassworld (T279)

17. Corduroy Brown (T264)

16. Grumpy Plum (T252)

15. Threat Level Midnight (T242)

14. So Long Stargazer (T234)

13. Atimera (T203)

12. Slimfit (T183)

T10. James Truslow (T172)

T10. Fashion Week (T172)

9.  Thomas and the Work-Men (T125)

8. label me lecter (T118)

7. TRVSS (T95)

6. Lilieae (90)

5. Curse of Cassandra (81)

4. Wandering Stars (72)

3. Forever Unknown (55)

2. The Broken Relics (37)

1. Truslow (36)

 

I think with the lack of local shows, I didn't really find a ton of new bands to fall in love with this year. TRVSS, Lilieae, Corduroy Brown, and Glassworld are all newcomers, but usually I tend to find more new bands than that too fall in love with every year covering the local scene. There isn't much for the way of surprises here either; I spent a lot of time listening to the top 3 bands, while most of the others just had 1 or 2 songs that got a decent amount of streams. Still, for the 20th most listened to local band to be 334 out of 4090 different bands, I feel like I spent a good chunk of time in my state.

Here's the list of most played songs. There were 14,837 unique songs streamed in 2020.

 

Top 20 Most Played Local Songs

20. Grumpy Plum - Dollhouse (T282)

19. Fashion Week - Tell Me Something (T212)

T17. Truslow - Vacation (T180)

T17. Truslow - ADHD (T180)

T14. The Broken Relics - Don't Look Back (T161)

T14. label me lecter - Someday (T161)

T14. James Truslow - Greater (T161)

13. Slimfit - Pineapple Pizza (T140)

T11. So Long Stargazer - Fall Behind (T125)

T11. James Truslow - Overwhelmed (T125)

10. Forever Unknown - Don't Know Where We're Going (T114)

9. The Broken Relics - Goodbye Tennessee (T98)

8. The Broken Relics - Lost Again (T77)

7. Corduroy Brown - To My Younger Self (T69)

T5. Truslow - Words of the Wise (T53)

T5. Truslow - Hurricane (T53)

4. TRVSS - All The Bugs - Live (29)

3. The Broken Relics - Where The Creatures Roam (28)

2. Forever Unknown - Bury Me (26)

1. Lilieae - Level (2)

 

Lilieae took the #1 spot in my Top 20 Countdown for the year, and of course was the most streamed new song for the year as well. Three of the five top streamed songs came from new artists for me, which I appreciate in a year where there really weren't any shows for 9 months. Just the same, almost fifteen thousand individual songs were streamed, and 20 of the top 282 (7%) were local offerings. Of course, this list mirrors the top artist list, and having 20 songs from 12 artists shows an obvious love for a few. Perhaps there will be more variety next year, as concerts (hopefully) start to roll back around. We shall see!

(all stats provided by Last.FM)

Jester One 2020 - 25 Top Artists

 Back at it! In 2020 there were a mind boggling 36,620 scrobbles, which equates to 98 days and 16 hours of streaming. All of that came from 4090 different artists, an average of 8.954 streams per artist. Top 5 genres from the year were Rock, Classic Rock, Alternative Rock, Pop and Alternative. The hours that had the most scrobbles throughout the year were 12p-1p, 9a-10a, and 10p-11p, while Monday and Thursday were the two busiest days for streaming. That makes two years in a row that Monday is the busiest day - how curious?

Here's the key - 

TY. Artist (LY)
Top Track (TY)

25. Trans-Siberian Orchestra (NR in 2019)
Top Track: Christmas Eve / Sarajevo 12/24 (T180)

TSO ended at #40 last year, and usually gets a heavy run in the last 3 months of the year. In lieu of being able to see them live, I just listened to them a heck of a lot more than usual this year. 82% of their scrobbles came from December, of course, and in total they had 69 songs register at least one stream.

 

24. Wolfsheim (9)
Top Track: Künstliche Welten (T53)

There's no stopping the German duo, who have cracked the Top 25 each of the last 3 years. "Künstliche Welten" had just 1 more stream than the usual leader "Blind", both of which come from the always popular Spectators album that registered the 16th most streams this year.

 

23. Demon Hunter (6)
Top Track: The Negative (T98)

Demon Hunter is also making their 3rd consecutive appearance on the Top 25, albeit quite a bit lower than last year. Of course, in 2019 they released 2 albums simultaneously, blowing their scrobble total way up and also landing them in the Top 20 Countdown as well. The band has put out 10 albums in 18 years, and I'm not sure if they're planning on slowing down any time soon.

 

22. Rush (NR)
Top Track: Limelight (T59)

The passing of Neil Peart brought a resurgent focus onto Canada's premier rock act. Moving Pictures still rates as one of my all-time favourite classic rock records, but I spent more time digging deeper into their discography in 2020, with songs like "Marathon" and "Distant Early Warning" landing in the 5 most scrobbled songs for the band.

 

21. Johnny Cash (NR)
Top Track: I Won't Back Down (T335)

One of the biggest benefactors of the oldies resurgance was Johnny Cash, who moved up from 91st last year to #21. Amusingly, the biggest hit was a cover of Tom Petty, of which the original version was the most streamed song of the year for me. All told, 42 different songs had at least 1 play, landing Cash in the Top 25. 

 

20. The Birthday Massacre (15)
Top Track: All of Nothing (T125)

The Birthday Massacre are another band that have made it to all 3 Top 25 Artist lists for me, with this year coming from listening to their entire discography to support the release of their album Diamonds.  While the new record definitely wasn't my favourite offering from the group, I still found plenty to enjoy in 2020, with "All of Nothing" being their most streamed song for the third consecutive year.

 

19. The Four Tops (NR)
Top Track: It's The Same Old Song (37)

The Four Tops Greatest Hits are required listening in my house. "Reach Out I'll Be There" "Baby I Need Your Loving" "Bernadette" "Standing In The Shadows Of Love"... the list goes on and on. If you're feeling bad and want to dance, they are the band for you.

 

18. Sevendust (NR)
Top Track: Enemy (T409)

The Dust boys were just barely out last year at #28 and had 11 different tracks with at least 5 scrobbles, showing versatility. Also, each of the top 5 songs (Enemy, Waffle, Black, Decay, T.O.A.B.) are from 5 different records. Gotta love em. They just dropped a new record that I can't wait to dive into. They'll surely be back in the Top 25 in '21.

17. The Beatles (NR)
Top Track: Eleanor Rigby and Nowhere Man (T335)

The Beatles finally broke through this year on the strength of 57 different songs getting at least 1 play, including double digits for six of them. "Eleanor Rigby" continues to be the pace car for this group, but I found a new appreciation for songs like "Lady Madonna" due to one of my residents being a massive Beatles fan. 

16. Audioslave (NR)
Top Track: I Am The Highway (T241)

Audioslave slides back in after falling out in '21, thanks to my friend Josh and I doing "Best of Chris Cornell Bracket" when March Madness was cancelled. Not that I need an excuse to listen to their self-titled record, which is possibly my all-time favourite record. "I Am The Highway" grabbed the most streams, knocking "Like A Stone" off of the pedestal after 2 consecutive years on top. 

15. Mesh (5)
Top Track: The Last One Standing (8)

Once again, "The Last One Standing" and "The Fixer" pushed Mesh into the Top 25, accounting for 37.22% of their streams for the year.  Last year they made up for 45.5%, showing a little more versatility in the British duo's discography. It's been 4 years since their last record, and I'm dying for something new. Each one that they've released has shown maturity from the prior albums.

 

14. Rich Mullins (NR)
Top Track: Alrightokuhhuhamen (42)

There was a point where I had just started my new job, and I wanted to listen to worship music on the Sunday's I worked. That led me back to ol' Rich, and for four months I was hammering the repeat button for his Songs compilation, which ended up being the most streamed record of the year for me. "My One Thing" finished at #46 as well this year, giving him two in the top 50.

13. Eagles (NR)
Top Track: Take It Easy (T98)

For the Eagles, it's always "Take It Easy" and the rest of the songs, despite how much I love them. By the end of the year, they had 11 different songs with at least 5 plays, and 24 with at least two. One of the benefits of being able to play classic rock at work is more Eagles.

12. Sam Cooke (NR)
Top Track: (What A) Wonderful World (14)

With "(What A) Wonderful World" cracking the Top 30 for the second consecutive year, it was high time for Sam Cooke to make it, and he made it big in 2020. "Bring It On Home To Me" and "Twistin' The Night Away" both tied at 86 this year as well. Can't argue with The Man Who Invented Soul.

11. Chris Cornell (NR)
Top Track: You Know My Name (44)

Remember what I said about the Cornell Bracket? That meant that I listened to all of his works, and spent a lot of time with "You Know My Name", which actually won the bracket for me. I'm pretty sure Soundgarden will be way up on the list as well, giving him the trifecta across the board.

10. Elvis Presley (NR)
Top Track: Burning Love (T53)

Easily the biggest jumper from last year, Elvis moved from a tie for 137th to #10 in 2020, on the strength of 8 different song getting double digit streams. "Suspicious Minds" was also tied for 86th on the list, with a surprising new favourite in "King Creole" coming next for The King. 

9. Aurelio Voltaire (NR)
Top Track: Captains All (T409)

I don't want to say it was quantity over quality for Voltaire, but I did listen to the majority of his discography in 2020, a whopping 143 different songs getting at least one scrobble. He did finish 26th last year, just barely missing the cut, so it's not to say anything against the Captain. Also, it was a big leap from 10 to 9 this year - AV had 23 more scrobbles than Elvis - none of the previous artists had more than 8 scrobbles between them.

8. George Carlin (NR)
Top Track: N/A...

Hahaha... back in May I decided I needed some laughs to help with Ohio being shut down, so I went back through George Carlin's entire catalogue and listening to everything. This isn't the first time I've done this, but that's over 200 tracks with just one or two streams. Lol...

 

7. Five Iron Frenzy (20)
Top Track: Dandelions (T180)

Ska was my ultimate comfort in 2020, with the usual kings FIF leading the way. "Dandelions" was kind of a surprise nostalgia hit for me this year, as I didn't really love it when it first came out. Five Iron was 25th in 2019, #20 last year and has leapt to #7 this time around, with a new album slated for 2021 release. Where will they end up next year? Only time will tell.

 

6. Soundgarden (22)
Top Track: Outshined (T282)

Ah, there's Soundgarden. The argument of Audioslave vs Soundgarden is always a fun one to have, as both bands have 2 amazing albums (Superunknown and Badmotorfinger for SG, Self titled and Out of Exile for AS). The big difference in streams is that Soundgarden also has 5 other records to choose form, each with solid songs on them. I would say Superunknown is my favourite from the Seattle grungers, with 6 of the top 10 SG songs on it this year.

5. Evanescence (NR)
Top Track: Anywhere (4)

The next biggest stream difference comes with Evanescence landing 42 ahead of Soundgarden, on the strength of the early year Origin obsession. For as popular as Fallen and The Open Door were, I still have always preferred their earlier EPs and demos to anything they've done since being signed. In fact, Origin made up 44.45% of their total streams this year, with older tracks making up 29.89%. I don't say it to be a hipster, I just genuinely enjoy that material a lot more than the newer stuff. I'm really curious as to what their new record will sound like next year.

4. Assemblage 23 (4)
Top Track: Endure (23)

And here's where we truly separate the wheat from the chaff. A23 had a mind-boggling 134 more scrobbles than Evanescence, with 25 different tracks getting at least 5 streams. "Damaged" rolled in at T86, while "Endure" found a life that I never thought possible for an instrumental song. Endure the album was 10th among all album streams as well. They released a new album late last year which hasn't really made a true impact on me yet, and I'll be intrigued to see if they can make it into the Top 20 Countdown again. 

 

3. Anberlin (3)
Top Track: Cadence (T114)

Anberlin lands at #3 again, and in 3 years of Top 25 Artist lists, they've had 3 different songs top their most streamed list. The band did several live-stream concerts this year, which made me fall in love with their older material even more than I already was. Their first two albums, Blueprints for the Black Market and Never Take Friendship Personal registered 14 and 17th among the most streamed records of the year.

 

2. Cold (1)
Top Track: Sad Happy (T140)

Well, your surprise is my surprise here. The kings of the last year 3 years slid to second in 2020. Perhaps there was a little burnout after spending a lot of time with their new record last year, but they still managed to have 12 different songs register double-digit scrobbles. Year of the Spider had the 4th most streams among albums, while 13 Ways To Bleed Onstage and A Different Kind Of Pain were 11th and 12th respectively. Cold began to tour early this year, only to have it halted just a few weeks before it came here. I think I was pretty sore about that too, but here's hoping for 2021.

 

1. VNV Nation (2)
Top Track: Only Satellites (9)

I looked at the top scrobbles back in December and was surprised to see how close the top 3 were. At the end of the day, VNV Nation had exactly ONE stream more than Cold. ONE!! And 8 more than Anberlin. What a race. "The Farthest Star" (17) and "Carry You" (16) gave VNV 3 entries in the Top 30 Played songs, and even Arena was tied for 59th. VNV is more top-heavy than Cold or Anberlin, but they still had 22 songs with at least 5 scrobbles.

At the end of the year, VNV Nation accounted for 1.294% of all streams, Cold 1.291%, Anberlin 1.275% and Assemblage 1.133%. Pretty cool to see how those numbers play out every year.

Well, with 15 new artists, that means a big shuffle of songs exited this year. Last year only six bands fell out - here's the list for this year.

Key: LY. Artist (TY)

 

25. Blindside (132)
24. Fuel (65)
23. And One (113)
21. Solitary Experiments (41)
19. The Cure (76)
18. Solar Fake (70)
17. Circle of Dust (188)
16. Ashbury Heights (104)
14. The Broken Relics (37)
13. Korn (33)
12. Slipknot (45)
11. Truslow (36)
10. Curse of Cassandra (81)
8. Rammstein (57)
7. Apoptygma Berzerk (31) 

 

No new Blindside album came, or even any updates from them. The Cure also promised new music and faltered, while Solar Fake and The Broken Relics have new music scheduled to release. Rammstein is apparently also writing this year as well, but they usually take a little more time between discs. As for the rest, well, you can see the exodus of EDM artists. It's not that I didn't listen to them, there was just a lot more time spent listening to oldies and classic rock at work rather than listening to them at home. Regardless of how you look at it, it was a record breaking year from Last.FM, Spotify, Pandora and all of the other places that I find music.

Here's to music!

Jester One 2020 - 30 Most Played

 Wow.

 

Wow is all I can say about my music consumption for 2020. In March, I took a job where I was able to play music at work, as opposed to listening to whatever crappy muzak was playing over the speakers. I was also spending more time listening to music as home as well. I was talking to some friends about music and how we listen during 2020 and the pandemic, and one of them made an interesting point that music is something that we can find solace in during troubled times. He said he was listening to more music that always made us happy or comfortable in the past rather than trying to seek out new music. This was something that I had also been doing, and a lot of people I spoke with said they found themselves leaning on nostalgic hits rather than whatever new crop the world has served up. It's also worth noting that new pop music is fairly awful compared to what it used to be, but I digress. 

In 2020, I had 36,620 scrobbles, an average of just over 100 per day. Those scrobbles came from 14,838 individual songs, making the per song average 2.468 this year. For reference, that is 55% more scrobbles than last years total of 23,725. Exactly 5600 of those songs had at least 2 hits, meaning there were nine thousand, two hundred and thirty eight songs that were scrobbled just once. Pretty wild stuff. 

So let's just into the Top 30 Most Played! Same format at last year - here's the key:

#TY. Artist - Song (Last year's ranking)

 

30. Eddie Cochran - Summertime Blues (NR)
Nostalgia, right? I love Eddie Cochran's jangly guitar sound, love how fun this song is, and just love the old-timey groove of it all. It's simple, it's catchy, and I played it a lot in 2020. And why not? My residents all remember this song, and it's a great one to dance with.

29. TRVSS - All The Bugs - Live (new)
TRVSS took the #6 spot in the Top 20 Countdown this year, despite only grabbing the 29th spot in most played songs. That's really all you need to know about nostalgic throwbacks vs new tracks, I think. I have a feeling that once they decide to release a full length record, they'll have song with more streams.

28. The Broken Relics - Where The Creatures Roam  (3)
Where last year, I obsessively listened to this track, in 2020 I spent more time listening to the entirety of this EP. The Relics should still feature in my Top 25 artists, and you better believe their new record has a good chance to blow the doors off the 2021 lists. Almost every song I've heard from it so far is a jam.

 

27. Smokey Robinson and The Miracles - The Tracks of My Tears (NR)
When I think of the greatest lyrical songs of all time, this one is always in the discussion. Smokey has a couple of songs he wrote that are so overly personal yet cerebral, and of course who can deny his singing prowess? What I wouldn't give to be able to sing and write like that.

 

26. Forever Unknown - Bury Me (new)
The most interesting thing about Forever Unknown for me is that I had listened to this EP so much at the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020 that I had to step away from it for a few months. Even with that, this song landed at 26 and was #4 on the Top 20.

25. Wilson Phillips - Hold On (NR)
I mean, didn't everyone need a little bit of this song in 2020? In a year where perseverance was key, songs about holding on had a huge impact on me. Also, the harmonies on this song are out of this world. There's a reason why this group was on top of the world in the early 90s. 

24. When In Rome - The Promise (NR)
I'm slightly surprised that this song is so high up on the list. It's one of those songs that I just listen to a lot without even thinking about it, I guess. It's a song I enjoy singing at karaoke too, so I probably listened to it to honor the times that I couldn't go out.

23. Assemblage 23 - Endure (NR)
I honestly, truthfully cannot think of a time where an instrumental track would've made a most played list in my life. I just don't listen to a ton of instrumental music, other than occasional classical and smooth jazz playlists. I just love lyrics and voices far too much to spend that much time with one. But, there was a day at work where this song came on during my opening routine, and it kind of became the anthem of 2020. Endure.

22. The Wild Wild - Alright (24)
It's hard to escape this one. There are too many days in my life where I need to hear the words "Everything's gonna be alright". Even in an unusually positive year for me, I still needed to be reminded, and The Wild Wild was there to remind me.

 

21. Sixpence None The Richer - Sister, Mother (NR)
I honestly had to do a double take when I saw this song all the way up at #21. But there was in a point in the spring where I listened to this record, because it's always been a comfort album for me. It's a shame that most people only know "Kiss Me", because Leigh Nash has such a beautiful voice, and Matt Slocum is as underrated as a guitarist as there is in pop music. I can't imagine there'll be a higher surprise song on the chart, though.

 

20. Roxette - Silver Blue (NR)
When Marie Fredriksson passed last December, I went on a Roxette kick, and Silver Blue is the song that got the most love out of that blitz. The thing is, it was never a single, isn't on any of their compilations and doesn't really have a ton of recognition anywhere. It's just another great ballad from the Swedes.

 

19. Gin Blossoms - Hey Jealousy (NR)
This song routinely is routinely in the top 100 most played songs, and is probably my best karaoke track as well. I saw the Gin Blossoms live a few years back and they absolutely still have it and know how to put on a tremendous show as well. Most of those '90s bands are just touring for nostalgia money, but I'd probably go see them again.

 

18. Ghost - Dance Macabre (NR)
It's pretty wild to see a song that made the Top 20 two years ago have a resurgence, but something in that opening guitar riff and later solo kept me coming back to Ghost this year. For all the crap that they get for their theatrics and enigmatic behavior, they're a refreshing band in a world of copycat metal artists.

 

17. VNV Nation - The Farthest Star (9)
This song was, is, and always will be a top song for me. I just cannot fathom it slipping. It was #9 last year and #7 the year before, and VNV continues to push themselves deeper into my life with each passing year.

 

16. VNV Nation - Carry You (NR)
Speaking of which, the penultimate track of Judgement was actually able to leap over "The Farthest Star" this time around. Even though I listened to a lot less EDM in 2020, it will always be there for me in my darker times.

 

15. Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers - Learning To Fly (NR)
"Learning To Fly" is a song that has been in my regular "Rockman" playlist since I first created it on Spotify in 2017, and it finally broke through in 2020. Something about surviving unemployment and climbing back on top of the horse resonated with me this year, and this song is all about that.

 

14. Sam Cooke - (What A) Wonderful World (23)
I mean, come on. Sam Cooke. Any all-time list should have this song near the top. If you aren't happy after listening to this song all the way through, I don't know what to tell you.

 

13. Empathy Test - Monsters (new)
The #5 song on the 2020 Countdown, "Monsters" was a consistent song from the moment the album dropped until the end of the year. It might even be one of the carry-overs next year. Only time will tell. At the end of this article we'll revisit the songs that fell out from last year.

 

12. Crowded House - Something So Strong (NR)
Another of the songs that had remained on my daily playlist on Spotify (there are currently 13 of them that have lasted without being removed), Crowded House were in the Top 50 in '17 and '18 before sliding back next year. This year, I've been singin' that song in the car, at work and everywhere else I've gone. The chorus is far too simple, but for some reason "Something so strong could carry us away" is something that has just resonated with me for years.

 

11. White Reaper - Real Long Time (new)
I needed upbeat music more than I needed sad music in 2020, and White Reaper was happy to provide the #3 song on the Top 20 Countdown. Songs that have ultra-catchy openings always tend to last longer and get more plays than others, and this one almost slipped into the top 10 most streamed songs of the year.

 

10. King Princess - Ohio (new)
King Princess was all over the place on the Top 20 Countdown this year before finally stopping at #7. But the song was streamed heavily at the beginning of the year and features easily my favourite breakdown of any song released this year right around the 2 minute mark, when the distortion flares up and the song goes berserk.

 

9. VNV Nation - Only Satellites (1)
Well, even with lapping the field in 2019, this song still had enough momentum to continue pummeling in 2020. It certainly isn't anything wild to find VNV Nation in the top 10. Even if Ronan Harris never released another record, there'd be enough material that I love to keep me going for a long, long time.

 

8. Mesh - The Last One Standing (6)
Since I began tracking streams via Last.FM, "The Last One Standing" has been the most streamed song by a decent amount. #6 last year and the year before, it has always carried its own weight against the rest of the world.

 

7. Alvvays - In Undertow (5)
For as much as I listen to this song these days, it's wild to think that I didn't pay it any notion when it first came out, and in fact that it was kind of annoying the first few times I actually heard it. Feels like a lifetime ago.

 

6. Depeche Mode - Precious (NR)
There's never a shortage of Depeche Mode songs bouncing around in my head. Violator is an all-time album for me, but it's "Precious" that carried me through the bad times at the end of 2019 and on into the next year. Along with The Cure and The Smiths, I can always count on Depeche Mode to take me to that wonderfully mellow '80s mood.

 

5. Kim Carnes - Bette Davis Eyes (NR)
Apologies to my wife, who hates that I've listened to this song all the time as long as we've been together. I can hear those synths in my dreams, and Kim Carnes' voice is a place of solitude for me in rough waves. To leap all the way up to #5 is tremendous.

 

4. Evanescence - Anywhere (NR)
I'm not really sure why, but at the beginning of 2020 I really wanted to listen to Evanescence's Origin album. It has always been my favourite offering from the band, even with the commercial success of Fallen, I've always found comfort in Amy, Ben and David's first real record together. The band isn't anything like this anymore, and honestly the lyrics are slightly juvenile, but "Anywhere" was the song that brought me back to reality when I needed it the most.

 

3. Purity Ring - Stardew (new)

2. Lilieae - Level (new)

The top 2 songs of The Top 20 Countdown making it here at 3 and 2. Most of Purity Ring's scrobbles came early in the year, including a single day high of 11 the day it was released and 21 the first month, also a high for any song. Lilieae were more consistent throughout the year, making a strong push at the end to land at #2 for the year. Just two streams separated these two when it was all said and done.

 

1. Tom Petty - I Won't Back Down (NR)
Outta nowhere, right? This has always been a song I liked, but never one I really obsessed about. It's as close to a perfectly written song as there can be, with a driving beat, fantastic guitar solo, positive lyrics, tremendous harmonies and perfect tone. Plus an unmistakable opening to boot. Early in the spring something clicked for me and this became the absolute anthem of 2020. While it wasn't as big as "Only Satellites" was last year, but it still finished with a whopping 26 more scrobbles than "Level". Truly a fantastic domination on the year.

 

With only 7 returning songs from last year, that means there were 23 that slid out. That list is as follows, and contains some shocking results.

Key: LY. Artist - Title (TY)

30. A Flock Of Seagulls - Space Age Love Song (T241)
29. Demon Hunter - The Negative (T98)
28. Cold - Shine (T1857)
27. Assemblage 23 - Damaged (T180)
26. The Birthday Massacre - All of Nothing (T125)
25. Rammstein - Radio (T5601)
22. Wolfsheim - Blind (T69)
21. Within Temptation - In Vain (T5601)
20. VNV Nation - Arena (T59)
19. Necessary Response - Forever (T140)
18. The Cure - Pictures of You (T98)
17. Billie Eilish - You Should See Me In A Crown (NR)
16. Ashbury Heights - Spiders (T212)
15. Ashley Cleveland - Where Do I Go (feat. Gary Chapman) (T757)
14. Assemblage 23 - The Other Side of the Wall (T241)
13. Toto - Stop Loving You (T86)
12. Solitary Experiments - Epiphany (47)
11. Mesh - The Fixer (T59)
10. VNV Nation - Armour (T180)
8. Truslow - Hurricane (T53)
7. The Benjamin Gate - How Long (T125)
4. Smith & Thell - Forgive Me Friend (T409)
2. VHS Collection - Sign (T114)

That Billie Eilish song was streamed zero times. Within Temptation and Rammstein got 1. The rest, with the exception of Cold and Ashley Cleveland at least hit double digits, but it goes to show that the end of year burnout is definitely real. That coupled with the madness of 2020, gosh, zero streams? And even though I listened to plenty of R+, "Radio" still only grabbed 1. It's so interesting how the years ebb and flow. Wolfsheim was a two year repeat, along with Solitary Experiments, Necessary Response and Mesh, which just goes to show the lack of EDM I listened to last year, compared to oldies. 

I'll do the Top 25 Artists tomorrow. Thanks to Last.FM for all of the stats. And extra special thanks to The Universal Scrobbler for helping me capture things that had previously not been snagged.