October 2022 Recap

We've reached the final recap of the year, which means the next post will be the first of the 2022 Jester One Music Top 20 Countdown! Excitement!

Another slight drop in scrobbles for the month of October, with starting a new job and less time to listen every day. 2473 scrobbles from 946 artists, which Last.FM tells me is 5% less scrobbles from 19% more artists... I think it was all the kooky Halloween tracks that jumped that artist number up. Top genres were Rock, Alternative Rock and Alternative (how cliche, lol) while the top 3 hours were 10p-11p, 12p-1p, and 10a-11a. 

Top 10 Songs for October

10. Silverstar - Gremlin

9. Demon Hunter - The Negative

8.  De/Vision - Your Hands On My Skin - Sonnet Shuttle Mix

7.  Beartooth - Skin

6. AFI - Begging for Trouble

5. Tom Petty - I Won't Back Down

4. Teenage Wrist - Taste of Gasoline

3. Forever Unknown - sad people, blue eyes

2. Bobby "Boris" Pickett - Monster Mash

1. Ronnie Martin - From The Womb Of The Morning, The Dew Of Your Youth Will Be Yours

That has to be the most eclectic mix of 10 songs for far this year,with the Halloween anthem mixed in. You've got older songs, newer songs, and of course a few that will surely be in this year's Top 20.

 

Top 10 Artists for October

 

10. Bobby "Boris" Pickett

9. Vanessa Carlton

8. Training for Utopia

7. Trans-Siberian Orchestra

6. Starflyer 59

5. Assemblage 23

4. Rome

3. Rackets & Drapes

2. Pillar

1. Anberlin

 

I remember there was one specific day where I really wanted to listen to Anberlin, and of course they got their usual hits throughout the rest of the month. Halloween hitters at the top and bottom, and a bunch of older artists that I felt like rediscovering. An incredibly curious month, indeed. 

As is custom, the next Monthly Recap post will be in February (for January). Up next is the Top 20 Countdown, the 30 Most Played and Top 25 Artists. See you soon!

 

September 2022 Recap

We are down to the last two recaps of the year. I am still trying to decide how to proceed with the Top 20 Countdown. I have enough songs and material to make it work, I just don't know if I have it in me to write blurbs anymore. It's been an undertaking this year to pump out any sort of written material.

But, we do still have September and October to punch out. So let's rock. Being out of town on two different trips meant significantly less scrobbles in September. 17% less, in fact. 2589 scrobbles from 797 unique artists, equaling 6 days and 20 hours worth of music. Top hours were 12-1p, 11a-12p, and 10-11p, while the top genres were Rock, Futurepop, Synthpop, Alternative Rock, and Electronic.

Top Songs for September

 

10. Blindside - Nerve

9.  Five Iron Frenzy - Dandelions

8. Rammstein - Lügen

7. Coheed and Cambria - The Liars Club

6. Truslow - Abbey Dear

5. Silversun Pickups - Alone on a Hill

4. Assemblage 23 - Dissonance

3. Ghost - Spillways

2. Ronnie Martin - From The Womb Of The Morning, The Dew Of Your Youth Will Be Yours

1. Forever Unknown - sad people, blue eyes

By September, it's full-on recap season, with the best of the best being re-examined for the final countdown. 7 of the 10 here will be on the recap, and they will probably populate the top 10 of the final 20 as well.

Top Artists for September

 

10. Ghost

9. Truslow

8. Voltaire

7. VNV Nation

6. Forever Unknown

5. Assemblage 23

4. Demon Hunter

3. Rammstein

2. Five Iron Frenzy

1. Blindside

A battle between the band I saw at the beginning of the month (R+) and the 3 that I saw at the end (DH, FIF and Blindside). It felt nice to wade through the waters of the music I grew up with this month while also playing a lot of 2022's favorites.

 

Props to Last.FM for always having my statistical back. One more month ahead!

August 2022 Recap

 And NOW we are officially caught back up with the Monthly Recap feature. It's a lot easier to do without digging into each individual thing and focusing purely on the numbers. Hooray math?

August is probably going to be the strangest looking month of them all... actually, who am I kidding? They've all been unique this year - hooray MUSIC! 3101 scrobbles, or an average of exactly 100 per day (plus 1 extra), equally out to 8 days and 16 hours worth of music played end to end. Top genres were Rock, Alternative Rock, Industrial Metal, Alternative and Pop. Top hours were 10-11p, 12-1p and 1-2p. 

Top Tracks for August

10. Rammstein - Kuss Mich (Fellfrosch)

9. Rammstein - Reise, Reise

8. Rammstein - Alter Mann

7. forever unknown - sad people, blue eyes

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

5. Dexter Freebish - Leaving Town

4. Brave the Sea - The Devil Brought Tequila

3. Rammstein - Mein Teil

2. Spiritbox - Sew Me Up

1. Silversun Pickups - Alone on a Hill

 

Well, there's one band that stands out on that list - followers of this page know that I had the chance to see Rammstein live at the beginning of this month, and so of course they ruled the chart.

 

Top Artists for August

10. Brave Saint Saturn

9. Silversun Pickups

8. Florence + The Machine

7. Cold

6. Demon Hunter

5. Circle of Dust

4. Anberlin

3. VNV Nation

2. Assemblage 23

1. Rammstein

 

To say that it wasn't close would be an understatement. R+ had almost 3 times as many scrobbles as #2 and 5x from #3. Looking at the most scrobbled artists for the entire year, they currently sit at #1, and just the month of August would place them in 7th for the entire year. Yowza.

What a show.

Shoutout to Last.FM for always giving me the deets.

July 2022 Recap

 July was a month that received a big bump in scrobbles due to another new album splurge and a heavier workload. 3428 total scrobbles, a 31% jump from June and making for exactly 9 days of listening. Top genres were Rock, Classic Rock, Alternative Rock, Soul, and Oldies, and the top 3 scrobble hours were 12-1p, 1-2p and 5-6p. 

Top Tracks for July

10. Rammstein - Lugen

9. Truss - Mayhem

8. Truss - Broken Glass

7. Purity Ring - Heartsigh

6. Truss - All the Bugs

5. Plushgun - Sarah's Locker

4. Brave the Sea - The Devil Brought Tequila

3. Matchbox Twenty - Last Beautiful Girl

2. Colony 5 - Synchronized Hearts

1. forever unknown - sad people, blue eyes

 

We've reached a point in the year where the Top 20 Countdown songs start really gaining steam. Summer and autumn bring reflection with the upcoming Countdown, and there are a few songs listed here that will definitely be there.

 

Top Artists for July

10. Colony 5

9. Assemblage 23

8. Steam Powered Giraffe

7. Apoptygma Berzerk

6. VNV Nation

5. Circle of Dust

4. Cold

3. Matchbox Twenty

2. Truss

1. Anberlin

 

Truss' new album got them a hefty chunk of streams, but they only have 1 record whereas the likes of Matchbox Twenty and Anberlin have several. It is the local curse that I often speak of - bands with only a dozen or so songs tend to fall behind artists with a richer discography. It is what it is at the end of the day.

Thanks to Last.FM as always!

June 2022 Recap

 Hello June, how's about being almost caught up! June gave me a healthy 2632 streams, an average of 88 per day. Top genres were Rock, Classic Rock, Alternative, Synthpop, and Alternative Rock. All seems usual, huh? Top hours were 9-10p, 8-9p, and surprisingly 10-11a. According to Last.FM's "mainstream-o-meter", I was "daring" with a 41% mainstream score, which I'd say is fairly average for me.

Top Tracks for June

10. Truslow - Killer

9. Justyfi - 419

8. Eagles - Take It Easy

7. Truslow - ADHD

6. Truslow - Walking

5. Truslow - Liar

4. Truslow - Take Me Back

3. Necessary Response - Forever

2. Truslow - Lucky Day

1. Truslow - Abbey Dear

Ah, yes, another week and another album release. I'm not sure how Necessary response snuck in their right in the middle of all that new and throwback Truslow goodness.

Top Artists for June

10. Matchbox Twenty

9. Anberlin

8. Rammstein

7. VNV Nation

6. KMFDM

5. Five Iron Frenzy

4. Assemblage 23

3. Justyfi

2. Voltaire

1. Truslow

Number one was a no-brainer, Justyfi had a new album released and, well, I just love Five Iron Frenzy coming in at number 5. It really has been a year for comfort music, in spite of the fact that I've been trying to listen to as many new albums as I can.

Shoutout to Last.FM for the stats, as always. Thank you all, you're doing great work!

May 2022 Recap

Gratefully and graciously, I am almost caught up on Monthly Recap features, although my ability to write articles for Music in Motion seems greatly diminished. I've got some sort of weird mental block that I can neither explain or expel. The nice thing about these recaps is I simply sit down and throw the numbers out, and it's done. Less pressure and more importantly, less creative thinking. I am apparently no longer creative, I guess?

May beefed things up with 3046 scrobbles, an average of 98 per day or 8 hours and 12 minutes played back to back. Top genres were Rock, Alternative Rock, Alternative, Classic Rock and Hard Rock... gosh, what a variety huh? Top hours were 12-1p, 1-2p, and 11a-12p. I guess lunch time was the big time for the month.

Top Tracks for May

Side note for #10... there were 19 different tracks that tied for the 10th most plays. Yeah, insanity right? Can't exactly flip a coin or play eenie-meenie-miney-moe on that one, so I'm just going to randomly draw 5 names out of a hat.... forever unknown - Gravity; The Big Bopper - Chantilly Lace; Teenage Wrist - Taste of Gasoline; Necessary Response - Forever; Belinda Carlisle - Heaven in a Place on Earth... even more hilariously, there were 5 different songs at the next number, and they run as randomly follows...

5T. VNV Nation - Only Satellites

5T. Andy Mineo - Been About It

5T. Rome - Swords to Rust - Hearts to Dust

5T. Purity Ring - Heartsigh

5T. Colony 5 - Synchronized Hearts

4. Orgy - Fiction - Dreams in Digital

3. fun. - All the Pretty Girls

2. Cold - Insane

1. Rammstein - Lügen

The huge number influx came two-fold; a new Rammstein album and Cold coming to town for a show. There's usually a few months where Cold goes off, being that they are my favorite band. The new R+ record definitely aims to throw its wrenches into the year-end countdowns.

 

 

Top Artists for May

10. Mudvayne

9. Evanescence

8. Circle of Dust

7. Chris Cornell

6. Anberlin

5. VNV Nation

4. Soundgarden

3. Rammstein

2. Assemblage 23

1. Cold

 

Cornell Forever is May 18th, and Audioslave fell just a few scrobbles short of also making the list. Otherwise, a pretty standard month of the usual suspects - seems A23 and VNV are always right around the corner in my life. Circle of Dust and old, pre-signed Evanescence are  my comfort foods in times of trouble.

Shoutout to the good folks at Last.FM for making this possible every month.

April 2022 Recap

 Back to where we should be for the month of April, with 2558 scrobbles, an average of 85 per day. For what it's worth, in the nearly 5 years of accumulating data, I've averaged just over 76 scrobbles per day, so anything in that range feels right. 1005 artists ran off 2014 individual songs, making for an average of just over 2 per. Top genres were Rock, Classic Rock, 80s, Pop, and Alternative Rock, while the top 3 hour blocks were 9-10pm, 10-11a and 12-1p. 

Top Songs for April

10. The Frozen Ocean - Hudson's Dream

9. Goo Goo Dolls - Black Balloon

8. forever unknown - sad people, blue eyes

7. Bruce Springsteen - Dancing in the Dark

6. Boston - More Than A Feeling

5. The Cure - A Letter to Elise

4. The Benjamin Gate - How Long

3. Purity Ring - heartsigh

2. Tom Petty - I Won't Back Down

1. The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound

As you can see, April was heavy on the theme of loss. One of my favorite residents passed away at the beginning of the month and it weighed heavily on me for several days, influencing most of what I listened to for the entire month. Sometimes it comes and goes like that. Sad songs love to reign supreme in my life, as it is.

Top Artists for April

10. Sevendust

9. Cold

8. lvl

7. The Frozen Ocean

6. Assemblage 23

5. VNV Nation

4. Demon Hunter

3. fun.

2. Purity Ring

1. Voltaire

You've got the usual suspects and a couple artists whose classic albums I was revisiting. It's been a big year for Voltaire-ing, and I think it's simply there there is great comfort found in his music for me. I've also been exploring my industrial roots from the 90s, so artists like lvl continue to pop up. 

Thanks again to Last.FM for the boost of statkeeping - keep up the great work over there folks!

March 2022 Recap

 So, there I was in last month, sitting down to get things caught up, and literally I went to refresh the Last.FM page and it wasn't working. In my usual brain fogginess, I forgot to get back to that... and now it's another month later. Let's try to get this train back on track!

Usually February ends up being one of the shorter months for the year, but March caught an unprecedented drop, ending on only 1875 scrobbles, an average of 60 per day. That makes a decline at 31%. Don't ask why because I honestly don't know, but having a month with 5 different days under 12 scrobbles is pretty wild. That being said, 9-10pm ended up being the busiest hour, with 10-11p and 11a-12p finshing up the top 3. Top genres were Rock, Synthpop, Pop, Classic Rock, and Alternative Rock. 

Top Tracks for March

 

10. Justfyi - Betrayal

9. Wrench in the Works - Deathslayer

8. Further Seems Forever - The Sound

7. Brave the Sea - The Devil Brought Tequila

6. forever unknown - The Ballad of Dorothy Hale

5. forever unknown - Sometimes

4. forever unknown - Gravity

3. forever unknown - Manic Pixie Dream Girl

2. forever unknown - ghost town

1. forever unknown - sad people, blue eyes

 

I suppose forever unknown released a new record, huh?  I don't think I've ever seen a month captured like that before. I have an extremely strong feeling that the year-end lists will reflect heavily on this month.

 

Top Artists for March

 

 10. Justyfi

9. Foo Fighters

8. Boston

7. Brave the Sea

6. VNV Nation

5. Demon Hunter

4. De/vision

3. Assemblage 23

2. Further Seems Forever

1. forever unknown

Seeing Brave the Sea live re-ignited my love for the band, while doing interviews with f/u and Justyfi sent them up the charts for this month. It was definitely a strange one by any measurable metric.

As always, thanks to Last.FM for letting me compile these stats. I've been using it for almost 5 years now... perhaps I should do a 5 year look-back at the this year? We'll see.

February 2022 Recap

 February is always a weird month, right? Less days equal less numbers as a sum, but even the averages seem to dip due to the fracas of late winter. 2417 scrobbles as 17% less than January, but only 8 less per day. Top hours were 10p-11p, 9p-10p and 11a-12p.

Rock continued to be the top genre, while 80s, Alternative Rock, Pop and Classic Rock rounded out the top 5.

 

Top Tracks for February

10. Brave Saint Saturn - Space Robot 5

9.  Matchbox Twenty - Unwell

8. Kim Carnes - Bette Davis Eyes

7. Forever Unknown - Manic Pixie Dream Girl

6. Grumpy Plum - I Don't Care

5. VNV Nation - The Farthest Star 

4. Switchfoot - Dare You To Move

3. Brave Saint Saturn - Under Bridges

2. Matchbox Twenty - The Burn

1. Belinda Carlisle - Heaven Is A Place On Earth

 

80s isn't usually a heavily-streamed genre - not because I don't like the music from the 80s, it just isn't usually a period that gets a lot of heavy listening. The interesting mix here is that most of these songs are ones that pump me up, mixed with ones that make me really sad.

 

 

Top Artists for February 

10. Mesh

9. Johnny Cash

8. Anberlin

7. Voltaire

6. Rooftops

5. Cold

4. The Birthday Massacre

3. Matchbox Twenty

2. VNV Nation

1. Brave Saint Saturn

 

Once or twice per year I go on a really big BSS kick.  They hit me in all the right spots, and this was the month for it. Rooftops snuck in because I was doing a show review for them, and the rest are the usual suspects, with a resurgence from The Birthday Massacre.

Thanks to Last.FM for the stats.

January 2022 Recap

 Happy New Year!

Okay, so last year ended strangely, and I'm slightly behind on 2022... but here we are. The first Monthly Recap of the year! 

January featured 2905 scrobbles, averaging 94 per day. 1148 different artists contributed 2316 individual songs, an average of 2.017 each. Top tags were Rock, Classic Rock and Alternative Rock, while the top hours were 10p-11p, 12p-1p, and 4p-5p. For what it's worth, that equals out to 7 days and 23 hours of music. 

Top Tracks for January

 

10. Necessary Response - Forever

9. Matchbox Twenty - Unwell

8. Matchbox Twenty - Bed of Lies

7. Goo Goo Dolls - Black Balloon

6. VNV Nation - Only Satellites

5. Tom Petty - I Won't Back Down

4. Matchbox Twenty - The Burn

3. Echo Image - Walk My Mind

2. Limp Bizkit - Love The Hate

1. VNV Nation - The Farthest Star

No real recap here, just reveling in the beauty of it all.

Top Artists for January

 

10. Korn

9. Simon and Garfunkel

8. Alice in Chains

7. VNV Nation

6. Sevendust

5. Rammstein

4. Limp Bizkit

3. Circle of Dust

2. Assemblage 23

1. Matchbox Twenty

Same here. I caught a Matchbox fever and it permeated the rest of the angst and electronica... and random Simon and Garfunkel... I dunno. There isn't a lot to dive into, so I guess this is just a list.

Thanks to Last.FM, as always.

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.