The 2024 Jester One Music Top 20 Countdown - Intro and Songs That Didn't Make It

 Oh golly. It's been 12 months already, hasn't it?

Sorry, I'm just not feeling it this year.

Yeah... literally anything for the 15th Anniversary of the J1 Countdown splashed down and died. Sorry about that.

Actually, is anyone even reading this? Doubtful. I'm not writing it to be read anyways. But, it must be done! It's that time of year! Year 16! What surprises will we be in store for this time around? As always, we start with a look back at the previous year.

20. Dreamers - Wallow In It
19. Switchfoot - On Fire (Ingrid Andress Version)
18. VNV Nation - Before the Rain
17. The Cordial Sins - Sugarcoat
16. VV - Run Away From The Sun
15. Brave the Sea - Where I Belong
14. Beck - Thinking About You
13. Meet Me @ The Altar - Say It To My Face
12. Kamelot - Eventide
11. Owl City - Kelly Time
10. Phoenix - Tonight (ft Ezra Koenig)
9. Bush - Heavy Is The Ocean
8. Blackcarburning - Divide Us (ft Mari Kattman)
7. Teenage Wrist - Something Good
6. White Reaper - Pages
5. The Awakening - Gabriel
4. Gable Price and Friends - I Don't Wanna Live Like This
3. White Lies - Trouble in America
2. The Broken Relics - Rodeo
1. The Classic Crime - Alone in the City

A lot of returning artists last year - VNV Nation, Owl City, Phoenix, Teenage Wrist, White Reaper, The Broken Relics and The Classic Crime... considering the trends of previous years, it was very surprising to see so many artists who I had loved over a decade ago come back with such strong albums. Not that I'm complaining, but it's definitely bananas to see someone like Switchfoot, who I have been listening to since the 90s, finally make their debut.

 Well... despite my apathy towards making this list in 2024, here I am and here we go. The songs who just didn't make it. Or weren't even close. You be the judge!

Eisfabrik - King of the Cold
Album: Götter in Weiss

There are usually two different types of songs that end up in the "just missed" category: songs that had a good month or two run and disappeared (but not forgotten), or songs that just kind of got a play here and there and were good enough to be remembered. This one falls in the latter.

Mental Discipline - My Name (Assemblage 23 remix)
Album: My Name single

More often than not, solid EBM/synthpop/futurepop remixes gain more plays as they get older. I'm not sure why or what it is, but this one is top notch and was just on the fringes for 2024.

Mushroomhead - Prepackaged
Album: Call the Devil

This one falls on the first category - super strong showing when it came out, but didn't have enough to carry it through the year. I don't think I ever would've predicted Mushroomhead to make the list, and I really did not care for this album, but this is a hammer of a song

Johnny Cash - Hello Out There
Album: Songwriter

Johnny Cash died in 2003. He's had FIVE posthumous albums released. This one has modern instrumental recording going along with old demos, to a brilliant response. This song starts out as some fantastic industrial ballad before switching to the book of Revelation. Yeah, it's pretty wild.

DREAMCAR - We Rats
Album: Dream EP

I kind of figured DREAMCAR was just a one-off from Davey Havok and the members of No Doubt, but I was pleasantly surprised when they released this little 3 song gem. 

Honorable Mention: Beyonce - BLACKBIIRD (ft Tanner Adell, Brittany Spencer, Tiera Kennedy, Reyna Roberts); deer death - Seattle; Serenity - Fall of Man (ft Roy Khan); Powerman 5000 - Bloodsuckers; Evelyn's Casket - Five Cellars Below