Oh, the things I'll have to say about new Mastodon (and "The Motherload") before too long...
Okay, let me put my wrestling fan cap on, and....let's talk about the WWE list. First of all, Wyatts/Shield only #8?! That match was freaking amazing! I went back and watched it recently, and it was just as great as it was at the time. Also, there were a lot of good to great matches in WWE and NXT this year, but neither of the Shield/Evolution matches made it? The second match, in particular, is a fantastic showcase of wrestling storytelling. And while I can understand why the triple threat at Mania may not have made the list, it would have made mine. Again, great storytelling. The great thing, though, is I'm not sure what I would take off. Even the female matches were great matches, let alone great matches for women in WWE.
Oh, hell, let me do my own top 10.
1) Wyatts/Shield, EC
2) Zayn/Neville, Takeover
3) D-Bry/HHH, Mania 30
4) Shield/Evolution, Payback
5) D-Bry/Batista/Orton, Mania 30
6) D-Bry/Bray, RR
7) Cesaro/Zayn, Arrival
8) Cesaro/Cena, Raw
9) Shield/Evolution, Extreme Rules
10) Either the SS Main Event or Ziggler/Cesaro/Kidd, SD...though there are a LOT of candidates for this spot.
Enjoying seeing what the old members’ Best ofs have included. I see that you’re a fan of taking recently news headlines and make it in to your thread title. I approve.
#1s: Great #s. MY favs including the double cheese Linkin Park sandwich, Helena, When You Were Young, Through the Fire and Flames (Epic #1 BTW!), Metallica, Panic Switch, Get Away, Little Talks, and the Vampire Weekend a la mode.
Close calls: Like your #1. So good. I also like #2, Come with me Now, Pompeii, I’m not the only one,Done, Beggin for Thread, Stay High All the Time, and Guilty All the Same.
Albums: 50-48- I only listen to the lead singles of those albums, funny enough. Listening to Shadow and it’s a nice song. Fun and catchy in a different than the lead single and the band fun’s music. Sad to hear that a member from TV on the Radio is dead because of cancer (it also on my grandma’s youngest brother last year/my great uncle).
47-45 : So, it’s not just me that the site is loading slower than usual. And, I just bought this new laptop too. Must hear the new Wu album. Yeah, I heard about what they’re doing with another album taking around the country for people to pay to listen in front of them. Didn’t know Wolfmother had new music.
44-43: I’m out of the metal loop for a 2nd year in a row. But I know and like The Motherload. I agree with you that WWE ain’t cool nowadays. I still watch it and like all the matches in the top 10 except #9 since I never watch that match. Wasn’t watching WWE from after Summerslam to Survivor Series because I was busy with schoolwork. Recently watched NXT R Evolution and it was amazing. Love the two main events that blew the main roster out of the water. Like Red’s top 10 WWE/NXT matches of 2014. Good Best ofs so far oh slave to the great North Korea dictator.
Glad I was entertaining Doctor S. And no problem ASF, metal is very niche, and is mostly a live experience for me now. So much energy!
Sir Red, I did love those matches, but I guess I was kinda spoiled at the time, since The Shield had been putting on 5 star matches for about a year and a half. The triple threat I excluded because I was still in shell shock for half the match. Not its fault, but I can't pretend it didn't happen lol. The red hot Pittsburgh crowd at the Rumble put Bryan/Wyatt over the top for me, and made the rest of that show kind of hilarious. And thanks for putting your list in my thread! That would be called putting me over in wrestling terms. You're a real Jericho!
To the update, which is quite the opposite of the Metal Update. RIP Metal Update.
42. 48:13 by Kasabian
Favorite Song: "doomsday"
Ah, Kasabian, we meet again. First appearing in 2004, they had a long draught before the excellent Velociraptor album popped up two years ago. While researching the album, I found the album is titled after its length, which is pretty clever. They even have the times added up on the album cover, if you don't believe them. Also, every title on the album is one word, no capital letters. We don't f with no shift key. None of this has anything to do with the music on the album, it just shows how easy it is to get side tracked by the internet.
41. I Never Learn by Lykke-Li
Favorite Song: "Gunshot"
"Gunshot" really is a powerhouse of a song. That chorus knocks you off your feet. I always thought her name was a play on the word likely, but it turns out her real name is Li Lykke Timotej Svensson Zachrisson. "No Rest For The Wicked" and "Love Me Like I'm Not Made Of Stone" are also good songs to check out for those of you with time constraints.
Yeah, just two again. SORRY. I'm ranking this on the fly. But if you must have more...
Athlete of the Year
Madison Bumgarner! I know you can't win a championship single handedly, but shutting down the Royals for 3/4 of the World Series games is as close as you can get.
I love Kasabian! I've been listening to their music for years, this year "eez-eh" was my jam Definitely need to check out their full album, I know I won't be disappointed.
Didn't know who Lykke-Li was until I saw her in a lot of Best Ofs but "Gunshot" sounds really good! I'll put an eye on her in 2015
Could also go with the lead single "Fall In Love" as the favorite song, which sounds a little like "Yoshimi ... Pt. 2" by Flaming Lips. Both songs are damn great. For those unaware, this another altpop group, straight out of Greenwich New York, which I didn't know existed until just now. Those early colonists sure weren't very creative with naming things. Anyways, if you were really Chvrches last year, or any other band like that, then Phantogram should be a priority on your must-listen-to list. And then a must-audioscrobbler list and then a must-last.fm list. That's a very niche nerd joke.
39. Honor Is All We Know by Rancid
Favorite Song: "Evil's My Friend"
Yep, Rancid are still around and still awesome! I have a confession, I'm not the biggest fan of ska that you will find on these boards. Probably somewhere in the middle in fact. Yet Rancid have always tread the perfect line between ska and punk, giving them their own unique sound that makes their music timeless. It's not the exact same sound as way back in the Daly City days, but that sound would fit in today just as this one would fit in the 90s. As much as I love other genres, only rock can go into Matthew McConaughey's five dimensional tesseract, emerge at any point in time and be cool with it. Hopefully Rancid will continuing to prove this by still rocking out in the 2030s.
38. Morning Phase by Beck
Favorite Song: "Morning"
Another confession, I prefer Odelay and Guero Beck to Sea Change Beck, so I wasn't as excited about this as I would normally be for a new Beck. Yet this album ended up being very beautiful in its own way. A sad beauty sure, but sometimes those two go hand in hand. Beck is the only non-pop artist nominated in the big three grammy cats too, so I'll be rooting for him that night despite liking the Beyonce (and one other) album more! Go Beck!
I have my television and video games lists nearly ready. I'll post those this week. Not sure how free I will be over the next few days, but I'll try to get another update in by Xmas.
O! You told me about that Kasabian album months ago, and I really have enjoyed what I heard from it. Thanks for the heads-up on it! Lykke Li is great, and"Gunshot" is indeed a powerhouse. Phantogram are cool, and then you have RANCID and BECK! I love how both of those write-ups turned into confessional time haha. I picture you, reality show-style, saying those things. I'm glad you showcased both albums, two albums I really love. In particular, I remember you mentioning that the Beck album wasn't your fav on first listens, so i'm glad it graduated a little bit in your estimation! You still like weirder Beck more, which is great, but you can at least appreciate what he's going for on Morning Phase.
Merry Christmas! I have some free time at the moment, and have to work all day tomorrow. So this quick update doubles as an Xmas present and a way for me to not fall too far behind. Also The Interview is in theaters! Woo!
37. High Hopes by Bruce Springsteen
Favorite Song: "Just Like Fire Would"
So Bruce returned this year, without The E-Street Band, but with Mr. Tom Morello. Pairing up The Boss with the guitarist from Rage and Audioslave had me bewildered, what could this possibly sound like? Will Bruce rap? Turns out that Morello can go in different directions just like Sir Bruce, and they meet in the middle for a very reasonable sound. They fit together! The title track, "High Hopes", would be my #2 rec for all y'all.
36. Heartstrings by Leighton Meester
Favorite Song: "Heartstrings"
Yes, that Leighton Meester, from the Gossip Girl. I kind of always wanted her to be a good singer, since she was the best part of that show, but it started off a little rocky with all out pop and then all out weird. Here she finds a nice balance. It's a mix between late 90s alternative and the more moody pop of today. Sounds like its still a lot of weird, but trust me on this, if it is then its the right kind of weird.
OK, that's all I got time for today. As a Christmas present for me, all of you have need to have a happy holidays.
Well, I'm not a big fan of Bruce Springsteen' music
Leighton Meester Didn't know she released something this year! Her song with Robin Thicke was my jam in 2009
Thank you all, thank you all. As we slowly make our way through, let's see how many I can get this time. I'll do tube videos for all.
35. Shattered by Reigning Sound
Favorite Song: "Never Coming Home"
A real old school sound here, it's really not the reigning sound at all. Wiki describes it as a garage punk sound, which is fair. To me it sounds more like an early Stones album track though. Just jamming out, having fun, drinking shots with busty women, playing pool, nobody is texting or tweeting. A good time being had by anyone. I sure do wanna see them live, to see if my vision is correct!
34. Everyday Robots by Damon Albarn
Favorite Song: "Mr. Tembo"
If you don't recognize the name, this the guy behind Blur, Gorillaz and some lesser known stuff like The Good, The Bad, The Queen and Rocket Juice and The Moon. Liking those bands doesn't necessarily mean you'll like his solo project, but it's a good place to start. My favorite song "Mr. Tembo" is an upbeat folk track, which is contrasted by "Heavy Seas Of Love" and "Everyday Robots", which is more of a James Blakeish folktronica (I just read this term and love it) except way better! So, rather than create a bunch of different bands to appeal to everyone, Damon stuffs it all into one album.
33. The Both by The Both
Favorite Song: "Milwaukee"
OK so that is actually Kenny Rogers, not The Both, whose song "The Gambler" isn't even a cover that song. I just couldn't find a good video of it, and decided to go with Kenny instead of picking another song. This is for you, the people. Anyways I was totally wrong on who the male singer in this project was, like a fool, so I'm editing my write up to reflect that. Sorry people, I failed you all.
And the answer is three, once again. Ranking is pretty tough this year, it seems criminal to put these three outside of the top 30 considering their high quality. I just can't bring myself to drop anything else. I'll try to do another one tonight when I get home.