Monday, December 26, 2011



So, they didn't have two of my top 10 (which I posted earlier this month) so I naturally replaced them with Me First and the Gimme Gimmes EP's. This is to vote in the Hype Machine's blogger category for their Zeitgeist 2011 (I love end of year stuff!!)

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Merry Christmas! Have a New Countdown!

Well, it's Christmas and here is the latest AFDATTC (that's what the cool kids are calling it. It rhymes with "Aflac"). Next week is the Year End Countdown and then the Artists of the Year Countdown on the 8th!

Countdown #85

***Featuring***
The Black Keys
Bush
Cage the Elephant
Chevelle
Coldplay
Foo Fighters
Fuel
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Switchfoot
Young the Giant

Sunday, December 18, 2011

New Countdown...Running out of Clever Titles!

How the hell did it get to be December 18th already? One week till Christmas!?! Agh! Well, I'm writing this on December 16th and hopefully K and I have gotten a lot done by way of Christmas shopping/prep. Because right now? Not looking so good. But it'll work out. Probably.

Countdown #84

***Featuring***
AWOLNATION
The Black Keys
Bush
Chevelle
Coldplay
Foo Fighters
King Post Kitsch
Seether
Switchfoot
Young the Giant

Friday, December 16, 2011

Best Albums of 2011 #5-1

5. Wild Flag - Wild Flag A big part of this year, for me, was about female led bands. And one of the best female led bands was Wild Flag. This is a supergroup, but only if you're pretty familiar with the 90's riot grrl scene, which I am not. When I listen to this album, and the same goes for when I saw them in concert, I hear four women IN LOVE with rock and roll. It's refreshing and entrancing. And addictive.

Wild Flag - Electric Band


4. Original Broadway Cast Recording - The Book of Mormon God, what an amazing set of songs. I'm probably never going to see this musical on Broadway, but I almost feel like I don't need to, with this in my life. My favorite superpower of Parker and Stone is their ability to tease and mock and flat out ridicule something, all the while filtering the bullshit down to the essentials. This musical is about belief and how important it is to believe in something, even if it seems weird or stupid to other people. It was so hard to pick a song to feature from this. So I went with some exposition, to draw you into the story!

Book of Mormon - Two by Two


3. King Post Kitsch - The Party's Over Oh dear. I love this album so much. I think it's the effortlessness that gets me most. Charlie doesn't seem like he's breaking a sweat as he's cranking out song after song of glorious rock. It's catchy, it's addictive, it's hummable, it's amazing. I hope that 2012 is as full of KPK as 2011 was! For the featured song, I've chosen the song that started it all for me, nearly a year ago.



2. New Found Glory - Radiosurgery 2011 was a great year for music, if you ask me. But the cherry on top of it all is this. New Found Glory charging back into my heart with this album of the kind of pop-punk genius that I have been yearning for from them, or Blink, or Green Day. Don't get me wrong, though. You can tell that these guys have matured as songwriters. I would feature "Summer Fling, Don't Mean a Thing" because that's maybe the best song on the album, but I wanted to show that there's even more to love, if you've already heard that one and you're still hesitant (although, I don't know how you can still be considered "sane" if that is what's happening for you)

New Found Glory - Memories and Battlescars


1. Doomtree - No Kings I don't even know where to begin. I suppose I could direct you to my review of this album less than a month ago. I had to wean myself off of this album. I'm still not sure why it hit me so hard. And it's not like all my friends are listening to this so I'm being social about it. In fact, I feel quite miserly about Doomtree in general and specifically about this album. Because what if someone listened to it and didn't like it? Or didn't get it? Or didn't like it as much as I do? It kind of feels like I'm dating a girl from outside my circle of friends and feeling wary about introducing her around. It's not that I doubt my taste. It's that I doubt everyone else's! And I mean that in the best of ways. You should buy this album and love it deeply. Like I do. Oh, and when you love an album as completely as I love this album, it's damn near impossible to pick a song from it to feature. So here's my best shot

Doomtree - Team the Best Team

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Guest Review of Countdown Tracks! (Episode 3)

And so we find ourselves with another guest review! This time, it's by the illustrious and delightful Tricia from I Sing in the Kitchen: A blog where she showcases musical treats and delicious eats! 9 times out of 10, I'm drooling by the end of her posts. It's a great site. Check it out.

We're still hoping to get Betsy's review of the tracks Erin reviewed in Episode 2. I'm not worried about her reviewing old songs. The point is not keeping up to date. The point is getting fresh perspectives on songs we listen to!

You can find the tracks she talks about on my podcasts starting on Episode 66. And there are still songs on the countdown I'll record this week! As always, if you would like to listen to an old episode that is no longer available to download, let me know and I'll hook you up!

Tricia's Guest Review
 
The Black Keys-Lonely Boy

What you get from this song is rocking fun. It is exactly the uptempo mess of music that
made The Black Keysʼ album ʻBrothersʼ one of my favorite albums of 2010.

“Whoa-oh-oh”

Blink 182-Up All Night

Up All Night takes off with an Edgar Winterish Frankenstein vibe.

Epic drums, indie rock and roll. A wall of jam-out sound.

“Do you want me here?” Thatʼs my favorite part for its calmer feel.

Bush-The Sound Of Winter

Here we have more of that typical post-grunge sound not unlike the Blink 182 track.

Unlikely love songs, such as this one, always make me smile. The music points more to
a night of billiards in a smoky bar than a guy declaring that “Iʼll be with you until the
end.”

Coldplay-Paradise

It is only in the past year that I have become a fan of Coldplay. My son played Clocks at
his piano recital and I was sold.

Coldplayʼs music is catchy, if not completely predictable. Honestly, if you donʼt pay close
enough attention, a whole busload of Coldplay songs could come on in a row before
you look up and say “Oh, listen to that. Itʼs Coldplay.” Again, the music is good, but not
ʻstop you in your tracks listen modeʼ.

And, what do you know? Another song with a prominent “Whoa-oh-oh”.

Foster The People-Helena Beat

It appears that we are now leaving indie land and heading to the dance lounge. This
song is cosmo in one hand, Jon Hamm looking dude in the other. You would clap along,
but you donʼt want to spill your drink.

I can see a Macarena type dance getting made to go along with Helena Beat.

Janeʼs Addiction-Irresistable Force

Arryhthmic rhythms, like in this song, are so cool. I love the bass line and the irresistible
hook, too.

You know, there is almost a “Whoa-oh-oh” in there.

“Banging and banging and banging”. Sounds like Janeʼs Addiction still has the magic
touch.

The Joy Formidable-Whirring

From the opening notes of ʻWhirringʼ you expect it to morph into ʻLiving In Colourʼ by
Frightened Rabbit.

The insistent drums are excellent.

The way that the music drags on at the end of the song isnʼt really my thing. I tend to
like a cleaner finish. However, that said, I can understand how this frenetic build up
appeals to some music fans especially when seeing the band live.

Mumford & Sons-Roll Away Your Stone

I love every song on the album ʻSigh No Moreʼ, this song being no exception.

That banjo! Lead singer Marcus Mumfordʼs voice. Lyrics so full of passion and vivid
images.

I really enjoy the slowing down and speeding up that occurs throughout Roll Away Your
Stone, culminating in the final round of “Stone”. My feet canʼt tap any harder.

Red Hot Chili Peppers-The Adventures Of Rain Dance Maggie

I love this hazy-gazey tune.

I want to press myself against a full body speaker and let that bass course through me.

Hey Now, catchy, cool.

“I want to rock this body proud.”

Rise Against-Make It Stop (September's Children)

Even more “Whoa-oh-ohs”!

This is a ʻuse your cell phone flashlight in a cigarette lighter kind of wayʼ song.

I envision college age boys listening to Make It Stop while playing beer pong or shining
up the skateboard.

Switchfoot-Dark Horses

See comments for the previous song and replace “Whoa-oh-ohs” with “La la las”.

Young The Giant-Cough Syrup

I canʼt even believe it--More “Whoa-oh-ohs”!

I love this song.

“Lifeʼs too short to even care at all”.

Light, poppy, infectious.

Whoa-oh.

311-Sunset In July

Yes, please.

I will take this song to an expensive restaurant and then out for drinks. That is how
much I like it.

I adore the drum/guitar interplay.

Now, you must be kidding me. Is that a “Whoa-oh-oh” I hear?


End of Review

Thanks Tricia! It's so great to hear people's writing styles mirror the way they speak and think about things! Tricia noticed that a lot of the songs had "Whoa-oh" in them. Here's a song by NOFX about that:

NOFX - Whoa on the Whoas from 45 or 46 Songs That Weren't Good Enough To Go On Our Other Records

Sunday, December 11, 2011

New Countdown. Needed: A Chisel and a Garter.

This episode rocks. Hard. You will enjoy it so much. I know I did!

Countdown #83

***Featuring***
AWOLNATION
The Black Keys
Bush
Chevelle
Coldplay
Foo Fighters
Seether
Switchfoot
Young the Giant
Yuck

Friday, December 9, 2011

Best Albums of 2011 #10-6

 10. Rise Against - Endgame I will always buy any album that Rise Against releases. I can't really say they're breaking any new ground with Endgame, but the ground that they've already broken is so rich in nutrients, that I could survive on it for many years to come. The track I've selected from Endgame is the one that I've listened to over and over. It features some good sampling from the film version of Catch-22. It may be the sampling, in fact, that makes the song for me. So, thanks, Joseph Heller!

Rise Against - Survivor Guilt


9. Foo Fighters - Wasting Light When Foo Fighters release a new album, it always feels like the first single is amazing and gets my hopes way up for the rest of the album. And while the rest of their albums are fine, they never really live up to the excitement of that first track. Wasting Light is the exception to that. The first single, "Rope" (the track I've picked to feature from the album), is fantastic. And it is representative of the amazingness of the rest of the album. I still need to spend some time with the second half of the album, but it's time I'm looking forward to spending!

Foo Fighters - Rope


8. Yuck - Yuck I know that if I was like 5 years older, I would get a lot more of the allusions and influences that make this album so enjoyable. There's like Jesus and Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine and stuff, right? Well, in any case, I love the fuzzed out guitars, the wailing solos, the gorgeous vocals. This is a good driving album. Just don't, like, punch your windshield or window. I could have basically picked any song to feature, so I picked "Operation"!


Yuck - Operation


7. Radiohead - The King of Limbs This album was too short. That's my one complaint with it. I wish they'd put "Supercollider", "The Butcher", and "Staircase" on it, but I suppose it's their band and not mine. The trick to "getting" this album, I think, is to look at it as a dance album with a break to catch your breath in the middle. I've picked one of the "breather" songs to feature. The other being "Codex", natch.

Radiohead - Give Up the Ghost


 6. The Antlers - Burst Apart I did an actual review of this album back in September but what still gets me about this album is how it is, at the same time, so frigid and so cathartic! It's practically, well, bursting with potential energy. And it lets that energy loose only twice. If this was vinyl (and I'm sure it is, somewhere), it would be the last track of each side. The album closer "Putting the Dog to Sleep" is what I featured back in September, so here's the Side 1 closer:

The Antlers - Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out

Sunday, December 4, 2011

New Countdown! New Month! New......Shoes?

Well, I did get some new shoes. Was that this week? I haven't actually started wearing them, but I'm sure I will have before the year is out. What a way to start a blog post!

It was a very easy podcast to record this week. Grammy nominations, Festive fifty voting, and all that gave me lots to talk about!


***Featuring***
AWOLNATION
The Black Keys
Bush
Coldplay
Foo Fighters
Foster the People
Seether
Switchfoot
Young the Giant