Throwback Thursday: 1989

10. Bon Jovi - New Jersey
9. Paula Abdul - Forever Your Girl
8. Anita Baker - Giving You the Best That I Got
7. Def Leppard - Hysteria
6. Guns N Roses - G N R Lies
5. Debbie Gibson - Electric Youth
4. Edie Brickell - Shooting Rubberbands At the Stars
3. Traveling Wilburys - Traveling Wilburys
2. Guns N Roses - Appetite For Destruction

     1. Welcome to the Jungle

     2. It's So Easy
     3. Nightrain
     4. Out ta Get Me
     5. Mr. Brownstone
     6. Paradise City
     7. My Michelle
     8. Think About You
     9. Sweet Child o' Mine
   10. You're Crazy
   11. Anything Goes
   12. Rocket Queen

Well, there were many contenders for who I would feature for this year. And if this album hadn't been an option I would probably have gone for the Traveling Wilburys album, but c'mon. I'm not going to pass up on the album upon which the blog's title is based! That's just not smart!

I have this album on my iPod, but I've never listened to it. I think I'll rectify that this week.

1. Bobby Brown - Don't Be Cruel

Top Ten Tuesday: Taylor Swift "Style"

The third single from Taylor Swift's smash album 1989 to make the Top Ten, this video is a lot more artsy than the previous two. I like it. I am really getting a sense of just how she incorporated the 1989 sound into this album. Definitely intriguing. I wouldn't be surprised if I owned this album before 2015 is over.

New Countdown: Snowflakes and Guitars

Royal Blood

Look, this thing is coming out on Sunday, you know? So we're all going to celebrate that!

It's a winter "wonderland" where I am, but the sun is melting all this vicious white stuff and we're all walking around with hopes of spring! And what better way to do that than with great Alternative music.

Enjoy!



Countdown #235

***Featuring***
Arctic Monkeys
Bleachers
Cage the Elephant
Foo Fighters
Hozier
Imagine Dragons
Milky Chance
Modest Mouse
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Royal Blood
St. Vincent
Walk the Moon

Throwback Thursday: 1990

10. Quincy Jones - Back on the Block
9. Bobby Brown - Dance!...Ya Know It!
8. Tom Petty - Full Moon Fever

     1. Free Fallin'
     2. I Won't Back Down

     3. Love Is a Long Road
     4. A Face in the Crowd
     5. Runnin' Down a Dream
     6. I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better
     7. Yer So Bad
     8. Depending on You
     9. The Apartment Song
   10. Alright For Now
   11. The Heart Has a Mind of Its Own
   12. Zombie Zoo

So this song has been in the news, sort of, recently since Sam Smith had to pay Tom Petty royalties due to the similarities between it and Smith's song "Stay With Me"

7. Billy Joel - Storm Front
6. Aerosmith - Pump
5. The B-52s - Cosmic Thing
4. Phil Collins - ...But Seriously
3. Janet Jackson - Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814
2. Milli Vanilli - Girl You Know It's True
1. Paula Abdul - Forever Your Girl

Video: Happy Fangs "Raw Nights"

So much energy in this band. I love the transition this video makes and how the music reflects it. This is such a good album, you guys, you should really pick it up.

Top Ten Tuesday: Rihanna & Kanye West & Paul McCartney "FourFiveSeconds"

This is a fantastic song. Anyone who balks at this because they feel Paul is somehow lowering himself to a  lower level of performance or playing with flavors of the month or whatever is missing out on a wonderful experience. It's a simple, lovely song and I really think that they all enjoyed making it. They all seem wonderfully comfortable in the video

New Countdown: Presidential Pardon My Lateness

Modest Mouse

My fellow Americans...and everyone in other countries, too. This one's late, but I think if I stop pointing out the ones that are late, it'll stop seeming to matter so much. Does that make sense?

We have some fantastic songs on the countdown and some great bonus songs, too, so I think you'll enjoy it a lot!



Countdown #234

***Featuring***
Arctic Monkeys
Bleachers
Cage the Elephant
Foo Fighters
Hozier
Imagine Dragons
Milky Chance
The Presidents of the United States of America
Royal Blood
St. Vincent
Walk the Moon

New Video: Doomtree "Final Boss"

The video for the lead off track from All Hands went up today on Stereogum. It's an intense one. I love it :)

Throwback Thursday: 1991

10. Paul Simon - Rhythm of the Saints

     1. The Obvious Child

   
     2. Can't Run But
     3. The Coast
     4. Proof
     5. Further to Fly
     6. Shem Moves On
     7. Born at the Right Time
     8. The Cool, Cool River
     9. Spirit Voices
   10. The Rhythm of the Saints

I don't know very much about this album, but I wanted to feature it here because I feel like I've never given it a fair shake. You see, when I would visit my dad and stepmom in Boston, I would occasionally want to listen to "You Can Call Me Al" from Graceland, but they didn't have that album. They HAD had it on vinyl, but I was seeking it in the mid- to late-90's when their vinyl was gone (It took up a LOT of space). What they did have, was a copy of this album on cassette. And so this album has always reminded me of disappointment and second-bestness. But from what I've heard, it sounds pretty fantastic. Maybe it is second best to Graceland, but that's still pretty great.

9. Wilson Phillips - Wilson Phillips
8. AC/DC - The Razor's Edge
7. Bette Midler - Some People's Lives
6. Whitney Houston - I'm Your Baby Tonight
5. M.C. Hammer - Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em
4. The Simpsons - The Simpsons Sing the Blues
3. Madonna - The Immaculate Collection
2. Mariah Carey - Mariah Carey
1. Vanilla Ice - To the Extreme

Top Ten Tuesday (UK Edition): Ellie Goulding "Love Me Like You Do"

Here's the current #1 in the UK. It's Ellie Goulding with a song from the 50 Shades of Grey soundtrack. It's a very catchy song and it's been a while since I've seen a video from a soundtrack like they used to do it in the old days: half the artist performing the song, half clips from the movie. Definitely takes me back.

New Countdown: Secret Handshake

Cage the Elephant

Another week, another countdown coming out on Monday. I like to think that, with the subscription option and the enhanced playability that we've gotten on the podcast in the past couple of weeks, maybe a couple of late podcasts aren't that big a deal. I hope you've all been enjoying them!

I recorded the majority of this while watching the Grammys so if you are trying to avoid spoilers, then maybe watch what you need to watch before listening past #9 or so.

Have a great week guys!



Countdown #233

***Featuring***
Arctic Monkeys
Bleachers
Cage the Elephant
Foo Fighters
Hozier
Imagine Dragons
Milky Chance
Modest Mouse
Royal Blood
St. Vincent
Walk the Moon

Throwback Thursday: 1992

10. Prince and the N.P.G. - Diamonds
9. Metallica - Metallica
8. Michael Bolton - Time, Love, and Tenderness
7. Boyz II Men - Cooleyhighharmony
6. U2 - Achtung Baby
5. M.C. Hammer - 2 Legit 2 Quit
4. Michael Jackson - Dangerous
3. Garth Brooks - No Fences
2. Nirvana - Nevermind

     1. Smells Like Teen Spirit

     2. In Bloom
     3. Come as You Are
     4. Breed
     5. Lithium
     6. Polly
     7. Territorial Pissings
     8. Drain You
     9. Lounge Act
   10. Stay Away
   11. On a Plain
   12. Something In the Way

Even though there were TWO Garth Brooks on the Top Ten for this week, I decided to keep it simple and feature this fantastic, groundbreaking album. And the song I picked to play from it is this fantastic, groundbreaking song. You've very likely heard this album and song many many times before. Listen again. It's still fantastic. 

1. Garth Brooks - Ropin' the Wind

Top Ten Tuesday: Fall Out Boy "Centuries"

People who listen to the podcast will be very familiar with this song that only just recently left the Top Ten of our chart. This is a fun video that hints at the possibility that Fall Out Boy are going to do a running story with the singles from this album, sort of like they did for the last album. I'm a little confused by the end, because that rapper doesn't appear on any songs on this new album. Maybe he's just there as a cameo.

Anywho, enjoy!

New Countdown: Not TECHNICALLY February yet....

Vance Joy

I have most of my voice this week! There is LOTS of movement on the chart this week! We have FOUR bonus songs this week! It's a good week. You're going to like this one.




Countdown #232

***Featuring***
Arctic Monkeys
Big Data [featuring Joywave]
Blink-182
Cage the Elephant
Doomtree
Foo Fighters
Happy Fangs
Hozier
Imagine Dragons
Milky Chance
Modest Mouse
Vance Joy
Walk the Moon

February 2015 Media Update

Last Thing I Watched: Ok I just noticed that I've changed this from the last year I did media updates. I think (and yeah, I could go back and look, but I'm not going to, so there.) that I had this category separated into TV and movies. So like one answer for TV and one for movies. This is an interesting difference. Ok, so the last thing I watched was an episode of the television show Stalker called "Tell All". This show is by Kevin Williamson who did Dawson's Creek, the Scream series, and The Following. All very popular in our household. This show is very good, too. Less intense than The Following and less bloody than Scream.

Last Thing I Read: Plowing through books this year. The plan is that I'm not buying or otherwise acquiring any new books this year, but rather reading books already on my shelves. Selected via Random Number Generator, of course. I have allowed myself 3 mulligans: the new Veronica Mars book (which I read earlier this month) and the second two books in the Millennium Trilogy (You know, the one that starts with The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo). So if the RNG comes up with a book I'm not into, I can read a mulligan, but once I am out of mulligans, I have to either read the book or give it up. Like donate it or sell it or give it away. Right now I'm about 2/3 of the way through George Carlin's "sortabiography" Last Words. Very enjoyable and interesting read!

Last Thing I Listened To: I listened to the new Doomtree album on my drive home from work tonight. I believe the last song I heard was "Heavy Rescue" although the song that follows it might have started as I was pulling into the driveway. I'm enjoying the new album a lot, though there is a lot to sort through. I'm really looking forward to seeing them perform these songs on the 14th!

Things I'm Seeing On the Internet: Let's see. People gearing up for the Super Bowl (whether that means picking sides or showing just how intensely they don't care about sports.) Yeah I guess that's the only really running theme I've seen recently. This category will be interesting to read in 2016 and beyond.