I haven't been in the blogging game for quite a while, but with the start of a new year and my desire to reset my play counts I've felt inclined to at least share my annual Top 25 (even though I missed last year...) The play counts are a little lower than they've been in previous years, but that's due to having had to re-install Windows a couple times which wiped my play counts so really this list only represents the last half of the year or so. Still, I think it has some pretty good gems in it. I hope you enjoy these songs as much as I did in 2012
#
Artist/Song
Times Played
25:
Hey Champ - Cold Dust Girl
10
24:
Taylor Swift - Mine
10
23:
Spoon - I Turn My Camera On
11
22:
Regina Spektor - Us
12
21:
Wolf Parade - Modern World
12
20:
Lykke Li - I Follow Rivers
13
19:
LCD Soundsystem - All My Friends
13
18:
Rihanna - S.O.S. (Rescue Me)
15
17:
Blitzen Trapper - God & Suicide
17
16:
The xx - Night Time
18
15:
Of Monsters And Men - Little Talks
18
14:
The Beatles - Come Together
18
13:
Empire of the Sun - Standing On The Shore
19
12:
Blitzen Trapper - Black River Killer
21
11:
Muse - Map Of The Problematique
27
10:
Foster The People - Call It What You Want
28
9:
Coldplay - Princess of China
28
8:
M83 - Midnight City
31
7:
Cassettes Won't Listen - Freeze and Explode
32
6:
Florence + The Machine - Only If For A Night
38
5:
Muse - Supremacy
40
4:
Two Door Cinema Club - Settle
40
3:
LCD Soundsystem - Dance Yrself Clean
46
2:
Divine Fits - My Love is Real
58
1:
Two Door Cinema Club - Sleep Alone
63
I'm pretty happy with this list. Yes, I have some Taylor Swift and some Rihanna on there! Everybody is allowed a couple guilty pleasure songs, aren't they?
We've started a new year which means it's time to reset the play counts on my iPod/iPhone again, but before I erase such wonderful history let me share with you the 25 greatest hits from Johnny's iPhone in 2010.
#
Artist/Song
Times Played
25:
Thom Yorke - The Eraser
42
24:
Vampire Weekend - I Think Ur A Contra
43
23:
La Roux - Bulletproof
43
22:
Empire of the Sun - Walking On A Dream
43
21:
Discovery - Osaka Loop Line
43
20:
Coldplay - Lost!
46
19:
The Temper Trap - Resurrection
46
18:
Radiohead - Everything in its Right Place
46
17:
TV On The Radio - Dancing Choose
47
16:
LCD Soundsystem - Tribulations
52
15:
Imogen Heap - Loose Ends
52
14:
Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks
59
13:
The Killers - This Is Your Life
67
12:
LCD Soundsystem - Someone Great
72
11:
Muse - MK Ultra
75
10:
Two Door Cinema Club - Undercover Martyn
80
9:
The Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
82
8:
Band of Horses - Laredo
82
7:
Florence And The Machine - Cosmic Love
86
6:
The Whitest Boy Alive - Burning
88
5:
Florence And The Machine - Dog Days Are Over
92
4:
The Temper Trap - Love Lost
96
3:
Two Door Cinema Club - What You Know
107
2:
Jaydiohead - Dreaming Up
133
1:
Band of Horses - Dilly
152
I'll be honest... There were a few songs on this list that were a surprise to even me, but I'm not ashamed! Also, if you want to know how this list compares to my 2009 top 25? Click here!
I've been taking flak from multiple directions about not having updated this blog since February. Maybe I have an excuse, maybe I don't. (I don't...)
Well, here I am, coming at you with a summary of what I've been up to since February 25 when I apparently last posted something.
1. The Muse concert (obviously). It was blow your mind amazing. I was front row, dead center with Dustin & Lisa Lee, with Rob Clarke not far behind. Scott Barnes was there with us too, but he got separated in the mad dash to the front, so he was way over on the side. Still front row, but not CENTER front row. It's okay Scott, we still love you. Sure, I had some bruised ribs from having several hundred people pushing me up against a rail for a couple hours, but it was definitely worth it! If you talk to Rob Clarke about the concert, ask him about the Peruvian sandwich he became.
2. Several movies came out, some that were awesome, most of them sucked. "The Last Airbender" being among the larger disappointments, and "Date Night" and "Inception" being some of the more awesome shows.
3. I wasted away dozens of hours of my life watching the Stargate SG-1 series. I watched the first 7 seasons of that show and I just couldn't push myself any further. (There are 10 seasons I think...)
4. Following the epic TV line of thought, I also watched all of the Lost series since that seemed like the cool thing to do. Here is a video that sums up my feelings about Lost pretty well.
5. I took canyoneering trips down to Zion National Park. Both of those trips were great. Good friends, good times, no deaths, and only one skunk siting (which is way WAY more skunk sitings than anybody wants to see when in a slot canyon and the skunk apparently likes to hang out under the rock you have to climb down.
First Zion Trip 2010
First Zion Trip 2010
Second Zion Trip 2010
Second Zion Trip 2010
6. Two of my best pals in the world got married over the summer. Bryce Sagers & Rich Patterson. No, they did not get married to each other. Bryce married Maria and Rich married Kate. Everybody in this story is hetero. (As far as I know.....)
7. Rob Clarke and I took a trip up to Glacier National Park and it was super beautiful. Sure, my knees were giving out like an old man and Rob's ankle was still messed up from a soccer injury, but we decided to go on the longest hikes we could find anyway. Worth it. (I have pictures from this trip, but I need to put them on my computer and I can't find my camera. I'll post them later.)
8. Rich Patterson moved back to New York, Scott Barnes moved down to Arizona, Nate Wright went back to Washington D.C., Jon Woahn is back in California, Bob Rich is in Pittsburgh, and James Gracey is living in Korea. I hate everyone growing up more than I hate just about anything.
9. My mom, sister, and brother moved back up here from Texas so my sister can finish school up here. Lots of mixed feelings about that one. I love having my mom close again, but my sister is definitely a 16 year old emotional train wreck most of the time.
10. School started back up again for the fall and I'm taking 4 English classes. Note to self: Never take 4 upper division English courses simultaneously. I love reading and writing, but even I have my limits
11. The other night we had a southern food night and then set up a projector and watched the new Star Trek movie outside. Everything about that experience was fun.
I'm sure I've done other things but just don't remember. That's what happens when you don't write about your life for 7 months.
There is something so cathartic about driving 100mph on the freeway, in the dark, screaming MK Ultra by Muse as loud as you can!
I am so excited for the Muse concert coming up! If you aren't planning on going to the concert, you need to get checked out, because you're crazy go nuts...
Turning 25 is the best thing that ever happened to my car insurance premium! I just got my bill, and I'm paying $400 less per year. You gotta love that!
Also, I've been listening to the new Spoon album, Transference, and it's pretty awesome. My pal Tim has been throwing plugs in for it for a month now, but I just jumped on board. Give it a listen, you won't regret it!
Speaking of Tim Layton, he posted a hilarious video on his blog a while back that I've shown to all sorts of peoples because it tickles me. Rather than repost the video, I'll just give you a link to his blog post. Enjoy!
I know a lot of people that hate Dave Matthews Band. In fact, if my pal Dustin even hears the words "Dave Matthews" whispered in the same room as him, you can bet you'll get his hilarious (and mostly accurate) impersonation of singer. In honor of all the people I love, and their hatred for Dave Matthews, here is an SNL clip of Bill Hader playing as Dave Matthews, and the actual Dave Matthews playing as Ozzy Osborne.
Even Dave Matthews knows his voice is ridiculous...
Last year my pal Bryce made a list of the 25 most played songs on his iPod for the year and then reset his play counts and started over. I followed suit and am prepared to report on my top 25 played songs for 2009. Here they are.
#
Artist/Song
Times Played
25:
Phoenix - Fences
55
24:
Radiohead - Jigsaw Falling Into Place
56
23:
Loney, Dear - Everything Turns To You
56
22:
El Ten Eleven - My Only Swerving
56
21:
Vampire Weekend - M79
57
20:
The Sounds - No One Sleeps When I'm Awake
58
19:
Andrew Bird - Imitosis
58
18:
Bloc Party - Signs
60
17:
Mew - Beach
64
16:
Blitzen Trapper - Black River Killer
66
15:
Vampire Weekend - Ottoman
68
14:
Pinback - Good To Sea
68
13:
Vampire Weekend - Campus
69
12:
Cake - Love You Madly
70
11:
Band of Horses - No One's Gonna Love You
70
10:
The National - Fake Empire
71
9:
Phoenix - Armistice
76
8:
Muse - Uprising
79
7:
White Rabbits - Percussion Gun
82
6:
Phoenix - Lisztomania
82
5:
Blitzen Trapper - God & Suicide
82
4:
Passion Pit - Little Secrets
86
3:
The Temper Trap - Sweet Disposition
100
2:
The Whitest Boy Alive - Burning
107
1:
Phoenix - 1901
122
There you go... That's how 2009 treated me in the music department. Now it's time to reset and restart.
It's time for Johnny's 15 Albums of 2007! This is an impressive list.... 2007 really pulled through in the music department. Check out these great hits! (again, in alphabetical order)
1. Armchair Apocrypha, by Andrew Bird
2. Autumn of the Seraphs, by Pinback
3. Boxer, by The National
4. The Broken String, by Bishop Allen
5. Cassadaga, by Bright Eyes
6. Cease to Begin, by Band of Horses
7. Chase This Light, by Jimmy Eat World
8. Dan In Real Life, Original Soundtrack
9. Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, by Spoon
10. In Rainbows, by Radiohead
11. Loney, Noir, by Loney, Dear
12. Neon Bible, by The Arcade Fire
13. Under The Black Light, by Rilo Kiley
14. We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank, by Modest Mouse
15. Wincing The Night Away, by The Shins
Can you believe that list?! 2007 blew my mind right out of my skull!
This song has popped up in three different "Genius" playlists on my ipod this week. I think it's trying to tell me something... Well, Johnny's ipod... I got the message. You rock as much as 2007 did... Andrew Bird - Skin Is, My
P.S. The link to the song is for a live version, but it's still amazing.
I think the world needs to know what albums I feel were the best releases in 2006. Later I will post 2007 and 2008, but we should start small. I've ordered them alphebetically because it was too difficult to order them in any other fashion.
1. Black Holes & Revelations, by Muse
2. The Crane Wife, by The Decemberists
3. Dog Problems, by The Format
4. Dying To Say This To You, by The Sounds
5. The Eraser, by Thom Yorke
6. Everything All The Time, by Band of Horses
7. First Impressions Of Earth, by The Strokes
8. A Lesson In Crime, by Tokyo Police Club
9. Light Grenades, by Incubus
10. Nighttiming, by Coconut Records
11. Sam's Town, by The Killers
12. Stadium Arcadium, by The Red Hot Chili Peppers
13. Stranger Than Fiction, Original Soundtrack
14. Under The Iron Sea, by Keane
15. We, The Vehicles, by Maritime
It's possible that I've forgotten some essential 2006 albums, but I think this is a pretty solid list. Feel free to leave your thoughts, suggestions, or complaints.
Music in 2006 was great and all, but you really need to check out this tune from 2009. You won't regret it!
