8.5/10 - Personally think "Kill Your Heroes is the best AWOLNATION track but to each their own
10/10 - Any set with Gaslight Anthem in it is guaranteed to be great
<3 Dishonored
10/10 - "Breathing Underwater" may be my favorite Metric track. "This Ladder is Ours" is one of my favorites of the year (would be top 10 if I had a list)
8/10 - The vocals on "Hold On" are truly amazing.
While you best music video is a good choice, I would have went with "Reunion". I can't argue with your selection though.
8.5/10 - Lzzy Hale being incredibly hot counters for "Gangnam Style".
10/10 - No matter what your problems may be, it can be solved by "taking a walk". That is what I feel about the song and I love it. Additionally, having the Rolling Stones automatically grants a 10/10
All good movie choices. Wouldn't have been unhappy with any choice
First of all...holy crap, Yankald! Welcome back, brother.
Okay, here's the deal: I'm probably not going to be commenting on too many year-enders until the search option returns. That's been my godsend in catching up on people's year-enders. I'm sure it'll return soon, but, for now, I'm going to have to keep the comments to a minimum, unless you guys specifically wall message me/PM me the updates, like some of you have been doing. That's going to be the main way I'll see the updates, guys!
Oh, and one more thing: I've written so much recently that this is going to be a DOUBLE UPDATE! The Best YouTube Video will be found immediately following this set.
Soundgarden Been Away Too Long
#40s of the Past:
2011: Volbeat - "A Warrior's Call"
2010: Weezer - "Memories"
2009: Arctic Monkeys - "Crying Lightning"
2008: Bigelf - "Money, It's Pure Evil"
2007: Chevelle - "I Get It"
2006: The Roots - "Don't Feel Right"
2005: P.O.D. - "Goodbye for Now"
2004: Probot ft. Lemmy - "Shake Your Blood"
Wait, why do people hate this again? It's not like we're talking about "Live to Rise", which was clearly sub-standard Soundgarden. This is the REAL Soundgarden, the band that thrives on power and on technical excellence. "Been Away Too Long" is Soundgarden at its very core: Screaming Chris Cornell vocals, a booming guitar riff, insane drumming...you name it, this song has it. Actually, the only thing missing is an awesome solo, though there was a hint of what might have been in the middle of the song, when one hell of a cool guitar lick just pops up out of nowhere. Alas, a guitar solo does not a song make, and "Been Away Too Long" is just fine without it. Yeah, King Animal has many songs that are, arguably, better, but this song IS Soundgarden. How can anyone hate that?
Linkin Park Burn It Down
#39s of the Past:
2011: Thrice - "Promises"
2010: Silversun Pickups - "The Royal We"
2009: AFI - "Medicate"
2008: The Raconteurs - "Salute Your Solution"
2007: Social Distortion - "Far Behind"
2006: Wolfmother - "Joker and the Thief"
2005: Gorillaz - "Dirty Harry"
2004: Auf Der Maur - "Followed the Waves"
It's fair to say that "Burn It Down" was a far better first single than "The Catalyst", right? Unlike with "The Catalyst", it doesn't take forever to build up to nothing. It builds up to a particular sound pretty immediately. The song has a nice and clean background instrumental, which tends to stay in the background to let Chester Bennington sing in the spotlight. Chester has never been the best singer in the world, but his vocals always seem to fit the music that he's singing over, and such is the case here. My clear highlight, though, is the verse from Mike Shinoda. It's kind of childish, kind of juvenile, but listening to this song for the first time, I felt a wave of nostalgia crash over me when I heard Mike rapping. You don't realize how much you miss something until it's been gone for a long time and then it randomly reappears.
Grouplove Tongue Tied
#38s of the Past:
2011: Sleeper Agent - "Get It Daddy"
2010: Deftones - "You've Seen the Butcher"
2009: Paramore - "Brick by Boring Brick"
2008: The Killers - "Spaceman"
2007: Silversun Pickups - "Well Thought Out Twinkles"
2006: Pearl Jam - "Life Wasted"
2005: Kanye West - "Diamonds From Sierra Leone"
2004: Chevelle - "Vitamin R (Leading Us Along)"
This had no business winning me over the way it did. In fact, "Tongue Tied" wasn't particularly my favorite song in the world the first couple of times I listened to it. I remember distinctly liking "Colours" more on first listen. But a funny thing happened over the course of the year: The song became a hit for the band. I decided that now was as good of a time as any to revisit "Tongue Tied", and I'm really glad that I did. Basically, "Tongue Tied" is this year's "Pumped Up Kicks", where a song does not wow me in the slightest for a while, only for it to roar back into my psyche and win me over. And just like "Pumped Up Kicks", the primary reason is catchiness. There were few songs that were popular in 2012 that were as catchy as "Tongue Tied". Don't believe me? Just remember that each and every one of you who has listened to this song has had it in your head at some inopportune point. It is INESCAPABLE.
Of Monsters and Men Mountain Sound
#37s of the Past:
2011: Christina Perri - "Jar of Hearts"
2010: Paramore - "Careful"
2009: Dredg - "I Don't Know"
2008: My Morning Jacket - "I'm Amazed"
2007: Linkin Park - "Shadow of the Day"
2006: The Ataris - "Not Capable of Love"
2005: Audioslave - "Doesn't Remind Me"
2004: Finger Eleven - "Stay in Shadow"
"Little Talks" is the little hit that could, but "Mountain Sound" is the better overall song. "Little Talks" is catchy as hell with an awesome chorus, but "Mountain Sound"...I don't know, it just flows better to me. I like the chorus more, I like the harmony more, I like the overall sound of the song more, I just like EVERYTHING about this song just slightly more than "Little Talks". Naturally, this song will not be nearly as big of a hit as "Little Talks", because it doesn't have that "it" factor that the previous single had. That's a shame, because many people will be missing out on one hell of a beautiful song. If you're one of those people that has heard "Little Talks" but NOT this song, check it out.
Gotye ft. Kimbra Somebody That I Used To Know
#36s of the Past:
2011: In Flames - "Where the Dead Ships Dwell"
2010: Disturbed - "Asylum"
2009: The Offspring - "Half-Truism"
2008: 10 Years - "So Long, Good-Bye"
2007: Paramore - "crushcrushcrush"
2006: Lupe Fiasco - "Kick, Push"
2005: Muse - "Stockholm Syndrome"
2004: Outkast - "Roses"
Let's take a quick look at my 2011 blurb on this song...
Quote:
But seriously, though, I would be STUNNED if this song doesn't break out in 2012. It's already becoming a hit on Alt radio, and it's only a matter of time before pop radio gets a hold of this. I apologize if this song becomes as overplayed as "Pumped Up Kicks" in advance.
That last statement is particularly funny now, because "Somebody That I Used To Know" became overplayed in a way that "Pumped Up Kicks" was never able to accomplish. I mean, this song was EVERYWHERE in 2012. It was this year's "Rolling in the Deep", an atypical song blasting onto the scene and leaving bodies in its wake. It wound up spending two months at the top of the Hot 100 and was the #1 song of the year on the same Hot 100. There have been a million different covers and parodies of the song by now, varying from "Jesus christ, this is terrible" to "Walk Off The Earth". In the wake of its massive success, though, it seems as if people are forgetting that this phenomenon was once a wonderful little indie-pop single with some incredible vocals from both of the main players. Yeah, the song is beyond being overplayed now, but there was a reason for that. And I saw it coming a year ago.
AWOLNATION Not Your Fault
#35s of the Past:
2011: Hail the Villain - "My Reward"
2010: The Birthday Massacre - "In the Dark"
2009: Slayer - "Hate Worldwide"
2008: Shiny Toy Guns - "Ricochet!"
2007: MUTEMATH - "Typical"
2006: Mastodon - "Colony of Birchmen"
2005: Kasabian - "Club Foot"
2004: Korn - "Y'All Want a Single"
I felt so relieved when this song performed well on Alt radio this year. I thought that "Not Your Fault", which I feel is the superior song to "Sail", would get lost in the shuffle thanks to the enduring popularity of "Sail" over the last year. Thankfully, that wasn't the case. The song didn't quite reach the dizzying overall popularity of "Sail", but it did well enough that it didn't get entirely lost in the shuffle. There are still people unaware of this song, though, which is a shame, because "Not Your Fault" is incredibly catchy, even more so than "Sail". It also features one of my absolute favorite choruses of the year. It's so fun to sing along with (or, more accurately, scream along to), and it felt like a particularly soaring anthemic chorus in a year with plenty of them.
Serj Tankian Harakiri
#34s of the Past:
2011: M83 - "Midnight City"
2010: My Chemical Romance - "Na Na Na"
2009: Jay-Z and Alicia Keys - "Empire State of Mind"
2008: Disturbed - "Indestructible"
2007: TV on the Radio - "Province"
2006: Lacuna Coil - "Enjoy the Silence"
2005: Queens of the Stone Age - "Burn the Witch"
2004: Cypress Hill - "What's Your Number?"
If "Figure It Out" was Serj at his most System of a Down-like since their hiatus, then "Harakiri" is Serj at his most Serj-like. What do I mean by this statement, exactly? Well, even going beyond the meaning of the song, which is so politically charged that it borders on a Serj parody, "Harakiri" calls back to Elect the Dead in ways that I wasn't prepared for. It has a beautiful chorus, a strong message, and a point where the song changes its musical tone somewhat and creates an even better sound, all of this complete with the same Serj Tankian vocals that everyone knows and either loves or loathes. I don't think it's possible that I was "waxing nostalgic" about an album that was released five years ago, so I'll just say that I'm glad that Serj took the time to remember where he came from, with a song calling back to perhaps my favorite System-related album.
Metric Youth Without Youth
#33s of the Past:
2011: Red Fang - "Wires"
2010: Vampire Weekend - "Giving Up the Gun"
2009: Disturbed - "The Night"
2008: ASHES dIVIDE - "Enemies"
2007: Fair to Midland - "Dance of the Manatee"
2006: Nelly Furtado - "Maneater"
2005: Beck - "E-Pro"
2004: Nightwish - "Wish I Had An Angel"
I'm still not sure how this happened. Two years ago, Metric toured with Muse and helped to create the most memorable concert experience of my lifetime. This year, Metric took that tour experience and used it to make a complete ripoff of "Uprising". I mean, have you LISTENED to these two songs back to back? The only thing missing was a solo. But it's funny...I can't bring myself to hate "Youth Without Youth". In fact, it's BECAUSE it reminds me so much of "Uprising" that I can't help but love it. Well, and Emily Haines may have had something to do with it. Really, what separates this song from "Uprising" ultimately is Emily's cynical vocals. It would be easy to just say "HURRRRR, A FEMALE'S SINGING HERE AND NOT A MALE!", but it's more than that. The tone in Emily's vocals here is much more carefree than even Matt Bellamy's vocals in "Uprising". You can hear the cynicism dripping from her every word. Have I mentioned that I love Emily Haines?
Lights Timing Is Everything
#32s of the Past:
2011: Paramore - "Monster"
2010: Red - "Ordinary World"
2009: Five Finger Death Punch - "Hard to See"
2008: The Cure - "Freakshow"
2007: Papa Roach - "Forever"
2006: Chris Cornell - "You Know My Name"
2005: Bloodhound Gang - "Foxtrot Uniform Charlie Kilo"
2004: Beastie Boys - Ch-Check It Out
Really, not much has changed from my blurb about the song last year, so, in my ultimate act of laziness, here's the blurb all over again!
Quote:
Really, I can keep saying this about every Lights song: "Great beat, among the best of the year." The beats that Lights creates on Siberia are just on another level when compared to her contemporaries. It's a credit to Lights herself that she's able to make sure that the beats don't overtake the meaning of the song itself thanks to her lovely vocals, where she never tries to do something with her voice that's beyond her capabilities and keeps her voice in the general vicinity of the music. "Timing Is Everything" also happens to be one of the catchiest songs on an album that is chock full of catchy songs.
Well, okay, there's also the matter of the video, where Lights has, in my humble opinion, never looked better. That could just be the crush in me talking, though. Oh, and then there's the fact that...
Ellie Goulding Anything Could Happen
#31s of the Past:
2011: Bush - "The Sound of Winter"
2010: Pearl Jam - "Amongst the Waves"
2009: Placebo - "For What It's Worth"
2008: Flyleaf - "Breathe Today"
2007: Biffy Clyro - "Living Is A Problem Because Everything Dies"
2006: Wolfmother - "Woman"
2005: Kaiser Chiefs - "Oh My God"
2004: Rammstein - "Amerika"
We go from one of the two main Red Crushes in 2011 to the other. I've seen some people hate this song. Hell, I've seen at least one person refer to this as the worst song of 2012. And I guess I can't REALLY blame you. After all, Ellie's vocals here are at their most throaty and most shaky. The music isn't exactly the storm of emotions that was found in "Lights". Hell, it doesn't even have the same epic pop qualities of "Figure 8". But the one thing that "Anything Could Happen" has over EITHER of those songs is a sense of realness. What Ellie is singing about here is something that we can all relate to, something that we all think about, something that so many of us have gone through in the past. And Ellie's vocals here are not a bad performance, but merely completing the experience. To me, some of the best vocal performances are the ones that fit the tone and the meaning of the song perfectly, even if it means taking away some of the quality of your voice to do it. That's the sign of a truly great artist.
The next set is going to be, is going to be, is going to be (OVER!) songs 30 to 21. In that set: The third of four singles from a YECA staple, the only single from another YECA staple, the second of three singles and the second of two singles from artists that were just in this previous set, and the first of three singles from one of the artists that dominated my 2012. The **** gets real in the next set, so stay tuned!
I find it hard to explain my feelings for Stone Cold ET. In three minutes, we watch a guy wear an ET mask while also speaking as Stone Cold Steve Austin. That's it. That's all there is to the video. But you know something? Watching this guy speak like Stone Cold in an ET mask is INCREDIBLE. The reactions of the White Castle workers also help to make this special, as they react with laughter themselves at the craziness that is unfolding before them. But my god, the star HAS to be Stone Cold ET, right? There's nothing about this that should make ANY sense whatsoever, and there's even less that should be funny. But try not to laugh when Stone Cold ET yells "OH HELL YEAH!" He's got Stone Cold's voice down to a T, and the combination of that and the absurdity of wearing an ET mask creates something altogether amazing and unique. Seriously, take some time out of your day to watch this clip, ESPECIALLY if you grew up watching the WWE during the Attitude Era like myself.
Another Superlative out of the way! The next one is a doozy, as I look at the Worst Song of the year. There are two definitive candidates, but which song "won" out? Find out when I get around to posting it.
Songs: People hate "Been Away Too Long"? BOO! I love it, and i'm glad you do, too. I thought it was a very successful year for Soundgarden, creatively. Not sure why I qualified that. I'm sure they did well commercially, but I don't know that for certain. I guess that's why I qualified it. DUMB, anyway: That Grouplove song is good. I first saw them on Conan, and they impressed me. Not enough to hear more by them, but still impressive. Those Of Monsters and Men people had a big year. GOOD FOR THEM. And wow, you sure called the Gotye thing. Redstradamus! Nice to see that ol' Serj is still kicking around, and delivering good material. Metric, great! Love that song, and very true that it recalls "Uprising." LIGHTS, also great. And Ellie Goulding, great x3. And i'll repeat what I said earlier, re. Ellie Goulding haters, that they can go jump in a lake! I'll Paul Rudd in Wet Hot American Summer them!
Now, THE VIDEOS: Love Stone Cold ET! I am definitely a sucker for Attitude-era humour, and that hits the spot. A great find! I hadn't seen it before. Also, that has to be the longest drive to a window I have ever seen. What kind of White Castle is that?? Though, maybe that's the White Castle style, as we don't have those here. It just seemed ridiculously long in the video haha. Still, the point is that it's a really funny video and a worthy choice for BEST YOUTUBE VIDEO OF 2012.
Burn It Down + Tongue Tied + Somebody That I Used To Know + Youth Without Youth + Not Your Fault + Been Away Too Long + Mountain Sound + Anything Could Happen <333
The 1st five listed in this comment are projected to be Top 20 in mine.
It is nice to see Harakiri in somebody's countdown!
I like Live to Rise and Been Away Too Long, to me they're in the same level, but I still have the former much higher than the later. Maybe it being in the Avengers movie soundtrack skewed my judgment.
in fact, I haven't seen many films this year.
) and "Somebody That I Used To Know."
I just never really understood her appeal. The only good thing I can say for the song is that it's unique.