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The 2009 Year-End Crazy Ambition
ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 9/26/2001
Posts: 22,475
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The 2009 YECA: Top 100 Singles of 2009 (70-61)
Quote:
Originally posted by Master Shake
You're on the shitlist for no show last night + Creed.
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I love "+ Creed". CAN'T LET THEM OFF THE HOOK.
Another block? What is this, 2008? Oh, and that's nothing: I'm done with the banners for 60-51, which means you'll probably see that today, too. Yes, I am on a roll, why do you ask?
This is one song that I am actually pretty satisfied with, as far as ranking is concerned. It was actually, at one point, a little too high, in the mid 50's, before it settled here. It's a great take on one of my favorite songs of the 1960's, but, at the same time, something just feels a little off, like there could have been more to the song to make it one of the great covers of the new millennium. It's still great, regardless, and Richard Patrick's uncaring and methodical vocals only make this cover greater.
Very few songs matched the overall intensity and blazing power that "One Month Off" featured. This was accentuated by a memorable video that, honestly, I don't think gets talked about enough. But we're not talking about the video here. We're talking about the song, and the song, I believe, is as memorable as the double shot of "Banquet" and "Helicopter". It's so frantic and fierce that it becomes incredibly hard to forget. "I can be as cruel as you, fighting lies with lies!"
We all know the story, at this point. Michael Jackson, in his search to find a worthy guitarist for his This Is It tour, settled on a young lady by the name of Orianthi Panagaris, a prodigy of sorts who rubbed shoulders with guitar legends like Steve Vai and Carlos Santana before she was old enough to drink. After Michael's tragic death and the subsequent release of This Is It to theaters, people began to notice this incredible guitarist. Everything came full circle when "According to You" was released as the first single off of her major label debut, Believe. As of this writing, she is currently in the top 20 on pop radio with one of the more interesting pop hits of the decade, a song that mixes an average pop sound with some of the more epic guitar playing of the decade. Oh, and she actually has an alright voice, too!
A very beautiful song that inspired a pretty funny video. I really can't say anything that Mikal said better in his year-ender, so go check his out, why don't you?
Very few songs were able to capture the spirit of American Idiot successfully on the album of the same name, but Green Day was able to make this one into one of the more special ones. I will readily admit that the first two minutes are so are pretty standard material, but, once the tempo of the song changes, the song becomes an entirely new beast, as Billie Joe Armstrong holds out his hand for you to go on a magical ride. If this song was only the last three minutes, it would be top 40. At least. As it is, it still has a very respectable place on the 2009 Top 100.
If you are really shocked by this, then you haven't been watching me enough. This is on the Blokk of Rokk right now. The BLOKK. OF ROKK. I have said on numerous occasions, including on ATRL LIVE, that I like this song. Granted, I'm not sure if you knew that I liked this song enough to put it #65 on my 2009 Top 100, but...well, now you know! Demi has always been caught by the stigma of being a "Disney artist", but the reality is that, out of all of the so-called "Disney artists", Demi is the one who separates herself the most from the label. Pretend that she isn't from Disney and listen to this song and "Got Dynamite" back to back. You really want to tell me that this is a DISNEY ARTIST?!
I have everyone's favorite Korn fan to thank for this one. He recommended it to me, and I obliged, since, you know, his taste is the closest to my own. And, lo and behold, I begin to *really* enjoy this song. The vocals in this song are surprisingly solid, while the music is suitably brutal and rough around the edges to compensate. This song also features one of my favorite sing-along moments of 2009: "EVERY DAY, I TRY TO MAKE THIS RIGHT! EVERY DAY, I TRY TO MAKE SENSE OF THIS MESS!"
Or, as I have called it numerous times, "Broken, Beaten and Scarred". That would be the ignorant side of me, right there. I don't think that this song is particularly impressive to start. It's got a nice sound and beat to it, almost catchy, even. However, at around the 3:49 mark, the song takes a drastic turn and becomes a great song. I have always believed that the breakdowns of all of the songs on Death Magnetic were the main reason why Death Magnetic wound up being my favorite album of 2008, and this has one of the best.
I hear the comparisons ALL THE TIME now: "Oh, The Gaslight Anthem are just a rip-off of The Killers!" ********. This comparison becomes especially ridiculous when another song later on is mentioned, but it does get mentioned here, too. The reality is that the closest comparison that can be made for The Gaslight Anthem is none other than The Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen, and this is one of the better homages to Springsteen's sound that I have heard in a long time. It's as if Brian Fallon and his gang of awesome musicians were genetically engineered by Springsteen himself.
The single catchiest song in the Otep discography. Period. Oh, you want me to go on? Well, it does have some intense growling, so, if that turns you off, you might be in trouble. For everyone that can put up with some growling, you're in for a treat. It's one of those songs that defines the term "sing-along". Just watch. By the fifth time that you listen to this song, you will be singing along to every single word of the song.
70-61? Yeah, that's done. And 60-51 is coming later today, and that's a promise, Jack! Or John. Or Bob. Or whoever. I tried, dammit.
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Member Since: 2/26/2006
Posts: 62,897
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21st Century Breakdown & Remember December 
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Member Since: 6/24/2008
Posts: 21,950
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7/10
"Cornerstone" & "21st Century Breakdown" are my favorites from this set 
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Member Since: 7/5/2009
Posts: 4,103
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Mucho new metal/ head bangers ball
Lamb of god 
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ATRL Moderator
Member Since: 12/21/2002
Posts: 20,569
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Yeah, I'm not a big fan of the Creed song, nor "Magnificent", but everything else in the first set is "kid tested, mother approved." Just like Viagra. 
According to you, the Great Expectations are happy together, without you.
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 9/24/2001
Posts: 7,772
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Demi Lovato, another person we discussed IN DETAIL on the show yesterday. We said Duffster and JMac and Demi (to an extent) have left the Disney stigma.
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Member Since: 6/25/2008
Posts: 15,884
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Gaslight, Demi, Orianthi, and Bloc Party
are my fav here
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 3/19/2008
Posts: 37,076
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Best get a one month off for your 21st century breakdown. According to you, remembering December was your cornerstone. (OMG, I suck so much at this...  )
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 11/6/2002
Posts: 10,641
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I am pretty shocked to see Demi Lovato on the list.
Bury Your Dead & Otep ^_________^
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Member Since: 2/22/2008
Posts: 46,108
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5/10
Remember December   You got caught by the Demi fever 
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 9/26/2001
Posts: 22,475
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The 2009 YECA: Top 100 Singles of 2009 (60-51)
That's the third update of the day. I mean, seriously. What is WRONG with me? At least the graphics are easy enough to read for those of you who will have to look at 30 songs, as opposed to ten...yeah, not much comfort there. Sorry.
Yeah, I will admit that it's a step down from their previous material. Readily admit, at that. Even as far as lead singles are concerned, it can't compare to the likes of "The Red" and "Well Enough Alone". But "Jars" is still a Chevelle song, and Chevelle are, if nothing else, consistent. It's just a very solid song, nothing that really stands out, but also no real problems to be found here, either, as Chevelle has pretty much mastered their sound in the ten years that they have been recording music.
One of the sweetest and most down-to-Earth songs on the top 100, "Be the One" is, quite easily, my favorite song from The Ting Tings' breakthrough album, We Started Nothing, and probably all of the proof that I need that Katie White is a star on the rise and someone to watch out for in 2010. It's her vocals that carry the Ting Tings, and, here, she is the right mixture of cute and rebellious needed to make this song work. The biggest compliment I could give this song is that I could find one or two points where I could say, "Hey, it's Blondie in 2009!"
I bet you were expecting this to be MUCH higher, right? Hell, I was, too. At one point, this was one of my favorite twenty songs of the year. Not singles, SONGS. But something happened. I'm still not sure what happened, but my love of this song decreased pretty dramatically. Not anywhere close to the point where it would be in danger of falling off the top 100, but still pretty far down the list. Still, when it comes to songs that REALLY fell off my radar quickly, the next song may have topped it...
I was talking about "Wrong" being top 10 of the year when this song was first released. "Wrong" has the quintessential Depeche Mode sound, a totally bleak and full-of-despair beast of a tune. It's one of the most easily sing-a-longable songs of 2009. So, why in the world is THIS song only #57? Sadly, I think I overplayed it. And I don't overplay songs. Period. I never listen to the radio, I never watch music television channels (when they do play music videos), and I don't really watch videos on YouTube that often. Instead, I found myself playing this all the time on my own accord. Lo and behold, oversaturation on my *own* part sets in, and "Wrong" is only #57 at the end of the year.
You know, I will be the first person to admit that Weezer has fallen off the tracks. Big time. The Red Album was just awful. I said it. Make Believe wasn't much better. It had a few highlights, but, when compared to their past material, it just can't compare. Then came Raditude. Oh. my. god. What the HELL happened to Weezer? "I Want You To" is the rarest of the rare highlights, a song that fully embraces the pure pop mentality that has become Weezer's downfall this decade, but it also does it in a way that completely distances itself from similar Weezer songs. It's actually fun to listen to, and it's catchy without having to turn your brain off to do so.
The first of two Lily singles to be found on this top 100 is relatively high at #55, and it is the It's Not Me, It's You single that has caused the most division. Some people will defend this song to the death, while others would rather rip their ears off than listen to this song again. Me? I wouldn't necessarily say that I'm in the former, but I know that I'm not on the side of the latter, too. Instead, I just tend to focus on the franticness of Lily's voice, as well as the twangy musical background that channels the "true country" better than most country artists do today, while adding that Lily spin to it, at the same time.
(If you think that I'm going to try to fit "Running to the Edge of the World" into THAT banner, psh. No way.)
The first time that I listened to this song, I wondered if this was really Marilyn Manson and not an MP3 declaring itself to be "Marilyn Manson". As it turns out, "Running to the Edge of the World" really IS sung by Manson. That's right...Marilyn freaking Manson has done a ballad. Well, "ballad" in the Manson sense. It's also surprisingly solid, as well as being a universal song that anyone could perform. I actually believe that the best part of this song is Manson's vocals. I mean, we all know that Manson does not have a true "singing" voice, but he makes up for that with raw emotion. Out of the three Manson singles that made this list, this would be the one I'd recommend to everyone.
"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight!" "Up to No Good" is just FUN. FUN, FUN, FUN, with some more fun sprinkled on top. If you're feeling sad or blue, listen to "Up to No Good". Those feelings will be gone in six seconds. If you're feeling stressed out about school work or paper work, listen to "Up to No Good". Your motivation to do that work will rise immediately. Seriously, this is the ultimate "You've got problems? WE'VE GOT THE ANSWERS!" song. It's just way too happy to hate.
Ahh, you forgot about this one, didn't you? For a moment, I did, too. This will go down as one of the most underrated singles of 2009, as this song has been overshadowed by TMV *gasp* doing an "acoustic" album! We all forget that this song sounds like it could have come from The Bedlam in Goliath. In fact, "Cotopaxi" sounds EXACTLY like a conglomoration of the wonderful sounds to be found on that album. I'm going to regret this song being so low. I can feel it.
I have had a really hard time trying to come up with a description to describe just how much I love this song, and why I love this song as much as I do, but I keep drawing a blank. Could I talk about the fun drum beat? Or how the song always sounds like it's about to derail itself, but never does? Or how fun it is to sing along with the vocals here? Honestly, this is one of the few songs I can ever recall where I keep telling myself, "You LOVE this song!", yet I can't, for the life of me, determine exactly what makes this so awesome. Just as an aside, Julien-K has had a pretty awesome year, haven't they? Between their own stuff and Dead by Sunrise, it was good to be Julien-K.
Hey, we're about to reach the top 50! AMAZING, right?! Some pretty popular songs await in the 50-41 block, along with a couple of songs that should appease the rock crowd. Which includes me. I don't know where I'm going with this, so I'll just say that you may or may not see 50-41 today. If nothing else, there's always tomorrow.
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Member Since: 4/6/2007
Posts: 25,604
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Whoaaaa! Remember December. <3333 
8/10 for this set.
Chevelle, The Ting Tings & Wolfmother! 
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Member Since: 11/10/2005
Posts: 13,968
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be the one and lily allen!
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 11/6/2002
Posts: 10,641
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"Kick The Bass" ^____^
I completely forgot to put it on my year end.
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 9/24/2001
Posts: 7,772
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Yay Lily? Keep ****ing that chicken.
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 6/9/2002
Posts: 6,789
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Oh wow, you really are pumping these things out.
Creed over U2! blasphemy!!!!! I'll let it slide though, since you have plenty of other great stuff.
Hov! Metallica! Gaslight Anthem! (people actually say that Killers thing with a straight face? What the ****??) Weezer! (Personally, as the writeup I did on Raditude says, I think this album is a vast improvement over Red Album ["Pork and Beans" is Weezer at their all-time laziest] and Make Believe, and a much better direction for the group than those two albums) Rancid and Booker T!
Great work, Ryan!
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Member Since: 9/3/2006
Posts: 27,884
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Great Expectations, Cornerstone and According To You
I expected 21st Century Breakdown to be a little bit higher. East Jesus Nowhere better make it up.
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Member Since: 2/22/2008
Posts: 46,108
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Ting tings, Marilyn, Lilly, Depeche Mode & Weezer 
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ATRL Moderator
Member Since: 12/21/2002
Posts: 20,569
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You're killing it, sir. I wish Julien-K had some mainstream success with that single, though.
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 7/23/2007
Posts: 35,994
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70-61: 8/10 (According To You + Remember December + 21CB + Great Expectations + BBS <3)
60-51: 9/10 (Jars + Be The One + Wrong + New Moon Rising + Not Fair + I Want You To <3)
50 Chickens ****ed, 50 more to do.
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