30. Changing by Airborne Toxic Event - I have to admit that after "Sometime Around Midnight" I was pretty convinced that Airborne Toxic Event was going to be one hit wonders, and I am here to say that I was completely wrong. Not only was their entire album a joy to listen to, they come back two years later and are as strong as ever. The first time I heard "Changing" I knew that it would make this countdown. "Changing" proves that Airborne Toxic Event are a diverse and talented band that are way more than one hit wonders.
29. Time Spent in Los Angeles by Dawes - I have already expressed my regret for ignoring every song on the Dawes album other than "Time Spent in L.A." The song is the first track on the album and I enjoyed listening to it so much that I kept replaying it; never even giving the other songs a chance. I even went as far as to say the rest of the album was not good. Well, the past is in the past, and the album is pretty much all I have been listening to for the past month. "Time Spent in Los Angeles" will forever remind me of bartending on the beach and drinking in the sun, and therefore will always make me happy.
28. Gotta Be Wrong Sometimes by O.A.R. - O.A.R. surprised me more than any other band this year. I have been a O.A.R. fan for years, but I usually like about three songs on each album, and i'll be obsessed with one song per album. Their latest album, King, has many tracks that I thoroughly enjoy, and two that I am obsessed with. "Gotta Be Wrong Sometimes" is one of those obsessions. The song is very near and dear to me because I very, very, seldom make mistakes. In fact, in my nine years of teaching, countless clumsy students have asked me if they could borrow my "White-Out." My response every time is "Sorry, I don't have any. I don't make mistakes."
O.A.R.'s "Gotta Be Wrong Sometimes" forces me to accept the fact that even I may make an occasional blunder every now and then, and that is OK. Thanks O.A.R.
27. Shake it Out by Florence and the Machine - Last year I caught a lot of slack for placing "The Dogs Days Are Over" at number 30, which many people considered to be "so low." While "Dog Days Are Over" was and is a great song, I feel confident that 30 was an accurate ranking. This year I actually like "Shake it Out" even more and placed it at number 27. Wouldn't you know, I have received slack for this too, with people saying that it may be placed a little "too high." I can't win when it comes to Flo. (If you are wondering who has been fortunate enough to get a sneak peek at my list, maybe if you are a little nicer to me this coming year, you too, will get a sneak peek next December.) Fine, it was my brother.
Anyway, I love "Shake it Out" more and more every time I listen to it. A funny story about the song is that just yesterday I was running VERY late for work. I usually allow myself a minute or two extra in case a great song comes on the radio while I am preparing to enter work. That way, I would have enough time to sit in the parking lot and finish listening to it before I had to slug into the building. Well, wouldn't you know about 30 seconds before I parked the car "Shake it Out" came on the radio. I did not have a minute to spare, so I was not able to listen to the entire song. As you can imagine I was pretty bummed. I had the song stuck in my head all day, almost as if it was on pause in my head. Well, six and a half LONG hours later I returned to my car, turned it on, and what is on the radio? You guessed it, "Shake it Out" in almost the exact same spot where I left it. I couldn't believe my ears. I may have even screamed "Oh My God!" which would explain all the weird looks I was getting from my co-workers in neighboring cars.
26. Around My Head by Cage, the Elephant - "Around My Head" is the third and final Cage, the Elephant song to make this years countdown. An interesting fact about Cage is that they have made my top 50 Songs of the Year Countdown the past three years, ever since their first song, "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked." They have a very impressive track record here at Ryan's Countdown's.
I pretty much think I love this song simply because of all the "ohhh ohhhh ohhhh ohhh, ahhhh ahhhh ahhhhh ahhhh" parts and the "I. Don't. Think. It's. Veeery. Nice. To." parts. If you have never heard this song and have no idea what I am talking about then please listen to this song and love it with me.
25. Rope by Foo Fighters - If January 2011 Ryan, would have told January 2012 Ryan that "Rope" would not make the top TEN songs of the year I would have laughed at myself and then probably punched myself in the face. I was very confident that "Rope" would be in contention for song of the year. Not only did it not even make my top 20, but it is my THIRD favorite Foo Fighters song of the year. My placement of "Rope" at number 25 proves to me how many great songs were released in 2011. Foo Fighters will forever be one of my favorite bands of all time, and "Rope" is just one example of how modern and ageless these guys are.
24. Listen to Your Love by Mona - "Listen to Your Love" is one of the rare gems that I first heard in mid December while doing research for the countdown. I instantly fell in love with it and it wasn't long before it was one of my favorite songs of the year. I have not had time to listen to any other songs by Mona, but now that the crazy weeks of late December and early January are over I will be sure to check them out and give them a proper listen. If all their songs are anywhere near this good, you can expect to be hearing a lot more about Mona in future countdowns.
I look forward to getting to know Mona much more in the coming months.
23. Darling Buds of May by Viva Brother - Like the previous band, Mona, I had no idea who these guys were until I heard the DJ announce that they were about to play Viva Brother for the first time in the stations history. I was instantly hooked. I bought their album, saw them in concert, and even had a beer with one of the guys. If you read my Top Albums of 2011 countdown you know how much I love these guys. Their release, "The Darling Buds of May" is catchy as hell, but one of my least favorite songs on the album. It is what it is. ( I hate that term more than anything, and would NEVER seriously use it, but it is the main line of the song, so I had to throw it in somewhere.)
22. Comeback Kid by Brett Dennen - Not many people in New England know Brett Dennen because for some unknown reason that gets me really mad, no radio stations play his music (at least not in RI anyway.) Brett Dennen is a musical mastermind and must be shared with the world. If I was ten years younger or thirty years older, I would quit my job and be a volunteer promoter for Brett Dennen. He is that good, and so is this song.
21. If There Ever Was a Time by Third Eye Blind - I know what you are thinking. How can a Third Eye Blind song be as low as number 21. Well, I will say that 21 is my favorite number ever. Coincidence? Anyway, Stephan Jenkins is very, very political and decided to write this song in accordance with the Occupy Wall Street protests. He released it for free and just wanted to show his support for the movement. He is very opinionated and extremely intelligent and obviously very gifted. In 15 years I have never disliked anything Third Eye Blind has done; not one single song in 15 years. This is no exception. It took me a few listens to begin to really appreciate it and was very difficult to rank on the countdown seeing as I am quite bias towards Third Eye Blind. With that being said, they will more than likely release a new CD in 2012 (along with The Killers AND Neon Trees.) 2012 has a huge potential to be my favorite music year of all time. If all three bands actually get their CD's out, the 2012 countdowns here at Ryan's Countdown's will be one for the ages.
No comments:
Post a Comment